2022 December Lakewood/East Dallas Advocate

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ABOUT THE COVER

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CLOSE KNIT

Meredith Zapata wants her yarn store to be a ‘community place’

Story by RENEE UMSTED

Forest Hills neighbor Meredith Zapa ta has seen several local yarn stores close over the past few years.

There was even one in East Dallas’ Medallion Center, called Fleece. A victim of the pandemic, it closed its doors in 2020 af ter more than a decade in business.

The business closures were part of the reason why Zapata decided to open her own yarn store, Knit Dallas, which debuted in Lakewood last month.

Zapata started knitting when her kids were little, over a decade ago, though it was slow go ing. She says it took about a year to complete her first scarf. Then again, she was having to worry about taking care of her children.

“It was very therapeutic just to sit and knit,” she says. “And it was meditative, in the rhythm of knitting. And you could kind of just zone out. Or maybe it was that you be came more focused on just your knitting, and everything else just fell away. You didn’t have to think about it.”

She says she remembers visiting a yarn store in the State Thomas area years ago and being mesmerized by the fibers and the colors.

When she was ready to start her own busi ness, Zapata knew she wanted to open a store in East Dallas. It had to be somewhere close to Central Expressway, accessible to custom ers throughout Dallas. But she also wanted it to be in the neighborhood, close to home.

She landed on a location at the southeast corner of E. Mockingbird Lane and Abrams Road. The retailers in the strip center have all been so welcoming, she says.

“I wanted a place that would be a commu nity place where everyone could come who either already knits and crochets and does other fiber arts, or wants to learn about these things — but a place that was very inclusive

so that everyone felt welcome here,” she says. Yarns from Texas and across the world are available at the store, but Zapata says she has a focus on natural fibers and companies that produce in a sustainable way, treating their animals and human employees well. Brands include Blue Sky Fibers, Myak, Balti more-based Plied Yarns, Woolfolk, Manos del Uruguay and Madelinetosh.

Inside the store, yarns of all colors fill white cubbies and hang from pegboards lining the walls. Customers can relax in the seating areas, which are placed throughout Knit Dallas.

Eventually, Zapata says she plans to of fer classes on knitting and crocheting, with more to come. But for now, she’s just working on getting her first business off and running.

“I just want this to be a community place that everyone feels welcome to come in and learn, and sit and knit for a while with their friends,” she says.

Knit Dallas, 6434 E. Mockingbird Lane, knitdallas.com

WHAT ELSE IS NEW?

Alchemy 43 and Sprouts Farmers Market opened in November at Hillside Village shopping center, right across the street from Knit Dallas.

Mockingbird Commons, at the northwest corner of the MockingbirdAbrams intersection, was painted. A representative of Regency Centers, which manages the shopping center, tells the Advocate the decision was made after hearing neighborhood input, to improve the look of the intersection and to drive traffic. Our Facebook post sharing the news received more than 60 comments from readers. Here’s a taste:

“Painting brick is just so … Uff. Depressing gray doesn’t help.”

— Chris Craig

“Lipstick on a pig.”

— Liz Foster

“That is the worst look for the center. Time for a real makeover!”

— Farris Rookstool III

Illustrated mockup of Knit Dallas. Courtesy of Meredith Zapata.

hats to help

SALES OF THE HANDMADE ITEMS SUPPORT MEXICAN ARTISANS

Story by RENEE UMSTED | Photography by JESSICA TURNER & YUVIE STYLES

Zahra Darwish saw the signs: The pandemic was coming, and lockdowns were happening.

She had a choice. Either she could stay at home in East Dal las, or she could take her family to Mexico.

Even though Darwish had deep roots in our neighborhood — it’s where she reared her children, who attended Woodrow Wilson High School, and where her fa ther owned a sandwich shop called Zak’s for over 20 years — she didn’t hesitate to move south.

Their trip began in Mexico City. As regulations related to the pandemic tightened, Darwish and her companions — a friend, Walter, and her two daughters — moved into more remote areas of the country. They stayed at a nearly deserted resort in Cu ernavaca. Next, they intended to travel to a lake town, Valle de Bravo, west of Mexico City.

But they never made it there because they stopped in Tax co de Alarcón in the state of Guerrero and never left. About 6,000 feet above sea level, with temperatures ranging from 60 degrees to 90 degrees yearround, the town is known for its

silver production.

Darwish saw there how the pandemic was decimating the livelihood of indigenous peo ples, who typically make their money by selling handcrafted goods to tourists.

“I was concerned,” she says. “I have, I guess, this drive to be a voice for people who don’t have a voice.”

That voice was also used to ad vocate for her daughter, Hanaa, who has autism. Darwish earned her bachelor’s degree in Middle Eastern studies at the Universi ty of California, Los Angeles, but she decided to return to school in 2011 to get a degree in speech language pathology and audi ology so she could become a licensed therapist and more ef fectively help her daughter.

Before Darwish stepped in, Dallas ISD was bussing Hanaa to Harold Wendell Lang Sr. Middle School, near Buckner Boulevard and Interstate 30. Hanaa was locked in a classroom because fights broke out at school, Dar wish says, and she couldn’t eat lunch in the cafeteria, either.

Eventually, with constant pushing by Darwish, Dallas ISD allowed Hanaa to attend J.L.

Long Middle School, where she was enrolled in the deaf educa tion program for a year. But Dar wish identified unused funding that began a special education program at the school. Through out the rest of her daughters’ time in the district, Darwish worked on education initiatives, advocating for families of stu dents with special needs.

When the pandemic closed schools, Darwish’s role changed. She arrived in Mexico, saw the plight of the indigenous popula tions and thought about how she could help. She remembered a now-closed store on Henderson Avenue called Mariposa, which sold textiles, art and jewelry from Mexico.

Inspired by Mariposa, Darwish decided to start her own busi ness, Artesanías Zahra Darwish, with the goal of supporting a few Mexican artists and teaching Americans about native Mexi can art and cultures.

She worked with artists to de velop silver jewelry and hats, and then she added masks. Darwish has since narrowed product of ferings down to hats, though she has a whole drawer of masks in her showroom.

It’s typical for arti sans in the village of San Agustín near Taxco to sell hand-painted ceramics and hats.

“Those are cute, but it’s like any souvenir shop. It’s not high quality,” Darwish says. “If you lose it, it’s no big deal. It’s just a few dol lars.”

Wanting to make more elaborate hats, Darwish employed artisans to paint them with designs inspired by Mexican art styles, such as Talavera and Tenango.

Some of the hats are em broidered, not painted. The woman who stitches them took the earnings from her work for Darwish to get a divorce and escape a dan gerous domestic situation.

“We’re not a big organiza tion, but it feels good to be able to see the difference that we’re making in peo ples’ lives,” Darwish says.

Artisans across Mexico are involved in the making of one hat. Milliners are located in Guanajuato, the leathersmiths in Colima, the silversmiths in Taxco and the painters in San Agustín.

Darwish provides creative direction but allows the painters to express them selves in each piece. She also lets the artisans deter mine the price.

“I let them understand, we’re going to sell your piece for this much, but I need you to think about what you feel is respected for your art,” Darwish says. “And it’s al ways three, four times more than the hats they’re selling on the street.”

It can take anywhere from four to 50 hours to craft a single hat. The more time-consuming projects are the Huichol hats, which

require artists to layer paint so it actually feels like beadwork in the end. Those cost about $350 each.

Darwish rents a space in Tax co where artists can paint. While they’re there, she provides them with food and any supplies they need and helps with child care. She also covers their medical expenses and teaches them business skills.

Edgar is one of the painters. His wife, Mari, used to accom pany him when he painted, sometimes helping with touch-

ups. But Darwish saw Mari’s talent and asked her to paint by herself.

“I have her signing her own name,” Darwish says. “And now she’s making decisions because she makes money in the family.”

Darwish keeps around 400 hats at a time in her East Dal las studio. Designs include geo metric patterns, village scenes, plants and animals, and college mascots with a whimsical spin.

Because she travels so often, Darwish invites customers to shop even when she’s not there.

She can unlock the building re motely and has wine in the re frigerator. When shoppers find what they want, they just send Darwish a picture so she knows how much to charge them.

Most sales come from online or at events and shows, but Dar wish says she hopes to partner with a brick-and-mortar store to sell hats there. She also start ed a new project called Miracle Hearts for Autism. They carve wooden hearts at their work shop in Mexico, and Hanaa’s nurses work with her to paint a

base coat on them. Then, Hanaa helps select colors and milagri tos, little miracles, to nail to the hearts. On the back, they add a fact about autism.

“To provide for her now and for the 30 years that she’s going to be alive once I’m dead, that’s re ally the hardest part of this. And that’s why I work so hard to make change,” Darwish says. “And hopefully the good juju that I’m putting out in the world is going to rain down on her with society and people and kindness, show ing her grace.”

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SECOND TO NONE

Story by JEHADU ABSHIRO Photography by KATHY TRAN

A Dallas favorite in our neighborhood

OISHII IS FUSION. Salmon and tomato. Pico de gallo on scallops. The Cowboys roll features shrimp tempura asparagus, blue cheese and seared beef tenderloin.

“Thanh will say things along the lines of ‘I’m making food for the people that come into our restaurants,’” says Bryan Dobbins, director of operations. “We want to tailor the menu to the taste of those people who come in, instead of being that chef that builds their food and says like it or leave it.”

Executive chef and owner Thanh Nguyen once noticed

vegetables on a particular dish weren’t being eaten as plates were being brought back from the kitchen. That upset him for two reasons. One, the customer was losing out on the full flavor combination. Two, it was simply wasteful. So he decided to change how the vegetables were cut and incorporated in the dish. Then he stood near the returning plates and watched to see if that had impacted consumption.

Nguyen worked at Nakamoto and Steel, before buying 2525 Wycliff from a woman who was operating a Vietnamese buffet

in the space. He opened Oishii, Japanese for ‘delicious,’ in the unassuming strip mall in 2003.

There were only a few tables, and it was one of Dallas’ bestkept secrets.

One longtime customer and his wife stumbled into the restaurant years ago and no one was in there.

“So they went out and started telling all their friends, because they were afraid the restaurant wasn’t going to make it,” Dobbins says. “And he said, ‘You know, 15 years later, and it’s like gosh, I wish I hadn’t told so many

people, because now I can’t get in.’”

After 17 years of being a one-location restaurant, Oishii opened its second location on SMU Boulevard in January 2020. One year into the pandemic, they opened a third location in Plano, and they’re already looking at opening a fourth.

“The purveyors are all the same, the same delivery process, the same preparation, so you’re always going to receive innovative and fresh food,” Dobbins says.

Oishii, 5627 SMU Boulevard, oishiirestaurants.com

We Get Lakewood.

MARATHON MAESTRO

For 20 years, Marcus Grunewald has been making racing magic happen in our city

Stroy by CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB | Photography by EMIL LIPPE

When the last runner crosses the finish line of the Dallas Marathon on Dec. 9, Marcus Grunewald — who in 2022 marks 20 years as race director — can finally rest.

Just kidding.

As he pats backs of euphoric exhausted runners completing their 26.2 mile trek, Grunewald might slip in a question: “What did you think of the course?” Because he’s already thinking about next year.

"It never really ends,” he says. "Even while it's going on, we're looking at things thinking, 'is this how we want to do it next year?”

RUNNING A BIG RACE

As participants recover with beer and baths, Grunewald meets his team to, hopefully, recognize another successful year and conduct the post mortem (what went wrong?). There’s always room to improve, Grunewald says. Then, there are a million emails to answer and a race expo at the convention center to clean up.

Rest doesn’t come easy when you're called to govern Texas’ oldest marathon, Dallas’ largest annual fitness and family event, on a staff of three. (Paul Lambert, organization president, and Jason Schuchard, communications, are the marathon’s other two employees.)

We’re talking 40,000 people, from every American state and beyond, attending some portion of the weekend’s events, which include a three-day health exposition, 1-kilometer and 5-kilometer fun runs, a half marathon, marathon and 50-kilometer ultramarathon.

If Grunewald is the heart, the 2,500-volunteer army is its lifeblood. They'll distribute some 10,785 gallons of water and Gatorade, 20,000 pieces of fruit, 625 gallons of beer and collect 112 bags of discarded clothing for donating to local charities.

In order to pull off this engineering marvel — wherein the equivalent of a sold-out American Airlines

Center crowd (20,000-plus people) move across our city at paces varying between 4-12 mph — the team utilizes outside consultants and solicits the support of many city departments, DART and local churches, businesses and neighborhood associations.

In addition to distributing 25,000 door hangers around town, Grunewald makes personal visits. If more people can put a face with the event, he says, the less angry they will be when their Sunday commute is interrupted.

“You want to keep everyone impacted happy, and we have learned that by reaching out and notifying as many people as possible about what's going to happen race weekend, the less complaints we get afterwards.”

Anyone who has watched a dear one cross the marathon finish line (or done it themselves) knows that’s where the magic happens, but shrewd strategizing goes into the start (which, geographically is the same as the finish).

At the inaugural running of the White Rock Marathon (now Dallas Marathon) in 1971, 80 men and women crowded near the start, fast guys up front, slower ones in back. They just knew where to go. A pistol sounded, and they were off. First to cross the finish line was the winner. And so on.

In 2022, runners wearing timing chips are grouped into corrals based on their anticipated pace; they launch in five-minute intervals. The slower competitors typically don’t even cross the starting line until more than an hour after the elites.

“One of the trickiest things is making sure the start is clear before the fastest half-marathon runners start finishing,” Grunewald says. “There is never a dull moment at the start-finish.”

MARATHON MAN

The Lake Highlands man who lives and breathes the Dallas

Marathon hasn’t mentioned his 20-year milestone to many people.

Darsi Grunewald, his wife of 32 years, brought it up.

"He has put his heart and soul into this race and has brought together many people in this community and throughout the country for many years,” Darsi says. "Marcus is a very humble person and doesn't like to be in the spotlight but I believe he is due some recognition.”

The Grunewalds, now parents of two adult children, worked for the same company and fell for one another at a happy hour at Studebakers, the old dance club off Central Expressway, Darsi says.

Darsi, a teacher and a singer, thinks "runners are crazy.”

“Marcus is kind of competitive,” she says, so pursuing separate passions worked in their favor.

Grunewald ran his first marathon at White Rock in 1984, as kind of a bet.

“I was in an informal running group in college when I saw something about, and brought up, the Dallas White Rock Marathon, but a buddy said that I was crazy, that you had to train for years before running a marathon. And so it became a challenge. I ended up running it that year."

Grunewald ran another nine times before an injury interrupted his streak. Then he became the race’s director, which, before 2007 was an unpaid volunteer job. Until then he was also working in finance.

“I really liked that job and the paychecks, but the people I enjoyed the most were my running friends. When the marathon needed a fulltime employee, it didn’t pay what I had been making in the banking world, but I discovered that it was more important to be happy. And to this day, I thank my lucky stars. I've got one of the best jobs in the world.”

When he’s not at City Hall, meeting with the Dallas Marathon Board, presenting checks to Scottish Rite

for Children (the marathon has donated $4 million since 1997) or hosting a pre-marathon event, you’ll find Grunewald running with a group of friends around the lake or a dirt trail. You’ll know him by his trademark yellow visor. (“We have a garage full of them,” Darsi says. “It’s just how people recognize him.”)

And, among runners, he’s earned recognition.

"Marcus is not only the executive race director for BMW Dallas Marathon. He is also an ambassador for racing in Dallas in general, and one of the biggest supporters of the running scene,” says Julie Lanaux, a founding member of White Rock Running Co-op. "The best scenario for races is where the race gives as much back to the local running scene as the local runners contribute to the race, and Marcus is the living embodiment of that concept."

In order to continue challenging himself as an athlete, Grunewald started running longer distances (getting older, you can’t keep getting faster, but you can go farther, he says), which is one of the reasons the Dallas Marathon added a 50k. “It’s unofficially Marcus’ Ultra Marathon,” he says.

Grunewald, who doesn’t share much about his personal life, does discuss a recent health scare, because he thinks it could help others.

A few years back, he says, he just “wasn’t feeling right,” and his running performance was suffering. So he saw a physician and wound up undergoing quintuple bypass surgery to treat blocked arteries.

“The doctor said if I had run another race, it probably would have been the last thing I did,” Grunewald says.

“As runners we tend to push through injuries because we just think that’s who we are,” he says. “But as an athlete, you are more attuned to your body, as part of your training, than even your doctor. You really need to pay attention to those injuries, those feelings.”

REGRETS AND REWARDS

Like life and sport, event planning is a world of disappointments, victories and lessons learned.

Grunewald’s worst experi ence as director was having to cancel the marathon due to weather.

Darsi, who typically runs around doing whatever is need ed on race day, remembers her husband going out the Satur day before race day in 2013. “He was out there in the truck before I even woke up, and he came in saying, ‘It’s so slick. We can’t have the race.’” It was devastating, she says, the only time the race was ever called off aside from the pandemic years, when it was held virtually.

Grunewald adds, “We all felt personally responsible for the pain and suffering that the run ners went through.”

A better day was when East Dallas chiropractor Logan Sherman’s “dream of winning the marathon” came true, (as he told the Advocate at the time).

“I think the first thing, after hugging his fiance, he hugged Marcus,” Darsi recalls of the 2015 winner, whose father was a friend of Grunewald’s.

“I knew his dad when he used to race, and then I watched Logan grow up and become such a great guy,” Mar cus Grunewald says. “I feel like the Dallas marathon is my race, and to see him win my race was just very, very rewarding.”

Stocking Stuffers

SHOP LOCAL THIS HOLIDAY SEASON WITH GIFTS FROM SMALL BUSINESSES

Story by ANDREA HANCOCK Photography by JESSICA TURNER

If you’re looking for stocking stuffers that will hit close to home, check out these gifts from East Dallas small businesses.

East Dallas Vintage opened in the fall of 2021 and moved into its current location on Peak Street in November. Step inside the store, and find a smorgasbord of trinkets, including vintage mugs, ash trays, jewelry and assorted decor. The shop is owned and curated by our neighbors Chelsea Callahan-Haag and Melissa Maher, and local vendors are always featured in the store.

East Dallas Vintage eastdallasvintage.square.site 1327 N. Peak St.

Located in North Stonewall Terrace, Herb’s House is a popular spot for SMU stu dents and East Dallas neigh bors alike. Herb’s was found ed in 2018, and the coffee shop began producing its own private-label coffee in the fall of 2021. There are five different roasts to choose from, each with its own unique flavor profile. Herb’s is also proudly woman-owned and operated.

Herb’s House Coffee & Company herbshousecoffee.com

5622 Dyer St., $14.75 per bag

East Dallas neighbor Brandon Yates co-founded Outside, Texas in 2019. When the outdoor lifestyle company was founded, Yates sold apparel from pop-up shops at farmers markets. Now, Outside, Texas has locations in Dallas and Austin, and people all around the state are sporting the brand’s signature sunset-toned logo. Yates says he hopes the company inspires more Texans to notice the beauty around them, and he offers a guide to Texas’ state parks with every purchase.

Talulah & HESS, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, is a lifestyle boutique that intends to stock something for everyone. The store on Live Oak Street has items such as cards, dinnerware, fresh flowers, clothing, candles and art. Owner and East Dallas neighbor Elizabeth Mast says she focuses on stocking the store with items with uplifting messages, and she also tries to feature local vendors whenever possible.

& HESS

talulahandhess.com

5810 Live Oak St.

Talulah

For sweet tooths, check out Sweet J’s Bakes or Lakewood Choco lates. Sweet J’s was founded in 2016 by mother-daughter duo Judeann Bodell and Jena Glover, and every pie, quiche or cake made comes straight from Glover’s kitchen.

Lakewood Chocolates is run by John Spencer, who has made truffles for 30 years for friends and family. He began selling them five years ago when he retired from the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department.

Talulah & HESS sells Spencer’s chocolates and toffee made by Glover. Or, place orders on the businesses’ websites.

Sweet J’s Bakes sweetjsbakes.com $37 per pie

Lakewood Chocolates lakewoodchocolates.com small box-$22, large box-$32

‘THE WORST MEMORIAL IN THE HISTORY OF THE COUNTRY’

NEIGHBORHOOD BROTHERS SAY THE KOREAN WAR WALL OF REMEMBRANCE IS FULL OF ERRORS

Story by RENEE UMSTED Photography by JESSICA TURNER

When Hal Barker asked his father about the Silver Star on his uniform in 1979, his questions were shut down immediately. His father, Marine Lt. Col. Edward Barker, told him never to mention the Korean War, often called the Forgotten War, again.

“So that immediate ly got me going,” Barker says. “I wrote the com mandant of the Marine Corps, and about a week later, I got a letter saying that he had won the Sil ver Star at Heartbreak Ridge.”

Barker’s father, his air craft hit and damaged in the October 1951 battle, made three attempts to rescue an airman who had been hit by friend ly fire, only returning to base when he realized the task was impossible by helicopter.

The information left Barker’s curiosity about his father and the war unquenched. He ended up going to 24 reunions of the 23rd Infantry Unit and became an honorary life member of the unit.

Barker volunteered to join the military in 1967, the middle of the Vietnam War. His brother, Ted, had joined the Marine Corps. But Hal wasn’t able to enlist because he failed his physical. The cause was asthma, which he says developed after consuming contaminated drinking water at the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, where his family once lived.

“Military kids go in the military because you don’t know anything else,” Barker says. “So

that screwed up my whole career path.”

Barker got a degree in history from North Carolina State University, was a photojournalist and spent most of his career working as a carpenter. He has lived with his brother near White Rock Lake for decades. Throughout it all, he has kept his ties with Korean War veterans.

Barker’s dedication to helping them led to his involvement in safeguarding funds for a memorial, visiting Heartbreak Ridge — a hill inside the Demilitarized Zone, where no Americans had stood since the war — as a guest of the Korean minister of defense, creating a website about the war and the people who fought in it, and ultimately getting caught up in the politics of the Capitol, or as Hal calls Washington, D.C., a “snake pit.”

The Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance, which was unveiled in July, is meant to honor thousands of soldiers. Some of their names are spelled correctly. That’s significant to many families, who were able to take photos of their relatives’ names and place flowers in memory of them, Ted says. But what can’t be forgotten is that the people in power made an avoidable mistake with the new monument. Actually, it’s more like 1,400 mistakes.

“There’s no reason for it to happen,” Hal says. “It only happened because they didn’t want the two guys, Ted and Hal, getting the credit.”

The Barkers received mugs and a thank-you note from U.S. Army Lt. Col. Suzanne Walker, who officed in the Pentagon, on Sept. 10, 2001.

Cutline + Photography by sentence. No photo credit if byline.

THE FIRST ITERATION

When the Vietnam War Memorial was dedicated in 1982, Hal says he was the man the Korean War veterans called, asking why there wasn’t one to commemorate the war they fought in.

“So I said, ‘Well, I’ll go check.’ So the next time I went to D.C., I checked, and there was an organization fundraising, but they had some big problems, legal problems,” Hal says.

The National Committee for a Korean War Memorial, as it was then called, had

lost its corporate registration and was raising funds illegally, Hal says. In a fact sheet presented to the United States Senate in 1985, the American Battle Monuments Commission writes the National Committee for a Korean War Memorial had collected over $300,000 in 1984, but none of that remained for construction of the memorial.

By 1985, Hal had started a trust fund, his $10 contribution the first donation. He and veteran Bill Temple traveled to Washington to advocate for their way of

fundraising — which was making sure money went directly to the American Battle Monuments Commission, inaccessible to anyone except those with government approval. They made their case to Congressional aides in four minutes, two for each person, with Temple providing a veteran’s perspective and Barker pushing for safe harbor in a Treasury account.

Their elevator pitches convinced two Congressional committees to approve Barker’s plan, he says.

Top: Ted, left, and Hal, right, had a poodle-grooming business as teenagers in North Carolina. Bottom: Ted, left, and Hal, right, with their dogs at their White Rock Lake condo.

The Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated July 27, 1995, 42 years after the armistice ending the war was signed. Nineteen statues of members of the Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy are placed in the triangular Field of Service, advancing up a hill.

The Barkers weren’t invited to the dedication ceremony. Hal says he thinks it’s because the government didn’t want him and his brother to get the credit.

“That was highly disappointing but expected,” Ted says.

But the Barkers still attended as members of the public. Ted says he spent hours passing out water to other visitors, who needed hydration during the hot, humid day.

Creating the Korean War Project

In February 1995, the Korean War Project website went live. It was a single page, mostly detailing Barker’s 1989 trip to Korea.

The site drew traffic from the beginning. Some days, the Barkers say they would receive hundreds of emails from war veterans, then in their 50s and 60s, as well as their family members.

Soon after, the Department of Defense reached out, wanting help identifying the more than 8,000 people designated as missing in action. Hal wrote a program and put it on the website, while Ted worked the phones. They helped connect the government with families with whom they’d lost contact, allowing for the identification of thousands of people who fought in the war. And they did it as volunteers, receiving no compensation for their donated time or technical skills.

“It wasn’t for the government,” Barker says. “It was for the families.”

The Barkers kept adding to their website, and Korean War Project became a registered nonprofit in 1997.

Since then, Hal and Ted have spent almost all of their time on the project, collecting documents, resources, photographs, maps and other information regarding the Korean War. They still communicate with families, veterans and the Defense

Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency, which works to identify missing personnel.

THE WALL

The Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance lists the names of more than 36,000 Americans and 7,000 Koreans who died in the war. Of those, Barker says, there are 894 misspellings and 540 missing. By his count, more than 37,000 Americans died in the war.

For comparison, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial had about 100 spelling errors.

The Barkers purchased the original Korean War casualty databases from the government in the early 1990s. They were called Records Group 330 and Records Group 407. After sorting through the names, manipulating the information into usable datasets, the Barkers could start verifying the spelling of each name by consulting gravestones, birth certificates, draft information, families and newspaper articles.

“We try to get confirmation of the name at least two or three ways, and we’ve been doing that now for almost 27 years,” Hal says.

Though the Barkers weren’t the only people trying to correct the mistakes, Hal says, they were the ones with a website.

Some of the errors they identified in the original data were caused by the way casualties were recorded. Soldiers’ names were typed first by companies or battalions. Each time the lists were retyped at various levels of the military, an opportunity for an error was introduced. A name might be shortened to fit a certain format, such as a punch card, which only allowed 25 spaces for names. Puerto Rican names, which use more than one family name, were often recorded out of order. The Barkers have also found that many Native American and Hawaiian names are incorrect.

Starting in 1998, the government combined Records Group 330 and Records Group 407. They worked on it for years, and eventually it became

known as the Defense Casualty Analysis System 2008 file. This was the database referenced when compiling a list of names for the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance, Hal says..

In 2014, when it was clear the government wanted to create such a wall, the Barkers were contacted by Bill Weber, the chair of the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation — the group responsible for fundraising for the monument. Weber asked Barker to give his casualty list to the foundation.

Barker, a career carpenter whose business revolved around contract work, wanted a contract in place first, to know his responsibilities and how the list would be used. He told Weber that there was still years of work to be done, but he received no response.

The next time Barker heard from Weber was in 2015, when Weber again asked Barker for the list. Barker again asked for a contract. He also wanted some form of compensation for the years of work he and his brother had spent compiling a list, rather than just handing it over, but there really weren’t any serious conversations about dollar amounts.

Barker says he rejected a $20 offer by Weber, who died in April, to cover the cost of mailing a copy of the database. He then mentioned funding for a book that he would print, not the government. His quickly conceived thought was that if there were sufficient funding for it, they could ramp up their research over the next few years. Weber told him he could only dole out $200, Barker says, so the book idea didn’t last.

Michel Au Buchon, a spokesperson for the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation, says in an email that because Weber is now dead, “any insight into what may have been discussed cannot be verified.” But James Fisher, the former president of the foundation, told Texas Monthly that Weber told the board the Barker brothers asked for $200,000 in exchange for their list. Barker says Weber created that number “out of thin air.”

Weber and Barker agreed that the Barkers’ list was “far more accurate,” as Weber wrote in a 2014 email to Barker, compared to the list the government would use for the wall and read during a ceremony. But the Barkers’ list wasn’t used.

“All I cared about is getting it right,” Hal says. “And what’s the most important part of a memorial list of names? The names. And what’s the part that they showed the least interest in? The names.”

The Department of Defense knew about some errors years ago, even as far back as 1998. Hal highlights an example from the Virgin Islands. According to the Wall of Remembrance, 76 Virgin Islanders died in the Korean War. By Barker’s account, only seven Virgin Islanders should be on the list; many of the rest are actually Filipinos or Canadians.

Barker wrote a letter to the National Capital Planning Commission in 2019, claiming that 36,574 was not the correct number of American forces who died in Korea and that there were over 1,000 spelling errors in the names to be inscribed on the remembrance wall.

In a commission meeting shortly after, the members discussed the letter. Col. Richard Dean, the vice chair of the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation, told the commission that the Barkers could release their list but wanted to be paid for their data.

One member asked if it was a “shakedown.”

“Could be,” Dean said.

Legislation passed by Congress mandates that the Wall of Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial should include the names of American military members who died in the war, as determined by the Secretary of Defense, as well as the number of members of: the Armed Forces of the United States; the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army; the Republic of Korea Armed Forces; and other countries in the United Nations Command who were killed, wounded or missing in action or were prisoners of war.

But visitors to the memorial wall can see that the names, not just the number, of the Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army, are included.

Names were compiled by the Secretary of Defense and passed to the Secretary of the Interior, who provided the list to the Korean War Veterans Memorial

Foundation. Nowhere were the Barkers involved.

“To have these heroes’ names mangled is just very upsetting to me,” Ted says. “I try to control my emotions, but internally, I’m very, very upset.”

NO SURRENDER

About 18 months ago, Hal wrote to the White House, Secretary of the Defense and Department of the Interior, telling them about the need to fix the Defense Casualty Analysis System 2008 file and requesting a General Accountability Office audit.

Hal received an email in October 2022 from a representative at the Department of Defense, who asked for “any information that you can provide that would assist the Department in updating and correcting the Korean War Casualty List.”

But Hal says correcting that list won’t have an immediate impact on the wall. For the corrections to be made to the monument, the Department of Defense would need to issue a new database, and Congress would have to mandate some solution.

Hal has also filed for a Senate Armed Services Committee investigation into the misspellings, as well as the hundreds of dead soldiers the Department of Defense has refused to include in the Defense Casualty Analysis System 2008 file.

The dead include people such as Air Force Lt. Col. George Wellington Foster, who was from Dallas. In July 1950, Foster was piloting a plane that left Haneda Air Base in Japan and was headed to Itazuke Air Base in Japan on a courier mission. The plane crashed into the ocean about 64 miles southwest of Tokyo. The U.S. Air Force determined that Foster’s death, and the death of the others on the flight, were not war-related because the crash didn’t happen in the Korean War zone and the flight was not en route to or from the war zone.

Another passenger who died on that flight, Major Genevieve Smith, had been named the chief nurse for Korea by General Douglas MacArthur. Like Foster, Smith has been left off the wall.

“And so now we have the worst memorial in the history of the country, just because some guys didn’t want civilians involved,” Hal says. “Except, my brother was in the military.”

By PATTI VINSON

Homemade traditions

Happy Festivus, everyone! Enjoy your tradition al Feats of Strength and Airing of Grievances. Not your thing? No matter your beliefs or holiday of choice, we all have our hol iday traditions, but some East Dallas neighbors have found unique ways to celebrate and honor the season, and they involve a tin foil Star of David, a wine-guzzling-reindeer bottle holder, and ribs — lots of ribs.

For East Dallas neighbors Cathrine

Tuck and Matthew Fott, it’s all about the Christmas tree, topped with the aforementioned star. It’s one of their traditions to honor the blending of their Christian and Jewish heritage.

The two met in sixth grade and re connected about 20 years later. They carried on a long-distance romance — she in Dallas, he in St. Louis — until Fott made the move to Texas six years ago.

Tuck’s children, Ella and Sean, were 8 and 5 at the time. Tuck says they

knew little about the Jewish faith but were aware of the Star of David. So they decided to create a star for the top of their Christmas tree as a welcoming gesture for Fott and his daughter Harper. “It was completely their idea,” Tuck says.

They cut a star shape out of card board, covered it with aluminum foil, embellished it with a little glitter glue and voilà! Star of David. A toilet paper roll cleverly glued to the back would facilitate its treetop positioning. When

Left: This highly desired gift in Elida Willis’ white elephant exchange is known as the “Posadas Venado.” Right: Handmade Star of David with aluminum foil tops Cathrine Tuck and Matthew Fott’s interfaith holiday tree. Photography by Jessica Turner.

Fott opened the gift from Ella and Sean, there might have been some misty eyes in the room.

“I was flabbergasted,” Fott says. “The kids wanted something special for me to feel a part of this family. For me, it represents a blended love for each other.”

Ella, now 15, says, “We wanted to let Matthew know that he was welcome and accepted and that we would incor porate his traditions with ours. I feel like it reinforces our bond. We may not be related by blood, but that’s not the only thing that makes a family, is it?”

The star holds a special place in their tree trimming each year. It’s al ways the last ornament to go on the tree and the last to come down, and the children alternate year after year for the honor of placing it atop in a “solemn ceremony.”

“It ties together our two faiths and continues our own family tradition of hanging all handmade ornaments on the tree,” Tuck says.

She adds, “And it’s a reminder that in a loving family, there’s always room for one more. We’ve proven that. In seven years, our holiday table has grown from four seats to about 10,” including Tuck’s dad who moved in with them, longtime friend Bill who no longer has any living family, and the family of four next door who are dear friends.

“But no matter who is with us or where we spend Christmas, the Star of David goes on the tree,” Tuck says. “It’s simply not Christmas without that star.”

For Hollywood/Santa Monica neighbor Elida Willis and friends, their unusual tradition also involves an object: a gaudy, tacky, wine bottle holder disguised as one of Santa’s rein deer who apparently has indulged in one too many nightcaps after pulling the sleigh all over the world. His eyes appear glassy, his feet are up in the air, and his hooves are ready to grip a bottle of vino. Rudolph needs a drink.

This, friends, is the “Posadas Ve nado,” the highly desired gift in the group’s white elephant exchange.

You may be familiar with the tra ditional Mexican posadas celebra tion, which reenacts Mary and Joseph seeking shelter. But for some, such as Willis et al., it is a more informal get together involving a meal and a competitive gift exchange.

For the past 15 years, Willis and her friend group of 20-30 people have celebrated the holidays in this unique way. Taking turns hosting, the party has occurred in homes all over East Dallas: Lakewood Heights, Forest Hills, Lake Highlands, Junius Heights and the M Streets. There are also friends from other states who join the fun remotely.

The first few were progressive din ners, the group going from house to house for various courses. But after kids came along, it became easier to host in one spot. The meal is frequently built around ham and tamales unless it’s catered, as it was last year by our neighborhood’s own Matt’s Rancho Martinez.

The food is festive, sure, but the party starts rolling when it’s time for pres ents. The infamous chugging reindeer first appeared 12 years ago.

“Someone brought this stunningly hideous hunting-themed wine bottle holder in the shape of a deer,” Wil lis says. “It had an orange vest and a camouflaged hat and boots. A Bass Pro Shop favorite! It was sadly abandoned at the party.”

Unwilling to merely toss it, Willis de cided to give it a new life and identity. She took it home, painted its clothes a festive red and green, and added a red nose. You know, the bright nose that guides Santa’s sleigh. She re-gifted it the following year.

It was a hit and suddenly became a desired gift. Well, sort of. The reaction when the beautifully wrapped gift is revealed? “Oh, it’s always an audible groan,” Willis says. But it’s all in fun. “People have always included a gift card, so it’s not a total loss. It’s more of an honor.”

Matt Wilshire fires up the smoker for Rib-A-Rama 2022. Photography courtesy of Laura Gonzales.

The lucky recipient has his/her name written on the bottom and has the option of adding to the rein deer’s splendor. Additions have included an ugly holiday sweater, knee pads, an earring, and a, um, star-shaped anus. “This guy has been to Seattle, New York City, and back to Dallas,” Willis says. No doubt the inebriated reindeer will be cleverly disguised for this year’s Posadas in an elegantly wrapped box. Choose carefully.

Enough about December holidays. How about New Year’s Day? Wilshire Heights residents Laura Gonzales and Matt Wilshire smoke ribs, of course. Doesn’t everyone?

Wilshire says the tradition began with his father in the 1970s in Houston. Looking for an alternative to raucous New Year’s Eve celebrations, they opted for a more relaxing Jan. 1 gathering during which they would watch football, drink beer and eat lots of ribs. Dubbed “Rib-A-Rama,” they even had T-shirts printed for the occasion.

“Over time it became a thing, and more and more people started showing up,” Wilshire says. “It was a good way to break all of your resolutions on the first day.”

Fast forward to 2006 when Wilshire and Gonzales were living in Washington D.C. For years, they had heard stories about Rib-A-Rama and decided, at long last, to revive the tradition, though the first year they had to manage with mail-order ribs.

The couple eventually bought a smoker and began to draw a crowd of friends to indulge with them. They laugh as they recall that they generally had pretty good luck with the weather except for the one memorable year when Wilshire was smoking ribs in sub-freezing temperatures.

In 2019, the couple moved to Dallas where they continued the tradition. Some of their D.C. friends even made the long trip to Texas for the 2020 version of Rib-A-Rama.

It’s now a family affair. While Wilshire and their 12-year-old son are busy preparing ribs, Gonzales hits the kitchen to make sides, usually green beans, cole slaw, corn pudding, queso and guacamole. Guests bring a side or dessert to share.

Gonzales says in the last couple of years, they scaled back the festivities due to the pandemic. But no matter the size of the event, Rib-A-Rama lives on. “I think we are one of the few houses where you’ll see smoke rising from a pit on New Year’s Day,” Gonzales says.

Neighbors, whatever you celebrate, find a way to make it your own. Happy holidays, East Dallas!

Mon. – Sat. 10:00 – 5:00 9850 Walnut Hill Lane, Ste. 226 (at Audelia Rd.) 214-553-8850 · thestoreinlh.com

PATTI VINSON is a guest writer who has lived in East Dallas for more than 20 years. She’s written for the Advocate and Real Simple magazine.

WORSHIP

By GEORGE MASON

Everything seems existential

And then there’s reality

We’ve come out of an election season again this year that purported to be most im portant election of our lifetimes. Until the next one. Apocalyptic framing of the crises we face makes everything seem existential — a contest between good and evil with life-or-death con sequences.

This is rarely true, regardless of how hot our political passions run. We always pick ourselves up and return to the work of persisting or resisting, depending on where we are in the power grid at the time.

December brings spiritual insights about light and darkness from two religions’ holidays: Hanukkah and Christmas. (I should also mention the Hindu, Sikh and Jain holy day, Diwali, which happened in October this year. Diwali is called the festival of lights. It celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, freedom over oppression, and enlightenment over ignorance.)

Hanukkah recalls the victory of the Jewish Maccabees over the Seleucid ruler, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who had humiliated the Israelites by dese crating the Temple in Jerusalem with the blood of a pig. When the sanctifi cation of the Temple took place, only enough oil was found for the ceremo nial lamps to burn for one day. Mirac ulously, the oil lasted eight days. Thus, the nine-candled menorahs (eight for the eight days, and one helper candle used to light the others).

Christmas lights — white and col ored both — are everywhere, it seems: on Christmas trees, Advent wreaths, windowsills, front yard trees and bush es. Jesus is called “the Light of the world”. He came to chase away the darkness of sin. We light our little

candles on Christmas Eve from the Christ candle, reminding us that we too must share the light in a darkened world.

Light and darkness always coexist. Yet every contrast isn’t as stark as noon and midnight or even sunrise and sunset. We have dawn and dusk, too. If you didn’t have your watch on, you might not know whether twilight hours bode more light to come or less. So, we might ask, “Is this moment,” as Valarie Kaur puts it, “the darkness of the tomb or the darkness of the womb?”

The modern Hebrew word mashber means crisis. It comes from an original meaning of “birthing stool.” In other words, we should always be looking for hope in the midst of whatever de spair we feel, new life in the shadow of death. Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur of Paris, France, says that mashber “is a time of anger and hope, death and life. It’s the birthing of something new, and no one knows what that’s going to be.”

Politics is something but not every thing. Culture is the underlying driver of politics. And religion is an import ant component of culture. People of faith must remember that God is the true mystery of the world. Therefore, surprising judgments and unexpected breakthroughs are possible no matter how bright or bleak the affairs of state. We can and must shine our little light of hope and point the way to paths of peace.

Let’s walk that way together.

GEORGE MASON is pastor of Wilshire Bap tist Church, president of Faith Commons and host of the “Good God” podcast. For information about the Worship section, call 214.560.4202.

WORSHIP

BAPTIST

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

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

WILSHIRE BAPTIST CHURCH / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100

Open to all / Worship at 11 a.m. Sunday School at 10 a.m. / wilshirebc.org

DISCIP LES 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 / Interim Senior Minister, Rev. Dr. Larry Ross. / edcc.org

LUTHERAN

CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA / 1000 Easton Road

A Welcoming & Affirmation Church / Rev. Robert O. Smith, PhD, Bridge Pastor Sunday School 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am/ centrallutheran.org

FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH (ELCA) / 6202 E Mockingbird Lane

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

METHODIST

LAKEWOOD UMC / 2443 Abrams Rd. / 214.823.9623

Sunday Morning Worship 10:30 am / mylakewoodchurch.org Messy Church for Children and Families Sunday 5:00 pm

MUNGER PLACE CHURCH / Come & See

Sunday: Morning Worship: 9:30 & 11:00 am Evening Worship 5:00 pm 5200 Bryan Street / mungerplace.org

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

LAKEWOOD FELLOWSHIP / Sundays 10:00 am / White Rock YMCA / 7112 Gaston Ave LakewoodFellowship.org / Lakewood@LakewoodFellowship.org

PRESBYTERIAN

ST. MARK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH/ 9999 FERGUSON RD. saintmarkchurch.org / Sunday School 9:15am / Worship I0:30am/ 214.321.6437/ Rev. Rick Brooks

NORTHRIDGE PRESBYTERIAN / 6920 Bob-O-Link Dr. / 214-827-5521 northridgepc.org / Regular skd returns Sept 11th. 9am outdoor & 11am sanctuary service. A community of people dedicated to doing life together

PARK CITIES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH/ 4124 Oak Lawn Ave Sunday Worship 9:00 & 11:00 A.M.

To all this church opens wide her doors - pcpc.org

AC & HEAT

ALEXANDER HOME REPAIR. AC/HEAT Repair & Install. LIC#28052 469-226-9642 TACLA67136C 214-710-2515 dallasheatingac.com

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ALTOGETHER CLEAN

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

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LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

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PAT TORRES 214-388-1850 Lawn Service & Tree Care. 28 Yrs. Complete Landscape Renovation. New Fence Install & Brick Repair. Concrete Removal and Gutter Cleaning.

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WALTON’S GARDEN CENTER

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NATURE KING PEST MANAGEMENT INC. Squirrels, Racoons, Skunks, Snakes, Possums, etc. Pest & Termite. Neighborhood Resident 30+ Yrs.exp. 214-827-0090

ROOFING & GUTTERS BERT ROOFING

SERVICES FOR YOU

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PLUMBING

AC PLUMBING Repairs, Fixtures, Senior

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DALLAS KDR SERVICES

POOLS

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PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

C.A.S. BOOKKEEPING SERVICES

Personal/Small Business. Payroll, Accounting, Organizing, Consult. Cindy 214-577-7450

REAL ESTATE

ESTATE HOME NEEDS TO BE SOLD? Facing forclosure? IG Heron Homes Call Ricardo Garza @ 469-426-7839

OFFICE SUBLEASE In Bishop Arts. Cool, Quiet. 1,179 Sq ft. 4 rooms + kit / bath, parking. $2,950 + NNNs. 713.302-7722.

REMODELING

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

FENN CONSTRUCTION Kitchens And Baths. Call Us For Your Remodeling Needs. 214-343-4645. dallastileman.com

O’BRIEN GROUP INC. Remodeling Dallas For Over 24 Years www.ObrienGroupInc.com 214-341-1448

RENOVATE DALLAS renovatedallas.com 214-403-7247

TK REMODELING 972-533-2872

Complete Full Service Repairs, Kitchen & Bath/Remodeling, Restoration. Name It- We Do It. dallas.tkremodelingcontractors.com

MP ARCHITECTURAL Design & Construction. mattandpaul.com 214-226-1186

URBAN PIONEER REMODEL. Total construction & Remodel. 214-682-4564 urbanpioneerconstruction.org

SERVICES FOR YOU

ALOE CARE HEALTH medical alert system. Most advanced medical alert product on the market. Voiceactivated! No wi-fi needed! Special offer w/code CARE20 for $20 off Mobile Companion. 1 -855-521-5138

AT&T INTERNET. Starting at $40/month w/12-mo agmt. 1 TB of data/mo. Ask how to bundle & SAVE! Geo & svc restrictions apply.1-888-796-8850

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 855-761-1725

DENTAL INSURANCE-Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Covers 350 procedures. Real insurance -not a discount plan. Get your free dental info kit! 1-888-623-3036 www.dental50plus.com/58 #6258

DISH TV $64.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply.Promo Expires 7/21/21.1-833-872-2545

GENERAC Prepare for power outages today with a GENERAC home standby generator $0 Down + Low Monthly Pmt. Request a free Quote. Call before the next power outage: 1-844-334 -8353

HUGHESNET Finally, super-fast internet no matter where you live.25 Mbps just $59.99/mo! Unlimited Data is Here. Stream Video. Bundle TV & Internet. Free Installation. Call 866-499 -0141

PROTECT YOUR home from pests safely and affordably. Pest, rodent, termite and mosquito control. Call for a quote o rinspection today 844-394-9278

SAFE STEP North America's #1 Walk-in tub. Comprehensive lifetime warranty. Top-of-the-line installation and service. Now featuring our free shower package & $1600 off - limited time! Financing available. 1-855-417-1306

SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS! Don't miss out. Get $1,000's from a government assistance program. Not a loan. More info? www.AidForSmallBusiness.com.

THE GENERAC PWRCELL, a solar plus battery storage system. SAVE money, reduce your reliance on the grid, prepare for power outages and power your home. Full installation services

VIVINT SMART SECURITY

Professionally installed. 1 connected system for total peace of mind. Free professional installation! 4 free months of monitoring! 1-833-841-0737

TUTORING/ LESSONS

GARTH ORR - TUTOR Math & Physics grade 8-12. Private Tutoring that works! garthorr.com

FROM ORDINARY TO EXTRAORDINARY

Do you want to take your kitchen from ordinary to extraordinary? Contact the best women remodelers in our neighborhood — Kitchen Design Concepts. We listen, then guide every step of the design and remodeling process from start to finish — we’ll update one room or renovate your entire home. Clients say “on time and on budget” best describes Kitchen Design Concepts’ work. Give us a call, and see for yourself. 214.390.8300 • kitchendesignconcepts.com