Bertie Kingore, Ph. D.
A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Bertie Kingore spent her early years on the family farm outside Aberdeen, South Dakota. Born to first-generation Americans, Leslie and Lydia, she was the youngest of four daughters. Her family moved to Wichita, Kansas after The Dust Bowl while she was in grade school where her father opened a car repair business and small sales lot.
At Wichita State University, Dr. Kingore earned her B. A. in elementary education and her M. Ed. as a reading specialist. Richard Kingore was also attending WSU where he earned a degree in psychology. They often spent time studying together in the library, and in 1966, they married in the university’s chapel. After graduation, they moved to Dallas, Texas where Dr. Kingore taught in public and independent schools in the metropolitan area. She also served as an adjunct professor at the University of North Texas where she earned her Ph. D.
From 1980 through 1999, the Kingore family with three gifted sons lived in Abilene, Texas where Dr. Kingore was the department head at Hardin-Simmons University. While at HSU, Dr. Kingore founded the Threshold Program for Advanced and Gifted Youth where she began working with Jeffery Kingore, the Assistant Director. During these years, she also traveled extensively for consulting, enriching the learning experiences and environment for children across the nation. After 1995, Dr. Kingore began focusing on her consulting while Professional Associates Publishing developed as a company and regularly publish books.
In 2000, Bertie, Richard, and Jeffery Kingore came together in Austin, Texas as their own, self-proclaimed Three Musketeers. Annually attending dozens of conferences from coast to coast, Bertie and Jeffery also each began working fervently, producing and publishing a wide catalog. With the motto, “Work hard. Play hard.” echoing amongst the three of them, times away from work to enjoy each of their rewards were complied into a group week abroad. In 2010, Bertie and Richard sold Professional Associates Publishing as well as the copyrights to Jeffery for $200,000. In 2015, Dr. Kingore officially retired and removed her website.
In 2022, Bertie Kingore completely lost sight in both eyes and immediately moved to Dallas that Summer with Richard who’s Parkinson’s disease and dementia were taking hold. For 2023, Jeffery locked his house in Austin, and moved into their guest bedroom to take care of them continuously and independently. For 2024, Bertie and Richard are both being cared for by their oldest son, Donald with his wife, and their youngest son, Matthew with his wife.