2014 January Oak Cliff

A COLLECTION OF COMPELLING PHOTOGRAPHS AND THE STORIES BEHIND THEM

brilliant minds operate.

Complex conditions of the brain and spine receive the brightest care at Methodist Dallas Medical Center. Sophisticated treatments — including stealth-guided imaging, endovascular surgery, and minimally invasive procedures for neck and back pain, aneurysms, and tumors help patients recover more fully, faster, and with less pain. It’s a shining example of the exceptional care you can expect at Methodist.

Advanced Brain and Spine Care

Methodist Dallas is a certified Advanced Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission.

Your Dave Perry-Miller InTown Neighbors and Friends, Wish You a Wonderful 2014 Full of Health, Happiness and Prosperity

Thinking, breathing, living Oak Cliff everyday

Nine ‘Cliff Dwellers’ collectively represent over 125 years of residency in The Cliff. We are proud to be a part of a thriving community with energy, soul and passion unique to our area. We collectively live in six of the many distinctive Oak Cliff neighborhoods, and would love for you to choose an OC neighbor to help with your next real estate purchase or sale.

Rob Puckett, Brian Davis, Brian Bleeker, Steve Habgood, Kathy Hewitt, Becky Connatser, Mike Bates, Melissa O’Brien, Ged Dipprey. Not pictured: Paul Womack.

The reason I love to live and work in Oak Cliff is the people... it’s the people that make it so cool!”

Robb Puckett DAVE PERRY-MILLER AGENT

YEAR OAK CLIFF RESIDENT

story behind the photo

CAREER ADVICE

How to behave in an interview, from a guy who’s been doing them for 23 years

My son is looking for a job now; he’s a college senior hoping to snag something before he graduates in May.

There are a lot of people he could talk with to figure out what employers look for in new hires.

One of them isn’t going to be me.

I understand. I’m his father. How much can I really know?

Let’s not forget I’ve held this job for nearly 23 years, which these days seems like a real career buzz-kill. How much can I really know about finding employment when my entire career encompasses three jobs?

So he’s not asking for my advice. But as a parent, that’s not going to keep me from doling it out.

For example, I recently suggested it’s a good idea to leave for interviews at least 15 minutes, maybe even 30 minutes, earlier than you expect it will take to get there, just in case traffic is bad or something unexpected slows you down.

“Why do I need to leave that early?” he asked, speaking as someone who thrives (and always delivers) on lastminute heroics.

“Because no employer likes to be kept waiting by someone who wants a job,” I told him, speaking from experience.

Over the years, it seems as if half of the people who showed up for interviews here were late and, making matters worse, many were unapologetic. Presumably, they’re working somewhere else now.

And then there are the gum-chewers

who smack away while talking about themselves during the interview. Hey, why not pull out a bag of potato chips and a couple of beers to share while talking about your education and experience?

Be prepared for each interview, I’ve told my son. Research the person and the company before you show up. Have some intelligent questions to ask. Know something about the business.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve opened an interview with this initial statement “What questions do you have for me?” — and been greeted with a blank look and absolutely no response. None.

Sometimes, I’ve responded the same way — silence, just waiting to see what would happen — and the result has been more than a few five-minute interviews.

Don’t forget to ask about money, I’ve suggested to my son.

“Isn’t that kind of pushy?” he said.

“Don’t you want to know how much you might be paid?” I told him. “And don’t you want to make sure you don’t get excited about an opportunity you can’t afford to accept?”

“Yes, Dad,” he says, clearly indicating he’ll do no such thing.

And then there’s the most important element of a job interview, the one thing every potential employee needs to do, and yet most don’t: You have to ask for the job if you want it.

Employers want to hire people who are enthusiastic about working with them. It’s that plain and simple, or so I’ve told my son.

“Yes, Dad. I know all of this,” he told me while informing me he had just sewn up the internship he has been trying to line up.

“I know. I know.”

DISTRIBUTION PH/214.560.4203

ADVERTISING PH/214.560.4203

office administrator: JUDY LILES

214.560.4203 / jliles@advocatemag.com

display sales manager: BRIAN BEAVERS

214.560.4201 / bbeavers@advocatemag.com

senior advertising consultant: AMY DURANT

214.560.4205 / adurant@advocatemag.com

senior advertising consultant: KRISTY GACONNIER

214.264.5887 / kgaconnier@advocatemag.com

advertising consultants

CATHERINE PATE

214.292.0494 / cpate@advocatemag.com

NORA JONES

214.292.0962 / njones@advocatemag.com

FRANK McCLENDON

214.560.4215 / fmcclendon@advocatemag.com

GREG KINNEY

214.292.0485 / gkinney@advocatemag.com

classified manager: PRIO BERGER

214.560.4211 / pberger@advocatemag.com

classified consultant

SALLY ACKERMAN

214.560.4202 / sackerman@advocatemag.com

EMILY WILLIAMS

469.916.7864 / ewilliams@advocatemag.com

director of digital marketing: MICHELLE MEALS

214.635.2120 / mmeals@advocatemag.com

EDITORIAL PH/ 214.292.2053

publisher: CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB

214.560.4204 / chughes@advocatemag.com

senior editor: EMILY TOMAN

214.560.4200 / etoman@advocatemag.com

editors:

RACHEL STONE

214.292.0490 / rstone@advocatemag.com

BRITTANY NUNN

214.635.2122 / bnunn@advocatemag.com

senior art director: JYNNETTE NEAL

214.560.4206 / jneal@advocatemag.com

designer: KATHRYN ROCHA

214.292.0493 / krocha@advocatemag.com

designers: LARRY OLIVER, LISA DUDLEY

contributing editors: KERI MITCHELL, SALLY WAMRE

contributors: GAYLA BROOKS, SEAN CHAFFIN, GEORGE MASON, BLAIR MONIE, ELLEN RAFF, PAM HARRIS, WHITNEY THOMPSON

photo editor: DANNY FULGENCIO

214.635.2121 / danny@advocatemag.com

photographers: MARK DAVIS, ELLIOTT MUÑOZ, KIM LEESON, DAVID LEESON

copy editor: LARRA KEEL

interns: PERI BOWDEN, BRANDY BARHAM, JAMES COREAS, JUN MA, JENNIFER SHERTZER

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.

DIGITAL DIGEST

TOP 5 MOST-READ STORIES

Hattie’s owner leases former El Padrino taqueria

Cox Farms to open in January at Sylvan Thirty

Sylvan bridge to open next year and five other Trinity Corridor updates

This map shows concentrations of wealth and education in Dallas

Dallas Bike Works to open Oak Cliff store

READER COMMENTS

“More noodles? Really? We are more than ready for some decent food stores this side of the Trinity.” —Kenneth Hamma on Ramen coming to Sylvan Thirty

“Best bike shop in Dallas? We already have several, OCBC, Transit, Switching Gears… Not a hostile move? Spin it however you want but this WILL hurt the already existing shop.” sadface on Dallas Bike Works to open Oak Cliff store

“Cure also painted or should I say marred several businesses in the Elmwood Business on S. Edgefield a few months ago. I was told by a board member for Elmwood NA that the police know who Cure is. Not sure why he/they have not been arrested.”

—Katanna Truelove Usrey on Cure needs a hug

Launch

community | events | food

Q&A: Rametria Smith

The Sunset High School marching band won the Dallas High School Battle of the Bands. Here’s how.

On a cold morning in October, the Sunset High School marching band entered the field at Kincaide Stadium for the DISD High School Battle of the Bands.

Rametria Smith: Kim Leeson

Its performance, which included Young Jeezy’s “R.I.P.,” was a showstopper.

That day, for the first time ever, Sunset band members walked away the first-place trophy. In the previous competitions, they had come in second to their neighborhood rival Townview.

“It was a big moment for the kids,” band director Rametria Smith. “It was long time coming.”

The road to success has been a one for Smith and the Sunset band.

When she arrived at Sunset eight years ago, the school just had one concert band. Not many students enrolled band, Smith says.

“There was a nucleus here that had lot of heart, and those kids had a desire to do better,” she says.

Since 2005, the Sunset band program has grown to include two concert bands, the marching band and two ensembles.

What is your background?

I’m a product of DISD. I graduated from the Communication/Humanities Magnet at Lincoln High School. This is my 13th year as a band director. I spent three years at Sam Houston Middle School in Garland, and I was an assistant band director at John Tyler High School in Tyler before I came back to Dallas.

When did you decide you wanted to be a band director?

My junior year in high school, I knew wanted to be a band director. I originally thought I wanted to be a journalist, actually. But I come from a long line of educators. My mom has been in the profession 37 years. And I also come from a long line of musicians. I never strayed from music, so I ended up in the humanities cluster Lincoln, and by my junior year, I was like, “I want to teach.” Some people were like, “Are you sure?” because it’s not that common a profession for women.

Congratulations on your Battle of the Bands win.

Thank you. We’ve been kind of battling our rivals for a few years now. We’ve been crowd pleasers twice, but it wasn’t enough to win the trophy. We also placed in all the subcategories. The drum ma-

jors, majorettes and flags all placed. We also received a Division One rating from UIL; this is the second year in a row. Last year, we advanced to the area marching band contest, and we were the only DISD school that did that.

How much do you practice outside of school?

We put in about eight hours a week outside of class.

How did you put the band program back on track?

The movie “Drumline” had come out not too long before I arrived, and those kids could almost recite the movie. So the first thing I did was try to move to a transition into marching band because I knew that would be exciting for the kids. And everything else was birthed through that.

How did you start the marching band?

I listened to the kids’ ideas about what they wanted, and then I shared my vision. Those kids had a desire and a grind about them. After we decided what we wanted, we had to make a plan short-term and long-term goals. One component of that was asking them what they were going to do. What would their direct impact be? Student leaders are a big part of it. This is a student-led and student-run organization on all levels. They learn social skills, self-discipline, making good decisions, time management. The salutatorian is in the band. Half the band [members] are in AP classes. These kids are doing it themselves; I’m just here to guide them.

How do you develop leaders?

I just try to guide them to make quality decisions and look at the consequences. Are your actions leading to us being successful and leading us forward, or are they hindering us? Our motto is “We exhibit our character.” The kids just know this is what’s expected across the board; there’s no favoritism. The kids know that. And there have been kids who have been removed from this program. Some have

come back looking for a second chance, and there are not many who have been granted that second chance.

How do you raise money for the band?

We have a band booster club. That was one thing that I had to really try to get up and running. We have a new board this year, and those parents work a booth at AT&T Stadium monthly. They do various fundraisers throughout the year. Also, the band participates in fundraisers we’re selling chocolate right now… Those funds are for general operation, supplies, transportation Every other year, we’ve taken an out-of-state trip, then an in-state trip.

Why do you do this?

I get to expose the kids and make connections for kids across the board. Music is math. It’s scientific. There are so many aspects of other curricula. Often the kids don’t even realize it. And then from a cultural standpoint, if we go perform for an event, there is always a lesson there. We performed at the Mexican Consulate two years ago, and we have a predominantly Hispanic student body, so you assume all these kids are Mexican-American and they know things about Mexico, but that’s not necessarily true. Even Mardi Gras; when we perform at the Mardi Gras parade, it’s like, OK, what is Mardi Gras? What does it mean, and why do we celebrate it? I love being a teacher, but teaching music is the coolest thing.

What’s next for the Sunset band?

When I first started, I promised our former principal that I would revive the mariachi band. It had disbanded right before I arrived. I’ve been to a lot of workshops and performances, and now I’m trying to locate the funds for the things we need. I’m working with choir director Jon Sarver and assistant band director Salomon Elias on it. So we should have a mariachi band in the next few years. —Rachel Stone

2148 Barberry Drive Listed at $235,000

PAWS & CLAWS

On the lookout

Gemma and Stella keep a watchful eye while relaxing on the lawn in Kessler Park. Their pet parents are Laura and Jeremy

Out & About

January 2014

Jan. 8, 15, 22 and 29

The King lives

El Ranchito’s Elvis nights start on the anniversary of his birth, Wednesday, Jan. 8, with impersonator Johnny Rockit and Fever the Band. James Wages performs Jan. 22. The biannual Elvis impersonation contests are Jan. 15 and 29. Call for reservations. El Ranchito, 610 W. Davis, 214.946.4238 elranchito-dallas.com, $5 per person

OAKCLIFF.ADVOCATEMAG.COM/EVENTS

JAN. 4, 11, 18 AND 25

Free yoga

Yoga instructor Jakai offers a chakra-aligning yoga class every Saturday in January.

Oak Cliff Cultural Center, 223 W. Jefferson, 214.670.3687, dallasculture.org, free

JAN. 18

Jazz at the TeCo

Richard Elliott and Jonathan Fritzen perform two shows, at 7 and 9:45 p.m.

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

LIFE-IMITATES-ART PROJECT

Does the life of someone you know imitate a TV show, movie or popular book? We are looking for real-life Don Drapers and Magnum PIs. No Walter Whites — profession should be legal. Email a few descriptive lines to editor@advocatemag.com under the subject line “real-life job.” Please include your zip code.

JAN. 25

Bill Murray

“The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” screens in 35 mm at the Texas Theatre. No, Bill Murray isn’t expected to be there, but the film is part of Susie Sue’s birthday theme party. An art auction will benefit her chosen charity, Duck Team 6 Street Dog Rescue.

The Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson, 214.948.1546, call for times and ticket prices.

JAN. 25

Verse & Rhythm

Poets, singers and performance artists perform in an open-mike session, followed by performances from headlining artists from 7-9 p.m. Oak Cliff Cultural Center, 223 W. Jefferson, 214.670.3687, dallasculture.org, free

Jan. 24

Pleasant Grove

One of Dallas’ greatest indie bands, Pleasant Grove, staged a few reunion performances over the last couple of years, and they’re doing it again at the Kessler Theater, with Crushed Stars opening. Another favorite Dallas band, Ten Hands, plays a reunion show the following night, Saturday, Jan. 25. The Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis, 214.272.8346, thekessler.org, $15-$25

James Coreas

Jan. 7

Social justice film series

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff screens “Anne Braden: Southern Patriot” as part of its social justice film series. The documentary tells the story of Braden, a privileged white woman from Kentucky who fought in the civil rights movement. The film starts at 7 p.m., 3839 W. Kiest, 214.337.2429, firsttuesdayfilms.org, free

JAN. 25

Artist reception

Mighty Fine Arts hosts a reception for a group show titled “Cirkit of Mythos.”

Artists in the show include Omar Hernandez, Eddy Rawlinson, Ryder Richards, Randall Garrett and Steve Cruz. The reception is from 6-9 p.m., and the show runs through March 9.

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

Qualified PRIVAte PRACtICe AttoRNeY SINCe 2003, CoMMeRCIAl ANd ReSIdeNtIAl lANdloRd SINCe 1995.

eduCated

lAW: tX WeSleYAN UNIVeRSItY SChool of lAW. MASteRS: eASt teXAS StAte UNIVeRSItY

BACheloRS: UNIVeRSItY of teXAS At AUStIN.

deMoCrat

dAllAS NAtIVe, WIth SUPeRIoR ReCoRd foR SeRVICe, PhIlANthRoPY, ReStoRAtIoN, INtegRItY.

PeaCe JustiCe

Delicious

Comfort food

Oddfellows made a name for itself quickly after it opened in 2011 serving high-end coffee, gingerbread pancakes, beignets and Buffalo mac and cheese, among other dishes. A few years later, co-owner Matt Spillers decided to shake things up a little. Spillers and kitchen manager David Rodriguez released a new menu in November. They kept many of those favorites, but

they’ve added some new things in the same vein as the creative comfort food that made Oddfellows famous. Barbacoa and grits, for example, comes with a healthy serving of melt-in-your-mouth beef atop a big bowl of cheddar grits with chili oil. The braised pork belly is served on a potato and leek cake with onion marmalade. The glazed duck confit with fried quinoa comes with broccolini;

the duck is tender and juicy, and the quinoa is like Chinese fried rice. Veggie fajitas are the restaurant’s first vegan offering, with a plate of roasted vegetables, black beans, corn salsa and guacamole. Don’t miss the new appetizers, pork belly nachos and angry Frito pie, which is served with chorizo and beef chili, jalapenos, red onion and pickles.

Barbacoa and grits: Elliot Muñoz

—Rachel Stone

ODDFELLOWS

316 W. Seventh

214.944.5958

oddfellowsdallas.com

AMBIANCE: FAMILY RESTAURANT

PRICE RANGE:

$5-$19

HOURS:

MONDAY, 7 A.M.-2 P.M.

TUESDAY-SUNDAY 7 A.M.-10 P.M.

TIP: IF IT’S SUNDAY AND THE WEATHER IS NICE, ODDFELLOWS WILL BE SLAMMED, BUT BRUNCH IS SERVED ALL DAY.

| THREE MORE COMFORTFOOD COMMISSARIES |

1 Jonathon’s

This tiny restaurant and its owners, Jonathon and Christine Erdeljac, brought chicken and waffles to Oak Cliff, God bless them. The restaurant also serves a number of vegetarian and vegan items, including big salads.

1111 N. Beckley

214.946.2221

jonathonsoakcliff.com

2 Tillman’s Roadhouse

With dishes such as fried pickles and okra, venison chili pie and chicken and dumplings, Tillman’s does creative comfort food right.

324 W. Seventh

214.942.0988

tillmansroadhouse.com

3 Hattie’s

Fish and grits, fried green tomatoes, mac and cheese and an amuse bouche of chewy white bread and butter are just a few reasons to eat at Hattie’s.

418 N. Bishop

214.942.7400

hatties.com

The three people he’d have dinner with are Jesus, Pope Francis and Rudy Ruettiger. Would rather be sleeping.

Thinks Jerry Jones the owner should fire Jerry Jones the general manager.

Ran the Boston Marathon.

Can’t find his girlfriend, who is the only reason he subjects himself to this running stuff.

NOTES ON A PHOTO

More about the people, locations and situations in our pictures

Every year, Advocate photographers capture thousands of neighborhoodrelated scenarios. We publish the images in this magazine or on our website, advocatemag.com, and most inevitably land on the cutting-room floor. This month, we dug through piles of pics, mining them for interest-piquing peripheral details about the subjects, places and events depicted.

2013 Dallas Turkey Trot: Danny Fulgencio

Dreams of fronting a Dave Matthews cover band. Got a late start on the ‘Movember’ thing.

Sept. 6, 2013

The Oak Cliff Super Bowl

By: James Coreas

Man down

“Right there, his elbow was completely out of the socket,” says Adamson High School football coach Josh Ragsdale.

Senior Keith Jackson was taken to the hospital by ambulance during the “Oak Cliff Super Bowl,” the game between Sunset and Adamson, two high schools a couple of miles apart.

“For a long time, this was the biggest high school football rivalry in Texas,” Ragsdale says.

The matchup fizzled out when Sunset moved up to division 5A in the ’70s, he says. The schools tried to restart the tradition in the ’80s, but vandalism and fights put a stop to that.

So when coaches from both teams began considering a rematch a few years ago, they were cautious. The two teams scrimmaged in 2010 and 2011 with

much lecturing and all the players and coaches on the same sideline.

“We wanted to see how the kids would react to each other,” Ragsdale says, and there were no problems.

So the schools decided to revive the Adamson vs. Sunset game in 2012, and Go Oak Cliff produced a community pep rally for them.

The game draws the largest attendance by far of any football game Adamson plays, Ragsdale says.

The Adamson football team recently won a contest, and they get to play one of their home games at AT&T Stadium next fall. He hasn’t received a schedule of dates yet, but Ragsdale says he wants to play Sunset there.

Adamson beat Sunset 40-6, and Keith Jackson is fine. He dislocated his elbow Sept. 6 and was back on the field against Seagoville on Sept. 27.

May 7, 2013

Norma’s breakfast window

By: Danny Fulgencio

Family Breakfast

“That’s my sugar mama,” Lovie Roberson says of the woman in the green shirt.

“I love her. That’s my family. I call her husband ‘sweet daddy.’ ”

In the photo, Roberson (known in the Norma’s family as “Lovie Doll,” her real first and middle names) and “sugar mama” Ione Gamber await orders at the breakfast window at Norma’s, where they’ve spent countless mornings since Roberson started working there six years ago.

The photo was taken as part of a cover story about restaurant regulars, and Norma’s has a lot of those.

Gamber started at Norma’s in 1990, and only one other employee — head cook Roy Barron (called “Halloween” because “he scares everyone,” Lovie Doll says) — has a longer tenure at the West Davis diner.

Norma’s many regulars are part of the extended family as well, Gamber says. There are customers who come more than once a day, and there are “quite a few” who arrive at 6 a.m. for breakfast every day, she says.

“You really get to think a lot of your people,” she says. “You become real close to them, you do.”

Gamber, 78, grew up on a farm in South Dakota, one of seven children, and then married a farmer about 10 years her senior. They raised two sons. She worked as a bookkeeper “in a town of 11 or 12 people,” for 17 and a half years, she says.

She became a city girl 23 years ago when her husband, Royal, retired from farming. They moved to Oak Cliff, King’s Highway, to be near their son and his family. Royal Gamber had heart valve surgery in November, so Ione has taken some time off from Norma’s for her next profession, “nurse,” she says.

When she arrives around 10 a.m. for a visit one Monday recently, employees and customers greet her with hugs and laughter. Someone pours her a cup of coffee. Lovie Doll surprises her with two cake donuts — picking up donuts for the crew normally is Ione’s job.

“It’s just been a great place to work,” Ione says. “It’s just like family.”

BE NEIGHBORHOOD FAMOUS

Enter our romantic photo contest. Advocate editors want your favorite photo of your spouse, significant other and/ or one true love. It’s part of our latest project, “my favorite picture of you.” Send a digital copy of the photo to editor@advocatemag.com. Please place “picture of you” in the subject line, and include the name of the person in the photo, where you (and the subject, if applicable) live now and about 200 words telling us why you love the photo. Be sentimental, heart wrenching or hilarious. Selected entries will appear in the Valentine’s edition of the Advocate.

Aug. 7, 2013

Elvis night at El Ranchito

By: James Coreas

Must love Elvis

Elvis night at El Ranchito started about 10 years ago when manager Juan Sanchez put on an Elvis impersonator contest to entertain diners and mark the anniversary of The King’s death.

Now the Jefferson Boulevard restaurant celebrates Elvis eight weeks out of the year.

“If we only did one night, people wouldn’t be able to get in,” Sanchez says. “Every single night, it’s sold out.”

Elvis tribute artist Larry Stilwell is one of several Elvises who perform at El Ranchito every August and January. In the picture from last August, he is smooching Bue Harris of Hampton Hills.

Harris, 73, goes to every Elvis night at El

Ranchito and any other Elvis event around town. At her birthday party last March, there were four Elvis impersonators — three as friends, and one, Kraig Parker, who put on the show.

Harris grew up near the Louisiana border, and she claims she “knew Elvis Presley real well,” having met him at the Louisiana Hayride radio broadcast in Shreveport.

Here is the schedule for this month’s Elvis events at El Ranchito:

Jan. 8: Elvis impersonator Johnny Rockit and Fever the Band

Jan. 15: Elvis contest

Jan. 22: Elvis impersonator James Wages

Jan. 29: Elvis contest

September 2013

214 W. Neely

By: David Leeson

A backyard of infamy

If you’d like to take a picture on the same spot where Marina Oswald photographed her husband in 1963, the woman who lives downstairs will want $5.

In 1990, Ron Nelson of Oak Cliff bought the “Neely house,” a duplex where the Oswalds lived upstairs for about six months. Nelson was running a business called JFK the Tour, and the city was moving to condemn the building, which was “literally falling down,” he says.

“I thought it’d be a real shame if they tore it down.”

Nelson says he happened to have the cash at the time, so he bought it and sank $60,000 into renovations.

In the 1963 photo, Oswald is standing in the tiny backyard of the apartment holding a rifle and two communist newspapers. It became evidence in the Warren Commission Report and is a favorite target of conspiracy theorists who claim the photo was doctored. Call it a very early version of Photoshop.

In 1993, Nelson hired a contractor to rebuild the back stairs that led to the Oswalds’ apartment and make the building look as close to ’63 as possible, including rebuilding the front balcony. He also built a fence in the backyard to resemble the shed in the Oswald photo.

Nelson, a retired architect who lives in Kessler Park, sold the building a few years after he bought it, and he says he broke even on the deal.

“I didn’t like being a landlord,” he says.

The Neely house is adjacent to two vacant lots. Across the street, a 12-unit mid-century apartment building is being renovated, so most of the block is empty of tenants. Even though it’s on a side street near Zang and Davis, not many cars pass through, and the ones who stop, they’re probably looking for the Oswald spot.

Nelson pulls his white minivan right up to the front of the house and says he doesn’t mind paying the $5 if we’d like to take a picture in back. The downstairs lady comes out and waves. We’re just looking from the side yard, which apparently is free, and there it is, the picket fence, the staircase. For a moment, it is easy to imagine Marina Oswald with her camera and cocky little Lee with his smirk. Those images and one man’s preservation are the reason this building is still standing.

Five dollars is better spent on coffee, but Neely isn’t bad for a cheap thrill.

John Freeman stands before his RV in the Dallas West trailer park. He lived there for two years with his wife, D.J.

Trailers out, apartments in

After 60-plus years as a trailer park, this West Dallas tract will become high-end apartments

Photos by Danny Fulgencio

The trailer park is almost empty. Most residents of the Dallas West Mobile Home and RV Park moved out before the Jan. 31 deadline.

An apartment developer, Wood Partners, has plans to build high-end apartments on this 8-acre tract, where for decades there were singlewides and Winnebagos. Residents learned this past summer they would be evicted to make way for a luxury pool, fitness center, stainless steel appliances and high ceilings.

The trailer park opened in the 1940s as Good Luck Trailer Park, and it was next door to Pappy’s Showland, a nightclub that booked entertainment from heavyweight

Interested in an Arts

Metal class?

boxing matches to acrobats to big bands in the 1940s and ’50s, before Oak Cliff and West Dallas banned alcohol sales.

Some mobile homeowners lived there for decades. Others passed through for a night or two.

Self-described gypsies John and D.J. Freeman moved to the park two years ago from Seattle to be closer to family.

“We could’ve stayed here for years,” D.J. says.

But on this November evening, it was raining, and they hustled to pack their RV and be gone by nightfall.

Danny Fulgencio and Rachel Stone

Bill J. Priest Institute

Residents of the Dallas West RV and Trailer Park have until the end of the month to move out.

BUSINESS BUZZ

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

Send business news tips to livelocal@advocatemag.com

Ramen

is coming

Cox Farms Market, the anchor tenant of the Sylvan Thirty development, is expected to open in January. Once the grocer opens, expect to see other retail tenants opening in waves every six to eight weeks, says Cooper Smith Koch, a spokesman for the project’s developer, Oaxaca Interests LLC. Those businesses include Matador Meat and Wine, The Pearl Cup, Sync Yoga and a ramen shop from chef Teiichi Sakurai of Tei-An and Tei-Tei Robata Bar. Sakurai had planned to open a fish market in the space, but last month he announced plans had changed. The ramen shop, Ten, will comprise about 750 square feet and have only about a dozen seats, with bowls of ramen priced around $10.

Hattie’s leases El Padrino space

Something new is coming to the old El Padrino. Hattie’s owner Tony Alvarez has leased the former Bishop Arts District taco stand and is planning a new concept for the space, says Monte Anderson of Options Real Estate. Anderson says Alvarez also leased the adjacent Oak Cliff Mercantile Building for an office and a gallery concept that is still being developed. Alvarez also is subleasing a space in the mercantile building for a concept that Anderson says he can’t talk about yet, but it’s not a restaurant, he says. El Padrino closed in November 2012 because the building owner decided to lease the space to Sarah Lombardi, who had planned a hot-dogs-and-frozencustard concept there but backed out this past May. Meanwhile, the original El Padrino café is still open on Jefferson.

Restaurants open at Trinity Groves

Several new restaurants, including the Morccan restaurant Souk and the beer-focused Luck, have opened in Trinity Groves. Resto Gastro Bistro and

More business bits

1

Casa Rubia also have opened, joining Kitchen LTO. Down the pike are a fish restaurant, a sushi place, a chocolate shop and Chino Chinatown.

New bike shop

Cox Farms Market 1026 S. MAIN, DUNCANVILLE 972.283.8851

COXFARMSMARKET.COM

Sylvan Thirty 214.760.8770

IHEARTSYLVANTHIRTY.COM

Hattie’s 418 N. BISHOP 214.942.7400

HATTIES.COM

El Padrino 408 W. JEFFERSON 214.943.3993

ELPADRINOMEXICANGRILL.COM

Souk 3011 GULDEN 469.458.2233

SOUKDALLAS.COM

Luck 2011 GULDEN 469.250.0679

LUCKDALLAS.COM

Resto Gastro Bistro 3011 GULDEN 214.584.6747

RESTOGASTROBISTRO.COM

—Rachel Stone

Dallas Bike Works, which has a store at White Rock Lake, plans to open a second store this March in Oak Cliff. The retailer leased a 4,000-square-foot space at 821 W. Davis. David Spence of Good Space bought the building, which formerly housed Pepe’s Body Shop, along with the 1927 shopping strip that houses CocoAndré and the Rose Garden, as well as a small church behind that strip earlier this year. In total, it comprises 20,000 square feet, and Spence calls it the Clinkinbeard Campus after its previous owners. Spence says Dallas Bike Works will take possession of the building in January and could open as early as March.

Casa Rubia 3011 GULDEN 469.513.6349

CASARUBIADALLAS.COM

Dallas Bike Works 4875 W. LAWTHER

214.343.2453

DALLASBIKEWORKS.COM

Urban Acres 1605 N. BECKLEY

URBANACRESMARKET.COM

Zoli’s NY Pizza

202 W. DAVIS 214.942.9654

ZOLISPIZZA.COM

Dallas Bike Works

Urban Acres opened its new “farm store” on Beckley in December. 2 Blockbuster has closed all of its stores, including the one in the Jeff Davis Shopping Center. 3 Zoli’s NY Pizza now delivers to North Oak Cliff.

WORSHIP

ALL SAINTS DALLAS / 2733 Oak Lawn / 972-755-3505

Radical Inclusivity, Profound Transformation. Come and See! 9:00 & 11:00 am Sunday Services. www.allsaintschurchdallas.org

CLIFF TEMPLE BAPTIST CHURCH / 125 Sunset Ave. / CliffTemple.org

Building everyday people into everyday missionaries for Jesus Christ. Sunday School: 9:30 am / Sunday Worship: 10:45 am / 214-942-8601

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 Over 20 years experience. Oak Cliff area. Call Tim at 214-989-7093

EMPLOYMENT

AIRLINE CAREERS begin here. Get FAA approved maintenance training. housing & financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. Aviation institute Of Maintenance Houston 877-846-4155 or Dallas 888-896-8006

SERVICES FOR YOU

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

HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA FROM HOME 6-8 Wks. Accredited. Free brochure. No computer needed. 1-800-264-8330 Benjamin Franklin High School www.diplomafromhome.com

First Lady crush

Adamson High School student Emily Sanchez wrote an essay about her experience with the Dallas Theater Center’s Project Discovery, which provides theater education to high school students from 34 North Texas high schools. The essay was included in an application for a National Arts Humanities Youth Program Award. First Lady Michelle Obama presented the award to Sanchez and Project Discovery teacher Rachel Hull in November.

Local BULLETIN BOARD

SERVICES FOR YOU

MIND, BODY & SPIRIT

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION SOLUTION

Products Providing Optimal Aging And Correcting Your Metabolism For Life. Look & Feel 10 Years Younger. 100’s Of Testimonials And 30 Day Money Back Offer. healthandwealthct@gmail.com

PET SERVICES

In-Home Professional Care

PROFESSIONAL

SERVICES

HOLLOWAY BENEFIT CONCEPTS Benefit strategy for area businesses. www.hollowaybenefitconcepts.com 214-329-0097

TRAVEL

CRUISEONE DALLAS Doug Thompson bigDcruises.com Plan your cruise vacation today! 214-254-4980

Customized to maintain your pet’s routine In-Home Pet Visits & Daily Walks

“Best of Dallas” D Magazine

Serving the Dallas area since 1994 Bonded & Insured www.societypetsitter.com 214-821-3900

BUY/SELL/TRADE

TEXAS RANGERS AND DALLAS STARS

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

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

AIR CONDITIONING & HEATING Repair, Service, Replacement. Honest & Affordable. JB Maintenance. 214-404-1457 LIC# TACLB 17612E

CARPENTRY & REMODELING

TK Remodeling

Your neighborhood remodeler

•Repair •Remodeling •Restoration

•Complete full service

Name it— We do it

http://dallas.tkremodelingcontractors.com

Tommy 972-533-2872 INSURED

CLEANING SERVICE

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

BRICK, STONEWORK, FLAGSTONE PATIOS

Mortar Repair. Call George 214-498-2128

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

Chris 214-770-5001

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

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

FLOORING & CARPETING

HASTINGS STAINED CONCRETE New/ Remodel. Stain/Wax Int/Ext. Nick. 214-341-5993. www.hastingsfloors.com

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” To Do’s Done Right. www.handy-dan.com 214-252-1628

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 Carpentry Small & Odd Jobs And More! 972-308-6035 HandymanMatters.com/dallas Bonded

THE CABINET CONCIERGE

The Art of Storage. Call 214-821-5900

Email jin@thecabinetconcierge.com

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

Complete Remodeling, Kitchens, Baths, Additions. Hardie Siding & Replacement Windows. Radiant Barrier, Insulation. Bonded & Insured. www.blake-construction.com 214-563-5035

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

COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL RENOVATION & REPAIR

214.341.1448

WWW.OBRIENGROUPINC.COM

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

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

EXTERIOR CLEANING

BLOUNTS HAULING/TRASH SERVICE blountsjunkremovaldfw.com 214-275-5727

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.

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

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

KITCHEN/BATH/ TILE/GROUT

HANDY DAN “The Handyman” Remodels Done Right. handy-dan.com 214-252-1628

MELROSE TILE James Estrello Sr., Installer 40 Yrs. Exp. MelroseTile.com 214-384-6746

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

25% OFF TREE WORK Trim. Roberts Tree Svc. Insd. 10 yrs exp. 214-808-8925

A BETTER TREE COMPANY • JUST TREES Complete tree services. Tree & Landscape Lighting! Mark 214-332-3444

BLOUNTS TREE SERVICE Winter Special 20% Off Tree Work. 45 yrs exp. Insured. 214-275-5727

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

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

JUST

A Better Tree Company Your Trees Could Look Like a Work of Art, I Guarantee It.

214.394.2414 ParkerTreeService.biz

Wall Street, Garland, Texas 75041 • 972-864-1934 www.beorganic.com

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

PEST CONTROL

A BETTER EARTH PEST CONTROL Keeping the environment, kids, pets in mind. Organic products avail. 972-564-2495 TO

Business Resources

TO ADVERTISE 214.560.4203

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

POOLS

LEAFCHASERS POOLS

Parts and Service. Chemicals and Repairs. Jonathan. 214-729-3311

ROOFING & GUTTERS

NATIONWIDE ROOFING

Fencing, Gutters BBB member. 214-882-8719

Allstate Homecraft Roofing

SKYLIGHTS

Installing Since 1995

Commercial & Residential

Replacement, Repair & New Installation

• Glass Skylights

•Acrylic Skylights

•Sun Tunnels & Solatubes

972-263-6033

www.skylightsolutions.com

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 214-5604203. 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.

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!

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

SJES admits qualified students of any race, color, religion, gender, and national or ethnic origin.

Neighborhoods

The Winnetka Heights Neighborhood Association has contributed about $5,000 to new sidewalks in the neighborhood. More than 1,000 linear feet of sidewalks have been replaced in that neighborhood thanks to Walkable Winnetka, which pays 75 percent, up to $700, of the homeowner’s share of the cost to replace sidewalks.

Two members of the Sunset Hill Neighborhood Association, Steven Horton and Ellen Kreiger, donated the money to paint and buy plants for the planter in the median at the intersection of Tenth and Jefferson. Horton maintained the plants all summer, and Kreiger designed the logo and painted it.

People

Santos Cadena, a 24-year Dallas police veteran, has been named deputy chief of the Southwest Patrol Division, which includes Oak Cliff.

Giving

Norma’s Café served about 6,000 people on its 25th-annual community Thanksgiving in November. The restaurant’s employees volunteer to serve free meals all day to anyone who asks for one.

In November Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dwayne Harris visited Project Transformation, a nonprofit aimed at developing leadership skills among college students and providing after-school and summer camps for children from low-income neighborhoods. Harris handed out 25 turkeys to local families.

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.

THEY COULD HAVE BEEN SHOT.

The Victim: Amy Acers

The Crime: Burglary of a shed

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 3

Time: Between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Location: 300 block of Rosemont

As we begin our sixth year of True Crime reporting for the Advocate, we’re still amazed by the risks that criminal types will take — often for only a few dollars’ worth of stolen property. A case in point is the recent shed burglary at Amy Acers’ Winnetka Heights home. Acers’ shed sits in the rear of her backyard, which is enclosed by a tall fence that is locked from the inside. The only way in is over the fence — and that’s how someone got in recently. A criminal scaled the fence and cut the simple lock off the storage shed.

Next, he rolled out an old lawnmower and somehow lifted the lawnmower up and over the fence — probably with the help of an accomplice on the other side. The burglar was literally locked inside the fence for several minutes before scaling back up and out — putting himself at risk of being shot if a homeowner had seen him.

In the process, the crooks broke Acers’ decorative grapevine arbor, which was located in the backyard. Acers says her husband noticed the open shed and missing mower the next morning as he let out the family dogs.

“It’s an old lawnmower. They’re probably only going to get 10 bucks for it,” she says.

Things got even stranger later that morning, when someone drove a car by, stopped briefly in the alley and apparently threw something out. Police later found bolt cutters and a flashlight in the area — possibly equipment for another break-in. Another neighbor in the area also had a shed broken into that night.

Sgt. Kay Hughbanks with the Dallas Police Southwest Patrol Division says that shed break-ins are fairly common and that it is difficult to completely secure a shed with more than a padlock of some sort. She says stashing equipment as in this case is also common.

LH, PH, OC

“One thing that can be added to deter suspects would be a motion-sensor light in the backyard, where it will be triggered if someone or something gets close to the shed door. Thieves often stash things — tools and/or stolen property — to come back for later and hide these items between houses and in bushes.”

THE market

FOSSIL RIM’S SAFARI CAMP

Lodging

2299 County Road 2008 Glen Rose, Texas 76043 254.897.2960 fossilrim.org

THE SECRET IS OUT

Exploring the history of Kiestwood Estates and its notable residents

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

One of the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League’s many member-neighborhoods is a tree-studded, gently rolling enclave named Kiestwood Estates. Although the general area didn’t begin development until the late 1950s, Kiestwood holds a rich history.

At that time, Kiest Boulevard beyond Hampton Road stretched as a relatively desolate byway with little surrounding development. But the opening of the Kiestwood Village strip center on the southwest corner of the intersection offered area residents the Kiestwood Cleaners, Priest Music Store (later Music Hall), a barbershop, a beauty salon, a dance studio and Old South Steak House. In later years, Puckett Photography had a studio there.

The center’s anchor business sat at the far eastern end of the center: Rollins Food Store. Granted, the fairly small store was the only grocer operating in what was then far southwest Dallas, but a major part of the store’s success was manager Charlie Kirtley. Moms (and dads) enjoyed Charlie’s friendly demeanor and great slant on customer service. (My brother, who was probably about 10 years old at the time, even baked Charlie a birthday cake one year.)

The Humble (former name for Exxon) station on the corner was owned and operated by Joe Jones, who became the first Texas Lottery winner. Although he had moved his business to the northwest corner of Camp Wisdom and Duncanville roads by that time, his place in Texas Lottery history stands. I remember the Jones Humble station with full service; along with the routine oil changes and lube jobs, they would even wash your car! By hand!

On the other side of the Jones service station sat a 7-Eleven, facing Hampton Road. And, to the south of the 7-Eleven, the small, one-story, flat-roofed, brick building operated first as a dentist office that shared the opposite end with a real estate busi-

ness. Later the longtime home of the J. Harris Creech Insurance Agency, the building appears vacant today.

Being the area’s only game in town at that time, the strip center was definitely “high-traffic.”

Upward from the center, homebuilders snatched up lots and began constructing hundreds of single-family homes, many with fireplaces and (the new trend at the time) en suite baths. With their pier-andbeam foundations and brick exteriors, the homes provided shelter and comfort for the throngs of boomer families swelling the ranks of suburban neighborhoods in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The homes constructed closer to South Hampton Road were somewhat smaller than the larger houses nestled close to Ravinia or Cedarhurst on the western boundary. The children attended the newly constructed Daniel Webster Elementary School; high school students went to Kimball, which opened in 1958.

It was a “sea of kids.”

During those days, quite a few highprofile and entrepreneurial folks called Kiestwood home most prominent among them, Dr. W. T. White, the Dallas ISD superintendent at that time. Living at 2831 Whitewood — he was also the previous principal at Sunset High School, where many of the Kiestwood moms and dads had attended — just about everyone in the neighborhood knew him. But, there was a big perk for having Dr. White in the neighborhood.

On snowy mornings back then (before texting and emails), students and parents rose early and glued their ears to the radio, listening for the “school closing” announcements. But not so in Kiestwood. According to Raymond Crawford, the Kiestwood Historical Neighborhood Association president, who also lived in Kiestwood when he was in high school, “All the

neighborhood kids would wait to see if Dr. White’s car remained in his garage. If the car stayed put, that meant no school. We were always the first to know!”

Whitewood Drive also had other notable residents, one being the aunt of longtime “Texas Country Reporter” executive producer Jason Anderson, who often visited his aunt (Lalia Paxton) at 2536. Dr. Norwood Yamimi, a well-known Las Cruces, N.M., chiropractor who is currently a Qigong facilitator/workshop leader and recent author, lived across the street at 2535. At 2512, the Berry family’s youngest son, Pat, is now the owner of Vickery Wholesale Greenhouse in both Dallas and in Austin.

On Bonnywood Lane, Mary Margaret Roberson (2830) worked for decades to enhance both Oak Cliff and Dallas, involving herself in fine arts, civic, community and historical activities, among them Goals for Dallas. Serving as a well-respected master

Priest Music Store (later Music Hall) as depicted in the 1960 edition of the Kimball High School yearbook, “Excalibur”

Kiestwood Village neon sign: Raymond Crawford

OAKCLIFF.ADVOCATEMAG.COM/BACKSTORY

flower judge, she has a tree planted in her honor on the Texas State Capitol grounds. The residence of Homer DeFord, founder of DeFord’s Lumber in Duncanville, was at 2823.

Twice named Miss Oak Cliff (’96 and ’98) and twice second runner-up for Miss Texas, Leigh Ann Gettman-Allen had her first home at 2526 W. Kiest Blvd. GettmanAllen was first runner-up in the 1999 Miss Virginia Pageant and reigned as America’s Homecoming Queen in 1993. Still highly involved in the Miss America organization, she led the President’s Initiative on Race session in 1998 and is now an adjunct professor at Dallas Baptist University.

Although technically a separate subdivision, Southwood (adjacent to Kiestwood) is included in the neighborhood association. Among the many Southwood notables are actress Belita Moreno and her family, who lived on Gibbs Williams Road, and the late Ken Holmes Jr., a Kennedy assassination and Bonnie and Clyde expert who lived on Crow Creek Drive.

Some Sunday afternoon, you oughta take a drive south on Hampton Road to cruise around Kiestwood and enjoy the largest group of mid-century ranch architecture in the city. Kiestwood is a secret around Dallas. But maybe not for long.

YOUR STORIES

Longtime Cliffites recount memories and reconnect on oakcliff.advocatemag. com/backstory Last month Brooks sparked conversation with a story about the intersection of Marsalis and Jefferson.

Another great story! Mr. Owens and his corner are legendary. I grew up attending Oak Cliff Methodist Church and never knew the story of why the church was situated as it is, until now. That was mother and dad’s church. He actually asked her to join. Many wonderful memories at the corner of Jefferson and Marsalis. Thanks for bringing the library, church and water fountain to life again. —Bill Melton

tage 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.

Gayla Brooks can date her neighborhood heri-