Jo Carr

Betty Jo Cristler Carr born September 29, 1926 was a preacher, a teacher, an author, a missionary, a mother of five, and a leader of the Girl Scouts of the USA. She was the first woman appointed superintendent in the Northwest Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church.

After finishing high school at the age of sixteen, Crisler traveled alone from California to Lubbock, Texas to attend college. She studied at Texas Tech University, and graduated with honors in 1947 with a B.S. in home economics and a minor in applied arts. Upon graduation, she was hired as a Girl Scout field director which involved organizing troops, training scout leaders, and directing day camps within a sixteen county area around Lubbock.

In December 1947 Crisler married Galen Carr. The Carrs became involved with the Methodist Board of Missions as lay missionaries. They continued to live in Lubbock but spent time in Illinois, Connecticut, and California taking special courses prior to missionary service. Their first two assignments, in China and Korea, were both cancelled due to communist takeovers.

Jo returned to Lubbock and began writing in 1957. Initially she wrote stories for children about Africa, but the majority of her published work focused on prayer and devotions. She also wrote curricular materials for teachers, advent calendars, and magazine articles for a number of publications.

After serving as an English professor at Texas Tech University she went on to pastor churches in the South Plains at Cooper, Levelland, and Crosbyton. Carr died at home in Lubbock at age 80 on July 7, 2007.