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Inside Today: Readers’ Choice Awards are now underway • 4B

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Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston

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Saturday, May 10, 2014 • Vol. 60 • No. 27

3500 East T.C. Jester Blvd. Suite A

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Water contamination found By Michael Sudhalter

michael@theleadernews.com

More than 2,000 residents in the Timbergrove area received what appeared to be alarming letters concerning groundwater contamination at Ella Boulevard and Grovewood – the site of soon to be developed town homes from InTown Homes. Any fears of the contamination causing harm were addressed by ofﬁcials from the City of Houston and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, stating there is a regular procedure for minor contamination called a Municipal Setting Designation.

Public meetings will dispel concerns

The City of Houston will hold a meeting to answer residents’ questions about groundwater contamination at a site to be developed as town homes at Ella and Grovewood. (Photo: Michael Sudhalter)

In other words, though the letters were sent as a warning, city ofﬁcials say the contamination should not impact water inside residential homes. When property owners enter into the MSD, they legally surrender the right

to use groundwater on the property – which very likely wouldn’t have been used anyway. Efforts to reach InTown Homes were unsuccessful. Once the city approves the program,

Red’s Bar sold to CMC Enterprises

Red’s Bar in Garden Oaks is officially no more. The property at 833 Wakefield Dr. near St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church and across the street from the Dutchman bar, had been a watering hole for almost 30 years and was put up for sale by owner Jackie Roberts, who after a successful battle with breast cancer plans to move out of the country. The property, originally listed at $729,000, sold for $600,000 to CMC Enterprises, according to listing agent Stacy Mathews. Mathews said the buyer is a developer who has done some work in Shady Acres. A representative from CMC Enterprises confirmed that multiple townhomes are planned for the 19,798 square feet of space. – Betsy Denson

Jeanette Holland A trip to the Bahamas (Atlantis. Loved it the ﬁrst time) A couple days of Spa treatments. .. alone to recharge Heather Waters A good book and a beautiful day…oh and kids playing nicely in the yard. Mostly lots of love around. Carolina Chavez A spa day, a great dinner, no housework... Mandy Derryberry An Ambien and a hotel room...alone. Jennifer Sudduth For my family to do all my to-do list items. Cyndi Westfall For this Mother’s Day I want all my cancer to be gone and me to be as healthy as I was a year ago. I would love to be able to go out for a nice dinner and not get tired halfway through it.

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Jennie Sciba A fancy dinner out, wine, and a full night of uninterrupted sleep!

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FIND IT.

Oak Forest resident Tami Sakowitz, left, and her mother, Candlelight Place resident Patsy Sakowitz, will celebrate Mother’s Day together on Sunday. (Photo by Jake Dukate)

Four generations of Sakowitz family celebrate together By Michael Sudhalter

SHEPHERD PARK PLAZA ESTATE SALE: House full of beautiful vintage wood furniture, chandeliers, glassware, NASA memorabilia, books, collectibles, washer, dryer, refrigerator, kitchenware, lots of miscellaneous. 4719 Thornton Circle (oﬀ Thornton/ Golf ) 8 a.m. Thursday-Saturday, May 8-10. SEMI-RETIRED HANDYMAN: Carpentry, paint, roof repairs, power washing. Don Ruthstrom, 713-754-0923. CHIHUAHUA PUPPIES FOR SALE: One male, two female, $50 each. 713-688-1275. MULTI-UNIT COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE: 7200 Shadyvilla, between Antoine and Silber. Saturday, May 10, 7 a.m.

michael@theleadernews.com

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andlelight Plaza resident Patsy Sakowitz fondly remembers a Mother’s Day gift that her daughter, Tami, gave her a few years ago. “I have a locket that was given to me a couple of years ago that I put family pictures in,” Sakowitz said. “That comes to mind because it was the most recent.” While Sakowitz, 63, appreciates thoughtful gifts, it’s time spent with four generations of her family that trumps anything that could be bought

from a store. “I think it’s important to spend those days with your family – those that love you and those you love,” Sakowitz said. Sakowitz feels fortunate that she gets to experience Mother’s Day as a daughter, mother and most recently, a grandmother. “I work three days per week (at Jake’s Family Foods, the family business), but every chance I get, I’m with my grand baby,” Sakowitz said. Sakowitz’s daughters, Lori Reilly, 38, and Tami Sakowitz, 40, both live in Oak Forest. Tami is the proud mother of 2-year-old Ryan Nicole Sakowitz-

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Smoley and has had the chance to celebrate the holiday as a mom for the past two years. “Celebrating Mother’s Day feels like riding the best Roller Coaster,” Tami said. “My daughter’s voice and her laugh are the sweetest sounds in the world. To be her mom is the best job in the world.” The entire family enjoys spending time with Sakowitz on Mother’s Day. “My mother is selﬂess and generous, loving and kind, tender-hearted and loyal – all while being the strongest woman I’ve ever known,” Tami See Mothers, P. 5A

Tonia Whitney If I could choose, it would be drinks on a patio with good friends and my hubby while the kids run wild together. Jennifer Rodriguez A cheesy craft with a picture of my kids on it. Oh, and a spa day too. Wynnette B. Salinas A day on the Pedernales River in Fredericksburg with both of my children. Courtney Gaydosik Someone to go through all my saved pictures and make albums while I drink wine and get a pedicure.... Compiled by Betsy Denson

The Leader top community paper in Texas

THE INDEX. Classiﬁeds

See Water, P. 5A

The Leader asked area moms on social media what they really wanted for this Mother’s Day. The answers were both sweet, poignant and funny.

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it goes before TCEQ for approval. “An applicant must have the support of the City of Houston, which is achieved through a rigorous application for admittance into the City’s MSD program,” said Alvin Wright, spokesperson for the city’s Public Works and Engineering Department. As part of the MSD program, city representatives are required to answer citizens’ questions at a public meeting at 6 p.m. on May 29 at the Houston Permitting Center, 1002 Washington Ave. The requirements of MSD ensured

Best gifts of all are...

THE BRIEF.

Church

s Darlene’

5A 9B The Leader won the William T. Altman Award for Community Service for a series called ‘On the Brink.’

The Texas Community Newspaper Association, a 50-year-old trade organization for small newspapers, announced that The Leader swept the three largest awards in Texas for community newspapers in 2013. The awards were handed out at TCNA’s annual convention in San Antonio last weekend. The Leader won ﬁrst place in the “General Excellence” category, given to the best overall community newspaper in the state. Small newspapers from across the state entered the competition, and judging was handled by newspaper executives and professors not associated with any of the participating newspapers.

The Leader also won ﬁrst place for the “Most Improved” newspaper in Texas in 2013, based on changes made to The Leader over the past year. While the “General Excellence” prize is awarded to the best overall newspaper in the state, TCNA’s most prestigious award is the William M. Altman Community Service Award, which The Leader also won. That honor is given to the newspaper that went beyond traditional reporting to improve the community it covers. The Leader was the 2013 Altman Award recipient based on a package of stories called “On the Brink,” which published in August 2013 and focused on some of the conditions surrounding Brinkman Street in North Houston. Based on The Leader’s report, a

number of changes were seen in the area – and continue to be realized today. Soon after “On the Brink” published, Mayor Annise Parker and crews from the city of Houston joined young people in Shepherd Park to help with clean-up of the area. Drainage ditches were cleaned, and an overgrown lot on Oak Street was razed. Constable Alan Rosen also began a heightened campaign in the area to search out registered sex offenders who were living too close to Durham Elementary School. And other media, such as KHOU, followed The Leader’s stoSee Awards, P. 5A

THE PUBLIC. Saturday, May 10, 2014 • Page 2A

Police investigate SPP home invasion

Heights Presbyterian Church staﬀ and congregation recover from the March 26 ﬁre and have plans for the future.

Heights Presbyterian recovers from ﬁre damage By Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com

The Heights Presbyterian Church suffered a tragedy on March 26 when a two-alarm ﬁre damaged much of the 110-year old church, but fortunately there were no injuries. Pastor Lynne Buckridge said the staff and congregation at the historic church at 240 W. 18th St. have come together and become stronger due to the circumstances. “The congregation can be focused on what really matters,” Buckridge said. “In a few months, we’ll invite the community to come out and help us with re-planting and re-landscaping on the campus.” Another congregation, the non-denominational Beacon Light Outreach Ministry, had previously rented space in the church’s Christian Education Building. That building suffered the brunt of the accidental ﬁre and will be torn down, and eventually, replaced. Due to the circumstances, Heights Presbyterian’s 65 active members and Beacon Light’s

30-40 members have worshipped together more often in the church’s main building. “It’s a great coming together,” Buckridge said. “We’re doing new fun things in our worship service now, and it’s more of an eclectic mix of people.” The Christian Education Building also housed nursery space, classrooms for Sunday school, a Pilates studio and some other storage. The church’s sanctuary had smoke and water damage and is currently unusable. The sanctuary won’t need to be completely rebuilt, but Buckridge said the abatement issues should be complete within a year. Buckridge said the congregation had recently been growing after years of decline. She said it’s a good time for the church to plan for the future. “We’re in the process of trying to determine what this means in terms of mission and vision and what we really need from the campus to better serve the community and the church population,” Buckridge said.

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APRIL 27

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APRIL 29

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Two suspects invaded a Shepherd Park Plaza home at 11:30 p.m. Monday, pistol-whipping a homeowner and shooting a dog in the 1100 block of Curtin, near the corner of Golf. The two suspects, described as black males between the ages of 18-30, wore black ski masks and drove a Silver Cadillac. They kicked in the door of Sean Shannon, the 30-year-old homeowner in what was believed to be a narcotics-related home invasion, according to HPD spokesperson John Cannon. Cannon said most home invasions are not random. The suspects took an undisclosed amount of cash with them before ﬂeeing. The homeowner went to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries. The dog was taken to a veterinary hospital with life-threatening injuries and is expected to survive as well. “At one point, they pistol-

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whipped the homeowner, then they took an unknown amount of objects and ﬂed the location,” HPD Lt. Larry Crowson told Channel 13. Two adults, a male and a female, left the home before police arrived. Once police arrived, they noticed a strong odor of marijuana in the home. After Shannon was released from the hospital, he was taken home and arrested for felony possession of a controlled substance and felony possession of marijuana. Another individual in the home, 28-year-old Nicholas Denman, was charged with Class C Misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Anyone with information on the two home invasion suspects is encouraged to contact HPD’s Robbery Division at 713-308-0700.

Faulkner arrested

The Houston Police Department arrested Joe Faulkner and charged him with assault/bodily injury of a public servant. Faulkner, 44, allegedly assaulted an HPD oﬃcer when she tried to wake him up at 4:15 p.m. on April 29 in the 5700 block of N. Shepherd. Faulkner allegedly swung and kicked at the oﬃcer.

Assault on Winston

A 45-year-old female heard a disturbance outside of her apartment at 12:15 a.m. on April 27 in the 900 block of Winston. Her 52-year-old ex-husband had been ﬁghting with her 19-yearold son. Her ex-husband broke out one of the back windows of the apartment with his ﬁst before throwing a piece of glass at the victim. The suspect appeared to be heavily intoxicated and left the location on foot.

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FOOD, DRINK & ART Saturday, May 10, 2014 • Page 3A

Celebrate Mother’s Day with Brunch

Thirsty Explorer Federal Grill is extending an invitation for you to celebrate your mom with Mother’s Day Brunch. Starting at 10 a.m., there will be a three course prix ﬁxe menu for $45 per person and $12 for children. Call 713-863-7777 for reservations or visit www.thefederalgrill.com to view the extensive menu and more. Federal American Grill is located at 510 Shepherd. MAX’s Wine Dive invites you to treat mom EXTRA special and show her how Thirsty much she ROCKS with champagne, fried chicken andExplorer rock & roll — because that’s how your mom parties. They will have their regular brunch and dinner menu in addition to bubbles, mimosas and chefprepared specials. Brunch is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and dinner is 4 p.m. to midnight. Make reservations online at http://www. maxswinedive.com/houston-washington-ave/reservations or by calling 713880-8737. MAX’s Wine Dive is located on Washington Ave. Benjy’s is celebrating Mother’s Day with a three course prix ﬁxe brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. They will be offering a unique Mother’s Day menu, prepared by their chefs with Mom in mind. They will be offering their a la carte dinner menu from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Both menus and more information are available at www. benjys.com or call 713-868-1131. Benjy’s Upper Washington, is located at 5922 Washington Ave. Gabby’s Bar-B-Q is celebrating mom with their rib eye steak, gulf fried shrimp and a baked potato, in addition to live music from noon to 3 p.m. Gabby’s Bar-B-Q is located at 3101 N. Shepherd. For more information, visit www.gabbysbbq.com. Houston Sports & Social Club Third Anniversary Bash If you like booze, food, swag and an awesome DJ, this is the party you’ve been waiting for! If you’ve been to a Houston Sports & Social Club event before, you know how awesome the blowout parties are. The third anniversary bash is guaranteed to be the best one yet! The event will run from 8 p.m. until midnight, and you won’t want to miss a minute. Adult beverages and food will be provided for all guests. Sponsors for the event include Bud Light, Karbach Brewing Co., Dripping Springs Vodka, Southern

Comfort, and Chipotle. There will be plenty of free swag and awesome door prizes, including free registrations, gift baskets, and much more. The dance floor will be kicking with DJ Big Reeks so bring your dancing shoes. The anniversary bash will be held at Addix at 33 Waugh. For more information, visit www.houstonssc.com or email info@HoustonSSC.com. Karbach Charity Pub Crawl Join the Robert Garner Firefighter Foundation and Karbach Brewing Co. for their semi-annual charity pub crawl on Saturday, May 10. The last pub crawl had 600 participants, and raised over $20,000. The event is happening in Midtown, starting at Little Woodrow’s, at 2306 Brazos St. and will have five stops. Punch cards will be handed out at the first stop, Little Woodrows, from 2 to 5 p.m. After that, pub crawlers will go to the next three bars in any order to get the card stamped. At 6 p.m. at Celtic Gardens there will be a party that you won’t want to miss. The final stop will be the Karbach Block Party, where they will be shutting down the street. There will be custom Karbach Firefighter pint glasses handed out to everyone who successfully visits all five bars. HFD Pipes and Drums band will be providing live entertainment with a twist of firefighter tradition. Drink vouchers can be purchased at the event for $5 per pint or five for $20. V.I.P packages are available for $40 and include five drink vouchers, firefighter tshirt, collectible pint glass, and koozie and express check in. All of the proceeds goes to R.G.F.F. For more information, visit Garnerfoundation.com or Karbachbrewing.com. D&T Drive Inn Anniversary Party D&T Drive Inn will hold their first anniversary party all day Saturday, May 10. Swing on in celebrate. They’ve been hanging onto a ton of great brews, including some Karbach Brewing Co. special releases. D&T Drive Inn is located at 1307 Enid St. For more information on D&T Drive Inn please visit dandtdriveinn.com.

Witchcraft celebration of American Craft Beer Week Witchcraft Tavern & Provision Co. is kicking off American Craft Beer Week (May 12 through 18) with a Cycler’s Brewing Co. tap takeover on Monday, May 12. On Tuesday, May 13 Witchcraft will release Saint Arnold’s new Divine Series. On Sunday, May 18 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., they will “SMOKE THAT PIG!” on the patio with Karbach Brewing Co. and 8th Wonder Brewery to celebrate the conclusion of American Craft Beer Week. It will be a parking lot party with both breweries having special offerings from their vaults in a head-to-head intense competition. There will be “schwag‚“ and “good times” available all day long. Witchcraft Tavern & Provision Co. is located at 1221 W. 11th St. For more information, visit www.witchcrafttavern.com. Great Taste of the Heights The Great Taste of the Heights is from 5 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, May 17. The event is a community food festival featuring food samples from Heights area restaurants and live entertainment. Pre-sale tickets are available for $25. Participating restaurants include BB’s, Beaver’s, Benjy’s, Boomtown Coffee, Cavatore Italian Restaurant, Chatter’s Cafe & Bistro, City Oven, Funky Chicken, Fusion Taco, Happy Fatz, Heights General Store, Good Dog Hot Dog, J. Black’s, Lola, MAX’s Wine Dive, Piatto Ristorante, Pinks Pizza, Ruggles Green, Tacos A Go-Go, What’s Up Cupcake, Witchcraft Tavern & Provision Co. and more. The Great Taste of the Heights is being held at 215 E. 10th St. and is hosted by the All Saints Catholic community, exclusively by volunteers with all proceeds beneﬁt the All Saints community. The event is sponsored by Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty, Eclectic Home, Saint Arnold and Stella Artois. For more information, visit www.greattasteoftheheights.com.

By Amber Ambrose amber@amberambrose.com

Condé Nast’s Daily Traveler asked James Beard-nominated chef Chris Shepherd for some of his favorite ethnic eats in town. Among many of the delicious dishes mentioned, Shepherd praised Asia Market (1010 W. Cavalcade) as having some of “the best traditional Thai cuisine” in the city. He thinks their papaya salad “is the best” as well as favoring a dish made with preserved duck eggs.

Coltivare Reviewed by Houston Press

Houston Press’ food critic reviewed the Heights’ Coltivare and had mixed feelings about the place, ﬁnding the restaurant “still has some growing to do.” The review oﬀered criticisms of

A recent list compiled by the Houston Chronicle named some of the city’s best places to ﬁnd barbecue. Making appearances from The Leader’s coverage area were Gatlin’s BBQ - and praise for its brisket - as well as Pizzitola’s, which has been serving up smoky goodness for “more than 80 years.”

Verts, Bradley’s Fine Diner and The Boot on Eater’s Heat Map

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Asia Market gets mentioned in Daily Traveler Pizzitola’s On Chron List

Mother’s Day Live music as you dine

Follow Ivee Sauls on Twitter @ThirstyExplorer. To submit an event, email ivee@theleadernews.com.

Leader Nibbles over-salted dishes, but praised the pizzas, pastas and use of fresh herbs and vegetables from the onsite garden.

from classic italian to fresh seafood

Linking YOU to the World of SUMMER

heat map, which had a strong showing from the Heights. Included this month: crawﬁsh specialist, The Boot (1206 W. 20th), Bradley’s Fine Diner (191 Heights Blvd) and fast-casual Austin import, Verts Kebap (107 Yale St, Ste 600).

Meet Babymouse author Jennifer Holm at the 5th Annual Books Alive! Children’s Book Celebration on Saturday, May 17, 2014.

Plonk named #1 Wine Bar

The burger at Plonk clinched its spot on a recent Houston Press list naming the 10 Best Wine Bars for Drinking and Eating. Press critic Kaitlin Steinberg writes, “The ultimate bacon cheeseburger was invented here at Plonk, and it continues to draw me to the chic but relaxed wine bar time and again.”

What restaurants are hot this month? Eater Houston answers that question with their monthly

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THE TOPICS. Saturday, May 10, 2014 • Page 4A

No matter the rankings, do they really matter?

W

hen I was a junior in high school, I did what every other ambitious student at my school did. I took a standardized test, hoping to score my way to hundreds of college acceptance letters and a few scholarship offers. I was never in the running for class valedictorian, but I wasn’t a bad student, either. I stayed awake in classes, studied when it was required, and for the most part, made my share of A’s. When the college entrance exams came along – I’m pretty sure I took the ACT, if that’s even still around – I took the practice tests, got a good night’s sleep, ate a decent breakfast, and hoped like everything that my brain had been developed enough to score where my teachers and Mother thought I should. If I recall correctly, a score of 30 on the ACT back then virtually assured you some sort of scholarship, and Mom thought I had a fighter’s chance of doing that well. I was never as confident because multiple choice tests were always difficult for me (every answer looked right). You might also imagine that I was much more adept at writing an essay than picking from A, B, C or None of the Above.

JONATHAN MCELVY Publisher

When the test scores came back, I didn’t score a 30, but I wasn’t impossibly far away, either. I was happy because there would be no problem getting into college; my Mother felt a little different. She asked if I would consider taking a prep course for the test to see if I could increase my score the few points needed to reach that magical number of 30. Even though Mom asked kindly, I knew it wasn’t a “Yes” or “No” question. I took the course and actively participated, beginning to believe I could receive a full ride to college. In other words, this wasn’t a halfhearted effort simply because Mom made me do it. A couple of months later, I took the ACT again. I walked into that room – sharp No. 2s in hand – full of conﬁdence that I was about to

set some sort of perfect record. Princeton would come begging. I remember walking out of the testing facility with as much conﬁdence as I had going in. Sure, there were a couple of questions that stumped me, but I thought I whipped the test. Back then, you got your scores back in the mail – none of this fancy computer stuff. Inside the envelope, I learned that I had scored two points lower than my original score. So after taking a 6-week course preparing only for this test, after being trained how to handle trick questions, after trying as hard as I could, I actually reduced my score? No kidding. Every year, an organization called Children at Risk releases a ranking of every school in Houston. (They do the same thing for other large cities in Texas.) Last week, those rankings were made available to the public and the Chronicle covered the scores as professionally as any media organization in the state. We also planned to publish the scores of our local schools until we saw the rankings. Let’s be clear: Rankings and test scores are not the same thing. Rankings are general, test scores are more individual.

As rankings are concerned, though, we discovered something extraordinary about our elementary schools: Oak Forest went from being the 6th best elementary school in 2013 to the 61st best in 2014. Travis Elementary dropped from 76th to 128th in one year. Garden Oaks Elementary plummeted from 107th to 495th in the rankings. Helms sank from 172nd to 434th, and Love fell 200 spots. Stevens and Durham, two schools making a concerted effort at improvement, fell a combined 200 places. Reporter Betsy Denson and I reviewed the numbers and initially decided we would not publish them. Instead, Betsy wrote an opinion piece on our front page about how improvement couldn’t always be found in the rankings. For that matter, most of our schools had maintained the grades Children at Risk had assigned them the year prior. It just so happened that other schools surpassed them in the rankings. I was piping mad when I saw the results. There’s no way Oak Forest or Garden Oaks or Stevens or Love or Helms dropped as far as the scores suggested. I didn’t think it was possible for any of our schools to drop after what we’ve seen per-

sonally over the past year. Last week, I reserved my comments. This week, I’m glad I did. Children at Risk sent out a release that said there was an error in the formula. They put the onus on a third-party that handled the calculations. I believe in the accountability of teachers and our education system, but here’s what I know better: There is not a single school in our coverage area that has not improved in the past year. If the rankings suggest otherwise, whenever they are “corrected,” we should be cautious with our celebration or disdain for them. We are a community on the rise, and our schools are following suit. Nearly every week, The Leader publishes something about our schools. If you want to know about them, ask us. Go visit one of the principals. Go take a look for yourself. Whatever you do, don’t trust a computer-generated (and apparently ﬂawed) ranking that will tarnish your perception. I’m glad I didn’t when the computers said I was dumber for studying more.

Email jonathan@theleadernews.com

Car-less in Houston makes for a mess Built by LEE BURGE, PUBLISHER FROM 1957-1969 TERRY BURGE, PUBLISHER FROM 1969-2012

Jonathan McElvy Publisher & President

jonathan@theleadernews.com

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Associate Publisher

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Any erroneous statement which may appear in The Leader will be corrected when brought to the attention of the publisher. In the event of errors or omissions in The Leader advertisements, the publisher does not hold himself liable for damages further than the amount received by him for such advertisements. The Leader’s distribution is independently audited by the Circulation Veriﬁcation Council.

NEWS DEADLINE: Noon on Mondays CLASSIFIED WORD AD DEADLINE: 5 p.m. Tuesday RETAIL AD DEADLINE: Noon on Mondays

LOOKING BACK. 20 years ago May 12, 1994

30 years ago May 10, 1984

Oak Forest PTA awards Jane Goings Scholarship

Clayton Lee’s ringing true for old mill clock

The annual Jane Goings Scholarship was awarded to three area high school students at a recent meeting of the Oak Forest Elementary PTA. Danny Wyatt, a senior at Lamar High School, received the $1,000 ﬁrst-place scholarship. He plans to attend Columbia University and major in International Journalism. First runner-up Carol Theilen, currently attending Waltrip High School, was presented a $300 scholarship. Second runnerup Erin Rice, who also attends Lamar High, received a $200 scholarship. Since 1985, Jane Goings Scholarships have been awarded to high school seniors who graduated from Oak Forest Elementary and plan to pursue higher education.

In the 1950’s, time stopped at about 1:12 p.m. at West 22nd Street and Lawrence. That is when the huge clock in the tower of the Oriental Textile Mill ticked its last tock. But if Clayton Lee Sr. has his way, that clock will soon be running again and the ringing call of the bell in the clock tower will echo across the Heights area once more. “Bennett Kaplan of Kaplan’s Ben Hur said he would cover half the cost, but I didn’t know what it would cost. Pigeons had been nesting in the tower for years and that had to be cleaned out. Pulleys and ropes and other items had to be replaced. “Mildred Dupuis, owner of Yale Pharmacy... so did Marcella Perry...”

In the Greater Heights area, we certainly have our share of issues – from growth and development, to rising taxes, intermittent crime and traffic/congestion. But there’s something to be said of living in close proximity to transportation and other amenities of (and near) the Inner Loop. I live 13.3 miles directly west of The Leader office on 3500 E. T.C. Jester Blvd., but on Tuesday – our busiest day of the week at the office – that distance (a shade over a halfmarathon) may as well have been 1,300 miles. Each Tuesday, we put the finishing touches on stories and plan out the paper that appears in your yard, Thursday through Saturday. So a transportation crisis was the last thing I needed. Some of these errors were self-inflicted, while others were simply the harmful effects of bad luck. Regardless, it was nerve-wracking to become car-less and ride-less for an entire morning in Houston. This saga began last month when I was involved in a minor accident in Austin. Thankfully, there were no injuries in the accident, and the car was completely drivable. The first self-inflicted problem, turned lesson? Put car rental on your auto insurance policy! I can’t scream it loud enough, and I’m told it adds about $25 per year to the policy. I neglected to do that, so I rented a car from Monday, April 28 through Thursday, May 1, knowing that I’d be out of town from May 2-4 and I didn’t want to pay for a rental car if I wasn’t going to be using it. My auto body shop had indicated that my car would be ready by Monday, so I figured that my fiancee, Whitney, would give me a ride to work, and I could pick up the car. She gave me the ride, but the car wouldn’t be ready on Monday. Whitney’s job requires her to travel throughout the city on certain days, so I told her I’d rent a car from a place around the corner on Tuesday morning.

Mom knows best My mother, Rita Sudhalter, gave me life 34 years ago and then saved MICHAEL it in 2000. Sorry, it’s nothing that Hollywood SUDHALTER would want to reproduce, like defending me from extraterrestrials or Editor pulling me up as I was hanging off a bridge. I was home on spring break from college in March 2000, when my mom woke me up and demanded They didn’t have any cars, not that I go to the dermatologist for my acne. even a so-called smart one. While I was there, they did a rouSo as the car rental places scrambled to locate more cars, I got on the tine check of my moles and deterphone with three taxi companies. mined one of them had a very early The taxi companies all had differ- stage of Melanoma. The dermatoloent names and phone numbers, but gist removed the mole, and then did each company had my reservation preventative surgery a few weeks later. in their system. It’s important to get that checked So much for selection. There was an Offshore Technol- (even more important than rental ogy Conference at the Reliant Cen- cars on your insurance policy!) Good moms constantly remind ter, and its guests were consuming most of Greater Houston’s taxi re- you to be aware of these things. Sons and daughters often get ansources. I’d be waiting until next Tuesday, noyed by it, but in this case, it was a life-saving effort. the way things were going. So Happy Mother’s Day, mom! Google searches for taxis also bring up limousines. You’re the best. As the clock was ticking, I inquired about one of those. It would Stand up against racism have ran $90, and I didn’t want to Our news partner, KHOU Changet grilled by my co-workers on nel 11, e-mailed us a photo of rawhat would have appeared to be cially offensive graffiti at the corner newfound wealth. of Yale and 22nd St. METRO Buses? Not an option The contents of it were so offenunless I wanted to hike eight miles sive that it need not be repeated in and ride a bus for 90 minutes, trans- our newspaper. I’m confident that the city’s graffer a couple times and hike three more miles. fiti abatement team will address The solution was in front of me the situation, and I’m grateful that the whole time. I was like that guy they’ll take care of it. who won’t stop and ask for direcGraffiti is an issue, but the larger problem is the disease known as tions, because of his pride. I reached out for help, calling a racism. co-worker, Lucy Dukate, who genThe graffiti was directed toward erously made the 13.3 miles trek Hispanic Americans, but racism and picked me up. toward any group is wrong, and the Sometimes, the easiest solution is community must stamp it out wherthe last one you think about, but I’m ever it arises. grateful for the support of my boss, As the late, great Dr. Martin LuJonathan McElvy, and my co-work- ther King Jr. once said, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice evers for their understanding. erywhere.”

Go see a 1,500-year-old tree in Fulton on your next trip THE OPEN ROAD – Well, not exactly. Trafﬁc is stacked up as far as the eye can see, which in some parts of Texas is not very far. On a clear day you can see your shoes. But “sumer is icumen in,” as they say in Uvalde, and we need to start making our vacation plans. Yes, the better spots are already booked solid, but that’s what happens when we procrastinate. I’ll take down my Christmas tree shortly. Let’s go on a car trip around Texas. We don’t need a patdown by airport guards, no metal detectors, not even surly and overworked ﬂight attendants ordering us to put out that cigar. In no particular order, here are some suggestions for the less touristy, less crowded Texas vacation delights. Like Waco. Yes, Waco. Don’t you want to visit the town where Steve Martin was born? There’s a great Texas Rangers museum, although they seem to be short of bats and balls. Maybe it’s the other kind of Ranger. Visit the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, which probably has guns and badges. The

LYNN ASHBY Columnist

ﬁrst suspension bridge in the United States was the Waco Bridge. Built in 1870 and still in use today as a pedestrian crossing of the Brazos River. Drive to Cisco where Conrad Hilton bought his very ﬁrst hotel, the Mobley. He later moved on to other West Texas towns. Hilton observed, “At Lubbock I found that Texas had no use for an imported French chef.” The Tyler Municipal Rose Garden is the world’s largest rose garden. It contains 38,000 rose bushes representing 500 varieties of roses set in a 22-acre garden. The city of Slaughter, Texas, has never had a homicide. Pass it on. Tired of driving? The world’s largest parking lot is located at D/FW Airport. The Dallas TV

drama series ran from 1978 to 1991, and has been dubbed into 67 languages and broadcast into more than 90 countries. It was filmed on location at the Cloyce Box Ranch in Frisco, outside of Dallas. Go shoot JR. We’re in a drought, but from July 24 to 26, 1979, hurricane Claudette dropped 45 inches of rainfall near Alvin, which caused more than $60 in losses. (Old joke.) This volume of 43 inches is a record in the country in terms of precipitation spanning 24 hours. You may want to visit Austin. There you must see the word’s first photograph. Just think, there have been billions of photographs taken, but one of them was the first. It was shot by Nicephore Niepce of France in 1826. The photo is now on the UT-Austin campus. You own it. Go see it. While on the 40 Acres, check out the Gutenberg Bible. Well, “check out” in the figurative sense, not the literal. Librarians are so possessive. Elsewhere around Austin, visit the usual spots like the State Capitol, but not during the day when

gawking tourists come to visit their money. Do it at night. The dome of the building stands seven feet higher than that of the nation’s Capitol in Washington, D.C. It’s beautiful. Texan Rogers Hornsby is buried at Hornsby Bend near Austin. He was the best batter in the history of baseball. In 1924 he hit .424 and had a lifetime average of .358. Both records still stand. We have mentioned some of these places before, but you still haven’t visited them, so this is a reminder. Moving on, let’s say you want to visit some Texas battleﬁelds. Start with the bloodiest battle in Texas. No, not San Jacinto nor the Alamo. The little-known battle of Medina was fought 20 miles south of San Antonio on Aug. 18, 1813, between 1,400 rebels made up of Americans, Tejanos, Indians and former royalists, against 1,830 Spanish army troops including Lt. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. The rebels were massacred and their bodies left there for nine years. So bring a metal detector. If you’re outside Brownsville, visit the site of

the Battle of Palmito Ranch. It was the last land battle of the Civil War, more than a month after Lee had surrendered at Appomattox. The Confederates won. El Paso: Debbie Reynolds and Justice Sandra Day O’Conner were born here. John Wesley Hardin was killed here. His grave isn’t much. While in West Texas, drop by Loving County, the least populated county in the nation. In January 2010, the census found only 40 people of voting age, but officials reported 105 registered voters. In the 2012 election, Romney received 54 votes to Obama’s nine. High Island: The grave of Charles Cronea, a cabin boy with Jean Lafitte’s pirates who stayed behind, as, reportedly, did much of the buried loot. Use that metal detector. As you go zipping along the road, don’t forget to check out those red, white and blue interstate highway signs which are not only in Texas but all over the nation. They were designed by Richard Oliver, a traffic engineer with the (then) Texas Highway Department.

The feds made one change: Oliver’s version was black and white. There are more than 70,000 miles of highway in Texas, of which 40,985 are paved farm and ranch roads. The unpaved roads are in Houston. TxDOT uses 1.6 million gallons of white and yellow paint each year to paint stripes along its highways. Other stops to make: the city of Marble Falls, which was laid out by a blind man. Real County, where in 1924 Warren Pruett’s hardware store was hit by an airplane. The pilot was Charles Lindbergh. The oldest tree in Texas is a seaward evergreen oak tree situated close to Fulton. It’s thought to be more than 1,500 years old. Don’t carve your initials in it. So head out, with maps, native guide (me), ice chest and several CDs by Willie Nelson including “On the Road Again.” If it seems a long way from here to there, just remember Jeff Foxworthy’s observation: If you measure distance in hours, you may live in Texas. Ashby travels at ashby2@comcast.net

Saturday, May 10, 2014 • Page 5A

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Water, from P. 1A that a letter be mailed to inform property owners within a half-mile radius (570 of them) and well-water owners within a ﬁve-mile radius (1,517 of them), regarding the program. “The intent is to make the public aware,” said Jennifer Clancey, program manager for the city’s Planning and Development Service Division. “By law, water cannot be withdrawn from the site. It’s a mechanism to protect the public.” Potable water – which is used for drinking water and other purposes – comes from water hundreds of feet below

surface (located miles away from the neighborhood) and passes through aquifers, compared to the minor groundwater contamination, which is 1520 feet below the surface. Clancey said the only way that the contaminants could be harmful would be through a person drinking the water, and it cannot affect the surface water in any way. “If the city believed there would be a threat to the public, we would not be accepting it into the program,” Clancey said. From 1956 to 1983, the property on Ella & Grovewood

was operated by Koenig Iron Works, and the former tenant’s business is believed to be the reason why there are small traces of tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, dichloroethene, vinyl chloride and arsenic in the groundwater, which had never been scheduled for consumption. Other tenants may have contributed to it as well, such as Pilgrim Cleaners and Pilgrim Laundry, which operated there in the 1970s. “Properties can’t enter into the program unless the (contamination) is stable or decreasing, and the source has

been removed and we know where it is,” Clancey said. “Over time, the source of the contamination breaks down on its own.” TCEQ spokesperson Terry Clawson said once the MSD is issued, TCEQ continues to work toward environmental compliance. “The TCEQ will evaluate the appropriate exposure pathways and the need for remediation,” Clawson said. “The site data indicates degradation of contamination in groundwater is occurring. The age of the release at the site is unknown.”

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Mothers, from P. 1A said. “She gives the best advice without telling you what to do. And she will laugh with you or hold you while you cry. She will never leave your side – good or bad. I look up to her and hope to be her one day. I’ve never met another person who doesn’t hold my mother close to their heart and love her like she was their own mom.” Reilly said Sakowitz plays a key role in organizing the family and setting a great example to her. “She is the glue of our family,” Reilly said. “She is by far the most generous person I’ve ever met. Her life and what fulﬁlls her is about being able to see happiness in others.” Sakowitz’s mother, Timbergrove resident Louise Jacob, is 88 years old. Sakowitz is grateful for Jacob’s longevity and her guidance. “We like to ﬁnd the time to be together,” Sakowitz said. “She (was at work) on Tuesday, working alongside me. She goes to the same church that I do (Zion Lutheran Church), and I’m just thankful for every year that she’s here with me. It’s good to be together. you live your life and you spend each moment as you can.” Jacob said it’s “absolutely wonderful” to spend Mother’s Day with her daughter and the entire family.

The Sakowitz Family, from left, includes Oak Forest resident Lori Reilly, her mother, Candlelight Place resident Patsy Sakowitz, her grandmother, Timbergrove resident Louise Jacob, and her sister, Oak Forest resident Tami Sakowitz. (Submitted Photo)

“I’m very proud of the family,” Jacob said. “We usually have a meal together and talk. I have seven grandchildren and 12 great-grand-children. There’s so many people, and we all get together.” The Sakowitz family has deep roots in The Leader area. Sakowitz grew up in the Heights and Timbergrove, graduating from Travis Elementary, Hogg Middle and Reagan High. Her daughters graduated from

Waltrip High before earning degrees from Texas A&M. “I’m so glad and blessed that my daughters are living in Houston, and I get to see them almost daily,” Sakowitz said. “At any point in time, I can help them and they can help me. My daughters are two years apart. they were very close – best friends growing up. I like to think I’m their best friend, but I’m their mother, so probably not.”

Awards, from P. 1A ries with reports of their own. “We’re obviously honored by the awards we won,” said Jonathan McElvy, publisher of The Leader. “I’ve always had a different view of them, though. I believe awards are great for our staff because they reward the hard work they’ve done over the past year, and it’s no different in this case. But I also believe the best award we receive, and the one that really

matters, is from the readers and advertisers who believe that we still publish a relevant source of information.” McElvy also said awards like those from TCNA are not new to The Leader. “When we purchased the newspaper from Terry Burge a couple of years ago, the walls were lined with plaques from press associations all over the country,” McElvy said. “Terry

and the people who have come before us built a publication that has long earned respect from professional trade organizations like TCNA.” The Leader also won individual awards in two other categories. Betsy Denson’s piece, “Why So Dry?” about the sale of alcohol in the Heights, placed second for Best Feature Story. Former editor Charlotte Aguilar’s story on the 40-year

�� Solutions in this issue’s classsiﬁed section.

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43. Prayer leader in a mosque 44. A sheep up to the age of 1. A braid one year 5. Print errors 45. Soldier in an airborne unit 11. Any of 3 avatars of Vishnu 49. What a cow chews 12. Odor masking toiletry 50. K particle 16. Abba __, Israeli politician 51. 50 cent pieces 17. An enlisted person 53. Trauma center 18. Any speed competitor 54. 2011 Stanley Cup winners 19. Manitoba hockey team 56. Inner bract of a grass 24. The Bay state spikelet 25. Trees with conelike catkins 58. The Show-Me State 26. Central area of a church 59. Self-immolation by ﬁre 27. 2 year old sheep ritual 28. Interpret written words 60. Offshoot interests 29. Greek goddess of youth 63. Amounts of time 30. Bullﬁghting maneuver 64. Salty 31. Shapes 65. Guinea currency 1971-85 33. Decreased 34. Fly 38. Unbelief 39. Traditional Hindu rhythms 1. Existing before a war 40. Yemen capital 2. Open to change

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3. Gunsmoke actress Blake 4. Converted into leather 5. Boundary 6. Predominated 7. Royal Observatory 8. Promotion 9. Rich multilayered cake 10. River between Iran and Armenia 13. Carrier’s invention 14. Banes 15. Catastrophe 20. Atomic #77 21. A note appended to a letter 22. Licks 23. Adam’s wife 27. Counterbalance 29. Brokeback star’s initials 30. Golf score 31. Manuscripts (abbr.) 32. Old English 33. Pod legume 34. Upper arm muscle 35. Japanese warrior 36. Oh, God! 37. A Scottish cap 38. Expresses surprise 40. Carbon particles 41. 4th cognomen 42. “Joy Luck Club” actress Irene 44. Holds 45. Favorable factors 46. Bird enclosure 47. Act of pay for usage 48. St. Francis of __ 50. Aussie bear 51. Day-O singer’s initials 52. One of the six noble gases 54. Apiary inhabitants 55. Proboscis 57. “Titanic” star’s initials 61. Lincoln’s state 62. Atomic #28

mystery surrounding the stillunknown victim of the 1973 mass murders in the Heights, won second place for Best Original News Story.

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From ancient times cats have been our long time friends. For many reasons they help us more than we realize. Besides companionship, comfort and joy, they drop our blood pressure and extend our life span. They protect our homes from wildlife such as bats, rats, snakes and insects. Even larger intruders prefer to go elsewhere when they scent a cat around. Despite the benets of cats, they also carry some risks such as bites, scratches and zoonotic disease. Cats depend on us to care for them. We have put them in a position where they can not survive well or long on their own. A cat’s life is full of avoidable risks and as owners of cats we are responsible for their well being. Vaccine preventable diseases are very common in Houston. Some vaccines have improved along with some cat’s lifestyles. For these reasons vaccine protocols have changed and this has confused many well-meaning cat lovers. The truth is that we need to vaccinate ALL cats with core vaccines. How often core vaccines are given depends on the cat’s lifestyle. Other vaccines need to be given according to the individual cat’s risk and/or testing. Only your community veterinarian can consult with you on area risks to recommend a vaccine protocol along with your preference. Lifestyles do change, so all cats need some protection. Parasites have probably hidden in the majority of all Houston indoor and outdoor cats at some point. Even with intense testing, your veterinarian cannot nd some parasites. Strategic deworming and monthly parasite preventative is the best way to prevent the ongoing discomfort in your cat whether you recognize it or not.

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Page 6A • Saturday, May 10, 2014

Art a la Carte: There’s nothing like the Art Car Parade This is Art Car Weekend. covery Green, then on Friday Since 1988, The is the Main Street Orange Show Drag. This is really Foundation has great, they have eight produced this separate “caravans” world famous free that visit schools and parade where anyhospitals giving a lot one can become of children who noran artist by augmally could not atmenting anything tend a chance to exon wheels. There perience the parade. Then there’s The is more to this Legendary Art Car than just sitting Mitch Cohen and watching; it is Ball, and it’s back at the most popular about participat- Arts Columnist location - the I & II ing. The parade is Saturday - I Allen Center on the ﬁrst two recommend going early so levels and interior and exteriyou can walk Allen Parkway, or courtyards. See the cars up see the cars and visit with the close, mix and mingle with the artists. You can also stake your artists. Everyone dresses up in favorite viewing spot. This is costumes that rival even the my favorite Houston event cars. This really is one of the and I was privileged to be in best parties. the parade for many years. There are at least 250 enHaving 300,000 people cheer- trants in the parade. The extra ing you on as you drive by is activities give you the chance beyond exhilarating. Hands to see the hard work these down though, my favorite part folks put into their art cars. has always been the Art Car Some are truly ingenious. Ball – the party of the year. I’ll be watching for Andy Events start Thursday eve- Hazell’s latest creation. Hazell ning with a sneak peek at Dis- is a Welsh artist and was the

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Purple Elephant Gallery and Iron Butterﬂy Studio, 5-9 p.m. 12802 McSwain, Cypress. Final Open Studio event. The studios will remain open. Resident artists Deborah Hill, Angie Pryor Abernathy, Roxanne Rathert Lathan, Linda Hardy and Sergio Santos. Guest artists include Andre Gandin, Lisa Lang and Artist Lorraine Davis Martin.

first foreign artist to be sponsored by the Orange Show in 2013. Last year Hazell’s car, Heroicar, won first place. It had a super hero on the roof in flying formation. I’ve been watching his creation for this year’s car come to life through photos posted by friends on the Internet. I hope it doesn’t come to life though – it’s a giant spider atop a Lincoln Towncar. Andy Hazel is a public artist, creating large scale steel sculptures and resides in Knighton, Wales. Visit his website www.andyhazell. co.uk. For all the weekend’s Art Car activities visit www. thehoustonartcarparade.com Friday, May 9 The Legendary Art Car Ball presented by Arts Brookfield; Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Two Allen Center, 1200 Smith St. www.thehoustonartcarparade.com Two for one at JoMar Visions Friday night: The Waiting Room, 7-10 p.m. JoMar Visions, 902 Hardy

Andy Hazel’s car that he is working on at the Orange Show Foundations warehouse.

St. Fine art works by T. Smith, and “Deconstruction of the Self” featuring Mexican artist Antoine Dubois. Dubois creates his own vocabulary through a pair of scissors. Saturday, May 10 Craftacular 2nd Saturday, Noon to 4 p.m. 1025 Studewood in the Heights at

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Puppies for Breakfast, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Summer Street Studios, 2500 Summer St. Puppies for Breakfast is a morning dog festival that works to bring everything “dog” to one place for a few hours. 30,000 sq ft of event space, 6,000 sq ft dog play area, over 40 dog industry vendors, local business vendors and breakfast from local food trucks. With a name like Puppies for Breakfast, I had to bring it to your attention. Cohen is the founder and manager of First Saturday Arts Market. Contact him at ArtValet@gmail.com or visit him on the web atArtValet.com.

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Saturday, May 10, 2014 • Page 7A

FROM THE PEWS. Celebrate Mother’s Day at St. Stephen’s Attend worship with Mom at St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church, 2003 W. 43rd St. The Youth of St. Stephen’s will lead both the 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. services on May 11, and all mothers will receive special recognition. Mothers and children are welcome to come to the fellowship hall at 10 a.m. for mufﬁns and to make a special craft together. For information, call 713686-8241 or visit www.stsumc. org. ‘What the Resurrection Means For Us Now’ series at St. Matthew’s The Rev. Frank Coats will continue his series on “What the Resurrection Means For Us Now,” at St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church, 4300 N. Shepherd Dr. The series will be taught at 9:30 a.m. at the Sunday morning worship and Children’s Church. Sunday

School will be available for various ages at 10:30 a.m. A Prayer and Praise service with Holy Communion is offered at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Also available at the church is Weight Watchers, Seniors Day and Quilters on Tuesdays and Methodist Youth Fellowship. For information, visit the website at www.stmatthewsmethodistchurch.org or call 713-697-0671. All Saints TALC to host anniversary celebration All Saints Catholic Church Third Age Learning Center, 215 E. 10th St., has been selected to host the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Archdiocesan Ofﬁce of Aging on May 22. There will be a 10 a.m. Mass at All Saints with the Most Rev. Joseph A. Fiorenza, D.D., Archbishop Emeritus of Galveston-Houston as Celebrant and Msgr. Adam S. McClosky as Co-Celebrant.

Following the Mass, a reception will follow in the parish hall. Call 713-248-1277 for information. Singers needed for Hope Episcopal choir Hope Episcopal Church, 1613 W. 43rd, is needing volunteer choir voices. Needed are four sopranos, three altos, three tenors and three bases, high school age through adult. If experienced singing with choirs, please contact Paul Clark, choir director, at 281323-0580. One must be able to attend practices and Sunday services. Learn choir music theory as well as how to follow a conductor and participate in choir outings to local theatre productions. Beacon Light Outreach Ministry in need of musical instruments For the past ﬁve years, Beacon Light Outreach Min-

istry have partnered with and held their services in Heights Presbyterian Church’s worship center, 240 W. 18th St. Everything was lost in the two-alarm ﬁre on March 26, including all equipment and musical instruments. Donations are appreciated. Items most needed are microphones, power amp for mics and keyboard. Donations may be mailed to: Pastor Travin Roquemore, Beacon Light Outreach Ministry - BLOM Church, 1795 N. Fry Rd. #341, Katy 77449. For information, call 281-763-2183 or e-mail beaconlight2009@aol.com. Donations needed at Pathways Food Pantry The Pathways Food Pantry is open from 10 a.m.-noon Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Food donations are always welcome. Present needs are peanut butter and mufﬁn mixes. Pathways Presbyterian

Houston Zen Center adds to Heights’ diversity By Kim Hogstrom For The Leader

Standing peacefully under dapples of sunlight, and shadows cast by old trees, one will ﬁnd a remarkable home in the Heights, gracious even by the standards of Heights Boulevard. There is something different about this 1918 structure. The building is tidy, tastefully appointed, and quietly, but indisputably, substantial. It stands to reason, as it stands up to time: it’s the home of the Houston Zen Center. The interior of 1605 Heights Blvd. is equally remarkable. The structure’s original wood ﬂoors are polished to a gleam, and its old, glass windows are spotless and unmasked, welcoming light. There is an Asian simplicity to the decor, allowing the home’s vintage details to contribute, instead of compete, and there is a peace throughout; the same sort offered by other places of antiquity and culture (think: The Menil). The Houston Zen Center stands

solidly as another of our city’s treasures. “Buddhism dates back 2,500 years,” explained long-time Zen Center member, Rick Mitchell. “The word ‘Buddha’ means ‘the enlightenment.’ There is no claim on the Buddha’s part to divinity. There is no claim to be anything but an ordinary human being — who is awake.” Zen is a newer form of Buddhism that teaches the importance of not merely attaining enlightenment, but saving other beings from suffering.” There is a priest to guide the center’s 80 members and many guests though the teaching of Zen. Called an “Abbot,” Gaelyn Godwin is the master of Houston’s Zen practices. This slight woman, with very short hair, sparkling eyes, and a warm smile, is a teacher of the ﬁrst order. She studied in San Francisco, but Godwin arrived here in 2003, and now proudly calls Houston home. “Zen meditation has a reputation for be-

ing calming,” Godwin said. “Many Houstonians come here because their lives are stressful. Sometimes their doctors recommend it. Many become more calm, and better friends, partners, parents. Others come to wake up, to be enlightened, so people take it into their lives the way it ﬁts — the way they need it. Everyone is welcome. We really like visitors. We are very open to all. We also have an ‘Introduction to Zen’ class that we’ve been offering for 10 years, and it has grown.” Godwin said the Zen community has strong relationships within the faith community. “We have ministers, and several rabbis who practice here, too,” Godwin added. “We often go to temples and churches to teach meditation. They love us, and we love them. It’s mutual support.” For more information or to visit, go to www.Houstonzen.org. Ad # 31448

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THE OBITUARIES. Larry Dale Benoit, 73, born

May 5, 1940, died May 4.

Cyndy (Garza) Blount,

58, born Jan. 25, 1956, died April 24. Garza-Blount taught Spanish for 20 years at Scarborough High School. She is survived by her husband Joe Blount of 35 years, her parents, R.H. and Delia Garza, and brother Mark Garza. Memorial contributions may be made to the SPCA or The American Cancer Society.

Rick Leedy, 64, born March

12, 1950 in Houston, died April 28, at M.D. Anderson Hospital after a year-long ﬁght against cancer. Leedy was a 1968 graduate of Waltrip High School and then went to Lamar University on a baseball scholarship where he graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science degree. He was an employee of Houston Independent School District for more than 30 years (Kashmere Gardens Elementary and Durham Elementary) and retired in 2010. Leedy is survived by his wife, Brenda, daughter Joi, and mother Eileen.

Paul Hosier Mallette, 91, born May 23, 1922 in Lucedale, Miss., died April 28. He graduated from Lucedale High School and went into the Air Force in 1942. He received an honorable discharge with the rank of Staﬀ Sergeant at Camp Shelby Mississippi in 1945. In 1947,

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he married the love of his life, Aliene. Mallette graduated from Mississippi State University with a BS in Petroleum Geology and minors in Chemistry and Physics in 1950. He began working for Nalco Chemical Company as District Sales Manager and retired in 1985 as Distribution Manager. In 1954 he joined Oak Forest Baptist Church. He is survived by his son James Mallette, and daughter Joan Fenner, sister Jimmie Ann Eubanks, ﬁve grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

Mary Jane Stroud Minter,

died April 28. She is survived by husband, Lawrence Minter, sister Carolyn Keeling Costen, daughters Lisa, Jana, Sherri, Karen and Rachel, and her grandchildren.

Eselarna Ungrad, 94, born June 12, 1919, died May 3. She is survived by her brother Herman Sturm, daughter Barbara Davis, one granddaughter, and two great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to to the Alzheimer’s Association, Houston and Southeast Texas Chapter, 6055 South Loop East, Houston 77087. Georgia Lillian Urban, 89, born Feb. 18, 1925, in Rutersville, Texas, died May 1. She is survived by her daughters Karen Chrisman, Sharon Carlton, Barbara Urban, Debbie Furlow, and Adella Mays; sons Gary and Andrew Urban; sister Mary Deitrich; brother Louis

Muras, 13 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to Trinity Lutheran School Endowment Fund or HUG 2 Campaign.

Bonnie L. Williams, 82,

born April 17, 1932, died April 30. She is survived by her daughters Marian Jasso, Betty Gomez and Sandra Watson, ﬁve grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Ronald Glenn Williams,

57, born Aug. 19, 1956, died April 27. He is survived by his children Justin Williams, Jason Williams and Jennifer Williams, his one true love, Jana Stroud, and his sister Karen Godrey.

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Help MANNA end hunger For the 17th consecutive year, Alan Shawn Feinstein will divide $1 million among nonproﬁt hunger ﬁghting agencies, like MANNA. Help those in need by donating to MANNA during March and April and the Feinstein Foundation will add money to your donation. Donations can include cash, checks and food items (valued at $1 per item or pound) and will be accepted 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday at the Resale Store, 1806 W. 43rd. For information call Patricia Dornak, executive director, at 713-504-5486 or email her at pdornak@gmail.com.

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Grace UMC accepting donations for food bank The food bank at Grace United Methodist Church, 1245 Heights Blvd., feeds more than 3,000 families per year and is accepting non per-

ishable food donations. The Grace UMC food bank works in conjunction with the Souper Bowl of Caring. For information, call 713862-8883 or visit www.graceintheheights.us.

AIKIDO & SELF DEFENSE

born Feb. 5, 1945, died May 2. She is survived by her daughter Taleia Wilson, son Marcus Wilson, father, James Brown, Sr., brothers Novel Ellison Jr., James Brown Jr., and two grandchildren.

Alex Zezatti, 34, born Nov. 8, 1979 in Houston, died April 20.

Free meal program for seniors at NAM Northwest Assistance Ministries welcomes seniors for a free hot meal and fun. Meals are served on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at 15555 Kuykendahl. A two-day advance reservation is required for each meal. To qualify for the program, residents must be at least 60 years of age and live in Harris County. Call 281-885-4619 for information.

1765 W. 34th • 713-682-8785

Dorothy Ann Wilson, 69,

Bess T. Witovec, 96, born Feb. 22, 1918, died May 2. Witovec was a member of All Saints Altar Society and of SPJST #88. She is survived by her son Billy, daughter Beverly, sister Rose Kopinitz; 10 grandchildren, and 34 great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to All Saints Altar Society.

Church is located at 5900 Pinemont Dr. Call 281-3005129 or visit www.pathwayshouston.org for information.

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Page 8A • Saturday, May 10, 2014

Helms Elementary honored for dual language program Baker named new Helms principal

By Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com

It’s been an exciting last couple of weeks for Helms Elementary School in the Heights. Helms Elementary Dual Language Magnet School has been named one of eight ﬁnalist for the International Spanish Academy of the Year Award. The school also named John Baker its new principal, starting in 2014-15. Baker will succeed Diana Del Pilar, who has accepted another administrative position in Houston ISD. Being selected as a ﬁnalist for the Dual Lan-

guage Magnet School program is a major accomplishment for Helms. “We are very proud of our Dual Language Magnet program which serves over 350 children from over 60 schools in HISD and from outside of the district,” Helms principal Diana Del Pilar said. “Our rich program includes a total of 19 Dual Language classrooms in PreK – 5th grade served by teachers, administrators and support staff from around Latin America. It is an honor to be named ﬁnalists and look forward to the possibility of being the International Spanish Academy of the year.” The new principal Baker began his career as a bilingual teacher in Austin ISD. In Houston ISD, he

ISCKON Temple prepares for grand opening festival By Michael Sudhalter

24 Helms fourth graders visited Reagan High as part of a “Big Brothers, Big Sisters” PROJECT. Helms students took a campus tour, engaged in a scavenger hunt and more during their visit. (Submitted photo)

taught at Harvard Elementary, served as an assistant principal at Oak Forest Elementary, and as Principal at three HISD elementary schools. Working with the teachers and communities, he led Browning and Mark Twain to Exemplary status and as part of the

michael@theleadernews.com

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Houston is encouraging the community to celebrate the grand opening of its new temple on May 16-18 at 1320 W. 34th St. in Garden Oaks. ISKCON, colloquially known as Hare Krishna, is a faith practiced worldwide that began in India in which followers worship their Supreme Lord, Krishna. The new multi-million dollar temple is located in front of the original temple, which ISKCON Houston renovated from an abandoned church in 1986. The new temple was planned four years ago and has ﬁnally come to fruition. The temple’s members began worshipping in the temple last month, and it will be fully complete by the time of the grand opening. “We built it as the resources became available, and ﬁnally, it’s ready,” said Dr. Hansa Medley, ISKCON director of outreach. “The temple is a small microcosm of the diversity in Houston.” “We’ve seen the neighborhood grow, and we’re happy that we’re part of the

Apollo program, led Davila Elementary to the highest ratings under the new state accountability system in 2013. He is returning to the district from Austin ISD where he’s ﬁnishing out the year as a principal.

growth in this neighborhood,” Medley said. “People drive down the street and wonder what the temple is all about. We’d like them to consider us part of the neighborhood. We hope to have Yoga and cooking classes.” The festivities begin with a preview event from 6:30-9:30 p.m. on Friday. The celebration on Saturday and Sunday will go from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and will feature the Festival of India, which was last in Houston nine years ago. The Festival of India will feature art, food and culture from India, and ISKCON will spend part of the time making 300 sack lunches for disadvantaged children, something they’ve done since 2003. Medley said the old temple will be converted to a vegetarian restaurant called Nila Mabhavas. She said ISCKON’s vegetarian restaurant in Dallas is rated one of the best in North Texas. This fall, ISCKON will start a school, Goswami Academy, for students in preKindergarten through third grade. “The school is modeled after successful (similar) schools in England,” Medley said.

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Saturday, May 10, 2014 • Page 9A

“Spoony” named Waltrip’s Teacher of the Year By Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com

Oak Forest resident Stephanie “Spoony” Witherspoon has led her students in the classroom and through a championship robotics team. Witherspoon was selected by her peers as Waltrip’s Teacher of the Year in 201314 – just three years after she earned the same honor at Hamilton Middle School. “It’s nice,” Witherspoon said. “I was a little surprised. I’ve only been at Waltrip for

two years. In a short amount of time, I developed a good name for myself on this campus.” Witherspoon teaches Robotics Automation and Concepts of Engineering & Technology. “Ms. Witherspoon gives 110 percent to her students and the campus every day,” Waltrip principal Andria Schur said. “She strives to make every aspect of Waltrip High school the best that it can be from mentoring and assisting her colleagues to serving on

committees. Students and staff members are better served by the example she leads in making learning fun.” Witherspoon, who graduated from Klein Forest High and California Polytechnic Institute, taught for 12 years at Hamilton before coming to Waltrip last year. “It was the hardest decision ever to leave that position and come over here, but I was excited for the challenge of teaching high school students,” Witherspoon said.

Witherspoon grew up in North Houston, but most of her weekends were spent with family in the Oak Forest area. She’s lived in Oak Forest since 1999. “I love Oak Forest,” Witherspoon said. “It’s centrally located, and I’m just a couple miles from where I work. Everything about the area is super convenient.” Witherspoon looks forward to leaving an impact on thousands of future Waltrip students.

Waltrip High teacher of the year Stephanie Witherspoon, left, with Waltrip principal Andria Schur. (Submitted photo)

Sonnier selected as Hamilton Middle’s Teacher of the Year By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com

Brian Sonnier had been nominated for Hamilton Middle School’s Teacher of the Year for the last five years – and been selected bilingual ESL teacher five times – but this year was his first to take all-school honors. “To be elected teacher of the year, you have to be chosen as an outstanding teacher by your peers,” he said. “It really is special to be nominated and to win the award.” Sonnier teaches a number of elective classes at the school. His Journalism class supports the English department by teaching students journalistic skills, Photoshop Lightroom, and photography skills. Yearbook is a desktop publishing class where students get a great deal of computer skills. And Exploratory Science is an ag-science and botany class that teaches students gardening, farming, and cooking. He says he knew he wanted to be a teacher in high school when he would tutor other students. “It was fun and I really enjoyed helping others to understand their world around them,” he said. But it was a while before he ended up in a classroom. He got a Bachelor of the Arts degree from the University of Houston in English Language and a minor in Writing. For ten years, Sonnier worked at the YMCA of Greater San Antonio & the Hill County where he was a director of teen programming. “After 9/11, I decided that I wanted to do something where I had more direct contact with

Brian Sonnier was named Hamilton Middle School’s Teacher of the Year. (Photo by Betsy Denson)

students,” he said. “I ran the day camp and teen based programs for about 1,500 kids.” For another change of pace, he worked as a consultant for the State Department doing leadership and human resource training for USAID (United States Agency for International Development) in Peru and Ecuador and also for a few corporate clients. “It was fun, but I ﬁgured it would be a better use of my skills to educate the young,” said Sonnier, who came to Hamilton in 2005. “Adults are kind of set in their ways and don’t see the value of learning new skills. Kids are open to everything and don’t mind learning abstract concepts that they can use to springboard onto other things.” Sonnier’s dedication to the profession continues through the summer, when he prepares for the coming school year. “The best part of the job for me is seeing a student really get it when they understand what I have spent weeks learning and going over in class,” he said. He notes that the demographics of the gentrifying Heights don’t mirror the makeup of Hamilton, although nearby Heights families do send their children there. A large percentage also come from low income house-

holds and for some, coming to school is the furthest they have ever been away from their home. While 20% of students are in Gifted & Talented or advanced classes, there are many students who are former ELL/ ESL program participants and are still working at ﬂuency. “Relating to these students, while not hard, is a challenge when you make a reference to something everyone should know but does not,”said Sonnier. Sonnier is making strides with all his students as evidenced by outstanding distinction awards from KBR, NASA, and Rice University. “Working with kids and helping them to understand their potential has been a great experience for me,” said Sonnier. “It’s great when my students are able to see that everything that they learn in school has value, not just math and reading.” When they leave his classroom, Sonnier hopes his students are able to appreciate the value of education. “I have a large number of students who have graduated from college, trade schools, and junior colleges and come back to thank me for helping them in school, he said. “To learn they that are doing well.”

elizasgarden@outlook.com

Congratulations to Sabrina Lopez of Girl Scout Troop 12086 who has earned her Girl Scout Gold Award. On April 6, Sabrina’s Girl Scout Leader Alice Bohlae presented the award at a reception in her honor. Sabrina’s Gold Award Project was making and donating baby blankets to beneﬁt The Gabriel Project which helps pregnant women in crisis. She directed four workshops with four different organizations in our community and in those workshops, 58

Bohlae. (Submitted photo)

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FEATURE PROPERTY

baby blankets were made. She also collected a huge number of baby necessities and baby gear to donate to The Gabriel Project. She raised awareness throughout the community about the needs of The Gabriel Project by speaking at community meetings and local business meetings. Sabrina would like to thank the MANNA volunteers, her neighbors in Candlelight Plaza, Joann Thompson (who knitted 58 baby caps), her mother Yvette Sabrina Lopez, left, and Girl Lopez, and her grandmother, Scout Troop 12086 Leader Alice See NEIGHBORS, P. 10A

In the Houston division, prices, plans, elevations and speciﬁcations are subject to change without notice. Map is an artist’s conception for general information purposes only and is not to scale. Photographs are for illustrative purposes only. See Sales Counselor for details on available promotions and restrictions. © 2013 The Ryland Group, Inc. RH1063

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Neighbors: Lopez earns Girl Scout Gold Award By Elizabeth Villarreal

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Page 10A • Saturday, May 10, 2014

COMMENTARY Sinclair’s John Augustine honored as HISD’s elementary teacher of the year Seeing the real me By Betsy Denson

betsy@theleadernews.com

Sinclair Elementary’s John Augustine had never gone to Houston ISD’s Celebration of Excellence before, but he made his first appearance count. Augustine was named HISD’s Elementary Teacher of the Year at the “red carpet night” for HISD educators and employees May 1, beating out five other worthy nominees for the honor. “I felt like I was at the Oscars,” said Augustine, a 22-year educator who attended the event at the Hilton of Americas with his partner, Will, and children Emily and Nick. After being named Teacher of the Year at Sinclair, Augustine completed four additional essays for the city-wide competition: a professional bio, one on community involvement and another about the teaching profession, and finally a State Teacher of the Year essay, as he will now advance to statewide competition. “It was definitely a wow moment for me,” said Augustine. “When the emcee began quoting lines from my essays, I knew I was the winner. It was very cool to hear my own words.” He gave a short speech while accepting the award, thanking both the superinten-

Sinclair Elementary fourth grade teacher John Augustine was named HISD’s Elementary School Teacher of the Year last week. (Photo by Dave Einsel/HISD)

dent and Sinclair Elementary Principal Abigail Taylor for the tools they provide him to make a difference in the lives of each of his students. Augustine notes that because HISD is such a large district that a win is a pretty big deal. “The faculty and staff at Sinclair are very proud of me,” he said. “I have received emails from people all over HISD. It’s amazing how signiﬁcant this is for everyone.” He said his children and family have been making good use of Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to spread the word about his win: “I feel like a su-

perstar.” But even before the win, the Sinclair community knew Augustine was special. Parent Jennifer James said that she’d been meaning to write the school a letter of commendation. “I knew he would be recognized like this, and I wanted to move things along,” she said. Jones’ son Nathan has highfunctioning autism and was in the special needs classroom at Sinclair last year, but also participated in the mainstream fourth-grade classes. He spent time in Augustine’s math and science classes where he learned to take tests and man-

age his belongings. But that’s just a small part of what Nathan received. His mom said that her son became a huge fan of his teacher. “One of the most impressive things about Mr. Augustine is his desire to teach all of the student body,” Jones said. Jones said that Augustine also taught Nathan about personal responsibility, “a trait he resists learning from his dad and me.” They still quote Augustine’s nuggets of wisdom around the house (“pay me now or pay me later” is a favorite) and Jones was touched to ﬁnd notes in her son’s backpack last year before the STAAR test reminding Nathan about strategies for success. “When Nathan’s dad and I got the opportunity to meet Mr. Augustine in the fall, we were immediately impressed. He is personable and warm, yet completely no-nonsense. We couldn’t have asked for a better teacher and role model,” she said. Augustine said that the award motivates him to become an even better teacher. “I will continue to give my students nothing but my best. Our children deserve a quality education, and I aim to make that a reality in their lives.”

For the mediocre eye, this Telling the story of your high school years in 90 sec- will show that I overcame my onds isn’t an easy task, but I fear and learned how to sucseized the opportunity last cessfully converse with those with whom I’m week. not familiar. But, I was featured in a minute and a of course, there is more to it than that half segment of generic message. a Clean & Clear web series docuThe real meanmentary in which ing of my story is I described what this: nothing that it was like to write has been done for The Leader. before can be too hard to do. Don’t let My story starts off as a typifear keep you from Julia Pena doing something cal teenage high school student who seems that you have the potential sociable. I’m a cheerleader, a to accomplish. I have learned participant in numerous aca- this not only with journalism demic competitions and seem but from choices with school, like a confident individual. too. I almost didn’t choose the However, there is way more classes I have now because I beneath this superficial sur- thought I was destined to fail, but I’m fine. I’m OK. face. The YouTube episode is What society needs to teach actually more about writing. children is to never think they Writing has always been some- aren’t capable, and to stop thing that has stayed the same making everything seem so for me regardless of friends or hard, because the truth is that style or whatever crisis I seem anything is obtainable. What the creative directors to be going through. I can always easily connect and I hope to do is motivate with myself by communicat- young people to take a chance ing with my creative conscious on themselves, and, just as the through paper. I’ve never been tagline says, make sure that fond of talking since there’s no they have no problem saying eraser or white out, so the sec- “see the real me.” ond half of the video is about me gaining what it takes to get Julia Pena is a junior at Walout of my comfort zone and trip High School and regular becoming a journalist in the contributor to The Leader future.

Ram Band’s students, parents and, of course, its Band Director, Jesse Espinosa. Way to go, Rams! Neighbors are out and about like busy bees this spring and everywhere I go I run into several. I saw Bruce Phillips, Janeal Whiteﬁeld and Andy Moore at Lowe’s this past weekend, and we ran into Annabelle Smith; Richard Ware; Katherine Bush; Shirley, Julie and Jonathan Evanicky; Evelyn and Ringo Ringh; Liz and Owen Mauzy; Sylvia and Christina Hayes; Kristie Barbee; and Mary Peek at Kroger in one quick shopping trip.

ARE YOU

NEIGHBORS, from P. 9A Juanita Lopez, for their support and encouragement. Wayto go, Sabrina. The Harvard Elementary Choir took part in the UIL Spring High School Choir Festival on May 2. The Choir came home with two trophies, one for a Superior Rating for their performance and the second trophy for 1st Runner Up for “Best in Class.” The Best in Class title is awarded to the best choir in each division (elementary/middle school/high school). The Harvard Choir Director is Ms. Vasti Cantu. Congratulations! Hugs and get well soon wishes go out to Jeremy Hunt, our handsome neighbor

in Oak Forest, one of Young Life’s beloved long-time youth leaders. Jeremy was injured in an accident recently and is recuperating at home. Congratulations to Waltrip’s Ram Band who has received accolades galore after its recent trip to Georgia State University. One of the judges from the Dixie Classic Festival’s music competition the band attended at GSU reached out to Andria Schur, Waltrip’s principal. Robert Ambrose, the director of bands at GSU, who served as an adjudicator and clinician for the Waltrip High School Concert Band, emailed Ms. Schur and said, “Their performance was simply spec-

tacular, musically mature, nuanced, subtle, and gorgeous. It was an absolute pleasure to hear them perform. They had a focused energy that I rarely see in musicians of their age. I was so taken by them in their clinic,” added Ambrose, “so blown away by their directors and by them as people, that I felt compelled to e-mail you immediately. I have adjudicated music festivals and given clinics to young musicians for over 20 years. The Waltrip students were among the most musically sophisticated, focused, disciplined, hardworking, and polite I have ever experienced.” This high praise put a song in the hearts of the

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