For Wesla Murrah, being a Razorback is more than where she went to school or where she has worked. It is a family tradition that stretches across generations, decades of service to the Texarkana Arkansas School District, and a connection that has followed her through nearly every chapter of her life.
A lifelong resident of Texarkana, Arkansas, Murrah is a graduate of Arkansas High School. Over the years, she has experienced TASD from many perspectives: as a student, employee, substitute teacher, parent, volunteer, and longtime supporter of the district.
Her Razorback roots began long before her own career.
Murrah is the third generation of her family to work for TASD. Her grandmother worked in food service, her grandfather served in transportation, her mother was a teacher’s aide at an elementary school, and her father painted “Texarkana Arkansas Schools” on school buses.
That history is something Murrah does not take lightly.
“With my grandparents, parents and my employment with TASD, I believe they would be proud of my continuing the family tradition to help make our District the best it can be.”
A Career That Became a Calling
Murrah’s career with TASD has unfolded across several chapters.
She was first hired as a secretary in the Arkansas High School principal’s office, where she worked for seven years. Later, when her sons were in elementary school, she returned to TASD as a substitute teacher.
That experience gave her an opportunity to serve students directly and created connections she still encounters today.
“I really enjoyed working with students when I was a Sub, especially 2nd graders. I still see adults who were some of ‘my kids’ when they were in elementary school that still recognize me.”
Then, in 2000, what was expected to be a short-term assignment changed the direction of her career.
Murrah was asked to substitute for the Maintenance Secretary for six weeks. When the secretary was unable to return, Murrah was hired permanently.
Twenty-six years later, she is still serving TASD.
Over those years, she became a familiar presence in Supportive Services and earned the affectionate nickname “Queen of Maintenance.”
Learning From Those Along the Way
For Murrah, a lifetime in TASD has also meant learning from the educators, colleagues, and leaders she encountered throughout the years.
As an Arkansas High School student, she remembers English teachers Berniece Henderson and Lillian Bjork. Later in her career, Maintenance Director Coach Dan Carmeli became another important influence.
“I enjoyed working with Berniece Henderson and Lillian Bjork, English teachers at AHS in the ’70s, as well as Coach Dan Carmeli, who was the Maintenance Director that I worked with for more than a dozen years.”
Working alongside Carmeli also helped Murrah develop skills that became important throughout her role in Supportive Services.
“I learned a lot about organizing important information concerning Maintenance paperwork for the State.”
Those relationships reflect one of the threads running throughout Murrah’s story: the impact people can have on one another across different seasons of life.
A Family’s Razorback Story
Murrah’s connection to TASD eventually extended to another generation.
Her sons attended Kilpatrick Elementary, the same elementary school she attended, before continuing through TASD and graduating from Arkansas High School just as their mother had.
For Murrah, watching that journey brought an entirely new meaning to being part of the district.
“My sons attended the same elementary school that I did, Kilpatrick Elementary, as well as we all are graduates from Arkansas High. I have appreciated my time watching them grow and become good citizens and avid Razorback fans!”
It is a connection that reaches beyond a single campus, position, or generation. The schools that helped shape Murrah became the schools that helped shape her children as well.
Service Beyond the Job
Murrah’s contribution to TASD has never been limited to her employment.
Over the years, she volunteered wherever her sons were involved and served in numerous organizations supporting students and schools. She was a board member of the Arkansas High School Razorback Booster Club, a team mom for her sons’ baseball teams, and a PTA board member at Kilpatrick Elementary, Washington 6th Grade, North Heights Junior High, and Arkansas High School.
Her community involvement also included service with the Junior League of Texarkana and Miller County PTA. In 1999, she received the Jack Hardy Volunteer Award in recognition of her service.
That commitment to helping others has been a constant throughout her story, whether she was serving students, assisting staff, volunteering as a parent, or supporting the behind-the-scenes work that keeps a school district moving.
A Legacy Recognized
In 2023, Murrah was named the TASD Classified Employee of the Year during the district’s annual End of Year Celebration.
The recognition honored a career already spanning decades and a level of service that reached well beyond her job description.
But Murrah’s legacy cannot be measured by an award alone.
It can also be found in former second graders who still recognize their substitute teacher years later. It can be found in generations of one family serving the same school district. It can be seen in a mother watching her sons walk the halls she once walked herself.
And it continues every day she comes to work for TASD.
Coming Full Circle
When asked to complete one sentence describing her journey, Murrah summed up decades of Razorback history in just a few words:
“Every Razorback has a beginning and a purpose.”
For Wesla Murrah, that beginning stretches back through generations.
Her story has taken her from TASD student to employee, from substitute teacher to the “Queen of Maintenance,” from Kilpatrick student to Kilpatrick parent, and from Arkansas High graduate to the mother of Arkansas High graduates.
Through it all, her purpose has remained grounded in service.
After a lifetime connected to the Texarkana Arkansas School District, Murrah still carries the same Razorback pride that has followed her throughout the journey.
As she has often said:
“It is indeed a great day to be a Razorback!”
Discover the Legacy celebrates the people, experiences, traditions, and connections that have shaped the Texarkana Arkansas School District across generations.
