The next meeting of the Silver Leos Writers Guild will take place on Wednesday, September 14, beginning at 1:00 p.m. in the A&M-Commerce Alumni Center. This month’s speaker will be Mary Brooke Casad, author of Bluebonnet the Armadillo books.

Bluebonnet the Armadillo was developed by Casad as a way to interest children in Texas history. The book series follows Bluebonnet as she travels throughout Texas seeing such places as the Alamo, Johnson Space Center, the Hill Country, State Capitol, and many more. Using a “Bluebonnet” puppet to hold their attention, Casad frequently speaks to groups of elementary children about historic locations in Texas.

A native of Louisiana, Casad received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from SMU in Dallas and also studied at Harlaxton College in Grantham, England. She spent her childhood summers in the Texas Hill Country at Camp Waldemar where she was first introduced to armadillos. She edited a history of the 75-year-old camp: The Waldemar Story—Camping in the Texas Hill Country. Casad was invited by First Lady Laura Bush to be a featured Texas writer at the Texas Book Festival in Austin in 1997 and 2000. She is a member of the Writers’ League of Texas, Texas State Historical Association, and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. She is also a member of Chapter AB of P.E.O. and Kappa Kappa Gamma.

Additional writing endeavors include The Basics, a three-book discipleship study series written with her brother, Dr. Clayton Oliphint, a Methodist pastor. She is also active in the Unit-ed Methodist General and Jurisdictional Conferences where she has served in numerous capacities. She also served as Director of Connectional ministries for the United Methodist Church in the Dallas area for ten years, the first woman and layperson named to the position.

Casad resides in Sulphur Springs, Texas, with her husband, Dr. Victor E. Casad, who is a UMC clergyman serving as district superintendent of the East District, North Texas Conference. The couple have two sons, a daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren.

Silver Leos Writers Guild is a chapter of the A&M-Commerce Alumni Association and meets the second Wednesday of each month (January - November). Members wanting one-on-one assistance are invited to attend the Peer Review Group, beginning at 11:30 a.m. Refreshments will be served at 12:30 and the regular meeting starts at 1:00 p.m. Membership is open to those interested in writing and are 21 years of age or older. Dues are $20 per year. For Additional information contact Arlan Purdy, president, at 903-886-6120 or Sharon Feldt, vice president, at 903-335-8502.