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PEYTON BONO
ROLLING THROUGH THE PARK CITIES ON BUS 237
Aticket on Bus 237 only costs about $2.50, but it’s a pricey service for Highland Park and University Park. University Park contributed $6.4 million in sales tax dollars to Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) in fiscal year 2023, while Highland Park chipped in $6.3 million, according to information presented at a Nov. 5 University Park City Council work session.
Some of that money is returned to be spent on transit-related projects through a program negotiated with DART in 2017. But the only other service HP and UP receive is their single bus route.
The value of DART services has been questioned recently by some of its 13 member cities. Six, including Highland Park, have passed resolutions supporting a reduction in the amount of sales tax collected by DART. And the DART debate was an item of discussion at the Nov. 5 University Park work session.
But does anyone ride Bus 237, and would we miss it if it went away?
I decided to ride the bus through the Park Cities one Friday afternoon to find out. My 9-and 12-year-olds, who are always up for adventures in public transportation, went with me.
There were other riders on the bus, but they weren’t coming in droves. Five people boarded after we got on the bus at Preston
Center at 4:36 p.m. On our ride back, two people got on at stops in the Park Cities, and one got off.
We were initially impressed with DART’s technology. When I scanned a QR code on the Preston Center bus stop sign, it told me the expected arrival time of Bus 237 and was only a couple minutes off.
The ride itself got rave reviews. “I could fall asleep in there. It was really comfortable,” my 9-year-old told me when we arrived at The Shops of Highland Park.
But by the time we got home, we were significantly less enamored of Bus 237.
The bus was about 10 minutes late arriving at The Shops of Highland Park, and I couldn’t get the QR code on the bus stop
ParkCitiesPeople
sign to work.
By the time we boarded the bus, it was 5:40 p.m. and had started raining. Unfortunately for us, a wrap-around bus ad covered the windows, which made it very challenging to see street signs and landmarks in the dark.
Guessing where to disembark doesn’t sound like it should be tricky for someone who travels up and down Preston Road daily. But I guessed wrong by about two blocks, and we arrived home very soggy after sloshing through the streets around The Plaza at Preston Center.
My takeaway: Bus 237 adds value for at least some people and their employers. But DART had better get rolling if it plans to woo riders who have other transportation options.
Children enjoy a ride on Bus 237 (in daylight, before it rained.)
SARAH HODGES
SARAH HODGES
Crime Reports Oct. 8-Nov. 9
Oct. 8
A porch pirate stole Amazon packages with contents worth $85 and a Crate & Barrel package containing a wedding gift of unknown value from a home in the 4600 block of Lorraine Avenue at about 2:21 p.m.
Oct. 9
A luggage looter shattered a window of a Ford F-150 parked at The Shops of Highland Park before 7:21 p.m. and stole an American Tourister carry-on case containing more than $4,000 worth of clothing, jewelry, and personal items.
Oct. 12
Reported at 4:50 p.m.: A Highland Park Village business paid a company $77,000 for a motorized roofing structure almost two years ago, but the company has never done any work and cannot be contacted.
Oct. 13
Reported missing at 1:25 p.m.: The glass in the side mirror of a Mazda CX-5 parked in the 4300 block of Edmonson Avenue. An officer found it shattered in the road about 15 feet away.
Oct. 14
Reported at 5:39 p.m.: A burglar shattered the window of a 2024 Chevy pickup while the truck’s owner was in Whole Foods in the 4100 block of Lomo Alto Drive, and stole a Lucchese laptop bag, a Saddleback Leather binder, an HP laptop, a 737 Duck Call, Oliver Peoples sunglasses, and Apple AirPods. The binder and bag were later found in the parking lot.
Oct. 16
Prompt porch pirates stole a package only minutes after it was delivered to a home on Amherst Avenue at about 1:11 p.m.
Oct. 18
Why shop at a federally licensed gun dealer when there’s an unlocked 2021 GMC Sierra parked in The Plaza at Preston Center? A thief took off in the vehicle at about 9:16 p.m., along with a Sig Sauer P365 semi automatic pistol, a Sig Sauer P365 semi automatic stock pistol, 300 rounds of 223 ammunition, and five magazines each filled
with 30 rounds of 223 ammunition.
Oct. 19
A shoplifter with a sweet tooth stole Gloria Margarita Strawberry Liquor from CVS in the 6700 block of Preston Road at about 10:18 p.m.
Oct. 20
Thieves struck a 2023 Aston Martin on Lovers Lane at about 11:13 a.m., stealing a Beretta 80x Cheetah 9mm pistol and a Ferragamo bag.
Oct. 21
Reported at 2:48 p.m.: A 14-year-old boy was accused of threatening to exhibit a weapon and arrested at McCulloch Intermediate School/Highland Park Middle School
Oct. 22
A four-wheeler thief took off on a bicycle parked on Grassmere Lane at about 11:43 a.m.
Oct. 24
Sign stealing doesn’t just happen in the major leagues; it also occurs before major elections. A political sign was reported stolen from a home on Purdue Street at 6:09 a.m.
Oct. 25
A box of Christmas lights fell off Santa’s sleigh in the 4600 block of Beverly Drive at about 8:20 a.m. Elves can retrieve the lights in Highland Park Temporary Evidence Locker number two.
Oct. 27
The driver of a 2019 Toyota Tacoma drove off without leaving information after hitting a 2024 BMW X3 at about 2:04 p.m. in the 4200 block of Mockingbird Lane, but didn’t go far. The car was seen parked elsewhere in the same parking lot.
Oct. 29
A thief may not smell sweet in his jail cell after being arrested both on warrants and for apparently attempting to steal air fresheners, body wash, and Tide PODS from CVS on Mockingbird Lane at about 11:27 p.m.
Oct. 30
Arrested at about 11:51 a.m.: a 12-yearold boy accused of making a terroristic threat
at McCulloch Intermediate/Highland Park Middle School
Nov. 1
Reported at 11:29 a.m.: An Uber Eats driver gave himself a tip when he picked up a check for $2,350 from under the doormat of a home in the 4600 block of Belclaire Avenue
Nov. 2
The driver of a white SUV left the scene with a flat tire and damage after hitting a 2006 Mercedes-Benz C-Class parked in the 4500 block of Beverly Drive before 2:59 p.m., but did not leave information.
Nov. 3
A ballistics bandit stole ammunition from a front porch on Stanford Avenue at about 10:02 p.m.
Nov. 4
Reported at 2:27 p.m.: A sneaky swindler took out a $72,900 U.S. Small Business Administration loan in the name of a resident of the 4500 block of Beverly Drive. The resident was unaware of the fraud until funds he attempted to withdraw from savings bonds were applied to the balance owed.
Nov. 5
Reported at 10:45 a.m.: A hacker steered 112,500 miles out of the American Airlines AAdvantage account of a resident of the 3500 block of Gillon Avenue. The miles were used to purchase flights for three individuals.
Nov. 6
A license looter stole the rear plate of a 2019 Nissan Rogue belonging to a resident of the 4500 block of Abbott Avenue before 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 8
A sneaky thief took off with the taillights of a vehicle parked in the 3900 block of Wentwood Drive at about 6:11 a.m. Also stolen: another set of taillights from a Ford F-150 in the 3900 block of Centenary Drive at about 7:23 a.m.
Nov. 9
A worker doing hazardous materials pickup found some non-toxic keys in the 3800 block of Lexington Avenue at about 1:58 p.m.
STRONG year for
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Retired Journalist Tracks Elusive Park Cities, Preston Hollow Jewel Thief
Author Rena Pederson helps Friends of the Dallas Library celebrate Diamond anniversary
By Josh Hickman Special Contributor
Rena Pederson’s The King of Diamonds: The Search for the Elusive Texas Jewel Thief recently made waves in local book clubs and reading groups, reviving interest in the true story of the brazen yet uncatchable cat burglar who targeted homes in the Park Cities and Preston Hollow in the 1950s and ’60s.
Police of that time suddenly found “themselves called to Highland Park and Preston Hollow, and they didn’t know their way around,” Pederson said. “They had to hand-draw a map of those streets. That’s what made this case so special was that nobody has hit an area so compact for so long and not been caught.”
in journalism was the bedrock of her investigation of the elusive thief.
“Fresh out of graduate school in 1970, I heard about this unusual jewel thief who was pillaging the wealthier areas of town,” she recalled, “Nobody could catch him — not the police, the FBI, Scotland Yard, Interpol.”
“Interestingly, the first place I went was someplace typical detectives don’t go – the Dallas Public Library.”
Rena Pederson
From her youth at the San Angelo Standard-Times in high school to her 16 years as VP and editorial page editor at The Dallas Morning News, Pederson’s research experience
In 2015, after retiring from the Morning News and a teaching stint at SMU, she started researching the case in earnest.
“Interestingly, the first place I went was someplace typical detectives don’t go — the Dallas Public Library,” she said.
The thief made his name with the January 1959 burglary of remarried Preston Hollow oil widow Josephine Herbert Graf. Her prized diamonds disappeared while she slept after the couple had returned from the Jewel Ball in Fort Worth.
“The police immediately knew this was somebody special,” Pederson noted. “It was the biggest jewel theft in Dallas history.”
READ IT
‘The King of Diamonds: The Search for the Elusive Texas Jewel Thief’ By Rena Pederson $28.95
renapederson.com/king-of-diamonds
The “A Diamond Date” fundraiser for the Friends of the Dallas Library was held Oct. 15 at the Dallas Museum of Art featuring Pederson and her popular book on “Dallas’ greatest criminal.”
“It’s the kickoff of our diamond anniversary, so the title was a great tie-in,” Friends executive director Mary Wilonsky explained. “We literally had board members who were so excited, they ran over to Interabang Books and invited Rena to be our author. . . The book is incredible — the story behind it. It was just a perfect fit.”
Subsequent local luminary victims included oil magnate Clint Murchison and godmother of Dallas philanthropy Ruth Sharp Altshuler of Preston Hollow, heiress and philanthropist Margaret Hunt Hill of University Park, and philanthropist Barbara Varel of Highland Park.
“He came in while people were home, he hid in their closets, and sometimes their children were home,” Rena said. “That was very frightening to people.”
“I was so grateful to the staff on the seventh floor, I sent them a box of chocolate chip cookies,” Rena chuckled, recalling the help she received with research and photos from the library. “They really went above and beyond the call of duty to try and be helpful.”
Rena Pederson is the author of four books. COURTESY RENA PEDERSON
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HPISD Boasts PTO/PTA-Powered Schools Army of parents funds programming, serves lunch for district’s youngest students
By Sarah Hodges sarah.hodges@peoplenewspapers.com
School funding from the state of Texas may be at a standstill, but there’s no stopping the parent-teacher organizations at HPISD’s five elementary schools.
“Our biggest issue is always fundraising. We need a constant stream of money. We are very lucky that our community is so generous. Our parents are so supportive.”
Tara Cosgrove
PTA and PTO presidents at Boone Elementary, Hyer Elementary, and University Park Elementary said they each aim to raise about $600,000 to support their schools this year during a recent panel discussion with the Rotary Club of Park Cities. And HPISD’s other elementaries have similar goals.
The money is needed because about 70% of property tax dollars collected from HPISD residents are recaptured and sent elsewhere in the state, resulting in an annual budget deficit of between $7 million and $8
million, said the Rotary Club’s chair of the day Sarah Oliai.
PTA and PTO funds are used to purchase everything from teacher lunches, gifts, and graduate-level education courses to student Chromebooks and iPads, said Boone Elementary PTO president Tara Cosgrove.
“Our biggest issue is always fundraising,” she said. “We need a constant stream of money. We are very lucky that our community is so generous. Our parents are so supportive.”
Cosgrove said that the school district provides a crew of just four cafeteria staff members to feed lunch to 464 hungry Boone Elementary students. The rest is up to the school’s PTO and a small army of parent volunteers. If an oven breaks, the PTO is responsible for fixing it, and the situation is similar at other HPISD elementary schools.
About 10 parents scrub in at Hyer Elementary School’s cafeteria each day, explained PTA president Ann Higginbottom.
Some serve students, others are cashiers, and one acts as a trash monitor.
“It has been that way for years upon years,” she said. “It is a significant way that we can save the school district money, by just being a part of our kids day-to-day lives.”
The PTOs and PTAs pay entirely for the elementary schools’ Spanish and garden programs. Each elementary school also sends $75,000 to the district to support its greatest need — salaries, which HPISD aims to elevate to the top quartile of area schools.
PTO and PTA funds don’t just make a difference inside schools. At Bradfield Elementary, funds are being used to plant new trees to replace those that were lost when the school was rebuilt, PTA president Rachel Reed said.
And at Hyer Elementary, surplus PTA and cafeteria funds were recently combined to turf the school’s waterlogged soccer field so that it could be used for play year-round.
There’s a place for every parent to contribute to their elementary schools, the PTO and PTA leaders said.
Hyer’s PTA has an executive board of eight parents, a board of 60 parents with specific jobs, and about 200 cafeteria volunteers. Even more parents lend their talents to the art room and library or help out in other ways.
“We want parents to be there,” Higginbottom explained. “We see the significance of having face-to-face time with our kids and with our teachers. We are a mighty team of parents.”
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FROM LEFT: Boone Elementary PTO President Tara Cosgrove, Hyer Elementary PTA President Ann Higginbottom, University Park Elementary PTA President Melinda Smith, and Bradfield Elementary PTA President Rachel Reed. SARAH HODGES
5/6.1|7,329
UP LIBRARY ‘CHAT AND PLAY’ MIXES PLAYTIME, PARENTING TIPS
By Sarah Hodges sarah.hodges@peoplenewspapers.com
For 1-year-old Annie Baron, it was playtime in the make-believe kitchen at the University Park Public Library. But fun wasn’t the only item on the menu for toddlers and their caretakers during the library’s Chat and Play Parent/ Child Workshops.
For five mornings in October, caretakers had a chance to talk oneon-one with resource professionals on topics including literacy, child development, speech and hearing, and nutrition.
“I think this is a really nice setting for them to get some more oneon-one help and not be worried about what other parents are thinking.”
Kacie Barnes
Meanwhile, they and their youngsters built with blocks, played with puppets, read together, wheeled ride-on toys, and tried out stations designed to encourage early learning and open-ended play.
Mama Knows Nutrition founder Kacie Barnes circulated around the room during the Oct. 23 workshop, stopping to speak individually with every caretaker-child pair.
Annie’s mom, Beth, asked Barnes for healthier suggestions
for Annie’s sweet-toothed big sister. She came away with a smoothie recipe and new foods that her kindergartner could try.
While her wheel-loving toddler Max played with toys, Emelyne Siahmakoun asked the registered dietitian nutritionist about his 4-year-old big sister, who has started refusing green foods.
“She said I was doing better than I thought I was,” Siahmakoun said after the discussion. She
learned that her daughter’s behavior is typical of children her age, and that she shouldn’t worry so long as her preschooler continues to eat a variety of other foods.
Barnes said she appreciated the workshop’s casual and intimate format.
“Sometimes when I do speaking events and you ask for questions, people get nervous to ask in front of everybody, so, I think this is a really nice setting for them to get some
more one-on-one help and not be worried about what other parents are thinking,” she said.
The Chat and Play’s structure comes from the Family Place Libraries initiative. Family Place Libraries are part of a national network that aims to transform libraries into community centers supporting the social, emotional, and cognitive development of very young children.
The University Park Public
JOIN THE FUN!
The University Park Public Library plans to offer a second series of Chat and Play Workshops Wednesday mornings from Jan. 29 to Feb. 26. Workshops are designed for children between the ages of 1 and 3 and their caretakers. Siblings are welcome. Visit the library’s web page at https://uptexas.org/293/PublicLibrary to learn more about this and other programs.
Library has joined the Family Place Library network thanks to assistance from a La Fiesta de las Seis Banderas grant.
Youth services librarian Zoe Williams said it has been gratifying to watch children enjoy the play stations and parents receive answers and reassurance from experts.
“We all have a desire to do the best for our kids,” Williams said. “I think that’s been encouraging, to see them get feedback from people who really know what they can do, or what they are doing that’s working.”
The library plans to offer the workshops twice annually, and they are only one piece of its efforts to support young readers and their families.
The library recently added a parenting collection of books and permanent play space to its children’s section. It has also started offering the “Grow UP a Reader” program, which challenges families to meet a 1,000-book reading goal before their youngsters start school.
“This age range is so important,” Williams said, explaining that crucial brain development occurs before age 3. “Really what you do in this time frame leads to success later in life.
HPHS Student’s Essay Warns About Dangers of Disinformation
The world is ending. The No. 7 does not exist. Rain is a myth.
If I gave dates and images and “sources” that support these statements, would they be believable? If I gave these statements with full confidence, would you change your thinking, change what you have always known, seen, and felt, based on a published article?
Unsuspecting victims of disinformation can often fall into the trap of blind belief of what they read or see or hear due to the prior credibility so-called reliable sources have enjoyed. Today, with the reach of the internet, there has been an explosion of “sources,” many with intentions of manipulating their readers’ thoughts and opinions. Without tools to help, people will fall into the trap of believing it’s true simply because it appears in writing or in a photo or video.
Most of us are unaware of the amount of
disinformation we absorb on a regular basis. This endless uncritical consumption of false information causes inner turmoil, and can create major misunderstandings in the community. How can two people have a successful or comprehensible conversation if one viewpoint is based on lies? Or, even worse, both are blind to the truth?
Gen Z, my generation, has been raised in a world surrounded by media, and with it, disinformation. It has gotten to the point where the volume of lies we ingest forces us to question the point of trying to stay informed? How can we decipher the truth if it’s only used as a Trojan Horse to spread lies?
This is the new dangerous world we live in. The ability of organizations and individuals to spread misinformation to build a base of seemingly clueless followers is an enormous power, and one that is increasingly abused. My generation shoulders the burden of living in a world where truth seems to have lost its value. We need to think for ourselves by always seeking out accurate information, beyond that from parents, from friends and the media.
Disinformation is a weapon, one that has the potential to destroy and enforce pure chaos. In the recent political season, power was consolidated with repeated disinformation that got picked up and circulated to an ever-widening network of amateur and professional sources. The bold-faced lies that allowed power hungry individuals throughout history to gain control of people and property were utilized in the 2024 presidential election, where it was often more common to find lies than truths.
The only way we can avoid being susceptible to these fallacies is to be aware of the differences between facts and lies, statistics and deceits. We all need to develop effective ways to identify the legitimacy of a story by double and triple checking sources from across the spectrum of ideologies, as well as cross-referencing the presented information with multiple trusted sites. Tools are getting better. As one example, to verify an image or a graph we need only to insert it into google or a fact checking site to identify the origin of the image or data.
Schools also need to teach how to identify
a credible source, and ways to determine the truth. In Finland, schools teach kids about dis and misinformation starting in elementary. This develops a keen eye to spot the lies and to steer clear from such tales. This also creates an awareness in children about society and the importance of finding the truth.
To prevent an ignorant society, people need to read about and understand the surrounding world in all its complexity. It is impossible to differentiate the truth if people aren’t aware of the lies that surround them. To be savvier, to ask the right questions, and to be well educated, we need to be aware of the details of our current events.
In our country people have the right to their opinions but shouldn’t spread changed or manipulated evidence. If people do not raise awareness now, history will repeat.
This essay by Olivia-Sophie Keijsers Koning, a junior at Highland Park High School, tied for first in the Moody Advanced Professional Studies Modern Media course’s Op-Ed competition. The other winner’s essay was submitted to a different publication.
CLOCKWISE: Emelyne Siahmakoun and 1-year-old Max play with puppets in the book section. 1-year-olds Max Siahmakoun and Annie Baron enjoy the infant section while their mothers look on. Beth Baron and 1-year-old Annie play with toys designed to build gross motor skills. SARAH HODGES
OLIVIA-SOPHIE KEIJSERS KONING
‘Park Cities People’ Applauds
• University Park Elementary School Librarian Mary Valuck , who was recognized Oct. 15 as the sole recipient of the F.L. Elder Award from the Texas Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. The award is given annually for providing positive information to communities and residents about public education. In addition to her work as school librarian, Valuck is responsible for University Park Elementary’s Instagram and for articles about the school in the weekly district newsletter.
• Miranda McParlin , Joben Singh , and Jordan Wallingford , who have been recognized as Diane Galloway Volunteers of the Year by the Friends of the University Park Public Library.
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McParlin, a sophomore at Highland Park High School, was instrumental in implementing and leading the Little Artists program at the library. At each workshop, McParlin reads a book about a featured artist, then guides young attendees in a hands-on project inspired by the artist’s work. McParlin also created and maintains the library’s children’s book recommendation board.
SELLING AND LISTING
As part of his Eagle Scout project, Singh designed and built rolling book carts for the Friends to use during book sales and for book displays. The Highland Park High School senior dedicated more than 100 hours to the endeavor. He led a team of 20 Boy Scouts who worked on construction, and he raised $580 to pay for all the materials used.
Wallingford, a sophomore at Ursuline Academy, has dedicated more than 60 hours of service to the library and Friends as part of book sales efforts in 2024 alone. She has assisted in implementing special programs, including the book art program, and has been key to understanding how the library can serve teenagers.
— Compiled by Sarah Hodges
SARAH HODGES
KIM BAÑUELOS
Letters to the Editor
Be prepared for a great story
I’m a Boy Scout in Troop 82, which is sponsored by Highland Park Presbyterian Church, and I am working on my communication merit badge.
I think your publication should do a story on Boy Scouts, because Boy Scouts is fun and beneficial for young people in so many ways. You learn how to be a good citizen in the community, to respect nature, learn how to survive in the wilderness, and how to lead others through service.
I am two years away from earning Eagle Scout, which is the highest rank in Boy Scouts. Many famous Americans are Eagle Scouts such as Neil Armstrong, Steven Spielberg, J.W. Marriott, and former presidents Gerald Ford and George Bush!
I really think people would
love to hear about Boy Scouts and the enjoyment they can get from being a part of it.
Nicholas Fontenot Troop 82
Remember the Constitution
When I taught American History at McCulloch Intermediate School in the 1970’s-80’s, we had mock presidential elections. Prior to election day, I stressed the U.S. Constitution, the im portance of knowing about both sides of ev ery issue, and journalis tic skills like the differ ence between fact and opinion. If I were back in the classroom today, I would also stress how history repeats itself, and, if we don’t recognize a threat
to our democracy today, we may vote against our own best interests. Everyone elected to our federal government takes an oath to protect and support our Constitution, but oaths and actions often don’t match today.
If memory serves me right, I think eighth graders memorized the Preamble to the Constitution. Remember this?
“We, the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United
God bless.
Bonnie Hardaway Tyler
Championship Glory
Editor’s note: If you occasionally focus your lenses on Park Cities happenings and would like to share, please email your high-resolution images with your name and an explanation of your pictures to editor@peoplenewspapers.com.
History Worth Counting New district, familiar result. On a road trip to Midlothian,
the Highland Park High School football team added to its storied history. A 38-21 victory secured the 7-5A crown in the Scots’ first year back in 5A.
For those who are counting (Aren’t we all?), that’s a state-record 59th district title — the 10th in a row.
— Staff report
Christmas Christmas
AT SAINT MICHAEL
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24
Scots celebrate a District 7-5A title. CHRIS MCGATHEY
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MOVE OVER ELF ON THE SHELF: MAKE ROOM FOR ‘FINDING JESUS’
HP mom’s Scripture-based Advent product focuses on Christmas story
By Sarah Hodges sarah.hodges@peoplenewspapers.com
Preparing for the holidays can be complicated, but Highland Park mom Lillian Richey says that making Christmas meaningful doesn’t have to be.
Richey has created “Finding Jesus,” an interactive game that invites families to find God’s Word and connect with Christ daily through a soft, plush Jesus doll and the Scriptures contained in his pocket.
“My hope for this project is that people will come into a personal relationship with Jesus.”
Lillian Richey
The Scriptures are written on puzzle pieces that, when assembled, create a tabletop worthy picture. Every piece contains one or two verses of the Nativity. At the puzzle’s completion, families will have read the entire story of Jesus’ birth.
Richey, who has three kids of her own, explained that she created “Finding Jesus” with moms and the hectic holiday season in mind. Parents can play hide and seek with Jesus or keep him in one place and simply replace the puzzle pieces if that works better for their family.
CHECK IT OUT
The interactive hide-and-seek game “Finding Jesus” is available for $39.99 plus $5 standard shipping at seekhimfirst.com.
don’t know how to work Instagram. I don’t know how to make a website. This is all brand new.”
The idea for “Finding Jesus” came to Richey during a Bible Study in December 2023, when discussion turned to the difficulty of squeezing in talks about the season’s meaning between the holiday hoopla of parties and presents.
Another mother shared that her toddler had started carrying around the porcelain baby Jesus from the family Nativity scene and leaving it in different places, causing her to ask “where’s Jesus?” That revelation prompted another question for Richey: “Isn’t that what we should be doing, is finding Jesus? Seek him first?”
When Richey started developing “Finding Jesus” in February, she depended on the Lord to guide her steps. Shortly after Richey prayed for an artist, she learned about Lauren Cox, who designed the product’s watercolor illustrations. Friends and family have given Richey ideas and assistance as “Finding Jesus” came together.
The production process may have been slow, but Richey’s sales haven’t. “Finding Jesus” became available for pre-orders on Sept. 17, and by mid-October she had sold more than 1,000 and reached almost every state.
“Kids are going every which way. You’re going every which way,” Richey said. “This is designed to be simple enough to do it each day, without it feeling overwhelming.”
The puzzle won’t get lost in busy households — as they are found,
Real Talk: Lindsay Wilson
Influenced, in part, by childhood memories of a residential designer her mom used in Little Rock, Lindsay Wilson chose her major midway through her freshman year at the University of Arkansas.
“I was looking for a career that would combine art/creativity with business, essentially making sure I chose a direction that would have ample job opportunities (solid Dad advice),” the Greenway Parks resident recalled recently.
The head of the university’s interior design department “did a wonderful job outlining the many careers an interior design degree could open up for me,” Wilson said. “But I had no idea what a great experience it would turn out to be.”
Great indeed. Wilson serves as president and interiors sector leader for Corgan, which has designed headquarters interiors for such companies as Keurig Dr Pepper, PMG, Toyota North America, Southwest Airlines, State Farm, and State Street.
The global company was recently
pieces are sandwiched between the clear top and bottom of the box to create a standing frame, an idea that came to Richey when she was cleaning up one of her own puzzles.
“Finding Jesus” has also come together for Richey one piece at a
named Firm of the Year by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID).
If you could go back in time and give yourself advice, what would it be?
time. Product development is new to the stay-at-home mom, who attributes the project’s creation to a combination of “God and Google.”
“I am just a mom. I felt like the Lord kind of put this on my heart, and so I’m doing it,” she said. “I
Design is a team sport. I would certainly tell my younger self to start building a network of professionals as early as possible in your career. Those trusted partnerships not only make for successful projects but also for great friendships.
What is the best thing about working in interior design?
All of the people I have gotten to meet and all of the companies I have had the privilege to see ‘inside’ of. My own leadership journey has been influenced by being able to watch and learn from leaders of great companies like Toyota, Fossil, Southwest Airlines, and Keurig Dr. Pepper — just to name a few.
What’s your favorite trend right now?
The influence of both residential and hospitality design on workplace design is a wonderful trend. The all-white corporate offices of 10 years ago have given way to natural materials, lots of texture, wood tones, and color. We love it. That is
“My hope for this project is that people will come into a personal relationship with Jesus,” she said. “That they will not see him as a far distant God, but that they will know that he deeply cares for them, and that they would make him their Lord and Savior.”
driven by the desire to elevate the office and make it a place that people look forward to coming to — a place that meets the needs of employees from a work perspective but also helps foster interpersonal connections at work.
What is your outlook on the Dallas market?
Dallas continues to be a positive place for companies to grow and relocate to. We are also seeing many organizations wanting to upgrade their spaces. There is a fantastic design community here, and each beautiful space — whether it’s an office, home, restaurant, or multi-family building — pushes forward Dallas’ reputation for great design talent.
What’s a fun fact about yourself?
I hire designers for my own home projects. Yes, I am an interior designer, but I value the input of professionals who work in the residential space.
— Compiled by William
Taylor
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Richey decorated her home for Christmas early and took photos of her brother and his family finding her first prototype when they visited the area for a concert. Lillian Richey. “Finding Jesus” includes a plush Finding Jesus doll, double-sided puzzle pieces, a puzzle-box frame, and a scripture book. LILLIAN RICHEY AND MARIBEL CRUZ
Lindsay Wilson. COURTESY PHOTO
Record Funds Raised for Life-Affirming Nonprofits
On October 28, Council for Life celebrated A Revolution for Life with Pastor Greg Laurie and musical guest Ellie Holcomb. More than 1,600 guests filled the Trinity Ballroom— the largest Luncheon gathering ever at the Hilton Anatole Hotel Luncheon Chairs Antoinette Davis and Elizabeth Tamlyn created a beautiful experience, showcasing the heart of God for preborn babies and their mothers. Council for Life raised record funds for their 26 outstanding 2024 Beneficiaries thanks to the profound generosity of their guests and matching grants from The Lunsford Foundation and an Anonymous Donor
To learn more about Council for Life and to support their mission, go to councilforlife.org
Photos by Melissa Macatee Photography and Caroline Jurgensen Photography
2024 CFL Beneficiary Executive Directors Tonya Thomas, Roxy Lamorgese and Jennifer Shelton
Pastor Chris Simmons, Ron Tamlyn and Luncheon Chair Elizabeth Tamlyn
Holt Lunsford, Pastor Greg Laurie and Kaye Dawn Lunsford
Texas Senator Tan Parker, Texas State Representative Elect Katrina Pierson and CFL Founder Emeritus Ann Carruth
Jon Venverloh, Texas Senator Bryan Hughes and David Carruth Clark and Tavia Hunt
Pastor Greg Laurie
Honorary Chairs Scott and Laura Luttrell and Barry Davis
Ellie Holcomb
Paul Gittemeier, Luncheon Chair Antoinette Davis and Barry Davis
Add Serious Style to Your Home’s Bookshelves With These Three Steps
Although shelves are rarely the focal point in a room, cluttered shelves can distract from an otherwise immaculate space. To update your shelves with a look that is both clean and stylish, try following these three steps.
1: Edit your collections
To start with, remove all the items on your shelves and look them over. Get rid of anything that you don’t love anymore or that clashes with the rest of your decorating scheme. Cutting down on clutter gives each object more impact.
This is also a great time to look at your bare shelves and decide if those could use an update, too. I like to add wallpaper or a contrasting paint color to the backs of bookshelves to give them more depth and flair.
If you need to shop for more items, look for small bronzes, boxes, vases, picture frames, or small art prints to complement your books. Shelves are also the perfect place for travel mementos, family photos, and collectibles. Leaning a framed art print or family photo against the back draws the viewer’s eye deeper into the shelf.
2: Pick your main colors
Bookshelves should have a unified color scheme whenever possible. I recommend picking two complementary
colors, adding in one type of metal, and using any number of neutral colors in-between.
It’s important to have some repeating colors or objects evenly distributed throughout the shelves. For example, if you have two gold objects on two adjoining shelves, move one of them to a further away shelf to balance things out.
3:
Organize your books
Next, gather all the books you’re using and group them by color. Experiment with arranging books vertically, leaning them, or stacking them horizontally. A horizontal stack should have at least three books. If any of your books have unattractive dust covers, try displaying them without the covers.
Before you finish decorating, take a step back to see how all the shelves in a room work together. Don’t be afraid to experiment until your shelves feel right to you. If you’re having trouble editing down your collections, getting a second opinion from an interior designer can be invaluable.
Most of all, don’t forget to have some fun too. Shelves are a great opportunity to express a story about yourself. The end result shouldn’t look too staged, but rather, tell the world about who you are.
Margaret Chambers, a registered interior designer (RID) and American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) member, leads Chambers Interiors and Associates. Her colleague Caitlin Crowley helped edit this column. Visit chambersinteriors. com/blog for more design advice.
This holiday season and always, Love your Neighborhood. Love your Home.
Meredith Ferrell
214.868.1177
@ mferrellhomes
Mackenzie Harper 573.289.5553
@ mackenzie.compass
Catherine McGuire 512.771.1510
@ cmcguire.compass
Brenda Ray 214.864.9070
@ brendaraydallas
Chandler Browning 818.813.4003
@ chandlerbrowning.compass
Comings and Goings
MOVED
Origin Bank’s Preston
Financial Center
Preston Center
The bank has opened a two-story flagship location centered around a concierge hub that allows customers to easily access personal and commercial banking services. The bank’s previous Preston Center location has moved to the flagship.
lululemon
Galleria Dallas
The fitness favorite nearly doubled its footprint on Nov. 20 when it opened at its new location on level one across from Apple.
NOW OPEN
Boxed Bites
Preston Center
The artisan food delivery service has opened its first store, where offerings include charcuterie boxes, shakeable salads,
ready-to-eat foods, build-yourown yogurt parfaits, and designyour-own snacks.
Lane Boots
Galleria Dallas
The Texas-based brand that creates designer-quality boots with western influences has opened its first bricks-andmortar store on level one between Tommy Bahama and Intimissimi.
Goodwins
2905 Greenville Ave.
The American restaurant’s menu features cold seafood, snacks and shares, and main courses, as well as a variety of cocktails.
Le PasSage
4205 Buena Vista St., Suite 130
The bold flavors of Southeast Asia and classic techniques of French cooking meld to create a menu that is both innovative and
comforting in this new offering from French-born Dallas restauranteur Stephan Courseau.
NorthPark Center
Various Stores · Hill House is offering quality products designed to enhance and celebrate life, including home, accessories, baby and kids, bridal, and apparel, on level one between Nordstrom and Macy’s.
The Trains at NorthPark benefitting Ronald McDonald House of Dallas is open through Jan. 5 on level one between Macy’s and Dillard’s. Texas’ most elaborate miniature toy trains exhibit features more than 600 trains rolling along 1,600 feet of track.
COMING
GRIT LIT Infrared Heated
Studio
5612 SMU Boulevard No. 200
GRIT Fitness founder Brit Wold, a People Newspapers
20 Under 40 honoree in 2023, plans to transform her SMU cycling stu dio location with stateof-the-art technology. After a soft opening on Dec. 14, look for the grand opening in January 2025.
Yule Love It
Galleria Dallas
The Christmas branch of McKinney’s Rockin’ AB boutique will open a pop-up on level one near the outdoor plaza entrance in late November. It will offer more than 100 classic glass ornament designs and other Christmas-themed items.
— Compiled
by Sarah Hodges and Claudia Carson-Habeeb
Origin Bank COURTESY ORIGIN BANK
Trains at NorthPark COURTESY NORTHPARK CENTER
Brit Wold KIMBER WESTPHALL
Hill House COURTESY NORTHPARK CENTER
AIREY-BUFFORD’S DETERMINATION EXTENDS BEYOND THE MAT
Senior aims to change perceptions, advocate for more female grapplers
By Todd Jorgenson People Newspapers
Though girls wrestling is the fastest-growing high school sport in the country, it’s been slower to get going at Highland Park. Keira Airey-Bufford wants to change that.
The HP senior has been battling on and off the mat for the past two years, both to win matches and to lay the groundwork for more gen der parity in a sport that, at HP, has always been reserved for boys.
“I want to create an atmosphere where all the girls are accepted,” Airey-Bufford said. “People think of stereotypes of wrestling. But I wear skirts to school and bows in my hair. It’s not as vi olent as people make it out to be.”
Airey-Bufford, who also plays softball, became enamored with wrestling a few years ago when she sought out a new sport and attended some camps. She has been active in meeting with school administrators to sell the idea of starting a team.
“Highland Park is very slow to change. We’re very rooted in tradition. There were some people who
supported me and some people who just wanted it to be the guys,” she said. “I wasn’t going to let the fact that it didn’t exist, or that it would be difficult to start, stop me from doing it.”
Since she was the only girl last season, Airey-Bufford had to grapple with boys in practice, and
would compete in matches whenever an opponent had girls in a comparable weight class. She won enough to qualify for the regional tournament.
But her efforts were equally persistent in growing the team, and in changing perceptions among her classmates of a sport that is sanc-
tioned by almost every state in the country and has nearly quadrupled nationally in terms of participating teams over the past decade.
“We always felt like at some point in time we’d have a girls program,” said longtime HP wrestling coach Tim Marzuola. “It just took somebody to be interested. It’s all because of her.”
Airey-Bufford’s grassroots promotional efforts included launching dedicated social-media accounts, peppering the morning announcements, and finding advocates in Marzuola and some of the 56 boys at HP who share her passion.
“I just want it to be normalized.”
Keira AireyBufford
This year, two freshmen have expanded the roster to three. The Scots will have a girls schedule for the first time, and Airey-Bufford hopes to culminate her senior season at the state tournament.
However, she also wants to mentor the newcomers and continue to break down barriers so the foundation won’t be squandered after she graduates.
“A lot of people still don’t know about it,” she said. “I just want it to be normalized. I just want to make it easier for them.”
Catching Up: Bozman Climbs Depth Chart Quickly for Scots at Receiver
Fast junior uses track speed to make a quick impact as HP’s leader in catches and yards
By Todd Jorgenson People Newspapers
By the time many freshman football players arrive on the Highland Park campus, they are already familiar with plays and offensive concepts after two years in the middle-school system.
Cannon Bozman didn’t have that luxury. But like all good wide receivers, he caught on quickly. Two years later, he has emerged as the top target for the Scots.
“The thing that separates Cannon is his speed.” Randy Allen
“The first day of freshman football, I knew none of the plays we were supposed to know,” Bozman said. “I wanted to prove to everybody that you could move in and still play.”
Bozman grew up in the Park Cities but attended Providence Christian School through eighth grade, where he played foot-
ball. He also competed alongside some of his current HP teammates in youth lacrosse.
Bozman quickly established himself for HP at the subvarsity levels before becoming a starter this season as a junior. In his first game against Rockwall-Heath, Bozman was a standout with
six catches for 113 yards and a score.
During the regular season, he led the team in receptions (31), receiving yards (477), and receiving touchdowns (six). And that’s despite missing three games because of a hand injury he suffered during a nondistrict win
over Jesuit Dallas on Sept. 13.
“The thing that separates Cannon is his speed. We feel like we can get a mismatch with him on a defensive back who’s not as fast,” said HP head coach Randy Allen. “He’s a good route-runner and can cut on a dime. He’s really special. He makes a lot of yards after the catch.”
Bozman has been a versatile contributor primarily on screen passes and shorter routes, while also returning kickoffs. He credits dropping lacrosse last year in favor of track and field, where he became one of the leading sprinters and jumpers for the Scots.
“Doing track in the offseason helped me get a lot faster,” Bozman said. “That definitely helped me with football more than I could have known.”
He also has developed a good chemistry with his fellow receivers and with sophomore quarterback Buck Randall, who went on a church mission trip with Bozman to Senegal over the summer. Now they are hoping to lead HP’s prolific passing attack deep into the playoffs.
“We’ve gotten to know each other really well,” Bozman said. “Everybody is great in the receiver room and really bonded. We all love each other.”
Keira Airey-Bufford was the only female wrestler for Highland Park last season. COURTESY
Highland Park receiver Cannon Bozman had six touchdowns in seven games during the regular season. CHRIS MCGATHEY
Latest Round of HP Senior Athletes to Compete in Various College Sports
From the golf course to the volleyball court to the water, Scots choose diverse future paths
By Todd Jorgenson People Newspapers
Many of us pivoted to new interests or activities during the pandemic, often for the strangest of reasons. Grace Heiss, then in middle school, switched from tennis to golf because it was easier to practice by herself.
Four years later, Heiss signed to play college golf at defending Big 10 champion Indiana. She was recognized on Nov. 13 along with 17 other Highland Park seniors during a National Signing Day ceremony.
Heiss credits her rapid progress in part to one of her instructors, Randy Smith, who also happens to be Scottie Scheffler’s longtime coach.
“He helped me a lot,” said Heiss, whose familiarity with golf extends to her grandparents living on a course in Florida. “I picked it up fairly quickly. It was a lot of dedication and a lot of time.”
Fellow HP golfer Charles Nelson grew up a big fan of the University of North Carolina, where both of his parents are alums. But he signed with rival Duke.
“When the Duke idea came around, it was a chance to make my own path,” said Nelson, who was born in Charlotte. “Getting back so close to my family, it’s where I grew up and what I know best.”
In May, Nelson rallied in the final round to win the Mayakoba Invitational in Playa
the 5A state tournament next spring.
Four lacrosse signees included defender Ben Boyer, who is heading to perennial power Virginia, which most recently won national titles in 2019 and 2021.
“These coaches have helped me a lot,” Boyer said of HP head coach Mike Pressler and his staff. “I’ve always wanted to play at
Parker Addison and Benton Owens will team up next year at Jacksonville.
Standout swimmer Angelina Huang, a state medalist in the backstroke in 2023, signed with Rice. Kylie Williams became HP’s first female water polo signee with Indiana.
Four volleyball players were among the honorees, too, including Alex Richter (Georgia), Bella Ocampo (Loyola Marymount), Caroline Cannon (Wofford), and
Emma Wang (Johns Hopkins).
Soccer standouts Catherine Dalton (Whitman College) and Reagan Johansen (Translyvania) finalized their college choices, as did Dallas United Crew rower Olivia Knight (Clemson) and coxswain Brooklyn De La Torre (Tennessee).
Meanwhile, angler Dylan Sorrells became the first college athlete from the HP Bass Team with his commitment to the University of Montevallo in Alabama.
FRONT ROW, FROM LEFT: HP fall signees Catherine Dalton (soccer), Angelina Huang (swimming), Alex Richter (volleyball), Emma Wang (volleyball), Reagan Johansen (soccer), Bella Ocampo (volleyball), Caroline Cannon (volleyball), Olivia Knight (rowing), Brooklyn De La Torre (rowing), Grace Heiss (golf), and Kylie Williams (water polo). BACK ROW: Dylan Sorrells (fishing), Parker Addison (lacrosse), Duncan Zielke (lacrosse), Ben Boyer (lacrosse), Benton Owens (lacrosse), Brooks Simmons (golf), and Charles Nelson (golf). MELISSA MACATEE
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Please cast your vote for Baylor University Medical Center “Best Hospital to Have a Baby.”
SCOTS MUSICAL TRADITION GETS A PROFESSIONAL BOOST
Arts grant brings bagpipe training to more Highland Park students
By Josh Hickman Special Contributor
Since 1934, Highland Park High School has featured a regiment of bagpipers, including the popular all-female Lassies of the 1960s and ’70s. Yet waning student interest in recent years threatened to cease the beloved Scots tradition.
“When we came in, we had three pipers here at the high school,” band director Daren Jordan said. “It was all student-run — students teaching students.”
“Coach Allen loves to use them when they’re warming up to throw off the other team.”
Daren Jordan
With two pipers graduating last year and the third graduating this year, Daren and his wife Monika, HPISD elementary music coordinator and music specialist at UP Elementary, knew they had to do something to prevent the tradition from being lost.
“Last year I put a little recruiting package together for the middle school, and we recruited about 12 interested kids,” Monika said.
The Jordans applied for an HP Arts grant last year which came in the spring of this year. With that, they were able to bring in seasoned professional piper Don Shannon to teach.
Originally from Northern Ireland, Don has more than four decades of piping experience,
having played with Ireland’s musical ambassadors The Chieftans and for dignitaries such as Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Tony Blair, and President George W. Bush.
“He’s already teaching some of our students private lessons, and he’s coming here on Wednesdays to teach the kids,” Monika said. “Part of the grant was for him to repair our old bagpipes which were collecting dust. He’s amazing.”
With 10 new pipers now at the high school, recruitment is on for seventh and eighth graders and any high schoolers interested in the attention-grabbing instrument.
“There’s a whole process of passing off pipes to get your kilt — to be able to actu-
ally play the bagpipes at any performances, games, things like that,” Daren explained. “It usually takes about two years to earn your pipes and your kilt.”
Don’t expect to see 10 players this year, Monika noted. “You’ll only see about two. But one child progressed so fast I started him last year at this time, and he’s already on his pipes, which is so exciting.”
Bagpipe season doesn’t end when football does.
“I get constant requests for them to play in the community at different events,” Daren said. “They play at graduation, leading the graduating seniors in. It’s just a really great tradition.”
During a recent bagpiper class, Shan-
non tapped the sheet music and instructed his students as they fingered their chanters, “You’ve got the black and white; now you’ve got to add the color.”
Historically, the Great Highland bagpipes of Scotland and Great Irish warpipes of Ireland were used in battle to announce an attack and alarm and confuse the enemy. Highland pipers continued to play in battle during the early attacks of World War I, when the practice was discontinued due to the high casualty rate.
“They play at all the football games,” Daren said, smiling. “Coach Allen loves to use them when they’re warming up to throw off the other team.”
Before It Took On the Competition, F1 Team Tackled Questions From MAPS Students
By Sarah Hodges sarah.hodges@peoplenewspapers.com
There are only 10 Formula 1 teams in the world, and on Oct. 16 one of them made a pit stop at Highland Park High School.
MoneyGram Haas F1 Team
Principal Ayao Komatsu, drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, and MoneyGram’s Chief Marketing Officer Greg Hall shared their experiences and answered questions from students during a panel discussion as part of the “Race to Innovation” event.
Also on site were F1 simulators and the team’s VF-24 F1 car, which panel moderator Nicole Briscoe, an ESPN sportscaster, told students they could look at, but not touch. “You can’t actually climb in it. I’m told that that’s not allowed,” she said. “I’ve tried.”
The panel gave students a glimpse of how the team prepares to compete away from the glamour of the racetrack, where drivers said success is more about mental than physical training.
“You need to have a good feel for the car,” Hulkenberg said.
“What’s the car doing? You need to understand it. You need to have a good connection with it. The more you have that, the more confident you’ll be.”
Komatsu, who became the team’s principal after managing the engineering department, said that he wasn’t always passionate about technology. Instead, he was interested in writing, literature, and investigative journalism as a child.
But while watching Formula 1, he became amazed by the international, competitive sport.
“That really resonated with me to what I wanted to do,” he said. “So that’s how I got into it. And then, to be honest, science and the engineering side of it came afterwards.”
After the panel, students were challenged to race in simulators while the professionals looked on.
One driver jokingly covered junior Harrison Barden’s eyes to slow him down as he posted a speedy time. Students also had a chance to talk one-on-one with the MoneyGram Haas team.
MAPS business design and leadership student Keira Airey-Bufford spoke with Komatsu about their mutual interest in bouldering. She said she was encouraged by Komatsu’s background.
“He mentioned how he was interested in literature, and he had to switch — basically do a complete 180 in what he was interested in — to go into mathematics and engineering. I can’t even imagine how challenging that was,” she said. “But the fact that he did it and he proved everyone wrong, that means I can do it too.”
Hall said he hoped the morning was inspiring for students and helped connect the classroom to real-life experiences and careers.
As part of their preparation for the event, Moody Advanced Professional Studies (MAPS) students tackled real-world challenges created by Komatsu working with teachers.
This is the MAPS program’s third year to host the Formula 1 team. This year, the program invited STEAM students from Dallas ISD and Arlington ISD to share the experience.
“I just thought it was cool that they came to our school,” Highland Park junior Gavin Bryant said. “I mean, they could be doing anything. They could be training for their race ... But they’re here, talking to us.”
Thanks to an HP Arts grant, professional piper Don Shannon is teaching a new generation of Park Cities students to play the iconic instrument. Visit donshannon.us to learn more about him. JOSH HICKMAN
LEFT TO RIGHT: MoneyGram Chief Marketing Officer Greg Hall, MoneyGram Haas F1 Team Principal Ayao Komatsu, driver Kevin Magnussen, driver Nico Hulkenberg, and ESPN sportscaster Nicole Briscoe. CHRIS MCGATHEY
No Need to “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” to Hear Alpine Music
By Sarah Hodges sarah.hodges@peoplenewspapers.com
Fifth and sixth graders will bring The Sound of Music: Youth Edition to the stage at McCulloch Intermediate School this December, but students didn’t have to wait for the show to sample some Alpine music.
On Nov. 12, the halls were alive with the sounds of yodeling, the piano and button accordions, and the alphorn, a long, wooden horn traditionally used by Swiss shepherds for communication and herding.
Students learned about the instruments from an expert. Alex Meixner, a Grammy-nominated Polka Hall of Famer and Austrian Folk Musician, visited the school from New Braunfels thanks to MIS/HPMS theater director Genevieve Croft and an HP Arts grant.
Students clapped and swayed as Meixner, who can be heard on the Grammy-winning album Music and Friends, played everything from The Sound of Music’s “Edelweiss” to Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train.”
“It’s not your School of Rock type of presentation,” Croft said. “But they’ve been pretty into it.”
Meixner performed for fifth graders, many sixth graders, and members of The Sound of Music’s cast and crew, but this wasn’t a solo show. Students joined him on-stage to sing, try their hand at the accordion, and give the alphorn a blow as Meixner answered questions from his audience.
“You see the spark of kids’ interests being lit when they see an instrument they’ve never seen before,” Meixner said, explaining that his performance could encourage even more learning. “They get interested in something here. They start looking it up online, and they find other music. It’s a fascinating process to watch that education happen.”
Sixth-grader Ines Mufraggi, who plays Maria in The Sound of Music, gave the alphorn a try onstage. After instruction from Meixner, she managed to produce several trumpet-like notes. Then she performed the show’s iconic title song while Meixner accompanied her on the accordion.
“I was nervous,” she said. “But I think it was really fun. Honestly, the accordion just makes a really cool sound.”
Sixth-grader Griffin Lazebnik, who has the role of Captain von Trapp, also tackled an accordion-accompanied melody. Other young thespians joined Meixner for a lesson on Alpine yodeling. There are two main kinds, he explained, a slow version and a “fast, acrobatic” yodel.
Croft said that she hoped the visit generated excitement for The Sound of Music, as well as created an enriching experience for students.
READY TO GO YODEL-AY-HEE-HOO?
Dec. 5, 4 p.m. Dec. 6, and 2 p.m. Dec. 7
She’s been a fan of Meixner’s for years, and he performed at her wedding 16 years ago.
“I thought, gosh, what a great way to introduce the kids to this style of music, and to show them that polka, accordion is really cool,” she said.
After Meixner left, the students got down to the serious business of rehearsing for The Sound of Music. Croft challenged them to find their spark, or what motivated them to do their very best each day to make the performance special.
“You guys got to sing with a Grammy winning and Grammy nominated musician today,” she told students. “That’s cool. So, that’s my spark.”
Middle schoolers are working hard to make their production of The Sound of Music: Youth Edition one of their audience’s favorite things. The young thespians will perform at 6 p.m.
before saying “So long, Farewell” to the classic musical.
CLOCKWISE: Young thespians practice their yodeling for “The Lonely Goatherd.” Ines Mufraggi, who plays Maria, performs “The Sound of Music” while accompanied by Alex Meixner on the piano accordion. Griffin Lazebnik, who plays Captain von Trapp, leads the audience in swaying to the music. Mufraggi, who plays Maria, blows away audiences on the alphorn. SARAH HODGES
SURVIVOR DISCOVERS PASSION FOR GLASS
Anna Curnes pieces life back together with art after sister’s death
By Sarah Hodges sarah.hodges@peoplenewspapers.com
The loss of her sister after a long battle with cancer shattered Anna Curnes’ heart.
Three years later, the Park Cities native still couldn’t break free of what had happened, and it was dominating her life.
Then the math and Spanish tutor walked into a fused glass class at the Creative Arts Center of Dallas. She loved it, and through her art, she began to heal.
“It was tangibly being able to take broken pieces and put it back together in a way that’s far more beautiful than it could have been before,” she explained. “There was intentionality in the breaking, and in the picture that came.”
After she discovered glass, Curnes resolved to learn from as many talented masters as she could. Her travels eventually took her to Murano, Italy, where she studied with generational glass master Diego Bottacin. The 1999 Highland Park High School grad worked for years in Chicago before returning to Dallas.
In 2019, Curnes opened Dragon Street’s ALG Collective, whose acronym stands for Curnes’ glass business: Anna Lou Glass. The collective recently transitioned to ALG Fine Art and now functions as both a traditional gallery and a workspace for Curnes and fellow resident artist Christi Meril.
Earlier this fall, ALG hosted its first visiting artist show, “Own Your Own Story; Write
Your Own Ending.” Artists responded to a prompt by Brené Brown: “When we deny our stories, they define us. When we own our stories, we get to write the ending.”
Among the included works was Curnes’ Director’s Cut, which features “snapshots” of glass strings painstakingly hand cut and fused by Curnes. The strings, she explained, represent multi-faceted moments in time that come
Don’t Throw Away That Empty Cereal Box!
By Sarah Hodges sarah.hodges@peoplenewspapers.com
When painter Jenny Grumbles looked at her 10-year-old’s sugar-laden cereal, she didn’t just see breakfast. She saw the medium for her next artistic endeavor.
“The boxes are so fun and exciting and colorful,” the Preston Hollow resident said. “I don’t know how I put it together, but I was like, ‘If I could paint a portrait, I could cereal box a portrait.’”
Grumbles started by cutting up boxes to create a still-life collage with a floral design. Next, the Swiftie put together a cereal box portrait of Taylor Swift titled Snap, Crackle, Pop Star, a portrait of Michael Jordan called Honey Bunches of GOAT, and a second Taylor Swift portrait she called Art by a Thousand Cuts, a play on Swift’s song “Death by a Thousand Cuts.”
“It was so fun,” she said. “And the subjects are subjects I wanted to do. I love music. I love sports.”
Each portrait, Grumbles said, required more than 50 different cereal boxes in a variety of colors. Friends and neighbors heard of her need and started contributing empty boxes.
Her boyfriend donated his favorite cereal, Cracklin’ Oat Bran. A neighbor brought over Peanut Butter Chex, which is the perfect color for skin. Grumbles collected Very Berry Cheerios, Three Wishes grain free cereal, Halloween Cap’n Crunch, and other types of Cheerios and Chex.
One tricky color to find on the cereal boxes was black. Even Count Chocula is brown and blue. Grumbles finally settled on “cream filled chocolate something,” which unfortunately wasn’t a favorite of her son’s.
But cereal box art isn’t always
together to lead us to the present.
“I kind of look at a single one as a snapshot,” Curnes said. “But all together, it’s this beautiful feature film of what’s happening.”
Curnes chose the show’s participants through a blind selection process. The result was a mix of emerging artists and established professionals, several of whom hailed from the Park Cities or Preston Hollow.
SAVE THE DATE
“I didn’t want names to influence, because that’s not what the show was about,” she explained. “It wasn’t about how well are you known, or how many followers do you have. It wasn’t about anything other than your talent, your energy, and your connection to this specific show.”
Curnes said the ownership of beautiful art shouldn’t be exclusive, either. ALG Fine Art’s pieces are available at a range of price points, from a pack of notecards which costs $25 to $25,000 for a large installation of a dozen or more sculpted glass flowers.
Curnes hopes to continue creating immersive art experiences and fostering fine art as an inclusive experience for creators, collectors and the community.
“I created beauty out of brokenness,” she said. “It was so healing and joyful and impactful for me. It changed my life. I continued creating to be able to share that beauty with the world and share that joy with others.”
sugar-coated.
Grumbles’ previous work included primarily acrylic and oil paintings she had done on commission. Splicing and dicing cereal boxes was much more time consuming. Who knew if it would sell, and how could she value it?
“I’m afraid to take some of that
time with a set paycheck and paint and do whatever I want,” she said.
“Yet the reward is so much greater than the risk usually.”
Since Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce wears number 87 with the Kansas City Chiefs, Grumbles decided on a price of $8,787 for Art by a Thousand Cuts, which was included
Check out more snap, crackle and eye-popping art at Jenny Grumbles’ website, jgrumblesstudio.com.
in ALG Fine Art’s recent Visiting Artists Show, “Own Your Own Story; Write Your Own Ending.”
That portrait sold during the show, and the three other pieces in Grumbles’ cereal box series have sold as well.
Grumbles is now trying to focus less on commissions and more on cereal. She is currently finishing a portrait of rapper Kendrick Lamar titled Frosted Mini-Beats.
Her new outlet combines Grumbles’ love of art with her passion for recycling furniture. She used to own a vintage décor and trash to treasure business in Snider Plaza but put that work aside after her son was born.
“I finally found a way to combine recycled trash and fine art,” she said. “Both of my worlds have collided. Maybe, I really am doing what I should be doing.”
Mark your calendar for these upcoming events at ALG Fine Art, 1302 Dragon St.: • Dec. 6 from 12 to 8 p.m.: Merriment Market, a day of festive fun featuring fine art, artsy gifts, and delicious artisanal creations.
Jan. 25 from 5 to 8 p.m.: “It Started in Paris,” a solo show from Anna Curnes featuring innovative fusions of glass, acrylic, and mixed media inspired by her artist residency in France.
Anna Curnes stands next to Director’s Cut at ALG Fine Art. CAROL RIELL PHOTOGRAPHY
Jenny Grumbles with ArtbyaThousandCuts SARAH HODGES
Crystal Charity Ball to Take Dallasites on ‘New York Holiday’
By Sarah Hodges sarah.hodges@peoplenewspapers.com
This year’s New York Holiday-themed Crystal Charity Ball will recreate the enchantment of New York City in wintertime to thank those who have helped bring some magic to children in need.
“New York is one of my favorite destinations during the holidays,” said 2024 Ball Chairman Cheryl Joyner. “I just absolutely love walking down Fifth Avenue and seeing all the beautiful stores decorated, and Rockefeller Center with the beautiful tree, and strolling through Central Park and seeing ice skaters.”
Guests at the 72nd Crystal Charity Ball will meander through Central Park as they enter the Hilton Anatole on Dec. 7. Twinkling lights, beautiful trees, iconic businesses, and landmarks will together recreate New York City at the height of the holiday season.
“I hope they’re excited about the décor. I hope they’re excited about the music,” Joyner said. “I think everybody’s just in the mood to have a great party.”
The Ball will celebrate about 1,600 attendees for their support of Dallas children’s charities. Organizers are close to reaching their goal of raising
$7,093,665 for seven beneficiaries selected through a careful vetting process.
This year, funds will benefit the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, HHM Health, Methodist Health System Foundation, Parkland Health Foundation, The Center for Integrative Counseling and Psychology, Traffick911, and Vogel.
Excess funds will be committed to the Crystal Charity Ball’s 70th Anniversary Project, Action Before Crisis. The collaboration between Children’s Health and the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute facilitates the early identification and treatment of mental health issues in children.
“I am just so proud of the beneficiaries we have this year,” Joyner said. “I think we’re touching so many segments of our community, and it’s just been an absolute pleasure to be able to fundraise for these seven worthy organizations.”
One hundred volunteers came together to make Crystal Charity a success. Their year began the Monday after last year’s Masterpieces in the Making-themed gala. They initially focused on beneficiary selection before turning their attention to fundraising in March.
Crystal Charity has distributed more than $191 million in funds since 1952.
Its sole purpose is to aid and support Dallas County charities primarily concerned with the care, development, or welfare of children.
Over the years, more than 160 children’s charities have benefitted from members’ efforts. 56,044 children will be aided through 2024 funding alone.
Joyner has been a member of Crystal Charity since 2015. She has served as Ball treasurer and in multiple chair roles over the years, including underwriting, silent auction, casino gifts and prizes, and Ball and fashion show contribution tickets.
“I just love serving children,” Joyner said. “I think the best thing we can do as a community is to help all children, especially those who are at most need. I just love having the opportunity to do so in my small way.”
WANT TO GO?
The Crystal Charity Ball honors the generous supporters of children’s charities, and tickets are not for sale. An invitation to attend the Ball is extended to underwriters if space is available. Visit the Ball’s website at crystalcharityball.org to learn more.
Beneficiaries
Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum
The Commitment: $708,750
The museum’s vision is to educate and inspire the community, and especially children, to commit to act against injustice and promote human dignity. Crystal Charity Ball will provide three years of funding for the Museum Experience Fund, ensuring that thousands of Title I and economically disadvantaged students in Dallas County can visit the museum free of charge. The grant includes transportation, teacher curriculum support, and written student materials.
HHM Health
The Commitment: $1,099,045
HHM Health is a faith-based and patient-focused community health center. It provides quality healthcare for uninsured and underinsured families. Crystal Charity Ball funds will purchase, outfit, and staff a mobile pediatric clinic designed to provide high-quality and holistic healthcare to newborns, infants, children and teens. The mobile clinic will deliver care to patients at locations across South Dallas.
Methodist Health System Foundation
The Commitment: $1,148,907
Methodist Dallas Medical Center is a non-
Vogel
The Center for Integrative Counseling and Psychology
HHM Health
Methodist Health System Foundation
Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum
profit, faith-based hospital that delivers compassionate, quality healthcare to approximately 75,000 patients in southern Dallas annually. Crystal Charity Ball will fund the construction of an Obstetrics Emergency Department which will be housed within Methodist Dallas’ Labor and Delivery Unit. By enabling quick and efficient emergency care to pregnant women, the department is projected to reduce the incidence of preterm deliveries by 22 percent.
Parkland Health Foundation
The Commitment: $1,000,000
Parkland is Dallas County’s only public health system and focuses primarily on providing care to the underserved and uninsured. Crystal Charity Ball funds will be used to establish a pediatric health clinic at Parkland’s Richland Health Center. The health center is being built in a medical desert in Northeast Dallas County on the Dallas College-Richland campus.
The Center for Integrative Counseling and Psychology
The Commitment: $1,029,051
The Center’s therapists and psychologists have provided expert counseling, psychological and educational evaluations, and training for North Texas youth and adults since 1968. Crystal Charity Ball funds will be used to expand mental health education and counseling services
in West Dallas and extend those services into South Dallas. Funds will also support renovation of a new play therapy room for services and training at The Center’s central office.
Traffick911
The Commitment: $607,912
Traffick911 is the only agency in Dallas County that provides round-the-clock crisis response for child sex trafficking victims. Crystal Charity Ball funds will enable a three-year expansion of the flagship Voice & Choice Survivor Empowerment Program. The program pairs child sex trafficking victims with highly-trained advocates who create trust-based relationships with the children and provide services including outings, support groups, and backpacks stocked with essentials and a teddy bear.
Vogel
The Commitment: $1,500,000
Vogel provides high-quality early childhood education, development and mental health services, and other forms of support to help stabilize homeless families and move them toward housing and employment. Crystal Charity Ball funds will be used over two years to underwrite the salaries of teachers and administrators at the new Vogel childcare center in The Shops at RedBird in southern Dallas.
— Compiled by Sarah Hodges
THE GIFT
Often our residents tell me that one of the greatest gifts they ever gave themselves or their family was moving to The Tradition. Here is what one family member has to say about their own experience:
“I think the biggest gift is the serenity of knowing that everything is taken care of—that mom is taken care of, and my sister and I don’t have to worry about anything. And that my mom is very happy, and seeing her happy makes us happy. That was a gift that I wasn’t expecting because we didn’t know what to expect, but it all turned out just fabulous.”
THE GIFT to you – that allows you the time and energy to explore, engage and enjoy this vibrant lifestyle.
THE GIFT to your family – who will not worry about your wellbeing and happiness.
I hope that you will consider giving The Gift® to yourself or to your family and join us at The Tradition. Please make an appointment to tour our beautiful Community, meet residents firsthand and learn more. I look forward to welcoming you home!
Founder & CEO The Tradition
2024 Ball Chairman Cheryl Joyner with her husband, Richard Joyner TAMYTHA CAMERON PHOTOGRAPHY
Foundation
Parkland Health Foundation
Sing (Or Rather, Bake) It With Me: ‘Here Comes Santa Claus’
After much planning, recipe testing, and a full day of filming, my 2nd annual Christmas TV special will air throughout December.
At Home with Christy Rost: CHRISTMAS features sweet gifts from the kitchen, sparkling cocktails, Spanish Romesco sauce for a holiday party refresh, a lesson on how to make gift baskets like a pro, an apres ski fondue you’ll want to serve even if you don’t ski, wine pairings, and cookies that kids of all ages will adore.
The show ends with a festive Christmas party which you can find on my YouTube channel Christy Rost Cooks.
It’s not easy filming Christmas in August — even when filming in the mountains.
One obstacle is the lack of snow, but the camera crew’s flight delays from New York solved that issue because we ended up filming the entire show at night. Green aspen leaves fluttering in the trees remained unseen.
And then there’s getting into the Christmas spirit in the midst
minutes. Add eggs, vanilla, and water (if at high altitude), beating until smooth.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt until well blended. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture with a large spoon until well combined. Transfer the cookie dough to a smaller bowl, cover tightly, and chill several hours or overnight.
Buttercream Decorative Frosting 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter
Directions:
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light, about 5
When the cookie dough is cold, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll half of the dough 1/8 inch thick on a floured pastry cloth. Cut heart shapes with a cookie cutter dipped in flour and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 6 to 7 minutes until the edges are barely brown. Remove cookies from the cookie sheet while they are still hot
of summer when others are running around in shorts and heading out for a hike. Thankfully, my kitchen crew took it upon themselves to shout “Merry Christmas” as soon as I walked into the kitchen that morning. Talk about team spirit!
I carefully select recipes for the Christmas show, keeping in mind what viewers want to see. Decorated cookies are always a fan favorite so this year it’s Santa Claus cookies. A sugar cookie that’s buttery and mildly sweet complements the buttercream stars form ing Santa’s face. Rath er than Santa cookie cutters, I turn large heart-shaped cook ies around so the point becomes his
and transfer them to a wire rack to cool. When cookies are completely cool, decorate with frosting.
furry hat and the top of the heart becomes his snowy beard.
I’ll admit decorating the cookies takes time, so it’s best suited to a quiet afternoon or when you have enthusiastic helpers to pipe tinted frosting. Turn this into a family project served with cups of hot cocoa topped with swirls of whipped cream, and you have the formula for a sweet memory.
Merry Christmas!
Christy Rost is a cookbook author, host of Celebrating Home cooking videos, and longtime resident of the Park Cities and Preston Hollow. Her ‘At Home with Christy Rost’ cooking series for Eat This TV Network airs on AmazonFire, AppleTV+, Roku, Samsung TV, and YouTube. Please visit christyrost.com for details and recipes.
Buttercream Decorative Frosting
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
6 cups confectioners’ sugar
6 – 7 tablespoons milk Dash of salt
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
Directions:
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and add confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, alternately with the
milk to form a stiff frosting. Add vanilla and mix well. Transfer 2/3 of the frosting to a large piping bag fitted with a large, star tip. Pipe Santa’s beard, mustache, and the pompom on his hat and place a red cinnamon candy in the center of the mustache for his nose. Divide the remaining frosting in half and tint half with red food coloring and half with blue. Place red frosting in a small piping bag fitted with a small star tip for Santa’s hat. Place blue frosting in a small piping bag fitted with a small plain tip for Santa’s eyes.
Yield: 3 dozen cookies
Hilton Anatole is the
CHRISTY ROST
LEFT TO RIGHT: Alexandra Lambring Billmyre, Austin Holmes, Amy T. Ford, Ryan Nordhaus*, Rob McAngus*+, George Parker*, Jim Mueller*+†^, Charlie Hodges (Of Counsel)*+†^, Abby Foster*+, Shane Landers, Kim Meaders, Ravi Mohan, Maddison Clark and Jason Naumann
TRAVIS W. HAMMER, JR.
08/25/1943 – 09/25/2024
Travis William Hammer Jr., 81, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, following a courageous battle with Lewy Body with Parkinson’s Disease.
Travis was born in Austin, Texas on August 25, 1943, to Travis William Hammer and Naomi Milligan. His father, Travis Sr., was a Naval Lieutenant during World War II and was serving overseas at the time of Travis Jr.’s birth. Travis Jr. was raised in Dallas, Texas, and though he was an only child, he was surrounded by dear cousins — Marvilou, James, and Mark Thompson — with whom he shared countless adventures and misadventures.
Travis was a student in Highland Park for the entirety of his childhood, from Hyer Elementary to Highland Park High School. He repeated his senior year three times – surely because he loved it so much and could not bear to leave – until the class of 1963 finally claimed him as their own. Travis then made his way to the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He found a home for his passion for reading and American literature, ultimately graduating with a BA in English from the School of Liberal Arts. Travis then went on to earn an MBA at the UT Austin McCombs School of Business. His love for the university and the Longhorns was a force in his life until the very end. After his time at UT Austin, Travis joined some fraternity brothers in New York City and started what would be a varied and successful thirty-five-year career in corporate banking. He began at the
Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company, where he was a part of the National Division. His time at “Manny Hanny” created lifelong friendships and shaped the rest of his career. Travis then moved to Los Angeles, California in 1977, and worked at First Interstate Bank, where he made his way to Senior VP of the Special Credits Group. His job at First Interstate gave him the opportunity to travel to far corners of the world, which he relished.
Travis met his wife Sally while waiting for a tennis court in Marina del Rey, California. After marrying in 1982, they moved to the Pasadena area of Los Angeles to raise their two children, Kristin and Matt. Travis was an active, loving, and involved father, who cherished coaching his daughter’s softball teams, teaching his son fishing, and attending Dodger games with the whole family. Travis also imparted his enormous love of animals to his young children, with pets that included a golden retriever, two cats, a rabbit, guinea pigs, turtles, and more.
Even with his deep fondness for New York and Los Angeles, Travis was always a Texan at heart. In 1996, he and his family moved back to the Dallas community that he loved, and where his children attended the same high school from which he graduated. He continued his career in Corporate Banking at Bank One of Texas, JP Morgan Chase, and the Bank of New York.
Travis was a man with a big, kind heart, and was known for his loyalty, openness, and warm spirit. He loved the people in his life, whether it was his wife, children, co-workers, or friends. He was passionate about travel to far-away places, playing and watching tennis, and the vast outdoors. Fly-fishing was one of his great loves, and he lived for moments in the rivers of Idaho and Montana.
The family is deeply grateful to all the nurses, aides, and doctors that cared for Travis during his battle with Lewy Body with Parkinson’s, particularly the staff at CC Young and the teams at Texas Health Presbyterian, all who provided him with loving care.
Travis is survived by his beloved wife of 42 Years, Sally Biondo, and his two children, Kristin Elizabeth and Matthew Clayton, as well as numerous cousins and extended family.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Travis’s name to the Lewy Body Dementia Association. https://www. lbda.org/donate/ or the SPCA of Texas, https://www.spca.org.
MARK A. HARDIN, M.D.
Mark A. Hardin, M.D., age 68, passed away, Thursday, October 3rd, 2024, at home after a courageous battle against a rare and aggressive cancer. He was born October 2nd, 1956, in St. Louis, Missouri. He married the love of his life, Sarah Jo Ford Hardin, on June 1st, 1991, after meeting on a blind date. Their 33-year marriage was a testament to their deep, abiding love for each other and their family.
Mark was preceded in death by his parents, Juanita and J.B. Hardin, and his inlaws, Carolyn and Russell J. Ford. He is survived by his wife, Sarah Jo, daughter, Caroline Belle Hardin, and son, Spencer Ford Hardin, of Dallas. He is also survived by his brother, Dr. Paul Hardin and wife Dr. Susan Hardin of College Station, sisters-in-law, Nancy Ford Littlejohn of Austin, Dr. Melissa Belle Ford of Houston, brother-in-law, Russell James Ford, Jr. and wife Caren Oakley Ford. As a man who cherished and nurtured his extended family, he is also survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Mark grew up in Galveston, Texas and Chicago, Illinois, where he was salutatorian of the class of 1974 at Rich Central High School. He graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Chemistry and a Minor in Art History at Southern Methodist University in 1978. Mark was a University Scholar, Honor Student, and a Phi Beta Kappa as a sophomore. Mark was proud to be a pre-med “Jeskey boy”, an excellent chemistry student of Dr. Harold Jeskey.
Dr. Hardin was a board-certified otolaryngologist and the founding owner of the Dallas Ear, Nose, and Throat Center. Mark received his M.D. from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in 1982 before he completed his ear, nose, throat, head and neck training at The Ohio State University Hospitals and Children’s Hospital of Columbus. Mark served as Chief Resident for two years. The clinical director of Mark’s resident program at The Ohio State University described him as a “brilliant, outstanding, and gifted person”. He received additional training at the Royal National Throat, Nose, and Ear Hospital and the London Hospital in London, England, where he also was Chief Resident. He had comprehensive surgical training in all areas of the ear, nose, throat, head and neck. Mark’s
professional memberships included the American Academy of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, American Academy of Facial Plastic Reconstruction Surgery, Dallas County Medical Society, Texas Medical Association and the North Texas Ear, Nose, and Throat group. Through the years, Dr. Hardin has been honored with numerous awards and titles for his work. He was named one of America’s Top Doctors, one of the Best Doctors in Dallas and a Texas Super Doctor. Mark enjoyed memberships in Idlewild, Terpsichorean and Calyx men’s clubs, Royal Oaks Country Club, the Crescent Club, Thalia Dance Club, Dallas Dinner Dance Club, the Dallas Museum of Art, Preservation Park Cities, the British Royal Oak Foundation and Northway Christian Church. Mark was a devoted husband and father who thoroughly cherished time with his family, especially on wonderful worldwide family vacations. Mark also loved traveling with friends, taking great pleasure in introducing them to places like his beloved Africa and England. Mark seemed to know the most interesting facts on just about every subject. He never stopped learning and trying to share his knowledge with others. A part of Mark’s legacy will be the book he wrote on Okimono Japanese ivories. In addition to art, Mark was passionate about gardening. As a youth, Mark won many blue ribbons at garden shows. As an adult, he enjoyed spending his spare time planting and maintaining his home gardens. Mark also enjoyed hiking in the mountains, walking his dog, skiing, photography, going to the theater, concerts, art auctions and museums. To those who knew him, Mark filled their lives with love, laughter, adventure, art, music, a thirst for knowledge and a sense of honor, all with a twinkle in his eye and a dry wit.
Interment was at Sparkman Hillcrest Cemetery under the direction of the Hughes Family Tribute Center. The pallbearers were Spencer Hardin, Paul Hardin, Rusty Ford, Andrew Littlejohn, James Littlejohn, Russell Ford III, Carson Ford, Ryan Hardin, Zachary Hardin and Rob Slane. The honorary pallbearers were Dr. Harvey Carter, Lee Fuqua, Don Averitt, Jim Huff, Dr. Jim Sackett, Jeff Sone, Mark Leieindecker, Dr. Ray Rock, Dr. Bronn Rayne, Clint Blackman and Leon Young.
Memorial gifts can be made to the Mark A. Hardin, M.D. Memorial Fund at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center to support Dr. Renata Ferrarotto’s head and neck research. Contributions can be sent to P.O. Box 4486, Houston, TX 772104486, or made online at https://gifts. mdanderson.org/Default.aspx?tsid=8443. For online donations, click ‘Give Now,’ then check the box that says: ‘I’d like to choose where my donation will go.’ Select ‘Other’ and write in ‘Mark A. Hardin, M.D. Memorial Fund.’
“Blessed be the father who shares his faith in Jesus Christ with his family by what he does and what he says.”
The Best Cheeseburger I Ever Had
The time between Thanksgiving and Jan. 2 is collectively known as “the holidays,” a time to celebrate religious, secular, and cultural festivities with gatherings, traditional food, and gift exchanges.
Previous December columns have been about celebratory places, generational recipes, and food folks enjoy during the holidays. This year, I’m going to tell you about the best cheeseburger I ever had.
It was September 2017, a month after Hurricane Harvey hit Rockport, Texas, a coastal town near Corpus Christi. A friend assembled a group of 21 friends and acquaintances to travel there to help clean up efforts.
We weren’t organized by any group or church, but we affiliated on the ground with Samaritan’s Purse, which provided equipment such as shovels, chainsaws, and tarps, and assigned job descriptions for each location.
The smell of rot, mold, and despair permeated the wet, breezeless air in Rockport. None of us, including several military veterans, had ever seen so much devastation.
Fields of debris two-stories high lay parallel to Texas-35, the main road we took daily to and from the work sites from our base in Corpus. Our jobs included cutting down trees that had fallen into homes and streets, removing drenched, moldy furniture, including refrigerators full
of rotten food, and other household items, and carting them to curbside debris piles.
Not being handy with a hammer or chainsaw, I mostly removed smaller items homeowners had in their cabinets, drawers, and closets. Items that make up a lifetime of memories – photos, souvenirs, clothing. We all have them. I even saw a large collection of mix tapes that a homeowner curated with titles such as “Summer of 87.”
On day three, we were in Copano Heights, a neighborhood with some homes completely wiped from their foundations, some that were only missing roofs and fences. A black pickup stopped at our site and invited volunteers to a nearby home for dinner after our workday was done. No one wanted to go. We were hot, tired, sore, exhausted physically and mentally. But we went.
THE PERRY-MILLER STREIFF GROUP Traditional Home in Armstrong Elementary
Beautiful traditional Highland Park home in sought after Armstrong Elementary is situated on a quiet block within walking distance to shops & restaurants. 3513 Princeton features pristine interiors and a welldesigned floor plan.
Upon entering, you’re greeted by a grand staircase. The libraryoffice, living room, and den each have stately fireplaces, creating a warm and homey atmosphere. The kitchen, adorned with Carrera marble & top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances, flows seamlessly into the living room and breakfast
area. The spacious primary suite includes a vaulted ceiling, sitting area, and luxurious bath with custom dual closets and vanities. The 2nd floor offers four additional generously sized en-suite bedrooms, along with an oversized game room with built-ins & large utility room. The home also boasts a sought-after three-car garage with custom cabinets, pet washing station, EV charger. Outside, enjoy a heated pool with a serene waterfall, outdoor kitchen, fireplace, covered porch, & turfed yard with a dog run. Contact Valerie Dillon (214.755.3036) or more information or to set up a private showing. Visit DPMFineHomes.com to learn more.
MARKETPLACE
fired with mesquite from one of the hundreds of fallen trees. Part of the garage roof was missing, there was no electricity, no place to wash up, and only few of the hosts spoke English so there was little conversation.
That meal, which also included charro beans and melted chocolate cupcakes, stayed with me as one of the best of my life. Prepared and served by grateful strangers who had little to give but gave what they could.
“Sitting in a camp chair with a Styrofoam clamshell container balanced on my knees, I ate a cheeseburger cooked on a grill fired with mesquite from one of the hundreds of fallen trees.”
And there is where I ate the best cheeseburger I ever had. Sitting in a camp chair with a Styrofoam clamshell container balanced on my knees, I ate a cheeseburger cooked on a grill
To place your ad in People Newspapers, please call us at 214-523-5239, fax to 214-594-5779, or email to classified@peoplenewspapers.com. All ads will run in Park Cities People and Preston Hollow People and online. Pre-payment is required on all ads.
Nov. 24, 2024.
In broken Spanish and English, we expressed gratitude for their hospitality, and they thanked us back for helping their community. For me it was Thanksgiving and Christmas combined, gifts that can never be washed away.
Happy holidays to you. May you offer and enjoy unconditional generosity and hospitality to friends and strangers alike.
Kersten Rettig, a freelance writer with leadership experience in the food and travel industries, lives in the Park Cities, where she is known as “the restaurant sherpa” for her recommendations. Follow her on Instagram @KerstenEats.
KERSTEN RETTIG
Residents of the storm-ravaged Copano Heights neighborhood in Rockport, Texas, served up a delicious meal for the volunteers who came to help after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. KERSTEN RETTIG
3513 Princeton is currently being offered for $5,850,000.
DAVE PERRY-MILLER REAL ESTATE
Elegant Highland Park Haven Designed for Entertaining
Discover a timeless blend of luxury and comfort in this Santa Barbara-inspired home at 4912 Abbott Avenue (4912abbott.daveperrymiller.com), listed by Valerie Dillon for $4,995,000.
Located along the scenic Katy Trail in HPISD, this architectural gem offers easy access to top-notch restaurants, shops and parks. With four en-suite bedrooms in the main house and a serene primary suite with vaulted ceilings and spa-like amenities, it’s designed for both family life and entertaining.
The chef’s kitchen, complete with commercialgrade appliances, a walk-in pantry, and a coffee bar, is a culinary playground. The outdoor space dazzles with a pool, spa, putting green, and fire pit. The 4-car garage boasts an epoxy floor and additional storage, while the 1,150 sq. ft. guest house above provides two bedrooms, a full kitchen, and living space for multi-generational living.
This elevator-ready property seamlessly combines elegance with practicality, offering a lifestyle of unparalleled convenience and sophistication.
To schedule a showing, contact Dillon at 214755-3036 or valeriedillon@dpmre.com.
Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate (dpmre.com) is a division of the Ebby Halliday Companies, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, specializing in Preston Hollow, Park Cities, North Dallas, Lakewood, East Dallas, Uptown, Kessler Park, and Farm & Ranch properties.
Incredible homes available in the Park Cities
The real estate experts at Allie Beth Allman & Associates lead all brokerages in helping sell homes in Highland Park, according to the Multiple Listing Service. Check out some of these exceptional listings available now.
On a corner lot, a French contemporary-style showplace at 3300 Dartmouth Ave. has a two-story foyer. This four-bedroom home has five fireplaces, and the primary suite has a balcony that overlooks a pool and a patio with a fireplace.
The five-bedroom, 5.2-bath home at 4300 Fairfax Ave., which offers convenient proximity to Highland Park Village. Two stately oaks welcome you to a world of elegance. Formal spaces dazzle with a Baccarat chandelier and hardwood floors throughout. The chef’s kitchen boasts Wolf, SubZero appliances, walk-in pantry, and 1,200-bottle wine storage.
On one of Highland Park’s most prestigious streets is a traditional-style home that is the epitome of luxury living. The classic, four-bedroom home at 3919 Gillon Ave. has fireplaces in the study, living and family room. Outside is a pool, lap pool and hot tub to complement this meticulously crafted residence. With a French-inspired exterior, the three-story home at 4385 San Carlos St. greets guests with a gorgeous foyer. The home has four bedrooms and multiple living spaces, plus a large office and playroom. It also has a detached guest quarters above the garage.
EBBY
HALLIDAY
DFW Named Nation’s Hottest Real Estate Market for 2025
Dallas-Fort Worth has claimed the top spot as the best U.S. market for real estate investment and development in 2025, according to the Emerging Trends in Real Estate report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers and the Urban Land Institute. This accolade highlights D-FW’s growth, affordability, and economic diversity, making it a standout among U.S. metros.
The region’s strong post-pandemic recovery and demographic growth have propelled DFW into the top 10 for six consecutive years. Total employment has grown by 11.2% since 2020, and with 23 Fortune 500 companies, DFW boasts one of the highest concentrations of major corporations in the country. This combination of job opportunities and economic diversity continues to attract both new residents and businesses.
Dallas has seen its median home price climb 38% since early 2020. With annualized five- and 10-year real estate returns among the best in the nation, DFW remains a top choice for investors.
Dallas-Fort Worth’s momentum and market resilience underscore its strength and longevity as a prime destination. If you’re looking to navigate the nation’s No. 1 real estate market, trust the No. 1 company to guide you. To connect with an agent who’s invested in your success, visit ebby.com.
Finding a home in West Highland Park
Buyers love West Highland Park for its convenient location and block-by-block charm, say agents with Allie Beth Allman & Associates.
Only a 10-minute drive away from downtown, West Highland Park is filled with hidden gems, including redone cottages and a variety of newly constructed two-story homes.
The experts at Allie Beth Allman & Associates know West Highland Park well and can guide you to the perfect home.
A beautifully redone, traditional-style home at 4642 Edmondson Ave. has four bedrooms and three fireplaces. The family room has a fireplace and a wet bar, perfect for casual entertaining. Outdoors, relax with a pool and family friendly turfed yard.
Dreaming of owning a mid-century modern home? See the gem at 5332 Edmondson Ave. The open living room has a marble-clad fireplace, and the primary bedroom suite has a sitting area and a spa-like bath.
The four-bedroom home at 4624 S. Versailles Ave. is typical of the homes that are changing West Highland Park into one of Dallas’ most sought-after communities. Built in 2019, it has a dramatic double entrance with herring-bone hardwood flooring.
A totally renovated home on one of West Highland Park’s most desirable blocks, 4665 Belclaire Ave., has a new second floor, where owners can enjoy a media room and game room. The primary bedroom remains downstairs along with an additional bedroom.
Listed by Allie Beth Allman, Sanders Averea & Kyle Crews
This exquisite custom high-rise home features the finest of finishes. Direct access elevator opens to a spectacular entry foyer reminiscent of Park Avenue, with lacquered privacy doors and walls along with limestone flooring. The gourmet kitchen, designed by Christopher Peacock, features hand-crafted cabinetry and custom hardware that compliments the hand cut Ann Sachs tile backsplash. Cambria Borgini marble and Stone Smith countertops. The spacious primary suite has custom his and her bathrooms, featuring Zanger tile. A large, covered terrace accessible by hideaway sliding doors from the living area and is landscaped with custom faux plants, to remain. Three additional terraces are accessible from one of two studies as well as the guest suite & her master bath. Residence 8BC includes a private threecar garage adjacent two additional parking spaces, all located in a controlled access underground parking garage. Truly a one-ofa-kind, stunning home.
In Preston Hollow, luxury meets convenience to Dallas amenities
Find
home
Preston Hollow stands out as one of DFW’s most sought-after neighborhoods, offering a perfect blend of convenience, beautiful landscapes and an exceptional quality of life.
Real estate experts at Allie Beth Allman & Associates can find a home that’s the right fit for your lifestyle in Preston Hollow.
The five-bedroom contemporary style home at 6530 Prestonshire Lane offers luxurious living, with a media room, exercise area and a covered patio overlooking an expansive back yard. Enjoy the open-concept floor plan, ideal for large family gatherings. The primary bedroom and guest suite are conveniently located on the first level.
Discover a meticulously updated gem in a zerolot line community, just listed at 5801 Trail Meadow Drive. This three-bedroom, three-bath home offers refined living on a generous lot. Step into an open layout featuring fresh paint, hardwood floors, and abundant natural light.
The new construction home at 4206 Woodfin Drive is set on a corner lot with all the benefits of an interior lot, including a gated motor court leading to a five-car garage. The 9,655-square-foot transitional home remains stately, with classic tile flooring in the foyer, arched passageways, paneled molding on the walls, and beam ceilings.
ALLIE
BETH ALLMAN
What $10 million+ gets you in Dallas real estate
Some of Dallas’ most
and
Home buyers looking at Dallas properties priced at $10 million and higher want to work with the best. That’s why they often seek out the expert agents of Allie Beth Allman & Associates, who consistently lead in the sale of homes in this category. Here are some estates to consider.
Minutes away from Highland Park Village and the Dallas Country Club, 3915 Euclid Ave. delivers beauty and privacy in a prime location. The 8,553-square-foot home stands out for its exquisite mix of contemporary style and Mediterranean warmth.
Perched at 10540 Lennox Lane, an extraordinary estate for sale on Preston Hollow’s coveted Strait Lane corridor spans nearly 4.7 acres. Within the 17,102-square foot home you’ll find a catering kitchen, wine cellar, golf simulator and media room. Looking for something more modern? Alex Perry can take you to 4703 Bluffview Blvd. The one-story stunner was completed just this year. Wherever you are at the 11,279-square-foot residence, ample walls of glass allow for effortless nature views and peeks of the sleek pool.
The Palladian neoclassical masterpiece at 10777 Strait Lane would be a true prize for anyone’s real estate portfolio. From its imported antique fireplaces and exotic materials to its formal gardens, every detail is tailored and unique.
Finding your forever home in University Park
for HPISD and include numerous updates for modern living.
University Park’s numerous luxury homes have proven that they hold their value year after year, according to the Park Cities real estate experts at Allie Beth Allman & Associates.
Thanks to its convenient location and excellent school district, homes in family friendly University Park are considered a sound investment.
The three-bedroom, Tudor-style home at 4025 Purdue Ave. features beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows. The kitchen features stainless-steel countertops, a double oven and a marble island.
The home at 3612 Wentwood Drive was recently updated by Hawkins-Welwood Homes and has 11foot ceilings on the first floor and 9-foot ceilings on the second. It was built as a forever home, with wide arched doorways and extra wide hallways and front stairway.
The five-bedroom home at 3929 Southwestern Blvd., also newly renovated, has a center hallway flanked by a study on one side and a living room with a fireplace on the other. Enjoy an indoor-outdoor lifestyle with sliding doors that lead to a patio with motorized screens.
A short walk from Boone Elementary School is a four-bedroom home at 7427 Centenary Ave. It is designed for casual family living and memorable entertaining with beautiful hardwood flooring and moldings in the living and dining rooms.
ALLIE BETH ALLMAN URBAN
2300 Wolf St. #8BC Residences at the Stoneleigh $6,975,000
beautiful
notable estates are now available through Allie Beth Allman & Associates.
ALLIE BETH ALLMAN
Move-in ready homes are currently available through the Park Cities experts at Allie Beth Allman & Associates.
ALLIE BETH ALLMAN
ALLIE BETH ALLMAN
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in Preston Hollow with the help of an Allie Beth Allman & Associates agent.
ALLIE BETH ALLMAN
These University Park homes offered by Allie Beth Allman & Associates agents are zoned
