Profiles

Sitting on a small wooden bench he built more than 50 years ago, James Avery, 85, dons safety glasses and picks up a thin wire to scratch out a pattern on a thumbnail-sized piece of silver. As his long, nimble fingers mark the piece of metal, he transforms from a man talking about jewelry to a man making jewelry. After hammering and filing, the metal begins to take on the shape of a cross. It’s a process Avery has honed through decades of handcrafting exquisite jewelry.

In his Kerrville, Texas (pop. 20,425), workshop, Avery meticulously fashions simple religious symbols into wearable art—a passion that netted more than $100 million in sales in 2006 for the company that bears his name. Known simply as James Avery to collectors of his timeless designs, his creations are destined to become heirlooms for future generations.

The loud hum becomes a momentary roar, and Joann Anderson steps out her back door just in time to wave to her neighbor as his plane ascends into the cloudless sky. This is a common occurrence since her backyard ends at the runway of Lakeway Airport.

Some Lakeway residents think having a fairway for a backyard is paradise. Others live on the edge of Lake Travis with their boats docked just a short walk from their homes. But perhaps the most enthralling are those who can taxi their private planes straight from garage to airstrip. That's what life is like for Lakeway residents Joann and Jimmy Anderson. Contact for complete article

Makena Mailer, 4, loves the greeting he gets each morning at The Greenwood School, in Oak Hill, Texas. Waiting inside the door is Clover—a black Labrador retriever—tail wagging and ready to play.

Just for a second, Clover gets a little too friendly. Makena calmly gives a command, “Sit,” and Clover immediately responds. “I like when she listens to me,” Makena says with a grin.

Clover isn’t an ordinary pet. The fun-loving 2-year-old Lab is in training to become a guide dog for the visually impaired. The children—ages 2 to 5—at the home-based preschool help to enforce the rules of her specialized training.

"Leading an Inspired Life" American Profile, October 2007

On his daughter Lana’s wedding day in 1994, Bill Hyche surprised her with a special gift he had been working on since she left home to attend college five years earlier.

Like many anxious parents whose children are setting out on their own, Hyche, of Lakeway, Texas (pop. 8,002), wanted to share values he considered important. After struggling for two years to compose a letter, he threw it away, electing instead to print a colorful poster featuring sayings that offer simple, sage advice, such as “Exceed Expectations,” “Do Not Judge,” “Learn to Communicate,” “Forgive Others” and “Give Money Away.”

The dream of being an astronaut began in fourth grade for Eileen Collins. It was a daring dream for a young girl in the 1960s—a time when the United States wasn’t sure about continuing space exploration and all of the nation’s astronauts were men.

But Collins didn’t need a role model; instead, she became one. Not only did she serve as NASA’s first female shuttle pilot in 1995 (on a rendezvous mission with the Russian Space Station Mir), but she also became the first—and only—female shuttle commander in the space shuttle’s 24-year history when she led a Columbia mission in 1999. A veteran of three space flights, Collins has logged more than 537 hours in space.