Chevrolet’s singular sensation

CHEVROLET’S • By Richard Greene

SINGULAR SENSATION

Jack Sheedy stands with his 1966 Chevrolet Corvair, the Jack Sheedy stands with his 1966 Chevrolet Corvair, the only mass-produced American car with an air-cooled only mass-produced American car with an air-cooled engine in the rear. engine in the rear.

Apriority in our monthly classic car series is always the story. While the vehicles are forever stunning in appearance, it’s the story that goes with them that makes it something worth writing about.

In all the history of American car production, the Chevrolet Corvair remains the only mass-produced passenger car with an air-cooled engine in the rear – where you usually fnd the trunk.

Chevrolet was so committed to the transformation in compact cars during the 1960 decade that they marketed the Corvair as a 4-door sedan, 2-door coupe, convertible, 4-door station wagon, passenger van, commercial van, and even a pickup truck.

This 1966 Corvair Monza owned by Jack and Judi Sheedy was one of the approximately 1.8 million produced from 1960-1969 in seven of GM’s domestic plants and six of the company’s foreign locations.

There was even a concept Corvair in 1966 – same year as the Sheedy’s – labeled as the Electrovair II and as the name implies, it was an experiment for replacing the gasoline engine with an electric motor. Problem then was the high cost of the batteries and ofering a driving range of only something like 40-60 miles. It was so well ahead of its time, we wouldn’t see much of any such cars until about now – some 50 years later. So, with all that history of this one-of-a-kind rear engine automobile, why have many of you who are reading this never seen one or, if you have, likely long forgotten about it? The answer comes with the rest of the story, following a bit of research. Photos: Richard Greene Heralded when frst introduced in 1960 the Corvair won accolades from, among others, Motor Trend Magazine declaring it as the Car of the Year, Time Magazine featured it on their cover proclaiming it as the forerunner of a new age of innovation, and Car and Driver magazine said the 1965 model was the most important new car and the most beautiful since before World War II. >>>

While the 1966 Corvair has a number of attractive and practical features, what sets it apart from other cars of its era is the 164 Turbo-Air, 140-horsepower engine that sort of resembles a giant, six-legged red spider (far left).

Then trouble came when the Corvair’s reputation (and GM’s altogether) was damaged with accusations about its handling ability in consumer protection activist Ralph Nader’s 1965 book, “Unsafe at Any Speed,” which infuenced the adoption of the National Trafc and Motor Vehicle Safety Act in 1966.

The company, having been hit with more than 100 lawsuits, saw sales cut from 220,000 units in 1965 to less than half that number in 1966. By 1968 production had fallen to less than 15,000 vehicles, and, a year later, the last Corvair rolled of the assembly line.

Never mind that by 1972 Texas A&M University had issued a safety commission report that concluded the Corvair presented no greater potential for loss of control than its competitors.

That same year, an independent advisory panel of engineers reported the National Highway Trafc Safety Administration’s fndings that the Corvair compared favorably with contemporary vehicles.

Now Jack and Judi have a nearly perfect example of the Corvair’s role in American automotive history. And their connection with it traces its origin to the time when she had one in the late ‘60s when they were dating. “We wanted to see if we could fnd one like her’s,” Jack says, “and eventually discovered what we have now.” When he spends time going over all the features, Jack likes to share with those admiring his car that his favorite moment seems to be when he opens what most believe is the trunk and proudly shows of the 164 Turbo-Air, 140-horsepower engine that sort of resembles a giant, six-legged red spider. The Sheedys share their memories and current experiences with about 100 fellow members of the North Texas Corvair Association, itself a chapter of the Corvair Society of America. It seems the once-celebrated “forerunner of a new age of innovation” is not to be forgotten.

The Chicago Tribune summed up the reason 25 years after Corvair’s demise in an article reporting the Standard Catalog of American Cars, describing it “perhaps the most signifcant automobile of the postwar era.”

UTA’s School of Social Work/Smart Hospital Building was made possible by a UTA’s School of Social Work/Smart Hospital Building was made possible by a partnership between the university and the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation. partnership between the university and the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation.

Image: UTA

UNIVERSITY TEAMS WITH THE CITY ON NEW FACILITY

UTA breaks ground on School of Social Work/Smart Hospital building • By Jenny Gumbert

For decades, The University of Texas at Arlington has worked in partnership with the city of Arlington to create a thriving community for students and city residents. That partnership continues with last month’s announcement of a $1 million matching gift from the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation, the city’s charitable arm, in support of the University’s new School of Social Work/ Smart Hospital Building.

UTA broke ground on the new facility in February, and work continues with a projected completion date of November 2022. The 150,000-square-foot building will be the new home for UTA’s School of Social Work and the College of Nursing and Health Innovation’s (CONHI) Smart Hospital, ushering in a new era of interdisciplinary learning and collaboration between the two programs.

The gift serves as a dollar-for-dollar challenge grant with the goal of inspiring alumni as well as other members of the Maverick community to take part in bringing the state-of-the-art facility to life. Gifts donated in support of the building will be matched by the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation up to $1 million.

“Our gift recognizes the incredible contributions graduates of the School of Social Work and the College of Nursing and Health Innovation are making in the health and wellness of people throughout the North Texas region,” says Carolyn Mentesana, executive director of the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation. “Through this matching gift, we hope to inspire Mavericks to have a hand in creating a space that will beneft UTA and its students, as well as Arlington.”

Arlington Mayor Jim Ross says the foundation’s gift is both a recognition of the partnership between the University and the city of Arlington as well as an investment in the city and its residents.

“UTA has contributed so much to our city through its graduates who are working every day to create healthier and happier communities,” says Ross, who also serves as chair of the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation’s board. “This new facility will help both the University and Arlington continue to grow and fourish.”

UTA graduates the most nurses in Texas and has one of the largest nursing programs in the nation. In 2021, the nursing program was once again designated a Center of Excellence by the National League for Nursing, considered the premier organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education.

For more than 50 years, UTA’s School of Social Work has promoted excellence in research, teaching and service to create educational opportunities for students and their communities with the goal of achieving a just society. The Master of Social Work program ofers specialties in Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Aging, Community and Administrative Practice, Children and Families and Health and is consistently ranked among the best in the nation.

By creating an environment where both social work and nursing students can collaborate and innovate, UTA will graduate a new generation of social work and health care professionals uniquely equipped to meet the critical needs of North Texas communities.

“This generous matching gift from the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation brings us one step closer to completing a world-class facility that will beneft current and future students, North Texas, and beyond,” says Teik C. Lim, interim president of UTA. “This is a transformational opportunity for the Maverick and Arlington communities to join together to create meaningful impact.”

For more: uta.edu/giving/impact/ssw-sh.

Scene Snapshots of note from places and events in the Arlington/Mansfeld/ Grand Prairie area

For more great SCENE moments, visit arlingtontoday.com

Timeless Timeless Concerts Concerts

Jade Prather, Cheryl Grable and Kirby Grable at the November Timeless Concerts event that presented German music to the crowd at Holt Hickman Center in east Fort Worth Thomas Henry, Marcia Henry and Mr. and Mrs. Henry Signo at the Timeless Concerts performance

Photos: Timeless Concerts Young arts supporters of the future: Wytha Sarvis, Myreel Linton, Addison Evans and Charisse Allen at the Timeless Concerts event. The next Timeless Concerts performance will be the Valentines Special and Fundraiser at 8 p.m. on Feb. 12 at the Rose Garden Tea Room at Gracie Lane.

Special volunteers Special volunteers

Photo courtesy of Jerry McCullough Judy Bell and Cynthia Baskette McKenzie were honored for their volunteer service with the Tarrant County Child Protective Services Board and the Community Partners of Tarrant County. Paul Padilla, Chairperson of the Board, made the presentation.

Men Serving God Men Serving God

Photos: Terry Ip Photography Former Mayor Jeff Williams, Jerry McCullough and Jonathan Evans at the Men Serving God event, which was held at the Levitt Pavilion

Bulletin Board Bulletin Board

Arlington Public Library can help you fnd a job

Looking for a job? The Arlington Public Library is offering assistance to residents wanting to prepare for the job market. JobNow (shorturl.at/zCJOP) is a database that is available for all library cardholders. This resource offers the following services: • Create and edit resumes • Live resume experts • Interview coaches • Job resources • Interview tips • Career assessments • Recorded workshops like “Best practices for using social media in your job search”

JobNow Coaches are also available every day from 2 to 11 p.m. on the JobNow website listed above. Arlington librarians will also be hosting a series of information sessions. These sessions are intended to help patrons get a good understanding of this resource. These are open at the following days/times/places this month: • Wednesday, December 8, 4 - 5 p.m. at the East Library and Recreation Center • Wednesday, December 15, 4 - 5 p.m. at the East Library and Recreation Center

Grand Prairie introduces a special art initiative

The City of Grand Prairie Public Art Program is inviting local artists to compete for spots on a public art commission to create art on Traffc Signal Boxes located throughout the city.

The City will accept proposals based on two themes this year. The frst theme is “hearts,” indicating love, kindness, unity, openness, acceptance, and friendship; as well as Grand Prairie being located in the heart of the Metroplex. The second theme is Purple Martins.

Deadline to apply for the art commission is 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 31.

For more: http://ow.ly/HfjV50GPTA9

Learning about the National Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor recipient and Arlington Today columnist Major General Pat Brady visited Duff Elementary School last month to answer students’ questions about the Medal of Honor and military service, as part of the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation’s Leadership Institute education program.

“It is the solemn responsibility of me and my fellow veterans to teach the next generation of Americans the true cost of freedom, by telling the stories of the brave women and men who sacrifced everything for our country,” says Maj. Gen. Brady. “I relish every opportunity to talk to young people about the important work the NMOHMF is doing.”

Maj. Gen. Brady watched a performance by the fourth grade choir and shared what it means to have the National Medal of Honor Museum in their backyards.

Two area school employees presented with Trusted Hero awards by Texas Trust CU

Texas Trust Credit Union recently honored 38 school employees in nine North Texas school districts as Trusted Heroes. Recipients each receive up to $250 and recognition for their positive contributions during the COVID pandemic in the 2020-21 school year.

Heroes include food service workers, school bus drivers, counselors, custodians and maintenance staff, nurses, and teachers. Here are the Arlington/ Mansfeld/Grand Prairie area honorees: • Matt Bostick, a physical education teacher at Duff Elementary in the Arlington Independent School District. Dedicated to keeping everyone healthy by staying physically ft, he created a weekly workout video offering exercise tips for students and adults that they could do at home while schools were closed. The videos were distributed via the district’s social media channels, enabling anyone who followed the district to beneft. • For cafeteria manager Phyllis Jackson with Grand Prairie Independent School District, ensuring students were eating healthy during the pandemic was her top priority. Although schools were closed, Jackson and her team continued to prepare fresh meals daily that they packaged and distributed through the school’s drive-up food line, which Jackson organized. Jackson made sure that all families were greeted with a smile and friendly face as they came to pick up food, regardless of the weather. Jackson also stepped in many times to help other campuses prepare food when they were short-staffed.

Mansfeld is one clean city

During the recent Community Litter Cleanup Challenge, 494 volunteers in 36 cleanup events in Mansfeld collected 633 bags of litter, resulting in six tons of trash. The effort helped the city be named the third cleanest of the 15 cities competing.

Texas Rangers announce initiatives to celebrate the club’s 50th anniversary in 2022

The Texas Rangers last month announced several initiatives to celebrate the club’s 50th Anniversary season in 2022, including a special logo and the schedule of promotional giveaway dates. Many of the 2022 giveaways will commemorate individuals and events from the Rangers’ frst 50 years in Arlington. The starting times for 2022 games at Globe Life Field were also released. The club had a promotion in November during which it allowed fans to purchase tickets for all 2022 home games, except the March 31 opener with the New York Yankees, for just $10 each. An initial promotional schedule that includes 30 giveaways was also released. It features bobbleheads of Adrian Beltre, Juan Gonzalez, Charley Pride, Ivan Rodriguez, Nolan Ryan, Jim Sundberg, and Michael Young, and sets of Rangers baseball cards for each of the fve decades. There will be also be replica jersey t-shirts from 1972, 1984, and 1994, a commemorative Nolan Ryan pitching rubber, and a 50th anniversary Mt. Crushmore statue featuring the top four home run hitters in club history: Gonzalez, Rafael Palmeiro, Ivan Rodriguez, and Beltre.

To assist fans in selecting games for purchase, the club announced its starting times for all 2022 home games. The regular game times will remain the same: 7:05 p.m. for weekday night games, 6:05 p.m. for Saturday night games, 3:05 p.m. for Saturday day games in June and July, and 1:35 p.m. for Sunday games. There are also seven 1:05 p.m. contests on selected Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Texas has scheduled a 3:05 p.m. start for the season opener on Thursday, March 31 vs. the New York Yankees and will play the Yankees on Saturday, April 2 at 1:35 p.m. due to a 2022 WrestleMania event taking place that evening at AT&T Stadium. All game times are subject to change.

Keen Cuisine Keen Cuisine

UPSCALE

Chamas do Brazil • 4606 S. Cooper St. • 817-618-2986 • chamasdobrazil2.tru-m.com Cut & Bourbon • 1600 E. Randol Mill • 682-277-4950 • loewshotels.com/live-by-loews-arlington-texas Mercury Chophouse • 2221 E. Lamar Blvd., Suite 910 • 817-381-1157 • mercurychophouse.com Piccolo Mondo • 829 Lamar Blvd. E. • 817-265-9174 • piccolomondo.com Restaurant506 at The Sanford House • 506 N. Center St. • 817-801-5541 • restaurant506.com

AMERICAN

Candlelite Inn • 1202 E. Division St. • 817-275-9613 • candleliteinnarlington.com Dino’s Subs • 2221 S. Collins St. • 817-274-1140 frieddaze • 5005 S. Cooper St., Suite 159 • 817-472-6666 • frieddaze.com No Frills Grill • 4914 Little Road • 817-478-1766 • 1500 Eastchase Pkwy., Suite 1200 • 817-274-5433 2851 Matlock Road, Suite 422, Mansfeld • 817-473-6699 • nofrillsgrill.com The Grease Monkey • 200 N. Mesquite St. • 817-665-5454 • greasemonkeyburgers.com J. Gilligan’s Bar & Grill • 400 E. Abram St. • 817-274-8561 • jgilligans.com

MEXICAN/TEX-MEX

Cartel Taco Bar • 506 E. Division St., Suite 150 • 817-200-6364 • carteltacobar.com El Arroyo • 5024 S. Cooper St. • 817-468-2557 • elarroyoarlington.com El Gabacho Tex-Mex Grill • 2408 W. Abram St. • 817-276-8160 • facebook.com/elgabachotexmex Fuzzy’s Taco Shop • 510 E. Abram St. • 817-265-8226 • 4201 W. Green Oaks Blvd. • 817-516-8226 1601 E. Debbie Lane, Mansfeld • 817-453-1682 • fuzzystacoshop.com La Isla Restaurant • 2201 E. Pioneer Pkwy. • 817-459-1498 • laislarestauranttx.com

ITALIAN/PIZZA

Café Sicilia • 7221 Matlock Road • 817-419-2800 • cafesicilia.com Gino’s East • 1350 E. Copeland Road • 817-200-6834 • ginoseast.com/arlington

BARBECUE

David’s Barbecue • 2224 W. Park Row Drive, Suite H • 817- 261-9998

INTERNATIONAL

Prince Lebanese Grill • 502 W. Randol Mill • 817-469-1811 • princelebanesegrill.com R'haan Thai Cuisine • 2500 N.E. Green Oaks Blvd. • 817-795-9188 • facebook.com/rhaanthaicuisine

Chamas do Brazil Chamas do Brazil

Dino’s Subs Dino’s Subs

Cartel Taco Bar Cartel Taco Bar

UTA hoops coaches primed for success

Shereka Wright Shereka Wright

Photo: fortworthbusiness.com

Greg Young Greg Young

Photo: Dallas Morning News

College Basketball is a coach-driven sport. Now any coach will tell you that a coach is only as good as the players on the team. But of course in college basketball it is the coach who picks the players for the team. So as we begin another season of hoops at UTA we look to the coaches with hope and pride.

One the product of a military family who learned respect and discipline at home. The other’s father was a coach, and in this case the apples don’t fall far from the tree.

Copperas Cove, Texas, is only a couple of hours south of Arlington, and yet it looks a lot diferent. There are hills there, big hills that almost look like mountains. Where there are mountains, there are valleys, and where there are valleys there are echoes. Echoing through the valleys of this proud military town you might still hear the name Shereka Wright.

The second-year head coach of the Mavericks Women’s basketball team put the Cove on the map just two decades ago. In 2000 she was named USA Today Player of the Year and Gatorade Player of the Year. She led her team to a 118-10 record in four years and still holds the record for points (3269), rebounds (1148) and blocks (220). She was a three time All American at Purdue and then played in the WNBA before injuries sent her to coaching.

She started her coaching career in the cradle of women’s basketball coaches, Lubbock. She was an assistant coach on the Red Raiders staf for seven seasons. During stops at Alabama and Vanderbilt she established herself as a great recruiter and was tabbed to bring her wealth of experience and success to Arlington.

On the UTA women’s basketball page there is a video: “Shereka Wright hometown Visit.” Do yourself a favor and watch it. The trip to “the Cove” includes a stop at her Junior High Gym, where the Bullpups never lost a game and interviews with the husband/wife team that were her Junior High and High School coaches.

Sammey Townsend remembers those junior high years fondly. “No drama ever,” Townsend recalls. “The best parents, and I’ve already told you that coaching a military kid is one of my favorite experiences.”

Who wouldn’t like coaching children from military families? Especially when they help you to a 38-0 record, like Shereka did in her eighth grade year.

Her family background paid dividends when she played high school ball for Skip Townsend, too. As mentioned, her teams were 118-10 over her career.

The hills around Cleburne, Texas, aren’t nearly as big as those in Copperas Cove. No one would confuse them with mountains. There are no valleys to speak of, but this small Texas town proudly produced the other new coach at UTA. Well, he is new to the head coaching role.

Greg Young has been on the bench for the Mavs for over a decade as an assistant to two previous head coaches. Like Shereka, Greg learned discipline and respect for his craft at home. His dad was a longtime coach. And following in his footsteps was a given.

After excelling in three sports at Cleburne, Greg got his frst coaching opportunity in a familiar place. At Cleburne high school. Jef Cody hired him as an assistant in 1990. Cody told the Cleburne Times Review that Greg was like family and that he was elated that Young got this opportunity. “I’m thrilled for him and

John Rhadigan his parents,” Cody told the Times-review. “His daddy was a longtime coach, and they’re still so close. He’ll do a great job because he’s a great coach.”

UTA Athletic Director Jim Baker has flled the two highest profle positions at the University in the past 18 months. His choices are logical and wise. Both coaches worked hard for the opportunity, both coaches learned their work ethic at home, both homes were in Texas.

Look for both to have great success recruiting in this talent-rich state. Both have a history of recruiting great players.

So, if a coach really is “only as good as the players,” then look for both to have great success in Arlington.

Itinerary Itinerary

ARLINGTON’S OWN PENTATONIX will perform at 7 p.m. on Dec. 22 at Texas Trust CU Theatre at Grand Prairie (1001 Performance Place). The multi-platinum selling recording artists have sold roughly 3.5 million albums in the U.S. alone, won two Grammy Awards, sold out venues worldwide, have amassed more than 1.5 billion views on their YouTube channel and appeared in the feature flm “Pitch Perfect 2.” Their latest release, “Pentatonix,” debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 and Current Albums Chart and is certifed gold by the RIAA. The frst single, “Can’t Sleep Love,” has more than 20 million views on YouTube. The group’s holiday album, “That’s Christmas To Me,” is certifed double platinum by the RIAA.

texastrustcutheatre.com

POSSIBLY THE LARGEST EXHIBIT OF ORIGINAL ANTIQUE MAPS OF AFRICA EVER IN NORTH TEXAS is currently on display at the University of Texas at Arlington’s Central Libraries’ Special Collections (702 Planetarium Place). The 190 items represent only a portion of more than 500 maps recently donated to the University by UTA Distinguished Alumnus Dr. Jack Franke (class of 1987). The exhibit is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, except on Holidays. Admission to the exhibit is free.

events.uta.edu

Dallas Cowboys football Dallas Cowboys football

The Cowboys will host just one game this month when the longtime rival Washington Football team plays a visit to AT&T Stadium on Dec. 26. Kickoff is set for 7:20 p.m. for the prime-time Sunday night matchup.

dallascowboys.com

Photo: dallascowboys.com

Downtown Urban Market Downtown urban market

On Dec. 9 (4-8 p.m.) and Dec. 19 (noon-5 p.m.) you can go to Legal Draft (500 E. Division St.) to purchase produce, art, baked goods, apparel and more. There’s live music and plenty of great beer on tap, to boot.

downtownarlington.org

Photo: arlingtonmuseum.org

NCAA Post-season football NCAA post-season football

Two huge playoff games will be held at AT&T Stadium this month. First, there’s the Big 12 Championship at 11 a.m. on Dec. 4. There there’s the championship semifnal Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at noon on Dec. 31.

attstadium.com

Christmas in the mountains • By Richard Greene

For more than 50 years our family has celebrated Christmas in our Arlington homes. There have been three of them over time, and it’s where traditions have evolved, and cherished memories were made.

Always in preparation for the big day, our family gathered on Christmas Eve and listened as my wife’s father annually reminded us with St. Luke’s account of why we recognize this time among the most valued in the practice of our faith.

To review the quickly passing years all we need to do is pull out the photo albums containing countless pictures taken on every one of these occasions. In them we can see our children growing up, adding their spouses to our celebration, welcoming grandchildren along the way and being blessed when there were four generations present around the tree and among the decorations that adorn our home.

Then came the passage of time and annually feeling the loss of those with whom we could no longer share what had become our season of great joy. Fittingly, the practice of reading from the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke is now in the hands of the great granddaughter of the one who started the tradition for our family.

I’m sure what I’ve described is similarly shared by countless others who could tell the same stories that make Christmas time truly special in the journey of each of their own lives.

Last year we had a new experience in a diferent place. It was in the cabin on the side of a mountain among a vast range of the oldest mountains on earth. We had family with us, of course, but it was all very unlike other years.

For one thing, as we concluded our annual Christmas Eve viewing of the original Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” it began snowing, and we awoke the next morning to a magnifcent White Christmas. The snow covered everything. In all directions, it seemed an almost unreal scene thrilling our imagination.

Our location was in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina in the Nantahala National Forest. The scenery throughout that whole part of the country is much diferent than our home state. Okay, Texas has its own kind of beauty, that we’ve been enjoying for more than fve decades.

This time it was very special. And, not just around the cabin. The small mountain towns and villages ofer a great variety of the holiday landscape. They range from those with highly decorated main streets through the center of town to others laid out in a square surrounding a courthouse gleaming with lights and scenery to the delight of everyone.

As you wind through curvy mountain roads and over the hills, you can see the Christmas morning view from the porch. nighttime glow of these places even before you arrive. Prominent among them is the town of Dahlonega in northern Georgia where the mountains mark their southern origins. Southern Living Magazine calls it the perfect Christmas town. The writer describes it all as a whimsical holiday world draped in twinkling lights and, along with horse-drawn carriages, it’s “Hallmark Worthy.”

Interestingly, our hometown has something in common with Dahlonega (minus the mountains, of course): Its season is kicked of with a festive parade and the lighting of a massive tree all attended by the town’s citizenry decked out in winter attire. Just as we gather in the center of our city to celebrate the season Arlington-style.

It all looks familiar enough to remind us that there is no other time on the calendar when we are seemingly brought together and pause long enough to realize that we share a common bond across the land and, for that matter, throughout the world.

You might imagine that I’m going to conclude this month’s column with a proposition that if you are looking for something diferent in late December (while at the same time, somewhat familiar) we’ve a suggestion for you.