Page 10 - Amarillo Senior Link Magazine Winter 2020- Online Magazine
P. 10
Burk Carol Whittenburg
A Match Made in Heaven
& Lived Out in Amarillo
By Daughter Gracelyn Thomasson
In the spring of 1967, Amarillo It didn’t take long for their
High School senior wrestler, Burk parents to recognize that
Whittenburg, saw a pretty, brown- the two teenagers were
eyed girl working at Wolflin Village serious. Carol’s parents
Drugstore. He just knew he had to had no interest in this boy
meet her. One of his friends asked whom they considered too
her for her name, but she wouldn’t “big city” for their sweet
share it. Carol Snow’s father, Ernest, farm girl. Her mother had
had recently moved their family planned on her attending
to Amarillo from a small town in Oklahoma Christian
Oklahoma. He explained to his College and marrying a
daughter that Amarillo is big place, Church of Christ preacher.
and she needed to be careful. She This situation was just not
could only drive the family car from going to do. Her father
home to work and back again. She insisted Burk attend the
promised her parents she would Church of Christ with
not share her name or address with them if he wanted to date
anyone - and she didn’t. Carol her. He did. (As long as
remembers: “Upon arriving home my Grandfather Snow
after seeing Burk the first time, I told was living, he and my dad
my mother and her cousin, Eunice, I respected one another very
had seen my future husband! They much. Until the day he
found it quite humorous that I could died, my dad called him Studying abroad in Spain the
describe every detail about him Mr. Snow.) summer after his freshman year,
except his name.” Burk realized he did not want to
During his first semester at Texas spend another day without Carol.
As fate would have it, Burk didn’t Tech, Burk finished Friday classes At midterm, he packed his bags,
need her to tell him her name. His and burned up I-27 to get to hopped on a flight and headed
cousins owned the drug store. He Amarillo and pick Carol up from home early. When he arrived in
called her for a date. They went school. She was his “North”. Not Amarillo, he went home to pick up
to see Monkeys, Go Home! starring thrilled with this arrangement, his car and again drove North, this
Fred McMurray, at the Esquire her parents decided to return to time to Oklahoma.
Theater on the corner of I-40 and the family farm in Oklahoma.
Washington. Carol was a 16-year-old Her parents moved her younger When Burk arrived, they went for
junior at Tascosa High School. Burk brothers, Kim and Eddie, back in a coke, and he asked her to marry
was 18 and a senior. (Many years November, allowing her to live him. Immediately. He wanted her
later, Mom salvaged a “Coming with her aunt, Oneta Errington, to to enroll at Texas Tech and move to
Attractions” sign from a rubble finish out the semester. She was Lubbock with him in about eight
pile when the Esquire was being heartbroken to be leaving Amarillo weeks. Her response? “Yes! That
demolished.) and her proximity to Burk. will be so fun!” He gave her a large
10 Amarillo Senior Link
