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
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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.
