Bette Doxey was born in Arizona to Robert and Lora
Magnusson. Extremely talented, Bette, wrote many musicals and
plays while attending Mesa High School and Brigham Young University. She
earned a
degree in Early Childhood and Family Relationships and created her own Academic
Learning
Center. She married Ronald Doxey, who specializes in pediatric Dentistry. They
have
five
children, twelve grandchildren and reside in Phoenix, Arizona.
While living
in Hawaii, Bette wrote a Ten-Act Religious Musical Pageant that brought
together
27
nationalities and their worship of God. This pageant was showcased for many
years under her
personal
direction in Hawaii, Chicago, Mexico City, and many times in Curitiba, Brazil,
as well
as Phoenix,
Arizona. This resulted in creating within Bette a strong connection with
students and
friends who
contributed to the success of the pageant. It has touched and blessed the lives
of
many
thousands of men, women, and children.
Bette
learned the importance of mothering while teaching first grade. At Saint
Bernadette’s
in Omaha,
Nebraska, she taught 44 students every year for four years, while her husband
was in
Dental
school. She quickly became aware that she couldn’t help them progress into the
2nd grade
unless they
learned to read. She championed a plan, organized a curriculum and called every
home asking
for the parents’ assistance. They were to spend at least 10 minutes each day at
home with
their child following the information given them. It worked! A certificate was
given
for each 10
books read. If they read 100 books, they would receive a homemade cake. The
first
year, 36
students had read over a 100 books. With help at home, Bette baked over 145
cakes! It
was so
successful the Omaha News printed a detailed article entitled: One cake for 100
books—
with a photo
of a smiling student receiving a cake from Bette Doxey. The BIG news was that
every
student was an outstanding reader. Why? Because each student had daily
individual help
at home.
Bette’s top priorities
are her marriage, her children and her community outreach, which
includes her
Musical Pageant. Bette judged collections at the Arizona State Fair for 15
years.
Her Academic
Learning Center taught gifted children and those with marginal disabilities to
prepare for
Kindergarten. She taught The Old and New Testaments to teenagers five days a
week: she
taught Catholics, at Brophy and Xavier and Mormons at the LDS Seminary. She
also
organized and conducted a 100-voice Children’s Choir that performed in many of
the
sophisticated
concert halls in Phoenix, and another group, consisting of former students from
Hawaii, ages
3 to grandparents, representing a variety of nationalities, that would perform
every
Christmas
Eve at the Mesa Christmas Lights display for 15 years.
The Doxey’s
goals for their children were to teach them to love God, America, and each
other.
They prayed
together, attended church, read scriptures daily and worked on scouting and
personal
progress. They took trips to Washington DC and places that identified America’s
beauty and
freedom. They taught them the Declaration of Independence and the United States
Constitution.
They taught their children to love each other and to serve one another by
cooking,
cleaning,
protecting, and singing together. Togetherness included extensive trips to
Disneyland,
two months
in Hawaii, BYU summer camps, and many school, sports, and church activities.
Now, their
married children provide the same wonderful experiences for their families.
Bette
Doxey says,
“It was an honor to raise these children—and the hardest job she’s ever done! “
