Gigi Delk at her TJC office

With all of the different activities that Whitehouse resident Gigi Delk devotes her time to, you might think the phrase "free time" would be foreign to her. Between teaching college courses, keeping up with the activities of her husband and six boys, and tr ying to carve out some time for herself, Delk is constantly busy. But she she wouldn’t have it any other way.

"I think a busy person is a happy person," Delk said.

While growing up in Lancaster, Cal., right outside of Los Angeles, Delk experienced life in a big school system – 2,500 in her middle school. But a move to a rural community in Arkansas gave her experience at the opposite end of the spec-trum, and more opportunity to be active. It’s a lifestyle that has stayed with her ever since.

"There were only about 26 in my class," Delk said. "With so few people you had a chance to get into a lot."

The town, Gillham, had a population of 156. Delk participated in sports, cheerleading, yearbook and FFA. along with other activities while at Gillham High School. She also hit the books hard enough to graduate as valedictorian.

While in college at Southern Arkansas University, Delk continued to try her hand in anything she could—including swim team, flag line, and band. Originally, Delk had gone to college to study Mass Communications on scholarship, but a registration fiasco changed her major, and her life, completely. When a business teacher came to her rescue, she ended up changing her major toBusiness Computer Science.

After moving to the Tyler area in 1986 and eventually settling in Whitehouse in 1987, Delk has devoted her life to teaching. Tyler Junior College gave Delk her first teaching opportunity in 1986 as a part-time teacher. That same year, she got the opportunity to start the computer program at All Saints where she taught 3-year olds through sixth grade.

"I absolutely loved it," Delk said. "I had the most wonderful kids."

But Delk soon became a full-time teacher at TJC, teaching business computer technology courses. Right away, she became involved with Phi Theta Kappa, the International Honor Society for Two-Year colleges. She currently is the advisor for the Phi Theta Kappa chapter at TJC, Alpha Omicron, which promotes student scholarship, leadership, and with many different community service events.

Delk has always tried to get her sons involved with every-thing they could. This includes

sports and Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. Delk has either lead or assisted at ever y one of their Scouting groups, along with being involved with Okee Tuklo District activities and the Cub Scout Day Camp since 1999. She went from volunteering to being the Cub Scout Day Camp administrator. While leading scouts through a tumultuous camp filled with tornado warnings and hail she met the man she would later marry, her equally active husband Tracy, and his two sons.

Delk admitted it is "wild," keeping up with all the sports and other activities of her sons Jason, Ryan, Evan, Brannon, and stepsons Jordan and Walker.

"We are always on the go," she said.

Many families "limit" their children to one or two activities. Not this family.

"We taught the boys how to get dressed in about four minutes," Delk said. "There isn’t a night when I am not in the stands cheering one of them on, attending a concert, or running to a PTA or booster club meeting."

Delk and her family have many hobbies they share as well as sports and outdoor activities. They are members of the Texicans and 12th Texas, organizations that reenact Civil War battles and Old West gunfights. The whole family can dress in period costume and participate.

Costume, or at least dress up extends to holidays, as well.

"Students know when it’s Christmas, Halloween, Easter …I will have candy, and probably be dressed for the holiday" Delk jokingly said.

If you are out of breath, relax. There are some personal activities that Delk lets herself indulge in from time to time, including reading, crafts, and shopping. But with Delk, it is always family first. Free time is time that is supposed to be spent with the people she loves.

That keeps her very busy, but as she noted, a busy person is a happy person. There is only one conclusion to draw. Gigi Delk is a very happy person indeed.