Bertie Kingore, Ph. D.
A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Bertie Kingore spent her early years on the family farm outside of Aberdeen, South Dakota. Born to first-generation Americans, Leslie and Lydia, she was the youngest of four daughters. Her family moved West to Washington after The Dust Bowl and losing the farm, but they eventually settled in Wichita, Kansas where Bertie attended school and college. Her father owned a car repair business with a small sales lot while her mother stayed at home.
At Wichita State University, Dr. Kingore earned her B. A. in elementary education and her M. Ed. as a reading specialist. After serving four years on the USS Midway (CV-41) aircraft carrier, Richard Kingore was also attending WSU where he earned his degree in psychology. They usually spent time together with their lifelong, best friend Glenda Higbee, who also attended WSU. Together, they enjoying the typical late 1950’s and early 1960’s cruising, diners, or studying in the library. In 1966, Bertie and Richard married in the university’s chapel, and after graduation, they moved to Dallas, Texas. Bertie taught in public and independent schools in the metropolitan area while Richard worked for Boeing. She also served as an adjunct professor at the University of North Texas where she earned her Ph. D.
In 1979, Richard and Bertie with their three gifted sons moved to Abilene, Texas where Bertie became a department head at Hardin-Simmons University and Richard was a manager at U. S. Brass with rental houses that he maintained with Jeffery’s assistance. While at HSU, Dr. Kingore founded the Threshold Program for Advanced and Gifted Youth where she later hired Jeffery Kingore to be her Assistant Director.
During these years, Dr. Kingore also traveled extensively for consulting, enriching the learning experiences and environment for children across the nation. In 1995, Bertie focused even more on her consulting while Richard’s company, Professional Associates Publishing, informally hired Jeffery to commence in formal publishing and marketing. Those first 11 publications also paid for Jeffery’s baccalaureate. After she retired from HSU in 1998, Bertie and Richard moved to Austin.
In 2000, Dr. Kingore and Richard convinced Jeffery to move to Austin after he graduated from the University of North Texas. He worked full-time for Richard’s publishing company without benefits and as their sole employee, usually 60 to 90 hours a week. He also informally served as Bertie’s personal consulting assistant as well as continued to volunteer his time to work with Richard one-on-one for the continual repairs and renovations of Richard’s rental houses.
Self-proclaimed the “Three Musketeers,” Bertie, Richard, and Jeffery annually attended dozens of international, national, and state conferences from coast to coast, both public and private. Bertie and Jeffery worked fervently to produce and publish a wide catalog with digital components as well as independent digital publications. Bertie depended upon Jeffery’s degree in English and minors in psychology and art.
Bertie and Richard echoed the motto, “Work hard; play hard,” through the halls, and when the Three Musketeers took their annual two-week vacation, they also traveled together around the world. They split the costs evenly and took advantage of their ability to share a room as they did for every conference, affording them to stay in beautiful suites when on vacation. They often joked amongst themselves how every third restaurant when Bertie was to pay the check, Richard paid a second time because they spoiled her.
In 2005, after the Three Musketeers discussed it together, Bertie kept her consulting commitments when Richard was diagnosed with stage three cancer. She warmly acknowledged at conference that Jeffery nursed Richard back to health. Jeffery also maintained the company’s offices as well as exhibited at conferences alone for that year until the TAGT annual conference when Richard felt he was ready. During the time of Professional Associates Publishing, Bertie also had multiple joint replacements but declined hospital rehabilitation, opting for Jeffery to assist her through her recovery in their home.
On January 1, 2010 for $200,000 paid over three years, Bertie and Richard sold the rights to Professional Associates Publishing, the old inventory, and all of the copyrights to Jeffery Kingore. Bertie continued to write for Jeffery’s company (which also owns those copyrights) as well as continue her consulting and presenting at conferences around the nation, sometimes with Jeffery while Richard accompanied them–Richard always enjoying his own extroversive personality. Jeffery provided a separate hotel room for Bertie and Richard as well as paid all of their expenses unless Bertie had been paid separately for her room and travel. Richard continued to drive to conferences, as highway driving remained a favorite pass time of his. Richard always carried a business card Jeffery provided with Richard’s name on it as well as $500 petty cash per trip.
Bertie and Richard valued the family trips joined by Jeffery, as did the living members of Richard’s childhood family. Bertie’s last family member had passed several years prior.
In 2018, Dr. Bertie Kingore officially retired, withdrew from associations and organizations, declined to participate in TAGT’s 40th anniversary celebration, and had already directed Jeffery to remove her website (www.bertiekingore.com) that he had built and managed for her for free, including her handouts. In retirement, Bertie and Richard continued to vacation regularly around the world with their oldest and youngest sons and their wives.
On January 29, 2016, Jeffery took this picture of his parents in Bertie and Richard’s previous Austin estate/offices on their 50th wedding anniversary. As a small party, the Three Musketeers celebrated together in the privacy of Bertie and Richard’s home. Together, they feasted, laughed, and reflected upon Bertie and Richard’s more than 50 years as partners and Jeffery’s continuous involvement for 39 years. Flowers were sent by others. The next year, the Three Musketeers would take their last trip together to the American West coast as Bertie and Richard’s gift for Jeffery’s 40th birthday.
In May of 2022, Bertie Kingore lost sight in both eyes, so in August of 2022, she sold the family estate in Austin and moved to Dallas with Richard whose Parkinson’s disease and dementia were beginning to challenge him. They moved back to Dallas to their first neighborhood (now gentrified) in order to live 20 minutes from their youngest son, his wife, and child, but in October of 2022, Bertie and Richard requested Jeffery’s assistance in their new home. He frequently embarked to Dallas to assist them. Therefore, in 2023, Jeffery locked his house in Austin and moved into Bertie and Richard’s guest bedroom to take care of them continuously and independently. Their other two sons and their wives did not visit during all of 2023. Jeffery had to return to Austin in January of 2024 because his house and this business had been neglected.
On July 19, 2024, Richard passed peacefully in his sleep with Bertie beside him in the Dallas nursing home where their oldest and youngest sons (Donald with his wife Jessica and Matthew with his wife Aimee Kliever-Kingore) had placed Bertie and Richard in February of 2024 without notifying Jeffery. Jeffery was also not allowed to attend Richard’s funeral because he had chosen to return to his company, house, and life in Austin six months prior. He has not received a reply from any of them since that time.
Bertie and Richard had been married for 58 years, and they were best friends..