30 Nov 2020 Couple of the Month: James and Nina Magie
HIS STORY: JAMES MAGIE
Resident of: Morrilton
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP: I was born in Little Rock, but lived in Stuttgart before we moved to Morrilton when my dad opened his medical clinic in 1963.
EDUCATION: Graduated from Kilgore College (1981) with a degree in Jewelry and Horology, the art of making clocks and watches.
JOB: Watchmaker/jeweler at Magie Jewelers.
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES: Officer in the Morrilton Lions Club.
CHURCH ACTIVITIES: Member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church; 4th Degree Knight of Knights of Columbus.
HOBBIES: I enjoy metal detecting and camping.
ONE THING PEOPLE DON’T
KNOW ABOUT YOU: I have severe dyslexia.
MOST ENJOYED WEEKEND ACTIVITY: Camping, and driving around in our convertible.
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO: As an Eagle Scout, my motto is, “Be prepared.”
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST
ABOUT LIVING IN THE 501: Having all of my brothers, sisters and most of my family living within 25 miles of us. Family is very important to me.
HER STORY: NINA MAGIE
Resident of: Morrilton
Native of: New Mexico
Where did you
grow up: I have spent most of my life in Morrilton. We returned here to live with my grandparents after my dad was killed when I was 2. .
EDUCATION: Graduated from Morrilton High School (1979); BSE from UCA (1984); MSE from UCA (1990); Reading Specialist Degree from UCA (1990).
JOB TITLE: Retired educator. I taught in the elementary grades for the South Conway County School District (1983-2007); I retired from Arch Ford Education Service Cooperative as a K-12 Literacy Specialist (2007-2018). I love that I got the opportunity to work with all ages (including teachers) during my career.
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES: I help a dear friend (Jasmine Wilson) maintain a community social media page that was created to support our local restaurants impacted by COVID-19. It is called #MorriltonCurbside.
CHURCH ACTIVITIES: Member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
HOBBIES/SPECIAL
INTERESTS: I love reading and sitting out on our deck to watch the sunsets over Petit Jean Mountain. I’m also a sucker for the Food Network and Hallmark Channel.
HOW WOULD YOU
DESCRIBE YOURSELF: I’m nothing special — just your average person.
MOST ENJOYED
WEEKEND ACTIVITY: Driving the backroads of our beautiful state. We have so much to see in the 501. I especially love spending time on Petit Jean.
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO:
Be the reason someone smiles today.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT LIVING IN THE 501: The people are amazing! Everyone is so resilient. Since COVID hit our area, I have seen a renewal of caring and support in our community. It’s been tough, especially for small businesses, but if we continue to work together and shop and eat locally, I truly believe we can come back stronger than ever.
THEIR STORY
When/how we met:
Our friends set us up on a blind date. It was really funny because we had actually encountered each other a couple of weeks earlier at a Christmas party but didn’t know it until we met on the date.
THE PROPOSAL:
We just kind of drifted into the idea of marriage. There wasn’t a big romantic proposal. James was moving away to Texas, so we decided to set a date and get married. Since I still had a semester of high school, we didn’t actually move until the next summer.
WEDDING BELLS:
Aug. 4, 1978, at First Baptist Church in Morrilton. (It was the only church available that had a large enough area to hold all of his family members.)
CHILDREN/GRANDCHILDREN: We have two amazing children. Jennifer, 37, is a media specialist for Fort Smith Public Schools. She is married to Joseph Lyon. Ben, 35, is a research chemist and currently resides in Denver, Colorado.
THE TRUE BLESSINGS OF OUR LIVES ARE OUR PRECIOUS
GRANDCHILDREN:
Jackson,13, and Maddox, 7, live in Conway. Nate, 11, Caleb Henry, 8, and Cora Jean, 6, live in Fort Smith. We are usually “burning up I-40” to see them.
PET:
The queen of our castle is our miniature schnauzer puppy named Gypsy. She keeps us on our toes (and out of shoes because she keeps eating them!)
FAMILY ACTIVITIES
ENJOYED TOGETHER:
We love to travel and camp. We also love to spend time with our huge, fun-loving family. (James is the middle child of 10 children.)
