Carleen Betts Presley

Carleen was born in Center Hill, Arkansas September 7, 1936 to Jake and Reba Betts. Moving to Searcy, Arkansas as a young girl, she grew up in a servant hearted family who were deeply involved in their church and community. She was the first in her family to attend college.
She graduated from Arkansas State College in 1957 to become a teacher. That same year, she accepted her first position teaching typing and business machines at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas-which became the focal point of national attention as the federal government began to enforce mandatory desegregation in the United States. Two of the "Little Rock Nine" were students in her classes.
In 1958, Carleen married her childhood sweetheart Glen Travis Presley with whom she had three children and enjoyed 60 years of marriage and adventure. Carleen was a faithful partner moving with Glen as his career grew. Believing that her faith was to be worked out in service and love, Carleen found new opportunities with each move to teach, contribute, and help her children grow and flourish.
Carleen pioneered the development of IEP's (Individual Education Programs) to work with students toward their educational success beyond traditional boundaries. For her high school, she wrote from scratch the first curriculum to teach Apple computer. She initiated a high school campaign for paper and aluminum can recycling before such activities were front page news. Wherever she organized, directed or taught, good things happened.
With retirement came a life of hospitality in sunny Coachella Valley - hosting delicious meals, organizing adventurous bus trips, playing games and growing roses. Carleen served as elder at Palm Desert Presbyterian Church. She trained and led volunteers for annual conferences of the Global Leadership Summit. And, especially dear to her heart, she recruited 80 retired executives to take a weekly bus ride across town to read to kindergarteners as a part of the Read With Me Volunteer Programs because children who learn to read before third grade are most likely to graduate high school. When Read With Me started in 2004, the graduation rate was 51.1%, by 2016, it was 86.1%.
The world is a kinder, gentler place for those privileged to know and learn from her because Carleen lived her personal motto: "Bloom Where You Are Planted"
She is survived by: Pat Presley (Kristin), Carol Steere (Robert), and Christi Regnery (William); 9 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren. Services will be private at a future date. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations to her memory be made to the Read With Me Program: Read With Me Volunteer Programs