Opal was born in a little town called Queen City southwest of Texarkana, Texas.  Her father, Henry Brown, was a farmer from the area and her mother, Margaret Hill, had grown up in Louisiana and Texas.  They later moved to Texarkana where Opal attended high school.  She had a younger brother, Jim, who became a successful builder in several large Texas cities.

 

Her ancestors were primarily 

Scottish and their DNA was 

still strong in the Brown family

as evidenced by the red hair and 

fair skin.  The Rollo clan in her

paternal line was established by

a Viking, and she was the 20th

great-granddaughter of Robert

the Bruce of Scotland (you might

remember him from Braveheart!).

 

Opal went to college at University

of North Texas in Denton.  One 

evening a handsome young man

came by her dorm to pick up an

accompanist for a church event.

The pianist just happened to be

Opal's roommate, so she was sent

downstairs to let Ed Stone know

that she would be ready in a few

minutes.  Opal made quite an 

impression, and as they say, 

the rest is history!