ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Unknown Facts, Information, and Some Really

Funny 'Stuff'

Cara Jan Hamill and husband, David, love all animals, but cats have chosen them. Rescue cats: BT (for bushy tail - a black Maine Coon who was left behind by a family), Cal-Lee (a true feral with injuries and birth deformity, who had to be trapped to help), Faye (showed up at their doorstep during tropical storm Faye in 2008), Hannah (a Bombay - adopted at PetSmart), and Squirt (who does just that, and not always in the box due to chronic kidney problems) call the Hamill house - their home.

OUCH!

As a sideline photographer for SportsScene Magazine in Dallas, Texas in 1976, Cara Jan was run over by SMU quarterback, Ricky Wesson, when he was tackled during a televised game with rival, Baylor. Ricky was the first black quarterback for SMU.

Cara Jan was hit so hard, she was pushed all the way to the wall where the spectators were sitting. Her camera lay nearby, in several pieces. The ambulance was declined, even though knots began to form immediately on the back of her head, and the scraped skin was very apparent. She was more embarrassed than anything because she did not get out of the way of the play in time.

Both coach, Ron Meyer, and Ricky Wesson called the next day to check on her. She was informed by Coach Meyer that he personally felt she was hit harder than any of his players during that particular game.

Mrs. New Orleans 1983

When Cara Jan won the title of Mrs. New Orleans in 1983, she was a Safety Director for a company based in New Orleans. Her job involved conducting pipe yard inspections for OSHA compliance, as well as teaching first aid, CPR, and defensive driving to offshore workers and truck drivers, in several locations around the state. Often times her mode of transportation was by float plane. An article appeared in the Times Picayune after her win, describing her very fascinating occupation.

A personal letter was received from then President Ronald Reagan, congratulating her on the win, in spite of her severe hearing impairment. He, himself, had just started wearing hearing aids. Someone evidently sent him the article that also mentioned the hearing loss.

JACK- WHO?

While working at a Colonial National Invitation Golf Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas, in the seventies, Cara Jan once asked leader and legend, Jack Nicklaus, for his ID as he approached the VIP booth. Her comment got roars of laughter from others behind him. Jack just smiled and seemed very amused that someone actually working the tournament had no clue who he was.

Bottom row right - Cara Jan, appeared in a production of Show Boat at the Casa Manana Theatre, in Fort Worth, TX - 1966