2025 Honoree

Linda Bennett Pennell

Linda Bennett Pennell is a small-town girl from south Georgia and north Florida. After graduating from Georgia’s Valdosta State University with a degree in history, she married the love of her life, John, and they began their 55-year adventure that has taken them from Ft. Lauderdale to Atlanta to Houston where they have resided since 1975. After the move to Texas, Linda and John welcomed their beloved sons, John Jacob Pennell of Dallas and Frank McClinton Pennell of Charleston, South Carolina. They were thrilled when Frank married Kristi DeLeon of Bay City, Texas. Frank and Kristi’s precious children, Jackie and Joey, are the lights of John and Linda’s lives.

After college, Linda worked briefly in customer service but answered the call to education upon discovering that one cannot hide from what one is born to do. She holds an M.Ed. and additional certifications. She began her teaching career in Georgia’s Appalachian foothills and joined Cy-Fair ISD upon moving to Texas. Her passion lay with the students who struggled academically and socially and who were deemed at-risk of dropping out. While serving in the classroom and as an administrator, she was instrumental in developing programs that addressed the special needs of those students. In 2006, she retired from Aragon Middle School as an assistant principal, continuing as a substitute administrator for several years.

Throughout her life, Linda has volunteered with her church as a ruling elder, choir member, and on various committees. As a CAL board member, she has chaired many auctions and is presently the scholarship chair. In 2017, she and friends founded the Texas Master Chorale Guild where she served as president and is the current treasurer. She enjoys singing with the Texas Master Chorale, John Wesley Church chancel choir, and is the published author of eight works of historical fiction.

Pizzazz with Jazz is Linda’s favorite CAL event because it supports things about which she is passionate: young musicians, quality music, and children. She believes we are called to help others, especially the young, which ensures a better future for us all.