January 2022

January 2022

your community • your magazine

Today

Jim Maibach

Peyco Southwest Realty

Brandee Kelley

Brandee Kelley Group Keller Williams Realty

The Honorable David L. Cook Joy & Chad Bates

Yellowstone National Title LLC

Legacy Group of CrossCountry Mortgage

Selling ARLINGTON

(and Mansfield and Grand Prairie)

Join our complimentary webinar on January 4th at both 11am and 6:30 pm, call the office for more info 817-557-2770

is now

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Dine-In and Take-Out orders

Large parties, celebrations, and other events are always welcome.

Lunch is served from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and dinner is served from 5 p.m.-9 p.m.

Monday through Saturday. Closed on Sunday. BYOB! 2500 N.E. Green Oaks Blvd. • 817-795-9188 facebook.com/rhaanthaicuisine

Contents

ON THE COVER

January 2022 • Volume 9 • Issue 1

HIGHLIGHTS 38

40

32

50

32 Home SWEET! Home

How Spencer and Amy Cearnal found – and remodeled – their new Wimbledon abode.

34 DIY (or die trying) Here are some important strategies that can turn your “before” home into an “after” that is the envy of the neighborhood.

This month, we salute a collection of people dedicated to “Selling Arlington (and Mansfield and Grand Prairie)”: Brandee Kelley, Jim Maibach, Joy and Chad Bates, and The Honorable David L. Cook. (photos: Bruce Maxwell & Southern Flair Photography) See Page 24

DEPARTMENTS

Starting Line 10 This ‘n Data 12 • Around Town 20 Scene 22, 54 • Style 36 Bulletin Board 56 • NMOHM 58 Dining Guide 60 • Speaking of Sports 62 Itinerary 64 • Finish Line 66

UTA TODAY ...

38 Wedding dreams come true Avery Alexander and Collin Hett exchanged vows recently in what evolved into a remarkable, Arlington-centric event.

40 New Year, New You! Here are a half dozen resolutions you can keep as you make plans for a fresh start this year.

42 Earning A’s in (and outside of) class

Halfway through a challenging school year, local schools find ways to help students achieve success.

50 A stylish Cadillac companion

Brady and Vickie Richard now own a stunning 1931 LaSalle 345A, and it turns heads everywhere they take it.

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ARLINGTON TODAY • January 2022 • arlingtontoday.com

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a grant to a University of Texas at Arlington research team to identify and inhibit the defense mechanisms of a pathogen that thrives in hospitals and clinical settings.

See page 48

ai163940606215_Arlington Today Ad 7.375x4.8275 January 2022.pdf

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arlingtontoday.com • January 2022 • ARLINGTON TODAY

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Starting Line your community • your magazine

EXECUTIVE BOARD Executive Publisher Judy M. Rupay

Because the small type can be important

CEO Richard Greene

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EDITORIAL Editor Yale Youngblood

f you are like many readers of printed publications who open the magazine to the table of contents page – and if you did just that after you picked up this month’s edition of the publication of record for the Arlington/ Mansfield/Grand Prairie area – you were treated to a veritable smorgasbord of enticing reading options.

There’s the staple “On the Cover” spot touting a quintet that does some great things while “selling” our great region. You would be well served to get to know Brandee Kelley, Jim Maibach, David L. Cook, and Joy and Chad Bates better by delving into their respective stories, beginning on page 24. There, too, is a collection of interesting pictures designed to lure you into various parts of the magazine, where information about a local home, a local wedding, a local car and a bunch of local ways to keep Yale Youngblood resolutions will also keep you Editor satisfied that your decision to read this issue was a good one.

What you probably won’t catch is, to me, anyway, one of the more significant items on the page. In small type just under the Contents heading, it says, “January 2022 • Volume 9 • Issue 1.” That’s publication parlance for, “yes, dear readers, we’ve just turned the corner on our ninth year of celebrating Arlington and its surrounding burgs.”

During the course of that time, the celebration has been virtually non-stop.

Consider, for a moment, how the city has been transformed: Where there once were two world-class stadia (I’m going all Latin on you, here), there are now three. Where a parking lot once stood now sits the entertainment capital of North Texas, Texas Live! High up in the air in that locale rises the Live! by Loews hotel, which soon will be joined by a big brother across the street.

If you hop in the car and drive just a slight way, you’ll see a real downtown, with vibrant dining, shopping and living options, all close enough to Levitt Pavilion that you are likely to be able to hear the music from your table, checkout stand or patio.

We’ve had three mayors since the start of the magazine, and each has left or is about to leave indelible legacies that can be summarized in one sentence: “He made Arlington better.” Two more of their ilk lifted or are lifting Mansfield to unprecedented heights, and another one is doing likewise in Grand Prairie. And we still have Six Flags Over Texas.

It has, indeed, been a marvelous run, these first eight-plus years. Here’s to AT LEAST eight-plus more!

Sports Columnist John Rhadigan Special Columnist Major General Patrick Brady Website & Social Media Manager Bailey Woodard Graphic Artist Francisco Cuevas Contributing Writer Kenneth Perkins Contributing Photographers Dwayne Lee, Heather Lee, Bruce Maxwell SALES / CIRCULATION Business Manager Bridget Dean Sales Managers Laura DiStefano, Andrea Proctor, Debbie Roach, Tricia Schwartz Distribution Manager Hanna Areksoussi PRODUCTION Production Manager Francisco Cuevas ARLINGTON TODAY is published monthly.

Copyright 2021 Arlington Today, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means without permission of the publisher. The inclusion of advertising is considered a service to readers and is not an endorsement of products. Basic subscriptions are $33.95 for 12 issues.

To subscribe, e-mail subscriptions@arlingtontoday.com.

ARLINGTON TODAY GIVES BACK

yale@arlingtontoday.com Visit arlingtontoday.com, like us on Facebook 10

ARLINGTON TODAY • January 2022 • arlingtontoday.com

and follow us on Twitter

Today

Arlington Today magazine proudly sponsors Alliance for Children, the Arlington Museum of Art, the Arlington Police Foundation, Levitt Pavilion Arlington, and Theatre Arlington.

and Instagram

Phone number: (817) 303-3304

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9am-5pm Monday – Saturday arlingtontoday.com • January 2022 • ARLINGTON TODAY

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This ‘n Data

#atpetofthemonth This is our golden doodle, Katie. The best dog, ever!

She lives with Jim and Susan Irion, who live in the Interlochen.

– Susan Irion

DADDY DAUGHTER DANCE TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE

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ickets are on sale for Arlington Parks & Recreation’s 20th Annual Daddy Daughter Roaring Twenties Gala, which will be held from 4-6 p.m. and from 7-9 p.m. on Feb. 5 at the Bob Duncan Center.

Honoring one of the city’s more popular traditions, the center will be transformed into a world class Grand ballroom perfect for making lasting memories. Individual tickets include a corsage, light refreshments, dessert, professional photographer to capture the experience, keepsake souvenir tickets on-site, and parting gift for daughters.

Registration is required for each attendant. Tickets are sold per person and cost $27 through Jan. 16 and $37 after Jan. 16.

For more: https://rb.gy/xvdvj1

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ARLINGTON TODAY • January 2022 • arlingtontoday.com

BRODERICK GREEN TABBED AS DIRECTOR OF THE AEDC

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he Arlington Economic Development Corporation announced last month that after an extensive national search with executive search firm, The PACE Group, the organization has named Broderick Green as AEDC’s new Executive Director.

“Broderick’s credentials, experience and personality make him an excellent leader for economic development in Arlington,” says Trey Yelverton, City Manager of Arlington. “He has demonstrated success in all facets of economic development, business development and community leadership. We are very excited to Broderick Green have someone of his ability leading AEDC. I am confident he will bring innovation and strategic direction that will be a true asset in the continued development of the Arlington economy.”

Green has more than 13 years of experience in economic development and leaves his position as Senior Manager of Economic Development for Amazon in Washington, D.C., in his move to Arlington.

Prior to his time at Amazon, he led the business development efforts for the JAXUSA Partnership in Jacksonville, FL. “I’m incredibly excited to lead this new Economic Development Corporation.” Mr. Green says. “My passion for local economic development was sparked early in my career while rebuilding communities torn apart by natural disaster. Everything I have done since then has prepared me for this unique opportunity to get back to what I love most - serving people. I’ve been fortunate to experience the energy of this community and share the conviction that Arlington is ‘The American Dream City’.”

Green has been recognized by multiple economic development organizations for his innovation and impact on economic development, including DCI’s Rising 40 under 40 Stars in Economic Development and Consultant Connect’s North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers List. In addition, he has received several recognitions for his work and impact in the communities he has served.

Green gave some insight into how he will begin his work by saying, “The foundation here is solid, but my immediate goals are to build AEDC’s direction and work quickly to expand on recent successes.

I’m ready to hit the ground running and look forward to partnering with local leadership to showcase Arlington’s strengths as a place to establish or expand a business.”

DRIVEN TO SUCCESS

I Via Rideshare has been a rousing success since it started in 2017.

n just over four years, Via Rideshare customers have taken more than 867,000 trips around Arlington to dine or shop, get to school or work, or attend appointments.

More than 98,000 Via Rideshare accounts have been created to date.

arlingtontoday.com • January 2022 • ARLINGTON TODAY

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This ‘n Data

ALLIANCE FOR CHILDREN BREAKS GROUND ON FACILITY EXPANSION

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lliance For Children, the children’s advocacy center serving all of Tarrant County, recently broke ground on an expansion of its original location near downtown Arlington. The planned 24,000-square-foot addition and remodel of the building at 1320 W. Abram St. is the nonprofit’s first step toward extending the network of tailor-made healing and support services provided to child abuse victims and their protective families.

Julie Evans, Alliance For Children’s Chief Executive Officer, says the expansion will allow for enhanced security measures, technology upgrades and more space to accommodate the growing staff and partnerships working these cases of child abuse. The project, scheduled for completion in fall/winter 2022, is part of the nonprofit’s $15.8 million Rebuilding Lives capital campaign, which also encompasses its Fort Worth and Northeast locations, to continue meeting the growing needs of Arlington and the surrounding community, including Kennedale, Grand Prairie, Mansfield, Dalworthington Gardens, and other neighboring cities.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation announced a $1.25 million grant in support of the Arlington project.

“The generous gift of $1.25 million from the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation not only completed essential funding for the Arlington expansion of our three-phase capital campaign, but is providing an opportunity for us to better serve child abuse victims in the greater Arlington area for years to come,” Evans says. “We are incredibly honored and grateful for the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation’s support of not only this project, but for the partnership in allowing Tarrant County child abuse victims to heal, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.”

In addition to Arlington Tomorrow Foundation’s gift, the City of Arlington provided the land for the expansion and awarded the project $1 million in Community Development Block Grant funding to assist with building costs.

“The City of Arlington is proud to be a long-time partner with the Alliance For Children, and we are grateful for the many valuable services this nonprofit provides at no cost to victims of child abuse and their family members, here in Arlington and across Tarrant County,” says Arlington Mayor Jim Ross, who is president of the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation Board of Directors. “We know that child abuse is a community issue — one that takes all of us working together to make protecting children a priority. The Arlington Tomorrow Foundation supports this vision, and today we are pleased to announce a generous gift to help the Alliance For Children continue its tremendous work through its Rebuilding Lives Capital Campaign.”

Arlington-based LBL Architects Inc. is providing architectural services and Hutcherson Construction, Inc. is serving as the general contractor.

At its Arlington location, Alliance For Children staff co-locates with the Crimes Against Children Unit of the Arlington Police Department and investigators with the Department of Family & Protective Services. Through this multidisciplinary teamed approach, the organization proactively investigates and provides healing for victims of child abuse in the greater Arlington area. This model is replicated in both Fort Worth and in Hurst, serving the Northeast portion of Tarrant County — all services to victims are completely free of charge. (Photo: Simon Luna/Alliance For Children)

Arlington By the numbers 14

7

29

278

The number of “core beers” sold at Legal Draft Beer Co. (500 E. Division St.). There are dozens of other brews also available.

The number of dining venues available should you get hungry during a visit to Arlington Highlands.

The elevation in feet from the ground to the tallest point at Globe Life Field, home of your Texas Rangers.

Source: legaldraftbeer.com

Source: arlingtonhighlands.com

Source: mlb.com/rangers

ARLINGTON TODAY • January 2022 • arlingtontoday.com

Get organized with Scout!

Cheers to the New Year!

Sip & Shop

Thursday, January 13 • 6-8pm

Kyle

Rich

Kelly

Max

817-277-3131

service@frazierservices.com arlingtontoday.com • January 2022 • ARLINGTON TODAY

15

This ‘n Data

MANSFIELD ISD EMPLOYEES WIN HEARTBEAT AWARDS

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wo Mansfield ISD employees, nominated by their coworkers, received the Heartbeat Award for displaying heart in their lives and inspiring other district employees through their actions.

Jason Mutterer, an associate principal at Summit High School, is known for the care he demonstrates for his students and his coworkers. Coach Mutt, as he’s known, has been an employee of the district for 27 years. He was hired in 1994 and taught social studies and coached basketball before being promoted to Associate Principal at Summit High School.

Nick Frazier, Operations Manager at the Dr. Jim Vaszauskas Center for Performing Arts, also received a Heartbeat Award.

Frazier has been with the district for nine years. He oversees all of the details that go into setting up spaces at The Center.

AISD STUDENTS GET A TASTE OF THE REAL WORLD

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hanks to the altruism of two iconic Tarrant County entities, Carter Junior High students got a recent life student members of the Arlington lesson from officials of GM and LULAC. Independent School District’s Carter Junior High STEM Club recently got to see what their future could be like.

General Motors officials and members of LULAC helped the program return after the pandemic hampered plans during the 2020-21 school year.

The STEM Club students were treated to dinner and dessert and got to listen to the officials talk about the importance of STEM and education.

Jim Ross made some new friends last month during the Mayor’s Holiday Pajama Storytime.

3

SCOOPS 1. Lieutenant Jasiel Zapata has been chosen as the Arlington Fire Department’s Public Information Officer. He replaces Richard Fegan, who served in the capacity the past two years.

Zapata can be reached at 817-459-5511.

2. Tarrant County College was named one of “America’s Top Online Colleges” by Newsweek and Statista. TCC is ranked #107 out of only 150 colleges and universities on the Newsweek list. Overall, TCC is one of three Texas community colleges recognized on the national list. The increase in online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic led to Newsweek and Statista partnering to recognize colleges and universities providing online learning for adult learners.

3. Republic Services recently donated more than

a dozen dumpsters to assist Mansfield volunteers with a big cleanup project along Broad Street. The city partners with the recycling and waste disposal solutions company to help ensure that Mansfield is one of the state’s cleaner communities.

CLARIFICATIONS

In the December issue, a story about Preston (Ethan) Nguyen winning a chef competition contained information reported by The Dallas Observer that wasn’t credited to the publication. Also, Peggy Esparza, the new CFO at Texas Trust Credit Union, was identified by the wrong title in the headline.

Photo: City of Arlington

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RAISE YOUR HAND if you have checked out the historical marker at the Friday House in east Arlington. The home was built in 1923

by Marion and Willie Maybelle Friday on 112.5 acres they used to pursue their love of farming. They sold the home in 1936 to the Cox family, and it was presented a historical marker in 2000.

ARLINGTON TODAY • January 2022 • arlingtontoday.com

arlingtontoday.com • January 2022 • ARLINGTON TODAY

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Around Town

Because life really can be a marathon

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arol Hughes is a runner, which is somewhat astonishing to those who knew her back in the day, herself included. She might have competed as a high school long jumper, but sprinting to leap into a sand pit was the extent of her putting one foot in front of the other for any sustained length of time.

“Never really ran – didn’t much like it,” admits Hughes, who is a librarian at Berry Elementary in east Arlington.

Her sister was a runner, so Hughes tried a 5K. Went out too fast and thought she’d drop dead right then and there. It only reminded her of why she didn’t run.

How things have changed.

Last month, Hughes ran 26.2 miles in the Philadelphia Marathon. It was her first marathon in Philadelphia, but her 50th overall.

“I don’t usually tell people about this because they are usually like, ‘uh, yeah, sure you did,’” she says, laughing.

We get it. Running for hours seems undoable; returning 49 times is downright insane.

Yet so is covering 100 miles in 32 hours, which Hughes has done as well.

Why, I ask.

Hughes: “Love the feeling of accomplishment.”

Like climbing Mount Everest? Leaping out of an airplane?

“Around age 52, about 10 years ago, I was getting to that age where you start to put on weight, and told myself that I needed to do something about it,” Hughes says.

Walking short distances turned into walking longer distances, which turned into 5K walk/runs.

“I thought, gee, if I can run a 5K, I wonder if I can do a 10k?” she says. “After the 10K, I said, gee, if I can do a 10K ...”

You get the idea.

For Hughes, running “is this feeling that I can do more than I think I can do.”

It’s a philosophy that boils over to her students at Berry.

“I use my own running experiences to get them to stretch themselves,” Hughes explains. “Like reading chapter books.

For Carol Hughes, shown during and after the Philadelphia Marathon (her 50th such 26.2-mile endeavor), stretching the limits is a way of life.

I tell them the more you practice reading or doing anything, really, the more you will see as far as results go. It’s the same philosophy.”

You build a work ethic, results come.

Hughes is like a walking bulletin board for accomplishment. She has a Master’s in Library and Information Studies at the University of Oklahoma and is a twice-certified National Board-Certified teacher, For her, it’s about perseverance.

Like running a marathon that will take up to three or four hours for the average runner (not the elites who cross the finish line at two hours plus). Hughes is a “rear” runner, which means she starts slow and catches a bunch of folks along the way, many of whom she chats with while running.

It’s the teacher in her, of course. Many runners she sees on the course are doing the race for the first time. She gives them real-time tips (slow down a bit, refuel at the hydration stations, enjoy the scenery).

“It’s exactly like a car with fuel,” Hughes says of hitting the hydration stations. “When you run out of fuel, you stop. I advise KennEth Perkins people to watch your nutrition.

Run together. Try and make it fun so you’re not thinking too much about being tired.”

Philadelphia was her first marathon in three years; many races just opened up this year after COVID-related cancellations. She wasn’t sure how it would go after such a long hiatus, but one thing is for sure: the running bug is back.

“I’m already looking at running in South Carolina in the spring,” she says.

How far she’s come.

“I’m not an Olympic runner, I’m not an elite runner,” she says. “I do it for the joy of it. It makes me happy.”

Kenneth Perkins has been a contributing writer for Arlington Today since it debuted. He is a freelance writer, editor and photographer.

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arlingtontoday.com • January 2022 • ARLINGTON TODAY

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Scene

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

Holiday Lights Parade and Tree Lighting Ceremony

For more great SCENE moments, visit arlingtontoday.com

Photo: Aaron Reich

Arlington Independent School District Trustees and members of their families gather for a photo following the annual Holiday Lights Parade in Downtown Arlington.

This festive parade float paid tribute to our best friends – the four-legged variety, anyway.

University of Texas at Arlington students got in the holiday spirit at the parade.

With Santa Claus himself leading the countdown from 10 to 1, the City’s tree went from light to bright to help ring in the 2021-2022 holiday season.

Photos: The City of Arlington

Mansfield’s Hometown Holidays

Photo: City of Mansfield

Mansfield celebrated the holidays in a big way with a two-day Hometown Holidays event that featured rides, entertainment, the lighting of the city Christmas tree and, of course, fireworks.

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ARLINGTON TODAY • January 2022 • arlingtontoday.com

A special gift for Mission Arlington/Mission Metroplex

Photo: City of Arlington

The City’s Public Works and Transportation Department teamed to collect and donate 2,344 nonperishable food items to Mission Arlington/ Mission Metroplex. Here some team members pose with Mission Arlington Executive Director Tillie Burgin.

arlingtontoday.com • January 2022 • ARLINGTON TODAY

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Selling Arlington (and Mansfield and Grand Prairie)

Brandee Kelley Group

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he Brandee Kelley Group is one of the leading real estate groups in North Texas, measured by transactions completed and volume sold. But what really sets this highly successful team apart is its relentless quest to build on a three-pronged foundation that defines what clients can expect – and will find – whenever they choose to partner with the group while buying or selling a home.

The Brandee Kelley Group’s mission is Serving Clients with the Highest Integrity, through Experienced Teamwork. Its vision is to be the preferred real estate professional to everyone we know. Its values are Passion for Real Estate, Compassion for clients, Excellence, Integrity and Humility.

Passion for real estate – The real estate market continues to be strong with sales up 6% in 2021 and the average sales price 20.9% higher in 2021, than in 2020. Homes stayed on the market an average of 27 days in 2021, compared to 51 days in 2020.

“One of the most exciting things about real estate is that we are constantly evolving to best help sellers and buyers accomplish their real estate goals,” Kelley says. “Our clients are looking for options, and through our affiliation with Keller Williams Realty, we are able to provide an array of services depending upon a clients’ needs and desires.”

In addition to traditional real estate through the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) the Brandee Kelley Group offers quick close cash offers with no showings so there is no house preparation required. “For those who want to avoid the risk of selling first, we can help you buy your next home with cash and then sell your existing home,” she says. “We help buyers afford more home. The Brandee Kelley Group works with a preferred lender that charges no lender fees and gives $1,000 credit back to clients for loans over $150,000.”

Kelley, Georgann Puddy and Terri Allen are all Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialists who have received Guild designation through required specialized training and a proven track record. These designations allow them to network with luxury certified agents across the country to bring buyers for homes.

Compassion for clients – Kelley considers it a blessing to assist family and friends (and their family and friends) with one of their largest assets. “Referrals are the heart of our business, with over 98% of our business coming from referrals every year since 2005,” she says “Our team is Ramsey Trusted – this is a designation from money expert Dave The Brandee Kelley Group: Kristin Babek, Kyla Miller, Georgann Puddy, Lizzy Davis, Brandee Kelley, Emily Swanson, Terri Allen, Becky Davis, Libby Wren Ramsey given to realtors who will do whatever it takes to help people win with money and life decisions, which we take very seriously. We serve clients with the heart of a teacher, walking them through each step and letting them know what the next step will be. Our goal is consistent 5-star service!”

Excellence – The Brandee Kelley Team helps clients sell their home for the highest price in the shortest amount of time. “In 2021,” Kelley says, “our homes sold for an average of 100.6% of the listed price and in an average of 14 days on the market.”

Integrity – As noted previously, the team’s mission is Serving Clients with the Highest Integrity, through Experienced Teamwork. There are nine licensed agents with special gifts, talents and experience: Brandee Kelley, Owner; Georgann Puddy, Lead Agent; Kyla Miller, Director of Operations; Terri Allen (Specialty: Luxury); Kristin Babek (Specialty: Builders and Investors); Becky Davis (Specialty: Senior Housing); Libby Wren; Emily Swanson; and Lizzy Davis.

Humility – Kelley notes that each team member has a heart for God, service and the community. “God has blessed us with an amazing business, which allows us to share,” she says. “For example, part of every commission earned goes to Bikes For Mission Arlington, which in December allowed 1,766 children to learn more about the love of Christ through the gift of a new bicycle. In February, the team has the privilege of supporting thousands of teen girls during the There(4) conference, which helps them learn about and live out their identity in Christ.”

As Kelley and her team continue to set the standard for the way to administer residential real estate, she believes they are doing more than that. “Lives are built and legacies left by daily decisions,” she says. “Each day we make choices based on the priorities of God, Family and Business. My goal is to live out 2 Chronicles 31:20: In all she did, Brandee sought the Lord, worked hard and prospered.”

Brandee Kelley Group

Arlington office: 817-635-1141 • Southlake office: 817-908-7929 • brandeekelley.com 24

ARLINGTON TODAY • January 2022 • arlingtontoday.com

Jim Maibach

Peyco Southwest Realty

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s President of the vastly successful commercial real estate company Peyco Southwest Realty, Jim Maibach oversees an operation that leases and manages more than 2 million square feet of industrial/commercial, retail, and office space in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. But his purview extends even further – he is also Chairman of the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce, where he is fervently working to help the city he loves maintain the mometum associated with its recent, unprecedented economic development.

So, how is Maibach approaching the coming new year? “At full speed!,” he says. “I am tackling it with the help of my seasoned staff and supportive wife. The juggle is something I am not new to, but I continue to try and keep improving.”

Peyco Southwest continues to set the local commercial real estate standard.

Maibach and his team are constantly on the lookout for new properties and buildings that meet clients’ investments. Recent projects include the sale of the Shoreline Industrial Park in Arlington, a multi-million dollar deal involving office warehouse properties and subsequent tax-free exchange that created several new similar properties. “This project was made possible through the detailed team work done

by Jordan Foster, Cole Carter, Bill Rosenberry, our outside real estate council, and myself,” Maibach says.

He is also proud of the company’s work with the AISD on the acquisition of adjacent property to Arlington High School for expansion of the high school, as well as the rezoning for Glaspie Field, the new outdoor sports home for Martin and Seguin High Schools. “We’re also assisting the AISD with the sale of a large property near the Arlington Highlands,” he says.

Maibach is also growing his talented team at Peyco with two recent hires, Sheridan Engel and Niki Nguyen, to expand our appraisal capabilities.

As 2022 unfolds, the local commercial real estate market is ripe with opportunities, Maibach says: “Industrial and manufacturing spaces are staying in high-demand.

Jim Maibach (second from left) with State Representative Tony Tinderholt, Mayor Jim Ross, Chamber President Michael Jacobson, and Values are continuing to increase. There will continue to be new types of office space Chamber Board Member Clay Kelly, who’s wife Brandee is sharing this and co-working spaces as a reflection of the pandemic. These have changed the office month’s Arlington Today cover. (Maibach notes that Clay is a great guy and an above average golfer at Shady Valley Country Club.) market outlook. We’re seeing some rebounding in office space, but we’re looking at a new hybrid market related to those challenges. As far as retail, it’s anybody’s guess.

We’re seeing a lot of medical development going into retail spaces that once held shopping as we’ve seen the departure of some brick and mortar due to online shopping increases.”

As he prepares to help lead the Chamber’s development efforts, Maibach says his primary goals are twofold and Chamber constants: to increase membership and to advocate for businesses and their growth, “Because Together We Succeed! We also want to foster greater economic development for our community. One way to do that is work with the city to ensure the new economic development sales tax goes to help small businesses.”

To that end, the Chamber is working with the Economic Development committee to ensure small businesses get a portion of the new tax as intended by the community vote. “Now that we’ve reorganized the departments at the Chamber,” Maibach says, “we have a larger membership services team with the goal to further enhance our members’ experience and involvement.”

As with most successful leaders, Maibach has been positively influenced by others. He cites his father-in-law, Paul Yarbrough Jr., who served as a mentor in both commercial real estate and Chamber matters. “Paul was chair in 1979, so a goal I had 30 years ago is getting accomplished,” he says. “During the ‘90s, my CPA, Joe Foster, was a good friend and smart business advisor, but more importantly he referred his son Jordan Foster for a job opening. That relationship has grown to become very important as he is now my company President. Recently, Dan Dipert Sr. and Linda Dipert – they have shown me how to give back to the community of greater Arlington to make it a great place to live, work, and play. However, the most important person through all the years is my wife Tricia, as she keeps me grounded and focused on family, as a happy home is a happy business.”

Peyco Southwest Realty

1703 Peyco Drive North • 817-467-6803 • peycosouthwest.com arlingtontoday.com • January 2022 • ARLINGTON TODAY

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David L. Cook

Yellowstone National Title, LLC

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he past couple of years have been marked by exciting changes in the life of David L. Cook, who in 2020 was elected to the Texas House of Representatives after a storied tenure as Mayor of Mansfield. Meanwhile, his law firm, Harris Cook, LLP, with offices in Arlington, Mansfield and Flower Mound, enhanced its legal expertise and grew in scope and is now positioned as one of the more comprehensive practices in the state of Texas.

Most recently, Cook ended his association with Alamo Title Company to create an independent agency, Yellowstone National Title, LLC, and, as with the other recent professional transitions in his life, Cook is primed to head into the new year on a roll.

“With over 40 years of experience in the title industry, our immense growth, strong partnerships, and loyal customers, we seized this opportunity to create our own title agency,” Cook says. “This independent title agency was born out of our desire to improve title services to our customers. Acting as our own agency gives us the ability to scale our business into new geographic areas and expand the level of services to our clients.”

The Honorable Cook says that as an independent agency, Yellowstone National Title can David L. Cook is President of a leverage its many resources and connections to provide clients with quicker and new, independent more reliable title services – with Texas attorneys performing the company’s title agency, Yellowstone National Title, LLC. examinations.

“We also provide industry resources and informative business-building educational classes for real estate professionals to help them stay up to date on the latest in real estate and maintain a competitive advantage within their market,” he says.

Yellowstone National Title LLC provides title insurance and escrow closing services for residential and commercial real estate professionals, real estate investors, and lenders.

“From single vacant lots to full-scale developments,” Cook says, “our team is well-equipped to handle matters of varying size and complexity.”

In 2021, the team grew from 11 employees to 30, and Cook is forecasting the addition of more staff this year. He holds the title of President and serves as the principal of Yellowstone National Title LLC. As a leader on a number of fronts, and over many years, Cook has learned to embrace opportunities and overcome obstacles on a routine basis. That’s a trait that has been especially essential in the recent past, when COVID has altered how practically everyone conducts business.

“We are committed to offering the best title services to our customers, even during the pandemic,” he says. “By proactively embracing the technological resources available, our state-of-the-art Title Closing options made closing transactions during the pandemic exceptionally manageable and seamless. Our team has worked tirelessly to continue serving our clients with the utmost importance by providing mobile notary services, weekend and after hour closings, as well as notarized closings through video services. This enabled us to continue to meet the needs of our customers and maintain a safe working environment for our team.”

Looking at a dawning year, Cook hopes to build on the solid foundation that prompted the decision to create an independent agency. “First and foremost,” he says, “Our goal has been and will continue to be to provide the best closing services to our current and future customers and to provide a positive and supportive work environment for our staff. Currently, we are providing services in the DFW, Austin, San Antonio, Houston and West Texas markets. As we continue to grow, we can’t help but look at 2022 as a year of continued expansion into markets outside of Texas.“ Cook says he is confident that the latest professional transition will mirror the success of its predecessors. That is because he knows his clients – and how to find the best solutions for their respective real estate situations. “We at Yellowstone National Title know we’ve done our job well when our customers are satisfied and have had a great experience!,” he says. “And when our clients express their sincere gratitude for us fulfilling our obligation of being their guiding light through their sometimes complex journey of their real estate transaction.”

Yellowstone National Title, LLC

Mansfield: 309 E. Broad St., 817-473-3332; Arlington: 1309-A W. Abram St., 817-860-2294 • yellowstonenationaltitle.com 26

ARLINGTON TODAY • January 2022 • arlingtontoday.com

Joy & Chad Bates

Legacy Group of CrossCountry Mortgage

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hen you look closely at what Joy and Chad Bates have accomplished as Arlington business icons and community pillars, you’ll find that practically every box has been checked – and that they are eager to check some more. Their’s is a story of commitment to what they do, with whom they do it and for whom they do it. And their clients and community have become all the richer because of that dedication.

On the business front, Chad is Regional Manager of the Legacy Group of CrossCountry Mortgage. Joy is the Arlington Branch Manager.

Their current place in the mortgage industry is part of a natural commercial evolution. Chad has been in banking and mortgage banking since 1979, and exclusively in mortgage banking since 1991. Joy began her mortgage banking career in 1999. “We have founded our own mortgage banking firm in the past and now own and run a region for a National firm as it allows us the ability to lend in all 50 states,” Chad says. “I am responsible for strategic planning and marketing, Joy does the day to day mortgage loan origination.”

Those are the “day jobs,” but the Bates’ business purview extends beyond the walls of the Legacy Group office. Chad is also Founder, President & CEO of the family company, Legacy Financial, Inc. which provides Realtor CE classes, homebuyers seminars and does consulting work in real estate, business litigation support, forensic accounting, and as expert witness in legal matters pertaining to business/finance. He and Joy are also co-founders of Joovani, Inc. which is a proprietary organic and all-natural skin care line.

From the Legacy Group headquarters, Chad, Joy and their team (more on that shortly) provide home loans of any type, including purchases, refinances, reverse and renovation loans.

They also provide an all-inclusive real estate benefits plan called LegacyCare to employers, trade associations and unions that saves their employees and members significant dollars on financing and real estate. “We are proud that our Arlington team has exceeded over $5 billion in financing in our careers,” Chad notes.

The aforementioned Legacy Group team is like family to the Bates’ – literally, in two cases. Daughter Liz is the Operations and Processing Manager, and Joy and Chad’s oldest son Chris is the Marketing and Technology Manager.

The Legacy Group ensemble is eagerly gearing for a promising 2022. “The market remains very strong with multiple offers still coming on any home put on the market,” Chad says. “Home values have continued The Legacy Group of CrossCountry Mortgage team: Chad Bates, to increase at the strongest rate in our lifetimes.

Joy Bates, Liz Bates, Christopher Osborne and Chris Bates Depending on interest rates and inflation, the market may slow a bit later in 2022, but relocations from other higher priced areas bids well for our values to be maintained with further possible increases.”

As noted, in addition to the Bates’ business successes, they have also made quite an impact on their community. Highlights include their involvement with The Downtown Rotary Club, where Joy led the Webb Elementary initiatives for more than five years. With the AISD Education Foundation, they founded Education Celebration in conjunction with 6 Flags (an endeavor that is approaching $1.5 million in net profits for the Foundation this spring). Chad has served on the Board and Executive Committee of the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce for years, and he has been Chair of the Chamber’s Economic Development Committee. He is currently Chair of the Arlington Chamber Foundation.

Additional community involvement includes Chad’s working with the Boy Scouts multiple years as District Chair, as well as the couple’s involvement with Junior League, with the Arlington/Mansfield Area YMCA and with YMA. Chad has also been a principal in numerous City and political initiatives, most notably on PAC boards for Cowboys’ and Rangers’ stadiums and to help establish Arlington’s Economic Development Corporation. He also has served on numerous City and AISD committees and currently serves on the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau board.

Over the years, the Bates’ service in the office and in their community has netted a number of awards, including the Greater Arlington Chamber’s small business of the year and the Better Business Bureau’s Golden Torch award. Chad is a past recipient of the Fort >>> arlingtontoday.com • January 2022 • ARLINGTON TODAY

27

Joy & Chad Bates Legacy Group of CrossCountry Mortgage (continued)

Chris Hightower Team RE/MAX Elite

SERVING OUR HOMETOWN: As Arlington residents for a combined century ourselves, we are dedicated to making Arlington the best community in which to own a home. We understand the importance of civic engagement and how it improves property values; therefore, our team actively volunteers and supports Arlington-based organizations including Junior League, PTA, the Arlington Museum of Art, Theatre Arlington, Downtown Arlington Management Corp., Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration and the Arlington ISD. EXPERIENCE: Chris Hightower began his career in real estate as a high school student working as an assistant to high-powered real estate agents. He built his own company in 2009, and now, the Chris Hightower Team has been an award-winning team for sales volume every year. Our success is based on our commitment to providing the highest-quality service to our clients and their generosity in referring their family and friends.

STAFF: Our team of professional agents includes: Chris Hightower, owner, luxury properties, listing agent; Vanja Gaither, buying and listing agent, investment properties, short sales and foreclosures; Chris Perez, buying and listing agent.

SERVICES: We are a full-service real estate team with expertise ranging from luxury properties to investment property acquisition. Whether you are a first-time homebuyer or a nomad roaming from home to home, we pride ourselves in providing personalized service for each individual client. Through RE/MAX, we can help you with property anywhere on the globe.

PHILOSOPHY: Work hard, minimize drama, and put the client first.

Chris Hightower Team - RE/MAX Elite 5103 Magna Carta Blvd., Suite 150 • 817-946-1402 chrishightower.com 28

ARLINGTON TODAY • January 2022 • arlingtontoday.com

Worth Star-Telegram Man of the Year award. Joy and Chad also received the AISD Education Foundation Legacy Award.

Working with children and with their church has long been a passion of the couple. Joy and Chad are both PTA Life Members, having volunteered at all levels of AISD schools and managed numerous booster clubs over the years. They coached sports and cheerleading for Arlington Optimist Club, and Chad has served on the Board of Trustees for the Episcopal Diocese of Fort worth (serving 58 Churches) for more than 22 years.

“One of my proudest accomplishments,” Chad says, “was co-chairing the Bond Committee with (former Arlington Mayor) Jeff Williams that created our Career Tech center and fine arts center and natatorium that will serve youth well for generations and help strengthen many families economically.”

Moore tabbed to lead Mansfield development

T

he City of Mansfield has hired Jason Moore as the new executive director of the Mansfield Economic Development Corporation. Moore will oversee the operations of the MEDC, which promotes job growth and quality development in Mansfield, in addition to directing and coordinating the expansion of Mansfield’s business and commercial tax bases. The MEDC also administers the budget generated by a half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 1997 to fund economic development projects.

Jason Moore “The City of Mansfield already has a highly skilled economic development team, and I am eager to work with them to make the MEDC’s and Mansfield City Council’s vision for future development become reality,” Moore says. “My family and I are also excited to become integrated into the Mansfield community. This is a city with rich culture and a bright future, and we are delighted to be part of it.”

Moore served the City of Lewisville’s economic development department from June 2018 to June 2021.

He assisted with the recruitment of developers and major investment to the city’s downtown. He was an assistant city manager for the City of Richland Hills from 2014 to 2018 and managed the development of the city’s largest ground-up project, a community center called the Link.

That Joy and Chad have been able to be so involved with their community is enhanced by the community they have been able to serve. “We truly are the ‘Can Do’ city,” Chad says of Arlington. “It is very rewarding to see initiatives we planned and dreamed of back in the ‘80s coming to fruition at an excellent level now. The sky is the limit, our momentum will continue to move us forward at an even faster pace!

Our location, coupled with our unbelievable progress, makes us one of the hottest cities in the entire U.S.” Though he and Joy have no plans of stopping either the work or the service soon, when the time comes to do that, Chad hopes that the stories they’ve written with their lives will serve as inspiration to others: “We’d like our legacies to be that we have served our clients and their families with excellence and integrity – touching families’ lives and helping them build wealth – while contributing to our City’s progress and ‘Can Do’ culture and hopefully pass our businesses on to our adult family members.”

Wishing you a Linda Magazzine 817-980-8733 lindamagazzine@ebby.com

Legacy Group of CrossCountry Mortgage 1205 W. Abram St., Suite 1 • 817- 860-3232 www.legacyfinancial.com

Coming in February: Healthcare professionals you need to know

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS *REALTOR EMERITIS* TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS WILLIAM C. JENNINGS AWARD FOR BEST COMMERCIAL TRANSACTION IN THE STATE OF TEXAS

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE IN STATE OF TEXAS

MAYORʼS AWARD FOR LARGEST REDEVELOPMENT FOR COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL INDU PROPERTY IN HISTORY OF ARLINGTON

SPECIALIZING IN COMMERCIAL BROKERAGE AND DEVELOPMENT FOR TARRANT, JOHNSON AND DALLAS COUNTIES AWARD WINNING REPRESENTATION SINCE 1972

Real Estate Consultants c oy@c oygarret t.c om

817-265-9999 arlingtontoday.com • January 2022 • ARLINGTON TODAY

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Here is an artist’s rendering of Urban Front, the new Dodson Commercial Real Estate project in the works in Downtown Arlington’s Urban Union District.

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continue the theme of a walkable downtown Arlington full of vibrant, locally owned business.”

Dodson adds: “One of our favorite components of the project is our partnership with local public accounting firm Sutton Frost Cary LLP and the ability to relocate their company Headquarters to the district. Downtown Arlington is truly becoming a live, work, play district – we’re happy to play a role in its renaissance.”

Dodson will construct a 21,000-plus-square-foot, two-story office building at the Southeast corner of Front and Mesquite Streets for Sutton Frost Cary LLP. The headquarters will occupy the 11,000-square-foot second story, with the remaining footprint available to rent for other professional offices or restaurant concepts seeking to do business in the Urban Union district.

“We have proudly been in business for more than 30 years,” says Sutton Frost Cary Partner Paul Cary. “Our company has experienced significant growth over recent years resulting in a team of 50 individuals. We need a space built for our current operations Dodson Commercial Real Estate reveals a new, ambitious and space for our continued growth. expansion of Downtown Arlington’s Urban Union district Sutton Frost Cary LLP is excited to be joining the efforts of Dodson CRE and the other businesses and individuals investing in the accounting firm, Sutton Frost Cary LLP, as the Urban Front revitalization of downtown Arlington and, more specifically, the project’s most notable office user. The news of the relocation is Urban Union and Urban Front community.” a significant move for Downtown Arlington as it marks the first Dodson will welcome the following new businesses joining newly built office building of this scale in the heart of the city in Sutton Frost Cary LLP in the Urban Union expansion: Spiral decades.

Diner, Doughboy Donuts, Cow Tipping Creamery, and Coop’s “The redevelopment of Front Street in downtown Arlington Fowl Ball (a new sports bar concept featuring a family-friendly has been such a fun and rewarding experience for our menu). In addition to street-level retail, shops, restaurants, and company,” says Dodson Commercial Real Estate Managing offices, the expansion also features 24 loft apartment units on Partner Ryan Dodson. “The 50,000-square-foot addition is the second and third floors. the next step in our vision for the Urban Union district. It will odson Commercial Real Estate announced last month the latest and most ambitious expansion of Downtown Arlington’s Urban Union district: Urban Front. The expansion includes five new mixed-use buildings set to house restaurants, retails, and apartments – spanning 50,000 square feet along Front Street. The official groundbreaking ceremony to mark the project’s launch took place on Dec. 15 and included special remarks from Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Victoria Farrar-Myers.

The Urban Union addition will expand the district to the West along Front Street, connecting it to the Vandergriff town Center, resulting in five city blocks of walkable, downtown charm. The groundbreaking ceremony also served to officially announce the relocation of Arlington’s largest and most prominent public

Changing the face of Downtown Arlington

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ARLINGTON TODAY • January 2022 • arlingtontoday.com

HOME SWEET! HOME

How Spencer and Amy Cearnal found – and remodeled – their new Wimbledon abode

A

but now vacant and 15 years old, it didn’t have that move-inlways with the eye out for the next project, Spencer is ready vibe. nervous anytime Amy wants to “just go see” a house Handling other major remodels before, lacking the finished without a client in mind. In 2020, the Cearnals were polish didn’t deter immediately, so the Cearnals continued in the same boat with so many other Arlingtonites of trying to to consider the property and what budget fit into their old house with new needs. They would be needed to purchase and rehab the embraced a work-at-home lifestyle but were Having a real estate background proved quite valuable to Spencer and property. Overall, the house was in great cramped sharing a 10 x 10 traditional home Amy Cearnal as they discovered and shape, being a custom build in 2006, so most office. Their kids changed schools, which remodeled their new home. of the contemplated changes were cosmetic. meant they didn’t need to be in that specific The rehab plan included: adding hardwood neighborhood anymore. So with a “maybe we floors to existing and refinishing all for should” attitude, they started a search for a continuity, removing a wall between the property in Arlington on a bigger lot. traditional media room and game room to Quickly, utilizing all of the searching and create one large entertaining space, refacing public data technology they have available the fireplace to scale back on the modern as local Realtors®, the list was whittled and move to transitional, a light reface of down to only a few hundred in the city the kitchen utilizing the existing cabinets, limits that met their criteria and of course, appliances & countertops and then fresh paint most of those were not on the market. plus dramatic light fixtures throughout. And, Before starting to evaluate off-market of course, some exterior freshening, including options, Spencer and Amy went back to the new landscaping and double iron doors. properties that were currently on the market It sounded a little easier than the actual to make sure nothing had been overlooked. execution, per the Cearnals, who cited supply This home in Wimbledon was out of their chain issues creating a stop-start-stop-start agreed-upon budget, but they thought they’d again throughout the project. But the finished just check it out anyway. After seeing it in product has breathed new life into the next chapter for this person, it was a viable option, but also a little strange. The beautiful estate. They’re excited to continue life in Arlington … property was an estate sale and had likely looked more put until the next project comes up. together with all the furnishings and style of the prior owner,

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ARLINGTON TODAY • January 2022 • arlingtontoday.com

With a “maybe we should” attitude, Spencer and Amy Cearnal started a search for a property in Arlington that could become their dream home, and “certainly they did” find it.

Photos courtesy of Amy Cearnal

arlingtontoday.com • January 2022 • ARLINGTON TODAY

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DIY

Before

(or die trying)

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o it yourself (DIY) home remodels can be great fun.

They can also be costly and stressful. So how do you complete one and make it out alive?

First Thing’s First

Every good remodel begins with a detailed vision of the finished space.

After Get that image out of your head and onto paper or a digital screen. Use photographs of existing bathrooms/kitchens to guide you. Your design is the visual road map for everyone to follow.

Once you have the road map, decide your approach. The Do It Yourself (DIY) remodeler can act as general contractor or installer/craftsman.

As general contractor, you’re in charge of hiring painters, plumbers, floor installers, etc. They may provide materials or you may be responsible for ordering them.

As installer/craftsman, you do the work yourself and order/pick up the materials. You also buy, rent or borrow the necessary tools and equipment.

You have a design and an approach. Now what?

Three Tips for a Successful DIY Home Remodel

Build a Team – Help from your spouse, family or friends can make your DIY remodeling project more fun. Remember that friend who lives at Home Depot? Or the relative who always knows what colors look good together? Ask them for ideas and suggestions. They may even tag along as you shop for materials. Even a coworker or neighbor who enjoys hearing your progress can help you maintain momentum.

Plan Carefully – Don’t over-complicate things, but definitely weigh your options. Talk to friends who finished similar projects. Even if they used a remodeling firm, you can learn from their experiences. Search the Internet for common pitfalls and how to avoid them. Look up tips and tricks applicable to your project. Check online reviews for subcontractors if you’re hiring any.

Pace Yourself – While you don’t want your project to drag on forever, you do want to finish it with your sanity and family intact. Supply shortages, schedule conflicts, etc. happen. Remember to consider your own unique rhythm, temperament and social calendar when setting expectations. The excitement you feel initially may taper off down the line. A sustainable schedule is key to prevent both overwhelm and procrastination.

Happy Building! – With a few basic guidelines, persistence and patience, your Do It Yourself home remodel will be a success. Have fun re-imagining a space you’ll enjoy for years to come.

– Shayla Mackey, principal designer, smzluxehomes.com 34

ARLINGTON TODAY • January 2022 • arlingtontoday.com

Andrew Dietz, David Tarr, Paul Beaney NMLS 217433, Mary Dietz NMLS 219164 Lacreta Beaney, Aaron Spaight NMLS 1391936

arlingtontoday.com • January 2022 • ARLINGTON TODAY

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Anything Goes

Anything Goes

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Anything Goes

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Gracie Lane

Exchanging Vows

Wedding dreams come true

• By Beth Owens

“I met him my sophomore year at Baylor. He was a barista at Common Grounds and I’d see him getting my caffeine fix. There was definitely a spark between us. Pizza and a trip to Braum’s in Hillsboro was how it all began,” said Avery Alexander, daughter of long-time Arlington orthodontist “Dr. Moody” Alexander and wife Emily Alexander. “Soon we began pursuing each other, and I knew I had met the man I could spend a lifetime with,” reminisces the bride.

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ast forward to Avery’s senior year and Dr. Moody recalls Collin Hett seeking his permission to marry his daughter, the oldest daughter among seven Alexander children.

“Emily and I were thrilled with Collin’s request; you pray your daughter will find a soulmate who will honor and cherish her and we knew that Collin would do just that,” said Dr. Moody.

“It was important to Avery to get married in the community in which she grew up, so we quickly begin investigating places in 38

ARLINGTON TODAY • January 2022 • arlingtontoday.com

Arlington to host this celebration,” said the Alexanders. Emily’s attention to detail coupled with Haylie Jackson, a former Martin High School graduate and wedding planner with Haylie Paige Events, were the perfect combination to plan this magical night.

Avery wanted a church wedding, and First Presbyterian Church is both the house of God and steeped in tradition with a beautiful pipe organ and ornate stained glass windows. Soon, conversations turned to where to host a reception that would allow a big group to celebrate. After consulting with Levitt Executive Director Letatia Teykl, the Alexanders knew they had found the perfect location, particularly since the they were involved as part of the steering committee to bring the Levitt Pavilion to Arlington some 13 years earlier.

The bridesmaids lunched at The Sanford House; the rehearsal dinner was hosted at Arlington’s favorite microbrewery, Legal Draft. As the big day finally arrived, Baylor classmates, friends

The Alexander-Hett Wedding

Wedding planner: Haylie Paige Events Officiant: Pastor Mark Mangrem, Gospel City Church

Ceremony: First Presbyterian Church

Ceremony Music: Uptown Violins Trio

Caterer: Vestals

Cake: Crème de la Crème

Groom’s Dessert: Val’s Cheesecake Floral Décor & Rentals: Jackson Durham

Reception: Levitt Pavilion Arlington

Photographer: Claire Casner

Band: IDT

Videographer: When It Clicks

Tent: Sandone

Photography

Photos courtesy of Claire Casner Photography

and family witnessed Avery and Collin exchange their vows.

Then it was off to the Levitt to “get the party started.”

The tented reception space transformed the Levitt lawn in the heart of downtown Arlington into what could be described as a spectacular garden party designed to bring guests together, allowing opportunities to gather with outdoor seating areas, multiple food action stations and live music by the Dallas-based party band, IDT. Once inside the clear-span tent structure, the garden aesthetic continued with hanging vines and large florals. Twinkling string lights were suspended overhead, as well as greenery-embellished lanterns. Attendees found places to visit and eat at cocktail tables and rectangular tables decorated with ambient candlelight and blooms in muted colors of blush and ivory blossoms of hydrangeas, peonies and roses.

To kick the evening off, the Alexanders also planned a surprise,

made possible in part by connections of Persis Ann Forster of Miss Persis Studio of Dance and Performing Arts, an Arlington tradition since 1954 and where Avery studied dance for 14 years.

Avery loved the Broadway production of “Hamilton,” and what could be more amazing than to have a cameo appearance by Thayne Jasperson, from the original company of “Hamilton” on Broadway. The look of surprise on the bride’s face was priceless, and she and the groom sang every word of his signature performance.

Guests danced the night away under a star-filled night sky at the Levitt, and when things wrapped up, the wedding party and local friends migrated to the after-party at another downtown tradition, J. Gilligan’s.

It is appropriate that the DREAM sculpture, a public art exhibit adjacent to the Levitt, could be seen in the distance, as surely this was a night dreams came true in Arlington. arlingtontoday.com • January 2022 • ARLINGTON TODAY

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NEW YEAR, NEW YOU! Here are a half dozen resolutions you can keep as you make plans for a fresh start this year

1.

E

Get fit, naturally

very new year represents an opportunity to recharge your physical batteries, and there are dozens of options – offered at dozens of price points – available to you in the area to do just that.

There’s also the Arlington Parks & Recreation Department, which offers, often at no charge, a plethora of paths to creating a healthier you.

Here are just a few of the “nature-riffic” means to enhancing your physical and spiritual well being, and all fall under the Parks & Rec umbrella: • Basketball courts • Disc golf courses • Equestrian trails • Exercise equipment • Fishing • Golf • Hike/Bike trails • Playgrounds • Swimming pools • Skate parks • Tennis and volleyball courts naturallyfun.org

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ARLINGTON TODAY • January 2022 • arlingtontoday.com

2.

Indulge your artistic side T

he much-anticipated renovation of Theatre Arlington is nearly complete, and the popular venue will open its doors again for the 2022 season.

The new year’s schedule will feature a mix of comedy, drama and music – all in the comfort of a brand new Theatre Arlington.

The season’s first show, “Sister Act,” will run from Feb. 18-March 13 and will be followed by presentations of “The Piano Lesson” (April 1-16), “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (May 13-June 5), “Black Comedy” (July 15-31), “Biloxi Blues” (Aug. 19-Sept. 4), “The Cake” (Sept. 30-Oct. 16), “James and the Giant Peach” (Nov. 4-13) and “Hooray for Holidays” (Dec. 2-18).

Patrons can purchase tickets for individual shows or as part of a variety of season ticket packages (with discounts for senior citizens). theatrearlington.org

3.

Pamper yourself ...

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ust across the street from the award-winning The Sanford House (506 N. Center St.) lies the oft-lauded, fullservice, 2600-square-foot Sanford day spa and salon, offering an extensive menu of services for both men and women. The new year brings new opportunities to take advantage of those services.

The spa has seven treatment rooms for massages, facials, body wraps, microdermabrasion, waxing, and hand and foot treatments, while the salon has six styling stations, two pedicure thrones, and two manicure stations. All services are performed by certified technicians.

The 360-square-foot resting room is beautifully appointed with an Italian tile waterfall and an artistically rendered blue skylight with wispy clouds for a relaxing lunch or a casual meeting for up to 18 people. thesanfordhouse.com

4.

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... Then do it again

reat Skin Spa & Facial Club has been an Arlington Today Readers’ Choice All Star every year the magazine has had skin care as a category. So you can be confident owner Brenda Cureton Hunt and her team know how to make clients feel and look better.

Great Skin offers state-of-theindustry technology and products; Hunt also has championed the practice of receiving professional spa services as part of personal care, as opposed to a special occasional visit or gift due to affordability. Great Skin Facial Club members receive a wide range of treatment options at the spa, as well as guidance and products they can use at home.

“I developed the concept of Great Skin based on the goals of the thousands of clients – men and women – wanting to have more beautiful skin and manage the signs of aging skin through treatments, knowledge and skin care,” Hunt says. greatskin4you

5.

Enhance, holistically D

r. Kenyon Godwin, founder of the award-winning Active Family Wellness Center, is now part of the Curis Functional Health family, and his newly re-branded practice offers two Arlington locations to help you “get your groove back,” whatever groove it is you hope to revive.

Dr. Godwin and his team offer state-of-the-industry solutions for chiropractic, weight loss, mental and spiritual health and nutrition – all in a comfortable, caring environment that is totally dedicated to every patient who enters the doors.

“We believe people should have the freedom to pursue their purpose without limitations,” Dr. Godwin says. “We offer an effective lifestyle modification program utilizing functional medicine. Our catalyzing statement is to make Arlington the healthiest city in the state of Texas.” gocuris.com

6.

Hear better, today F

or 35-plus years, the Doctors of Audiology at Kos/Danchak Audiology & Hearing Aids have striven to improve the quality of life for those in need of hearing health care.

The team at Kos/Danchak provides comprehensive and individual hearing health care, while building long-term relationships with its patients and their families based upon honesty, integrity, and respect.

Audiology and hearing aid dispensing services include: • Complete hearing tests • Earwax removal • Hearing aid evaluations, selection and fittings, rehabilitation, and counseling • A full Line of hearing instruments • Repair and service for all brands and models of hearing aids • Hearing protection, musicians’ monitors and swim molds • Assistive listening devices northtxhearing.com

arlingtontoday.com • January 2022 • ARLINGTON TODAY

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Education

EARNING A’s IN (AND OUTSIDE OF) CLASS

Arlington ISD Arlington ISD has kicked off two major construction projects, as it revitalizes schools in East Arlington to give generations of students the opportunities needed to succeed in the 21st century.

Thornton Elementary School students helped break the ground on Dec. 1 at 2301 E. Park Row Dr. for the construction of their new school building. Berry Elementary School students did the same for their future building on Dec. 8 at 1800 Joyce St. The rebuild of Thornton and Berry are the second and third of four school replacements funded by 2019 Bond voters.

The District says it is an effort to modernize the schools and revitalize their neighborhoods.

The original Thornton opened in 1956 and Berry opened in 1955. The old buildings were demolished in Fall 2021. Thornton and Berry teachers and students are temporarily housed in other facilities until the new schools are finished in Summer 2023.

“2019 Bond voters are allowing us to transform our district with rebuilding four of our schools that need it most,” says Arlington ISD Board of Trustees President Kecia Mays. “The new schools at Thornton and Berry are part of our plan for East Arlington that is transforming all of our schools in the area to 42

ARLINGTON TODAY • January 2022 • arlingtontoday.com

How local schools are finding ways to help students achieve success

make sure every student gets an outstanding education in a facility designed to inspire and promote learning.”

The plan, funded by the 2019 Bond, includes rebuilding Carter Junior Photo: 3plearning.com High, another aging East Arlington school, and relocating it to a site closer to the majority of Carter’s student population. Scheduled to open in 2025, the new Carter is now in the early stages of design as architects held planning charettes in November with Carter students, parents and teachers to help plan the new facility.

In addition to Thornton, Berry and Carter, East Arlington’s Crow Leadership Academy just opened a new classroom wing, gymnasium and kitchen. Nearby, the 2019 Bond is also building a replacement facility for Webb Elementary. Construction on the new Webb started in Spring 2021, and much of the slab is now poured. The first of the four rebuilds will open in time for next school year.

St. Maria Goretti Catholic School During the fall school term, St. Maria Goretti Catholic School teamed with local businesses to raise money to support its various educational- and spiritual-growth programs. On The Border donated 20% of its Dec. 9 takeout orders to Saint Maria Goretti. Earlier, a dine-out night at Spring Creek Barbeque was part of a Thanksgiving project during which seventh and eighth graders spent some time “Tasting the World of Saints” to

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Pantego Christian Academy Though the 2021-22 school year is just rounding the halfway mark, seniors at Pantego Christian Academy have already received more than $1,566,000 in merit-based scholarships from universities and colleges throughout the nation.

The Pantego Christian Academy Advising Department assists the school’s staff and students in fulfilling the mission of developing students spiritually, emotionally, and socially.

Students are guided in selecting their academic program to fulfill graduation requirements, prepare for and apply to colleges, and manage their academic coursework.

a $1,000 scholarship award and move on for the chance to become a national finalist. To be considered for the honor, students must have a cumulative weighted high school grade point average of 3.0 (B Average) or better, be a participant of at least one of 48 sports recognized by the International Olympic Committee in the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, or the National Federation of State High School Associations, and have proven leadership in the school and community.

“Xander is a standout in the classroom with aspirations of becoming a medical doctor. He is also a leader in athletics, where he has been a four-year member of the varsity soccer and cross country teams, serving as captain for the last two years,” says Kellen Lewis, director of College Advising. “In addition to serving as senior class president at Oakridge, he spends numerous hours volunteering to help with school events and refereeing children’s soccer games for North Texas Soccer.”

The Oakridge School The Oakridge School’s Senior Class President Xander Guillinese was named a 2021 Heisman High School Scholarship winner. He is among the approximately 6,000 students nationally recognized for outstanding academic, athletics, and community service achievements from public and private high schools.

Guillinese, one of 500 school winners in Texas, will receive

Newman International Academy Newman International Academy, with seven DFW campuses that include three in Arlington and one in Mansfield, was established in 2010.

The academy offers PreK-12th grade education to students of diverse cultures. Newman International emphasizes a balanced, well-rounded education focusing on excellence, innovative learning, and discipline, striving to instill a passion

complete their study of the saints, and Spring Creek staff came to the school to present prizes to the fifth graders, first graders, and kindergartners.

St. Maria Goretti Catholic School is a school rich in tradition, dedicated to faith and family. It is committed to excellence in the faith, academics, and service formation of its students.

Celebrating

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for learning, and challenging students to become better and more equipped for their future.

The tuition-free charter school offers a wide range of educational and character-building programs, including the study of American Heritage, as well as opportunities for students to become proficient at robotics, chess, debate, classical literature, cybersecurity and civil air patrol.

The school also has athletic programs and classes that focus on fine arts.

Arlington Classics Academy Arlington Classics Academy routinely blends classroom curriculum with practical applications to help its students learn.

For example, last month, third graders traveled to Mainstay Farm Park, which, in addition to growing Christmas trees, features a plethora of fun and educational activities. Earlier in December, the school’s fourth grade students ventured to the playground for a demonstration on simple machines and pulleys, led by local Fire Department personnel. Also, State Representative Tony Tinderholt was the guest reader to kindergarten students, while sharing a lesson about the importance of service to your family, friends and neighbors.

Great Hearts Arlington Since opening in August, Great Hearts Arlington has been providing a tuition-free classical liberal arts curriculum in the tradition of the finest independent private schools. Students there

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typically learn a lesson in the classroom, then get an opportunity to apply what they learn in a practical or historical manner.

For example, in December, third grade students wrapped up their studies about the history of the Roman Empire and had a Roman celebration during which they dressed like the people they had studied and participated in events typical of Ancient Rome.

Meanwhile in the fifth grade, scholars at Great Heart Arlington participated in a laboratory experiment during which they tested what breaks down the dormancy of yeast fungi.

St. Joseph Catholic School St. Joseph Catholic School provides students with a nurturing and prayerful learning environment committed to academic excellence, training missionary disciples to seek virtue, wisdom, and truth, in partnership with a community of active faithful families.

To that end, students in the school’s Science, Technology, Robotics, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STREAM) program recently participated in a marshmallow challenge. The goal was to create the tallest tower, using marshmallows and spaghetti noddles. The winning tower stood at 21.5 inches tall.

Meanwhile, eighth grade students performed the play, “Our Lady Of Guadalupe,” for the entire school, and, in November, all of the school’s students took part in a Veterans Day ceremony to help them better understand the sacrifices made by the members of the United States Armed Forces.

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UTA Today

E

envelope allow the pathogen to survive in the presence of antibiotics and how survival contributes to the acquisition of true resistance.

In a recent study titled “Septal Class A Penicillin-Binding Protein Activity and ld-Transpeptidases Mediate Selection of Colistin-Resistant Lipooligosaccharaide-Deficient Acinetobacter baumannii,” which was published in the journal mBio, the team showed that two LD-transpeptidase enzymes remodel A. baumannii’s cell envelope to promote its survival when under stress, such as the kind experienced during antibiotic treatment.

Armed with this breakthrough, Hannah Bovermann, a senior double-major in biology and microbiology, is dissecting the genes that encode the bacteria’s LDtranspeptidases to learn what stress conditions induce their activation. She isolates the LD-transpeptidase promoters, the part of the DNA that controls when other parts of DNA are used, and glues it to a different gene whose function is to turn the bacterial cell blue. When the cell is in an environment where it wants to modify its cell envelope to protect itself, it turns blue, and Bovermann can observe the timing of the change.

To provoke this reaction, she administers antibiotics, experiments with various temperature changes, exposes the cell to pH gradients and subjects the cell to nutrient deprivations.

“Each response brings us closer to an understanding of how cell envelope Hannah Bovermann and Joseph Boll modifications keep the bacterial cell intact in stress,” Bovermann says.

The researchers hope to find new targets on the cell surface for antibiotics to attack, strengthening existing medications’ potency against UTA team earns a grant to try to thwart burgeoning A. baumannii infections. drug-resistant bacterial infections • By Linsey Retcofsky Drug-resistant bacteria have cornered health care providers into using combinatorial baumannii experiences stress, such as antibiotic treatment, therapies, where multiple drugs are employed to treat it modifies its cell envelope to tolerate the antibiotic for bacterial infections, but even those methods are becoming extended periods of time,” Boll says. “Specific modifications increasingly ineffective, Boll says. allow the bacteria to survive long enough to acquire true “It has become a game. Researchers discover a new antibiotic resistance, which can lead to antibiotic treatment antimicrobial, then bacteria become resistant to it. We are failure. This can happen within 24 hours of antibiotic running out of options,” Boll says. “Bacterial resistance is exposure.” quickly outpacing new antibiotic development.”

Boll’s team expects to identify what adaptations in the cell xperts predict that without intervention, the problem of multi-drug-resistant bacterial infections could be catastrophic by 2050, killing nearly 10 million people each year.

To seek solutions, the National Institutes of Health awarded a five-year, $1.8 million grant to Joseph Boll, assistant professor of biology at The University of Texas at Arlington, to identify and inhibit the defense mechanisms of Acinetobacter baumannii, a pathogen that thrives in hospitals and clinical settings.

A. baumannii can cause infections in the blood, urinary tract and lungs, or in wounds in other parts of the body.

Infections are generally treated with antibiotics, but many strains are resistant to medication, including carbapenems, a class of highly effective antibiotics usually reserved for severe multi-drug-resistant bacterial infections.

“In previous research, we discovered that when A.

Photo: UTA

KILLING BUGS

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Behind the Wheels

Story and photos by Richard Greene

A STYLISH

CADILLAC COMPANION

I

caught up with Brady and Vickie Richard and their stunning 1931 LaSalle 345A at the recent gathering of a few members of the Classic Car Club of America hosted by Mike and Joy Ames on their expansive lawn in South Arlington.

For those not familiar with the CCCA, the organization consists of members who own a “Full Classic” – defined as a distinctive automobile built only between 1915 and 1948.

So, the Ames’ annual gathering of about 20 of these unique vehicles offers an opportunity to see some truly amazing and rare domestic and foreign-made automobiles.

Every year four or five members in attendance with recently acquired Classics arrive ahead of the audience to “debut” their cars. They are lined up, fully covered, in front of where everyone will be assembled so they can be rather dramatically revealed along with their stories that are always special.

These “debutantes” are the center pieces of the occasion, surrounded by the other cars brought by the other guests some that have occupied center stage in previous years.

Brady explains his recent acquisition while remotely attending an auction when the LaSalle arrived on the platform: “It just looked too good, and I had to have it.”

It was a short and simple declaration, Brady and Vickie Richard are quite proud of their but it captured the essence of a pre-war recently acquired 1931 LaSalle 345A and debuted the General Motors vehicle without a familiar automobile at the Classic Car Club of America event in South Arlington not long ago.

GM name.

Founded 94 years ago by GM’s thenchairman Alfred Sloan to fill a gap between the company’s Buicks and Cadillacs, LaSalles were produced until 1940. Named after French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, it was considered the second-most prestigious marque in the company’s portfolio.

Today, however, its standing in the world of collectors has brought an enhanced pedigree because of its rarity. There were only about 10,000 of the 1931 version like the Richards’ produced that year while GM was delivering some 620,000 Chevrolets and 139,000 Buicks occupying first and third place among all domestic cars built that year.

When the LaSalle was first introduced in 1927 it came with an evolutionary design

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The 1931 LaSalle was not only strikingly attractive and stocked with a number of unique features when it debuted; it also was a rare classic from the very beginning.

Only about 10,000 were produced that year while General Motors was delivering some 620,000 Chevrolets and 139,000 Buicks to the automobile market.

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created by GM’s 30-year veteran Harley Earl, who would eventually control all design and styling for the big company.

It’s interesting to realize this innovation in style was taking place while Henry Ford’s Model T had only slightly evolved since its introduction in 1910. GM’s approach was to make annual appearance and model name changes across all its brands.

With the introduction of the 1931 Series 345-A, the LaSalle’s V8 engine was upgraded and additional optional equipment was added. That included the Goddess hood ornament that you could get for an additional $20 to further compliment the trademark “LaS” badge cast into the horizontal tie bar between the front lights.

Conceptcarz.com summarizes the ’31 model with these details: “The 1931 LaSalle was offered as a single model - the 345-A Eight and was similar to the previous year’s 340 except they had a new oval instrument panel and a single bar bumper replaced the prior year’s double-bar setup. The 353 CID engine delivered approximately 95 horsepower at 3,000 RPM and was backed by a three-speed selective, synchromesh transmission with a twin-disc clutch and shaft drive.”

Wikipedia offers a view of a poster hanging in dealer showrooms promoting the LaSalle as a European theme with images that it was a worldly vehicle fashionable in all settings and places.

It also gained notoriety in the 1970s television series “All In The Family,” when Archie and Edith Bunker sing, “Gee, our old LaSalle ran great” in the opening theme song, “Those Were the Days.” And it is the car the character Marcus Brody drives when he visits Indiana Jones in the film “Raiders of the Lost Ark” in 1981.

With such a history, it’s easy to see why Brady Richard said he “had to have it” and now shares it with fellow CCCA members and the rest of us.

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Scene

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

A special tribute to a special friend Ringing bells to raise money for The Salvation Army Arlington Independent School District counselors Lynn Sammons Darst, Susan Hunt, Susan Miller, Beth Hancock, Amber Muller and Susie Hargrove were bell ringers this year.

Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce President Michael Jacobson paid tribute to Michael Jarrett, president of Worthington National Bank, who died last month: Today we were scheduled to play golf with Michael Jarrett. Jim Maibach, Clay Kelley, Robert Sheppard, Dan Taeffe, and Tim Smith played without our friend. Tony Pompa and Ralph Shelton joined us after the round.

After the round we toasted Mike and poured him a glass of red wine. We are all still in shock, but used our time on the golf course and in the 19th hole to share stories and remember all the fun times. We miss you my friend.

Photos courtesy of Jerry McCullough

Tracy Winkles, Kelly Diane Mcandrew and Lydia Erwin rang the bell at the Kroger store on Fielder Road.

Christmas shopping with the Arlington Police Department

Photo: Arlington PD

Officers with the Arlington Police Department took a group of youngsters shopping for Christmas with the help of DICK’S Sporting Goods at the The Parks Mall at Arlington. Dick’s was a partner supporting the APD’s Shop with a Cop event during the holidays.

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Even the Grinch, aka Shelby Mayo, chipped in to ring the bell at the Kroger store on Bowen Road to help raise money for The Salvation Army.

Grand Prairie’s December taping of the ‘Mayor’s Message’

Photo: City of Grand Prairie

Police Chief Daniel Scesney and Mayor Ron Jensen offer season’s greetings during the December taping of Grand Prairie’s “Mayor’s Message” program.

and the Arlington Area

All Star Awards go to...

It’s that time again.

Balloting that will determine the winners of our annual Reader’s Choice Awards will open Jan. 15 at arlingtontoday.com.

Be sure to cast your votes.

arlingtontoday.com • January 2022 • ARLINGTON TODAY

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Bulletin Board Lake House event center at Richard Simpson Park named in honor of Kathryn Wilemon

T

he City’s scenic Lake House event center at Richard Simpson Park was dedicated last month in honor of long-time resident, volunteer and former City Councilwoman Kathryn Wilemon.

Wilemon served as the representative for District 4, which includes Lake Arlington where the City’s Lake House event center is located, from 2003 to 2019. She is the third of 11 trailblazers, civic leaders and faith leaders tapped by the City’s Honorary Naming Recognition Task Force to be Past and present recognized for their City leaders service or their recently honored Kathryn Wilemon contributions to the as the Lake House event center at city.

Richard Simpson Past and present Park was named in her honor.

City Council Photo: City of Arlington representatives, City leadership and community members were among the many who attended the dedication ceremony to celebrate Wilemon’s lasting legacy. The voter-approved event center, which opened in February 2019, is located at 6300 W. Arkansas Lane on the shores of the City’s Lake Arlington.

The Lake House was one of the many public improvements Wilemon championed during her tenure, which included serving as Mayor Pro Tem from 2011 to 2015.

Wilemon said she was honored by the City’s decision to dedicate the Lake House event center in her name.

“I’m so happy and so proud to think of the families that are going to come, the memories that are going to be made here. Now we have this wonderful place. This is one of the best things that has happened in west Arlington when I was there [on Council],” Wilemon said.

In addition to her time on City Council, Wilemon served on a number of boards and organizations, often in leadership roles.

– Susan Schrock

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Texas Trust Credit Union comes to the aid of children

T

he recent fourth annual Texas Trust Credit Union Extra Life game-athon raised more than $4,000 to benefit Cook Children’s Hospital and the Children’s Miracle Network.

Employees and their families played a variety of nostalgic board games, as well as online games, in the comfort of their homes over a 24hour period. Money was raised based on pledges that the employees generated from others.

“Extra Lifers are passionate about games. This event allows us to help sick children while doing something we love to do – play games!” says Cameron Newfarmer, Project Manager at Texas Trust Credit Union.

“The drive to give back is in the very DNA of our credit union. This event helps us make a meaningful impact on the lives of children and families in our communities.”

10 AISD schools awarded grants created to promote kindness in and around the classroom

Photo: Medical City Arlington

T

Proud parents Uyen Lam and Duc Nguyen with baby Paris Nguyen.

Smallest baby ever at Medical City Arlington was able to go home for the holidays

A

fter four months in the hospital, the smallest baby ever at Medical City Arlington made it home for the holidays last month.

Born at 23 weeks and only 450 grams – less than a pound and tinier than a hand – Paris Nguyen was the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit’s (NICU) smallest patient to date. After 116 days of critical care at Medical City Arlington, her proud parents carried their daughter outside the hospital for the first time. Their caregivers escorted the happy family, with cheers and hugs.

“Paris was an extremely premature baby with very low odds of survival,” says Raghu Turebylu, MD, Medical City Arlington neonatology physician.

“Seeing her come through is such a joyful thing.”

Medical City Arlington has a Level III NICU with a specialized team of physicians, nurses and other clinicians to provide advanced care to infants born prematurely or critically ill. Parents Duc Nguyen and Uyen Lam are thrilled to have their daughter home for the holidays and credit the compassionate care team for giving their daughter a fighting chance.

“They say she’s a miracle, but without them, the miracle wouldn’t happen,” says father Duc Nguyen.

“Thank you would not be enough. It’s never enough for what they have done.”

en Arlington ISD schools were awarded the “Everybody Belongs” grant to encourage kindness in schools. The Choose Kindness Foundation, based in Eugene, Ore., selected the district schools to share the $75,000 grant over the course of two years.

Sam Houston and Seguin are the high school recipients, Carter and Workman are the junior high recipients, and Bebensee, McNutt, Moore, South Davis, Swift and West are the elementary recipients. Each participating campus will receive $3,750 each year to develop and implement kindness programs and activities designed to increase positive behavior and kindness in schools.

“Kindness doesn’t just happen,” says foundation president Doug Carnine. “It requires intentional teaching, and when those objectives are implemented, kids become more kind in and outside of school.”

The grant was originally $5,000, but when 16 Arlington ISD schools showed more interest in the grant than any other district in the country, the foundation decided to offer the grant opportunity as a pilot project and funded a greater amount.

“We certainly appreciate the generous gift from the Choose Kindness Foundation,” says Arlington ISD Superintendent Dr. Marcelo Cavazos. “Thank you for your commitment to kindness because it is definitely something we can use a lot more of in our community and our nation.

“Every role in the district supports the success of our students, and opportunities like this show us that it’s crucial to work together and treat each other well in order to empower our students every day.”

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National Medal of Honor Museum

‘My only regret is that I could not have done more’

M

ore than 3,500 Medal of Honor recipients have served our nation above and beyond the call of duty. Of these, one of the more awe-inspiring stories is that of U.S. Army First Lieutenant Samuel Woodfill. He was considered the foremost soldier of World War I by no less an authority than General of the Armies John J. Pershing.

Born in Jefferson County, Indiana, on Jan. 6, 1883, Woodfill grew up an avid outdoorsman, hunter, and skilled marksman.

In 1901 he enlisted for what would become a career in the U.S. Army. He served in the Philippines during an insurrection against the American occupation, and then was assigned to outpost duty in Alaska. Undaunted by the cold northern winters, Woodfill saw this posting as a dream come true because it allowed him to explore the wilderness and hunt big game.

Afterwards, Woodfill fought along the Mexican border, working with Pershing to track down Pancho Villa. By the time he was called to serve in France during World War I, Woodfill had attained the rank of lieutenant and was a seasoned soldier. Shortly before leaving for deployment overseas, he married Loreena Blossom, a woman who stood by him through thick and thin for decades to come.

In October 1918, the American Expeditionary Forces under Pershing were engaged in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, which remains to this day the largest and bloodiest battle in American military history. Woodfill’s unit, the 5th “Red Diamond” Division, was engaged in fighting for control of the central German defensive strongpoint in this sector along the Heights of Cunel and Romagne. Combat was brutal and often hand to hand. Watch out if you walk these battlefields today – the ground is still strewn with equipment and ordnance left over from the fighting over a century ago, including unexploded grenades and artillery shells!

On the morning of Oct. 12, Woodfill led his men through heavy fog toward the enemy positions, but a heavy German artillery and machine gun barrage pinned down everyone except him and two other soldiers. Continuing the advance,

First Lt. Samuel Woodfill

he encountered a series of well-entrenched German machine gun nests. Instead of pulling back and calling for infantry and artillery support, Woodfill ordered the two other soldiers to stay put, and moved ahead to assault the German positions alone.

In an incredible display of valor, he used his skills as an outdoorsman to use the terrain in order to move undetected close to the enemy positions. His great skills as a marksman then came in handy as he killed several Germans with his rifle and pistol at close range as he destroyed one machinegun nest after another. Assaulting one emplacement, Woodfill defeated an enemy officer in hand-to-hand combat.

Finally, he jumped into a rifle pit and engaged in a melee with enemy soldiers that ended with Woodfill dispatching two of them with a military pick that he found lying at the bottom of a trench. Singlehandedly, the lieutenant played a major role in destroying a vital German strongpoint, allowing his comrades to advance and saving dozens of American lives.

Suffering from a shrapnel wound in the thigh, as well as the effects of exhaustion and poison gas inhalation, Woodfill was evacuated from the front.

Edward G. Lengel Pershing personally awarded him the Medal of Honor in 1919.

He received further awards from other nations, including France’s Croix de Guerre, and so became among the more decorated American soldiers of World War I. In November 1921 Woodfill was selected as the leading pallbearer at the internment of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

Afterwards, Woodfill returned to the life of a humble farmer in northern Kentucky, but he returned to service as a major in World War II to encourage young Americans to enlist in defense of their country. He died in 1951 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Asked about his Medal of Honor action, Woodfill said, “My only regret is that I could not have done more.”

Edward G. Lengel, Ph.D., is the Chief Historian of the National Medal of Honor Museum.

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30 years

Get tables and tickets here:

Bee for the kids Saturday, February 26th, 2022 10:00 AM – 2:30 PM Live! By Loews Hotel - Arlington

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The publication of record for the Arlington/Mansfield/Grand Prairie area for the past nine years is now even more accessible, when you subscribe (for free) to have our virtual edition delivered straight to your favorite electronic device.

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Keen Cuisine UPSCALE

Candlelite Inn

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, Mansfield • 817-473-6699 • nofrillsgrill.com

The Grease Monkey

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, Mansfield • 817-453-1682 • fuzzystacoshop.com La Isla Restaurant • 2201 E. Pioneer Pkwy. • 817-459-1498 • laislarestauranttx.com

La Isla Restaurant

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

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Café Sicilia

The 2022 Back the Blue Bash Presented by

is BACK!!!

We are very excited about our new venue, and new program format.

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April 15, 2022 | Live! by Loews Doors open at 6:30 | Dinner and program 7:30 Raffle Underwriter

Please visit www.bidpal.net/btb2022 for sponsorship opportunities and to purchase tickets.

We look forward to your support in 2022!

Speaking of Sports

Twenty six New Years have passed since the Cowboys hoisted the Lombardi trophy. Will the streak end this year?

Harbingers of hope for the New Year

J

anuary can be a tough month as we settle back into normal life after the hustle and bustle, the highs and the lows of the holiday season. Psychologists say that Post-Holiday Depression and Blues is a real thing.

Adrenaline is the culprit, and, according to experts, the abrupt withdrawal of stress hormones after an important deadline can have a profound impact on our psychological health.

The best relief from the malaise is looking forward to other upcoming events. (Fear not, we are about to get to sports, I am not deep enough to write more than a paragraph or two about another topic.) So, what could we possibly have to look forward to in our sports world?

If you are 30 years old or younger you probably don’t remember how great January can be. It can absolutely be the best month of the year. Even if it is cold and cloudy every day of the month, North Texans will have a sunny disposition if the Cowboys make a playoff run.

Having moved here in 1990 from the barren landscape that was January in Michigan, I couldn’t believe my eyes when those ‘90s Cowboys playoff runs started happening.

That three-letter word “run” is important to the concept. It is one thing to be one and done in the NFL playoffs, but making a run is a completely different deal.

This Cowboys team is built to make a run. From the beginning of the season veterans of those ‘90s teams were weighing in on the subject. The likes of Michael Irvin and Nate Newton were on social media and on their various network shows touting this team as reminiscent of those great teams from bygone days.

The difference this year is the defense. The organization did just the right thing last spring when they put the D in the draft. They were focused on improving on that side of the ball after setting records for futility, allowing a franchise-record 473 points and 6,183 yards last season.

As they were putting that D front and center they did experience one L. Not as in Loss, as in Luck. The Cowboys really wanted to take one of the two best cornerbacks

Photo: newcountry991.com

available with their first pick. When Patrick Surtain and Jaycee Horn were gone, they traded down. With the 12th overall pick they had to settle for a linebacker who hadn’t played in over a year after opting out of the 2020 season because of COVID. Hello, Micah Parsons, hello defensive difference maker, hello NFL Defensive Player of the Year? He is definitely a candidate but would no doubt trade that award for a Super Bowl Ring. There, I said it, the Cowboys have enough talent on both sides of the ball now to be in the hunt for the ultimate prize. The Champs won’t be crowned this year until Feb. 13th.

Which is just about the time pitchers and catchers report ... normally. If this column were delivered electronically this is the spot where I may include a sad face emoji or the one with the teeth clenched together expressing great concern.

The ninth work stoppage in MLB history has all baseball fans concerned, but especially Rangers fans. The franchise’s best and most expensive off-season coincides with the 50th anniversary of the team moving here from Washington, D.C. The John Rhadigan excitement that fans felt 50 years ago about the arrival of the franchise is similar to how Rangers fans are feeling today. Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Kole Calhoun ... ... And Rangers officials spent some money to get some pitching in here, too, in the form of Jonathon Gray. Jon Daniels and Chris Young insist they are not done yet.

Once the two sides agree – and they will come to an agreement, don’t be surprised if the Rangers go after more pitching, maybe even local hero Clayton Kershaw.

So, if your brain even suggests the possibility of postholidays blues, you can trump it with some blues of your own, like a Cowboys road jersey (what great shade of blue that is) topped off with a Rangers blue cap, maybe even the baby blue variety. There is a lot to look forward to for sports fans around here!

Sports columnist John Rhadigan is an anchor for the Bally Sports Southwest television network.

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Sculptural Works of Culinary Art Patisseries and Champagne

You are cordially invited to indulge February 19th, 2022 7 pm to 9 pm The Arlington Museum of Art

| 201 W. Main Street | Arlington, TX 76010 ”After five” Attire Tickets: $100

Itinerary The Arlington Museum of Art is hosting the exhibit, “QUAINTRELLE: EUGENIA PARDUE,” through Feb. 27. This is the museum’s first collaboration with the Portland-based artist.

The Arlington Museum of t as Fine Ar om Th Art strives to feature a diverse group ey ffr Photo: Je of artists with perspectives highlighting different elements of life. This exhibit features the delicate and natural, yet bold, maximalist style of Eugenia. Pardue’s works and artistic mission is supported by the The Ford Family Foundation Award and the Oregon Commission on the Arts. The museum is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Tuesday-Saturday and from 1-5 p.m. on Sunday. arlingtonmuseum.org

Dallas Cowboys football

There could be a lot on the line – notably NFC playoff seeding – when the Cowboys play their last regular season home game of the season against the Arizona Cardinals at noon on Jan. 2 at AT&T Stadium. dallascowboys.com Photo: bloggingtheboys.com

D.L. Hughley in concert

D.L. Hughley, noted stand-up comedian and television and radio star, will perform Jan. 28-30 at the Arlington Improv. Shows will begin at 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. on Friday, at 7 and 9:30 p.m. on Saturday and at 7 p.m. on Sunday. improvtx.com/arlington Photo: improvtx.com/arlington

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON MEN’S AND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAMS have a full slate of games at College Park Center this month. The men will play Troy at 2 p.m. on Jan. 1, Louisiana at 7 p.m. on Jan. 13, the University of Louisiana at Monroe at 2 p.m. on Jan. 15, and Texas State at 7 p.m. on Jan. 27. The women will play South Alabama at 7 p.m. on Jan. 6, Troy at 2 p.m. on Jan. 8, and Texas State at 7 p.m. on Jan. 20. Single-game tickets for the men’s team range in price from $5 to $20 (military members get in free). Single-game tickets for the women’s team range in price from $4 to $10 (military members get in free). utamavs.com 64

ARLINGTON TODAY • January 2022 • arlingtontoday.com

Randall King at Texas Live!

Randall King, part of country’s new crop of modern traditionalists, will perform at 6 p.m. on Jan. 28 at Live!

Arena at Texas Live!. The longtime Texan blends the traditional sound of the C&W greats with the electrifying energy of modern stars. texas-live.com Photo: texas-live.com

Finish Line

The opening of the GM plant in the early 1950s paved the way for many exciting New Year’s celebrations.

New Years gone by and another one ahead

E

very January comes with the promise of something special that lies ahead for the new year. This one is no different for Arlington because we already know we are in for momentous events just ahead.

Before we get to a couple of those, looking back at some milestone years that have unfolded in the modern history of our city provides some perspective of what today explains the source of civic pride among so many of our fellow citizens. And gives rise to expectations that every New Year will bring something special.

Let’s begin with 1951 as Arlington emerged from a water-stop between two larger cities into its own as the announcement of a new General Motors Assembly Plant that would economically transform the city in ways that continue today.

The next milestone would come in 1954 when voters went to the polls and authorized the development of Lake Arlington – a decision that ensured the dynamic growth of the city that would unfold in decades ahead.

The transformative opening of the DFW Turnpike in 1957 would set into motion what has become the urbanization of everything between Dallas and Fort Worth, with Arlington strategically centered right in the very middle of it all.

To close out the 1950s, the Texas Legislature in its 1959 session, finally approved the emergence of Arlington State College into a four-year, degree-granting university that would set the course for today’s UTA – one of the largest major colleges in the country.

Six Flags Over Texas became the next “big thing” when the park opened in 1961 and made Arlington an entertainment destination. Turnpike Stadium was authorized by voters in 1964 and became the next element of the city’s burgeoning visitor and tourism economy.

The city greeted the 1970s with the announcement that Arlington would become a Major League City when the Washington Senators arrived at Arlington Stadium as the Texas Rangers on Opening Day in 1972.

Voters returned to the polls in 1985 to approve the construction of the Arlington Convention Center and partnership with a new Sheraton Hotel and significantly expanded tourism.

Photo: texashistory.unt.edu

With the coming of the 1990 decade, the city faced one of its biggest challenges when it appeared the Texas Rangers would be moving away to find a city that would partner with them to build a new ballpark. Instead, Arlington voters turned out in record numbers in 1991 to overwhelmingly approve the construction of The Ballpark in Arlington – a decision that set into motion all that has followed in the city’s largest economy.

1996 saw the opening of the River Legacy Living Science Center – the centerpiece of the city’s largest park located along the Trinity River.

The owner of the Dallas Cowboys took notice of Arlington’s success with the Rangers, and voters authorized a partnership with him that led to the opening of AT&T stadium in 2009. The NFL Super Bowl, staged there in 2011, would attract national and international attention to Arlington.

The following year of 2010 would see the first ever Major League Baseball World Series staged in Arlington.

It happened again the following year and placed the Texas Rangers among the elite teams in all of baseball.

In 2016 (the same year when Money Magazine named Arlington the Best Big City Richard Greene in the South) voters would return to the polls and approve the development of another baseball mecca: Globe Life Field. That decision spurred longsought development around the sports facilities that now includes Texas Live!, the Live by Lowes four-star hotel and its far larger companion hotel now under construction across the street.

Okay, that brief review of just a few of the city’s historic highlights, brings us to 2022 where we will begin the new year with the ground-breaking for the National Medal of Honor Museum and celebrate Opening Day on the 50th anniversary of the Texas Rangers at home in Arlington.

We could go on and on with evidence of why every New Year brings fresh possibilities for the American Dream City and our ever-promising future. Happy New Year, indeed, to us all!

Richard Greene was Arlington’s mayor from 1987-1997 and currently teaches in UT-Arlington’s graduate program of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs.

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