Carolyn Scott Conner

Carolyn Scott Conner went to be with the Lord on June 4, 2020, after a nine-year battle with Alzheimer’s. She was born Nancy Carolyn Scott on June 24, 1938, in Alvord, Texas, but always went by “Carolyn.”

Carolyn was the first-born of Dorothy Mosley and Washington Ewing “Silo” Scott. In the late-1930s, her father ran a small grocery store in Alvord. After World War Two began, he took a job at Signal Peak, Texas, guarding an El Paso Natural Gas pipeline from Japanese saboteurs.

After the war, the Scott family moved to Jal, New Mexico, where her father rose to become superintendent of two El Paso Natural Gas plants. Her brother, Mike Scott, was born in Jal in 1946. The Scotts lived in company housing near one of the plants.

Carolyn contracted polio after swimming in a public pool in another town. Her treatment took place at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas where she lived in quarantine for several months. Her parents returned to Alvord to be closer to Carolyn. Several times a week, they drove two hours each way to Dallas to visit her outside her hospital window. Carolyn recovered, but always walked with a slight limp. This experience changed her life and inspired her to hone non-athletic talents. Carolyn and Mike continued growing up in idyllic, camp-like Jal (she compared it to Mayberry) until leaving for college.

Carolyn majored in Early Childhood Education at Texas Tech University and was a member and president of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She met her future husband, David Christian Conner, while on probation for a minor dorm infraction. After her graduation, they married on July 9, 1960, in the First United Methodist Church of Jal because the Methodist church was prettier than Jal’s Baptist church.

After marrying, they moved to Dallas, where David was working at Texas Instruments. She taught in Oak Cliff until 1962, when David started graduate school at Texas Tech. During grad school, Carolyn taught first grade in a small suburb of Lubbock. After graduation, David began an electronic warfare career at E-Systems in Dallas. They chose to live in Highland Park because of its stellar school system, and settled into a home on Bordeaux Avenue where they made lifelong friends and established deep community roots. Ann was born in 1967, followed by Laura in 1970.

Carolyn was a stay-at-home mother until Laura began first grade. It was then time to return to the classroom! She was hired by Highland Park Presbyterian Day School, and began a teaching legacy that most teachers only can imagine.

“Mrs. Conner” taught over 600 children during her 36-year career as first grade teacher at The Day School. Many parents enrolled their kids in The Day School kindergarten class to ensure a glide path into Mrs. Conner’s first grade class the following year.

Her passions were teaching the Bible and history and she made the stories come alive. Instead of completing basic worksheets, Mrs. Conner’s students built sandcastles, attended Paddington Bear Tea Parties, discovered Texas history and memorized the Gettysburg Address. Parents were encouraged to run learning centers and lead hands-on education. She even taught two of her grandchildren! Her unique and effective curriculum made her famous in Highland Park. She also taught first grade Park Cities Baptist Church Sunday School for 16 years.

Carolyn loved pretty things and the colors red and yellow. She loved visiting museums with David, antiquing with Laura and dining out with Ann. She attended countless athletic, dance, musical and theater events for all five grandkids. Carolyn was an amazing entertainer, hosting many Christmas parties and featuring “Dave’s Favorite Desserts.” She enjoyed a lifelong, tight-knit Supper Club and developing new friendships in Lane Park.

Carolyn was thrilled to travel throughout the world with David. They relished escaping the Texas heat by spending summers in Breckenridge, often with Supper Club friends. David also took her on a birthday trip every June, where they would toast “another lousy sunset in paradise.”

Their six-decade love affair was something out of a Hollywood movie, and their marriage was a true partnership. Everyone marveled at their closeness, and they often could be seen holding hands in restaurants or theaters. Carolyn always said that “David was the wind beneath her wings.”

Carolyn is survived by her loving, devoted husband of 60 years, David Conner, daughters Ann Yarbrough Armitage and Laura Benes, and sons-in-law Jeffrey Armitage and Mike Benes. Grandchildren include Caroline Jane Yarbrough, Kate Conner Yarbrough, Chase Truman Yarbrough, Charlotte Scott Benes and Michael Jamail Benes.

Due to the pandemic, a private service will be held at Sparkman Hillcrest on Saturday, June 13th. That afternoon from 3-6pm, the Conner family will host a Paddington Bear Tea Party-type reception at 6 Connaught Court in Dallas for former students, Day School staff, friends and neighbors. Funeral guests will come immediately following the service to allow for maximum social distancing. Donations may be made to Highland Park Presbyterian Day School or the Alzheimer’s Foundation.

Carolyn has wanted to “go home” for years. Now she is home with her parents, her brother Mike, Susie Benes, Gretchen Dalling, Kathleen Denman, Betty Funk, Sandra Kemper, Marty Riffe and Barbara Smith. Rest in peace, Carolyn. You will always be our “Top Banana.” You will be missed every day.