2023 July Preston Hollow Advocate

There’s No Greater Force than Strong Women

As Ebby Halliday agents, these empowered women receive the best training, resources and technology available, which helps them provide the best service and results for you. In the end though, it’s their own spirited drive as entrepreneurs and an intrinsic dedication to their craft that set each apart, one from another, and especially from competitors that come and go. Need a fierce female? We recommend one of ours.

Do it all this summer. Except for the ER.

Most summer-related ER visits are preventable with a little precaution, but we’ll always be here when you need us. Remember to use sun protection and insect repellent, stay hydrated, wear life jackets, and leave the fireworks to the professionals. Helping keep our friends and neighbors safe. That’s community and why so many people Trust Methodist.

For more summer safety tips, scan the QR code

Texas law prohibits hospitals from practicing medicine. The physicians on the Methodist Health System medical staff are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Methodist Dallas Medical Center, Methodist Health System, or any of its affiliated hospitals. Methodist Health System complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.

Deanna James specializes in the baroque style of tattooing which is characterized by dark backgrounds and high contrast.

Read more on page 22.

by Yuvie Styles.

Photo

Being a real estate agent is not the glamorous, cush life portrayed on TV. For these independent self-starters, it most often looks like hard work in the form of back-to-back-to-back showings, managing vendors and repair people, strategizing and negotiating, late night contract-writing and more. But everyone pictured here knows it’s all in a day’s work. And because it’s driven by a desire to serve others with excellence, it doesn’t feel like work.

Fanny Kerwich, center stage, and entertainers from Lone Star Circus perform through September in Summer of Cirque: A Pirate’s Adventure.

THE GREATEST SHOWWOMAN

Story by CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB |

Fanny Kerwich, the mother of circus arts in Dallas, would like your attention, please

Photography by JULIA CARTWRIGHT

In 1999, before Dallas had a circus scene, a traveling show called Kaleidoscope pitched a tent at Valley View Center, then located at Preston Road and LBJ Freeway. The one-ring European-style production included a bit with a frumpy interrupting janitor-lady clown who, by the end of the show, via the magic of applause, transforms into a beguiling and agile acrobat.

The clown-acrobat role belonged to Fanny Kerwich, a 30-year-old French woman with the ancestral blood of circus performers pumping through her veins.

When Kaleidoscope wrapped, Kerwich — who had dazzled spectators at Paris’ Moulin Rouge and Germany’s Circus Roncalli and trained under The Great Valentin Gneushev in Moscow — married Dallas attorney Mark Doyle. The newlyweds put down roots in the Disney Streets neighborhood of Preston Hollow, where they and their two children live today.

Had the lawyer run off with the circus, it would have been more conceivable.

“We normally don’t do this in circus,” Kerwich says in an accent that reflects her nomadic youth. “We marry people in circus, stay in circus, raise children in circus, and we try to pass on this heritage. But I fell in love.”

Prior to Doyle, Kerwich had “almost exclusively dated clowns,” according to a 2010 D Magazine piece about the “true love” of a “Gypsy” and a lawyer.

Back then, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey regularly rolled through Dallas and packed big venues, but there wasn’t a circus community, school or place to practice.

A different woman might have accepted the trade: career for true love. But not Kerwich, whose wedding, according to the 2010 write-up, was “a raucous event, with local jugglers and musicians performing at the reception.”

For one thing, the circus was more than a career. Circus performing is in her DNA, going back eight generations, since about the beginning of modern-circus time, Kerwich says.

Her adventurous father liked to go to very rural places where there was no circus at all.

“We went where circus was needed. It was a beautiful exchange, with no sense of

competition or desire for fame,” she says. “It was a moment in time shared only by those in that auditorium, everyone sharing that double somersault or seven-clubs juggling. Everyone is holding their breath. You do that trick every day, but every day you don’t know if you’re going to make it. It’s not recorded, not for TV, it is precious and alive.”

And another thing: Dallas’ death of circus arts presented an opportunity for Kerwich to do what her dad had done — bring circus to where circus was needed.

When she was new to Dallas, Kerwich — who trained as an acrobat, contortionist and trapeze artist before taking up hula-hooping and comedy in her 20s — performed in the streets just to nourish her soul.

“When Mark said, ‘You don’t have to do that,’ I said, ‘Oh yes I do,’” Kerwich says. So he said he’d pass the hat.

Kerwich performed at a cabaret on Lower Greenville, took corporate gigs and played a Texas-born, cross-dressing aerialist in the Kitchen Dog Theater production Barbette.

She taught circus arts to children at Dallas International School and to theater arts students at Southern Methodist University.

Former student Jeff Colangelo, a stunt choreographer and owner of Prism Movement Theater who still works with Kerwich, says her teachings blew his mind and shaped his future.

“She introduced me to the idea of circus arts as fine art and to this kind of theater,” he says.

As a theater arts major, Colangelo was familiar with a certain mode of performance, the closed-off style made for the traditional stage.

“But circus arts comes from something a lot older, from the 1600s,” he says. “It is much more open. It’s about expanding your energy out to the audience and working with that. Fanny constantly talks about projecting your energy not just through your face, but through your back and body, 360 [degrees].”

In 2006 Kerwich established the Lone Star Circus.

The Dallas-based circus arts nonprofit includes school for children and adults and year-round performances.

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EDITORIAL

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Contributors: Patti Vinson, Carol Toler, Sam Gillespie

Contributing photographers: Kathy Tran, Emil Lippe, Hunter Lacey, Yuvie Styles, Shelby Tauber, Sylvia Elzafon, Lo Kuehmeier, Victoria Gomez, Julia Cartwright

Chief Revenue Officer: Rick Wamre 214.560.4212 / rwamre@advocatemag.com

Photography by Lauren Allen.

WOMEN OF COMPASS REAL ESTATE

MARLA SEWELL & MEG BEAIRD

Marla Sewall and Meg Beaird are a highly experienced Dallas real estate partnership known for their unwavering commitment to building relationships and delivering exceptional customer service. With over 20 years of combined experience, Marla and Meg bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table. Driven by a genuine passion for helping their clients achieve their real estate goals, Marla and Meg prioritize building strong, long lasting relationships. Understanding that buying or selling a home is a significant life event, they go above and beyond to provide personalized guidance and support every step of the way. “We know how trying real estate transactions can be and it is our mission to mitigate that stress for our clients.”

Their dedication to customer service also extends well beyond the transaction . Says the pair, “whether it’s offering advice, recommending trusted professionals, or simply staying in touch, we are committed to our clients for the long haul!”

The Sewall Beaird Group has your back. Call them today: Marla Sewall, 214-415-3466, marla.sewall@compass.com. Meg Beaird, 214-236-5008, meg.beaird@compass.com.

A peek inside Lone Star’s summer camp might reveal gravity-defying tumbling teenagers, girls swinging from rainbow-colored silks affixed to towering ceilings, a boy in big shoes balancing a plunger on his nose while a woman encircled by children waxes lyrical about mindfulness and discipline — while handstanding.

The circus school has proved fertile soil for quiet or eccentric people to take root and find camaraderie and confidence, according to the handstanding teacher.

“They go from being shy, head down, to weeks later being very outgoing, like saying ‘how’s it going’ to everyone they see.”

Circus has always been one of the most inclusive cultures known to humans, Kerwich says, “the essence of diversity.”

“You like to be very weird, and you like to juggle? You can spend hours doing that. You are extremely big, and you want to be a base for an acrobat to fly above you? We’re gonna celebrate each individual. Your background is from this, from that, you don’t speak English? It doesn’t matter because we don’t talk. We express ourselves.”

Through September, Lone Star Circus members put on the “Summer of Cirque” at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grand Prairie. The show features feats of balance, strength and magic, bowand-arrows fired by toes and a dozen or so hula hoops maneuvered at once by a fit, petite platinum blonde. That’s Fanny Kerwich, who has grown more charismatic in the 20 years since Kaleidoscope came to town.

During those two decades she also has created and directed shows for Dallas Scottish Rite and Dallas Children’s Theater and appeared in the Dallas Opera’s Great Scott . Her Le Petit Lone Star Circus won Best of Loop at Watertower Theater’s Fringe Festival.

In 2016 she worked with singer Erykah Badu, who performed at Lone Star Circus’ 10th annual fundraising celebration.

“She was really good, like she must have been a circus person back in another life,” Kerwich says.

Despite marrying a normie, Fanny transferred circus genes to her daughter, Gitana “Gigi” Doyle, 17, a cheerleader at Ursuline Academy and an awarded silks aerialist for Lone Star.

Kerwich and Doyle’s 15-year-old son is a showman in his own right who started his vintage clothing business at 10, riding his bike to Goodwill, buying ’80s T-shirts and selling them online. He takes it seriously and has set up a little shop in a backyard shed, Kerwich says.

Not much surprises Fanny Kerwich, colleague to sword swallowers and contortionists, but she is sometimes nonplussed by the lack of attention afforded Lone Star Circus in its hometown.

“We just did an international competition. It was like the Olympics of the circus. And I don’t think anybody in Dallas knew about it,” she says. “We are pretty famous all over the world, but maybe a little bit less famous in Dallas for some reason.”

Perhaps it’s the name. If it was called Cirque du DFW, something exotic and European, maybe people here would think it was higher art, she concedes.

“But I’m proud to call it Lone Star Circus,” she says. “Our name is vibrant, charismatic and making its point.” lonestarcircus.com

Fanny Kerwich displays her hula-hoop skills during Summer of Cirque at the Gaylord Texan Resort.

PROJECT BEAUTY

There’s beauty in the pain

Story by ARIEL WALLACE | Photography by VICTORIA GOMEZ

JO LAM IS NO STRANGER TO LIFE’S HARDSHIPS.

Lam was a victim of years of family trauma and abuse.

“It affected how I lived my life and my self-esteem,” Lam says. “When you don’t really know who you are, you can’t really love yourself, and you tend to pick the wrong people.”

Lam was a Hong Kong immigrant living in New York. Her family made the move to Texas in her teens. Due to the stress of living in an abusive environment, Lam ran away from home at age 16 and tried to make it on her own.

However, due to the difficulties of being on her own at such a young age, Lam found herself in the hands of another abuser at the age of 17 who disguised himself as someone who could save her from her problems.

Lam gained the strength to escape this relationship and ended up in a shelter. Having that experience of living and rebuilding her life in a shelter gave Lam a passion to help other women in Texas find the light in the darkness.

Lam did not realize it, but the seed for her nonprofit Project Beauty had already been planted.

Lam believed these shelters did a good job of giving women and children a safe place to go for basic necessities, but they didn’t provide opportunities to build a community and make connections that would allow them to rebuild their lives.

In 2018, Lam found a loving relationship, was married and rasing her two boys. She was finally happy with life, but something was missing. She felt a nudge within herself. She knew there was something more she could do.

“I felt like it was time for me to really give back to the community, do something more with my life,” Lam says. “Going through several of those tragedies within my life had finally given me a purpose and mission in life. I felt in my heart that this was what I need to do.”

Lam did not know anything about starting a nonprofit, but she did not let that stop her.

In 2018, Lam started Project Beauty, which provides beauty services to women and children going through difficult circumstances.

The group focuses on individuals who have experienced different types of trauma, domestic violence, homelessness and sex trafficking. It aims to help individuals who may lack education, support and resources. The group’s mission is to “spread empowerment

through the universal language of beauty by helping women build confidence, hope and provide support and encouragement for each other.”

Project Beauty offers four core programs: Beauty Days, Trauma Healing, The Gift of Beauty and The Angel Clinic.

The Angel Clinic started from a woman that reached out to Lam and Project Beauty seeking assistance. The woman had lost her eyesight and hearing from being punched while pregnant in an abusive relationship. She was seeking help to start over.

Lam was touched by the woman’s story.

“I saw myself. When I was branded and left to die, all of that physical disfigurement, all that turmoil, nobody really understood it,” Lam says. “Unless you walk that path, you have no idea, the emotional anguish and the anger and all that healing that needs to happen.”

The woman found a doctor who could provide a prosthetic eye, however she lacked the money to cover the costs. Lam and the Project Beauty paid for her entire procedure. They raised all of the funds within two days, took her to the doctor and sat by her side during the procedure.

Project Beauty gave her a complete head-to-toe makeover including a new photoshoot to help start a new chapter in her life. From that day forward, The Angel Clinic has provided women with a space to remove brandings, tattoos and disfigurements that remind survivors of their traumatic passes. Project Beauty covers 100% of the costs and provides each survivor with therapeutic aftercare.

Project Beauty serves women throughout Preston Hollow, Plano and the DFW area. The group works regularly with nine shelters: The Samaritan Inn, Mosaic Family Services, Buckner, Denton County Friends of Family, Hope’s Door New Beginning Center, Frisco Family Services, Little Mended Hearts and Brighter Tomorrows.

Volunteers and donations are always welcomed at Project Beauty. Lam and Project Beauty are always looking for the next woman needing encouragement through the power of beauty, too.

“I’ve already seen so many women impacted through this program,” Lam says. “Women come into the space and say, ‘I’m broken. I just need some help,’ and that’s what we do. We come in, and we say, ‘You’re not broken, and we will see you.’”

A LITTLE SLICE OF HOME

Butterfield Gourmet offers sweet and savory pies from inside a local church’s kitchen

The first thing Ruth Butterfield baked was a pot pie. That was in 1987 when her mother would carefully slice apples and roll out buttery crust for the family’s holidays. That’s when Butterfield decided she was going to make pies, sweet and savory, just like the ones her mom used to bake for her.

She didn’t head to culinary school or even a professional kitchen after graduating from high school. Instead, Butterfiled spent 10 years working a 9-5 corporate job before she shifted her focus back to cooking.

In 1999, she started a catering company and pre-made meal service out of her home. She began to sell some of her products on Artizone, a now-closed online specialty food shopping community, from 2012-2015.

With a enough word-of-mouth, Butterfield was able to expand her catering and meal-service business into a fulltime job.

By 2014, Butterfield Gourmet, operating out of a Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church kitchen, was open.

Butterfield Gourmet is a specialty foods shop with a niche in home-crafted sweet and savory pies. Butterfield’s specialty is her handcrafted “Home Sweet Home” Pot Pie.

“Our pie crust is kind of famous,” Butterfield says. “It’s all hand-made. We don’t use any kind of machinery at all. A little bit of love goes into every pie.”

Along with pot pies, Butterfield Gourmet also offers a variety of dessert dishes, pastries, soups, sandwiches, salads, baked goods and quiches as part of weekly menus published on the company’s website.

A few of the dishes at Butterfield Gourmet are seasonal and are only available during the winter or summer. Butterfield even prepares a special menu during Chinese New Year to celebrate some of her Asian heritage.

During the summer, she prepares a special “picnic menu” once a month. In the past, items have included dishes such as cold fried chicken, potato salad and chocolate cake.

Butterfield Gourmet recently entered a partnership with Walmart GoLocal making the pot pies available for purchase on the Walmart website. Butterfield hopes the new partnership will increase her pot pie distribution even more.

“People ask me all the time, ‘How do you it? What is the

secret to your pie crust?’” Butterfield says. “And I always say 10,000 hours.”

Butterfield Gourmet, butterfieldgourmet.com, 469.475.2001

Story by ARIEL WALLACE | Photography by LAUREN ALLEN

Ruth Butterfield makes each pie crust by hand in a kitchen at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church.

Story by ARIEL WALLACE | Photography by YUVIE STYLES

JENNIFER STIMPSON HAS BEEN ENGAGED IN SCIENCE SINCE SHE CAN REMEMBER.

Her parents had successful careers in the medical field and used their knowledge to help out their community. Stimpson was inspired by her father, who was a c ompounding pharmacist. She is thankful to her father for being her first mentor and for first introducing her to the ins and outs of science.

She did not ha ve to go to school to learn about science. She was able to learn while working at her family’s pharmacy.

Throughout her time in school, she knew that she wanted to be a scientist. Stimpson graduated from Dillard University with a degree in chemistry and made history as the first African American woman in history to receive an advanced science degree from the University of Northern Iowa.

Stimpson has been an educator in Dallas for more than 20 years. She taught science courses at the Hockaday School in our neighborhood and at Townview Magnet Center.

In 2 022, Stimpson was recognized for her work by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) IF/THEN Ambassador program. She was honored with her own statue featured in exhibits at NorthPark Center and the Smithsonian.

WHAT SPARKED YOUR INTEREST IN SCIENCE? HOW DID YOUR FAMILY INFLUENCE YOU?

I was a daddy’s girl. I was inspired by science from my father. He was my first mentor. When I was 9, he opened his own business, where he was a compounding pharmacist. As a compounding pharmacist, he had to use a variety of different equipment that mimick ed what you see in a science lab. So he had beakers, he had flasks, he had different way machines, and that’s how he made his medicine. I know it s ounds really cliché, but I wanted to be like my dad. I wanted to use cool things and create the way that he did.

YOU WERE THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN TO GRADUATE FROM NORTHERN IOWA WITH AN ADVANCED DEGREE IN SCIENCE. WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE, TO BE THE FIRST?

When you are the first, you don’t know it at that moment, but you are really paving the way for who comes behind you. What that taught me is what it means to truly be the only one. They don’t teach you that being a girl or a person of color in STEM is isolation. That isolation can mean that your ideas are never heard with the same conviction as others, your presence is not as welcoming as those of others, and your input is not readily received. That isolation means that there is a lesson that you have to le arn. I learned how to be OK with being by myself without having a negative impact, knowing that I am

smart enough, talented enough and gifted enough because science doesn’t have a color.

DURING YOUR TIME AT THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL, WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO BE ABLE TO TEACH A GROUP OF YOUNG WOMEN ABOUT YOUR PASSION FOR SCIENCE?

There are so many experiences that I’ve had at Hockaday. I like to call myself a change-maker, and what I did is chang ed people’s opinions about what it meant to be a scientist. The narrative of empowerment already existed at Hockaday. When I was there, I was the first Black teacher hired to work in the high school. The idea of inspiring girls to consider science is what I was able to do every day. I was a scientist before I was an educator. I made sure that the girls saw themselves in the future of science by making them understand that the wonders and possibilities of science have to include your voice.

WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE AS AN IF/ THEN AMBASSADOR? WHAT WAS IT LIKE SEEING YOUR STATUE FOR THE FIRST TIME?

My fir st reaction was “Wow! Oh my gosh.” Orange is now my favorite color since being an ambassador. I took the recognition as a call to action to continue the work that needs to be done. Making sure that girls can see themselves in the future of STEM in a variety of different ways. Yes, we all know what STEM means (science, math, technology and engineering), but what does it actually look like to be in STEM? The IF/THEN program broke down what those letters really mean. The difference between a radiologist and a t echnical engineer. They also had all of these different iterations of what it means to be a scientist. So it w asn’t just an acronym.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR FREE TIME WHEN YOU AREN’T INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF FEMALE SCIENTISTS?

I like to call myself a closeted historian. I’ve always had a strong passion for my personal ancestry. I want to know as many of my ancestors and how far back I can trace them. I dedicate time on Sundays to my own personal ancestry just to see what I can uncover. I enjoy dining. One of my favorite food is tacos. I am a hard-shell taco kind of girl. I also enjoy spending time with family and watching plays.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?

What’s next for me is that I am writing my own memoir about my experiences as a science teacher. I want t o share what my experiences mean to me and what the future of education is all about. So I will be taking time to write my own story because I want to share what it means to be a science teacher of color and why they are important to the future of science.

DEANNA JAMES HAS ALWAYS LOVED THE ART OF ART.

James has been inspired by the beauty and creativity of tattooing since high school.

Having gone through a traumatizing experience during one of her apprenticeships, James declared herself a tattoo artist and worked on opening her own shop, where she vowed never to treat another apprentice or female artist the way she was treated.

In 2021, James opened Eden Body Art Studios on Preston Road near Dilbeck Lane, where she specializes in baroque style of tattooing. The baroque style is characterized by dark backgrounds, high contrast and lots of emotion.

Along with running her own studio, the winner of reality TV show Ink Master: Angels teaches seminars throughout the year to share her knowledge of tattooing and the industry with aspiring tattoo artists.

WHEN DID YOUR INTEREST IN TATTOOING BEGIN?

My interest in tattooing began when I was 16. I was in art school at that time at Booker T. Washington HSPVA in Dallas. I was getting hired to do a lot of drawing and painting portraits in school and started to get bored of it. When I discovered tattooing, I just had this realization that I could do something really cool and really neat with my art. And it could be something I even make money off of.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TATTOOING?

I had an apprenticeship for like five years, honestly a pretty torturous apprenticeship. I officially became a tattooer when I was 21, but I did my first tattoo when I was 16. I got somebody who was old enough to go to the smoke shop to get a tattoo kit for me, and I’ve been working ever since.

WHEN DID YOU OPEN EDEN BODY ART STUDIOS, AND HOW LARGE IS YOUR TEAM?

I opened Eden Body Art Studios with my husband two years ago. So it’s fairly new, but we fill up our spots, and we’re doing really well. It is booked out for at least a month in advance, and I am very proud of that. We have 11 artists, two assistants, a manager and a fulltime content creator.

YOU ALSO OFFER FREE TATTOOING SERVICES TO THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY BREAST CANCER?

Yes, I’ve been doing free nipple tattoos on people who’ve had breast cancer and double mastectomies. I’ve been able to help a lot of people, and I’ve also recently taught a free seminar for those who also want to provide the service so that people have more access to it. The service doesn’t only include people who have gone through breast cancer, but I also work with people who transitioned and have had top surgery. It’s been the most rewarding part of this whole job, honestly.

YOU WERE VERY SUCCESSFUL ON THE SHOW INK MASTER MULTIPLE TIMES. WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE?

Being that I am fairly introverted myself it was a bit scary for me. The first time that I was on an Ink Master show, it was on a spin-off called Ink Master: Angels . It was three days of tattooing in front of a big audience and learning the ropes of what goes on behind the scenes of a TV show. I ended up winning my episode, and then I won a spot on season 10 of Ink Master . Being on Ink Master was such an incredible opportunity. I gained so much notoriety, and it really jump-started my career.

DID YOU FACE ANY CHALLENGES BEING A WOMAN IN THIS INDUSTRY?

Yes, especially back then when I was 16, about 15 years ago. When I was coming into the industry, there were a lot fewer women in the industry compared to now. So you can imagine what it would be like for a 16-17-yearold girl to just walk into a tattoo shop and ask to be an apprentice. There were a lot of people who really took advantage of young women wanting to learn. Usually, an apprenticeship should be two years or less; it took five years for me to finally get through all of it. Even at the end of the 5 years, I was still doing more cleaning than all the guy apprentices. I asked the owner about it, and he told me, “I don’t know, you know, girls get treated differently than guys in this industry.” At that point, I took it upon myself to call myself a tattoo artist and go to a shop that knew my worth. I had to make a name for myself at that point instead of waiting on others to let me in.

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR WOMEN STARTING OUT IN THIS INDUSTRY? IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WISH SOMEONE TOLD YOU STARTING OUT?

I just wish I had someone to give me advice when starting out. Someone to look out for me. Unfortunately, that never happened. The biggest thing that I learned when I was an apprentice and that I would share with someone else is to always be yourself and to do whatever it takes (within reason to where you feel safe). My biggest suggestion for women is that if you’re uncomfortable in a shop, there’s another shop out there that you can learn and feel safe in.

WHERE DO YOU THINK THE TATTOO INDUSTRY IS HEADED? IS THE INDUSTRY MORE ACCEPTING OF WOMEN AND DIVERSITY?

It’s been a lot more accepting. The change started to show around 10 years ago. What’s exciting about this time is I truly believe we’re in a renaissance of tattooing at the moment. It’s the best work that’s ever been produced. It’s really an art form at this point. If women want to get educated on what’s happening out there in the tattoo world, they can. They will truly be blown away with all of the things that they can do.

CHURCH WASN'T JUST A PLACE TO GO TO HEAR THE SOULFUL SOUNDS OF A BAPTIST CHOIR OR THE PASSIONATE MELODIC DECLARATIONS FROM THE PREACHER; FOR THE REV. VICTORIA ROBB POWERS, CHURCH WAS MORE THAN JUST A FEW HOURS ON A SUNDAY MORNING. Church was home.

Growing up, she wanted to eventually gain a leadership role in ministry. She knew that as a Baptist woman with a desire to lead, she had to work twice as hard to be recognized and seen.

Not only is this Lake Highlands mom of three the first woman executive pastor, but she is also the first Hispanic executive pastor, of Royal Lane Baptist Church.

WHEN DID YOU START TO THINK OF CHURCH AS A POSSIBLE CAREER FOR YOU?

I was around high school age when I realized that maybe I could trust my passions as my purpose. All this passion I had for the church was sort of indicative of where I was supposed to be. I actually grew up in a very conservative tradition that didn't allow for women to lead. So it was really unusual to feel this call toward church ministry. I also never saw a woman lead growing up. They were never behind pulpits. They didn't teach. They didn't do anything. Despite all of that, I still knew that’s what I am supposed to be doing.

WHEN WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU SAW A WOMAN LEAD A CONGREGATION?

I went to Baylor when I graduated from high school because I wanted to major in religion, and I wanted to study more about church history and ministry. When I was at Baylor, I learned that there was a church in Waco, Texas, that had a female senior pastor. I remember being really confused when I first learned that because I didn't know that was a possibility. Not just in my own Baptist tradition, but anywhere. I had no concept of women in ministry. I went one Sunday morning to hear her just because I was curious, and I wanted to know what it looked and sounded like for a woman to be preaching and pastoring a congregation. I came in late and sat on the back pew wanting to remain anonymous. I still hold on to this day that she is the best preacher I've ever heard, male or female.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO FINALLY SEE A WOMAN LEAD A CONGREGATION?

It was a really significant moment for me because I often tell people, “You can't be what you can't see.” Seeing her is really what ignited my imagination about what might be possible for me. I was able to sort of picture and visualize my own body behind a pulpit, my own voice preaching. It really changed things for me.

HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO GET YOUR START IN MINISTRY?

After seeing her preach, I learned that there were other kinds of Christian denominations that were more

celebratory of women in ministry. I went from college to Brite Divinity School at TCU and got my Master of Divinity. I worked for a couple of years as a hospital chaplain at Baylor Hospital near Downtown Dallas. After that, I knew I was ready to be in congregational ministry. Unfortunately, I'm a Baptist, and there are not a lot of progressive Baptist churches in the Dallas area. There are about two, so I was really limited in my options for where I could serve. I actually spent the last eight years of ministry in the United Methodist Church. I'm not a United Methodist, and I never became a United Methodist. The only reason I did that is because there were no Baptist churches that would welcome me. I just kept waiting, and then at end of last year, I got a phone call from Royal Lane Baptist Church. They were looking for a senior pastor, and they were hoping that they could find a female senior pastor. So here I am.

SO IF YOU CAN GO BACK TO THAT VERY FIRST SUNDAY AS THE EXECUTIVE PASTOR, WHAT WAS THAT DAY LIKE FOR YOU AND LEADING UP TO IT?

I was filled with excitement. In my tradition, when they call a new pastor to lead the church the congregation has to vote, and I think you only need three-fourths of the congregation to vote in favor. I was so encouraged because Royal Lane had voted yes. I had 100% of the vote. It gave me so much confidence stepping into this role because I knew this isn't a church that just says they want a woman pastor. They really do want one. I had to remind myself even that morning that I belong here, this is my space, and I belong behind this pulpit.

SO WAS THERE BACKLASH WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED, AND HOW DID YOU HANDLE THAT? IS THERE STILL BACKLASH TODAY?

There was no backlash in the church itself. I'm so grateful and just thrilled at the enthusiasm that I have received from the congregation and the pride that they have in their pastor. Occasionally, I get letters sent to the church from crazies in the neighborhood who just think that women have no business being pastors and that I need to repent. The backlash is sporadic, and it's not from members within my own church. It's just from those in the neighborhood that for whatever reason, hold the sexist beliefs that women can't be called to ministry.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO WHEN YOU HAVE FREE TIME?

Oh, when I do have free time, I like to read fiction. I'm a big fiction reader. I am also an author.

I have a children's book that's coming out on Aug. 15. It's called My Love, God is Everywhere. It's a children's book about a mother and a daughter who is curious about where God is in different circumstances. “Is God here” is essentially the question that she keeps asking. It is my first book. I cowrote it with a dear friend of mine, Cameron Mason Vickrey. We're really excited about it.

AC & HEAT

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APPLIANCE REPAIR

JESSE’S A/C & APPLIANCE SERVICE

TACLB13304C All Makes/Models. 214-660-8898

BUY SELL TRADE

!!OLD GUITARS WANTED!! Gibson, Fender, Martin, Etc. 1930’s to 1980’s. Top Dollar Paid.1-866 -433-8277

CABINETRY & FURNITURE

SERNAS & BASS DESIGN-BUILD

We design, build & Install cabinets & tops! (214) 354-3074 • aldo@sernasbass.com

SQUARE NAIL WOODWORKING

Cabinet Refacing, Built-ins, Entertainment/ Computer Centers. Jim. 214-324-7398 jhholbert2@att.net

CLEANING SERVICES

ALTOGETHER CLEAN

Relax ...We’ll Clean Your House, It Will Be Your Favorite Day! Bonded & Insurance. Free Estimates. 214-929-8413. www. altogetherclean.net

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

GOLDEN CLEANING, Home Basic Clean,Move in/out. 214-500-6998

WANTED: HOUSES TO CLEAN, Organize, De-clutter, or Pack. Sunny 214-724-2555

WINDOW CLEANING Power washing No Job To Small. 30 Yrs exp. 214-360-0120

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

COMPUTERS & ELECTRONICS

AT ODDS WITH YOUR COMPUTER? Easily Learn Essential Skills. Services include Digital Photo Help. Sharon 214-679-9688

CONFUSED? FRUSTRATED? Let a seasoned pro be the interface between you & that pesky Windows computer. Hardware/Software Installation, Troubleshooting, Training. $100/hr. 1 hr min. Dan 972-639-6413 / stykidan@sbcglobal.net

CONCRETE/MASONRY/PAVING

ADVANCE STONE ART CREATIONS

Decorative Concrete Overlays. 214-705-5954

BRICK WORK, DRIVEWAYS, PATIOS, Flagstone. Call Eli 469-870-5420

CONCRETE/MASONRY/PAVING

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

Chris 214-770-5001

CONCRETE, RETAINING WALLS 25 yrs exp. T&M Construction, Inc. 214-328-6401

EDMONDSPAVING.COM Asphalt & Concrete Driveway-Sidewalk-Patio-Repair 214-957-3216

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

JOHNSON PAVING Concrete, Asphalt, Driveways. New or Repair. 214-827-1530

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC

Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricdfw. com

50 Yrs. Electrical Exp. Insd. 214-328-1333

BRIGHT LIGHT ELECTRIC • 214-553-5333

TECL 31347 Brightening Homes and Businesses

LAKEWOOD ELECTRICAL Local. Insured. Lic. #227509 Call Rylan 214-434-8735

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

WHITE ROCK ELECTRIC All Electrical Services. Lic/Insd.TECL-34002 214-850-4891

EXTERIOR CLEANING

G&G DEMOLITION Tear downs, Haul. Interior/Exterior. 214-808-8925

FENCING & DECKS

4 QUALITY FENCING • 214-507-9322 Specializing in Wood. YourWoodmaster.com

AMBASSADOR FENCE CO. Automatic Gates, Fences/Decks, Pergolas, Patio Covers, Arbors. AmbassadorFenceCo.com 214-621-3217

FENCING, ARBORS, DECKS oldgatefence.com 214-766-6422

LONESTARDECKS.COM 214-357-3975

Trex Decking & Fencing, trex.com All Wood Decks, Arbors & Patio Covers

HANNAH WOODWORKS

• Decks • Pergolas

• Patio Covers

Hannahwoodworks.com

214-435-9574

FLOORING & CARPETING

EPOXY GARAGE FLOORS

Many colors to choose (flakes optional) Call Nick for bid 214-341-5993 hastingsfloors.com

HARDWOOD INSTALLATIONS Waterproof, hardwood, carpets, tile laminate, & vinyl click. 214-772-9503. Free In Home estimates

FOUNDATION REPAIR

• Slabs • Pier & Beam

• Mud Jacking • Drainage

• Free Estimates

• Over 20 Years Exp. 972-288-3797

We Answer Our Phones

GARAGE SERVICES

UNITED GARAGE DOORS AND GATES Res/Com. Locally Owned. 214-251-5428

GENERAL CONTACTING

A2H GENERAL CONTRACTING,LLC Remodel, Paint, Drywall/Texture, Plumbing. Electrical, Siding, Bathroom/Kitchen Remodels Tilling, Flooring, Fencing. 469-658-9163. Free Est. A2HGeneralContactingLLC@gmail.com

GLASS, WINDOWS & DOORS

LAKE HIGHLANDS GLASS & MIRROR frameless shower enclosures • store fronts replacement windows • mirrors 214-349-8160

PRO WINDOW CLEANING prompt, dependable. Matt 214-766-2183

ROCK GLASS CO Replace, repair: windows, mirrors, showers, screens. 214-837-7829

HANDYMAN SERVICES

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

DANHANDY.NET Repairs Done Right For A Fair Price. References 214-991-5692

HANDY DAN The Handyman. ToDo’s Done Right. handy-dan.com 214-252-1628

HANDYMAN SPECIALIST Residential/Commercial. Large, small jobs, repair list, renovations. Refs. 214-489-0635

HANDYMAN WANTS your Painting,Repairs, To Do Lists. Bob. 214-288-4232. Free Est. 25+yrs exp.

HOME REPAIR Doors, Trim, Glass. Int/Ext. Sheetrock, Windows, Kitchen, Bathroom 35 yrs exp. 214-875-1127

HOMETOWN HANDYMAN All phases of construction. No job too small 214-327-4606

ONE CALL WEEKEND SERVICES

Contractor & Handyman. Remodels, Renovations . Paint, Plumbing, Drywall, Electrical. 469-658-9163

Let Us Tackle Your To-Do List!

HOUSE PAINTING

Interior & Exterior Painting

$500 OFF

Over 25 years of experience Free Estimates 214-702-2188 morganexteriorsdfw.com

HECTOR PEREZ PAINTING

Commercial/residential. Intrior/ Exterior. Fair Rates. 214-489-0635

INT / EXT PAINTING, DRYWALL, SIDING And repairs call Eli 469-870-5420

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

TEXAS BEST PAINTING LLC Resd,Interiors 30Yrs. 214-527-4168

TOP COAT 30 Yrs. Exp. Reliable. Quality Repair/Remodel. Phil @ 214-770-2863

VIP PAINTING & DRYWALL Int/Ext. Sheetrock Repair, Resurfacing Tubs, Counters, Tile Repairs. 469-774-7111

KITCHEN/BATH/TILE/GROUT

FENN CONSTRUCTION Full Service Contractor. dallastileman.com 214-343-4645

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

TK REMODELING 972-533-2872

Complete Full Service Repairs, Kitchen & Bath/Remodeling, Restoration.

Name It- We Do It. dallas.tkremodelingcontractors.com

JIM 972-992-4660

WE REFINISH!

• Tubs, Tiles or Sinks

• Cultured Marble

• Kitchen Countertops

214-631-8719

www.allsurfacerefinishing.com

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

#1 WHITE ROCK TREE WIZARDS Professionals, Experts, Artists serving Dallas 15 years.Trim, Removals. Tree Health Care services. Insured. Arborwizard.com. Free Est. (972) 803-6313.

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

A BETTER TREE MAN Trims, Removals, Insd.

18 Yrs Exp. Roberts Tree Service. 214-808-8925

Lawns, Gardens & Trees

HOLMAN IRRIGATION

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

MAYA TREE SERVICE Tree Trim/Remove. Lawn Maintenance. Resd/ Commcl.Insd. CC’s Accptd. mayatreeservice.com

214-924-7058 214-770-2435

MONSTER TREE SERVICE DALLAS

Certified Arborists, Fully Insured 469.983.1060

NEW LEAF TREE, LLC

Honest, Modern, Safety Minded. 214-850-1528

PAT TORRES 214-388-1850 Lawn Service & Tree

Care. 28 Yrs. Complete Landscape Renovation. New Fence Install & Brick Repair. Concrete Removal and Gutter Cleaning.

RED SUN LANDSCAPES • 214-935-9779 RedSunLandscapes.com

TAYLOR MADE IRRIGATION Repairs, service, drains. 30+ years exp. Ll 6295 469-853-2326. John

DALLAS KDR SERVICES

• Lawn service ”WE CARE ABOUT YOUR TREES”

On Staff:

4 - Certified Arborists • 1 - Tex- Tech Degreed Ag • 1 - Tex A&M Degreed Forester • 3 - Certified Applicators 214-327-9311

FULLY

PEST CONTROL

MCDANIEL PEST CONTROL

Prices Start at $85 + Tax For General Treatment.

Average Home-Interior/Exterior & Attached Garage. Quotes For Other Services.

214-328-2847. Lakewood Resident

MOSQUITO SHIELD 972–850-2983

Imagine A Night Outside Without Mosquitoes

NATURE KING PEST MANAGEMENT INC.

Squirrels, Racoons, Skunks, Snakes, Possums, etc.

Pest & Termite. Neighborhood Resident 30+ Yrs.exp. 214-827-0090

PEST CONTROL

WHERE CAN I FIND LOCAL ...?

REMODELING

KEYS AND GRIM

30 years of experience in residential remodeling. “They are the best…and so nice.” ~ Mom keysandgrim.com 214-952-4490

"Keeping Children & Pets in Mind"

Termite Specialist - Mosquito Mister Systems

Licensed · Insured · Residential · Commercial · Organic 214-350-3595 • Abetterearth.crw@gmail.com abetterearth.com

PLUMBING

AC PLUMBING Repairs, Fixtures, Senior Discounts. Gary Campbell. 214-321-5943

PLUMBING ISSUES?

We’re the Experts!

30 Years of Excellent Service • Water Heaters

Water Leaks

Sewer Backups

All Plumbing Repairs

ASK ABOUT DISCOUNTS!

POOLS

972-379-4000 staggsplumbing.co

CERULEAN POOL SERVICES Family Owned/ Operated. Weekly maintenance, Chemicals, parts & repairs. CeruleanPro.com 214-557-6996

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

C.A.S. BOOKKEEPING SERVICES

Personal/Small Business. Payroll, Accounting, Organizing, Consult. Cindy 214-577-7450

REAL ESTATE ESTATE HOME NEEDS TO BE SOLD?

Facing forclosure? IG Heron Homes Call Ricardo Garza @ 469-426-7839

GARDEN OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT Walnut Hill @ CENTRAL.3 Smaller Suites Avail. Flexible Terms 214.915. 8886 OFFICE SUBLEASE In Bishop Arts. Cool, Quiet. 1,179 Sq ft. 4 rooms + kit / bath, parking. $2,950 + NNNs. 713.302-7722.

REMODELING

O’BRIEN GROUP INC. Remodeling Dallas For Over 24 Years www.ObrienGroupInc.com 214-341-1448

RENOVATE DALLAS

renovatedallas.com 214-403-7247

S&L CONSTRUCTION All Home Services & Repairs. 214-918-8427

SQUARE NAIL CONSTRUCTION

Kitchen/Bath remodeling

Re-facing, Pergolas/Decks. 30Yrs exp. 469.585.1588, 469.585.7756

TK REMODELING 972-533-2872

Complete Full Service Repairs, Kitchen & Bath/Remodeling, Restoration. Name It- We Do It. dallas.tkremodelingcontractors.com

MP ARCHITECTURAL Design & Construction. mattandpaul.com 214-226-1186

ROOFING & GUTTERS

BERT ROOFING INC.

Family owned and operated for over 40 years

• Residential/Commercial • Over 30,000 roofs completed • Seven NTRCA “Golden Hammer” Awards • Free Estimates www.bertroofing.com

SERVICES FOR YOU

ARE YOU A PET OWNER? Do you want to get up to 100% back on vet bills?

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DIRECTV STREAM - Carries the most local MLB Games! ChoicePackage $89.99/mo for 12 mos

Stream on 20 devices at once.HBO Max included for 3 mos (w/Choice Package or higher.)No contract or hidden fees! Some restrictions apply. Call IVS 1-866859-0405

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ELIMINATE GUTTER CLEANING FOREVER!

LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection. Schedule a FREE LeafFilter estimate today. 15% off Entire Purchase. 10% Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-855-402-0373

FREE HIGH SPEED INTERNET if qualified. Govt. pgm for recipients of select pgms incl. Medicaid, SNAP, Housing Assistance, WIC, Veterans Pension, Survivor Benefits, Lifeline, Tribal. 15 GB internet. Android tablet free w/one-time $20 copay. Free shipping. Maxsip Telecom! 1-833-758-3892

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Complete Kitchen/Bath Remodels/New Additions Granite, Marble, Tile, Travertine Fully Insured Residential/Commercial 214.870.5420

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

FENN CONSTRUCTION Kitchens And Baths. Call Us For Your Remodeling Needs. 214-343-4645. dallastileman.com

469.870.5420

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TUTOR/LESSONS

WANTED: OBOE TEACHER needed for 14 year old student. Call 214–235-7429

YOUR PRESTON HOLLOW LUXURY LEADER

Terri

972.841.3838 | terri.cox@alliebeth.com

214.926.0158 | alex.perry@alliebeth.com

Susan

214.763.1591 | susan.baldwin@alliebeth.com

Kristen

214.202.2660 | kristen.scott@alliebeth.com

Lori

214.680.6432 | lori.sparks@alliebeth.com

14911 Lake Forest | $3,000,000

Scott

Alex Perry

4255 Cochran Chapel Road | $8,895,000

Susan Bradley 214.674.5518

Cox

Sparks

5825 Glendora Avenue | $1,500,000 12127 Elysian Court | $1,150,000

5100 Brookview Drive | Price Upon Request

Baldwin

9646 Douglas Avenue | $9,995,000