Troy Allen Lockard (1909-1990,) nee Helen Allen, was born on December 31, 1909 in San Diego, CA. After a series of childhood moves, Troy completed high school in Wichita Falls, Texas. While her family continued on to Miami, Florida, Troy chose to attend college at the Texas State College for Women. It is likely that she adopted the name “Troy” during that period. In 1936, she accepted a position at Texas Tech University in Lubbock as an associate professor of applied arts and interior design. Alongside her teaching duties, she maintained her private artistic practice, working primarily with watercolors and metal jewelry.

At Texas Tech, she met her husband Robert Ivan Lockard, who was a professor of architecture and engineering, as well as a fellow artist. He and she remained professors at the school for nearly forty years, until their retirement in the 1970's. Troy Allen Lockard passed away on July 10, 1990 and is buried next to her husband at Lubbock Cemetery.

Since her death, her work has been exhibited at the Louise Underwood Center for the Arts in Lubbock, TX, and the William Reaves Fine Art Gallery in Houston, Texas. Her two-person show in Houston in 2012 was titled “Modernism in Texas,” featuring Troy’s work and the work of her husband Robert. The husband and wife also produced a short instructional film on watercolors called “Brush Tips,” which was exhibited at the Louise Underwood Center for the Arts.