BEFORE CAPITOL RIOT, LUKE COFFEE ‘BELIEVED THESE WERE THE LAST DAYS’ 4
MAY 2021 VOLUME 41 NO. 5
“THE BEST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER IN TEXAS”
PARKCITIESPEOPLE.COM
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MAD HATS ARE BACK Jordi Bostock shows off a winning look as a fun fundraiser returns for the Women’s Council of the Dallas Arboretum and A Woman’s Garden. PAGE 34
(PHOTO: CHRIS MCGATHEY)
COMMUNITY
SCHOOLS
LIVING
10
32
38
Audrey Tweed celebrates 100th birthday
Trustee race brings rancor, spending
How a receptionist became an editor
2 May 2021 | parkcitiespeople.com
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the last family-owned stores in the village. He is an incredible dad of three daughters. A skilled bird shooter. And the American dream! Coming from Pakistan at age 18 and building his life as the top salesperson in the country for Ralph Lauren in Highland Park Village to then opening a store there! He has a huge heart, and his laugh is contagious! “ “CLAY JENKINS!! He’s safe-sexy.” “US Representative Colin Allred. Rising national star who is both calm and charismatic. “ “Stephen White, he is the definition of peak male performance.” “William Taylor, he’s the best editor in the world.” (Ahem) It’s nice to know, though, that 18 of you had answers at the ready for our question, just in case we ever DO decide to have a ‘Sexiest Man’ issue.
More to look for:
We launched People@Home, our new real estate and homes newsletter, last month. Subscribe, and get the latest news in real estate, home decorating advice, and weekly guides to great open houses. The reward for information about the shooting death of Chris Murzin has increased again — this time from $25,000 to 50,000. Keep up to date on the case in our Crime section. If you have information about what police believe is a road rage incident, call Crime Stoppers at 214-373-TIPS, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Contents News ................................. 4
Schools ........................... 32
Crime ............................... 8
Society ............................ 34
Community .................... 10
Living.............................. 38
Business .......................... 14
Wedding.......................... 40
Real Estate Quarterly...... 18
Obituaries........................ 41
Sports ............................. 26
Classifieds ....................... 43
Camps ............................ 30
20 Under 40 ......... Section B
2021
Experience it all from the safety of your car. Social distancing and safety protocols will be observed.
Samuell-Grand Recreation Center 6200 E. Grand Ave. Dallas, TX 75223
t’s been a rough year, and we wouldn’t have dreamed of participating in April Fools hijinks last year — a tornado followed by a pandemic was more than enough confusion; thank you very much. But this year, in a fit of hopefulness (some of us had just gotten our first shots, and others finally had appointments), we started talking … why not? But it was deputy editors Bethany Erickson and Rachel Snyder who came up with the idea to jokingly take nominations for People Newspapers’ Sexiest Man Alive. “We get a weird amount of email that we’re certain is actually meant for People Magazine,” Erickson explained. “So one night, we thought it would be hilarious to just embrace it on April 1.” When the rest of the staff got on board, Imani Chet-Lytle created mock covers, and we set up a very real survey to get nominations and shared it on social media. And some of you all played along wonderfully. A sampling of some of the responses: “John Michael Stewart: a caring, talented dentist, rearing three wonderful sons, married to another dentist. He is a blessing to our neighbors; he has a heart of service... doesn’t hurt that he was an all-American FB player at SMU!” “Ed Shaikh He is one if not the most stylish men in Park Cities! If not the country! He owns the more incredible store in Highland Park Village Hadleigh’s. One of
Campbell Green Recreation Center 16600 Park Hill Dr. Dallas, TX 75248 PRESENTED BY
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4 May 2021 | parkcitiespeople.com
News
TOO FAST, TOO FURIOUS, TOO BAD YOU HAVE NO MORE CAR Lawmakers craft bill designed to take keys from street racers - permanently Chief Jesse Reyes told a state house committee in March. But a new bill filed by state Reps. John Turner, Morgan Meyer, and Toni Rose may give police more in their tool kit the ability to permanently take the keys of the cars of repeat offenders or those who break other laws while racing. If passed, House Bill 2315 would let police seize and potentially forfeit cars used in street racing. First-time offenders would likely get ticketed, but repeat offenders and those who (for instance) were driving while intoxicated or with an open container of alcohol could find themselves without a car. “These events are already illegal,” Turner told the Texas House Judicial Jurisprudence committee. “But we do need additional tools.” Reyes and city of Dallas attorney Chris Caso testified in favor of the measure. “This is a tool that will help the police departments because we’re writing the tickets, and it’s not making an impact on these folks,” Caso said. Taking their cars, however, hits them
where it hurts. “This car is their baby,” Reyes said. “It’s their girlfriend. So this is another tool in our toolbox.” The Dallas City Council made it a priority to lobby the state legislature to provide officers with more enforcement options. “One of the legislative priorities of our city council this session is to expand enforcement tools available to DPD, so they can do more to stop street racing,” said Dallas city council member Cara Mendelsohn. The North Dallas Chamber of Commerce also supports the bill and sent a letter of support to the committee. “Dallas and Texans across the state have seen a significant increase in illegal and dangerous street racing in the last several years,” the letter read. “We support the proposed modifications to the code of criminal procedure to add civil asset forfeiture to disincentivize future street racing activities.” Check peoplenewspapers.com for updates as the bill moves through the Legislature.
This car is their baby. It’s their girlfriend. So this is another tool in our toolbox. Jesse Reyes
State representatives John Turner and Morgan Meyer, along with Toni Rose, authored a bill designed to allow police to confiscate cars used in street racing. (PHOTO: SALEH ZAFAR)
By Bethany Erickson People Newspapers
I
n the first week in April, Dallas police made 193 traffic stops related to street racing, towed nine cars, and made five felony arrests. But even with a street racing task force, officers know that with existing laws, they
can ticket spectators and drivers and tow vehicles, but it doesn’t serve as enough of a deterrent. “If we stop you … you can get arrested, your car gets towed, but as soon as you are released, you can take your paperwork to the auto impound, have your car released, and two days later you’re able to race again,” Dallas Police Department Assistant
HP-Bred Actor Charged In Capitol Riot ‘Believed These Were The Last Days’ By Rachel Snyder People Newspapers
Before going to the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot where he allegedly brandished a crutch, and charged at officers, Highland Park-bred Luke Coffee found QAnon conspiracy theories online. Coffee, 41, faces multiple charges in connection with the Jan. 6 riot, including assault of a federal law enforcement officer with a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, court documents show. “I can’t imagine — who possessed him to think the way that he was thinking because I don’t believe he was a Trump supporter. I believe that he truly believed these were the last days,” said Becky Jane Romine, a friend of Coffee’s who acted alongside him in the 2007 comedy Cake: A Wedding Story. “He said he was going — his intentions were not to create chaos when he went to the Capitol.” In late January, he told Texas Monthly from a Hill Country resort where he stayed and spoke with FBI agents before his arrest in
February that he went to Washington D.C. to “be part of history” and “to bring all this criminal behavior to light.” He returned to Dallas from Washington D.C. Jan. 7, and turned himself in at the Earle Cabell Federal Building and Courthouse Feb. 26. The chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia April 9 affirmed a magistrate judge’s decision to grant Coffee’s release pending trial under certain conditions, including that he submit to location monitoring and avoid all contact with “anyone associated with the incident on Jan. 6, 2021.” Prosecutors argued in court documents that Coffee had “charged at the officers while still holding the crutch” and posed a “serious risk of flight.” His defense lawyer, Jim Burnham, however, argued Coffee was “not a violent man, but rather a peacemaker” who “tried to stop the riots and prayed for peace.” People Newspapers reached out to the U.S. Marshals office of public affairs to confirm whether or not he had actually been released, but didn’t hear back by press time.
Authorities entered police body camera footage from the Capitol riot into evidence as part of a criminal complaint against Luke Coffee. (PHOTO: SCREENGRAB) Coffee graduated from Highland Park High School and went to Baylor University. After graduating from Baylor, he worked in Los Angeles for five years, during which time he worked as the post-production coordinator for such shows as Everwood and Las Vegas, according to his IMDb page. Coffee returned to Dallas around 2010 and started a production company.
He was dating a woman from Dallas who was killed in a hit-and-run crash in 2006 at the age of 22, Texas Monthly reports. Family members told the magazine that Coffee became withdrawn and depressed after the accident. “I’m telling you, it blew his mind when he lost (his girlfriend) so quickly...it messed him up,” Romine added. “He really loved that girl.”
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Crime Reports March 8 – April 11 March 8 A thief got into a Range Rover parked in the 4500 block of Fairway Avenue, rummaged through the SUV, and took a Nintendo Switch console with a game inside overnight before 6:30 a.m.
March 10 A crook didn’t have to work too hard to drive off in a Toyota Land Cruiser with a purse and checkbook with debit cards inside that was parked in the 3600 block of Centenary Drive overnight before 7 a.m. The keys were left inside. March 12 Talk about an easy crime: A stealer took an iPad, $100, and various tools from an unlocked van in the 4100 block of Emerson Avenue at 1:39 p.m. March 20 A porch pirate pilfered a package containing a whiskey bottle from a home in the 3600 block of Mockingbird Lane. The incident was reported at 1:50 p.m. March 21 It ’s called shoplifting when you steal f rom a store. What ’s it called when you steal f rom a shopper? A sneaky stealer
carried off a bag containing a pair of sandals bought at the Balenciaga store in Highland Park Village and left on a coat rack at Bistro 31 between 3 and 5 p.m.
March 23 A burglar put a damper on a man’s plans by grabbing a backpack containing a diamond engagement ring and wedding band set, a wallet with three credit cards, a debit card, and more from the seat of a Chevrolet truck parked in the 4600 block of Lorraine Avenue between 9:09 and 9:44 a.m. March 24 How easy was it for a prowler to take a wallet containing credit cards, debit cards, gift cards, and a gift card from a truck parked in the 3800 block of Mockingbird Lane? The windows were left down. The incident was reported at 11:57 a.m. April 1 Not just a bad joke: A scammer fooled a woman f rom the 3600 block of Colgate Avenue into sending $7,000 via Cash App and gift cards around midnight. April 2 Bus-ted! A vandal broke the
window of a Highland Park ISD school bus at the high school in the 4200 block of Emerson Avenue at 7:12 p.m.
April 6 A sneaky stealer swiped 14 pieces of jewelry worth $47,900 from a home in the 4200 block of Lorraine Avenue. The incident was reported at 3:25 p.m.
April 10
April 11
A man found a bag with several smaller bags inside that contained drugs at a tennis court in the 4500 block of St. Johns Drive at 5:04 p.m.
A scammer applied for unemployment benefits using the information of a man from the 3700 block of Shenandoah Avenue. The incident was reported at 2:13 p.m.
SKULDUGGERY of the MONTH: PROWLERS PILFER PRICY PARTS
April 7 Tool thieves found easy pickings from unlocked vans. Taken between 10 and 11 a.m.: a backpack containing several tools including a hand drill and a tape measure f rom a Mercedes cargo van in the 3300 block of St. Johns Drive. Taken before 11:46 a.m.: various tools f rom a van in the 4300 block of Edmondson Avenue. April 8 Reported at 10:19 a.m.: A swindler pretending to be a f riend used several emails to scam a man f rom the 3800 block of Normandy Avenue out of $700. April 9 Another scammer swindled a woman from the 4300 block of Hanover Street out of $1,996. The incident was reported at 2:52 p.m.
(PHOTO: WWW.123RF.COM)
Taken on April 5: parts from a Ford 150 in the 3600 block of Hanover Street before 6:15 a.m., a tailgate and tail light assemblies from a Ford F150 in the 7500 block of Thackery Street overnight before 7 a.m., and a tailgate and lights from a Ford Raptor in the 2700 block of Stanford Avenue overnight before 8:15 a.m.
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For more crimes visit peoplenewspapers.com/category/crime/
parkcitiespeople.com | May 2021 9
10 May 2021 | parkcitiespeople.com
Community AUDREY TWEED STILL TEACHES PAINTING AT 100
University Park centenarian shares tales of flying military aircraft so, I mean, it got to be a habit, and all our married life, I called him Tweed.” The couple ran Dallas Lumber and Hardware from 1949 until they retired in 1984. Audrey first taught painting in the store and continues to teach painting classes from her home studio. Their daughter, Penelope, was born in 1947 and graduated from Highland Park High School in 1966. Audrey now has a granddaughter, seven great-grandchildren, and eight great-great-grandchildren.
My dad got the plane. He was going to get a pilot’s license, and I thought, ‘Well, if you can do it, I can, too.’ Audrey Tweed
Audrey Tweed recently celebrated her 100th birthday with family and friends outside her University Park home. (PHOTO: RACHEL SNYDER)
By Rachel Snyder People Newspapers
A
udrey Tweed served in the Women’s Auxiliary Ferry Squadron, traveled the world, and won’t stop watering her yard herself at the age of 100. The painting instructor recently celebrated her century mark with a surprise birthday gathering outside her University Park home, where she’s lived for more than 70 years. The fourth-generation Texan was born in Houston and moved to Dallas in the ‘30s. After graduating from Sunset High School in 1939 and Hockaday Junior College in 1942,
her family moved to her present home in the 3200 block of Stanford Avenue. Her father bought her a Taylor Craft airplane in her late teens, and she was in the process of getting her pilot’s license when accepted in the Women’s Auxiliary Ferry Squadron, created in 1942. “My dad got the plane. He was going to get a pilot’s license, and I thought, ‘Well, if you can do it, I can, too,’” Tweed said. “The first time I flew the plane was at Love Field.” The mission of the auxiliary was to ferry USAAF trainers and light aircraft from the factories. Still, later they delivered fighters, bombers, and transports, according to the
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force website. She met 2nd Lt. Earl Tweed when he was stationed in Camp Wolters, Texas, and after seven dates, the couple got married at her family home. Shortly after their wedding, Earl went to Europe with the 115th Infantry 29th Division. Audrey joined him in Europe after the war. They lived in Mannheim, Germany, then in Salzburg, Austria, from 1946 to 1947, before returning to Texas. “Everybody in the Army called him Tweed,” Audrey said of her husband. “I didn’t know his first name for a long time…
In addition to being an accomplished pilot, equestrian, and painter, Tweed also enjoyed ice skating and was in the Dallas Figure Skating Club when it was at Fair Park and performed in shows from the 1940s until the 1960s. The couple traveled to Israel with the Park Cities Baptist Choir in the ‘70s and re-visited battle sites in France for the 50th anniversary of D-Day, including Omaha Beach, where Earl landed with the 29th Division. “That was the highlight of my life to go to Israel,” Audrey said. “My religion, my religious background, I always wanted to go to Israel.” They celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary with a trip to England with their daughter and granddaughter to visit Bath, Stonehenge, London, and Glastonbury. Earl died in 2017, shortly after their 74th anniversary.
Canine Cowboys Fanatic, Jet-Setting Sisters Star in Books For Children By Riley Farrell
People Newspapers The Sissies Adventure Series By Marisa Howard (Page 8B) $39.95 for threebook bundle bookstore.weeva.com For all those 1 to 4-year-olds tired of being cooped up at home, the three books in the Sissies Adventure Series offer literary escapism. Read more about author Marisa Howard of University Park on Page 8B of our 20 Under 40 section. The books – Sissies at The Sea, Sissies in The Mountains, and Sissies Go To Mexico – are sold separately or packaged together in
a giftable box set with a handle for travel. Based on Howard’s family vacations to Florida, Colorado, and Mexico, the short stories teach about the bonds of sisterhood and seeing the world through children’s eyes. “Each book was created with lots of love and captures the bonds of sisterhood,” Howard said. “My hope is that these books will provide all children with the chance to see the world through the adventures of two sweet, silly sisters.”
“Football Freddie and Fumble the Dog: Gameday in Dallas” By Marnie Schneider $14.95 mascotbooks.com A love letter to all the things that make Dallas delightful, Football Freddie and Fumble the Dog: Gameday in Dallas follows two friends as they wander through the city’s most iconic spots, making their way to AT&T Stadium to cheer for the
The Sissies Adventure author Marisa Howard sits with her two daughters. (PHOTOS: LAUREN LAMP/ PLUG PUBLIC RELATIONS) Gameday in Dallas author Marnie Schneider holds her book and a dog. (PHOTO: JAN SPENCE/WHAT’SNEXTCOMMUNICATIONS)
Cowboys. Along the way, they stop at such places as the Katy Trail, Pioneer Plaza, and the Dallas Zoo. In just 38 pages, the book gives young readers the history behind Dallas football and a rundown about football in general. The Gameday series, marketed for 6 -to 8-year-old readers, features Freddie and Fumble touring cities around the country for their love of culture and football.
Though author Marnie Schneider is not from Dallas, she has always loved football. A Philadelphia native, Schneider was taught to value sports by her grandfather, Leonard Tose, who owned the Philadelphia Eagles, founded Ronald McDonald House, and helped build NFL Films. The book series functions as Schneider’s way of giving back to the many great football communities across the nation, the author said.
parkcitiespeople.com | May 2021 11
Let’s Roar for Mother’s Day If April Showers bring May flowers, what do Mayflowers bring? No, not pilgrims, as the old joke goes; it brings flowers for Mother’s Day! Florists delight as it’s one of their busLEN BOURLAND iest times of the year. Since the early 1900s, when Anna Jarvis wanted to honor mothers, and President Woodrow Wilson concurred, Mother’s Day has come on the second Sunday in May. It’s now de riguer to get your brunch reservations on the books or at the very least a bouquet. This is the year to go one step further and deliver breakfast in bed and a tiara. Hopefully, all moms will have received the vaccine by the end of May, if not by Mother’s Day, as the essential workers they are. All mothers who survived this past year without succumbing to depression from severe cabin fever deserve applause. What working moms did zooming their jobs while supervising the Zoom schooling of their offspring, keeping spirits up, entertaining bored kids, all the while cleaning and cooking and doing laundry while locked down is just the definition of a phenomenal woman. To all who put on the COVID kilos, you are hereby pardoned. Whatever it took to power through the anxiety of the news, the fear of disease, the inchoate future is OK. Women have long been the glue that holds the family together, herding up strays for meals, setting limits on unwanted behaviors, enticing all to get along. Be it single moms, mothers of large broods or of wailing infants, grandmothers who are the helping hand that kept everyone sane, kudos. I’ve personally seen moms in healthcare who come home, got out of the hazmat suit, shower, and fix dinner. I bear witness to moms who had to move cross country in the pandemic and homeschool depressed kids with no friends or activities. I’ve watched full-time professional women in yoga pants in the street organizing the neighborhood into field days and games. Every family has issues, from Queen Elizabeth (Bless her heart) to those hanging on by a thread. Mom and Grandmom center them all. Then some mother us who may not be our biological mothers: aunts, godmothers, special friends. So this year, instead of Happy Mother’s Day, it might well be the old Helen Reddy tune, “I am woman, hear me roar!” In the silence of shutdowns, that roar was our saving grace. Reach columnist Len Bourland at lenbourland@gmail.com.
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12 May 2021 | parkcitiespeople.com
Bishop: ‘Wear Masks Out Of Charity’
Despite kerfuffle, few protest at Holy Trinity
By Rachel Snyder People Newspapers
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For all the social media furor, few attended planned protests at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, where police had removed a North Texas politician’s daughter after she refused to wear a mask at Mass. And the 14 or so who showed seemingly preferred, in the words of the Gospels, to hide their lights “under bushel baskets.” They pointlessly demanded their photographs not be published (journalists don’t need permission to use images of protesters in public spaces) and refused to provide their names. The maskless protestors, who said they typically attend other churches in the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Dallas and Fort Worth, gathered off Oak Lawn Avenue to pray while the Holy Trinity held Mass outside on April 10. One woman called the removal of Deirdre Hairston from 5 p.m. Mass March 14 “unjust.” Hairston, the daughter of former GOP state Sen. Don Huffines, went on at least two podcasts to talk about being approached by the Rev. Milton Ryan, the pastor of the Uptown Dallas parish, when she went to 5 p.m. Mass with her 1-year-old child. She shared a video she took of the incident on the video podcast of Taylor Marshall, an advocate for traditionalist Catholicism and author of 2019’s Infiltration: The Plot to Destroy the Church from Within. She also appeared on former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon’s “War Room: Pandemic” podcast. According to an incident report, Dallas
Police officers arrived during Mass and gave Hairston a trespass warning. “When RO’s (reporting officers) went into the location and made contact with the suspects,” the report said. “Suspect Deirdre, who was holding her infant, ignored RO’s directions to leave (the) location to talk outside.” The Diocese of Dallas issued a statement two days after her interview was posted on YouTube. “The pastor of the parish has required masks at Mass out of concern for the health and welfare of his entire congregation. Canon law grants pastors jurisdiction over their parishes, and while the bishop has not mandated masks for every parish, he has left these specific details to the pastors of the Diocese, adding that he expects the faithful to wear masks out of charity and concern for others,” the statement read. Holy Trinity parishioner Kathy Palter said the church was “inundated” with emails and voicemails after the episode. “It’s upsetting,” she said. “Of course, as we all know, everything is played out in public on social media, and I’ll tell you it feels helpless when a simple little Facebook page for your home parish, which probably gets one or two hits a day if it’s lucky, is suddenly blowing up with comments that are so hateful that you don’t even recognize the place where you attend and worship.”
It feels helpless when a simple little Facebook page for your home parish… is suddenly blowing up with comments that are so hateful that you don’t even recognize the place where you attend and worship. Kathy Palter
Editor’s Note: People Newspapers publisher Patricia Martin serves as Holy Trinity’s Parish Council Chair and serves in other volunteer ministries.
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TOP: Former GOP state Sen. Don Huffines praised his daughter on Facebook. (SCREENGRAB) BOTTOM: A group of around 14 gathered outside Holy Trinity Catholic Church during an April 10 Mass service. (PHOTOS: RACHEL SNYDER)
Finding Grace at Taco Bell? And the King shall answer and say unto them, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” – Matthew 25:40 The King James Version wording of this text came to mind as I thought about how Deirdre Hairston has deW I L L I A M TAY LO R scribed her ejection by police from Mass in March for refusing to wear a mask at Holy Trinity Catholic Church. The 28-year-old nursing mom told traditionalist Catholicism podcaster Taylor Marshall how officers met her as she returned from receiving Holy Communion. “You still have the Eucharist, Jesus Christ, still in you, and you are being cast out,” an outraged Marshall said. An usher followed them out and urged officers to “write her up, write her up,” Hairston added. “He almost kind of reminded me, not to flatter myself, of, “Crucify her! Crucify her!” When reflecting on “the least of these” Jesus mentions in Matthew 25, I usually think of the homeless, hungry, and imprisoned, rather than the pregnant daughter of a still politically ambitious former state senator. Marshall thought of the homeless, too, contrasting their treatment with Hairston’s.
“I remember a person, a homeless woman once coming in during Mass and kind of causing a thing, and everyone was pretty delicate and gracious and charitable,” he said. It wasn’t clear whether Hairston had made anyone at Holy Trinity aware of her need for charity: She often feels light-headed while wearing a mask. Regardless, it’s not a good look to have a worshiper removed by police during prayer. Still, what are pastors and ushers to do when someone insists on ignoring a church’s COVID-19 protocols? You don’t have a mask requirement if someone can stay while refusing to comply. I suggested to my church leaders that we needed to consider how ushers should respond in similar situations. But I was told to trust that people coming to worship would cooperate. That’s naïve, I fear. Haven’t we all seen videos of angry people berating store employees when told to mask up? Hairston said she goes along with masking, as needed, everywhere else, but at church, she does not want to “play these, you know, communist games.” “You are more likely to get treated with Christian charity and grace at a Taco Bell than you are at church, unfortunately,” she claimed. Beware. If you have an encounter with Hairston, it appears likely that would prove true.
2019 Park Cities parade. (PHOTO: CHRIS MCGATHEY)
United We Stand: Parade Scheduled By William Taylor People Newspapers
A year after its COVID-19 cancelation, the Rotary Club of the Park Cities expects the Fourth of July Parade to return this summer. As for the picnic in Goar Park, that was still being worked out at press time. The parade will begin at 9 a.m. July 3 and follow its usual route from Highland Park Town Hall to Goar Park. Jim and Laurie Hitzelberger, selected to serve as grand marshals last year, will finally get to ride this year and be honored at a luncheon at 11:45 a.m. June 11 at Maggiano’s Little Italy. Major sponsors include Oncor (lead), Frost Bank, and the Rotary Club of Park Cities Foundation.
Rotary members chose a parade theme that speaks to present situations and needs: United We Stand. “We are a nation,” parade committee chairman Phillip Bankhead said. “We may be diverse, but nevertheless, we are in this together.” Also, he said. “We’ve been isolated through the COVID lockdowns, and it’s important that we are a community.” He added the theme also dovetails nicely with Highland Park Mayor Margo Goodwin’s desire to recognize municipal employees who responded so well during the “Snowmageddon” and other frontline workers who have carried the communities through the pandemic, Bankhead said. “The parade is going to be dedicated to them.”
parkcitiespeople.com | May 2021 13
14 May 2021 | parkcitiespeople.com
Business
‘THE MOST IMITATED RESTAURANT IN AMERICA’
Mariano’s Hacienda celebrates 50th anniversary of frozen margarita machine By Kirk Dooley
Special Contributor
I
f there were ever a perfect time to celebrate with a frozen margarita, May 11 would be the day. On that Taco Tuesday, Mariano Martinez will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his invention of the frozen margarita machine, which revolutionized the American restaurant industry. The original Mariano’s Hacienda location – also 50 years old in May – was on Greenville Avenue, just a stone’s throw from the Park Cities.
Our frozen margarita machine was duplicated throughout the nation, and it ushered in the National Drink of Baby Boomers. Mariano Martinez It featured a cantina bar section packed with Village Apartment swinging singles, SMU students, flight attendants, Dallas Cowboys, and local media personalities. As restaurant chains like Chili’s, Applebee’s, and Steak & Ale followed suit and rolled out frozen
LEFT: In this 1991 photo, Mariano Martinez shows off the frozen margarita machine at Mariano’s Hacienda. (PHOTO: COURTESY MARIANO’S HACIENDA) RIGHT, FROM LEFT: Mariano and Wanda Martinez with the original frozen margarita machine. (PHOTO: COURTESY THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION)
margarita machines to thirsty Americans in all 50 states, the tequila-based concoction became the national drink of choice. Suddenly all restaurants and mom-and-pop cafes could serve tasty, consistent frozen margaritas for a reasonable price without hiring a bartender. For many smaller restaurants, the margarita was the difference between breaking even and making a profit. After 35 good years in the Old Town Village on Greenville Avenue, Mariano’s moved to a larger location at 6300 Skillman Street at Larmada Street 15 years ago, and business never skipped a beat. “We changed a lot of things,”
Martinez said. “Our frozen margarita machine was duplicated throughout the nation, and it ushered in the National Drink of Baby Boomers. Mariano’s became the most imitated restaurant in America. The original margarita machine is now on permanent display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. That invention changed our nation’s culture forever.” Seventeen years ago, Martinez and his wife, Wanda, moved from their large East Dallas compound near White Rock Lake to a larger home in the heart of Highland Park. After six years of searching,
they found a 1914 home designed by Lang and Witchell, a prominent architectural firm in Dallas from 1905 to 1942. The firm created masterpieces such as Highland Park’s Town Hall and the State Fair Music Hall. The Highland Park home was built while SMU was being constructed, and it used the same bricks as SMU. Since 1914 the Martinezes are the second family to live there. Jessie Lee Johnson’s family, including son Searcy, were the original owners. “We loved living in East Dallas, but we made the move in order to have the emergency services that the Town of Highland Park is known for,” Martinez said. “As we
get older, a quick paramedic response time becomes more and more important to us. Our bedroom is upstairs, so we also added an elevator.” For Mariano and Wanda Martinez to take a moment to celebrate the golden anniversary of their restaurant and the invention of the frozen margarita machine will keep them busy for a while. But they need to conserve their energy because, in a few months, they will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary – most likely with a couple of margaritas and a well-deserved toast to half a century of health, happiness, and blue agave.
Come Together With a ‘Mixtape’ App
Pair of SMU business school graduates channel music nostalgia of the ’80s and ’90s By Josh Hickman
Special Contributor Matt Sidhom mused recently over coffee about the present social woes and an idea for connecting with music, personalized giving, and nostalgia. “People were so apart, and social media seemed in some ways to be breaking them apart even further,” he said. “People seemed to be pushing people apart except those who agree with you.” Music has always revealed to us how much more alike we are than different. Many of us older folks remember making mixtapes and CDs in the ’80s and ’90s for our friends or that special someone we were wooing. They were often very personal gifts with notes and even photos or drawings added. Sidhom smiled as he recalled making his
future wife mix CDs and writing notes about each song. As the world began to digitize and become more online, she asked him how she could hang onto these precious mementos. “I give her credit,” he said, laughing. “It was sort of her idea.” Eight years in the making, the new Super Awesome Mix app grew from an inspired idea and was launched this spring by two recent SMU business school graduates. Sidhom and his business partner, Samer Abousalbi, were occupied with other projects initially but brought the concept to fruition after noticing the isolation and pain the COVID-19 pandemic and recent political strife thrust upon people. “This seemed to be a way of pulling people together that was sort of agnostic — Democrat or Republican,” Matt said. “You can, of course, make playlists on Spotify or other online ser-
Music is such a powerful connection. Matt Sidhom
Find The Super Awesome Mix app on the Apple app store, at superawesomemix.com, or through social media @superawesomemix. (PHOTOS: COURTESY MATT SIDHOM)
vices, but it was adding that personal touch to bring people together — remembering that concert we went to or that road trip we went on.” The more they talked to people in different places (Samron relocated to New York), the
more their confidence in the idea grew. “Music is such a powerful connection,” Sidhom stressed. “We added a feature where you could add your own voice to each track. Maybe a loved one passed away, and you now have their music and what they thought about it.” The audience isn’t just nostalgic Gen-Xers; a younger generation embraces the music and style of the mixtape era, often passed down by their parents. “A friend of mine told me she was just telling her 14-year-old son about making mixtapes by recording radio broadcasts. That oral history gets handed down,” Sidhom added with a chuckle. And on the graphics side, he said, “We will soon make it a marketplace for visual artists who can make a little money that way.” The app is free, but adding a personal voice intro costs 99 cents. People can add illustrations, either from a set provided by the app or ones supplied by the user. What does the future hold for this nostalgic idea? Matt beamed, “We’re really excited about the response we’ve gotten so far.”
parkcitiespeople.com | May 2021 15
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16 May 2021 | parkcitiespeople.com
Shop May Be Closed, But Not Forgotten
Wicker Basket couple still fills orders for flowers, other plants By Evelyn Wolff
People Newspapers On a Friday in March, Floyd and Johnetta Burke were making sure Presbyterians, Methodists, and Catholics would have palm branches for Palm Sunday services – just as they have done for many years. The Burkes closed their retail shop, The Wicker Basket, in 2019, but devoted patrons still call for poinsettias at Christmas, altar flowers for funerals, and unique blooming gifts. Longtime residents will remember the little shop on Eastern Avenue, which Julie Weissert founded in 1981.
Sneak one of your favorite vases or containers out of the house, and let me create a beautiful arrangement for any special occasion. Johnetta Burke Floyd and Johnetta were looking for a business they could do together and had bids on three: the Jack in the Box on Lovers Lane, The Wicker Basket, and another florist. After all three proposals were accepted one afternoon, they weighed their options and went with The Wicker Basket. “I was inspired by Miss Cane’s in Bossier City, Louisiana,” Johnetta said. “It was an antique shop that had been a florist, and I thought I could use antique and vintage containers to create beautiful arrangements.” Johnetta is not one to throw something broken away. She loves old things and loves repurposing them. Over the years, she has filled garden trugs, watering cans, and bird feeders with violets, begonias, Gerber daisies, and greenery. Floyd and Johnetta met at SMU in 1964. Floyd had been recruited from his high school in Amarillo to play running back for the Mustangs and was studying business. He took a ceramics class, and just across the hall, hometown girl Johnetta Alexander was taking Intro to Drawing.
THEN AND NOW: Floyd and Johnetta Burke at SMU, where they met in 1964 (PHOTO: LAUGHEAD PHOTOGRAPHERS) and on their front porch recently. (PHOTO: EVELYN WOLFF) Though The Wicker Basket storefront (as seen in a 1981 photo) has closed, the Burkes still provide altar flowers and other arrangements, and Johnetta repairs and refashions jewelry. (PHOTOS: COURTESY THE BURKES) “Floyd was fast, but I was faster and chased him down,” she said. “We married in April of 1968 and graduated together that May.” The newlyweds lived in an apartment on Dickens and then managed two apartment complexes before purchasing a home on Southwestern Boulevard in 1971. The two-bedroom, two-bath house was bursting at the seams as they welcomed their first two sons, Andrew and Spencer. Johnetta was expecting their third son, Nathan, when they underwent a massive remodel and added a second story.
Comings and Goings
“There were 44 children under six who lived on that block of Southwestern,” Floyd said. “Almost all of them played on very successful boys and girls soccer teams. Everything the kids were involved in, one of us attended.” Today the Burkes live in a jewel box of a house on Southern Avenue in West Highland Park – the same neighborhood where Johnetta grew up. With cans of “oops” paint, Johnetta painted Wedgwood blue and geranium pink rooms to showcase the antiques they have collected over the past 53 years. Johnetta’s motto: “I know I can
make this something beautiful.” “I love it when people bring me their containers for me to fill with cut flowers or plants,” she said. “Sneak one of your favorite vases or containers out of the house, and let me create a beautiful arrangement for any special occasion.”
NOW OPEN
Audrey Dixon’s aunt. Jana Rae Howell opened the first two locations in Fort Worth and Wichita, Kansas. Her beloved recipes include an assortment of cupcakes, cheesecakes, cakeballs, cookies, and seasonal pies.
Natural Grocers
Preston Forest Village The all-natural grocer, located at 11661 Preston Road for more than a decade, has reopened after closing for two months to incorporate space formerly occupied by Panera Bread and update the store’s layout and fixtures.
J.Rae’s Bakery Lucky’s Hot Chicken
(PHOTOS: VANDELAY HOSPITALITY GROUP)
J.Rae’s Bakery
(PHOTO: JOSEPH BREWSTER)
Pavilion on Lovers Lane The family-owned bakery serves up homemade desserts at 5600 W. Lovers Lane while paying homage to owner
BLOOM COUNTING Call 469-583-1532 to order custom arrangements for pick up or delivery from The Wicker Basket.
Lucky’s Hot Chicken
6309 Hillcrest Ave The Nashville hot chicken concept opened its second Dallas-area location in April. The second location introduces some firsts for the eatery – the “Velvet Chicken & Waffle” plus boozy frozen cocktails and soft-serve to cool down after hot chicken.
parkcitiespeople.com | May 2021 17
18 May 2021 | parkcitiespeople.com
Real Estate Quarterly JUST HOW BUSY IS THE DALLAS-FORT WORTH MARKET? First-time homebuyers better pack patience along with their fine china By Bethany Erickson People Newspapers
The Lay of the Land
I
t’s a wild and wooly time to buy a house, but it can be especially trepidatious for the first-time buyer, now tasked with navigating the process during a time when homes sometimes only last hours on the market. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try, said Allie Beth Allman and Associates executive vice president Susan Baldwin and Rogers Healy, owner of the eponymous Rogers Healy and Associates.
Looking for a home and getting to the closing table can feel like a marathon, not a sprint. But it will be worth it. Susan Baldwin
DALLAS-FORT WORTH-ARLINGTON MARCH MARKET NUMBERS Median Listing Price: $383,000 Median Listing Price (year-over-year):
12% Active Listing Count (year-over-year): 69% New Listing Count (year-over-year): 36.6% Median Days on Market: 34 Median Days on Market (year-over-year): 12% February 2021 For-Sale Inventory: 21,340 February 2020 For-Sale Inventory: 31,439 DALLAS COUNTY FEBRUARY 2021 Median Home Price: $315,000 Median Home Price: Days on Market: 45
48.3% Months of Inventory: 1.3 months Active Listings:
2.6 months Pending Home Sales for February, Southern US: 13% Months of Inventory February 2020:
“My advice to the first-time homebuyers is to get pre-qualified in advance. Many areas are seeing multiple offers, and it’s hard to compete with a cash buyer without being really ready,” Baldwin said. “I can’t stress patience enough. Today’s market is more competitive than we have ever seen it, and not just for entry-level homes,” said Healy. “Luxury homes are just as competitive. Be patient with the process and trust that everything happens for a reason.” “As you are looking for a home, I urge you to put yourself in the seller’s shoes. Thinking like a buyer can change the way your
Sources: MetroTex Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, Zillow deal works,” he added. Healy and Baldwin said that managing expectations for buyers is also part of their jobs now. “Right now, individuals in the Dallas-Fort Worth market aren’t just competing against each other; they are competing with the thousands of other people who are relocating to North Texas,” Healy said. “It can be frustrating to not only lose out on an offer but lose out on an offer from someone who has only toured the
home virtually.” “I tell my sellers that the best offer may not be the highest offer because some buyers get overly enthusiastic but really can’t perform,” Baldwin added. “And it’s always a good idea to send a letter with a photo to personalize yourselves in a multiple bid situation.” Healy said that once you’re in home buying mode, it’s a bad time to make many big decisions. “While you are waiting for your closing date, make sure you
Closed Median sales price
(PHOTO: 123RF.COM/TEERAWUT MASAWAT , ILLUSTRATION: MELANIE THORNTON)
are not making any major life changes,” he said. “One of the worst things to happen is to lose the house after having your offer accepted. Make sure your finances aren’t changing, you aren’t switching jobs, and you aren’t making any major purchases. Keep a low profile until after you have closed.” He also said that real estate professionals might need to get a little more creative to help their homebuyers find that dream home. He suggests crafting a
more dynamic offer that includes things that might be more beneficial to the seller, like a free leaseback or slightly shortening the option period. But most of all, both say that buying a home right now — for anyone — is an exercise in patience. “Looking for a home and getting to the closing table can feel like a marathon, not a sprint,” Baldwin said. “But it will be worth it.”
MARKET NUMBERS: PRE STON HOLLOW
MARKET NUMBERS: PARK CITIE S Month
28.6%
Price per Sold to Active Days on Months’ sq. foot list price listings market supply
Month
Closed Median sales price
Price per Sold to Active Days on Months’ sq. foot list price listings market supply
March 2020
62
$1,276,000
$376
96%
245
61
3.8
March 2020
76
$860,100
$297
96%
265
87
4.5
June 2020
76
$1,244,500
$411
96%
298
54
5.3
June 2020
75
$1,144,500
$316
94%
338
116
6.2
Sept. 2020
89
$1,295,750
$426
95%
242
58
3.7
Sept. 2020
68
$888,500
$294
95%
291
65
4.9
Dec. 2020
83
$1,480,000
$459
96%
153
68
2.2
Dec. 2020
87
$1,176,800
$324
95%
192
104
3.0
March 2021
89
$1,587,500
$445
98%
93
58
1.3
March 2021
90
$1,040,000
$331
96%
106
77
1.6
Source: North Texas Real Estate Information Systems Inc.
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parkcitiespeople.com | May 2021 19
Four Things You Should Know Before You Decorate Your First Home Buying your first home is an exciting milestone. For most people, it’s their first chance to make a space truly their own. However, firsttime homebuyers might also find the prospect of decorating a whole home daunting. Below MARGARET are some tips that I CHAMBERS think all first-time homebuyers should know before they start decorating.
Plan Your Space in Advance Get your hands on the plans for the house if possible. Having these will help you see ahead of time which of your furniture will fit and if you need to knock down walls to create a more open layout. If your house needs significant renovations, bringing in a design team will save you a lot of stress later. Identify Your Favorite Design Styles Most people have more than one interior design style that inspires them. When in doubt, pick one that complements your home’s architecture. There’s no need to use the same style in every room, but remember to have at least one design element in common (such as a color) that connects the rooms. Start with the Rooms You’ll Use the Most The best rooms to begin with are the ones you’ll spend the most time in. If you
like to entertain, those rooms might be your living room and dining room. Your anchor pieces for each room (such as your bed, sofas, or dining table) should take priority in your budget. You can, and should, spend a lot less on accessories for the moment.
Layer Items Over Time Instead of Buying Everything at Once One mistake first-time homebuyers often make is rushing to buy everything at once and getting matching furniture sets. The best homes have a layered look that mixes old and new pieces. Combine items that are complementary in color, material, and scale, and remember that you can always reupholster a piece if you don’t like the fabric. Don’t be in a rush to pick your paint color, either: try testing out swatches instead. Finally, remember that most people only stay in their first home for a few years. The items you prioritize in your budget should also be ones you can take with you to your next home. On the other hand, if you plan on enjoying your home for many years to come, consider hiring a professional designer. Designers get to know you so that we can design a space that is perfectly suited for you and your family. Margaret Chambers, a registered interior designer (RID) and member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), leads Chambers Interiors and Associates. Her colleague Caitlin Crowley helped edit this column. Find more design advice at chambersinteriors. com/blog.
TOP: The clean transitional style for this den matches the home’s simple, almost farmhouse architecture. Blue and white is always a popular color scheme. BOTTOM: Although dining chairs should complement the table, you don’t need to use those that came with it. Use a different but complementary set to create more interest. Aqua and cream colors help pull this dining room together. (PHOTOS: MICHAEL HUNTER)
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LEFT TO RIGHT: Charles Gregory, Lance Hancock, Laura Michelle, Ryan Streiff, Karen Fry, Courtney Jubinsky, Jamie Kohlmann, and Jason Bates
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to place buyers in front of opportunities in these highly competitive markets in the Park Cities, Preston Hollow, East Dallas, and Lake Highlands.” This strategic collaboration has earned the Perry-Miller Streiff Group the distinction of being ranked the number two team in DFW, the number four team in Texas, and the number 54 team in the country, per RealTrends. The team includes Broker Associate Laura Michelle, Courtney Jubinsky, Jamie Kohlmann, Jason Bates, Karen Fry, and Lance Hancock. Holly Alredge, who handles all of the marketing for The PerryMiller Streiff Group, also plays a vital role on the team.
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20 May 2021 | parkcitiespeople.com
Dallas Midtown Redeveloper Launches Beck Realty Residential
Courtney Tauriac, Crystal Gonzalez to propel new North Texas real estate venture By Bethany Erickson
and to be a part of something bigger than just the sale of a home. Our team is heavily invested in Dallas, and we want to work with a company that is just as passionate about our city as we are.
People Newspapers
When Dallas Midtown redeveloper Scott Beck turned his eye to the Dallas residential real estate market, he knew he needed a team that knew the landscape and could provide a certain level of service. He found Courtney Tauriac and Crystal Gonzalez, a long-standing team with Compass before moving to the newly-formed Beck Realty Residential.
We loved the idea of partnering with a company who is pouring their resources locally into our great city and to be a part of something bigger than just the sale of a home. Courtney Tauriac and Crystal Gonzalez
FROM LEFT: Courtney Tauriac, Marcos Hernandez, Crystal Gonzalez. (PHOTO: MANNY RODRIGUEZ/MANNY RODRIGUEZ PHOTOGRAPHY) “They really know the market well, and they’re both super smart,” the president of Beck Realty said. Beck said that he envisions this new endeavor as “offering whiteglove service, but it’s for the entire Metroplex, not just luxury buyers.” Tauriac and Gonzalez are joined by real estate associate Marcos Hernandez and transaction coordinator Rebecca Fletcher. Tauriac and Gonzalez answered our questions recently. See more at peoplenewspapers.com.
You’re working parents, which means even during normal times, you’re juggling a very busy and demanding business with family life, too. But with the pandemic and school closures, it’s been even harder. How do you manage? Last year was definitely a trying time for everyone. There was an incredible amount of uncertainty, and our families were like everyone else’s in the world, trying to juggle working from home and our children’s education, all while keeping everyone sane and safe at the same
25 R E B M E T P E S – 7 1 IL APR
10th
time. It really came down to prioritizing and time management. Whether it be real estate or any other industry, it’s all in what you’re willing to put into it. What enticed you to work with Scott Beck? Beck Ventures attracted us because of their tremendous pride in our city and continued contribution to economic development. We loved the idea of partnering with a company who is pouring their resources locally into our great city
Scott mentioned that his hope was that your group would be able to offer a more egalitarian white-glove service. How will you do that? Though we have been selling in Dallas over 20 years, neither of us are originally from here. We were both able to build our business, one client at a time, and grow with our clients over the years. As they have gotten married, had children, lost a loved one, or experienced another life change, we have been a part of those transitions and have helped them navigate through the nuances regarding their living situation and where they call home. We are fortunate enough that we are now helping our clients purchase their dream homes while assisting their children in investing in their first home. We don’t concentrate our efforts on only one neighborhood or price point. We have developed with Scott the most important resources one might need when buying or selling their home, and these services will be offered to every Beck Realty client.
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parkcitiespeople.com | May 2021 21
Entertainer’s Dream Estate 781 Knob Hill Offered for $3,100,000 7 Bed / 9,889 Sq.Ft. / 2.5 Acres Clarke Landry 214.316.7416 clarke.landry@alliebeth.com
Inhale the Beauty 5403 Preston Fairways Circle Offered for $1,150,000 4 Bed / 5 Bath / 4,707 Sq.Ft. Susan Bradley 214.674.5518 susan.bradley@alliebeth.com
22 May 2021 | parkcitiespeople.com
Just Sold – Multiple Offers 5111 W. Amherst Avenue — SOLD Offered for $1,799,000 5 Bed / 5.2 Bath / 5,303 Sq.Ft. Marc Ching 214.728.4069 marc.ching@alliebeth.com
Prestigious Princeton SOLD! 3214 Princeton Avenue – SOLD Offered for $2,085,300 4 Bed / 3.1 Bath / 3,972 Sq.Ft. Doris Jacobs 214.537.3399 doris.jacobs@alliebeth.com
parkcitiespeople.com | May 2021 23
Fresh Light Living 3429 University Boulevard Offered for $2,450,000 5 Bed / 4.1 Bath / 4,891 Sq.Ft. Susan Baldwin 214.763.1591 susan.baldwin@alliebeth.com
Designed to Entertain 5122 Horseshoe Trail Offered for $2,250,000 5 Bed / 4.1 Bath / 6,059 Sq.Ft. Chad Barrett 214.714.7034 chad.barrett@alliebeth.com
All listing information, either in print or electronic format, is deemed reliable but not guaranteed and listing broker is not responsible for any typographical errors or misinformation. Prospective buyers are instructed to independently verify all information furnished in connection with a listing. This information is current as of the distribution of this material, but is subject to revisions, price changes, or withdrawal without any further notice. Allie Beth Allman & Associates strictly adheres to all Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity laws and regulations.
24 May 2021 | parkcitiespeople.com
Outside is IN 3821 Potomac Avenue Offered for $5,499,000 5 Bed / 6.1 Bath / 6,017 Sq.Ft. Shirley Cohn 214.729.5708 shirley.cohn@alliebeth.com
12016 Edgestone Drive Offered for $1,275,000 3 Bed / 3.2 Bath / 4,360 Sq.Ft.
4040 Cochran Chapel Road Offered for $3,295,000 4 Bed / 5.2 Bath / 5,564 Sq.Ft.
Tim Schutze | 214.507.6699 tim.schutze@alliebeth.com
Brittany Mathews | 214.641.1019 brittany.mathews@alliebeth.com
alliebethallman alliebeth.com All listing information, either in print or electronic format, is deemed reliable but not guaranteed and listing broker is not responsible for any typographical errors or misinformation. Prospective buyers are instructed to independently verify all information furnished in connection with a listing. This information is current as of the distribution of this material, but is subject to revisions, price changes, or withdrawal without any further notice. Allie Beth Allman & Associates strictly adheres to all Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity laws and regulations.
Real Talk: Eurico Francisco By Bethany Erickson
work, and it will speak for itself (it always does, isn’t it true?)
“Dallas is the largest American city without a school of architecture or design inside its city limits,” said Park Cities resident Eurico Francisco. Because of that, the Brazilian immigrant credits the Dallas Architecture Forum with filling the gap for the city when it comes to learning about architecture. Francisco, who is vice president at Callison RTKL in Dallas, was named president of the forum’s board of directors in March.
What is a design trend you are excited about? I’m excited not so much by a design trend per se, but by a social trend that is reflected in our urban environment: I’m speaking about the revitalization of our city centers, the renewed interest in historical downtowns, the return to city living and the mixture of uses that have been the hallmark of great cities – live, work and play, all interconnected. The pandemic has, of course, disrupted the trend, but I am confident that reinvestment in our cities will resume as we take control of the situation in the public health realm. If anything, the pandemic has only reinforced the notion that we miss being around other people, that we miss the energy of vibrant cities and all the opportunities that they offer. Telecommuting is convenient, and thank God for Zoom, but, in the end, we can’t forever live in virtual spaces.
People Newspapers
How long have you been in architecture and design, and what led you to this career? I have been practicing architecture for 35 years, which comes as a shock to me as I write it down. I’m still fascinated by it, and I feel that I learn something every time that there’s a new project or every time that I visit a new place. I am the first architect in a family of dentists and lawyers, and I credit my mother for pointing out architecture to me early on – I remember that she would always comment on buildings as she took me around the city as a young boy.
If anything, the pandemic has only reinforced the notion that we miss being around other people, that we miss the energy of vibrant cities and all the opportunities that they offer. Eurico Francisco
If you could go back in time and give yourself advice as you started your career, what would it be? It would be: Your professors and mentors are ready to guide you through these early years – listen to them! It would also be: don’t worry so much about what comes next – just do your best
Can you give us a couple of fun facts about yourself? Not sure that this is fun or even funny, but I’ve been in the U.S. for more than half of my life, but when I open my mouth, people immediately can tell that I’m didn’t grow up here. I’ve tried and tried to lose the accent and sound more like a local, but by now, I’m resigned to just live with it.
Go to peoplenewspapers.com to find out Franciso’s second fun fact and where his favorite buildings are.
parkcitiespeople.com | May 2021 25
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perfect for entertaining, provides spacious formals, a large kitchen, and a family room with a wet bar overlooking the beautiful pool and serene outdoor living. The second floor offers three spacious secondary ensuite bedrooms and two living areas. The primary suite has a balcony, spa bath, and large dual closets. A two-car garage plus additional covered parking complete this architectural gem.
26 May 2021 | parkcitiespeople.com
Sports
PAIR OF ACES: HP WORKHORSES HAVE DIFFERENT STYLES, SAME RESULTS Williams, Valentine could be key to a lengthy playoff run for the Scots people out and keep us in games.” Williams, a senior, has started most of the Tuesday games this season for HP. After serving as the closer a year ago, he’s embraced his new role. “Every district game is kind of a mustwin,” Williams said. “I’m excited we’re getting a full season this year. It makes us want it a little more than usual.” Valentine, a junior, has verbally committed to the University of Texas after attracting a number of scholarship offers. As the Friday starter for the Scots, he studies the lineup Williams typically faces three days earlier. “It helps getting to watch him on Tuesday,” Valentine said. “Focusing on Calvin helps me with how I attack the hitters on Friday.” After last season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, Yoder wasn’t sure he had any clearcut No. 1 starter this winter. As
the season progressed, he found out he had two. Williams and Valentine have each been so consistent — regularly throwing complete games with double-digit strikeout totals — that it’s been challenging to find innings for other pitchers on the staff. That depth will come in handy in the upcoming playoffs when advancement usually requires winning a best-of-three series. Ben Bailey, Mac Moreland, and Preston Gamster are among the other hurlers who have been effective in limited appearances. During a four-game stretch comprising back-to-back sweeps of Crandall and West Mesquite, for example, the Scots didn’t walk any hitters while striking out 40. “It’s been a pleasant surprise,” Yoder said of his dynamic duo. “They can last a long time because they work fast, and they’re throwing a lot of strikes.”
They can last a long time because they work fast, and they’re throwing a lot of strikes. Travis Yoder
FROM LEFT: Highland Park pitchers Collin Valentine and Calvin Williams have racked up plenty of innings — and strikeouts — this season. (PHOTO: CHRIS MCGATHEY)
By Todd Jorgenson People Newspapers
C
alvin W illiams is a hard-throwing right-hander with shoulder-length hair, a fiery mound demeanor, and a charismatic bulldog attitude. Collin Valentine is a lanky lefty
with a more finesse repertoire, an even-keeled approach, and a cerebral perspective on his craft. In many ways, Highland Park’s top two starting pitchers couldn’t be more different. Yet their results this season have been strikingly similar. Dominant pitching is the primary
reason why the Scots are heading back to the Class 5A playoffs this season while also chasing another district title. “They’re both pitching with a lot of confidence,” said HP head coach Travis Yoder. “Their personalities are different, but they have the same mindset — just to get
Goal Oriented: For HP Senior, Scoring Is A Specialty
Mencke aiming for final state tournament run with senior teammates By Todd Jorgenson People Newspapers
Thomas Mencke might be comfortable around the goal, but his frequency there tends to make opponents uncomfortable. The scoring prowess of the Highland Park senior is the primary reason why he’s one of the most dynamic offensive players in Texas, for an HP squad that expects to contend for a state championship. His lefthanded flair and uncanny finishing ability also attracted the attention of the powerhouse college program at the University of Virginia, where Mencke will play next season after signing with the Cavaliers in the fall. “I’ve always wanted to play for a really good school,” Mencke said. Virginia, which won a national title in 2019. “I really like the coaches and I’m really excited about that. It’s an awesome fit for me.” Mencke said he watches other attacking lefties but has his own style, with the crafty ability to shoot from different release points. “I would say I’m a pretty original player,” Mencke said. “I’ve always tried to put myself in position where I can score. It’s more of a mentality than anything.” Mencke hails from an athletic Park Cities family. His oldest brother, Robert, was an HP lacrosse standout — albeit on defense — pri-
or to playing collegiately at Harvard. Another sibling, Charles, was a rower at Cornell. Like them, Thomas participated in several sports in elementary school but eventually settled on lacrosse and basketball. Always more elite in the former, he stopped playing hoops after last season. With recruiting now in the rearview mirror, Mencke is focused on winning a Texas High School Lacrosse League state title with his longtime teammates. Many of this year’s HP seniors won a THSLL Division II crown together during their freshman year. As sophomores, they were Division I runners-up. And last year, the season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. During the 2019 run, Mencke tallied three goals during a state semifinal victory over Austin Westlake, but was held scoreless in the championship game against ESD. Mencke was a major factor when the Scots defeated the rival Eagles twice during the regular season this spring. The playoffs begin in late April, with the state tournament scheduled for May 8-9. “All of the seniors now have been playing together since elementary school. We knew this season would be pretty special,” he said. “It’s a bigger deal to us now, since we didn’t get the chance last year.”
We knew this season would be pretty special. Thomas Mencke
Highland Park’s Thomas Mencke is part of a large senior class with state title hopes for the Scots. (PHOTO: CHRIS MCGATHEY)
7326 Centenary Avenue | Caruth Hills
parkcitiespeople.com | May 2021 27
Original Ideas. Proven Results. Offering an enhanced real estate experience defined by innovative strategies, valuable insights, and unparalleled work ethic.
Experience. Service. Results. 214.454.1128 | christopher.mcguire@compass.com All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. All measurements and square footages are approximate, but not guaranteed and should be independently verified. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of real estate brokerage. Compass is a licensed real estate broker. Equal Housing Opportunity.
28 May 2021 | parkcitiespeople.com
HP Recipients Among DUC Rowers With Varsity Letters
Historic collaboration helps validate crew as an off-campus sport for area schools
scholastic endorsement of their sport on college applications, regardless of whether they compete in crew beyond graduation.
By Todd Jorgenson People Newspapers
Earning a varsity letter through sports or other school-sanctioned extracurricular activities has carried honor and prestige for generations. Caroline Craycroft, a junior at Highland Park High School, and other rowers with Dallas United Crew never had that opportunity until this year. “Before this, I felt like I lived in divided worlds — school and rowing,” Craycroft said. “This letter brought them together.” DUC, based at White Rock Lake, includes several Park Cities students yet operates independently from the HPHS athletic program. In 2020, the organization reached agreements with administrators at HP and three other schools — Bishop Lynch, Lakehill, and Woodrow Wilson — enabling rowers to share in the proud tradition of affixing letters to their school jackets. DUC officials collaborated with each school’s athletic director to decide the criteria, which includes athletes consistently rowing at the highest varsity level and those who have shown dedication to the team by rowing three or more years with DUC. Both oarsmen and coxswains are eligible. “Rowing adds to the sports schools can offer, and athletic departments that
Before this, I felt like I lived in divided worlds — school and rowing. Caroline Craycroft Craycroft is one of 14 rowers in the inaugural class of letter-earning DUC honorees, almost half of which attend HP. Others include Grace Condon, Ava Craycroft, Kate Corey, Georgia Wellborn, and Drew Favors. Four have since gone on to collegiate rowing programs, including Condon (SMU), Corey (Northeastern), Wellborn (Fordham), and Ava Craycroft (Texas).
HONOREES
Five Dallas United Crew rowers received varsity letters as juniors, including Highland Park’s Caroline Craycroft. FRONT ROW: Chloe Dietz. MIDDLE, FROM LEFT: Ellie Rodriguez, Craycroft, and Luke Schweizer. BACK: Archer Smith. (COURTESY PHOTO) partner with DUC keep more kids active and learning through sport,” said DUC program director Steve Perry. “Our high school team draws athletes from 26 area high schools. Varsity letters are just one aspect of how we can work together. We also
team for off-campus PE credit, National Letter of Intent signing celebrations, and scholar-athlete awards.” Rowers train six days a week, yearround. Perry said a varsity letter communicates students’ dedication and provides
Six Highland Park rowers from Dallas United Crew earned varsity letters from 2020. They include: Grace Condon Kate Corey Ava Craycroft Caroline Craycroft Drew Favors Georgia Wellborn
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All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. All measurements and square footages are approximate, but not guaranteed and should be independently verified. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of real estate brokerage. Compass is a licensed real estate broker. Equal Housing Opportunity.
parkcitiespeople.com | May 2021 29
30 May 2021 | parkcitiespeople.com
Camps
CAMP SUMMIT FOCUSES ON ABILITIES RATHER THAN DISABILITIES After virtual 2020, program returns to Paradise, Texas, for summer 2021 By William Taylor
WA N T T O H E L P ?
People Newspapers
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amp Summit, committed to serving people of various abilities and ages, never turns a camper away, not even in a pandemic. Of course, in 2020, that meant providing camp online. “We brought our campers a virtual lineup of activities, Zoom events, and even some sidewalk sing-a-longs,” said Meg Frainey, of Preston Hollow, who serves on the camp’s Board of Directors. “We stayed connected and provided a break from the boredom and isolation our campers were facing.” But this summer, Camp Summit aims to return to its barrier-free Wise County facility in Paradise, Texas, where clients ages 6 to 99 engage in traditional activities and stay in cabins with their peers for a week. “Although 2021 may look a little different with some new guidelines and safety procedures, we know our campers and their families will be pleased to add camp back into their routines,” said Abbey Cumnock, marketing and public relations manager. “With community support, Camp Summit will be able to continue to offer individuals
• Visit CampSummitTx.org to learn how those with disabilities can thrive through camp experiences. • Support a signature fundraising event such as the 20th annual Boots and Bandanas Dinner and Gala on Nov. 4. • Join the Council of Ambassadors to support and advocate for Camp Summit clients.
At its barrier-free Wise County facility in Paradise, Camp Summit offers clients ages 6 to 99 a week of traditional camp activities adapted to their individual needs. (PHOTOS: COURTESY CAMP SUMMIT) with disabilities assistance with the tuition they need, so their loved one with a disability can experience and enjoy the benefits of camp.” The summer season will run from May 23 to Aug. 13, and the fall season from Sept. 19 to Nov. 19. Since its first session 73 years ago with 19 campers, Camp Summit, initially known as Camp Soroptimist, has offered individuals
acceptance for who they are, Frainey said. More than 2,500 campers participate annually now, and by offering a 2:1 camper-to-counselor ratio and an on-site medical team, the camp can even serve medically fragile clients. “Whether someone is in a wheelchair, has an intellectual disability, or needs 100% assistance with daily life-skills, Camp Summit makes the impossible happen,”
• Phone 972-484-8900 for memberships or donations. Frainey said. “We give each camper a ‘Yes I Can’ fun-filled week.” The fee for a week of camp is $1,600, but with 90% of campers receiving help through the Campership and Financial Assistance Project, many often pay as little as $50 toward tuition, Cumnock said. “By anticipating and removing all barriers, we can focus on our campers’ abilities rather than their disabilities.”
Behaving Properly at Twirlarama Proves Too Much To Bear I was no stranger to summer camps growing up. My favorite was attending Bill Allen’s “Twirlarama” with The Farmers Branch Bomberettes when I was 10 to 12. It was a week at BayTA N A H U N T E R lor University, and we felt so grown up staying in the dorm rooms and eating in the cafeteria. Our walk to twirling classes each day included passing the Bear Habitat, and one day I
could not help putting my baton through the fence and doing some “thumb flips,” which resulted in my dropping it down in the bear pit. It was embarrassing enough, but the director of the Bomberettes was also my mother, Jacqueline Alexander Hunter, who had her first dance studio in Snider Plaza. Needless to say, I was in double trouble and had to March around the football field several times as punishment.
FUN FACT: The girl in the white yarn pigtails is Judy Trammel, the
director of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders (She never got into trouble). Tana Hunter, an advertising account executive for People Newspapers, still likes to ham it up and clown around.
SUMMER STORIES Got a story from camp or another summer program you’d like to share? Send it and a photo to editor@ peoplenewspapers.com. Girls enjoy a twirling camp at Baylor University in 1972. (COURTESY: TANA HUNTER)
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parkcitiespeople.com | May 2021 31
Want To Make a Difference? Consider a Summer of Service I clearly remember that feeling of the last day of school and the summer before me -- one filled with swimming lessons, Girl Scout camp, and all kinds of fun activities that my mom would find for us. As I became involved professionally with youth development in the 1990s, we realized how K I R S T E N vital that out-ofB R A N D T JA M E S school time was and started to see the stark differences for those with access and opportunity and those with limited or no access to quality out-of-school experiences. The “summer slide” risk for children from underser ved communities has been well documented and researched. A 2011 research repor t by the RAND Corporation found that summer learning loss, particularly in reading, disproportionately affects economically disadvantaged students. In 2021, we are dealing with something even more devastating: The COVID-19 slide has put thousands of children behind in both reading and math in school. According to a recent article in the Dallas Morning News, “The pandemic has caused deep, ‘horrifying’ learning losses for Dallas children, and underscored the disparities among Black students, according to new DISD results. Half of all Dallas ISD students experienced learning loss in math during disruptions caused by
COVID-19, and nearly a third slipped in reading, according to the district’s analysis of start-of-year assessments given to students in September and October.” (Dallas Morning News, 11/5/2020) Project Transformation was founded 23 years ago to address the need for quality out-of-school time activities, strengthen communities, and help young adults discern their purpose and learn about service. We will accomplish this mission in 2021 with summer day camp programs at 11 sites throughout the Dallas area conducted in collaboration with churches. We have programming for students in grades one through 12. We will be in person this summer following all current CDC guidelines and protocols for COVID-19. More than ever, our children and youth need opportunities to learn and grow in a loving and fun community. Our programs are planned and implemented by talented young adult leaders who commit a summer or year of their lives to build relationships with children and experience intentional community with their peers. Because young adults are in a stage of life where they ask – “What is my purpose?” – we provide a paid service opportunity where they can explore their strengths and put their faith in action. While our young adults invest in children through the program Monday through Thursday, we provide a space where they can invest in themselves on
We help our young adults find that place where their deepest joy intersects with the world’s deepest need.
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Following CDC COVID-19 guidelines, Project Transformation will collaborate with churches to offer summer day camp programs for grades one through 12 at 11 sites throughout the Dallas area. (PHOTO: COURTESY PROJECT TRANSFORMATION NORTH TEXAS) Fridays. Through weekly visits with local leaders who have dedicated their lives to supporting their community, we help our young adults find that place where their deepest joy intersects with the world’s deepest need. We know that only in collaboration with our community is our work made possible. Kirsten Brandt James is the executive director for Project Transformation North Texas.
WA N T T O H E L P ? • Refer a college-age young adult to apply for a summer of service with Project Transformation North Texas. • Volunteer as a virtual reading buddy or in some other way. • Visit ptnorthtexas.org to learn more about how to make a difference in the summer of 2021.
32 May 2021 | parkcitiespeople.com
Schools
SCHOOL BOARD RACE TAKES RANCOROUS, PARTISAN TURN Foundation, a nonprofit. The Rowling Foundation, according to its website, seeks to “be a resource for financial assistance, consultative ministry, and prayer support to those organizations committed to the cause of Christ.” “A new check from the Rowling personal account was written & deposited,” according to an amended campaign report.
GO VOTE! Early voting: April 19-27 Election Day: May 1
By Rachel Snyder People Newspapers
S
chool board elections are typically nonpartisan affairs, but the Highland Park ISD Place 1 race has taken on decidedly partisan rhetoric and rancor. Some Park Cities residents received flyers describing Doug Woodward as a “New Jersey Liberal,” who “had BLM sign in his yard,” “says #1 Quality For Teachers is Diversity, Not Teaching Qualifications,” and “recently worked as P&G’s ‘Diversity Officer,’ whose materials stated that all white people are racist, just for being white.” Woodward responded on his campaign’s website and Facebook page. “I did, indeed, have a sign in my yard briefly last summer which expressed compassion at a difficult time for all of us,” he said. “If you are asking whether my response indicates a support of any political platform you may associate it with, the answer is categorically no, and any suggestion otherwise is misinformed and irresponsible.” Woodward called the suggestion he would support race over quality in the hiring of a teacher “absurd.” Though the flyer supported candidate Kelli Macatee, she said it was produced by a
I did, indeed, have a sign in my yard briefly last summer which expressed compassion at a difficult time for all of us. Doug Woodward Place 1 trustee candidates Kelli Macatee and Doug Woodward took questions on the Bubble Lounge podcast recently. (SCREENGRABS: RACHEL SNYDER) political action committee, not her campaign. “We live in a very divided time, sadly, and there are often times outside groups get involved in elections,” Macatee said. Sources who saw the flyer said it appeared to be from Metroplex Citizens for a Better Tomorrow. According to the Texas Ethics Commission website, the PAC was formed on March 29, and its treasurer is Monty J. Bennett, CEO of Ashford Inc., a hospitality services firm. Bennett, who has launched the nonprofit Dallas Express website, didn’t confirm or deny involvement in the flyer.
“Everyone knows that there’s really no point in responding because the left-wing media’s bully culture is to twist whatever anyone says into making a conservative look bad and a lefty look good,” he said. “Everyone also knows that Kelli is the conservative and Doug’s the lefty.” In their bids to replace board president Jim Hitzelberger, who isn’t seeking re-election, Macatee had raised $42,030 to Woodward’s $15,005.55, according to campaign finance reports. Macatee returned a $10,000 contribution inappropriately made by the Rowling
Woodward has been endorsed by more than 21 past PTA presidents as of March 26, according to his campaign. But one endorsement shared on social media raised eyebrows. “The community leaders that signed the original letter felt that it was clear that the endorsement was made by individuals who had served the school rather than any statement from the organization,” Woodward said. To make it clearer, University Park Elementary PTA president Julie Melihercik said, an unofficial school letterhead and her name were removed from a letter signed by nine past PTA presidents within a day of their being aware of the post.
Diversity, Inclusion Key Issues in HPISD, Election Students urge action; PCPU opposes ‘critical race theory’ By Rachel Snyder People Newspapers
Months after students urged Highland Park ISD to implement diversity education, discipline users of racial slurs, and promote inclusion, those issues remain a source of contention within the district. Recent board meetings have drawn students and parents to speak on those topics, and concerns over what changes could bring have been a flashpoint in the Place 1 trustee race. Sophia Chung, one of the students seeking change through an “Open Letter to Highland Park” video this summer, urged the school board in April to form an inclusion committee and address racist behaviors such as taunting in the middle school. “These behaviors are taught, and they can also be unlearned,” she said. “Students learn from what they see, which is why representation is so critical to a learning environment.” But many are worried about
what is and will be taught. Leo Whelan, whose grandchildren attend schools in the district, attended a recent board meeting where he spoke against “critical race theory.” “It’s divisive, un-American, and has no business in Highland Park school district,” he said. On CNN, Kimberlé Crenshaw, a founding critical race theorist and a law professor at UCLA and Columbia universities, defined critical race theory as a practice. “It’s an approach to grappling with a history of White supremacy that rejects the belief that what’s in the past is in the past, and that the laws and systems that grow from that past are detached from it,” Crenshaw said. Whelan and others see the issue as a key one for the May 1 election. “I’m going to do everything I can with my neighbors to make sure that we have a candidate who is elected that supports traditional American educational values,” he said. Park Cities Parents Unite
Students addressed the Highland Park ISD trustees during an April work session to raise concerns and discuss how to make the district more inclusive. (PHOTO: RACHEL SNYDER) (PCPU), which advocates for lifting COVID-19 protocols in the district, has shared social media videos leading up to the election.
Students learn from what they see, which is why representation is so critical to a learning environment. Sophia Chung
One refers to HPISD Place 1 trustee candidate Doug Woodward as “Diversity Doug” and includes a clip of him saying he believes there should be a lead diversity officer for the district. Woodward told People Newspapers he also favors the creation of an inclusion committee. “Although progress has been made and current programs have been effective in at least raising awareness, students and parents still report problems that we must have the courage to address,” Woodward said. In a video shared on his cam-
paign Facebook page, he said he didn’t know what critical race theory was when he filed to run and, after looking into it, doesn’t support it in schools. Woodward’s opponent Kelli Macatee said she’s not part of PCPU but knows parents who are. She said the district should focus on what unites rather than divides and not allow race to be weaponized. “The vast majority of people I come across in Highland Park are not racist,” she said. “They have hearts of gold and champion various heritages, races, causes, and cultures and speak openly about championing others.”
parkcitiespeople.com | May 2021 33
HPISD Mourns Beloved ‘Mama Drama,’ Leader of Fine Arts Linda Raya built her legacy over four decades of service to the district
Longtime HPISD educator Linda Raya was so beloved HPHS parents Dina Jones Steele and La Fiesta de las Seis Banderas president at the time Rebecca Beasley, their steering committee, and a group of volunteers worked for nearly two years on a tribute to Raya back in 2013. (PHOTOS: COURTESY HPISD)
By Rachel Snyder People Newspapers
Longtime Highland Park ISD educator Linda Raya, known affectionately as “mama drama” and the “fearless” leader of HPISD fine arts, left behind a storied legacy in the district that spans more than 40 years. Linda Raya died April 4 after battling cancer, her family shared. During her tenure with HPISD, she served as a theater teacher and district coordinator of fine arts. Before joining HPISD, she taught at the Northeast District in San Antonio and Long Beach ISD in Long Beach, New York. “She was energetic, big-hearted, and fun-loving in the classroom with students the same as she was in a fine arts meeting with teachers or in a HP arts meeting with parents,” said Susan Cruz, a fine arts executive assistant in the district. “She genuinely cared about people and wanted everyone to be successful; whether it was helping
‘Empowering’ first move Maybe this spring’s graduation speaker wouldn’t mind if audience members look at their phones and “swipe right” instead of listening closely to her commencement address on May 15. Then again, they might better pay attention to what the 31-year-old entrepreneur and SMU alumna learned during her quick rise to success. Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder and CEO of Bumble Inc., became the youngest woman to take a company public when she celebrated the initial offering of her dating app shares on the Nasdaq Stock Market in February. “Our graduates will feel a sense of kinship with her as it has been only 10 years since she walked across the stage in cap and gown,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner.
students learn and not be afraid to express themselves creatively, or encouraging educators to stretch their imaginations to teach and reach students in many different ways, or generously donating her time to help parents creatively raise funds for classroom items, scholarships, etc. She was beloved because her generosity and caring were real and actively displayed on a daily basis, no matter who you were.” Natalie Walker, Highland Park High School’s fine arts chair and director of K-12 choral music, said Raya introduced her to “every alum that came through the space.”
The outdoor ceremony, scheduled for 8 a.m. in Ford Stadium, will be streamed live at smu.edu/live. Wolfe Herd founded two companies while pursuing her international studies degree. After graduation, she volunteered overseas and worked briefly for a customer rewards app company before co-founding Tinder in 2012. She was determined to reinvent the internet for women. On the Bumble app, women must send the first message to men they are interested in within the first 24 hours of matching. As she told SMU Magazine in 2018, “When you think about it, women are making the first move, which is empowering.”
Sheffield Hall gift
A $15 million gift from Sharoll and Bryan S. Sheffield (Class
“I loved watching her during performances of our musical. Linda would always be beautifully dressed and greeting the audience before and after the show in the foyer of the lobby,” Walker said. HPHS parents Dina Jones Steele, a 1982 HP grad, Rebecca Beasley, their steering committee, and a group of volunteers worked for nearly two years on a tribute to Raya back in 2013. They also initiated the creation of the Linda Raya Fine Arts Endowment around that time. HP Arts awards the HP Arts Linda Raya Scholarship to graduating Highland
For 50 minutes each day, her classroom became a Broadway stage, a Hollywood Studio, or an oldworld playhouse on the West End. I owe so much in my life and career to her. Doug Wright
of 2001) to the Edwin L. Cox School of Business will empower future entrepreneurs by creating new technology-equipped collaborative spaces. Their commitment will establish Bryan S. Sheffield Hall, part of the future Cox School renovation and expansion project. “The Cox School, and its BBA program, in particular, taught me to anticipate future business landscapes,” said Bryan Sheffield, founder and managing partner of Formentera Partners. “This facility will give our next-generation CEOs experience in a data-driven, collaborative environment – and the skills to build trust with customers.” Sheffield Hall will serve as the new hub for Cox School’s Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program, including BBA admissions, academic advising, and student records. It will house classroom space on the lower level and faculty offices on the second floor. – Compiled by William Taylor
Park High School seniors who studied the same fine art for four years and will continue that study in college. Also, at that 2013 tribute, it was announced the Palmer Auditorium stage at Highland Park High School would be named the Linda Raya Stage. The master of ceremonies for the evening was Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and HPHS alumnus Doug Wright. “Most people remember Linda for her profound humanity and heartfelt dedication to teaching. But she was a genuine theater artist as well, with formidable talent,” Wright said. “She introduced me to some of the world’s greatest playwrights, from George Bernard Shaw to Anton Chekhov to James Barrie. For 50 minutes each day, her classroom became a Broadway stage, a Hollywood Studio, or an old-world playhouse on the West End. I owe so much in my life and career to her.”
TOP: Whitney Wolfe Herd founded two companies before graduating from SMU: One marketed fair trade clothing; another raised funds for wildlife affected by the BP oil spill. (PHOTOS: COURTESY SMU) BOTTOM: Located on the southwest corner of the renovated business school quad, Sheffield Hall will feature Collegiate Georgian-style construction with up-to-date classrooms designed for collaboration and data-focused problem-solving. (COURTESY PHOTO)
34 May 2021 | parkcitiespeople.com
Society
MAD HATTER’S TEA
Brenda Brown and Lillian Dona
Prashe Shah
Carmen Hancock
Elizabeth Smith-Theis
Laura Freeman and Lizzy Martin
Kimble Wooten
Jan Tittle and Joli Humphrey
Jordi Bostock ( P H O T O S : C H R I S M C G AT H E Y )
Daniela Goonetilleke and Dee Dee Arroyo
Brooke Grisham
Excitement at the return of in-person fundraisers was in bloom at the Mad Hatter’s Tea April 15 benefiting the Women’s Council of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden and A Woman’s Garden. Chaired by Jolie Humphrey with Carole Ann Brown serving as honorary chair, the event started with a champagne reception followed by the judge’s hat awards presentation and a fashion promenade at A Tasteful Place Gardens with looks from Tootsies. In keeping with the theme of Out of Africa — Into the Garden, judges chose the best headpieces in categories including “most True to Africa,” “most outlandish,” “most elegant,” and “cocktail hour in Africa: Most Fascinating Fascinator.”
parkcitiespeople.com | May 2021 35
36 May 2021 | parkcitiespeople.com
LOOKING AHEAD FOR MAY
Annette Strauss Artist Square
Arts Performance for Vogel Alcove “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “Fun, Fun, Fun” to spread some “Good Vibrations” and support Vogel Alcove, an early childhood education and parent opportunity center. The Beach Boys will perform during a picnic scheduled for 5 p.m. May 1 at the AT&T Performing Arts Center Annette Strauss Artist Square off of Flora Street. The concert starts at 6 p.m., followed by an after-party from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Wolfgang Puck Catering will provide picnic meals and an open bar onsite at the 29th annual benefit Arts Performance. Social distancing, masks, and temperature checks will be required. Unable or not ready to attend such an event in person? A $1,000 virtual sponsorship package includes a secure online link
and Party-Package Gift Basket for those who want to host remote parties at their homes. Visit vogelalcove.org/artsevent or contact Greg Brinkley – gbrinkley@vogelalcove.org or 214-368-8686 – for more details.
Nexus Pop-Up Flower Shop Pre-pandemic, the Auxiliary of Nexus would hold a spring luncheon to generate funds and awareness for treatment services for Dallas women with substance use disorders. Instead, this year, auxiliary volunteers will operate a Pop-Up Flower Shop to spread Mother’s Day cheer for moms everywhere, including those served by the Nexus Recovery Center.
Nexus Mothers Day “Most of us on the auxiliary are mothers ourselves, so we are handpicking exactly what we would want come Mother’s Day morning,” said Lauren Gillette, Nexus Auxiliary Advisory board president. “We are basically personal shoppers for all those kiddos and significant others out there.” Whether ordered ahead of time online or in-person the day of, each arrangement must be picked up via drive-through from 2 to 4 p.m. May 8 on Nexus’ campus, 8733 La Prada Drive. Individuals may also sponsor a gift basket for a mother in the on-campus recovery program. Visit nexusrecovery.org/mothersday.
ReuNight Garden Party The Family Place has reimagined its ReuNight fundraiser as an upscale party
Patrick and Kristy Sands under the stars in the Nasher Sculpture Center’s garden. “We are all looking forward to finally ‘Reu-Nighting’ with our friends at the Nasher Sculpture Center,” said Paige Flink, CEO of the Dallas-based family violence addressing agency. Limited to 100 guests, the May 13 event begins with cocktails at 7 p.m., followed by dinner at 8 p.m., and a small, curated luxury live auction. In celebration of the longtime patronage of honorary chairs Kristy and Patrick Sands, the Sands Family Foundation recently awarded The Family Place with a $100,000 donation. Visit familyplace.org, email ReuNight@ familyplace.org, or call 214-443-7770 for more details and registration. – Compiled by William Taylor
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parkcitiespeople.com | May 2021 37
EMBRACE LIFE AGAIN?
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38 May 2021 | parkcitiespeople.com
Living
RECEPTIONIST TO EDITOR: A JOURNALIST’S UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
I
came to Dallas in 1985 looking for something, although I wasn’t sure what. Although, taking a job as the Park Cities People receptionist didn’t feel like a life-changing experience, little did I know. I just needed a job. The economy — thanks to the oil industry — in my home state of Oklahoma was in the GLENDA dumpster. Businesses VOSBURGH were closing almost hourly in the town where I lived. Dallas — too big, too impersonal, seemed the last place I’d end up — yet here I was. I’d answered a help wanted ad. The word newspaper got my attention. I’d worked in advertising sales and production for a daily paper and, after working briefly in another industry, wanted to return. The woman at the employment agency told me excitedly that the job was in the Park Cities. “What’s the Park Cities?” I asked. She answered with phrases like “wealthy
enclaves” and “high society.” I decided the job probably wasn’t a good fit for me. Nonetheless, I interviewed with owner and publisher, Reid Slaughter. Not long after, he offered me the job. A few months later at a company party, I mentioned that I wrote fiction in my spare time. Slaughter asked to see my work. After reading a recently published short story, he told me to let him know when I wanted to write for the paper. My answer was immediate: “How about now?” My first assignment was for an advertising section on the antique stores in Forney. I spent an entire day wandering from shop to shop, interviewing owners and customers for my article. I was hooked. I was still the receptionist but was able to write articles, too. After proving myself, publisher Tom McCartin made me a fulltime reporter. I was ultimately promoted to senior writer, then managing editor. One of the best things about my job was the variety. My duties included covering Highland Park schools and University Park police, fire and municipal news. I wrote about high-profile murder trials, school board and city council elections, non-profits, community leaders, school carnivals, and the list goes on. I also served as the movie reviewer, allowing me to interview celebrities. One thing I’m most proud of, along
Opportunity doesn’t often come with a neon sign. Sometimes, the most benign situations turn out to be the most profound.
Seldom has our reporting tackled more unsettling or graver concerns than with the suicide of Elisa McCall, who struggled with an eating disorder and depression. (PHOTOS: PEOPLE NEWSPAPERS ARCHIVES) with fellow reporters and long-time friends Carolyn Tillery and Janet Ragland, is winning a Katy Award from the Dallas Press Club for the series Elisa’s Story. It focused on a young woman, Elisa McCall, whose personal struggle with eating disorders drove her to end her life. The Elisa Project, founded in her memory, helped others embroiled in the same battles. It was a privilege to have a role in telling her story.
One of my favorite interviews was with the Grande Dame of real estate, Ebby Halliday. She was witty, entertaining, and incredibly gracious. My plan was to stay a year at the paper, maybe two. It turned into more than 13 years. Opportunity doesn’t often come with a neon sign. Sometimes, the most benign situations turn out to be the most profound.
John Wesley’s Traveling Pulpit Gets New Home at SMU
SMU will house collections of the closed World Methodist Museum, including John Wesley’s traveling pulpit, Frank O. Salisbury’s portrait of John Wesley, The Scholar, and a Henry Perlee Parker painting of the child Welsey’s rescue from a fire. (PHOTOS: COURTESY SMU)
The World Methodist Museum’s historical and theologically significant collections are moving in May to SMU’s Bridwell Library, where public exhibits and opportunities for study will ensure their long-term integrity and accessibility. The collections tell the story of Methodism, which began in England with brothers John and Charles Wesley meeting as a small student group at Oxford University in the early 18th century before their mission work carried their beliefs to the American colonies and beyond. Portraits of the early founders are included, plus rare books,
manuscripts, letters, and the traveling pulpit of John Wesley. One painting depicts the young John Wesley’s rescue from a fire that consumed the family home in Epworth, England. “Is not this a brand plucked as from the burning” became a verbal and visual motif and mantra for Wesley’s life. “We are very proud to assume the responsibility for these collections, which tell the very human stories behind the faith and vision of the Wesley brothers and illuminate the impact they have had on Christianity,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. The World Methodist Museum in Lake Junaluska, North Carolina,
closed in February, Part of the collections focuses on Charles Wesley, who wrote more than 9,000 hymns and poems, including such interdenominational favorites as “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today” and “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.” Craig Hill, dean of SMU’s Perkins School of Theology, said the acquisition would enhance Bridwell’s standing as a global center for students of Wesley and the world Methodist traditions. “Wesley Studies has always been a strong point of Perkins, and this gift creates new and undreamed-of prospects for its future,” he said. – Staff report
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parkcitiespeople.com | May 2021 39
How Musician Ben Rector Fell In Love With Dallas
Artist enjoys golf at Trinity Forest, lunch at Honor Bar, and shopping at The Village By Riley Farrell
into splitting Ding’s Crispy Chicken Sandwich with me,” Rector said. “Post lunch, I’d walk around Highland Park Village and window shop. For dinner, it’s tough, but I’d either head to Uchi for some sushi or, if I felt like reliving my college days, I’d head to Campisi’s for lasagna with red sauce.”
People Newspapers During any other year (sans-pandemic), Dallas would serve as one of Ben Rector’s most popular tour stops. From Toyota Music Pavilion to various college concerts, the singer-songwriter has played around 30 shows in North Texas, and Dallas ranks among Rector’s top streaming markets, according to Spotify analytics. The affection is mutual with the musician considering Texas “like a second home” – perhaps a bit puzzling for a Tulsa-native and University of Arkansas graduate based now out of Nashville. But Rector has friends in the Dallas area, and his wife is from just down I-35, in Waco. He also briefly interned at Metropolitan Capital Advisors, a Dallas-based real estate capital provider, and recorded here half of his second album, Something Like This. “My history with Dallas is deep,” Rector said. “I can honestly say I always look forward to playing there. Kind people and good venues is a tough combination to beat.” Rector feels a backyard pride in how Dallas has grown and calls the city “a Texas-flavored Los Angeles.” He means that as a compliment. The proliferation of cultural amenities and culinary hotspots relates to his favorite memory of North Texas. The moment came
I can honestly say I always look forward to playing there. Kind people and good venues is a tough combination to beat. Ben Rector
Ben Rector served as a mentor on the April 4 episode of American Idol. Learn more about his music and watch for future events at benrectormusic.com. (PHOTO: AVERY KING/ ELICITY PUBLIC RELATIONS) near the end of his 2015 Brand New Tour after a South Side Ballroom performance. “It had been a long run, and we were all pretty tired, so after the show, we decided to celebrate by going to Velvet Taco,” Rector said. “It was so delicious - most of the guys hadn’t been and were all blown
away - I think for a minute we all forgot about the road weariness and felt lucky to be there.” His ideal Dallas day? “I’d play an early round of golf at Trinity Forest, then head over to Honor Bar, get a Kale salad and try to talk my lunch mates
In the 15 years since releasing a self-titled EP record while in college, Rector has gotten married, parented three children, and released seven studio albums. American Idol featured Rector’s music recently. The Southern artist mentored contestants who performed his hits, “Love Like This” and “Brand New” for the “AllStar Duets” April 4 episode. And Rector doesn’t plan on slowing down soon. Rector, who hinted he is working on a new record for later in 2021, plans to release a single in May, and, of course, is looking forward to touring again and returning to Dallas.
40 May 2021 | parkcitiespeople.com
HEAR THIS!
WEDDING
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eredith Baker Boyer and Ryan Michael Girouard were married on November 21, 2020 at First United Methodist Church of Rowlett, Texas. Associate Pastor Dretha Burris officiated the service. Meredith is the daughter of Lindi Loy and Creed Boyer III, both of Dallas. She is the granddaughter of Mrs. Carolyn Loy and the late Mr. Tommy Loy, and the late Mr. and Mrs. Creed Boyer, Jr., all of Dallas. Ryan is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Girouard of Rowlett. He is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Modest of Keller, Texas, and the late Mr. and Mrs. Charles Girouard of Gardner, Massachusetts.
The bride’s maid of honor was Misty Sheets and her bridesmaids were Lauren Newman and Robyn Howell. Attending the groom as best man was Josh Newman. Ross Girouard, the groom’s brother, and Mike Skinner were groomsmen. The couple welcomed guests to a wedding reception at The Hella Shrine in Rowlett. The bride, a 2006 graduate of Highland Park High School, is an account manager for 1000bulbs.com. The groom is a 2004 graduate of Rowlett High School and is employed by the Southwest Texas Division of Coca-Cola. The newlyweds have made their home in Garland, Texas.
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parkcitiespeople.com | May 2021 41 OBITUARIES
BETTY ESTHER BOCK
ROBERT “BOB” ROGERS WILLIAMS
11/04 /1930 – 11/07/2020
B
etty Esther Bock, 90, a long-time resident of Highland and University Park, passed away unexpectedly on Nov. 7, 2020, due to complications from a recent accident. Born in Phoenix, AZ, she is survived by 4 of her six children, seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Betty was devoted to her children and passionate about art, music, and literature. She was a strong Christian. She never drank but said that she would learn to enjoy drinking wine in heaven. “Cheers, Betty!” A service will be held for her at a later date at St. Josephs Catholic Church in Richardson.
KIRBY HARDY SMITH
07/14 /1960 – 03/05/2021
K
irby Hardy Smith, 60, of Dallas, TX, died March 5, 2021, in a tragic skiing accident in Big Sky, MT. Kirby is survived by his devoted family: wife, Stephanie, and sons, Aidan and Weston, all of Dallas; brother, Ray Smith of Bryant, AR; sister, Sharon Short of Bryant, AR; niece, Cally Adcock and her husband, Cory of Cave Springs, AR; nephew, Drew Short of Bentonville, AR; and two great-nephews, Ferguson Adcock and Fitz Adcock of Cave Springs, AR.; mother-in-law, Jean Alston; father-in-law, Thomas J. Alston both of Texarkana, TX; sister-in-law, Elizabeth Alston Sheehan; brother-in-law, Paul Sheehan and their sons, Connor and Avery, all of Port Orchard, WA. Kirby was born July 14, 1960, in Nashville, TN, the son of Wanda Hardy Smith and Noel Ray Smith. He was predeceased by his parents as well as his grandparents, Floye and Deane Hardy, Sr., and Lillian and Nathaniel Smith. Kirby graduated from Bryant High School in Bryant, AR, and earned his bachelor of arts degree from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. He received his MBA in finance and accounting from Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Since 2005, Kirby worked at Barrow Hanley Global In-
vestors in Dallas, serving most recently as managing director and client portfolio manager. Before joining Barrow Hanley, Kirby served as managing director of institutional equity sales for Bear Stearns. Prior to joining Bear Stearns, he worked at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, and Lehman Brothers. Before his investment banking career, Kirby held positions in public accounting and corporate finance. He was a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, as well as the Certified Financial Analyst Society of Dallas-Fort Worth. Kirby played as hard as he worked, if not harder. He loved researching and collecting Klipsch speakers, his early-morning tennis matches before work, dirt bike racing, golf, skiing (water and snow), boating and riding his jet skis on the lake, and riding his motorcycles. He was passionate about watching all Arkansas Razorbacks games – football, basketball, and baseball – and Dallas Stars hockey. But nothing gave him more pleasure and satisfaction than spending time with and providing love and support to his family – both immediate and extended – and his legions of loyal, longtime friends. A celebration of Kirby ’s life will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, March 12, at Park Cities Presbyterian Church in Dallas, with a reception to follow at the Warwick Melrose Hotel, the same location where Stephanie and Kirby welcomed family and friends to their wedding reception more than 28 years ago. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Klipsch Museum of Audio History – https://www.klipschmuseum.org/donations – or the ministry of your choice.
01/26/1931 – 03/07/2021
R
obert Rogers Williams, 90, died peacefully Sunday, March 7, 2021, in Ridgeland, MS. He was a kind, honest, gentle man who loved God, his country, and his family. Born January 26, 1931, in Jefferson, TX, to the late Robert Leon and Texie Rogers Williams, his lineage traces back to Texas land grant settlers. His grandfather, B.B. Rogers, served as Sheriff of Jefferson. In his high school years, Robert was captain of the Jefferson Bulldogs football team, playing both quarterback as well as defense, and was on the baseball team, too -- all the while graduating as Salutatorian and voted Class Favorite. The first member of his family to attend college, Bob graduated from The University of Texas in Austin with a B.S. in Geology in 1953. Through the G.I. program, he drilled water wells in France at Dreux AFB as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and courted his hometown sweetheart and future wife, Robin Richey, who was studying music in nearby Paris. They married June 17, 1956, achieving 64 anniversaries, frequently holding hands and
telling each other how much they loved each other. That same year he began work with Humble Oil (later Exxon) in Grand Isle, LA. Friends joked that he reported to offshore oil well supervision with a briefcase in one hand and his fishing rod in the other. He celebrated all three of their daughters’ births in New Orleans, while he gained the title of Division Exploration Staff Geologist. In 1968 Robert and Robin relocated to Dallas as he became Manager of Texas Offshore Exploration for General American Oil. Through his career, he was Chief Geologist with W.R Grace Natural Resources; Vice President of Exploration for May Petroleum, was a founder of Woodbine Petroleum, and then started his consultancy with several clients and was one of the first to gain his Environmental Certification. Being involved in the oil business was a thrill for him. He was extremely active in the AAPG, SIPES, DGGS, the Houston Geological Society, and the Dallas Geological Society, serving as a Vice President of the DGS. He was skilled in many sports and hobbies but remained humble. He would return from convention tennis tournaments saying he “played alright” but later unpacked silver trophies engraved with his name as the champion. He enjoyed fishing and hunting, having left-handedly shot an award-winning elk in Wyoming (he was right-handed!) in his first hour of the trip while cleaning his glasses, saying good-naturedly, “I had nothing to do with this. He just appeared before me!” Having a trademark chuckle, a twinkle in his
eye, and a quick smile, he loved a good joke and a long yarn. Far beyond his career, his wife, daughters, family, and faith in Jesus were most important. He patiently taught hunting, football, driving, and map-reading skills to his three girls. A big fan of the all-American road trip, he hit the brakes at almost every road cut or “Hysterical Marker.” He was a loyal friend, a lifetime reader, and learner, and had served as a Trustee for Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas and was active in the Wesleyan Fellowship Class. He and Robin moved to Jackson, MS, in 2014 to be close to their eldest daughter Claire’s family and joined Holy Trinity Anglican Church. In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his younger brother, Jerry L. Williams. He is survived by his wife Robin; his beloved daughters; Claire Williams Aiken (Richard) of Jackson, MS, Alison W. Hogan Vinson (Wade) of Houston, TX and Susan Williams Haas ( John) of Austin, TX; grandchildren Robert Aiken (Corey) of Jackson, Elizabeth “Beth” Aiken Hudspeth (Seth) of Jackson; Claire Hogan, Rob Hogan, and Lauren Hogan, all of Austin, TX; Andrew Haas (Eliana) of Long Island City, NY, and Erin Haas and Benjamin Haas, both of Austin, TX, as well as five great-grandchildren. The family gathered for a memorial service in Jefferson, TX, on March 13, 2021. In lieu of flowers, the family requests gifts in his honor to be sent to Holy Trinity Anglican Church of 432 Bozeman Rd, Madison, MS 39110.
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42 May 2021 | parkcitiespeople.com
SPECIAL ADVERTISING CONTENT BRIGGS FREEMAN SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY
In Highland Park, Three Homes in One
4549 Westway Avenue, represented by Ashley Akin Pearl for $1,695,000. The charming duplex at 4549 Westway Avenue in Highland Park is a tremendous investment opportunity. In the John S. Bradfield Elementary school district and close to Whole Foods and Highland Park Village, this property — a handsome brick home built in the 1940s, with wonderfully large multipaned windows — offers three units in all. The downstairs unit has a large primary bedroom suite with a large closet and a spacious bathroom with a separate tub and shower. There is a wall of windows in the sizable living room and cozy den with a fireplace. The upstairs unit features two bedrooms, two baths and a covered patio. The third unit is over the garage, with a kitchenette and large closet. This is not your typical duplex! Just one idea: Live in one unit and lease the other two, to offset the mortgage. There are so many options here. 4549 Westway Avenue in Highland Park is represented by Ashley Akin Pearl for $1,695,000. Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty, founded in the Park Cities in 1960, represents luxury homes, high-rises, ranches, land and commercial properties. Its briggsfreeman. com website is a cutting-edge portal featuring properties, neighborhoods, schools, virtual tours, architecture guides and more.
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ALLIE BETH ALLMAN
Million-Dollar Homes Relocation Buyers Looking for Homes, Selling Fast Firm Reports
The luxury home category in North Texas was one of the fastest-growing categories of residential sales in 2020. In fact, the Dallas-Fort Worth region outpaced Houston in the volume of homes sold at prices above $1 million. According to the Texas Luxury Home Report, 2,130 homes valued at more than $1 million were sold in North Texas from November 2019 to October 2020. Despite the pandemic, that was an increase of more than 20 percent over the previous year. Allie Beth Allman & Associates led North Texas again last year in the sale of homes and estates priced above $3 million, $4 million, $5 million and $6 million, according to MLS. ABA agents also sold more homes than any other brokerage in the premier neighborhoods of Preston Hollow, Highland Park and University Park combined. Today’s luxury buyer is looking for a floor plan that accommodates a more flexible schedule that includes remote work and schooling, plus outdoor space that offers the perfect setting for afterhours rest and relaxation, small-scale entertaining (for now) and beautiful views. For expert advice on luxury real estate in North Texas, the boutique firm of Allie Beth Allman & Associates is here to help. Visit alliebeth.com.
The start of a new year means another influx of people moving to Dallas. While the fourth quarter is often considered an off season for homebuying, that wasn’t the case last year, according to the experts at Allie Beth Allman & Associates. If you are planning to sell your home, keep in mind that it needs to connect emotionally with buyers. They want homes updated, move-in ready homes. Inside, put all the clutter away and freshen up the paint. Outside paint should be touched up as well. Make sure the landscaping is up to par by trimming those trees, plants and bushes. The impression it gives will influence a prospective buyer’s opinion of the rest of the property. A consultation with a qualified real estate agent is the best place to start your preparations. Corporate relocations are not the only thing driving people to Dallas. During the first quarter, scores of families seek out premiere neighborhoods so they can live close to the best schools. These buyers often use the holiday season to begin their search. Whether for work or family dynamics, all signs point to more people moving Dallas. It is imperative that sellers begin preparing their home today for prospective buyers.
EBBY HALLIDAY
New Ebby Home-Search App Now Available
Ebby Halliday Realtors’ new app means your new home could be just a tap away. “With our new app, MLS listings across North Texas are in the palm of your hand,” says Travis Mathews, vice president of Strategic Growth & Technology for the Ebby Halliday Companies. “Our primary goal for this release was providing consumers with the most intuitive mobile real estate experience possible.” Whether you’re shopping by price, location or aesthetics, as a user of the new Ebby app you’ll find it’s easier than ever to browse homes for sale. “Our new mobile app provides access to real-time property information and smart messaging tools,” Mathews says. “It makes it easy to connect with your agent from any mobile device, as well as create saved searches and add favorites at your convenience. Simply put, our mobile-first home search with built-in chat makes collaboration fast, easy and fun.” The new Ebby Halliday app seamlessly integrates with ebby.com so your saved searches and favorited properties sync between the app and websites. The Ebby Halliday Realtors app is available on the Apple App Store and on Google Play. Download the app today for free and experience modern home searching with ease.
ALLIE BETH ALLMAN ALLIE BETH ALLMAN
Best of The Allmanac:
Find a Home on the What’s Happening in Sophisticated Residence Allie Beth Allman & Associates Exclusive List DFW Real Estate in Regent’s Park THE PERRY-MILLER STREIFF GROUP
ALLIE BETH ALLMAN URBAN
Offered for $2,150 ,000, 2908 Hood features 4 bedrooms, 5.1 baths all in 6,547 square feet. 9110 Rockbrook Drive 5 Bed | 6.2 Bath | 7,596 SqFt. Offered for 3,650,000 Designed by Richard Drummond Davis, this French Transitional custom home blends traditional Austin stone exterior with timeless contemporary finishes. Museum finished walls, cased openings and exquisite mill and tile work are throughout. 1st floor owners’ suite has a vaulted ceiling with wood beams, dream closet, fireplace and a private patio. Open gourmet kitchen features large island, marble countertops, Ann Sacks tile and Thermador Professional Appliances. The adjoining covered patio with outdoor kitchen and fireplace leads to a Harold Leidner designed custom pool and beautifully landscaped yard. Upstairs is a large central game room, a media room with kitchen and 4 bedrooms, all accessible by elevator. 3 car garage completes an amazing lifestyle opportunity. For more information please contact Robin Webster, 214-543-8963.
This sophisticated residence is located in a private, gated enclave across from The Mansion and steps from the Katy Trail. 2908 Hood features exceptional construction quality complemented by exquisite finishes throughout and elevator access to each level. The gourmet island kitchen is equipped with premium series stainless appliances and opens to the keeping room with a terrace. Four en-suite bedrooms are located on split levels including separate his-and-hers marble baths and closets in the Master suite. Other features include a third-floor study adjacent to the Master bedroom and a game room (third living area) that opens to a large rooftop terrace with outdoor fireplace and city views. 2908 Hood is a very special property offering an incredible opportunity in the Turtle CreekMansion Park area. Contact Laura Michelle (laura@daveperrymiller. com : 214.228.3854) for more information or visit DPMFineHomes.com.
Reading the news might give you the impression that you can’t find a home on the market that meets your needs – but that’s not the big picture. New listings in sought-after neighborhoods are announced every day via the Allie Beth Allman & Associates exclusive list. Homes not found through an online search. Some sellers want to avoid online searches for various reasons, including privacy or a desire to limit access during the pandemic. Other sellers, reacting to a fast-paced market like today’s, want their homes announced as soon as possible, often before information can be entered into the MLS database that feeds online searches. That’s where the Allman team’s strong communication network comes into play. These 400+ agents announce office exclusives up to the minute with each other. According to one client, an Allman agent’s connections are critical to finding a home today: “This market moves fast and we were competing with dozens of offers on homes we found through the online searches. But our agent found us a home in a great neighborhood before it even hit the market. Our agent made it happen.” To connect with an agent, visit alliebeth.com.
Market knowledge is the key to success in today’s real estate market. Each week, Allie Beth Allman & Associates analysts compile an executive summary of industry insights through The Allmanac newsletter. Here’s what you need to know: North Texas led the state in 2020 home purchases. Statewide, real estate agents sold 363,615 houses, an all-time high and an increase of 9.5 percent from 2019. DFW real estate agents sold 112,545 of those houses. The number of non-Texans looking to make a move into the Lone Star State has doubled in the past year, a recent survey found. Where are they coming from? Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, to name a few places. Texas has been a top state for relocation for many companies and has only increased during the pandemic. Rising home prices are starting to worry some policymakers. Home prices in January, usually a slow month in real estate, were up 14 percent over the same period last year. Low inventory and low mortgage rates coupled with high demand are driving the increase. U.S. Senate Banking Chair Sherrod Brown of Ohio says flat wages and rising home prices may price many potential homebuyers out of the market. To register for The Allmanac newsletter: alliebeth. com/registerfornews
parkcitiespeople.com | May 2021 43
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perimeter of a home, it gives homeowners more visual control over their surroundings. If there is a noise or disturbance, you are better able to see what is happening outside your windows. If you have security cameras installed outside your home, visibility of whatever is in the camera’s view also improves substantially, especially after dark. Richard Lentz, President of Lentz Landscape Lighting says, “We have many customers who are faced with living alone for whatever circumstance in their lives, and one of their first calls is to Lentz to install more outdoor illumination. It gives them great piece of mind when we identify vulnerable spots to install customized security lighting.” One of Lentz’s long-time customers recently upgraded her lighting system to include special remote controls on some of her outdoor lights, thus enabling her to turn lights on and off if she heard something suspicious in her backyard. Additionally, Lentz noted, “We also design and install interior lighting systems featuring timers/remote controls that our clients can customize when out of town or out of the house at night. “ In summary, professionally- installed lighting is an integral part of any effective home security system. Lighting, especially outdoors, discourages would –be intruders from targeting your home by increasing the risk of being caught. For more information about exterior/ interior and security lighting, contact Lentz Landscape Lighting @ 972-241-0622 or www.lentzlighting.com.
C L ASSIFIEDS To place your ad in People Newspapers, please call us at 214-523-5239, fax to 214-594-5779, or e-mail 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. Deadline for our next edition is Monday, May 3. People Newspapers reserves the right to edit or reject ads. We assume no liability for errors or omissions in advertisements and no responsibility beyond the cost of the ad. We are responsible only for the first incorrect insertion. CAMPS
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Dallas, TX— Landscape lighting not only adds beauty and dimension to your home at night, but can also serve as a crime deterrent. In a past issue of Park Cities People, Highland Park Department of Public Safety Community Relations Officer Lance Koppa was quoted as saying, “adequate outdoor lighting could also prevent property crimes.” The true value of security lighting lies in its ability to deter trespassing in the first place. A home that is properly illuminated gives the impression the residence is occupied and trespassers are hesitant to venture onto a property where someone could be home. They would much rather choose a target that seems empty. Landscape lighting is also a great solution for security purposes because it provides lighting throughout the property. By lighting the outdoor areas and the
DAVE PERRY-MILLER REAL ESTATE
2016 Midway Hollow Home Big on Space, Amenities
This custom-built 2016 home is set on a lush .42-acre lot, just blocks from Central Market and dining options. 4110 Highgrove Drive (4110highgrove.daveperrymiller.com) is listed by Marlene Jaffe for $1,650,000, and covers 3,600 square feet (building plan), with four bedrooms, 3.5 baths and a three-car garage with gated drive. The open-concept kitchen and paneled
family room with fireplace, unite under a vaulted ceiling. At either end, large windows bring the outdoors in. The downstairs primary suite with electric shades and private patio, also features a vaulted ceiling with designer chandelier. In the bath are heated marble floors, soaker tub, and large walk-in closet. A guest room and bonus room are also on this floor. The second level has two bedrooms with custom built-ins, a second living area, and bath with separate vanity. In the spacious backyard are a 37-by13-ft. covered patio, plus a custom outdoor cooking area. To schedule a showing, contact Jaffe at (214) 893-3413 or marlene@ daveperrymiller.com. Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate (dpmre. com) is a division of the Ebby Halliday Companies, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, with four locations that specialize in Preston Hollow, Park Cities, North Dallas, Lakewood, East Dallas, Uptown, Kessler Park and Farm & Ranch properties.
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MAY 2021
2B May 2021 | People Newspapers | 20 Under 40
PROUD TO PRESENT OUR 20 UNDER 40
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ADVAITH SUBRAMANIAN Cracking The Wonder Code Education: Highland Park High School
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ighland Park High School junior Advaith Subramanian and his team started their nonprofit after teaching Hyer Elementary robotics program pupils to code using Wonder Bots and iPads. “As the program was coming to a close in January, we talked about the importance of exposing young students to coding,” he said. The conversation also turned to how many underprivileged students might not have access and exposure to that type of instruction. So, in the spring of 2020, Subramanian and his friend, Sophie Minick, a senior at HPHS, started their Cracking the Wonder Code (CTWC) initiative to spread science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) education. “We both are extremely passionate about pursuing medicine and surgery and are the captains of our high school robotics team,” Subramanian said.
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The team, which also includes students Where do you see yourself and/or your August Ryan and Hailey Balekian, has career 10 years from now? Te n years since organized from now, I can workshops and We both are extremely see myself doing camps to teach children the basics passionate about the early years of coding and of my surgical pursuing medicine and technology. residency, doing “Through this surgery and are the ever ything I initiative, I’ve been can to go into captains of our high able to connect neurosurgery or school robotics team. with many of c a rd i o t h o r a c i c surgery. my like-minded peers and adults to help bring about our vision to teach more kids STEAM Favorite nonprofit causes(s): Boles Home and the Equal Justice outside of the Park Cities, and through my school, I have been able to volunteer Center. at Hyer Elementary’s robotics program as well as talk to many physicians and If you could buy a book (or rent a movie) clinicians through our Pre-Med student for your neighbor, what would it be and organization,” Subramanian said. why? Subramanian serves as a co-president The Martian, because the book and of the Pre-Med student organization and movie unfold the fascinating world of is active with other organizations. astronomy.
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first became involved in putting our 20 Under 40 section together last year and was impressed by the young professionals we received nominations for then. Now, after a year defined by neighbors helping neighbors while remaining apart, I’m proud to say this year’s nominees can be counted among those who made a difference in their workplaces, chosen career fields, and communities during a challenging and uncertain time. I’m even more proud to be able to see firsthand and tell the stories of how people in the Park Cities and Preston Hollow communities showed ingenuity and worked to provide solutions to the intractable problems we were all faced with this year. From medical workers and innovators serving on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, people involved in nonprofits that saw more demand for their services than ever this year, to business owners, this year’s 20 Under 40 picks, nominated by readers and selected by members of our team from each department, made an impact in various ways. Some standouts this year include an anesthesiologist who’s also a Real Housewives of Dallas cast member, a CEO of a ridesharing company, a prosecutor of COVID-19-related fraud cases, and the director of communications for a company that’s innovating in the diagnostic testing space during the pandemic. In addition to our 20 Under 40, this section also highlights a real power couple. We hope you enjoy meeting your neighbors. Rachel Snyder, deputy editor rachel.snyder@peoplenewspapers.com
For the full Q&A’s of the honorees and more 20 Under 40 content, follow us online at peoplenewspaper.com and on our Instagram page @PeopleNewspapers. Help share content – and even your own rising stars – by using #peoplenewspapers20under40
(JOHN CAIN PHOTOGRAPHY)
20 Under 40 | People Newspapers | May 2021 3B
Amy McEvoy Community volunteer Education: SMU
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Amy McEvoy dived into fundraising and nonprofit work shortly after graduating f rom SMU by joining the
interior architectural design firm Wilson Associates and Trisha Wilson’s nonprofit, the Wilson Foundation. “Trisha taught me so much at a young age – her ‘can do’ spirit was infectious,” McEvoy said. “She challenged me to push the envelope every day in securing press for the awe-inspiring international hotel projects the firm was completing.” The Wilson Foundation helped those in need locally and had several initiatives for funding in rural and impoverished parts of South Africa, McEvoy said. “Our work there was extremely critical, and being able to travel there with her and see it first hand was life-changing,” McEvoy said. “I wasn’t prepared for the poverty I encountered.” The foundation got an infectious disease specialist from UT Southwestern Medical Center to provide in-country education, treatment options, and medication supplies. “We were making a difference one
child/one mother at a time halting the transmission of (HIV ),” McEvoy said. “This truly started my personal journey to do more and give back.” Giving back is also something instilled in her by her family. “My parents were the first people to expose me to the value of hard work and giving back to something bigger than yourself,” she said. McEvoy’s father led an orthopedic surgical mission initiative in the Dominican Republic after an earthquake struck Haiti in 2010 and took a team to Hispaniola to perform adult reconstructive surgery. He also put together a coalition to build and equip a new prosthetic lab, hire a certified prosthetist, and provide prosthetic limbs and braces for children and adults missing extremities. McEvoy assisted his efforts with media content, fundraising, and grant applications. “Something really clicked for me,
bolstering an initiative that changed the quality of life for thousands of people,” McEvoy said. She also supports local organizations, including Community Partners of Dallas and Clayton Dabney for Kids with Cancer. Most recently, McEvoy rallied her block in University Park to donate perishables and gift cards for Childcare Group of Dallas’s Friendsgiving in November 2020. Biggest business/career success in the past 12 months: My biggest success as a mother was to live through the pandemic this past year and meet the challenges of virtual learning. It has tested us as parents and challenged our children as well. Nourish your children, listen to their needs, and find the right way to help them. They all have unique learning styles and different needs. It has been comforting to know that we are all facing these challenges, and we are all in this together.
Fun fact that someone wouldn’t know about you: I love musical theater. I was ‘Gypsy,’ the Acid Queen, in my high school production in St. Louis of the rock opera, The Who’s Tommy. Now that was fun! -Amy McEvoy PCP_20Under40-PageAd-Final.pdf 1 3/31/2021 10:54:23 AM
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4B May 2021 | People Newspapers | 20 Under 40 and pain management at UT Southwestern Medical Center serves on the board of the Family Place, lets off steam on TikTok, and belongs to this season’s cast of Bravo’s Real Housewives of Dallas. Moon was inspired to work in the medical field by a doctor treating her father after a car wreck when she was young. “One doctor, in particular, made an impression on me because she actually took the time to explain to me what she was doing to help my dad,” she said. Moon joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2012 and is certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology. Her research includes obesity, thoracic anesthesia, pain perception under general anesthesia, difficult airways, and neuromuscular blockade and reversal. She won the Dennis F. Landers, M.D.,
Ph.D. Faculty of the Year Teaching Award in 2014. Moon serves on multiple committees for the American Society of Anesthesiologists and is an oral board examiner for the American Board of Anesthesiology. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the International Society for the Perioperative Care of the Obese Patient (ISPCOP). She’s the principal investigator on multiple clinical research grants and has received numerous research awards. “I definitely see myself still practicing medicine, but I want to continue to explore activities that also exercise the right side of my brain and my creativity,” Moon said. Her teenage stepdaughter introduced her to TikTok near the beginning of the pandemic. Moon’s TikTok’s had grown to more than 345,000 followers as of late
(PHOTO: ESTHER HUYNH)
I’m still working to find my voice and to be comfortable using it.
Dr. Tiffany Moon
UT Southwestern Medical Center Education: UT Southwestern Medical School
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Dr. Tiffany Moon is everywhere these days. The associate professor of anesthesiology
March. Her husband, 5-year-old twins, and 16-year-old twin stepchildren often make appearances in her videos. She’s on the Board of The Family Place, an organization that helps families affected by domestic violence. During the pandemic, she also started selling candles, face masks, surgical scrub hats, and necklaces online to support The Family Place and Women in Anesthesiology. “I didn’t think anyone would buy anything, but it sort of took off, and I’ve been able to raise so much more than I ever expected for families affected by domestic violence,” Moon said. Which leadership skills were the most challenging for you to develop and why? It was hard for me to learn to voice my opinion. Growing up, I was always praised for being quiet and obedient, never for having (much less voicing) my own opinion. I’m still working to find my voice and to be comfortable using it.
Toughest business/personal challenge:
Edward Chalupa
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Highland Park ISD Education: University of North Texas
Edward Chalupa tells the stories of students and staff of Highland Park ISD through video, social media, and more as the district’s communication specialist and video producer. He also has his own business, Chalupa Productions, a video production company that creates specialized content for brands from short features to music videos. “I believe that my purpose is to develop impactful bonds between businesses and their community stakeholders through engaging media and communication practices,” Chalupa said. “My involvement with Highland Park ISD allows me to serve a variety of constituents throughout the community. Through digital media, I am able to help share the stories of future leaders and through my lens demonstrate how education is the cornerstone to success for our future.” He’s also worked with the Park Cities Historic and Preservation Society to showcase historically and architecturally significant homes in the Park Cities. Chalupa learned about the potential of using digital media to tell compelling stories
at an early age. “I have always been drawn to the art of storytelling. Reflecting on my educational experience, I was lucky to have grown up in a school district where STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) education was in practice before the term STEAM had even been coined,” he said. “It was in my eighth-grade robotics and video production class where I learned that storytelling and technology could be so well connected. Throughout the rest of my education, I continued to pursue areas of focus that would allow me to interact with digital media as a means of communication.” During the pandemic, he’s helped local organizations with hosting virtual events. Among the virtual programs Chalupa Productions produced this year were three for CultureMap’s Tastemaker awards. “Since the whole program was virtual, it further emphasized the need for the creative to be engaging and purposefully driven,” Chalupa said. “The results turned out phenomenal, and I am pleased with the efforts my team put forth to get the project delivered in such a timely manner.” What’s on your bucket list? My bucket list item number one is to create a feature film. I’m not looking to create the world’s next Citizen Kane (1941) but rather something that both entertains and engages audiences. This would be an endeavor purely out of self-interest and something that I would not consider as a business move. I would like to make a movie. What would you tell an 18-year-old you? The world is built on relationships, and the sooner you put yourself out there, the more likely you will have greater opportunities open up for you. Make these connections now so that once you enter the professional world, you will be able to leverage your contacts that can help guide you to success.
Uber and Lyft?” He founded rideshare company Alto about two years ago. “I’ve always been excited by the travel industry, but it was my work studying the disruption of personal mobility, and the opportunities and challenges faced by incumbent players led to Alto,” Coleman said. (COURTESY PHOTO)
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Deciding to cut back on my career, which I’ve worked my entire life for, in order to be more present and spend more time with my family. -Dr. Tiffany Moon
Will Coleman
Alto Education: University of Texas
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Will Coleman has been an entrepreneur since he was 12. As a preteen, he started Coleman Computer Consulting to help clients in his neighborhood set up home networks, install printers, and remove viruses from their computers. “I was the original Geek Squad, and I learned that being a geek had its perks. By the time I was 16, I’d made enough money to pay for most of my own car, insurance, and gas,” Coleman said. “I loved the freedom of being my own boss, and it made me want to build my own ‘real company’ someday.” It didn’t take him long to realize that dream. Coleman started his career as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, where he became a partner in the Dallas office. He spent almost 11 years helping consumer travel companies like airlines, hotels, and car rental companies solve their strategic challenges. During the last five to six years of his time as a consultant, a frequent question was, “How do I respond to the disruption caused by the rise of
I loved the freedom of being my own boss, and it made me want to build my own ‘real company’ someday. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic challenged all rideshare companies. Still, Alto pivoted by launching Alto Market to provide on-demand delivery of essential goods like fresh fruit, produce, bread, as well as implementing strict safety measures for traditional riders. The company even expanded to Los Angeles in its first foray out of Texas this year despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic. “Faced with an existential threat to our survival as a 1-year-old company, I couldn’t be prouder of what the team did to leverage the brand we’d built and pivot our business to stay alive,” Coleman said. “We built more in three months than we’d built in the 18 months prior, and we’ve come out stronger than we ever would have been otherwise.” Favorite nonprofit causes(s)? Anything education. Jesuit, Cristo Rey, The Rise School. What would you tell an 18-year-old you? Don’t buy that ridiculous car stereo. Invest it in Google instead.
20 Under 40 | People Newspapers | May 2021 5B
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Kevin Kirksey is growing his career where it began – ALM First Financial Advisors. ALM First, founded in 1995, focuses on financial advisory services for credit union clients. Kirksey joined the firm in 2011, building financial models for two years. He took a year-long hiatus from the company to work on Goldman Sachs’ mortgage trading desk. He analyzed whole loan trades and securitizations and performed mortgage valuations for various capital raises, mergers, and IPOs. After that, CFA Emily Hollis allowed Kirksey to return to ALM First as a manager, and he hired his first employee. “Since then, I obsessed over curating a high-performing team from operations and technology to client service and M&A,” he said. “My parents, clients, and mentors in peer groups helped me further cultivate a mission orientation and navigate me through my professional journey as ALM First continued to augment and enhance its service offerings and client base.” Now, Kirksey is a principal with the firm overseeing the Strategic Solutions Group, which conducts merger and acquisition services, capital planning and stress testing, ALM and CPST model validations, CECL analysis, and ALM reporting. Additionally, Kevin oversees the operations and technology departments. The company’s continued to grow, and Kirksey said he hired two managing directors in December. When he’s not working, he enjoys
Lisa Henderson Lisa Henderson Interiors Education: Baylor University
supporting nonprofits, including Dallas Pets Alive! where he serves on the board. The agency provides resources, education, and programs aimed at eliminating the killing of companion animals in North Texas.” Fun fact that someone wouldn’t know about you? I care deeply about the future of our global environment so I estimate my carbon footprint annually and purchase offsets through Gold Standard, which certifies projects and maintains a registry of those carbon credits. the future of our global environment so I estimate my carbon footprint annually and purchase offsets through Gold Standard, which certifies projects and maintains a registry of those carbon credits. What would you tell an 18-year-old you? “You will find your soulmate in 4 years, share 10 amazing years with your best friend/French bulldog, Pierre, and have two incredible children.”
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The cozy, inviting atmosphere of Lisa Henderson’s Bible study leader’s home in high school still inspires her in the spaces she designs today. Henderson began her career at Cathy Kincaid Interiors and founded her own Lisa Henderson Interiors in 2010. “I learned so much under her tutelage,” Henderson said of Kincaid. “My time with her helped instill my own detailed approach and tenacity to make use of every minute to complete a task — values I hold high in my own business today.”
My favorite way to find inspiration is by traveling (prepandemic!) — mainly throughout Europe. Henderson’s style blends livability and timelessness. “I am passionate about educating my clients about the quality, beauty, and longevity of the products and pieces I source for their homes,” she said. “I’m also a self-professed life-long learner, eager to listen and observe everywhere I travel — and I encourage my clients to do the same.” More recently, she launched a line of textiles and wallpapers and designs each pattern. “My favorite way to find inspiration is
(PHOTO: JERSEAN GOLATT)
ALM First Analytics Education: Davidson College
(PHOTO: IMANI CHET LYTLE)
Kevin Kirksey
by traveling (pre-pandemic!) — mainly throughout Europe,” Henderson said. “My textile print, Firenze, was inspired by a recent trip to Florence, Italy. All products by Lisa Henderson Textiles are made in the USA and sold internationally.” When she’s not working, Henderson serves as the social chair for The Day School at Highland Park Presbyterian and has been in a French cookbook club for the past 10 years. Which leadership skills were the most challenging for you to develop and why? Learning to delegate. As a small-business owner, I’m used to wearing all the hats, but when I delegate certain tasks, I am free to truly focus on design. If you could buy a book (or rent a movie) for your neighbor, what would it be and why? I love a good period drama. I just finished Bridgerton – the set and costume designs were divine. I am excited for the next season already!
Congratulations, Nora Clark Named 20 Under 40 214.797.6935 | nora.clark@alliebeth.com
Murphey Sears
Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center Education: Vanderbilt University
39
Murphey Sears started her career in TV ad sales. Now, in the nonprofit world, Sears likes to say she does “sales with a purpose.” She made the move into the nonprofit space during the economic downturn in 2007. “I went back to my altruistic roots,” Sears said. “I have been a lifelong volunteer and have always loved helping others. My father ingrained in me to work in a field that interests me and inspires passion in me.” Over the years, she’s worked at the Texas Women’s Foundation, Genesis Women’s Shelter and Support, and the Museum of Nature and Science. “Each mission holds a dear place in my heart, and I am honored to serve and make an impact for the most vulnerable populations,” Sears added. Her work became even more critical during the COVID-19 pandemic. “ W hen the stay at home order started, my world flipped upside down much like everyone else,” Sears said. “How could I possibly hit fundraising goals in a business that relies heavily on relationship building and seeing people
when seeing people wasn’t safe? “Luckily, I was insanely motivated to work hard despite challenging circumstances on behalf of the thousands of children we serve. I was (and am still) grateful for my safe home because (for many) sending children home during the pandemic has meant they were stuck with their abusers and without the safe and trusted individuals like teachers who know the red flags of child abuse. So, I reminded myself constantly about the critical need DCAC serves.” When she’s not working, she enjoys taking her four children to local parks. She’s been a book-fair co-chair on the Armstrong Elementary P TA board the past two years, has been involved in the Armstrong-Bradfield Preschool Association, and held leadership roles at the Highland Park United Methodist Church Day School. She also was an active Junior League member for 13 years until she became a sustainer. She served as president of the junior group of the Dallas Garden Club last year. Biggest business/career success in the past 12 months: Just last week, DCAC was awarded a prestigious $1 million grant from Crystal Charity Ball. To have that impressive group of philanthropists, with their rigorous and astute vetting process, select us is humbling. I have been constantly overwhelmed and grateful at how the Dallas community has shown up for abused children. Fun fact that someone wouldn’t know about you: I’ve been in two TV commercials that both aired regularly — one in D.C. and one in several cities across Texas. My husband finds this so hilarious that he endearingly played both as a surprise (humiliation tactic?) to our entire rehearsal dinner. And I married him anyway!
(PHOTO: PAXTON MARONEY)
(PHOTO: IMANI CHET LYTLE)
6B May 2021 | People Newspapers | 20 Under 40
Lexie Aderhold
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SparkFarm Education: SMU, University of Texas
Lexie Aderhold came to marketing in a happy accident. “I was a financial analyst in the airline industry and loved what I did but was introduced to marketing while at Sabre Holdings and quickly knew that was where I wanted to be,” Aderhold said. “I quickly realized I prefer to work with clients directly and utilize my analytical skills to help their businesses succeed.” After graduating from SMU’s MBA program, she returned to the airline industry in a marketing strategy role at American Airlines, then started at SparkFarm about five years ago. “Like many other moms, I wrestled with how to still do the work I loved, but not at the expense of also being a loving and present mother for my son (and now daughter). Wrestling with this out loud among friends and colleagues led me to SparkFarm, a local marketing firm of industry veterans who see it as their moral imperative to reshape the workplace for women and – by extension – for their sons and daughters.” Out of the office, Aderhold likes to spend her time traveling and supporting
nonprofits, cultural organizations, and her children’s schools in Preston Hollow. She served as the 2020 chairperson for the Partners Card fundraiser benefiting the Family Place. “Our committee was able to lead the typically in-store retail-based fundraiser to exceed goals despite COVID shutdowns,” Aderhold added. She’s also a board member of The Family Place Partnership Auxiliary, a member of the Women’s Auxiliary to Children’s Medical Center Dallas, and an active supporter of The Texas Ballet Theater and Community Partners of Dallas. Biggest business/career success in the past 12 months: Chairing Partner’s Card while also supporting my clients and overseeing e-learning for my two small children who were at home due to COVID school closures. Unexpectedly, our business became in high demand during COVID when a lot of companies decided to prioritize digital advertising. If you could buy a book (or rent a movie) for your neighbor, what would it be and why? Local author Meagan Brown’s Beautiful Boards. I first heard Meagan speak at a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) event and loved her advice on how to make entertaining easy. On the side, I am a Scout & Cellar wine consultant and love sharing clean-crafted wine and a beautiful board at all my wine tasting events. What would you tell an 18-year-old you? If I were giving advice to an 18-yearold, I would tell them to make travel a priority in their early years while life is more flexible. I was lucky to have had the opportunity to travel the world while working for American Airlines, and those experiences have positively impacted many aspects of my life.
What was your first job, and what did you learn from it?
(MATTHEW SHELLEY PHOTOGRAPHY)
I babysat a lot in high school and college. I learned patience from that. I also waited tables in college on top of babysitting full-time for a family and going to school full-time. Being in the service industry is something I think everyone should do at some point in their lives. It has given me a different approach to family law- we provide a service to our clients with the most important thing on the line- their kids. -Francesca Blackard
Francesca Blackard McClure Law Group Education: New York Law School, DePaul University
35
Francesca Blackard, a managing partner on the board of the Preston Hollow Early at McClure Law Group, always knew she Childhood Association. She also served on wanted to be a lawyer, joking she “used to the board of the St. Anne’s Society at Christ negotiate with the tooth fairy.” the King Catholic Church. Her father and both of his brothers are Blackard also has co-authored a family attorneys. violence curriculum “The best advice I textbook, Stopping Abuse I tend to always ever got was from my & Transforming Your boss, Kelly, and my uncle, find my work to Life, with her fatherJudge Phil Robertson,” Kirk Blackard. be a great place to in-law, she said. “They both It’s under review by the told me when I passed put my head down Texas Council on Family the bar that young Violence and set to hit and work hard to printers soon. lawyers often make the Her father-in-law mistake of trying to get through tough also helped create the be tough in their cases situations. nonprofit Bridges to Life, versus approaching each opposing attorney kindly, which seeks to help heal even when they don’t necessarily deserve it.” crime victims, rehabilitate offenders, and When she’s not working, Blackard serves reduce recidivism rates.
“It is really an incredible program that has an 80% rate of keeping their members out of jail once they’re released. It is used worldwide and has been recognized by Pope Francis for its incredible impact on the community,” she added. Toughest business/personal challenge: I lost my sister to cancer in 2010 – the summer of my first year in law school (I did not take summers off from school to graduate early). My mom was also in serious cancer treatment at the same time for Stage 4 breast cancer. I really have never suffered so much stress in my life, but somehow law school was a safe place to channel my negative energy. I tend to always find my work to be a great place to put my head down and work hard to get through tough situations.
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20 Under 40 | People Newspapers | May 2021 7B
Brooke Donelson Sendero Education: SMU
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As a consulting analyst at Sendero and Dallas CASA is a nonprofit that an advocate for Dallas Court Appointed recruits, trains, and supervises community members to ser ve as Special Advocates (CASA), Brooke Donelson volunteer advocates for CASA is very makes a difference for children living in the clients and children. dear to my state’s protective care. Donelson’s worked at Donelson has volunteered heart, and their as an advocate for the the firm for about three nonprofit for about three years, where she helps mission is so years and recruits others guide business, nonprofit, important and and startup clients to reach to get involved as an impactful. their full potential. advocate recruitment co“A career in consulting chair. “CASAs advocate on behalf of abused has enabled me to gain valuable experience in a range of industries and meet many and neglected children in the Dallas talented professionals in our community,” County welfare system and provide judges she said. “I do not think there are many reports for court hearings that help decide other industries that offer such great the best possible outcomes for children in exposure and learning opportunities so early foster care,” Donelson said. “CASA is very dear to my heart, and their mission is so on in a career as consulting.” A dedicated volunteer, Donelson also important and impactful.” gets coworkers and others involved with the More recently, in response to needs causes important to her, like Dallas CASA. caused by the pandemic, she’s become a
regular blood donor and hosted a drive through her work with the American Red Cross. What would you tell an 18-year-old you? I would probably tell a younger version of myself to lighten up a bit. I was a notable teacher’s pet and a voracious student, and while a focus on academia is important, forming personal connections with peers and social experiences are equally as important to fostering a fulfilled life. What’s on your bucket list? I would really like to live abroad for at least a year in a Spanish-speaking country. I have been taking Spanish classes since middle school and have a goal to one day be fully bilingual. I’m actually currently enrolled in a Spanish conversation class through SMU’s continuing education department to freshen up on my skills.
Fun fact that someone wouldn’t know about you: I have been skydiving five times. My favorite jump was off the coast of Spain, at Skydive Empuriabrava. The view was astonishing, and you could even see across the Pyrenees mountains into France. What made it even more special was that my mother and younger sister, who were visiting, made the jump with me. -Brooke Donelson
BANK OF TEXAS CONGRATULATES VINCE MANNA For Being Named To The Top 20 Under Forty List For 2021.
Vince Manna Private Wealth Advisor 214.525.7615 vmanna@bankoftexas.com
www.bankoftexas.com
Powered by BOK Financial Corporation, a top 30 U.S. financial service company. Bank of Texas® is a trademark of BOKF, NA. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender , banking subsidiary of BOK Financial Corporation. © 2021 BOKF, NA
(PHOTO: YESI FORTUNA OF FORT LION STUDIO)
8B May 2021 | People Newspapers | 20 Under 40
Marisa Howard
GeneIQ Education: University of Texas
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As the COVID-19 pandemic has uprooted everyone’s lives, Marisa Howard has managed to make the most of it. She works as director of communications and media at her husband, Frank’s company GeneIQ, a molecular diagnostic testing laboratory serving corporations, long-term care facilities, physician practices, state and local governments, small businesses, and others. Our sister publication D Magazine reported how the company developed a test that detects COVID-19, two different strains of the flu, and the common cold, without the more invasive version of the nasal swab. Howard also published a series of children’s books about two sisters and their travels. “Juggling our business and promoting my books has been a challenging dance, but I
finally feel like I’ve found my place in my career,” she said. “I was finally able to see my creative talents translate into tangible assets. In 10 years, I hope to see two more sets in the Sissies Adventure series and to have helped build our molecular diagnostics business to be one of the top three leading laboratories in the world, with an innovative advantage.” Howard said a “varied and unusual path in multiple creative industries” led to her career. She spent a decade in fashion working for Neiman Marcus, JCPenney, Skinceuticals, Stanley Korshak, and American Airlines. She also worked part-time in the design district at Samuel Lynne galleries for two years, received yoga certification, and created a blog, Marhow. Her family supports such nonprofits as Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center and the
Family Place. She chaired DCAC’s Art for Advocacy in 2017 and the Family Place’s Texas Trailblazer Awards Luncheon in 2019. “I enjoy supporting various causes but focus mostly on those that serve children,” Howard said. What was your first job, and what did you learn from it? I had my first summer job when I was 15 years old. My older sister and I did data entry in cubicles at UMC United Medicorp for our dad, who was the CEO. I remember being bored out of my mind and saying that I would never want a desk job, which is probably why I desired to work in so many creative industries... It’s ironic that 20 years later, I love living at my desk… and my dad is pleased that his daughter followed in his healthcare footsteps.
Fun fact that someone wouldn’t know about you: I collect art. My favorite is a contemporary piece by British artist Benjamin Shine, a large acrylic box with hot pink tulle in the shape of Andy Warhol. We designed our contemporary home around much of our art collection. -Marisa Howard
(ADRIAN FAUBEL PHOTOGRAPHY)
C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S
Sara Fredericks 20 Under 40 Sara joined the Dallas office of Newmark as a Director in 2013. She is responsible for providing tenant representation and corporate services to both local and global businesses. Her recent deals include the renewal of Istation’s headquarters, purchase/acquisition of Goliath Games’ North American headquarters and the relocation of Affinity Health Partners headquarters.
OJ DeSouza
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Signature Baking Company Education: Northwestern University -Kellogg School of Management
Follow Sara on Instagram @sarabythesquarefeet
nmrk.com
OJ Desouza, continuing a family tradition that started in 1909, joined the family business, Signature Baking Company, right after college. “Growing up, my siblings and I always helped out with whatever was needed, but starting in 2006, I began assisting with the business’s sales,” DeSouza said. “For the last 15 years, our company has grown organically and mainly through word of mouth throughout DFW.” His father inspired him to continue the family business. “After majoring in biomedical engineering and applying to medical schools, my dad challenged me to spend a year shadowing him at the family business that he built from the ground up to see if it interested me,” DeSouza said. “After landing Maple & Motor and Snuffer’s as new clients, I fell in love with it. I was meeting with clients, tackling operational issues, and
brainstorming growth opportunities.” While Signature Baking Company is rooted in tradition, the pandemic inspired it to adapt with a home delivery model. “By creating our home delivery model, we have met so many fantastic people in Dallas – influencers, families, charities, and companies. The pandemic pushed us to formally introduce our company to Dallas,” DeSouza said. “We’ve never advertised our company or services before – we didn’t even have social media! “It’s been fun to showcase what we’ve been doing behind the scenes in Dallas for the last 42 years and even better to feel the love back from our city.” Eventually, DeSouza hopes to take it national. When he’s not working, he serves on the board of directors for the Wilkinson Center, a nonprofit he got involved with a decade or so ago. “The mission of providing pathways to self-sufficiency is something I greatly believe in,” he said. “Our company is proud to donate hundreds of loaves and buns to the food pantry every week.” If you could buy a book (or rent a movie) for your neighbor, what would it be and why? The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. It’s a story about an Indian couple migrating to America and starting a family. I connected with that movie, and I know my parents did as well as it follows similarly our family history of migrating to America to begin the bakery in Dallas. Fun fact that someone wouldn’t know about you: I sang in an all-male acapella group in college and performed in summer musicals at ESD.
Fabio Leonardi
U.S. Department of Justice Education: Georgetown University Law Center
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As a first-generation immigrant, college student, and now lawyer, introducing himself in court “on behalf of the United States” has special significance for Fabio Leonardi. Leonardi grew up in a small town at the foot of the Italian Alps and learned English as a second language shortly before moving to the U.S. in his early 20s to attend law school. “I am proud to be an immigrant and to now call this country my home,” he said. His first job in the legal profession was as an associate at Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP, a large law firm in Washington D.C. From there, Leonardi practiced for about eight years with the international law firm of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in Washington D.C., where he represented clients charged with or investigated for various white-collar crimes. He’s also taught financial crime as an adjunct professor of
law at Georgetown University Law Center. He and his wife moved to Preston Hollow about three weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. As an assistant U.S. Attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas in Dallas, Leonardi investigates and prosecutes whitecollar crimes such as financial fraud and corruption. During the peak of the pandemic, he was appointed the coronavirus fraud coordinator for the district. Since moving to the neighborhood, he and his wife became members of the Hockaday Neighborhood Association as well as parishioners at St. Rita Catholic Community. When he’s not working, he enjoys supporting Masinyusane, a non-profit youth education organization operating in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Founded by a former Wall Street banker and a South African TV personality, Masinyusane provides children in impoverished communities with literacy support and reading coaching.
(PHOTO: COURTESY OF NEWMARK)
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20 Under 40 | People Newspapers | May 2021 9B
Sara Fredericks Newmark Education: Trinity University
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Babysitting taught Sara Fredericks essential skills that she uses now in her career in commercial real estate. “Babysitting taught me the importance of communicating to a variety of audiences under one roof and the importance of a diversified client portfolio,” said Fredericks. “Parents are a lot like the C-Suite, and kids remind me of the body of an organization; sometimes the two aren’t always in sync, and yet you need to get everyone focused on the same outcome and keep them happy, so you get hired again.” She began her commercial real estate career at Mohr Partners in 2006. In 2009, she joined Hudson Peters Commercial, a small boutique commercial real estate firm, as an assistant vice president, specializing in representing tenants and landlords in the greater Dallas area.
If you could buy a book (or rent a movie) for your neighbor, what would it be and why? As an avid reader of science fiction, I will say Children of Time by British author Adrian Tchaikovsky. Praised by The Financial Times for “tackling big themes — gods, messiahs, artificial intelligence, alienness — with brio,” this book is truly one of the most imaginative and creative space operas I have ever read. Fun fact that someone wouldn’t know about you: I whisked my now wife away to London, under false pretenses, and proposed to her at the Italian Gardens in Hyde Park.
She joined the Dallas office of Newmark as director in January 2013. “The Dallas business scene weaves webs that affect our everyday life. How we work, live, and play is really guided by the businesses that choose this community as their home,” Fredericks said. “I get to be part of the process as companies take into consideration where to lay roots, where to increase a presence or back off. Honestly, it’s just a lot of fun.” When she’s not working, Fredericks enjoys being involved with the Junior League of Dallas. Fredericks is also involved with Community Partners of Dallas’ Women’s Auxiliary. Biggest business/career success in the past 12 months: Honestly — surviving virtual school with a 9 and 7-year-old while meeting my clients’ ever-changing needs. It often felt like a roller coaster, and luckily the decisions we made as a family and the ones I helped my clients make are bringing us into a great start of 2021. Which leadership skills were the most challenging for you to develop and why? Finding a voice. There weren’t other tenured women brokers at my first commercial real estate firm to serve as a mentor, much less an example. I was basically in a frat, which, don’t get me wrong, made for a fun work environment, but I quickly realized I inherently communicated differently. Fun fact that someone wouldn’t know about you: I’m an Army brat and lived in Bolivia as a teenager.
Fun fact that someone wouldn’t know about you: At HPHS, I competed in One Act Play every year and even won Best Actress a couple of times. It was my dream to study theater at SMU.
(PHOTO: COURTESY PARAGON HEALTHCARE)
-Liz Silva
Liz Silva
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Paragon Healthcare Education: Vanderbilt University, SMU
Liz Silva worked in SMU in alumni relations while attending graduate school at Vanderbilt and often found herself connecting other SMU alumni with people interested in internships or jobs. That led to her career in staffing. Silva ran her boutique staffing agency for five years before joining Paragon Healthcare. “I realized I had a unique opportunity to leverage my network and relationships into a business,” she said. “I started a staffing agency that ultimately led me to my position at Paragon, and I’ve never looked back. At Paragon, Silva oversees talent acquisition, human resources, and community relations. “Our motto of ‘People. Purpose. Passion.’ drives everything we do, and I can’t imagine working anywhere else,” she said. Her University Park roots run deep. Her family moved to the city in 1996 when Silva was in fifth grade.
Her parents still live in the city, and it’s where she and her husband, Nick, are raising a son and soon a daughter. “University Park is incredibly walkable, and nothing beats our beautiful parks within a few blocks no matter where you live. We especially love having Williams Park down the street in one direction and SMU in the other,” Silva said. “We can easily walk to football games to cheer on our Mustangs — our favorite thing to do as a family.” She is heavily involved in her son’s school, Armstrong Elementary, where she started a Veterans Day program three years ago to educate students about the holiday’s meaning. “As an Air Force wife, I felt it was important to do something to honor the service and sacrifice of our military. It’s become a tradition at Armstrong and one of the highlights of the year for our family,” Silva said.
What was your first job, and what did you learn from it? My first job was an internship at The Richards Group while I was an advertising student at SMU. Although creative, it was a very structured environment, and I got to see the campaign process from start to finish. I learned a lot, but mostly that I was not passionate about the industry, which ultimately helped me shift gears and set new career goals. Where do you see yourself and/or your career 10 years from now? Personally, still in UP with my husband, Nick, and our kids. Our son, Sam, will be 18, and our daughter (due this August) will be 9 – one in college (hopefully SMU, of course!) and another at Armstrong. Two different worlds. Professionally, I hope I’ve continued to grow with Paragon and feel just as challenged, fulfilled, and motivated in my career.
Nick Silva American Airlines Education: SMU
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Many young boys dream of taking to the skies as pilots, but Nick Silva turned that dream into a reality. “The lightbulb moment was visiting the cockpit and getting a pair of plastic wings from the pilot when I was 6 years old,” he said. Silva’s been a DFW-based Airbus pilot with American Airlines for the last seven years. In addition to flying, he chairs a national committee for the pilots’ union. He’s also an officer in the Air Force Reserves, where he’s worked for the last 16 years as an enlisted aircrew member, pilot, and liaison officer. “My second lightbulb moment that drove me to pursue my MBA was hearing other airline pilots talk about their careers being devastated by 9/11,” he said. “Combined with a strong interest in business and entrepreneurship, hearing those stories gave me the motivation to take control of my own future so that I could always have something to fall back on.”
After graduating from SMU’s Cox School of Business, he started Crosswinds Consulting, where he works to help small businesses develop strategic plans to realize their potential. When he’s not working, he coaches his son’s basketball and baseball teams and runs the Dads Club’s carpool program at Armstrong Elementary, where his son goes to school. Next year, he’ll be Dads Club president. He’s also volunteered with Genesis Women’s Shelter HeROS program, which seeks to engage and mobilize men to volunteer to help the shelter’s efforts to end domestic violence. As part of the program, Silva’s helped host barbecues and other events throughout the year. Which leadership skills were the most challenging for you to develop and why? Humility was the most difficult for me to develop. In my childhood, a lot of things came easy to me, and I didn’t take the time to appreciate what others brought to the table. When I was finally given a chance to lead in the military, I had to have the humility to bring out the talents of my teammates so that we could achieve the best results. Fun fact that someone wouldn’t know about you: While I am a military and commercial airline pilot, I am terrified of heights. Looking out of a window at 30,000 feet is no problem, but 6 feet up a ladder, and I start to get nervous. What’s on your bucket list? My wife and I got married during a really hectic time in our lives, and I still have not been able to take her on the honeymoon she deserves. My bucket list item is to take her on a three-week vacation throughout Europe, especially to Switzerland.
(PHOTO: COURTESY OF ALLIE BETH ALLMAN & ASSOCIATES)
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10B May 2021 | People Newspapers | 20 Under 40
Nora Clark
Allie Beth Allman & Associates Education: University of Texas
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Nora Clark took an unusual path to her career in real estate. She taught for a decade before joining Allie Beth Allman & Associates about five years ago. “I discovered how much I enjoyed working in residential real estate. Similar to teaching, you are walking someone through a process,” Clark said. “As with my former students, you are so bonded with your clients by the end. That was very surprising to me in the best way.” Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, she said 2020 was her team’s most successful year to date. “Being a top producer at Allie Beth Allman & Associates is huge for us. In our company, we are truly surrounded by the best,” Clark said. “We set specific,
measurable goals for our team each year… and I’m proud of all the clients we helped transition during an abnormally trying year.” When she’s not working, she serves as a member of the Junior League of Dallas, the Dallas Garden Club, and the Caruth Hills & Homeplace Neighborhood Association board. Clark also belongs to the Incarnation Academy Parents Association, Boone Preschool Association, and Boone Elementary PTO. “Volunteering has always filled my cup. I have volunteered at The Notre Dame School of Dallas for the last eight years working with special needs students. I commit to over 60 hours a year, and it has been such a wonderful experience,” Clark said. What makes the Park Cities or Preston Hollow home? The awesome schools, friends, and community members. We actually bought a home on Purdue to remodel and were just pulling permits when COVID hit, and we were stopped in our tracks. Everything changed so quickly, and we had to pivot based on the circumstances. We learned first-hand how important “home” was and couldn’t have made it through without support from our village. What was your first job, and what did you learn from it? I worked retail in high school at a store called Jean Connection in Preston Center. I learned that I genuinely liked meeting new people and helping them. I was also introduced to the concept of budgeting. My first month, I purchased more than I earned.
What’s on your bucket list?
(PHOTO: IMANI CHET LYTLE)
To be a full-time coach. As someone who grew up loving sports, I always thought that sounded like the most fun job you could have in the world. While it would be a tough way to pay the bills now, I hope to create the ability to do that one day. Rugby, basketball, hockey… I don’t think the specific sport would even matter. -Vince Manna
Vince Manna
Bank of Texas Education: Arizona State University
31
Wealth adviser Vince Manna, who’s worked with BOK Financial since graduating from college eight years ago, lives by his industry phrase, “doing well by doing good.” The Bank of Texas vice president sees himself as fortunate to participate in a BOK Financial rotational training program where he learned about more industries to focus on in the financial services sector. “Through that process, I fell in love with the investment management business and had some great mentors over time to guide my path,” Manna said. “I loved the idea of being so directly aligned with my clients’ best interests and waking up every day working to help them achieve their own goals.” As part of his role, he does financial planning and investment management and
helps lead the bank’s financial education efforts. “During times of financial stress for many, we started offering complimentary financial seminars to bank clients, and it is a privilege to be able to teach these concepts to people in the community because, unfortunately, it is just not something covered in our education system,” Manna said. When he’s not working, he enjoys mentoring students and fundraising with Youth Entrepreneurs, a nonprofit that facilitates entrepreneurship and business management courses for at-risk high school students in the Dallas area. “It is a hands-on program that actually funds students’ business ideas,” Manna said. “It’s a special feeling to be able to see the lightbulb switch on and see those students
realize economic opportunity through their work.” What was your first job, and what did you learn from it? My first job was handing out flyers throughout the neighborhood for my dad, who was a real estate agent. It was a summer job, walking door to door in 120-degree heat, but we always ran out of flyers before I was ready to stop working. Five dollars an hour went a long way when I was 9 years old. Fun fact that someone wouldn’t know about you: I’m a licensed ordained minister - I had the privilege of officiating the wedding of some close friends recently, which was truly an honor.
(PHOTO: IMANI CHET LYTLE)
20 Under 40 | People Newspapers | May 2021 11B
Kyle Marmillion
Marsh & McLennan Agency Education: University of Texas
29
Kyle Marmillion is a busy guy. His day job is as an adviser with the insurance brokerage Marsh & McLennan Agency, specializing in property and casualty, employee benefits, and personal insurance. “I have had tremendous opportunities, and I am very grateful for each of the opportunities I have taken. In the grand scheme of things, I still feel as though I am just getting started,” Marmillion said. He spends time outside work serving through the Rotary Club of Park Cities, where he’s filled leadership roles the last three years, including as sergeant at arms and on the club’s foundation and Fourth of July planning committees. He also manages the club’s website and serves meals monthly with the Ronald McDonald House team of volunteers. He also coaches a boys youth lacrosse team.
“I am grateful to serve in each of these cold in the winter), and it instilled a deep areas and others as well,” Marmillion said. appreciation for nature and the outdoors “I remember traveling up to the Park Cities at a young age that continues to be very area in college on lacrosse trips and was important to me.” just blown away by the welcoming people and how What was your first job, In the grand close together everything and what did you learn from it? was. When I moved to scheme of First job was in outside Dallas, I was quickly things, I still sales. I learned so much. reminded of this, and the My biggest takeaway is the people and the community feel as though I make it a great place to call of relationships am just getting importance home.” and building them at all Marmillion first moved started. levels. to Austin from Vermont in 2002. If you could buy a book (or rent a movie) “The road to the house in Vermont for your neighbor, what would it be and was dirt, and it wound through woods why? before opening up to Lake Champlain,” he Anyone that likes an adventure and great said of his home state. “It was absolutely humor should read A Walk in the Woods by stunning (beautiful in the summer and very Bill Bryson.
What’s on your bucket list? Travel the world with our children. Our 5 month old already has a passport and global entry, but COVID is keeping us stateside for now. -Zachary & Joanna Dreyfuss
ZACHARY AND JOANNA DREYFUSS Zachary
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Joanna
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Dallas Pulmonary and Critical Care Education: Tulane University School of Medicine
UT Southwestern Education: Baylor College of Medicine
(SUMMER SPOONER PHOTOGRAPHY)
Z
achary and Joanna are high school sweethearts who fell in love with Dallas while doing their medical residency training at Parkland/UT Southwestern. “Even though Zach and I both grew up in Houston, we chose to come back to the Dallas area to settle,” Joanna said. “There is something about the connections that you make in residency that really tie you to a place – most doctors stay in the cities where they train.” When picking a place to settle, they became drawn to the Park Cities because of the strong public school system, she added. “Obviously, as doctors, we have been in school for a long (long) time, and so education has always been very important to us.” Zachary works in pulmonology as a partner at Dallas Pulmonary and Critical Care seeing pulmonary patients, including those with COVID-19, COPD, asthma, and other breathing problems. Joanna works in the Park Cities office of UT Southwestern’s Obstetrics and Gynecology department.
Zachary’s group covers many different ICUs across North Texas and sees pulmonary patients in hospitals and the clinic. “This entire year has been the most challenging, from planning with hospital administration and staff regarding COVID prior to making its way to DFW, to seeing two to three times the number of critically ill patients that I normally see,” Zachary said. “Obviously, when the COVID numbers were so high, it was hard to make sure that I was giving all my patients the high-quality care that I expect myself to give. Sometimes I would have to take a break in my day and step out of the ICU so that I could recharge. It was also hard outside of work being isolated from friends and family and not being able to do the things we usually do to recharge (for us travel).” Outside of work, Zachary coaches their daughter’s soccer team through the YMCA. When COVID-19 first hit, he did an online forum about it through Park Cities Chatter.
Fun fact that someone wouldn’t know about you: Zach: I was the mascot at Rice University, Sammy the Owl Joanna: I was a cheerleader at Duke University
Obviously, as doctors, we have been in school for a long (long) time, and so education has always been very important to us. Joanna Dreyfuss Favorite nonprofit causes(s)? Both: North Texas Food Bank. We also supported other food banks in cities around the country this holiday season where different family members live instead of giving traditional gifts.
PCP_May2021-Final-Revised3.pdf 1 4/8/2021 5:04:32 AM
12B May 2021 | People Newspapers | 20 Under 40
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