Mora Evelyn Waddell Boone

December 23, 1901–December 11, 2008

Mora Evelyn Waddell Boone passed away on Thursday, December 11 at her apartment in Bryan, 12 days short of her 107th birthday. Visitation will be on Sunday, December 14 from 2 to 4 p. m. at the Callaway-Jones Funeral Home, 3001 S. College Avenue in Bryan.

Services and interment will take place at 2 p. m. on Monday, December 15 at the Davis Greenlawn Funeral Chapel and Cemetery, 3900 B. F. Terry Blvd. in Rosenberg, Texas.

Mora was born December 23, 1901 to Homer Arthur Waddell and Susie Annie White in Greenville, Texas, the fifth of eight children. In 1906-07 the family moved by train to Floydada, then by covered wagon to Alpine. Mora's family then moved to San Antonio, Cuero, Navidad, and Asherton before settling in Houston, where she attended Central High School, the only high school in Houston at that time

On December 25, 1921, Mora married James L. Boone, a teacher and farmer in the Alief community about 15 miles southwest of Houston. James worked the family farm while teaching and serving as high school principal in the Alief Independent School District until 1930, when he was elected Superintendent of Schools for the Beasley Independent School District in Fort Bend County.

Wanting to become a teacher, Mora started taking college courses in 1930, twelve years after leaving high school. She took courses at Texas A&M in the summers and took correspondence courses during the regular school year. By 1932 she had enough credits to begin teaching English and literature at Beasley High School. Despite a petition to the A&M Board of Directors by the many women who were attending the A&M summer sessions, the college steadfastly refused to grant degrees to women, so Mora completed her last 30 credits at Sam Houston, and received her B. S. degree in English and History there in 1937, and a Master of Library Science degree from Sam Houston in 1951.

Mora served the public schools as a teacher and school librarian at Beasley, Lolita, Needville and Houston over a period of 32 years. She retired in 1964 from Jane Long Junior High School in Houston. After her retirement, she turned to encouraging others to become teachers. In 2004 Mora endowed a President's Endowed Scholarship for students majoring in the College of Education at Texas A&M University. Nine of her descendants have followed her in the teaching profession.

Mora Boone is survived by her two sons, James of College Station, H. S. "Dan" Boone, and a daughter-in-law, Margaret Sue Benbow Boone, both of Houston; 5 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren and 5 great-great grandchildren. Her husband, parents and siblings preceded her in death.

Please leave condolences at www.callawayjones.com.