Ellen Caton Sparks was born and raised in Arlington, Texas, the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. H. E. (Honeycutt) Caton. Mr. Caton was a local businessman, operating Caton’s Variety Store and the Fluffy Ruffling Dress Mfg. Co. on Center Street. She graduated from Arlington High School in 1943 and attended Baylor University for one year. After spending her sophomore year at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, she transferred to Mary Hardin-Baylor College, graduating in August 1947. Ellen attended North Texas Agricultural College, the forerunner to the University of Texas at Arlington, completing summer courses during her college years. Registration cards from NTAC date from the early 1940s.
Ellen’s scrapbooks date from 1934 to1962. They provide a detailed account of her young adulthood from high school through her college years, including her marriage to Corporal Virgil W. (Bill) Sparks, U.S. Army. Ellen met her future husband on January 4, 1947; they married in April 1948.
Always active in her local Baptist church and youth activities, Ellen kept State Baptist Student Convention materials dating from 1942. These materials comprise much of the contents of these scrapbooks. Her interest in the symphony and theater survives with the inclusion of a 1944 Waco Symphony Society program, a 1944 State Fair of Texas operetta program, a 1946-1947 Dallas Symphony Orchestra season program, and numerous theater and choral programs from her college years.
Mrs. Sparks died May 19, 1979, in Arlington, survived by her husband, two daughters, mother, and brother.
From the guide to the Ellen Caton Sparks Scrapbooks AR479., 1934-1962, 1943-1948, (Special Collections, The University of Texas at Arlington Library)
