Polly Dawson was born in San Angelo, Texas and was raised in Burnet, Coleman, and Snyder. Even after her home in Pasadena flooded seventeen times, this determined Texas native remained loyal to her home state. Ms. Dawson now resides in the town of Centerville with her son, Sam, in a custom-built country lake home they lovingly call Mitini.

Blazing a new frontier as one of the first female commercial contractors in Houston, Polly founded, owned, and managed D&P Construction. At a time when women weren’t appreciated or wanted in a “man’s” world, she successfully gained bids on projects worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and was asked to participate at a Washington D.C. conference for contractors. Dawson proved she could handle the job and flourished in her role as contractor for fifteen years.

Her second business venture came as somewhat of a surprise. Not Bread Alone Catering was established as the result of a misdirected phone call. Polly catered hundreds of parties and events all over the Houston area from 1986 to 2002 when she turned the reigns over to her granddaughter. Polly the contractor could build the kitchen, and Polly the caterer could get in there and prepare a feast!

Discovering that her son, Sam, had PKU—a rare disease for which little research had been done—she began her quest to create awareness and educate the world about PKU in an effort to help her son and other children survive the physical and legal complications that accompany this genetic disease. She has appeared before the House speaking on behalf of PKU families to resolve critical issues. She was the first

layperson to ever speak at the International Genetic Research Conference in Lake Tahoe.

Not taking no for an answer, Polly used her bull dog tenacity to prove that one person can make a difference. She was instrumental in the passing of Bill 1052 before the Senate in Austin to disallow insurance companies to refuse to pay a claim for an illness considered to be a pre-existing condition. And, she fought bureaucracy all the way to the finish line and obtained a government buyout for her property and the subdivision that continually flooded even though it was not on the flood map.

Ms. Dawson received a proclamation for Outstanding Volunteer for C ivic Service in Pasadena, Texas. She is a member of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and served on the Zion Christian School board for several years. She has received countless awards locally and nationally for her charity work to which she has donated time, money, and services for the underprivileged.

All this was accomplished as a single parent raising two sons. Losing one son to leukemia, caring for the other son with PKU, and losing her husband to cancer, she has proven again and again that she is not only a survivor, she is a thriver.

Polly Dawson became an author when she decided to write her autobiography. But the pen didn’t stop there. She now has several more books in the making. Each of The Texas Lady books is filled with romance, mystery, and adventure.

Besides writing, Polly also enjoys gardening, traveling, and entertaining. She has traveled extensively through several continents.

Polly lives each moment of each day as if it were the last day of her life. Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breaths away. Polly has had quite a few of them!