2017 October Oak Cliff

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EDITORIAL

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EDITORS:

Rachel Stone

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Elissa Chudwin

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Will Maddox

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contributors: Angela Hunt, Christina Hughes Babb, George Mason, Brent McDougal

photo editor: Danny Fulgencio

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contributing photographers: Rasy Ran, Kathy Tran

Time is on our side

How would you spend an endless life?

If you could live to be 200 years old, would you do it?

Think about that: When researchers eventually figure out how to repair or reprogram cells that age or go haywire, it’s not out of the question our lives could be extended way beyond our typical lifespan today.

I hadn’t spent much time contemplating this option until I read a recent New Yorker magazine article describing a star-studded event in Hollywood convened to award $25 million to scientists beating the odds on aging breakthroughs.

Goldie Hawn was there, enthusiastically raising her hand when the crowd was asked who wanted to live to be 200. Moby was there. Sergey Brin, one of Google’s founders, was there. Norman Lear, too.

They were all cheering the evening’s stated goal: To make death optional.

Living to 200, making death optional … it all sounds pretty far fetched. Who would want to live to be 200 today, when by the time we reach 100 those few who make it generally are hard of hearing, seeing and thinking?

But eventually, so the theory goes, altering our cells, tweaking our DNA, continuing to figure out how to stop the deadly proliferation of cancer and other diseases in our body — all of this may someday give us the “option” of extending life indefinitely.

OPENING REMARKS

By RICK WAMRE

Advocate, © 2017, 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.

Let’s say it’s possible, that we really could live to be 200 with the right injections, gene alterations and a certain amount of good luck — maybe the driverless cars clogging the roads in a few years will be more judicious about mowing some of us down than cars driven by humans, for example.

All of this is going to cost lots of money, and we already have a healthcare system we can’t afford.

But for the purposes of today’s discus-

sion, let’s just say we can afford it, that the rich won’t somehow commandeer the ship and make the rest of us walk the short-life plank.

Would we accomplish more with our lives if knew we had more time? Or would we make even less of a difference than we do now?

Would working for 140 years at our jobs make us more or less productive than just working the 40 or 50 years we put in now?

Would surviving an extra 100 years of hurricanes, floods, pollution and other disasters make us more or less optimistic about our futures?

Would enduring an extra 100 years of national politics and media gamesmanship give us more or less confidence to life our lives to their fullest?

If each of us had 100 extra years, what would we really do with the bonus time that we can’t do with our lives now?

Twice as many years of uncertainty, doubt, finger-pointing, race-baiting and acrimony aren’t likely to make those extra 100 years speed along happily for most of us.

If we can’t make ourselves happy with what we already have, why would we believe things will be better with twice as much time?

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

If each of us had 100 extra years, what would we really do with the bonus time that we can’t do with our lives now?

L A UNC H

OCT. 10-15

OAK CLIFF FLAMENCO FESTIVAL

Flamenco dancers from around the world perform in Dallas all week long. The festival includes performances, workshops and film screenings. Events take place throughout the neighborhood, with the Kessler serving as the central location.

The Kessler, 1230 W. Davis, 214.272.8346, thekessler.org, $25-$240

Out & About

OCT 1-21

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS ART CONTEST

Oak Cliff students in grades K-12 can showcase their artistic skills by creating a two-dimensional piece of artwork that interprets Dia de los Muertos. All submissions must be turned in by Oct. 21. North Oak Cliff Library, 302 W. Tenth, 214.670.7555, dallaslibrary.org, free

OCT. 5

WINE WALK

Sip wine and raise funds for breast cancer early detection at the annual Shop, Eat, Drink, Pink fundraiser from 6-9 p.m. The event kicks off with the Bishop Arts Wine Walk, and funds raised go toward breast cancer early detection programs at Methodist Charlton Women’s Imaging. Bishop Arts District, shopeat drinkpink.com, $25

OCT. 7

PUMPKIN PATCH

Kids can select a pumpkin to carve while adults choose fall mums from 10 a.m.4 p.m. at the Kessler Pumpkin Patch and Street Fair. A pony carousel, petting zoo, face painting and carnival games also will be part of the package.

The Kessler School, 1215 Turner Ave., kesslerpumpkin patch.com, free

OCT. 9

GOLF FOR THE PARKS

Take Monday off and play golf. It’s for the neighborhood. Proceeds from North Oak Cliff Greenspace Inc.’s Golf For the Parks tournament will improve parks and trails in our neighborhood, particularly the Coombs Creek Trail. Registration starts at 11:30 a.m., followed by lunch and a 1 p.m. start.

Stevens Park Golf Course, 1005 N. Montclair, 214.670.7506, $195 per player

OCT. 15

LIVELY FEST

The Oak Cliff Lively Fest is a family friendly reggae-inspired festival meant to bring together people of various ages and ethnic backgrounds to celebrate the arts, live music and diversity. The event will have live music, local vendors, food and DJs.

Kiest Park, 3080

S. Hampton Road, oakclifflivelyfest.com, free

OCT. 20-21

HOUSE HUNTING

Explore several neighborhood homes during the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League’s Fall Home Tour. The tour raises funds for neighborhood improvement and local nonprofits. Various locations, ooccl.org, $20

Sacha Rappmund started kindergarten at Hogg Elementary this fall. Hundreds of families who live in homes nearby choose to send their children elsewhere, but Sacha’s parents, Denise and Peter Bo Rappmund, like what the school has to offer their son.

By RACHEL STONE

Photos by DANNY FULGENCIO

JOIN THE CLUB

OLD-SCHOOL NETWORKING MADE COOL AGAIN

SERVICE CLUBS kept communities together for decades until recent generations.

Belonging to the Lions, the Kiwanis, the Masons or the Odd Fellows said something about a person. Outside of church, it was the basis for community, friendship and giving.

But then Ed Sullivan happened. Membership in service clubs began declining as soon as there was a television in every household. More women began entering the workforce. Jobs became more demanding of time. Americans were too busy, too distracted, not interested enough to join.

While membership in service clubs remains far behind what it was in the heydays of the first half of the 20th century, some are making comebacks in Oak Cliff.

A secret society

In our neighborhood, the Odd Fellows Lodge No. 44 is one of the fastest-growing lodges in the country.

The secret society, not to be confused with the unaffiliated Oddfellows restaurant in the Bishop Arts District, dates back to 1700s London, and it arrived in Baltimore in 1819.

The first Odd Fellows lodge in Dallas, the one that’s now in Oak Cliff, predates the official City of Dallas. It opened in 1854, two years before the city incorporated.

At one time it was the largest Odd Fellows lodge in the Southwest. The lodge had a few buildings downtown before moving to a nondescript structure on Hampton and Wright in the 1970s.

Recent growth of the Oak Cliff lodge actually began in Waxahachie. Artist and folk-art dealer Bruce Lee Webb joined that lodge in the early 2000s because of his interest in the ephemera of secret societies — the robes, banners, masks and other items that are used in ceremonies.

He recruited some of his buddies, including tattoo artist/reality TV host Oliver Peck and Peck’s then-wife, Kat Von D. Dallas City Archivist John Slate joined the Waxahachie lodge around 2004, and he decided to join the Odd Fellows in Oak Cliff in 2008.

“It was only me and a couple of old guys,” Slate says.

Artist Andy Don Emmons, who was a member of the Waxahachie lodge, joined the Oak Cliff lodge soon after he and his wife, Sandy, moved to Elmwood in 2014.

They decided to hold a recruiting happy hour, and dozens of people showed up. Fifteen new members joined that night, and the club has continued to grow from there. They now have hundreds of members.

Many of the new lodge members are artists or musicians or people who otherwise work in creative fields.

They all come together twice a month in the name of “friendship, love and truth,” their motto. The Odd Fellows originally started as a society to help orphans, widows and the impoverished, among other causes.

THEY ALL COME TOGETHER TWICE A MONTH IN THE NAME OF “FRIENDSHIP, LOVE AND TRUTH,” THEIR MOTTO.

Artifacts from the Odd Fellows Lodge No. 44 in Oak Cliff. The mystery and ephemera of secret societies such as the Odd Fellows is the subject of Waxahachie-based artist Bruce Lee Webb’s 2015 book “As Above So Below.” Webb has been credited with reviving interest in the Odd Fellows, and some new members of Lodge 44 say the book inspired them to join.

Local Odd Fellows have found their own ways to give.

Jonathan’s Place, an emergency shelter for foster children, is their main beneficiary. They also do a Christmas toy drive, and they still own and care for about half of Grove Hill Cemetery in Dallas.

Member Jenn Sereno discovered an old Odd Fellows program called “living legacy,” which planted trees in areas where developers had cut them down.

Sereno, a professional landscaper, decided to implement that in Oak Cliff, but she’s taken it a step further. She and her Odd Fellows brethren plant fruit and nut trees in areas where residents lack access to fresh produce. They’ve planted at least 44 trees a year since 2015. She says the project has been a cinch because Odd Fellows show up by the dozens and do all of the work. It

the school year after Dallas Can Academy called to say they had students without uniforms.

“That’s the luxury of having a club our size,” club president John McCall says. “And it’s a great feeling to know that your club touched someone’s life.”

McCall had the idea for the Lions Club Farmers Market, which started in 2016 and now occurs twice a month at Lula B’s antique mall on Fort Worth Avenue.

That’s earned the club a little bit of money, and it gets their name out there, he says.

By far the youngest Lion in the club is 23-yearold Brooks Morrow.

Morrow, who works in real estate and finance, had joined a young professionals group in North Dallas and found it unsatisfying because its members mostly were interested in partying.

“There’s more out there than trying to meet women and find a new beer,” Morrow says. “I didn’t see that as a way to grow as an individual and be exposed to different people.”

So he tried the Lions, and immediately he felt welcomed, he says.

“There’s so much to it. There are so many career paths out there,” he says. “We get to see new nonprofits or events that we can get involved in every week.”

Morrow told McCall that the meeting schedule is difficult for younger people. Few can escape for a two-hour lunch every Wednesday (although Morrow usually attends).

took less than an hour recently to create six raised beds and plant eight trees in a Dallas community garden, she says.

“It’s the most painless way to be involved in charitable work,” Sandy Emmons says.

Odd Fellows members recommend attending at least two dinners before moving forward with membership. They meet at 1808 S. Hampton Road on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 7 p.m. For more information on how to attend, call Sandy Emmons, 903.644.5687.

A professionals club

The Oak Cliff Lions Club is another old-school service club that’s held steady over the years and has begun recruiting younger members.

The Lions meet for a catered meal at noon every Wednesday in a banquet room inside Dallas Methodist Medical Center, and there’s always a guest speaker. Dues currently cost about $45 a month. About 75 members typically show up.

The traditional cause for Lions Club International is vision care for children and adults who otherwise couldn’t afford it. The Oak Cliff Lions Club, founded in 1930, has an eye clinic, and its members volunteer with Meals on Wheels. But they also have the flexibility to help wherever needed. The Lions gave $500 at the beginning of

“This is fundamentally a problem with your organization that your meetings are at a time when your target demographic can’t attend,” Morrow says. “If you want young members, you need an event that’s more relaxed and is at a time when any hardworking individual could attend.”

So they recently started “taco Tuesday” at La Calle Doce every first Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m.

If the Tuesday meeting becomes popular, it’s possible that some of the Lions could branch off into an “associate” club that pays fewer dues (since no catering is required) and meets less frequently.

For now the Lions are dedicated to their farmers market, which is on the second and fourth Saturday — Oct. 14 and 28 this month — from 8 a.m.-noon.

They’re planning their annual “spring extravaganza,” a clambake.

And they’re continually raising money for their pet cause, the Texas Lions Camp in Kerrville, a sleep-away camp for children with physical disabilities, type-1 diabetes or cancer.

Sian Reilly, a new member of the club, says Lions Club has been an easy way for her to give back to the community while building relationships.

“I don’t have any family in Dallas, and it fills that role for me a little bit,” she says. “And they’re wonderful people.”

To attend a Lion’s Club meeting, call John McCall, 214.676.7999.

“THERE’S MORE OUT THERE THAN TRYING TO MEET WOMEN AND FIND A NEW BEER. I DIDN’T SEE THAT AS A WAY TO GROW AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND BE EXPOSED TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE.”

Oak Cliff’s old-school social clubs

There are a few clubs in Oak Cliff that throw back to the days of housewives and are still going strong. These are two of them.

Art appreciators

The Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts was founded in 1926 by 19 people, including the Texas impressionist painter Frank Reaugh. Most of its members, however, were women bound by society to stay out of the workforce.

Back in the day, the club’s activities included exhibitions for local artists, flower shows, music recitals and talks on history and literature.

The club has made membership strides in the past several years by putting on its seasonal “salon series,” which brings in artists, architects, culture makers and experts for talks. Other events include their Rising Stars exhibit, which touches the club’s original mission by exhibiting the work of local artists, past and present.

Join the Oak Cliff Society of Fine

Arts at turnerhouse.org.

The ladies’ book club

Wine-and-snacks book clubs are popular today.

But previous generations didn’t even read the book, necessarily.

Book-review clubs took hold in Dallas in the early 20th century, and there are quite a few still around.

The Kessler/Stevens Book Review Club meets for lunch every second Monday, usually in a member’s home, from October to May.

Book-review clubs hire people to come and talk to them about a book.

“These women who come and speak, they’re pretty funny,” says current president Nancy Zarella. “Some of them are actresses, professors. Some go into character. I just had no idea. They’re very talented. They really bring the book alive.”

Zarella says she joined five years ago because her kids were grown and she was looking for a way to reconnect with the community. And she says she enjoys the fellowship with women who are her own age as well as those from an older generation — some members are in their 80s.

The women-only club’s bylaws state: “The object will be to promote neighborly friendliness and the review of good books.”

A lunch committee puts together the home-cooked meal, and dues cost $35 a year.

Because they meet in private homes, the Kessler/Stevens Book Review Club caps membership at 55. Currently there are 49 members.

To try and snag one of those six available seats, call Nancy Zarrella,

Turner House is home to the Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts.

A TOUGH MARKET

Is Central Market’s Oak Cliff land purchase the beginning of a new era?

By RACHEL STONE

Photos by DANNY FULGENCIO

Dallas/Fort Worth has one of the most competitive grocery markets in the United States.

In the corridor between McKinney and Little Elm, nearly any chain you can think of has a presence. Grocery companies, from Aldi to Whole Foods, have purchased about every corner along U.S. Route 380.

In Lakewood, Tom Thumb recently opened a swanky new store 1.4 miles away from rival Whole Foods. Neither of those stores is more than 4 miles from Kroger’s flagship Dallas store on Mockingbird Lane.

As with everything, the story is a little different on our side of the river.

Aldi opened two Oak Cliff locations in 2010. But the last time our neighborhood attracted a major supermarket chain was in the previous millennium. Houston-based Fiesta Mart built stores on Jefferson Boulevard and on South Lancaster Road in 1993 and ’95 respectively.

Last year, the City of Dallas offered a $3 million incentive to grocery companies willing to build a store in the food desert east of Interstate 35 in Oak Cliff, but there were no takers.

And then this past August, Central Market purchased land in the Bishop Arts District, on West Davis Street at Beckley Avenue, adjacent to where Crescent Communities is building an apartment complex. While the San Antonio-based retailer, whose parent company is H.E.B., has said they have no immediate plans to build there, it is

Kroger has eight stores in Dallas, but the one at Wynnewood Village Shopping Center is the only one south of Interstate 30. Fiesta Mart built its store on Jefferson Boulevard in 1993.

one of the few signs of interest from any major retailer in the southern sector of Dallas in decades.

Why is Oak Cliff such a hard sell for grocers?

That comes down to the tricky business of selling groceries as well as the demographics of our neighborhood.

The average profit margin for grocery stores is about 1 percent.

“It’s a very high-volume, low-margin business,” says Will Adams, a real estate

broker who has worked with grocery companies. “That’s why they’re so careful. Because it really can affect the bottom line of these companies.”

Grocery companies know their customers down to the nitty-gritty. When considering real estate, they might have as many as 200 demographic data points that must match before they’re willing to make a deal.

While those specific data points are proprietary and generally a mystery to

By BRENT MCDOUGAL

Worth the risk

In “The Fellowship of the Ring,” Bilbo says to Frodo, “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” In the book by J.R.R. Tolkien, the word road is capitalized. It’s the Path, the reason for your being, if you believe there is such a thing. You step out onto the path and you really don’t know where it will take you.

Of course, everything in life is risk. Ecclesiastes 10:8 says, “When you work in a quarry, stones might fall and crush you. When you chop wood, there is danger with each stroke of your ax. Such are the risks of life.”

Thank you, Ecclesiastes, for bringing the sunshine.

It’s true: There’s nothing you can do that doesn’t have some element of risk.

It’s not surprising, then, that the path of faith may be riskier than normal life. Believing is a risk, because believing is not certainty.

One day, a man named Abram decided to uproot his family (estimated to be 70 persons) because he heard the whisper of God. He left his house and homeland and go on a perilous journey, all on the promise from an invisible God. God changed his name from Abram (“noble father”) to Abraham (“the father of many.”) He would be the father of nations. But along the way he would encounter danger, war and worry. Faithfulness was hazardous.

In the Exodus, the Hebrews walked through a parted sea with an army on their heels. They nearly starved in the desert. The prophets were usually killed when they spoke the truth. All the while, God called his people back to faithful covenant, teaching them to love God more and more, and teaching them to love one another.

Jesus called his disciples with a “follow me” and no guarantees except for his companionship.

I’m saying all of this because people don’t normally associate faith with risk. Faith is supposed to be safe and domesticated, right? We have lost, or forgotten, the teaching of Jesus that one of the greatest mistakes we can make is playing safe with our lives.

He said, “If you try to keep your life for yourself, you’ll lose it. But if you lose it for

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

EPISCOPAL

ST. AUGUSTINE’S /1302 W. Kiest Blvd / staugustinesoakcliff.org

A diverse, liturgical church with deep roots in Oak Cliff and in the ancient faith / Holy Eucharist with Hymns Sunday 10:15 am

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

my sake, you’ll find it.” (Matthew 16:25)

Faith believes in the whisper. Faith steps out of the comfort zone. Faith looks forward, not backward.

Of course, the greatest risk is to love. In our relationships that we take the biggest risks. Mark 12:30 says, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.”

You take a risk when you love God like that. You may get hurt when you love others with abandon. Is it worth it? Absolutely. But it is not safe.

Keep your feet, but don’t be afraid. The path is worth the risk.

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.

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!

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

You never know where the road will lead

“Faith believes in the whisper. Faith steps out of the comfort zone. Faith looks forward, not backward.”

COMMENT

The wake of a toll road

The Trinity Toll Road is dead. Now what?

That question has been on my mind since Aug. 9, when the Dallas City Council voted 13-2 to finally eliminate the specter that has been haunting the Trinity River for nearly two decades.

I could not be happier about the outcome. It was deeply rewarding to see such a bad idea finally meet its end.

But I must admit that there is something about this victory that feels incomplete.

Over the last 10 years, the toll road had been a battle that I felt personally obligated to see through to the end. I had reconciled myself to the fact that I might be fighting this thing for years to come. And now, suddenly, the battle is over.

It’s like arriving at your destination hours earlier than expected. You’re glad to be there, but now what?

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I enjoyed the war so much that I’m having trouble returning to civilian life. No, I’d rather be building than battling. It’s just that I can’t shake the feeling that there is more left to do. That something has been left undone.

Part of this nagging feeling is that the fate of the Trinity Park is uncertain.

The same day the city council killed the toll road, it narrowly approved a hastily created “local government corporation” to oversee the future construction of the park. The prospect of someday beginning the Trinity Park should be cause for celebration — after all, the whole point of killing the toll road was to save the park.

But I’m skeptical of this local government corporation. It’ll be run by many of the same folks who have mishandled the Trinity Park for years. They seem poised to spend another decade planning an expensive, extravagant park while constructing little. Instead, we could be starting construction on the park today building access points and trails, reestablishing natural habitat, all while using existing funds and the federally approved park plan. I fear that, instead, the park is going to languish. This troubles me.

But there is something else bothering me.

When the council finally voted to kill

By ANGELA HUNT

the toll road, people who had spent years vociferously advocating for it (or who had sat firmly on the sidelines unwilling to offend the powers-that-be) began offering their congratulations for the road’s defeat.

We would be petty not to graciously accept these displays of reconciliation. But we would be foolish to forget the history of this battle or ignore the distinction between those who favored the road and those of us who fought against it. Keeping score on this fight is not about holding grudges or gloating. It is about

knowing whom to trust in the next fight.

See, those who continuously advocated for the toll road lied to us. Repeatedly and unrepentantly. So when they line up to lead this city in the future, I am not going to follow them. I do not trust their judgment, and neither should you.

For years, the toll road has served as a critical litmus test. Knowing where someone stood on this issue revealed their fundamental allegiances, alliances and values. Mayoral and council candidates who sounded identical in every other way could be differentiated by their position on the Trinity Toll Road. “Do you favor the Trinity Toll Road?” really meant: Will you be a yes-man to the mayor and the establishment? Will you do the bidding of the Dallas Citizens Council? When it’s time to make the tough calls, whose side will you be on?

I fear that now, it will be near impossible to find anyone willing to admit that they once supported the toll road. Even those who fought for years to keep it, even those who proudly fed the public misinformation, I predict they will now try to avoid the question if asked about their past support for the road and instead solemnly propose that it’s time for the city to move on.

It may be time to move on. But it’s not time to forget.

Angela Hunt is a former Dallas City Councilwoman. She was the first anti-Trinity toll road City Councilmember and an outspoken opponent of the road for about a decade. Her opinions are not necessarily those of the Advocate or its management. Send comments and ideas to her ahunt@advocatemag.com.

The Trinity is dead, but its legacy may not be

See, those who continuously advocated for the toll road lied to us. Repeatedly and unrepentantly.

AC & HEAT

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DYSLEXIA THERAPIST/CALT/TEACHER

Individual or Group Tutoring for Reading. Grades K-12. References. Lindsay 214-566-4622

PIANO/MUSIC LESSONS. TRY IT FOR FREE 30 Yrs. Exp. Call Tim 214-989-7093

FATHER, SON, GRANDSON Window Cleaning. Free Est. Derek. 682-716-9892

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, 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

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

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

ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricofdallas.com

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

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

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

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 • 214-507-9322 Specializing in Wood, New or Repair.

AMBASSADOR FENCE INC. EST.96 Automatic Gates, Fences/Decks Ambassadorfenceco.com 214-621-3217

FENCING & WOODWORK oldgatefence.com 214-766-6422

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

FENCING & DECKS

COWBOY

FENCE & IRON CO.

214.692.1991

EST. 1991 #1 SPECIALIZING IN Wood Fences &Auto Gates

cowboyfenceandiron.com

Northlake Fence and Deck

Locally owned and operated by the Mccaffrey family since1980

214-349-9132

www.northlakefence.com

FLOORING & CARPETING

FENN CONSTRUCTION Manufactored hardwoods. Stone and Tile. Back-splash Specials. 214-343-4645

WILLEFORD HARDWOOD FLOORS 214-824-1166 • WillefordHardwoodFloors.com

GARAGE SERVICES

IDEAL GARAGE DOORS • 972-757-5016

Install & Repair. 10% off to military/1st responders.

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

GLASS, WINDOWS & DOORS

PRO WINDOW CLEANING prompt, dependable. Matt 214-766-2183

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

HANDYMAN SERVICES

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

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

HOME REPAIR HANDYMAN Small/Big Jobs + Construction. 30 Yrs. Exp. Steve. 214-875-1127

HOMETOWN construction.

HONEST, SKILLED

General Repairs/

Your Home Repair Specialists

Drywall Doors

Senior Safety

Carpentry

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

STONE AGE COUNTER TOPS Granite, Quartz, Marble For Kitchen/Bath-Free Est.. stoneage.brandee@gmail.com 940-465-6980

TK REMODELING 972-533-2872

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

WE REFINISH!

• Tubs, Tiles or Sinks

• Cultured Marble

• Kitchen Countertops

214-631-8719

www.allsurfacerefinishing.com

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

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

CALL A TREE EXPERT - 469-939-3344 Prune. Stump grind. Plant. Burris Tree Service

DALLAS GROUNDSKEEPER Organic Lawn Maintenance designed to meet your needs. 214-471-5723 dallasgroundskeeper.com

HOLMAN IRRIGATION

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

IRISH RAIN SPRINKLER SYSTEMS TXL#2738 Repair, Stonework & Drains 214-827-7446

LSI LAWN SPRINKLERS “Making Water Work”

HandymanMatters.com/dallas

Small & Odd Jobs And More! 972-308-6035

Irrigation system Service & Repair. Specializing In Older Copper Systems. LI #13715. 214-283-4673

Murder in the big city

The Oak Cliff college girl who was the victim of a serial killer

By RACHEL STONE

The Oak Cliff College for Young Ladies, which only lasted 15 years and closed 110 years ago, made the news in 2017.

It appeared in a story about the body of 1890s serial killer H.H. Holmes. Tests recently confirmed that the body in a gravesite in suburban Philadelphia was indeed Holmes’, dispelling rumors that the killer conman had escaped execution.

Two of Holmes’ victims once lived in Oak Cliff.

From an 1894 Dallas Morning News article:

The Williams girls, Minnie and Nannie, supposed to have been murdered by H.H. Holmes, lived in Oak Cliff. Minnie came here in September 1889, and left in February 1890. She returned with her sister Nannie. Nannie entered the female college at Oak Cliff and remained till the end of the term in 1892. Then she went to Midlothian to teach a district school. She

remained in Midlothian until June 1893, when she left to join her sister, Minnie, who was going to get married in Chicago.

Minnie Williams’ father, a physician, died and left his oldest daughter money and real estate holdings in Fort Worth. She and her brother and sister were raised by family members in Tarrant County. At one time she had been an actress and had started a theater company in Dallas. She met Holmes in New York when he was going by the alias Edward Hatch.

Williams met Holmes again in Chicago, and he offered her a job as his personal stenographer. The two lived together “as husband and wife,” according to newspaper accounts from the time. Williams wrote to friends in Texas asking them to visit if they should be in town for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.

Holmes, a conman and bigamist who, among other atrocities, killed children and murdered his best friend for the

life-insurance claim, sucked all the money Williams had and convinced her to sign over her real estate holdings to one of his aliases.

In his paid confession to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Holmes initially blamed Williams for the murder of her younger sister, Nannie. He spun a tale that Minnie had been jealous of Nannie, so she hit her over the head with a chair. Holmes said he merely covered up that crime by throwing Nannie’s body into a lake.

He later admitted to the horrifying murder of Nannie. She arrived by train from Texas, telling friends that she was to attend her sister’s wedding, and Holmes met her at the station. He brought her to his home, later dubbed “the murder castle,” in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago.

The sisters never saw each other. Holmes took all of Nannie’s money and pushed her into an airtight vault, designed and built specifically for murder, where he left her to suffocate.

Holmes also admitted to killing Minnie. In a second handwritten confession, published widely around the United States, he stated that he chloroformed her while she was sleeping and threw her lifeless body into a cellar.

Holmes, who was the subject of Erik

Left: Thomas L. Marsalis built the Park Hotel in the Victorian stick style of architecture and later turned it into the Oak Cliff College for Young Ladies. Opposite page: Serial killer H.H. Holmes conned Minnie Williams out of her Fort Worth real estate holdings before killing her. An 1890s newspaper clipping pictures some of Holmes’ victims, including Minnie Williams, center, and her sister, Nannie, mistakenly labeled “Annie” here.

In his confession, Holmes initially blamed Williams for the murder of her younger sister, Nannie.

Larson’s 2003 best-selling book “Devil in the White City,” also confessed to killing the Williams sisters’ brother, Baldwin. Holmes took out a life-insurance policy on the young man with Minnie Williams as the beneficiary. He then tracked Baldwin Williams down in what was then Indian Territory Oklahoma and poisoned him.

About the Oak Cliff College for Young Ladies

Thomas L. Marsalis converted the four-story Park Hotel, originally built to promote Oak Cliff, into a school. The ground floor contained classrooms, and the upper stories were dormitories.

Marsalis hired M. Thomas Edgerton, former vice president of Waco Female College, to be headmaster. Edgerton’s wife, Virginia Belle, oversaw the dormitories.

The college focused on the arts, social culture, reading, writing, music and “grace and beauty of carriage,” according to the Texas State Historical Association.

A newspaper article published just after it opened breathlessly described the college as “the Vassar of the South.”

Marsalis dreamed of having a ladies’ college in Oak Cliff as a way to make the suburb seem refined and upper class.

While Marsalis’ vision for Oak Cliff may be evident today, his investment in Oak Cliff led to his personal financial ruin. And the college didn’t last long either. It closed in 1907.

The building was converted back to a hotel, the Forest Inn, and it was demolished in 1945.