Margaret Travis

Margaret Carlile (Trudy) Travis, 90, of Lawrence, KS, passed away in Lawrence on September 30, 2011. A service of remembrance will be held 2 p.m., Sunday, October 23, 2011 at Unitarian Fellowship,1263 North 1100 Road, Lawrence, KS 66047.

Born in Collinsville, OK, on June 27, 1921, she was the daughter of the late Robert O. and Betty Lou (McAfee) Carlile.

She grew up in Collinsville and Coffeyville, KS, graduating from Field Kindley High School and Coffeyville Junior College, winning numerous awards for debate and public speaking.   She married Kenneth A. Travis, a Coffeyville resident, in March of 1941.

After residing in Baltimore, MD and Waynesville, NC, where they worked in defense plants during W.W. II, she and her husband moved to Lawrence, KS in 1946, where they both resided for the rest of their lives.

She was employed by Centron Corporation of Lawrence from 1947-1985, where she was a motion picture scriptwriter and director, working on numerous educational and commercial motion pictures. Many of her pictures for Young America Films pioneered the use of classroom educational films in the 1950s and 1960s, playing a significant role in educating a generation of young Americans.  She wrote the script for the inspirational film "Leo Beuerman," which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1970.   She retired as Centron’s vice president of creative services.

After retirement, she worked as a volunteer for Kansas Audio Reader, the Lawrence Unitarian Fellowship, and Lawrence Memorial Hospital, and enjoyed gardening, homemaking, travel, senior aerobics, and time with her family.

She was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers and a sister, her son Stewart, and her husband. She is survived by two sons, Tyson of Pine Bluff, AR and Kevin of Westwood, KS, in addition to one grandson, two granddaughters, and two great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Douglas County Senior Services, Coffeyville Community College, or Kansas Audio Reader and may be sent in care of the mortuary.