In 1980, Bill and Karelyn Barkhurst got married. As a student of one of the West Cluster schools, you have probably had either Mr. or Mrs. Barkhurst as a teacher or substitute. But what most students may not know, is that they have been married for 31 years.
“We met at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona,” Mr. Barkhurst said. “We were on active duty and we lived on base in Arizona. I was a Captain and she was a Second Lieutenant. After being introduced by a friend, we started dating, but then we were deployed to different locations. We ended up not seeing each other for a long time, and they would not send us to the same location unless we were married. So, I asked her to marry me.”
When they met, Mr. and Mrs. Barkhurst had already completed their college educations. They had gone to different universities and had two completely different majors.
“I went to North Carolina State University, and got my Bachelors of Science in electrical engineering,” Mr. Barkhurst said.
Mrs. Barkhurst on the other hand, went to Binghamton University in New York and got her B.A. in English Literature.
Mr. and Mrs. Barkhurst have lived in many interesting places throughout their time together. They started dating in Arizona and moved to Hawaii and finally moved to Texas in 1990.
“I’m not exactly sure when I knew that I wanted to marry her,” Mr. Barkhurst said. “But when I left the army, I moved back to Hawaii and told her she would have to come with me.”
Mr. Barkhurst always knew that he wanted to be a teacher, even in college. Last year, Mr. Barkhurst was a long-time substitute teacher at Prosper High School. This is his first year teaching physics at Plano West.
“My favorite part of teaching is seeing a student’s look when they realize that they understand physics,” Mr. Barkhurst said. “But my favorite part about having the same job as my wife is that we can help each other out.”
Mrs. Barkhurst agrees with her husband’s opinion on their differing personalities.
“I am more of reading and writing,” Mrs. Barkhurst said. “Mr. Barkhurst does more of the science stuff. We are supportive. We are complementary.”
However, Mrs. Barkhurst has a different perspective for teaching in general.
“I like teenagers,” Mrs. Barkhurst said. “I have gotten offers to teach middle school and even elementary school, but it is the teenagers. I love teaching them.”
Despite a shared love for teaching, Mr. and Mrs. Barkhurst agree that they are opposites.
“We are not similar, not at all,” Mrs. Barkhurst said. “We both have a sense of humor. That is pretty much it. We look at things differently, but it is a good combination.”
Their love for teaching seems to be paying off as both teachers are loved and respected by their students.
“The Barkhursts are amazing teachers,” junior Sarah Page said. “They teach the material in a way that everyone can understand. They truly care about their students and want them to succeed. They will do anything possible in order to help their students achieve their goals.”
The love that Mr. and Mrs. Barkhurst have for teaching as well as for each other is evident in the hard work that they put in at school and in their marriage.
“Never, never, never give up,” Mr. Barkhurst said. “Sooner or later the joy will outlive the pain and anguish of minor setbacks.
