son

Laura Wilson lives on one of the few Strait Lane properties not barred by iron gates and towering bushes that conceal the unreachable mansions of the Preston Hollow elite. By comparison, her pale yellow, one-story, ranch-style home is modest, inviting and filled with light.

It’s where she raised her sons Andrew, Luke and Owen, her most inspiring subjects.

The Complete Unknowns

“They were so much fun to photograph,” Wilson says with a smile, staring off to the side as if recreating the moments in her mind. “In a sense, it was a way capture their childhood, a childhood so fleeting.”

No wonder the boys chose careers in front of the camera.

Wilson, an award-winning photographer, has documented the well known and un- known — from the famous movie stars who crop up again and again in Wes Anderson films to the hidden Hutterite colonies in the plains of Montana. Whether they have been photographed thousands of times or not at all, Wilson manages to capture a side of her subjects the public rarely sees.

“I can’t say how I do it. It’s like asking someone who has a facility for mathematics. They may not know how, they just are able to do it.”

Recently, though, in Mexico City, Wilson came across a challenge while photographing Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez, author of “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” He’s part of her current series on 15 of the world’s most important writers.

Marquez doesn’t speak English, and Wilson doesn’t speak Spanish.

“I found I do rely more on language than I realized. One has to make a connection, and often the connection is made through words as well as the energy and mood of the session.”

Wilson grew up on the South Shore of Massachusetts. She speaks of her hometown with pride, noting that the region bred some of America’s transcendental poets. Louisa May Alcott had a summerhouse there.

Even as a little girl, Wilson was taking pictures, toting around a Kodak Brownie — the first version of a snapshot camera. The inexpensive, boxy device made photography accessible to everyone, much like the cell phone does today.

“I’ve always loved the magic of photography — that you could stop time, or attempt to stop time, and stave off the sense of loss.”

What makes a person worth photographing has nothing to do with good looks.

“It’s a face that is surprising, complex, unusual or rare. It’s not about beauty or handsomeness. It’s about the emotion that they’re able to call up within themselves.”

Wilson surrounds herself with other people’s work as well as her own. Her home is essentially a gallery. The foyer is an entrance to her inspiration. It is lined with black and white portraits, including her favorite work by Henri Cartier-Bresson, known as the father of modern photojournalism.

Wilson’s big break came in 1979 when the

Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth hired her to assist Richard Avedon during the six-year gallery project, “In the American West.” She had landed possibly the most coveted apprenticeship for any budding photographer.

“It catapulted me up. No photographer was more famous than he was at that time. I learned what issues concerned him. It wasn’t about f-stops and shutter speeds. It was about the content, the elements that make a portrait unforgettable.”

Avedon was known for his minimalist approach and stark imagery, photographing the most famous faces of the 20th century. In contrast, “In the American West” portrayed working people whom Avedon treated with the same care, dignity and respect. He encouraged Wilson to document the process and write a book about it one day, and she did.

“Avedon at Work in the American West” released in 2003 and was celebrated as perhaps the most insightful and complete docu- mentation of an extensive creative process.

As evidenced by so much of her work (“Hutterites of Montana,” “Watt Matthews of Lambshed” and “Grit and Glory”), Wilson has always been drawn to the history and romanticism of the West, and those views are in conflict with the environmental, economic and social impacts of today, Wilson says. The idea of the open West contradicts the reality that new development is turning small, rural towns into large, urban cities.

But there are people and places that remain unscathed by the forces of reality. In her 2000 book, Wilson documented the Hutterites in rural Montana, who are more isolated than the Amish or the Mennonites.

“From the moment I saw them, I knew they were extraordinary. It was a group of young men and women walking over the field at sunset. The women were wearing long, brightly patterned dresses with black and white, polka dot kerchiefs, and the men were in black jackets and pants. It’s a community that is removed from the world, and yet it’s flourishing.”

Wilson followed the Hutterites off-and-on for 14 years.

Now, she is compiling her life’s work into a book. She says she can’t choose a favorite image that she has taken, but if the house was burning down, and she could grab only one set of negatives, it would be her family photos.

Wilson never takes a day off work because to her, it’s not work at all.

“When I don’t do it, I feel a bit discombobulated and uncomfortable. It’s a great pleasure for me to work in photography.”

Of course, there are times when she’s not “working.” What does she do then?

“I’m looking and listening.”

Dr. Kenneth Cooper

People often recognize health and fitness icon Dr. Kenneth Cooper, which means he has to be careful when he goes out to eat. Someone recently spotted him at Liberty Burger.

“I ordered the veggie burger,” he says. “I limit my red meat intake.”

He’s often stopped for what he calls “curbside consultations” at his Prestonwood Baptist Church, but he doesn’t mind. Cooper has a Type A personality, so he loves to talk.

“My wife is a Type A+. I’m always trying to finish a sentence before she does.”

After 50 years of research in exercise science, Cooper still has a lot to say. Mainly: Get your head out of the sand, America.

“We don’t have a choice,” he says. “We’re facing a terrible future.”

The idea of exercise as a health benefit has never been an easy sell.

Cooper introduced the concept of aerobics, publishing the first groundbreaking book on the subject in 1968. He built his fitness empire, The Cooper Institute, in Preston Hollow and just marked its 42nd anniversary. The research drew criticism as late as 1984. During a debate on “Nightline,” New York cardiologist Henry Solomon spoke about his own book “The Exercise Myth.” He challenged Cooper, saying there is no data to prove that exercise really works.

By 1989, though, The Cooper Institute released a landmark study in the Journal of the American Medical Association confirming that physical fitness reduces the risk of death by all causes by 58 percent.

Cooper can recite statistics like they’re the alphabet and seems to enjoy it, despite that he has probably repeated them hundreds of times over the years — but it has paid off. In 2002 he convinced PepsiCo, owner of Frito-Lay, to remove all trans fat from Frito-Lay snack products.

Still, he says he’s disappointed at how rapidly the obesity rate has risen in the United States even while health awareness grows. Cooper himself almost went “the typical American way.” He grew up in a suburb near Oklahoma City and walked — often ran — to school every day. He played basketball and ran track and cross-country.

Then, he grew up, and life happened.

Succumbing to the stress of medical school, Cooper packed on 44 pounds, reaching his highest weight, 204, by age 29. One day, while water skiing, he thought he was having a heart attack. Turned out, he was just incredibly out of shape. Cooper dropped the weight in six months and ran the Boston Marathon the following year.

“You can get addicted to exercise just like you can get addicted to drugs or alcohol,” he says.

That’s when he chose to enter the field of preventive medicine, an area that he believed needed more attention. His research changed the way the world exercises.

Over the past several years, however, he has turned his focus to children.

“I’ve given up on the adults,” he says.

Legislation was passed in 2007 to provide mandatory physical education testing in Texas schools but only after Cooper raised the money himself through private funds. His program, FitnessGram, draws a direct correlation between exercise and students’ academic performance. That caught the attention of the Chinese government, which is using Cooper’s expertise to create better fitness programs in its schools.

“It’s frustrating to see the success I’ve had in China but don’t have in this country,” Cooper says.

They’re singing his praises in Brazil, too, where he may expand the institute. Cooper made a name for himself after the Brazilian soccer team trained with his aerobics program and went on to win the World Cup in 1970. Down there, they call running “doing the Cooper.”

His proudest moments, though, have nothing to do with revolutionizing the health and fitness field.

“People ask me what my greatest accomplishment is. I say it’s having two amazing kids and five amazing grandkids. That’s what lives on. Fame is so short-lived.”

Eric Nad El Voice of the Range Rs

Whenever the Rangers fall into a slump like they did in early June, losing to the Oakland A’s 12-1 during a nearly no-hitter, legendary broadcaster Eric Nadel shrugs it off.

“It happens. You can’t get too emotional about it this early in the season,” he says during a phone interview from San Francisco, Calif. “If I did, I’d never survive.”

The Preston Hollow resident’s voice has accompanied Rangers fans for 34 years, longer than any other broadcaster in the history of the franchise. Nadel will become the 15th member inducted into the Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame in August.

“Baseball on the radio is something special, I think. It’s such an important part of people’s lives during the summer.”

Nadel grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., as a Mets fan.

“I always had the feeling that [the broadcasters] were my buddies who would talk to me about the Mets every night. I hope that’s how people feel about me.”

The slow pace of a baseball game helps build a relationship between the announcer and the audience. During three hours, the ball is in play for only about 20 or 30 minutes, so broadcasters have to find plenty else to talk about.

Before the internet became the essential tool for just about everything, Nadel would spend hours before each game interviewing players and coaches to gather enough information. Now, he can research everything from his laptop and follow real-time reactions during the game via social media.

However, none of it replaces the traditional medium of radio, he says.

Nadel remembers the moment he decided to be a sports broadcaster. He was 8 years old, riding in the car with his father, listening to a Yankees game on the radio. He asked, “Do the announcers get paid?” His father said, “Yes, they get paid. That’s their job.”

“I said, ‘They get paid to go to Yankee Stadium and watch a baseball game?’ From that point on, that’s what I wanted to do.”

During his junior year of high school, he participated in a sports broadcasting program at Northwestern University, which solidified his interest. He attended Brown University and gained experience working for its radio station. He landed his first job out of college announcing minor league hockey in Muskegon, Mich. Nadel moved to Dallas in 1976 to broadcast for the Dallas Blackhawks minor league hockey team. In 1979, the opportunity arose to audition for the Rangers.

“Somehow, I got it,” he says.

Ever since, Nadel has been a part of Rangers history, making some of the most memorable calls — from Nolan Ryan’s 5,000th strikeout in 1989 to the team’s record-setting 30 runs against the Baltimore Orioles in 2007.

Then, of course, there was the historic win against the Yankees during Game 6 of the American League Championship Series in 2010 that sent the Rangers to their first World Series. After pitcher Neftali Feliz struck out Alex Rodriguez, Nadel made the call, “The Rangers are going to the World Series!” Then, he shut up.

“The stadium just exploded, and I was overcome by emotion. I just let the crowd tell the story. It was one of the most emotional moments of my life and certainly the most emotional moment of my broadcast career. I’ll never forget it.

“Last year, it was just the opposite. I was ready to call the final out twice, and it didn’t happen. That was devastating. I was broken hearted.”

For the most part, though, Nadel keeps his emotions under control.

“I’m honest and objective, but people know I’m rooting for the Rangers just by the tone of my voice.”

Nadel has called Preston Hollow home since 1989, after moving from Oak Lawn. He lives with his wife, Jeannie, and lab/ Husky mix, Nemo.

“People ask us all the time why we don’t have kids. People think it’s automatic. We just never had the urge.”

When he’s not at the mic, Nadel likes to just “chill out” and swim or play with his dog. He’s a member of the Town North YMCA and often hangs out at Neighborhood Services restaurant.

For the past 20 years, he has been involved with Reading and Radio Resource, a local nonprofit that records books for people with vision or learning disabilities.

It’s safe to say the voice of the Rangers won’t be going anywhere.

“I’ve been really lucky. I don’t aspire to be a network announcer or a TV announcer. I’m doing exactly what I wanted to do. I’m living my childhood dream.” is a Spanish immersion preschool for children ages 2 – 5. We offer half-day and full-day programs with extended day care available from 7:30am – 6:00pm. We offer a traditional preschool curriculum delivered 100% in Spanish. Prior exposure to Spanish is not necessary. Our teachers are experienced, degreed, native-Spanish speakers. We also offer after-school and Saturday classes for PK and elementary-aged students, both onand off-site. Additionally, we have an adult Spanish program for beginning, intermediate and advanced students.

Assessing the needs of a person during the early stages of Alzheimer’s can be difficult. We’re here to help. Villages of Lake Highlands offers Alzheimer’s Support Groups and family nights where you can learn from other families coping with the effects of memory loss. We also offer several educational programs for family members as well as complimentary sitter service for your loved one while you are here.

st. cHristopHer’s montessori scHool

7900 lovers ln. / 214.363.9391 stchristophersmontessori.com St. Christopher’s Montessori School has been serving families in the DFW area for over a quarter of a century. We are affiliated with the American Montessori Society and our teachers are certified Montessori instructors. Additionally our staff has obtained other complimentary educational degrees and certifications, including having a registered nurse on staff. Our bright and attractive environment, and highly qualified staff, ensures your child will grow and develop in an educationally sound, AMS certified loving program. Now Enrolling.

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.

wHite rock nortH scHool

9727 white rock trail dallas / 214.348.7410. 2 Years through 5th Grade. 45 years of successful students! Our accelerated curriculum provides opportunity for intellectual and physical development in a loving and nurturing environment. Character-building and civic responsibility are stressed. Facilities include indoor swimming pool, skating rink, updated playground, and state-of-the-art technology lab. Kids Club on the Corner provides meaningful after-school experiences. Summer Camp offers field trips, swimming, and a balance of indoor and outdoor activities designed around fun-filled themes. Accredited by

SACS. Call for a tour of the campus. www. WhiteRockNorthSchool.com.

Zion lUtHeran scHool

6121 e. lovers ln. dallas / 214.363.1630 / ziondallas. org Toddler care thru 8th Grade. Serving Dallas for over 58 years offering a quality education in a Christ-centered learning environment. Degreed educators minister to the academic, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of students and their families. Before and after school programs, Extended Care, Parents Day Out, athletics, fine arts, integrated technology, Spanish, outdoor education, Accelerated Reader, advanced math placement, and student government. Accredited by National Lutheran School & Texas District Accreditation Commissions and TANS. Contact Principal Jeff Thorman.

•

Baptist

PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH / 3933 Northwest Pky / pcbc.org

All services & Bible Study 9:15 & 10:45. Trad. & Blended (Sanctuary),

Contemporary (Great Hall), Amigos de Dios (Gym) / 214.860.1500

WIlSHIRE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100

Pastor George A. Mason Ph.D. / Worship 8:30 & 11:00 am

Bible Study 9:40 am / www.wilshirebc.org

BIBlE CHURCHES

NORTH HIGHl ANDS BIBlE CHURCH / www.nhbc.net

Sunday: Lifequest (all ages) 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am

Wed: Student Ministry 7:00 pm / 9626 Church Road / 214.348.9697

DISCIPl ES Of C HRIST

E AST DAll AS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185

Sunday School 9:30 am / THE TABLE Worship Gathering 9:30 am

Worship 8:30 & 10:50 am / Rev. Deborah Morgan / www.edcc.org

lUTHERAN

ZION lUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOl / 6121 E Lovers Ln.

Sunday: Sunday School 9:15 am, Worship 8:00 am, 10:30 am, & 6:00 pm / 214.363.1639 / www.ziondallas.org

m ETHODIST

lAKE HIGHl ANDS UmC/ 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com

9:30 – Sunday School / 10:30 – Fellowship Time

10:50 – Traditional & Contemporary Worship

NON-DENOmINATIONA l

SHORElINE DAll AS CHURCH / 5321 E. Mockingbird Lane

ShorelineDallas.com / 469.227.0471 / Pastor Earl McClellan

Everyone’s Welcome at 9:15am / Children’s & Youth Ministry

P RESB y TERIAN

KING’S PARISH A SSOCIATE REfORmED PRESBy TERIAN CHURCH kingsparish.com / Rev. David Winburne / Worship at 10:00 am

Meets at Ridgewood Park Rec Center / 469.600.3303

NORTHPARK PRESBy TERIAN CHURCH / 214.363.5457

9555 N. Central Expwy. / www.northparkpres.org

Pastor: Rev. Brent Barry / 8:30 & 11:00 am Sunday Services

UNIT y

UNIT y Of DAll AS / A Positive Path For Spiritual Living

6525 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75230 / 972-233-7106 / UnityDallas.org

Sunday services: 9:00 am & 11:00 am

Night cometh

But July days seem to last forever

If any month is vacation month, it must be July. Things slow down some at the church I serve, because in July many of the saints flee the Texas heat and head for the hills and the beaches.

For me, July brings back memories of being out of school for what seemed an endless summer when, as author Fred Buechner describes it, we “ran forever through the firefly dusk.” When we were children, hours and days had not yet experienced the inflation of age. It was a time when a dollar could still buy something special, and a day could still last forever.

On July mornings, my school friend, Tom, would appear at 8 o’clock sharp at the kitchen screen door, eager for a day of riding bikes. A little peanut butter and jelly on toast, and we were gone for the day, exploring back alleys and building great forts in the woods. In those days, if there were reasons for parents to worry, they were not yet aware of them; and we knew that we could stay out until near sunset, when my mother would ring the bell that meant that supper was on the table.

like, “Fussed at Blair to mow the lawn.” There was a fair amount of fussing with Grandma, as I remember; but I loved her. I can still smell her violet perfume. I used to swear I could tell whether Grandma had ever had a dollar bill in her purse by simply smelling it.

Tempus fugit, they say (it’s a little easier to accept the swift flight of time when it’s expressed in Latin). Or, as the great clock on the steeple of Park Cities Baptist puts it, “Night Cometh.” I avoid Northwest Highway if I can, because that sounds so ominous. But when I get into one of these July reveries, I see the truth of it. It’s been more than a half-century

As the great clock on the steeple of Park Cities Baptist puts it, “Night Cometh.” I avoid Northwest Highway if I can, because that sounds so ominous.

An only child, I was raised by my parents and my maternal Grandma Butcher, who was completely the product of another age and time. When she was a child my age, it was still “18-something,” which was incomprehensible to me. I still have 27 years of her diaries, which she kept as religiously as she attended church. They include entries since Tom knocked at the kitchen door. He’s retired now after a long career with the telephone company. Night cometh, and one of these days we’ll both hear Mom’s bell, ringing in the distance, announcing that dinner is on. And there will be fresh sweet corn and homegrown tomatoes, and Grandma with her smell of violets, happily fussing at me to mow the lawn.

That’s the way it is in July. May it be so for you.

The Bigidea: How local women turned passions into professions

Very few can say they are passionate about their work, which is why the stories featured in these pages are so inspiring. These women have identified their individual passions and transformed them into successful careers.

Johnette Taylor of Roundtree Landscaping is every bit as passionate, but she always knew she’d rather work outside of four walls. “I looked at forestry and some different options, and had never really heard of landscape architecture, until a friend of mine in high school said, ‘I think this is something you would enjoy. Look into it.’ ” Initially Taylor’s mother was skeptical. “She said, ‘Wow, there’s a lot of math and science in there, I’m not sure that’s for you, honey.’ ” Undaunted, Taylor explored the program at LSU, and plunged ahead. “I was fascinated by all the things landscape architecture encompassed,” she says. “It was the perfect fit for me.”

In 1984 she founded her company, Roundtree Landscaping. Today she manages a busy staff and a full agenda, serving commercial and residential properties.

Dr. Debbie Shirico of Total Hearing Care found her life’s work during a summer gig at Lion’s Camp for Crippled Children. “I fell in love with some of the deaf children there,” she says. “I decided I wanted to work with special advertising section deaf kids, so I went into audiology (the science of hearing).” She kids and understanding deaf culture. “It’s like a whole world of its own. Learning how the deaf think and interact is like landing on a new island in another country.” Her career path took her through diagnostic testing and ultimately led her to hearing aids.

“I love helping people hear and putting a smile on their face,” chance on acquiring an existing hearing aid business in East Dal-ized back in 1990, when most people weren’t doing that. Today successful, and soon she opened a second location in North Dallas. “We provide an extensive amount of counseling to help the family learn to deal with hearing loss, and we teach compensation techniques to help them manage easier.”

For Realtor Vicki White, a career was born from channeling a favorite childhood pastime into a successful occupation. “When I was little, on vacation I would always look at old houses on the side of the highway and envision them remodeled,” White moved 21 times,” she says. “It got a little labor intensive. So then I started a staging business, helping people sell homes.” She acquired an inventory of furniture and staged for all price ranges, including a $3 million dollar home on Lawther. Eventually she was ready for a new challenge and committed to getting her real estate license. Now she works at the business she loves from all angles and attributes her success to her strong work ethic.

Local Realtor and business owner Elizabeth Mast approached her real estate business from a different direction. Ten years ago she opened the eclectic boutique Talulah Belle, which she considers her “hobby,” because it was her way of exercising creativwanted to stay in the community and the neighborhood more,”

“Now, in real estate I can leverage all of my negotiation skills for design from the store, and all of the relationships with vendors and designers. I’m not only selling houses, but I’m staging and consulting, which really drives how quickly you can sell the house.” How quickly? Mast has only been in the business for a

Here’s what a few of her clients had to say:

“Working with Vicki was amazing. She gave me great suggestions on renovations, including flooring, paint color and style. She knew the market very well and her knowledge of the neighborhood was essential for us to make the right updates and pricing correctly.”

— Highland Park resident

“From developing and executing your brilliant marketing strategies based on solid research, to the expert photography and professional staging…. I have never worked with a realtor as dedicated and detail-oriented as you and your team.”

— Forest Hills resident

–Debbie Schirico, Au.D

Shifting Gears: How to change careers

There was a time when a career change seemed like a radical decision, but over the past decade changes in technology and economics have transformed the landscape. Whether by choice or necessity, career changes are more common — and more desirable — than they used to be.

Local business owner Meghan Adams trained to be a broadcast journalist, lived in Washington, D.C., worked on “Nightline,” and even interned at the White House. It was an exciting beginning, but soon family pressures and several relocations took their toll. When she found herself back in Texas and closer to her family, she brainstormed with her sister, and soon the two opened a business: The Hospitality Sweet.

could stay home with them and still do something creative,” says Adams, who has always enjoyed cooking. She thought there might be some toward sweets. “Cakes, cookies, cupcakes, cake balls — and we also do hors d’oeuvres and box lunches.” This past year, when Dr. Phil turned thousand cake balls for him,” Adams says.

Until recently, customers have picked up orders from Adams’ home, but this year the business has set up shop in London Café inside Timothy Oulton at Potter Square. Although they still take special orders, Adams says, “Now people will be able to come into the store and buy our sweets, rather than having to order a day ahead.”

Local Realtor Marissa Fontanez worked in corporate Ameri- never do anything different.” Fontanez has been a Realtor for seven years, and her favorite part of the job is the people connec- a purchase, or that look of relief when they can say ‘Sold!’ and move on.”

For those who are interested in a career change, Realtor Scott Carlson suggests real estate. “Real estate is a great opportunity for someone who wants a career that revolves around their family, but also supports their need and their desire to work and bring home an income,” Carlson says. He also points out that the work can be satisfying for someone who wants to help others. “You have birth, marriage, death, divorce — all these life challenges or transformations — and you help people says Dr. Lynne Roberts, who went on to develop a pediatric dermatology program at UT Southwestern and Children’s Medical Center. “My interest in birthmarks got me interested the ’80s.” Once Dr. Roberts found lasers, she started on another new path. “Now we have seven lasers laser and cosmetic dermatology.” very hard-charging person,” Ellis says. However, her drive for success had some drawbacks, mostly related to her health. -

Sometimes a career change comes after a due to her own growth and changes in her in-lis had a successful, award-winning career as a journalist before becoming a health and wellness coach, as well as a business owner.

Vitality, is about making a few simple changes that will simply change your life. Choices we make today will affect us years from now, so let’s get started.”

Since 1984, Roundtree Landscaping, Inc. has been helping yards reach their full potential. Partnering with you to turn your dream into a design, see it installed and continue the relationship with maintenance services. The difference is in the design! The difference is Roundtree Landscaping, Inc.

Johnette Taylor, owner