Donna and Frank Wiegreffe - BCHS Faculty

Donna Wiegreffe was born and raised in Livingston, Texas.  She began college at Sam Houston State University and finished at Lamar University in 1967 with an elementary education degree.  She married Frank Wiegreffe in 1964 and began her first teaching assignment in Bridge City in 1967.  Her cooperating teacher was Mrs. Crump.  When Mrs. Crump retired the principal at Roy M. Hatton Elementary School was Clarence Bell.  Donna was offered Mrs. Crumps’ teaching position.  She taught second grade her entire career and retired in 2003.

Some of her best friends while teaching were Ann Fleming and Mary Ellen Bradford.  “It was like working with family at Hatton Elementary School.  We looked after each other.  It was the best place to teach”.  When Donna retired the school principal was Larry Myers.  She is a member of a retired teachers association in Polk County where she and her husband Frank spend a lot of their time.  Donna inherited her parent’s property in Livingston.  They maintain their home in Bridge City as well and come into town for their grandchildren’s sporting events.  They attended St. Paul Methodist Church.  

Frank Wiegreffe was born in San Marcos, Texas.  His father worked for United Gas Co. and was transferred a great deal, so Frank attended many schools.  Frank graduated from Goodrich High School in Goodrich, Texas then graduated from Sam Houston State University in 1964 with a chemistry and math degree.  Frank received his master’s degree from Sam Houston State University in Education with an area of specialization in chemistry and math.  He later obtained his principal certification.   

After Frank and Donna married in 1964 they moved to Bridge City where Frank got his first teaching position at Bridge City Jr. High School.  The following year, after Mr. Brooks retired at Bridge City High School, the district offered Frank the high school chemistry teaching position. The new state-of -art high school had only been open one year at that time.  Donna recalled at that time that she and Frank only had one car, which was common, and Frank would carpool with English teacher, Mr. Fitzgerald who lived in their neighborhood.  Donna carpooled to Lamar University with Becky Hannagan and Bill Nickum.  Some of Frank’s teaching friends while at BCHS were Richard Stout and James Arnett.  Frank taught Arnett as a student in high school then Arnett later became a high school chemistry teacher too.

Frank also recalled a few of his students including Charlie Miller and David Sparks.  According to Frank one comical incident was “when a big burly football player cut his finger in the chemistry lab then passed out right there in class”.    Some of the principals he worked with were Mr. Cook, Glenn Pearson, Bill Godwin and Joe Chenella.  Frank taught until 2001 and retired.  The school district asked him to return for a few years to teach Chemistry II.  He retired from the district a second time in 2003, the same year his wife Donna retired.  The Wiegreffes began to travel with a trailer and family members caravanned together to different sites in the US.   Frank enjoys deer hunting. 

Donna and Frank have two children: Jerry, who graduated BCHS in 1991 and now works at Sabine River Authority as a field biologist and daughter Connie Wiegreffe Bland, who graduated from BCHS in 1994 and is now a Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities (PPCD) teacher in Livingston, Texas.  Jerry’s wife, Christi Murray Wiegreffe, is a math teacher and coach at Bridge City Middle School and Connie’s husband, Leonard, is a teacher at Pine Ridge Elementary School in Livingston.  Christi Wiegreffe was one of six coaches in Texas named Middle School Coach of the Year in 2016 in girls’ basketball by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC).  Connie’s family live near her parents’ property.

The Wiegreffes have seven grandchildren: Hunter Wiegreffe, a 2018 BCHS graduate now attending Lamar University, Hannah Wiegreffe, a senior at BCHS and Naryiah Wiegreffe, a 3^rd grader at Bridge City Intermediate School.  Also, Kamrie Bland, a student at Oklahoma State, Janae Bland, an 8^th grader at Livingston Jr. High School and twins Kylie and Kaden Bland, 5^th graders in Livingston.  

Written by Charlotte Schexnider Chiasson - BCHS Class of 1970