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BOY SCOUT BAXTER PERRY-MILLER CREATES A BUZZ
St. Marks sophomore qualifies for rare conservation award
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By Maddie Stout
People Newspapers
The name Baxter Perry-Miller is certainly abuzz at Bonton Farms. And it’s not just from the bees he brought there, although that’s certainly part of it.
The St. Marks School of Texas sophomore has earned the Distinguished Conservation Award, one of the rarest and most difficult awards to procure as a Boy Scout. In the past, less than 150 people have won it, but Perry-Miller is almost there.
After achieving his Eagle Scout rank, Perry-Miller heard about the conservation award from a merit-badge advisor who recognized the teen’s passion for the environment and background working with the Park Cities Quail Coalition.
To receive the honor, he must complete four major conservation projects.
For his first project, Perry-Miller worked with the Trinity River Audubon Center. There,
TOP: Baxter Perry-Miller is working with Bonton Farms in South Dallas to build a functional bee apiary. BOTTOM, FROM LEFT: He takes his dog along to monitor quail conservation at the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area
(LLELA) and delivered four outdoor recycling bins to the Trinity River Audubon Center. (PHOTOS: COURTESY BAXTER PERRY-MILLER)
he established an outdoor sustainable recycling program. Next, he led a battery drive, which ended up falling during the pandemic.
“I had to switch the drive to basically be on my porch, but I managed to collect 418 pounds of batteries,” Perry-Miller said. “It was a lot of trips to the collection center.”
For his third project, Perry-Miller collaborated with the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area (LLELA). Together, they worked to release 112 pen-raised quail on the 2600-acre property. After doing so, he monitored the quail, tracking their survival rate and other data.
For his final project, Perry-Miller knew he wanted to work with Bonton Farms, a community farm in South Dallas, working to end the food desert there and provide employment opportunities in the community.
Initially, Perry-Miller pitched a rain barrel system to the farm, but they already had one set up.
“The people at Bonton mentioned the bee apiary project instead, and how they wanted to dedicate the project and the area to a former member of the farm who had unfortunately passed away,” Perry-Miller said. “I just thought that it was a really cool project that was very close to my heart.”
The project involves setting up a bee apiary with wildflowers, native Texas grasses, and 15 beehives. Ultimately, the apiary will help with cross-pollination, said project manager Beau Babcock of Bonton Farms.
“Bonton is really an agrotourism farm, so having a space like the apiary where we can teach people about the benefits of native plants and the benefits of pollinators is very helpful,” Babcock said. “I hope Baxter’s work catches on with the rest of his peers as well.”
To receive the honor, he had to complete four major conservation projects.
“The real reason I’m doing this isn’t so much for the actual projects or award, but to teach more people about conservation,” Perry-Miller said. “The award is great recognition, but I didn’t do this to have it on my resume. I did it for conservation.”
Possibilities Await You at Parish Episcopal School.
Hillcrest (PreK 3yrs old - 2nd grade) Midway (3rd - 12th grade)
Sunday, October 24 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 13 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Visit us online at parish.org or contact our Admission office at 972.852.8737
Ghosts Haunt Halloweens of Yesteryear
(PHOTOS: PEOPLE NEWSPAPERS ARCHIVES)
Bring on Halloween, a season when masks aren’t so controversial (usually).
A spooky trip through newspaper archives dug up photographs to delight and, in some cases, haunt (Be relieved, Bill Jones, we’re not republishing that 1986 trick-ortreating pic. What were you thinking?)
Our earliest coverage included a warning about the potential for flammable costumes to explode but, thankfully, no stories of such tragedies happening.
Crime Reports covered miscreants lobbing pumpkins at passing cars in 1987 and 1991. In 1995, teens snatched a $30 gorilla mask off a front porch decoration after a Crescent Avenue homeowner refused candy to boys chastened as too old to trick or treat.
Decades of papers show the Park Cities love school carnivals and jack-o-lantern contests.
Have another awesome Halloween but be careful what you wear.
– William Taylor 2005 | Jack, Hannah, and Tessa Eckeberger 1982 | Charles Nelson
2006 | Ernest Beecherl, Patrick Bartling, Sean Hinson, and Ellen Beecherl
1997 | FROM LEFT: Lori Trammel, Kandy Hale, Elleott Amick, and Brandi Hale
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URSULINE ACADEMY OF DALLAS
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1995 | Valerie Beiker, Cathy Cook, Stubbs Davis, and Michelle Graham
2004 | Emily Weisfield, Mrs. Karla Seymour, and Thomas Bunting
WONDER
We believe a RIGOROUS EDUCATION goes hand in hand with a childlike sense of WONDER. Our campus gardens, media center, barn, and farm animals help educate our students through EXPLORATION, PLAY, COLLABORATION, and COMPASSION.
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1982 | Blake Vanderwoude and his first place SMU football pumpkin
2000 | FROM LEFT: Belinda Aldrete, Luanne Hanford, Denise Rencher, Tracy Calloway, Jennifer Peterson, and Buddie Watson
2001 | Courtlandt Weitzel and Brock Skinner 2011 | Everette Blackwell, Eve Schiller, Rebecca Ciarocchi, and Seth Pinto 1993 | Erika Eidson and Wendy Eidson 1996 | John Calandro and Rich Lucas
1981 | Jenny Cude
2013 | Lauren Trulock
NEW CAMPUS … NEW HORIZONS
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Enrolling Fall 2021
Since 1976 … changing the way the world thinks about learning di erences Shelton School and Evaluation Center
Early Childhood – Grade 12 SHELTON.ORG
St. Mark’s is more than a boys’ school. St. Mark’s is a school for boys.
Since its founding in 1906, St. Mark’s has provided boys in grades 1–12 with exceptional educational opportunities by crafting school programs around the unique learning styles of boys. Small classes (average of 15), nationally acclaimed faculty, and state-of-the-art facilities enrich the experience for all students.
Join us for a fall admissions event.
Please visit our website to learn about virtual and on-campus event opportunities throughout Fall 2021.
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Junior Symphony Ball Check Presented to DSOL.
Giving a big check
Student co-chairs for the Junior Symphony Ball (JSB) presented Dallas Symphony Orchestra League (DSOL) president Anne Ligon with a $238,432 check.
The ball was finally held outdoors in June at the Toyota Music Factory after being delayed from January because of the pandemic.
The “Purpose with a Party,” now in its 64th year, brings high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors from 40-plus participating schools together to raise funds for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s music education and outreach programs. More than 1,300 students attended.
“The funds raised by JSB will ensure these kids have years of music instruction with the best teachers,” Ligon said. “In 20 years, some of these kids will be at a DSOL event sharing their success story, and you are actively taking part in it now.”
Student co-chairs attend the Episcopal School of Dallas – Fletcher Calvert, Riley Calvert, and Lili Kelly; Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas – Sam Jackson; Highland Park High School – Harrison Keys and Madison Muncy; the Hockaday School – Kate Wills; Parish Episcopal School – Abbey Jackson; and Ursuline Academy of Dallas – Emma Sweeney.
Parent co-chairs were Alison Muncy, Suzy Calvert, Liz Kelly, Debbie Robinowitz, Paula Wills, Justine Sweeny, Angela Jackson, Alyson Jackson, and Tish Key.
PICTURED FROM LEFT: Anne Ligon, Lily Kelly, Jake Robinowitz, Sam Jackson, Emma Sweeney, and Kim Noltemy. Next year’s JSB is scheduled for Jan. 29 at Gilley’s. Visit jsbdallas.org. (Courtesy Photo)
In the Army now
Cadet Michael Nolen, son of Michael Sr. and Toni Nolen, Sr. of Dallas, has completed cadet basic training at the U.S. Military AcadMichael Nolen Jr. emy at West Point, (COURTESY PHOTO) where he expects to graduate in 2025 and earn his commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
The basic training, designed to instill discipline, pride, cohesion, confidence, and a high sense of duty, includes first aid, mountaineering, hand grenades, rifle marksmanship, and nuclear, biological, and chemical instruction.
Michael Jr. graduated from The Cambridge School of Dallas and was active at Park Cities Baptist Church in University Park, where he earned his Eagle Scout rank in 2018 with BSA Troop 518. – Compiled by William Taylor
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St.Mark’s School of Texas does not discriminate in the administration of its admission and education policies on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.
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Providing Meaningful Learning Opportunities Built on a Strong Christian Foundation 214.361.4626 I 4024 Caruth Blvd I Dallas, TX 75225 weekdayschool. upumc.org
parkcitiespeople.com | October 2021 39 Beat The Drums, Sing Some Songs, Don Iglehart Turns 100 HPHS band members, Lads and Lassies help oldest alumnus celebrate
By Rachel Snyder
rachel.snyder@peoplenewspapers.com
How do you top a driveway celebration for a Highland Park High School alumnus’s 99th birthday?
Surprise Don Iglehart again a year later, but this time with guest musicians in his driveway.
The Highland Park High School drumline, the Lads and Lassies singers, family, and friends gathered Aug. 24 for birthday cookies and snow cones on the centenarian’s birthday outside Iglehart’s home on Stanhope Street, where he’s lived since 1983.
“I was impressed,” Iglehart said. “I really enjoyed it.”
His granddaughter, Amy Dodson, who he helped raise, downloaded the photos and videos from the 100th birthday party afterward, and he showed them to friends at the Dallas Country Club, where he enjoys meeting for lunch each week.
Dodson and Highland Park Education Foundation director of alumni relations Meg Boyd helped organize the driveway party.
“Back on his 99th (birthday) ... we did a driveway celebration, and I started thinking then,” Dodson said. “He’s, in fact, the oldest alumnus. How fun would it be to have the drumline come?”
Boyd then arranged for the drumline and singers to perform.
TOP, FROM LEFT: HPHS alumnus Don Iglehart celebrated his 100th birthday in August with
music and treats. (PHOTO: RACHEL SNYDER); Iglehart with his late wife, Dorothy. (COURTESY PHOTO); BOTTOM: The HPHS drumline performed in front of alumnus Iglehart’s home. (PHOTO: RACHEL SNYDER)
“Imagine my delight when I actually saw the drumline rounding the corner and saw the Lads and Lassies,” Dodson said. “It all came to fruition. I’m so happy because I know how much he loves music and jazz and appreciates all the people,”
Iglehart first moved to University Park when he was 14 and graduated from Highland Park High School in 1939.
While at SMU after high school, he met fellow Highland Park alumna Dorothy Davis.
“I had known who she was for a long time, but I’d never spoken to her,” Iglehart said. “When she finally approached me, we hit it off and ended up getting married.”
The couple had two children and were married for 68 years before her death in 2010.
“Once I met my future wife, she’s the one that really made the difference in my life and brought me out into the open because everybody loved her,” Iglehart said.
Iglehart also served in the military in his early 20s.
“I went into the U.S. Navy and spent time on a minesweeper in the west Pacific,” Iglehart said.
After his service, he got his chemical engineering degree from the University of Texas and went to work with Procter and Gamble.
He still enjoys playing solitaire and jokes, “I call it solitaire engineering.”
Committed to excellence
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Visit www.greenhill.org to hear from our students, learn more about our school, and review our application process!
PARISH EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
Celebrating 50 Years of Parish
To appreciate Parish Episcopal School, one must understand its first five decades and Parish Day School legacy. Since 1972, Parish has focused on the whole child, nurturing students to thrive in a joyful, supportive and collaborative environment. And, the School has never stopped at the student. With an inclusive Episcopal community, it strives for belonging for every member. The unmatched sense of community that one experiences as part of the Parish family – parents, grandparents, students, faculty/staff, alumni – is special. Celebrating and building on that foundation throughout the last 50 years, Parish Episcopal School (PreK-12th grade), remains steadfast in its commitment to families while expanding the possibilities for students. From signature programs exploring leadership, STEM, global studies and more, to social/emotional programs ensuring needs of students are met, to premier facilities in STEM, athletics and arts, including the recently opened 55,000sq. ft. Noble Family Performing Arts Center, the possibilities are infinite at Parish.
URSULINE ACADEMY
Portrait of an Ursuline Graduate
An Ursuline graduate is a woman of faith and reflection. She embodies Serviam by using her gifts to learn from and serve others. She appreciates multiple perspectives and celebrates the uniqueness of all locally and globally. She encourages and exemplifies integrity and resiliency. She is a lifelong learner who engages with others ethically, critically, and empathetically. She is an independent, innovative thinker who instigates and embraces change. She strives to build a strong sense of community.
Join us at Ursuline Academy of Dallas, an all-girls Catholic college preparatory school for grades 9-12. For more information contact the Office of Admissions at 469-232-1800 www.ursulinedallas.org.
SAINT MICHAEL EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
Saint Michael Episcopal School welcomes children 12 months through kindergarten. We invite you to visit our school where we help develop confident and compassionate students through a foundation of Service, Education, Love and Faith. We look forward to meeting prospective families back in person during school visits this October and November. Call Elizabeth Keogh at 214692-3023 or email: ekeogh@smesdallas.org.
Schedule your tour or a Virtual Tour to see our children in action and our teachers doing what they love most! Go to www. smesdallas.org/apply/
Not the Loch Ness monster?
At a university known for its Mustangs (or Ponies), SMU researchers sure love their dinosaurs.
A recent CT scan has paleontologists talking about the minimal evolution in a long-extinct marine reptile with a striking resemblance to the mythical Loch Ness monster.
“Basically, in anything except living fossils, you don’t go 22 mil- Miguel Marx with skull lion years with- cast. (PHOTOS COURTESY SMU) out evolving,” said Louis Jacobs, professor emeritus of Earth Sciences at SMU.
Elasmosaurid plesiosaurs were the largest of the long-necked plesiosaurs, growing as long as 43 feet with half of that length deriving from their small heads and very long necks.
A CT scan of a 71.5-million-year-old skull from a species called Cardiocorax mukulu looked in 3D models nearly identical to those from much older elasmosaurids, including one found at Cedar Hill, Texas, in 1931. See its 93-million-year-old remains at SMU’s Shuler Museum of Paleontology.
“The skull shape, organization of muscles, and the shape and arrangement of the teeth largely reflect how an animal acquired prey,” said co-author Michael J. Polcyn, research associate and director of SMU’s Digital Earth Sciences Laboratory. “It appears that this animal’s predecessors adopted a particular feeding style early in their evolutionary history and then maintained the same basic skull structure for the next 22 million years.”
For SMU engineering graduate student Collin Yarbrough, a classroom assignment to evaluate the design of Dallas’ Central Expressway resulted in a recently published book about the long-forgotten history of Dallas’ racist past buried beneath the city’s freeways. “I saw the same pattern of injustice over and over,” Yarbrough said. “From Tenth Street to Fair Park to Deep Ellum, the history of Dallas highways is part of a tangled web of infrastructure, policy, and race.”
Among his findings:
In the 1940s, frontage roads to Central Expressway paved over more than 1,000 graves of Black residents buried in Freedman’s Cemetery. Construction of Central Expressway bisected a thriving Black community.
The construction of I-35 in the mid1950s led to the demolition of significant homes and businesses and split a thriving Black community founded initially by formerly enslaved people. The Tenth Street Freedman’s Town Historic District is on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 11 Most Endangered Places.
In the 1960s, I-345, formerly part of Central Expressway, was redesigned to become elevated over part of the area known as Deep Ellum, limiting foot traffic and shuttering a once Black-owned commercial and residential district.
The Dallas native knew nothing about the racial history buried under the highways he traveled every day until he researched his paper, which led to his book, Paved a Way, Infrastructure, Policy and Racism in an American City (New Degree Press, 2021).
Writing a paper on Central Expressway changed his life, Yarbrough said. He began work in the fall on a doctorate in civil engineering at SMU, specializing in transportation, economic geography, and urban economics.
“Infrastructure is symptomatic of a larger ill – racism,” he said. “I’d like to seek ways to prevent infrastructure from promoting racism again.”
Collin Yarbrough
– Compiled by William Taylor
exceptional universities
AND HAPPINESS.
I strive to send my graduates to exceptional universities, but my ultimate destination for them is exceptional happiness.
I am The Episcopal School of Dallas. And I am igniting lives of purpose. -Excerpt, ESD Manifesto. Read more at esdallas.org/manifesto
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Kevin Lee’s Forbidden Phrases: “I can’t” and “I don’t know” Former couch-surfing homeless teen charts path as SMU Law Student
By Rachel Snyder
rachel.snyder@peoplenewspapers.com
Kevin Lee’s journey has taken him from homelessness after a snowstorm while a teenager in Pittsburgh to studying at SMU’s Dedman School of Law.
“Growing up, I had everything that a child could want,” Lee, now 27, said. “When I was 16, my mom and I lost our home to a flood.” Health officials deemed their home uninhabitable, so Lee and his mom couchsurfed after the blizzard before moving to stay with a friend in Georgia.
Then when trying to register for his senior year of high school in 2012, Lee discovered not enough of his credits would transfer for him to graduate on time.
“Big shock to us, so they said the only way that you will be able to graduate on time is if you go back to Pittsburgh,” Lee said. “My mom did the unimaginable and gave up the home that we had just so that I could go back to Pittsburgh and graduate.”
His mother, Tamara Williams, said there were two phrases she didn’t allow: “I can’t” and “I don’t know.”
“There’s always a way to find out something,” Williams said. “I just kept on telling him, ‘Never give up.’”
He was able to register for school after they found an apartment in Pittsburgh. He then graduated valedictorian of his class.
SMU law student Kevin Lee hopes to become a judge one day. (PHOTO: RACHEL SNYDER)
While applying to colleges, Lee and his mom watched The Great Debaters, based on the story of a professor at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, who started a debate team there.
“That was the only movie we had, and so we watched it probably 10 times, and on the seventh time, I said, ‘You know what? I’d like to be on the debate team,’ he said. “My mom said, ‘Hey, well you have that cellphone in your hand, research Wiley College.”
Lee ended up attending Paul Quinn College in Dallas with a scholarship and serving as class president there.
“I was able to visit SMU during my time at Paul Quinn College, and I was actually a speaker at an event here, and so just being able to spend time on the campus, I said that is a place that I want to go for law school,” he said.
After he graduates from SMU’s law school, he hopes to advocate for others and become a judge, he said. “I just want to be a person that people can look at and say you know what, ‘I can do that too,’ or ‘I can do even better than that.’”
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