The Texas Tech Honors College welcomed one of Lubbock’s oldest veterans, Catherine Royalty to talk to students and staff about her service, life in Lubbock and her time at the university.
“I feel like I have not given as much as they have, but I am glad I did what I did,” said Royalty speaking of her service in the U.S. Navy.
The 103-year-old spoke of her families rich history serving our country.
“The Royaltys had been in th war since the Revolutionary War, so I thought I’d better join up,” she said of her decision to join the Navy Waves.
As a member of the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services (WAVES) she was stationed in San Francisco, California.
“We had to code and decode ship movements and change the orders to the ships,” she recalled, “We were locked in a room without windows and we had to finish before we could get out.”
After World War II she Royalty returned to Lubbock to receive her masters from Texas Tech University on the GI Bill.
“I had a Spanish teacher who scared me to death. We would have to stand when we gave an answer and she’d say, ‘Miss Royalty!,’ by then I knew nothing,” she said with laughter of the memory.
She said then Texas Tech wasn’t near what it is today.
“When I went to Tech there were two buildings.”
After graduating seh continued her teaching career servicing students across the South Plains for 34 years. Looking back on her time in the Navy she says even though she doesn’t have a story of battle she’s glad she did what she did.
“My story is different than most of their,” but nonetheless Royalty’s story is one of service and sacrifice.
Today, Royalty says she works on crossword puzzles, watches television and reads and sleeps a lot.
