2017 January Oak Cliff

The wild ride that was 2016

HIGHER STANDARDS GREATER HOPE

For leading-edge technology and the highest level of breast cancer expertise, visit Texas Breast Specialists. We offer comprehensive breast care, including diagnostics, surgical services, and medical and radiation oncology. With compassion and understanding, we partner with you to help you understand your options and develop the best possible treatment plan. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 214-943-8605 or visit www.TexasBreastSpecialists.com .

TEXAS BREAST SPECIALISTS–METHODIST CHARLTON CANCER CENTER 3555 W. Wheatland Road DALLAS, TX 75237

TEXAS BREAST SPECIALISTS–METHODIST DALLAS CANCER CENTER 221 W. Colorado Blvd., Pavilion II, Suite 532 Dallas, TX 75208

Breast Specialists

Alison A. DiPasquale, M.D.

Martin L. Koonsman, M.D.

Katrina P. Emmett, M.D.

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

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

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

Elissa Chudwin

214.560.4210 / echudwin@advocatemag.com

Nichole Osinski

214.635.2122 / nosinski@advocatemag.com

senior art director: Jynnette Neal

214.560.4206 / jneal@advocatemag.com

art director: Brian Smith

214.292.0493 / bsmith@advocatemag.com

designer: Emily Williams

469.916.7864 / ewilliams@advocatemag.com

contributing editors: Sally Wamre

contributors: 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

Advocate, © 2016, is published monthly by East Dallas – Lakewood People Inc. Contents of this magazine may not be reproduced. Advertisers and advertising agencies assume liability for the content of all advertisements printed, and therefore assume responsibility for any and all claims against the Advocate. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any editorial or advertising material. Opinions set forth in the Advocate are those of the writers and do not 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.

Looking ahead

This is supposed to be the time when we review what happened last year, evaluate the progress (or lack thereof) we’re making in our lives and come up with a plan to make this upcoming year better.

But does anyone actually do that?

We talk about things we’ll do differently in the new year, resolutions we’re making to lose weight, find a new job, volunteer somewhere, try religion again, be more kind and attentive to others, and on and on.

It isn’t that difficult to identify things we can do better. But it’s trickier to actually do things differently in our lives.

The message of a movie I saw recently was this: If you could see your whole life laid out from start to finish, would you change even a minute of it?

The movie basically taunted New Year’s resolutions — if we knew what was ahead for us in life, would we really change the way life would unfold?

In this movie, the star’s future included having a daughter who would die at a young age of an incurable disease. Armed with the knowledge that her as-yet unborn daughter was going to die anyway, should she still become pregnant?

Her future also included a divorce, followed by a life of what appeared to be lonely solitude. But the soon-to-die daughter, created through her failed marriage, also opened the door to an important breakthrough in linguistics that would make her famous and, since this was a movie, save the world.

Now, all of that is more information and a more tempting conclusion — than we typically have to work with while contemplating our own futures. We’re more likely stuck with less sexy issues: If I quit the job I hate, how will I pay the

OPENING REMARKS

By RICK WAMRE

rent? If I ditch the spouse I can’t stand, can I actually find anyone I like better who also will like me? If I choose not to believe in God, what if He turns out to be real and isn’t that happy about my decision to blow him off?

Generally, to get from Point A to Point B, something has to take a back seat. Job success involves working harder, and that usually comes at the expense of family and friends. Leaving behind a bad spouse is mentally and often financially wrenching, and it’s easier just to be mildly content as opposed to actually happy.

If we knew our precise future, it might make today’s decisions easier to make. But I wonder if that precise knowledge of the

future would simply weigh us down with doubts about other decisions we could make and other paths we could take — resulting in the same life-in-quicksand we’re already pretty good at living.

I’m starting to think planning too far ahead is just going to give me a headache, just as making a bunch of resolutions I won’t keep anyway will lead to just another disappointing year.

I don’t think this would make a scintillating movie plot, but maybe it’s just a better idea — or more realistic — to keep our heads down, trudge on and hope we’re faced with the same issues a year from now.

At least that would mean we’re able to put another notch on our belts for surviving, if not actually thriving. And there’s something to be said for surviving.

Rick Wamre is president of Advocate Media. Let him know how we are doing by emailing rwamre@advocatemag.com.

It isn’t that difficult to identify things we can do better.

READERS REACT TO: ‘Central Market announces new location in not Oak Cliff’

“I have lived in OC for 25 years and for about the last 5 years, I drive to other neighborhoods to grocery shop. I may be the exception, but I eat about 95% of my meals in the home. I am very concerned about all the density that will soon be in the North Oak Cliff area with new apartments and homes being built. Basic services such as a grocery store are a definite need.”

JAY

JOHNSON

“I would’ve been more excited if Trader Joe’s would expand to Oak Cliff anyways.”

STEPHEN MARTINEZ

“They’re going to throw another Aldi our way — I’m not hating, but the closest thing to Central Market/Whole Foods is the Sprouts in Cedar Hill. And even Sprouts is a little too boutique to do a complete grocery run for essential food stuffs and victuals.”

STEVEN

A SMITH

FOLLOW US:

W. COLORADO - $779,000

TIMBERGROVE CIRCLE - $637,000 Architect Designed

L A UNC H Out & About

JAN. 19-FEB. 23

INTRO TO TEXTILES

Start the new year by learning a new skill. Oil and Cotton offers something new this season: A six-week textiles course, where adults can learn four dyeing and graphic techniques. Oil and Cotton, 817 W. Davis, 214.942.0474, oilandcotton.com, $360

JAN. 20

MUSIC ICONS

Evan Felker, frontman of Turnpike Troubadours, and Rhett Miller, lead singer of The Old 97s, showcase their solo projects. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the concert starts at 8 p.m. The Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis St., 214.272.8346, thekessler.org, $27

JAN. 21-29

‘DEKALOG’

Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski and originally released in 1989, “Dekalog” is a series of 10 films that bring the Ten Commandments to life. The Texas Theatre is showing each of the films between 4-8 p.m. throughout the week. The Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson Blvd., 214.948.1546, thetexastheatre.com, $40 per pass

JAN. 21-FEB. 24

‘QUARKS & QUASARS’

Rachel Muldez displays her visual art made with natural materials at the “Quarks and Quasars” exhibition. An opening reception is from 5:30-8 p.m. Jan. 21.

JAN. 28

WEDDING EXPO

Instead of browsing Pinterest wedding boards for hours, explore local vendors and bridal styles at The Swoon Event from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Gently used bridesmaids, wedding and cocktail dresses will be collected for Donate a Dress.

Jefferson Tower, 351 W. Jefferson Blvd., theswoonevent.com, $20

Oak Cliff Cultural Center, 223 W. Jefferson Blvd., 214.670.3777, dallasculture.org/oakcliffculturalcenter, free

JAN. 28-MARCH 12

ODDFELLOWS

Oak Cliff-based artist Andy Don Emmons curates of The Oddfellows Show, featuring Emmons himself and local artists Matt Bagley, Scott Wayne McDaniel, Jack Russell, Bruce Lee Webb, Steve Cruz and more. An artist reception is from 6-9 p.m. Jan. 28.

Mighty Fine Arts, 409A N. Tyler St., 214.942.5241, mfagallery.com, free

JAN. 28

MENTAL STIGMA

ReShonda Tate Billingsley, author of “The Secret She Kept,” talks with an expert panel about the stigma surrounding mental illness. “The Secrets We Keep: Destigmatizing Mental Illness” at 3 p.m. is co-hosted by The Well Community. Bishop Arts Theatre Center, 215 S. Tyler St., 214.948.0716, tecotheater.org, $15

A TOUGH FIGHT AHEAD

Being one of a few Democrats in a House full of Republicans

By RACHEL STONE

PHOTO BY DANNY FULGENCIO

Sen. Raphael Anchia outside the law office where he works in Downtown Dallas.

This will be Anchia’s seventh session to serve in the Texas Legislature.

State Rep. Rafael Anchia takes on his seventh session as a member of the Texas Legislature, which convenes this month.

Anchia, a Democrat whose district includes Oak Cliff, is up against a majority of traditional and Tea Party Republicans. Their top priorities include legislation that would affect immigrants, transgender people and women.

Anchia sat down with us about a week after Donald Trump was elected President of the United States.

How are you feeling?

Since [Election Day] I’ve been really, really bummed. I know people who didn’t get out of bed for two or three days after the election. They’re so dejected.

The lege opens in January. How are you feeling about that?

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick feels really emboldened by a Trump presidency. And he’s pushing a lot of things that are not pressing to the state but instead are causing a division that we saw in the Trump campaign. He wants to force people to go into the bathroom of the gender that’s on their birth certificate. It is incredibly cynical because it seeks to prey upon and demonize transgender Texans who are among the most vulnerable in our society. The language of the [so-called “bathroom bill”] equates trans Texans to pedophiles and suggests that the lieutenant governor is trying to protect women from trans males who may seek to attack them in the bathroom. The irony is that sexual assault is already illegal. The penal code already provides for a reasonable expectation of privacy in bathrooms. All those things are already illegal. But he’s seizing on the lack of familiarity. Facts don’t matter. We already have laws on the books that protect women in bathrooms, yet we demonize these people.

Let’s talk about immigration, since that hits home for our neighborhood. The governor is already talking about sanctuary cities and the repeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Because immigration issues poll very highly, those are going to be very high on their list of priorities. You may remember that former Gov. Rick Perry called

maybe two special sessions on sanctuary cities, and he never got it passed. We have flourishing immigrant populations that make our cities succeed. But the lieutenant governor equates allowing local police to make decisions prioritizing importance with not turning in bad guys. It’s ultimately going to make cities less safe because [requiring police to arrest undocumented immigrants] will take the police focus off of emergencies.

What else? On immigration, that is. The repeal of in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants. These are young people we’ve invested in through public education, who have come here as young children, played by the all the rules, gone to college, and now we want to tell them they’re not welcome.

WE’RE IN OAK CLIFF BECAUSE OAK CLIFF IS IN US.

For decades now, Dave PerryMiller Real Estate agents have not only represented buyers and sellers seeking to deepen their family’s Oak Cliff roots, but have put down roots here as well.

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

Meanwhile, trying to fix Child Protective Services was maybe in the lieutenant governor’s third press release about ‘priorities’ for the session. We’re under a federal court order to do it. The federal government is forcing the state to reform the system. This is something I’ve been complaining about for years. We had failed privatization of the system. We have chronically underfunded the system, so their caseloads have been exponentially higher than recommended national averages. There are 31,000 kids in foster care right now, and there’s not a huge waiting list to help them. That’s something we should be doing to protect the most vulnerable among us.

What about school finance?

We didn’t do anything last session about school finance, when we had money. Now we’re in an environment where we have less money because of oil and gas revenues. There are plans to recapture what they call “Robin Hood,” where

Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate, InTown 2828 Routh Street, Suite 100 214.303.1133

All those things are already illegal. But he’s seizing on the lack of familiarity. Facts don’t matter.

school districts with more wealth contribute to lower income schools. So that would cut some funding, but there’s no plan to fill that bucket back up. There’s a discussion of vouchers that would pull more tax revenue from public schools. Eliminating the franchise tax, which has underperformed, no doubt, but would leave a massive hole in the budget with no strategy for filling that back up. So all I’m hearing is strategies to pull money out, and that’s very troublesome.

There was at least one Democrat who beat a Republican in Dallas County, right?

Yes, in District 107, the Republican incumbent lost to a Democrat, Victoria Neave. She used to intern for me. She’s going to be a great member of the legislature.

What are your strategies this session? It’s going to be about forming coalitions. Democrats have been the backstop for Speaker Joe Strauss. When there were 74 of us, he won speaker. Now there are 55 of us. Joe is a classical conservative and very practical in his desire to help the state. The house needs to serve as the bulwark for the Texas Senate, which is far more rightwing than the house. As Sen. Royce West put it, the Senate had been the adults in the room. This session it’s going to have to be the House.

I like your bill to rename the Texas Railroad Commission for the job it is supposed to do — regulate the state’s energy business. We need to change the name and not raise money from industry participants that have matters pending before them. That at least creates the appearance of impropriety. The Railroad Commission should have a searchable database for violations so that members of the public can research operators in their area

It should be disturbing to everyone that the 7/9 gun that killed Dallas Police officers was bought in the parking lot of a big-box store with no background check.

and see if they have pending violations. The University of Texas and Southern Methodist University received $5 million in the last appropriations bill to study whether seismic activity could be from manmade causes like fracking or

horizontal drilling. [The Railroad Commission’s] first reaction was to attack that study. It’s irresponsible of the Railroad Commission to rule out manmade causes of seismic activity. I’m very critical of their role as a regulator. I believe they should be much more aggressive as a regulator.

And you have some gun bills?

It should be disturbing to everyone that the 7/9 gun that killed Dallas Police officers was bought in the parking lot of a big-box store with no background check. And this is wildly popular. The polling suggests that 90 percent of Americans and 87 percent of Republicans support background checks. Data from the federal government shows that 40 percent of the guns trafficked in

Mexico come from Texas. That vicious cycle has got to stop, and this is one way to do it. Cartels, terrorists, criminals, the insane, domestic abusers … there are many categories of people who should not have these guns. We also want to allow public universities to opt out of campus carry. Campus carry is not popular. Every private university in Texas that was given the opportunity to opt out did. And that gives me the idea that public universities would do the same given the choice.

Parting thoughts?

I think it’s going to be a hard slog. This session is going to be difficult because of the ideology motivated legislation that’s going to come out of the Senate and our budget deficit. Those two things are going to put a lot of stress on the legislature and hurt our ability to make truly needed changes in CPS, education, transportation funding. Those are things we should be worried about.

This interview was edited for clarity and brevity

ROAD LESS TRAVELED

By CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB

‘The crazier the better’

Steven Monté runs with a tire at Lake Cliff Park as part of an extreme regimen.

Steven Monté marches to the beat of his own drum, some might say. He enters competitions in which most sane folk desire no part. He runs, sometimes 100 miles in one stretch, up hills and through mud; he is known to do so with a 20-pound tire attached to his sinewy body. You might have seen him demonstrating this tire-pulling ritual around Lake Cliff Park. If so, you likely wondered, what the heck?

“I just got hooked on pulling a tire,” Monté says. “It forces so many mental issues upfront early in my workouts. I want to see how mentally strong I can get.”

Believe it or not, there are others like him.

Monté entered a 500-kilometer race last summer with Novle Rogers, a friend from East Dallas, who says his goal was

Pain and exhaustioninduced visions are a common side effect of tackling the Last Annual Vol-State 500-kilometer race.

to “have a hallucination — it’s something I’ve always wanted.”

To become so weary and sleep deprived from the run that one sees and hears non-existent things would be a small piece of the bigger physical, spiritual and mental experience, they say, of course.

Pain and exhaustion-induced visions are a common side effect of tackling the Last Annual Vol-State 500-kilometer race. The event lasts in excess of a week for most participants, beginning with a ferry ride across the Mississippi River, from Missouri to Kentucky, where the director, an eccentric Tennessean named Gary Cantrell, better known as Lazarus

Lake, signals the start by lighting his cigarette.

Lazarus became famous last year with the release of a popular Netflix documentary “The Barclays Marathons,” about his crazy, secretive 100- (well, maybe 130-)

stressful for the runners is good.”

That tells you a little bit about the mind behind the Last Annual Vol State Road Race (it’s not the last, this time, but someday it will be — thus the reasoning behind the tongue-in-cheek name).

mile footrace through the Cumberland Mountains of eastern Tennessee. To date, just 12 men, of 800 competitors since 1985, have completed The Barclays Marathons and mystery shrouds its registration process.

“There is no website, and I don’t publish the race date or explain how to enter,” Cantrell told the New York Times. “Anything that makes it more mentally

Compared to Barclays, Cantrell’s 314mile Last Annual Vol-State — “on foot, along highways and back roads, from one small town to the next, over hills and across rivers, up mountains and down long valleys, all the while accounting for all of their most basic needs such as food, water and sleep,” Laz notes — is the gentler endeavor.

Both Monté and Rogers are experi-

Dallas ISD’s Transformation Schools offer specialized academic programming, similar to Magnet Schools, because all children deserve a best-fit school that taps into their individual interests, learning styles, and aspirations.

Transformation Schools are open enrollment for all students, regardless of academic ability. Transportation will be provided districtwide within certain parameters.

Solar Preparatory School for Girls

• Single-gender STEAM school accepting new Kindergarteners; will grow to a full K - 8 th grade

• Secured prestigious $450,000 national grant from NewSchools Venture Fund

Eduardo Mata Elementary

• Montessori school accepting new Pre-K3, Pre-K4, and Kindergarteners

• Recognized as “Best Dallas ISD Innovation” by Dallas Observer in 2015

D.A. Hulcy STEAM Middle

• Project-based learning STEAM school accepting new 6th graders

• Earned 4 state distinctions for student performance

CityLab High School

• Brand new high school accepting new 9th graders with a focus on Urban Planning and Architecture

• Located in renovated downtown Dallas building

Innovation, Design, Entrepreneurship Academy (IDEA)

• Personalized Learning and Entrepreneurship high school accepting new 9 th graders

• Earned 2 state distinctions for student performance

“There is no website and I don’t publish the race date or explain how to enter.

Anything that makes it more mentally stressful for the runners is good.”

enced ultrarunners who have tackled multiple 100-mile races through hills, extreme weather and mud (yes, sometimes pulling tires), but running 314 miles was a different beast, they say.

With each passing year, the Vol State race’s popularity increases, and residents of the towns along the course help out the unsupported runners.

“Every year they say more and more people are popping up to help,” Monté says. “They are called ‘road angels.’ ”

Still, the super long distance runners often are a strange sight, and aroma, to observers.

“We were resting outside a convenience store when a little kid asks his dad, ‘What’s that smell?’ and that gave us a good laugh,” Rogers recalls.

One runner, a woman prone to roadside naps, was called in as a dead body to police. “Twice,” Monté says with a

Monté completed the 314-mile Last Annual Vol-State race last year, and he hopes to day take a at the mysterious Barclays Marathon.

chuckle.

Rogers completed the race in 177 hours, 32 minutes. Monté in about 204.

“Vol State taught me that there is a way to break anything down, make it doable,” says Monté, who recently ran a 100-mile race with his tire in tow.

So is the famous Barclays Marathon next?

Just to get accepted into that field could take three to five years, Monté guesses, especially now that the movie is out.

“I hope so, because I need the time to prepare,” he says, adding that everything he does now is in preparation for someday attempting Barclays.

“The lure of this race is there’s a certain subculture of trail running that is pure, do-it-for-the-fun type deal and you see a lot of those people at [Gary Cantrell’s races],” Monté says. “The oldest finisher [at Vol State] was a 75-yearold race veteran … he was clipped by a car a few days into the race but finished anyway.”

None of it makes much sense when you try to explain it.

Maybe it’s just knowing that “anything can happen in any given race,” as Monté says, and the longer and more extreme the race, the broader the scope of possibilities. “The crazier the better.”

“The lure of this race is there’s a certain subculture of trail running that is pure.”

DELICIOUS

Caribbean cuisine

The Island Spot is a lesson in Jamaican culture and food

By RACHEL STONE

PHOTO BY KATHY TRAN

Richard Thomas wants to share his culture with Oak Cliff.

The Island Spot’s owner takes every opportunity he can to share Jamaica with the world at large.

Thomas gained a cult following with his restaurant in Carrollton, which debuted in 2011 before he opened a second location at Jefferson Tower last year.

It’s a bright corner space with rum-bottle lamps, two patios and live reggae music on the weekends.

The menus explain Caribbean cooking methods, spices and foods as well as Jamaican patois and traditions.

Oxtails braised for two days and simmered in gravy is among the dishes Thomas uses to express the flavorful culture. Oxtails were once castoff cuts of beef that African slaves figured out how to make delicious. There’s also ackee and salt fish,

the national dish of Jamaica. Ackee is a dense fruit brought to the island from West Africa. Whole red snapper can be ordered in brown stew, steamed or escoveitched, in which the fish is marinated in vinegar, onions, carrots and scotch-bonnet peppers.

The Island Spot also offers curries, fried chicken and meat pies, as well as jerk everything — chicken, pork, ribs, a jerk burger and more.

Rich food, reggae and rum are the “three R’s” of Jamaican culture, Thomas says. And the bar is stocked with more than 30 rum labels from 15 islands and Brazil. There are sipping rums, some aged 21 years, that can be ordered in tasting flights.

THE ISLAND SPOT

Ambiance:

Jamaican vacation

Price range: $12-$28

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday 309 W. Jefferson Blvd. 972.913.4919 theislandspot.com

Besides running two restaurants (with his mother and other family members), Thomas is the vice president of supply chain for Borden Dairy, overseeing $1 billion in milk purchases every year.

“This is my passion,” Thomas says. “I want to share who I am and who we are as a culture.”

DID YOU KNOW: The Island Spot bottles its jerk sauce and sells it for $6.99.

2016: A look back The photos and the stories

you never got to see we never got to tell

BY EMILY CHARRIER

TRUMP RALLY page

AND RACHEL STONE PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANNY FULGENCIO

every year in Oak Cliff:

photos

neighborhood

get to see a fraction of what we do. We are limited by how much we can put in print — which is yet another reason to follow us online at oakcliff.advocatemag.com to see enriched magazine content and daily community news blog posts. Here, we’ll share the very best that you didn’t get to see in our pages, along with updates about the people and issues we covered. Before you fully start 2017, look back at the wild, whimsical and often tense year that was 2016.

our readers

ONE OF THE MOST famous images tied to the Kennedy assassination won the Pulitzer Prize for photography in 1964.

Bob Jackson (pictured above, left), who worked for the Dallas Times Herald, captured the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby in the garage of the former Dallas police headquarters.

Former Dallas Police Department detective Jim Leavelle (right) is the man in the light-colored suit in that photo, handcuffed to Oswald.

Those two, Jackson and Leavelle, met up at the Texas Theatre this past September as part of a panel discussion with Pulitzer winners.

Leavelle, who is in his 90s, rightfully has been called a “living legend.” Reached by phone for this story, he was busy packing

bags for an anniversary trip to Pearl Harbor — he was a young seaman stationed there when Pearl Harbor was attacked Dec. 7, 1941.

Twenty-two years later, he touched history again.

The suit was light tan, and it’s now on loan to the Sixth Floor Museum. Leavelle told the Dallas Morning News in 2015 that a friend gave him the suit used, and it originally came from Neiman Marcus. There was a place in the West End that would make suits for policemen for $45, at a discount of $4, Leavelle says. But that was still “awfully expensive” on a public servant’s budget, he says.

The meeting of Jackson and Leavelle at theater where Oswald was captured was nifty, but it’s not unusual for them, Leavelle says. Because of their historical connection, they often are brought together for panels and events.

“We see each other about four times a year,” Leavelle says.

e spent 2016 like we spend

WCollecting the stories and

that paint the picture of what makes this

great. But

only

THE MAN IN THE LIGHT-COLORED SUIT

THE COVER of Herb Alpert’s 1965 album “Whipped Cream and Other Delights” served as the inspiration for the cover of the July 2016 Advocate.

Spinster Records owner David Grover allowed us to cover him with the contents of about 15 cans of shaving cream, with the assistance of Sunset High teacher Jay Norris. He gamely mimicked model Dolores Erickson’s seductive gaze, holding a single pink rose, just like the album cover.

When a stack of fresh magazines with Grover’s cover was delivered to Spinster, the employees working that day had no idea about the photo shoot.

“We were like, ‘What is that? It’s our boss covered in whipped cream,’ ” says Aileen Herrera.

She and coworker Kate Siamro delighted in taking a series of reaction selfies with the cover.

Grover says there was not much negative reaction.

“A couple of my older guy friends were like, ‘Please burn this image out of my head,’ ” he says. “For the most part everyone really dug it. It was a little cheeky, but it was really fun.”

GAME OF GNOMES

THE COOMBS CREEK TRAIL keeps getting better. The city extended it all the way to Hampton Road last year. And there are plans to take it through the west side of Stevens Park Golf Course to Fort Worth Avenue.

Besides that, the trail is home to magical creatures.

Along the trail adjacent to Kessler Parkway, there is evidence of them: Rounded little doors to tiny homes inside the trees. The doors began appearing about two years ago, and one warns, “Do not disturb.” Even so, small children lean down to knock on them almost every day, says Cooper Koch, who lives across the street from one.

We asked everyone we could think of — artists, neighbors, preservationists, Oak Cliff natives, a city councilman’s wife and

others — but we couldn’t find anyone who knows the source of the doors. Neighbor Joe Whitney says he made those climbing man sculptures for the tennis-court fences, but he doesn’t know who makes the doors either.

The only explanation therefore, is that they were built by tiny humanoid creatures who actually live inside the trees. Gnomes, perhaps.

More recently, a carved gnome statuette appeared sitting in a miniature iron throne ala “Game of Thrones.” It’s unclear whether that is the work of the same artist who created the doors.

Koch says he has “a hunch” who the artist is.

“But I don’t really want to know,” he says. “I like the magic of it.”

SHOTS HEARD ‘ROUND THE WORLD

LIFE IN DALLAS stood still on July 7, the day a mass shooter targeted police officers at a Black Lives Matter rally Downtown. This did not happen in our neighborhood, but every person in the city was touched by the violence as we prayed for the safety of our men and women in blue. In all, 14 officers were shot during the violent night, and five lost their lives. Here in our neighborhood, the loss was felt especially hard because three of those killed, Michael Krol, 40; Lorne Ahrens, 48; Patrick Zamarippa, 32 were from the Dallas Police Department’s Southwest Division, which serves Oak Cliff. Slain DART Officer Brent Thompson, 43, was also a regular at Norma’s Café. Pictured here, the police force that accompanied the funeral procession of Police Sgt. Michael Smith.

WHEN WE BECAME THE NEWS

WHILE WE ALWAYS strive to tell the story without putting ourselves into it, that became impossible in June when our photographer made news across the world for being in the right place at the wrong time. Photo editor Danny Fulgencio found himself in the thick of the Republican-Democrat divide when he covered President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign visit to Dallas. Fulgencio climbed up onto a bench to get a better vantage point of the crowd. Without warning, he felt a sharp crack to his head as blood trickled into his eyes. A rock, thrown by an unknown person in the crowd, would make him a viral sensation over the next 24 hours. While he was patched up on scene and got right back to shooting, news media feasted on several social media posts that depicted our bloodied photographer. His Facebook exploded with interview requests. At an otherwise uneventful rally, this was the gory drama that most media led their coverage with, inspiring many inaccurate, and often hilarious headlines. But conservative pundit Pat Dollard’s site took the cake by proclaiming, “Typical Anti-Trump Protester Bashes Gay Journalist

In The Head With Rock.” We assume they confused the Oak Cliff Advocate with the LGBT-interest magazine of a similar name, while also assuming the sexuality of Fulgencio, causing still unknown damage to his love life (he’s straight and single, ladies).

INSET PHOTO BY KATHY TRAN

CITY

In March, a Dallas County judge will decide whether there should be public access to a hidden Kessler Park passageway, which neighbors discovered and hoped to renovate. Property owners adjacent to the Kessler Steps sued the City of Dallas a year ago, stating the City had no right to the property, built in the early 1920s to connect Edgefield to Canterbury Court. The lawsuit claims that removing any vegetation from the land would cause severe flooding and erosion.

BUSINESS

The United States Small Business Administration loaned $7.7 million to startups in the Bishop Arts area in the 2016 fiscal year. In the 12 months ending Sept. 30, 2016, the SBA awarded 11 small-business loans in zip code 75208, which resulted in 224 new jobs, according to their estimation. The SBA ranked the Dallas/ Fort Worth area sixth in the country in the number of small business loans with 2,052. And fourth by loan dollars, $978.7 million.

NATURE

The only public stock pond inside Dallas city limits, at Kidd Springs Park, will be swimming with rainbow trout starting Jan. 3. “Most Texas waters get too warm for trout to survive in summer, so we

stock them for a put-and-take fishery during the winter months,” hatchery program director Carl Kittel stated in a release. “The hatchery-reared fish will bite almost immediately after stocking and typically will take a variety of baits, from whole kernel canned corn or commercial soft bait to artificial flies and even small spinnerbaits.”

An Oak Cliff man who fell into Cedar Creek and needed a 40-minute rescue has become a reminder to avoid creek enbankments created by soil erosion. According to WFAA, the man might’ve slipped in mud in the 600 block of Clarendon and fallen down the embankment into the shallow creek.

Rainbow trout

KESSLER: PHOTO BY DANNY FULGENCIO

By BRENT MCDOUGAL

Give way to wonder

WORSHIP

BAPTIST

CLIFF TEMPLE BAPTIST CHURCH / 125 Sunset Ave. / 214.942.8601

Serving Oak Cliff since 1898 / CliffTemple.org / English and Spanish

9 am Contemporary Worship / 10 am Sunday School / 11 am Traditional

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

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

TYLER STREET CHURCH / Traditional Worship - 9:30 am / tsumc.org

Tyler Street En Vivo - 9:30 am / tylerstreetenvivo.org / 214.946.8106

Tyler Street Live - 11:30 am / tylerstreetlive.org / 927 W. 10th Street

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

KESSLER COMMUNITY CHURCH / 2100 Leander Dr. at Hampton Rd.

“Your Hometown Church Near the Heart of the City.”

10:30 am Contemporary Service / kesslercommunitychurch.com

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF OAK CLIFF / oakcliffuu.org

Sun. Worship 10am / Wed. Meditation 7pm / 3839 W. Kiest Blvd.

Inclusive – Justice Seeking – Spirited – Eclectic – Liberal – Fun!

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

PROMISE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST / www.promiseucc.org

Worship: 10:30 am Sundays / 214-623-8400 / 2527 W. Colorado Blvd.

An Open and Affirming Church where everyone is welcome!

My friend Will is a banker. There’s nothing wild about Will. He’s conservative, dresses in a suit and tie on weekends, and he speaks with a wise, measured tone. He’s not given to speculation or fantasies.

But Will claims to have experienced a miracle.

He was born with one leg shorter than the other by about two inches. He endured special shoes and limited activity throughout his growing-up years, and as an adult he had pants fitted to match his legs. One day he described his condition to his pastor, who then asked him to take off his shoe and roll up his pants leg. The pastor placed his hands on Will’s ankle. Will said that he felt a warmth move through his leg and that he could actually feel his leg extending. He was healed, and he was going to need some new clothes.

“I’m not crazy,” Will told me. “I didn’t even believe in healing before that day. All I know is that I experienced a miracle.”

with wonder, on occasion, “What was that all about?”

Something out of the ordinary brings forth a spontaneous, whispered, “wow.”

Wonder rests at the heart of a miracle. The word comes from the Latin “miraculum,” which means an object of wonder. A miracle could be defined as “a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.”

This prompts a question: Does the capacity for wonder open us up to the

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

I’ll admit that as a pastor of 20 years, I have only witnessed one or two of these types of events. But the language of miracles is common in my circles of friends. Circumstances that seem intractable break open. The language of miracles can be applied to healed relationships, a long-awaited job or a successful treatment for illness. I hear these stories all the time among people of faith.

Even among those who claim no faith orientation, I overhear the language of miracles. “That was a minor miracle,” they say, or “I need a miracle.” Such statements reveal a recognition that there is much we don’t understand, and that the help of heaven, however unlikely, is possible. Miracles happen in spite of our best efforts to not believe. Even the staunchest cynics can’t help but think,

possibility of a miracle, or does the miracle lead to a feeling of wonder?

The capacity to experience wonder is a miracle in itself. I suppose that part of experiencing a miracle comes with one’s perception and anticipation. What one person calls a miracle, another calls circumstance, or chance, or a natural event that may or may not be understood. For those with eyes to see, miracles abound.

This new year, keep your eyes open. Pay attention to the miracle of each day. And when the going gets tough, turn to wonder. Who knows? You may find yourself touched, warmed and even healed.

Brent McDougal is pastor of Cliff Temple 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.

It might open your eyes to the miraculous

Miracles happen in spite of our best efforts to not believe.

BISHOP DUNNE CATHOLIC SCHOOL

Contact: Charleen Doan at 214.339.6561 ext. 4020 or admission@bdcs.org

A co-educational, college preparatory school serving students in grades 6-12. We provide a strong faith and valuebased education with high academic standards, encouraging all students to achieve their full potential. Our curriculum emphasizes individualized attention, and is constantly at the forefront of technology integration through the use of laptops, ebooks, and our Online Education Program. Additionally, we provide a full range of extracurricular activities ranging from athletics, to the arts, to clubs and service organizations.

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 a robust, college-preparatory curriculum with opportunities for personal growth, individual enrichment, and community involvement. From kindergarten through high school, every Lakehill student is encouraged to strive, challenged to succeed, and inspired to excel.

ST. ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY CATHOLIC SCHOOL

4019 S. Hampton Rd. Dallas 75224/ 214.331.5139 / www.saintspride.com

At St. Elizabeth of Hungary, our fundamental task is the education of the whole child -- combining learning with faith, Catholic doctrines and moral teachings. We introduce all PK3-8th Grade students to the integrated ways of STEM. This approach to education is designed to revolutionize the teaching of subject areas such as mathematics and science by incorporating technology and engineering into regular curriculum. Over the past 10 years, 95% of St. Elizabeth 8th graders were accepted to their first choice high school. Join us for an informational school tour and see for yourself how easy it is to become a Saint! Call 214.331.5139 for information.

TRUE CRIME

An Oak Cliff woman allegedly faked a pregnancy for months before shooting a 27-yearold Kansas City woman and kidnapping her 6-day-old baby. Yesenia Sesmas is accused of shooting an acquaintance, Laura Abarca-Nogueda, and kidnapping her daughter Sophia, who was found unharmed inside Sesmas’ home following a nationwide hunt and the woman’s arrest by the Dallas SWAT unit. Local police in Dallas and Kansas, as well as the FBI, conducted the investigation. Sesmas was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping out of Kansas.

CRIME NUMBERS

men are accused in a robbery spree Dec. 10

6:20 a.m.

the time of the first robbery, in West Dallas

8:30 a.m.

the time of the fourth robbery, a Taco Bell in Pleasant Grove

3223 Fort Worth Avenue

where they robbed a different Taco Bell

2015

white Jeep Compass with paper tags was used in all four robberies

$5,000

Crime Stoppers will pay for information leading to felony indictments in this case, 214.373.8477

CLASSES/TUTORING/ LESSONS

BECOME A REGISTERED NURSE

No waiting list. Attend accredited nursing school classes online. Weekend clinical/schedules. Financial aid available. 813-932-1710 medicalprepinstitute.org

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

EMPLOYMENT

AIRLINE MECHANIC TRAINING Get FAA certified. Approved for military benefits. Financial aid if qualified. Job placement assistance. Aviation Institute of Maintenance 866-453-6204

SERVICES FOR YOU

GLORIA’S FLOWERS The Finest Flowers for Any Occasion 214-339-9273 gloriasflowersdallas.com 3101 Davis St.

LEGAL SERVICES

A WILL? THERE IS A WAY! Estate/Probate matters. maryglennattorney.com 214-802-6768

FEB. DEADLINE JAN. 11 214.560.4203 TO ADVERTISE

LET THERE BE PEACE ON JEFFERSON

The 17-foot sculpture unveiled in December on Jefferson Boulevard is the culmination of a two-year project. Titled Piece 24, the artwork is a collaboration between artist Karen Blessen, real estate investor Craig Schenkel and Adamson and Sunset high school students, who were selected by Blessen’s nonprofit 29 Pieces and earned $250 in scholarship money for every 30 hours they worked.

New Year’s resolutions are a chance to do better for your body and mind. Stick to your resolutions all year with these tips:

1. Start small — If your aim is to exercise more, plan to work out three or four days a week instead of seven.

2. Be realistic — Don’t reassess everything in your life. Instead, evaluate one behavior at a time.

3. Talk it out — Share your successes and failures with a friend who will keep you accountable.

4. Be kind to yourself — Perfection is unattainable. Resolve to recover from any setbacks without beating yourself up.

5. Ask for support — Strengthen your ability to handle the stress of changing your behavior by accepting help from those who care. LocalWorks.advocatemag.com

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

LEGAL ISSUES? The Law Office Of Lauren C Medel, PLLC. LaurenMedel.com. 972-773-9306

SEO Friendly. Maintainable.

BUY/SELL/TRADE

CARS/TRUCKS WANTED!!! All Makes/Models. 2000-2016. Any Condition. Running Or Not. Top $$$ Paid. Free Towing. We’re Nationwide. Call Now. 1-888-985-1806

STARS

MAVS 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

PHOTO BY DANNY FULGENCIO

AC & HEAT

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

ANNA’S ELECTRIC Your Oak Cliff Electrician Since 1978. tecl25513. 214-943-4890

Family Owned & Operated

Serving the Dallas area for over 30 years

ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricofdallas.com

50 Yrs. Electrical Exp. Insd. 214-328-1333

BRIGHT LIGHT ELECTRIC • 214-553-5333 TECL 31347 Brightening Homes and Businesses

GLASS, WINDOWS & DOORS

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

PRO WINDOW CLEANING

prompt, dependable. Matt 214-766-2183

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

KITCHEN/BATH/ TILE/GROUT

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

TK REMODELING 972-533-2872

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

HANDYMAN SERVICES

972-274-2157

www.CrestAirAndHeat.com

We raise our kids here, too! TACLB29169E

APPLIANCE REPAIR

JESSE’S A/C & APPLIANCE SERVICE

TACLB13304C All Makes/Models. 214-660-8898

CABINETRY & FURNITURE

JD’S TREE SERVICE Mantels, Headboards, Kitchen Islands, Dining tables. Made from Local Trees. www.jdtreeservice.com 214-946-7138

CLEANING

SERVICES

A PROFESSIONAL CLEANING SERVICE

4th Clean Absolutely Free for new Weekly and Bi-weekly clients. Mention this ad for $25 off first one-time, move in/out or post construction clean. WindsorMaidServices.com 214-381-MAID (6243)

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

CLEAN FREAKS Winter Special 20% Off! DallasCleanFreaks.com Call Today! 214-821-8888

TWO SISTERS & A MOP

Move in/Out. Reliable/Dependable 20 Yrs Exp. 214-283-9732

twosistersamopmaidservice.com

WINDOW MAN WINDOW CLEANING.COM

Residential Specialists. BBB. 214-718-3134

CONCRETE/ MASONRY/PAVING

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

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

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

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.

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

HANNAWOODWORKS.COM

Decks, Pergolas, Patio Covers. 214-435-9574

NORTHLAKE FENCE Locally owned and family operated. Celebrating 36 years of service. 214-349-9132 northlakefence.com

EST. 1991 #1

COWBOY

FENCE & IRON CO.

214.692.1991

SPECIALIZING IN Wood Fences &Auto Gates

cowboyfenceandiron.com

FLOORING & CARPETING Willeford

hardwood floors

Superior Quality: Installation Refinishing Repair • Cleaning & Waxing Old World Hand Scrape

214-824-1166

GARAGE SERVICES

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

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

HANDY MANNY PAINTING/HOME REPAIR

Int./Ext. Manny 214-334-2160

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

Your Home Repair Specialists

HOME INSPECTION

WE REFINISH!

• Tubs, Tiles

214-631-8719

www.allsurfacerefinishing.com

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

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

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

HOUSE PAINTING

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

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

JANUARY SPECIAL $200 OFF 4 man crew/4 hours J

YOUR TREES could look like a WORK OF ART, I Guarantee It. Call Mark Wittlich 214-332-3444

Locally harvested wood!

RESPONSIBLE TREE CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Firewood/Cooking Wood Full service trimming & planting of native trees. 214.946.7138

MOVING

AM MOVING COMPANY Specialty Moving & Delivery.469-278-2304 ammovingcompany.com

CALL 214.560.4203

PEST CONTROL

A BETTER EARTH PEST CONTROL

Keeping the environment, kids, pets in mind. Organic products avail. 972-564-2495

MCDANIEL PEST CONTROL

Prices Start at $85 + Tax

For General Treatment.

Average Home-Interior/Exterior & Attached Garage. Quotes For Other Services.

214-328-2847. Lakewood Resident

PLUMBING

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.

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

PLUMBING

NTX PLUMBING SPEC. LLLP 214-226-0913

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

THE PLUMBING MANN LLC

All Plumbing! Since 1978. Family Owned. RMP/Master-14240 Insured.

214-FAST-FIX/ 214-327-8349

POOLS

LEAFCHASERS POOL SERVICE Parts/Service. Chemicals/Repairs. Jonathan. 214-729-3311

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

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

REMODELING

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 & GUTTERS

BERT ROOFING INC.

Family owned and operated for over 40 years

• Residential/Commercial • Over 30,000 roofs completed • Seven NTRCA “Golden Hammer” Awards • Free Estimates

www.bertroofing.com 214.321.9341

SKYLIGHTS

SHOWCASE

ADVOCATE PUBLISHING does not pre-screen, recommend or investigate the advertisements and/or Advertisers published in our magazines. As a result, Advocate Publishing is not responsible for your dealings with any Advertiser. Please ask each Advertiser that you contact to show you the necessary licenses and/or permits required to perform the work you are requesting. Advocate Publishing takes comments and/or complaints about Advertisers seriously, and we do not publish advertisements that we know are inaccurate, misleading and/or do not live up to the standards set by our publications. If you have a legitimate complaint or positive comment about an Advertiser, please contact us

4203. Advocate Publishing recommends that you ask for and check references from each Advertiser that you contact, and we recommend that you obtain a written statement of work to be completed, and the price to be charged, prior to approving any work or providing an Advertiser with any deposit for work to be completed.

VICTOR L. HALL

Area Manager/ Loan Officer

BancorpSouth Mortgage Cell: 972.352.7648 victor.hall@bxs.com victorlhall.com

NMLS #453089

“As a 15-year mortgage professional, you can count on my expertise and knowledge to help you make the right choice for your new home construction, purchase or refinance needs.” –Victor L. Hall

Language Consultant

211 N. Ervay 9th Floor 972.905.1026

dmlanguageconsulting.com

DMLconsulting16@icloud.com

We specialize in training your employees to communicate in Spanish or English. Call now to set up your specialized workshop!

Pet Services

2406 Emmett Drive Dallas thepetropolitan.com 469.930.9827

The Petropolitan in Oak Cliff & Downtown offers a full complement of services like boarding, play-care, dog & cat grooming, dog walking, in-home services & pet products. For Us It’s All About The Animal!

972.639.6413

stykidan@sbcglobal.net

Ice, ice baby

Dallas’ first hockey games were played in Oak Cliff

Dallas entered the big leagues of hockey in 1993 when the Minnesota North Stars relocated and became our Stars.

But Dallas’ first organized ice hockey games were played about 90 years ago in Oak Cliff.

Gardner Ice Palace opened in 1927, adjacent to the Gardner Park baseball stadium, which was also home to minor league baseball for about 50 years.

There were high school hockey games played at Gardner Park Ice Palace. Sunset and Oak Cliff (now Adamson) high schools both had ice hockey teams in the 1920s, as did North Dallas High School.

On Jan. 12, 1929, the two high schools played “one of the most exciting ice hockey battles ever seen here at Gardner Park Ice Palace,” a newspaper reported at the time. Sunset had been ahead 2-1, but an Oak Cliff player named Mark Anglen scored a point at the last minute. In overtime, Oak Cliff scored the winning goal, shot by Doc Barr. Barr was a tennis standout who remains the only Texas high school singles tennis champion the Dallas school district has ever produced.

Minor league hockey games also were played at Gardner Ice Palace for several years.

The only athlete ever to play both Major League Baseball and in the National Hockey League, Jim Riley, served as captain of the Dallas Ice Kings hockey team. The Ice Kings played an exhibition game against the Kansas City Blues of the American Hockey League in November 1927, losing 7-3. They also played in the Southwestern Ice Hockey League, which included the Houston Polar Bears as well as teams from Fort Worth and San Antonio.

Riley played for the Dallas Steers baseball team from 1923-24 and ’26-27.

He was born in New Brunswick, Cana-

da to an American father and a Canadian mother. He did a brief stint in Major League Baseball in the early ‘20s, playing first base for the St. Louis Browns and second for the Washington Senators (which moved to Arlington and became the Texas Rangers in 1972).

He then played six full seasons in the Texas League, hitting left, fielding right and batting over .300 in his first four seasons.

Previous to his stint in baseball, Riley had played eight seasons of professional hockey in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association. He was a member of the 1917 Stanley Cup Champion Seattle Metropolitans and also played in the 1920 finals with that team, which lost to the Ottawa Senators.

The same year Riley captained the Ice Kings, he made the Chicago Black Hawks roster, playing three games. He then went to the Detroit Cougars of the NHL and played six games in 1927.

The Ice Palace also booked boxing and wrestling matches. It could seat about 3,500 for hockey and 5,000 with no rink.

But the ice palace didn’t last long. The building burned down in 1933.

Hockey left Dallas for a while, but it always returned.

Clarence Linz brought hockey back to Dallas in 1941. A contract with the American Hockey Association allowed for about 30 games to be played that first season in the old ice palace at Fair Park. In its last season, 1945-46, that team became a minor league club for the Montreal Canadians.

Hockey returned again in 1967 as the Dallas Black Hawks, a farm team for Chicago’s NHL team. That team played at Fair Park and folded in 1981.

The Central Hockey League brought the Dallas Freeze from 1992-95.

Since then, this has been pure Stars country. —RACHEL STONE

This old newspaper clipping shows the lineup of the 1927 Dallas Ice Kings. Third from right is team captain Jim Riley, who is the only person ever to play in Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League.

CLASSIC DEVELOPMENT ON JEFFERSON

William Jennings “Red” Bryan, a former Adamson High School football star, opened a barbecue shack on Jefferson Boulevard in 1930. Bryan’s father, Elias Bryan, opened the original Bryan’s barbecue on Beckley at Jefferson in 1910. Red Bryan made a small fortune at his little shack at 530 W. Jefferson, selling burgers for 10 cents and barbecue sandwiches for 15 cents. He

became an Oak Cliff civic leader, and in 1947, he commissioned architect Charles Dilbeck to design and build a new restaurant. The new building, at Jefferson and Llewellyn, cost $65,000 to build, 100 times the original $650 building. Bryan sold the business in 1957 after Oak Cliff went dry, but the Sanchez family bought the building in 1983, and it’s been home to El Ranchito ever since.

For digestive health, trust Methodist.

If you’re struggling with acid reflux, upset stomach, constipation, or other digestive problems, let us guide you with a coordinated path to health at the Methodist Digestive Institute at Methodist Dallas Medical Center.

Methodist Dallas was the first hospital in the nation awarded certification by the Joint Commission for pancreatic surgery and the first in Texas to be certified in pancreatic cancer.