NANCY COLE

a vivacious 71-year-old artist and marathoner, shares her memories of growing up in East Dallas, her personal thoughts about youth and getting older, and her secrets to staying young on the inside and beautiful on the outside.

How long have you lived in East Dallas?

For about 10 years. Of course, I’ve lived in Dallas all my life. Actually, I spent my early years in East Dallas, and then we moved to Fort Worth for a few years, and then we moved back to Dallas. Then I moved to East Dallas because I have cousins here. I’m an only child, so I’m really close to my cousins. Plus, I wanted to be near White Rock Lake. I have a lot of running friends here.

So when you run, you run at White Rock Lake?

Most of the time. I run several times a week over there.

Why did you begin running?

I had a friend that ran, and every year I went to Arts Fest because I’m an artist, and I saw all these people with T-shirts that said, “Run for the Arts.” I thought,

“I want to do that.” My friend helped me get started, and that was my goal, to do Run for the Arts.

Do you think that keeps you young?

Absolutely, that and teaching. Being around young people all the time keeps you young.

Something about being this age, you realize how beautiful youth is. I look at my students, and I tell my students, “You’re so beautiful. You don’t even realize it, but you are. Youth is just beautiful.”

Aging can also be a beautiful thing, too, don’t you think?

I’ve never really thought about it. In fact, I kind of dreaded it. Forty was so painful for me. Really? Why?

Every 10 years, it’s just like, oh, I’m 50, and I’m 60… but then 70, was just like, OK, I’m 70 and I’m happy to be 70.

So was there an age that you reached when you felt like you were getting older?

When I felt old? I’m not sure. Maybe I haven’t reached that. I didn’t want to be 40 because that just sounded so old. It seemed like 30 was OK, but 40 was really old.

Do you think it was more other people’s perceptions of what is “old”?

Oh yes.

So then age really is just a number?

I think it is, but when I do a long race, it takes me longer to recover. I’ve started noticing things like that. A few little aches and pains here and there. But I did my best running when I was in my early 50s; that was my fastest. Of course, I didn’t start running until I was 38, but in my 50s, that was my peak. I started slowing down probably at 60.

Where do you teach?

I teach at DBU [Dallas Baptist University]. I taught high school for a long time, until I retired. After that I went to DBU as an adjunct professor. I loved high school, but I love college, too. I love teaching. I teach sculpture, bronze and design. I’ve always taught art. I have a degree in English as well, but I never wanted to teach it.

And you were on the White Rock Artist Studio Tour. How long have you been involved in that?

For the 10 years that I’ve lived here, and it’s so much fun. I had my studio built right after I moved here. I had all this stu , and it had to go somewhere. I’ve always been involved in art, so I used to always come to the studio tour. I had a lot of friends who were on it.

How have you seen your artistic process change over the years?

I’ve really loosened up a lot. When I first got out of college, I was really serious about my paintings. They were all very realistic. Now I just have fun. Sometimes I just sit out here and laugh when I make something. I just think, “This is so much fun,” and if somebody likes it then great.

When do you think that happened, that you started to loosen up?

I think once I started teaching, being around students who are so uninhibited, I started to loosen up. That’s one of the things that I work with, with my students at DBU. They come in and they’re so nervous. They want everything to be perfect. I tell them to just relax and have fun. I think that’s probably an age thing.

Do you think you create for yourself or for other people more or less as you get older?

Probably more for myself. If it’s not fun, I don’t do it, and I really don’t like for people to ask me to make stu for them. I just like to do what I want to do. When I was younger, I wanted to please other people, and I wanted to convince myself that I could do it. My paintings were very realistic.

Do you have any favorite East Dallas memories?

When I was a little girl, my uncle built a house in Casa Linda. My cousins and I would climb up on the swing set and wave to the trains. When I looked at this house, I really liked it. We came out in the backyard, my realtor showed it to me, and I said, “Is that the railroad track?” He said, “Yes…” I know he thought, “There goes that sale,” and I said, “I just love the train!” He said, “Oh good.” Because it’s right here. Then me and my cousins were talking one day, and it’s the same train that runs through Casa Linda. So that’s probably why I love that train. My cousins still live in Casa Linda, right across the railroad track.

And my cousin built Big Tex — the original one. We just cried last year. The mayor bought the frame and asked Jack to make it a big cowboy, so he did. He designed it and built it.

And I used to swim at White Rock Lake. That’s something I did a lot, with all my cousins. They stopped letting people swim in it, I think in the late 50s or early 60s.

OK, here are some flashback questions: Do you remember your first job?

My very first job was working at Mt. Lebanon Baptist Camp. My uncle was the manager, so he let me work out there. And then I worked at Titches downtown all through high school. I made 75 cents an hour, and when I graduated high school, I got a raise to $1 an hour.

Did you have a favorite fashion trend?

I don’t know what was my favorite, but I’ve watched everything come back. At the time I thought the hair bob was really cute.

How about phrases?

“Cool” is one that has survived the ages. That’s the first thing I thought of. In high school everything was “cool.” I thought about that the other day. Something happened and I thought, “That is really cool,” and then I thought, “I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to be a teenager at 70,” but then I thought about how things have always been “cool.”

Do you ever find yourself saying things that are out of date?

One time I said something was really “spi y,” and my daughter said, “Mom, don’t say ‘spi y.’ That really dates you.’ “

Do you have any advice?

Stay silly. I have some giggle friends, and we get together and just giggle and giggle. We just never outgrow giggling.