Texas Womans Spring 2024 Magazine

True Grit
Small Town,
Big Dreams
B
orn and raised in the
Lone Star State, TWU
Distinguished Alumna
Sheila K. Kellagher,
DPT ’81, ’17 is a skilled
physical therapist and passionate
entrepreneur. “I’m a Paris, Texas girl
and am the first woman in my family to
earn a college degree,” she says.
Kellagher’s journey from small-town
Texas to founding her own company and
developing it into a multi-million-dollar
business began with great mentors.
“In high school, so many of my
teachers were TWU graduates. My
health education teacher, Joe Francenia
Hicks ’40, helped me find my passion for
health and physical education.”
That’s how Kellagher found herself on
TWU’s Denton campus in the late 1970s,
interviewing for a spot in the physical
therapy undergraduate program. She
had spent her summers volunteering
as a candy striper at the local hospital
and was inspired by the work of physical
therapists. The interview didn’t end the
way she’d hoped, but she knew what she
wanted and persevered.
“I stuck with my plan, earned a
4.0 GPA my first two years at TWU,
and was accepted into the physical
therapy program my third year. I was
also accepted into what was the Basic
Master’s Program," she says.
NAVIGATING THE FUTURE
After graduating, she worked as a
physical therapist at Presbyterian
Hospital in Dallas.
“I wanted to help more people, so
I developed a business plan to open
my own clinic," Kellagher says. She
presented her business plan to mentors,
including her father, who managed a
clothing store for more than 40 years,
her mother, who owned and operated a
health foods store, and a neurosurgeon
at Presbyterian Hospital.
“Sharing my business plan and laying
the groundwork for my own company is
when I learned the value of a network,"
she adds.
Her mentors guided her along the way
and her colleagues in the healthcare
sector offered to send her patients.
To get the business started, she
applied for a loan at 10 different banks
and was rejected nearly every time.
“It was important that I keep trying,"
she says.
She was approved for a $20,000 loan
in 1982 and given three years to pay it
back. The business grew to two physical
therapists in year two, three clinics in
year five and 25 clinics in year six. She
paid off the loan in just one year.
INNOVATION AND DETERMINATION
In the late 1980s, Kellagher observed
how elderly patients struggled to
receive treatment due to transportation
difficulties. She thought, “why don’t we
just go to them?” Her company began
“TWU instilled in me
a hunger for lifelong
learning. I wouldn’t
trade my experiences
for anything. Every
TWU graduate is
empowered to do
whatever they put their
minds to, and we have
the determination to see
our dreams come true.”
Sheila K. Kellagher, DPT ’81, ’17
to build an infrastructure that allowed
physical therapists to treat patients
in their homes and living facilities. By
1992, Kellagher’s company had 2,000
employees across 250 clinics in six states.
She always remained connected to
Texas Woman’s and was appointed to the
TWU Board of Regents in 1994 and served
as chair from 1998-1999. She describes
the experience as “an honorable and
empowering one that made me so proud.”
Kellagher returned to TWU and earned
her doctorate in physical therapy in 2017.
Today, she serves as principal partner of
TruCare Solutions and a member of the
TWU Foundation Board.
24 TEXAS WOMAN’S