DUANE
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Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Zada Jane Sanders Kelly. Now that's a name worth saying out loud, and Limestone County made sure of it.
She came from good local stock, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. Cull Sanders, pioneer people of this very region.
She went on to graduate from Kidd-Key College, so right away you know she was somebody who took her opportunities seriously. In 1910 she married C. D.
Kelly, and from there the story only gets bigger. Groesback claimed her as one of its own clubwomen, and that turned out to be a considerable thing for the state of Texas. She served as treasurer of the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs during the time those state headquarters were being built in Austin.
Think about that for a moment. Money flowing, decisions being made, a whole building taking shape, and Zada Jane Sanders Kelly was the one minding the books. That kind of trust doesn't come to just anybody.
But Limestone County and the state of Texas weren't the only ones paying attention. The General Federation of Women's Clubs, a national body, awarded her a certificate of honor in 1964. The whole country, recognizing what this daughter of a local pioneer had become.
And she didn't stop there. She served on the Limestone County Historical Survey Committee, making sure stories like her own would have a place to land. The marker was recorded in 1969.
Zada Jane Sanders Kelly: pioneer daughter, college graduate, treasurer, nationally honored, keeper of local history. Some people just refuse to be small.
What the marker says
Daughter of local pioneer, Mr. and Mrs. J. Cull Sanders, and graduate of Kidd-Key College. Married C. D. Kelly in 1910. A Groesback clubwoman; served as treasurer, Texas Federation of Women's Clubs, when state headquarters were being built in Austin. Recognized nationally, she was awarded a certificate of honor in 1964 by the General Federation of Women's Clubs. Member of Limestone County Historical Survey Committee. Recorded 1969