About Olive Stephens
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Olive Stephens Elementary, founded in 2008, is named after the former mayor of Shady Shores, who led the town for nearly four decades and was an active member in the community for more than 50 years.
Mrs. Stephens served Shady Shores for more than 50 years in various capacities, including 10 years as a town council member and 38 years as its mayor. Under her leadership, she helped lead the town from a fishing village to an active, fast-growing community.
In 1957, Mrs. Stephens and her family purchased acreage, which she still owns, in the Shady Shores area. In 1960, the Town of Shady Shores was incorporated with a population of about 200 residents. The first town meetings were conducted at the Stephens General Store, which was located at the corner of Shady Shores and Lakeshore.
In 1963, she began officially serving the town on its first town council. She was elected mayor in 1973 and continued in that position until 2011. In 1974, she became a member of the Lake Cities Chamber of Commerce. She spearheaded a group, Firefighter Friends of Shady Shores, to get a new truck for the town. They collected $2,100, which was used as a down payment.
The Lake Cities Chamber of Commerce named her Citizen of the Year in 1984. The Denton County Historical Foundation named her secretary of that group in 1991. Mrs. Stephens received the United Way Life Membership Certificate and the Mildred and Taylor Hawk Award from the Denton County Historical Foundation in 2000.
One of her legacies to the community is that Mrs. Stephens has been able to conduct numerous fundraisers to keep the town from having to increase taxes, an accomplishment that lasted until 2002. Her fundraising included ceramic classes where residents sold their crafts to fund the fire department and library as well as garage sales and pancake dinners and Friday night dominoes. Through her fundraising efforts, Shady Shores built a new community center and paid for it in cash.
As a token of their appreciation, Mrs. Stephens' Shady Shores friends designed and built Olive’s Garden as a tribute to her dedication and contribution to her community.