Thelma (McBrayer) Doss, Hometown Reporter
(August 31, 1911-March 17, 1999)
Thelma Doss was a local legendary historian and newswoman. Since World War II, she wrote columns and short features that were the staple of her irrepressibly high spirits that have been her trademark. Having columns in the newspaper, titles like “Once Around the County”, to radio show host for KORC.
She was born on August 31, 1911. An alumna of Mineral Wells High School located next door to the Little Rock Museum. Part of the 1928 class, where she was very active in Girls Glee Club and Pep-Squad/ Cheerleading. Thelma Doss received various awards and honors in high school, as well as into her adult years.
Her 1st public speaking engagement came in church at age 3. She taught Speech in Fort Worth and Mineral Wells from 1928 to 1976. Thelma began writing a column in 1943 and three years later became the first announcer when radio station KORC went on the air.
Her specialty has been the goings-on in the small communities that dot the county. With the demise of the weekly newspapers that once served the tiny towns, Thelma Doss became rural residents’ clearest, and often the only voice in the media. She was at one time the entire coverage of the outer parameters of the county.
“Congenital, sophisticated journalism,” said L.J. Abernathy. Abernathy was an Index reporter who called Doss a role model and who always maintained a high profile in the sparsely populated areas, even if she had only visited infrequently. The essence of Thelma Doss was her unshakeable self-confidence and understated independence. As well as being a wife and mother.
Her motto was, “When I’m not covering news, I’m making it.”
Thelma’s words remind us that storytelling takes heart, grit, and a deep love for the place you call home. That every story matters, as I share Thelma Doss’s story and legacy here with you.
Article by Shannon Hagar
Signing Off
Photo Credit: The Burro, Yearbook of Mineral Wells High School, 1928, yearbook, 1928; Mineral Wells, Texas
