Dorothy Moore Doolittle
Interviewed by T. Berry
From a “scrappy little basketball player” at Elgin High School in the 1960s to a track and field coach at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Dorothy Moore Doolittle enjoyed a remarkable career. Her interview describes her upbringing when she developed a strong work ethic from her parents. It chronicles her college life as a student and coach in Missouri, California, Texas, and Tennessee. She ran numerous marathons and exemplified discipline and dedication to athletics throughout her career. Dorothy returned to Elgin in the late 1990s to care for her mother and retired as a coach at Elgin High School from which she continues to enjoy lifetime friendships. When asked who influenced her most in her life, Dorothy responded that the person was her late husband Austin Doolittle who was also a coach and gave her one hundred percent support in her career and life.
The interview was conducted by T. Berry, formerly an Elgin resident and educator. Mr. Berry is known as a historian and gifted communicator, who uses audio-visual tools to inform and entertain his audiences. His most recent publication is entitled “Juneteenth: The Day God Came.”
Interviewer - Hello, my name is T. Berry. Today is Tuesday, July 25th, 2023, and today I am interviewing Mrs. Dorothy Doolittle. The interview is taking place over the telephone. Mrs. Doolittle, the purpose of this interview is to add your story to the social history of Elgin for its current and future residents. This is a broad-based questionnaire, but we hope you elaborate as you see fit and we welcome all your answers. We're looking for a social history on you that should run about 20 minutes, but it can take longer. So, Mrs. Doolittle, do I have your permission to proceed with the interview?
Doolittle - Oh yes; and I am honored.
Interviewer - Thank you. I would like to start by asking, where were you born?
Doolittle - You know, I was actually born in Taylor, Texas. I grew up in Elgin, so as soon as I left the hospital I was in Elgin.
Interviewer - Oh, so you all were living in Elgin?
Doolittle - Yeah.
Interviewer - Okay, so what was Fleming's Hospital in existence at that time?
Doolittle - Yes, it was, and I don't know why Mom and Dad decided to take me to Taylor instead of Fleming Hospital, but yeah, I remember that well.
Interviewer - Well, tell me about your parents.
Doolittle -Well neither were very highly educated. They were hard workers, and I actually got my work ethic from my mother. She was just an extremely hard
worker; she raised great big gardens and shared with all our neighbors. And so that was part of where I got my work ethic. And my father was a steamfitter. I think his last job was on the Coast, and it was with Dow Chemical, and he was a steamfitter there.
And then my parents, both my parents, hocked the farm, if you will, and bought the Sunset Hotel and Restaurant.
Interviewer - Oh.
Doolittle – They worked there for about 15 years before they sold it.
Interviewer - I see. Do you know where they came from? Oh, did you tell me their names?
Doolittle – Oh, I did not. My mother's name is Emma Moore, and my father's name was Mack Moore and they're both from Elgin. I mean my mom was an Urban. They both went to school in Elgin, and so we're just all Elginites.
Interviewer - So, your mother was named Moore before she married?
Doolittle – Her name was Urban.
Interviewer – Urban, okay.
Doolittle – Yeah
Interviewer – Do you know where they migrated to Elgin from?
Doolittle – They were both born and raised here in Elgin.
Interviewer – Well, what about their parents or grandparents? Where did they come from?
Doolittle – Well, my grandmother, mother's mother, actually came from Germany. They were part of the Wends group that left Germany, oh, Lord, back in the 1800s when they were getting out of religious persecution.
My grandmother on my mother's side, oh I'm sorry, on my father's side was Janie Moore. She was actually a teacher for 50 years in Elgin, and I don't think she was ever paid anything. So, her pay was actually eggs and milk and food to help raise her family.
My father's father died when my dad was six years old. So, my grandmother on my dad's side raised four kids by herself, so she is one of my heroes.
Interviewer – Yeah, I can see why. Now the teacher, was she teaching…. was this before Elgin School District was started?
Doolittle – I don't think so. My grandmother…. I’m not sure about that T. Berry. My grandmother actually taught at Red Town Road School. And if you remember, our house…. our family farm is on Red Town Road. So, the corner of Red Town Road and Roemer Lane is where that school was located. And, I think she also did some teaching out on the prairie in the black lands around Manda and some
other places. I remember asking my favorite teacher at Elgin High School, Thelma Harrison, and I asked her if she knew my grandmother, and she said that she had known of her but I think the age difference was too great.
Interviewer – Okay. Did you have any brothers and sisters?
Doolittle – Yes. I had one brother and he graduated from Elgin High School and joined the Marines and came back home and picked up his livelihood through heavy equipment like bulldozers and backhoes and that sort of thing. So, he was a hard worker also and very good at his and his job. And, I think the last days of his employment were with some construction company here in Austin; the name escapes me at the moment. But anyway, so that was his livelihood and then, of course, I went on to college and started teaching and coaching.
Interviewer – Okay. What was your childhood like?
Doolittle – Well, I grew up on the farm, and I loved horses, loved dogs.
Had a…. I actually borrowed a horse named Diamond from Dimmitt White. Actually, the horse belonged to Hood Tom, one of our neighbors, and he passed away, and Dimmitt White allowed me to take Diamond home with me and just keep him there. I rode him every day. He was 17 hands high. It was a beautiful, beautiful thoroughbred cutting horse, if you can believe that.
Interviewer – So, was your brother older or younger and did you tell me his name?
Doolittle – Oh, my brother's name was Johnny Mack Moore, and he was five years older than me. So, he was my older brother, and he is deceased. I think he was 60 years old when he passed away.
Interviewer – Well, what about school? You started school here in Elgin?
Doolittle – Oh, yes. I was in the first grade. And, my class was one of the last classes to actually go to the old red brick building. What’s the name of that street? I think it was Avenue C, but it was closer to Main Street. Anyway, so my class was the last one to go. I was in the second grade when we moved.
Oh. Can you hear me? Okay, T Berry?
Interviewer – Yes, I can hear you.
Doolittle – All right. Someone's trying to call me. Sorry about that. But anyway, that old red school was actually where my mother and father went to school.
Yeah. I really hate that building is gone. It had so much history. It’s just a shame that it's not with us anymore.
Interviewer – So, that's where you started elementary?
Doolittle – Right.
Interviewer – What about middle school and junior high?
Doolittle – Well, middle school was actually in the barracks at the old high school.
So that's where our classes were. From Elgin Elementary to….
it was called Junior High. So, our teachers were in the barracks.
Interviewer – Are there are certain memories from elementary or middle school that come to mind?
Doolittle – Well, we all knew each other, and I just remember all my classmates, and I remember what a good athlete Becky Huff was. When she got up to the plate…. when she played softball and got up to bat, everybody moved to the back of the field because she was such a good hitter and just a real good athlete. I never was that good in those kinds of sports. I always admired her for that. And then another classmate, Karen LaBeau was an excellent athlete as well. She had just a natural athleticism about her. So, it was just some great memories. And our class graduated in ’65; we still have class luncheons every quarter and we have really good turnouts. It's just a joy to see everybody and see the transition of everyone from our days in school together to the present day.
Interviewer – Well, you mentioned those two young athletes but weren't you voted most athletic in high school?
Doolittle – Oh, gosh, I was a scrappy little basketball player, so I loved that. I guess that's why I was awarded that award. There was no track and field offered to girls at that time, so really the only sport we had was basketball. So, I played that, and I have great memories of that, too. These are some flashbacks. I was pretty little, so I was on the floor it seemed like a lot. Just kind of a scrappy player and I had kind of a running hook shot. That was the only way I could get over a person that was guarding me. I practiced that every day, every day. Okay.
Interviewer – So, what other activities were you involved in?
Doolittle – Well, let's see. Oh, I was a cheerleader and that was memorable. Gosh, I can't remember too much about it. However, that was a lot of fun. That was kind of the days when cheerleaders were voted on by the student body. It was kind of a popularity contest. I really didn't think I was that good of a cheerleader. I thought there were other folks that were much better. But somehow, I got nominated and got on that squad.
Donna Lundgren was the head cheerleader and she was great. We'd go to cheerleader camp and we would make homecoming mums for school. And we made signs; lots of laughs. Yeah, I still laugh about that.
Interviewer – You mentioned one of your teachers and I think you said she was your favorite teacher. Could you give us a little more information about her and some of the other teachers you enjoyed?
Doolittle – Miss Thelma Harrison was just a real hard, strict teacher, which I really appreciated. I was scared to go to class without reading her assignment, so that's one impression she made on me. She was very strict, and she very much prepared me for biology in college. So, I always appreciated her. We kept in communication. after I graduated from college. She lived to be 100 years old. I think she was 101. I didn't get to share with her my experiences on the Olympic squad—the Olympic team in ‘92. I talked to her before I left for France, and when I got back, she had passed away. I just really hated that I didn't get to share the experiences I had with the track and field.
Interviewer – Were there any other teachers that you would like to mention?
Doolittle – Well, there were a lot of them. Actually, another favorite was
Miss Fitzpatrick, and she was an English teacher. Again, these teachers did not mess around. You just didn't mess around in their classes. She was another teacher that I'm so grateful for because she prepared me for my college work. Then there was one teacher named Miss Crozier. She was a home economics teacher. She was so funny and I learned how to sew. Well, I say I learned how to sew. I don't even like to sew. But I learned how to cook, and of course, I'm not a very good cook either. She had just neat classes. I always looked forward to going to home economics because it was just sort of a just a break from the academic part. So, that was a lot of fun.
Interviewer – Did you have any jobs when you were growing up?
Doolittle – Oh, gosh. Yes, I worked for the Storey’s. They had a little hamburger joint, and I worked in that for $0.50 an hour, by the way. Which was pretty good; it’s all relative anyway.
So, I cooked hamburgers, I cleaned the place, I was a soda jerk and I made a pretty mean milkshake and malt. I would come just after school and then work until about 10:00 and then go home. But that gave me enough money to
purchase my clothes so that my parents didn't have to worry about that.
Interviewer – Sounds like you should have gotten a free meal out of that also.
Doolittle – Oh, I did that, too.
Interviewer – And what and what was the name of that establishment?
Doolittle – Oh, it was Storey’s Dairy Queen or something like that.
Interviewer – Where is it located?
Doolittle – It was located on that little curve that went around South Main. It was on Main Street, but it was heading toward 290. I think there's a taco place there now.
Interviewer – Right, right. I think after the Dairy Queen went out of business there may have been a convenience store there as well, but now they sell tacos there on the weekend.
Doolittle – Right.
Interviewer – Well, what do you recall about other business establishments in Elgin during that time?
Doolittle – I worked for a little while for Mikulencak’s. That was a five and dime store. I didn't care for that too much. This is kind of a funny story. I hope it doesn't offend the Mikulencak’s but when I was in grade school, my teacher, I think her name was Ruby Creel; it was in the fourth grade. She asked me
where I got my…. I think it was my ruler or my paper or something. And I told her if I got it at Nickel Snatchers, and I can imagine she probably wanted to laugh out loud. But my mom and dad always called that store the Nickel Snatchers. I didn't know it was Mikulencak’s for a long time. Anyway, then when I started working at Mikulencak’s, I often chuckled at what my parents had called that store. Yeah.
Interviewer – What other businesses do you remember?
Doolittle – Oh, gosh, South Side, that was a place and it was a real treat to go to the South Side and have Elgin hot guts. We didn't call it hot sausage. We called it hot guts. I remember Jerry Stach was the owner of that that place. There was a concrete floor, but there was sawdust put all over the concrete floor, so I guess
they didn’t have to sweep and mop very much. We ate off of brown paper
and crackers. So, I remember those days, too. That was fun.
Interviewer – Well, as a high schooler, what did you all do for entertainment?
Doolittle – We rode around. Frankly, I didn't have too much time to do that because I was working all through high school. But that was our main entertainment; going out for a ride.
Backing up a little bit, another establishment that I remember was the El Tex Theater. I know that Miss Franke, I think, was the owner of that place and was real strict. We couldn't throw popcorn or anything like that or we'd get kicked out. I remember that our neighbors across the railroad tracks, our Black neighbors, were in the balcony. And the White kids and the Mexican kids were all down on the. on the main floor. So, I think the balcony was probably the better seat. Anyway, we were definitely separated, and I have a lot of trepidation about that time.
Interviewer – Well, what about after high school? What did you do?
Doolittle – Well, first of all, I got married when I was 18. So, I just went from my parent's house to my husband's house. I went to Temple Junior College, first. My husband at that time was coaching in McGregor.
Interviewer – Oh. So, where was he from and what was his name or what is his name?
Doolittle – Doolittle.
Interviewer – Can you repeat it?
Doolittle – Pardon?
Interviewer – Can you repeat his name?
Doolittle – Austin Doolittle III
Interviewer – Okay. And where was he from?
Doolittle – He was from Naples, Texas, which is east, east Texas or northeast Texas. He graduated from there so we're both native Texans. He was on a football scholarship at Southern Arkansas. Then he moved back and actually graduated from East Texas State University. I think it's called UT at Commerce
or something like that now. But, that's where he's from.
I went off to junior college at Temple Junior College, and then I transferred to Mary Hardin-Baylor, which was still very expensive, but it was less expensive than Baylor University. And, Belton was a little bit closer to McGregor than Baylor in Waco. So, I graduated from there in 1969, and then my first teaching job was at McGregor. It was H.G. Isbill School, and that was a middle school or junior high. I stayed there a year, and then my husband got the coaching job back in Elgin, which at that time was the last place I wanted to go. But I taught there for five years, and Austin continued to teach there. Then, I did get the job at Westlake High School after that. And then I got into college coaching.
So, I went from Elgin to Westlake to the University of Missouri, and. then back to Houston and I stayed there seven years. Then, I went to Stanford for two years and then I got the head job at Tennessee, and that's where I retired from coaching.
Interviewer – Wow! So, you had, I know you had an outstanding career as a runner and also as a coach. Could you give us a little capsule version of that?
Doolittle – Okay, well, I started running, actually, while I was in college. It was kind of funny; I was taking an anatomy class and one physiology class, and the professor had us participate in the Kenneth Cooper aerobics program. It was kind of like continuing something that she was trying to instill for us to keep doing for the rest of our lives—to stay physically fit. Well, I just kind of found my niche there. I ran and I found there were actually some road races which I thoroughly enjoyed.
There weren’t that many women running, so it was easy for me to win. So, when you're winning, you kind of like to keep doing that. I really had my heart set on running a marathon. So, the first marathon I ran was the Houston Tenneco marathon in Houston. I won that and then I ran at White Rock in Dallas. I did the Rice Festival Marathon, and I ran a pretty good time. It ranked me number five in the United States and number six in the world. It’s funny because there weren't that many women running. I qualified for Boston and that year I finished third woman in Boston. I tell you what T Berry, it was a fluke because they had a heat wave. They called it a heat wave in Boston that year. It was 82 degrees. Well, shoot, that's pretty cool here in Texas. So, people were dropping out like flies, and I managed to hang in there and I finished third woman that year. Anyway, that was that was kind of neat.
The two women that beat me were also Americans. This was before the wonderful Kenyan athletes started running and, oh my gosh. Then after that, I guess, best time was when I was the initial or the inaugural winner of the Chicago
Marathon. Again, there weren't that many women running, but I was invited there, so they actually paid my way. I was so impressed, so I ended up running my very best time.
Then, I decided to go into college coaching. Frankly, that was in in ‘77, and my husband and I were thinking about trying to just taking a camper and moving to Colorado Springs so I could eat, sleep and train and try to make the Olympic team. At that time, the women's marathon was not in the Olympics, but there were rumors that it was moving in that direction. That's what we had planned to do.
Then, I was offered the job at the University of Missouri, and I said, “well, I better take that job Instead of instead of training and trying to make the Olympic team.” And it was a good thing I did, because that was in 1980 when it was supposed to go in, the marathon, I was supposed to go in. The United States, I should say Jimmy Carter, boycotted the Russian Olympics—the Moscow Olympics.
Interviewer – Right, right. They (the Russians) had invaded Afghanistan.
Doolittle – And so, I'm glad I chose to take the college job instead of a running career.
Interviewer – Yeah. Listening to you describe your athletic career as a runner, I think you owed that to the fact that when you were growing up as a student athlete, you were scrappy.
Doolittle – And I have to tell you this, I think one of the things that gave me a lot of endurance; when I was, I guess, probably in middle school, my mom had this huge garden behind this big tank. We called them tanks in Texas, in this part of Texas, it was big old stock pond. It was a pretty big pond. While mother was working in the garden, I swam in the pond. I did laps back and forth and I think that endurance training, back then, probably helped me to be an endurance runner. In fact, my students at Westlake, a lot of my student athletes that were
on my cross-country team, a lot of them were swimmers. So, I just deduced that probably was good training.
Interviewer – Well, tell us about your experience at the Olympics.
Doolittle – Well, when you're on the Olympic staff, it’s a one-time appointment. It's a lot of pressure. I just hoped that I would do everything I could for the athletes and try to make them comfortable. Really, you don't coach much as a track coach. It's not like a team sport like basketball. You're not really, doing plays
and stuff like that. So, what you try to do is just try to anticipate the needs of the athletes and not only the athletes, but their entourage that would travel with them. That means parents, that means children, that means, husbands; and just trying to take as much stress off of them as possible.
I was a field event coach so we would take…. actually, me and the East Germans and the Russians were kind of on the same wavelength because we were trying to get the transportation to our practice venues. The transportation had no concept of field events and what their needs were. Thank goodness I had these little bottles of alcohol you get on the plane, and I had a lot of t-shirts. I bribed our way into those venues. I was coaching at the University of Tennessee, so I had a lot of Tennessee t-shirts, and I would give the guard a t-shirt so we could go in and do our training.
Interviewer – What year was that, Dorothy?
Doolittle – That was in ‘92. Yeah, that was in ‘92. So….
Interviewer – Was that Barcelona?
Doolittle – That was in Barcelona. Yeah. After we had done our duties during the day, which was ended about 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 at night, me and this other young woman who was a lawyer from LA. Her name was Julie. I tell you; we went out on the town. We had decided that we wanted a souvenir from Barcelona. These long banners that had the Olympic circles and had the mascot; we were determined to get a couple of those banners. Well, you couldn't get them. The only way you could get them was to steal them. So, one morning, about 1:00 in the morning after we finished dinner and walking around Barcelona, we saw those banners. The only thing I had with me were fingernail clippers. So, we started clipping on those, and all of a sudden, we heard these whistles going off. Here comes a whole barrage of police running after us. We took off, we took off and we jumped in a cab, and we got back to the village.
We were we were still determined to get those banners. So, what we did when we got to the village, and this was during the day, we had these little bags, you know equipment bags, and we put our shoes and our dirty underwear in those bags. We got through the security gate; and of course, everybody was looking at the…. we went to the entrance so we were behind the people that were at the entrance. We had little scissors and we got those banners and we tucked them in those equipment bags and put our dirty underwear on top. So, when we went through the security gate, they didn't want to rummage around there. When I got back to Tennessee I, wanted to hang it. But then I knew, gosh, I can't hang this because people will know. The only way you get these things is to steal them.
Oh, God!
Interviewer – Well, you’ve certainly had a very eventful life. Who would you
say had the greatest influence on your life?
Doolittle – Oh, I think my husband. Gosh, we coached at the same schools. Then, when I was offered a college job, he supported me one hundred percent. I mean there was no hesitation. And thanks to him, I had a wonderful career. He found jobs and he coached a little bit and mainly supported me. So, I will always be grateful for that. So, he was my strongest influence. Even through college, he just was always very supportive. So, I was very lucky.
Interviewer – Well, you eventually came back to Elgin.
Doolittle – Right? Yeah, back when my father passed away and my mom needed some help, we decided we’ve got to go back home. I had wanted to stay in Knoxville for at least a couple of more years so I could get retirement benefits, but we decided we had to turn around and come on back home.
I was lucky that Dr. Bradford at the time…. he’s the one that hired me. The football AD (Athletic Director) did not want to hire me. So, Doctor Bradford hired me and gosh, the only thing I could do was coach track and field. But anyway, I
could teach PE, so I was hired at the middle school.
Those middle school days back at Booker T Washington were so wonderful because I had these little sixth graders. Especially these little boys; they were just precious. We actually, starting with those sixth-grade boys; there was no cross country for junior high or middle school. So, the next year, we got it in.
I don't remember how we did that, but anyway, we got it in, and my boys got second in district behind Hearne. But, the next year as freshmen, I moved up with my team to high school and taught special ed and taught some other classes. Anyway, this team was made up of, I think every one of them were from Mexico. It was Alejandro Ruiz, Rene Avila…. gosh, I'm going to leave somebody out. They were just fabulous, fabulous students and athletes, and graduated with honors. And of course, Alejandro went on to run in college, and all those guys were just fantastic.
Interviewer – Did you coach girls also?
Doolittle – When I came to Elgin, these girls were so good. I mean, T. Berry, I could not take credit for the talent that was at Elgin. That was Ri-Chard Thomas and Mary Alice Russell. Gosh, I can see their faces and I can't pull their names out. But anyway, they were fabulous, fabulous athletes. I think we ended up placing fourth in the UIL. But we did win the, 4x200. Mary Alice, if she had
not run in the 4x200, she would have won that 200 meters. No doubt in my mind. But there was another really good athlete that beat her. But I just know that Mary Alice could have whipped her.
Ri-Chard was a sprinter, and she did great. So, we just had a wonderful time. And also, what was that guy's name? He was one of the guys…. Garcia? Shoot, anyway, he was a 400 meter or 300-meter hurdle and he….
Interviewer – Nathaniel.
Doolittle – What was his name?
Interviewer – Nathaniel.
Doolittle – Nathaniel! Oh, my gosh. And he was doing really well in the 300-meter hurdles. And before we went to the regional qualifiers, we worked on his steps to…. knock off one of his steps. And I think that was a big…. and he was able to do that without reaching or without over-striding. And I think that that was helpful because he got…. I know he placed at least second at state. But anyway, they all just did a great job. We had wonderful, wonderful group.
Interviewer – Yeah, I think… let's see…. Megan Ortiz….
Doolittle – Megan Ortiz!
Interviewer – And Denisha Johnson, Denisha Johnson….
Doolittle – Yeah! Oh my gosh.
Interviewer – Well, Ms. Doolittle, Coach Doolittle, is there anything else you would like to say before we conclude the interview?
Doolittle – Well, the only thing I can say is that there are so many talented people that came through Elgin High School. And I really attribute…. you know one of my classmates, Kay Rivers, who is a fabulous musician. I go to as many concerts as I can. She is just fabulous. Her sister Ann…. there were so many people that came
through Elgin High School that really did big things. And I attribute that to the support, the closeness that we shared as students and, of course, Elgin is always going to be home. And I will always cherish that whole time and, and not only in high school, but in coming back to teach in the ‘70s and then coming back in ‘97. It was just a great time in my life.
Interviewer – Well, I certainly enjoyed going down memory lane with you, and I’ve always enjoyed talking to you. And thank you so much.
Doolittle – Well, T. Berry, you're the best. And I think of you… I don't know how many times you were an outstanding teacher of the year. I could see that in action, and so I appreciate you as well.
Berry Interviewer – Well, have a good evening and we'll have to talk soon.
Doolittle – Okay. All right.