Sports
Connie Demerson...A Dragon to Remember
Sunday, 08 July 2012 by Chuck Kelly
Connie Demerson, one of the greatest athletes in Belton history, won a two state championships in track back in 1995. Since then she has been an active member in the community. Our Tiger to remember is currently serving her third term on the Belton Independent School District Board of Trustees.
Today, Connie Demerson and her fellow board members make the important decisions for the Belton Tigers but did you know that "in the day", Connie Sweeney was quite an athlete.
As a matter of fact, she was a state champion in 1955. That was when she was a Dragon at Harris High School prior to its 1967 merger into Belton High School. She was a pre-Tiger then.
Connie Sweeney was busy even back then --- she played basketball and ran track, played softball out of school, was in U.I.L. plays and a member of the school chorus.
Connie was on the 1955 Class B Girls State track Team Champions that scored 36 points to win the state title over 30 other schools. Her teammates were Mattie Demerson, Cora Ford, Annie M. Knight, Barbara Lewis and Mary Busby.
Connie Sweeney also was a member of the 1955 Class B Girls State Championship 440-yard relay team.
After graduation, she went off to college but didn't care for it and worked at Sewell-Long Clinic, a clinic in Killeen and for the Allen sisters before settling in for a 27 year career at the VA Hospital.
On June 21, 1961, Connie Sweeney married Elbert (Red) Demerson, who had been the Harris quarterback on the football team and played basketball and ran track.
The couple raised a family of Tiger athletes. Their four children were all involved in BHS sports: Brian Sweeney, who was All-State in football, lives in Humble now with his wife and six children; Deidra (DeDe) Sweeney lives in Baytown; Marion Demerson is still in Belton and Robin Demerson is in Colorado.
It was an athletic family. Charles Sweeney, Connie's brother, won the Class B 440-yard dash title in 1952 and 1953. He and Mattie Demerson are now deceased.
Connie Sweeney Demerson is finally "retired" but is still busy. She remains very active in the Mount Zion United Methodist Church that she grew up in.
"I'm the church treasurer, president of the choir, Lay reader...anything they need me to do, I'll do it," she said smiling. "My kids keep telling me to slow down, take it easy but I don't think I can do that."
