Meet Sandy Bates Emmons

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sandy Bates Emmons and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sandy, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I’m what they call a “third culture kid”—born in California to a dad from the West Coast and a mom from Texas, but raised across Venezuela and Brazil. My childhood was a blend of languages, landscapes, and traditions, and that multicultural upbringing gave me a deep appreciation for stories, community, and the ways history lives in everyday life.

Though I’ve spent most of my adult life in Texas—married to a fifth-generation Texan from a ranching family—I still carry the rhythms of Latin America with me. I speak Portuguese, Spanish, and English, and I often find that my ability to move between cultures helps me connect with people from all walks of life.

Today, I run a small history museum in Waxahachie, just outside of Dallas, where I get to celebrate local heritage while making it accessible and engaging for everyone. It feels like the perfect intersection of my past and present: honoring roots, embracing diversity, and building community through storytelling.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think that people can have many “careers” in their lifetime. Some people climb the ladder. I built a spiral staircase and continue to ascend it, sometimes stair by stair, other times dancing up several at a time. My resume reads like a historical novel: full of twists, turns, and a few surprise plotlines. I’ve been in the media business, owned a restaurant, worked in two museums, and soon launching a paranormal tour company. I’ve learned that change is inevitable, and you must lean into it and embrace it. People have described me as a multi-talented creative with a knack for making things happen because of a wide-ranging skill set. I like to think of myself as a heritage-minded being who can blend storytelling, strategy, intrigue, mystery, and humor that ultimately brings history to life.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I was very lucky in my early development to have very adventurous parents who believed the world was an expansion of a traditional classroom. I traveled all over the world with them. My dad loved history, ancient ruins, museums, connecting with local guides, and exploring places. My mom loved the finer things like historic hotels, iconic restaurants, and local cuisines. I received all these loves from them. My husband Andy Don Emmons is a Texas artist who shares all of these and more, so we have been lucky enough to connect and build on all of these pursuits. Plus, my husband has been supportive in anything I have wanted to do and has helped me “bloom where I’m planted” even if it’s in small town Texas.

Website: https://elliscountymuseum.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecmuseum/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandybatesemmons/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EllisCountyMuseum/

Image Credits
Stephanie Reyna (for the cemetery tour pics)