Page 20 - Senior Link Magazine Summer 2017- Online Magazine

communicate love to others. And it’s why the
number “6980” is synonymous with the life of
Carroll Bert Lockett.

The author was privileged to teach under Mr.
Lockett at Nat Williams in the ‘70s. She attests
to the fact that genuine love ensures the best
atmosphere for children to thrive.
Those of us who experienced that love firsthand
during those years will remember an original song
(by teacher Maggie Graham). The whole school
would sing it enthusiastically every Friday during
assembly, “Mr. Lockett, How We Love You, How
We Love You, Dear Mr. Lockett!” It was our
response to 6980.

by Jane Bromley

meetings at N. Ave. U. She didn’t have to; she just wanted
to.
Carolyn Lockett has a phenomenal story herself. She has
survived cancer twice - breast cancer in 1996 and pancreatic
cancer in 2002. Carroll says of his wife, “During all that
time, I never heard her speak a negative word. She always
spoke life.” He continues, “Most people are saying what
they have, but the truth is, we are having what we say. We
need to be saying how we want things to be. Everything
God did, He spoke it first.”
Carroll Lockett is a firm believer in the importance of
words. He still says, “Everybody you meet today is going to
love you.” and “This is going to be the best day of your life.”
In fact, Renée Eberhardt relates a story that happened
recently. A team from Coldwell Banker was having lunch
at a local restaurant and Carroll told the waitress that this
was going to be the best day of her life. A few days later, she
reported to Renée that she had gone out that afternoon and
bought a lottery ticket and “I WON!”
That may not be the kind of outcome Carroll is hoping
for, but he does want to make it clear that “people are more
important than paper. We can’t get bogged down with
the stuff of life. People have to be primary.” And he also
is serious when he says, “The Lord has orchestrated every
part of my life - from family, to personal experiences, to my
marriage, to assignments in different seasons in education,
to Coldwell Banker, all of it. It’s not by accident.”
When his son Leighton was just a preschooler, he was
trying to tell his daddy how much he loved him. “This much,
this much, THIS much!” he said, throwing his arms wider
behind his back each time for emphasis. Carroll responded
likewise saying, “Leighton, I love you this much, this much,
THIS much!” Then the 4 year old replied, “But, Daddy, I
love you 6980!!!” That was the biggest number his brain
could conceive, and it spoke volumes to the young father.
From then on, it became one of Carroll’s favorite ways to

20 Lubbock Senior Link