CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Many of us have different hobbies that help take us out of the day-to-day grind.
Retired educator and Port Aransas resident, Barbara Goolsby, has taken her hobby of writing to create gripping books.
Despite her cheery and sunny disposition, Goolsby enjoys writing murder mysteries.
"It's a lot of fun, actually! You just make up all kinds of stuff," Goolsby said. "I just start typing, pull it out of brain, into my fingers and onto the page!"
She and her husband, Steve, live in the coastal community of Port Aransas, where she often pulls her inspiration from, and we certainly see that in her novel, "Fatal Waters, where in one scene a, 'purple-mottled putrid smelling left arm' is found washed up on the beach, and 'encased inside the greenery were several crabs clamped to their meal of human flesh.'
"Steve loves walking on the beach and he comes back with the most unbelievable stories," Goolsby said. "Some of his stories are really fun, so I thought on the first book I wrote, what if a hand washes up entangled in seaweed and so forth, and we’re trying to figure out whose hand it is?"
To be clear, no, that has never actually happened on one of Steve's morning beach walks.
Goolsby has now taken her love for writing murder mysteries to create three novels: "Fatal Water," "Fiery Waters" and "Frozen Waters."
In recent years, the former teacher decided to take this creative hobby one step further to help students in her community.
"All the proceeds from the sales of those books go toward this scholarship," she said.
Together, Barbara and Steve created the Buell Duion Goolsby Memorial scholarship, named in honor of her father-in-law, who valued education. So now each year, the $1,500 scholarship is awarded to Port Aransas High School seniors who aspire to become educators.
"There's so many school districts that need help and a lot of school districts that are smaller - they seem to get lost in the shuffle," Goolsby explained, despite the fact that she and her husband are not originally from the Coastal Bend, nor have children who attend school here.
"Port Aransas still has that small-town feel and it's always had the reputation of presenting a lot of good educators, and I just felt like this was the one, this was the place," Goolsby said.
Back home for the summer break, is former Port Aransas ISD star-student athlete, Kristopher Jones, Jr., who also happened to be the first local scholarship recipient from the Goolsby family last year.
He has been helping his father with youth basketball camps in Port A, and in the fall will return to Texas Lutheran University, where he is an Education major and plays for the Bulldogs.
"I think being a teacher will be the most fulfilling career that I could ever have," Jones said, whose parents also happen to teach and coach for the district.
Jones expressed gratitude and many thanks for all the community-based scholarships he received last year that helped make the transition to his first year of college a bit smoother, but shares what meant the most to him, is seeing how residents feel so invested in the futures of the students there.
"The scholarships aren't about the money, it’s people wanting to help you go down your path in life," Jones said. "They [the Goolsby's] don't have kids or grandkids enrolled, but I think it’s beautiful that they feel like they’re a part, and they donate to kids and it’s people like them that make our high school so great and our community so strong."
Back on May 21, Jones got to present the memorial scholarship to this year's recipient, now recently graduated, Grace Cunningham. An application the Goolsby's say they thoroughly enjoyed reviewing.
"She [Grace] seemed so dedicated to what she wanted to do, and when I read her work as far as why she wanted the scholarship and what she had done in the community and so forth, it just touched my heart," Goolsby said. "She had some really excellent ideas and goals she wanted to accomplish, and I think she will be an excellent educator too!"
Port Aransas High School seniors can apply for the Buell Duion Goolsby Memorial scholarship next school year.
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