Telegram News' Senior Star - Willa (Bates) Royals

This week's Senior Star is Mrs. Willa (Bates) Royals. Royals turned 80 years old just last week and celebrated with friends and family, adding, "We had a good time!"

Royals is widowed and now lives in Harrison Township, but was raised in River Rouge. She attended Northrop Elementary School, now Sabbath Middle School, and graduated from River Rouge High School. She was part of the glee club and the pep club in school and remains in contact with a handful of her school friends, including Marie Thomas. Recalling the hometown of her youth, Mrs. Royals says, "Everyone was like family."

Following high school, Royals attended Wayne State University, attaining a Master's Degree in Education and Certification in Education Administration. She then began a teaching career, teaching at all grade levels in Detroit, River Rouge, and Ecorse. "I loved seeing my students grow and learn," she recalls. When she hears 'Hey Mrs. Lowe' it is probably one of her former students and then it used to be followed by a big hug. She retired from teaching in 2003.

Mrs. Royals is one of eight children, and has four sisters still surviving – Rosemary Burgess, Ethel Burns, Hattie Jackson and Joyce Edwards. She has two daughters, Stephanie Jenkins and Terri Lowe who she says are her inspiration. She also has three grandchildren – Jordan, Johnathon and Jocelyn, and adds that she always encourages them to focus on their goals. "That's what I've taught them, to stay focused on whatever they want to do," she says. She has one special son-in-law, Larry Jenkins. He has been a great husband and father to my daughter Stephanie and my grandchildren. He is a born leader and a great family man.

Mrs. Royals believes people ought to make more of an effort at interpersonal contact, adding that technology had made it all too easy to have less contact with others, even before our current situation with the pandemic. "People just don't talk as much as they used to, face to face," she says. Yet she understands why social distancing is necessary now and wears her face mask and avoids crowds. Her birthday was a virtual celebration with family in order to keep everyone safe.

Mrs. Royals' favorite singers are Dionne Warwick and Stevie Wonder. Her favorite actors are Denzel Washington, Taraji P. Henson, and Sean Connery, and her favorite film is "Pretty Woman."

What advice does Mrs. Royals have for anyone reading this? "I want people to know that I try to encourage people from what I've learned in these 80 years of life, and to tell them, if I made it, they can make it. Dream big and reach for the prize," she says. "Wrong never wins; right always wins, so stay right."