Sherman ISD Building Bearcats Magazine Spring 2017 | Page 12

Deeply Rooted in
Building Bearcats
Kerry knew from the beginning that moving to
Sherman and becoming a Bearcat was part of
the package if she wanted to settle down with
her college sweetheart Joel Bedgood. A native of
small-town Sulphur Springs, she found it easy to
embrace Sherman as her new home when it came
time for the two of them to make that move.
The only thing Kerry found hard was deciding who
she’d be rooting for that first year at high school
football games, the Sherman Bearcats or her alma
mater Wildcats. It wasn’t long before Kerry found
herself exclusively cheering on the Bearcats, and
she’s been cheering ever since.
Twenty years later, Kerry now holds three different
perspectives on how Sherman is Building Bearcats.
She witnesses acts of Building Bearcats as a
wife of a second-generation business owner, as
a mother of two Bearcats, and as a teacher in
Sherman ISD.
A Bearcat Wife…
Kerry’s in-laws, the Bedgoods, moved to Sherman
nearly 50 years ago, and Joel’s father went to
work at Waldo Funeral Home. He later purchased
the funeral home that he and Joel now operate. A
Bearcat himself as a child, Joel attended Wakefield
and Fairview elementary schools until the seventh
12
grade, when due to boundary issues he transferred
to S&S Consolidated ISD. However, in spite of the
move, Sherman has always been the Bedgood
family’s community. It’s where the family business
is located, where they attend church, where they
serve in civic organizations, and where they spend
time as a family. Because of Joel’s experiences
in Sherman, he and Kerry both knew when they
moved back home that they wanted to raise
their children in Sherman ISD. They wanted their
children to be Bearcat graduates.
A Bearcat Mother…
Kerry and Joel’s sons, David and Ethan, currently
attend Sherman High School, where they are
actively involved in rigorous academic classes
and athletics. David, the eldest, will graduate this
year and plans to attend Tulane University in New
Orleans, where he will play baseball and study
biology on a pre-med path. Kerry describes the
strong educational experiences her sons have
received in Sherman since kindergarten as the
best foundation for their future. “There’s no better
place for my sons to get a great education,” Kerry
said. “As a mother, I’ve seen teachers and coaches
working hard year after year to make sure children
(my children and others) have opportunities and
are ready for the next step.” Kerry also feels her