2013 August Oak Cliff

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The heroes around us

I’ve had a busy summer so far.

Jamie Foxx, Channing Tatum and I figured out a way to prevent world nuclear annihilation, although the White House and D.C. in general didn’t fare too well.

Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer and I tried to eliminate crime and robber barons from the Old West. We did pretty well, although as I think you know, our efforts to stamp out corporate greed in America really only slowed things down a bit.

Spock, Kirk and I also traveled somewhere light-years away to prevent Earth from being destroyed. That was pretty fun, too.

Superman and I haven’t gotten together yet, although I feel as if I already know the guy and his story. And I haven’t seen any of those touch-feely foreign language films yet. Maybe next month.

What have I learned from my summer adventures? Well, I know they’re only movies, but I was struck by the fact that the heroes weren’t getting shot and stabbed for the love of country, although there was a

lot of flag-waving during the action scenes. They weren’t putting their lives on the line because it was their “job” or because their boss told them to get in there and do it or because their shift hadn’t yet ended.

No, a sense of civic duty or corporate responsibility wasn’t the driving force behind their super-human efforts. Instead, they were motivated by something more personal.

Channing Tatum wanted to rescue his daughter from criminals, and he wanted to redeem her view of him as a father.

Armie Hammer wanted to avenge the death of his brother and rescue his brother’s wife and son, while Johnny Depp was motivated by a mistake he made as a child that he needed to rectify.

The Star Trek guys had all messed up in the past, and they were motivated to show everyone they really could do the right thing at the right time.

You could argue they performed their crazy feats of heroism because they believed in the greater good, or they felt as if they owed their neighbor a better life, or they simply were willing to risk their lives so the rest of us could live in peace and freedom.

And you wouldn’t be all wrong. But every hero (real and celluloid) has a back story, as they say in the movies, and every back story begins with some driving personal motivation or ambition, the need to impress someone or prove something to someone else.

The good news is that the movies aren’t the only places for back stories or heroism or honor.

We write about neighborhood heroes breaking free of the daily grind here in our magazine and every day in our online daily news update at advocatemag.com. We can see them all around us every day, if we just pay attention.

And if we look really hard, even without 3D glasses, we can even see a little bit of heroism in ourselves every once in awhile.

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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2013

Summer blockbusters aren’t the only place to find people fighting for the greater good

You could argue they performed their crazy feats of heroism because they believed in the greater good, or they felt as if they owed their neighbor a better life, or they simply were willing to risk their lives so the rest of us could live in peace and freedom.

oakcliff What’s online

thingS from our webSite

DART approves Bishop Arts to Downtown tourist shuttle

Search: Bishop Arts shuttle

Service on a tourist-oriented DART shuttle from Downtown Dallas to the Bishop Arts District will begin Nov. 4, running 11 a.m.10:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday. It will include a stop at Bishop Arts and make a loop from Davis to Edgefield to Jefferson to Zang and back Downtown, where it will hit the convention center, Klyde Warren Park, the Perot Museum and other entertainment destinations. The shuttle is a two-year pilot program that will cost about $2.6 million to operate. Downtown Dallas Inc. is contributing $500,000 a year. The city is paying $800,000 from a federal grant, and DART will fund the rest.

Parkland opens clinic in old Adamson High School

Search:

Parkland clinic

The Parkland North Oak Cliff Youth and Family Center has moved into a renovated part of the old Adamson High School. The clinic, which serves DISD families, had been located in a portable building at Greiner Middle School. The 98-year-old former high school closed at the end of the 2012 school year, and the new $48-million Adamson High School opened across the street in August 2012. DISD had planned to rebuild the old school, but preservationists and alumni fought that plan, which they said would’ve destroyed the character of what was then the oldest school operating in the district.

Stay in the know. For daily news updates, visit oakcliff.advocatemag.com. Also follow Oak Cliff Advocate on Facebook and @Advocate_OC on Twitter.

Talk to us. Go online to comment on our stories, and your words could appear in the magazine. Got story ideas for us?

Q&A: Lauren Gray

the “safe Room” at the texas theatre is so named for an immovable 1930s safe some 4 feet tall. the 200-square-foot room is accessible by a narrow staircase, and it sits solitary at the front of the building like a crow’s nest. the room has been the site of VIP lounges during the Oak Cliff Film Festival and other events. Over the past few months, Oak Cliff resident Lauren Gray has been using the room as a temporary art gallery. gray already has produced two exhibits there this summer, and she expects a show from artist sally glass to open Aug. 10. the safe Room gallery is open 5:30-9 p.m. thursday-saturday.

What gave you the idea to turn this space into a gallery?

The guys [the theater’s management team, [Aviation Cinemas] just let me use this room. I live in Oak Cliff, and I’d just been hanging out here all the time. I had been thinking about opening a storefront [gallery], and I asked them, and they said “yes,” and they’re letting me do it for free. I have two other day jobs [at All Good Café and a physical therapy clinic], so I’m not really trying to make money, so I just let the artists do what they want, and the guys [Aviation Cin-

emas] are down for that, too. Nobody’s really here for the money; it’s just to feed the community. It’s a pretty cool space. Yes, it’s got great light, and it works very well as a gallery. It’s got some weird things on the walls [electrical boxes, for example], and then that safe doesn’t move. But I work around all of that. It’s nice having people that are waiting for a movie to start, and they just wander up here. It doubles the audience, I guess.

Lauren Gray: Katie Bernet

Tell us about the two shows you’ve had so far.

The first show was perfect. It was Cassandra Emswiler, and it was all Oak Cliff or Texas Theatre-themed paintings. Her mom and her grandmother grew up in Oak Cliff. The acoustics are really great in this room. So during that show, she played a recording of “Canticles of Praise” because it was a song her mom sang in the choir. The next artist is Sally Glass, and she just told me she’s going to do a sound element, too. [The current] show is really different. It’s a husband and wife [Raychael Stine and Titus O’Brien], and the cheapest painting is, I think, $1,900. Some of Cassandra’s paintings were $60. But [Stine] was an assistant to Richard Patterson, and she just got tenure track at the University of New Mexico, so she’s got cred. I didn’t even know what she was going to put in the show. I hadn’t seen these paintings; she’s just a friend.

What is your background in art?

I had a gallery called And/Or Gallery with my ex-boyfriend Paul Slocum. We had that from January 2006 to September 2009. So I already know a lot of Dallas artists. But I should say, this is not going to be just Dallas artists.

It’s interesting to me that your day job is not in the art world, yet you’re so committed to promoting art. I worked for a gallery after college, and I was just bored. It’s selling the same boring work all the time just because that’s what people want to buy, and that’s not fun. I don’t think that would feed me as much as even waiting tables, which sounds weird. Everyone always says, “Do what you love.” But if you do what you love as a job, it can consume you. And I like to be able to leave my work at work.

Why are you doing this?

Because I can do it [laughs]. It’s just for fun. I don’t think art should be about money. I’ve made art, and I’ve never really made any money from it. It’s freedom to do what you want. And I just want to support [the Texas Theatre] and the young art scene. And I hang out here anyway. I don’t have a family to support or anything, so I can do this.

—Rachel Stone

you’ve been waiting for this lifestyle your whole life. it’s time you enjoy the view.

HighPoint Senior Living, in the Oak Cliff area, is designed to offer an abundance of recreational and functional amenities and features that set a new standard in senior lifestyle. We welcome you to discover a friendly community that delivers an uncommonly comfortable and affordable way of life.

What gives?

Small ways that you can make a big difference for nonprofits

Have a three-course dinner … and donate to the North Texas Food bank. Two Oak Cliff restaurants are offering DFW Restaurant Week menus this month. Hattie’s and Tillman’s, both in the Bishop Arts District, will participate in restaurant week, which allows diners to have a three-course prix-fixe dinner. The restaurant then donates 20 percent of the price of each meal to Oak Cliff-based North Texas Food Bank or Lena Pope Home in Fort Worth. Last year the event raised a total of $760,000 for those charities. Restaurant “week” at Hattie’s is Aug. 12-25. The menu costs $45 per person. Call for reservations, 214.942.7400. Tillman’s participates Aug. 12-18. Call 214.942.0988 for reservations. The Tillman’s menu costs $35 per person. Find the full listing of restaurant week participants at dfwrestaurantweek.com.

Go bowling …

… and help “strike out youth homelessness” with Oak Cliff-based Promise House. The nonprofit’s Bowl-a-Rama Extravaganza is from 3-5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11 at Bowl & Barrel, 8084 Park Lane. Register a team of up to eight players for $500 or enter as a single bowler for $75. Promise House also hosts a beach volleyball tournament fundraiser Aug. 24 at Yucatan Beach Club in Coppell. Register teams of four or six for $25 per player. Each player receives a T-shirt and two beverage coupons. Register for bowling or volleyball at promisehouse.org or by calling 214.941.8578.

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

August

2013

Aug. 7, 14, 21 and 28

Whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on

If it’s August, it’s time to shake, rattle and roll in Oak Cliff. El Ranchito pays tribute to the King of Rock’n’roll with an Elvis impersonation contest, open to any hound dog or teddy bear who signs up, Aug. 7 and 21. Elvis tribute artist Kraig Parker kicks up his blue suede shoes in a performance Aug. 14, and Johnny Lovett gets all shook up on stage Aug. 28. There is a $5 cover charge for these Wednesday-night performances, which can be paid as part of food or bar tabs.

610 W. Jefferson, 214. 946.4238, elranchito-dallas.com

Aug. 1

Origami class

Learn to repurpose old books, magazines and paper by making a “masu” gift box in this free class from 2-4 p.m.

Hampton Illinois Library,

2951 S. Hampton, 214.670.7646, dallaslibrary2.org.

Aug. 1

Fork Fight

This is like Trinity Groves’ version of “Iron Chef.” Fork Fight is a cook-off between planned restaurants at Trinity Groves. Up Aug. 1 are Luck and Resto Gastro Bistro. Tickets cost $75 and include two cocktails, two appetizers, two salads, two entrees and two desserts, one each from both competitors.

3015 Gulden, trinitygroves.com

Aug. 1-4

‘Planet of the Apes’

“Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!” The Texas Theatre screens this 1968 sci-fi classic. 231 W. Jefferson, 214.948.1546, thetexastheatre.com, call for times and ticket prices

Aug. 3

Rock show

Fort Worth-based We the Sea Lions perform a 9 p.m. show at The Foundry. 2303 Pittman, 214.749.1112, cs-tf.com, free

Aug. 17

Poetry slam

The Bishop Arts Theater Center hosts “Brave Young Voices,” a night of spoken word, live music and dance. Featured artists include Will Richey, Alejandro Perez and Individual World Poetry Slam champion Joaquin Zihuatanejo. 215 S. Tyler, 214.948.0716, tecotheater.org, $15 in advance or $20 at the door

Aug. 23

Los Lonely Boys

San Angelo’s own “Texican rock’n’rollers” perform two shows at the Kessler Theater

6:30 and 9 p.m.

1230 W. Davis, 214.272.8346, thekessler.org, $20-$45

Aug. 6

Movie night

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff screens the documentary “Married & Counting” in its free first Tuesday film series at 7 p.m.

3839 W. Kiest, 214.337.2429, firsttuesdayfilms.org

of Kraig Parker

Delicious

Cool treats

There is no place quite like Frutería Cano. The locally owned chain of fruit markets sells whole fruits and veggies, plus fruit plates and cups. But there is so much more. Liquados ($5), the Mexican version of a smoothie, is a blend of milk, ice, fruit and sugar. It’s a drink served only for breakfast in Mexico, owner Jose Cano says, but he found that Americans like it any time of day. The mangonada ($6) is a slushie made with fresh mango. The “Russa” ($5) is made with grapefruit soda and ice, topped with chopped pineapple, jicama and cucumber, plus a dash of chile to accentuate the sweetness of the fruit. But to really go big, try the non-alcoholic piña colada ($5) served in a whole pineapple. They use hand drills to carve the fruit out of its husk and serve the drink with whipped cream and a cherry on top and — what else? — a little umbrella. Frutería Cano started out as a small shop in Old East Dallas 13 years ago and became so popular that the owners have expanded to seven stores in Dallas, Garland and Irving. They also have concession stands that operate on weekends at Traders Village flea markets in Grand Prairie, San Antonio and Houston, and at Summer Adventures at Fair Park. “Fruit is cheap and healthy,” Cano says. “And people of any age love it.” Frutería Cano also serves sandwiches, elotes, sno cones, energy smoothies, strawberries and cream, banana splits and “mango sticks,” pieces of mango placed artfully on a stick to resemble a flower. Cano’s son Luis Cano says the menu is expanding constantly. “We think of something new all the time,” he says.

1133 N. Zang

214.943.9677

AMbiAncE: MARKET/cOUnTER SERVicE

PRicE RAngE: $3-$6

HOURS: 8 A.M.-9 P.M., MOnDAY-SUnDAY

—Rachel Stone

Right, the non-alcoholic piña colada. Top, a fruit plate with kiwi, mango, cucumber and jícama: Eliott Muñoz

| more dining spots |

1 Papaya

Find lively salsa music and friendly counter service at this cute, family owned fruitería, which serves huge fruit cups and smoothies as well as $6 lunches of sandwich, chips and a drink.

because of the difference in equipment and conditions between the color proofing and the pressroom operations, a reasonable variation in color between color proofs and the completed job shall constitute an acceptable delivery.

925 W. Jefferson

214.948.0311

2 La Original Michoacana

Decadent house-made ice cream in flavors including strawberry and cheese, guanabana and spicy mango, plus some of the best paletas anywhere.

415 W. davis

469.867.3092

3 Flash Ice Cream

this little shop has it all — fruit cups, ice cream and frozen yogurt as well as tortas and other lunchtime fare.

1310 W. davis

214.946.2075

JESSICA LANG DANCE

food and wine online

Visit

Mangonada slushie with fresh mangoes:

Eliott Muñoz

Summer sips

Pepi California Pinto Grigio ($8)

This is the time of year that requires wines that are lighter, whether red or white, and that can be served cool or sometimes colder — even with an ice cube or two. In other words, porch wines, which are perfectly suited for summertime sipping, whether you’re on a shaded porch or indoors, with the air conditioning on and glad you’re not on the porch.

Porch wines don’t have the big alcohol or tannins (that puckery feeling in the back of the mouth) that heavier wines do. In this, they’re more refreshing and don’t make you feel even more uncomfortable than the heat already does. Doubt that premise? Then taste one of the ones suggested below, and then taste a cabernet sauvignon with 14.5 percent alcohol. You’ll be amazed at the difference.

• Grocery store pinot noirs that cost about $10, such as Mark West from California or the Chilean Cono Sur Bicicleta, are soft, fruity red wines with lower alcohol, and chilling them a little doesn’t ruin them either.

• Italian producers churn out millions and millions of cases of cheap pinot grigio, most of indifferent quality. But some are more than that, including Bollini ($10). Pepi ($8), from California, also is a fine value.

• Vinho verde means green wine in Portuguese, and these wines have a greenish tint (and a little fizz, too). Most are $8 or less, with low alcohol and sweetish green apple fruit. This year, the Sonalto was one of the best, and you may also see it labeled Santola (made by the same producer, but for a different retailer).

—Jeff Siegel

Ask the wine guy

What does it mean when a wine is hot?

That the alcohol is not in balance with the fruit, acid and other parts of the wine. Both red and whites can be hot; you’ll notice an unpleasant feeling in the back of your mouth or even in your nose. —Jeff

Siegel ASK The Wine Guy taste@advocatemag.com

When I drive into our neighborhood, my blood pressure drops. It’s calm, peaceful. The people who are here want to be here. They love to be here. We all know why we’re Oak Cliff residents. It just feels so right to me.””

with

your wine

Chickpea burgers

Serves four, takes about 20 minutes

Chickpeas, also called garbanzos, are one of those things that much of the world loves (hummus, falafel) but aren’t as popular here. These are light and easy to make, and they’re a nice change from burgers or hot dogs on a hot August evening. Serve on buns or in pitas. A vinho verde would pair quite well.

Grocery List

2 cups cooked chickpeas (well drained if canned)

4 green onions, trimmed and sliced

1 egg

2 tablespoons flour

3-4 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Directions

1 clove chopped garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Place chickpeas, green onions, egg, flour, cilantro, garlic, cumin, and salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides, until a coarse mixture forms that holds together when pressed. It will be moist, but workable. Form into four patties.

2. In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add patties and cook until golden and beginning to crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip and cook until golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes more.

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POWER PEOPLE TO THE

Story by Keri Mitchell • Photos by Danny Fulgencio

Most of us don’t think about electricity outside of two scenarios: our monthly bill is due, or our power goes out.

We’ve lived with power lines so long that they’ve become a part of the landscape. We no longer notice them running down our streets or along our highways.

Our entire modern lives rely upon the energy grid, yet we don’t know much of anything about it, even though it runs right through our neighborhood.

What is it? Where is it? What if something happens to it? c ould we run out of power?

this month, while our air-conditioners are running full blast, might be a good time to find out.

Where exactly is the energy grid?

We’ve heard about it and vaguely knoW it’s responsible for ensuring that our DVRs record our favorite shows, our laptops and mobile phones can be recharged, and our air-conditioners continue humming to stave off the summer heat. (Plus it powers our lights, refrigerators and other such minor things.)

But where is the energy grid? It sounds obscure, but it’s actually in plain sight all around us.

“It’s not a grid in a sense of square grid,” says Bill Muston, manager of research and development for Oncor, which delivers electricity to Dallas homes. Muston instead describes the grid as “radial.”

Those giant high-voltage transmission lines around the city, such as the ones at Beckley and the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, and elsewhere in the Trinity River Corridor? Power generated by gas, coal, wind and other sources at 550 plants throughout the state travels through lines like those and into Dallas.

The high-voltage transmission lines carry up to 345,000 volts and can transmit anywhere between 50 and 500 megawatts of energy at a time, which power between 10,000 and 100,000 homes at peak demand. That power then “goes through transformers to step it down to 12,500 volts, and those are called substations,” Muston says. Neither Oncor nor other electrical entities publish maps of the grid flow or substations for security reasons, but “there’s no secret,” Muston says. A large grouping of metal poles and wires in a gated area is hard to miss.

Where did Texans’ energy come from in 2012?

NaTural gas 44.6 percent

Coal 33.8 percent

NuClear 11.8 percent

WiNd 9.2 percent

Hydro, biomass, solar aNd sTorage 0.6 percent

Source: electric reliability council of texas, Inc. (ercOt)

The substations then transmit the power to various “districts” around the city and deliver it to the transformers and utility lines near our homes. One transformer — what looks like a cylindrical tube attached to a utility line — serves between four and eight homes, Muston says. The transformers convert the electricity into either 240 volts, powering electric stoves or dryers, or 120 volts, powering just about everything else in a home.

The high voltage transmission grid is networked across the state, so “if you lose one segment of it, it just keeps going,” Muston says.

“The outages occur more at the district level where you have trees fall onto lines or drivers hit poles.”

Why does Texas have its own electric grid?

Story by Kate Galbraith, The Texas Tribune

TexaS’ SeceSSioniST inclinaTionS do have one modern outlet: the electric grid. There are three grids in the Lower 48 states: the Eastern Interconnection, the Western Interconnection — and Texas.

The Texas grid is called ERCOT, and it is run by an agency of the same name — the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. ERCOT does not actually cover all of Texas. El Paso is on another grid, as is the upper Panhandle and a chunk of East Texas. This presumably has to do with the history of various utilities’ service territories and the remoteness of the non-ERCOT locations (for example the Panhandle is closer to Kansas than to Dallas, notes Kenneth Starcher of the Alternative Energy Institute in Canyon).

The separation of the Texas grid from the rest of the country has its origins in the evolution of electric utilities early last century. In the decades after Thomas Edison turned on the country’s first power plant in Manhattan in 1882, small generating plants sprouted across Texas, bringing electric light to cities. Later, particularly during World War I, utilities began to link themselves together. These ties, and the accompanying transmission network, grew further during World War II, when several Texas utilities joined together to form the Texas Interconnected System, which allowed them to link to the big dams along Texas rivers and also send extra electricity to support the ramped-up factories aiding the war effort.

The Texas Interconnected System — which for a long time was actually operated by two discrete entities, one for northern Texas and one for southern Texas — had another priority: staying out of the reach of federal regulators. In 1935 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Federal Power Act, which charged the Federal Power Commission with overseeing interstate electricity sales. By not crossing state lines, Texas utilities avoided being subjected to federal rules.

“Freedom from federal regulation was a cherished goal — more so because Texas had

no regulation until the 1970s,” writes Richard D. Cudahy in a 1995 article, “The Second Battle of the Alamo: The Midnight Connection.” (Self-reliance was also made easier in Texas, especially in the early days, because the state has substantial coal, natural gas and oil resources of its own to fuel power plants.)

ERCOT was formed in 1970, in the wake of a major blackout in the Northeast in November 1965, and it was tasked with managing grid reliability in accordance with national standards. The agency assumed additional responsibilities following electric deregulation in Texas a decade ago. The ERCOT grid remains beyond the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which succeeded the Federal Power Commission and regulates interstate electric transmission.

Historically, the Texas grid’s independence has been violated a few times. Once was during World War II, when special provisions were made to link Texas to other grids, according to Cudahy. Another episode occurred in 1976 after a Texas utility, for reasons relating to its own regulatory needs, deliberately flipped a switch

and sent power to Oklahoma for a few hours. This event, known as the “Midnight Connection,” set off a major legal battle that could have brought Texas under the jurisdiction of federal regulators, but it was ultimately resolved in favor of continued Texan independence.

Even today, ERCOT is also not completely isolated from other grids — as was evident during winter 2011 when the state imported some power from Mexico during the rolling blackouts. ERCOT has three ties to Mexico and — as an outcome of the “Midnight Connection” battle — it also has two ties to the eastern U.S. grid, though they do not trigger federal regulation for ERCOT. All can move power commercially as well as be used in emergencies, according to ERCOT spokeswoman Dottie Roark. A possible sixth interconnection project, in Rusk County, is being studied, and another ambitious proposal, called Tres Amigas, would link the three big U.S. grids together in New Mexico, though Texas’ top utility regulator has shown little enthusiasm for participating.

Bottom line: Texas has its own grid to avoid dealing with the feds.

The 48 contiguous states have only three electric grids — East, WEst and Texas.

Q. Whom should I call when the lights go out?

A. Oncor*, most likely, which is the company that delivers our electricity. It can be confusing, though, with all the different players in texas’ energy grid. Here’s a cheat sheet:

Generators: texas has 550 generating units across the state that create energy from natural gas, coal, nuclear, wind and other sources.

Electric Reliability Council of Texas: ERCOt is an independent organization that manages the wholesale electricity market in texas. When a rolling blackout happens, it’s because ERCOt mandated it.

*Transmission and delivery companies: In Dallas, there’s only one company — Oncor — that funnels power from the state’s generators through transmission lines and into homes and businesses. During a power outage, Oncor employees are the ones who can restore it. Call 888.313.4747 to let them know (even though your smart meter may be able to notify them more quickly).

Retail electricity providers, or retailers: these are companies such as tXu Energy, Reliant, green Mountain Energy and others that track and bill for electricity use. they contact Oncor to turn on electricity when you move into a new house, for example, or to shut it off when you aren’t paying your bill. Retailers don’t have anything to do with outages caused by storms or power line damage.

50

Retail electricity providers in the competitive areas of texas

250+

the number of plans offered by retail electricity providers (details at powertochoose.org)

Source: ERCOT and TXU Energy

Q. If I sign up for a ‘green’ electricity plan, does that ensure the power reaching my house is produced by wind, solar or another renewable energy?

A. Nope. Coal, natural gas and nuclear power are still being pumped through your transmission lines and into your home, most likely. But you are guaranteeing that the amount of renewable energy you are paying for will be piped into the power grid.

“Regardless of which retail electricity provider a customer chooses, there is no way to separate electricity on the power grid based on how it was generated,” says Juan Elizondo, a spokesman for TXU Energy. “When a consumer purchases a retail electricity plan with renewable electricity, that amount of renewable energy is put onto the power grid. It may or may not be the power that reaches that customer. Those consumers are ensuring that renewable power is put onto the grid, and they are supporting the further development of renewable resources.”

“Think of the electric grid as a giant bathtub that is constantly being filled from many different faucets, and each one represents a different electricity generation source such as coal, natural gas, nuclear, solar, wind, etc.,” says Katie Ryan, spokeswoman for Green Mountain Energy. “Each time you use electricity, you drain a little water from the bathtub. As the demand for electricity from renewable sources increases, more of the clean water goes into the tub — and less of the dirty water from fossil fuel sources is needed.”

Q. Is there any way that renewable energy could grow so popular in Texas that customer demand would overtake supply?

A. Yes, in theory.

“The demand for renewable energy is what makes it grow,” Ryan says. “When demand exceeds supply, renewable energy gets built.”

“It has always made a big difference in our sales when we advertised in the Advocate.”

— ChrIs Brumley, Brumley Gardens

Wind energy blowing into urban Texas

3,000

Miles of transmission lines built or repaired since 2008 to deliver wind power from the Panhandle and West texas to big cities

$6.7 billion

tax dollars funneled into wind energy transmission lines by the Public utility Commission (PuC) of texas’ Competitive Renewable Energy Zones project

$2 million

slice of the CREZ project allocated to Oncor, which delivers electricity to Dallas, to build 1,000 miles of transmission lines in its service area

1

texas’ rank in the nation as a wind energy-producing state

10,929

Megawatts of energy texas’ wind turbines are capable of generating at any given time (One megawatt equals 1 million watts; Colorado and Iowa, in secondand third-place, can generate 4,570 and 4,536 megawatts, respectively)

9,481

Megawatts produced by texas wind on Feb. 9, 2013, the state’s wind generation record

27.8

Percentage of the state’s energy load the wind carried on that record-setting day

200

Homes powered by one megawatt during peak demand

Source: Oncor, ERCOT and the American Wind Energy Association

Are renewable energy plans the easiest way to be green?

16,000

Pounds of CO2 emissions avoided in a year by someone who participates in a 100 percent renewable energy plan and uses an average of 1,000 kilowatt hours per month

6,000

Pounds of newspapers that would have to be recycled to equal avoiding 16,000 pounds of CO2 emissions

Source: Green Mountain Energy

How to make the electric company pay you

Roughly six months of the yeaR, neighborhood resident Wally Gardipe doesn’t pay an electricity bill. Instead, the electric company pays him.

His retail electric provider, Green Mountain Energy, offers an energy buy back program that credits Gardipe for energy generated by solar panels on his roof. The energy created is first used to power his home. When his home isn’t using all of the solar energy created, it goes back into the grid, and Green Mountain tracks and pays him for that energy.

“We had a pretty hot summer last year [2012], but I don’t think my electric bill was over $80 during that time,” Gardipe says.

Before the panels, his electric bills in the summer ranged from $200 to $300 a month, he says.

Gardipe ends up using more energy than his home produces during the hottest and coldest months of the year. But during the pleasant spring and fall months, his solar panels provide enough energy for him, and then some.

“And that’s having the thermostats at 72 or 74 degrees throughout the day,” Gardipe says.

He purchased the solar panels for roughly $13,000, including federal and Oncor rebates, and calculated that it would take five to seven years to recoup the money spent.

“Of course, it all depends on your energy use,” he says. “I’m single, I live alone and work from home, so my electrical needs are certainly different than a family of four — but even that might vary because I’m home all the time.”

His roughly 2,000-square-foot ranch-style home in Kiestwood is 60 years old, so around the same time that Gardipe installed the solar panels, he also did some rewiring, replaced windows, added insulation and installed a more efficient heating and a/c system.

“I had a nice little windfall from sale of my home in North Dallas, so it was nice to be able to do all of these energy efficient things,” he says.

In addition to saving money, Gardipe wants to protect the environment. One reason he chose Green Mountain as his retail electric

provider is because the energy for which he does pay is created from renewable sources, such as wind. He has a compost pile, landscapes with native Texas plants, and collects rainwater with seven barrels under the gutters around his home.

Most of his neighbors can’t see his solar panels, which are on the back of his roof.

“I think what catches their eye is the water barrels,” Gardipe says. When they ask about the barrels, he tells them, “I’m kind of a greenie, and I also have solar panels.”

He informed his neighbors about the panels before installing them. Gardipe says he was concerned about the aesthetics in terms

“We had a pretty hot summer last year, but I don’t think my electric bill was over $80 during that time.”

of curb appeal. It hasn’t been a problem, however.

“You can see the edge of one, but it blends in with the roof line just fine,” he says. “I don’t find them at all obtrusive.”

The panels face south, the direction that provides the maximum amount of solar energy production year-round. Gardipe’s yard also is absent of trees that would block sunlight from reaching the panels.

Another surprise benefit is the way the panels cool his garage and covered porch. The panels absorb the heat, he says, so they provide their own kind of shade.

Gardipe has no regrets about going solar.

“I strongly advocate that people do it. I don’t foresee the cost of electricity ever going down,” he says. “I have friends that when I tell them the price, it kind of scares them, but when you start to look at it and start to think about it, the cost up front is worth the benefit you get in the long run.”

Hello, sunshine

2

texas’ ranking among u s states for rooftop solar potential

10

texas’ ranking among u s states for actual solar panel installations

13,000

Homes that can be powered by the 64.1 megawatts of solar panels texans installed in 2012

20

Percentage of u s annual electricity needs that could be met if every eligible home and business rooftop in the country installed solar panels

$12,938

Incentives offered by Oncor when a residential customer installs an 8.3 kilowatt solar panel system in 2013; visit takealoadofftexas.com for information

Sources: Solar Energy Industries Association, Green Mountain Energy and Oncor

A new kind of ‘fuel’ station

Two years ago, iT was difficulT to find an electric car charging station in Dallas. These days, they’re all over the place.

Some of the more common are Blink charging stations, installed by parent company Ecotality. The company has installed more than 350 chargers in DFW in a little over two years, says area sales manager Dave Aasheim.

“We try to find locations where people are going to park their cars for an hour, maybe two hours,” Aasheim says. “We’re not putting them in places like gas stations. We’re putting them in places where you want to be.”

Shopping centers, libraries and parks are some of the spots Ecotality has chosen. The company began seeking out locations in 2009 when it was awarded a $99.8 million EV Project grant from the Department of Energy to help build the charging station infrastructure.

“Most people are going to get a majority of their charge at home, but [charging stations] give them some range,” Aasheim says. “Every hour you’re plugged in puts about 12 to 15 miles of range back onto your battery.”

Blink station customers spend $1-$2 per hour to charge their cars.

The Blink station in the Bishop Arts District parking lot near Oddfellows was Ecotality’s third in Dallas, installed in July 2011.

Another station is a few blocks down Davis at Bolsa Mercado.

“That’s what we call the ‘cluster effect,’” Aasheim says. “Usually people see them somewhere and say, how can I get one?”

After the Bishop Arts District installation, Aasheim says, “the guys from Bolsa call and say, ‘We’re a farm to fork restaurant. We’d love to sponsor a location as well.’ ”

Bolsa co-owner Chris Zielke says the Blink station was installed around the time Bolsa Mercado opened. It was added for environmental reasons, to cater to Oak Cliff residents. Zielke says Bolsa Mercado has roughly 10 regulars who use the stations.

Ecotality is collecting data on its Blink chargers to find out which chargers are used most. Right now, it appears that restaurants, movie theaters, grocery stores and similar “destination locations” are most popular, Aasheim says.

Additional reporting by Victoria Hilbert

A few small changes led to big energy (and cash) savings for this neighbor

The firsT Time OncOr hOsTed a “biggest energy saver” contest, Cliffite Darla Seible was declared the winner.

Seible lives in Brettonwoods, in a 1,700-square-foot mid-century modern built in the ’60s. Before the contest, she already had updated her roof and insulation, and replaced her doors and windows to make her house more energy efficient.

But Seible, inspired by growing up with parents who were “very aware of energy savings and recycling,” she says, felt she could do more. The contest gave her a kick-start.

“I looked at what items I had consistently

“I had a checklist when leaving the house, and one was turning those power strips off,” she says.

One problem was the DVR, which records Seible’s favorite shows while she’s away. After doing some research, Seible learned that the original DVRs were not designed to be energy efficient. She figured out that her old Tivo system “was equivalent to an older refrigerator running all the time,” she says.

Again, however, Seible didn’t want to sacrifice the comforts of home.

“I’m not going to miss my shows, and a lot of time I’m gone, so I need my trusty DVR to come on,” she says.

The solution was to put it on a timer, and she bought a basic dial version that plugs into any outlet. “Most of us don’t record shows in the middle of the afternoon; we record shows in the evening,” Seible says, so she set her DVR to turn on at 6:30 p.m. and shut off at 10 p.m.

She also began unplugging her microwave, coffee pot and other appliances after using them. All of them “suck up phantom energy,” Seible says.

Those four steps implemented on a regular basis were enough for her to win the contest.

minutes of no motion. She also can control it remotely while at the office or out of town.

Seible admits that she loves energy “gadgets.” Her prize in the biggest energy save contest was a GE Nucleus, which monitors all of the energy usage in her house in real time.

“It connects with the smart meter, and you can literally plug something in and see spikes,” Seible says.

She also has Belkin’s WeMo, which she describes as “a timer connected to a wireless network to turn on lamps, radios, TVs, coffeepot” and more. She uses it to turn on a lamp at night when she’s not yet home, for example.

She stresses, however, that the bells and whistles aren’t necessary to conserve energy.

“You can do it with whatever you’ve got. I just happen to like gadgets,” Seible says. “How do you make it happen with what you have? That’s the goal. Otherwise people think, ‘I could be an energy saver, but I can’t afford to go out and get all new stuff.’ ”

on, and what I could do differently and still be comfortable because I wasn’t going to compromise my comfort,” Seible says.

It started with better use of her air-conditioner. She works away from home during the hottest hours of the day, so set her thermostat to 83 or 84 degrees. At night, however, it remains at 70 degrees.

“I’m not going to sweat it out in the summer and be miserable,” Seible says.

The next thing she tackled was her “computer array” — the computer, printer, scanner and back-up hard drive. When she’s away from the house, there’s no reason to keep any of it on, Seible says, so she plugged them all in to the same power strip and began turning it off each morning when she left.

She did the same with her entertainment system — the TV, DVR, and game and stereo systems.

“Making those seemingly tiny changes made huge differences — a 35 percent difference from the year of the contest and the previous year — and I wasn’t an energy waster before,” Seible says. “It wasn’t $3 or $4 a month; it was probably a good $100 less every month when I made those changes. It was substantial.”

Seible has kept up her habits, and says her electricity bill averages $41 a month. She uses Reliant Energy as her retail electricity provider and participates in a program that gave her a free Nest thermostat. The Nest pays attention to Seible’s habits and learns to mimic them, plus it has a motion detector that automatically reverts to “away” usage after 30

Making little changes, such as the cheap timer she bought for her old DVR, were “so easy, it was amazing how much that saved.” (Seible has since purchased a new DVR, one that requires only the amount of energy needed to power a light bulb. “I leave it on all the time now,” she says.)

Not only do such changes save money, she says, but they prevent breakdowns in the power grid. There’s a reason the biggest energy saver contest is held during June, July and August — the hottest months of the year when Texans are using the most energy.

“If people would reduce their energy usage during those high traffic times, we wouldn’t have rolling brownouts and blackouts,” Seible says. “They wouldn’t be necessary.”

“You have control over this everyday stuff,” she says. “We can turn things off and still have all the comfort level of all these things we like to do.”

“You can do it with whatever you’ve got. I just happen to like gadgets. How do you make it happen with what you have? That’s the goal. Otherwise people think, ‘I could be an energy saver, but I can’t afford to go out and get all new stuff.’ ”

What’s the benefit of a smart meter’s ‘intelligence’?

3 million

smart meters Oncor has installed since March 1, 2009, replacing 50-year-old technology with meters that show electricity use in real time (view your usage at smartmetertexas.com)

7 million

service orders Oncor has completed remotely, such as meter re-reads, service disconnects or reconnects, because smart meters automatically alert utilities to service disruptions

Living off-the-grid

Katherine homan’s late husband, Richard, always believed in stretching the frontiers of knowledge. He applied this belief to the Oak Cliff home he eventually built from the ground up.

“This was his ultimate research,” Homan says.

As a neurologist, Homan’s husband was constantly forming hypotheses and testing them. Once he fell ill and retired, however, he needed a more accessible house. In 1997, the Homans decided to test a hypothesis on a house: You can actually save energy by building “off-the-grid,” meaning a home that isn’t powered by the electric grid.

They spent a few years looking into materials and systems to best equip their home to conserve energy. In 2000, the Homans began building what is now recognized as the first green-built house in Dallas.

“We were a novelty, a case study. This house was an experiment,” Homan says.

More than a decade of energy bills has proved their hypothesis, Homan says. The East Kessler home, which literally was glued together, utilizes both solar and geothermal energy. Homan even collects rainwater. The house also contains a number of recycled materials: carpets, counters, and floors. The only amenities in Homan’s house powered by the regular electric grid are her washer and dryer, her oven and her geothermal system. The geothermal system uses the earth as a heating and cooling system for the home.

2011 oakcliff.advocatemag.com

35 million

Driving miles Oncor employees have consequently avoided, saving 2.9 million gallons of fuel and preventing more than 28,500 tons of CO2 from being released into the environment

14 million

Annual reduction in driving miles Oncor expects

23

Percentage of power outages Oncor has restored during non-storm periods since March 2012 without a customer ever reporting the outage

Source: Oncor

once skipped her house during a power outage because workers saw the lights still worked. They just assumed her heater was working as well.

What Homan loves about the home is that it does not “scream green.” It is still a very traditional looking home.

“We are harnessing what is already free. We are living in consort with nature,” Homan says.

One very important resource she has saved is water. Her 550-gallon rainwater collection irrigates her lawn during drought, for example, and her instant hot water heater at the kitchen sink saves her from running the faucet waiting for warm water. She says her monthly water bill is only $10. Water usually comprises onethird of the energy expenses of traditional homes, she says, and she encourages more people to focus on conservation.

“Water is an incredibly finite resource. You can’t get energy today without water,” Homan says.

Homan says many people turn to green technology simply to save money. Homan, however, has found other, more important benefits. She says her asthmatic grandchildren never even cough while in her house.

“I only dust twice a year,” she says. “It’s healthier to be breathing the air in this house. It’s an energy saving system that has all of these healthy byproducts.

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During power outages, all of Homan’s off-the-grid amenities still work. Oncor

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Business Buzz

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

Send business news tips to LiveLocaL@aDvocatemag.com

Urban Acres launches building campaign

Urban Acres has leased a space on Beckley at Greenbriar, not far frOm Methodist hospital, with plans for a café and “urban farmstead” that would include an aquaponic system, a chicken coop, beehives and a garden. Renovating the former service station, building a kitchen and outdoor seating area, and creating all of the farm-related stuff is expected to cost about $30,000. That’s why Urban Acres, the locally owned grocer that specializes in local organic food, last month launched a Kickstarter campaign. The campaign ends Aug. 5, and kind of like with public radio, there are premiums for donating. Search “Urban Acres” at kickstarter.com.

IndieGenius closes, more on deck for Make + Made

IndieGenius owner Julie McCullough announced last month that she is closing the retail shop to focus on design work and teaching classes at her other business, Make + Made.

“As much as I have loved being a part of the retail community and working with local artisans and vintage vendors, my heart belongs to my creative side,” McCullough writes. “I am meant for making things and organizing events.” She says she expects to host pop-up shop events and offer “more extensive, higher level workshops at Make.” She also plans to continue to produce the Urban Street Bazaar and annual fashion show The Pin Show. Besides that, McCullough says, she also will continue her work as a custom upholsterer and fashion designer.

Inforzato’s closes, Zoli’s opens, Jonathon’s expands

Jill Inforzato and Roger Simpson have decided to close their Inforzato’s Italian Cafe after nearly five years in business on West Davis at Elsbeth. “We woke up on Sunday and said we just couldn’t go on,” Inforzato writes. “At close to 62, the thought of another lease is too much of a commitment.” The restaurant opened originally as Hula Hotties, specializing in

more business bits

dishes inspired by Hawaii, and changed concepts about two years ago. One Italian place closes and another opens. Zoli’s NY Pizza Tavern, a by-the-slice concept from Il Cane Rosso owner

Jay Jerrier, was expected to open in the first week of August. Waldron Lodge, a restaurant from the same owners as Whitehall Exchange that specializes in game meats, opened in the Bishop Arts District in June. Jonathon’s has received approval from the city to expand its famously tiny kitchen. Chef-owner Jonathon Erdeljac says he doesn’t expect the restaurant to close during renovations, which will take the kitchen from about 161 square feet to more than 500. Once the renovations are completed, diners can expect faster service, Erdeljac says rachel stone

1 Beyoncé dined at Mesa with husband Jay-Z following her performance at the American Airlines Center last month. They ordered lobster enchiladas, mole enchiladas, chicken mole and ceviche, plus spicy margaritas and Mexican martinis. 2 Davis-Hawn Lumber, one of the oldest businesses in Oak Cliff, celebrated its 90th anniversary in June. 3 The Grocery Clearance Center also celebrated an anniversary in June, its 20th.

Urban Acres

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Make + Made 409 n Zang 214.941.0075 makeitinDiegenius.com

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ZoLis sWeans org

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WaLDronLoDge.com

Jonathon’s 1111 n BeckLey 214.946.2221

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Mesa 118 W. jefferson 214.941.4246

mesaDaLLas.com

Davis-Hawn Lumber 1941 s BeckLey 214.946.8123

Davis-haWn.com

Grocery Clearance Center 3107 s cockreLL hiLL 214.330.3663

grocerycLearancecenter.com

urban acres: Danny fulgencio

The great crepe wait

The line for crepes from Jeanne-Marie Browning’s Oak Cliff Creperie stand at Bastille on Bishop July 14 was almost an hour long, but the crepes were well worth the wait for peckish revelers.

B

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From: Far North Dallas Advocate News Summary <editor@advocatemag.com> Subject: Richardson HS students go to trial Apartment fi Business Buzz Date: February 21, 2013 5:00:15 AM CST To: jneal@advocatemag.com Reply-To: editor@advocatemag.com Having trouble viewing this email? Click here Advocate Magazine Be Local For February 21, 2013 | farnorthdallas.advocatemag.com NEWS AT A GLANCE Enchanted  fairies  and brave  warriors  wanted for  calendar  to  benefit food  bank Man  found  dead  after apartment  fire Picture  day: Ms.  Chalkydoodles Business  Buzz:  March  2013 THE GIVEAWAY Guess  this  week's  contest  number: Sign up FREE  Sign up for exclusive Oak Cliff weekly news advocatemag.com/newsletter/oc September DeADLINe AuguSt 7 tO ADVertISe CALL 214.560.4203

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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.

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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

Kidd Springs Central raised $500 for Kidd Springs Park through its festival prior to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s concert in the park in June.

People

Amanda Moreno Cross has been appointed to the DART board of directors. Cross owns 2 Equinas & Bishop Arts real estate company, C&K Capital consulting firm and VA Capital commercial investment company. She also does consulting for Victor Ballas Investments, Weir Brothers and the Morris Law Firm. She is president of the Lake Cliff Towers Condominiums Homeowners Association.

Oak Cliff-based Texans Can Academies has named Oscar Rodriguez as chief of schools. As superintendent, he will oversee the 10 Texans Can Academies throughout Texas, including campuses in Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Houston and San Antonio.

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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.

Someone ripped up the plant S . a neighbor?

Jessica Seymour recently renewed a twoyear lease on her home. As part of the agreement, she asked for some grass seed to get the front lawn up to par. Unfortunately, Seymour believes a neighbor did not take kindly

The Victim: Jessica Seymour

The Crime: Theft

Date: Tuesday, June 25

Southwest Patrol Division says a “run-in” with a neighbor can be as simple as a personality conflict or as serious as a suspicion of drug activity. Knowing when to contact the police about problems with neighbors can be quite a dilemma.

“There are several questions to ask yourself in order to make a decision on how to address a problem in the neighborhood,” she says. “Is this a quality-of-life issue or a criminal violation?”

Time: Between 8:30 a.m. and 9:45 a.m.

Location: 1000 block of Oak Cliff

to her new green yard. She believes a woman in the neighborhood began targeting her property for some reason. That included ripping up some of her plants from the flowerbed. A few days earlier, she also had her tires slashed at her home. Both times she called the police, who also spoke with the neighbor and even issued a citation and warning, Seymour says. The neighbor warned Seymour to “stay away from her man,” she says, and threatened and cursed at her in front of her children. The words from the neighbor seemed completely absurd.

“There have been all kinds of strange things happening on this street,” she says. “This all came out of nowhere. Now I just ignore her.”

There have been other recent crimes in the neighborhood as well. Seymour says a home across the street was burglarized. Also, at the barbershop behind her home, a man was beaten up, and then jumped her fence and ran through her yard.

Quality-of-life issues could include violations of city code (high grass, parking violations, abandoned or unsecured residences) and safety concerns for children in the neighborhood (kids playing in the street, on vacant lots with hazards or on construction sites).

Hughbanks says that if the neighbor is approachable and open-minded, you may want to speak with him or her regarding your concern. If not or you don’t know the neighbor well, she recommends calling 3-11 to determine what department within the city should handle the complaint.

If the issue is a suspected criminal activity, Hughbanks recommends calling the local substation and speaking with the Neighborhood Policing Office to see what they can do to help with anything from loud music to suspected drug or other criminal activity. The more detailed and descriptive the complaint is, the better. Callers can request to remain anonymous.

If a neighbor chooses to retaliate, Hughbanks says, it is a criminal offense, and residents need to document all actions accurately with dates and details to help officers investigate effectively.

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Sgt. Kay Hughbanks with the Dallas Police

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.

Farewell to Hollywood

One more look at some of the Cliff’s brightest stars

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

The Q&A with prolific Hollywood film and stage actor, and now writer, Steven Tobolowsky that appeared in last month’s Advocate showcases why Oak Cliff is proud of this native son. With the release of his second book, “The Dangerous Animals Club,” in September 2012 (containing many stories and “adventures” of his growing up in Oak Cliff), Tobolowsky continues to expand his already wide scope of work — just another product of the Kimball High School speech and drama department, a fertile incubator for actors in the mid-1960s to the early 1970s.

Another product of the Kimball stage is Jane Abbott (class of ’64). After graduating from Texas Tech in 1971, she toured with the National Children’s Theatre, worked in a Colorado dinner theater company for six months, and then returned to Dallas and appeared as an extra in the Burt Reynolds film “Semi Tough.” Abbott soon decided to move to LA to see if she could build a career for herself, where she wrote in her diary that “a goal was to work (that is act with) Burt Reynolds.” Working some years as a high school teacher and some years as an actress, she has appeared in (among others): “Married With Children,” “Quantum Leap,” “The Dukes of Hazzard” and “Hunter.” Strangely enough, from 1990 to 1994 Abbott appeared in 21 episodes of “Evening Shade” with … Burt Reynolds!

“Burt was great about using his friends in shows,” Abbott says. “I even wrote an episode that they put on the show, about a football banquet. Terry Bradshaw played the guest star.”

“Working with Linda Bloodworth and Harry Thomason was also a dream come true,” Abbott adds. “Linda created ‘Designing Women.’ She and Harry produced it, and Harry directed ‘Evening Shade’ as well.”

After “Shade” concluded, Abbott returned to teaching for the most part but finally retired four years ago and, at age 61, married for the first time! Now, with a new agent, she has decided to jump back into acting and says, “Quoting Julian Fellowes,

the creator of ‘Downton Abbey,’ the challenge is going to be ‘like climbing a mountain of ice.’ ”

I bet we’ll be seeing her soon.

With a career spanning more than five decades, international producer and director Stockton Briggle (Sunset ’53) has worked on more than 100 plays and musicals on three continents. He directed Rock Hudson in “Camelot” and Dick Van Dyke in “Damn Yankees,” and he both produced and directed “A Lion in Winter,” a double awardwinning production at the International Art Festival in Bermuda. His all-Spanish language production of “Man of La Mancha” garnered three international awards, while he also produced “The Royal Ballet Tour of America” with Dame Margot Fonteyn.

Briggle worked as a TV producer for such projects as “The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory” (1987) starring Raul Julia and Alec Baldwin, “Willing to Kill: The Texas Cheerleader Story” (1992) featuring Academy

Award nominee Lesley Ann Warren, and “A Bridge To Silence” (1989) starring Oscar winners Marlee Matlin and Lee Remick. A close friend of the late Rock Hudson, Briggle took on the responsibility of handling the paparazzi and answering all phone calls at Rock Hudson’s house on the day of Hudson’s 1985 death.

Briggle’s extensive work with lighting and set designers unknowingly created a new career for the former Cliffite — that of a successful interior designer. He started by offering design advice to friends, and then actress Alyssa Milano hired Briggle to decorate her California home, a project that ended as a Calabasas magazine feature story. In addition, Briggle’s decades of fame in ce-

Above, Kimball ’64 grad Jane Abbott (center) with Bobby Goldsboro, Loni Anderson, Jane Abbott, Reba mcIntire, Burt Reynolds and Vince Gill: Randy Carlisle. Right, South oak Cliff grad Stuart margolin and James Garner in “the Rockford Files”: the official James Garner Facebook page. Below right, Sunset ’63 grad Stockton Briggle: Facebook.

oakcliff.advocatemag.com/backstorY

lebrity circles for his amazing dinner parties and menus also spurred a series of cooking workshops: “Good Cooking with Stockton Briggle.”

South Oak Cliff graduate Stuart Margolin is a familiar face to many in the over-50 crowd, especially in his most recognizable role of “Angel” in TV’s “The Rockford Files.” The role won him the 1979 and 1980 Emmy Award for “Best Supporting Actor,” with Margolin being one of only four actors to win twice for the playing the same part. He’s also appeared in television programs such as “Land of the Giants,” “The Partridge Family,” “M*A*S*H*” and “Rhoda,” and on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Magnum P.I.,” two of the programs he later directed. He also directed programs such as “Quantum Leap” and “Northern Exposure,” and made film appearances in “Kelly’s Heroes,” “Death Wish” “Futureworld” and “The Gambler.” Additionally, Margolin both won and was nominated for Directors Guild of America awards for his work directing children’s programming, and was nominated for the same for his “Northern Exposure” work.

See what I mean? These amazing Cliffites just keep on coming!

The film and stage industry has been the beneficiary of all the Oak Cliff folks mentioned in my columns over the past four months: Linda Darnell, Spanky McFarland, Louise Latham, Tim Chote, Yvonne Craig, Edward Edwards, Belita Moreno, Stephen Tobolowsky, Stockton Briggle, Terry Southern, Jane Abbott, Stuart Margolin and many others not mentioned. We salute you guys! You’ve made us proud.

Your stories

Longtime Cliffites recount memories and reconnect on oakcliff.advocatemag. com/backstory Last month, Brooks sparked memories about Oak Cliff natives who went on to stardom. So thrilled to see Belita Moreno give Mary Curtis Forrest some of the credit she is due! Even as a firstyear teacher in 1963-64, she managed to teach and inspire numerous students and many others to make acting a lifelong career.

—Virginia Barton Mehaffie

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.