2013 November Oak Cliff

CLASS OF '64 Adamson graduates recall the day Kennedy was shot.

Kirkpatrick

Crystal Gonzalez 214.642.9630 - Courtney Dunn 214.384.9338

Griffin

50 years in the booth John Pritchett has been calling high school sports since 1964.

Something wicked Fifty years ago, evil struck America; here is where it walked.

CHARITY CONUNDRUM

An intended gesture of goodwill triggers chaos

There are those who argue that first and foremost, it is our mission and our obligation in life to help others.

There are others who believe not everyone can or should be helped, and there’s no point in enabling those who can’t or won’t help themselves.

I tend to believe the first statement. I tend to live the second.

I bring this up because awhile back, my wife, one of our sons and one of my wife’s co-workers were having lunch at a small fast-food restaurant.

It is hot outside. Really hot. A guy enters the restaurant with a plastic bag slung over his shoulder and a neat, clean T-shirt with the logo of a big Dallas church on the back. He’s not sweating, even though the rest of us are.

Once inside, he stands near the door within earshot of everyone inside and loudly but politely says his wife is outside, and he needs money for food and DART transportation to travel Downtown. He doesn’t say why he is going Downtown, but we are nowhere near Downtown or a DART station.

Generally, I say “sorry” to people asking for money and briskly walk on by. Sometimes, despite my comment, they say “thanks” or “have a good day.” Sometimes they say something else that’s not worth repeating here. It’s just that I’ve heard so many stories — “my car ran out of gas” and “I just got out of jail” — that I don’t believe any of them anymore.

Occasionally, I do give people a couple of bucks if there’s something about them that makes me think maybe, just maybe, they’re telling the truth. After all, who am I to pass judgment anyway? On those rare occasions when I give someone money — and also when I don’t — I feel

badly, primarily for myself.

Anyway, back to our lunch. The guy keeps talking loudly to no one in particular in the half-full restaurant, and people begin shifting uncomfortably, myself included. But the guy persists, standing directly behind me, until the store manager — a smallish woman who has run the place a long time walks up and quietly tells the guy: “We can’t have you in here.”

About this time, my wife suggests we buy him something to eat, since that’s what he said he wanted. So I reach into my wallet, pull out a $10 bill and hand it to the manager.

I had some doubts about “enabling” the guy, but what the heck: He said he was hungry, we were in a restaurant and I had $10.

The manager acts annoyed. She clearly wants the guy gone. She asks what she should do with the money. My wife says to give the guy a “big” sandwich combo, which will just about extinguish the $10, so the guy and the manager walk over to the counter.

Next thing you know, the guy is yelling and swearing loudly at the manager, saying (this is the family friendly version): “Don’t talk to me like that! You can’t say that to me! What’s wrong with you! Get away from me!”

Here’s what the manager said to trigger that outburst: “What kind of sandwich do you want?”

The guy continues yelling as he storms out the door and down the sidewalk. The manager hands me back the $10 bill and shakes her head. My wife looks stunned. My son says we should have jumped to the manager’s defense. My wife’s co-worker doesn’t say anything, nor does anyone else in the restaurant.

As usual, I felt no better about myself for helping, and in fact I felt worse. In this case, trying to help didn’t wind up helping anyone at all. Had I done absolutely nothing, it seems as if everyone would have been better off.

We stood up, tossed our garbage and walked out of the restaurant.

Lunch was over.

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DIGITAL DIGEST

TOP 5 MOST-READ STORIES

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Review: Kirby Warnock’s ‘When Dallas Rocked’

READER COMMENTS

“It makes you feel good about yourself, if you were around back then, spending evenings at Mother Blues and, in general, trying as hard as you could to be the boy all the mommas warned the ladies about.” —Jon Lester Harrison on Review: Kirby Warnock’s ‘When Dallas Rocked’

“My Dad was a milkman for Metzger’s Dairy and was assigned to fill in for the guy who delivered milk to Clyde Barrow’s brother’s home in Eagle Ford/West Dallas. He was instructed to knock, enter the back door, put the milk in the icebox without looking anywhere but straight ahead and leave promptly. I don’t remember if that was before, during or after Clyde became (in)famous.” —Martha McSweeney on Oak Cliff history: All the facts we didn’t have room to print

STAY IN THE KNOW.

For daily news updates, visit oakcliff.advocatemag.com FOLLOW

Email Editor Rachel rstone@advocatemag.com

Making the call

Patsy Pritchett calls herself a “sports widow.” Her husband, John Pritchett, is away almost every night of the week, and usually all day Saturday, too. The 81-year-old is the official announcer at Dallas ISD’s Kincaide Stadium. The Adamson graduate has called JV and varsity football games for the school district since 1975.

But it’s not just football. He announces DISD baseball games, basketball games, cross country meets and track meets, plus playoff volleyball and soccer. And that’s not all. He also calls the UIL cross-country and state track meets, the volleyball and baseball state tournaments and the football state championship game, plus all volleyball and basketball games at Northwood University in Cedar Hill. Oh, and then there are the state championship games in

football, volleyball, softball and baseball for the Texas parochial schools league. On Saturdays during cross-country season, he arrives at 7 a.m. and sometimes is calling the last event at 11 p.m.

He started calling the Kimball Relays in 1964, when he was a teacher there.

“If I hold on, I’ll be in my 50th year announcing the Kimball Relays,” he says.

Pritchett got his start in sports announcing in the military, doing play-by-play

for the Armed Forces Network. Later, he worked at a classical radio station, KDFW, in Cedar Hill, where he was program director until that station folded in 1958.

He started calling high school sports when the scheduled announcer didn’t show up for the Kimball Relays.

Coaches from South Grand Prairie and Sunset high schools, who were at that meet, asked Pritchett if he would call competitions at their schools. He soon became the go-to guy for high school sports announcing.

Pritchett keeps a thick spiral-bound notebook with dividers, where he maps out starters and their positions. The notebook contains team rosters, running scores, re-

John Pritchett: James Coreas

sults and game notes, a treasure trove of hand-written high school game stats.

His passion for high school sports started when he was a kid growing up in Irving in the 1940s. He would take the bus to the old P.C. Cobb stadium, where the Infomart is now, to watch games.

“I just love it,” he says. “I’ve always loved high school sports.”

Pritchett weighed less than 100 pounds and was only 16 when he graduated from Adamson, so he never played in high school.

“I went out for football, but I wound up with a clipboard,” he says. “I got to call in the scores to the newspapers. So I wanted to be a sports writer.”

His work life mostly was dedicated to teaching, at Kimball High School for 10 years and then at Mountain View College for 20 years. But he did become a sports writer in 1996 when the Athens Daily Review and Cedar Creek Pilot hired him to cover high school sports, a job he held for four years.

Even though he never played on a team, Pritchett did run high school track, competing in the mile. His best time was 5:11, he says. He also has completed 15 marathons, including the 1978 Boston Marathon, and he’s a runner to this day, in training for the Arlington Turkey Trot.

The Pritchetts have two children and four grandchildren. They now live in a duplex in Arlington, next door to their daughter, Cathy, who is an administrator at UT Arlington. Their son, Billy, is also an announcer; his voice is so similar to his dad’s that people can’t tell them apart.

Pritchett has an outstanding memory for names, numbers and stats. He can remember players by name and number from decades ago. He knows how many future NFLers have played on the field at Sprague and Kincaide stadiums — 79 by his count. But that’s really just a novelty stat to him. He says he keeps up with college sports, but he has “quite a distaste” for pro sports. His passion is borne of Saturday-morning dew and Friday-night lights.

“As long as I’m healthy and the good Lord keeps me going, I’ll keep doing it,” he says. “I get excited for every game I do.” —Rachel

Stone

What gives?

Small ways that you can make a big difference for nonprofits

Bid on artwork … and support a day program for adults with special needs. Art Conspiracy 9 is Saturday, Nov. 16 (see page 10), and this year’s beneficiary is My Possibilities. Art Conspiracy is a fundraiser in which 150 artists express themselves on 18-x18-inch plywood boards. The boards are sold in live auctions, with starting bids of $20, during Art Conspiracy, which this year is from 7-11 p.m. at 500 Singleton Blvd. Tickets cost $10-$125, and the party includes performances by New Fumes, Zhora and DJ Empty Cylinder. My Possibilities is a Collin County-based nonprofit formed in 2008 by three mothers of special needs adults who wanted a way for their children to be contributing members of society. It provides vocational training, socialization opportunities and independent living skills development. Art Con 9 specifically benefits the nonprofit’s Create program, which teaches the fundamentals of drawing, painting, ceramics and photography. artconspiracy.org

Donate $5 …

to the North Texas Food Bank and provide 15 meals for those in need. Five dollars is the minimum that can be donated at ntfb.org, but 93 cents of every dollar donated goes to providing food aid, and every dollar can provide three meals. The food bank also has volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups, and food donations also are accepted. 4500 S. Cockrell Hill, 214.330.1396

KNOW OF WAYS

that neighbors can spend time, attend an event, or purchase or donate something to benefit a neighborhood nonprofit? Email your suggestion to launch@advocatemag.com.

PAWS & CLAWS

I see you

Cassie Nutter’s dog, Thelonius the pup, is a deaf miniature Australian shepherd. They live at Lake Cliff Tower.

Out & About

November 2013

Nov. 2

Oak Cliff music festival

The second annual North Oak Cliff Music Festival features The Relatives, The Band of Heathens, Seryn, Ruthie Foster, Ian Moore and Bob Schneider, among others. This daylong festival is pet- and kid-friendly.

Lake Cliff Park, 300 E. Colorado, nocmf.com, $30 in advance, $50 day of show

David Worthington

more LOCAL EVENTS or submit your own

OAKCLIFF.ADVOCATEMAG.COM/EVENTS

THROUGH DEC. 10

Remembering JFK

An art exhibit at the Oak Cliff Tower, “John F. Kennedy: A Community Remembers,” commemorates the late president.

Oak Cliff Tower, 400 S. Zang, jfkat50.blogspot.com, free

NOV. 3

Latino Arts Festival

This one-day festival showcases the work of Latino artists, including many from Oak Cliff. The festival, from 1-6 p.m., also includes spoken word performances and family art programs. Bishop Arts District, Seventh and Bishop, free

NOV. 8

Coffee and pie fundraiser

Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters and Emporium Pies join forces for a Slow Food Dallas fundraiser, “Coffee and Pie, Oh My!” from 8-10 p.m. Davis Street Espresso, 819 W. Davis, 214.929.6752, slowfooddallas.com, $20

NOV. 9

Jazz at the TeCo

Jeff Golub, David Pack and Warren Hill perform two shows, at 7 and 9:45 p.m. Bishop Arts Theatre Center, 214 S. Tyler, 214.948.0716, $58-$63

Nov. 2-3

AIA Dallas Tour of Homes

A modern home in Oak Cliff is on this self-guided tour that spotlights some of our city’s best residential architects. Buy tickets in person at the American Institute of Architects’ Dallas office or online.

1900 Woodall Rogers, hometourdallas.com, $25

NOV. 16

Art Conspiracy

This annual fundraiser, the brainchild of Oak Cliff creativity, is in its ninth year. New Fumes, Zhora and DJ Empty Cylinder perform. Proceeds from the art auction go to My Possibilities, a day program for adults with special needs. 500 Singleton, artconspiracy.org, $10-$125

NOV.

22

Second seat in, third row from the back

The Texas Theatre will commemorate the JFK assassination with a day of events that begins with a screening of “War is Hell” at 1:20 p.m.

Admission to that movie and a 2:45 p.m. screening of “Cry of Battle”

will cost the 1963 price of 90 cents. The theater lobby will be open all day for free tours and an Oak Cliff photo exhibit. At 6:30 p.m., actors will portray theater employees Julia Postal and Butch Burroughs as well as shoe store employee John Brewer in a theatrical recreation of their Warren Commission interviews. And at 8 p.m., Oliver Stone’s “JFK” screens. The Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson, 214.948.1546, thetexastheatre.com

NOV. 29

Folk music

Texas-born singer-songwriter Richard J. Dobson performs music from his new album, from 5-7 p.m. Lucky Dog Books, 633 W. Davis, 214.941.2665, luckydogbooks.com, free

Nov. 23

Lee Harvey Oswald tour

Bike Friendly Oak Cliff leads a bike ride tracing Oswald’s footsteps following the JFK assassination. Riders roll out from the Sixth Floor Museum at 1:30 p.m. and pedal to locations in Oak Cliff (see page 22).

Sixth Floor Museum, 411 Elm, bikefriendlyoc.wordpress.com

Our 110-year commitment to you has never been healthier.

The people of North Texas have trusted Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas with their care for more than a century. And with good reason. For decades we have pioneered advances in virtually every area of medicine, including today’s groundbreaking treatments delivered at the molecular level. In addition, we have been nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report for 21 years and are ranked the number one hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth. But that distinction is just a by-product of our commitment to this community, backed by over $227 million in community benefits in 2012 alone. We simply put our money where our heart has always been. Right here.

David Leeson

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Morethan five years ago, in October 2008, Jay Jerrier rolled the mobile pizza oven out of his garage and did his first catering job, a school carnival. Let’s just say it went pretty well. Now Jerrier is building a restaurant empire. The first Cane Rosso opened in Deep Ellum a little over a year later, in February 2011, and food critics and restaurant-goers loved his authentic Neapolitan pizzas. Cane Rosso locations in East Dallas and Fort Worth followed. In Oak Cliff, he did something different. Our neighborhood is home to Jerrier’s only New Yorkstyle pizza restaurant. There are people, he says, who don’t like Neapolitan-style pizza because of its limp crust. “I like this style of pizza,” he says of Zoli’s. “It’s what most people expect when they think of pizza.” Zoli’s makes three styles of pie: New York, Sicilian and grandma, the thick, tomato-and-mozzarella-filled rectangular pie. So far, Jerrier says, business is good, and he’s adjusting to demand. For example, the original menu featured several sandwiches but they were not sellers, so now there is a rotating sandwich of the day. “Someday, people will embrace the sandwich,” says Jerrier, who would like to offer “a real East Coast sub,” if only people would order it. Zoli’s is open every day now, including lunch Tuesday-Saturday. The lunch special: a salad, slice, garlic knot and a drink, costs $10. —Rachel

Stone

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Party wine

Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier ($10) Califorina

One of the dilemmas during holiday wine season is trying to decide what to spend. It’s one thing if it’s just immediate family for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, but start adding guests and the wine bill goes up accordingly. And that takes a lot of fun out of the holidays, which should be about enjoyment and not spending money. Fortunately, there is great wine no matter how much you want to spend:

• Not much money: Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier ($10) is a white blend from California that is one of the best cheap wines in the world, with just a touch of sweetness and lots of white fruit. Planeta La Segreta Rosso ($10) is a red blend from Sicily that’s made for food — a little earthy and with some cherry fruit.

• A little more money, but still not a lot: Spy Valley Riesling ($18) is a New Zealand white that is about as close to a perfect turkey wine as possible — a dry wine with layers of flavor that range from petrol on the nose (a classic riesling characteristic) to citrus and tropical in the front and middle. Bonny Doon’s Clos de Gilroy ($18) is a dark and spicy red blend from California that still has enough red fruit to appeal to everyone.

• Not cheap: Hedges Red Mountain ($25), a Washington state red blend, is one of the best wines I’ve tasted this year, rich and deep and with lots of quality black fruit. Cornerstone Cellars Chardonnay ($35) is an Oregon wine made in more of a California style, rich and oaky with lots of green apple fruit.

—Jeff Siegel

Thanksgiving leftovers

Welcome to our fourth annual Thanksgiving leftovers extravaganza, because the world does not need yet another recipe for the holidays. Instead, let’s clean out that refrigerator:

• Turkey and dressing egg rolls. Who says egg rolls need to be Asian? Combine leftover turkey and dressing in grocery store egg roll wrappers and bake or deep fry according to package directions. Use leftover gravy for the dipping sauce.

• Turkey jambalaya. You can make this with leftover rice, which is even easier. Sauté some onions, celery and bell pepper in a little olive oil until the vegetables are tender. Add chopped garlic and, if you’re feeling adventurous, a finely diced jalapeño, and sauté briefly. Then add sliced smoked sausage and the leftover turkey. Mix carefully, add a couple of cups of cooked rice, mix again, and heat until warmed through.

• Turkey pot pie. The simple way is to buy two frozen pie shells, add a can of cream of mushroom soup along with leftover turkey and whatever other vegetables are in the refrigerator, and bake for 40 minutes in a 400-degree oven. Less simple, but not difficult, is Jacques Pepin’s chicken pot pie (substituting turkey, of course) in “Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home.”

Ask the wine guy

What wine goes best with turkey?

The traditional answer is pinot noir, but any light red will work. This is also a good time to serve sweet whites.

—Jeff Siegel

ASK THE WINE GUY taste@advocatemag.com

Where were you?

Adamson

High School alumni recall the day that changed the nation — by Rachel Stone

Ask any Baby Boomer where he or she was on Nov. 22, 1963. They always know, and usually, they remember being in school.

Which class, which teacher, how they learned the president had been shot. For students at Adamson High School, this was not just a national tragedy; it was a neighborhood one.

Oak Cliff beat cop J.D. Tippit was shot and killed less than two blocks from the school. And police captured presumed assassin Lee Harvey Oswald at a teenage hangout, the Texas Theatre.

Adamson High School graduate Lon Oakley Jr. was a junior at the time of the assassination. He was a class officer, a cheerleader and one of the most popular kids in school. The Oak Cliff native, who now lives in San Antonio, recently wrote and published a book, “Two Deaths and an Arrest … A Collection of Historical Accounts and Memoirs,” about the day of the assassination. The story that follows comes from recollections in that book as well as the Advocate’s own interviews.

A photo from “The Oak” yearbook shows Adamson High School students in the old school’s front hallway, 1963.

Principal T.W. Meek came over the public address system. “I regret to inform you that our president has died.”

That’s how ’64 Adamson graduate Shirley McCann Gee remembers the announcement. Gee recalls the morning of Nov. 22 as a typical Friday. A friend’s dad drove them to school. She had a lot to look forward to. It was her young nephew’s birthday, and his party was the next day. The following week was short for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Meek’s announcement also informed Adamson students that they would not be changing classes and that everyone should stay put. They later found out that it was because the school was what we might now call “on lockdown” as police searched nearby for the assassin.

“Those of us in the choir room were alerted that there were police running through the parking lot across the street,” recalls Jean Wilson Meyer, a ’64 Adamson grad. “We watched as that scenario played

Beautiful Senior

out. Later, we found out they were searching for Lee Harvey Oswald.”

Dan Eddy, another ’64 grad, remembers that he was in Marilyn Morgan’s French class when Mr. Meeks made his announcement.

“Ms. Morgan began to weep,” he recalls. “The girls also began to cry, and the boys were angry.”

Before the principal’s announcement, news about the shooting had made its way through the school by word of mouth. Bob Johnston, a 1959 Adamson grad who taught journalism, speech and English at his alma mater in the ’60s, recalls that a student stopped by his classroom after lunch and asked, “Did you hear the President was shot?” Johnston thought the student was joking at first.

Declan Hoffmann, who taught biology at Adamson, had a similar experience. A student whizzed by his classroom and said, “Mr. Hoffman, President Kennedy was shot.” Hoffman directed his class to keep quiet, and he

Most

Jean Wilson 2503 W. 10TH STREET | SOLD

W. 10TH STREET | SOLD

Shirley McCann

sneaked them into the film/projection room to watch the live newscast.

“We were watching history as it happened,” Hoffmann says. “Then I remember hearing police cars and sirens … but not really realizing what was happening so close to our doors.”

Dottie Hollis was a sophomore at Adamson in the fall of ’63. She had wanted to skip school and ride the bus Downtown to watch the motorcade. But her biology teacher, Ralph Martin, had announced a major test that Friday, and he warned specifically against missing class in favor of the presidential happenings. “There would be no excused absences or make-up test,” Hollis recalls.

She heard rumors of the shooting just after lunch, and she was in Carolyn Creel’s German class when Meeks came over the PA.

“Tears were shed by most, and a heavy, somber feeling by all,” Hollis recalls.

Dale White had graduated from Adamson in May ’63 and accepted a job in the Mercantile Bank Building on Main Street. He was able to pop his head out of his office window to see the President and the First Lady in her pink Chanel suit.

“I remember hearing police cars and sirens, but not really realizing what was happening so close to our doors.”

Interested in an Arts Metal

Junior Princess Cheri Tarwater and Anita Ford

It was all over in a few seconds, he recalls, and everyone went back to work. Then a few minutes later, someone came into their office, hysterically sharing the news. They turned the radio dial to Oak Cliff-based KLIF in time to hear newscaster Gary DeLaune’s announcement: “This KLIF bulletin from Dallas: Three shots reportedly were fired at the motorcade of President Kennedy today near the Downtown section. KLIF News is checking out the report. We will have further reports. Stay tuned.”

Oakley himself had skipped school that day and was at the Trade Mart. He had entered a lottery that offered student journalists the opportunity to ask the president a question, and he hoped he might have his chance to ask, “When are we going to put a man on the moon?”

School was dismissed on time that day, at 2:45 p.m.

Richard Worthy, a ’65 grad, had finally scored a date with his crush, Cheri Tarwater. She had just broken up with her

boyfriend at the time, Rusty Hendrix, and Worthy swooped in. He had borrowed his scoutmaster’s Pontiac Bonneville, but most of the restaurants were closed, and Worthy had to take his date to the only place that was open, the chi-chi Polynesian Room at Love Field. He had just enough money to pay for dinner and couldn’t take his date to a movie. Afterward, news reports of the assassination dominated radio broadcasts, souring any chance of a romantic mood.

Ted Jernigan, class of ’64, also remembers that virtually every business in Oak Cliff was closed.

“We went riding around, because I had a car, but we had to go home because I ran out of gas and couldn’t buy any,” he says. “Everything was just completely shut down. I’ve never seen anything like that before or since.”

On Sunday, when police were to transfer Lee Harvey Oswald from police headquarters to a courthouse Downtown, several Adamson students waited outside in the

Victory for the Leopards!

bitter cold hoping to catch a glimpse of the presumed assassin.

Dotty Jones waited outside for hours, until her toes were frozen, and finally, she went home. When she got there, she heard that Jack Ruby had killed Oswald.

“We were all shocked again,” she says.

The flag was flown at half-mast at Adamson following the assassination. A small photo of the flag and the date, Nov. 22, are the only reference to the assassination in the school’s yearbook, The Oak, from 1964.

For years after the incident, some Adamson grads say, they felt prejudice toward their hometown, labeled “the city of hate.”

Dan Eddy joined the Air Force and was stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. He was in boot camp with 19 Texans and 21 New Yorkers.

“From the very first day, the New Yorkers hated their Texas brothers,” Eddy recalls. “We were responsible for the death of President Kennedy. The squad had many a fight before we realized we must work together in order to graduate from boot camp on time.”

Others want to avoid the connection even now.

“To this day, it makes me sick that people come from all over the world to see where President Kennedy was killed,” says ’66 Ad-

amson grad Linda Pool. “If I have company visit, I don’t even bring up visiting the site. I understand the fascination, but I don’t like Dallas being associated that way.”

Even though everyone in Dallas and the nation was talking about it, there was also some avoidance of the topic, says Jean Wilson Meyer.

The Adamson basketball team won the city championship that year and went to the state playoffs in Austin. That helped to take everyone’s mind off the tragedy, she says.

“It sounds terrible, but I was so busy being a little teenager that I don’t know that I really thought about it that much,” she says.

The Adamson basketball team won the city championship and went to state in the winter of 1963. The team’s success took students’ minds off the JFK assassination, alumna Jean Wilson Meyer recalls.

In the footsteps of Lee Harvey Oswald

Oak Cliff forever will be associated with the presumed assassin

Story by Rachel Stone | Photos by David Leeson

Even 50 years after the JFK assassination, Oak Cliff is a tightknit community where neighbors know each other’s names and few suspicious behaviors go unnoticed. Is it any wonder that in 1963, a sweaty, nervous guy darting around Jefferson Boulevard would raise alarm? On Nov. 22, 1963, our city and our nation changed forever, and our neighborhood was at the center of it. Here is where it happened.

1 Houston Street Viaduct

When this bridge was built in 1912, at a cost of $600,000, it created the first permanent crossing between Oak Cliff and Dallas. Now, with many highways and bridges connecting Oak Cliff, it is the site of the future Oak Cliff Streetcar, which begins running next year. In 1963, the bridge was still the main connection. Following the assassination, Lee Harvey Oswald caught a city bus at the Greyhound station Downtown and traveled across the bridge.

This is the rooming house where Oswald was staying at the time of the assassination. His wife, Marina, and daughters, June and Audrey, were living with a friend in Irving. Oswald stopped into his room about 30 minutes after the assassination and then left in a hurry, a housekeeper later told police. Police searched Oswald’s tiny room on the day of the assassination, taking most of its contents as evidence. The home’s second-generation owner, Pat Hall, put it on the market earlier this year for $500,000, and she is offering tours of the house for $20 per person.

Tenth and Patton

Oswald was seen running past this former Texaco station on Jefferson. Police later found his dark jacket there.

J.D. Tippit was an Oak Cliff beat cop and part-time security officer at Austin’s Barbecue. The decorated officer was well known in our neighborhood. Tippit noticed Oswald walking on 10th Street and, presumably, recognized that he fit the description of the assassin, which had been broadcast over police radio. Tippit pulled up alongside the presumed assassin and spoke to him, and when he got out of his patrol car, Oswald shot him three times in the chest. When the officer fell, Oswald shot him point-blank in the right temple. A memorial marker dedicated to Tippit was placed last year at the site of the murder, 49 years after it occurred.

2 1026 N. Beckley

3 500 E. Jefferson

4

Witnesses told reporters at the time that Oswald had shouted, “I protest this police brutality!”

commons.wikimedia.org

5 213 W. Jefferson

This is now a quinceañera and bridal shop, but in 1963 it was Hardy Shoe Store. Manager John Calvin Brewer was working at the shop that day when he saw Oswald rush by the store and duck into the Texas Theatre without buying a ticket. In 2011 Dallas Police gave Brewer, who now lives in Austin, its Citizen’s Certificate of Merit for aiding Oswald’s capture after he called to report Oswald’s suspicious behavior.

6 The Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson

“War Is Hell” was playing on the screen when Oswald slipped in without paying and sat in the third row from the back (see page 11). Police arrived around 1:45 p.m. and raised the house lights. Brewer pointed out Oswald, who was then arrested. Witnesses told reporters at the time that Oswald had shouted, “I protest this police brutality!”

7 Top Ten Records, 338 W. Jefferson

This is the only site in Oak Cliff associated with the assassination that continually has been in business since then. Both Oswald and Tippit were known to have shopped there, although the Warren Commission determined the two had not known each other. That morning, Tippit had purchased tickets to Dick Clark’s “Caravan of Stars” at the record shop.

8 1221 N. Beckley

This is the former Dobbs House Restaurant where both Oswald and Tippit were regulars. Waitress Mary Ada Dowling recalled that Oswald had been unpleasant and used foul language on his last visit, according to “John F. Kennedy Sites in Dallas-Fort Worth” by Mark Doty and John H. Slate.

This house is the site of the infamous “backyard photos” of Oswald holding his Mannlicher-Carcano rifle and copies of communist newspapers. Marina Oswald took the photos, one of which ended up on the cover of Life magazine.

Jack Ruby, the Dallas club owner who assassinated the assassin, lived in room 207 of the bygone Marsala Place apartments with his little dogs, Sheba and Clipper.

9 214 W. Neely

10 223 S. Ewing

BUSINESS BUZZ

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

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Pink and yellow, pink and yellow

The Downtown-to-Oak Cliff Shuttle launches Nov. 4 and may turn some heads as it makes its way through our neighborhood. DART’s “D-link” has seven 30-foot buses painted pink and yellow. The shuttle will cost about $1.4 million to operate on a two-year pilot program, which will determine whether similar services could be used in other areas of the city. The shuttle makes stops Downtown, including at the Sixth Floor Museum, before heading to Oak Cliff. The free shuttle will run every 15 minutes, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Monday-Saturday, making a loop from Davis to Edgefield to Jefferson to Zang and back Downtown. When the Oak Cliff Streetcar begins operation sometime between October 2014 and February 2015, it will connect with the shuttle at Methodist hospital, moving passengers to Bishop Arts.

Opera and contemporary art at Turner House

The Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts kicked off its fall salon series last month with Dallas Arts District executive director Catherine Cuellar. Next up is Dallas Muesum of Art assistant curator of contemporary art Gabriel Ritter, on Nov. 14. And then Dallas Opera general director

and CEO Kieth Cerny Dec. 12, with performances by Dallas Opera vocalists. The salons start at 7 p.m. at Turner House and include refreshments. Tickets cost $14 for students and Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts members, and $20 otherwise. Series tickets cost $35 for members and $50 otherwise.

& Fair Trade Market

DART’s “D-link” shuttle

"Finally, someone who wants your nose

Big Lots, retail development coming to Fort Worth Avenue

Big Lots is planned for the old Minyard’s store on Fort Worth Avenue at Hampton. But even bigger plans are in the works on an adjacent corner. A 70,000-square-foot grocery store, 30,000 square feet of restaurant space, 280 apartments and 70 townhomes are planned for 20 acres fronting Fort Worth at Colorado. The 20-acre project from Corinth Properties is on the site of the old Colorado Place apartments, where a Walmart store had been planned a few years ago. The development is to be called The Avenue.

Bishop Arts restaurants

Two new restaurants are expected soon in Bishop Arts. The building under construction on West Davis at Madison is a new restaurant, Pier 247, from the owners of 303 Bar and Grill. Across the street, chef Jon Stevens is planning Stock & Barrel in the former Safety Glass Co. building. —Rachel Stone

fajitas. 5427  E.  Grand 214.823.5872

Beck's  Prime  burgers  on Greenville:  Mesquite-­‐fired goodness

2  Tacos  y  Mas If  you're  hungry  for  tacos  to-­‐go, this  may  be  your  best  bet.  Its crave-­‐worthy  taco  meat  is  what put  this  little  joint  on  the  map, but  it  also  serves  a  variety  of other  Tex-­‐Mex  options. 5419  Ross 214.824.8079

3  La  Victoria This  hole-­‐in-­‐the-­‐wall  boasts  of being  gluten-­‐free  friendly,  but  it's the  meaty  pork  tamales  and breakfast  burritos  Victoria customers  rave  about. 1605  N.  Haskell 214.827.0101

National  chain  planning restaurant  at  Abrams  and

GOOD SHEPHERD EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

11110 Midway Rd, Dallas TX 75229 gsesdallas.org / 214.357.1610 Located on the corner of Midway and Northaven, GSES provides each student the kind of dynamic, vigorous school experience parents should expect in Dallas. GSES is the preeminent Prek-8th grade Dallas school where 98% of our graduates get into their top two high school choices! Inquire and imagine the infinite possibilities! Parent visitations: Middle school, Tuesday, October 22, 2013 at 9:15 a.m.; Lower school, Tuesday, October 29, 2013 at 9:00 a.m.

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. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL 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

Nonprofits

AIDS Arms Inc. is one of eight nonprofits in the nation to receive a $1.5-million grant for HIV testing, treatment and education among “traditionally hard-to-reach” communities. The grant, which is paid over five years, is to fund Viviendo Valiente, a program whose aim is to build relationships and networks to encourage HIV testing and treatment.

Neighbors

Artist Pascale Pryor won second place in the 2013 Art on Henderson contest. She is one of seven artists whose work, a glass and steel butterfly, was selected to be displayed along North Henderson in East Dallas for two years. Of those works, hers was selected for a $2,500 prize.

Texas celebrated the first ever American Indian Heritage Day on Sept. 27 thanks to the work of neighbor Peggy Larney. She wanted Indian children to have a holiday paying tribute to indigenous Americans, an answer to Columbus Day. Larney and the Southwest Jewish Congress worked with state Rep. Roberto Olonzo of Oak Cliff to write a proposal that passed unanimously through the Texas House and Senate and became law in May.

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.

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Local Resources

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CLASSES/TUTORING/

LESSONS

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EMPLOYMENT

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SERVICES FOR YOU

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LOWER THAT CABLE BILL Get satellite TV today. free system, install/HD/DVR upgrade. Programming starting at $19.99. 800-725-1865

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Sisters and queens

Sarah Flores, right, crowned her sister, Crystal Flores, left, as Tyler Street Christian Academy’s 2013 homecoming queen last month. Sarah was the 2012 queen.

Local BULLETIN BOARD

BUY/SELL/TRADE

214-329-0097

HOLLOWAY BENEFIT CONCEPTS Benefit strategy for area businesses. www.hollowaybenefitconcepts.com

TRAVEL

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PET SERVICES

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FRONT-ROW DALLAS STARS SEATS Join neighborhood group in sharing two Dallas Stars season tickets. We’ll randomly draft seats prior to the season, and everyone has a chance to draft all seats except Opening Night. Seats are in the front row of the Platinum Section, front row of the Upper Level, and second row on the glass next to the Stars goal in the 1st and 3rd periods. Tickets are priced at what I pay the Stars. For info, call 214-560-4212 or rwamre@advocatemag.com

TEXAS RANGERS FRONT-ROW BASEBALL TICKETS

Share prime, front-row Texas Rangers baseball tickets (available in sets of 10 games) during the 2013 & 2014 season. Prices start at $105 per ticket (sets of 2 or 4 tickets per game available). Seats are behind the plate and next to both the firstand third-base dugouts. Other great seats available starting at $60 per ticket. Entire season available except for opening day; participants randomly draw numbers to determine draft order so the selection process is fair for everyone.

E-mail rwamre@advocatemag.com or call 214-560-4212 for more information.

THE DALLAS HERITAGE RIFLE (NRA Licensed) is fully functional, Mossberg .30-.30 beautifully etched & 24K gold plated. Plus TSA case. Limited to 100. Special pricing. For more info & pricing on this & other limited edition guns. John 970-231-2897

TOP CASH FOR CARS Any Car, Truck. Running or Not. Call for Instant Offer. 1-800-454-6951

ESTATE/GARAGE SALES

ESTATE SALES & LIQUIDATION SERVICES

Moving, Retirement, Downsizing. One Piece or a Houseful. David Turner. 214-908-7688. dave2estates@aol.com

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RECEIVING PAYMENTS from real estate you sold? Get cash now. Steve 1-888-870-2243 SteveCashesNotes.com

AC & HEAT

AIR CONDITIONING & HEATING Repair, Service, Replacement. Honest & Affordable. JB

Maintenance. 214-404-1457 LIC# TACLB 17612E

NORTHAVEN AIR & HEAT

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CABINETRY & FURNITURE

THE CABINET CONCIERGE

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CARPENTRY & REMODELING

ATLANTIS DESIGN-BUILD, LLC

Complete Remodeling. 40 Yrs Exp. Additions. 1 & 2 Story. Kitchens, Baths.

Small Jobs To Entire House.

Renovation & Design. Full Time Supervision. Licensed/Insured. Free Estimates. 281-761-4648

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS, LLC

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BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home

Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

HANDY DAN “The Handyman” To Do’s Done Right! www.handy-dan.com 214-252-1628

RENOVATE DALLAS

renovatedallas.net 214-403-7247

CLEANING SERVICES

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

BRICK, STONEWORK,FLAGSTONE PATIOS Mortar Repair. Call George 214-498-2128

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

4 U ELECTRICAL SERVICE, LLC We will be there 4 U. 972-877-4183

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

ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricofdallas.com Family Owned/Operated. Insd. 214-328-1333

LAKEWOOD ELECTRICAL Local. Insured. Lic. #227509 Call Rylan 214-434-8735

MORIN ELECTRIC New/Remodel.Com/Res. Panel Changes/Full Services. All Phases. All Service Work. 469-230-7438. TECL2293

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.

EST. 1991 #1

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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

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Your Home Repair Specialists

Drywall Doors Senior Safety Carpentry

KITCHEN/BATH/ TILE/GROUT

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WE REFINISH!

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LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

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

U R LAWN CARE Maintenance. Landscaping. Oak Cliff resident for over 15 years. uwereisch@yahoo.com 214-886-9202

JD’s Tree Service

RESPONSIBLE TREE CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Firewood/Cooking Wood

Locally harvested wood!

Full service trimming & planting of native trees. 214.946.7138

Tree pruning and thinning

PEST CONTROL

A BETTER EARTH PEST CONTROL

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

PLUMBING

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*

REPAIRS, Fixtures, General Plumbing, Senior Discounts. Campbell Plumbing. 214-321-5943

ROOFING & GUTTERS

NATIONWIDE ROOFING, FENCING, GUTTERS BBB member. 214-882-8719

Allstate Homecraft Roofing

• Roofing & Remodel • Additions • Licensed/Insured

Over 1,000 Satisfied Customers in the Lakewood, Lake Highlands, Preston Hollow, Park Cities Areas – M ETAL S PECIALIST –• Free Estimates

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SKYLIGHTS

Installing Since 1995

Commercial & Residential Replacement, Repair & New Installation

Glass – Acrylic – Tubular Skylights

972-263-6033 www.skylightsolutions.com

Small & Odd Jobs

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HandymanMatters.com/dallas

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HOUSE PAINTING

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS, LLC

Complete Painting Interior/Exterior, Stain Etc. Custom Finishes, Custom Texture, Custom Trim www.blake-construction.com

Fully Bonded & Insured. 214-563-5035

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

Tree removal Stump grinding

214.394.2414

ParkerTreeService.biz

Family Owned since 1937

MOVING

ALL-TEX MOVERS Free Estimates. 11Yr. BBB Member. www.all-texmovers.com 214-869-6566

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.

HE DIDN’T APPROVE THIS LOAN.

The Victim: R.A. Stevens

The Crime: Investigation of fraud

Date: Friday, Sept. 20

Time: 11 a.m.

Location: 2900 block of Poinsettia

R.A. Stevens was surprised by the phone call. Someone had been trying to apply for a loan in his name. Luckily, Stevens put a stop to the unauthorized efforts before the loan could go through and possibly damage his credit as well as bring on other financial hassles.

“They stole my identity and tried to take out some loans,” he says of the incident.

The criminal effort against Stevens, who is elderly, is nothing new. Identity theft is common and growing, as is crime against the elderly. According to the Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS): “America’s growing senior population is uniquely vulnerable to a broad range of

THE market

Lodging

2299 County Road 2008 Glen Rose, Texas 76043 254-897-2960 fossilrim.org

exploitation and abuse. Financial crimes in particular are targeted at seniors with alarming frequency, and are all too often successful.”

Stevens found this out first-hand, and says he has had other attempts to steal his identity in the past but didn’t want to go into too many details. COPS notes that some studies estimate that between 20 and 60 percent of adult Americans report being a victim or attempted victim of fraud.

Sgt. Kay Hughbanks with the Dallas Police Southwest Patrol Division says it is important to take immediate action if you become a victim of identity theft or fraud. Those victimized should make a police report, contact their financial institutions and credit bureaus to report the offense, check into a credit monitoring service, and monitor their credit report weekly. Victims also should report the incident to the Department of Public Safety if they fear their driver’s license may have been stolen or compromised.

Lastly, Hughbanks recommends that those victimized keep a record of all their contacts and actions regarding the crime.

Computer Repair

972-639-6413 stykidan@sbcglobal.net

Confused? Frustrated? Let a seasoned pro be the interface between you & that pesky computer. Hardware & software installation, troubleshooting, training, $60/hour — one hour minimum.

Home decor email: foundation@advocatemag.com or call 214.292.0486

Own the Advocate Foundation’s limited-edition, numbered, and hand-painted ornament; perfect gift for the new home owner or long time resident.

Sean Chaffin is

a freelance writer and author of “Raising the Stakes”, obtainable at raisingthestakesbook.com. If you have been a recent crime victim, email crime@advocatemag.com.

“THE COMPUTER GUY”

FOSSIL RIM’S SAFARI CAMP

Stay a night at Fossil Rim’s Safari Camp! Equipped with a private bath and heat and AC, the tent cabins overlook ideal

animal-watching

locations and include a hot breakfast and scenic wildlife drive.

THE OAK CLIFF LIBRARY’S WEALTHY HERITAGE

Andrew Carnegie funded the city’s first branch, which opened in 1914

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

Some spots around the neighborhood have surprisingly rich histories. The intersection of Marsalis and Jefferson is one of them.

Dallas’ first free library, funded primarily by steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, opened its doors Downtown in 1901, where Oak Cliff artist Frank Reaugh donated his “1883 pastel on paper” to the second-floor room he strongly suggested be redesigned as an art gallery. The gallery grew, later becoming what we now recognize as the Dallas Museum of Art. In addition, renowned botanist Julien Reverchon donated 167 volumes of French literature. His father, Maximillian Reverchon, had brought the books to Texas when he joined some fellow Francophiles who had immigrated to Oak

construct the new building, but Carnegie turned them down. However, the board president himself sent a personal letter to the multi-millionaire philanthropist, and this time Carnegie agreed. According to a Dallas Morning News story published Nov. 23, 1914, the day the Oak Cliff library opened to the public, Carnegie responded by writing: “I would be pleased beyond measure to get rid of $25,000, thereby coming a little nearer to the dream of my life — to die poor.” (Thank you, Andrew Carnegie! Glad Oak Cliff could oblige.)

almost every reference book students needed.”

Cliff to found the old La Reunion colony.

The library was off to a great start!

However, as the main library soon became crowded, the staff found it difficult to handle the number of Dallasites needing extended library services. A Boston study revealed that branch libraries could distribute/loan two times the books at one half the price. Making the obvious decision, Dallas proposed building its first branch: the Oak Cliff Library — a library dedicated more to community needs than the researchheavy Downtown facility.

The Dallas Library board of directors again petitioned Carnegie for funds to

The Oak Cliff branch library, on the southwest corner of the intersection, opened with Miss Ella E. Packard as head librarian. Packard had a private office on the second floor, which the same Dallas Morning News article touted as “equipped with a kitchenette where the librarian can prepare tea and a light lunch for herself and a few friends, should she so desire.”

The gray brick and concrete building featured a cream and green interior color palette where, aside from three specialty items, every piece of furniture was Dallas-built. With the main library space on the first floor, the basement offered a 235-seat lecture hall and a “committee room for the use of the mothers club and kindred organizations,” each designed with its own private outside entrance. Dallas citizens contributed $3,000 for books, providing 4,000 volumes for the new facility “with

Constructed only a few blocks from what was then Oak Cliff High School (now Adamson), the library’s location punctuated the community’s efforts to enhance educational opportunities. According to Oak Cliff historian (and Adamson alumnus) Bob Johnston, “the original call for a library in Oak Cliff came from W. H. Adamson, who said the schoolchildren of Oak Cliff did not have the advantage offered the children of Dallas because of Oak Cliff’s location.”

The children’s books and reading room were housed in the basement, a space where windows were placed high on the walls to allow light coming in from just above ground-level outside. With shorter bookshelves and smaller furniture, at least two generations of Oak Cliff children enjoyed the library’s cozy basement atmosphere. Many of the 1950s and 1960s mothers took their first-graders by the hand to this underground children’s library, exactly like neighborhood elementary teachers had encouraged.

“The original call for a library in Oak Cliff came from W. H. Adamson, who said the schoolchildren of Oak Cliff did not have the advantage offered the children of Dallas because of Oak Cliff’s location.”

A woman helps students at the original Oak Cliff Library, June 13, 1933: Courtesy of the North Oak Cliff Library

I, along with many of my friends, remember our moms driving us to the Oak Cliff library and the excitement of walking up to the building, then down the separate outside side entrance steps and into the basement, immediately noticing the difference in temperature. During summertime, the underground space was considerably cooler than the also non air-conditioned upstairs. To many Oak Cliff kids, the experience was somewhat “magical.” (As you can see, it didn’t take much to amuse us in those days.)

The building was razed in 1967 and replaced. Then, in 1987, the new North Oak Cliff branch opened at 302 W. 10th, and the 1967 building closed. Later, a Dallas Park and Recreation office relocated from the Kiest Park Clubhouse to the vacant library facility, a location now known simply as Turner Plaza. One remnant of the old library does remain, however: a now non-functioning drinking fountain on the corner.

Although the simple presence of the old drinking fountain certainly reflects a bygone era, there are even more stories surrounding the history of the fountain, the benefactor who donated it, and its original

three bubbler head drinking stations. Plus, there’s even more to tell about this old Oak Cliff intersection.

Next month’s column will finish the picture, with the story of a historic church’s unusual positioning, a pastor who was also a successful businessman, a red tamale cart, a female Oak Cliff visionary and a lifechanging traffic accident. Stay tuned.

Gayla Brooks can date her neighborhood heritage back to 1918, when her father was born in what was then called Eagle Ford. She was born at Methodist hospital and graduated from Kimball High School. Brooks is one of three co-authors of the recently published books, “Legendary Locals of Oak Cliff” and “Images of America: Oak Cliff,” and writes a monthly history column for the Oak Cliff Advocate. Send her feedback and ideas to gbrooks@ advocatemag.com.

Above: An exterior photo of the original Oak Cliff Library, which was at Marsalis and Jefferson.

Bottom Left: An interior shot of the library, which opened in 1914.