2015 November Oak Cliff

WWII VETERANS

Members of The Greatest Generation are still thriving in our neighborhood

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A World War II-era combat helmet. Photo by Danny Fulgencio

THE GOOD FIGHT

Veterans, we cannot thank you enough

Germany. Vietnam. Afghanistan. Korea. These and other far-off countries don’t begin to cover the places many of our neighbors have shipped off to as members of this country’s armed forces.

My dad was too young to suit up for World War II, but immediately after the conflict he spent time in Germany as a military policeman.

My father-in-law was a WWII lieutenant, serving in the U.S. Army Signal Corps first in England and later the Philippines. A couple of empty shell casings from those islands sit prominently in our living room as reminders of his duty. He was recalled when the Korean War broke out but had been on the receiving end of a head-on auto collision in East Texas just prior to receiving his invitation. The family informed the army that his leg had been crushed; the army invited him to show up for a physical anyway. When they saw his body cast, he was dismissed.

He died in 1996, and my mother-in-law passed along the flag draping his coffin to their grandson after that young man’s Marine Corps tenure.

My military action ended before it began: My draft number when graduating from college was high enough that I wasn’t drafted. I stayed home and let others do the job.

Our cover story this month honors those neighbors, men and women, who answered the government’s call or simply raised their hands and volunteered. Truth be told, the story offers only a glimpse of their experiences as medics, bombers, intelligence officers and the like.

No doubt the real picture is: “You had to be there.” Even so, most of us are glad we weren’t.

The day-to-day reality of military life is unimaginable for those of us who went about our business unaware. Watching the Dallas Cowboys, kicking back at movies, zoning out on video games, sleeping safely at night: The selflessness of a few neighbors makes these things possible for the rest of us.

They served for our benefit without knowing us, just as we don’t know most of them or their stories. They just went quietly about their business, and then they came home. No fuss. Not enough fanfare.

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RACHEL STONE

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BRITTANY NUNN

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ELIZABETH BARBEE

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contributing editors: SALLY WAMRE

Their stories remind me of grizzled warrior Jack Nicholson’s snapback to military desk jockey Tom Cruise in the movie “A Few Good Men”: “You have the luxury of not knowing what I know.”

What I know is how grateful I am to the people I walk by, drive past and live next to who made the life I lead possible.

If you have served, are serving or know a service person on duty now, a few words of thanks ring pretty hollow compared to the debt we owe you.

All the same, though: Thank you.

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

photo editor: DANNY FULGENCIO

214.635.2121 / danny@advocatemag.com

contributing photographers: JAMES COREAS, RASY RAN, JENNIFER SHERTZER, KATHY TRAN, ANDREW WILLIAMS, SHERYL LANZEL

Thanks to Curiosities in Lakewood Shopping Center for lending props for our cover story.

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.

No doubt the real picture is: “You had to be there.” Even so, most of us are glad we weren’t.

DIGITAL DIGEST

WHAT YOU’RE MISSING

A look at the revised Alamo Manhattan design for Bishop Arts

Demolition to be delayed in Bishop Arts, Oak Cliff Gateway

Vintage color photos of Oak Cliff and Dallas

Restaurant news: Parker Barrows opens, Cibo wine dinner, chocolate for breakfast

Want to stop bad development in Oak Cliff? Here’s how to get involved

THE DIALOGUE

Demolitions to be delayed in Bishop Arts

“Thumbs up to Amonett and Griggs. It is never too late to take the wheel. The example this represents is no small thing. It’s symbolic of the shape of things to come under passion based, not power based leadership. Thanks to the two of you!”

—Smokey

Kidd Springs pool to get $4.5 million makeover in new aquatics plan

“I’m surprised nobody has asked this question: isn’t $4.5 million a bit excessive for a pool? What does a $4.5 million pool look like versus a $1 million pool? Do we really need all those bells and whistles at Kidd Springs? There’s already parking and restrooms. Couldn’t we use just a fraction of that toward a dog park in Kidd Springs Park, Moss Park or Kiest Park?”

—Lakewoodhobo

Sign

Launch

The Sour Grapes

The Sour Grapes attended a party in their honor at the Highland Park home of a donor to the Dallas Contemporary. It was the first time the Donjuan brothers — Carlos, Arturo and Miguel — had been inside this mansion, but they had noticed it for years.

Their father is the landscaper for the homeowners across the street. The brothers have mowed and edged that neighbor’s lawn many times.

“It was strange,” Arturo Donjuan says. “It was one of those moments.”

Carlos, Arturo and Miguel were born in Mexico in 1982, ’83 and ’84, respectively. Their parents brought them to Oak Cliff in 1985, and they’ve lived here ever since. Their artist collective, which they started as a bunch of kids spray painting freight trains, celebrated its 15th anniversary this year.

They’re grown men with children of their own now. Carlos is a professor at the University of Texas at Arlington; Arturo is a barber at Studio 410; and Miguel is a teacher’s aide at Trinity Basin Preparatory School. And they’re all working artists. The Sour Grapes, which includes four other members, is booked so frequently that they

The Sour Grapes are Miguel Donjuan, Emi Donjuan, Carlos Donjuan, Ricardo Oviedo, Arturo Donjuan and Isaias Torres.

Photo by Rasy Ran

sometimes have to turn down offers for live painting or murals.

They say they owe it to work ethic learned form hardworking immigrant parents and the guidance of former Sunset High School art teacher Filberto Chapa.

When the Grapes opened a 15-year anniversary show at the Latino Cultural Center this past summer, their teacher was part of the exhibit, exhibiting his own work in a second room.

“He’s the one who taught us how to take it from street art to fine art,” Arturo Donjuan says.

The Sour Grapes started in the summer of 2000. The K-Mart on Ledbetter was going out of business, and the mother of one member, Isaias Torres, sent some of the boys to buy cat food at clearance prices. They found cans of spray paint on sale for 64 cents, so they loaded up.

Then they spent the whole summer painting freight trains.

They painted maybe 100 or more trains before they were caught, on Labor Day. Since it was a federal holiday, the marshals were off. The security guard photographed them, confiscated their paint and let them go.

After that, they looked for legal ways to paint.

“At that time there was a lot of gang graffiti around here in Oak Cliff,” Arturo says. “So we would go around to these tire shops and any place we would see gang graffiti and ask if they wanted a mural.”

The crew has never used stencils or projectors to plan paintings. They let the wall speak to them and decide, often at the spur of the moment, what to paint. Planning large murals is like a sixth sense to them, although very large pieces, such as the Jefferson Viaduct murals, are planned in detail.

At first the Grapes painted at their own cost, but soon they began asking business owners to pay for supplies. They always included their website at the bottoms of their murals, and their reputation spread. About 10 years ago, Neiman Marcus commissioned a mural from them, and other corporate clients followed.

Now they earn commissions from Nike, Red Bull and Goodyear Tires, among others. Carlos Donjuan has celebrity clients and has shown paintings in Milan and San Francisco.

But it’s not all about prestigious and lucrative commissions.

Last year, the Mayor’s Rising Star Council hired the Sour Grapes to create murals at five Dallas Independent School District high schools: Adamson, Madison, Roosevelt, Lincoln and South Oak Cliff. The students got to help the crew design and paint the murals.

It’s their most rewarding – and inspired – work. More people should sponsor murals in places that lack public art, especially near schools, they say.

“So kids walking to school can see that and maybe realize they can become artists as well,” Arturo says. —Rachel Stone

Out & About

Nov. 14

Blues, Bandits and BBQ

KNON and the Movember Foundation are beneficiaries of this barbecue competition and concert at Kidd Springs Park. Get a team together and compete in the brisket, pulled pork, pork spare rib, chicken or sausage categories for $100. Prizes are awarded in those categories as well as people’s choice. Tickets to taste the barbecue cost $20.

Kidd Springs Park, 711 W. Canty, bluesbanditsandbbq.org,

NOV. 1

Rachel Yamagata

This singer/songwriter is a late-night TV darling and sells out concert halls all over the world. Her new album, “Tightrope Walker,” is expected to be released this fall. The Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis, 214.272.8346, thekessler.org, $30

NOV. 1

‘Goodfellas’

Which modern crime drama doesn’t reference “Goodfellas”? Yeah, we can’t think of one either. See the Martin Scorsese gangster flick on the big screen, in Ultra High Resolution, on its 25th anniversary.

The Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson, 214.948.1546, thetexastheatre.com

NOV. 5

Beatlemania

A Hard Day’s Night, the Beatles tribute band, headlines the Well Community’s third-annual benefit concert, Recovery Live. Run for Your Life, a Beatles tribute band composed of teenagers, opens the show.

The Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis, 214.272.8346, thekessler.org $30

NOV. 7

Chicken coop tour

Elmwood residents Bill Dougherty and Fred Owen, who own Trinity Haymarket, organized this self-guided tour of 10 Oak Cliff chicken coops. The tour, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. benefits Eat the Yard. Trinity Haymarket, 1715 Market Center Blvd., 214.202.2163, trinityhaymarket.com, $10

Susan Melnick 214.460.5565 smelnick@virginiacook.com

Olga Salinas 214.282.1188 osalinas@virginiacook.com

NOV. 7

Jazz at the TeCo

Euge Groove and Paul Taylor perform two shows, at 7 and 9:45 p.m., as part of the smooth jazz series from TeCo Theatrical Productions.

Bishop Arts Theatre Center, 215 S. Tyler, 214.948.0716, tecotheater.org, $60-$65

NOV. 14

Art Con

Make Art with Purpose is the beneficiary of Art Conspiracy 11. Artists create works on identical pieces of board, which are auctioned off starting at $20 in a big party and concert.

1311 S. Ervay, artconspiracy.org, $10

NOV. 17

Sea Lion

Deep Ellum’s favorite punk band makes its way across the river for a 9 p.m. show.

The Foundry, 2303 Pittman, 214.749.1112, cs-tf.com, free

NOV. 20-21

Zoo campout

Spend a night at the Dallas Zoo, photographing animals after the zoo closes to the public. A gourmet dinner follows the photography session and breakfast is provided the next morning. The zoo provides jungle-style bunkhouse tents but no showers.

The Dallas Zoo, 650 South R.L. Thornton, 469.554.7500, dallaszoo.com, $200-$250

NOV. 26

Norma’s Thanksgiving

The 27th annual free Thanksgiving dinner at Norma’s is from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. The café’s employees volunteer on this day to make sure everyone who wants one has a nice meal.

Norma’s Café, 1123 W. Davis, 214.946.4711, normascafe.com, free

• $1,290,000 3306 S. Franklin St. in Kiestwood $220,000 Contract

Creek Dr. in Oak Park Estates For Sale $169,900

DALLAS GRILLED CHEESE CO.

310 W. Seventh 214.944.5515

dallasgrilledcheese.co

AMBIANCE:

FAMILY FRIENDLY, BAR AND GRILL

PRICE RANGE: $5-$12

HOURS:

MONDAY-SUNDAY, 11 A.M.-10 P.M.

Chef

Blake Roe once made a grilled cheese with everything stacked about 2-feet high.

It’s not on the menu, but that creativity is why the restaurant’s partners wanted him.

“We hired him to make a lot of really great food and then spend the rest of his time experimenting,” says partner Mack Simpson.

A few of Roe’s experiments, including a barbecue short rib and mac-and-cheese sandwich, are on the restaurant’s new menu. Roe and staff make almost everything in-house, including barbecue sauce, bacon jam, vanilla-bean icing for desserts and more. Roe also found a ghost-pepper cheese that can be added to any sandwich, for those who fancy a little napalm in the mouth.

There are a couple of new salads on the menu and a Monte Cristo, along with desserts and an all-new brunch menu.

Roe also experiments with specials, a favorite being the fried-avocado grilled cheese. DGC also offers craft cocktails, a dozen or more craft beers on draught and happy hour from 2-6 p.m.

SEE MORE PHOTOS

Visit oakcliff.advocatemag.com

The spicy two-pork and cheese sandwich has ham, bacon, cheddar and spicy jam. Photo by Kathy Tran

Cheesesteak House

The cheesesteak sandwiches here are so good that sometimes we wish it wasn’t in Oak Cliff so we wouldn’t have to fight the urge.

2015 W. Davis 214.941.4389

C Señor

Cuban sandwiches are the specialty of this Bishop Arts sandwich stand. But they also have tacos and a great fish sandwich, plus those amazing yucca fries.

330 W. Davis 214.941.4766

Hunky’s

The vast menu at Hunky’s includes more than just burgers and veggie burgers. They also have salads, hot dogs and sandwiches, including a grilled ham-and-swiss melt.

321 N. Bishop 214.941.3322

Cheesesteak House: Photo by Kathy Tran

Senior Vice President Senior Vice Preservation Dallas Advanced Historic House Specialist

RETRO DESSERTS REBORN

Although we are always longing for the newest and trendiest desserts, it’s the old time favorites that never disappoint. Dust off your family recipes and bring back some vintage favorites to share for the holidays. Here is a blast from the past with a few retro desserts.

Ambrosia

A spin on a traditional fruit salad, ambrosia brings a little sweetness to the mix. Ink Foods brings this old favorite back to life by combining fruit cocktail, pineapple, mandarin oranges, marshmallows, nuts and coconut to make a fresh spin on this retro dish.

GROCERY LIST:

8-ounce package of cream cheese

2 cups sour cream

1 cup fruit cocktail, canned

1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped

1 cup mandarin oranges

2 cups marshmallows

shredded coconut, garnish chopped walnuts, garnish maraschino cherry, garnish

DIRECTIONS: Allow cream cheese to come to room temperature before mixing with sour cream; stir until smooth.

Drain juice from fruit cocktail and mix in the chopped pineapple and mandarin oranges before adding to cream cheese mixture.

Once fruit and cream cheese is combined, gently stir in marshmallows. Spoon into serving dishes and top with shredded coconut, chopped walnuts and a maraschino cherry.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

BAKED ALASKA

A classic ice cream bomb layered over a cake flavor of your choice makes this an all-time favorite. Keeping the ice cream frozen will be the key to covering the top in meringue and baking before serving.

JELLO MOLD

An American classic, Jello can be found in a vast amount of old-time desserts, including a classic Jello mold. With so many flavor options for every season, this recipe must be brought back to stay. Combining peaches, peach Jello and condensed milk is the perfect way to start.

Kristen Massad writes a monthly column about sweets and baked goods. The professional pastry chef graduated from the French Culinary Institute in New York City and owned Tart Bakery on Lovers Lane for eight years. She blogs about food and lifestyles at inkfoods.com.

There’s a reason they’re called “The Greatest Generation.” Some 400,000 Americans gave their lives fighting in World War II. Many thousands of others made it home, though wounded physically and mentally by the horrors of war. Some of those who served, however, never saw combat. Their service was behind the scenes instead of on the front lines. Even so, their military time impacted the war effort in ways big and small.

Jim Walston,

By Oak Cliff Writer Kim Batchelor Great holiday gift

William J. Lawhorn always has been lucky.

About a week before training started, all but eight of the servicemen in his Air Force squadron were called to the Army. Many of them wound up in the infantry, fighting in the Battle of the Bulge.

Lawhorn went to radio school.

He was stationed in Sioux Falls, N.D., Scott Field, Ill. and Roswell, N.M. After that, he was shipped to Kwajalein Island in the South Pacific. But by then, the United States already had dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

“The Marines had already cleaned it all up,” he says.

The Rockwall native, now 89, attended the University of North Texas on a football scholarship. He wanted to be a doctor, but he says he couldn’t pass organic chemistry. So he moved to Lufkin to teach school and married his UNT sweetheart, Anna.

“I had to go to the dentist, and he charged

LUCKY LAWHORN

me about three-weeks salary for a small filling, so I figured I’d try to go to dental school,” he says.

He was accepted as part of the very first class at the University of Texas School of Dentistry in Houston. Eventually, he passed organic chemistry.

“Of course, I cheated,” he says.

One of his study partners had copies of three of the old professor’s previous tests. Lawhorn memorized them, and he got lucky. The test he took was one he had memorized.

He graduated from dental school in 1959 and set up office in Oak Cliff, first in Westmoreland Heights and then on Illinois near Hampton, where he still works three days a week. That’s right. Lawhorn is 89, and he still practices dentistry.

In the heyday, there were partners and hygienists and a receptionist. Now it’s just the two of them — Anna runs the business, and Bill checks the teeth.

At the height of his career, Lawhorn

was an Oak Cliff civic leader, volunteering a few days a month to work on the teeth of underprivileged children. He served as president of the Oak Cliff Lions Club in 1985; he was also a Master Mason and a Shriner.

He and Anna reared three children in Oak Cliff and traveled the world, visiting the Great Pyramid at Giza and the Great Wall of China among many other destinations, places he could hardly imagine when he was growing up during the Great Depression, sacking groceries at the A&P.

He still remembers his dad shedding tears as he put him on the train to Fort Sam Houston in 1943. But Lawhorn was lucky. He was never shot at and never saw combat.

“I’ve had triple bypass and every kind of operation. All the doctors at Methodist know me,” he says. “They say, ‘Oh my gosh, here comes Lawhorn. I wonder what we’re going to have to cut out now.’”

If he’s lucky, he’ll make it to 100 or so.

UNBREAKABLE WAVES OF HENSLEY FIELD

Margie Harrington turned 21 in December 1942.

A secretary at an insurance company, she’d never been far from her hometown, Boston.

“I joined the Navy to see the world, and I saw Grand Prairie,” she says.

Arriving at Union Station, the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) recruit was “heartsick” to see the paved streets, automobiles and tall buildings of Downtown Dallas. She’d thought it would look like the Old West of the movies.

“But that’s alright,” she says. “It was my choice.”

Harrington served all three years of her Navy career at Hensley Field.

She started out as a secretary and went to work in public relations.

As part of her job, she met movie stars Robert Taylor and Tyrone Power when they visited the base. And she once spent an entire day with comedian Red Skelton, when he broadcast his national radio show live.

“He was a perfect gentleman,” she says. “He was cracking jokes the whole time.”

It was a dark time in American history, but Harrington managed to serve her country while having fun.

The Navy trained fighter pilots at Hensley Field, hundreds of them, Harrington says. When the instructors flew solo hours to maintain their certifications, they would use sandbags to weight the planes. Sometimes, the WAVES got to “act like sandbags,” Harrington says. They regularly went tooling around in open-canopy fighter planes.

She also used her military I.D., good looks and charm to travel to San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Florida and other points. There was always a plane you could hop on, she says.

In December 1943, Harrington’s WAVES pals offered to take her to dinner at the Chicken Shack on Fort Worth Avenue for her birthday. She arrived early.

While she waited, four servicemen came in, all of them on leave. One by one, she says, each guy asked her to come sit at their table. She politely told them she was waiting for her friends. When they arrived, the waitress said,

“I have a table for you.”

“She walked us right to those boys,” Harrington says.

Afterward, they went to a movie at the Palace Theater downtown. Seven of them piled into a car, and the tiny Harrington was the last one in.

“There wasn’t anyplace to sit but this sailor’s lap,” she says. “And, anyway, he’s the one I ended up marrying. So I sat in his lap before I even knew him.”

When she put in her papers in 1946, Harrington’s supervisor offered to make her a chief petty officer to re-up. By then, she

was editor of the base newspaper. But she had been living in an open barracks with 100 women for three years and was ready to go home.

She attended Columbia University for a year before getting married. She and her husband, John Clayton Harrington, moved to his family farm in Ferris. They reared three children in Wilmer-Hutchins. They have 11 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren. Clayton Harrington died in 1994, and Margie Harrington moved to Grace Presbyterian Village in 2008.

She turns 94 in December.

Jim

Walston loves airplanes.

The 92-year-old Oak Park Estates resident dedicated his life to them.

It started before he was born, when his father was an airplane mechanic in World War I.

Walston enlisted in 1943 and was assigned as a mechanic to the 466th Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force and served in England.

He worked on B-24 bombers, including one called the “Laden Maid,” which flew dozens of missions.

The mechanics worked on the runways, under no cover, in all weather. The Italy, Texas native remembers the bitter cold and deep snow of the winter of ’45, when he manually cleaned snow and ice off of airplane wings.

And he remembers D-Day, although he had no idea what was happening at the time. It started at 2:50 a.m. and continued late into the night. Walston keeps binders with

detailed information on planes, pilots and missions from that time.

“They wanted 50 airplanes available for the first [D-Day] mission and 36 for the next two missions. That meant we needed nearly every airplane,” he says. “There were more airplanes flying that day than any other time.”

There were 78 planes in Walston’s group, and they all returned from the war. Following the liberation of France, in June ’45, Walston returned with his B-24 crew, via Iceland and Canada, to the United States.

This summer, the French government awarded Walston its medal of Knight in the French Order of the Legion of Honor, which is presented to those who aided in the liberation of France from Germany in World War II.

“I never shot at any Germans,” he says. “But I qualified for it.”

He later received an engineering degree

from Texas A&M University and went to work for Vought Aircraft in Grand Prairie.

He worked for 37 years in its test lab and he touched about every plane that was produced there. The last plane he worked on as an employee was as Northrop Grumman’s B2 Spirit, the famous “Stealth Bomber,” in 1988.

But his retirement that year was not the end of his wrenching on planes.

As part of the Vought Retirement Club, he spends 10 hours a week or more restoring vintage planes. In all, the club has restored eight planes, several of which are displayed at the Frontiers of Flight Museum.

His wife died recently, after about a year in a nursing home. A longtime member of Cliff Temple Baptist Church, he is sustained by his faith.

These days, he’s excited about the plane he’s working on, a 1932 biplane called the Vought O3U-3 Corsair.

Local hardware

A 67-year-old mom-and-pop store is retiring

Story by Rachel Stone | Photo by Rasy Ran

When Ken McRae was a little kid, his dad would pay him a nickel for every gallon he could fill with kerosene or paint thinner.

If he filled 20 drums, he could ride his bike to the Texas Theatre and pay for admission to the Saturday matinee and a big pickle.

Ad Injection:random

His dad, Henry McRae, in 1948 opened a business on South Hampton that would become McRae’s Paint and Hardware. Now, after 67 years in business, McRae’s is closing. Ken and his wife, Doris, have been running the store for decades, and they are ready to retire. Their two sons have successful careers of their own — 40-year-old Nathan works in the security industry, and 37-year-old Christopher is a district manager for Starbucks in Los Angeles.

There’s no one to take over the business, and besides, it has floundered in the years

since Home Depot opened on Fort Worth Avenue, around the same time Walmart and Lowe’s opened on Cockrell Hill.

The little hardware store, where the owners know customers by name and can look up paint colors they had mixed in the 1980s, is a relic of times when shopping local was the only choice.

“It was pretty much a disaster for us,” Ken McRae says of the nearby big-box stores. “My prices are about the same, but I’ve never had the advertising dollars to remind people of it.”

But let’s go back to more fortunate times.

Henry McRae, having served in World War II, opened an Army/Navy Surplus store at the corner of Hampton and Clarendon in 1948, the same year his son was born. Always handy, he soon expanded to appliance and TV repair. Then he became a bonded locksmith and added keys and locks to the

Ken, right, and Doris McRae carried on their family’s legacy for decades at McRae’s Paint and Hardware in Oak Cliff.

business. In 1952, he started selling paint. A few years later, the elder McRae commissioned his own brand of paint from a subsidiary of Benjamin Moore. The store offered McRae Paint for decades.

In 1963, Henry McRae built a new building across the street, at 1232 S. Hampton. Now that building is on the market.

Ken McRae went to Greiner Middle School and graduated from Sunset High School. Doris McRae, who originally is from Germany, graduated from Kimball.

He served in the U.S. Coast Guard during Vietnam.

“I had 30 days of leave every year, and my dad expected me to be in the store,” he says. “So I would be there.”

He left the military in 1974 and went to work fulltime in the family business. Henry McRae died in 1979 and Ken McRae ran the business mostly by himself, sometimes 100 hours a week, until around 1993. By then, their sons were in high school, so Doris came to work in the store fulltime, too.

After the big box stores came in, Ken McRae expanded with a printing business making business cards and banners, which he plans to continue operating.

After decades in the hardware business, Ken and Doris know their stuff. And they make sure they always know what they’re talking about.

“The thing I learned the quickest is to not adlib the answer, but to find out the correct answer,” he says. “There was a moral conviction to make sure I was giving the correct information.”

The McRaes now have third-generation customers who say their grandparents told them to shop there. Ken and Doris celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary last month. They reduced prices on some big-ticket items, and they stopped restocking, but they hadn’t yet told their customers they were closing, possibly as early as next month.

With his newfound free time, Ken has plans to travel to Costa Rica early next year to help finish a school.

“I’m healthy, and I want to be able to do things with my wife without punching a clock,” he says. SEE MORE PHOTOS: Visit oakcliff.advocatemag.com.

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.

SCHOOL

848 Harter Rd., Dallas 75218 / 214.328.9131 / stjohnsschool.org Founded in 1953, St. John’s is an independent, co-educational day school for Pre-K through Grade 8. With a tradition for academic excellence, St. John’s programs include a challenging curriculum in a Christian environment along with instruction in the visual and performing arts, Spanish, German, French, and opportunities for athletics and community service. St. John’s goal for its students is to develop a love for learning, service to others, and leadership grounded in love, humility, and wisdom. Accredited by ISAS, SAES, and the Texas Education Agency.

69%

Nonprofits

The Old Oak Cliff Conservation League gave $22,000 to seven neighborhood nonprofits recently. The league raises money through its annual home tour to provide grants to member neighborhoods, which use the funds for neighborhood beautification, crime prevention, improved sidewalks, supporting neighborhood schools and other efforts. For the past few years, the league has raised enough money to give some to nonprofits as well.

Norma’s Cafe raised $1,300 for Operation Kindness during its Dog Days of Summer event. Also, two dogs in need found homes that day.

Parks

The City of Dallas has slated Kidd Springs Park to become a “community aquatics center” as part of the new $52.8 million aquatics plan, funded by the sale of parkland at Lake Ray Hubbard. The $4.5-million renovation at Kidd Springs could include creating a “beach entry” with a slope instead of steps, a wading pool for small children and more, depending upon community input. The pool at Martin Weiss Park also is slated for a makeover, although that would be funded by a future bond election.

People

Dr. Martin Koonsman has taken the reins as president of Methodist Dallas Medical Center. Koonsman has been practicing medicine for 27 years as a general surgeon. For the past two years, he’s served as the chief medical officer for Methodist hospital, working with staff to advance the quality of care provided and services offered.

HAVE AN ITEM TO BE FEATURED?

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

BUSINESS BUZZ

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

Send business news tips to livelocal@advocatemag.com

Very continental

Chef Jean Michel Sakouhi brought traditional French cuisine to Oak Cliff when his new restaurant opened last month. Bouchon 1314 took a corner space in the 1922 Tudor revival building formerly known as Cannon’s Village, at 1314 W. Davis. The restaurant’s wine list offers 250 bottles, which are available for takeout or, for a 20 percent markup over retail, to sip with dinner. Duck confit, escargot, chateaubriand for two, rack of lamb, croque-monsieur and onion soup are on the menu, along with seafood dishes, salads and other steaks. The restaurant seats about 70 and does not take reservations. Bouchon 1314 will also offer a few specialty groceries, including olive oil and mustard.

Whisk Crêpes Cafe at Sylvan Thirty, opened recently. The 624-square-foot restaurant, next door to Ten Ramen, seats about 20 diners. Says the Paris-born owner Julien Eelsen, “I hope my cafe will give our customers the chance to experience what it’s like to be in Paris, even if for just a brief, sweet or savory moment.”

Couture closure

The high-end vintage clothing store that operated in Oak Cliff for about 13 years has closed. Zola’s Every Day Vintage relocated early this year from its longtime spot in the Bishop Arts District to a newly renovated space on West Davis at Edgefield. Owner Annette Daffron says an accident in August caused her to close the store for almost a month, and she was unable to reopen. Daffron says she is looking for a space to continue selling “vintage” sodas. She says she has no plans to build up another brick-andmortar clothing shop, but she continues to sell clothing and other items on Etsy.

First Zola’s, now Zoli’s

Please, no one name your Oak Cliff business Zolo’s. Zoli’s NY Pizza announced recently that it will close as soon as this spring, in advance of developer Alamo Manhattan’s plans to bulldoze the block in favor of upscale apartments and retail. Zoli’s, from Cane Rosso owner Jay Jerrier, was the New Yorkstyle pizza place for everyone who thinks Cane Rosso’s Neapolitan-style pizza is too doughy in the middle. Jerrier says he plans to reopen Zoli’s elsewhere, but probably not in Oak Cliff.

BAPTIST

CLIFF TEMPLE BAPTIST CHURCH / 125 Sunset Ave. / 214.942.8601

Serving Oak Cliff since 1899 / CliffTemple.org / English and Spanish

9:30 am Sunday School / 10:45 am & 5:00 pm Sunday Worship

GRACE TEMPLE BAPTIST MULTI-CULTURAL CHURCH

Sunday Worship: English Service 9:30 am / Spanish Service 11:00 am

831 W. Tenth St. / 214.948.7587 / gracetempledallas.org

CATHOLIC

UNIVERSITY OF DALLAS MINISTRY CONFERENCE / udallas.edu/udmc

October 22-24, 2015 / Sponsored by Catholic Diocese of Dallas

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

DISCIPLES OF CHRIST

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

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

10:50 am - Sanctuary / Rev. Deborah Morgan-Stokes / edcc.org

OAK CLIFF CHRISTIAN CHURCH / Celebrating 125 Years

Fellowship 9:30 am / Sunday School 9:45 am / Worship 11:00 am

660 S. Zang / occch.org / 214.376.4375

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

PRESBYTERIAN

OAK CLIFF PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 6000 S. Hampton Road

Sunday Worship at 9:30 am & 11:05 am 214-339-2211 / www.ocpres.com

SOUND OF SILENCE

A quiet heart offers rewards

When was the last time you were truly still and silent?

Paul Simon penned these words over 50 years ago as a whispered polemic regarding the inability of many humans to be quiet:

Hello darkness, my old friend, I’ve come to talk with you again Because a vision softly creeping Left its seeds while I was sleeping

people yearn for stillness and peace. Those who move beyond yearning to the practical cultivation of a quiet heart discover that there are great benefits. Here are three simple rewards of the practice of stillness and silence:

First, the quieter you become, the more you will hear. You’ll listen more when you don’t feel the need to fill the void. You’ll be a better listener for your spouse or your children. You’ll experience more of this breathtaking world, noticing the sounds of the wind, of babies, of laughter.

Simon’s words suggest a longing to enter into an intimate conversation with the darkness, expecting to hear and be heard. But the song continues as a warning against the dangers of technology and distractedness: people talking without speaking people hearing without listening.

When I recently heard this song again, my mind jumped to Twitter, where so many people are talking but few people are listening.

Under the noise, buzz, sirens and pings of the world there is a deep, almost frightening silence. We rush around and conduct business, acting as if we make the world turn; in the meantime the earth produces foliage, the rains fall and birds build nests. That’s only a tiny fraction of the intricate, ever-changing life underneath our feet and around us. Most of it goes on in utter silence.

Why do we resist silence and stillness? Perhaps we are addicted to the noise, to the busyness, to ourselves. Perhaps we stay consumed with music, video, texts and tweets to shield ourselves from that awful absence of sound where we are alone with our thoughts and forced to contemplate what is happening around us.

Even so, I believe that more and more

When was the last time you were truly still and silent?

Second, the quieter you become, the more you will speak rightly. Deitrich Bonheoffer said that right words come out of right silence, and right silence comes out of right words — an interplay between silence and word.

Third, the quieter you become, the more you will open yourself to the mystery of the divine. I heard a woman on the radio recently say, “I’m not religious, but when I sit in the silence of the desert, that’s the closest I come to believing in God.” In silence, surprisingly, many experience the intimate conversation that Paul Simon longed for, the encounter in the darkness.

Isaiah 30:15 says, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”

Regardless of whether or not we attend to it, the silence remains. It waits like an old friend.

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.

CLASSES/TUTORING/ LESSONS

MATH Shouldn’t Get In The Way Of Anyone’s Dreams. I Tutor Algebra To Calculus. Test Anxiety & ADHD Are My Specialties. Jonathan. 626-643-6700 holisiticmathtutoring.com

PIANO LESSONS All ages & levels. Over 20 years experience. Oak Cliff area. Call Tim at 214-989-7093

EMPLOYMENT

SEEKING OFFICE MANAGER for Lakewood Residential Real Estate Co. Peachtree/Quickbooks Knowledge, People Skills Preferred. Flexable 15-20 hrs wk. Depending on Experience Salary $15-$18 hr. w/ 90 day probation. Email resume: hegwoodjamie@gmail.com

SERVICES FOR YOU

CARGO BICYCLES Custom Built, Hand Crafted. For You/ Business In Oak Cliff. 214-205-4205. oakcliffcargobicycles.com

DISH TV Starting at $19.99/month (for 12 months) Save!

Regular Price $34.99. Ask About Free Same Day Installation. Call Now. 877-477-9659

Go Bison!

The Sunset High School Alumni Association celebrated the school’s 90th anniversary recently with a program of dance and music, lunch and school tours. The school also was officially dedicated as a City of Dallas landmark.

BUY/SELL/TRADE

CASH

TEXAS

front row seats. Share prime, front-row Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars tickets (available in sets of 10 games). Prices start at $105 per ticket (sets of 2 or 4 tickets per game available) Seats are behind the plate and next to the dugouts for the Rangers: seats are on the glass and on the Platinum Level for the Stars. Other great seats available starting at $60 per ticket. Entire season available except for opening game; participants randomly draw numbers prior to the season to determine a draft order fair for everyone. Call 214-560-4212 or rwamre@advocatemag.com

Family Owned & Operated

Serving

We

972-274-2157

www.CrestAirAndHeat.com

CABINETRY & FURNITURE

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

CLEANING SERVICES

AFFORDABLE, PROFESSIONAL CLEANING

A Clean You Can Trust

Staff trained by Nationally Certified Cleaning Tech. Chemical-free, Green, or Traditional Cleaning. WindsorMaidServices.com 214-381-MAID (6243)

CINDY’S HOUSE CLEANING 15 yrs exp.

Resd/Com. Refs. Dependable. 214-490-0133

WINDOW MAN WINDOW CLEANING.COM

Residential Specialists. BBB. 214-718-3134

CONCRETE/MASONRY/ PAVING

ALL EPOXY COATINGS, CONCRETE

Countertops, Stamping, Staining & Designs, Floor Demo and Overlays

Landscape Designs Call 214-916-8368

BRICK, STONEWORK, FLAGSTONE PATIOS

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

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

CONCRETE REPAIRS/REPOURS

Demo existing. Stamping and Staining

Driveways/Patio/Walkways

Pattern/Color available

Free Estimates 972-672-5359 (32 yrs.)

CONCRETE, Driveway Specialist Repairs, Replacement, Removal, References. Reasonable. 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

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

#1

EST. 1991

COWBOY

FENCE & IRON CO.

214.692.1991

SPECIALIZING IN Wood Fences &Auto Gates

cowboyfenceandiron.com

GARAGE SERVICES

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

GLASS, WINDOWS & DOORS

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

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

HANDYMAN SERVICES

A R&G HANDYMAN Electrical, Plumbing, Painting, Fencing, Roofing, Light Hauling. Ron or Gary 214-861-7569, 469-878-8044

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

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

Tip: Prepare Trees for Winter

Extra Mulch, fertilization and hydration are key to keeping trees,shrubs healthy in fall and winter. LocalWorks.advocatemag.com LocalWorks.advocatemag.com

FLOORING & CARPETING

FENN CONSTRUCTION Full Service Contractor. www.dallastileman.com Back Splash Specials! 214-343-4645

THE TEXAN FLOORING SERVICES Wood, Laminate. Remodel Showers, Bathrooms. thetexanflooringservices.com 214-680-0901

Willeford

HANDYMAN SERVICES

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 Drywall Doors Senior Safety

HOLIDAY DECORATING

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 at 214-560-4203. 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.

HOME INSPECTION

HOUSE PAINTING

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

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

KITCHEN/BATH/ TILE/GROUT

FENN CONSTRUCTION Full Service Contractor. www.dallastileman.com Back Splash Specials! 214-343-4645

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

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

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

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

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”

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

YOUR TREES could look like a WORK OF ART, I Guarantee It.

NOVEMBER SPECIAL

$200 OFF 4 man crew/4 hours

Trees

Call Mark Wittlich 214-332-3444

JD’s Tree Service

RESPONSIBLE TREE CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Locally harvested wood!

REMODELING

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

FENN CONSTRUCTION Full Service Contractor. www.dallastileman.com Back Splash Specials! 214-343-4645

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

RENOVATE DALLAS renovatedallas.com 214-403-7247

ROOFING &

BERT ROOFING INC.

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

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 214-794-7566 - 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

NTX PLUMBING SPEC. LLLP 214-226-0913

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

214-328-7371

MetroFlowPlumbing.com

Lic.# M16620

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

HUMAN BODY FOUND DURING HOME RENOVATION

It looks like Winnetka Heights has a possible murder mystery on its hands.

Workers digging up a concrete slab in the 700 block of Winnetka in September found the remains of a human corpse buried underneath it.

The homeowner, a real estate investor, had just purchased the property about a month previously. Police were called to the house around 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, when the homeowner called to report the discovery.

A neighbor told Channel 5 that a putrid odor came over the block after the body was uncovered.

The Dallas Medical Examiner’s office confirmed that the remains were of a human, but no other information has been released.

74

body cameras issued to Dallas police officers

$3.7

million the city paid for 400 cameras, storage and technical support — they are being rolled out incrementally to make sure the department can support the new technology

1,000

more cameras the department plans to acquire within the next few years

SCREEN TIME

Twentieth Century Oak Cliff movie theaters

COMMENT. Visit oakcliff.advocatemag.com/backstory to tell us what you think.

The best-known place in our neighborhood is a movie theater.

That Oswald sure knew how to put a neighborhood on the tourism map. The world-famous Texas Theater now is home to the Oak Cliff Film Festival, live music and comedy performances and first-run movies. The Kessler, built as a cinema in 1947, is now a hub of live music in Dallas. But in Oak Cliff’s 130-plus-year history, there have been so many movie theaters, that we don’t have room here to talk about them all. There were the Rosewin and the Midway on East Jefferson, the Beckley, the Hill and several more. Here are a few of our favorites.

The Cliff Queen, 1914

616

E. Jefferson

This was the first movie theater in Oak Cliff’s original downtown, near East Jefferson and Tenth. It was renovated around 1922, but by the mid-1940s, it was not up to fire code. When the fire marshal padlocked it after midnight, on Oct. 15, 1944 for violations including bad wiring, inadequate exit doors, no exit lighting and only one balcony exit, proprietor L.L. Dunbar didn’t understand. “Why do they always pick on me?” he asked the newspaper reporter. “Firemen and policemen have always been permitted to attend the movies free in this theater, and, believe me, they’ve come, too. There must be an ulterior motive. It sounds like something personal.”

In 1958, the Cliff Queen and about 20 other buildings in Oak Cliff’s old town, including the 1888 City Hall, were demolished. Leslie Stemmons Jr., who owned the buildings, at the time said he had no immediate plans for the land. But his famous last name

should give you a clue as to why he wanted that particular real estate. The Stemmons family donated much of the right-of-way for Interstate 35 through Dallas.

Sunset Theater, 1922

1112 S. Hampton

This theater went up just seven years after the community of Jimtown, now the Hampton and Clarendon area, annexed to Dallas in 1915. A three-alarm fire caused $25,000 damage to the building in 1957. It had just been gutted with plans to turn it into a bowling alley, after sitting fallow for years. A few folks still call that area Jimtown, although none of the community’s buildings are still standing. Remarkably, the vacant Sunset Theater building is.

The Bison, 1927

2010 W. Jefferson

While some Oak Cliff theaters of-

fered only clean-cut programming, the Bison often went for more visceral fare. Sure, there were Saturday morning Popeye cartoons and live performances for kids. But there also were midnight screenings of boxing films and pre-code flicks such as “The Monkey’s Paw” in August 1933 and one called “Illegitimate” on New Year’s Eve 1934. Blues singer Ida Cox performed to an all-white Bison audience in 1933. “Hindu mystic” Alano Taka Dass performed a psychic act there in 1935. Sunset High School sometimes held pep rallies at the Bison, just across Oak Cliff Boulevard from campus. It was demolished in 1948 to make way for the Vogue Theater.

Astor Theater, 1934 Bishop at Seventh

The Bishop Avenue building that now houses Hattie’s was once a movie theater, though short lived. The Astor Theater previously had been

The Cliff Queen was part of Oak Cliff’s original downtown and was demolished along with about 20 other buildings, including the original Oak Cliff City Hall, in 1958.

the live-performance Bishop Avenue Theater. The renovated Astor opened as a cinema in March 1934. It featured a “magnascope screen, sound-board mechanisms and scientific acoustical arrangements.” Wendell McMahill of Hollywood, Calif. brought a TV demonstration to the theater in February 1935. McMahill and crew transmitted images of people walking through the theater’s lobby to TVs in the street. In June of that year, the manager raised the admission price from 10 cents to 15 cents for matinee and evening shows. Two years later, it closed.

The Vogue, 1949

2010 W. Jefferson

The Vogue cost $200,000 to build in 1948. It had 1,000 seats, compared to the Bison’s 600, with a stadium-type balcony and air conditioning. This theater served decades of Sunset High School students until it closed in 1971. Later in the ’70s, the Vogue and the Texas became dollar

theaters. The Vogue sat vacant for years before a church bought it in the 1990s. La Luz del Mundo church renovated the theater starting in 2010, ripping out its mid-Century modern façade.

The Wynnewood Theater, 1951

The Wynnewood Village Shopping Center was built to serve the planned community of Wynnewood. It had everything the post-World War II middle class needed. Safeway and A&P groceries, a Gulf station, several department stores, a bakery, a toy store, a jeweler, a fabric store, Goff’s hamburgers, a fire station, a church and the list goes on.

The Wynnewood Theater had 400 dedicated parking spaces and 1,000 seats, including a soundproof “crying room” where parents could see and hear the show without fussy children disrupting other patrons. It was converted to “twin cinemas,” in the 1970s and closed Sept. 28, 1983. It was demolished in 2000.

—Rachel Stone

The Vogue Theater in 1988: Photo by Terry Houchens