2016 April Lakewood

CAROLYN ALBERS BLACK

OUR FAMILY LOVES THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, ITS SCHOOLS, ITS SPECIAL NUANCES.”

I pride myself on guiding my clients through the homebuying and selling process. I’m a second-generation REALTOR®, with personal relocation experience. One of my specialties is helping relocation clients and their families understand all that East Dallas offers. I live here and it would be my pleasure to advise you about distinctive properties and neighborhoods.

214-675-2089

CAROLYNABLACK@EBBY.COM

BLAIR FANARA

LAKEWOOD IS AN ESCAPE FROM THE CITY, BUT A GEM IN THE DALLAS LANDSCAPE.”

The Ebby Halliday organization stands for excellence, and I’m proud to be a part of it. Buying or selling a home can be daunting and stressful but making it exciting and fun is my favorite part of helping my clients. The most important things are communication and hustle. I want to be the hardest working REALTOR® you know.

469-358-3503

BLAIRFANARA@EBBY.COM

THE HARDT GROUP

Since 1987, we have specialized in meeting clients’ needs. The group concept enables us to empower our clients by maximizing market conditions, turning potential into reality. Exceptional promotion, extensive market knowledge, dedicated client communication and personal relationships make real estate a real pleasure.

DAVID HARDT

214-924-7577

DAVIDHARDT@EBBY.COM

RONDA HARDT

214-502-8666

RONDAHARDT@EBBY.COM

“ REALTORS TOP 25

HICKMAN + WEBER

OVER

It’s our honor to help people with their real estate needs and to be able to make a difference in their lives. Our full-service team, which includes lead Associates Chris Hickman and John C. Weber, agents Susan Schweidel and Mohammed Jaber and Transaction Coordinator Sonia Villarreal, is passionate about providing clients with exceptional service.

CHRIS HICKMAN

214-300-8439

CHRIS@HICKMANWEBER.COM

JOHN C. WEBER 214-300-8439

JOHN@HICKMANWEBER.COM

THE YEARS, MANY OF OUR CLIENTS HAVE BECOME LONG-TERM FRIENDS.”

COURTNEY MOLINA

I’M HONORED TO ADVISE CLIENTS IN THE PROCESS OF SELLING OR BUYING A HOME.”

My professional background in banking, advertising and marketing prepared me as an Ebby Associate. Raising a family in this community and my personal interest in art and design are part of my expertise that makes buying or selling homes a pleasant experience for clients. I pride myself on my honesty, professionalism and positive attitude.

214-478-4660

COURTNEYMOLINA@EBBY.COM

MARY POSS

REAL ESTATE IS SO MUCH MORE THAN PRICE, IT’S ABOUT MAKING PEOPLE HAPPY.”

I love East Dallas. I have lived here my entire life and have served the community as a member of the Dallas City Council, as Mayor Pro Tem and as Mayor. Clients compliment my knowledge of area neighborhoods, work ethic, straightforward style, negotiating and financial skills, and my ability to make buying and selling a home enjoyable.

214-738-0777

MARY@DALLASTEX.COM

Most people buy or sell a home only a handful of times in a lifetime. With my 11 years working with buyers and sellers I provide expert knowledge in market trends, laws and technologies to ensure your interests are in good hands. My goal is to maximize the return for sellers and the leverage for buyers and to facilitate a smooth transaction.

214-650-9660

STEVEDAVIES@EBBY.COM

East Dallas has unique history and character, and pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods. My MBA degree, 10 years in advertising and marketing, and in-depth real estate education give me expertise to help clients get the best value when buying or selling their home. I specialize in up-and-coming neighborhoods because I understand their value.

214-245-5357

JORGE GOLDSMIT

DENISE LARMEU

I listen carefully to my clients to understand what they really value in making their real estate decision. We talk through lots of options, staying flexible to identify the best solution. I work long and hard to locate exactly what my clients need. I provide exceptional customer service, including high-quality marketing of each home.

214-336-6687

DENISELARMEU@EBBY.COM

PETER LOUDIS

For 10 years, I’ve worked with hundreds of clients in professional marketing and sales. Serving in real estate and social organizations plus my neighborhood association gives me deep insight into this community and market. Integrity, hard work, energy and creativity are part of the personal touch I bring to every buyer and seller.

214-215-4269

PETERLOUDIS@EBBY.COM

I chose to work with Ebby Halliday because of the atmosphere of commitment to clients, family and friends. The best part of helping clients is seeing them attain their goal of homeownership or selling their home. My role is to provide the very best service, helping and supporting clients throughout the entire process to a successful closing.

972-978-8986

CJPRINCE@EBBY.COM

ROB SCHRICKEL

I’ve lived in East Dallas since 1993. I love the neighborhood’s sports, lake, dogs, dining and entertainment options. My 25 years in sales and marketing and my real estate experience make me savvy about the sales process from initial marketing strategy and pricing analysis to execution. Most important is building relationships by meeting client needs.

214-801-1795

ROBSCHRICKEL@EBBY.COM

Lakewood is where I call home and I can’t imagine living elsewhere. It’s just special. The best part of helping my clients is seeing their home-buying dreams come true or their selling goals met. I am the one my clients trust to calmly guide and educate them through the overwhelming and sometimes complex homebuying/selling process.

214-536-8786

KIMSINNOTT@EBBY.COM

AHOUSEINDALLAS.COM

MARGOT

STRONG

I’m a trusted partner to my clients from start to finish. With a collaborative approach I ensure the home-buying and selling process is a wonderful, life-changing experience. By providing effective strategy and guidance with timely and pertinent communication I deliver Strong, successful results for every transaction.

214-415-6640

JESSICA WANTZ

OUR EAST DALLAS ROOTS RUN DEEP

As the sales managers of Ebby Halliday offices serving East Dallas, we’re proud to be associated with this dynamic area, its top-notch schools, strong property values and eclectic, diverse neighborhoods. If you’re thinking about buying or selling an East Dallas home, it would be our honor to help find just the right agent for you.

GINGER GILL

PRESTON CENTER

214-725-9036

GINGERGILL@EBBY.COM

RENE BARRERA

LAKEWOOD/LAKE

HIGHLANDS

214-355-3125

RENEBARRERA@EBBY.COM

KEITH NEWMAN

EBBY’S LITTLE WHITE HOUSE

214-210-1533

KEITHNEWMAN@EBBY.COM

60

SPECIAL SECTION PAGE 105

Modern mission

Old meets new in Junius Heights. Shannon Green’s bathroom. (Photo by Jeanine Michna-Bales)

42

It’s history

What’s the story behind the giant “E” on the front of the Hartmanns’ house?

44

Lungs for days

A Lakewood family has been dominating the Woodrow musical for three generations.

46

Pretty in pink

One of the manliest mechanics in town painted his automotive shop pink.

52

100 years of Swiss

There’s a lot to learn about Dallas’ first historic district.

68

Savage education

How one Swiss Avenue family changed the face of special education.

82

Nonprofit nannies

An East Dallas mom fights cancer on the home front.

ON THE COVER: Home decor by Global Views Dallas. (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

April 28 Keith Jenkins

General Manager, Digital and Social Media National Geographic Society

Award-winning producer, photographer and designer, KEITH JENKINS calls upon his experiences at NPR.org, The Washington Post and The Boston Globe in his current role as general manager of National Geographic Digital. Discover the behind-the-scenes strategy that has transformed National Geographic’s website into a truly digital organization and home to the Society’s global community.

Visit utdallas.edu/lectureseries for tickets and more information.

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 present public lectures on topics aimed at exploring the evolving relationships among art, technology, engineering, and behavioral and social sciences.

The Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology building was dedicated on Nov. 7, 2013. The 55,000-square-foot facility is home to the ATEC program and has been described as “one of the most innovative 21st century programs in The University of Texas System.”

“The

128

Year Old Startup: Rebooting National Geographic for the 21st Century”

Dr. Michael McGuiness

Karen Adams PA-C

Dr. Natalie Wright

Presenting your home to the world

Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty

HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY TO US

And many more

Most journalists start our careers hoping to “make a difference” in life.

It sounds kind of dopey when it’s written down, but it’s the truth. This is a job that doesn’t pay as much as many, and it’s a job that doesn’t have clear demarcations of success.

We just write stories, take pictures, sell advertising and design things as well as we can, and we hope you read them in print or online. And here in local journalism, since you’re not paying for our publications, we sell advertising to pay for what we do, and we hope all of that talk about “living local” means you’ll spend money with the neighborhood businesses that support our venture.

Without getting too sappy, all of that is what a few of us were thinking 25 years ago when we spent some cold, dark April nights between midnight and 4 a.m. delivering the first Advocates to homes in our first neighborhood.

We delivered them ourselves because we couldn’t afford to hire anyone, and we delivered them after midnight because we had other full-time jobs and because we weren’t sure how you would feel about waking up and finding a new publication lying in your yard.

Fortunately, most of you liked what you saw in that scruffy, 16-page publication, which was filled with local stories and photos we dug up and wrote ourselves.

This month marks our 25th year and 300th monthly issue, and these days, we’re not personally delivering our magazines anymore, although with that early training, we could do it if we had to. We like to

think our publications today look and read a whole lot better than the originals, thanks entirely to a dedicated group of journalists and designers and salespeople who are far better than we ever were at finding stories you want to read and telling those stories in a way that makes neighbors feel like friends.

We had seven advertisers in that first issue, and we took in just enough money to pay our printing bill. Today, we help several hundred local business people bring their message to you each month, and we know you’re patronizing these businesses because they tell us so.

DISTRIBUTION PH/214.560.4203

ADVERTISING PH/214.560.4203

office administrator: JUDY LILES

214.560.4203 / jliles@advocatemag.com

display sales manager: BRIAN BEAVERS

214.560.4201 / bbeavers@advocatemag.com

senior advertising consultant: AMY DURANT

214.560.4205 / adurant@advocatemag.com

senior advertising consultant: KRISTY GACONNIER

214.264.5887 / kgaconnier@advocatemag.com

advertising consultants

SALLY ACKERMAN

214.560.4202 / sackerman@advocatemag.com

NORA JONES

214.292.0962 / njones@advocatemag.com

FRANK McCLENDON

214.560.4215 / fmcclendon@advocatemag.com

GREG KINNEY

214.292.0485 / gkinney@advocatemag.com

MICHELE PAULDA

214.292.2053 / mpaulda@advocatemag.com

LOUISE GRECO-STEIN

214.292.0494 / lgstein@advocatemag.com

classified manager: PRIO BERGER

214.560.4211 / pberger@advocatemag.com

marketing director: MICHELLE MEALS

214.635.2120 / mmeals@advocatemag.com

digital + social media director: EMILY WILLIAMS

469.916.7864 / ewilliams@advocatemag.com

EDITORIAL

publisher: CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB

It’s hard to sit here today and point to any one thing we’ve done during the past 25 years that achieves our original goal of “making a difference.” Hopefully, we’ve given you an opportunity to become involved in things that you otherwise wouldn’t have known about, and hopefully, we’ve introduced you to a bunch of neighbors and businesses you would never have otherwise met.

Those are small things, to be sure, but since most of us aren’t going to be elected president or win the Mega Millions lottery, it’s these small things in life that most impact our families and our lives anyway.

When 25 years of hyper-local journalism is boiled down to something so simple, it’s a wonder we’re still in business.

But we are, and unlike so many others in journalism these days, we’re growing.

And if you don’t mind, we’re going to just keep doing what we’ve been doing and worry about the final tally some day if we ever run out of stories to tell about neighbors we admire and local businesses we respect.

214.560.4204 / chughes@advocatemag.com

managing editor: EMILY CHARRIER

214.560.4200 / echarrier@advocatemag.com

editor-at-large: KERI MITCHELL

214.292.0487 / kmitchell@advocatemag.com

editors:

RACHEL STONE

214.292.0490 / rstone@advocatemag.com

BRITTANY NUNN

214.635.2122 / bnunn@advocatemag.com

ELIZABETH BARBEE

817.944.3125 / ebarbee@advocatemag.com

senior art director: JYNNETTE NEAL 214.560.4206 / jneal@advocatemag.com

designer: EMILY WILLIAMS 469.916.7864 / ewilliams@advocatemag.com

art director: CASEY BARKER

214.292.0493 / cbarkerl@advocatemag.com

designers: LARRY OLIVER, KRIS SCOTT

contributing editors: SALLY WAMRE

contributors: SAM GILLESPIE, ANGELA HUNT, LAUREN LAW, GEORGE MASON, KRISTEN MASSAD, BRENT McDOUGAL

photo editor: DANNY FULGENCIO

214.635.2121 / danny@advocatemag.com

contributing photographers: RASY RAN, KATHY TRAN

necessarily reflect the publisher’s viewpoint. More than 200,000 people read Advocate publications each month. Advertising rates and guidelines are available upon request. Advocate publications are available free of charge throughout our neighborhoods, one copy per reader. Advocate was founded in 1991 by Jeff Siegel, Tom Zielinski and Rick Wamre.

It’s these small things in life that most impact our families and our lives anyway.

Anne & Terry Conner

Christie & John Davis

Jackie & Gary Griffith

Maria & Michael Hasbany

Mary & Mike Poss

Stacy & Jason Stabenow

Vickie & John Thompson

Becky Daniel

Kate and Jon Kettles

Chris Prestridge

Vince Murchison

Richard Vitale

Susan Schuerger

Alise Cortez

Jose & Marissa Fontanez

Curt McLaughlin

Cheryl & Blake Murray

MaryBeth & Gordaon Shapiro

Dave Neumann

Michael & Carmen McCabe

Ben & Mary Alice Riemer

Jennifer Houston Scripps

Everett & Emily Ledet

Kevin Curley

Ryan Davenport

Holly Kuzmich

Chris & Val Lanzillotta

Karrie & Michael Miller

Clay Rudsenske, M.D.

Marian & Rob Richmond

“Dustin Marshall is the only candidate that has had the boots-on-the-ground, hands-on experience to hit the ground running as our Trustee. He has a deep understanding of public education challenges and has worked on impactful solutions like Reading Partners. Please join me in voting for Dustin.”

- Maria Hasbany

“I support Dustin Marshall because of his dedication and drive to make our schools a better place for our children and teachers. He understands the challenges and needs within our district, and I am confident he will be a tireless advocate for positive, long-lasting change. I urge you to join me in supporting Dustin on election day.”

- Chris Prestridge

Endorsed by

Hon. Mike Rawlings

Hon. Morgan Meyer

Hon. Jennifer Gates

Hon. Ken Sheets

Hon. Margaret Spellings

Hon. Jack Lowe Hon. Tincy Miller

Hon. Ron Kirk Hon. Gary Griffith

WHAT YOU’RE MISSING

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE VAULT ...

“Is this where you take us to kill us?”

DUSTIN MARSHALL

“What if this were a cool club? Oak Lawn has The Library; Lakewood could have The Vault.”

SUZANNE SMITH

“This is intimidating. There are three of you and one of me, so ...”

CARLOS MARROQUIN

“Where’s the fern?”

MITA HAVLICK

These comments came from the candidates running for the District 2 seat on the Dallas ISD school board as they entered our studio — an erstwhile bank vault in the basement of Lakewood Towers on Gaston at Abrams. The fern (for those of you who remember our last video series) didn’t survive the previous election season so we traded fragile flora for indestructible metal this time around.

What school do candidates think is the best-kept secret in the district? What items would they choose from the Dallas ISD school lunch menu? And did they kiss their prom dates? Learn all this and more from our 2016 election video series, “In the vault.”

Visit lakewood.advocatemag.com/vote2016 to watch and to stay up to date on the latest news leading up to the May 7 school board election.

Mita HavlickCarlos MarroquinSuzanne SmithDustin Marshall

LAKEWOOD 2616 PASADENA PLACE

$545,000 | 3 Bed | 2 Bath | 1,921 Sq.Ft.

Lakewood Elementary | 62 x 180 Lot Susan Bradley | 214.674.5518 susan.bradley@alliebeth.com

EAST DALLAS 5826 LLANO AVENUE 4 Bed | 3 Bath | 3209 Sq.Ft Offered for $745,500

VICTORIA WIMAN 214.770.0695

victoria.wiman@alliebeth.com PENDING PENDING

CARUTH TERRACE 6326 WOODCREST LANE

$495,000 | 3 Bed | 2 Bath 1,841 Sq.Ft. | 2-Car Garage Victoria Wiman | 214.770.0695 victoria.wiman@alliebeth.com

LOCHWOOD 10876 CAPROCK CIRCLE

$445,000 | 3 Bed | 2.1 Bath 2 Living Areas | Almost 0.33 Acre Tim Schutze | 214.507.6699 tim.schutze@alliebeth.com

LAKEWOOD 6138 MONTICELLO AVENUE

$439,000 | 3 Bed | 2 Bath | 1,454 Sq.Ft

Gina Howell | 214.794.8001 gina.howell@alliebeth.com

MUNGER PLACE 5207 VICTOR STREET

$389,900 | 3 Bed | 2 Bath | 1,906 Sq.Ft. Marsue Williams | 214.762.2108 marsue.williams@alliebeth.com

214.521.7355 | alliebeth.com

JUNIUS HEIGHTS 5937 WORTH STREET

$365,000 | Duplex – Each Unit 2 Bed | 1 Bath | 1-Car On Each Side Pam Dyer | 214.906.9685 pam.dyer@alliebeth.com

Only in Lakewood

After 2.63 inches of rainfall (at press time), the spillway at White Rock Lake became a white water feature. While 2016’s totals are still in the works, it bares noting that 2015 was the wettest year in recorded Dallas history. (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

APRIL 30TH – MAY 1ST, 2015 NOON TO 5PM

PRESENTED BY BRIGGS FREEMAN SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY

FRIDAY, 4/29

Candlelight Tour, 6 – 7pm Auction Party at the Dallas Arboretum, 7:30 – 11pm

SATURDAY & SUNDAY, 4/30 – 5/1

Home Tour, 12 – 5pm

HOME TOUR TICKETS $15

Available starting 4/1 at Curiosities or on Home Tour weekend at the Tour homes or at Lindsley Park

SUNDAY, MAY 1ST 12 – 5pm at Lindsley Park •

Artists, Artisans, Culinary & Gift Craftspeople

Food & Dessert Trucks

Children’s Activities & Entertainment

Local Musical Talent

www.facebook.com/ hollywoodartinthepark

PROCEEDS BENEFIT LOCAL SCHOOLS & NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVES

Launch

community | events | food

If these walls could talk

It’s hard to miss the elaborate letter “E” that adorns the front of Clay and Amber Hartmann’s home at the corner of Gaston and Pearson.

The house is a Dines and Kraft built in 1923, and when the Hartmanns moved in they wondered about the letter and its backstory. Not long after, they found a note on the front door from Michael Estep, the grandson of the original owner. He encouraged the Hartmanns to call him if they wanted to learn more about the history of the house. They jumped at the chance.

Michael told them that his grandfather, R. J. Estep, was a bridge builder for the City of Dallas in the 1920s. He built bridges all over the Dallas area, particularly downtown and Turtle Creek.

Unfortunately R.J. didn’t get the chance to live in the house for long. When the Great Depression hit, the City of Dallas filed for bankruptcy and R. J. lost the house due to non-payment. He died not long after. However, he left his mark with the “E” crest on the front of the house.

The Hartmanns later found the original documents in a drawer, which confirmed what Michael had told them. It also included a newspaper clipping with a picture of the original home.

Although the last owner did some major updates on the interior of the house, and the Hartmanns added an attic addition, they still feel like R. J. is a part of the home.

“We feel like we’re really just caretakers in [Estep’s] house,” Clay points out.

“We want to have a Great Gatsby party when the house turns 100 years old,” Amber adds.

— Brittany Nunn

Opposite Page: The “E” on the front of the Hartmanns’ house stands for Estep, the name of the home’s first owner. Right: A picture of the house when it was first built in 1923. (Photos by Rasy Ran)

The family that sings together…

Outside of their bloodline, Ashley Watson, her mom Kathy Tallis Watson and grandmother Joan Tallis all have something in common: the annual musical at Woodrow Wilson High School.

Ashley is a senior in Woodrow’s International Baccalaureate program, and this year she was chosen to play Christine, the lead in “Phantom of the Opera.”

Ashley was also selected for the title role in “Annie” last year, a surprise to her and her whole family because she was only a junior at the time. Typically only seniors are chosen as lead roles.

Maybe it had something to do with the good luck charm her mom gave her?

Before the audition for “Annie,” Kathy gave Ashley a necklace that Joan had given her when she auditioned for the lead in “Guys and Dolls” when she was a senior at Woodrow. And guess what? Kathy also got the lead part.

But more likely than not, it has to do with a certain family trait that has been passed down through the generations: a powerful singing voice.

That’s when they call in their secret weapon: Joan.

Although 86-year-old East Dallas neighbor Joan was never a star in the Woodrow musical herself, she taught many of the students who were.

She has been a voice teacher in East Dallas since the ‘70s, and if you’ve been around the Woodrow musical for long, chances are you’ve heard of her.

“Whenever I’m at the school and tell people, ‘My mom is Joan Tallis,’ they’ll say, ‘Oh my son took lessons from her’ or ‘Oh my friend took lessons from her,’” Kathy says.

“Not only did she help so many leads and supporting roles, but she helped with the auditions as well.”

And that isn’t even the end of the family’s involvement in the musical. Kathy has served as both the co-chair and chair of the Woodrow musical board.

“It’s quite a production,” Kathy says. “The most unique thing about it is that it’s such an important part of our community.”

— Brittany Nunn

WHAT: Woodrow’s spring musical, “The Phantom of the Opera”

WHEN: April 21-April 24

WHERE: 100 S. Glasgow in the school’s auditorium

TICKETS: $15 in advance, $18 at the door

FOR MORE INFO visit woodrowwildcats.org

2015 TOP PRODUCERS

TOP INDIVIDUAL PRODUCERS

Joan Tallis, Kathy Tallis Watson and Ashley Watson.

(Photo by Rasy Ran)

Kim Nikolis Jorge Goldsmit Alison O’Halloran Mike Bryant Edwina Dye

George Haynes

Jan Stell

Kim Sinnott

Peter Loudis

Rene Barrera

TOP INDIVIDUAL PRODUCER

Dennis Hammett Ronda & David Hardt The Hardt Group

TOP GROUP PRODUCER

Chris Gonzales

Pam Dybvad & Dick Phelps Dybvad Phelps Group

P Elizabeth & Doug Selzer The Selzer Group

TOP GROUP PRODUCERS

6441 E MOCKINGBIRD LANE DALLAS, TEXAS 75214

Mark Loving. (Photo by Rasy Ran)

Why not pink?

Nobody had an opinion about what color Mark Loving should paint his automotive shop until he painted it pink.

“Everyone was like, ‘Why’d you paint it pink?’” he recalls. “I just said, ‘Well, why not?’ ”

The truth is White Rock Automotive Garage on Garland was already pink. His grandmother, Ruby Loving, painted it pink decades ago when the shop belonged to Mark’s grandfather, Thomas Earl Loving, Sr. Today it belongs to Mark’s father, Thomas Earl Loving, Jr. The building had faded to almost white, but Mark found a chip of paint that hadn’t seen sunlight, took it to a paint shop and found a color to match.

Some people complained about the paint, but Mark just shrugs.

“I asked them what color I should paint it,” he points out. “They just said, ‘Well I don’t know.’ It’s like asking your wife what she wants for dinner.”

Ruby’s favorite color was pink, and if it was good enough for Mark’s grandmother, it’s good enough for Mark.

“She was quite a woman,” he points out. “She was a pretty strong-willed individual.”

The color of the automotive shop wasn’t the only influence Ruby had on the neighborhood, Mark says. His grandparents built the Spanish style, two-story house on Buckner between Redondo and Hermosa in the ‘30s.

Mark remembers seeing an old black and white picture of the house when it was first built (he tried to find it for this story but couldn’t), and at the time there was nothing around it — no other houses, no buildings or even trees, just land.

Casa Linda Plaza, which first opened right after WWII, took its name from that same Spanish Revival style architecture.

Mark says his grandparents owned a shop in Casa Linda called Mr. and Mrs. Gifts. His family still owns the property where the old Loving Oil & Gas building sits on Garland. — Brittany Nunn

“I have serious anxiety about dental work. I almost cancelled and rescheduled. Dr. Slate was very professional and understanding of my fear. She made me comfortable and checked in with me to make sure I was doing okay during my procedure. I would highly recommend Dr.

Tarrant

Kathy Fielder. (Photo by Rasy Ran)

Designing women

You’ll want to go to bed with East Dallas designer Kathy Fielder, but get your mind out of the gutter.

After 10 years as a designer, Fielder had a serendipitous and unrelated meeting with officials at Neiman Marcus, during which she was asked to design eight to 10 complete bedding collections for the locally launched luxury department store. They gave her two months.

“I said, ‘Maybe. I can try,’” Fielder remembers with a laugh. “Eight weeks isn’t a long time to order, produce and all that, but I did, and Neiman’s picked it up. It went really fast and really big with them. It was seven-figures of revenue in 18 months. It was insane.”

She called it the Isabella Collection, after her daughter. Once Neiman’s picked it up, the floodgates opened. She had thousands of orders, and then came the hard part — how to fulfill them all with her small crew of women. She jokes that she “accidentally became a manufacturer.” That was 10 years ago.

“When you have a brand like that ... you can pretty much do anything,” she says.

Since starting at the top, she has been working her way down. She still produces multiple collections for Neiman Marcus every season, but she also creates collections for Rue La La, One Kings Lane, and Gilt, “for people who maybe can’t afford Neimans,” she says.

She does it all from her studio on the corner of Greenville and Oram. It’s deceptively large. The front looks like a typical showroom, but there’s a giant work area in the back where the magic happens.

“It’s amazing the things we make, the sheer amount of product,” she says. “It’s everything from very ruched and tasseled to totally streamlined, just something everyday living that you could find at Pottery Barn. All of that is made right here.”

She employs dozens of women. Even Fielder’s mom works for her as a pattern maker. Last year Fielder began working with African refugees, who are a part of a group called

the Ahadi Collective, a co-op that works out of White Rock United Methodist Church in East Dallas.

The co-op was started by the Missional Wisdom Foundation to create a sustainable business using their creative skills. Fielder employs a couple of the women once a week at her studio.

“So they’re making stuff for us, and then we’ll tweak it and teach them how to get it up to the quality that we need for our retailers,” she says.

“One of the women spent five years with her husband in a refugee camp, but now they’re here and learning this trade. My mom is working with them so we can use them as a source for our sewing. We’re all women here. Empowering women is important.”

— Brittany Nunn CATCH UP with Kathy Fielder on her lifestyle blog, kathyfielder.com, where she offers design tips. Catch her on WFAA’s “The Fielder Report” at 11 a.m. on the third Sunday of every month. Her studio is at 2000 Greenville.

Launch COMMUNITY

Centennial 16 of Swiss Avenue

One hundred years ago housing on Swiss Avenue boomed.

When Robert S. Munger, a cotton-gin manufacturer and real-estate developer from an influential Dallas family, first founded the avenue at the turn of the century, there was nothing but farmland. But Munger had a vision, and Swiss soon became the first paved street in Dallas.

Houses were slowly added to the avenue each year, until 1916 when an impressive 16 houses were built. Decades later, in 1973, Swiss Avenue was designated as Dallas’ first historic district, thus perserving the neighborhood. Today, those 16 houses are celebrating 100 years — and they’re as grand as ever.

Dallas loves Swiss Avenue. People from all over the metroplex flock to it every Mother’s Day to peek inside its elegant homes and learn about their history.

Suzanne Palmlund, the founder of the Swiss Avenue Women’s Guild, which marks its 20th anniversary this year, has spent countless hours researching the history of Swiss and compiling her findings onto the website, historicswissavenue.com.

On the sidebar, under the Historic Swiss Avenue heading, the “homes” tab takes users to an interactive map of the street, including a detailed description of each house. The home’s profile includes everything from architectural details to historical factoids.

Palmlund, whose house is among the 16 turning 100 this year, even created an audio tour for 40 of the street’s homes with the richest history, so neighbors can listen while they drive or walk through the block.

Although history buffs be warned: “You start clicking around the website and it can be very addicting,” Palmlund says. — Brittany Nunn

(Photo by Rasy Ran)

THE STORE IN LAKE HIGHLANDS

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Out & About

April 2016

CITY VIEW ANTIQUE MALL

SAVE THE DATE! Spring Sale Starts April 27. FLEA MARKET SAT, APRIL 30, 9-5, One day only, Tented, Rain or Shine! Sales 20-50% Off. 6830 Walling Ln. (Skillman/Abrams) 214.752.3071 cityviewantiques.com

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April 23-24

White Rock Home Tour

You have an entire weekend to peruse the modern homes featured on this annual tour, scheduled April 23 and April 24 from noon to 5 p.m. As always, ticket sales benefit Hexter Elementary School. Various locations, whiterockhometour.org, $15 in advance or $20 at the door.

THROUGH APRIL 30

“Silent Witness”

Kathleen Wilke’s photographs of White Rock Lake are on display at the Bath House Cultural Center until April 30. You’ll recognize the scenery, but not the perspective.

Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther, 214.670.8749, bathhousecultural.com, free

APRIL 8-9

“Fly Babies”

Wingspan Theatre Company hosts staged readings of Rusty Harding’s new play, “Fly Babies” on April 8 and 9 at 7:30 p.m. The script focuses on the lives of four young Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) during World War II.

The Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther, wingspantheatre.com, 214.675.6573, $10

APRIL 12

Brown bag it

The Dallas Historical Society invites you to bring a brown bag lunch and learn about Texas artist Jerry Bywaters. Lakewood Trails resident Sam Ratcliffe will lead the discussion.

Hall of State in Fair Park, 3939 Grand, dallashistory.org, 214.421.4500, free

APRIL 14-24

Dallas International Film Festival

The Dallas International Film Festival kicks off April 14. Many of the screenings will take place at the Angelika in Mockingbird Station. Try to catch the Centerpiece Gala selection, “Other People” by director Chris Kelly. It’s about a failing comedy writer named David who struggles to make peace with his conservative upbringing after going through a terrible breakup.

Angelika Film Center, 5321 E. Mockingbird, dallasfilm.org, 214.720.0555, passes start at $150

8321 San Fernando Way

APRIL 15-MAY 1

“Balloonacy”

This play might not have words, but it has plenty of action. Follow the adventures of an elderly man and his red balloon at the Dallas Children’s Theater. Audience participation is strongly encouraged.

Dallas Children’s Theater, 5938 Skillman, 214.740.0051, dct.org, $14

APRIL 16

On the market

The Bishop Lynch drill team will raise funds between 9 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. at this market featuring a smorgasbord of items from local vendors. Raffle drawings will be held throughout the day.

Bishop Lynch High School, 9750 Ferguson, bishoplynch.org, 214. 324.3607, free

APRIL 23

Carnival

Enjoy rides, games, food and beverages at this annual carnival, benefitting Lakewood Elementary. Arrive at 2:00 p.m. and stay until 6 p.m. Lakewood Elementary School, 3000 Hillbrook, lakewoodelementary.net, 972.749.7300, $20 in advance or $25 at the door

APRIL 29-MAY 22

“The BFG”

Dallas Children’s Theater brings Roald Dahl’s novel “The BFG” (Big Friendly Giant) to life this month. Though he looks scary, this giant has a heart of gold and hopes to give his kind a better rap. Dallas Children’s Theater, 5938 Skillman, 214.740.0051, dct.org, $22-26

Hollywood Heights Home Tour

This tour of historic homes in the Hollywood Heights neighborhood has something for everyone, including a 1929 Tudor and a 1912 prairie style abode. The candlelight tour begins April 29 at 6 p.m. and is immediately followed by a live auction with food and drinks. The regular tour takes place April 30 and May 1 between noon and 5:00 p.m. Also on May 1 is the related Hollywood Art in the Park event which features goods by local craftspeople and live music in Lindsley Park. Various locations, hsmna.wildapricot.org, 214.712.0222, $15 for home tour tickets, $65-$75 for auction party tickets

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Delicious

There’snothing quite like Lakewood Smokehouse, the newest restaurant to open in Lakewood Shopping Center, in the neighborhood. There’s Pecan Lodge in Deep Ellum, and Oasis Smokehouse once told us they hope to open a smokehouse at Lakeland and Garland, but until Lakewood Smokehouse opened in January, the Lakewood area was painfully devoid of barbecue. That’s the main reason why John Hall, John Pantenburg and Mike Mullen opened it.

“For the love of barbecue and the love of the neighborhood,” Hall explains. “We thought the area needed it.”

It’s not a complicated concept; the trio isn’t trying to reinvent Texas barbecue — but they are trying to do it right. They describe it as “upscale barbecue,” although don’t think that means your kids aren’t welcome. It’s still a barbecue joint, after all, and they have a $5 kids menu. What that means is that everything on the menu has been meticulously prepared, from the popular sliced brisket and ribs right down to the cheesy corn bake and hand-breaded fried okra. “We cook for the day every day,” Hall says. “We don’t serve yesterday’s meats. We cook ribs throughout the day. All our meats are smoked fresh.”

Of course that means they run out of meat by the end of the night, so you might not get ribs if you wander in after 9 p.m. “That’s just part of the business,” Hall explains, and Pantenburg adds: “That’s hard for a lot of people to understand.” —

Brittany Nunn

LAKEWOOD SMOKEHOUSE

1901 Abrams

972.677.7906

lakewoodsmokehouse.com

ATMOSPHERE: CASUAL

PRICE RANGE: $5-$29

HOURS:

MON-THU: 11 A.M.-9:30 P.M.

FRI-SAT: 11 A.M.-10:30 P.M.

SUN: 11 A.M.-9:30 P.M.

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HALL, PANTENBURG AND MULLEN ARE ALSO THE FOLKS BEHIND 3 STACKS SMOKE & TAP HOUSE IN FRISCO.

Rack of ribs. (Photo by Rasy Ran)

Blind Butcher

Although the name gives Blind Butcher a kind of “I just woke up like this” vibe, there’s nothing unintentional about the way Blind Butcher prepares its meat.

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One90 Smoked Meats

You’ll smell One90 Smoked Meats from the parking lot. Most people grab a slab of of their small-batch craft meats to go, but they also offer a variety of sandwiches that can be eaten on the premise.

Hibiscus

It’s pricey, but it’s worth it. There’s a reason why Hibiscus has earned a reputation as one of the best places in Dallas for steak and seafood.

2927 Henderson 214.827.2927

Another Broken Egg Cafe

It’s

One90 Smoked Meats

Offering bbq combo plates, sandwiches, tacos, sides, desserts & a wide variety of locally smoked meats, including Brisket, Bison, Turkey, Chicken, Pork, Salmon, Duck, Lamb & Tenderloins.

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• Rustic Italian Cuisine

• 16-Seat Full Bar / New Wine List!

• Mondays: 50% off glasses of house wine & $3-off pizza 12”or larger

Pizza, beer, and the O’s perform! Benefitting the Exchange Club of East Dallas and area schools.

The road to good health begins with excellence

Abdominal Pain

Back Injury

Breathing Problems

Chest Pain

Dehydration

Dizziness

Eye Injuries

Head Injuries

Major Burns

Stroke Like Symptoms

Allergies

Allergic Reactions

Bites

Colds and Coughs

Cuts

Earaches

Fevers

Flu

Sore Throat

Rashes

TASTE OF SPRING: LEMON-LIME GRANITA

Nothing is more refreshing on a warm April day than a frozen treat. Citrus granita is a semi frozen dessert made with water, sugar and the citrus juice of your choice to create a shaved ice that will cool you off throughout the warm months.

www.ExcellenceER.com

Lemon-lime granita

Serves 6

GROCERY LIST

3 cups water

1 cup sugar

6 mint leaves

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup lime juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon lime zest

1. In a small saucepan combine water, sugar and mint leaves.

2. Cook the simple syrup until sugar is dissolved and comes to a slight boil.

3. Turn the heat off and allow the simple

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syrup to cool, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.

4. Once the simple syrup is chilled, remove mint leaves and stir in lemon juice, lime juice and zest, and pour into a 9-by-13 baking dish.

5. Place in the freezer for an hour and using a fork, stir up the mixture to create shaved ice.

6. Continue to freeze mixture and shave the ice every 30 minutes until fully frozen.

7. Once you are ready to serve, shave the ice with a fork into the bowl of your choice and garnish with fresh mint.

8. Enjoy!

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.

MEETS

MISSION MODERN in

Junius Heights

STORY Brittany Nunn • PHOTOGRAPHY Jeanine Michna-Bales

Shannon Green, an interior designer, splurged on her kicthen when she remodeled her Junius Heights house. Green operates her business from home, so she uses it to showcase companies she typically recommends to clients.

MISSION MEETS MODERN

Green fell in love with the mission-style architecture, and she drew the floor plans for the remodel herself. Because Green’s home is located in a historic district, she wasn’t allowed to move or remove certain exterior walls and windows, but she took the entire interior down to the studs. “That was one of the biggest architectural challenges,” she says.

W

hile house hunting in East Dallas, the first thing Shannon Green noticed when she opened the front door of the Junius Heights home was the smell.

“It reeked so bad. It was disgusting,” Green remembers. “I had the door open for like 30 seconds. I didn’t even want to walk inside.”

As an interior designer, Green was looking for a fixer-upper, but she quickly determined the house was more work than she wanted — until she couldn’t get it out of her head.

“I kept thinking about it,” she says. “So I went back and walked through it, saw how bad it was and I thought, ‘OK, I really think I can make this place work.’ ”

It wasn’t until the closing that she learned Junius Heights is a historic district with strict codes about what renovations homeowners can and can’t make. She hesitated.

MISSION MEETS MODERN

Green describes her personal style as eclectic with an overall modern feel. Throughout the house, she mixes vintage pieces, many of which she received from her grandparents, with new items. Her office is her “main hub” and features an elaborate chandelier from California she says she bought at market for thousands less than it is worth.

“I did projects like that in school and I always said, ‘never again,’ ” she explains. But she signed her name anyway, realizing the headache that might come.

She pushed her doubts aside because she loved the mission style architecture, which is the only house of its kind in Junius Heights. There was just something about it. But the house was in shambles, on top of having a nonsensical layout.

“Rooms were open to rooms were open to closets were open to rooms,” she recalls. “The floor plan didn’t make any sense.”

The historic district allowed her to tear down any inside walls, but she wasn’t permitted to tear down some of the outside walls or move windows that faced the street.

“That was one of the biggest architectural challenges,” she points out. “There were times when I drew up floor plans and then realized, ‘Well, I can’t do that because that puts that wall right in the middle of that window and I can’t move the windows.”

On the upside, that means her windows are all 100-percent original. Some still contain the original glass panes, their slight wave pattern a telltale sign that someone made them by hand. Green drew up all the architectural plans herself, and despite having to work around the window placement, she tore down almost every interior wall, which wasn’t always well received by her neighbors.

“Lots of people in the neighborhood thought I was taking down more than what I had approval to do, so I had several times when construction was stopped,” she says.

She had to patch the stucco on the outside, but she left the chipping paint on the cast stone frame around the front door, which gives the home a shabby-chic look. At night a flame flickers from the custom-made gaslight that was inspired by the original lantern that hung beside the door. The trim around the windows, once a drab green, was painted a modern charcoal grey.

The foundation proved to be a major hurdle. She was told that in order to repair it, she’d have to knock down a large chunk of the backend of the house that blocked access to the broken foundation.

“It was literally the first thing I had to do, so immediately there went my budget,” she says.

She decided if she was going to completely take the house down to the studs, then she should rebuild it right. One of the things she loved most about the house was the courtyard in the center, although it originally had very small doors and windows and permitted only small amounts of sunlight. She added larger windows and built a new wood deck to cover the crumbling concrete.

MISSION MEETS MODERN

“I love the indoor-outdoor space,” she says. “It lets so much more light into the kitchen and the hallway. I really wanted to maximize that since the house is a U-shape. Even though it’s not an open floor plan, it feels like it is.”

She added about 1,000 square feet to the back of the house, turned the backyard guest house into a garage and added extra storage space.

Attached to the garage, she added a room for her red Labrador, Tabasco, complete with a couch and a shower.

“He, like many Labs, likes to chew things when I’m not home,” she says, explaining that

the room acts as his very plush crate.

Like most homeowners, she spent the big bucks in the kitchen. Her cabinets are made in Brazil, a product she often recommends to her clients.

“This is my home but I also operate my business out of here, so I really wanted to showcase some of the companies I work with so people could touch and see,” she explains.

She was thriftier in the rest of the house. She furnished the home in her personal style, which is “eclectic, but overall it still feels very modern,” she says.

She borrowed some vintage finds from her

grandparents and combined them with new items. In the guest bedroom, she used her grandmother’s old chest and a table that was once in the lobby of a hotel her great-grandparents owned. In the corner is a tall music box from 1894, and her shelves are adorned with pottery from her grandparents’ time in Alaska.

Her home is a testament to her skills as an interior designer. In the office — which is her “main hub,” she says — she turned what was once giant porch arches into big, wide windows, which make the room’s elaborate chandelier sparkle.

“I got it at market. It’s from California but

because it’s made of glass they didn’t want to take it back,” she says. “So it’s a $4,700 fixture, but I got it for $500. I have a lot of things in this house that are total steals.”

In the master bathroom she knew she wanted a vanity with two sinks and a separate water closet, but it’s the shower-bathtub combo that’s truly striking. In order to maximize the space, she put both the bathtub and the shower behind a glass wall to create a “wet area.”

“If I didn’t have my design background I wouldn’t even know to layout a space like this,” she says, “although another designer might not have come up with this layout.”

Based on its charming exterior, guests at Green’s home are often surprised by its expansive interior.

“I like that,” she says. “From the street it looks very unassuming, which is what I wanted.”

Ultimately, everything in the home is just what she wanted. While wrestling with the Landmark Commission to get her renovations approved was a major headache at times, as predicted, she was equally committed to preserving the home’s integrity. It was a messy process, but in the end she and the Landmark Commission found common ground.

“They couldn’t believe what it looks like now compared to the condition it was in before,” she says, adding that it was worth the myriad headaches. “I don’t know if I’ll ever move from this house. It has my thumbprints in every corner. It’s exactly what I wanted.”

Left: A beautiful table that was once in the lobby of her great-grandparents’ hotel, now adorns her guest bedroom.

Right: A two-way fireplace connects her living room with her courtyard. The courtyard is one of her favorite elements of the house.

Putting a special touch on education

How Dorothy and Wallace Savage innovated school options for the disabled

Story by Emily Charrier | Photos by Rasy Ran

A dream Dorothy Savage often spoke of, in which she arduously climbed a mountain, could easily have be used as a metaphor for the pursuit of special education.

“As soon as she’d get to the top, there’d be another mountain to climb,” says her eldest daughter, Virginia Savage McAlester, seated in the bright sunroom of the family’s historic Swiss Avenue home. “She

always felt it was god speaking to her, telling her there will always be more obstacles to overcome in life, but you have to just keep going.”

Dorothy Savage wasn’t a woman who saw problems; she saw questions in need of answers. When the historic homes in her beloved neighborhood were getting torn down, she took a stand to slow the unwanted wave of change by launching

Preservation Dallas, which created the Swiss Avenue Historic District.

So when her daughter, who was born deaf, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Dorothy Savage grew hyper-vigilant about helping her youngest navigate the world with disabilities. Named for her mother, Dorothy “Dotsy” Savage was born in 1946, well before the Education For All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 and a genera-

tion before the modern standards of the 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. At the time, Dallas did have a school for the deaf, but it was not the right fit for Dotsy, whose cerebral palsy added an extra level of disability.

Across the nation in that era, little emphasis was put on students like Dotsy, whose mental faculties were sharp, but who struggled with movement and communication. Without a suitable option for their daughter’s education, Dorothy and Wallace Savage decided to create one. McAlester is quick to point out that the

happen,” McAlester says, adding that, for her mother, the school was about much more than educating Dotsy. “She really wanted to help other mothers, other families who had children with disabilities.”

Like Dorothy, Wallace Savage was a man who knew how to get things done. He was part of the very first graduating class at Woodrow Wilson High School, and spent most of his years in East Dallas, including his time as mayor from 194850, during which he oversaw the opening of the Central Expressway.

school was a joint project of her parents, which it certainly was, but upon its dedication for the 1965-66 school year, even Wallace Savage gave most of the credit to his wife, who was the driving heartbeat behind the effort.

“She just had a way of making things

Wallace went about securing financing and a location for the new school, while Dorothy searched for faculty equipped to handle this unique set of students. The school opened as Plano Academy for the Achievement of Human Potential in an old storefront on Pearl Street in conjunction with the short-lived University of Plano. It was 1965, the same year The Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders opened at Texas Scot-

“She just had a way of making things happen ... She really wanted to help other mothers, other families who had children with disabilities.”

Above, the modern Dallas Academy that sits on Tiffany Way. Below, the campus as it existed in the 1980s. (Photos courtesy of Dallas Academy)

tish Rite Hospital for Children. Learning disabilities were just becoming widely understood, but very few teachers had been trained in how to instruct students who have drastically different learning abilities.

The school opened with 40 students grades seven through 12, including Dotsy, who ranged in age and ability. As word spread about the specialized education program that offered all of the perks of regular high school, from sweetheart dances to chess club, families from across the globe sought admission. Early yearbooks at the school, which was renamed Dallas Academy shortly after it opened, included students’ hometowns ranging from New York to Oregon and Canada to Saudi Arabia.

McAlester, who was fresh from college and newly married, remembers having a handful of students live with her during the early years, before the school moved to a larger location with a boarding house. “I would make sure they did their homework and made their meals and just kept an eye on them,” she says.

While the school attracted families from across the globe, it had no problem drawing students from Dallas. Although it

was always a private school, Dallas Academy began receiving state funds after public schools asked to transfer their disabled students to the specially equipped academy. That funding disappeared in 1975 with the federal Education For All Handicapped Children Act, which required all public schools to offer special education.

“[Public schools] weren’t equipped to handle it, but suddenly they had to do it,” says Jim Richardson, who has been the headmaster of Dallas Academy since 1983, after a few years working in special education with the Dallas Independent School District.

All of Dallas Academy’s students who were funded by the state were suddenly moved back to public school, leaving a void in the student body.

It was time for a new era at the school, which began with a new vision.

Since public schools had to become “jack of all trade” facilities for students with a wide range of needs, Dallas Academy decided to focus on high-functioning students with learning disabilities — students who likely would fall through the cracks in conventional curriculum. Instead, they would offer customized cur-

Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development

This CAD course provides students with a broad introduction into 2-dimensional computer aided design.

A family photo of Dorothy and Wallace Savage with beloved daughter, Dotsy, the inspiration behind Dallas Academy. (Photo courtesy of the Savage/McAlester family)

riculum that catered to each student’s specific need, a tenant that remains in place today.

With a new vision for the school’s mission, a new location was next in line. In 1977 Will Caruth (who leased the land that would house NorthPark Center to Ray Nasher) helped the school secure its current site on Tiffany Way, where the old St. John’s Episcopal Church stood.

Caruth was not the only big name to come out and support the school. Known as the “grandfather of Lakewood,” E.C. “Doc” Harrell and his wife lost their only child in WWII and became the de facto

“Public schools weren’t equipped to handle [special education], but suddenly they had to do it.”

grandparents for an entire neighborhood, their corner drug store was the sun around which the youth rotated.

“Every kid’s idea of a great Saturday was to go to [Harrell’s] pharmacy to look at the new comics and have a milkshake, then maybe go see a matinee at the Lakewood Theater,” McAlester recalls. Richardson said he was shocked when the Harrells left one-quarter of their entire estate to Dallas Academy, which helped the school expand its facilities.

More recently, Dallasite John Albers, former CEO of the Dr. Pepper/Seven-Up companies, donated $1 million to help the unique school add its gym.

Like the Savages before him, Richardson believes in the importance of offering students a full fleet of extra-curricular activities. “If you were a cheerleader at Lake Highlands High, you can be a cheerleader here. We want them to have all the same opportunities,” he says.

Those opportunities come at a price. While the school’s success rate cannot be debated — last year 100 percent of students went on to college — it’s annual tu-

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Jim Richardson has been headmaster of Dallas Academy

more than three decades.

ition ranges from $14,000 at the elementary level to $20,000 for high school. “We’ve always operated like a business,” Richardson says.

But the transformation some families experience can’t be understated. “We see families in crisis,” Richardson says, explaining that kids often get depressed when they can’t succeed in public school despite their best efforts. “We get kids who are on Zoloft and their parents are so upset. The kids get here and with in a month, they are happy.”

Special education is exponentially better understood than it was 50 years ago when Dallas Academy first opened.

Cutting edge teaching methods now ensure students can learn in a way that works for them, and students learn how to advocate for their own academic success.

As for Dotsy, she still lives with her sister on Swiss Avenue, although a stroke has further limited her mobility, making it difficult to get around on her neighborhood walks.

McAlester says she’s still learning the full impact of her parents’ passion project. On a recent winter day, a former classmate of Dotsy’s showed up out of the blue and rang the doorbell. With tears in his eyes, he gushed to McAlester about how her parents’ efforts ensured him a successful future as a contractor.

“He couldn’t read when he got [to school], he was in the fifth-grade,” she says. “He felt like such an outcast before, he said the academy changed his life.”

“We get kids who are on Zoloft and their parents are so upset. But kids get here and within a month, they’re happy.”

Jess Wagstrom. (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

n trepreneurs tAND

invent rs

Story by Brittany Nunn

Jess Hoops

WHAT? High-quality hula hoops

WHERE? Etsy.com/shop/JessHoops & YouTube: search “Jess Wagstrom”

HOW MUCH? $35-$45

If you’ve never heard the word “badass” used to describe hula hooping, then you’ve never talked to East Dallas neighbor Jess Wagstrom.

It has probably been years or even decades since the vast majority of neighbors have twirled a shiny plastic hoop around their hips — if they were ever able to at all. But Wagstrom, also known as “Jess Hoops,” says hula hooping isn’t just for little kids anymore, thanks in large part to the Internet.

“When most people think of hula hooping, they think of using it on the waist and little kids,” Wagstrom says. “Hoop dance is more of a full-body thing. You use the hoop on every part of the body and sometimes off body. It’s more like a movement art than just a play thing.”

Wagstrom was intrigued when she learned about the recent hoop dance trend via YouTube, so she and some friends bought a roll of tubing and made their own hula hoops, which Wagstrom says is the key to successful hooping as an adult.

“A lot of adults think they can’t hoop because they’re used to the hoops they used as a kid,” Wagstrom says. “Mine are big and heavy. They’re a lot sturdier, so you don’t have to move as fast to keep them going. They keep momentum better than the ones you can get at the store.”

The first hula hoop she made wasn’t great — or at least it wasn’t pretty — but it did the job. Over the next year Wagstrom became obsessed. She made more hoops, practiced daily and even taught hooping classes and performed.

Hooping gave Wagstrom an excuse to dance around and be active, which is something she wants to pass on to others.

“A lot of people come to hooping for fitness reasons,” she says. “They want to do something for exercise, but they don’t want to do boring sit-ups and push-ups all the time, so they try hooping and find out how fun it is.”

Eventually she opened her own Etsy shop to sell her hoops, which soon turned into her fulltime gig. On top of making hoops, she also enjoys teaching beginners how to hoop through classes and her YouTube channel.

“I really like helping people who think they can’t do it realize they can,” Wagstrom says. “They just need the right hoop.”

jolson@firstunitedbank.com

– Joe F., Dallas, TX

Jellybean Street

WHAT? Kid art

WHERE? Jellybeanstreet.com

HOW MUCH? $95-$420

East Dallas neighbor Megan Naftis didn’t invent Jellybean Street because she didn’t have to; someone in Australia did it for her. All Naftis had to do was bring it to Dallas.

Jellybean Street is a company that helps turn kids’ finger painting pieces into canvas art actually worth displaying.

“I found the company online and just loved it,” she says.

With an art degree from University of Texas in Dallas, this was an ideal career for Naftis because it combines her two favorite things: creating art and playing with kids.

“I used to paint, but then when I had kids I just couldn’t do it anymore,” she says. “Because to really paint you need a good solid block of time, which you just don’t have when you have kids.”

To create the art, Naftis hosts a class for a group of children ranging in ages from a 3 months to 9 years old, guiding them through several art-producing activities.

The kids finger paint, blow paint out of straws, twirl canvases around on spinning contraptions and roll paint-dipped balls around in buckets. They have a blast, and the parents get something nice out of it too — for a price.

Jellybean Street retains the rights to the raw artwork. When it’s all said and done, the parents are more than welcome to have the original pieces, Naftis says, but before

that happens, she photographs the pieces. Those photos are then sent to a graphic designer who takes elements of the raw art and reworks it into an abstract composition with style and structure.

“We really want the kids’ movements to come through,” she says. “We love to see fingerprints and things that allow parents to recognize their kids’ work in the finished pieces.”

The finished illustration is printed on a canvas, and parents can purchase a copy if they wish. The best work is duplicated and sold online.

The purchase will go toward a good cause. For each print sold, up to 60 percent of the profit is donated to a charity of the buyer’s choice.

and invent rs Entrepreneurs

CursiveLogic

WHAT? Cursive curriculum

WHERE? cursivelogic.com

HOW MUCH? $20

Although Dallas ISD says its schools still teach the art of cursive writing, more and more schools across the nation are cutting it from their curriculum. It’s time-consuming to teach, and does anybody even use it anymore?

But what if there was a way to teach cursive that’s easier than traditional methods? East Dallas neighbor Prisca LeCroy thinks she might have the key.

Her mom, Linda Shrewsbury, came up with a method while tutoring a 23 year old who just wanted to learn to sign his name in cursive.

Shrewsbury was eager to teach the man the loopy lettering, but she was afraid the traditional way of going through the alphabet wasn’t efficient or effective.

Dr. Jonathan Clarke

WHAT? Digital house call

WHERE? mendathome.com

HOW MUCH? Prices vary

Lakewood neighbor Dr. Jonathan Clarke is using new technology to bring back an old fashioned style of medical care: the house call.

“My grandfather was a physician who made house calls in East Texas,” Clarke explains. “So I grew up with stories of him going out late at night, visiting families and bringing home chickens as payment. That sort of down-home doc.”

When Clarke practiced medicine in the military, most of it was done outside the walls of a hospital or clinic.

“So I was doing my own house calls,” he says. “And when I moved here to Dallas and started practicing as a civilian emergency physician, I started identifying a lot of the pain points patients were having to face as a result of the way we practice medicine.”

Not only did it bother Clarke that neighbors had to transport themselves to a clinic while sick, but he also worried about the fact that the services weren’t affordable and

She needed an easier, faster way, so she wrote out the lowercase alphabet and studied it until she recognized a pattern.

“Every letter in the lowercase alphabet fits into one of four basic shape patters,” LeCroy explains. “So ‘i’ and ‘p’ are in the same category. A lot of people group ‘p’ with ‘o’ because of the loop, but it’s based on the initial stroke.”

Shrewsbury grouped the letters and strung the similar ones together. She wasn’t sure if her method would work, but when she showed it to her student, he picked it up within 45 minutes.

Shrewsbury didn’t think much of it, but

that doctors weren’t being transparent about costs.

“We sought to change that,” he says.

In early 2015, Clarke launched a healthcare start-up called Mend that provides same-day or next-day urgent care visits with healthcare professionals, and it’s available by phone and computer as a free IOS app and website, making it the “Uber of healthcare,” Clarke says, which is what allows Mend to cut out some of the costs involved in typical healthcare.

then a year later she was tutoring a 16-yearold student and decided to use the same technique. He was also able to pick it up right away, and she realized she might be onto something.

She wondered if her method could help schools rekindle the ability and desire to teach cursive, so she teamed up with her daughter, LeCroy, to develop a curriculum.

In 2014 they officially launched their company, CursiveLogic.

“It’s super hard to break into the education market,” LeCroy says, but already a handful of schools have adopted the curriculum.

nomically for things that actually don’t cost much money. An urgent care clinic costs between $2-5 million just for the facility, and then you have the overhead of all the staffing. So we’ve just taken that and made it much more efficient.”

Home healthcare isn’t an original idea or even a new idea, Clarke points out; Mend an old idea with a new twist, and it’s the first service of its kind to hit the market in Texas. It has taken off in the last year, and Clarke has been able to fully devote his time to Mend, as well as support a full-time staff of six healthcare providers, he says. Recently Mend landed a partnership with Children’s Health System of Texas.

“Children’s was interested because they realized that healthcare is changing, so they want to make sure they’re staying ahead of the innovation curve,” Clarke says. “So they look to us to bring that innovation into their fold, and this will allow us to grow to other geographic locations, even across the state in the next year and expand our services to incorporate things like telemedicine.”

“A lot of healthcare isn’t that expensive,” he says. “They’ve just escaladed prices astro-

To learn more, download the Mend app or visit mendathome.com, or call the customer service number 469.458.MEND.

Lula Mae

WHAT? Cotton pillows

WHERE? Facebook.com/lulamaepillow

HOW MUCH? $50

Cotton pillow producer Lula Mae was born out of the perfect matrimony between health concerns and good old-fashioned Texas pride.

“When the recession first hit, it bothered me how the once mighty Texas had weakened,” says neighbor Jim DeSimone.

DeSimone and his wife, Maria, both had the desire to start their own business, but doing what? The thought would keep Tim up at night.

He knew he wanted to create something that would “represent an improvement above the norm. Something Texas-based and natural.”

Then it hit him — cotton.

That led him to consider the pillow, since most pillows sold in America come from China, he points out. The catch, of course, is that most of our pillows aren’t made from cotton; they’re made from polyester — a product that’s “harmful to environment, made of alcohol, coal and formaldehyde. Sprayed with chemicals,” Tim says. “And we sleep on this?”

After a little research, Maria jumped on board with Jim’s idea.

“I’m the mother of two boys, so I started looking into polyester and formaldehyde and all these things that are bad for your kids’ health,” Maria says. “Of course you put your kids before everything else, so we both really believed in it.”

They took out a loan to fund the licensing and research necessary to develop a prototype, and what they ended up with was an allnatural, all-American cotton bed pillow.

They pitched their product, and JCPenny and Tuesday Morning welcomed it on their shelves. Although for now they’re focused on promoting the Lula Mae pillow, they’ve considered expanding their bedding business.

“Maybe later on down the line we’ll have Lula Mae sheets and other things,” Maria says.

and invent rs Entrepreneurs

Camille Coton

WHAT? Skincare products

WHERE? camillecoton.com

HOW MUCH? $34-$85

Even though Lisa Cohorn has worked in the beauty industry for upwards of 17 years, she has always been on the losing end of a battle with acne.

“I’ve always had oily skin and acne my whole life,” she says. “It’s like I was in the industry, and I had the problem, but I wasn’t really addressing it for myself. I was busy working on it for other people.”

She knew she needed more exfoliation

Button the Bride

WHAT? Buttonhook

WHERE? Buttonthebride.com

HOW MUCH? $50

Hand surgery ended up being both the best and worst thing for East Dallas neighbor Susie Gray Uphues.

After working as a makeup artist for more than 30 years, Uphues developed arthritis in her right thumb and she was forced to undergo surgery to fix it.

The cast she had to wear allowed her to use only two fingers, but despite that she continued to do makeup for celebrities, models and brides in Dallas.

However, there was one thing she wasn’t able to do.

Over the years, she had become skilled at hooking the tiny buttons that dot the backs of many classic wedding dresses, and helped many a bride get into her gown. But that simply wasn’t going to happen without the use of her right thumb, and she was forced to watch brides’ friends and family members struggle with the tedious chore.

as she aged, so for a while she cycled though various products, trying to find something that worked for her. She tried products with microbeads, products with aluminum oxide crystals and products with fruit enzymes, but they caused even more breakouts and redness.

“I went to the dermatologist and he was like, ‘What are you doing to your skin?’” Cohorn recalls. ”It was like my skin was revolting against it.”

One day she used a cold cream her mom and grandma had used for years. “They get it from some little lady who gets it from some other little lady. That kind of thing,” she says. “But it’s just a basic cold cream.”

She left it on for a few minutes, and when she washed it off her dead skin started coming off.

“I was like, ‘This is bizarre,’” Cohorn says. “So I just kept rubbing it all off, and my skin looked so much better without that dead lay-

er of skin that’s just sitting there that can’t get off, and my skin was so moisturized.”

That wasn’t how the product was intended to work, but it started her thinking: Could she create a product that strips the layer of dead skin off the top and moistures the skin underneath?

She called up her chemist friend and ran the idea past him. She decided she wanted to create a product that’s easy on the skin and uses a lot of natural elements to remove the dead layer, exposing fresh skin underneath.

After a lot of research, she launched a skincare line called Camille Coton in June that features two products: Soft Microdermabrasion Cream and BB Bloom Balm Oil Serum, which are used in tandem and available on her website and Amazon.

“I just wanted it to be as gentle on the skin as possible, and to remove dead skin,” she explains. “So it is an exfoliation product, but it has no acids, no crystals, clays or beads.”

One day a bride remarked that she couldn’t believe someone had not designed a tool to make buttoning wedding dresses easier.

“I thought, ‘That’s it! That’s what I need to do,’” Uphues recalls.

That night she pulled out her crafting supplies and started experimenting, and she soon came up with a makeshift hook that easily grabs onto the loop and slip it over the button.

To make it cute, she had the handle designed to look like a bridal gown. She eventually decided the sell the hooks in sets of two — one to button the dress and one to unbutton the dress, with the second tool designed to look like a tuxedo.

After receiving a patent for her idea, she officially launched her business, Button the Bride, at New York’s International Bridal Week recently; brides in Dallas are already using her product.

“If I hadn’t had hand surgery I never would have thought of this idea,” she muses. “It’s kind of interesting that out of one of the worst times of my life, that’s how all of this came about.”

BUSINESS BUZZ

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

Send business news tips to livelocal@advocatemag.com

Big dreams

The Dallas-based restaurant Dream Café will soon open a location in our neighborhood where Fuzzy’s Taco Shop used to be at Abrams and Mockingbird. This will be the restaurant’s third location — there’s already one in Uptown and another in Addison. Lakewood resident Christine Lott, who owns this particular franchise, signed the lease last summer. Construction has taken longer than expected but must be nearing completion — there was a “now hiring” sign out front at time of press.

New name, same game

US.

Lakewood Shopping Center

Sugarbacon Proper Kitchen, a McKinneybased restaurant serving comfort food with an upscale twist, will soon take over the former Dixie House location on Gaston. Extensive construction has already begun. Expect to see dishes like collard greens with smoked duck and fried green tomatoes with crab remoulade on the menu. The Lakewood Shopping Center also acquired a cold pressed juice store. Roots Juices is located next to the T-Shop and will also serve coffee and tea.

Lippas Dental Implant Center has rebranded itself as Walnut Glen Family Dental. The owners, Lakewood residents and dentists Marc and Katie Lippas, believe the new name will better reflect their practice, which includes general, cosmetic and implant dentistry. The office has been around for more than 25 years and is currently located near Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.

For three decades now, Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate agents have not only represented buyers and sellers seeking to deepen their family’s Lakewood roots, but have put down roots here as well.

If you’d like to leave your own legacy in Lakewood, call us today to learn more about our properties of distinction.

Razed apartments

The historic apartment complex at 5716 McCommas was razed last month by Stillwater Capital, which plans to build 36 new condominiums on the property. All of the units will be two- or three-bedroom flats. Developers also say they’re putting in a subterranean parking garage with private parking spaces. Many neighbors have expressed concern over the loss of this building and the construction that will ensue.

Sweet tooth

Things couldn’t get much sweeter on Garland, where James and Amy St. Peter just opened an ice cream and candy shop right next door to Hypnotic Donuts, which they also founded. The new spot has a retro vibe and is called Hypnotic Emporium. Ice cream goes for 75-cents an ounce. Check it out any day of the week between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Roots Juices

5716 McCommas

Hypnotic Emporium

Supernannies

For moms facing serious illnesses, here they come to save the day

Story by Brittany Nunn | Photo by Rasy Ran

East Dallas neighbor Natalie Boyle had no idea that helping out a friend in need would evolve into her own nonprofit. How could she?

When Boyle’s friend, Annie Nace, found out her colorectal cancer had spread to her lymph nodes, she worried about her children. For six months, Nace had relied heavily on childcare support from family and friends, but she was back to square one. With the new diagnosis, she’d have to go through radiation and surgery all over again, and this time she’d even have to do chemo. How could she take care of her

children on days when she could barely take care of herself?

Boyle empathized with Nace’s anxieties. Boyle had battled through her own series of health complications all while trying to take care of twins.

In 2011 Boyle was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, an autoimmune disease that attacks your colon. It grew worse throughout her pregnancy. Then six weeks after her twin daughters were born, she went to the hospital for a bleeding hemorrhage and had an emer-

Natalie Boyle, center, with her nannies and the families they help.

gency hysterectomy. She later had to have her entire colon removed because of the disease. And to top it all off, a body scan revealed cancer in her thyroid, which she also had removed.

“So within three months I had three totally separate major surgeries,” Boyle remembers. “At the time I had twins and I was a full-time stay at home mom, so when I got really, really sick my parents and my husband’s parents chipped in to help us afford a nanny because there was just no way I could function, and even though my hus-

band does really well, we still couldn’t afford a full-time nanny.”

But without that help, Boyle is not sure how she would have gotten through her illness, so she decided that’s what Nace needed as well. Boyle told Nace not to worry; she didn’t know how, but she’d find the money to hire someone.

Boyle implored the help of her old nanny, Bekah Rutludge, who has more than 11 years of experience in the field. She also launched a fundraising campaign, bringing in more than $6,000 in about 10 days to pay for Rutludge’s assistance.

In the end, Boyle was right; a nanny was exactly what Nace needed.

“I had a really hard time recovering from my second surgery, and I started chemo two weeks after that, so I was really not functioning as my normal self,” Nace explains. “It really took a downturn and became so much worse than what we thought it was going to be. Looking back I don’t know what I would have done if she hadn’t helped.”

But Boyle didn’t stop there. As she continued to raise funds, she soon realized she needed to make her efforts official.

“It got to a point where I was like, ‘Oh, I can’t just have this money sitting in my bank account. I need to start a nonprofit or something,’” Boyle says. “So I met up with a lawyer friend and he helped me figure it out.”

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“[My health] really took a downturn and became so much worse than what we thought it was going to be. Looking back I don’t know what I would have done if [Boyle] hadn’t helped.”

And that’s how Mommies In Need was born.

“So I basically started a nonprofit by accident,” Boyle quips. “And then once we had our 501(c)3, I just took off with the fundraising.”

She eventually raised enough to hire more nannies to help more families. In just one year Mommies In Need has provided childcare options for more than nine families, and Boyle continues to expand the program to help more, even though running a nonprofit on top of raising 3-year-old twins isn’t easy, especially living under the looming threat that her illness could return.

“I’m only a year out from my most recent

surgery,” she points out, “and it’s a full-time job, so I’ve definitely had my days. Some of my family members have been like ‘Natalie, what are you doing to yourself?’”

Then a health scare over the summer forced Boyle to start delegating more and more tasks to her board members so Mommies In Need could function without her.

“During that time I realized I’m so entrenched in what happens here, and if I were to be hospitalized again, I need this to be able to continue to function without me,” Boyle says. “I was literally doing everything, so I start putting some things into place, like having an assistant and bringing on board members who could do things like payroll and home visits.”

However, she’s still the primary fundraiser and vision holder for the organization because her first-hand experience makes her uniquely qualified to understand what families in crisis need.

One thing that’s important to Boyle is ensuring that each family has one nanny assigned to them.

“That way it creates as much consistency as possible in the kids’ lives,” she explains. “We help a lot of families with kids under

“During that time I realized I’m so entrenched in what happens here, and if I were to be hospitalized again, I need this to be able to continue to function without me.”

the age of 5, and those are the kids who have a lot of acting out behaviors with attachment issues. But when you bring in one nanny every day, that’s a steady presence they can count on in their lives.”

In Nace’s case, Rutludge became a part of their family.

“I just didn’t have the physical and mental strength to care for my kids during that time and love on them the way I wanted to,” Nace explains.

But Rutludge helped with the transition by keeping the family’s usual schedule and routines.

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“I think for my kids’ sake, during that time, she was a consistent factor,” Nace says. “So when I didn’t feel good or would disappear for hours, Bekah was there to explain things to [the kids] or love on them. She just became such a great provider for them when I couldn’t, which was huge. We love her to pieces.”

East Dallas mom Jenny Crandall, who began receiving support from Mommies In Need in April after a double mastectomy due to stage-3 breast cancer, feels the same way about the stability Mommies In Need provided for her son, Shepherd.

“During my hardest times when I wasn’t able to pick up Shepherd or get out of bed, Bekah would bring him to me or take him places. So it has been a major source of security,” Crandall says. “It was a lifesaver when, as a mom, I wasn’t able to be at my best because of the weakness and fatigue.”

All these women form a club, a sisterhood known by those who have suffered chronic illness — all thanks to Boyle.

“I think her understanding is one of the key elements behind why [Mommies In Need] is successful,” Crandall says. “It’s instrumental to what she does.”

“During my hardest times when I wasn’t able to pick up Shepherd or get out of bed, Bekah would bring him to me or take him places ... It was a lifesaver when, as a mom, I wasn’t able to be at my best because of the weakness and fatigue.”

Boyle’s first-hand experience also helps her pick out the right nannies for Mommies In Need, because it isn’t an easy job.

“They’re not coming in when families are at their best,” Boyle points out. “They’re coming in when people are in pain and they’re suffering. You have a sick mom in the house, and sometimes she’ll feel good and she’ll want to snuggle her kids, and other days she’ll feel horrible and need the kids out of the house. So our nannies have to be able to negotiate those kinds of balances.”

Almost all of the nannies Boyle has hired have cared for her own children at one point, including Rutludge. Rutludge was used to working for families where the par-

ents held down hectic jobs with long hours, who relied on her to be a primary caretaker for their children.

“At first I was a little apprehensive about working with a mom in the home,” Rutludge admits. “Stay-at-home moms are used to raising their kids. They make the rules. They’re in control. So you have to understand that dynamic. You have to know when to step in and when to step back.”

Once she struck a balance, it just became second nature. She soon assumed the role of lead nanny, and now she helps Boyle hire and train new nannies.

“It’s important to me that we get good, quality nannies in these homes,” Rutludge explains, “and that they will love these children just like their moms would.”

And although she took a bit of a pay cut when she agreed to sign on with a nonprofit instead of working independently, Rutludge says it was worth it.

“This is definitely the hardest job I’ve ever had in my life, and I’ve been in all kinds of situations over the years. This is the most challenging, but it’s also the most rewarding,” she says. “I get to be a ray of light and hope for these families who are going through such a difficult time.”

“I get to be a ray of light and hope for these families who are going through such a difficult time.”

xtraordinary Because of You

A ROUND THELAK E

With miles of hike and bike trails, sailing on White Rock Lake and the world renowned Dallas Arboretum, there are endless opportunities to live life outdoors in Lakewood and East Dallas. Whether you’re meeting friends for dinner on the patio at Matt’s or shopping at one of the local boutiques, Lakewood is a great place to call home.

warm breezes and sunny days call for stepping out to celebrate art, music, food, architecture and all kinds of al fresco FUN . There’s nothing quite like spring in Texas. Enjoy!

By Molly Price

Dallas Arboretum presents Dallas Blooms: The Artistry in Nature | Through April 10

The largest floral festival in the Southwest, Dallas Blooms returns with The Artistry in Nature, showcasing an explosion of color with more than 100 kinds of spring bulbs totaling 500,000 blooms. dallasarboretum.org

2016 Deep Ellum Arts Festival | April 1-3

Dozens of concessionaires and restaurants offer local cuisine, beer, wine and cocktails while guests enjoy more than 200 juried fine artists. deepellumartsfestival.com

The Phantom of the Opera | Aprils 21-24

Woodrow Wilson High School is known as the “Home of the High School Broadway Musical,” and this spring the tradition continues with “The Phantom of the Opera.” woodrowwildcats.org

2016 Savor Dallas | April 7-10

The celebrated food, wine and spirits festival is moving to April, adding new events while expanding on old traditions. Delight your senses with four days of epicurean indulgence. savordallas.com

Hollywood Heights Home Tour | April 30-May 1

More than just a tour, this annual event includes an auction, local art, music, food and, of course, beautiful homes and architecture. Stroll through lovely homes and leave with some ideas during this weekend of inspiration. hsmna.wildapricot.org

ROBBIE BRIGGS

President and CEO of Briggs Freeman

ROBBIE BRIGGS | rbriggs@briggsfreeman.com

LAUREN VALEK FARRIS KELLEY THERIOT MCMAHON

Lakewood’s charming little pocket is unique in bringing that “small town feel to the heart of the big city.” We were both born and raised in Lakewood and choose to raise our children in this wonderful, tight-knit and welcoming community. Minutes from White Rock Lake and Downtown Dallas, it’s the perfect neighborhood oasis!

LAUREN VALEK FARRIS Senior Vice President 469.867.1734

lfarris@briggsfreeman.com

KELLEY THERIOT MCMAHON Senior Vice President 214.563.5986

ktmcmahon@briggsfreeman.com

laurenandkelley.com

SAM SAWYER

Looking for an oasis that fosters an active lifestyle amidst the Dallas Metroplex?

With access to White Rock Lake, ease of accessibility to Downtown, and historic beauty, Lakewood is an ideal location synonymous with community.

SAM SAWYER

Senior Vice President

214.213.1133

ssawyer@briggsfreeman.com

samhsawyer.com

JUDY SESSIONS

Lakewood/East Dallas is a special place where people can be near a beautiful lake, fabulous restaurants, the Arboretum, great schools and Uptown/Downtown areas, all while living in a quiet historic area of Dallas. It is a strong neighborhood where people of all ages raise their families and stay through retirement.

JUDY SESSIONS

Senior Vice President

214.354.5556

jsessions@briggsfreeman.com

sessions-group.com

HARRISON

POLSKY TARA DURHAM

Who wouldn’t want to live in a neighborhood that charms so many people with its range of attractions and amenities? These include White Rock Lake, the Arboretum, restaurants, shops, and outdoor adventures like cycling, running, kayaking and sailing. The list goes on and on! Living, loving and selling Lakewood. Welcome home!

HARRISON POLSKY

Vice President

214.663.0162

hpolsky@briggsfreeman.com

TARA DURHAM

214.557.9992

tdurham@briggsfreeman.com

THE ROCK STAR EXPERIENCE

David King got a taste of the high life as a record label exec

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

Remember the time you did tequila shots with Willie Nelson? The day you ate great soul food at Snoop Dogg’s home? The private jet? The luxury yacht in New Zealand? Well, neighbor David King lived it all — and more. Though he now lives quietly on Llano Avenue, he has tales to tell of his incredible journey from small-town East Texas boy to music company executive.

Growing up in Tyler, King heard all types of music played on the family’s console record player, everything from classical to jazz to Hank Williams and Bob Wills. But two singers got his attention: Elvis and Bob Dylan. Elvis was totally unique, but Dylan was special: “His music changed me, and he changed music forever. He took it to another level.”

King lived and breathed music. Trade publication Billboard was “a bible almost” to him as he studied the hits and trends. He hung out most days at Anton’s Records, a popular music shop in Tyler, and was eventually hired there. And when he went off to study at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, he found Lee’s Records, a little record store within walking distance of his dorm.

His graduation from SFA in 1968 was followed by a couple of years service in the military — during which King stayed on top of music. “I think I was the only soldier with a subscription to Billboard.”

Familiar with the workings of record stores, King later set out to secure a sales job for a major label. But interviews with Capitol Records, Columbia and RCA fell flat. In Dallas for one of the interviews, he decided to stop by one of his favorite music stores, Melody Shop at NorthPark, before heading back to Tyler. Instead, he ended up staying in Dallas. “I talked my way into a job there.”

His contacts at Melody Shop soon led to a sales position with ABC Records, a job which opened up a whole new world for him. Just a few months into his ABC gig, King met country singer Ray Price, and it

wasn’t long before he found himself climbing aboard Price’s private Lear jet, just to attend a party.

It was one of many celebrities King met on the job. He recalls attending an album release party for Jimmy Buffett, a soiree at Joe T. Garcia’s in Fort Worth. His iconic hit “Margaritaville” had just been released and was topping the charts, and the margaritas were flowing freely at the celebration. Buffet was opening for the Eagles, who also attended the night’s festivities.

Speaking of flowing freely, those aforementioned tequila shots with Willie Nelson? Happened here in Dallas at a western club where Nelson performed. After his set, Nelson joined King and other music executives

at their table. Tequila shots commenced, the club closed, but the night didn’t end well for Nelson. He got a DUI driving back to his hotel.

In the mid 1980s, King was offered a position with Priority Records, a new label focused primarily on hit collections. The big break for the label, and all its employees, came with the unexpected success of the cartoonish album, “The California Raisins Sing the Hit Songs.”

Priority Records was then able to acquire the labels Ruthless and Deathrow, moves which brought the independent label unrivaled success, with a roster of gold and platinum artists like NWA, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. King remembers having

David King. (Photo by Rasy Ran)

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lunch at Snoop’s house to hear the rapper’s new album. “He was very friendly,” says King. “Got along with everybody.”

But those temperamental artists could have their moments. King recalls a flare up with Ice Cube, which was so memorable it was recreated in the recent movie “Straight Outta Compton.” Apparently, Ice Cube felt he had been shorted some money. A “big guy” Cube brought along proceeded to bust up the office of Bryan Turner, one of the owners at Priority Records. King heard the whole thing because he was on the phone with another owner, Mark Cerami, during the incident.

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Lakewood Office Space

Despite occasional dust-ups, Priority was huge. As the hits piled up, so too did King’s stack of gold and platinum records. He would amass almost 30 over time. He lived those years like an adventurous rock star, traveling all over the world, frequently on the yacht of friend and colleague Cerami. The two would bungee jump in New Zealand, dive the Great Barrier Reef, and sail into the backwaters of Burma — where they were questioned by soldiers.

King retired in 2001 to a much quieter life. He has stayed in touch with his Priority pals, but he can be found most of the time hanging around the neighborhood with Sophie, his elderly Pomeranian mix. And he still loves music. Walk by his place and, chances are, you’ll hear a bit of Bob Dylan drift through the window.

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

YOU’RE ALL HERETICS

And so am I, in a city with churches galore

Churches come in all shapes and sizes now. You get to choose.

And don’t we like that? We are Americans, after all — a country of religious heretics. I don’t mean we are all un-Orthodox believers; although some are. I mean heretics in the original sense of the Greek verb hairein, to choose. Heretics choose their own beliefs and go their own spiritual way, rather than conforming to the beliefs and practices of a tradition.

The choosing now is often over what church to attend, which is recent phenomenon in the history of the world. Before we had 39 flavors of denominational churches and 27 varieties of non-denominational churches, before we had 11 versions of English Bible translations, and before we had decisions to make about choirs or praise bands, sermons or teaching talks, Sunday-go-to-meeting dress or non-business casual, we had parish churches that everyone attended whether you liked it or not.

Not that that way of churchgoing is Paradise Lost, but churches like that were generally smaller and always intergenerational. You didn’t get to choose your family or your church family.

A new dust-up in church circles came recently from an Atlanta-based mega-church pastor who said this:

“When I hear adults say, ‘I don’t like a big church. I like about 200. I wanna be able to know everybody,’ I say you are so stinkin’ selfish. You care nothing about the next generation. All you care about is you and your five friends. You don’t care about your kids, anybody else’s kids. If you don’t go to a church large enough, where you can have enough middle-schoolers and highschoolers so they can have small groups and grow up the local church, you are a selfish adult. Get over it. Find yourself a big ol’ church where your kids can connect

with a bunch of people, and grow up and love the local church. Instead, what do you do you drag your kids to a church they hate, and then they grow up and hate the local church, and then they go off to college, and you pray there’ll be a church in their college town that they connect with, and guess what: All those churches are big, the kind of church you don’t like. Don’t attend a church that teaches your children to hate church.”

ANGLICAN

ALL SAINTS EAST DALLAS / allsaintseastdallas.org

Sunday worship service at 5:00 pm

Meeting at Central Lutheran Church / 1000 Easton Road

BAPTIST

LAKESIDE BAPTIST / 9150 Garland Rd / 214.324.1425

Sunday School 9:15am & Worship 10:30am

Pastor Jeff Donnell / www.lbcdallas.com

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

Worship & Bible Study 9:15 & 10:45 Traditional, Contemporary, Spanish Speaking / 214.860.1500

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

CATHOLIC

UNIVERSITY OF DALLAS MINISTRY CONFERENCE / udallas.edu/udmc

Sept. 29 - Oct. 1, 2016 / Sponsored by Catholic Diocese of Dallas

Sessions on Faith, Scripture, & Ministry / Exhibitors / Music / Mass

DISCIPLES OF CHRIST

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

Sunday School 9:30 am / Worship 8:30 am - Chapel

10:50 am - Sanctuary / 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

So many things to say about this, but before I do, I should give full disclosure that am the pastor of a church that is large by most standards, but not close to megachurch size. Our church is big enough to have diverse programming for all, with staff ministers for each age group. So we probably quality for the “unselfish” choice of church he advocates.

I grew up in a small church I mostly hated as a kid. I knew and was known by all the adults. I ended up loving the church enough to serve it vocationally. Which makes me want to thank my parents for not asking my opinion about where we went to church. They weren’t being selfish; they were being adults. And they didn’t teach me that the world revolved around me and my happiness.

I choose to believe God can shape faith and character into children and youth through small, medium and large-size churches. But maybe that’s just the heretic in me.

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

GRACE UMC / Diverse, Inclusive, Missional Sunday School for all ages, 9:30 am / Worship, 10:50 am 4105 Junius St. / 214.824.2533 / graceumcdallas.org

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 & 11:00 am Traditional / 11:00 am Contemporary

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

Sundays: 9:00 am Early Service, 11:00 am Celebration 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

[I] want to thank my parents for not asking my opinion about where we went to church. … they didn’t teach me that the world revolved around me and my happiness.

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.

Education

Woodrow Wilson High School’s debate team is heading to California after winning the Dallas Urban Debate Alliance Varsity Championships. The young orators will compete in the 2016 National Association for Urban Debate Leagues National Championship this month in San Francisco. Last year, Woodrow placed third in the nation. East Dallasite Mita Havlick entered the race for the Dallas ISD District 2 trustee seat a week before the filing deadline. She’s up against Dustin Marshall and Suzanne Smith. Havlick says she decided to run when she “realized that neither one of those candidates represents what I would want in a board trustee because they don’t represent a parent with children in public education.” Her two children attend Travis, DISD’s talented and gifted magnet school for fourth- through eighth-graders. Marshall’s children are enrolled at Greenhill, a private school in Addison. Smith does not have children.

Principal Toni Goodman resigned from Lakewood Elementary mid-year to pursue another career opportunity. According to assistant principal Bert Hart, Goodman “has accepted a position outside of Dallas ISD.” Hart will serve as Lakewood’s interim principal until the school finds a permanent replacement for Goodman.

Enrique Mendez, the janitor of J. L. Long Middle School has been nominated for Janitor of the Year, a nomination that puts him up against school staff from across the United States Cintas is hosting the contest, and if Mendez wins he’ll receive $5,000 and the school will receive another $5,000.

Nonprofits

The Creative Arts Center of Dallas (CAC) recently celebrated its 50th birthday. Octavio Medellín founded the nonprofit in 1966. Neighborhood artist Diana Pollak now heads the center. Pollak and her team plan to celebrate CAC’s anniversary with a robust calendar that seeks to honor the organization’s past, according to CAC spokesperson Krissi Reeves. The annual fundraiser, the Blue Plate Special Gala, falls on April 30. Visit creativeartscenter.org to learn more about the event.

HAVE AN ITEM TO BE FEATURED?

Please submit news items and/or photos concerning neighborhood residents, activities, honors and volunteer opportunities to editor@advocatemag.com. Our deadline is the first of the month prior to the month of publication.

HIGHLANDER SCHOOL

9120 Plano Rd. Dallas / 214.348.3220 / www.highlanderschool.com Founded in 1966, Highlander offers an enriched curriculum in a positive, Christian-based environment. By limiting class size, teachers are able to build a strong educational foundation to ensure confidence in academics, athletics, and the creative and performing arts. Highlander offers a “classic” education which cannot be equaled. Monthly tours offered; call for a reservation.

LAKEHILL PREPARATORY SCHOOL

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 arobust, 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

Four East Dallas Locations / 214.826.4410 / DallasSpanishHouse.com Spanish Immersion Program in East Dallas! Nursery, Preschool, Elementary and Adult Programs available. Our new K-5 Dual-Language Elementary School will be opening in August 2016 at 7159 E. Grand Avenue. Please visit our website (DallasSpanishHouse.com) or call 214.826.4410 for a tour.

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.

UT DALLAS CHESS CAMP

800 W. Campbell Rd., Richardson 75080 / (972) 883-4899 / utdallas.edu/chess ) 2016

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 13-17, June 20-24, July 18-22, July 25-29 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 Pan-Am Intercollegiate Champions for 2010-2012!

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.

utdallas.edu/chess

james.stallings@utdallas.edu

25 YEARS

It was a quarter-century ago when the very first Advocate landed on porches across East Dallas, promising to tell the stories that matter most to our neighborhood. Since then, we’ve covered countless stories and photographed hundreds of neighbors in their best and worst moments. All together, it paints a rich tapestry of what makes Lakewood the unique, historic and eccentric neighborhood we love. We’ll mark our silver anniversary by taking a look back at our top 10 favorite covers.

Road to hell

November 1994

East Dallas has come a long way in the last 22 years, when the crime rate spiked as you crossed Beacon driving north on Abrams. While Lakewood was a family neighborhood, just five minutes up the road then-17-year-old Woodrow senior Patty Galva laid in bed at night, listening to gunshots and praying that stray bullets wouldn’t ricochet into her house. Now, property values have skyrocketed in many of those northern neighborhoods, which are now bustling with young families. The criminal element remains in some corners, however. The 2010 census bureau showed that of the entire city, you are most likely to be the victim of a crime in East Dallas’ Ross Avenue/ Bennett Avenue area.

DART Dilemma

June 1996

DART was not a welcome addition when the city planned to build the northeast line, stretching from Mockingbird to White Rock Lake and beyond. Most were initially concerned over the noise the trains would make barreling through the neighborhood every 15 to 20 minutes. Others feared the rails would bring in crime and negatively affected property values. The city planned to begin construction in 1998, so neighbors spent much of 1996 trying to ensure that officials listened to their demands regarding the new development, particularly when it came to sound walls.

There are few neighborhood places East Dallas residents adore more than White Rock Lake; we run there, we party there and we flock there to check the banks after particularly nasty storms. But when the city made plans to invest $42 million on lake improvements, powerboats were proposed and the neighborhood split between those who wanted to preserve the bucolic nature of White Rock Lake, and those

Tore up over teardowns

November 2002

Few things get East Dallas residents more heated than real estate. In 2002, neighbor took on neighbor in the battle over teardowns. Sick of seeing quaint homes ripped out and replaced by houses twice as large, residents got vocal with developers, complaining about everything from the tacky styles, to the impact on the neighborhood’s charm. The city took a more mild approach, wanting to look at teardowns on a case-by-case basis. But it clearly marked one of the turning points in Lakewood, when neighborhood character became a topic of great concern.

that wanted to get peak recreational value from it. It was time for us to take a deep look at the lake, what it had once been and what its future would hold. We also stumbled on some fun facts, like the time a German soldier was so taken with White Rock Lake during his time as a prisoner of war on its banks, he wrote the Dallas Morning News to seek help immigrating to Texas when he was released.

Of Woodrow fame

February 2004

It was the year Woodrow Wilson High School marked its 75th anniversary, so we decided to spotlight some of the high school’s most well-known students. There was class of 1940’s Carroll Shelby, whose track record in the classroom was less than stellar, but who would go on to develop the famed Shelby Cobra and Viper. He also earned Sports Illustrated’s Race Car Driver of the Year in 1956 and 1957 and had his name included in both the International MotorSports Hall of Fame and the Automotive Hall of Fame. There was also Jerry Haynes, class of 1944, who rose to fame as Mr. Peppermint on the long-running beloved WFAA series, “Peppermint Place.”

Getting trashy

October 2009

Garbage. We all have to deal with it, but what happens after it leaves our curb each week? We got our hands dirty with an indepth look at the business of trash. Most interesting to us was the items people leave behind. There’s the criminal side — the dead bodies and meth lab remnants that make their way into the landfill. But there’s also the treasure, like the time they found a box containing three Rolex watches and four large diamond rings. “It turned out a family had been cleaning out their home and accidentally threw the box away, but we were able to return it to them,” said Ron Smith, the city’s assistant director of sanitation services, at the time.

McMansion madness

September 2005

Concern over development in East Dallas began about the time the first houses went up, but general hatred of McMansions replacing residential bungalows reached fever pitch in 2005. Neighbors successfully fought to create the Neighborhood Stabilization Overlay Districts in the City of Dallas, which provides less protection than a historic district but allows more input in how projects are built, including yard size, height and garage location. Simultaneously, East Dallas was staring down the prospect of a $50 million, 25-story luxury apartment complex at 1000 Emerald Isle, and enough was enough. More than 200 attended public meetings to oppose the development. Ultimately, the project was scaled back and eventually killed off all together.

Racism relived

August 2011

Dallas’ history of racism is long, ugly and well documented. When the 40th anniversary of desegregation in Dallas’ public schools loomed, we took the chance to sit down with East Dallas residents to remember what those years were like for both black and white students. They noted that, more than most places in the country, Dallas did its best to avoid integrating schools for as long as possible. “I was surprised by the amount of resistance [to integration],” said Ed Cloutman, a Lakewood resident who spent 33 years representing a black student in a desegregation case against DISD. “You read about it in a lot of places, but it seemed to dissipate, even in the Deep South. We were still dealing with it 10 years in. I guess you just can’t underestimate the racism in some people’s hearts.”

Lakewood Enquirer?

June 2009

With tongues fully entrenched in our cheeks, we took on a tabloid look complete with paparazzistyle photos of local celebs as they went through their regular days, shopping, dropping kids off a school and heading to work. It certainly wasn’t our most hard-hitting piece, but we have fun playing celebrity stalkers with some of East Dallas’ most well-known personalities, from former CBS sports anchor Gina Miller, who left the air in 2013 to pursue “entrepreneurial projects,” to Craig Miller, whose velvety voice can still be heard daily on “The Ticket.” It was a journalistic joke that got lost on some of our readers, a couple of whom wrote us strongly worded letters denouncing our new tacky tabloid design.

Grand ole’ Greenville

October

2014

Few streets in East Dallas get as much ink in Dallas as Greenville Avenue. Love it or hate it, it’s a hub of our neighborhood and its changing faces has been a hot topic of discussion for decades. We decided to dig into the various opinions on Greenville, from its plummeting crime rates in recent years to its proliferation of partying frat boys. From its history as one of Dallas’ main thoroughfares before the Central Expressway was built in 1950, Greenville has long set the pulse in East Dallas.

WANT MORE?

Visit lakewood.advocatemag.com/archive to see all our magazine covers and stories by year.

25 TOP

Recognizing the real estate professionals who promote our neighborhood with the Advocate’s second annual Top 25 Realtors in Lakewood/East Dallas.

Real estate is typically a family’s most valuable asset, and it shapes the face of the entire neighborhood. That’s why we honor the Top 25, along with all Realtors working in Lakewood/East Dallas, with this special section, determined by the 2015 North Texas Real Estate Information System (NTREIS) reported volume for residential sales in Area 12 as of Jan. 14, 2016. Find out more about the list at Lakewood.advocatemag.com/Top25Realtors.

ROBERT BLACKMAN

NXT Home Realtors

KYLE BRINKLEY

Brinkley Property Group

RICK BROOKS

Dallas City Center Realtors

DAVID BUSH

David Bush Realtors

JENNY CAPRITTA

RE/MAX DFW Associates

PAUL CARPER

Dallas City Center Realtors

DAVID COLLIER

David Griffin & Company Realtors

LAUREN VALEK FARRIS

Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty Farris McMahon Group

BECKY FREY

Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty

HEATHER GUILD

Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate

ROGERS HEALY

Rogers Healy and Associates

SCOTT JACKSON

Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate

The Jackson Team

Lauren Moore, Ashley Rasmussen, Laura Reynolds

NANCY JOHNSON

Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate

The Nancy Johnson Group

ROBERT KUCHARSKI

David Griffin & Company Realtors

LEE LAMONT

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

BRITT LOPEZ

Dallas City Center Realtors

KELLEY THERIOT MCMAHON

Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty Farris McMahon Group

NADINE KELSALL MEYER

Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate

BRADY MOORE

Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate

JACOB MOSS

Keller Williams

Modtown Realty

DEANNE ROSE

MD Rose Realty & Renovations

MEG SKINNER

Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate

MYSTI STEWART

Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate

KATE LOONEY WALTERS

Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate

VICKI WHITE

Keller Williams Elite – Dallas, Park Cities Vicki White Homes

“Rick worked diligently to find the perfect home in East Dallas for us! His knowledge of the market and years of experience made home shopping a fun and enjoyable experience. His care for his clients and excellent customer service showed in every step of our process. We would definitely recommend Rick to anyone looking to buy or sell their home!”

-- Stephanie B.

“I cannot thank your team enough. The service that I received was over and above anything that I expected. Paul’s time and commitment to me was amazing. I always felt like I was his most important client when in reality I was just one of many. Your team is great! I would recommend you to anyone.” --

Brett Basel Paul Carper

“Britt surpassed my expectations for a realtor! ... Britt always patiently answered all of our questions and concerns regarding the sale of our home. And, when it was time to purchase a new home, she was always available to discuss potential properties… Britt combines dedication, experience and superior communication to provide her clients with the very best!” --

Melinda L.

“We can’t say enough great things about the Vicki White Homes team! With our transaction (which was actually two connected deals), they made the almost impossible and certainly improbable happen. We highly doubt that anyone else could have pulled it off. To the best real estate team that we have ever worked with on buying or selling a property….. we say THANKS!” — Lakewood resident

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION TO ADVERTISE CALL 214.560.4203

MORTGAGE AND TITLE PROFESSIONALS

JENNIFER

MIKE GRIFFIN

Mortgage Banking

BB&T Texas Regional Mortgage

801 E. Campbell Rd Suite 145

Richardson,TX 75081

Mobile: 214-695-9546

Office: 972-232-6025

bbt.com/alan.baugh abaugh@bbandt.com

NMLS#257835

Production Manager/ Loan Officer

PrimeLending 18111 Preston Road, Ste 500 Dallas, TX 75252 Office: 972-447-5942

nickmarascia.com

nmarascia@primelending.com

Mortgage Loan Officer

Senior Loan Officer

PrimeLending 18111 Preston Road, Ste 500 Dallas, TX 75252 Office: 972-951-9424

lo.primelending.com/ jdevore

jdevore@primelending.com

NMLS#316969

Interlinc Mortgage Services, LLC

Direct: 214-328-9295

www.griffinmike.com

MGriffin@lincloan.com

7227 Lakewood Blvd | SOLD

6735 Dalhart | SOLD

5615 Merrimac | SOLD 6305 Glennox | SOLD

Sleek, state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly. We’d love to show you how many homes in Dallas fit this description.The Realtors at David Griffin have always been a driving force behind contemporary home design in this city. And no one gets modernist homes quite like we do. Interested? Call 214.526.5626 or visit davidgriffin.com. But do it soon. They’re going fast.

“If the people who make Tesla cars built homes, I’d be the first in line to buy one.” We get it.

7147 Alexander Dr. $998,000 David Collier

9725 Shadydale Ln. $889,000

Center of hope

A new community center opened recently in Vickery Meadow, the dense community that borders our neighborhood. The 15,000-squarefoot facility was funded by Northwest Bible Church of Preston Hollow and seeks “to improve the lives of the refugee children and adults who live in [the area],” says Pastor Neil Tomba. Inside, Healing Hands Ministry of Lake Highlands will operate a medical clinic. Visitors may also take English courses, learn new job skills or pick up everyday essentials.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and Dallas County judge Clay Jenkins , pictured here, showed their support for the center by speaking at its dedication ceremony.

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,

CREATIVE ARTS CENTER More than 500 adult art classes/ workshops from metal to mosaic! www.creativeartscenter.org

MAKERS CONNECT Craft Classes & Workshops. Led by & for Local Makers. Check Schedule: makersconnect.org/classes

EMPLOYMENT

AVIATION GRADS Work with JetBlue, Boeing, Delta and Others. Start Here With Hands On Training For FAA Certification. Financial Aid If Qualified. Aviation Institute Of Maintenance. 866-453-6204

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

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 Windows Computer. Hardware & Software Installation, Troubleshooting, Training. $60/hr. 1 hr min. Dan 214-660-3733 / stykidan@sbcglobal.net

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

LEGAL SERVICES

MAY DEADLINE APRIL 6

TO ADVERTISE CALL 214.560.4203

PROFESSIONAL

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

No

Job Too Small or Big.

Bookkeeping

Community center staff and their families all live in the Vickery Meadow neighborhood. It is part of an effort to “better understand the issues refugees face and to make stronger connections,” a spokesperson for Northwest Community Center says. (Photos by Danny Fulgencio)

BUY/SELL/TRADE

FOR SALE Dinette table w/ 6 chairs, an entertainment cabinet & an oriental rug. Cash Only! Contact Alice 469-729-9295

FREE RANGE PORK & LAMB from local resident’s farm. Hormone & antibiotic free.Heritage Red Wattle pigs. Stock up now. laralandfarms.com 214-384-6136

DOGGIE

SHARE FRONT ROW

Texas Rangers, Stars & Mavs seats. Tickets are available in sets of 10 games (sets of 2 or 4 tickets per game available). Participants randomly draw numbers prior to season to determine a draft order fair to everyone. Call 214-560-4212 or rwamre@advocatemag.com

ESTATE/GARAGE SALES

CLUTTERBLASTERS.COM ESTATE SALES Moving & DownSizing Sales, Storage Units. Organize/De-Clutter Donna 972-679-3100

ORGANIZEANDREJUVENATE.COM

AC & HEAT

CLEANING SERVICES

CLEANING LADY ALSO WINDOW GUY 110% Always! Great Prices & Refs. Experienced, Dependable. Sunny 214-724-2555

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

Family Owned & Operated

Serving the Dallas area for over 30 years

TWO SISTERS & A MOP Move in/Out. Reliable/Dependable 20 Yrs Exp. 214-283-9732 twosistersamopmaidservice.com

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

BRIGHT LIGHT ELECTRIC • 214-553-5333

TECL 31347 Lighting and Electrical Services

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

FLOORING & CARPETING

Restoration Flooring

Hardwood Installation · Hand Scraping Sand & Finish · Dustless

25+ Years Experience

469.774.3147

restorationflooring.net

972-274-2157

www.CrestAirAndHeat.com

We raise our kids here, too! TACLB29169E

APPLIANCE REPAIR

APPLIANCE REPAIR SPECIALIST

Low Rates, Excellent Service, Senior Discount. MC-Visa. 214-321-4228

JESSE’S A/C & APPLIANCE SERVICE

TACLB13304C All Makes/Models. 214-660-8898

Serving your Neighborhood Since 1993

Repairing: Refrigerators •Washer/Dryers • Ice Makers •Stoves • Cooktops • Ovens 214✯823✯2629

CABINETRY & FURNITURE

SQUARE NAIL WOODWORKING

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

CLEANING SERVICES

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

AFFORDABLE CLEANING Insd./Bonded. Move In/Out. Routine Cleaning. Reliable. Dependable. Residential/ Commercial. References. 28+yrs. Delta Cleaning. 972-943-9280.

AFFORDABLE, PROFESSIONAL CLEANING

$100 off 1st clean for new weekly/bi-weekly clients. Staff trained by Nationally Certified Cleaning Tech. Chemical-free, Green, or Traditional Cleaning. WindsorMaidServices.com 214-381-MAID (6243)

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

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

WINDOW MAN WINDOW CLEANING.COM

Residential Specialists. BBB. 214-718-3134

COMPUTERS & ELECTRONICS

BILL’S COMPUTER REPAIR

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

CONCRETE/ MASONRY/PAVING

ALL CONCRETE RESTORATION & Decorative Designs. Staining 214-916-8368

BRICK & STONE REPAIR

Tuck Pointing / Crack Repair. Mortar Color Matching. Windows And Door Cracks Etc. Call Don 214-704-1722

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

BRICK, STONEWORK, FLAGSTONE PATIOS

Mortar Repair. Straighten Brick Mailboxes & Columns. Call Cirilo 214-298-7174

CONCRETE REPAIRS/REPOURS

Demo existing. Stamping and Staining Driveways/Patio/Walkways

Pattern/Color available

Free Estimates 972-672-5359 (36 yrs.)

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

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

ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricofdallas.com 50 Yrs. Electrical Exp. Insd. 214-328-1333

Willeford

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. EST. 96 Automatic Gates, Fences/Decks, ambassadorfence.com 214-621-3217

FENCING & WOODWORK oldgatefence.com charliehookerswoodwork.com 214-766-6422

HANNAWOODWORKS.COM

Decks, 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

hardwood floors

Superior Quality: Installation • Refinishing Repair • Cleaning & Waxing Old World Hand Scrape 214-824-1166

FOUNDATION REPAIR

• Slabs • Pier & Beam

• Mud Jacking • Drainage • Free Estimates

• Over 20 Years Exp. 972-288-3797

We Answer Our Phones

GARAGE SERVICES

DFW GARAGE PRO Garage Organize/Reorganize. Painting, Shelving, Cabinets, Storage, Disposal. 303-883-9321

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

EST. 1991 #1

COWBOY

All Wood Decks, Arbors & Patio Covers 214.692.1991

FENCE & IRON CO.

SPECIALIZING IN Wood Fences &Auto Gates

cowboyfenceandiron.com

FLOORING & CARPETING

ALL WALKS OF FLOORS 214-616-7641

Carpet, Wood, Tile Sales/Service Free Estimates

DALLAS HARDWOODS 214-724-0936

Installation, Repair, Refinish, Wax, Hand Scrape. Residential, Commercial. Sports Floors. 30 Yrs.

HASTINGS STAINED CONCRETE

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

THE TEXAN FLOORING SERVICES

Wood, Laminate. Remodel Showers, Bathrooms. thetexanflooringservices.com 214-680-0901

GLASS, WINDOWS & DOORS

EAST DALLAS WINDOW CLEANING Power Wash. Free Est. Dependable. Derek. 214-360-0120

LAKE HIGHLANDS GLASS & MIRROR frameless shower enclosures • store fronts replacement windows • mirrors 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

HANDYMAN SERVICES

G & P HANDYMAN Plumbing, AC, Electrical, Painting, Roofing, Fix Appliances. 214-576-6824

HANDY DAN The Handyman. ToDo’s Done Right. handy-dan.com 214-252-1628

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

Your Home Repair Specialists

Drywall Doors Senior Safety Carpentry Small & Odd Jobs And More! 972-308-6035 HandymanMatters.com/dallas

HOME INSPECTION

KITCHEN/BATH/ TILE/GROUT

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS LLC

Complete Kitchen And Bath Remodels. Tile, Granite, Marble, Travertine, Slate. Insured. 214-563-5035 www.blake-construction.com

FENN CONSTRUCTION Full Service Contractor. dallastileman.com 214-343-4645

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

STONE AGE COUNTER TOPS

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

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

#1 WHITE ROCK TREE WIZARDS

Professionals, Experts, Artists. Trim, Remove, Cabling, Bracing/Bolting. Cavity-Fill Stump Grind. Emergencies, Hazards. Insd. Free Est. 972-803-6313. arborwizard.com

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

AYALA’S LANDSCAPING SERVICE

Call the Land Expert Today! Insured. 214-773-4781

CHUPIK TREE SERVICE

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

Top 3 Foods That Can Stop Your Disposal

When people think of the words ‘garbage disposal’; they want to feed it everything. The truth is, the wrong garbage can stop blades from turning. The most common food items found by our plumbers are potato peels, carrot peels and pumpkin carvings. So, take care of your disposal, and if you need us, call anytime 24/7.

HOUSE PAINTING

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

#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

BENJAMIN’S PAINTING SERVICE Professional Work At Reasonable Prices. 214-725-6768

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

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

TOP COAT 30 yrs. exp. Reliable, Quality Repair/Remodel Phil @ 214-770-2863

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

KITCHEN/BATH/ TILE/GROUT

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

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

DALLAS GROUNDSKEEPER Comprehensive services designed to meet your needs. 214-504-6788 dallasgroundskeeper.com

DALLAS K.D.R.SERVICES • 214-349-0914

Lawn Service & Landscape Installation

HOLMAN IRRIGATION

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

LIGHT IT UP DALLAS

Your lighting specialists. 972-591-8383 Parties, Weddings, Patios, Landscape.

LSI LAWN SPRINKLERS “Making Water Work” Irrigation system Service & Repair. Specializing In Older Copper Systems. LI #13715. 214-283-4673

WE REFINISH!

• Tubs, Tiles or Sinks

• Cultured Marble

• Kitchen Countertops

214-631-8719

www.allsurfacerefinishing.com

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

TRACY’S LAWN CARE • 972-329-4190

Lawn Mowing & Leaf Cleaning

U R LAWN CARE Maintenance. Landscaping. Your Personal Yard Service by Uwe Reisch uwereisch@yahoo.com 214-886-9202

Home

PLUMBING

A2Z PLUMBING 214-727-4040

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

AC PLUMBING Repairs, Fixtures, Senior Discounts. Gary Campbell. 214-321-5943

ANDREWS PLUMBING • 214-354-8521

# M37740 Insured. Any plumbing issues. plumberiffic69@gmail.com

Sewers • Drains • Bonded 24 Hours/7 Days

*Joe Faz 469-346-1814 - 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

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

SPECK PLUMBING

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

214-328-7371

MetroFlowPlumbing.com

Lic.# M16620

REMODELING

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

FENN CONSTRUCTION Full Service Contractor. dallastileman.com 214-343-4645

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

RENOVATE DALLAS renovatedallas.com 214-403-7247

Bob McDonald Company, Inc. BUILDERS/REMODELERS

30+ Yrs. in Business • Major Additions Complete Renovations • Kitchens/Baths

214-341-1155

bobmcdonaldco.net

ROOFING &

REMODELING

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS, LLC

Complete Remodeling, Kitchens, Baths, Additions. Hardie Siding & Replacement Windows. Build On Your Own Lot. Insured. www.blake-construction.com 214-563-5035

MAN ATTACKS EAST DALLAS WOMAN

A woman was recently confronted by a black man in his early 20s while attempting to walk from her car to the Swissaire Apartments at 2 a.m. He allegedly smiled before throwing her to the ground, attempting to sexually assault her and threatening her with a weapon. She struggled and screamed. A neighbor heard her cries and came to her aid. The suspect fled the scene. He’s approximately 5-foot-10, according to the descriptions of witnesses. At the time of the offense, he was wearing denim shorts, a grey hoodie and red shoes. He carried a black and white backpack and possibly had on glasses. If you have any information that could lead to an arrest, call 214.671.3584. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call 214.373.TIPS. The crime was caught on camera. To review the footage, visit lakewood.advocatemag.com.

year-old Abigail “Abby” Leann Rodriguez, a Latin female, went missing on Feb. 19 around 8 p.m. She’s 5-foot-3 and weighs about 125 pounds. Police say Rodriguez “may be a danger to herself or others.” 87000

block of La Prada. The last place Rodriguez was seen. She was wearing a black shirt and camouflage pants.

the number you should call if you have any information about Rodriguez. Alternatively, you may call the Missing Persons Unit at 214.671.4268.

SOURCE: Dallas Police Department

IS ANYONE LISTENING?

Circumventing public input in the City of Dallas

COMMENT.

If the public spoke but nobody listened, did it really make a sound?

While this intriguing thought experiment bounces around in your head, let me offer some context:

Dallas has a lot of smart people. More than a few of those smart people get involved in city government. Let’s set aside elected officials and city staff and focus instead on the folks who step into the public square to discuss and debate city issues.

Go to a public meeting and listen. Read blog posts, message boards, social media and online news story comments about municipal matters. The level of public discourse is impressive, whether it’s neighbors analyzing the merits of a zoning case, parents discussing DISD choice schools, residents contemplating the future of Fair Park or urbanists tackling the Trinity Toll Road.

Smart public discourse has shaped and molded our city in positive ways and Dallas wouldn’t be the same without it. That’s why I find it so frustrating when the City of Dallas actively seeks public input then proceeds to totally ignore it. I will say with optimism that this pantomime of public participation is the exception, not the rule. It occurs primarily when an outside consultant is involved in crafting a “Plan” (sometimes a “Report”), usually in relation to a Very Important Issue.

The purpose of this political theater is to coat a consultant’s Plan in a sheen of legitimacy without actually having to alter The Plan in response to public input. The play looks like this: The city (or taxpayer-funded consultant) presents a pre-formed and nearly finalized Plan to the public. The city holds hearings at which members of the public can speak about The Plan. It organizes charrettes so the public can draw pictures about (and sometimes on) The Plan. It conducts online polls so millennials glued to their smartphones can thumb-type about The Plan.

Afterwards, the city thanks the citizens for their time and interest. Then, under cover of darkness, some unlucky city staffer is charged with sneaking down to the banks of the Trinity River and unceremoniously dumping all the public comments into the murky water.

When the Plan is presented to the City Council, it hasn’t changed one iota, at least not in response to public opinion. The consultant tells the council with a straight face that the public had their say. What the consultant doesn’t mention is that nobody listened.

If all of this sounds more than a little un-Democratic, you would be right. But the real problem is that the city is losing out on the tremendous intelligence of its electorate.

This was underscored to me recently when I was asked to serve on an advisory panel about the Trinity Toll Road. I was reluctant to participate because the meetings were going to be held behind closed doors and we were requested not to discuss the meetings

publicly. (This is a more direct way of excluding the public.) I agreed on the condition that the meetings would be video-taped and released within weeks of our deliberations.

Going through this process without public oversight has been difficult for me, not just from a philosophical standpoint, but from a practical one: I make better decisions when the public is involved. I learn from the public discussion and ask better questions.

Over the course of our panel meetings, a popular online commenter known only as “Wylie H.” tweeted about his/her/their objection to the non-public nature of the meetings. Then Wylie H. made an observation about the radii and design speed of the meanders of the toll road.

Radii who? Design speed what? I hadn’t thought to ask those questions. But now I did. That one public comment sent me down an entirely new path of inquiry, which in turn led me to investigate the geometry of roads and research a whole host of other issues that I would not have otherwise. My conclusions were shaped by what I learned.

We’re incredibly fortunate to have smart people who care enough about our city to comment on municipal matters. We’d be wise to listen to them.

But the real problem is that the city is losing out on the tremendous intelligence of its electorate.

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.

SCOTT JACKSON

214.827.2400

scott@jacksonsells.com

LAUREN MOORE 214.680.0630 laurenmoore@daveperrymiller.com

ASHLEY RASMUSSEN 214.704.4428 ashleyrasmussen030@gmail.com

LAURA REYNOLDS

770.617.7735

laura@jacksonsells.com

SCOTT JACKSON

2015 Advocate TOP 25

214.827.2400

scott@jacksonsells.com

jacksonsells.com

facebook.com/jacksonsells

@jacksonsells

jacksonsells.com/real-estate-news

@jackson_sells_dallas

“With the real estate market booming in East Dallas, we have the knowledge, experience, and connections you need.”

Excellent Agents. Off Market Intelligence. Outstanding Results.

The Jackson Team is recognized as one of the top realtor teams in the Dallas market. Our family has been active in the real estate business since 1973, and Scott since 1987.

Our family has lived in and supported the Dallas communities for over four generations. We are exceptional with our knowledge of the urban Dallas markets of: Lakewood/East Dallas, Park Cities, Preston Hollow, Lake Highlands and beyond.

Our team has been recognized with numerous awards including recognition as an Advocate TOP 25 Realtor, as well as “D Magazine Top Realtor” for more than a decade consecutively.

An Ebby Halliday Company

8351 Santa Clara · $1,695,000

6712 Vanderbilt · $1,195,000

6516 Bob O Link · $1,195,000

“It’s tremendously rewarding to help guide clients through the home buying process, then receive their Christmas card featuring the home you put them in.”

Touting a long history of closing more than $250 million worth of real estate transactions, Nancy Johnson specializes in more than just selling homes; she cultivates long-lasting relationships. A Lakewood local, her comprehensive background in residential property & casualty marketing, and home remodeling inspired her to start a career in real estate.

Attracted to the industry’s versatility and challenges, Johnson attributes her greatest motivator as the people. “Friends become clients; clients become friends,” Johnson says.

Johnson, named “Best Real Estate Agent” by a local publication 10 years running, views her role as more than just placing a “For Sale” sign in the yard. “I strive to offer expert advice on everything from the market conditions to paint colors,” she says. “Just as a financial advisor, I oversee the home buying and selling process.”

4535 W. Lawther · $4,250,000

6708 Lakewood · $1,699,000

6555 Bob O Link · $1,295,000

Nadine Meyer has more than of decade of experience buying and selling homes. That adds up to a lot of listings, a lot of transactions, and a lot of satisfied clients.

Nadine has a distinctive ability to help people buy and sell real estate. Her friendly and caring attitude makes the experience a positive one for all involved. Constantly challenging herself, she brings a unique and aggressive approach to each transaction.

Nadine has a true passion for real estate that shows each day through her work ethic and determination to be an outstanding resource for their clients. As active, full time Realtors, The Meyer Group prides itself on excellent customer service, attention to detail, and an honest sales approach. They’ve worked in sales on both the buying and selling side for over ten years, which has given them a wealth of knowledge on what a client expects and deserves. Ccustomer service is number one, and the goal is to not only find a perfect home, but to do that with the utmost care and consideration.

An Ebby Halliday Company

7022 Casa Loma · $529,000 Bennett Townhomes · 4962 Fuqua · $459,000-$464,900 The Ivy II · 2206 N Fitzhugh · $379,900-$420,900

“As our city grows and develops, we evolve alongside it, presenting a powerful, cohesive brand.

We believe your home should inspire you and be uniquely yours, new or old. We are passionate about Dallas real estate.”

“We are beyond grateful Kate was referred to us! Not only did she help us find our new home for our growing family this year, but she helped us sell both our condo and home in East Dallas - all in a 6-month period. She’s always responsive and made multiple real estate transactions easy for us.

We are clients for life!”

- Lee & Micah Armstrong

“Real

Lakeshore · $795,000 · SOLD

Vanderbilt · $789,000 · SOLD

Mysti Stewart offers buyers and sellers her strong work ethic, analytical approach to the market, and knowledge of the neighborhoods that make the Dallas market so unique. Mysti loves helping her clients start their next chapter. Whether they’re relocating, remodeling, expanding their family, or downsizing, their needs are her priority.

With a combined twenty plus years of experience in residential real estate, we are inspired by the opportunity to better serve our clients. We will continue to provide the personalized level of care you already know and expect, while we work together to share our resources and expertise.

“As a group, we have one goal in mind: exceed YOUR expectations.”

“You’ll appreciate my responsiveness and availability when moving quickly is key. And in this market, it will be.”

6936 Pasadena · $1,150,000

7043 Coronado · $825,000 · SOLD

HEATHER GUILD

214.563.2385

heather@heatherguildgroup.com

SKYLAR CHAMPION

214.695.8701

skylar@heatherguildgroup.com

HALEY WAGSTAFF

214.563.7586

haley@heatherguildgroup.com

HEATHER GUILD

2015 Advocate TOP 25

214.563.2385

heather@heatherguildgroup.com

heatherguildgroup.com

fb.com/livinglovinglistinglakewood

@lovinglakewood

heatherguildgroup.com/blog

@heather_guild_group

@HGGroup

-Heather Guild

Consistently ranked as top producers at Dave Perry-Miller and market wide, Heather, Skylar and Haley know East Dallas - the details of every school, the intricacies of every street and how the communities that surround White Rock Lake are truly special. When you are ready to make a move, let the Heather Guild Group put their expertise and love of East Dallas neighborhoods to work for you.

“Impeccable service, superior market knowledge, and skilled negotiating. It’s what sets us apart and why our clients come back again and again. Give us a call, and find out what the Heather Guild Group can do for you.”

7021 Hillgreen · $1,250,000

7053 Coronado · $750,000

5635 Monitcello · $599,900

8327 Santa Clara · $650,000 Michelle Appelbaum 214.577.9557

5524 Goodwin · $829,900 Mysti Stewart 214.213.3537

6262 Swiss #A · $274,900 Keith Callahan 214.675.6777

6207 Monticello · $457,000 Kate Walters 214.293.0506

8043 Moss Meadows · $348,500 Kate Walters 214.293.0506

9028 Forest Hills · $475,000 Nancy Johnson

6823 Gaston · $749,000 Henda Salmeron 214.991.2237

4636 Chapel Hill · $6,995,000 Kim & Taylor Gromatzky 214.802.5025

2408 Loving · $1,349,000 Kim & Taylor Gromatzky 214.802.5025

6402 Malcolm · $789,000 The Jackson Team 214.827.2400

5430 Morningside · $649,000 Heather Guild, Heather Guild Group 214.563.2385

7007 Shook · $799,000 Kim & Taylor Gromatzky 214.802.5025

6210 Oram #1A · $159,900 Amy Malooley 214.773.5570

5714 Ellsworth · $369,000 Kate Walters 214.293.0506

8922 Echo Valley · $315,000 Marissa Fontanez 214.789.9187

6418 Bryan · $479,000 Amy Malooley 214.773.5570

6920 Kenwood · $550,000 Rinne, Hough & Davidson Group 214.552.6735

6887 Gaston · Price Upon Request Henda Salmeron 214.991.2237

7023 Lakewood · $1,250,000 Wayne Garcia 469.441.2772

6959 Coronado · $729,000 Julie Provenzano, Provenzano Group 214.315.4315

6910 La Vista · $1,179,000 The Jackson Team

6708 Lakewood · $1,699,000 Nancy Johnson

7243 Tokalon · $1,094,000 Nancy Johnson

6835 Lorna · $625,000 Henda Salmeron

6516 Bob O Link · $1,195,000 The Jackson Team

5635 Monticello · $599,900 Skylar Champion, Heather Guild Group

10877 Caprock · $475,000 Meg Skinner

6429 Kenwood · $1,150,000 The Jackson Team

64 Th