KILGORE - The Kilgore College Rangerettes organization lost one of its pioneers June 28 with the passing of the Rangerettes' second director, Deana Bolton Covin, at age 94.
Covin joined the KC faculty in 1966 as cheerleader sponsor and physical education instructor, teaching golf and bowling. She became assistant director of the Rangerettes in 1972, a position she held for seven years.
In 1979, she took over the Rangerette director position from Gussie Nell Davis – the group’s founder – and led the organization for 14 years. Dana Blair, the Rangerettes' current director, took over for Covin in 1993.
Blair said as director of the Rangerettes, Covin brought the organization to "new heights of perfection and performance."
"Mrs. Covin was an amazing director who touched many lives," Blair said. "She will forever be a part of Rangerette history. Her favorite saying was, 'Just one more time.' She always wanted the Rangerettes to practice until they were perfect. She was a legend, an amazing woman and will never be forgotten."
While director of the Rangerettes, Covin met four U.S. presidents and traveled the world with the Rangerette organization.
Covin also created the very successful Rangerette mini-camp program that continues to generate scholarships for Rangerettes, raising more than $1 million to-date.
After retirement she continued to be highly influential to the Rangerettes Forever alumni organization and the Rangerette culture. The Rangerette gymnasium was renamed the Deana Bolton Covin Rangerette Gymnasium and dedicated in her honor in 2001.
In 2013 the Rangerettes dedicated their 68th annual Rangerette Revels production to Covin.
Covin was married to J.W. (Cotton) Bolton, a former coach at KC, who passed away in 1976. In 1991, she married Dr. Larry Covin who passed away in 2012.
Visitation for Covin is set for 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 30, at Rader Funeral Home in Kilgore.
