I AM WILSHIRE - KELLY SECKER

Home Grown

Kelly Secker has spent her entire life, with the exception of her college years, in Lakewood. It’s her nest, and she’s not about to leave it.

At J.L. Long Junior High School, she was a cheerleader and first chair violin in the orchestra. At Woodrow Wilson High School, she was a cheerleader and captain of the swim team, excelling in the 100-yard breaststroke and the 50-yard freestyle. She played the grandmother in Woodrow’s production of Fiddler on the Roof and sang alto in the choir.

Secker chose the University of Texas at Austin because of its business school’s reputation and because it was the choice of several friends. She graduated in December 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing.

“I always wanted to be in sales,” she said. “In college I sold program ads for a sports event, and my father owned an insurance agency, so sales was in my blood.”

Fresh out of college, Secker worked for the Richardson division of the Dallas Morning News for a few months, then sold advertising for a travel magazine and moved up to sales manager.

Her next job was her favorite. She worked for KRLD radio from 1987 to 1994, selling sponsorships for the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Cowboys.

“I loved the good people I worked with,” Secker said, “and I met lots of celebrities,” including not only sports stars but also authors and the governor of Texas. She did promotions and took clients to games and on trips, including the Dallas Cowboys training camp.

She and her husband, Charles, began dating as high school juniors. “Our families knew each other, and we dated on and off,” she said. They were engaged after college graduation and married in 1983.

Their son Bert was born in 1989, and they adopted Dimitri, who is from Russia, in 1997, when he was 8 months old. They decided on an international adoption because “Charles said babies in the U.S. are taken care of, but there are so many orphans in Russia, so it seemed like the right thing to do,” said Secker.

“Then the adoption agency called us and said they had Anna, a 16-month-old from Russia. We looked at the video, and Bert said, ‘She’s cute; we ought to get her,’” she recalled. And they did.

When Secker’s husband began working in his father’s real estate business, the additional income allowed her to stay home. “I threw myself into volunteer work,” she said.

She has been involved in the Lakewood Service League, which provides volunteers and funding for area agencies such as the Family Place, Dallas Arboretum and Wilkinson Center.

Secker headed the league’s auction one year and has been involved in auctions for Zion Lutheran and St. John’s Episcopal schools. “I’ve been on the board for several years at St. John’s,” she said.

Currently she teaches a Community Bible Study group. Sponsored by Highland Park Presbyterian Church, the group attracts teenage girls from all over the area.

Secker was baptized at Lakewood United Methodist Church, active in the youth group there and married there. “I sang in the choir for years as an adult and served on several committees, and my family still goes there,” she said.

However, the Seckers needed a strong youth program for Bert. “Friends of ours were Wilshire members, so we came to visit,” she said. “We loved George Mason and the youth group. Our son fit in perfectly, and all our children love Sunday School. The people are so friendly and accepting. It’s a very comfortable place to grow our faith and spirituality.”

Still, the transition was hard for her because of her Methodist ties. “We had to be baptized, so we did it at the 8:30 service,” she said. “I realized this is what Jesus did, and I’m glad I did it.”

The Seckers joined in 2000 and are members of Covenant Class. She has taught preschool Sunday School, serves on the Youth Parent Advisory Team and chaired the Youth Choir spaghetti dinner and silent auction one recent year.

“Wilshire’s support of the youth group, and the church’s mentors and examples are what every kid needs,” she said. “Wilshire is a safe place to learn about God.”