Walker’s world: Life at lumber yard expands to community service, politics
Photo by Becky Stinehour
Jessica Walker is busy building her community. She’s the newest member of the Temple City Council. She’s on the board of the Temple Chamber of Commerce. She served on the Temple Education Foundation board as well as the Temple Planning and Zoning Commission.
And Jessica and her husband, Bruce, co-own Lengefeld Lumber — one of Temple’s longtime family-owned businesses. If that’s not enough, the couple has three sons in college and Jessica plays in a band.
While Bruce handles the day-to-day operations of the business, Jessica is responsible for human resources and accounts receivable.
“Bruce has all the knowledge of the lumber business,” Jessica said. “He has been responsible for all of its growth throughout the years.”
Bruce’s grandparents, Selma and Ed Lengefeld, started the business in 1951. Today the Walkers carry on the legacy of service to their contractors and community inherited from Bruce’s parents, the late Charles Walker and Joy Walker Farris. “I sit in the exact same seat as my mother-in-law. I see the front desk, the pulse of the customers and make sure they see me,” Jessica said. “Joy was a very important figure in my life. She ran Lengefeld’s after Charlie’s death in 1976 (he was just 40 years old). When Bruce returned from The University of Texas in 1984, they became partners.”
Jessica described her mother-in-law as a prominent businesswoman who was always impeccably dressed. “She held my hand and guided me through the business of the lumberyard. She was a hard-nosed business woman with a heart of gold for those she loved.”
Joy was also instrumental guiding her family on the merits of community service.
“I was brought up with giving back to community,” Bruce said. “Mom was the first woman board president of the chamber of commerce. Dad was the president of the CAC. He was a member of the Lions Club and was big into scouting. I’ve served on community, civic and church boards, and the homeowners association — on every board except city council.”
International beginning
Jessica was born in an American hospital in West Germany where her dad, the late Dr. Shelley Howell, was a medical student. After completing his medical education in Texas, he moved his family to Temple. Jessica attended Temple schools and then The University of Texas in Austin. She graduated with a liberal arts degree still unsure what she wanted to do until a friend who flew for American Airlines talked her into becoming a flight attendant.
“She told me it’s a great way to see the world,” Jessica said. “I flew with American Airlines for 12 years from 1989 to 2001.”
She was first based in Washington, D.C., and flew the Nashville, Los Angeles, Miami route. It was her first time away from home. “We didn’t have any money, but everything was free: The Smithsonian, the National Mall — I was in awe of all the monuments and history.”
Her next assignment was in New York City where she flew the New York to Los Angeles route. She hosted a lot of celebrities on her plane, including the late Rosa Parks, who sat in first class, and Rev. Jesse Jackson. “He memorized every flight attendant’s name. A true politician.”
Sometime during her career she and Bruce were reunited. The pair had grown up together, but he was four years older and a friend of her older brother.
“We dated a bit in high school and junior college. It was easy and comfortable. We came from the same hometown, had the same friends, background, all of our family is here,” she said.
Jessica and Bruce married in 1995 and soon the children started to arrive. First there was Branan, now 22 and a senior at The University of Texas; and 19-year-old twins Harrison and Connally, students at Austin Community College and Temple College, respectively.
But it was a 3-year-old Branan who changed the tide of her career.
“I stopped flying when Branan took all of my clothes out of my luggage and got into the suitcase,” she said. “I knew I had to stop flying. I needed to be home.”
Rock star rising
When Jessica isn’t at work, attending a council meeting, spending time with family, or working on a volunteer effort, she jams with the Kendall Jackson Five, a mom band that started as a joke. When Jessica turned 50, friends serenaded her with kazoos. When another friend turned 50 the idea of a band was formed. “My friend Laura picked up the instruments and she said to me, ‘Jessica, you play the piano.’ ‘I don’t know how to play.’ ‘You’ll learn.’”
And she did. Jessica bought herself a keyboard, found a YouTube tutorial on how to play the piano, and the band took off. The name Kendall Jackson Five is a nod to their favorite wine. In April they opened for The Billy Holt Band at Schoepf’s BBQ in Belton. They played some country, rocked to Joan Jett, Nancy Sinatra, Violent Fems and Cheap Trick, to name a few.
New politician
As the newest Temple council member, Jessica said she is jumping into the deep end. “I grew up in District 1 on Seventh Street. I attended all District 1 schools and I feel like I know the area.”
She said she understands the aging infrastructure, bumpy streets and outdated electrical systems in the homes. “I want to be available for phone calls, keep basic communication open,” she said. “If there is a pothole in the area, one phone call to a council member could get it fixed. I want to be available and proactive.”
Jessica relinquished her seat on the Temple Planning and Zoning Commission for the spot on the council. She gained a new perspective for her community and experience that will help on the city council.
“Planning and zoning is grassroots,” she said. “It is interesting to see what is coming to town, what has changed, seeing that old piece of land in the country slated to be developed, to see what is coming around the bend. I’ve never been privy to this kind of information.”
She will continue to serve on the Temple Chamber of Commerce as a representative for Lengefeld Lumber. “I like the opportunity to promote Temple on a basic level and introduce new business to Temple and feel the pulse of the community through the chamber.”
As a former board member of the Temple Education Foundation–Temple Independent School District, Jessica said she “loves what it stands for and what it does to enhance our ISD.”
“Bruce and I are huge fans of the TISD Education Foundation,” said Jessica, who co-chaired the Distinguished Alumni program that raises funds for teaching grants and scholarships with Jean Coley.
“I never saw anyone balance work, business, family life, friendship and community service the way that Jessica does,” Coley said. “And she also does it with a smile.”
Coley said she watched Jessica work efficiently and be able to “stick to schedules, stick to commitments, and to make people want to be a part of what she’s a part of.”
“Jessica is always doing for the greater good, not for herself,” Coley said. “She does it because she wants to make her community better.”
