2013 February Oak Cliff

He H ad it coming

Is that a good enough reason to break the law?

I was riding in a friend’s car on our way to some place now forgotten, and as we tooled along, a car raced up from behind us, careened into the adjacent lane, and then slid inches in front of us as we continued driving down the highway.

My friend, normally a calm sort but prone to an occasional invective or two, spoke up.

“Someday, when the doctor has told me I have two weeks to live, and I have nothing to lose, I’m going to slam right into that guy’s car. And when he gets out and starts yelling at me, I’m going to tell him he had it coming.

“And then I’m going to get back in my car and do it all over again to the next car that cuts me off.”

There wasn’t a lot I could add to those comments because even though he was obviously wrong, he was also right.

There have been plenty of times over the years I’ve felt the same way, although most of my bad-driver fantasies involve me driving a big truck with a snowplow so that when I slam into the idiotic driver, my vehicle isn’t damaged but his or hers is totaled.

I know, I know. There’s nothing to be proud of here. Clearly, neither my friend nor I should be doing anything like this to anyone at any time; taking the law into our own hands and acting like a bully to someone who already is a bully isn’t going to solve anything.

But it sure would feel good from time to time, wouldn’t it?

There seem to be plenty of times these days when taking the law into our own hands seems — if only for a fleeting moment — to be a really good idea.

And people express their opinions on everything from international topics to local issues instantly and loudly on social media

it’s not uncommon to see “suspects” convicted and sentenced online by peers long before they’re ever charged in court these days.

I even led a Sunday school lesson awhile ago where that was the theme — sometimes, you have to do “what’s right,” even if it means breaking the law.

Of course, the lesson was more of a theoretical exercise, and during the ensuing discussion, it was easy to see why.

I asked the class this question: If I’m attending a movie and the plot turns out to be sacrilegious (at least in my opinion), what should I do?

Should I walk out? Should I complain to the manager? Or should I just sit through it and be quiet?

The class was divided. Some said to forget it. Some said ask for my money back. One person suggested something more along the lines of my snowplow idea: Stand up and start yelling to everyone in the theater that the movie isn’t worth seeing and we all need to walk out right now.

And therein lies the problem in terms of taking “the law” into our own hands. Who’s to say I’m right about the movie and that it’s OK for me to disrupt the good time of the guy sitting next to me? Who’s to say I’m the good driver and the other guy is the idiot? Both likely have their own perspective, and both are likely much different from mine.

It’s easy to mouth-off online, where decisions are instantaneous and implications often don’t come into play. It’s harder to do it in person, because every decision has immediate and personal consequences.

Ultimately, that’s what laws and regulations do: They keep individual perspective on the sidelines for the most part and force us to live every day with the expectation that we will be here tomorrow to suffer the consequences of our actions.

Because more than likely, we will. And for the sake of our overall sanity, it’s probably best that we continue to think and act that way.

Rick Wamre is president of Advocate Media. Let him know how we are doing by writing to 6301 Gaston, Suite 820, Dallas 75214; or email rwamre@advocatemag.com.

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comments and letters

Living in a van …

As much as I appreciate receiving the magazine, I was a little thrown off by the “Ramblin’ Man” article [January Advocate]. As a resident of Winnetka Heights, myself and other neighbors take great pride in our neighborhood and the growth of it. Quite frankly, stating a man lives in a van in one of our backyards makes our neighborhood sound trashy and an undesirable place to live. Please take this into consideration before publishing our neighborhood name. You guys have always been great, but this was a little tasteless.

—c rystal Gonzalez

The buzz is gone

I loved BEE [“BEE: Best Enchiladas Ever has closed,” oakcliff.advocatemag.com, Jan. 2]. Sigh, sad day! —c haska Norwood

I wish Oak Cliff had supported it more.

—Rick m cBride

Bring back the Long John Silver’s.

—Epi c amacho

Bring back the Quinn.

—Juan a lvarez

El Jordan keeps it real

I love the food at El Jordan [“Delicious: Breakfast/lunch,” January Advocate]. I hope it’s able to stick around as the surrounding neighborhood becomes gentrified.

—m ark Dean

Denise Gee

The strawberry cake that Texans sometimes call “pink cake” gets its color from strawberry-flavored gelatin. It’s not bad, really. but there is a better cake. The strawberry cake recipe Denise Gee created for her new cookbook was inspired by one she tasted at the annual Strawberry Festival in Poteet. It takes fresh strawberries, no Jell-O, no cake mix. The Poteet strawberry cake is closer to the color of oatmeal, not that princess-party pink, but it is delicious.

“People can’t believe this is made with real strawberries, and they can taste it,” she says. “Sweet on Texas: Lovable Confections from the Lone Star State,” Gee’s newest cookbook, draws from treats she’s tasted traveling around Texas. Gee, a former magazine editor, has written three cookbooks with photos by her husband, Robert M. Peacock. “Southern Cocktails” and “Porch Parties” are their other books. They test most of the recipes at home in Winnetka Heights. The new book features classic recipes such as chocolate sheet cake as well as whimsical desserts, such as Big Red granita. “The kolaches I thought were going to be the death of me,” says Gee, who works full time as a public information officer at SMU. She convinced Czech Stop in West to give up their recipe after some nagging, but “I knew I was in trouble when I got the recipe

Can Türkyilmaz

and it said six cups of yeast,” she recalls. She cut the recipe down again and again for dozens of batches until she arrived at one she thought tasted like real apricot kolaches from West Texas. The book is organized by region: East Texas, the Hill Country, South Texas and the plains of West Texas. Dallas and Houston appear in the East Texas section. A recipe for lemon bars comes from 12-year-old Jenay Benge of Dallas, whose desserts appear on the menu at Blue Plate Kitchen. Other Dallas highlights include The Mansion on Turtle Creek’s raspberry brownies and a coconut dream pie, which was inspired by Gee’s favorite dessert at the bygone Kitchen 1924 in Lakewood. Gee found black-and-white family photos at Curiosities, Dolly Python and Lula B’s that give the book’s design a vintage look. “I wanted it to evoke nostalgia,” she says. A former food editor for Southern Living, Gee styled the food photos herself, often using her own dishes and cookware. She says the key is showing good food as it actually is, such as berry tarts just out of the oven with juice bubbling onto the sheet pan. It’s not perfect, but it looks real, she says. There are also pictures of people, such as eccentric sisters Barbara and Natalie Woodley of Mama’s Daughter’s Diner, who give their recipe for sweet tea. And there’s Big Tex, may he rest in peace, accompanying Gee’s recipe for fried Coke. She says she chose the tastiest dessert recipes that also have good stories. One is a recipe for chocolate-peanut clusters that Gee’s pal Melanie Loving makes for her cookie-swap group at UT Southwestern Medical Branch. There is one whole page about Dublin Dr Pepper accompanying a recipe for cherry Dr Pepper cupcakes. “I knew I was going to be under a microscope with this because people here take food so personally,” Gee says. “Sweet on Texas” was released in November from Chronicle Books and costs $24.95. Gee currently is working on another cookbook, “Southern Casseroles,” due out later this year. She’s also writing the memoir of Peacock Alley founder Mary Ella Gabler. And she’s working on a Holocaust-related photo essay book for SMU’s Embrey Human Rights Program.

—Rachel Stone

Boarded-up on Bishop

Jim Lake Cos. bought up several blocks in the bishop arts District in 1985. Jim Lake Jr. brokered the deal for his dad, Jim Lake Sr., whose vision was to redevelop it with son richard Lake and business partner Mike Morgan. “It was a horrible time to do it because in 1986 is when the real estate depression started, and we were trying to drag people kicking and screaming across the river just to look at space,” the younger Jim Lake says.

Bishop Arts had a few tenants when Lake bought it, including Goodier Cosmetics, a back rehab place, a travel agent and artist Stuart Kraft. “It was a very difficult time,” Lake says. “We almost lost it back in 1989. We were struggling to get people over there and just to keep them paying rent. I got involved in the ownership in ’89, got some capital, and saved it from going back to the bank, basically.” Lake says the company “toughed it through” most of the ’90s. Oline’s hair salon was one of the first tenants to sign on with Jim Lake Cos. in the district. Tillman’s Corner, the earlier incarnation of Tillman’s, opened in 1992. A turning point for the district came in 1998 when City Council, led by then-mayor Laura Miller, allocated $2.6 million to upgrades that included wider sidewalks, brick pavers, street lights and trees. The district also was rezoned that year to reduce the parking requirements, which allowed for more restaurants to open. “We’ve had some hits and misses, but we’ve paid attention to having the correct mix of sole proprietorships that work well together,” he says. Lake’s next big Oak Cliff redevelopment is the Jefferson Tower office building and adjoining retail in the 300 block of West Jefferson. It won’t happen overnight, but it’s unlikely to take 13 years to be transformed. Lake already is working with the city and Jefferson stakeholders to rezone the area. And the city has approved a $1.5-million economic development grant for the project, which will be given once Lake spends $6 million on renovations.

Find Bishop Arts news and updates on Jefferson Boulevard redevelopments at oakcliff.advocatemag.com.

2013

Photo courtesy of Jim Lake Cos.

Photo by Danny Fulgencio

paws & claws

Mood indigo

Blue is a 4-year-old Catahoula mix that neighborhood resident Ana Bohanan adopted from a pet fair held outside urban acres market by the Seagoville no-kill animal shelter two years ago. “His hobbies include fetching sticks, barking so loudly inside the house that it rings the doorbell, and hiking at Twelve Hills Nature Center,” bohanan says. “He also likes to walk to Southern Maid to get doughnuts on the weekend.”

515 S. MANUS | SOLD

Oak Cliff is a place where I can relax. I’m comfortable here It’s fun, and there are a lot of amazing people and shops. And the typography is the best Dallas has to offer.”

Mike Bates DAVE PERRY-MILLER AGENT OAK CLIFF RESIDENT - 10+ YEARS

what gives?

Small ways that you can make a big difference for nonprofits

Support …

Body Oak Cliff. This ecumenical nonprofit’s mission is to “connect, equip and mobilize” Christians to work for the common good in Oak Cliff. Body Oak Cliff’s monthly “Lunch & Learn” seminars take place every second Tuesday at the Hampton-Illinois Library, 2951 S. Hampton. They focus on social problems our neighborhood faces and how neighbors can work to ease them. “Bring a brown-bag lunch and learn how to bless your neighbors,” the website states. The next Lunch & Learn is from noon-1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12. It will be a book review of “The Art of Neighboring” by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon. The talks are free, but donations are accepted in person or online at bodyoakcliff.net. Call for more information, 469.227.0640.

Ride …

with Bike Friendly Oak Cliff’s Dallas Tweed Ride. The event normally takes place in November, but the ride’s founder, Jason Roberts, has been ill and friends said it just wouldn’t be the same without him. Now that Roberts is well, the ride is a go for 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17, at Klyde Warren Park, 1900 Woodall Rogers Freeway. Roberts will lead the ride at 1:30 p.m. Proceeds from sales of beer and photos will help relieve the costs of Roberts’s cancer recovery. More information is available at bikefriendlyoc.org.

Volunteer …

at the Twelve Hills Nature Center, 900 Mary Cliff. Helpers are needed for a workday, from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, to remove invasive plants in the butterfly garden at the nature center’s entrance. Bring tools such as gloves, trowels, shovels and clippers, plus water to drink. The workday will be canceled in the case of bad weather. The nature center also needs volunteers to help with fundraising and publicity. For more information, contact Marcie Haley, marcieh@ gmail.com.

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.

Out & About

February 2013

Feb. 9

Dash for the Beads

Throw on some beads and celebrate Mardi Gras early with a 5k run, one-mile walk, costume contest and festival. A new route this year begins and ends at Kidd Springs Park. Proceeds benefit Fido Oak Cliff’s efforts to bring a permanent dog park to our neighborhood.

Bishop Arts District, dashforthebeads.org, $15-$30

Feb. 2

‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’

An “internationally ignored” rock singer from Communist Berlin tries to make it in the U.S. in this 35-mm print of the movie, inspired by an off-Broadway musical. The screening begins at 9 p.m. and an after-party follows with costumes, sing-alongs and DJs. A drag show intermission features Nikki Trash. Viewers must be 18 or older. The Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson, 214.948.1546, thetexastheatre.com, $12

Feb. 9

Jazz night

Enjoy complimentary drinks and spend an intimate evening with musicians David Benoit and Paul Taylor, who perform at 7 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. for the TeCo Theater jazz series. Bishop Arts Theatre Center, 215 S. Tyler, 214.948.0716, tecotheater.org, $57.50-$62.50

Feb. 9-10

Mardi Gras

The neighborhood Mardi Gras festivities continue with the OCarnivale Masquerade Ball — the “best dance party in Dallas of the year,” according to the website. The party includes prizes, complimentary Cajun treats, themed drinks and more. The ball benefits Go Oak Cliff. Tickets are available online and range from $25 for general admission to $600 for a suite. On Sunday, Feb. 10 from 4-6 p.m, a Mardi Gras parade makes its way down Davis.

Bishop Arts District, mardigrasoakcliff.com

Feb. 20

John Denver tribute

The Kessler Theater welcomes a 15-city tour honoring the legendary musician in “John Denver: A Rocky Mountain High Concert.” Former members of Denver’s band and a string section perform as vintage video plays. Doors for the concert, at the Dallas City Performance Hall, open at 7 p.m. and the show kicks off at 8 p.m.

Dallas City Performance Hall, 2520 Flora, 214.272.8346, thekessler.org, $20-$40

Feb. 12

‘Moonwalking with Einstein’

Read this month’s book, Joshua Foer’s “Moonwalking with Einstein,” and join in the book club discussion at 6 p.m. North Oak Cliff Library, 302 W. Tenth, 214.670.7555, dallaslibrary2.org, free

Feb. 15-16

‘Audacity: A Celebration of American History’

See a spoken word performance about African-American history makers including Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Jesse Owens, Ella Fitzgerald and others. Stick around for a questionand-answer session following the performance along with a discussion with visiting speaker and history professor Derek Catsam, who will discuss the lasting impact of the 1961 Freedom Rides. Tickets are available online and by phone.

Bishop Arts Theatre Center, 215 S. Tyler, 214.948.0716, tecotheater.org, $10 in advance, $20 at the door

Feb 15-17

‘The Playroom’

In this movie, four children in an attic make up a story while their parents do the same downstairs. The screenings begin at 7 p.m. on Feb. 15 and 16, and at 5 p.m. on Feb. 17.

The Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson, 214.948.1546, thetexastheatre.com, $8-$9.50

Feb. 23

The Pin Show

This showcase of independent fashion designers, founded by neighbor Julie McCullough, moves to West Dallas this year. The show, which also is produced by Brian Embry and Mike Thompson, features a runway show from 22 designers, music from the Danny Church Band, plus “street-style food” and a designer marketplace.

The green warehouse, 2900 Bataan, thepinshow.weebly. com, $15-$250

—rachel Stone

“This hip little pie shop is so cute, you feel like you’re in a TV show about a pie shop on the CW,” we wrote after our first visit. “You almost expect a poignant life lesson to come from one of those adorable pie bakers in their twee aprons and headscarves. What comes instead is really good pie.” Co-owners Megan Wilkes and Mary Gauntt opened their permanent location in the Bishop Arts District last summer after a couple of pop-up shops and months of supplying desserts to local restaurants. The “smooth operator” is a chocolate silk pie with a sweet and salty pretzel crust. And “lord of the pies” is a 5-inch-high apple pie that puts other apple pies to shame. The menu typically features five or six pies made from scratch daily, and they’re available by the slice or whole pie.

Emporium piEs

314 N. Bishop Ave. 469.206.6126 emporiumpies.com

AMBiAncE: BOutiquE cAfé

PricE rAngE: $5-$40

HOurS: WEdnESdAy-tHurSdAy, 11 A.M.-9 P.M.; fridAySAturdAy, 11 A.M.-10 P.M.; SundAy, 11 A.M.-8 P.M.; cLOSEd MOndAy And tuESdAy did yOu knOW?

ALL tHE PiES ArE HAndMAdE And cOntAin nO PrESErvAtivES, HydrOgEnAtEd OiLS, dyES Or cOrn SyruP.

Above: Buttermilk Blitzen pie at Emporium. Left: A slice of Smooth Operator. Photos by Elliott Muñoz

Jill

Tues:

Spiral’s

Spiral Diner’s vegan blueberry pie and “I-scream.”

Photo by Molly Dickson

Make your valentine sparkle

J Vineyards Cuvée 20 Brut ($28)

The Holiday That Must Not be Named makes its annual appearance this month, which means the insecure among us will be scrambling to show their devotion to the people closest to them. Let it not be said that I don’t feel their pain.

One sure bet: sparkling wine. Nielsen reports that the week around Valentine’s Day is the fourth biggest sales period for bubbly after New Year’s, Christmas and Thanksgiving. When buying bubbly, you can divide it into three groups — cheap, more expensive, and Champagne prices:

• $10 or so: I’m a huge fan of Casteller ($12), a Spanish sparkling wine or cava — crisp but a little more complex than most Spanish sparkling wine. The Italian Nino Franco Rustico is a Prosecco ($12) with lemon-lime fruit. It’s especially fresh and effervescent for a Prosecco, and surprisingly well done.

• $10 to $20: Domaine Sangouard Crémant ($17) is from the Burgundy region of France, with tiny bubbles that don’t quit and an almost spiced baked apple flavor. Truly a wonderful wine. Parxet Cava Cuvée 21 ($15) is more open than $10 cavas like Cristalino, with a bit of yeast on the nose and a tropical middle.

• $20 and up: California’s J Vineyards Cuvée 20 ($28) shows up a lot on lists like this, and it’s easy to understand why — always well made, with bright, crisp green apple fruit and lots of sparkling-ness. The Argyle Brut from Oregon ($27) has long been a favorite — very clean and almost austere. Beware older vintages, which sit in warehouses and turn flat and flabby.

—Jeff Siegel

Jeff Siegel WRiTeS about wine and neighborhood dining news

Ask the wine guy

What’s the difference between Champagne and sparkling wine?

Legal-ese, mostly. A U.S.-European Union trade agreement has defined terms for products like this, so that only sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of France can be called Champagne. It’s the same reason that prosciutto made in Iowa can’t be called Proscuitto, which is limited to the pork product made in that part of Italy. —Jeff

Siegel

every Friday on oakcliff.advocatemag.com.

with your wine

Not just chocolate chip cookie brownies

This variation takes a tried and true recipe to the next level — even sweeter and richer and more decadent. Feel free to experiment with a variety of different flavored chips.

Grocery List

1 1/8 c all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 stick butter, softened

3/8 c granulated sugar

3/8 c packed brown sugar

Directions

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 to 1 1/2 c chips (chocolate, butterscotch, white chocolate, and the like)

1/2 c chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease 8x8 pan.

2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl. Add the egg, beating well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spread into prepared pan.

3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Makes about two dozen, about 30 minutes

Love, honor, cherish

These neighborhood couples have made their marriages last

This is not a good time for marriage in America. Fewer people make the commitment to marry than ever before. Where 72 percent of Americans older than 18 were married in 1960, only about 51 percent were married in 2011, according to a study from the Pew Research Center. And it is estimated that as many as half of all marriages will end in divorce. For some of us, lasting marriages are a mystery. But these two neighborhood couples, generations apart, found love and never let go.

Story by Rachel Stone Y Photos by Can Türkyilmaz and Danny Fulgencio

Jacob and Joyce Locke

Married: June 29, 1950

offspring: Four children, eight grandchildren, three great-grandchildren

Thefirst time Jacob saw Joyce, it was a warm summer day in Paris, Texas, in 1949.

“I was walking to the corner drugstore,” he says. “She and two of her girlfriends were sitting in a booth by the window.”

It may sound corny, Jacob says, but he was “smitten from the start, really and truly.”

He was tall and handsome, the son of a sharecropper and one of five siblings. She was an only child, petite and pretty.

For Joyce, it was not love at first sight, but she was interested.

“I had a girlfriend who was wanting to be introduced to Jacob,” she recalls. “So because that girlfriend was so interested in

him, I was, too. She never did like me after that.”

They attended a volleyball game together at Lake Crook that night. Courtship was difficult because they lived at opposite ends of town, and they often tied up the town’s party line talking on the phone. Joyce worked as an office manager in Paris, earning $18.50 a week. But Jacob had only ever worked on the farm. He had no car, no job, no money.

It is a testament to his charm that Joyce agreed to marry him anyway. They wed at the West Paris Church of Christ, and a few of their friends were there, but no family. In fact, Joyce’s mother was against the union.

“She always said they would never make

it,” says Joyce and Jacob’s daughter, Jerri Locke. “If she was alive today, she would still be saying that.”

The couple took an apartment a block from the Paris town square. And they bought a 1934 Chevrolet for $65, on payments. Joyce brought home the bacon, but neither of them knew how to cook. Every night, they ate pork and beans, fried potatoes and Spam, they recall.

Joyce was paid every Saturday.

“Each of us would get a comic book, an RC cola and a peanut patty,” Jacob says. “That was our big Saturday night.”

The Lockes moved to Dallas in August 1951, where they both found work. They

Love, honor, cherish

bought their house on Windomere, where they still live, about 55 years ago. Jacob eventually went to work for Wyeth Laboratories, where he stayed 35 years before retiring in 1986.

Joyce served as a church secretary. Eventually, she became a good cook.

“We always had dinner at home around the table,” daughter Jerri says.

Every night, when Jacob came home from work, Joyce would hand him a glass of iced tea. He didn’t even know how to get ice before he retired, Jerri teases, and Joyce chimes in: “He didn’t even know where the refrigerator was.”

Joyce and Jacob have been married for more than 62 years, and two of their children have marriages that have lasted more than 32 years.

“I think you have to have compatible interests,” says daughter Lisa Locke Pittman.

Pittman’s daughter, Katie McNiff, is a newlywed with a 6-month-old son, and she agrees.

“Even when we hate each other, we can still play video games together,” McNiff says of her relationship with her husband.

For Jacob and Joyce, who still hold hands and call each other “baby,” faith in God has been a sustaining factor in their marriage. They pray together, hand in hand, “morning noon and night,” Joyce says.

“We’ve always loved the same things,” she says. “We loved the Lord and we loved our family, and we loved our children.”

On Christmas day, as the snow came down, Jacob and Joyce cooked a meal together for their family. They savored every moment of it, they say.

“We’re still making good memories,” Joyce says.

“We’ve always loved the same things. We loved the Lord and we loved our family, and we loved our children.”

Jacob and Joyce Locke were married in Paris, Texas, in 1950.

214.560.4203

30

Home on bisHop

the comfortable and fun store for unique and affordable luxury home decor, jewelry, and clothing that consumers want and love. 502 n. bishop 214.434.1421 homeonbishop.com

Joel and laura Pulis

Married: June 21, 1997 offspring: a daughter, 10-year-old Grace

Joel

and Laura Pulis have known each other since they were toddlers.

In a snapshot from the ’70s, they are sideby-side, wearing plastic store-bought Halloween costumes and looking off in different directions, both happy.

Joel grew up in Oak Cliff, and Laura in DeSoto, but they attended Cliff Temple Baptist Church, and their parents were friends.

Tension between them first bubbled up in the summer of 1988, on a mission trip to California, when they were in seventh and eighth grades. He liked her, but she liked another boy. The following summer, “Laura and another girl were supposedly interested in me, but I played the coy one,” Joel says.

daughter go on a date,” Laura says.

But in January 1990, he picked her up in his dad’s SAAB convertible and took her to the old Hard Rock Café on McKinney Avenue.

oc 1/3 3 items

Then, the weekend before he turned 16, friends of Laura’s called up Joel and told him he should ask her out.

“He got his license, and he wrote me a really sweet letter to ask me out on a date,” Laura says.

She was 14, and she wasn’t sure her parents would let her go.

“I’m not sure I would let my 14-year-old

They dated that semester and all through the summer. But when Laura returned to

“our parents were friends, and they knew everybody in the church, so we had about 700 people at our wedding. it was just cake and punch, but it was fun.”

DeSoto High School in the fall, she decided she wanted to date other boys.

“I broke his heart,” she says, patting his arm.

After going out with another boy one time, Laura says, she realized it was a mistake. They promptly reunited and dated all through high school. When Joel graduated,

brumley Gardens

roses are red, violets are blue, all Valentine paper goods are 50% off to you! while supplies last! brumley Gardens- lake Highlands: 10540 church rd. 214.343.4900 & bishop arts: 700 w. davis 214.942.0794 brumleygardens.com.

adVocate ornament

the advocate Foundation’s limited-edition, numbered, gift for the new home owner or dallas transplant. sales benefit neighborhood organizations. 214.292.0486 foundation.advocatemag.com

Laura Pulis’s maternal grandparents, Eldon and Jessie Faye Schlinke, were the first couple wed in the Cliff Temple Baptist Church sanctuary in 1941. Fifty-six years later, Laura and her husband, Joel, were married there, too.

word on body text is absolute limit on text. we will not count address, etc.

he chose Baylor University because Laura’s mom had gone there, and that’s where he knew Laura wanted to go.

“I sort of followed her and preceded her to Baylor,” he says.

They stayed together all through college, and they wed at Cliff Temple Baptist Church in June 1997.

It was a huge wedding. The bride and groom each had nine attendants.

“Our parents were friends, and they knew everybody in the church, so we had about 700 people at our wedding,” Laura says. “It was just cake and punch, but it was fun.”

The couple returned to Waco so that Joel could finish a divinity degree, and they settled in Kings Highway in 1999. Laura, 37, is an interior designer, and Joel, 39, works for Cliff Temple.

The Pulises say their marriage is strong because they were friends for six years before they started dating, and when they did get together, they took things slow. They trust each other. They’re willing to sacrifice for one another. And they admit when they’re wrong.

“We don’t fight a lot, and neither of us is hot headed,” Joel says. “But when we do get into disagreements, both of us are quick to own up to their side.”

They’ve noticed friends who joke about breaking up, as in, “If you ever grow a mustache like that, I’ll divorce you.”

Joel and Laura say they would never even joke about divorce.

“We made a commitment to be together, and that’s it,” Joel says.

Business Buzz

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

Send business news tips to livelocal@advocatemag.com

Outpost replaces Campo Outpost, a new restaurant from the owners of Campo, is now open. The restaurant, on Beckley between Zang and Colorado, offers upscale pub fare with prices ranging from $3-$14. Here’s how the owners describe it: “Our focus is pairing cold craft beer with our food. The food and drink menu is inspired by the rich bar culture of the East and local farmed ingredients.” Menu highlights include beer-battered fish tacos ($11); a grilled-cheese sandwich with fontina, arugula and fig jam ($7); and a wedge salad with candied bacon and blue-cheese dressing ($8).

Appetizers include deviled eggs, skillet cheddar corn bread, fried pickles and elotes. Outpost is open for lunch and dinner, plus weekend brunch: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight Friday, 10:30 a.m.-midnight Saturday and 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday.

The Kessler lights up

The Kessler Theater installed a new marquee at its entrance last month. The neon sign is in the historic style of the theater, which was built as a movie theater in 1947 and renovated about three years ago. It took about two years for the sign to gain approval from local, state and federal authorities on historic preservation, owner Edwin Cabaniss says.

New timeline for Sylvan project Sylvan Thirty, the planned mixed-use development near the Belmont Hotel, recently announced a new construction timeline. Anchor tenant Cox Farms Market and other businesses could open as soon as fall of 2013. Studio apartments at the development are expected to open as early as January 2014. The project’s developer put up fences around the site in December, and the city was expected to issue a building permit last month. After that, developer Brent Jackson can begin preparing the site for construction. Construction originally was supposed to start last May, but permitting apparently was delayed by bureaucratic hang-ups, Jackson says.

More business bits

1 BEE: Best Enchiladas Ever, the fast-casual restaurant from legendary restaurateur Monica Greene, has closed after less than two years in business. 2 Hoffman Hots, a hot dog place from a partnership that includes Phil Romano, Roger Staubach and Frank Zaccanelli, was expected to open in January on Singleton at McPherson. 3 The Dallas Zoo’s “penguin days” promotion offers $5 admission throughout the month of February. Parking costs $8. 4 Vapor-Scape, a shop specializing in electronic cigarettes, has opened on West Davis near Clinton. Owner Michael Christopher prepares his own liquids, which flavor the electronic smokes. The shop also sells stereo equipment on consignment.

more business buzz every week on

danny fulgencio

HealthCare

ADVISOR

Presented by

Doctor-Patient relationshiPs

Since the earliest days of medicine, practitioners have recognized the importance of the relationship between doctors and patients. Even so, health care is a top-down experience for most patients. We view doctors as authority figures who make all the decisions about our treatment, and today the constraints of insurance companies seem to narrow our choices even further. It’s no wonder patients sometimes feel like they don’t have much say in their own health care.

Are you ready for the good news? That culture is slowly changing, as evidence continues to mount that a heightened emphasis on patient-centered care provides better results for the whole team: patients, their families, and health care providers.

These changes have a special impact for women when they visit their Ob/Gyn practitioners.

“Establishing a relationship with a patient is probably just as important as addressing their medical problems,” says Dr. Julie

Vu of Brothers & Crochet Ob/Gyn Associates of Dallas, LLP. “Especially in obstetrics, you end up having a very long term and personal relationship with your patients. You know the names of their family members, and their child, and you may know the sex of their child when no one else does.”

The new thinking blends the clinical side of medicine – lab results, statistics and machines – with greater attention to the patient’s experience. The impersonal nature of technology makes a connection to the physician more important than ever. The patient’s experience begins in the reception room. If the space feels unwelcoming, it can add unnecessary stress to the visit.

“We strive to provide a courteous relationship and a relaxing environment, where people will feel comfortable talking about difficult issues,” Dr. Vu says. This applies whether she is working with an expectant mother or a well-woman exam. “Often women have read a lot about childbirth, and have very specific wishes,”

Dr. Vu says. “We try hard to let them have the kind of delivery they would like, while keeping their expectations realistic.” Trust and communication help increase satisfaction with the outcome for the patient.

When care is patient-centered, doctors ensure patients have all the information they need about their options. As technology

Picker Institute Principles of Patient-Centered Care

• Respect for patients’ values, preferences and expressed needs

• Coordination and integration of care

• Information, communication and education

• Physical comfort

• Emotional support and alleviation of fear and anxiety

• Involvement of family and friends

• Transition and continuity

advances, there is often more than one good choice. This means patients also have more responsibility in the partnership. Their priorities and their lifestyle choices (like nutrition or sleep habits) can enhance treatment success. A good relationship with a doctor increases the likelihood that a patient will follow through on healthy behaviors. HCA

Women’s Health and Wellness: Our Passion, Our Mission

Presenting their newest partners, Dr. Angela Fields Walker and Dr. Julie Vu, with the latest technological skills in roboticassisted laparoscopic surgery, for today’s woman who demands the best and the brightest.

Dr. Angela Fields Walker is enthusiastic to work with physicians that share her passion for women’s health. She is dedicated to patient-centered care and education, and embodies an honest, analytical, and attentive approach to patients’ needs and concerns, which make her a perfect fit for our growing practice.

Dr. Julie Vu previously practiced in Garland. She is excited to join a practice that focuses on the individual needs of women, in a center that offers resources needed to fully care for patients. As women balance careers and families, Dr. Vu offers care utilizing minimally invasive methods, giving women the ability to return to their lives more quickly.

Our mission is to provide the highest quality medical care in a caring and compassionate environment. Give us a call today to schedule an appointment.

Brothers & Crochet ObGyn Associates of Dallas, LLP

high risk pregnancy | natural childbirth | robotic-assisted and minimally invasive surgery | prepregnancy counseling | ultrasound | infertility | incontinence pelvic organ prolapse | same day appointments

“In obstetrics, you end up having a very long term and personal relationship with your patients.”

Dr. Julie Vu, Brothers & Crochet Ob/Gyn

Dr. Sandra Brothers, Dr. Julie Vu, Dr. Angela Fields Walker and Dr. Melissa Crochet

Ob/Gyn Associates of Dallas

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.

City Councilwoman Delia Jasso and Green Pet have teamed up to raise donations for Dallas Animal Services. The list of items needed includes catnip, cat toys, dog biscuits, rawhide chips, peanut butter, pipe cleaners, mesh laundry bags, bath or hand towels and bandanas. Drop off donations at Green Pet, 315 N. Bishop. Norma’s restaurant gave $1,000 to Rosemont sixth-graders, who were raising money to attend President Obama’s inauguration in Washington, D.C.

The Texas Theatre donated $132 to the Sandy Hook Elementary PTA. The theater donated $1 for every paper snowflake patrons cut at its monthly bar-art night in January.

nonprofits

Vicky Gouge of Full Moon Design Group Inc. has been elected to the board of directors for Promise House, an Oak Cliff-based nonprofit that provides support to homeless, runaway and at-risk teens. Gouge will serve as chairperson of the marketing committee for the nonprofit’s Prom Squared fundraiser and will assist the staff marketing department.

clubs

The Kessler-Stevens Park Book Club is looking for misplaced club records from the past 75 years. Club members are writing a detailed history and collecting records to be shared with the community and archived in the downtown Dallas Public Library. Do you or your mother have any photos, meeting minutes, newspaper articles or other club ephemera? If so, please contact Jan at 214.943.7133.

people

Jason Roberts of the Better Block and Bike Friendly Oak Cliff was a finalist for the Dallas Morning News’ “Texan of the Year” award. Roberts was selected for his efforts in “teaching communities how to reverse blight and decay.”

Juan Contreras of El Padrino restaurant is LULAC Council 4871 Dallas Rainbow Council’s “man of the year” for 2012. Contreras was recognized for his volunteerism and helping to expand the council’s scope and membership.

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.

Achievement in art

Oak Cliff-based artist Stephen Lapthisophon received the 2012 Moss/Chumley award from the Meadows Museum at SMU. The award is given annually to an outstanding North Texas artist who has exhibited professionally for at least 10 years and has a track record as an advocate for the visual arts. From left to right: Meadows Museum director Mark A. Roglán , curator Nicole Atzbach and Lapthisophon. Photo by Tamytha Cameron

Angkor what?

World travelers Jeff and Christine Pope brought the Advocate on their recent trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia, “while visiting the amazingly well preserved ancient temples of Angkor Wat,” Christine says.

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Buy/sell/Trade

MAvS/DALLAS STARS TICKETS Neighborhood group needs partners for great Dallas Mavs/Dallas Stars seats — tickets are priced at our cost; 2 seats for each game. Mavs seats are in Platinum Level Section 204, front row; Stars seats are Section 123, Row B (second row from the glass).

E-mail rwamre@advocatemag.com or call 214-560-4212. We have great Rangers seats available, too!

OLD GUITARS WANTED Gibson, Fender, Gretsch, Martin. 1920s-1980s. Top dollar paid. Toll Free 1-866-433-8277

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

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ATLANTIS DESIGN-BUILD, LLC

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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

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

O’BRIEN GROUP INC. Professional Home Remodel. Shannon O’Brien. 214-341-1448 www.obriengroupinc.com

PREVIEW CONSTRUCTION INC.

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CleAning ServiCeS

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

LAST MINUTE House Cleaning. When no one else will clean I will. Bonded. Leslee 214-438-7790

WINDOW MAN WINDOW CLEANING.COM Residential Specialists. BBB. 214-718-3134

ComputerS & eleCtroniCS

IQUEUE MEDIA COMPANY 214-478-8644 TV Installation, Computer Repair, Security.

ConCrete/ mASonry/pAving

CONCRETE REPAIRS/REPOURS

Demo existing.

Driveways/Patio/Walks

Pattern/Color available 972-672-5359 (32 yrs.)

eleCtriCAl ServiCeS

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

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4 QUALITY FENCING Call Mike 214-507-9322

Specializing in Wood, New or Repair.

CREATIVE METAL SOLUTIONS LLC

Automatic Gates, Fence, Stairs, Stair/Balcony Railings, Wine Cellar Gates. 214-325-4985

Flooring & CArpeting

CUTTING EDGE FLOORING Hardwoods, Carpet, Tile. New/Repair. 972-822-7501

STAINED & SCORED CONCRETE FLOORS

New/Remodel. Res/Com. Int/Ext. Refin. 15 Yrs. TheConcreteStudio.com 214-321-1575

WORLEY TILE & FLOORING

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gArAge doorS

GARAGE DOOR & SPRING REPAIR

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glASS, WindoWS & doorS

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Specializing in Replacement Windows & Doors. Dan Cupp 972-742-6011 cuppdw@pella.com

• frameless and framed shower doors & enclosures • many glass & hardware options

premium quality custom shower doors & enclosures 214-530-5483 showerdoordallas.com

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interior deSign

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FURNITURE PAINTING Tired of old Kitchen or Bathroom Cabinets. Let us make them over in a hot new paint treatment. Jamie or Kay 214-773-7221

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Someone jimmied the window open.

Deanna Waskom and her family had been out of town for the holiday season. Plans called for a few nice days with friends and family in Arkansas. Then a call from their grandson shook them out of their festive, holiday mood.

The Victim: Deanna Waskom

The Crime: Burglary

Date: Saturday, Dec. 29

Time: Between 11 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Location: 3100 block of rugged

Someone had broken into their home through a locked window, and made off with expensive electronics: a computer, digital camera and flatscreen TV. The loot totaled more than $3,000 in stolen property.

To make matters worse, Waskom works as a tax preparer each tax season and the computer that was stolen had much of her software. The burglary also happened right during the busy time of year for a tax preparer.

Waskom was still in Arkansas when she spoke with the Advocate, and the burglary was a major concern during what should have been a fun and relaxing time of year.

“We’re pretty devastated,” she says of the crime.

The Waskoms kept serial numbers and receipts of all the electronics that were stolen and hope that will help investigators track down their property if it is pawned.

Dallas Police Lt. Gil Garza of the Southwest Patrol Division says most home burglars are amateurs looking for easy targets. They look for homes that present the least risk of detection, the greatest opportunity for easy gain and the maximum potential for escape. Burglars look for homes that appear unoccupied and unprotected, without adequate locks and lighting, open or unlocked doors and windows and homes providing easy concealment from neighbors and passing motorists.

Garza urges residents to stay vigilant in taking security measures whenever possible to prevent becoming a victim. The Waskoms made a wise decision in keeping serial numbers and information about their electronics, he says.

SkyligHtS

Installing Since 1995

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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.

$10

Counterfeit bill someone attempted to use to pay for gas at a Shell station on South Hampton Dec. 28

Source: Dallas Police Department

crime numbers

$20

Counterfeit bill someone attempted to use to pay for gas at a Valero station on South Hampton Jan. 7

$100

Counterfeit bill someone attempted to use to pay for groceries at Super Mercado Monterrey on West Jefferson Dec. 23

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 second Time around

These Oak Cliff couples are testaments to love story sequels

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

It’s February, and love is in the air! For some Oak Cliff boomers, that air has certainly produced results.

“I never, ever, ever, ever thought I’d even think about getting married again, but then I met [choking up] the sweetest woman in the world. [Now tearing up.] Now I’m getting married,” explained David Mendez at the April 2012 wedding shower hosted by the Oak Cliff Boomers Facebook group at the Charco Broiler on Jefferson, “and I’m so happy.”

And just how did he meet his then future wife?

Jayne Brumit Fisher began attending the Facebook group’s parties and says she noticed David right away.

“But there was one problem. I thought the lady with him was his wife.” At the dance event, Mendez (Kimball ’67) gazed at the table where Fisher (Kimball ’73) sat with a woman she assumed was Mendez’s wife. But Fisher noticed that each time Mendez spun and faced the table, he was mouthing, “Help!” pleading to be rescued from his current dance partner. Fisher leaned over and said to the woman, “You need to go dance with your husband.”

“The woman started laughing,” Fisher giggles. “Then I found out she was his sister, not his wife.” Fisher immediately walked over and asked for the rest of the dance. “We started dating and, in less than a year after our first dance, we were married.” “It’s wonderful. We are so very happy,” Jayne (now) Mendez shares. “I think it is true that love is sweeter as we get older.”

When 15-year-olds Bruce Edwards and Celia Hopkins first met on Aug. 25, 1963, they became instant friends. Often, when the young Dallas Morning News carrier threw his route at 4 a.m., he’d knock on Hopkins’s window to see if she wanted to join him. She usually took a pass. The two ended up dating

quite a lot during their 1965 senior year at Kimball but split it off when they attended the same college. Hopkins married someone else, as did Edwards, and the pair had no further communication … until 1996. While planning for her junior high school reunion, one of the workers, a detective, asked Hopkins who she’d like to find. She answered, “Bruce Edwards,” and paid the guy $20. “That was the best $20 I ever spent,” Hopkins chuckles.

Edwards was divorced and Hopkins, after first being widowed, was in the same process. They began seeing each other and the relationship rekindled.

“He never pressured me about anything,” Hopkins says. “He was patient and always very sweet.”

Hopkins’s late father and her mother had always been sad that the high school sweethearts hadn’t married. So after Edwards’s proposal, Hopkins’s mother, wagging her finger, responded, “I always told you he was a nice boy.” And Edwards’s dad? “Well, it’s about time!” he laughed.

The pair exchanged vows on Aug. 18, 2001, but then, along with some family members, flew to St. Lucia to repeat the same, on the beach, on Aug. 25, exactly 38 years after they first met.

Minnie Elliott Busby, as an Adamson alumni association board member (class of ’59), visited hospitalized

alums. That’s where she first met Bill Titsworth, class of ‘60.

Titsworth was lying in a hospital bed, with a full beard and a head full of shaggy hair (due to his lengthy hospital stay). Busby, along with another board member, chatted with him, and, as was her duty, visited the patient several additional times. Evidently, she made an impression.

Later, the now clean-shaven Titsworth called, asking Busby to join him for lunch. The pair began watching movies together and discovered that, as Titsworth says, “we enjoyed each others’ company.” In less than 18 months, while driving back from Oak Cliff, Busby’s future fiancé proposed the following: “I don’t really recommend this, but would you care to marry me?”

Bubsy, in her trademark, straightforward tone, responded with, “When and where?”

Quickly understanding his need of a fast answer, Titsworth replied, “Feb. 29 — so I’ll only forget our anniversary once every four years — and on the front steps of Adamson.”

Kimball graduates David mendez and Jayne Fisher met through the oak Cliff Boomers Facebook group. Photo by tiffany noelle Fisher

“Well, only after I ask your mother for your hand in marriage,” Busby responded.

After their Feb. 14 wedding license purchase — what Busby says was probably a laughable moment for the county licensing office’s young staff: two 70-year-olds purchasing a marriage license on Valentine’s Day — the couple exchanged vows just as the groom had proposed, on the front steps of W. H. Adamson High School, on Feb. 29, 2012.

The Rev. Donald Coke (Adamson ’44) officiated, with a small group of witnesses that included the Adamson principal and several alumni. Dressed in blue and white, and a blue and white bridal bouquet (to honor the school colors), the Titsworths are, as far as I know, the only couple in Oak Cliff — or possibly the state — to marry on their high school steps. (Maybe the country. Maybe the world!)

There’s a 1960s song titled “The Second

Time Around,” and it certainly seems that the song rings true for the Mendezes, Edwardses, and Titworths. Ah, love! Sometimes it is sweeter the second time around.

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 book, “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.

Adamson alumni Bill Titsworth and Minnie Elliott Busby met more than 50 years after they graduated high school and married on their alma mater’s front steps.

Bruce Edwards and Celia Hopkins met when they were 15 and dated their senior year at Kimball High School (even attending the 1965 prom together). More than three decades later, they rekindled their romance.