Notable Residents

My name is Jeanie Johnson, but I write under the name of Jeanie P. Johnson. I have been writing from the age of 10 when I started writing poetry. As I got older, I graduated to short stories and then Novels. During the time I was raising my six children in Spokane Washington, I wrote many novels but could never get them published. When I was 70, I had written about 50 novels and when I discovered how to self-publish on Amazon, I published all my novels. The ones that sold the best were my Native American Romance books. I have now written about 116 books, some non-fiction, but mostly romance or historical novels.

In 2020 I was living with my daughter in Washington State, and the little town she lived in ended up burning down, 85% of it, and though her house was saved, there was too much smoke damage to remain there. I lived in motels, and then slept on my sister’s couch for a month. Finally, because I couldn’t find housing I could afford, I figured I would have to camp until I could find a house, and Washington State, where I lived was too cold and snowy in the winter to camp, since it was December.

I decided to move to a warmer climate where I could camp until I could find housing. I had lived in Arizona, being raised there before moving to California, and remaining there until I got married, then moving to Idaho, and later on Spokane Washington, where I stayed for over 30 years. However, knowing how hot it got in Arizona, I looked elsewhere, and I found a lot in Munday Texas, advertised, for $50 down and $50 a month and it had access to water and electricity. Even though there was a falling down house on the property, I thought I could either restore it or build a new house. I drove the 1700 miles with only what I could fit in my car, along with my dog, and then camped out in the driveway of the house. I thought the house was too far-gone for me to restore, and there was a house on property right next door to it for sale, so I was able to buy that house, even though it needed a lot of work. However, it would be easier than restoring the other house. One of my sons came from Washington and was willing to take on the project of restoring the falling down house, so he lives there, while I live next door on four lots, and between the two pieces of property, it takes up the whole block.

I continue to write on my novels, which are sold on Amazon, and I have not regretted moving to Munday, Texas, where I have met friends and enjoy working on my house. Even though I still have most of my belongs in storage in Washington, I have managed to acquire all the things I need to live happily, and my daughters are planning to bring the rest of my belongings out to Texas for me.

Donna and her husband, Captain Terry Hyatt (USMM, retired), originally from the coastal area of North Carolina, accidentally transplanted to Justin, TX in 2016 whilst on a journey in their 40-foot motorcoach. In that first year, 3,000 homes were built. Deterred by the influx, they ventured into the Big Empty area, landing in Goree, TX. They have spent 7 years rebuilding an old ranch home and turning the property into their special retirement haven. Work has slowed due to health reasons, but the imagery is still fresh in their minds of how the completed look will be. You may recognize the old tenant house across from Peek's old station.

Donna was rescued from Corporate America by her dear Captain. They spent years navigating the seas. It was quite the shift from preparing documentation regarding pharmaceuticals, Information Technology, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity, or even categorizing every motor found in an industrial plant. Prior to this, she spent time as an Emergency Medical Technician and in 911 telecommunications. In 2008, she and her friends in NC decided to search for biological siblings (separated due to adoption) and found 5 surviving brothers and sisters (maternal) to add to her family. She was raised with 2 older brothers (adoption) but found she was third born of 6'ish and had sisters.

One of her most notable times on the water was in August, 2011. She was new to the boat life when Hurricane Irene came ashore as a category 1. It was her make-it-or-break-it time. The storm was wrapped so tight, there were no feeder bands to break the action. A tornado left land and went into the Neuse River, where they took a direct hit on their 50-foot houseboat. It was a 7.5 hour boat wreck. Deemed the 500 year flood with the powerful storm surge, they navigated between houses in a nearby neighborhood (after all anchors fouled from 13 spins). Captain Terry fought 18-25' seas that day to keep the pontoon-bottom vessel from capsizing. Donna jumped from the dive platform to the tender in order to save the outboard engine, but the winds and seas were too rough so she returned to the houseboat and continued being tossed throughout the boat. When the storm was over, the only place visible to tie to was at the ferry depot. They thought for sure they would lose their home and go to prison for 'riding out' in the storm. But the US Coast Guard cutters were standing by. They performed a rescue, safely removing the crew (dogs included) from the boat. They dumped the M/V “Dream Chaser” GPS, reviewed the facts and track, shook the Captains' hand and said, “Forget the $25,000.00 fine, sir. We don't even teach this in the textbooks. Congratulations on being alive!” Donna had broken bones and 3rd degree burns from a generator, but she proudly earned her title as First Mate. The Captain ate his nitro pills the entire time of the storm and held tight to the helm. Nine days later, he had heart surgery. The boat that was beside them had a man and woman aboard. It took several days, but they were found several miles apart, deceased.

Donna is an author. She has been writing since elementary school, winning her first essay in third grade. One of her mainstream books, “Battalion 1: Surviving after Taps” Second Expanded Edition, is a short memoir of how she became a small-voice veterans' advocate, especially for females with PTSD. She no longer speaks of what happened, so please consider ordering the book via Amazon. Donna writes other content under numerous pseudonyms. She has a collection of poetry that she may publish some day. Donna received her Bachelor of Arts in English (concentration in writing) and multi-disciplinary minor (religion, psychology, and Native American studies) late in life at East Carolina University.

Donna currently sits on local boards and is currently co-president of Moving Munday Forward. Her hobbies include spoiling animals, ghost hunting, jewelry design, and diamond painting.

Don grew up in small towns in the Panhandle, then worked in Amarillo for years as a Buyer for a couple of wholesale companies after attending Frank Phillips College and West Texas State University. 

He worked with his Dad in Knox County for a few years, then moved to Abilene for almost 10 years. Next, he lived in Plano for 13 years, working first as a retail store manager, then later as a Buyer for a software company before landing work as a Buyer for World Tableware, a Division of Libbey Glass for four years. He was transferred to Toledo, Ohio, to the corporate office of Libbey, working there for 6 years. 

“A new boss came in and booted me out of Libbey after 10 years,” he said. “But I was able to go to work for Oneida Silverware as Vice-President of Procurement – Metalware, so I worked in New York for one year for Oneida before relocating to Guangzhou, China for two years for Oneida. Then Oneida was bought out by Anchor-Hocking so I was out again. That’s when I moved back to Texas and worked as a Right-of-Way Agent for pipelines and oil drilling companies for a few years. It was good to be back in Texas.”  

His work as a Buyer for World Tableware / Libbey for 10 years then as a Vice-President at Oneida for 3 years allowed him to travel all over the USA, to Monterrey, Mexico a couple of times, and Frankfurt, Germany a couple of trips.  

During the career as a tableware Buyer, he also travelled extensively for 10 years through China, Japan, Korea, Viet Nam, Indonesia, Thailand and India, finally living in Guangzhou, China for two years, meeting with factories to arrange for production, design, negotiating prices and logistics and checking quality of foodservice industry items – spoons, forks, knives, dinnerware, buffet ware, and related items. 

“My big adventure in life has been to see places and experience the cultures of Asia,” said Don. “Loved it. Enjoyed the history, the culture, the customs and foods of Asia. Everyone should travel internationally a few times. Makes us appreciate the USA and Texas.” 

Don’s wife Jana passed away from cancer in 2003. He later married a lady from China, and is now divorced. He has a son in Munday, a son in Michigan, a step-son in the Navy serving on a destroyer in the Pacific, and a grandson in Pampa, Texas.

Now he stays busy working as News Editor for the Knox County News-Courier and writing magazine articles for Hometown Living. He has had articles published in the Abilene, Wichita Falls, Amarillo, and Tri-County editions of Hometown Living magazines. He has kept in contact with factories in Asia and does sourcing and import work for tableware items for a company based in the Dallas area that supplies restaurants in Texas and Las Vegas. For a fourth “part-time job”, he also does sales work for a silver plating company based in Maine. He attends the National Restaurant Association trade show in Chicago every May as a sales representative for this premier silver-plating company. 

He is active in church, a past President on the Moving Munday Forward committee, and currently serves as Vice-President of the Munday Lions Club. 

“I always wanted to write and travel, and I’m fortunate and blessed I’ve been able to do some of these things,” said Don. “I want to continue to travel as long as I can. There are lots of places I haven’t seen yet. I want to continue to write. I’m working – slowly – on a non-fiction book about Doan’s Crossing, and would like to write a fiction novel after that. A mystery, with a humorous twist.” 

“I’ve loved having these great experiences and traveling around the world,” he exclaimed, “but I’m happy to live in The Big Empty and make my home here.”

I had the most awesome job and experience that anyone could have. I started at NASA as a receptionist for a subcontractor. We had to have a security clearance and I worked my way up in job descriptions. To start my shift at NASA, I had a top-secret security clearance and had a PCZ badge, a physical control zone badge, meaning I had to push a secure set of numbers and opened the door to a small area where door closed behind me and had to enter another set of numbers before entry to building.  I worked with the simulators, space shuttle included, and whenever the astronauts had a mission. They trained in Houston days before the flight.

I was not an essential employee, but I was happy anyway. The operators tested the simulator in the morning, and I was a body in the back seat in awe of all the buttons. It was a kick-ass ride!! I have many pictures signed and patches and decals of each mission. The Challenger crew will always be in my heart as they were very friendly. I retrieved them from their building, not letting anyone expose them to an illness before going up.

They had just seconds into the flight before their fateful demise on January 28th, 1986. The crew members were Christa McAuliffe, a teacher whose role was to conduct at least two lessons from orbit and commander Francis (Dick) Scobee, pilot Michael Smith, mission specialists Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, and Hughes Aircraft engineer Gregory Jarvis. We referred to them as "space angels" after the accident. 

When we sent the Challenger crew from Florida I was just getting off, walking in the door. My husband answered the phone, and it was my boss. He said, "turn the TV on and get Karen". I had no idea what I was looking at first, it was the Challenger seconds after liftoff. It was so shocking and surreal. Morale was very low at NASA for weeks after. President Ronald Reagan came to speak on the lawn of NASA, and even though he was standing close by, I don't know what he said except bits and pieces. I had just spoken with these people days before and then saw such a surreal horrible sight. 

The space industry then declined, and it wasn't until after the Columbia February 1, 2003 accident that there was a halt in the program. It was the one that broke apart across Texas and Louisiana. The Columbia crew with Rick Husband lost tiles hitting the external tank, over Texas and Louisiana breaking pieces off. This was another subcontractor; we had the flight simulators. They didn't start back up until years after and we all were reassigned to other subcontractors.

I have many mementos of NASA and flight crews I look at, and a huge teddy bear with the "7 space angels of Challenger " is my favorite. I have one sister she lives in Houston. I moved to Rochester to take care of my husband's parents who both had cancer and then my husband. He was a retired USAF of 21 years. I am now widowed.

Colonel Jayson Morgan was born in Knox City, Knox County, TX. Son of Gerald and Gayle Morgan. Colonel Morgan lived his childhood in Munday, TX. 

While attending schools in Munday, he was active in Little League baseball, Baptist Church Kids choir, played basketball, football, was in the National Honor Society, one-act play, a volunteer EMT, and graduated in the top ten of his class.

For one year, Colonel Morgan played football while attending Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, TX, and transferred to Midwestern University in Wichita Falls, TX, where he was on the track team, and he graduated in 1995.

He enlisted as a 13B Field Artillery Cannon Crew Member and was later commissioned as a Field Artillery Second Lieutenant through Officer Candidate School. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, TX; a Master of Arts in Defense and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in Newport, RI; a Master of Arts in Strategic Studies from the Command and General Staff College, School of Advanced Military Studies in Ft. Leavenworth, KS.

Colonel Morgan's previous assignments include Marshall Scholar, Ft. Leavenworth, KS; Commander of the 4th BN 3rd Security Force Assistance Brigade, Ft. Cavazos, TX; FDG Deputy Div Chief U.S. Army G-8, Washington, D. C.; Commander of the 5th BN 25th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd BDE 10th MTN DIV, Ft. Polk, LA; Operations Officer J33/J35 Joint Staff, Washington, D. C.; Observer-Controller-Trainer at the National Training Center, Ft. Irwin, CA. He has served in additional key and developmental assignments at the Company and Field Grade level at Ft. Cavazos, TX; Ft. Riley, KS; and Ft. Stewart, GA.

His military education includes successful completion of the Field Artillery Officer’s Basic and Captain’s Career Courses, College of Naval Command and Staff, School of Advanced Military Studies - Advanced Strategic Leadership Studies Program. His combat deployments include tours in Afghanistan (2009, 2012-2013) and Iraq (2004-2005, 2007-2008).

His awards include the Bronze Star Medal with two oak leaf cluster, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf cluster, Army Commendation Medal with a “V” device, Army Commendation Medal with four oak leaf cluster, Army Achievement Medal with four oak leaf cluster, Army Good Conduct Medal, Valorous Unit Award with one oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Unit Citation, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with two bronze stars, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Service Medals, NATO Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon with numeral 3, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge, Combat Action Badge, Parachutist Badge.

Colonel Jayson Morgan is currently the Brigade Commander for the 1st Armored Division Artillery at Ft. Bliss, TX. He is married to the former Rhonda Parker from Knox City, TX. They have three children: Keegan (22), Colin (20), and Kelsey (18). 

C.H. Underwood grew up 11 miles west of O'Brien in the Needmore community along the Brazos River. He is a 1963 graduate of O'Brien High School and played on the 6-man football team that on two occasions were Regional Finalist and undefeated Regional Champions; basketball teams that won District twice and a track team that won District and Regional titles before finishing third in the State Meet. As a player he received All-District honors in football and basketball and was honored in the Abilene Reporter News All-Area team. ln 1963 he played in the Texas Six-Man All-Star football game in Cisco as well.

He ran track at South Plains College where he was selected as the top English and History student in his sophomore year. At SPC he was inducted into the honor society, Phi Theta Kappa. He and his wife Linda Kay Reed Underwood attended Hardin-Simmons University and he graduated in 1967 from Midwestern State University with a B.A. in History and English. He returned to O'Brien High School in 1967 where, as head varsity football coach, his teams lost only one regular season game in 4 years, establishing a record of 40 wins and 3 losses while winning the first State Championship awarded to Texas six-man teams in 1977. His teams used the first true triple option offense in six-man, the "O'Brien Veer". He served as assistant coach in the Texas Six-Man All-Star Game in 1971 in Levelland and as head coach in 1973 in Brownwood.

ln 1983 he served as line coach for the Class A eleven-man State Football champs from Knox City-O'Brien High School. Over a 28-year career as an educator Coach Underwood coached boys and girls varsity teams in seven different sports at seven different schools (O'Brien, Knox City, Knox City-O'Brien, Hamlin, Rotan, Tulia, Benjamin), from 1A to 3A. He served as a coach for eighteen District Runners-up or playoff qualifiers and twenty-one District Champs: qualifying these teams beyond District competition thirty-nine times. On twenty-four occasions these teams won titles beyond District competition. 

On the academic side, for 28 years, Coach Underwood taught Social Studies and English. One extracurricular area he enjoyed beyond athletics was coaching debate teams. His Cross-X and L.D. debaters qualified beyond District 26 times. They were Regional Finalist 8 times, winning the title once. His debate teams qualified for the State Meet in Austin 15 times. There was a stretch of 8 consecutive years in which his debate teams qualified to the State Meet. ln two different 4-year periods the teams medaled at the State Meet each year. At the State Meet his teams were Octo-finalist medalist twice, Quarter-finals medalist once and State third place medalist 6 times. Two different years his teams were in the championship round, finishing State Runners-up both years.

ln 1997 he was inducted into the Six-Man All-Americas Bowl Hall of Fame. ln 1998 he was assistant coach for the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class A-3A All-Star Basketball game in San Antonio. He was also awarded the TABC Milestone Award for over 300 wins as a head varsity basketball coach with a record of 356 wins and 157 losses. ln 2007 he was awarded a lifetime membership in the Texas Six-Man Coaches association. In 2011 he was inducted into the Texas Six-Man Coaches Hall of Fame and then in 2020 into the Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame in Abilene. 

He authored three books. ln 1974 he authored the book Texas Six-Man Football, published by Eakin Press and in 2004 authored and edited Six-Man Football published by Bright Sky Press. He also authored a history book, History of the Upper Forks of the Brazos. Through the years he became known also for his oil paintings. His paintings were primarily western landscapes and historical scenes from the western regions of Texas.