Elizabeth "Liz" Dudley served as volunteer extraordinaire for over ten years at Carson Elementary. She passed away summer of 2022. Mrs. D, as she was known, left a large legacy at Carson and in the Decatur community.
Recently Mrs. Dudley's son and daughter in law, Warren and Vicki Dudley, donated reading benches to Carson Elementary in her honor. "My mom started volunteering young then went full time after she retired. She loved teaching kids to read and took her volunteer 'job' very seriously," said Warren. The Dudley's wanted to do something for Carson and asked the teachers what was needed. It was decided they would donate benches for the hallways so that children had a fun place to practice reading.
During the dedication ceremony the entire Carson Elementary student body was on hand as well as former staff members who worked with Mrs. D. Jaime Petty, former Carson staff member, highlighted the Veterans campaign Mrs. D initiated and remembered the numerous news articles she clipped and gave to students as memories of their achievements. Mrs. Reyes, receptionist, remembered Mrs. D for loving all the students at Carson and Mrs. Maddox shared the life lesson Mrs. D taught each time she volunteered. "Sometimes you just do things out of the goodness of your heart," said Maddox.
The Dudleys also donated a class set of the book "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" to Mrs. Galovich's and Mrs. Balboni's classroom. Dahlia Aguilar, a student in Galovich's and Balboni's classroom, was a special pupil of Mrs. D. Dahlia and her family were on hand for the dedication ceremony.
In addition to the benches and books Mrs. D's personal keyboard was donated to the Carson music room and school supplies were donated to the campus.
