There are stories of people spending their entire lives looking for treasure.
However, according to friends, former students and the Taylor Independent School District, retired educator Lessie Givens has spent her life being a “Taylor treasure.”
“God is blessing me every minute of the day,” Givens said.
Officials on May 2 honored the 96-yearold Givens during the kick off of Teacher Appreciation Month during a celebration at the S.P.J.S.T. Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center, where she is a resident.
“Just the mention of her name brings a smile to people’s faces,” said Tim Crow, the school district’s community liaison. “When you listen to people talk about her, the words that come so frequently are words like ‘kind,’ ‘sweet,’ ‘a mentor,’ ‘an inspiration.’” Crow said Givens is one of Taylor’s “legendary” educators who has left an indelible mark on the campuses of the district.
“Talk about a true Taylor treasure,” Crow said. “That’s Mrs. Givens.”
At the event, the video interview, “A Life of Service: Lessie Givens,” was shown. The film was put together by Ryan Newsom, a Taylor High School senior, and featured longtime friends and former students Leslie and Don Hill interviewing Givens.
“I decided I wanted to be a school educator because I had some teachers that I admired when I was in school, and I thought maybe I could imitate them,” Givens said in the video about wanting to become a teacher.
Givens taught second grade at O.L. Price, Eastside, Southside and Northside elementary schools and Taylor Middle School. She spent 36 years in education.
Givens, an African American, was the first teacher from Eastside to start working in the racially integrated system. She was also the first Black certified bilingual teacher with the first group of teachers at Northside Elementary.
In addition to being an educator, Givens provided valuable services for Taylor ISD, serving as executive secretary and publisher of the Informer News for the Central Texas District Teachers Association, officials said. She also trained speakers for University Interscholastic League competitions at all levels, and she served as director of the Teenage Club.
She was known for sponsoring clubs and organizations, and helping the thousands of students who passed through her classrooms succeed.
Mayor Brandt Rydell read a proclamation recognizing Givens for her life of service.
“She is and was a leader in the Taylor community,” Rydell read.
Givens was not only a career educator but also a public servant, officials said.
She served as the chairwoman of the city Board of Adjustments and Appeals, as well as on the city Building and Standards Commission. In addition, she was president of the Welfare Workers Club and manager of the town’s community center, which was renamed the Dickey-Givens Community Center in her honor in 2016.
She shares the building’s name with Magnolia P. Dickey, wife of Dr. James Lee Dickey, the pioneering Black physician who broke racial and societal barriers in Taylor and Central Texas.
“I was so happy to feel that you thought that much of the work that I had done to honor me like that,” Givens said, “and I was so grateful to God for having done what I had done to you all ... he had enabled me to do.”
Givens is happy to see her former students prosper, she said, adding it makes her feel good when they come back and tell her about the impact she had on their lives.
