Ch11 Westlake Tales Ep3 Joyce Shelton Patron Saint of the Peninsula

Our Westlake

Emmett Shelton Sr. shares an intimate portrait of his second wife and business partner, Joyce Shelton, his greatest inspiration in his life. They married in 1962 with a partnership that spanned 40 years. They worked hand-in-hand to envision a new community Westlake Hills. They wanted residential development of one-acre minimum lot size. They didn't sell houses, they sold land and dreams. She crafted property lines to save Westlake's majestic trees. When Loop 360 was proposed, Joyce and Emmett donated their Westlake right-of-way. They bought back Westlake property they had sold in the proposed easement and also donated it for the new highway.
Emmett tragically lost his eyesight in 1973, his dream would have been over, but for Joyce - she became his eyes and kept their dream alive. Emmett has many tales of big land deals and partnerships but none greater than his partnership with Joyce.
In the last story of the episode, Emmett tells of the ultimate gift Joyce gave him in 1986. Emmett worked to get the bridge between Austin and Westlake built in the 1940s, but it was left unnamed. In the 1980s, Joyce worked the Ausin mayor and Congressman Jake Pickle to finally name the bridge: the Emmett Shelton Bridge. Bless you Joyce.
Music by: Emmett's son, Polk Shelton

For maps and other info check out our Facebook page: Our Westlake
Stories told by Emmett Shelton / compiled and submitted by Cynthia Shelton.