Where Are They Now?
Angie McWhorter has worked in many different fields, from nursing to waiting tables to working as a safety manager. Now working in safety and human resources at a family-owned metal company, she’s found a job she wants to stay in for the rest of her career.
McWhorter graduated from Dublin High School in 1992. After graduation, she got married and moved to Breckenridge, Texas. She earned her nursing certification and began working as a certified nursing assistant at nursing homes in the area.
“I made a whole lot more money waiting tables than I did working in nursing, but I loved helping people,” she said.
McWhorter eventually transitioned into home health. She grew very close with three of her patients, making house calls and sometimes working up to 90 hours in a week. In 2011, one of her patients passed away. “It broke me,” she said.
McWhorter decided she needed a change of pace. She had gone through a divorce three years earlier, and decided to move back to Dublin in 2011 to be closer to her parents.
Back in Dublin, she took a job working as the deli manager at Big’s Convenience Store. She enjoyed working there and seeing people in the community, but in 2016 she fell and experienced a traumatic brain injury, and had to quit her job to heal.
It took her a while to go back to work, and in 2018 she finally started as a quality control assistant supervisor at Olam Nuts. The job at Olam was very physically demanding, as her team was often shortstaffed. “It was supposed to be a 14 man crew and we’d run it with five people,” she said.
After three years there, she found a new position at Bartee Metals in Eastland as a safety manager and human resources coordinator. “The people that I work for are amazing,” she said. “It’s a Christian-based company and it’s familyowned, and I just love it.”
The company employs 22 people. “There’s very few employee compliance issues, so I’m mostly just making sure everybody has what they need, making sure our safety plans are in place and everyone’s wearing PPE and all that,” she said.
McWhorter plans to remain at Bartee Metals for as long as she can. She is currently living in Cisco, where two of her children live. The others are close by. McWhorter has five children altogether. Her oldest, Eric, is 30, Sarah is 28, Casey is 27, Ethan is 24, and Riley is 22.
When McWhorter is not working, “I spend a lot of time with my family with my kids and my grandkids,” she said. “We like to go to the park with kids. I also sew and I crochet and do all of that stuff. I like to cook, too.”
McWhorter’s mother and stepfather Darlene and Frank Gaitin, still live in Dublin. Her father, Tom McWhorter lives in Oklahoma.
McWhorter’s parents have been a great source of inspiration to her throughout her life. “Both of my parents are Christian and we were raised that way,” she said. “My parents were always there for me. If I made a mistake or there was something I needed to talk about, they were always right there.”
McWhorter currently attends the River of Life Church in Eastland.
Her advice to Dublin graduates is to push themselves and find a strong support system. “And always do your best,” she said.
Editor’s Note: This column chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other grads, email publisher@ dublincitizen. com.