14 January 2022 | parkcitiespeople.com
Person of the Year
2021 Newsmakers: History-making Lyda Hill touts philosophy of giving Neighbors Who Made Headlines
‘SCIENCE IS THE ANSWER’
Clay Jenkins Love him or hate him, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins has been on the forefront of the county’s response to the pandemic — and often at odds with the state’s GOP leaders. Clay Jenkins Jenkins found himself (FILE PHOTO) butting heads with Gov. Greg Abbott on numerous occasions, from local control of the pandemic response versus statewide quarterbacking from Abbott’s office, to mandating masks and vaccines. Some loved him for it, while others picketed in front of his home. Jan and Trevor Rees-Jones The Park Cities couple started 2021 making headlines for buying the historic Elbert Williams house along Turtle Creek to preserve it. Trevor and Jan Preservation Park Rees-Jones (PHOTO: COURTESY Cities had feared the PRESERVATION PARK CITIES) home was a likely candidate for demolition because of its attractive location on a 1.15-acre lot on Turtle Creek. For their efforts, the couple was recognized along with Preservation Park Cities with a Spirit of Preservation Award from Preservation Dallas this year.
SUPPORT HER CAUSES Visit lydahillphilanthropies.org to learn more about Lyda Hill and her philanthropy and read about #IFTHENSHECAN – The Exhibit on Page 7B.
By Rachel Snyder
rachel.snyder@peoplenewspapers.com
O
ne of Lyda Hill’s guiding philosophies in her philanthropic efforts is “science is the answer.” Giving runs in her family, too. “Because my mother, beloved philanthropist Margaret Hunt Hill, insisted on taking me with her when she volunteered, I actually recall not being old enough to understand that voluntarism was, in fact, voluntary,” the philanthropist, entrepreneur, and Hockaday School alumnae said. She wrote those comments when signing the Giving Pledge, a movement where philanthropists leave most of their wealth to charity. “Because I have a fervent belief that science is the answer to many of life’s ‘impossibilities,’ I made the decision long ago to donate the entirety of my estate to philanthropy and scientific research,” Hill said. In recent years, Lyda Hill and her organization awarded a $50 million grant to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Moon Shots Program, which aims to combat and eliminate cancer. Other gifts include a $25 million grant to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center to establish the Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics; a $20 million grant to Hockaday to fund a science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) program
TOP: Lyda Hill with her grandnieces, who also attend Hockaday. BACK ROW: Kathryn Sands and Hill. MIDDLE: Darlington Hunt, Courtenay Sands, and Margo Washburne. FRONT: Conner Wisenbaker. BOTTOM: Hill and J. Small Investments partnered in hopes of turning Pegasus Park into a science and community hub. (PHOTOS: GRANT MILLER PHOTOGRAPHY) and other initiatives. Her commitment to supporting advancements in science to improve the lives of Texans and beyond is why People Newspapers selected Hill as the Park Cities Person of the Year. It’s also why Hill recently received the Oak Cliff Lions Club’s Bill Melton Humanitarian Award and will receive the History Making Texan Award from the Texas State History Museum Foundation in March. “Beyond her philanthropy, we are the beneficiaries of Lyda Hill’s extraordinary service as a Life Trustee at Hockaday,” Hockaday Eugene McDermott head of school Karen Warren Coleman said. “She was named a Hockaday Distinguished Alumna in 1986 and is regularly engaged with the life of the school.” Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI) founding CEO Tom Luce said Hill also matched the initial gift from the Meadows Foundation to launch the nonprofit, which works to improve the
treatment of mental illness, around 2014. “I’ve always found Lyda to not only be very, very generous but willing to take what I call calculated risks,” said Luce, who is now the founder and chairman of Texas 2036. MMHPI was named the recipient of the $10 million Lone Star Prize in June of 2021. The Lone Star Prize, sponsored by Lyda Hill Philanthropies and managed by Lever for Change, is a competition launched in 2020 to improve the lives of Texans and their communities. It will enable MMHPI to implement the Lone Star Depression Challenge to enhance the quality of life and mental health care for Texas communities. Hill’s influence goes far beyond the dollars given, MMHPI CEO Andy Keller said. “When you work for or with a philanthropist like Lyda, it’s not just the infusion of resources; it’s also – she’s basically lending her reputation and track record of backing successful innovations.” Read more about Lyda Hill at peoplenewspapers.com.
Casie Tomlin/ Dallas Justice Now Letters from those calling themselves Dallas Justice Now asked Park Cities parents to pledge not to send their Dallas Justice Now children to Ivy League (PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: MELANIE THORNTON/PEXELS) schools. The request stirred up reactions here and made national and international headlines from the British tabloid the Daily Mail, Newsweek, and Fox News. University Park mom Casie Tomlin, though, became suspicious and the organization’s website was linked to a political consulting firm with Republican clients across the U.S. Philip Bankhead A year after the pandemic prompted cancellation of the Park Cities Fourth of July Parade, Rotarian Phillip Bankhead stepped up in 2021 when the scheduled parade committee chairman Philip Bankhead moved and led efforts to (PHOTO: COURTESY bring floats rolling back ROTARY CLUB OF PARK through Highland Park CITIES) and University in all their red, white, and blue glory. The Rotary Club of Park Cities presented him a lifetime achievement award. – Staff Reports
