The world got a little bit brighter on November 24, 1938, the day Bessie Raye (Middleton) Hargest was born. She was number seven out of nine children born to Pearl and Millie Middleton in Columbus, Texas.   

Bessie was raised in the red dirt and farm lands of Columbus.  It is where she received her early education, attending Columbus Riverside Elementary and Junior High Schools.  She then went on to graduate from Columbus High School. 

Bessie was always determined and full of dreams.  She also wanted to help any and everyone, so naturally part of her life plan was to become a nurse.  Her post-high school educational journey started at Blinn College.  She then went on to Texas Southern University where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Health Administration. While at TSU, she pledged Eta Phi Beta Sorority, a business and professional women’s organization whose motto Bessie lived by: “Not for ourselves, but for others.”

Bessie started her Christian walk early; she was just a young girl when she accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior at New Greater Smith Chapel Baptist Church under Pastor R. B. Sanders in Columbus, Texas. Her faithfulness and dedication grew when she later she joined Brentwood Baptist Church in Houston, Texas under the leadership of Reverend Joe Samuel Ratliff.  At Brentwood, she was a member of her beloved Brentwood choir and served in several other ministries, including the church food pantry.   

No one cared more or was more dedicated to her role as a nurse than Bessie Hargest. She began her nursing career in Prairie View, Texas. She later worked at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and Texas Southern University as a nurse.  She then moved from direct patient care to her role as a health care instructor where she strived to inspire hundreds of students to consider careers in the health care industry. She worked tirelessly to prepare the next generation of health care professionals by teaching Health Education at Jack Yates and Jeff Davis Senior High Schools in Houston, Texas. No slowing down for her in retirement, she continued to serve as a substitute health instructor at Westbury, Jack Yates and DeBakey High School for Health Professions in Houston ISD. 

Bessie loved and gave all she could to her God, her children, her family and friends, her church and her profession as a nurse. She may have been small in stature, but her heart was bigger than the state of Texas. So was her spirit and determination, even in adversity. Bessie loved to laugh and wanted everyone around her to enjoy life as much as she did.  Her Legacy will always be cherished and remembered.