2023 Honorees
The 2023 Distinguished Former School Board Member is Mrs. Elizabeth E.C. Seidensticker.
Elizabeth Seidensticker (better known as EC) and her husband Edgar moved to Burnet in 1938 where they relocated the famous Seidensticker clothing store. They owned and operated the store for 72 years.
EC’s love of school, education, and her four children kept her busy in the local PTA for more than 2 decades. In 1965, she became the 2nd woman to be elected to the Burnet ISD school board and served until 1974. During her tenure on the board, she was involved in the highly debated consolidation of the Burnet and Bertram School Districts as well as the construction of a new high school with a gym and band hall. She and the board also had to contend with the aftermath of the March 1973 tornado.
EC loved Burnet and was involved in many other civic and community groups. She served on the Burnet City Council, was actively involved in the creation of the Head Start Program and served on the Child Welfare Board. She was also a member of the Burnet Association of Professional and Business Women and she served on the Housing Authority Board and the Burnet County Historical Commission. In recognition of all of her community service, she was selected as a Burnet Honor Citizen.
She spent HER life, making life better for her family and the Burnet community. Although she was often honored, she never sought recognition or acknowledgment. She was very much a humble servant.
E.C. passed away in August 1991, and accepting this honor on her behalf is her daughter Frances Seidensticker Dodds.
The Honoree for the Distinguished Athlete is a 2004 graduate of Burnet High School where he excelled in Football, Track and Field, and Golf.
Our Honoree was a four-year starter as wide receiver, where he led the Bulldogs to back-to-back 3A state finals. He holds almost every high school career receiving record for the state of Texas, including career receptions (264), receiving yards (5,424), and receiving touchdowns. He had 23 career interceptions and 18 kick returns for touch downs.
In addition to his many accomplishments in football, he also lettered and competed in state championships in track, basketball, and golf.
Following his record-setting high school career, he played in the 2004 U.S. Army All-American Bowl and received a scholarship to play football and run track for the University of Texas in Austin. As a six-year wide receiver who played in 53 career games, he finished his career as the all-time UT leader in receptions, and ranked second in yards and touchdowns. He was a two-time All-American, and holds the UT record for most receptions in a game with 15.
He graduated in 2008 with a degree in kinesiology and was drafted with the 19th pick in the third round by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2010 NFL Draft. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars before injuries led to his retirement from football in 2014.
After retirement, he joined the Texas Game Day Crew and Co-Hosted the The Bucks of Tecomate on the Outdoor Channel, and is a spokesman for YETI. He currently lives in Burnet with his wife, Sunny and sons Swayde and Sheild. He owns a ranch real estate brokerage, Shipley Ranches, where he works alongside his brother Jaxon, and father Bob. He is currently building a house in Burnet and is very excited to invest in the community that made such a huge impact on his life.
The 2023 Distinguished Former Burnet High School Graduate is Mr. Lorenzo Romero.
Lorenzo Romero is a 1987 Burnet High School Graduate. After High School, he attended Southwest School of Electronics in Austin and obtained a position with L-S Electronics as a Production Manager.
In 1999, he co-founded Stealth Products and became Owner/President in 2009. Stealth Products has a mission to enhance the beautiful lives of individuals who are facing challenges through physical disabilities. Today they have a team of more than 100 employees and supply some of the largest wheelchair manufacturers in the world, with distributors in 22 countries.
Over the last 24 years, Lorenzo’s vision has continued to improve the line of products including a video game to help assess/teach power chair driving and operations, and iDrive which provides real-time feedback for smoother control and improved driving efficiency of power chairs. In 2013, he founded Leggero, a company that provides wheelchair solutions for children of all ages with a broad range of disabilities.
In addition to his business success, Lorenzo is a Board Member for Ridgeline Solutions, President of Trident Defense Systems and pastor at Jesucristo La Roca Viva. He has been published in numerous journals and hopes to be remembered as “Someone who represented Christ and cared about people.”
Lorenzo is married to his wife Liz and they have three children, Lorenzo, Matthew and Gabby, one grandchild, with another on the way. Lorenzo is out of town this evening at a medical show in Tennessee. Receiving the award on his behalf is his son, Lorenzo Romero.
The 2023 Distinguished Former Burnet CISD Employee is Mrs. Jo Powell.
Jo Powell retired in 2012 after serving the students of Burnet CISD for 18 years with a total of 33 years in education. She has worn many hats – middle school teacher, service center consultant, elementary teacher, but the one she is most known for is Bilingual/ESL teacher/ coordinator/ and facilitator. She was the founding force behind creating a successful Bilingual / ESL program in Burnet CISD. Her gentle, patient, welcoming approach in the classroom comforted young students as they worked to learn the academic content AND a new language. She became the person our non-English speaking parents relied on and quickly became the liaison between the school district and bilingual families.
Her desire to instill the best possible learning environment for the students and families she served was evident through the many home visits she made, assisting families in all aspects of the school and community environment. She built relationships that continue to this day.
In addition to the students and their families, she also had a huge impact on our teachers. She worked tirelessly to educate teachers on best teaching practices for bilingual students, being a trusted face to translate, and a facilitator for the enormous amount of paperwork that was required. She led many ESL academies to educate teachers as they worked toward their own ESL certification.
Today, she spends her time chasing grandkids to their many events, and is still a very active member of the Burnet community and volunteers in many different capacities.
Mrs. Powell is pictured with Board Vice President Angela Moore.