TYLER, Texas (KETK) – KETK News is highlighting the ladies making big moves from the Piney Woods. This week, we introduce you to a woman breaking more than glass ceilings.
Meet Monique Dorsey, the owner of the Rose City Clays gun range in Tyler.
“It amazes me. People that come from up north, they want to do two things when they come to Texas,” she said. “They want to ride a horse, and they want to shoot a gun.”
Before Dorsey opened Rose City Clays, she was a pediatric nurse.
“I did work for Children’s Medical Center,” she said. “I was in their ER for a couple of years and then went to work for a pediatric cardiologist in Dallas for several years. And, we always on weekends would go out and shoot.”
After she dedicated her life to helping children, she moved closer to her family and started to give back in a new way.
“We host a lot of different fundraisers,” Dorsey said. “This is a wonderful venue for raising funds for different charitable events.”
Dorsey not only hosts annual fundraisers for several organizations but is also on the Palette of the Roses Art League and is heavily involved in her church.
“We go to Westwood Baptist,” she said. “I teach a Sunday school, a lady Sunday school class. I also sang in the choir (and) clean(ed) the church for them.”
Rose City Clays is home to the Grace Cougar shotgun team, with many students going on to receive full-ride college scholarships.
“We also do national sporting Clays tournaments,” Dorsey said. “We have locals that come out and shoot on a daily basis. And, we have a lot of kids that have grown up out here.”
Her favorite part is the people she has met.
“We like the fact that the club is more of a community,” Dorsey said. “It’s not just a business because generations literally have grown up out here.”
She took a shot on her business, and 17 years later, she is still right on target.
“It’s a tough business for a woman to be a part of,” Dorsey said. “It’s not exactly your mainstream. I don’t know that there are many gun ranges that are owned and run by a woman.”
