Zan is Still the Man!

the son of a preacher and always had a winning smile and winsome segues. He will never allow a conversation to be about him.

Zan repositions accolades meant for him as a conduit for making positive observations about others. Dr. Holmes is a walking billboard of kindness and generosity.

“Sweet Jesus,” as some knew him in south Texas places like Lockhart, Luling, and Seguin, has a place and personality of his own.

Creating a stand-alone identity can be challenging for PKs (preacher’s kids) to establish.

Zan made a name for himself as a bridge-builder, a powerful preacher and a peace-promulgator

After years of a rigorous daily running regimen, his doctors prescribed its cessation. It was too hard on the knees. The slight limp doesn’t slow him, though.

He had that natural “pimp walk,” before Barack Obama could spell Air Force One!

Zan was the second African American to claim Dallas’ coveted Linz Award. Juanita Craft was first and former First Lady Matrice Ellis-Kirk became the third in the awards’ 90-year history. Mrs. Craft won a Linz award for what she did, and Zan was recognized for what he did and for what he prevented.

Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price, Zan’s most prolific member, made Dr. Holmes the official interpreter for the Dallas press corps. Price would curse out the media and any white folks that didn’t like it, and Zan would be hounded for interviews and clarifying statements.

Zan, a former Texas State Representative, could keep his feet firmly in the center of the political aisle. He has the MLK touch, and it is genuine. Love and temperance ooze from every word and deed. His panoramic view of life and humanity allows him to see and comprehend everyone’s place and point.

“Zan Holmes was the model of what a preacher should be,” according to community activist and leader John Fullinwider.

The retirement of Dr. Zan Wesley Holmes, now Pastor Emeritus at Dallas’ St. Luke “Community” United Methodist Church, was the beginning of a socio-ecclesiastical diaspora for lots of us.

Dr. Holmes’ final benediction as the angel of the house at Saint Luke was followed by an abundance of groans and sad goodbyes.

There were no natural substitutes for Zan the Man, Sweet Jesus, or whatever name you may know him by. No one.

Zan Holmes was always an ally, an alibi, and an objective overseer. He used his position as a clergyman and his powers of racial reconciliation to assuage and heal wounds. Zan knows how and when to say the right thing to the right people. At one point, almost half of Dallas’s Black leaders and politicians were members or claimed association with his congregation.

The Reverend Zan Holmes, always the mediator and unbiased voice, has a knack for ending every encounter in a conciliatory tone and manner. After a police protest went way off the charted path in the 1990’s Dr. Holmes quieted the fires on both sides.

“We are not against our police department; we want a better police department, ” he firmly stated.

His sentiments were simple but accurate. No group of citizens needed the police more than the Black community, and no other community was abused more by the police.

In-person, he humbly drops his strong square jaws, slightly tilts his head and peers into every face-to-face encounter. He is an active listener who gives you your moment.

There is an old church hymn titled, “Let others see Jesus in you.”

Dr. Zan Holmes is the walking manifestation of the song and a standard bearer for the Christian faith.

Zan lives in his purpose. He points to the Bible while he comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable.

I love Dallas’ Black History, and I love me some Zan!