Dorothy Trahan Norris - Class of 1957

Dorothy Trahan Norris is the daughter of John and Aries Trahan, who moved from Kaplan, Louisiana, to Prairie View in 1941.  She is the oldest daughter of seven children: John (JC), who finished high school while in the Merchant Marines;  Allen, who finished high school at Lutcher Stark High School in Orange; Dorothy, who graduated in the first senior class at Bridge City High School in 1957, Robert, graduated BCHS in 1962, Herman, graduated in 1964, Milton graduated in 1966 and their youngest sister, Debbie, would have graduated BCHS in 1970 but was killed in a car-pedestrian accident on Texas Avenue in May 1964.  

One of Dorothy’s fondest memories as a child was walking around the corner from her home on Center Street to the DeCoux Dairy that was located on Turner Drive.  The owner, Mrs. DeCoux, taught her to carry the milk pail without spilling a drop.  Dorothy enjoyed visiting with her neighbor, Lillie Turner, one of the original settlers of Prairie View, who showed her the proper way to stir a teacup.  Dorothy attended Prairie View School in the first and second grades.  She recalled Mrs. Ashurst and Mrs. Babs as her teachers.  The playground had one slide and one monkey bar for all the children, and there was a row of ligustrums in the back of the school with a hollered-out section where the little girls would play. During 3^rd and 4^th grade, she attended St. James Catholic School in Port Arthur with her brother because, at the time, St. Henry’s Catholic Church in Prairie View was just a mission church and did not offer instruction for the children needing to make their First Communion.  She and her brother would ride a Greyhound bus to and from Port Arthur daily.  It stopped at the corner of W. Roundbunch and Highway 87 near her home.  Her parents would buy a 30-day supply of bus tickets.

When Dorothy was in 11^th grade, 1955-1956, a new wing was completed on the elementary-jr. high school on Highway 87.  Prior, students had to finish high school either in Orangefield or Lutcher Stark High School.  Her senior class of 27 students in 1957 were the first seniors at Bridge City High School.  Dorothy was selected as the first BCHS head cheerleader as a senior, along with Joyce Dupree.  Their sponsor, Mrs. Patsy Evans, bought her a book with cheers to learn.  While in high school, Dorothy played volleyball and softball, as catcher and 2^nd baseman, and lettered in basketball. Superintendent and coach Grover Die taught the girls how to play basketball.  “In such a small school, you knew all the students.  All the students in the district fit into the school’s cafeteria for events”, said Dorothy.  During that time, girls were only allowed to play half-court basketball.  Austin Floyd was the principal. 

After high school, Dorothy attended Port Arthur College and began working as a bookkeeper at First National Bank.  She would work during the day and attend college at night.  She stayed home for several years when her two children were born, Bart Simon and Leslie Simon Odom, and then began working at Jefferson Chemical Credit Union.  Dorothy taught Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) for 15 years at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church.  She is now married to Johnny Norris and lives in Lumberton, where she volunteers with the Infant Jesus Catholic Church Alter Society.  She has been a member of the Jefferson County Master Gardeners since 2004, serving as treasurer for eight years, on the board for 12 years, and is currently the chairman of the annual plant sale held in March at Jack Brooks Airport.   She oversees weeding the groups’ garden at the airport every Friday and Saturday.  Dorothy raises sixteen different types of hybrid and old-fashioned tea roses as well as crepe myrtles, mini bottle brushes, and daylilies.  She was honored as the Master Gardener of the Year in 2012.

Dorothy and her husband, Johnny, love to travel and, when first married, made the 1,500-mile four-day trip to Sturges, South Dakota, on their 2002 Harley Davidson Ultra Classic motorcycles.  They have taken that trip several times and even trailered their bike to Alaska and then road around the countryside.  Her husband loves to restore custom cars and owns a 1986 Chevy Silverado with custom paint, and Dorothy drives a 1963 Chevy Nova super sport.  They enjoy traveling to custom car shows across the United States.  “I’m not your typical 80-year-old,” commented Dorothy.

Dorothy has two grandchildren, Cheyenne Odom Eads and Cierra Odom, and four great-grandchildren: Landon Eads, Cameron Eads, Tagen Eads, and Abriele Williamson.

Written by Charlotte Schexnider Chiasson (Class of 1970)