Priscilla Stanley

Priscilla Byrd Stanley lost her fight with dementia and surgery recovery in the Kerrville hospital on March 10.\r\n\r\nShe was born in Schenectady NY on January 30, 1947. She was able to attend the University of Rochester because of scholarships and part-time jobs, earning a BS in chemistry. Upon graduation, she went to work for Union Carbide in their Research and Development labs in Tarrytown, NY.\r\n\r\nShe began work in an R & D group in which she was not only the only woman in the group but the only person without a Ph.D. Nevertheless, she competed successfully, eventually attaining the title of Corporate Liaison Officer for FDA Matters.\r\n\r\nIn 1975 James Stanley joined the same research group Priscilla was in, and they were married in January 1978.\r\n\r\nPriscilla and Jim retired in 2000 and moved to the Hill Country where they built a house in Tierra Linda. From their first days living in the Hill Country they both immersed themselves in learning everything they could about Hill Country nature, native habitat and especially native plants.\r\n\r\nPriscilla volunteered on the grounds of Riverside Nature Center, and also become involved in the annual, now biannual, native plant sales, eventually becoming the organizer and manager of these plant sales for many years.\r\n\r\nPriscilla, along with Jim, was in the first class of the Hill Country Master Naturalist, where she became deeply involved with the organization, serving in several positions on the Board including as President. She was involved in organizing new Master Naturalist classes and taught some classes for several years.\r\n\r\nPriscilla was also among the original group of volunteers from the Master Naturalists who visited landowner's properties and helped them identify plants and native habitat. She participated in several hundred of these landowner visits which helped the landowners better understand their property.\r\n\r\nPriscilla was also involved in organizing and managing the Firewise Communities USA program at Tierra Linda for many years, one of the first in the state, to teach homeowners how to protect their home in a wildfire.\r\n\r\nPriscilla is survived by her husband, Jim, and a brother, sister-in-law and two nieces all in New Hampshire.\r\n\r\nNo service is planned. For those wishing to honor her memory, it is suggested that they make a donation to Riverside Nature Center, or their favorite nature organization.\r\n