2015 March Lakewood

FRESH AIR? TIMES SQUARE? THE DALLAS ARBORETUM IS BOTH. AND NEITHER.

How the city’s top attraction keeps neighbors on opposite sides of the fence.

ON THE COVER: Palmer Fern Dell: Photo by Danny Fulgencio

WHO CARES?

Just a few reasons to really take notice of local elections

We’re going to write about something during the next two months in print and online that most of us care little about.

Local elections. Specifically city council elections.

How do I know we don’t care?

Generally, not much more than 20 percent of us decide it’s worth the trouble to vote in city council races. And heaven forbid there’s a council runoff election on a rainy day — then we’re looking at school board-election turnout numbers, with a few thousand voters making the decision.

We also know what happens when we write a story on our advocatemag.com daily news website about politics or education: Readers scroll on by.

Maybe a comparison would help: If we write about both a new neighborhood restaurant opening and a city council policy initiative on the same day, it’s likely that 10 or even 15 times the number of people will read the story about the restaurant.

Think about that: 10 times the readership for a story about food, while only a fraction of us care about the latest shenanigans at city hall, most of which cost us a lot of money.

Just as an example, how many of us know the council will be handing about $270,000 of our tax dollars to six protestors because it voted to approve (with the exception of councilmen Griggs, Kingston, Davis and Medrano) an ordinance so illegal that a judge wrote a 62-page opinion ridiculing it?

How many of us know the Dallas Convention Center is angling for another $250 million or so in expansion money, even though it has tens of millions of dollars in outstanding debt from the last couple of expansions?

How many of us know a quasi-govern-

mental agency has basically said that even if the city council votes to block the Trinity Toll Road, the agency may just go ahead and build the billion-plus-dollar road anyway?

And speaking of the Toll Road, how many of us have any idea how close it is to becoming a reality, even though no one — not even the mayor or council members — can honestly tell us what is going to be built and how much it’s going to cost?

What about the horrible condition of city streets (nearly $1 billion in deferred maintenance)? Shouldn’t we be concerned about how that type of negligence will eventually affect our home or business property values, not to mention our vehicles?

During the next couple of months leading up to the May 9 elections, the candidates will be talking about whatever we as neighbors ask them, and they’ll be filling the mailboxes of the few of us identified as likely voters with mailers telling us how great they are. (If your mailbox isn’t full of candidate boasting, you’re considered an unlikely voter whose opinion doesn’t count.)

There are a lot of great things happening in Dallas these days — the economy has improved, home values are increasing, and people are finding jobs again. But in order to keep the momentum going, we need to be smart about our next moves, and we need to start reinvesting in our city’s infrastructure to benefit the people already living here, rather than spending hundreds of millions more trying to impress the people who don’t.

Candidates have talked about repairing our streets since I moved to Dallas 17 city elections ago. The streets are worse today than ever, and no elected official has paid any price for promising action and then hiding the ball.

The least we can do is make them show us the ball during the election and then keep an eye on it after they’re elected.

The three-card monte hustle needs to end one of these days, and it can end only if enough of us keep our eye on the ball. Every day.

Rick Wamre is president of Advocate Media. Let him know how we are doing by writing to 6301 Gaston, Suite 820, Dallas 75214; or email rwamre@advocatemag.com.

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EDITORIAL

publisher: CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB

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senior editor: EMILY TOMAN

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editor-at-large: KERI MITCHELL

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editors:

RACHEL STONE

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BRITTANY NUNN

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senior art director: JYNNETTE NEAL

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assistant art director: EMILY MANGAN

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designers: LARRY OLIVER, KRIS SCOTT, EMILY WILLIAMS

contributing editors: SALLY WAMRE

contributors: ERIC FOLKERTH, ANGELA HUNT, GEORGE

MASON, KRISTEN MASSAD

photo editor: DANNY FULGENCIO

214.635.2121 / danny@advocatemag.com

contributing photographers: JAMES COREAS, JACQUE

MANAUGH, SCOTT MITCHELL, RASY RAN, JENNIFER SHERTZER, KATHY TRAN

copy editor: LARRA KEEL

LAKEWOOD

6702 LAKEWOOD BOULEVARD

$1,375,000 | 4 Bed | 3 Bath | 4,133 SqFt

GINA HOWELL | 214.794.8001 gina.howell@alliebeth.com

FORNEY

10555 HELMS TRAIL

$1,300,000 | 5 Bed | 4.1 Bath | 9,100SqFt MATT WOOD | 214.532.8327 matt.wood@alliebeth.com

Pending!

LAKEWOOD HEIGHTS 6227 BELMONT AVENUE

$819,000 | 4 Bed | 4.2 Bath | 4,567 SqFt TIM SCHUTZE | 214.507.6699 tim.schutze@alliebeth.com

M STREETS

5814 ANITA STREET

$664,900 | 3 Bed | 2.1 Bath | 2,821SqFt

JULIE COATS FRAKES | 214.417.6306 julie.frakes@alliebeth.com

M STREETS

5739 MARQUITA AVENUE

$465,000 | 4 Bed | 3 Bath | 2,372SqFt

DIETRICH/KORNAJCIK | 214.207.5344 santina.kornajcik@alliebeth.com

CARUTH TERRACE 6450 SUDBURY DRIVE

$379,900 | 3 Bed | 1.1 Bath | 1,830SqFt

ERIN YOUNG | 214.632.0226 erin.young@alliebeth.com

M STREETS

6219 REVERE PLACE

$375,000 | 3 Bed | 2 Bath | 1,586SqFt

SUSAN BLACKBURN | 214.912.2455 susan.blackburn@alliebeth.com

DALLAS 10429 ROYALWOOD DRIVE

$339,000 | 3 Bed | 2 Bath | 1,885SqFt

SABRINA BELL | 214.707.1780 sabrina.bell@alliebeth.com

Sold!

NORTHEAST DALLAS

10542 WYATT STREET

$290,750 | 4 Bed | 2.5 Bath | 2,979 SqFt

DIANE BEARDEN | 972.655.9356 diane.bearden@alliebeth.com

For More Information on These and Other Listings: 214.521.7355 | Alliebeth.com

WHAT YOU’RE MISSING

Café on Swiss Circle, where Bonnie Parker worked, to be new restaurant

Workers removed a 170-year-old tree at White Rock by mistake

East Dallas woman sets ultra-running record

Q&A: Lakewood

Theater owners discuss parking and more

Matt’s Rancho

Martinez files for chapter 11 bankruptcy

WANT

FOLLOW US. Lakewood Advocate @Advocate_ed

TALK TO US.

Email editor Brittany bnunn@advocatemag.com

GET TO KNOW LEE LAMONT

Lee Lamont is involved in the community. Whether volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, Knights of Columbus or campaigning for a capital cash raise for a local school, Lee strives to accomplish the goals put before him, personally and professionally and he has the same passion for his clients. But nothing is more important than education to Lee. He knows the schools in the Lakewood/East Dallas area and can help you balance the perfect home for your family with the perfect school for your child. There are more options than you may think and understanding home tenure is an important factor to consider. Call Lee today, especially if you are considering moving!

Contact Lee Lamont 214-418-2780

lee@lamontrealestate.com

“I see a lot of art house movies, but I think the Lakewood would do best as an Alamo or Alamoish place. The nature of an ‘art house’ movie is limited appeal.” —Jason

M. Fitzmaurice

“The owners have got to address the parking issue, or nothing is going to thrive. Even with the theater and Ali Baba closed, finding parking there at 7 p.m. on Friday night is nearly impossible.” —leia

“All the time — especially if they show classic films. I once saw the silent Phantom of the Opera there with the organ accompaniment.”

—Kyle Rains

“My sense and hope is that many Lakewood area residents would go to the Lakewood Theater. NorthPark is crowded and a hassle, and the Lakewood Theater could offer a better experience within our community. The Angelika is more likely to draw the same customer as the Lakewood would attract, but it would be great if they could coexist.”

—JLM

Launch

community | events | food

Q&A: Matthew George

East Dallas native Matthew George first flashed across our radar in 2006 when he became the first Woodrow Wilson High School student to qualify for the National Shakespeare Competition in New York City. He went on to make East Dallas proud with his success at Yale University, where the play he wrote as a senior, “Cow Play,” won honors at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in Washington, D.C. Post graduation, now living in Chicago, George has switched from theater to film. He is in the final stages of completing his debut film, ”Muckland,” which he wrote and co-produced with a friend from Yale.

Matthew George: Photo by Danny Fulgencio

Can you describe the film?

The film is about a struggling senior in college who is facing a lot of doubts in his life and has a little bit of a breakdown. He comes home to his small, rural town where he grew up to take some time to decide what to do. He kind of reconnects with this town where he grew up, specifically with this farm that his dad used to own before he passed away. In the process of working the dairy farm, he discovers a little more about his dad. He finds some journals his dad wrote when he was in college, and he kind of struggles connecting with his own family — his mom and younger brother — and he meets some new friends on the farm. He ultimately has to decide if he’s going to stay home or if he’s going to go back to school.

On the website, you call it a ‘modern’ coming-of-age story. What makes this different from the coming-of-age stories we’re familiar with?

One thing I think that’s slightly different is that it takes place right before graduation, as opposed to after graduation. It’s about staring into that gulf of knowing that it’s going to be kind of a mess. The other thing is that it’s in a rural setting, instead of down in the dumps in the city trying to make it.

Can you tell

me a little bit about your process creating the movie?

My senior year in college — I graduated in 2011 from Yale — I wrote a play called “Cow Play.” I got runner-up to the National Student Playwriting Award. It’s about a pair of brothers who grow up on a dairy farm and struggle when one of them leaves and falls in love and comes back and wrestles with who’s going to take over the farm. So I had some success with that and then we did the New York Fringe Festival that summer.

Then I moved to Chicago and was thinking about playwriting. I stayed in touch with the director of “Cow Play,” Charlie Polinger, who directed the movie “Muckland.” We talked about doing a short film inspired by “Cow Play.” I wanted to do something new, so I wrote a script that was about 40 pages. We thought, we can make a short film or a long film, and figured if we were going to go to a dairy farm we might as well make a long film —

Image courtesy of David Austin® Roses.

We get it.

Sure, there are Dallas neighborhoods that would feel right at home in Austin, and we know where to find them all. Artists, musicians, designers, writers, chefs–we’re proud to be the Realtors-of-choice for our city’s most creative residents. If you’re looking for a more imaginative way of life here in Dallas, call 214.526.5626 or visit davidgriffin.com.

how hard could it be? The answer is much harder.

How did you research it?

I had gotten to know the family that owns my father’s old dairy farm. That’s kind of where everything started. One summer I had an internship that fell through, so I had about a month where I didn’t know what to do. I was a junior in college, and I wanted to reconnect with my roots a little bit because my father grew up on a farm in western New York, which is a part of him I’d never seen before. I was put in touch with the people who own the dairy farm, and they were incredibly nice. They knew my grandparents before they passed away.

They basically housed me for two or three weeks and let me work on their farm, which is basically me just holding buckets of cow formula. One time they taught me to drive a tractor. One time somebody left me in the middle of a field to repair a fence with a truck, but it was a stick shift so I didn’t know how to get back. I had to Google, ‘How to drive a stick shift truck,’ and nearly killed myself.

What did you learn about modern farming?

The people who own the farms, the Torrey Farms, they’re people who care about farming so much and the lifestyle. Coming from Yale, I was so used to all these conversations about sustainability and farm-to-table and all that stuff, but these farmers are just trying to make what they can. They’re not going to put stuff in their soil that’s going to hurt the soil, because then they can’t do anything. These are people who read complicated books and have really intellectual discussions; they just don’t feel the need to publish it in newspapers, you know? They’re very humble, hard-working people. I wanted that to be a subtext of the film.

What do you hope people will walk away with after watching the film?

I hope it’s a big hug, kind of, like, ‘Life can be tough.’ —Brittany Nunn

TO LEARN MORE, go to mucklandthemovie.com

1410 Pecos St SOLD

9849 County Cork Dr COMING SOON

10741 Eden Roc Dr $695,000

10849 Clearbrook Ln SOLD (Buyer Rep)

9831 Galway Dr LISTED & SOLD

Costa

David Collier

Collier

Stewart

Jennifer Riley Rice

David Collier 214.536.8517

Tremont St LEASED (Tenant Rep)

Jennifer Riley Rice

What gives?

Small ways that you can make a big difference for nonprofits

Hit the pavement … … to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Run in the third annual Friar Frenzy 5k and fun run at Bishop Lynch High School on March 21. Registration is at 8 a.m. The one-mile fun run starts at 9 a.m. and the 5k starts at 9:30 a.m. The race is at Bishop Lynch High School at 9750 Ferguson. Pick up a race packet at Run On at 5400 E. Mockingbird March 3-19, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Pull on your gardening gloves … … volunteer at the Dallas Arboretum. What’s a better way to enjoy the spring than with the tulips? If you have a green thumb, become a garden and greenhouse worker to help plant, trim, weed and many other tasks. If you don’t have a green thumb, don’t worry; there’s opportunities for everyone. Volunteer in the gift shop, office or visitor services. For more, visit dallasarboretum.org or contact Sue McCombs at 214.515.6561 or smccombs@ dallasarboretum.org.

Put

your high school diploma to the test

…

… and offer GED tutoring for clients of Alley’s House. Give a teen mom a couple of hours a day, once or twice a week, and help her achieve a life goal. For females 21 and above, year-long mentor opportunities are also available. Alley’s House also needs child-care providers and someone to help organize donated goods. You can also organize a diaper drive or donate baby items such as strollers, car seats, or baby food and toddler snacks. Go to alleyshouse.org to download an application. Email program.director@alleyshouse.org for more.

KNOW OF WAYS that neighbors can spend time, attend an event, or purchase or donate something to benefit a neighborhood nonprofit? Email your suggestion to launch@advocatemag.com.

Lissete Mendez, Vaughn Ferron and Evelyn Segovia:

Photo by Danny Fulgencio

Let Woodrow students do your taxes for free

Words like “taxes” and “Internal Revenue Service” intimidate many adults, but not Woodrow Wilson High School students. This year they spent their free time becoming certified IRS agents, and they can do your taxes for free.

Denise Tucker, the director of Woodrow’s Academy of Finance, partnered with the IRS to teach about 20 students how to file 1040EZ and 1040 forms. Woodrow is one of only three schools in the state with students who are certified IRS agents.

“We’re accredited through the National Academy of Finance, and every year they have a conference,” Tucker explains. “The last couple years I’ve been going, I keep seeing the IRS pop up, that these kids are

doing this program. This year I decided, ‘You know what, if they can do it, our kids can do it.’ So here we are.”

On Jan. 20, the students completed the IRS certification, and since early February they have been electronically filing tax returns through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

Although the students are granted volunteer hours by the IRS, most of the students, like Woodrow sophomore Arely Becerra, signed on because it “seemed like a good opportunity to learn how to do taxes.”

Some students were nervous at first. Junior Melissa Perez says she understands the weight of the responsibility.

“I felt scared because you could mess

up people’s taxes,” Perez explains. “I’m young, and people might think I’m not responsible enough to do their taxes.”

But passing the required exams has given the students a boost of confidence.

“I know I can do it,” Perez says.

The students are taking appointments for tax return service. They must file 100 returns to be eligible to offer the service again next year. Just as with any professional tax office, the students’ certification requires that they adhere to best practices that protect clients’ financial information.

—Brittany Nunn

TO SCHEDULE tax preparation services, call Denise Tucker at 972.502.4400. Students will return calls and set client appointments through April 15.

Writer in residence

Mark Louis Rybczyk

You might know him as “Hawkeye” from the popular radio show “Hawkeye and Dorsey in the Morning” on country station 96.3 KSCS, which was the longest-running morning show in Dallas before Hawkeye’s co-host Terry Dorsey retired in January after 34 years.

Or you might know him as Mark Louis Rybczyk, Casa Linda neighbor and threetime author.

Rybczyk’s first book, a historical nonfiction work called “San Antonio Uncovered,” was a big hit in San Antonio, which encouraged him to pen another story, “The Travis Club” — this one a mystery novel, also based in San Antonio.

When he first wrote “The Travis Club” in the mid-’90s, Rybczyk couldn’t get it published. So he shelved it for almost 10 years, until he ran across the draft one

day and began reading it.

The story was good, he realized, but the writing needed some serious fine-tuning.

He started editing it and cutting out unnecessary chunks. Then he did what he didn’t do the first time: sent it to an editor.

“Everyone thinks they’re going to be the next Great American Novelist,” he muses. “You have to get over that and just try to write a good story.”

He decided to self-publish it on Amazon, where it quickly hit no. 20 on the best-seller list for historical mysteries. It

has already racked up 88 reviews and received 4.5 stars. And Rybczyk hasn’t even had a chance to market it in San Antonio, he points out.

The story revolves around Taylor Nichols, a young writer who writes historical guidebooks (sound familiar?). Through his research, he uncovers the well-kept secrets of the city’s power brokers.

The fictional story of Nichols is nestled within the true-life tales Rybczyk unearthed while researching “San Antonio Uncovered,” and Rybczyk had the chance to rediscover those facts the second time around.

“I had fun writing the book, and I had even more fun rewriting it,” he says.

—Brittany Nunn

LEARN MORE go to www.thetravisclub.com

April 8

Hugh

MIT Media Lab | Biomechatronics Program Head

HUGH HERR is responsible for advances in bionic limbs that offer new hope to people with physical disabilities. Time magazine called him the “Leader of the Bionic Age” because of his work in the emerging field of biomechatronics, a technology that marries human physiology with electromechanics.

Visit

Tony & Jonna Mendez

Author of Argo and both former CIA Chief of Disguise

TONY and JONNA MENDEZ are former CIA officers whose lives have been featured in books, TV documentaries and the Oscar-winning film Argo Tony Mendez engineered the 1980 rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Iran in an operation that inspired the movie. Jonna Mendez worked as a technical operations officer with a specialty in clandestine photography.

Presented by Ericsson

April 28

Presented by the Ann and Jack Graves Charitable Foundation

Herr

Hosted by UT Dallas’ Arts and Technology (ATEC) program, the series features speakers from a wide range of backgrounds in science, technology and art. They will present public lectures on topics aimed at exploring the evolving relationships among art, technology, engineering, and behavioral and social sciences.

WE’RE MORE THAN A GYM, WE’RE A CAUSE.

Help us impact in our community by supporting the WHITE ROCK YMCA Annual Campaign

• $100 $100 allows a child to learn teamwork through Youth Sports.

• $500 $500 allows an elderly couple to stay healthy and gain a since of community through Active Older Adults Programs.

• $1000 $1000 allows a child to have a fun, safe place to go during the summer while parents are at work.

Whether you can pledge $10 this year or $10,000, please support our cause and donate to the WHITE ROCK YMCA.

What’s on Will Evans’ bookshelf

Hollywood Heights neighbor Will Evans talks a mile a minute, especially when he talks about publishing books by foreign authors. Evans is a history major turned foreign book advocate. “I found out there’s all of this great stuff being written in every language of the world — award-winning books, best-sellers — and very little of it gets translated and published in English,” Evans explains. Which is why in 2013 he founded Deep Vellum Publishing, a nonprofit publishing house in Deep Ellum. Within the next year, he plans to open a bookstore in Deep Ellum similar to Wild Detectives in Oak Cliff, only twice as big with 20 times more books. If you were to peruse his shelves, you’d find these top five titles Evans recommends for those beginning to explore foreign literature. Here, he explains why they matter:

Clarice Lispector, “The Hour of the Star,” translated by Benjamin Moser (New Directions):

“Clarice Lispector is the high priestess of literature. She’s like a Brazilian Virginia Woolf, the type of author you read for the first time and you say, ‘How did she do that?’ This little book is a perfect introduction to Clarice’s work.”

The mission of the Y is to put Christian values into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all.

Italo Calvino, “Invisible Cities,” translated by William Weaver (Harcourt):

“Calvino constructs alternate universes like nobody before or since. This one is about Marco Polo telling the tales of the places he’s been. You come to realize that you can sit in a room your whole life, and if you’ve read the right books you’ll have the right imagination to construct an infinite amount of alternate realities that take our notion of what is real and spin it in a completely new way.”

Valeria Luiselli, “Faces in the Crowd,” translated by Christina MacSweeney (Coffee House):

“For something contemporary, meet your new favorite author, an author who belongs to the world more than she does to any one country. She’s from Mexico originally and writes in Spanish, so she’s labeled a ‘Mexican’ author, but she grew up in South Africa and now lives in New York City. This beautiful little book feels semi-autobiographical. It’s her debut work in English, and her career is rocketing off.”

Jorge Luis Borges, “Collected Fictions,” translated by Andrew Hurley (Penguin): “Start with his ‘Ficciones’ and then move into ‘The Aleph.’ There is no one better. Literature in its purest essence.”

Mikhail Bulgakov, “The Master and Margarita,” translated by Diana Burgin and Katherine O’Connor (Vintage): “This book is the closest thing to a perfect novel you could ever imagine. Three interwoven stories jump from Moscow to Jerusalem to an otherworldly realm, jumping from deadly serious to uproariously funny.”

—Brittany Nunn

Will Evans: Photo by Rasy Ran

Neighbors Matthew Ladin and Aron Siegal give new life to old glass: Photos by James Coreas

Wrecked

It all started with a bottle of wine

Neighbor Matthew Ladin couldn’t help but notice all the beautiful blue wine bottles his family threw away, which got him thinking: “Couldn’t these bottles be used for something better?”

A few years later he learned about a man in Nacogdoches who repurposes wine bottles into drinking glasses. Ladin contacted the artisan to ask if he was interested in teaching him his craft.

Ladin roped his friend, Aron Siegal, into the venture, and the two traveled to Nacogdoches to learn how to safely turn wine, soda, beer and liquor bottles into drinking glasses and vases.

They broke a lot of bottles at first, but they started selling the ones that made it through the process — which involves scoring with a diamond blade, heating over a flame, cooling with ice, breaking and a little bit of luck — at markets and shows around Dallas.

Their wares were well received, which convinced the pair to continue. They founded Rec’d Glass & Metal out of their homes in East Dallas and began crafting other objects such as table lamps, planters and wind chimes. They recently began turning old pickup truck tailgates into porch benches.

“The idea is to take something that would otherwise probably end up in a landfill and make it into something artistic and functional,” Ladin says.

These days they break less and less glass, but as Ladin points out, “It’s definitely an art, not a science,” even with their tools and years of experience.

That inspired the name, Rec’d Glass, which Ladin says has three explanations:

“It’s recycled glass. It’s wrecked glass because at the beginning we were destroying a lot of it because we weren’t that good at it. And if you drink a lot, you get a little wrecked,” he says with a laugh.

—Brittany Nunn LEARN MORE at facebook.com/RecdGlass.

– Brian Jackson

– Chuck Bauer

End in sight

After breaking ground on Gaston in November 2013, the White Rock YMCA has reached the final stretch of construction.

Construction crews have finished work on the structure and outside of the building. The heavy lifting on the inside also is complete, and crews are finishing the aesthetics of the interior. Soon they’ll start moving in furniture and equipment, and the White Rock YMCA is set to open in its new space at the end of March.

Eve Wiley’s pregnancy went from easy to scary when a sonogram showed the umbilical cord wrapped four times around her baby’s neck, posing a serious threat. “Our world turned upside down,” says Eve. The doctor checked her into a high-risk pregnancy unit at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas for 24/7 monitoring and immediate access to the delivery room. “Just in case,” adds Eve. She credits the nurses with being her “calm in the storm.” Then, 17 days into her hospital stay, the storm clouds cleared as her baby managed to unwrap himself. Eve spent the rest of her pregnancy back home, returning to Baylor for the birth of what she calls her “miracle baby.”

For a physician referral or for more information about women’s services, call 1.800.4BAYLOR or visit us online at BaylorHealth.com/DallasWomen

To explore the new digs, we took a hardhat tour through the new facility with Stacie Renfro, senior program director; Ann Noble, the annual campaign chair; and Eric Schenkelberg, the vice president of operations.

There’s a childcare center right beside the large front entrance, and it will have its own outdoor play area.

A short hallway, where the entrance desk will be located, opens up to the main room. To the left will be a small lounge area, and to the right is the fitness room, lined with floor-to-ceiling windows.

A long hallway leads to the gymnasium that will house the basketball court and other indoor sports facilities.

Upstairs includes a yoga studio, a multipurpose room for meetings, classes or similar activities, and a spacious aerobics room that features a row of windows overlooking White Rock Lake.

The White Rock YMCA is still within 8590 percent of its fundraising goal of $14 million. They’ve raised $12 million but still need to raise the last $2 million.

They’re continuing the Click the Brick campaign. Starting at $1,500, community members can purchase a brick with their name on it.

In 2014 the YMCA raised $183,000, which will go toward providing membership and other YMCA services for neighbors who can’t afford them.

WATCH A VIDEO of our hard-hat tour through the White Rock YMCA at lakewood.advocatemag.com.

My high-risk pregnancy had a happy ending, thanks to Baylor.

REAL PATIENTS. REAL STORIES.

©2015 Baylor Scott & White Health BSWWOM_13_2014 CE 02.15

Out & About

March 2015

Through April 12

Dallas Blooms

This year’s flower fest celebrates all things Texan. The show includes more than 500,000 spring-blooming bulbs and life-size Texasthemed topiaries, plus food and special activities celebrating the Lone Star State. Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road, 214.515.6615, dallasarboretum.org, $10-$15

more LOCAL EVENTS or submit your own

LAKEWOOD.ADVOCATEMAG.COM/EVENTS

THROUGH MARCH 25

‘Pollinators and predators’

The photography of Bob Curry depicts “the enchanting environment of small creatures.” A reception for the artist is from 7-9 p.m. Saturday, March 14. Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther, 214.670.8749, bathhousecultural.com, free

THROUGH MARCH 28

‘Nobody’s Perfect’

A comedy that tells the story of a feminist publisher who has a run-in with a crossdressing talent.

Pocket Sandwich Theatre, 5400 E. Mockingbird, 214.821.1860, pocketsandwich.com, $12-$25

MARCH 1

Quiet Company

Austin rock band performs at Club Dada Feb. 28, but you can catch them “Live from the Astroturf” at Good Records the following day at 1 p.m. The Bright Light Social Hour performs in-store at 7 p.m. March 12.

Good Records, 1808 Greenville, 214.752.4663, goodrecords.com, free

MARCH 4, 18 & 25

Mommy & Me Music

These classes are designed for infants through 5-year-olds and their parents/caregivers to experience music and movement in a Christian environment. The 10-10:45 a.m. classes take place every Wednesday (except spring break, March 11) and are in the D6 building, next to the church, on the second floor, room 7.

Munger Place United Methodist Church, 5200 Bryan, 214.823.9929, mungerplace.org, free

MARCH 5

Lakewood Kindergarten Round-Up

Future stallions who will begin kindergarten in fall 2015 can tour Lakewood Elementary with their parents, meet the kindergarten team and visit with other parents from 6-7 p.m. Registration packets for the 2015-16 school year will be handed out at this event.

Lakewood Elementary, 3000 Hillbrook, 972.749.7300, free

March 24

Sylvan Esso

Get up, get down. The band behind one of the best pop songs of 2014 performs at the Granada. Generationals opens. Granada Theater, 214.824.9933, granadatheater.com, $19

MARCH 7

Children’s Chorus concert

Join the Children’s Chorus of Greater Dallas, the official children’s chorus of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, for a 2-4 p.m. performance featuring highlights from the chorus’s season, including works by Bach, Handel and more. Seating is limited. Lakewood Library, 6121 Worth, 214.670.1376, lakewood@dallaslibrary.org

MARCH 12

Cool Thursday concerts

This annual concert series kicks off with ’80s cover band The Molly Ringwalds. Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road, 214.515.6615, dallasarboretum.org, $10-$27

MARCH 13-APRIL 5

‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit’

The Beatrix Potter classic comes to life in this performance, which is appropriate for children ages 4 and older.

Dallas Children’s Theater, 5938 Skillman, 214.740.0051, dct.org, $22-$28

MARCH 14

Dash Down Greenville

Join the sea of green and run in the 20th annual St. Paddy’s Day Dash Down Greenville. Don’t forget to wear something wacky. Pick up a packet at Run On at 5400 E. Mockingbird March 5-12. Registration for the race begins at 6:45 a.m.

Central Market at Greenville and Lovers, runproject.org/race/dashdown-greenville-5k, 214.821.0909, $25-$40

MARCH 14

Read to therapy dogs

Elementary students can bring their parents to this fun and furry experience at 3:30 p.m. with some of our fourlegged friends.

White Rock Hills Library, 9150 Ferguson, 214.670.8443, whiterockhills@dallaslibrary.org

MARCH 18

Existential comedy

The Existential Comedy Improv Lab is a “live improvisational experiment which explores the world of improv and clown performance.” They perform at 7 p.m. Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther, 214.670.8749, circusfreaks.org, donations accepted

MARCH 31-APRIL 2

24-hour video race

This annual event from the Video Association of Dallas asks amateur filmmakers to create a short film in the 24 hours after being given a topic. All the videos will be screened March 31 and April 1, and the winners will be showcased April 2.

Angelika Film Center, 5321 E. Mockingbird, 214.841.4713, 24hourvideorace.com, $4-$6

March 12 and 18

National Theatre Live

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Katherine Boo spent three years in Annawadi, a Mumbai slum, to write her book, “Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity,” which won the National Book Award in 2012. David Hare turned the book into a play, the performance of which will be broadcast live from the National Theatre in London.

Angelika Film Center, 5321 E. Mockingbird, 214.841.4713, angelikafilmcenter.com, $8.50-$11

Delicious

THE MERMAID BAR

NorthPark Center

8687 N. Central

Suite 400

HOURS: 10 A.M.-9 P.M. MON-FRI

10 A.M.-8 P.M. SAT

NOON-6 P.M. SUN

AMBIANCE: NOSTALGIC

PRICE: $6-$20

DID YOU KNOW?

THE MERMAID BAR FEATURES WHIMSICAL MURALS

BY DANISH ARTIST BJORN WIINBLAD COMMISSIONED BY STANLEY MARCUS IN THE 1960S.

In1965 NorthPark Center hosted its grand opening — as did Neiman Marcus, the upscale clothing store in its southwest corner. Inside Neiman Marcus was a small coffee bar, The Mermaid Bar, where daytime shoppers could grab a bite to eat. The Mermaid Bar was surprisingly popular, and a few years later it expanded to accommodate larger crowds. Fifty years later, Neiman Marcus and The Mermaid Bar are the only originals left at NorthPark. The café has survived on excellent service and reliably good food, says Chad Boyle, the general manager of restaurants at Neiman Marcus. The nostalgia effect doesn’t hurt, either. “This is the destination of ladies’ lunches in Dallas,” Boyle says. “The grandmothers brought the mothers, and the mothers brought the daughters, and that’s how it’s been for 50 years. It’s not well publicized. You have to know that it’s here, but everyone just knows that The Mermaid is here.” Boyle looks across the room and points out a diner who has been eating at the café for upward of 42 years. Staff member Paul Arenas boasts that he’s been working at The Mermaid since ’85, and that’s not unusual. Several of the kitchen staff have been there at least that long. Customers are treated like family, and some of the regulars bring the staff Christmas presents during the holidays. The menu is made up of “simple American recipes,” Boyle says. The Mermaid Sampler, which includes a cup of soup, a cup of fruit and half a chicken salad sandwich, is by far the most popular dish. “There’s nothing fabulous or fancy about what we serve,” Boyle says. “It’s the consistency that brings them back.” But if you have a chance to order the fried calamari, you won’t regret it.

—Brittany Nunn

One of The Mermaid Bar’s most requested entrees, the Mermaid Sampler, features a half-sandwich with tuna, bacon and pecans, along with chicken salad, tomato soup, fruit salad and chips. Photo by Rasy Ran

BEST OF 2014 RECAP in Lakewood-East Dallas

And the winners were

Pizza: My Family’s Pizza

Within eight months of opening its doors, My Family’s Pizza garnered a reputation for serving up a superior Sicilian thin-crust pizza.

Breakfast/Brunch: Goldrush Cafe

Most likely, Goldrush Cafe’s popularity is thanks to owners and Lakewood residents George, Virgil, Mark and Liz Sanchez. For the past 34 years, George

Sanchez has made knowing his customers by name a top priority.

Coffee: Union Coffeehouse

As soon as you walk in you will notice private rooms complete with white boards available for meetings, a stage for weekly open-mic events — or poetry slams — plus several couches and armchairs for more casual gatherings.

Burger: Liberty Burger

If you’re feeling a little creative and want to make your own burger, you can choose from seven patties — beef, lamb, tuna, chicken, bison, turkey or veggie — along with a whopping selection of 40 toppings.

Dessert: Smallcakes Cupcakery

Owner Latricia Green sells some of the tastiest cupcakes around — she says

people began ordering cupcakes online before her store even opened earlier this year — but she also has a passion for people that is contagious.

Gift shop: The T Shop

“The T Shop is just loaded with a quirky mix of seasonal knickknacks and treats for entertaining,” says owner Lori Trent.

Pet services: Homegrown Hounds Dog Deli and Bakery

When guests walk into Homegrown Hounds on the edge of East Dallas, they’re greeted by the welcoming smell of homemade baked goods. But don’t start salivating just yet, because it’s all for the dogs.

NEXT UP IN OUR READER’S CHOICE CONTEST: BEST PATIO. Vote for your favorite at lakewood.advocatemag.com/bestof

Greenville

Going to the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade on Greenville? Don’t forget to stop by GAPCo for a green beer!! We are opening for lunch March 2nd! Seven days a week at 11AM.

Late night Dine in and Delivery!

Now open until 1 A.M. on Monday nights.

Highland Park

NEW! Online ordering! Our famous homemade pies, cakes, cookies and muffins can now be made to order in any quantity for take out!

Open every day 11am–8pm. Casa Linda Plaza

N. Buckner Blvd. at Garland Rd. 214.324.5000 highlandparkcafeteria.com

The Pour House

A casual neighborhood hangout-where sports, burgers and beer reign supreme!

back and relax with great food and enjoy one of our 18 beers on tap.

kitchen is open late and we’ll save you a seat!

March Madness is here! Join us from Selection Sunday to the Championship. House-made burgers, wings and pizza by My Family’s Pizza.

Open for lunch Mon-Fri 11AM

FINGER FOOD THAT POPS

A table covered in gourmet appetizers provides the perfect setting for a spring gathering. At the beginning of this new season, freshen up your menus with bite-size finger food, ideal for sharing or passing. With only five ingredients, herb goat cheese poppers keep it simple and small but full of flavor.

GROCERY LIST

1 (8 ounce) log soft herb goat cheese

1 large egg

½ cup flour

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

2 cups canola oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Place flour, whisked egg and panko breadcrumbs each in individual bowls (do not mix together). Roll goat cheese into 24 balls (1 heaping teaspoon each).

2. Dip each goat cheese ball in flour, dip in egg and roll in panko; place each ball on a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.

3. Heat oil in a small deep saucepan until it reaches 350 degrees F. Drop goat cheese balls into oil in batches of

4-6 at a time until golden and crisp on the outside. Remove balls with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain.

4. Serve goat cheese poppers immediately with your choice of dipping sauce.

OPTIONAL DIPPING SAUCES: Blackberry honey (pictured)

Marinara sauce

Balsamic reduction

Sweet chili sauce

Kristen Massad writes a monthly column about sweets and baked goods. The professional pastry chef graduated from the French Culinary Institute in New York City and owned Tart Bakery on Lovers Lane for eight years. She blogs about food and lifestyles at inkfoods.com.

EXTRAORDINARY

6867 Avalon | Sold | Listed for $1,195,000

6906 Lakewood | Sold | Listed for $1,185,500

7151 Wildgrove | Sold | Listed for $1,249,000

LAKEWOOD LEADERS

Neighborhoods

Darlene Ellison knows how to get things done. Her passion for all things East Dallas has led this businesswoman, philanthropist, author and mother to found Lakewood Women in Business, a network of like-minded career mentors and neighborhood advocates looking to grow their lives, and their fortunes, right in the community. On weekdays you’ll catch Darlene in her role as Vice President at Veritex Community Bank, smack in the heart of Lakewood—a catbird seat for helping local businesses thrive.

Darlene Ellison

It takes much more than houses to make up a neighborhood. People of all generations, cultures, societies and influences are at the heart of every neighborhood, and nowhere is that more appreciated than in the communities that make up Lakewood, Hollywood Heights, the M Streets, Swiss Avenue, Forest Hills, Casa Linda and beyond.

Define COMMUNITY Lis Akin

Whether it’s a $1.2 million fix to a shoddy portion of trail along White Rock Lake or pressing for the creation of a bridge that will connect the area’s much-used hike and bike trails, Lis Akin is passionate about getting Dallasites outside to play. As executive director of For the Love of the Lake, she’s leading the charge on improving access and facilities for our city’s largest “playground,” and she’s no stranger to putting on a pair of Wellies for a little Shoreline Spruce Up, either

A SLICE OF LIFE ON SWISS

Like a perfectly wrapped Mother’s Day gift, the annual Swiss Avenue Historic District Home Tour is a treat ready to be enjoyed.

This year marks the 42nd celebration of the homes, décor and lifestyle of this early 1900’s neighborhood that included the first paved streets in Dallas. Once home to many of the founding families of Dallas (W.W. Caruth, J. Woodall Rogers, Carrie Marcus Neiman) the broad streets and tree-lined parkways still offer stunning examples of Prairie, Craftsman, Georgian, Neoclassical and Mediterraneanstyle homes.

The Mother’s Day Home Tour will be held May 9-10. For more information on times, tickets and related events, go to sahd.org. Proceeds benefit the Swiss Avenue Historic District

Just a year ago the Lakewood community welcomed us to our new office at 6301 Gaston Avenue. We started with 12 outstanding Lakewood agents and have already grown to include 19 real estate professionals who are assisting buyers and sellers throughout East Dallas. I’d like to offer my thanks to all the agents who are working to bring extraordinary service and unsurpassed market knowledge

SPRING is the perfect time to head outdoors to ENJOY ACTIVITIES like sailing on White Rock Lake or a fun run down Greenville Avenue to c elebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

to the neighborhood. And thank you to the many clients who have welcomed the Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty brand.

Spring is the perfect time to head outdoors to enjoy activities like sailing on White Rock Lake or a fun run down Greenville Avenue to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. It’s also a great time to consider buying or selling a home— especially in Lakewood where homes are selling after just 42 days on market.

If you are thinking of buying or selling a home, I am happy to help in connecting you to an agent.

Robbie Briggs President and CEO

Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty rb@briggsfreeman.com

You will thank them.

Sold | 5701 Worth Street Listed for $435,000

Sold | 1810 Tucker Street Listed for $749,900

Sold | 6442 Malaga Listed for $425,000

Sold | 1 Arts Plaza, #1717 Listed for $785,000

6243 La Vista | $1,500,000

6209 Bryan | $610,000

6235 La Vista | $555,000

W. Lawther Drive | View of White Rock Lake | $1,775,000

WHITE ROCK PADDLE COMPANY

Opening in March

Enjoy White Rock Lake from a new point of view. Rent a kayak for two, a canoe, or even a paddleboard and explore the lake like never before. whiterockpaddle.com

ST. PADDY’S DASH DOWN GREENVILLE 5K

March 14, 8 am

Don your green gear and start off your St. Patrick’s Day right with the 20th annual Dash Down Greenville. runproject.org

As the days get longer, so does the fun. From pinning on a shamrock and running down Greenville Avenue to dusting off your green thumb, the Lakewood area has the perfect activities for spring.

MAD HATTER’S TEA AT THE ARBORETUM

April 9, 10:30 am

Don your favorite hat for the 27th annual Mad Hatter’s Tea. Enjoy a fabulously fun party, which includes a live auction and fashion show. dallasarboretum.org

GET GARDENING TIPS FROM THE PROS

Saturdays, 10:15 am

Want to become a fashonista flower designer or learn the secrets to growing spectacular roses? Now you can! Every Saturday learn from the pros at Calloway’s Nursery.calloways.com/events

DALLAS EASTER RUN

March 28, 7 am

Start a new tradition this Easter by taking part in the 2nd annual downtown Easter run. There is a 4-mile route and also a 1-mile route for families. dallaseasterrun.com

CELEBRATION! WHITE ROCK

April 2, 6:30 pm

Come and celebrate the lake with local food and drinks, live music, and a run. whiterockdallas.org

EASTER EGG HUNT 2015

March 27 & 28, April 3 & 4, 7:30 am

Enjoy a delightful breakfast, Easter crafts, and Egg Hunt at Dallas Arboretum’s annual Easter Egg Hunt. Bring you basket and your camera. dallasarboretum.org

12TH ANNUAL WINGS

LUNCHEON with Kevin Costner

DALLAS ST. PATRICK’S PARADE & FESTIVAL

March 14, 11 am

With more than 90 floats and 1,700 parade participants, Dallas St. Patrick’s Parade is the largest in the Southwest. This is a can’t-miss East Dallas favorite.

dallasstpatricksparade.com

April 10, 11:30 am

This luncheon will support New Friends New Life, a nonprofit that empowers formerly trafficked girls and exploited women and children. Kevin Costner will keynote the event. newfriendsnewlife.org

STAMA SPRING BOUTIQUE AND FOOD FESTIVAL

March 21, 10 am-4 pm

Calling all shoppers! St. Thomas Aquinas Mother’s Association welcomes you to join the shopping fun. Experience local shops, food, and entertainment. Proceeds will help fund local charities. stamaboutique.com

CRAFT BEER TASTING

April 16, 6:15 pm

Two Lakewood favorites team up to bring you Craft Beer Tasting with Lakewood Brewing. Enjoy the beauty of the Arboretum while sipping on local craft beer. dallasarboretum.org

BOTANICAL

THE ARBORETUM’S MANICURED GARDENS SHARE A FENCE WITH

VS

S

PRISTINE PARKLAND PROTECTED BY NEIGHBORS. CAN THEY COEXIST?

NATURAL

Story by Keri Mitchell — Photos by Danny Fulgencio

BOTANICAL VS NATURAL

ARBORETUM HISTORY:

1938: On 22 acres of White Rock Lake’s southeast shoreline, Alex and Roberta Camp’s 8,500-square-foot home, designed by famed Texas residential architect John Staub, is completed.

1939: Everette and Nell DeGolyer take up residence in “Rancho Encinal,” a 21,000-squarefoot, 13-room Spanish Colonial Revival designed by Schutt & Scott, the architects of Hotel Bel-Air in California. The house sits on 44 acres of the lake’s southeast shoreline, adjacent to the Camp estate.

1944: Everette DeGolyer is named president of the Dallas Arboretum Foundation, whose goal is “a planting of trees, shrubs and flowers under scientific control and for the benefit of industry, commerce and public enjoyment.” The arboretum was to be incorporated into the city’s park system, part of a master plan for post World War II improvement.

1951: Ralph Pinkus opens North Haven Gardens on what was then a country lane. In those days, when Pinkus was out watering plants, he could hear the traffic on Northwest Highway — two miles away.

1956: Richard Howard, director of Harvard’s 400-acre Arnold Arboretum in Boston, travels to speak to the Dallas Garden Forum and encourages members to launch the first arboretum in Texas to try out plants. Even a single acre would be “of inestimable value to the whole city,” he says.

1962: The Dreyfus Club, one of White Rock Lake’s last private clubs, is sold to the city’s Park and Recreation Department.

1972: Nell DeGolyer dies and deeds the DeGolyers’ 44-acre estate to Southern Methodist University.

1973: Roberta Camp dies and leaves the Camps’ 22-acre estate to several charities.

1974: The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society, a joint venture of the Dallas North Garden Forum and the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce parks committee, becomes officially incorporated.

PEOPLE WHO LIVED NEAR WHITE ROCK LAKE WERE FED UP.

The arboretum was supposed to be a nature sanctuary for all of Dallas, but instead, they argued it was environmentally insensitive, discriminatory against low-income residents, and a traffic and parking nightmare.

“There is a great deal of concern from many people who don’t want a botanic amusement park at one end of the lake,” said one resident of the Peninsula Neighborhood Association.

Botanic amusement park. Mini convention center. Little Disneyland. Six Flags Over White Rock. These were among the epithets the arboretum’s neighbors hurled at the gardens.

It’s a scene that hearkens back to 2012, when neighbors took the arboretum to task over its plan to turn a portion of White Rock Lake’s Winfrey Point into an overflow parking lot. The above scenario, however, actually happened three decades ago when the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society barely had begun to take root.

History tends to repeat itself, so perhaps these parallel circumstances shouldn’t come as any surprise. But it raises the question: What is it about the Dallas Arboretum that, even after all these years, continues to provoke the ire of a vocal group of neighbors?

Today the arboretum encompasses 66 acres on the southeast shore of White Rock Lake on property valued at $21.5 million. It boasts 35,000 members, and attendance in 2014 nearly reached one million visitors.

This year, it has a $20.5 million budget for its manicured grounds and event venues. The gardens are expected to host nearly 300 weddings this year, many of them in the spring, when 500,000 tulips burst into color during the 31st annual Dallas Blooms festival. The eight-acre Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden will reopen during Blooms, and a recently opened 1,150-space parking garage directly opposite Garland Road should accommodate the visitor uptick.

Accolades continue to roll in, with the arboretum landing on nearly every list of where to visit and what not to miss in Dallas. It draws visitors not just from around the country but the world, too.

So why can’t it seem to earn the respect of so many people right in its backyard?

The Texas Skywalk at the arboretum’s Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden

THE ESTATE THAT BECAME AN ARBORETUM

Halfway through a recent tour of the Dallas Arboretum’s DeGolyer home, a docent mentions that the estate was a bit worse for the wear when the city purchased it in 1976. After Nell DeGolyer’s death in 1972, she bequeathed the home to Southern Methodist University, which used the estate — the DeGolyers’ retirement home for 30-some-odd years — as an occasional event venue but little else. It needed hundreds of thousands of dollars in maintenance to return it to its former glory.

Everette DeGolyer was the epitome of a self-made man — he was born in a Kansas sod house, educated himself in geology and made millions as an oil tycoon. His fortune was amassed by the time he and Nell moved to Dallas in 1936. Their first address was a Park Cities mansion on Turtle Creek Boulevard before they purchased 44 acres on the banks of White Rock Lake and lived there from 1939 until their deaths.

The DeGolyers’ love of flora and arboreta was evident on their property. They hired Dallas landscape architect Arthur

BOTANICAL VS NATURAL

1975: During a Designer Showhouse preview party in the DeGolyer Estate, co-chair and future arboretum president Mary Brinegar stations herself in the library and shows partygoers the hidden doors.

1976: The City of Dallas purchases the DeGolyer estate from SMU for $1.076 million with bond money approved in 1975.

1977: The Park Board approves “development of a $200,000 arboretum and botanical garden” at the city-owned DeGolyer estate, based on the recommendation of a 12-member committee that includes Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society president Ralph Pinkus.

1978: The DeGolyer house and gardens are listed on the National Historic Register.

1980: The society purchases the 22-acre Camp estate, the DeGolyers’ neighbor to the northeast, for $550,000 with money loaned from society chairman Ralph Rogers.

1982: The city and society sign a contract allowing the development of the arboretum on the combined DeGolyer and Camp estates.

1984: Jones & Jones of Seattle complete their master plan for the arboretum, including a sculpted-hedge maze, a sixstory conservatory, a festival marketplace, privately owned restaurants, an auditorium, an outdoor amphitheater, dormitories for research students and an observation tower with views of the grounds and the downtown skyline. The Park Board approves the $50 million plan with no public hearings, and the society agrees to come up with $20 million if the city comes up with the rest.

1985: Billionaire Ross Perot pledges $8 million to the Dallas Arboretum, $2 million up front and $2 million each consecutive year as the arboretum meets certain demands, such as planting thousands of flowering and foliage trees along the White Rock Lake shoreline and giving the Perot family naming rights to the arboretum.

The society hosts the inaugural Dallas Blooms festival, with 130,000 tulips enticing 40,000 people to visit

Berger to create their four-and-a-half-acre formal gardens, and the property included a magnolia allée, a wisteria arbor, a rose garden and more than 200 species of plants. Even their home’s name, “Rancho Encinal,” paid homage in Spanish to the live oak trees on the land.

“I think they would both be very pleased with how the house and grounds are used because they loved gardening,” the docent says.

The home, which looks today much as it did when the DeGolyers lived in it, reflects their love of travel, books and art. The DeGolyers not only were collectors but also benefactors, with Rancho Encinal often playing host to galas and cocktail parties benefitting the Dallas arts organizations.

A marker notes the home was listed on the Na-

tional Historic Register in 1978 — a rarity in Dallas. Fewer than 30 homes have this honor, and less than 20 are protected by the City of Dallas’ landmark designation status, as the DeGolyer house is.

“It’s good that someone had the foresight,” the docent says, “otherwise this would probably be condos or apartments.”

ONE ‘PLANT MAN’S’ DOGGED VISION

Before Nell DeGolyer died, both the City of Dallas and SMU jockeyed for the estate, according to Sid Stahl, a past president of the Dallas Park Board. The DeGolyers “had strong feelings” toward both the university and the city, and they figured out that SMU, if given the land, would likely sell be-

Winfrey Point

cause it wanted the cash, he says.

“They cut a deal,” Stahl says, that the property would be left to SMU, which would in turn sell it to the city.

“That way, SMU would end up with the money, and the City of Dallas would end up with the property,” Stahl says.

When the city had the land appraised, the report showed its value to be $2 million and suggested that the “highest and best use” for the house was to remain a threeacre estate mansion, and the “highest, best and most profitable” use of the remaining acreage would be a “subdivision development of luxury homesites.”

Instead, as the DeGolyers intended, the land was sold to the City of Dallas for $1.076 million.

A couple of mentions about a Dallas arboretum appear in news stories from the ’20s and ’40s, including a Dallas Arboretum Foundation chaired by none other than Everette DeGolyer. The facility itself didn’t materialize, however, until Ralph Pinkus

arrived on the scene. He had spent several years leading the New York Botanic Garden and found it troubling that Dallas was the largest U.S. city with no special area for displaying trees and shrubs.

Pinkus, who founded North Haven Gardens, began recruiting support for an arboretum and botanic garden soon after he moved here in 1951, and he later was named the first president of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society.

Neil Sperry became a Dallas County horticulturist in 1970 and worked with Pinkus on the society board in its early days. Sperry, widely known as a local gardening guru, describes Pinkus as “the best plant man I have known in the state of Texas.”

“There are people who can give the lyrics of every 1950s song, and then there are people who know every plant they have ever come across, and Ralph Pinkus was one of those,” Sperry says.

Plant collecting and trialing was Pinkus’s passion, which is why he so desperately

wanted to see an arboretum in Dallas. As reported in a 1974 Dallas Morning News article, Pinkus speaks before the Park Board and tells board members that with so many people moving to Dallas, it’s “vital that the city expand its outlook.”

Then he twists the knife a bit: “We don’t even have a botanical garden on the scale of the one in Fort Worth.”

Part of Pinkus’s challenge was educating Dallas residents, including the Park Board, about what an arboretum is and why the city needed one. He described it as “a teaching tool,” a collection of all sorts of plants that would be labeled so people could see how they fare in this particular climate any day of the year.

“Our conditions are different from each other part of the country, yet we have no testing ground currently,” Pinkus said in a 1976 Dallas Morning News article.

The society looked at various sites — the old Moss Farm estate in present-day Lake Highlands, Samuell Park along East Grand,

Camp Registration Begins

the property.

1987: In response to flaring tensions between the arboretum and residents who live around White Rock Lake, East Dallas Councilman Craig Holcomb appoints a task force to find a resolution.

The 1984 master plan is toned down with a revised master plan that contains fewer buildings, more native plants and a lower price tag.

1988: City council approves the arboretum’s Planned Development District 287 and the society’s 15-year master plan. Longtime Dallas Morning News architecture critic David Dillon calls the new plan “simpler, clearer and more reasonable” than the previous version, “which was so overdesigned that it would have sent the Arboretum sliding into White Rock Lake under the weight of its own architecture.”

Perot demands the return of the $2 million donated for expansion of the Dallas Arboretum, then later withdraws his demand, but says he won’t give the additional $6 million he pledged for the project.

1989: The society opens its first designed garden, the Lay Ornamental Garden, funded by a $1.7 million gift from Amelia (Mimi) Lay Hodges, in memory of her late husband, Herman Lay, co-founder and chairman of the board of Frito-Lay Inc. “Mimi’s Garden,” as it became known, was the first of 17 new gardens proposed in the arboretum’s 1987 master plan.

1992: The arboretum proposes to build a 6-foot-high 1,000-foot-long stucco wall with $500,000 in both private and public funds to shield the gardens from Garland Road traffic noise. Neighbors oppose, claiming that the wall would bounce noise into their neighborhoods, block views of the gardens from Garland Road, and would give the publicly funded arboretum “an exclusive, country club atmosphere.” The arboretum forgoes the wall and instead agrees to build a metal fence lined with shrubs.

1994: Roger Clinton, brother of President Bill Clinton, is married at the arboretum, which by now hosts more than 100 weddings a year.

1996: Robert L. “Bob” Thornton III, grandson of former Dallas Mayor R.L. Thornton, becomes chairman of the society board the same year his cousin, Mary Brinegar, another of the mayor’s grandchildren, is hired as arboretum

and the Trinity River area, among others. But when the DeGolyer estate became an option, with its already established gardens and mature trees, the society seized on it.

Stahl called the land “a priceless treasure to share with many generations of Dallasites.” He appointed a citizens advisory committee to examine possible uses for the 44-acre estate; Pinkus was one of his appointees.

At that point, Stahl says, “I didn’t know what the hell an arboretum was. I couldn’t pronounce it; I couldn’t spell it.”

But he and the Park Board wanted the land to be “something special and unique that will be in keeping with the living of the DeGolyers, something that we don’t already have in our city.”

Stahl imagined that the society, with its

roughly 200 members, could enter into a public-private partnership with the city to make this happen, similar to the way Old City Park, the Dallas Museum of Art and the Dallas Zoo operated.

Just a few months later, the committee recommended that “the long-range development of an arboretum would be an appropriate use” of the DeGolyer land, and the Park Board approved.

A ‘WORLD-CLASS’ ARBORETUM OR A ‘BOTANIC AMUSEMENT PARK’?

Nothing much changed for a few years, except that the DeGolyer estate was now a city park open to all Dallasites.

In 1980, the society purchased the

A sign propped on a blanket during the 2012 Winfrey Point protests expressed environmentalists’ sentiments.

neighboring 22-acre Camp estate; as past arboretum chairman Brian Shivers tells it, that purchase was all due to the late Virginia Belcher, a Lakewood commercial real estate broker. She received a tip that the Camp estate land was about to be sold to a high-density condo developer and was told, “if you can come up with $550,000 in a hurry, they’ll sell it to you instead,” Shivers says. Another board member, Ralph Rogers, lent the money to clinch the deal.

The DeGolyer and Camp houses were

the only structures on the site for some time. It wasn’t until 1985 that the society hosted the first Dallas Blooms festival. Around the same time, the society began charging admission — $2 per adult and $1 per child. It also began soliciting annual memberships, which climbed from 764 in 1984 to more than 3,000 in 1987. The society had a $50 million master plan, and its goal was to raise $20 million over the next 10 to 15 years, with city officials pledging to kick in $30 million.

But at $2 a head for admission and $50 a pop for a family membership, it was slow going. The society’s real bread and butter was philanthropic fundraising spearheaded by the charismatic Rogers, who by then was board chairman.

To this day, the mention of Rogers engenders reverence among arboretum devotees and incites scorn from detractors. He was known as a visionary who wouldn’t take no for an answer, which worked to his advantage in both business and phil-

“I didn’t know what the hell an

was. I couldn’t pronounce it; I couldn’t spell it.”

1997: The first “Cool Thursdays” concert series launches on balmy summer evenings, and A Woman’s Garden opens in the fall.

2001: The arboretum breaks ground on the $20 million Trammell Crow Visitor Education Pavilion at the Dallas Arboretum, funded partially with bond money approved in 1995. Brinegar calls it “the beginning of a new era in botanical education and enhanced visitor experiences at the arboretum.” Thornton, leading the private fundraising charge, agrees that “it ratchets the arboretum up to the next level.”

2006: The arboretum debuts a pumpkin house at its renamed Autumn at the Arboretum festival, launching a new tradition that evolves into a pumpkin village with crowds that outnumber its visitors during Dallas Blooms.

2012: White Rock Lake preservationists receive word of the arboretum’s plans to use the grass field of Winfrey Point, just northwest of the arboretum in White Rock Lake Park, for overflow parking during the Chihuly exhibit. They also acquire documents revealing the arboretum and park department’s conversations and preliminary plans to incorporate Winfrey Point into the arboretum property, with part of the field becoming a permanent parking lot. Protestors descend on Winfrey Point with picket signs, and plans for both temporary and permanent parking are scrapped.

The Chihuly blown-glass exhibit opens at the arboretum, attracting 300,000 visitors and increasing attendance by 42 percent from 2011.

2013: The $63 million 8-acre Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden opens on the last of the arboretum’s undeveloped land.

2014: The arboretum opens a 1,150-space parking garage across Garland Road from the children’s garden.

2015: The 31st annual Dallas Blooms festival featuring 500,000 tulips is expected to attract 140,000 visitors before the end of April. The redesigned Lay Family Garden will open as part of the

Sources: Dallas Morning News historical archives, City of Dallas Municipal Archives, Dallas Arboretum, interviews

anthropic pursuits. Rogers founded Texas Industries (now TXI) and turned it into a multi-million dollar company, and he also is credited with saving both local KERA Channel 13 and the entire Public Broadcasting System during his six-year PBS chairmanship in the ’70s.

No one disagrees that when Rogers took over as chairman of the arboretum society, he defined its trajectory. Shivers recalls a board meeting in those early days when the directors “got off on a esoteric rant” trying to determine: Was the property a botanical garden? An arboretum? Or what?

Rogers gave this admonition to the board: “Let me remind you, we are not just in the plant business — we are in show business.”

He was right, Shivers says. At the time, the property wasn’t much more than “a glorified dog park,” he says. The Camp estate was covered in bamboo that wound up taking years to unearth. The DeGolyers’ historic gardens were gorgeous, but they needed a lot of work — “expensive work,” Shivers says — that the city couldn’t afford. The city’s budget for the DeGolyer property when the society took over as manager in 1982 was “not enough to mow the grass,” Shivers says.

At the time, Shivers scrounged up enough money to conduct a public awareness survey “to see if anybody knew who we were,” he says. Of the people who said they knew of the arboretum, when asked where it was, most mentioned the garden center in Fair Park.

“They really didn’t know who we were, where we were, what we were,” Shivers says. “We settled on the idea that for this to be successful, we had to generate our own operating funds, and a display garden was what we needed to be. We weren’t going to survive as a research organization.

“We realized we needed to go on the expansion program that would build new gardens and draw new people out.”

Rogers started casting out nets to prominent Dallas donors. In 1985, he caught a big fish — businessman Ross Perot agreed to pledge $8 million to the cause. Perot’s gift hinged on several requirements, including that the city plant tens of thousands of blossoming trees along the lake’s shoreline. Perot’s gift doubled the other $8 million in donations and pledges Rogers had drummed

up, leaving the society only $4 million short on its end of the bargain. It was full speed ahead to what Rogers described as a “world-class” venue “for the city of Dallas, for North Texas, for the world.”

Soon afterward, people who lived near the arboretum — who didn’t have millions of dollars to throw around, but whose tax dollars had helped purchase the land — began questioning the arboretum’s grand plans. A bond program proposed the same year as Perot’s $8 million pledge included almost $40 million for Dallas parks and recreation centers, $7.5 million of it for the arboretum.

Society members were caught off guard when their master plan, drafted by a “na-

tionally prominent consulting firm,” came under fire from some of their neighbors. The mudslinging began, with opponents referring to the society’s “world-class” vision as a “botanic amusement park.”

“The facility we’re proposing would provide the missing piece for Dallas — a place of natural beauty that everyone is proud of and can go to enjoy nature,” society president Robert Tener protested in a 1988 Dallas Morning News Sunday magazine (Dallas Life) story “Feud among the Flowers” by Glenna Whitley.

Opponents weren’t swayed. They began urging defeat of the bond program’s entire $40 million in parks funds to block the arboretum’s city cash flow. They also suggested the arboretum’s $7.5 million be voted on individually. The city council refused, however, deciding Dallas citizens weren’t

festival.

“Let me remind you, we are not just in the plant business — we are in show business.”

familiar enough with the arboretum for it to stand on its own at the ballot box.

Ultimately, the bond proposition passed.

Residents lost that fight, but it turned out the battle wasn’t over. It raged on until a city council vote stopped the society in its tracks.

THE 1987 ‘BATTLE OF THE ARBORETUM’

The puzzle, both then and now, is what is so odious about botanical gardens?

The problem, both then and now, is not only what but who. As residents around the lake caught wind of the giant flower garden about to be constructed in their backyard, they grew increasingly concerned that the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society was more society than botanical.

The master plan was the kicker.

The arboretum so long championed by Pinkus — one that would be a “teaching tool” and “testing ground” — had morphed under Rogers’ leadership beyond plants and trees to include a sculpted-hedge maze, a six-story conservatory, a festival marketplace, privately owned restaurants, an auditorium, an outdoor amphitheater, dormitories for research students and an observation tower with views of the grounds and the downtown skyline.

This was no ode to nature, residents argued. It infuriated them that the plan had received the Park Board’s stamp of approval without input from neighbors. When they voiced their fears and frustrations with Rogers, Tener and the rest of the society, they felt no one listened or cared.

So they turned to the city council for an audience.

In May 1987, Tener approached the city with a request to use $100,000 of the $7.5 million in bond funds to renovate the DeGolyer estate’s garage into a gift shop. Asking for a fraction of the funds taxpayers had already granted to a master plan-approved project was not a controversial request, or so the society thought. It wasn’t expecting a dozen people from six different neighborhoods to voice their dissension at the microphone, and it certainly wasn’t expecting the council to vote 6-5 in favor of residents.

It was a pivotal moment in the relationship between the arboretum and its neighbors. Suddenly, the society was no longer beholden only to the donors forking over their millions, but also to neighbors holding no more stake in the arboretum than any other Dallas taxpayer.

Craig Holcomb, the East Dallas councilman at the time, convened a task force with neighborhood and arboretum repre-

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sentatives to hash out some sort of truce. The group included Michael Jung, who was then vice president of the Dallas Homeowners League and lived near White Rock Lake. Jung believed the arboretum was in cahoots with Perot to take over the lake’s shoreline.

The thrust of the task force’s resolution, he says, was that the arboretum could develop the Camp and DeGolyer estates the way they wanted, subject to city review and approval, “but they had to keep their hands off White Rock Lake Park.”

In other words, Jung says, “they stay on their side of the fence, and we stay on our side of the fence.”

Decades later, Jung says people are still miffed at him for signing off on such an agreement. The arboretum “proceeded to develop in a very, very highly cultivated way,” he says, much to the chagrin of many environmentalists and recreationalists who live around the lake.

Even with this agreement, though, the society remained in a precarious situation. It had spent $550,000 to purchase the Camp

estate, and an agreement with the city required the society to deed over the estate. The city would own all 66 acres, and the society would manage it. But the 6-5 vote and task force discussions opened the board of directors’ eyes to the fact that they were at the whim of city politicians, and a single election could change everything. They needed a planned development district to safeguard their plans.

So the society launched a zoning process that required dozens of public meetings. Some turned into emotional confrontations, with neighbors accusing the society of “withholding information,” “having a secret agenda to take over the entire White Rock Lake Park,” and “being used by ‘North Dallas’ interests to manage a private country club,” the 1988 Morning News story reports.

At one point, Rogers reportedly referred to opponents as a “pack of yapping dogs.” Residents literally wore that moniker proudly when a Little Forest Hills resident made T-shirts emblazoned with “Yapping Dog Club.”

Michael Jung sports his “Yapping Dog Club” T-shirt from 1987, which he wore to the 2012 Winfrey Point protests.

By the time it was over, the arboretum threw out plans for the observatory tower, dormitories and festival marketplace, and scaled back the rest of the building-heavy vision. Sculpture gardens gave way to more natural gardens, and mature trees were preserved. The concrete amphitheater became a natural concert bowl. The ostentatious master plan of 1984 was scrapped for a more sensitive master plan in 1987.

In her article, Whitley described it this way: “The 1987 Battle of the Arboretum, in future years, may be marked as the fight that gave New Dallas politics ascendance over the Old Dallas method of getting things done. Consultation, conciliation and compromise ousted lunch-with-the-mayorat-the-City-Club deal making. For better or worse, the arboretum tussle proved that the days of big dreamers with good intentions and big bucks deciding what is best for the city are over.”

Robert Hoffman, who during the scuffle had replaced Rogers as society chairman, promised: “We’re not going to have this kind of intense public debate again. And we’ve made a commitment to have communications with neighborhood leaders on a

“They stay on their side of the fence, and we stay on our side of the fence.”

NowforScheduling Spring

PLANS TO ‘PAVE PARADISE AND PUT UP A PARKING LOT’

Chihuly was the biggest thing ever to happen to the arboretum. World-renowned blown-glass artist Dale Chihuly began creating sculptures for botanical settings in 2001, mostly in conservatories. The arboretum became the second all-outdoor host to Chihuly’s work, and the success of the first exhibit in Atlanta almost guaranteed massive crowds the arboretum had yet to experience — so large, in fact, that arboretum officials worried on-site parking and its overflow lot wouldn’t be enough.

As a solution, the arboretum asked the Park Board to use Winfrey Point, northwest of the arboretum in White Rock Lake Park, as a temporary overflow lot during the exhibit.

White Rock Lake residents were not consulted — neither the nearby neighborhood associations nor the White Rock Lake Task Force, a group of stakeholders. Jung chairs the task force, and “our first notice of the proposal for the arboretum to park at Winfrey Point came when it was presented to the task force a week after the Park Board had already approved the contract,” he says.

Soon after this news broke, White Rock

Lake activists Hal and Ted Barker began uncovering documents, even drawings, that suggested the Dallas Park Department and the arboretum were planning to turn part of Winfrey Point into a parking lot the arboretum would construct and manage, and the city could use when weekend crowds and events overran the meager parking available at the lake.

The 25-year ceasefire suddenly ended. The arboretum had seemingly stepped outside the fence — with the blessing of the city —and it sparked an all-out revolt.

Residents and environmentalists descended on Winfrey Point with picket signs. Schoolchildren were summoned to comb the grasses for birds’ nests. Even East Dallas Councilman Sheffie Kadane donned a “Save Winfrey Point” T-shirt.

Jung, a self-described conservative Republican, dug through his closet, pulled out his yapping dog T-shirt from ’87 and wore it to his first-ever protest.

The arboretum, which had been slapped with a lawsuit to block the plans, remained mum for three days at its lawyers’ insistence, then released a list of myths and facts regarding Winfrey Point and the parking lot plans.

It was too late. Protestors singing Joni Mitchell’s environmental anthem “Big Yellow Taxi” drowned out everything else. Plans for both temporary and permanent parking on Winfrey Point were dead. Protesters were elated: David had beaten Goliath.

2012

exhibit: Photo by Jeanine Michna-Bales

The two sides still disagree on some of the finer points — environmentalists insist Winfrey Point is pristine Blackland prairie; the arboretum sees it as a field overgrown with invasive species. Detractors believe the arboretum intended to smother Winfrey Point in concrete; the arboretum defends its vision as “minimally invasive” parking on a small, obscure part of the field, and native plants and interpretive trails on the rest of the land.

Some neighbors argue the arboretum wants to act unilaterally with no regard for neighbors; the arboretum maintains that hundreds of people in the surrounding neighborhoods are arboretum volunteers and hundreds more are members, and the vocal minority doesn’t speak for the whole.

Skeptics accuse the arboretum of trying to conceal its plans; the arboretum says that concepts are not plans, and any changes to the planned development district will always require public input and city approval.

The underlying issue, though, is no different than it was in the ’80s — White Rock Lake.

The tensions and suspicions that simmered under the surface for 25 years were dredged up, and a new generation of lake lovers found themselves facing off against the arboretum.

“Inside the fence, you’ve got this highly cultivated illustration of humans’ ma-

“We’re not into eminent domain. We’re not into taking anything. We were in the early stages of ‘what if?’ ”

nipulation of nature, still controversial to some,” Jung says. “Outside, the park is preserved in more or less its natural state with a pretty strong consensus behind that approach, and now come to find out the inside-the-fence people want to put a large additional chunk outside of the fence, inside the fence. You could see where that would inflame some passions.”

‘IT WAS JUST A DRAWING’

Mary Brinegar, the arboretum’s president and CEO for the past 19 years, wasn’t formally involved with the arboretum in 1987 when the first battle broke out, but she knows the history.

Brinegar, much like former board chairman Ralph Rogers, can be a polarizing figure. People seem to either adore or abhor her, depending on their views of the arboretum, because she is the driving force for what it has become.

And what the arboretum is not, Brinegar says, is a land grabber.

“We’re not into eminent domain. We’re not into taking anything,” she says of the Winfrey Point parking issue.

“We were in the early stages of ‘what if?’ To even have it be a consideration, there had to be a drawing, but it was just a drawing, and it was just the beginning of an idea.

“The fear that some people had is we would go forward with it without them having a chance to say anything about it,” she says. “It was never the intent. We were so far away from ever seeing it fly.”

The arboretum does nothing in a hurry, Brinegar says, because it wants to do everything with the utmost quality. The most recent example is the children’s garden, which took 17 years from the time it was dreamed up to the day it opened. Everything starts with plans and studies, Brinegar says, and “then you go back and say, ‘Now, how do you feel about it?’ ” Winfrey Point would have been no different.

“We’re sensitive to how people feel about the lake,” Brinegar says, “but we are not here to try to take over anything unless people want us to help.”

The arboretum thought it could improve Winfrey Point, just as it has spent the last three decades trying to improve everything in its care, Brinegar says. Pro-

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testors, however, believed neither Winfrey Point nor the rest of White Rock Lake Park needed improving. They seem to find the notion of “improving” nature insulting.

“If you read the press coverage from 2012, there’s a lot derisive statements by arboretum people, the theme of which is, ‘Our opponents don’t know what they’re talking about, and it’s really none of their business,’ ” Jung says.

“It’s an undercurrent of, ‘How dare you interfere with what we want to do? Don’t you know who we are?’ ”

‘MUCH MORE’ THAN A GARDEN

Current arboretum board chairman Bill Graue likes to point out that the arboretum has been the top Dallas attraction on customer review website tripadvisor.com for five years running. He pulls out his phone during the interview just to double check.

“No. 1 out of 110 Dallas attractions,” he confirms.

In recent years, “we really have vaulted into the group of premiere gardens in the nation,” one of only 14 in the “large garden” category, defined by a budget greater than $10 million. Officials from those 14 gardens recently convened at the arboretum and were given tours, one of which was led by Shivers. The president of another garden who was part of his tour later told Brinegar she would never let her board chairman lead garden tours because he didn’t have the competence to do so.

But that’s just the culture of the Dallas Arboretum, Shivers says. The directors know the gardens inside and out. They wear their nametags when they visit, answering tourists’ questions and picking up trash.

“You will not see litter because somebody with a nametag is going to spot it and jump on it,” Shivers says.

Compared to the nation’s other top gardens, the arboretum provides considerably more educational experiences for children, Graue says, and has much lower operating costs per visitor, even though it receives only a small fraction of what other gardens receive in taxpayer support — last year, Dallas contributed roughly $270,000 to the arboretum’s $18 million budget.

The city loves to praise the arboretum as its most successful public-private partner-

ship, Shivers says, and he likes to needle, “Yeah, ’cause you don’t give us any money, and we give you all this.”

The arboretum staff and directors built their garden empire from the ground up. They see themselves as a flourishing nonprofit rather than a run-of-the-mill city park. They don’t understand why a beautiful landscape that receives international acclaim elicits complaints from its closest neighbors. Some directors attribute it to the not-in-my-backyard factor, or the fact that anything as prominent as the arboretum will have detractors.

They’re missing the point, Jung says.

Residents who take issue with the arboretum “want it to stay within its bounds that’s the big one — and to a smaller degree, they want it to be a different kind of arboretum than it is,” Jung says.

The arboretum isn’t a nature organization, Jung says; it’s an arts organization. He gives the analogy of attending a concert at a symphony hall versus sitting outside and listening to birds sing.

“What does the symphony do? Humans manipulate musical instruments to create a performance. What does the art museum do? It displays objects where humans have manipulated canvas or stone to create a performance,” Jung says.

“I think the arboretum is a society devoted to the human manipulation of nature.”

Before it was the Dallas Arboretum, the land was simply a city park. And not just any park but dozens of acres along the shore of White Rock Lake, long treasured as the city’s jewel. Dallasites could enjoy a picnic, toss a Frisbee, play catch and enjoy the view. Today, residents need to fork over $15 for admission and $15 for parking to visit arboretum land they technically own.

Perhaps the city’s contribution to the arboretum wouldn’t be so meager, Jung says, if it were a nature preserve or another not-so-highly cultivated place “where you weren’t constantly switching flowers out of flowerbeds and pitching tents for a festival and buying insurance for the Chihuly glass.”

Ultimately, the conflict lies with two groups of people whose perspective depends on whether they’re sitting inside or outside the fence. The grass is greener, the tulips or wildflowers prettier, on

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Brinegar knows she has some enemies around the lake. She makes no excuses, however, for what the arboretum has become. It was the city’s intent to have a “world-class” arboretum and botanical garden, and that’s exactly what she believes that she and others have built.

“There were people at that time who didn’t want us to be here. Life was great before it became this,” Brinegar says. “They have the right to that opinion. Some have changed that opinion because they didn’t know what we would be.”

Nevertheless, she says, “here we are, and our role in stewardship is to do the

best job we possibly can to make it worthy of the city’s name, to gain national attention for our city, and to be the best of the best.

“A lot of people use the words ‘world class’ too quickly,” Brinegar says, “but we’re really working at that level.”

Shivers says people have started asking what the board will do when Brinegar eventually retires (no retirement is planned at this time, Brinegar says). Will the board hire someone from another garden?

Maybe, Shivers says.

“But we’ll probably be just as likely to hire someone from Disney or something like that — someone who knows how to run a public attraction.

“Because while we are a garden, we’re much more than that.”

“A lot of people use the words ‘world class’ too quickly, but we’re really working at that level.”

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TheDallas Arboretum is not often mentioned in the late Ralph Rogers’ extensive list of accomplishments.

Along with the acclaim he receives for founding Texas Industries (TXI) and saving PBS during the Nixon administration, Rogers also is credited with turning around both St. Mark’s School and the Dallas Symphony, turning Parkland Hospital into a top medical institution, and being instrumental in finding the cure for rheumatic fever, from which he almost died in his 30s.

The list goes on. People who knew Rogers describe him as an indomitable force who would not take “no” for an answer. It’s both the reason he was so successful in his many philanthropic endeavors, as well as the quality that garnered him enemies. As chairman of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society, a role that lasted only from 1984 to 1986, Rogers set the tone for the garden’s future and was the driving force in fundraising efforts.

There would be no Dallas Arboretum if it weren’t for Ralph Rogers, said the late Robert Hoffman in Rogers’ 1997 Dallas Morning News obituary. Hoffman succeeded Rogers as society chairman.

“He had a vision for the garden, and he understood and appreciated how important it could become for Dallas,” Hoffman said.

Rogers had two natural connections to the arboretum. He was an avid gardener (the garden at his summer home in Maine earned a gold medal from the Massachusetts Horticulture Society as the nation’s best) and his wife, Mary Nell, was Nell DeGolyer’s niece. The Rogers family temporarily lived with the DeGolyers in 1950, when they moved to Dallas.

It was Rogers who purchased the Camp estate on behalf of the society. He didn’t just hand it over, however; the society had to raise the money to pay for it. In a 1978 letter, thenDallas Park Board president Sid Stahl details a conversation in which Rogers tells Stahl “he felt that if he just gave the property to the Arboretum Society, the society would never do what it needs to do in order to get properly on its feet.” At that point, the city had terminated its contract with the society on the arboretum land because the society had failed to raise the contingent $200,000. Rogers’ purchase of the Camp estate, which the city had been hoping to add to its arboretum land, was a way to get the society back in the game as well as a carrot to dangle in front of the directors.

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A crowd gathers for the grand opening of the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden in 2013, constructed with $63 million in funds raised mostly via private and corporate donations, the largest of which came from the Meyers family:

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During his years on the society board, Rogers helped raise $16 million in donations and pledges, half of which he personally solicited from Ross Perot (though $6 million of the $8 million never materialized). Then in the scuttle of the late ’80s, Rogers left the board.

“I feel very sad, because when they made me chairman, they did it not because of my horticultural ability; they thought I could raise enough money to make this dream come true,” Rogers said in a 1988 story in the Dallas Morning News former Sunday magazine, Dallas Life.

The arboretum survived without Rogers, but it wasn’t until 1996 that another visionary came along who would push the arboretum to greater heights. After cycling through four presidents in 12 years, the society board hired Dallas legacy Mary Brinegar, the granddaughter of Dallas Mayor R.L. Thornton, as the arboretum’s president and CEO.

Previous presidents had backgrounds in botany, engineering and business. Brinegar’s expertise was fundraising and managing nonprofits. She didn’t know much of anything about horticulture when she accepted the job, she says.

“When I came here, even the man who helped me with my garden was scared,” Brinegar says, laughing at the recollection. It didn’t matter. What she didn’t know, she was determined to learn from the garden’s experts. And what she quickly learned is that the arboretum lived and died by its annual Dallas Blooms festival.

“If we had a rainy Blooms, we were in trouble,” says current board chairman Bill Graue.

Brinegar set out to make the arboretum a year-round attraction. A prime example is that the autumn festival that featured the fickle chrysanthemum gave way to a village of pumpkins — a much more dependable and enduring plant that has made the Autumn at the Arboretum festival even more popular than Dallas Blooms.

Brinegar’s aim to make the arboretum “beautiful all year long” created a domino effect of more visitors, more members, more wedding and event bookings, more publicity and more donors. When Brinegar was hired, the arboretum wasn’t known to many people outside of our neighborhood, says Graue, who grew up down the street on Garland Road.

The 2012 Chihuly exhibit was a coup for Dallas Arboretum president and CEO Mary Brinegar: Photo by Ben Torres

“People didn’t really want to go east of Central Expressway,” he says. “This was kind of a scary place for them. It really wasn’t scary, but it was difficult to get people to come over here. To a very large extent, we’ve given people a reason to see East Dallas. We’ve put East Dallas back on the map.”

The arboretum’s annual budget was roughly $3 million when Brinegar arrived. Nineteen years later, it’s $20.5 million. She attributes the success simply to quality.

“We know bad when we see it; we know exciting when we see it,” she says. “We’re not flip. We don’t do anything quickly here.

“If you wait around long enough, and you get it right, and the quality is just outstanding, people believe in you,” Brinegar says. “They renew their membership because it’s a place you can count on. It’s going to be impeccably clean and beautifully attended to.”

Her reputation among the staff and directors is someone who does everything with purpose and precision. They chuckle about receiving Brinegar’s middle-of-the-night emails and joke about the litmus test for new arboretum employees — take them into the arboretum’s Rosine Hall and ask them to “look around and tell me what Mary would see,” says longtime board member Brian Shivers. Brinegar would spot cobwebs in the corner, a light bulb out, a stain on the wall, “the little details, not just the big obvious stuff,” he says.

When asked directly about her accomplishments, Brinegar deflects the praise onto “the passionate love that people have for this garden and the way so many people have worked together to make it successful.”

Her board knows better.

She was hired the same year her cousin, R.L. “Bob” Thornton III, was elected chairman of the board and began leading the arboretum in restructuring efforts and in fundraising for the Trammel Crow Visitor Education Pavilion.

But Thornton’s most important legacy, Shivers believes, is Brinegar.

“Mary has really turned us all into grownups,” he says.

Brinegar has no plans to leave or retire in the near future, she says, as long as the board wants her to stay.

Graue is grateful she’s planning to stay: If the arboretum lost her, he says, “I’d be run out of the state.”

Streetcars were part of the development of early East Dallas

Story by Rachel Stone

Real estate agent Diane Dunaway renovated this former streetcar stop on Swiss at Hall, where outlaw Bonnie Parker once worked as a waitress. Dunaway plans to lease the building to a restaurant. Photo by Jaque Manaugh Above/ The old car barn at Elm and Peak was the hub of the old streetcar system. Photo courtesy of the New York Transit Museum

The first modern streetcars in Dallas are coming to Oak Cliff and Downtown this spring. But streetcars were a big part of the history of East Dallas.

When Munger Place and Junius Heights were built around the turn of the century when only a handful of automobiles were registered in the City of Dallas — they were high-end streetcar suburbs. The Junius line, an extension of the Elm line, opened in September 1906, before homes were built in Junius Heights. Businessmen could hop conveniently on the streetcar to the central business district instead of hooking up a horse and buggy.

The old streetcar system, with its headquarters at Peak and Elm, ran until the 1950s.

It began with mule-drawn cars in 1872, when Dallas was a dusty little village with board sidewalks and a creek running down Main Street.

The first car, painted yellow and white, was purchased by Capt. George M. Swink of 431 Bryan and was pulled by the Swink family’s white carriage horse, Sam. Eventually, Swink and his 19 partners (each had invested $500) installed two cars, the Belle Swink, named for his eldest daughter, and the John Neely Bryan, named for the founder of Dallas, who was still alive at the time.

By 1886 the system had 18 mules and nine cars. The following year, the streetcar system upgraded when a group of Oak Cliff businessmen started the Dallas-Oak Cliff Steam Railway.

Electric cars came just two years later.

The Sunset Hampton-Second Junius line traveled from Peak and Elm through Downtown to Oak Cliff. It was the last to operate.

Buses dominate

More than 300 streetcars were running in Dallas by 1936, but that’s also the year that bus service began. Although the first buses were uncomfortable and noisy, bus service outnumbered streetcars by the 1950s.

The Dallas Transit Co. bought 55 new buses for $1.25 million in 1956, adding to its nearly 400-bus fleet.

The transit company’s vice president, George I. Plummer, told the Dallas Morning News in January 1956: “I wouldn’t

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS EVERY DAY

trade one of our new luxury diesel-powered, foam-rubber seat, air-ride suspension buses for a whole fleet of streetcars, and neither would any man who has made the comparison.”

The voice of newspaper writers at the time leaned in favor of buses over streetcars, but there were a few letters to the editor warning that Dallas would regret closing the streetcars when buses “hog the streets” and cause accidents. The Morning News also interviewed 90-year-old Irene Swink, the daughter of the original streetcar’s founder. Swink lived at 5803 Lewis. A streetcar had run down Matilda and turned on Lewis toward Greenville Avenue until around 1950.

“The passing of the streetcars? I don’t like it,” Swink told the newspaper. “I’ve ridden the bus, and I don’t like it. It’s a mistake!”

A 30-year-old streetcar led a parade of 44 brand-new buses from Oak Cliff to the car barn at Elm and Peak as a ceremonial last hurrah in January 1956. The car was filled with old-timers who had been motormen in the heyday of streetcars, as well as the mayor, Robert L. Thornton, according to news reports. John W. Carpenter, then the 75-year-old president of the Southland Life Insurance Co., also showed up in a limo for the parade. He told the news he had served as a motorman in Corsicana as a young man.

The streetcar ceased service at 2 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 14, 1956, but demand was so high for nostalgic rides that the company ran it back and forth across the streetcar viaduct over the Trinity River later that day, giving four hours of free rides.

Cars scrapped

The transit company and scrapped the $150 each. A few When the McKinney a remnant of the opened in 1989, a “Matilda” was put cades after its first life serving Matilda and Greenville. DART owns at least one other old streetcar, housed at the DART police headquarters in the Monroe Shops building in Oak Cliff. A couple of cars are in museums, including one at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.

The old Dallas streetcar served the workers, errand-runners and adventureseekers of Dallas for 84 years. And now they’re coming back around.

Modern streetcar systems are expensive. The 1-mile streetcar line from Downtown to Oak Cliff, expected to open in April, cost about $45 million, including the tracks and cars. Plans call for the line to be extended to the Bishop Arts District and from Union Station to the Dallas Convention Center, eventually connecting to the McKinney Avenue Trolley. The tracks cost about $1 million per mile. A citywide streetcar won’t happen overnight, but Dallas could see a renaissance of streetcar service in the future.

When the Downtown-to-Oak Cliff streetcar opens this year, almost 60 years after the end of the last line, try to imagine it as that yellow-and-white car pulled by Sam the white carriage horse. It is just the beginning, again.

This vintage postcard depicts a car on the old Junius Line.

WALDEN AT WHITE ROCK

How a neighborhood minister learned to live sustainably right here in the city

COMMENT. Visit lakewood.advocatemag.com to tell us what you think.

“I went into the woods because I wished to live deliberately...”

The year is 1845, and Henry David Thoreau despairs of a society consumed by consuming. He laments that people are going into debt to buy things they don’t need: “Most of the luxuries are hindrances.” Sound all too familiar?

Few of us, practically speaking, can retreat to a cabin in the woods to “simplify, simplify, simplify.” But neighbor Aaron White discovered that life in the big city can indeed be lived more sustainably and deliberately.

The Old Lake Highlands neighbor is a minister at First Unitarian Church. Profoundly influenced by his Thoreau readings, Aaron decided to use a recent five-month sabbatical to explore urban homesteading. Recognizing the unique opportunity in having five free months and inspired by “Walden,” he and his wife, Kate Wiseheart, launched their very own Walden at White Rock project. Their aim, Aaron says, was to “prove to ourselves that we could live more deliberately, simply and sustainably in the heart of this city. We could make a difference in the community we care about without necessarily retreating to a cabin in the woods somewhere far away.”

From August through December 2014, the couple, along with 2-year-old son Hank, established new rules and routines with two basic goals: to reduce consumption of electricity, natural gas and water by 25 percent, and to generally be “more maker than consumer.” First came the thermostat: 78 degrees in the summer, 65 in the winter. Instead of using an energy-guzzling dryer, they hung clothes inside and outside to dry.

The family tended two raised organic garden beds; devised a rainwater catchment system; built a solar generator that powered one room; composted food and yard waste as well as worm castings; pickled vegetables from the gardens; walked, used public transit, or biked when possible; made candles; made almost all of their personal

care products; made all of their home cleaning products; and made all of their holiday gifts for family and friends.

“I encountered individuals and communities all over Dallas and Texas that inspired me and helped me do the work,” White recalls. He attended local classes in farmsteading, vermicomposting (worms) and urban chicken ranching, plus an intensive homesteading class at Homestead Heritage in Waco, where he had access to instruction in gardening, poultry, fence building, beekeeping and soap making.

Daily life in the White household changed. “The rhythm was different,” Aaron muses. “We had our homesteading tasks to take care of.” Each day began with hanging laundry on the line outside, then tending the garden, turning compost and checking the worms. Instead of making a run to a big box store for soap, shampoo, sunscreen and lip balm, Aaron and Kate headed to the kitchen to whip up batches of needed products. Laundry and dish detergent, spray cleaners same thing. Off to the kitchen to cook and mix and create. Difficult? Not really. Aaron and Kate had spent the year previous experimenting with recipes they found mostly online. “Once we did them a few times,”

Aaron says, “it was just a fun and regular part of our lives.”

Though they were surprised how smoothly things went, not all was idyllic. Aaron’s first attempt at making candles ended up being a waxy mess on his clothes and the kitchen floor. And building a solar generator carried a steep learning curve as he decoded the language of “amps, volts and watts.”

Both Aaron and Kate, though, say the mishaps were more internal as they adjusted to simpler living. Kate recalls, “The hardest part for me was adopting a new way of approaching problems. More often than not, my first response to almost any problem is to buy something. A big part of this intentional living experiment was a shift from consumption to creation, so I really had to check myself.”

And 2-year-old Hank was a trouper, happily harvesting vegetables in the garden, playing with worms, and riding the DART train around town. He even, Kate remembers, displayed extraordinary calm on their “No Screens” days, gamely forgoing his beloved Curious George show. “We figured we would be in for a huge toddler meltdown, but he had absolutely no problem with it,” Kate say. “In fact, I was the one

Kate Wincheat, Hank and Aaron White: Photo by Rasy Ran

who broke — I hid in the bathroom to send a text message. It totally wasn’t worth it.”

The family experienced “pure joy” in small moments: laughing as they traded homemade candles for a neighbor’s chicken manure; tasting their homemade pick-

Instead of making a run to a big box store for soap, shampoo, sunscreen and lip balm, Aaron and Kate headed to the kitchen to whip up batches of needed products.

les and rejoicing as their handmade solar generator finally worked: “We trapped the sun in a box and harnessed its power to our will!”

Now that Aaron is back in the pulpit, little has changed at home except a busier pace and more car use. “From the very beginning, our goal was to engage in practices we would continue after sabbatical.” His advice for those who wish to “live deliberately”? “Start small, and start now,” he says. Help is everywhere. “There are kind and committed people all over this city” willing to teach and mentor. “I found myself feeling more at home in a place I’ve lived almost all my life, and I love who I’m meeting and what I’m learning here.”

Patti Vinson is a guest writer who has lived in East Dallas for 15 years. She’s written for the Advocate and Real Simple magazine, and has taught college writing. She is a frequent flier at Lakewood branch library and enjoys haunting neighborhood estate sales with husband Jonathan and children, Claire (13) and Will (10). The family often can be found hanging out at White Rock Lake Dog Park with Dexter, a probable JackWeenie.

THE market

CREATIVE ARTS CENTER OF DALLAS

Create Art+Build Community 2830 Laughlin Drive Dallas, TX 75228 214.320.1275

www.creativeartscenter.org

WILLIAM R. WILSON

Attorney at Law

6440 N. Central Expressway, Suite 505, Dallas, TX 75206 214.871.2201 wrw@woolleywilson.com

Call me for a free consultation about Wills & Probate, Family Law, Civil Litigation, and Business or Commercial matters. There are many ways to avoid or resolve a dispute without costly litigation. I can also help with Adoptions, Child Custody, Child Support or other Family or Probate matters.

SMALL PLANET eBIKES

Hello Fun, Hello Fitness!

www.smallplanetebikes.com

Bishop Arts District 330 W Davis Street 972.773.9611

BEADS OF SPLENDOR

Bead Boutique & Gift Gallery

9047 Garland Rd. Dallas, TX 75218 214.824.2777 beadsofsplendor.com

Join The eBike Revolution

The Future is Electric! Free Test Rides

100% CHIROPRACTIC

Chiropractic Treatments

7324 Gaston Ave. Suite 118 Dallas, Texas 75214 214-812-9906

100percentchiropractic.com

Dr. Keith Maraffa is passionate about helping others maintain a healthy natural life. The staff is 100% committed to helping you feel & perform at your best by providing the best treatments. So, stop by today and feel better for a lifetime.

Come

Discover the artist within at the Creative Arts Center of Dallas (CAC). CAC offers more than 500 art classes and workshops each year in everything from metal to mosaic! FOSSIL

BENEFIT

Your Key to Understanding Social Security and Medicare benefitanswersnow.com 972-978-5565

Firsthand Knowledge! Actually employed by these agencies for over 34 years. Provide understandable information about benefits, help retirees maximize SSA benefits, and clearly explain choices of Medicare health plans

Lodging

2299 County Road 2008 Glen Rose, Texas 76043 254.897.2960

fossilrim.org

Make plans for a relaxing family getaway and book a night’s stay at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center’s lodging The Lodge and the Foothills Safari Camp both offer unique experiences with beautiful views, a hot breakfast and a scenic wildlife drive.

Call for a

CLAIRE’S CHRISTIAN DAY SCHOOL

LAKEHILL PREPARATORY SCHOOL

your child’s academic journey close to home. Dallas TX 75208 • 214-942-2220 www.thekesslerschool.com

PreK - 6th Grades

Ratio Accredited Programs Care Grades Lessons offered weekly Computer Curriculum

PreK - 6th Grades

We educate the Whole child

Low Teacher Student Ratio

SACS/CASI Accredited

We Educate the Whole Child

After School Enrichment Programs

Before & After School Care

Low Teacher Student Ratio

Art, Music, Library Time, Daily Spanish, Reading Lab

SACS/CASI Accredited

8202 Boedeker Dr., / (214) 368-4047 / clairesdayschool.com At CCDS, we encourage a child’s sense of exploration and discovery in a loving, nurturing, and safe environment. We offer a parent’s day out program with a play-based curriculum fostering socialization, motor skill development, and an introduction to academics for children aged 4mo – 3yrs. Our preschool for children aged 3-5 further develops these skills, along with a more focused approach to pre-math and prereading. At CCDS, we have developed our own science, math, and reading enrichment classes to ensure kindergarten preparedness for every child. We make learning fun!

DALLAS ACADEMY

Leading to Success. 2720 Hillside Dr., Dallas 75214 / 214.826.2931 / lakehillprep. org Kindergarten through Grade 12 - Lakehill Preparatory School takes the word preparatory in its name very seriously. Throughout a student’s academic career, Lakehill builds an educational program that achieves its goal of enabling graduates to attend the finest, most rigorous universities of choice. Lakehill combines a robust, college-preparatory curriculum with opportunities for personal growth, individual enrichment, and community involvement. From kindergarten through high school, every Lakehill student is encouraged to strive, challenged to succeed, and inspired to excel.

SPANISH HOUSE

After School Enrichment Programs

Before & After School Care

1215 Turner Ave. Dallas TX 75208 214-942-2220

TheKesslerSchool.com

Art, Music, Library Time, Daily Spanish, Reading Lab

The Kessler

Build analytical skills, self-esteem and character... Just don’t tell the kids, they just think...

1215 Turner Ave. Dallas, TX 75208 214-942-2220

TheKesslerschool.com

Ages 7 to 14 on the UT Dallas campus. For Beginners, Intermediate or Advanced

950 Tiffany Way, Dallas 75218 / 214.324.1481 / dallas-academy.com Founded in 1965, Dallas Academy’s mission is to restore the promise of full academic enrichment to students with learning differences in grades 1-12. A meaningful connection with each student is established to overcome barriers to success. Dallas Academy offers students an effective program and strategies to meet the special educational needs of bright students with learning differences, while including the activities of a larger, more traditional school. Classes are small, with a student-teacher ratio of 6 to 1 where students are encouraged, praised, and guided toward achieving their goals. Diagnostic testing is available to students throughout the community.

HIGHLANDER SCHOOL

4411 Skillman 214-826-4410 / 5740 Prospect 214-826-6350 / DallasSpanishHouse.com

Spanish Immersion School serving ages 3 month - Adults. We offer nursery, preschool, elementary and adult programs at two Lakewood locations. Degreed, nativeSpanish speaking teachers in an “all-Spanish” immersion environment. Call for a tour today!

ST. CHRISTOPHER’S MONTESSORI SCHOOL

7900 Lovers Ln. / 214.363.9391 stchristophersmontessori.com

10

Morning (9 am-noon) or afternoon (1-4 pm) sessions.

June 8-12, June 15-19, July 13-17, July 20-24, 2015 and extended playing classes.

972-883-4899

utdallas.edu/chess james.stallings@utdallas.edu

9120 Plano Rd. Dallas / 214.348.3220 / www. highlanderschool.com Founded in 1966, Highlander School offers an enriched curriculum in a positive, Christian-based environment. Small class sizes help teachers understand the individual learning styles of each student. Give us a call for more information.

THE KESSLER SCHOOL

Pre K – 6th Grade / 1215 Turner Ave, Dallas TX 75208 / 214-942-2220 / www. thekesserschool.com The Kessler School offers an innovative academic environment that gives students a solid foundation, confidence, and a love of learning. Located just minutes from downtown Dallas; The Kessler School’s mission is to “educate the whole child,” and provides an individualized approach to teaching – meeting the student where their needs are. Students are educated socially through community time, physically through daily PE, academically through a wellrounded curriculum, and spiritually through a fostering of awareness and individual growth.

69%

of our 200,000+ readers with average income of $146,750 want more info about private schools.

St. Christopher’s Montessori School has been serving families in the DFW area for over a quarter of a century. We are affiliated with the American Montessori Society and our teachers are certified Montessori instructors. Additionally our staff has obtained other complimentary educational degrees and certifications, including having a registered nurse on staff. Our bright and attractive environment, and highly qualified staff, ensures your child will grow and develop in an educationally sound, AMS certified loving program. Now Enrolling.

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

848 Harter Rd., Dallas 75218 / 214.328.9131 / stjohnsschool.org

Founded in 1953, St. John’s is an independent, co-educational day school for Pre-K through Grade 8. With a tradition for academic excellence, St. John’s programs include a challenging curriculum in a Christian environment along with instruction in the visual and performing arts, Spanish, German, French, and opportunities for athletics and community service.St. John’s goal for its students is to develop a love for learning, service to others, and leadership grounded in love, humility, and wisdom. Accredited by ISAS, SAES, and the Texas Education Agency.

THE UT DALLAS CHESS TEAM HAS BEEN 1ST IN

PAN-AM INTERCOLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIPS!

UT DALLAS CHESS CAMP

800 W. Campbell Rd., Richardson 75080 / (972) 883-4899 / utdallas.edu/chess ) 2014

Summer Chess Camp Campers learn while they PLAY. Chess develops reading, math, critical and analytical skills, and builds character and self-esteem. Just don’t tell the kids…they think chess is fun! Join beginner, intermediate or advanced chess classes for ages 7 to 14 on the UT Dallas campus. Morning (9am-noon) or afternoon (1-4pm) sessions are available June 8-12, June 15-19, July 13-17, July 20-24 and extended playing classes. Camp includes t-shirt, chess board and pieces, trophy, certificate, score book, group photo, snacks and drinks. Instructors are from among UT Dallas Chess Team PanAm Intercollegiate Champions for 2010-2012!

THE WINSTON SCHOOL

5707 Royal Lane Dallas, Tx 75229 / 214691-6950 / www.winston-school.org If your bright child struggles with things like Attention and Concentration, Executive Functioning and Dyslexia, The Winston School may be able to help. The Winston School has a robust academic program which prepares a student for college while at the same time developing the whole child. We understand bright children who learn differently and recognize their unique gifts and talents. Celebrating and validating these assets with our students enables them to discover who they are, and empowers them to be consistently successful. The Winston School brings hope for today and a road map for tomorrow.

WHITE ROCK NORTH SCHOOL

9727 White Rock Trail Dallas / 214.348.7410 / WhiteRockNorthSchool.com

6 Weeks through 6th Grade. Our accelerated curriculum provides opportunity for intellectual and physical development in a loving and nurturing environment. Character-building and civic responsibility are stressed. Facilities include indoor swimming pool, skating rink, updated playground, and state-of-the-art technology lab. Kids Club on the Corner provides meaningful after-school experiences. Summer Camp offers field trips, swimming, and a balance of indoor and outdoor activities designed around fun-filled themes. Accredited by SACS. Call for a tour of the campus.

ZION LUTHERAN SCHOOL

6121 E. Lovers Ln. Dallas / 214.363.1630 / ziondallas. org Toddler care thru 8th Grade. Serving Dallas for over 58 years offering a quality education in a Christ-centered learning environment. Degreed educators minister to the academic, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of students and their families. Before and after school programs, Extended Care, Parents Day Out, athletics, fine arts, integrated technology, Spanish, outdoor education, Accelerated Reader, advanced math placement, and student government. Accredited by National Lutheran School & Texas District Accreditation Commissions and TANS. Contact Principal Jeff Thorman.

People

Runner Nicole Studer, who lives near and trains often at White Rock Lake, set an American record last month, clocking the fastest time ever recorded by a female in a 100-mile trail race. Studer finished in14 hours 22 minutes in the 2015 Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile. The closest woman was more than an hour behind her. She won $2,000 — $1,000 for winning the race, and $1,000 for breaking the record.

The Woodrow Wilson High School band performed a concert in February with singer Mikey Dino at the Granada Theater. This is the second year for the band to share the Granada stage with a local artist. All the funds raised at the concert went to the Woodrow Wilson Band Fund for support of private music lessons for kids who cannot afford to pay out of pocket.

The Woodrow Wilson High School Community Foundation recognized two women who put in overtime for the nonprofit. The foundation named Susan Schuerger as board member of the year and Maria Hasbany as volunteer of the year. Schuerger has five children, and she has served since 1991 as a volunteer in the Woodrow feeder pattern. Hasbany has served as the president of the Lakewood Service League, the Lakewood Early Childhood PTA, the Lakewood Elementary PTA and the J.L. Long Middle School PTA. The foundation also presented its executive administrator, Karen Meador, with the President’s Award in December.

Louise Woerner Sellers, a 1930 Woodrow Wilson High School alumna and Dallas businesswoman, has died. She was 102. Sellers, who was known for her style and poise as a hostess, bought the Flag Store in East Dallas in 1960, and her family operated it until 2011.

Events

Shred loads of your documents, and give to the Friends of Tietze Park Foundation Iron Mountain will be in the parking lot of Skillman Church of Christ, 3014 Skillman, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, March 21, with a giant shredder. Shredding costs $7 per 30 pounds and $5 for each additional 30 pounds. Adults 65 and older pay $5 per 30 pounds. Proceeds go to the park nonprofit.

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BUSINESS BUZZ

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

Send business news tips to livelocal@advocatemag.com

what we are, I say we let our audience tell us what we are. In essence, we’re a gift shop for locals.”

Books and sporting goods

Nano-brewery

Raise your glass to Lakewood’s newest craft brewery concept. Neighbors Jacob and Lindsay Sloan last month opened their nano-brewery, On Rotation, in a space tucked away behind Gaston-Garland-Grand, right next door to Cane Rosso White Rock. If you’ve never heard of a nano-brewery, the idea is that it’s bigger than a home brewery but smaller than a microbrewery. Rather than distributing to other bars in the area, On Rotation will sell its own craft beers on site in a space set up more like a coffee shop than a bar, Jacob Sloan explains.

Bankruptcy for Matt’s Rancho Martinez

Joaquin & Marco, Inc., which operates Matt’s Rancho Martinez, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January. The company closed Matt’s Colleyville and Cedar Hill locations, but the Lakewood restaurant, in the Skillman-Live Oak shopping center, will stay open, along with locations in Garland and Roanoke, the owners say.

Meta Dallas T-shirts

There’s a new kid on the Lowest Greenville block. Bullzerk is a T-shirt shop, and if you stop by to peruse its shelves, you’ll find a couple of dozen T-shirts with quips like “I lived on Greenville before it was cool” and “I can’t afford to date Dallas women.” All the sayings and designs are the creative brain babies of the shop’s owner, Dan Bradley, who’s an entrepreneur turned graphic designer turned T-shirt maker. Bullzerk is a new concept, and Bradley chose Dallas (even though he’s from the Midwest) as his starting ground because no one else was doing it here. “Our designs change to our audience,” he explains. “When people ask

The 34,000-square-foot REI on Northwest Highway across Shady Brook from Half Price Books is nearing completion. REI, which sells outdoor recreation gear, sporting goods and clothing, anchors a brandnew shopping center, which is part of Half Price Books’ plans to develop the six acres across the street from its flagship store. The bookseller, which operates 113 stores in 16 states, spent several years buying the acreage. REI is moving an existing store from Farmers Branch to this location. The center will have an additional 13,000 square feet of retail space.

JCPenney woes

Plano-based JCPenney announced last month it would close 40 stores and cut 2,250 jobs. The store at Timbercreek Crossing (Skillman and Northwest Highway) is one that’s not currently on the chopping block.

Albertsons becomes Minyard

The neighborhood is starting to see the effects of Albertsons’ recent acquisition of United Supermarkets (better known in DFW as Market Street) and merger with Safeway (known here as Tom Thumb). The Albertsons at Abrams and Mockingbird closed in early February as an Albertsons and opened the next day as a Minyard Sun Fresh Market. The Albertsons on Northwest at Ferndale made the transition a couple weeks later. The Albertsons in Casa Linda Plaza is the only location in Dallas that won’t become a Minyard, according to store manager Kevin Reagan.

Minyard Sun Fresh Market on Northwest at Ferndale

Minyard Sun Fresh Market on Northwest at Ferndale

BAPTIST

LAKESIDE BAPTIST / 9150 Garland Rd / 214.324.1425

Worship — 8:30 am Classic & 11:00 am Contemporary

Pastor Jeff Donnell / www.lbcdallas.com

PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH / 3933 Northwest Pky / pcbc.org

All services & Bible Study 9:15 & 10:45. Trad. & Blended (Sanctuary),

Contemporary (Great Hall), Amigos de Dios (Gym) / 214.860.1500

PRESTONWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH / “A Church to Call Home”

Sundays: Bible Fellowship (all ages) 9:15 am /Service Time 11:00 am

12123 Hillcrest Road / 972.820.5000 / prestonwood.org

WILSHIRE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100

Pastor George A. Mason Ph.D. / Worship 8:30 & 11:00am

Bible Study 9:40 am / www.wilshirebc.org

DISCIPLES OF CHRIST

EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185

Sunday School 9:30 am / THE TABLE Worship 9:30 am

Worship 8:30 & 10:50 am / Rev. Deborah Morgan-Stokes / edcc.org

LUTHERAN

CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA / 1000 Easton Road

Sunday School for all ages 9:00 am / Worship Service 10:30 am

Pastor Rich Pounds / CentralLutheran.org / 214.327.2222

FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH / 6202 E Mockingbird Lane

Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule. 214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org

METHODIST

LAKE HIGHLANDS UMC / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com

Sunday Morning: 9:30 am Sunday School / 10:30 am Coffee

Worship: 8:30 am & 10:50 am Traditional / 10:50 am Contemporary

RIDGEWOOD PARK UMC / 6445 E. Lovers Lane / 214.369.9259

Sunday Worship: 9:30 am Traditional and 11:35 am Contemporary

Sunday School: 10:30 am / Rev. Ann Willet / ridgewoodparkchurch.org

WHITE ROCK UNITED METHODIST / www.wrumc.org

1450 Oldgate Lane / 214.324.3661

Sunday Worship 10:50 am / Rev. Mitchell Boone

PRESBYTERIAN

NORTHRIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 6920 Bob-O-Link Dr. 214.827.5521 / www.northridgepc.org / Welcomes you to Worship

8:30 & 11:00 am / Church School 9:35 am / Childcare provided.

ST. ANDREW’S PRESBYTERIAN / Skillman & Monticello

Rev. Rob Leischner. / www.standrewsdallas.org

214.821.9989 / Sunday School 9:30 am, Worship 10:45 am

UNITY

UNITY OF DALLAS / A Positive Path for Spiritual Living

6525 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75230 / 972.233.7106 / UnityDallas.org

10:30 am Sunday - Celebration Worship Service

UNITY ON GREENVILLE / Your soul is welcome here!

3425 Greenville Ave. / 214.826.5683 / www.dallasunity.org

Sunday Service 11:00 am and Book Study 9:30 am

CRITICISM THAT CONSTRUCTS

Do your critiques find faults or point

Who we become in life is partly what we do with the gifts we are given by God. What we do with the gifts we are given is partly owed to the encouragement we receive along the way.

The film “The Last Quartet” recounts a moment in the life of cellist Peter Mitchell. Mitchell taught at Julliard but is battling Parkinson’s disease.

Mitchell tells about his relationship with the great Spanish cellist, Pablo Casals. Their first encounter found the 20-year-old Mitchell silent before the master.

“I was so intimidated I could barely speak. Casals must’ve sensed it because, instead of a chat, he asked me to play. He requested the prelude to the Fourth Bach Suite. I took a deep breath, I began, the notes started to flow, the music’s in the air, and it was the worst music I’d ever made. I played so badly, I got halfway and had to stop.

“Bravo,” he said, “well done.”

“Then he asked me to play the allemande. A second chance! I never played worse.

“Wonderful. Splendid.” He praised me.

“When I left that night, I felt terrible about my performances, but what really bothered me wasn’t my playing, it was Casals. The insincerity.

“Years later, I met him in Paris, and by then I was a professional, we’d played together. We became acquaintances, and one evening, over a glass of wine, I confessed to him what I thought was his insincerity all those years ago. And he got angry. His demeanor changed, he grabbed his cello.

“Listen!” he said. And Casals played a specific phrase from the Bach prelude.

“Didn’t you play that fingering? You did, and it was novel to me. It was good! And here, in this passage from the allemande, didn’t you attack it with an up-bow like this?” Casals played the passage.

“Casals emphasized the good stuff. The

out strengths?

things he enjoyed. He encouraged. And for the rest leave that to those who judge by counting faults.

‘’I can be grateful,” he said, “and so must you be, for even one singular, one transcendent moment.”

Parents and grandparents, teachers and preachers, bosses and coaches are positioned to influence young people for good or ill. We all want to coax the best from them,

but how we do so can make all the difference.

Criticism that only finds faults tends to build a mentality in the young person that focuses on avoiding mistakes. It breeds caution. It makes one tentative. Criticism (not a negative word) that points out strengths tends to build confidence in the young person that breeds courage and risk-taking.

That’s not to say that discipline never involves addressing bad behavior or poor decisions. But people tend to grow in the direction of the guidance they receive.

St. Paul commanded children to obey their parents, but then he added this caution: “Fathers, do not provoke your children, or they may lose heart.” Provoking can happen in many ways, but always focusing on what they are doing wrong is surely one of them.

Discouragement means losing heart. Conversely, encouragement puts heart into someone. Whether in the home, on the playing field, in the office or school, those in authority want to bring the best out of their charges.

Focusing on the good stuff is good mentoring.

“Casals emphasized the good stuff. The things he enjoyed. He encouraged. And for the rest ... leave that to those who judge by counting faults.”

George Mason is pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church. The Worship section is a regular feature underwritten by Advocate Publishing and by the neighborhood business people and churches listed on these pages. For information about helping support the Worship section, call 214.560.4202.

One last engagement

The Lakewood Theater closed at the end of February, and one Lakewood couple made their own history there last month. Derrick Granado used the theater’s marquee to propose to his girlfriend, Stacy Krumholz The couple regularly passes the theater on their weekend walks to breakfast, and they’re involved in the discussion about the theater’s future, so Granado surprised Krumholz with the message.

Local Resources

TO ADVERTISE 214.560.4203

CLASSES/TUTORING/ LESSONS

ART: Draw/Paint. Adults All Levels. Lake Highlands N. Rec. Ctr. Days: Mon & Wed. Students bring supplies. Nights: 1xt month workshop, supplies furnished. Jane Cross. 214-534-6829,

ARTISTIC GATHERINGS

Casa Linda Plaza. Art Classes & Drop In Pottery Painting For All Ages. 214-821-8383. Tues-Sat 10am-6pm

GUITAR OR PIANO Patient Teacher. Your Home. 12 Yrs Exp. Reasonable rates. UNT Grad. Larry 469-358-8784

MATHNASIUM has a new Math Learning Center at 7324 Gaston mathnasium.com/dallaslakewood 214-328-MATH (6284)

MUSIC INSTRUCTION Especially For Young People Aged 5-12. Guitar, Piano, Percussion. ChildPlayMusicSchool.com. 214-733-1866

Learn to draw this summer with Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain ®

Classes now offered in Dallas

Visit our website for location and registration info

www.PerceptionDrawing.com

Brenda Catlett Certified Instructor (972)989-0546

Local BULLETIN BOARD

CHILDCARE

LOVING, CHRIST-CENTERED CARE SINCE 1982 Lake Highlands Christian Child Enrichment Center Ages 2 mo.-12 yrs. 9919 McCree. 214-348-1123.

EMPLOYMENT

AIRLINE CAREERS Get FAA Approved Maintenance Training At Campuses Coast To Coast. Job Placement Assistance. Financial Aid For Qualifying Students. Military Friendly. AIM 866-453-6204

PET SITTERS, DOG WALKERS reply to http://www.pcpsi.com/join

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

EARN RESIDUAL INCOME learn how to earn income on Energy and Mobile Service. Call Jay 214-707-9379.

SERVICES FOR YOU

AT ODDS WITH YOUR COMPUTER? Easily Learn Essential Skills. Services include Digital Photo Help. Sharon 214-679-9688 CONFUSED? FRUSTRATED? Let A Seasoned Pro Be The Interface Between You & That Pesky Computer. Hardware & Software Installation, Troubleshooting, Training. $60/hr. 1 hr min. Dan 214-660-3733 or stykidan@sbcglobal.net

SERVICES FOR YOU

DISH TV RETAILER Starting at $19.99/month (for 12 months) & High Speed Internet starting at $14.95/month (where available) Save. Ask about Same Day Installation 1-800-615-4064

FUNCTIONAL ART BY MD SOLIS

Metal & Wood Artworks for the home or office. 214-727-7957

MY OFFICE Offers Mailing, Copying, Shipping, Office & School Supplies. 9660 Audelia Rd. myofficelh.com 214-221-0011

LEGAL SERVICES

A SIMPLE WILL. Name a Guardian for Children. Katherine Rose, Attorney 214-728-4044. Office Dallas Tx.

A WILL? THERE IS A WAY Estate/Probate matters. Free Consultation. 214-802-6768 MaryGlennAttorney.com

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

ACCOUNTING, TAXES Small Businesses & Individuals. Chris King, CPA 214-824-5313 www.chriskingcpa.com

BOOKKEEPING NEEDS? Need Help Organizing Finances? No Job Too Small or Big. Call C.A.S. Bookkeeping Services. Cindy 214-821-6903

DALLAS INSURANCE SERVICES

Life, Health, Medicare Specialist. Jim. 30 Yrs. Exp. dis2insurance.com 214-507-3304

Lakewood neighbor Emily Bearden was presented at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra League Presentation Ball before a full house at the Meyerson Symphony Center downtown. After a busy debutante season marked by parties, mixers and family events, Emily and 39 other debs will make the traditional deep bow known as the Texas Dip. Bearden, a graduate of Bishop Lynch High School, currently attends the University of Georgia, where she is pursuing dual degrees in pre-law and marketing communications. More than $9 million has been raised for the DSO through the annual event, and proceeds will be used for education and community outreach programs.

Local

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

EAST DALLAS CPA Tax and Accounting For Small Businesses And Individuals Ragan McCoy, CPA 214-202-6525 ragan@eastdallascpa.com

FARMERS INSURANCE CALL JOSH JORDAN 214-364-8280. Auto, Home, Life Renters.

MIND, BODY & SPIRIT

NEXGEN FITNESS Call Today For Free Session. 972-382-9925 NexGenFitness.com 10759 Preston Rd. 75230

MIND, BODY & SPIRIT

Obesity Research Study

Candidates must be:

Women (Age 65-75) or Men (Age 20-45 or 65-75) Healthy, Non-smokers, without Asthma or Diabetes Includes either a weight loss program or an exercise training and weight loss program. Compensation will be provided for participant’s time. Please call 214-345-6574 or email IEEMLUNG@texashealth.org

PET SERVICES

DEE’S DOGGIE DEN Daycare, Boarding, Grooming, Training. 6444 E. Mockingbird Ln. 214-823-1441 DeesDoggieDen.com

HOMEGROWN HOUNDS DOG DELI / BAKERY Healthy homemade dog food/treats. 100% goes to rescue. hghdogs.com

POOP SCOOP PROFESSIONALS Trust The Experts. 214-826-5009. germaine_free@yahoo.com

SKILLMAN ANIMAL CLINIC Is Your Friendly, Personal, Affordable Vet. 9661 Audelia Rd. #340. 214-341-6400

In-Home Professional Care

Customized to maintain your pet’s routine

BUY/SELL/TRADE

TEXAS RANGERS AND DALLAS STARS

front row seats. Share prime, front-row Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars tickets (available in sets of 10 games). Prices start at $105 per ticket (sets of 2 or 4 tickets per game available) Seats are behind the plate and next to the dugouts for the Rangers: seats are on the glass and on the Platinum Level for the Stars. Other great seats available starting at $60 per ticket. Entire season available except for opening game; participants randomly draw numbers prior to the season to determine a draft order fair for everyone. Call 214-560-4212 or rwamre@advocatemag.com

TOP CASH FOR CARS Any Car, Truck. Running or Not. Call for Instant Offer. 1-800-454-6951

ESTATE/GARAGE SALES

ALL POINTS PROPERTY SERVICES Estate / Moving Sales. Cleanouts. Moving organization. We Can Help! 972-686-7919

CLUTTERBLASTERS.COM-ESTATE SALES

Moving/DownSizing Sales, Storage Units.

Organize/De-Clutter Donna 972-679-3100

In-Home Pet Visits & Daily Walks

“Best of Dallas” D Magazine

Serving the Dallas area since 1994 Bonded & Insured www.societypetsitter.com 214-821-3900

ADVERTISE

214.560.4203 ADVERTISE WITH US in Print & Online ADVERTISE WITH US in Print & Online ADVERTISE WITH US in Print & Online

APPLIANCE REPAIR

JESSE’S A/C & APPLIANCE SERVICE

TACLB13304C All Makes/Models. 214-660-8898

CLEANING SERVICES

AFFORDABLE, PROFESSIONAL CLEANING

A Clean You Can Trust Staff trained by Nationally Certified Cleaning Tech. Chemical-free, Green, or Traditional Cleaning. WindsorMaidServices.com 214-381-MAID (6243)

CONCRETE/ MASONRY/PAVING

EDMONDSPAVING.COM Asphalt & Concrete Driveway-Sidewalk-Patio-Repair 214-957-3216

FLAGSTONE PATIOS, Retaining Walls, BBQ’s, Veneer, Flower Bed Edging, All Stone work. Chris 214-770-5001

Serving your Neighborhood Since 1993 Repairing: Refrigerators •Washer/Dryers

• Ice Makers •Stoves • Cooktops • Ovens 214✯823✯2629

BLINDS, SHADES & DRAPERIES

SMARTLOOKS WINDOW & WALL DECOR Window Treatments & Repair. 972-699-1151

CABINETRY & FURNITURE

SQUARE NAIL WOODWORKING

Cabinet Refacing, Built-ins, Entertainment/ Computer Centers. Jim. 214-324-7398 www.squarenailwoodworking.com

CARPENTRY & REMODELING

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

FENN CONSTRUCTION Any Tile Anywhere. www.dallastileman.com Back Splash Specials! 214-343-4645

O’BRIEN GROUP INC. Remodeling Dallas For Over 17 Years www.ObrienGroupInc.com 214-341-1448

RENOVATE DALLAS renovatedallas.org 214-403-7247

BRIAN GREAM RENOVATIONS LLC

• 1 & 2 Story Additions

• Complete Renovations

• Kitchens/Baths

• Licensed/Insured

214.542.6214

PayPal ®

WWW.BGRONTHEWEB.COM

BRIANGREAM@YAHOO.COM

TK Remodeling

Your neighborhood remodeler

•Repair •Remodeling •Restoration

•Complete full service

Name it — We do it

http://dallas.tkremodelingcontractors.com

Tommy 972-533-2872 INSURED

Unique Home Construction

- Design, Build, Remodel

- Kitchens & Baths

- New Construction or Additions

Many references available

- Licensed, Insured, Member of BBB www.uniquehomebuild.com

214.533.0716

ALTOGETHER CLEAN

Relax ...We’ll Clean Your House, It Will Be Your Favorite Day! Bonded & Insurance. Free Estimates. 214-929-8413. www. altogetherclean.net

AMAZON CLEANING

Top To Bottom Clean. Fabiana.469-951-2948

CALL GRIME STOPPERS • 214-724-2555

Wanted: Houses to Clean • 20 years experience. Dependable. Efficient. Great Prices. Excellent Refs.

CINDY’S HOUSE CLEANING 15 yrs exp. Resd/Com. Refs. Dependable. 214-490-0133

DELTA CLEANING Insd./Bonded. Move In/Out. General Routine Cleaning. Carpet Cleaning. Refs. Reliable. Dependable. 28+yrs. 972-943-9280.

MAID 4 YOU Bonded/Insured. Park Cities/M Streets Refs. Call Us First. Joyce.214-232-9629

MESS MASTERS Earth friendly housecleaning. 469-235-7272. www.messmasters.com Since ‘91

WINDOW MAN WINDOW CLEANING.COM

Residential Specialists. BBB. 214-718-3134

COMPUTERS & ELECTRONICS

ALL COMPUTER PROBLEMS SOLVED

MAC/PC Great Rates! Keith 214-295-6367

BILL’S COMPUTER REPAIR Virus Removal, Data Recovery. Home/Biz Network Install. All Upgrades & Repairs. PC Instruction. No Trip Fee. 214-348-2566

IT SOLUTIONS/SUPPORT For Home & Small Business. Parental Controls Speciality. 8 Yrs. Exp. Husband & Wife, Licensed Minister called to His Work. Texas Tech Guru. 214-850-2669

CONCRETE/ MASONRY/PAVING

BRICK & STONE REPAIR

Don 214-704-1722

BRICK, BLOCK, Stone, Concrete, Stucco. Gonzalez Masonry. 214-395-1319

CONCRETE, Driveway Specialist Repairs, Replacement, Removal, References. Reasonable. Chris 214-770-5001

CONCRETE REPAIRS/REPOURS

Demo existing. Stamping and Staining Driveways/Patio/Walkways Pattern/Color available

Free Estimates 972-672-5359 (32 yrs.)

APRIL DEADLINE MARCH 11 214.560.4203 TO ADVERTISE

Swimming Pool Remodels Patios Stone work • Stamp Concrete 972-727-2727

Deckoart.com

R&M Concrete

Concrete Retaining Walls Driveways Stamped Concrete 214-202-8958

Bonded & Insured References & Free Estimates

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricofdallas.com

Family Owned/Operated. Insd. 214-328-1333

EXPERIENCED LICENSED ELECTRICIAN Insd. Steve. TECL#27297 214-718-9648

GOVER ELECTRIC Back Up Generators. New and Remodel Work. Commercial & Residential. All Service Work. 469-230-7438. TECL2293

LAKEWOOD ELECTRICAL Local. Insured. Lic. #227509 Call Rylan 214-434-8735

TEXAS ELECTRICAL • 214-289-0639

Prompt, Honest, Quality. TECL 24668

TH ELECTRIC Reasonable Rates. Licensed & Insured. Ted. E257 214-808-3658

WHITE ROCK ELECTRIC All Electrical Services. Lic/Insd. E795. 214-850-4891

EXTERIOR CLEANING

G&G DEMOLITION Tear downs, Haul. Interior/Exterior. 214-808-8925

FENCING & DECKS

#1 COWBOY FENCE & IRON CO. Est. ‘91. 214-692-1991 www.cowboyfenceandiron.com

4 QUALITY FENCING Call Mike 214-507-9322

Specializing in Wood, New or Repair.

AMBASSADOR FENCE INC.

Automatic Gates, Iron & Cedar Fencing, Decks. Since 1996. MC/V 214-621-3217

HANNAWOODWORKS.COM Decks, Fences, Pergolas, Patio Covers. 214-435-9574

KIRKWOOD FENCE & DECK New & Repair. Free Estimates. Nathan Kirkwood. 214-341-0699

LONESTARDECKS.COM 214-357-3975

Trex Decking & Fencing, trex.com All Wood Decks, Arbors & Patio Covers

FENCING & DECKS 214.692.1991

EST. 1991 #1

COWBOY

FENCE & IRON CO.

SPECIALIZING IN Wood Fences &Auto Gates

cowboyfenceandiron.com

FIREPLACE SERVICES

CHIMNEY SWEEP Dampers/Brick & Stone Repair. DFW Metro. Don 214-704-1722

FLOORING & CARPETING

ALL WALKS OF FLOORS 214-616-7641 Carpet, Wood, Tile Sales/Service Free Estimates

CLIFTON CARPETS 214-526-7405 www.cliftoncarpets.com

DALLAS HARDWOODS 214-724-0936

Installation, Repair, Refinish, Wax, Hand Scrape. Residential, Commercial. Sports Floors. 25 Yrs.

FENN CONSTRUCTION Any Tile Anywhere. www.dallastileman.com Back Splash Specials! 214-343-4645

HASTINGS STAINED CONCRETE New/ Remodel. Stain/Wax Int/Ext. Nick. 214-341-5993. www.hastingsfloors.com

LONGHORN FLOORS LLC 972-768-4372. www.longhornflooring.com

N-HANCE WOOD RENEWAL. No Dust. No Mess. No Odor. nhance.com. 214-321-3012.

WILLEFORD HARDWOOD FLOORS

214-824-1166 • WillefordHardwoodFloors.com

CARPET HARDWOODS CERAMIC Quick, Reliable Installation John: 972.989.3533

john.roemen@redicarpet.com

REDI CARPET

Reinventing the Flooring Experience

Restoration Flooring

25+ Years Experience

469.774.3147

GARAGE DOORS

ROCKET GARAGE DOOR SERVICE -24/7. Repairs/Installs. 214-533-8670. Coupon On Web. www.RocketDoorService.com

UNITED GARAGE DOORS AND GATES Res/Com. Locally Owned.214-826-8096

GLASS, WINDOWS & DOORS

A FATHER, SON & GRANDSON TEAM Expert Window Cleaning. Haven 214-327-0560

GREENGO WINDOWS & DOORS

903-802-6957, 214-755-6258

LAKE HIGHLANDS GLASS & MIRROR custom mirrors • shower enclosures store fronts • casements 214-349-8160

ROCK GLASS CO Replace, repair: windows, mirrors, showers, screens. 214-837-7829

HANDYMAN SERVICES

A R&G HANDYMAN Electrical, Plumbing, Painting, Fencing, Roofing, Light Hauling. Ron or Gary 214-861-7569, 469-878-8044

ALL STAR HOME CARE Carpentry, Glass, Tile, Paint, Doors, Sheetrock Repair, and more. 25 yrs. exp. References. Derry 214-505-4830

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

FRAME RIGHT All Honey-Dos/Jobs. Crown mold install $125/rm. Licensed. Matt 469-867-9029

GROOVY HOUSE Is A Different Handyman Experience! Find Out Why At www.groovyhouse.biz

214-733-2100 • 19 Year Lakewood Resident

HANDYMAN SPECIALIST Residential/ Commercial. Large, small jobs, repair list, renovations. Refs. 214-489-0635

HOMETOWN HANDYMAN All phases of construction. No job too small 214-327-4606

HONEST, SKILLED SERVICE With a Smile. General Repairs/ Maintenance. 214-215-2582

WANTED: ODD JOBS & TO DO LISTS

Allen’s Handyman & Home Repair 214-288-4232

Dan

handy-dan.com 214.252.1628 Your

Home

HOUSE PAINTING

1 AFFORDABLE HOUSE PAINTING and Home Repair. Quality work. Inside and Out. Free Ests. Local Refs. Ron 972-816-5634 or 972-475-3928

#1 GET MORE PAY LES Painting. 85% Referrals. Free Est. 214-348-5070

A+ INT/EXT PAINT & DRYWALL Since 1977. Kirk Evans. 972-672-4681

A1 TOP COAT Professional. Reliable. References. TopCoatOfTexas.com 214-770-2863

ABRAHAM PAINT SERVICE A Women Owned Business 25 Yrs. Int/Ext. Wall Reprs. Discounts On Whole Interiors and Exteriors 214-682-1541

ALL TYPES Painting & Repairs. A+ BBB rating. Any size jobs welcome. Call Kenny 214-321-7000

BENJAMIN’S PAINTING SERVICE Quality

Work At Reasonable Prices. 214-725-6768

MANNY’S HOME PAINTING & REPAIR Int./Ext. Sheetrock. Manny 214-334-2160

RAMON’S INT/EXT PAINT Sheetrock, Repairs. 214-679-4513

TEXAS BEST PAINTING • 214-527-4168

Master Painter. High Quality Work. Int/Ext.

TONY’S PAINTING SERVICE Quality Work

Since 1984. Int./Ext. 214-755-2700

VIP PAINTING & DRYWALL Int/Ext. Sheetrock Repair, Resurfacing Tubs, Counters, Tile Repairs. 469-774-7111

BRIAN GREAM

PAINTING & RENOVATIONS LLC

• Interior/Exterior • Drywall

•

All

KITCHEN/BATH/ TILE/GROUT

STONE AGE COUNTER TOPS

Granite, Marble, Tile, Kitchen/Bath Remodels. 972-276-9943 stoneage.dennis@verizon.net

TK REMODELING 972-533-2872

Complete Full Service Repairs, Remodeling, Restoration. Name It — We do it. Tommy. Insured. dallas.tkremodelingcontractors.com

TOM HOLT TILE 30 Yrs Experience In Tile, Backsplashes & Floors. Refs. Avail. 214-770-3444

WE

• Tubs, Tiles or Sinks

• Cultured Marble

• Kitchen Countertops

REFINISH! www.allsurfacerefinishing.com

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

A BETTER TREE COMPANY • JUST TREES Complete tree services. Tree & Landscape Lighting! Mark 214-332-3444

A BETTER TREE MAN Trims, Removals, Insd. 12 Yrs Exp. Roberts Tree Service. 214-808-8925

A&B LANDSCAPING Full Landscape & Lawn Care Services. Degreed Horticulturist. 214-534-3816

ALL YARD SERVICES Fertilization, Trim, Edge, Color. Com./ Res. 30 Yrs. Exp. Call Brooks. 972-279-3564, 214-923-5439

AYALA’S LANDSCAPING SERVICE Call the Land Expert Today! Insured. 214-773-4781

CHUPIK TREE SERVICE

WWW.BGRONTHEWEB.COM

PayPal ® Exterior & Interior Painting Professionals Call Local (Toll Free) NOW For a FREE estimate 877-212-4076 www.protectpainters.com

TILE/GROUT

FENN CONSTRUCTION Any Tile Anywhere. www.dallastileman.com Back Splash Specials! 214-343-4645

MELROSE TILE James Estrello Sr., Installer 40 Yrs. Exp. MelroseTile.com 214-384-6746

Trim, Remove, Stump Grind. Free Est. Insured. 214-823-6463

COLE’S LAWN CARE • 214-327-3923 Quality Service with a Personal Touch.

DALLAS K.D.R.SERVICES • 214-349-0914

Lawn Service & Landscape Installation

GREENSKEEPER Winter Clean Up & Color. Sodding, Fertilization. Lawn Maintenance & Landscape. Res/Com. 214-546-8846

HOLMAN IRRIGATION

Sprinkler & Valve Repair/ Rebuild Older Systems. Lic. #1742. 214-398-8061

ORTIZ LAWNCARE Complete Yard Care. Service by Felipe. Free Est. 214-215-3599

RONS LAWN Organic Solutions. Not Environmental Pollution. Landscape & Maintenance 972-222-LAWN (5296)

PLUMBING

POOLS

ADAIR POOL & SPA SERVICE

1 month free service for new customers. Call for details. 469-358-0665.

LOCK’S

PEST CONTROL

A BETTER EARTH PEST CONTROL Keeping the environment, kids, pets in mind. Organic products avail. 972-564-2495

MCDANIEL PEST CONTROL Prices Start at $85 + Tax

For General Treatment.

Average Home-Interior/Exterior & Attached Garage. Quotes For Other Services. 214-328-2847. Lakewood Resident

ROOFING & GUTTERS

A&B

469-235-2072

• Careful methods

• Respectful service

• State-of-the-art applications 214-340-6969 safehavenpest.com

Pest-Free · Hassle-Free 4-340-6969 fehavenpest.com

PLUMBING

A2Z PLUMBING 214-727-4040

All Plumbing Repairs. Slab Leak Specialists. Licensed & Insured. ML# M36843.

ANDREWS PLUMBING • 214-354-8521 # M37740 Insured. Any plumbing issues. plumberiffic69@gmail.com

Sewers • Drains • Bonded 24 Hours/7 Days

*Joe Faz 214-794-7566 - Se Habla Español*

ARRIAGA PLUMBING: General Plumbing

Since the 80’s. Insured. Lic# M- 20754 214-321-0589, 214-738-7116, CC’s accepted.

HAYES PLUMBING INC. Repairs. Insured, 214-343-1427 License M13238

JUSTIN’S PLUMBING SERVICE

For All Your Plumbing Needs. ml#M24406 972-523-1336. www.justinsplumbing.com

M&S PLUMBING Quality Work & Prompt Service. Jerry. 214-235-2172. lic.#M-11523

NTX PLUMBING SPEC. LLLP 214-226-0913

Lic. M-40581 Res/Com. Repairs & Leak Location

REPAIRS, Fixtures, General Plumbing, Senior Discounts. Campbell Plumbing. 214-321-5943

SPECK PLUMBING

Over 30 Yrs Exp. Licensed/Insured. 214-732-4769, 214-562-2360

UPTOWN PLUMBING. Serving Dallas 40 + Yrs. 214-747-1103. M-13800 uptownplumbing.com

does not pre-screen, recommend or investigate the advertisements and/ or Advertisers published in our magazines. As a result, Advocate Publishing is not responsible for your dealings with any Advertiser. Please ask each Advertiser that you contact to show you the necessary licenses and/or permits required to perform the work you are requesting. Advocate Publishing takes comments and/or complaints about Advertisers seriously, and we do not publish advertisements that we know are inaccurate, misleading and/or do not live up to the standards set by our publications. If you have a legitimate complaint or positive comment about an Advertiser, please contact us at 214-560-4203. Advocate Publishing recommends that you ask for and check references from each Advertiser that you contact, and we recommend that you obtain a written statement of work to be completed, and the price to be charged, prior to approving any work or providing an Advertiser with any deposit for work to be completed.

health & wellness

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

ADVERTISE IN THIS SECTION For more information call 214.560.4203 or email jliles@advocatemag.com

OPTOMETRIST

DR. CLINT MEYER

www.dallaseyeworks.com

Blue light has the most energy of visible light and constant exposure with hand held devices and computers may be causing damage. Children are more susceptible to this exposure due to the fact that older eyes filter out the blue high-energy light more that younger eyes. At Dallas Eyeworks we recommend a lens treatment called Recharge by Hya Vision. This allows a clear spectacle lens to filter out the high energy blue light and protect the eye. Call for an appointment today!

Dallas Eyeworks

9225 Garland Rd., Ste. 2120, Dallas, TX 75218 214.660.9830

COSMETIC AND GENERAL DENTISTRY

DENA T. ROBINSON, DDS www.drdenarobinson.com

Dr. Robinson is a Preferred Invisalign provider in the White Rock Lake/Casa Linda area. Give us a call to see if you are a great candidate for Invisalign.

FAGD - Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry

8940 Garland Rd., Ste. 200, Dallas, TX 75218 214.321.6441

FEATURE YOUR OFFICE IN

PARKING-LOT MUGGINGS COULD BE RELATED

Police think a string of purse-snatchings in our neighborhood could be related.

Five women were accosted in retail parking lots over three days in January.

On Jan. 22, a robber approached a woman in the parking lot of Target at Cityplace, cut her purse strap, yanked away her purse and ran away with it. The woman had just placed her infant son in her vehicle and was placing his stroller in the back when the robber approached, NBCDFW reported.

The same day, an 82-year-old woman was robbed in the parking lot of Tom Thumb on Northwest Highway at Central Expressway. Similar robberies occurred in retail parking lots in Far North Dallas and off Webb Chapel Road the following day. And then on Jan. 27, a woman was robbed in the parking lot of Tom Thumb on Lovers at Greenville. The woman refused to let go of her purse, and the robber dragged her before getting away with the bag.

Calling these crimes “purse-snatch-

ings” downplays their seriousness. They’re often violent crimes against women, and depending on whether the victim is injured, they can be punishable with lengthy prison terms. A robbery in which the victim is not injured could be considered a second-degree felony, punishable by anywhere from two to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. If the victim is injured, disabled or older than 65, then the crime could be elevated to a first-degree felony, which is punishable by a mandatory minimum five-year sentence and as much as 99 years or life in prison.

Since this type of criminal typically seeks victims who are alone, self-defense experts recommend asking someone to walk with you to your car. If you must shop at night, try to park in a well-lit, highly visible spot, and be aware of your surroundings. Some experts recommend learning self-defense techniques to put up a struggle with a would-be robber. But others suggest handing over your property to avoid harm.

CRIME NUMBERS

3 3 p.m. 1.5

The date in February when police shut down Deep Ellum due to a “suspicious bag.”

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Time when a teacher noticed someone leave a black bag outside of the Uplift campus on Elm Street.

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MISSED CONNECTIONS

Why doesn’t the Dallas Arboretum provide better access for cyclists and pedestrians?

COMMENT. Visit lakewood.advocatemag.com and search Last Word to tell us what you think.

I heard a wet smack as my front bicycle tire sank into fresh mud, unexpectedly stopping me in my tracks.

My husband was up ahead, navigating the muddy ruts and puddles and finding patches of dense grass to support his bike. Our two young daughters sat asleep in the trailer behind him, their heads lolling, oblivious to the obstacle course their parents were maneuvering through on our trek to the Arboretum.

We’d set out from our M Streets home an hour earlier, winding our way through Lakewood to White Rock Lake’s shoreline trail, then to the edge of the spillway to the trail abutting Garland Road. We suddenly found ourselves at an impasse. The wide trail had narrowed to a sliver of a sidewalk, then abruptly ended outside the walls of the Arboretum, a good thousand feet from the entrance.

A soggy, green expanse lay ahead of us. We weighed our options: Venture into the six lanes of traffic whizzing past us on Garland Road or risk trekking through the mud that yesterday’s rain had left behind. We forged on.

Now stuck, I straddled my bike on tiptoe, gingerly hunting for firmer ground among the spongy muck. Ahead of me, my husband had

stopped, anchored by the weight of the girls’ trailer now moored in the mud.

After excavating the trailer, we trudged our way to the Arboretum’s entrance, our shoes and bikes caked with wet soil. Our day to be spent among the roses had taken an unexpectedly earthy turn.

The Dallas Arboretum is one of our city’s most magnificent assets, and we’re fortunate that it sits in the heart of East Dallas. But why are there no sidewalks to its entrance? With all the kerfuffle over adequate parking, wouldn’t they want more pedestrians and cyclists to visit sans car?

“Of course,” Mary Brinegar, president and CEO of the Dallas Arboretum told me when I called to ask her about the lack of sidewalk access along Garland Road.

Historically, one of the reasons the Arboretum had no front sidewalk was due to concerns by nearby residents that sidewalks would encourage Arboretum visitors to park in their neighborhoods, and then walk over to the gardens. More recently, however, some residents have expressed support for a sidewalk, and Mary said she would welcome the city’s investment in a concrete path along the perimeter.

With that issue out of the way, and since I had Mary’s ear, I took the opportunity to question her about another matter that had been on my mind. Every time I visit the Arboretum or White Rock Lake, I wonder why there isn’t an entrance to the Ar-

boretum from the lake. It seems odd to me that these two great natural assets sit side-by-side, yet are in no way connected to one another.

Imagine walking around the lake, then taking a stroll through the Arboretum or spending the day at the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden, then stepping through a back exit to witness the sunset from the lakeshore.

So while I had Mary on the phone, I asked her. She explained that the Arboretum is very sensitive to the concerns of nearby residents who worry that a lakeside entrance might encourage more traffic and parking within White Rock Lake Park by those seeking to avoid parking fees at the Arboretum.

No doubt this is a legitimate and reasonable concern, and one I might have if I lived next door. But it seems like there should be a way to address those concerns while still providing a connection between these two great destinations.

I’m not sure what the answer is, but I’m certain we should have the conversation.

Something magical happens when we begin connecting our city for pedestrians and cyclists. Our city shrinks and expands at the same time: Diverse destinations no longer feel like distant, disparate experiences, but begin to meld into each other, creating new recreational opportunities that are much more than the sum of their parts.

And it’s a heck of a lot less muddy.

Angela Hunt is a neighborhood resident and former Dallas City Councilwoman in East Dallas. She writes a monthly opinion column about neighborhood issues. Her opinions are not necessarily those of the Advocate or its management. Send comments and ideas to her at 6301 Gaston, Suite 820, Dallas 75214; FAX to 214.823.8866; or email ahunt@advocatemag.com.