Friday, May 17, 2024
Weldon and Charolett Chambers may not live in Gatesville – or even Coryell County – but their commitment to doing their best for local students is why the Gatesville Independent School District honored the couple during the Staff Spotlight portion of the Aug. 15 school board meeting.
Weldon retired from his job of teaching at GISD in June 2015 after working 27 years as an educator, including 19 in Gatesville. Charolett spent the last four years as an educator as a behavior specialist at Gatesville Intermediate School.
However, retirement did not mean the end of their service with GISD. Both have continued to work as bus drivers for the district.
According to the information packet given to board members, “A bus driver’s day starts very early, especially when you have to drive in from another town (Belton). That shows the dedication and commitment Weldon and Charolett have for this community and our students.”
A year ago, Charolett faced a much greater challenge. She missed 88 days of work starting Aug. 10 with a severe case of COVID-19, which was a life-threatening illness for her. Weldon posted daily updates on Facebook and united several people in prayer for her recovery.
GISD Superintendent Barrett Pollard said it was a “great testament to their strong Christian faith.”
“Every church had me on their prayer list,” said Charolett, “and those prayers were answered. Grace to God, I had two angels visit me when I was down.” She said she was told it wasn’t her time to die.
“She made a miraculous recovery,” Pollard said. He joked that “as soon as she was off life support, we got her back on the bus.”
Charolett was able to return to work Jan. 3, which the board packet referred to as “another testament to Charolett and Weldon’s work ethic and loyalty to the students and families of Gatesville.”
