2013 May Oak Cliff

out of darkness

Bright futures emerge for graduating seniors who rose above serious illness and the loss of a parent

brilliant minds operate.

Advanced Brain and Spine Care

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.

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

MethodistHealthSystem.org/Neuro

Photo of high-school senior Jackie Brown by Danny Fulgencio.

A me A sure of hA ppiness

Purpose is an ongoing journey, not a final destination

We spend enough time looking for happiness that it makes perfect sense to work at the task, maybe hard enough to burrow a trail in the road of life.

As we all know, though, living your life and loving it don’t always go handin-hand.

But it happens, and that’s why, when I met this particular woman a few months ago, I thought she was one of the lucky ones. She was confident. She walked with authority. She seemed happy.

Turns out she grew up in a small town, went to school nearby and then, for reasons not entirely clear even to her, she came to Dallas to live the dream. She didn’t have a job, an apartment or even any friends here — she just decided she wanted to live in Dallas, and so she did.

It was great, she says of the beginning, full of opportunities and excitement. Anything seemed possible, and trying to make it so was part of the fun.

Her story is a lot like the stories you’ll read in our magazine this month. The high school seniors we’re profiling worked hard to dig out of holes not always of their making to earn a high school diploma and, hopefully, a ticket to a better life.

As you’ll notice from the seniors’ stories, these students are filled with optimism and enthusiasm. Why wouldn’t they be? They’re young, and they have every reason to expect their lives to unfold according to their plans.

Perhaps their dreams will be realized. Then again, perhaps not. Most of us have already been there, right? We may be living the dream, but it’s likely not the dream we had in high school.

After many years of doing essentially the same thing, the woman I met says “fun” and “excitement” don’t pop into many of her sentences or weekends. Life is fine, she says. It’s just not what she thought it would be.

So much promise and so many plans when she first arrived. Now it all seems so long ago.

“I was so brave back then,” she says wistfully. “I wasn’t afraid of anything.”

She’s doing fine, so no need to worry. She just wishes things were different. Not specifically different. Just different.

And she’s using her younger self as the ultimate measuring stick.

That’s not what I wish for our graduating seniors. Instead, to measure their success, I hope they use one of those

To measure their success, i hope they use one of those long, retractable tape measures that can be extended and snapped back with a flick of the thumb. That’s what success and happiness are anyway, just quick flicks that can leave as quickly as they arrive.

long, retractable tape measures that can be extended and snapped back with a flick of the thumb.

That’s what success and happiness are anyway, just quick flicks that can leave as quickly as they arrive.

Better than just hoping for success is remaining brave enough to keep trying new things. It’s hard to be bored or unhappy when you don’t allow yourself time to look back at the ruts in your road.

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neighborhoods, one copy per reader. Advocate was founded in 1991 by Jeff Siegel, Tom Zielinski and Rick Wamre.

The sign should stay [“What is the future of the Alamo Plaza sign?” Advocate daily news blog, March 25]. We’ve already lost too many of these great historical markers.

—Deanne Teeter

Keep the sign! It’s a cultural and historic landmark. —cynthiamulcahy

What? I was at the meeting where the developer said the sign wouldn’t be moved and that everybody should just relax. Now they want to move the sign. Leave it where it is, or else you are going to be branded as liars that can’t be trusted. No real estate developer wants that legacy.

Oakcliff Blues

To be clear, we have plans in development for using the sign on our site, which was our original intention. However, community members have come forward suggesting that we allow it to be used as public art to represent West Dallas and the Fort Worth Avenue corridor. As we’ve said before, we’re open to all ideas for breathing new, vibrant life into the sign and allowing it to benefit the greater West Dallas area. —cooper Smith Koch,

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Car Garage w/Pool in Stevens Park Ged Dipprey | www.NorthOakCliff.com

Nick Badovinus is a James Beard Award semifinalist in the category of restaurateur for his astoundingly popular restaurants Neighborhood Services, Off-Site Kitchen and the Tried and True. He is one of the hottest dudes in the Dallas restaurant business, and he lives in Kessler Park. Yet amid our neighborhood’s culinary renaissance, there is no restaurant here from Flavor Hook, Badovinus’ 5-year-old company.

Where is our Oak Cliff Neighborhood Services?

I’m always a little torn because it’s my sanctuary. Over there, I can be a customer. It’s nice to have a place to go where you’re just home. When I take the left on Sylvan and start going up the hill, I’m going home; I’m not going to work. It’s really nice to live there and not work there. Not that I would mind a live/ work relationship, but it’s nice to have some separation.

So you love Oak Cliff, just like the rest of us. It’s just got the best people in the city. My neighbors are all re-

ally wonderful. It’s a wonderful place to live. The topography is great. I love my house. It’s just a great place to be. It’s its own thing. The Cliff is just most wonderful in the ways I personally identify with.

Where do you like to eat in Oak Cliff?

El Si Hay… the corn man is… it’s my favorite place. It’s one of the reasons I moved there, honestly. We’ve been getting corn from there for a long time. It’s unique. It wasn’t part of my experience growing up [in Washington state]. I always bring out-of-towners there.

Chris Arrant

What other restaurants in the ’hood do you like?

Right across the street from the corn man is Bolsa. What they’ve done is fantastic. The food is consistently good; it always has a good vibe. What Spillers [Group] has done over there [Eno’s] is great. I like to hang out at Ten Bells. I like Nova...what Driftwood is doing is just phenomenal. Boulevardier is great Oh, and I’m really excited for Jay Jerrier’s New York pizza to come. It’s going to be different.

Do we really need another pizza place in Oak Cliff?

You can never have too much. It’s totally impossible. And this is going to be different than any other place.

What restaurant would you like to see in Oak Cliff?

If you’re a serial restaurateur … I love restaurants. I think I’m far more fan-boy than expert. Going into a place that’s got a small footprint and is independent. If someone’s really got the confidence to look into their soul and produce a personal experience it’s a very human-type deal. I love seeing people’s belief systems on display, and it takes great courage to do that.

What are you most proud of with your restaurants?

They’re all able to pay their own bills. That’s pretty great. Making good food isn’t the end; it’s a means. The definition of being in business is that it’s sustainable, and we have four very sustainable little joints, and a place where people can earn a living and take care of their families. [Flavor Hook employs about 125 people.] They’re able to pay for school or buy a motorcycle or do whatever is important for their happiness.

What makes your concepts so successful?

I wanted to create nothing of real scale but a federation of independently minded businesses that share some DNA, all built on a similar foundation. The skeleton is the same, but the flesh is very different.

I’m very dedicated to the idea of creating your place. I want to create a neighborhood place. Everyone I worked for always had big ideas. I never worked anywhere that I wasn’t working for someone who had big ambitions and wanted to be at the top. It’s infectious. I don’t know how to be any different.

What’s next for Flavor Hook?

A second Off Site Kitchen. We want to connect the market with an easier distribution model, if you will. We’ve got to make that product easier to get. The space [on Irving Boulevard] is very tight. The sweet spot is between 60 and 100 degrees, where people will wait outside, and that’s about it. We’re committed to doing more Neighborhood Services. We’ve got tons of ideas. Ideas are the easy part; there’s never a shortage of ideas in the world, but I think a couple of them might be good ones. There’s a seafood business we’d like to do. A hoofbased protein business; a premium protein house. Pizza is always it’s a siren song. I’m an enthusiast. I always try to do stuff that we’re naturally enthusiastic about. I won’t be offering a stir-fry deal. I’m not the one to bring authentic Peruvian to the market. Not my deal. We will do things that we have legitimacy to author. If we think we’ve got something to say in the marketplace, we will work for that.

Tell us about the James Beard thing. What was your reaction to being a semifinalist?

That’s a team deal. Everyone contributes to that. From line cooks to vendors, everyone associated with our company is a part of that. It’s a true team award, and it’s humbling to make it that far. It’s humbling to be a part of that. This is a team sport. What’s happening behind the bar is just as important as the service and what’s coming out of the kitchen all of those things need to work for a restaurant to work. Our business models are sound, and I’m proud of that. But it’s not good food for the sake of doing good food. It’s a financial vehicle for people to have families and live their dreams. —Rachel Stone

Focused with continued enthusiasm

• Continuing with one of the lowest crime rates in the city

• Working with neighborhoods and merchants to continue revitalization

• Continuing to work with partners for a successful Streetcar project

• Continuing to focus on Streets, Curbs and Alleys in our area

Early Voting: April 29- May 7 Election Day: May 11

Sculpting legends

Texas Christian University created a college football arena like no other when it renovated its Amon G. Carter Stadium last year. When the new stadium was unveiled in September 2012, the work of an Oak Cliff artist, Dan Brook, honored the donors who made the $164 million project happen. Brook, an Oklahoma native who played football for Baylor University, created eleven larger-than-life bronze statues of the benefactors. He also made and installed six 22-foot-tall reliefs representing the Texas industries that made their wealth possible. “It grew into the largest art

project in the Southwest, and it was the largest art installation of any stadium,” Brook says. Brook, who moved to Oak Cliff about four years ago and has a studio near the Belmont Hotel, was a psych major at Baylor. Upon graduation, he went into real estate. “I made good money, but I didn’t enjoy it,” he says. He saw a sculptor working at an art fair, and that guy, Barvo Walker, became his teacher and mentor in a new career. “I’m just fascinated with people. I’ve always observed people, and I think that’s why I’m so drawn to portraiture,” Brook says. “People’s faces are a terrain.” Some of

his subjects for the TCU project were already dead, so he created their statues based on photos and any biographical information he could find. He met and spent time with all the others.

“It’s about trying to sculpt what’s inside the person,” he says. “That’s when you really start to get good.”

Brook currently is working on a statue of Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III for Baylor as well as a 14foot fountain for a client in Kurdistan.

“I was part of the rank and file of the discontent,” he says. “Now I’ve found what I was created to do.” —Rachel

Stone

Hilary Schleier

214.560.4203

the goods

pAiNtiNG WitH A tWiSt

Express your inner artist! instructors lead attendees in creating paintings with a featured piece of art, bring nothing more than your imagination, wine or beverage. perfect for private parties as well. 5202 Lovers Ln. 214.350.9911 paintingwithatwist.com

BRUMLEY GARDENS

Give Mom roses she can enjoy all year with the beautiful photography in this coffee table book, Empress of the Garden. A perfect gift sure to please. Brumley Gardens - Lake Highlands: 10540 Church Rd. 214.343.4900 & Bishop Arts:

the Advocate Foundation’s limited-edition, numbered, and hand-painted ornament; perfect gift for the new home owner or Dallas transplant. Sales benefit neighborhood organizations. 214.292.0486 foundation.advocatemag.com

What gives?

Small ways that you can make a big difference for nonprofits

Sip cocktails and have a nosh…

…at the Trinity River Audubon Center’s fundraiser, Scissor-tails & Cocktails, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 9. Bolsa Mercado is providing hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, and the evening includes live music, stargazing, a campfire and sunset tours. Tickets start at $75 each, and proceeds benefit the Audubon center, 6500 Great Trinity Forest Way, 214.398.8722, trinityriver.audubon.org.

Join the Supper Club…

…at Oak Cliff-based AIDS Services of Dallas. Volunteers provide home-cooked meals about once a month to ASD residents, providing food and fellowship to men and women who have little time for social interaction. AIDS Services of Dallas, 214.941.0523, aidsdallas.org.

Eat breakfast…

…and “unlock the dream” with Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity. The nonprofit’s annual Unlock the Dream Breakfast fundraiser is from 8-9 a.m. Tuesday, April 30, at the Belo Mansion. This complimentary breakfast encourages community members to donate, volunteer or otherwise make a difference for Habitat for Humanity’s mission of making homeownership a reality for low-income neighbors. Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity, 2800 N. Hampton, 214.678.2300, dallasareahabitat.org, RSVP to rcarey@dallas-habitat.org.

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.

The dream becomes reality

In 1976, Laurie Duran and her husband, Catarino, rented the space at 405 N. Bishop for their business, Catarino’s Ornamental Plaster. “People always talked about fixing up Bishop way back then, and now it’s come to reality,” says Duran, who has lived near Kidd Springs Park since 1978. The Durans moved their business from Bishop in 1990, and later, an investment group bought the building. Linda Holt of Square Foot Inc. was part of the partnership that once owned it. “It is amazing to look at the transformation that Bishop Arts has gone through,” she says. “It certainly isn’t an all-of-a-sudden thing. Lots of peope have taken the risk in order for us to have the luxury of fine restaurats, great shopping and services at our doorstep.” Spillers Group, which owns Eno’s, Oddfellows and Union Bear, bought the building in 2009.

—Rachel Stone

Right: The storefront adjacent to what is now Eno’s, which now houses the Laughing Willow boutique. Opposite page: A shot taken from what is now Eno’s, looking down Bishop to Bob’s Market, which is now the retail development anchored by Cafe Brazil. Photos courtesy of Laurie Duran

This stitched panorama shows a typical springtime night in the Bishop Arts District. Photo by Danny Fulgencio

Out & About

MAY 2013

May 2 Lisa Loeb

Reality bites, even in north Oak Cliff. Nineties heartthrob, Dallas native and captivating songstress Lisa Loeb hosts her CD release party at the Kessler. That’s right, kids: She’s selling compact discs. Ask Wikipedia what it means. Loeb has appeared in our ’hood before, to schlep her eyeglass line and perform at the Foundry. Her newest album is “No Fairy Tale.” Kessler Theater, 1220 W. Davis, thekessler.org, $20-$28

May 5

Oak Cliff Cinco de Mayo

The big parade down Jefferson Boulevard starts at 11 a.m. and includes a $1,000 prize for the best float. There will be DJs, vendors and tailgaters on every block. The after-party, at Casa Guanajuato, is from noon-8 p.m. and includes live music, performances from dance troupes, games and a beer garden.

Casa Guanajuato, 1002 W. Brooklyn, cincodemayo-dallas.com

May 9 and 23

Barefoot at the Belmont

This Thursday-night concert series runs through Aug. 8. This month’s acts include Ronnie Fauss and J.D. McPherson on May 9 and Katsük on May 23.

Ticket prices vary, and shows start at 7 p.m. kxt.org/barefoot

May 10-12

The Source Family

Featured at the Texas Theatre, this documentary looks into the outlandish lifestyle, popular celebrity-hangout restaurant, rock band and beautiful women of the Source Family, a cult founded by a guy calling himself Father Yod in Los Angeles in the ’60s and ’70s. Father Yod, along with his 13 “wives,” instigated local authorities and eventually fled to Hawaii, where he met a dramatic end.

231 W. Jefferson, 214.948.1546

thetexastheatre.com

May 19

Nick Gaitan and the Umbrella Man

This Houston-based combo performs country, rockabilly, swamp pop, conjunto and more to get you up out of your seat and dancing. Their set starts at 9 p.m. at the Foundry, 2303 Pittman, 214.749.1112, cs-tf.com

May 7

‘The Lorax’

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff screens this film, based on the Dr. Seuss story, as part of its first-Tuesday film series.

The movie starts at 7 p.m., 3839 W. Kiest, firsttuesdayfilms.org, 214.337.2429

May 4

Freedom Thinkers

The Basement Gallery hosts this group show featuring the work of artists with a focus on graffiti and pop art. The lineup includes: Chris Bingham, Miguel Don Juan, Artist DIY, Cecil III, Hatziel Flores, Christian Millet, Eqnox Ibarra, Mike Moffat, Thornton, Joe Skilz, Nick Kirk and Kevin Gilmore. 115 S. Beckley Ave., chrisbinghamart.com

MAY 19

Brew Riot

The fifth-annual Brew Riot is from 4-8 p.m. at Eno’s. About 25 teams are expected to participate in the homebrew competition and vie for the people’s choice award as well as prizes from a panel of tasters.

Tasting tickets, which include brew samples and one people’s choice vote each, cost $20. 407 N. Bishop, brewriot.com

MAY 26

Margarita Meltdown

Some of the best restaurants and bars in Dallas will compete to create the city’s best margarita, from 5-10 p.m. in the Bishop Arts District. Proceeds from the contest benefit La Voz del Anciano, an Oak Cliff-based nonprofit that serves elderly Latinos.

Tickets cost $20 in advance or $25 on the day of the event.

dallasmargaritameltdown.com

“Leaving the Past” by Eqnox Ibarra

Delicious

Patio dining

Mesa Veracruz coastal cuisine

118 W. Jefferson 214.941.4246

Mesa

AMBIANCE: MODERN

PRICE RANGE: $8-$20

HOURS:

TUESDAY-THURSDAY, 5-10 P.M.

FIRDAY-SATURDAY, 5-11 P.M.

SUNDAY, 11 A.M.-3 P.M. AND 5-8 P.M.

CLOSED MONDAY

—Rachel Stone

owner Raul Reyes Sr. is a DIY guy. The chef envisioned a huge patio at the rear of his family-owned Jefferson Boulevard restaurant, and with the aid of a few helpers, he made it a reality. The back patio is a great place to dine on Mesa’s amazing enchiladas de mole, cochinita pibil or the signature guiso del rey in the wintertime. In warm weather, there is no breeze, and the owners close it off for the season. But Reyes, always an idea man, has transformed the front of the restaurant too. Mesa’s new storefront includes a walk-up bar and windows that open the restaurant to the street. So the sweetness of spring and the unique energy of West Jefferson come through, even when you’re sitting inside.

DID YOU KNOW?

HUSBAND-AND-WIFE OWNERS OLGA AND RAUL REYES COME FROM THE SAME TOWN IN MExICO, ALvARADO, vERACRUz. THEIR CHILDREN, RAUL AND JARETzY, ALSO WORK IN THE RESTAURANT.

Guiso del rey at Mesa. Photo by Danny Fulgencio

3 Pour House Dallas

right across the street from the Kessler Theater, is a great place to have a beer or a “man-mosa” (a mimosa served in a pilsner glass) while watching the haps on West Davis.

A selection of snacks from Bar Belmont, and its downtown view. Photo by Elliott Muñoz

Mamma mia!

Hess Treo [$17] California

One of the many facts the wine business sloughs off is that women buy most of the wine in the United States — as much as 60 percent, according to some surveys. From reading wine writing, you’d assume that men dominated the market, and that everyone wanted to drink big, heavy red wines.

So what better way to mark Mother’s Day than by acknowledging how important women are to the wine business? Here are three wines to give Mom for a gift or to enjoy at Mother’s Day brunch:

• Estancia Pinot Grigio ($9): Estancia, part of the multinational Constellation Brands, produces some of the most interesting and best-priced grocery store wine. Look for flowery aromas, soft lemon fruit, and an Italian sort of minerality on the back.

• Goats do Roam Rosé ($10): This South African wine has strawberry fruit that becomes more cranberry and is more European in style. Very nicely done and a fine value.

• Hess Treo ($17): This California red blend is balanced and fruity, but the red fruit is just one part of the wine and doesn’t overwhelm it. A good example of what can be done to make wine that appeals to someone other than critics.

—Jeff Siegel

Jeff Siegel WRiTeS

abouT Wine

and neighborhood dining news every Friday on oakcliff.advocatemag.com

Ask the wine guy

What’s a blind tasting?

That’s when you taste the wines without knowing what they are. It’s actually quite common, especially in wine competitions, and is something everyone should do at least once. If you don’t know what the wine is (except for the varietal and color), then you won’t be influenced by the label, the price or where the wine is from.

—Jeff Siegel

1007 N. WINDOMERE | SOLD

I love Oak Cliff for its lush topography, fascinating history, and colorful characters. The sense of community is unmatched anywhere else in Dallas.”

with your wine

Red velvet brownies

Remember all the times Mom made you brownies? Why not return the favor with this dessert? And if it doesn’t exactly pair with wine, so what — it’s Mother’s Day.

Grocery List

1 c unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ½ c granulated sugar

1 ½ c brown sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

2 oz red food coloring

4 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 ½ c all-purpose flour

6 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

½ tsp salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9x13 clear glass baking dish.

2. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in food coloring and vanilla, and mix until the color is fully incorporated. Mix flour, cocoa and salt in a separate bowl. Slowly add in the flour mixture, and don’t over-mix. The batter will be very thick.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, 35 minutes for a thin crust on top and gooey underneath. Set aside to cool, cut into bars and serve.

Makes about two dozen, takes about an hour

kids these days

Throughout May, commencement speakers everywhere beseech young graduates to embrace opportunity as they step into a bright future. Each graduate has a story about his or her journey to this day. Some have traversed dark and challenging terrain ...

For those, the light is especially brilliant.

Story by Rachel Stone // Photos by Danny Fulgencio

symmer cano

Jackie Brown

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health & wellness

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Less than a year ago, Jackie Brown was waiting tables at an Oklahoma City IHOP, often until midnight or 1 a.m.

The 18-year-old, who now lives in Kessler Park, supported herself with that job while living with a friend’s family. Her mom died of breast cancer on Dec. 31, 2011, and her stepdad, a recovering addict, had become increasingly unstable after his wife died.

When school started in August, the blondhaired, blue-eyed Jackie started waking up for 6 a.m. cheerleader practice after nights of slinging hotcakes, and she was weary.

“I was like, ‘Is cheerleading really this important to me?’ ” she recalls. Nothing was going right for her in Oklahoma, she says. So she packed all her belongings and her little dog, Sissy, into her 2003 Saturn and drove to the home of her aunt, Martha Kelly, in Oak Cliff.

Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts accepted her as a senior, a very rare move for the school. They liked Jackie’s photography and art portfolio, they felt for her personal story, and she had good grades, says school counselor Laurie Freelove.

Texas’ high school curriculum is a little more rigorous than Oklahoma’s, Jackie says. Her first semester, she had to take 11 classes to make up all the requirements to graduate by June. This semester, she’s taking only two extra classes (for a total of nine), world geography and world history.

But there’s no waiting tables until midnight now. Jackie’s school counselor told her there was no way she could have a job and still complete her schoolwork, and her aunt Martha agreed. For this year of her life at least, Jackie has to worry only about herself.

That hasn’t always been the case. When she was 8 years old, both of her parents went to prison on drug charges. She went to live with a paternal uncle and his wife and daughter in their hometown, Poteau, Okla. She says she

felt a little like Cinderella in their home, and one of her aunts still calls her “Cindy,” she says.

“I felt like an orphan,” she says. “My mom used to brush my teeth for me, and then I had to learn to do everything for myself, everything.”

When her mom was released from prison in 2008, she remarried to someone she met in recovery and moved to Sayer, Okla.

“I hated my stepdad at first,” Jackie says. “But now I realize how much he loved my mom and me. He took such good care of us.”

She is rueful because she recently learned that her stepdad has returned to prison. She wishes she could’ve done something to help him, she says.

Reminded that she was just a kid who lost her mother, she shrugs and looks off.

Then she remembers how great her life is now, and she brightens.

Southern Methodist University’s studio art program offered her guaranteed admission for the fall 2014 semester, as long as she completes 24 hours of coursework at a community college before then. She will get to hone her craft as an art photographer and “dabble” in anything else that interests her, she says.

Her aunt Martha and uncle, Jim King, sent her to Italy over spring break with a class trip. And this summer, she will tour Europe for a month with other Booker T. grads.

“My aunt wanted me to go because it’s something she never got to experience, so she wanted me to have that,” Jackie says.

And she has a boyfriend, a rock ’n’ roll drummer, who drove up to Oklahoma to spend Easter with Jackie and her family.

“It just feels like everything is falling into place,” she says. “I get to be around all of this art and music that I love. When I was working at IHOP, I never thought I would be doing all this.”

“When I was working at IHOP, I never thought I would be doing all this.”

some, a rough upbringing gives way to selfand underachievement. Booker T’s Jackie Brown is an exception.

P090127.1

State Farm Home Office, Bloomington, IL

An oft-debilitating illness hasn’t stilled Symmer Cano’s ambition.

Every year, Symmer Cano’s church, Christian Family Center, engages in a Daniel Fast.

The diet of fruits, veggies, nuts and water is inspired by the Bible story in which the prophet Daniel ate only vegetables and drank water.

Symmer and her family always participate, but usually, with exceptions, bread and cheese being the two main exceptions. Symmer was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 8, and her health had been suffering, especially in the past year.

“She would get an infection, and we would have to go to the emergency room,” says Symmer’s dad, Mondy Cano. “The doctors would tell us, like, they might have to amputate her foot eventually.”

Symmer’s mom, Deborah Cano, had read a book about the advantages of a vegan diet for diabetics, and she wanted to try it.

So that’s why this year, the Canos went all in on the Daniel Fast.

The first week, Symmer called her mom to report that her sugar had dropped. “I told her to eat something,” Deborah recalls. Then the next week, her blood sugar levels dropped dangerously low. So her doctor lowered her daily insulin prescription.

Two months later, Symmer was off insulin entirely thanks to her vegan diet.

Since then, they have started reintroducing some foods and then testing her sugar levels to see how the foods affect her. Bread and tortillas are off the plate for good. But she sometimes eats dairy products now.

Gentle The Healing of Arts

Art Scavenger Hunt 10 am – 2 pm

Children’s Art Activity 10 am – 12 noon

Art in Action Sculpture Demo 10 am – 12:30 pm

Family Tours

Hourly from 10:15 am – 12:15 pm

Yoga in the Garden 11:30 am

Presented by YogaSport (weather permitting)

Creative Writing with The Writer’s Garret 12 pm

Storytime with Dallas Public Library 12:30 pm

NasherKids Live! 1 pm New York International Children’s Film Festival Kid Flix Mix

NasherKids Meal at Nasher Cafe 11 am – 2 pm

May 4 FREE ADMISSION NasherSculptureCenter.org

“She will go out to eat, and her friends are like, ‘Symmer, I can’t believe you’re not eating any of this stuff,’” Deborah says.

But the 18-year-old says it’s an easy choice. She would rather eat vegan than shoot up insulin every day.

“It’s not a diet,” she says. “It’s a new way of living for me.”

Symmer also was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a baby, and she attends Dallas Academy, near White Rock Lake, a school for students with learning differences.

It’s a small private school that also offers “the high school experience,” Deborah says.

Accepting 2013-14 applications for select grades

Come for a visit. stjohnsschool.org

214-328-9131 x103

Pre-k through Eighth Grade Co-educational Advocat Ad 2013 FINALpd 1 4/

Symmer got to be a cheerleader and go to homecoming and the prom, things that aren’t always offered in specialized schools.

Symmer’s church and school encourage volunteerism, so she gives her time to the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes, the North Texas Food Bank and Kiest Park Daycare. Two years ago, she went on a mission trip with her church to Costa Rica to donate shoes and food to an orphanage. And she helps raise money to dig water wells for impoverished communities in South America.

She also has attended Camp Sweeny, a three-week camp in North Texas exclusively for kids with diabetes, every year since she was 11.

Last June, Symmer turned 18, and in July, she got a tattoo on her wrist. It is trendy among Symmer’s peers in the type 1 diabetes subculture to be tattooed on their wrists instead of wearing medical-alert bracelets, Deborah says. In Symmer’s unique version, the word “diabetes” is part of a swirling infinity symbol.

“How can you argue with medical reasons for a tattoo?” the mom says.

Symmer plans to attend Southwestern College in Chula Vista, Calif., and she is considering a yearlong AmeriCorps program in Kentucky prior to that.

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.

69%

of our readers say they want to know more about private schools.

to advertise call 214.560.4203

“She would get an infection, and we would have to go to the emergency room. The doctors would tell us, like, they might have to amputate her foot eventually.”

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

Nonprofits

Preservation Dallas will give The Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts its 2013 Stewardship Award in a ceremony this month. The society won the award because of its dedication to maintaining the 101-year-old Turner House at 401 N. Rosemont. The Dallas Power and Light Building on South Tyler has been singled out for a preservation achievement award. The 84-yearold building is headquarters to Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters and a photography agency, Sisterbrother Mgmt. Old Oak Cliff Conservation League past president John McCall bought the building in 2007 and spent about three years renovating it.

Politics

Incumbents Delia Jasso and Scott Griggs are vying for the District 1 City Council seat that now includes most of our neighborhood in the May 11 city election. District 4 incumbent Dwaine Caraway is unopposed.

People

Restaurateur/chef Randall Copeland, a part owner of Boulevardier, died April 2. He was 39. The East Dallas native opened the acclaimed Restaurant Ava in Rockwall in 2009 and often was listed among the best chefs in Dallas.

HAVE

AN ITEM TO BE fEATurEd?

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

Business Buzz

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

Send business news tips to livElocal@aDvocatEmag.com

New York-style pizza

Zoli’s NY Pizza Tavern is the new restaurant concept from Jay Jerrier, owner of Il Cane Rosso. It features New Yorkstyle pizza by the slice for people who “hate” Cane Rosso’s authentic Neapolitan pizza. And it’s coming as soon as this month to 202 W. Davis, a renovated Long John Silver’s that is the former home to BEE Enchiladería and The Quinn tavern. Here’s how the new restaurant’s Facebook page describes it: “If you hate Cane Rosso, you’ll love Zoli’s. True Old School NY style pizza joint — made with a love and a little bit of anger by a genuine I-talian from New York.” That “genuine I-talian” is Lee Hunzinger, who lives in Dallas and is developing the menu with Jerrier. Jerrier started Cane Rosso as a mobile business, offering catering and pop-up pizzerias from a brick oven on a trailer before opening Il Cane Rosso restaurant in Deep Ellum, and he recently opened a second Cane Rosso near White Rock Lake.

Learn something

A new nonprofit in Oak Cliff is keeping it old school, quite literally. School Class is a concept from California native John Neal. The school, which is adjacent to the Kessler Theater, invites community members to teach classes on topics including 3-D knitting, the history of death metal, hobo graffiti and other subjects you never learned in school. Neal says he wants the classes to be inspired and rarely repeated. Neal is taking the school theme all the way, offering lockers, electing a student council, publishing an annual yearbook and sponsoring field trips. Classes are free, although donations are accepted, and there’s drinking involved: School Class is byob.

Read something

The two guys behind Pata Negra, the monthly paella y película party at the Texas Theatre, have plans to open a bookstore in Bishop Arts. The Wild Detectives would be more than just a bookstore. Owners Javier Garcia del Moral and Paco Vique, both civil engineers from Spain, want to offer records, coffee, food and a bar.

most used logo black and white

on more business bits

—rachel stone rachel oak C liff.advo C atema G.C om/ B iz

more business buzz every week

1 Attorney Chad West is renovating a former car-stereo shop on West Davis at Tyler for his law practice. West, who founded the Dash for the Beads 5k, moved from Oak Cliff to a space in Oak Lawn last year. 2 The city of Dallas has commissioned Oak Cliff-based artist Carlos Donjuan to create murals on walls beneath the Jefferson Street Viaduct 3 Oak Cliff-based developer Brent Jackson broke ground last month on Sylvan | Thirty, a residential/retail development to be anchored by Cox Farms Market. The development is expected to open next year.

Classes/TuToring/ lessons

JEWELRY Making Parties at Art Gallery. BYOB & creativity. All else included! jewelrymakingparty.com or 1-855-254-6625

employmenT

AIRLINE CAREERS Begin Here. Become an Aviation Maintenance Tech. FAA Approved. Training. Financial Aid, if qualified. Housing available. Job placement assistance. AIM 866-453-6204

CREATE INCOME From The Internet. One On One Coaching & Group Support. www.MonthlyResidual.net

Business opporTuniTies

I’M LOOKING FOR A PART-TIME ASSISTANT

Must be a Go Getter. Computer Wiz. Call BJ Ellis 214-226-9875

serviCes for you

GLORIA’S FLOWERS Send The Finest Mother Day Flowers. 214-339-9273 gloriasflowersdallas.com 3101 Davis St.

Dash for the cheese

The fourth-annual Dash for the Beads 5k in February raised $12,500 for FIDO Oak Cliff. Standing, left to right, are overall 5k winner Carlos Colon, 2013 dash chair David Sassano, 2014 dash co-chair Chris Shultz, board member Taylor Catalano, FIDO board members Michael Reagan and Catherine Dodge-Reagan, and Good Space owner David Spence. Kneeling, left to right, are board member Brian Bleeker and co-chair Chad West.

BULLETIN BOARD

professional serviCes

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

peT serviCes

Metro Paws Animal Hospital is NOW OPEN! 1021 Ft. Worth Ave. (next door to the Belmont Hotel)

214.939.1600 Visit our website for a coupon dallasmetropaws.com

peT serviCes

In-Home Professional Care 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

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

esTaTe/garage sales

ESTATE SALES & LIQUIDATION SERvICES

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

Chuck Marcelo

AC & HeAt

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

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

NORTHAVEN AIR & HEAT

Affordable Quality, Jim. 972-365-1570

Full AC/Heat System $3,899. TACLA46391E

BLUE RIBBON

Heating & Air Conditioning 214-823-8888

214.526.8533

Installation & Repair

QuigleyAC.com

CArpentry & remodeling

FenCing & deCkS

Northlake Fence and Deck

Locally owned and operated by the Mccaffrey family since1980

214-349-9132

www.northlakefence.com

kitCHen/BAtH/ tile/grout

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS LLC

Complete Kitchen And Bath Remodels

Tile, Granite, Marble, Travertine, Slate Bonded And Insured. 214-563-5035 www.blake-construction.com

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

CleAning ServiCeS

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

CLEANING BY LT

General House Cleaning Linda 214-566-7743

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

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

CONCRETE REPAIRS/REPOURS

Demo existing. Driveways/Patio/Walks

Pattern/Color available

972-672-5359 (32 yrs.)

eleCtriCAl ServiCeS

4 U ELECTRICAL SERVICE, LLC

We will be there 4 U. 972-877-4183

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

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

G&G DEMOLITION Tear downs, Haul.

Interior/Exterior. 214-808-8925

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

RENOVATE DALLAS

renovatedallas.net 214-403-7247

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

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

FenCing & deCkS

#1 COWBOY FENCE & IRON CO. Est. ‘91. 214-692-1991 www.cowboyfenceandiron.com

4 QUALITY FENCING Call Mike 214-507-9322

Specializing in Wood, New or Repair.

CREATIVE METAL SOLUTIONS LLC

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

Flooring & CArpeting

STAINED & SCORED CONCRETE FLOORS

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

WORLEY TILE & FLOORING

Custom Marble Install. 214-779-3842

WE REFINISH!

• Tubs, Tiles or Sinks

• Cultured Marble

• Kitchen Countertops

• frameless and framed shower doors

glASS, WindoWS & doorS premium quality custom shower doors & enclosures

214-530-5483 showerdoordallas.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

Your Home Repair Specialists

Drywall Doors

214-631-8719

www.allsurfacerefinishing.com

lAWnS, gArdenS & treeS

ADVANCED TREE SERVICE

Quality Tree Trimming & Removal. 214-455-2095

BRUMLEY GARDENS Visit us on Facebook Landscape Maintenance, Installation & Design 214-343-4900 www.brumleygardens.com

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

ORTIZ LAWNCARE Complete Yard Care. Service by Felipe. Free Est. 214-215-3599

TEN55 DESIGN Landscape Design ten55design.com, 214-208-4366

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

Castro’s Tree Service

HandymanMatters.com/dallas

Senior Safety Carpentry Small & Odd Jobs And More! 972-308-6035

Bonded & Insured. Locally owned & operated.

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

interior deSign

CUSTOM DRAPERY Window Treatments, Blinds,Shades,Upholstery. Designer Workroom. 15% seniors & New Homeowners. Linda 214-212-8058 dblinda86@msn.com

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

June DeADLIne MAy 8 214.560.4203

TO ADVeRTISe

Jeff Castro 214-337-7097 214-725-1171 jridefree@aol.com

Tree Shaping, Cutting and Removal

JD’s Tree Service

RESPONSIBLE TREE CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Locally harvested wood!

Firewood/Cooking Wood Full service trimming & planting of native trees. 214.946.7138

moving

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

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

LEAFCHASER’S POOL SERVICE

Parts and Service. Chemicals and Repairs. Jonathan Mossman FREE ESTIMATES 214-729-3311

rooFing & gutterS

NATIONWIDE ROOFING,FENCING,GUTTERS

BBB member. 214-882-8719

S&H IMPROVEMENTS 972-231-4273

Hand-nailed Roofing In Dallas Since 1984

Lifetime Transferable Labor Warranty

Allstate Homecraft Roofing

•

214-824-0767

SkyligHtS

Installing Since 1995

Commercial & Residential Replacement, Repair & New Installation

Glass – Acrylic – Tubular Skylights 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 214-560-4203. Advocate Publishing recommends that you ask for and check references from each Advertiser that you contact, and we recommend that you obtain a written statement of work to be completed, and the price to be charged, prior to approving any work or providing an Advertiser with any deposit for work to be completed.

crime numbers |

$1,000 $30 $3,400

estimated value of copper wire stolen from Spring Hill Montessori School on Fort Worth Avenue March 25

estimated value of two pink knock-out rose bushes belonging to the Sunset Hill Neighborhood Association, stolen from cement urns in a Tenth Street median March 15

Source: Dallas Police Department crime statistics

estimated value of tools and roofing supplies stolen from Oak Cliff Presbyterian Church on South Hampton March 29

Sponsored by:

Friday Night Candlelight Tour & Pre-Party, 6 PM - 10 PM

Saturday, May 11th, 10 AM – 6 PM

Sunday, May 12th, NOON – 6 PM

Mother’s Day Music & Brunch In The Park, Sunday 11 AM – 2 PM

Tickets at area Whole Foods Markets, Talulah Belle in Lakewood, and online at SAHD.ORG. $20 In Advance, $25 Weekend Of Tour. Kids 12 & Under, Free.

For more information and to purchase tickets online, visit SAHD.ORG Brunch tickets $20. For brunch reservations, call 214.826.6075

Cliffites in Hollywood

The amount of talent that stems from our neighborhood may be unparalleled Comment. Visit oakcliff.advocatemag.com/ backstory to tell us what you think.

Quite amazingly, Oak Cliff has been the home, and sometimes the starting point, of numerous Hollywood stars. Here are the stories of three.

George Robert Phillips “Spanky” McFarland was born in 1928 at Methodist Hospital. With his face well recognized around the Dallas area, due to his many appearances in local ads and as a child model, the young local celebrity already had a substantial portfolio of adorable toddler and early childhood images, which McFarland’s aunt sent to Hollywood producer Hal Roach when she learned of the producer’s search for new child talent.

Calling the 3-year-old to California and immediately recognizing the youngster’s talent, Roach placed McFarland into the “Our Gang” short comedy movies, where McFarland quickly became one of Tinseltown’s most popular ’30s and ’40s child actors. He continued in the entertainment business, playing smaller roles in 14 feature films, appearing with, among others, Henry Fonda, Fred McMurry and Edward G. Robinson.

In 1954 McFarland entered the U.S. Air Force, then held a variety of retail and odd jobs, then hosted a children’s television program in Tulsa, Okla., launched the Nostalgia Channel, and then found success as a national sales trainer for Philco-Ford.

With the “Our Gang” series re-labeled as “The Little Rascals” and shown on television in the 1950s, McFarland again became a huge favorite with an entirely new generation. He spent years donating his name and time to a string of charity fundraisers while also continuing to make personal appearances, guest appearances and cameo roles in film and on television, with his final acting performance in a 1991 episode of “Cheers.”

McFarland moved back to the Dallas area but died of a heart attack in 1993. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In the late 1950s, McFarland’s parents lived at 407 N. Lancaster, and in the 1930s, his grandparents lived in a rent house lo-

played football

basketball,

track,

cated behind the Texas Theatre.

Wimberley Calvin Goodman, 1936 Sunset graduate, lived at 331 S. Rosemont. He

and

ran

was in the all-city chorus, was a cheerleader, was on both the Sundial and Stampede

Clockwise from top left: George Robert Phillips “Spanky” mcFarland, photo courtesy of Amanda mcFarland Hall; Spanky in the “Little Rascals”; Henry Calvin in his Disney days, photo courtesy of embelyne Bye; Louise Latham in Alfred Hitchcock’s “marnie”; Latham in the 1940 Sundial, the Sunset High School yearbook; Wimberley Goodman, aka Calvin, from the 1936 Sundial

staffs, and sang in his local church choir. After graduating from SMU, he moved to New York and appeared in several Broadway productions, most notably his 1953-1955 run in the musical “Kismet” and in its 1966 Kennedy Center revival.

The rotund actor, now known as Henry Calvin, then moved to Hollywood and nabbed a recurring role on television’s “The Howdy Doody Show” but came to the public’s attention when he co-starred as Sgt. Garcia on the 1957-1959 Disney TV serial “Zorro.” He made other TV episodes for Disney and also the movies “Toby Tyler” and “Babes in Toyland,” and he sang for the Disney Studios. His voice is on two selections in “Babes in Toyland,” and his rendition of “Never Smile at a Crocodile” was later added to Disneyland Records’ “Peter Pan” CD rerelease. Calvin appeared on (among others) television’s “Petticoat Junction,” “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” and in films “Ship of Fools” and “Broken Star.” Calvin passed away in 1975, in Dallas, and is interred at Grove Hill Cemetery.

Louise Latham, 1940 Sunset graduate, was her class’s Most Popular Senior Girl, a Bison cheerleader, secretary for the Thespians, All Around P. E. Girl, National Honor Society member and (not surprisingly) in the senior play and the one-act-play group. Latham began her professional acting career on Broadway but found an ongoing source of roles when she moved to Hollywood, where she appeared in well over 150 television programs (some in multiple episodes) that included “Perry Mason,” “Bonanza,” “Gunsmoke,” “Hawaii Five-0,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “ER,” “The X Files” and a long string of others. Playing most any part, from nuns to murderers, she holds

a résumé rich in character roles and co-starring appearances.

Latham appeared as Mrs. Perky Sugarbaker, the mother of Suzanne and Julia Sugarbaker, on “Designing Women” and, quite oddly, appeared in the first episode of “Family Affair” and the final episode of “The Fugitive,” where she was featured as the first person to learn the real circumstances of the death of Dr. Richard Kimble’s wife. However, her most notable role was as Bernice Edgar in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Marnie” (1964), playing the role of Tippi Hedren’s mother, although Latham was actually only eight years older than Hedren. In 1991 Latham appeared in “Crazy From the Heart,” a movie that also included another Oak Cliff actress, Belita Moreno.

Latham, who was twice her high school class secretary and recipient of the Linz Pin, is retired and lives in Santa Barbara, where, according to classmates, she still reads her Sunset High School newsletters.

It would be interesting to know if any other area of the country could match the amount of talent Oak Cliff has sent to Hollywood over the years. Next month’s column will continue the story, a story that just keeps growing …

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.