BETTY IRIS HALLADAY

BETTY IRIS HALLADAY (NEÉ SMITH)
ELGIN, TX - Betty Iris Halladay (neé Smith), formerly Betty Iris Boothe, passed away Sunday, Dec. 27, 2009, at her home in Elgin, Texas.
Mrs. Halladay's rich life was distinguished by her achievements as a U.S. Diplomat, a longtime educator (known by her students as Mrs. Boothe) and as a beloved wife, mother and grandmother.
She was born Oct. 22, 1928, to Don W. Smith, a prominent architect of Sweetwater, Texas, who served terms as both mayor and commissioner of the city, and his wife Pauline Smith (neé Poston).
Mrs. Halladay was preceded in death by her parents; her maternal grandparents, Charles Arch Poston and Eva K. Poston, of Sweetwater, Texas; and her paternal grandparents, Abby H. Smith and Clara L. Smith of Fort Worth, Texas.
She is survived by her loving husband of more than seven years, Walter L. Halladay, originally of Peterborough, Ont., Canada; her four children, Dr. Michael Boothe of Arlington, Texas, Paula Boothe of Elgin, Texas, Rebecca Hayley-Zamudio of McAllen, Texas, and Trey Boothe of Allen, Texas; her younger brother, Donald Smith, and his wife, Ruth Smith, of Stephenville, Texas; and her six grandchildren, Christopher Russell of Los Angeles, Calif., Michael Lea Boothe of Leander, Texas, James Russell of Houston, Texas, Brandon R. Garcia of McAllen, Texas, Ashley Boothe McAndrew of Austin, Texas, and Jordan Lea Garcia of McAllen, Texas, who will all remember her as "Bebe."
Mrs. Halladay earned her high school diploma from Sweetwater High School in 1945 and her Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Texas State College for Women (now Texas Women's University) in Denton, Texas, in 1950. She also received a Master of Arts degree in history from New Mexico Highlands University of Las Vegas, N.M., in 1967.
Mrs. Halladay and her family moved to Edinburg, Texas, in 1963. She taught at Edinburg Junior High School for one year before spending the next 17 years as a history and government teacher at Edinburg High School. During her tenure, she designed remarkably innovative curricula for both her students. As part of her U.S. Government course, she devised a complex criminal justice lesson that revolved around a mock scenario in which her students served as offenders, victims, prosecutors, defense attorneys, witnesses and judges --- a project she coordinated with both the city's police department and an EMT squad. She organized annual trips for her Comparative Government students to the Reynosa, Tamps., Mexico, so that they might experience firsthand the information she taught about relations between municipal governments in the United States and Mexico. The trips would culminate with a special goodwill ceremony hosted by Reynosa's mayor and other city officials. She also taught history at South Texas Community College (now South Texas College) in McAllen, Texas, from 1995 to 2001.
Mrs. Halladay began an exciting new career with the U.S. Department of State's Foreign Service as a U.S. Consul in 1981. Her attempts at garnering a position within the Foreign Service began in 1950. Despite her outstanding qualifications and remarkable intellect, Mrs. Halladay was denied consideration for more than 30 years because of regulations that prohibited married women from entering the service, and later because she exceeded the departmental age limit. She was in her 50s when she discovered those rules had been lifted; shortly afterward, she secured the job she had pursued for decades.
Mrs. Halladay served the department in Guadalajara, Mexico; Tijuana, Mexico; Washington, D.C.; St. John's, Antigua; Toronto, Ont., Canada; and most notably, Havana, Cuba.
While posted in Havana, one of her duties was to visit American citizens imprisoned in Cuba for various offenses. She also monitored their trials to make sure their rights under Cuban law were observed. While in Guadalajara, she was the U.S. State Department official who had the duty of identifying the body of Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, a D.E.A. agent who was tortured and slain by drug cartel members. While stationed in Tijuana, she was head of a section that investigated the abduction and trafficking of infants and young children for illegal adoption.
Mrs. Halladay had resided with her husband, Walter, at the home of her daughter, Paula, and son-in-law, Larry Wieland, in Elgin, Texas, since 2007.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2009, at First Presbyterian Church, 213 E. Third St., in Sweetwater, Texas, and will be officiated by the Rev. Howell Martin.
In lieu of flowers, Mrs. Halladay's family asks that donations be made to the Palm Valley Animal Center of Edinburg, Texas (956-686-1141).
Arrangements are under the direction of Jones Family Funeral Home (512-285-4616) of Elgin, Texas, and Cate-Spencer and Trent Funeral Home (325-236-6717) of Sweetwater, Texas.
Sign the guest book at www.themonitor.com/obituaries