Five Early Longhorn Legends will be recognized for their contributions prior to the Longhorns’ homecoming football game against Merkel at 7:30 p.m. Friday. They are:

Judy Reed has been selected as a 2021 Longhorn Legend. Mrs. Reed served EISD as an award winning Choir teacher for thirty years from 1985-2015. She is loved by all of her former choir students and colleagues. She is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association. She was voted Region Teacher of the Year and Early High School Teacher of the Year twice. Many former choir students have wonderful memories of when she took them to perform at Carnegie Hall. She even took her class to England! Mrs.Reed led two of her choirs to the state championship in UIL. Her choirs earned twenty-one Sweepstakes at UIL Concert and Sight-Reading Contests. She directed over twenty major musicals and four Madrigal Dinners. She took over 250 students to compete at State UIL Solo and Ensemble Contests during her years at Early. Her choir program was special because she had very high expectations, but she managed to get the very best from her students in a loving and respectful way. Her motto is “The key to excellence is to remember.” Judy Reed is what Longhorn Legends are all about!

Joyce Parker has been selected as a 2021 Longhorn Legend. Mrs. Parker served EISD as the Home Economics teacher for forty-four years beginning in 1948. Through the span of those years, she earned a great amount of respect from her students, co-workers, and administration. She saw three generations of families come through her classroom. She was a big supporter of the Brown County Youth Fair and encouraged her students to participate in the food, clothing, and craft divisions. Her favorite part of the Youth Fair was the clothing division where she served as Superintendent. After retirement she continued to help and served as a clothing judge until 2006. During these years, she kept a strong and active F.H.A. Chapter. As a strong and loyal fan and supporter of the Early Athletic Program, she took great pride and enjoyment in being the cheerleader and pep squad sponsor. Her love for the Early Longhorns never waivered. When she couldn’t attend games, she listened on the radio to hear the play by play action. She is the epitome of a Longhorn Legend! 

Keith Taylor has been selected as a 2021 Longhorn Legend. Thousands of students, hundreds of co-workers, thirty eight years in education, two school districts, one blessed man. He began his career in education in 1978. Mr. Taylor then worked for Early ISD from 1993 – 2016 as a principal, teacher, UIL coach, robotics coach, and bus driver. He believed that he could change the world, so he became a teacher. Mr. Taylor loved learning and had a unique way of teaching. He was excited about life and educating students. He saw the light in every student he taught and impacted all students in a meaningful way. He wanted all of his students to be successful in the classroom and in life. Most remember him as the 4th grade science teacher who helped them discover their love for school and learning. Learning was meant to be fun and that’s how he taught. It’s no wonder he was voted teacher of the year many times. You could find him on Friday nights announcing the Early High School “award winning” Band, Saturdays supporting his students at their various activities, and Sunday morning at his beloved Early First Baptist Church. He proudly coached Robotics and inspired his students to engineer and create robots using programming and creativity. He led the first Early Robotics team to their state championship. He was also a part of many theater productions at EHS. He could have won an Oscar for his performances in musicals such as Cinderella and The Music Man. Mr. Taylor was a champion to all of his students. He put his relationships with his students first, and in return, he was their teacher for life. The Scripture that got him through difficult times is “In my weakness, He is strong.” Mr. Taylor is the epitome of a Longhorn Legend!

B.J McCullough, more commonly referred to by his students as Mr. Mac, has been selected as a 2021 Longhorn Legend. Mr. Mac graduated from Early High School in 1953. He was a star athlete in high school and the trophy case at the old gym contained numerous track awards bearing his name. He enlisted in the National Guard in March of 1953 before graduation in May of 1953. He worked full time – was a weekend warrior and full time student at Howard Payne majoring in education. He married his high school sweetheart, Bobbie Bullard, in July 1954. In 1957, he graduated from Howard Payne University and started his first year of teaching in September. He was a classroom teacher for the next fourteen years. He made the decision to get his masters in administration and became the elementary/jr. high principal in 1967. You would often see him climbing the ladder to the score boards both in the old gym and football field to repair those – you could find him during the summer moving the irrigation pipes at McDonald field to water the grass – often you would see him driving a bus route or climbing on top of the buildings to fix the air conditioners. He went above and beyond to take care of anything the district needed. Mr. Mac was a favorite with the teachers under his care. He listened, encouraged ,and supported each and every one of them. He and his wife have four children who all went through the Early school district. During his 38 years at Early ISD, Mr. Mac taught several generations of students including his own. His tenure at Early ISD started out in May of 1957 as a teacher and ended in retirement as assistant superintendent in May 1995 after handing his granddaughter her diploma. He is truly a Longhorn Legend! 

Patsy Pepper Armstrong has been selected as a 2021 Longhorn Legend. She started her school career as an Early Longhorn in first grade and graduated from Early High school in 1959. In school, her activities included playing volleyball and basketball. She was also in the band. She was voted “Class Favorite” during her senior year. In 1961, she married Charles Kenneth Armstrong. They were blessed with three children, Danny, Debbie, and Donna. All of their children attended and graduated from EISD. They have had many grandchildren and great-grandchildren who attended and graduated from Early, as well. Patsy was a faithful staff member of EISD for forty-one years from 1975 until 2016. She served as an aide in various grades. She volunteered to help with any need that came up. She drove a school bus for forty years. She enjoyed driving for routes, taking students on field trips, and driving to games and marching competitions. Patsy said, “I am truly blessed to have had a job that was like playtime for me.” One year she was elected “Coming Home” queen. She retired in 2016 after forty-one years of service. Patsy is a true Longhorn Legend!