HEREsizes and options.
THOMAS JEFFERSON HS PROJECTED TO OPEN IN JANUARY
The renovated campus will be a ‘homecoming’ for class of 2023
Maria Lawson maria.lawson@peoplenewspapers.comSuperintendent Stephanie Elizal de looks forward to a “homecom ing” for the students displaced af ter the October 2019 tornado destroyed Thomas Jefferson High School.
Slightly more than three years later, the newly renovated high school cam pus will open for the 1,400-student population in January.
Stephanie Elizalde“This has been a long journey for our community, both inside the school and outside the school, and it takes partnerships to ensure that we’re able to rebound from things that have oc curred,” Elizalde said.
When the tornado hit, Elizalde was serving as the district’s chief of school leadership. The Thomas Jef ferson students have been learning at the former Thomas Edison Middle School ever since.
Elizalde looks forward to return ing the school to its neighborhood and having a facility where the exterior matches the interior.
“We’ve taken something that was a destruction, and now we’re going to be able to have a debut,” Elizalde said. “We are going to have the excitement back in this building, newly-renovated.”
She described the high school as a “private school education at a public school price.” Community members can expect high-caliber teachers, outstand ing school leaders, and events such as open houses and parent nights, she said.
“Our vision is to keep the students that we have and to re-energize folks to say, ‘Hm, maybe I’ll invest in my kid’s college education, and I can send my kid to public education and use those dollars for college,’” Elizalde said. “We’re all ready to accept them because we have the greatest teachers, leaders, [and] support staff. I promise you that.”
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We’ve taken something that was a destruction, and now we’re going to be able to have a debut.
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Oct. 10
A man was assaulted by two men, one of whom had a pistol, at Preston Valley Shop ping Center before 5:58 p.m.
Oct. 11
A woman was locked in a car and the driver refused to let her leave before 2:17 p.m. in the 6800 block of Lyndon B. John son Freeway
Oct. 12
Someone in possession of a stolen vehi cle was arrested before 4:49 p.m. in the 6100 block of Luther Lane
Oct. 13
An unknown burglar broke into a new build home in the 5700 block of Orchid Lane and stole from it before 10:57 a.m.
Oct. 14
Before 4:13 p.m. Oct. 14, a man’s vehi cle was stolen from NorthPark Center. Not long after, another man’s car was stolen from the same parking lot before 4:44 p.m.
Oct. 15
Before 11:55 p.m., someone was caught with marijuana, syringes, scales, and small baggies in their vehicle in the 10600 block of Pagewood Drive
Oct. 16
A thief entered a woman’s unlocked car and stole property from it in the parking lot of Inwood Village at an unlisted time.
Oct. 17
A man flashed his genitals at a doorbell camera in the 3700 block of Shorecrest Drive
before 11:33 p.m. He was also in possession of methamphetamine and a used meth pipe.
Oct. 19
A man was bit by a dog before 5:23 p.m. at Fairwood Apartments
Oct. 20
The flooring was stolen from a construc tion site in the 5100 block of Kelsey Road before 9:05 a.m.
Oct. 21
An unknown burglar damaged a woman’s car and stole her stuff before 8:40 p.m. in a parking lot at the intersection of West Lov ers Lane and Inwood Road
Oct. 22
Vandalized before 9:53 a.m.: a wom an’s mailbox and stand in the 6800 block of Greenwich Lane
Oct. 23
A lingerer saw a home was unlocked in the 4800 block of Dorset Road then en tered before 10:57 p.m.
Oct. 24
Before 7:36 a.m., an unknown aggressor assaulted a woman and demanded her prop erty in the 3800 block of West Northwest Highway
Oct. 25
A destructor damaged a man’s fence in the 5500 block of Deloache Avenue before 7:36 a.m. and then stole the homeowner’s vehicle.
Oct. 26
An intoxicated driver (who was also
driving with an expired license plate) was busted in the 3800 block of Inwood Road before 2:36 a.m.
Oct. 27
Someone stole from a man in the park ing lot of Bluffs at Midway Hollow at an unlisted time.
Oct. 28
An unknown vandal damaged an exterior door handle at NorthPark Center before 7 p.m. Oct. 28.
Oct. 29
Before 6:22 p.m., someone shot at a man while driving in the 6000 block of Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway
Oct. 30
Before 4:35 p.m., a man’s property was stolen from his unlocked car outside of a home in the 5500 block of Nakoma Drive Nov. 2
Broken before 6:28 a.m.: the side win dow of First Horizon Bank in the 8200 block of Preston Road Nov. 3
A caller left a phone message before 10:09 a.m. threatening to blow up Sherry Lane Place Nov. 4
A reckless driver hit a woman’s car and caused damage before 12:29 p.m. in the 6100 block of Churchill Way Nov. 5
An unknown man entered AT Bistro |
Au Troisiéme with blood on his clothes be fore 8:49 a.m.
Nov. 6
Before 10:10 a.m.: a man’s taillights were stolen from outside a home in the 6400 block of Waggoner Drive
Competing Bankruptcy Plans Filed For Edgemere
By Rachel Snyder rachel.snyder@peoplenewspapers.comDebt holders of Edgemere have a bankruptcy plan that involves selling the luxury retirement community to a new owner.
Court documents show an unnamed bidder offered $48.5 million for the com munity. In its April bankruptcy filing, Edgemere reported more than 400 resi dents with 304 independent-living units, 113 assisted-living units, and 87 nursing beds in the 8500 block of Thackery Street.
The sale plan competes with one filed by Edgemere and a committee of unse cured creditors whose deposits are on the line. That plan would involve a $20 mil lion cash infusion from Edgemere’s par ent company, Lifespace Communities.
The deadline for creditors to vote on the plans is Jan. 3, and a confirmation hearing is set for Jan. 10. A $10 million emergency loan that Edgemere received approval for in June comes due Dec. 31.
The proceedings have been conten tious from the beginning. Edgemere sued its landlord, Intercity Investments, simul taneously with its bankruptcy filing, al leging in court documents that Intercity was working with Kong Capital to termi nate its 50-plus-year ground lease.
Edgemere’s proposed plan leans on its parent company, Lifespace, a nonprofit based in Dallas and Iowa that operates
17 communities in seven states. Lifespace reported $282 million in revenue in its most recent tax filings in 2020.
Credit rating agency Fitch Ratings, in a September report, expressed concern about Lifespace’s declining independent living occupancy “but believes that by virtue of its size and scale, Lifespace pos sesses the operating flexibility to weather what is expected to be a transitory stress and recover occupancy to levels consis tent with historical averages over the next one to two years.”
Per the plan, Lifespace would agree to waive management fees Edgemere owes for nine years, saving about $17.4 million.
Per The Dallas Morning News , the plan would refinance $109.1 million in bond
debt and issue new bonds in 2023 that would provide about $89 million in new capital. Lifespace would agree to make debt payments on the bonds if Edgemere cannot pay them. That agreement is for $9 million per year for seven years, court documents show.
Current or former residents (or their families) who already paid a hefty en try fee each would receive back 40% of their money. Current residents would be offered new contracts, and both groups would receive 20% of what they’re owed
up front and the other 20% in five years.
Former residents are owed $37 mil lion, and current residents’ deposits total $107 million.
The debt holders’ plan involves selling “substantially all” of Edgemere’s assets to a new owner. Like Edgemere’s plan, the debt holders’ plan would offer residents a new monthly rental agreement, doing away with the entrance fee model.
All of Edgemere’s unsold assets would go to creditors, including former resi dents or their estates, per their plan.
One proposal involves selling the retirement community for $48.5 million
Make this the tastiest time of year and fill your table with magnificent mains, show-stopping sides, and jaw-dropping desserts. Central Market has everything you need to make a memorable meal from scratch or let our chefs do the cooking.
Republicans Sweep Marquee Statewide Races, But Dallas County Stays Blue
By Rachel Snyder rachel.snyder@peoplenewspapers.comMore than 625,000 voters, about 44% of the 1,422,849 registered voters in Dallas County, cast ballots in the Nov. 8 midterm elections.
Turnout was down from the 2018 mid term elections when nearly 55% of the 1,338,788 registered voters in the county at the time voted.
Democratic challengers failed to beat in cumbent Republicans in the marquee state wide races for governor, lieutenant governor, or attorney general, but Democrats swept lo cal Dallas County races.
Incumbent Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins brushed off a challenge from Lauren Davis with 63% of the vote (386,089) to Da vis’ 37% (231,253) in unofficial totals.
Joining Jenkins on the Dallas County Commissioners Court will be lawyer Andrew Sommerman, who beat incumbent J.J. Koch, the court’s lone Republican, with 53% of the vote (108,000) to Koch’s 47% (96,256).
Incumbent District Attorney John Creuzot also fended off challenger Faith Johnson with 59% of the vote (365,644) to Johnson’s 41% (249,467).
Incumbent State District Judge Mary Brown, a Democrat, received enough write-in votes to be reelected to the 301st District Court.
The election for the seat on the family civil court was odd because there was no candidate officially on the ballot for it.
Two others ran as write-in candidates – Earl Jackson, a Republican, and another
Democrat, Michelle McKinney.
Brown received 36% of the vote (57,474), Jackson received 20% of the vote (31,991), and McKinney received 12% of the vote (18,559). A runoff is not required.
Per the Dallas Morning News, Brown, first elected to the seat in 2014, is presid ing over a child custody case involving Jeff Younger, who is fighting to stop his child’s gender transition. A group carrying an ti-transgender messaging protested in
Brown’s neighborhood in October.
In state house races, State Rep. Morgan Meyer fended off a challenge from Demo crat Elizabeth Ginsberg in House District 108 with 57% of the vote (49,436) to Gins berg’s 43% (38,010).
In House District 114, Democrat John Bryant beat Republican Sarah Lamb with 66% of the vote (36,761) to Lamb’s 34% (18,960).
In congressional races, U.S. Rep. Colin
Allred beat Republican challenger Anto nio Swad with 65% of the vote (115,350) to Swad’s 35% (61,232).
Incumbent U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne beat Democrat Jan McDowell in District 24 with 60% (177,121) of the vote to McDow ell’s 40% (119,097).
In District 30, Democrat Jasmine Crock ett will replace Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, having won 75% of the vote (134,011) to Republican James Rodgers’ 22% (39,022).
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NORTHPARK’S NEW SANTA IS AN ENGINEER AND ROCKSTAR
Lagrone brings background of aerospace, singing, acting, playing instruments
By Maria Lawson maria.lawson@peoplenewspapers.comWhen Joel Lagrone isn’t working as an engineer at Lockheed Martin, he’s playing Santa Claus at North Park Center.
He landed the role this year, following Dr. Carl Anderson (the previous North Park Santa)’s retirement after a 32-year stint, but this isn’t Lagrone’s first time play ing Kris Kringle.
He said he began working as Santa for the Dallas Cowboys and making other high-visibility appearances after being ap proached by a woman known as Mrs. Claus Dallas. “She said, ‘Have you ever thought about being Santa?’”
“It’s one of those deals that you [think about] over the years, especially when you look like I did, which was very theatrical,” La grone said, adding he “always wore a beard.”
Santa isn’t the first role he’s played, though. He’s previously played Jesus in Christmas shows, King Triton in The Little Mermaid, and Javert in Les Misérables
A musician, he’s also sung at Texas Rangers games and played with his band at work.
Lagrone will bring a “rock and roll
twist” to the part of Santa since he has a background playing guitar and ukulele.
NorthPark Center has free “Stories and Songs with Santa Claus” every Monday through Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and noon
on Sundays. Lagrone will perform classics like Rock Around the Clock
“But I was not a rockstar until I be came Santa,” Lagrone said. “It will be me playing guitar, as opposed to just singing
VISIT SANTA
Santa Claus will be available for photos Nov. 25 through Dec. 24 on level one of NorthPark Center in Macy’s Court. He is available Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. (except for Christmas Eve hours of 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.). Book times through North-Park-Mall-ia.com/SantaPhotos.
with the kids.”
Lagrone’s favorite part of playing Santa is bringing a smile to “children of all ages.”
“Santa ends up being that distributor of joy for children,” Lagrone said. “Some times it’s a matter of getting them to relax at Christmas because that can be stressful but knowing that you can help in that even just by being silly, telling a joke.”
Shelby Foster, who works in content strategy and public relations for North Park Center, said scheduled visits allow each child to have a “special moment” with Santa.
“They really have ... enough time to have that special one-on-one connection with Santa,” Foster said.
To have time to work as Santa, Lagrone is combining vacation time with a leave of absence from his Lockheed Martin position.
“When I approached our human re sources and our communications folks, they were most excited, especially about the fact that NorthPark utilizes this as a community service,” he said, noting pro ceeds go to Children’s Health. “There is nothing about my work that they would ever disagree with that.”
Remembering Fun With Dr. Carl Anderson, the Retired Mr. Claus
People Newspapers staff mem bers and readers shared memories of Dr. Carl Anderson, who retired this summer after 32 years as the NorthPark Santa Claus.
The Hurmis Family
“These two waited anxiously in long lines for many years to see Santa at NorthPark and now they have done the same with their children.” – Kim Hurmis
The Wallace Family
“These photos are from Santa’s
first year at NorthPark with me at age 4 and his last year in person at NorthPark with three of our four boys. We are sad that COVID kept our youngest, a 2020 baby, from meeting him before he retired.
Wells Wallace saw four Santas that year at various events. He was terrified of every Santa except Dr. Anderson and is crying in all of our pictures from that year with every other Santa. He knew Dr. Anderson was the real deal and was so mes merized by him that he didn’t want to leave his lap.” – Jourdy Wallace
Share the memories of your children with former NorthPark Santa Dr. Carl Anderson with us online.
Santa ends up being that distributor of joy for children.
Joel LagroneJoel Lagrone comes from a background of performing as Jesus, King Triton, and most importantly, Santa Claus. (PHOTO: COURTESY NORTHPARK CENTER) The Vera Family
“This has been a family tradition for three generations. Now Ken nedy says she does not want to see Santa anymore.” – Victoria Vera
— Compiled by Maria LawsonThe Hurmis Family. FROM LEFT: Callie Hurmis Jones, Santa, and Holly Hurmis Langford, 1993. The Vera Family. LEFT, FROM LEFT: Edward McCurdy, Victoria Vera, Santa, Veronica Vera, and Marie Vera, 1996. RIGHT, FROM LEFT: Santa and Kennedy Vera, 2019. The Wallace Family. TOP, FROM LEFT: Santa and Jourdy Wallace, 1989. BOTTOM, FROM LEFT: Westbrook Wallace, Wells Wallace, Santa, and Leo Wallace, 2019.
Dallas in 1991, sight unseen, to be an attor ney for American Airlines.
I had no friends, but early on, I met Lou is Vuitton, Alexander McQueen, and Marc Jacobs. I was lone ly, but with these guys as friends, a girl can never be too lonely.
As a child, my favorite foot ball team was the Dallas Cowboys. When I was in law school at UCLA, Troy Aikman was the big man on campus, so when I had the opportu nity to move to Big D, I knew it was meant to be.
Dallas brought me love: I met my hubby here and my most pre cious gift, an annoying, spoiled, loveable child.
As an attorney for American Airlines, the sexiest industry in the world, every day was an adventure. For years after I left, I was bombard ed with stories about lost luggage and crying babies.
It is here, in this great city, that I found my voice through commu nity service. I am privileged to have the luxury of doing volunteer work. I started with the PTA but quickly learned that my real drive and enjoy ment developed while working on boards for wonderful nonprofits like Planned Parenthood, Educational First Steps, Orphan Outreach, and the Dallas Holocaust Museum.
In Dallas, I learned about polit ical relationships, particularly red and blue. And, although I am a die hard Democrat, it is Texas Repub licans who convinced me that they have all the fun.
Several years ago, I took a wrong turn into a U.S. Sen. John Cornyn fundraiser where doughnuts and other treats flowed like wild rapids (I stayed to listen while eating an apple fritter). Another time I tried to vote in a Republican primary because they had party decorations, balloons, and were friendly.
Through these and other eye-opening experiences, I know that what matters most is the heart of Texans.
So, as I pack up to move back to Colorado, it is that giant Texas heart that I will miss most, along with the infinite sunsets and the margaritas at Javier’s.
Of course, my best gig has been writing. I have written this column in Colleyville and Dallas for over 20 years. I started writing so my daugh ter might know me as a younger, cooler woman rather than her med dling, helicopter mom.
I now realize that I wrote this column to entertain you and me. Thank you for reading.
People Newspapers will miss Mi chele Valdez’s wit. We hope she finds a new writing gig in her new home.
Pandemic Prompted an SMU Alum to Switch Gears and Make Her First Movie
Mollie Mulvey’s debut drama, shot on her family’s ranch, has screened at multiple film festivals
By Todd Jorgenson People NewspapersMollie Mulvey was set to graduate from SMU in the spring of 2020 before heading to Chicago to study with the famed Second City comedy troupe and hopefully launch a filmmaking career.
Of course, the pandemic changed all that. Mulvey and her classmates were sent home two months before graduation, and she retreated to her family’s ranch in the Texas Hill Country, uncertain of her cre ative future.
So, she looked instead to her past.
The Better Part, a low-budget feature dra ma about grief and relationships, stemmed from an 18-minute undergraduate short film she had made two years earlier.
“It was pretty well received, but peo ple told me it was a feature-length story. It needed more time to develop the relation ships,” Mulvey said. “That was always in the back of my mind for something to do way in the future.”
Suddenly, the future became the present for Mulvey, who fleshed out her original script and pitched some of her friends and classmates “while waiting for the world to get back to normal.”
“They were itching to get out of their houses, so they were really eager to work on it,” said Mulvey, a native of the Austin area.
Mulvey kept the logistics simple enough, using the ranch as a single setting, and ran a crowdfunding campaign to get things rolling.
“All of us, in the back of our minds, didn’t know if it would turn out to be any thing,” she said. “I didn’t know if it would come to fruition, but I had nothing to lose.”
The finished film, shot over 21 days be ginning in December 2020, has screened at multiple festivals, including the Lone Star Film Festival in Fort Worth.
The story — about a group of estranged high school classmates who gather to mourn the death of a popular teacher while resolv ing issues from their past — is based in part on personal experiences.
While Mulvey was at SMU, a friend from high school committed suicide. They had drifted apart, but Mulvey didn’t know about her pain. She decided to drive home and go to the funeral, where she realized that her ex-boyfriend was sitting in the row in front of her.
Mulvey tried to avoid the awkward inter action. But when that didn’t work, she reluc tantly decided to eat breakfast with him the next morning.
“We just talked about our friend and mu tually grieved. I was so pleasantly surprised,”
she said. “Any kind of tension we had was gone. I walked out and had gotten the clo sure I needed.”
Mulvey acknowledged The Better Part would have never been made if it weren’t for the pandemic and related lockdowns.
“We were all planning on moving and leaving and doing our own things. I didn’t know when I would get a chance to direct again,” she said. “The pandemic was horrible, but I’m a believer that we can make some thing good out of almost anything if we re ally try. That’s the artist mentality in me.”
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St. Mark’s Sophomore Raises $35.9K for JDRF
Following a Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis, Schildkraut is leading ‘The A Team’
By Maria Lawson maria.lawson@peoplenewspapers.comApril 7, 2021, marked the day that Aaron Schildkraut was sent to the hospital during a routine doctor visit following a diabetic ketoacidosis diagnosis.
“When I was first diagnosed, I felt like my life would never be normal again, but I am lucky to have access to great resourc es, and with experience, Type 1 Diabetes is now something that is just part of my daily routine,” Schildkraut said.
About a year and a half later, he’s lead ing “The A Team,” the top fundraising team for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Dallas walk.
The A Team raised $35,908 as of Nov. 12, the day of the walk. Schildkraut uses his experience as a driving force to raise money for others in similar situations.
“From the very beginning, the JDRF provided critical information to help me,
from videos and other online resources to in-person classes and community building events,” Schildkraut said. “Given that ex perience, I knew I would end up dedicat ing time to the JDRF and to others with the same condition.”
In his first year participating in the walk, Schildkraut is proud to raise money
for research that will deliver new devic es, technologies, and medicines to improve the lives of those with diabetes.
“When I first decided to participate in this year’s One Walk, my goal was simply to be part of the event,” Schildkraut said. “I had no idea of the reception that our mes sage would receive or of the outpouring of
GET INVOLVED
Individuals can help JDRF through the annual One Walk or Dallas Gala. Visit JDRF.org/ NorthTexasOklahoma to learn about more local opportunities.
support that would happen.”
He has seen success fundraising with “The A Team” by reaching out to family and friends and sharing his story through social media.
“My parents have encouraged me to be open about my experience, being diagnosed and all that has happened since, and there have been a lot of ups and downs,” Schild kraut said. “I hope and believe that this has helped others connect with my story and that it inspired them to support our team.”
Since his diagnosis, Schildkraut said the most significant change has been to his mindset, as he must take responsibility in caring for himself.
“As the JDRF says, ‘There are no off days with Type 1 Diabetes,’” Schildkraut said. “Even with a consistent routine, the out comes of my daily program can vary. Un explained blood sugar highs and lows can sometimes wake me up in the middle of the night or completely derail my day.”
Schildkraut said the typical warning signs of Type 1 Diabetes could include fre quent urination, extreme thirst, fatigue and weakness, unexplained weight loss, and in creased appetite. He encourages anyone who experiences these signs to get checked as soon as possible.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
I had no idea of the reception that our message would receive or of the outpouring of support that would happen.
Aaron Schildkraut
Gretchen Brasch gretchen.brasch@compass.com 214.460.9488
Catherine Grey catherine.freeman@compass.com 314.489.8703
Elly Sachs Holder elly.holder@compass.com 214.207.6708
Kaki Miller kaki.miller@compass.com 214.926.9176
STRONG SAFETY: DEMERY LOOKS FOR FOURTH TITLE WITH PANTHERS
Versatile Parish senior has handled spotlight with humility, hard work
By Todd Jorgenson People NewspapersAs Daniel Demery finishes his fourth season as a starter for Parish Epis copal, the Panthers are closing in on their fourth consecutive TAPPS state cham pionship.
That synonymous success is certainly not coincidental, as Demery has made an impact all over the field for almost 50 games in a Parish uniform.
He’s primarily a safe ty — where he will suit up for the University of Mississippi beginning next fall — but also lines up in the offensive backfield and as a kick returner. In other words, Demery is usually in the middle of the action.
a soft-spoken newcomer adjusting to the varsity level.
“Even though I was a freshman, people saw me as a leader, but I was a leader by ex ample,” said Demery, a New Orleans native. “My teammates need me to make big plays for us to win games.”
His offensive contributions have di minished — Demery had just four touches during the regular season, compared to nine last year — but his responsibilities have grown on a stout defensive unit that al lowed more than 21 points just once in 10 games.
Daniel Novakov
If the Panthers win a historic fourth straight TAPPS 6A crown on Dec. 2 in Waco, their overall record during that fouryear stretch will be 46-4.
“Winning a state championship is hard, especially in Texas,” Demery said. “Winning four in a row would be a great accomplish ment. When people doubt us, it gives us the drive to want to win more.”
Demery is delivering that message more forcefully to his teammates these days, a contrast to the 2019 season when he was
“Over the years, the defense has gotten more recognition,” said De mery, who scored three defensive touchdowns a year ago. “We’ve been able to grow together.”
Demery’s experience in high-pressure games will serve him well at Mississippi, which has emerged as a powerhouse in the Southeastern Conference, widely regarded as the deepest league in the country.
“[Head coach] Lane Kiffin has defi nitely changed the program around,” said Demery, who verbally committed to the Rebels during the spring and plans to sign in December. “They’re not just a team. They’re family.”
Parish head coach Daniel Novakov has watched Demery mature from a fresh man phenom into a senior captain while remaining consistent on the field and lev el-headed off it.
“It takes somebody with character and integrity to handle all that attention and stay humble. He’s the right kind of person to have in your program,” Novakov said. “He’s the true definition of a warrior.”
Alcuin Hawks Claim First TAPPS Soccer Crown Covenant harriers maintain dominance, Hockaday just misses in volleyball
By Todd Jorgenson People NewspapersAlcuin School capped an un defeated fall soccer season by bringing home the program’s first state title.
The Hawks wrapped up their first TAPPS state tournament appearance by topping Chinqua pin Prep of Houston 2-0 in the championship game on Nov. 8 in Round Rock.
The Hawks (20-0) began postseason play with a 5-1 win over Longview Christian. Then they defeated top seed North Dallas Adventist 3-2 in the quar terfinals and shut out Yavneh Academy 1-0 in the semifinals.
It continued the dominance Alcuin showed throughout the season, as the Hawks outscored their opponents by a combined margin of 77-9. Thirteen of the victories were shutouts, includ ing nine straight during one stretch.
Covenant races to another TAPPS title
The Covenant dynasty in TAPPS 4A boys cross country shows no
signs of slowing down, with the Knights claiming their seventh con secutive title in convincing fashion on Oct. 31 in Waco.
Covenant showcased its depth by placing three runners inside the top 10 individually, led by bronze medalist Edward Graham, who completed the 5-kilometer course at Cotton wood Creek Golf Course in 17 minutes, 13 seconds.
Logan Rice was just behind Graham in fourth, while team mate Andrew Morgan came in ninth. All three were part of last year’s state championship squad.
Meanwhile, Ursuline was the runner-up in the team standings in the 6A girls race, led by a sec ond-place finish by Presley An dras. Her 2-mile time was 12:19.
Olivia Morales took ninth place for the Bears, who im proved after coming in third last year behind defending champion San Antonio Antonian.
Hockaday takes second in SPC volleyball
For the first time in more than 20 years, no Dallas school won a
team championship at the SPC fall championship tournament.
Hockaday came up just short in its quest for a second consec utive volleyball crown. The Dai sies were swept in the cham pionship match on Nov. 5 by Houston Episcopal, which was the top seed in the tournament and playing on its home court.
In boys volleyball, top seed and defending champion St. Mark’s was upset by eventual tournament winner Fort Worth Trinity Valley in five sets in the semifinals.
Hockaday sophomore Jordan Lacsamana earned an individ ual bronze medal in girls cross country and led the Daisies to a third-place showing in the team standings.
Lacsamana finished 17 sec onds behind winner Madison Morgan of Episcopal, whose team also won the title. Hocka day teammate Margaret Thomp son, the reigning champ in the race, came in fifth.
He’s the true definition of a warrior.
BLOWING SMOKE: CIGAR CLUB SPARKS CAMARADERIE
The Ashe tobacco lounge reopens with new management, mission
By Daniel Lalley Special ContributorFor over four years, The Ashe cigar and tobacco lounge has existed as a Park Cities and Lovers Lane fixture.
Just west of the Dallas North Toll way, this community of aficionados, execu tives, and average Joes regularly convenes to kick back in a club atmosphere, enjoying the simple pleasures of premium tobacco accented with period ic conversation.
Matt Proctor, a Dallas native and businessman, has been a member for several years. As an avid cigar smoker, he holds an af finity for the culture and camaraderie that cigar clubs inspire in the commu nity. When he began noticing that the lounge was losing its luster, he couldn’t bear to let the business go up in smoke.
“When the club began to lose its energy, I got together with three oth er members, and we decided to invest and buy it so it would stay as part of the neighborhood community,” he said. “We purchased it with the intent to re vamp everything. We brought in an ex pert tobacconist, and he’s been instru mental in handling our relationships with distributors and suppliers.”
The Ashe now carries around 300 varieties of cigars in-house, but they
have access to over 2,000 through their extensive distributor network.
“We’re one of only 14 dealers that carries Atabey cigars,” Proctor said. “We carry a lot of really unique prod ucts like that. We also carry some really high-end Padróns, Fuentes, Opus, and things like that, but we run the spectrum of both high-end and af fordable brands.”
Of course, the immense selec tion of tobacco is just one com ponent of what makes this club.
The Ashe serves as common ground for a diverse set of community mem bers. Since it’s BYOB and open 24/7, members can always drop in, kick back, and light up. This makes it both a wel coming retreat and an excellent place to meet friends and make connections.
“We’re made up of a fairly mixed set of members from across the Park Cities community,” Proctor said. “We welcome everyone from ex-business men to current business owners, peo ple connected to different local sports industries and beyond. We even have a young executive program, and that’s been great for younger folks to be able to network and get to know other older executives in the area. At the end of the day, we want everyone to come, relax and be stress-free.”
AT A GLANCE
Livestock, Ranching Industries Celebrate Lawyer Clark Willingham
By Josh Hickman Special ContributorRecently, the prestigious 2022 Golden Spur Award, given by the livestock and ranching industries in recognition of accomplishments by an individual, went to longtime Park Cities resident Clark Willingham.
“It’s a unique story that some body from the Park Cities gets the national ranching award,” Willing ham said.
It started when Willingham, then a student at SMU Dedman School of Law, was working a part-time job as a bookkeeper at the Peggy Taylor Talent Agency. He asked young model Jane Hitch out on a date. A year later, they were married.
“She said she grew up on a farm,” Willingham said, chuckling. “That was a gross understatement.”
In 1884, Jane’s great-grandfa ther, James K. Hitch, homestead ed in the desolate Oklahoma pan handle and started the now historic Hitch Ranch, which still thrives with a capacity for over 100,000 head of cattle.
Specializing in agricultural tax law, Willingham graduated from
SMU and began performing lob bying work in Washington for the industry.
“My father-in-law told me I re ally needed to be involved in the in dustry associations,” he recalled.
Willingham joined the Nation al Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Texas Cattle Feeders Associa tion, becoming the president of the latter by 1988.
“The convention was here in Dallas that year, and I got Stanley Marcus to be my keynote speaker,” Willingham said.
Marcus and fellow convention speaker Bo Pilgrim urged him to diversify the marketing of the beef industry.
“Stanley Marcus said, ‘You guys are just selling steak. You need to broaden your base,’” Willingham recalled. “So, we did.”
Through his Texas Cattle Feeders
connections, Willingham got on the Texas Beef Council.
“I just kept getting on these boards, moving up through the ladders of those,” he said. “I be came a big proponent to merge all of these organizations, and ulti mately we did.”
The merger happened in 1996, and he was president of the Nation al Cattlemen’s Beef Association by 1998 – the 100th year anniversary of a national livestock organization.
“Ironically, the very first presi dent in 1898 was also a lawyer from Dallas,” Willingham noted. “I went to almost every state Cattlemen’s Association meeting over the years, also New Zealand and Australia for the Meat Export Federation.”
Willingham is the treasurer of the National Cattlemen’s Founda tion, on the selection committee for the Environmental Stewardship
Award, and on the Tax Committee.
“The Environmental Stew ardship Award is pretty import ant these days,” he explained. “We need to show how the industry re ally is green.”
Though he and Jane now re side off nearby Turtle Creek, Will ingham’s long Park Cities roots run deep. Their daughter Mere dith Mabus is a past president of the Armstrong PTA, her husband Rick started the Highland Park High School Cycling Team and Bass Fishing Team, and this year their son Will is president of both as a senior.
“I still practice law,” Willingham said. “I still do a lot of lobbying in Washington. I still go to all the cattle industry meetings, and I’ve still got the same season tickets at Highland Park games. I’m not giv ing them up; they’re good seats.”
At the end of the day, we want everyone to come, relax and be stress-free.
Matt ProctorClub members gather at The Ashe on Lovers Lane to enjoy good company and great cigars. (PHOTOS: EVA HENNIGAN)
Dallas
Real Talk: Eddie Maestri
New Orleans native Eddie Mae stri began designing homes in Dallas in 2004 and founded his namesake bou tique architecture and interior design firm in 2008.
Maestri, a registered architect in Tex as, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Nevada, earned Bachelor of Envi ronmental Design and Master of Archi tecture degrees from Texas A&M Uni versity with a health system and design certificate.
“I still bring a sketchbook with me whenever I travel, and I find that I can learn so much about space and design through hand sketching,” Maestri said. “I rely heavily on sketching to convey design vision to my clients; it’s a part of the design process that I truly love.”
What led you to this career?
When I was a kid, my parents built a custom home, and I would visit the ar chitect’s office with them, as well as go with them to pick out the finishes and furniture. I was instantly obsessed. I al ways enjoyed working on house projects
with my parents and chiming in on the design. Growing up in New Orleans, I was immersed in architecture and design with character, and when it came time to choose a career, there was really no ques tion for me as to what I wanted to do.
Now that you’ve been an interior design professional, if you could go back in time and give yourself any advice, what would it be?
To seek out education in how busi ness and architecture/design work to gether. For me, my formal education fo cused so much on technical application and design theory but had very little to do with how to actually run and operate a design firm. I am still seeking out that knowledge, and having a strong group of industry peers has been a great asset.
What is your outlook on the Dallas market?
As Dallas seems to never stop grow ing, it is also constantly reinventing itself. As more people move to the Dallas area, they are bringing with them influences
from their roots, and the Dallas market seems to be still writing its own story of design. We are fortunate to have a tru ly great Design District here that brings global offerings within easy reach and has created a strong design community.
Can you give us a fun fact about yourself?
I come from a long line of peo ple in the home and building industry. My last name, Maestri, is Italian and translates to “Masters.” We have traced our lineage to the Middle Ages in Ita ly, where my ancestors were part of the Maestri Comacini, who are known to have transformed Europe through ar chitecture, plaster works, engineering, and stonemasonry. When I was 19, I traveled with my father and uncle to a small town in Northern Italy, where we learned more about our family. We even encountered a church in the center of the town, noting the architect was part of the Maestri family.
– Compiled by Rachel SnyderDECEMBER 24: CHRISTMAS EVE
11 a.m.
Joy! A Children’s Service | Church 1 p.m.
Jazz Mass | Church 3 p.m.
Traditional | Church
Traditional | Saint Michael Chapel Contemporary | Parish Hall 5 p.m.
Traditional | Church Traditional | Saint Michael Chapel Contemporary | Parish Hall 10:30 p.m.
Traditional | Church with incense
DECEMBER 25: CHRISTMAS DAY 10 a.m.
Traditional | Saint Michael Chapel
JANUARY 1: HOLY NAME 9 a.m.
Traditional | Church 11 a.m.
Contemporary | Church
JANUARY 5: EVE OF EPIPHANY
5:30 p.m.
Traditional | Church 6:30 p.m. Burning of the Greens | Garden Cloister
4 p.m. in the Church and Livestreamed
December 4
ADVENT LESSONS & CAROLS with incense
Begin the Advent Season with this beloved service of readings, music, and processions led by the Saint Michael Choir. saintmichael.org/AdventLC
December 18
CHRISTMAS LESSONS & CAROLS with incense
As we prepare for Christmas and the birth of Christ, join us for this service featuring nine Lessons and Carols sung by our Saint Michael Choristers and Choir. saintmichael.org/ChristmasLC
January 22 — New Service!
EPIPHANY LESSONS & CAROLS with incense
A special evening of music and lesson readings featuring both traditional and contemporary selections of Epiphany hymns and original arrangements to observe the Light of the World given to all.
saintmichael.org/EpiphanyLC
SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS EPISCOPAL CHURCH | 8011 Douglas Avenue, Dallas, Texas, 75225 | saintmichael.org
*Services in person and livestreamed where indicated.
Warmly Sophisticated
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Offered for $6,999,000
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Home for the Holidays
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susan.bradley@alliebeth.com
HOUSE OF THE MONTH 5515 Yolanda Lane
This sensational 9,221-square-foot, five-bedroom Country French home on more than one acre in the estate area of Preston Hollow has been updated with care and quality. The six living areas include a great room, music room, library, media room, game room, huge bonus room, and private office. The first-floor primary suite has a large walk-in closet and a separate sitting room. A guest suite also is located downstairs. Other highlights include three fireplaces, vaulted ceilings, and an incredible 1,600-bottle wine room. A gorgeous loggia spans the rear of the home, bringing in light and superb views of the covered entertaining area with a fireplace and two televisions, a beautiful pool, a large yard, and a lighted play area. The tech-minded will appreciate Control4 lighting, audio, video, and security. Other highlights include a backup generator to support critical areas, great storage, and automated gates at the west side.
Comings and Goings
NOW OPEN
Annie Bing NorthPark Center
The Los Angeles-based womenswear brand recently opened its first North Texas boutique on level one near Nordstrom.
Escondido
Preston-Royal Southwest
A Tex-Mex eatery is open for the first time since the 2019 tornado in the space formerly occupied by Ruggeri’s. The latest restaurant by Jon Alexis of TJ’s Seafood Market and Grill and Malibu Poke will offer Tex-Mex favorites includ ing fajitas like the ancho but ter fajita with choice of chick en, steak, shrimp, or portobello, enchiladas, tacos, and nachos. With patio seating for 75, it’s also said to have the largest pa tio in Preston Hollow.
Iwa Sushi
Preston-Royal Southwest
The Japanese sushi and grill spot offers such favorites as spicy tuna roll, Philadel phia roll or ahi tuna tower, and bento boxes, as well as a range of dessert options from creme brulee to bread pudding.
Second Chapter Bookstore Snider Plaza
The pop-up volunteer-led bookstore benefiting the University Park Library is
open again next to East Hampton Sandwich Co. and Short Stop until Jan. 14. Those in terested in donating books for the shop can donate in store or at University Park’s Peek Service Center at 4420 Worcola St.
COMING
Brentwood Snider Plaza
Vandelay Hospitality Group is opening the second location of the Southwest-in spired American restaurant concept in the spring – one of five Vandelay concepts com ing soon to the shopping center. The first Brentwood location opened recently in the former Houston’s space in Addison and the menu includes white cheddar enchiladas topped with a yellow mole and New Mexico red sauce, a Santa Fe burger, and green chili cornbread.
Slider and Blues Snider Plaza
Another Vandelay venture, this fami ly-friendly eatery and arcade parlor – a re vamp of a popular concept that once had multiple locations in Dallas-Fort Worth – will open on Hillcrest in the former lo cation of Vandelay’s Lucky’s Hot Chick en this winter. The menu will feature bites for snacking and sharing, including an as sortment of fries, tater tots, onion rings, and corn nuggets. Entrees include artisanal burgers and sliders, grilled and fried chicken sandwiches, hotdogs, and salads.
Compiled by Rachel Snyder
Beauty Guru Seeks a Better World ‘One Person at a Time’
By Josh Hickman Special ContributorTo the unaware, it may come as a surprise that Sophia Michelle Andreola hails from a medical background, but her patients know the beauty guru’s knowledge runs deep.
“The problem we have in the U.S. is put ting out fires in stead of growing and building,” said the woman be hind Preston Cen ter’s Sophia Mi chelle Aesthetics. “A huge part of my practice is teach ing a perspective of how to make choices within a day that do affect the aging process.”
Aside from re search and teaching, the former vascular physician’s assistant was inspired by her patients.
“I received letters from patients on the im pact the procedures made,” she recalled, find ing their gratitude life-changing. “Insecurities had transcended into their entire lives.”
About a decade ago, Andreola started a medical practice consulting business.
“At that time, the aesthetic industry in Texas was changing because the laws were changing,” she said. “A physician or PA now had to clear patients before they received treatment. I eventually fell in love with aes thetics, seeing the impact of how a little change could alter a person’s entire life.”
Teaching sclera therapy, filler, and Botox, Andreola drew clients worldwide to spend a day or two with her. But the single mom with three children found the increasing work and travel overwhelming, so she stopped teaching and opened her aesthetic clinical practice.
“The benefit I get from spending an ex tensive amount of time with someone, getting to know them, then being able to guide them with evidence-based procedures has been ex traordinarily powerful,” she said. “Beauty very much starts on the inside.”
Andreola eschews a cookie-cutter ap proach in favor of a personal one. “A lot of people walk into a business and are handed a list of things to do and their prices. That’s just not the way to go.”
Roughly a third of her patients come to her for hair loss; the other two-thirds seek anti-aging treatment. “A lot of my patients are very educated — lawyers, doc tors, medical pro fessionals.”
Andreola wants her patients to understand their treatments.
“Unfortunately, every day, thousands of new products, procedures, and techniques hit the market, and there is much less research behind them,” she said. “The most im portant thing to me is for my patients to have knowledge.
“My patients walk out of my office looking refreshed — like their best selves — and still looking like themselves,” An dreola added.
With Sophia Michelle Aesthetics going strong after seven years, Andreola looks for ward to finishing her first book, for which she has already found a publisher.
The Little Black Book of Beauty will in clude sections on the aesthetic industry, a history of beauty, cosmetic surgery, hair, and how to strategize beauty within a budget.
“It would be amazing to turn the book into an online platform,” Andreola said, pondering the future before getting philo sophical. “My purpose in life is to help the world be a better place, and that can just be one person at a time.”
AT A GLANCE
Sophia Michelle Aesthetics
8335 Westchester Drive, Suite 10-29 214-500-9287 sophiamichelle.com
My patients walk out of my office looking refreshed — like their best selves — and still looking like themselves.
Sophia Michelle Andreola
MILLER KERR IS A KILGORE RANGERETTE CAPTAIN
By Carley Hutchison People NewspapersAs 2022-2023 captain of the Kilgore Rangerettes, Miller Kerr takes the field, never letting her audience see the painful journey behind her dance steps.
Since grade school, she has dealt with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, an ab normal nerve condition caused by an over reaction to pain signals that the nervous system cannot shut off.
“CRPS is known to affect your quality of life in a negative way,” Kerr said.
The first hints of the condition came in the fifth grade after getting hit accidentally in the thigh while
playing basketball with friends at recess.
The pain from what her family first as sumed was a bruise worsened into a stab bing sensation that traveled throughout Kerr’s whole leg.
After many failed diagnoses, hours of therapy, different hospitals, and a failed procedure, the Kerrs found the Cleveland Clinic. There, a three-week intensive treat ment extended to six weeks as Kerr was diagnosed with CRPS, also known as Re flex Neurovascular Dystrophy.
“Slowly, I lost the ability to use my right leg,” Kerr said. “Suddenly, I was walking slower, could not partici pate in physical ac tivities, and strug gled getting around my house. By that point, I could no
longer keep up with my fellow classmates, friends, and family.”
One of Kerr’s doctors told her moth er that along with physical therapy, she needed a form of exercise to work her leg and regain her strength after not using it for so long.
Mom figured her daughter would go back into golfing, like before the accident, but to her surprise, Kerr wanted to enroll in a dance class.
Kerr began with one for students aspir ing to make a high school drill team even tually and found her passion.
“Dance became so much more than a way to keep my body moving,” Kerr said. “Dance served as both physical and men tal therapy for me.”
In her years at Ursuline Academy, Kerr was ecstatic to make the Jesuit Ranger ettes drill team.
As a Jesuit Rangerette, she attend ed a Kilgore College football game and, for the first time, saw the famed Kilgore
Rangerettes perform.
She had a new goal.
“I knew being a Rangerette would not only challenge and push me to become a better dancer but help me grow as a young woman,” Kerr said.
Founded in 1940, the Kilgore Ranger ettes were the first group of their kind to bring show business to the football field. Known as the world’s best-known drill team, its members travel from coast to coast showcasing their skills.
“I chose the Kilgore Rangerettes over other dance teams because of their poise, standards, and skill level,” she added.
Kerr has also worked on spreading awareness and raising money for CRPS. She started Walk Strong, a 3K event. Last April, participants raised $13,500.
Her mother, Holly Kerr, admires the efforts to inspire other CPRS warriors. “She now wants to let the world know that if you live in pain, you still can do great things.”
Dance became so much more than a way to keep my body moving. Dance served as both physical and mental therapy for me.
Miller KerrTOP: Miller Kerr (center), as captain, leads the Kilgore Rangerettes. BOTTOM: Kerr practices her field entrance, stands with parents, Todd and Holly, at the Walk Strong fundraiser, and shows off a school project. (PHOTOS: COURTESY HOLLY KERR)
Ursuline grad takes uncomfortable path to lead best-known drill team
Dalí and Vermeer
“Vermeer of Delft is the pinnacle of paint ing … in the drama of his work, the pictorial problem disappears,” Salvador Dalí once said.
For the first time in art history, Johannes Vermeer and Salvador Dalí stand side by side in “Dalí/Vermeer: A Dialogue.” The ex hibition at SMU’s Meadows Museum runs through Jan. 15, 2023.
In his lifetime, Dalí drew inspiration from the great Renaissance and Baroque painters, especially Dutch artist Vermeer. A longtime admirer, the Spanish artist dedicated at least 20 of his works to the painter of Delft.
In this special exhibition, Vermeer’s Woman in Blue Reading a Letter and Dalí’s The Image Disappears showcase Dalí’s tribute to Vermeer. Dalí’s composition shows the same woman
disappearing while also in true surrealist fash ion, illustrating an illusion to the viewer’s eye. Also on view is Dalí’s Vermeer’s The Love Letter, from Changes in Great Masterpieces.
“For North Texas audiences, this is a rare opportunity to see a Vermeer in person or for anyone west of the Mississippi,” said museum director Amanda W. Dotseth. “We are deep ly indebted to the Rijksmuseum and to the Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí for their gener ous loans. This exhibition proves how palpa ble Vermeer’s impact was on the famed Span ish Surrealist.”
Distance Matters
New research at SMU’s Locomotor Per formance Lab counters the conventional wis dom that men run 10-12% faster than women, regardless of the race’s distance.
Ph.D. candidate Emily McClelland, work ing with lab director Peter Weyand, measured gender performance differences using data
from sanctioned international athletic com petitions such as the Olympics and World Championships.
They found that men have only a relative ly small advantage over women in short-dis tance running.
The 2003-2018 race data showed that the difference between male and female per formance time increased with event distance from 8.6% to 11% from shortest to longest sprint events (60 to 400 meters).
An accomplished athlete and former assis tant director of strength and conditioning at Bowling Green State University, McClelland has long been interested in human perfor mance science.
Cooking up history
“Cookbooks offer a way to rethink the his tory of the last 200 years,” said Christina Jensen, exhibit curator and head of public services at SMU’s DeGolyer Library, where a new exhibit
explores more than 200 years of culinary history.
“The Joy of Cooking – Two Centuries of Cookbooks at the DeGolyer Library,” run ning through Dec. 22, features 206 books from DeGolyer’s 6,000-cookbook collection, acquired during the research library’s decades of collecting items related to Western Amer icana, transportation, women’s history, and business history.
A leather-bound handwritten recipe book, written in Spanish by Dona Maria Josefa de La Luz Tapia in 1816, is the oldest cookbook in the exhibit. Recipes include dishes like piv ipollo, a Yucatan-style dish featuring seasoned chicken wrapped in corn dough, often pre pared for the Day of the Dead.
“Cookbooks are much more than compi lations of recipes,” Jensen said. “They offer a timeline of economic, technology, family, and social history.”
TCA’s New Head of School Returns to His Alma Mater
Williams comes from a career in counseling, educational leadership
Maria Lawson maria.lawson@peoplenewspapers.comDr. Jeff Williams is back spend ing his weekdays at Trinity Chris tian Academy for the first time since his high school graduation in 1988 — this time as head of school.
Throughout his career, Williams knew he wanted to return to TCA, but he didn’t know in what capac ity; grandparent, board member, or his dream job of head of school all would have fit the bill, he said. In January 2021, a board member in formed him that the campus’ top spot was open, and once he landed it, he headed back to Dallas.
“Through different seasons of my life and what God has taught me through my journey, he’s birthed in me a love for Christian education, and with that, there’s
been a part of my heart, it’s hard to explain honestly, but there’s been this burning in my heart that I al ways felt like I was going to come back to TCA,” Williams said.
Williams started in July as head of school and has spent his first semester focusing on building relationships by working carpool lines, visiting classrooms, attend ing campus events, meeting par ents, and taking steps to become a familiar face.
“Some people are ready for change, some people are not quite ready yet, and so I just feel the bet ter job I do of building relationships and trust with folks, that’s really my main goal this year,” Williams said.
Before returning to TCA, Wil liams was head of school at King’s Ridge Christian School in Al pharetta, Georgia for five years and head of school at Second Baptist School in Houston.
He ran a private practice as a
psychotherapist for 15 years before tapping into education. As part of his practice, he worked alongside Second Baptist School doing con sulting work and then joined its staff after discovering his passion for working with students.
“I would say [my] background in counseling has been incredibly helpful for me in the work that I do because I’m basically counseling all day long working with faculty and staff and families and community
AT A GLANCE
Founded in 1968
TrinityChristian.org 972-931-8325
members,” Williams said.
As a TCA alumnus, he under stands the importance of solid rela tionships with faculty. In his soph omore year, his coach encouraged him to use his gift of leadership to lead selflessly after he was on a suc cess high.
“That is a perfect example of some of my greatest memories,” Williams said. “It was a hard conversation, and this guy could have easily not had the conversation with me, but had he not, who knows the trajectory of my leadership at that point.”
While navigating his first year on campus, Williams’ main goals are to update some of the campus build ings following wear and tear and to create a space where the entire stu dent body can fit into one room. His greatest goal is to “fulfill the mission at the highest level of excellence” to continue improving TCA.
“I believe every school should be college preparatory,” Williams said. “We want to be life preparatory –prepare kids for life, whatever God has called them to do.”
BSA Troop 125 Introduces Six New Eagle Scouts
Boy Scouts of America Troop 125, sponsored by Grace Bible Church, is pleased to announce the achievement of the rank of Eagle, the highest and most distinguished rank in scouting, to the fol lowing upstanding young men:
William Calvert Coulter , son of Ross and Juliette Coulter of Dallas, is a senior at Cistercian Preparatory School. His Ea gle project: creating an outdoor gathering space at Grace Bible Church by building and staining eight picnic tables, installing an entryway fence, laying a stone pad, and
planting drought-resistant plants.
Edward Griffith Graham , son of An drew and Molly Graham of Dallas, is a senior at The Covenant School of Dallas. His Eagle project: designing and install ing 10 permanent plaques that identify in English and Latin seven different species of trees on the campus of the Covenant School.
Caleb Danforth Griffin , son of Mason and Jennifer Griffin of Plano, is a senior at the Winston School. His Eagle proj ect: constructing a large in-ground lidded
sandbox for the playground at For the Na tions Refugee Outreach Center.
Mercer York Kerlin , son of Eliot and Corrie Kerlin of Dallas, is a senior at The Covenant School of Dallas. His Ea gle project: constructing a 12-foot-long footbridge that connects two parking lots at For the Nations Refugee Outreach Center.
Jonathan William Kern , son of Jona than and Kristen Kern of Dallas, is a se nior at the Covenant School. His Eagle project: designing and building a breeze
way that connects two portable build ings that serve as the Armory (spirit wear store) at the Covenant School.
George Hayden Teetes , son of George Ray and Stephanie Teetes of Dallas, is a sophomore at the Covenant School. His Eagle project: planning, fundraising, and leading the building of oversized lawn games for cancer doctors and researchers at the CLF’s Researcher’s Roundup event.
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For nearly 50 years, ESD has been preparing lives that will go out from the classroom, reach out to the community, and stand out in the world. We are The Episcopal School of Dallas, and we are igniting lives of purpose. See our manifesto in action at esdallas.org/ manifesto. ESD is a joyful co-ed learning community of 1,172 students in grades beginner through 12, with state-of-the-art facilities located on a single 42-acre campus in the heart of North Dallas. Attend an upcoming admission event to see what makes ESD so special. RSVP at esdallas.org/visit
With New Leadership, SMU Pom Squad Gets Bigger and Better
By Carley Hutchison People NewspapersSMU fans shouldn’t be confusing the cheer and pom squads anymore.
“If you ever see the SMU pom team, you can always tell us apart by our custom-made City Boots,” quipped Lydia England, a sopho more from University Park.
But the changes go beyond wardrobe.
The SMU Pom Squad has dou bled in size to 20 while improv ing dance techniques and providing more uniform performances.
England and others attribute the changes to higher expectations and new leadership.
The new director, Emily Sullivan, was the former captain of the LSU Tiger Girls.
“Excited doesn’t even begin to start with how I feel about having the opportunity to coach the SMU Pom Squad,” Sullivan said. “Dance is a huge passion of mine, but the abil ity to inspire and empower a team
of young women is what I’m most looking forward to.”
The new assistant director, Mor gan Peterson, is a former SMU Pom Squad member.
“Coming back to join the staff for the SMU Pom Squad this year is both exciting and nostalgic as I get to reminisce on my time on the team while also helping to develop the team as individuals both on and off the field,” Peterson said.
She joined the team as a fresh man in 2014 and continued to serve as a member for all four of her col lege years, serving as captain in her
last two seasons.
“There is so much potential with both SMU Cheer and Pom based on the strong foundation that has been built,” Peterson said. “I can’t wait to . . . see where we can take the team.”
The squad’s new interim spirit di rector, Mary Drill Krow, graduated from SMU in 2013 with a psycholo gy degree and a statistics minor.
After college, she went on to spend two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and earned the Rookie of the Year award.
Krow has been choreographing
for professional teams for the past 10 years and has worked with such college teams as those at Oklahoma State University, the University of Tulsa, and Dallas Baptist University.
With the many new additions to the program, the audition pro cess has become more vigorous
while student interest and satisfac tion have increased.
“The new leadership of the SMU Pom Squad has positively impacted both my life and my team experience,” England said. “It has contributed to my growth as an in dividual and as a dancer.”
Dance is a huge passion of mine, but the ability to inspire and empower a team of young women is what I’m most looking forward to.Emily Sullivan TOP: 2022-2023 SMU Pom Members Rileigh Chalmers, Hannah Deason, Liliann Devos, Amy Driscoll, Lydia England, Elizabeth Hardy, Julia Harris, MJ Hatchett, Kaki Kennedy, Kelly Knief, Emma Kogut, Breanna Laureti, Ellie Michaelson, Kennedi Montague, Hadley Nelson, Lauren Pennington, Ashley Pitts, Caylee Props, Eliana Shephard, and Jordan Sullivan. RIGHT: Morgan Peterson, Emily Sullivan, SMU mascot, and Mary Dill-Krow. (PHOTOS: DAN HUNTLEY PHOTOGRAPHY)
RETURN TO SOUTHFORK RANCH TAKES CATTLE BARONS BALL FUN OUTDOORS
This year’s “ranches, rubies, and rop ers”-themed ball raised $4,170,617, within the top three biggest takes in Cattle Bar on’s history, and bringing the grand total raised for the American Cancer Society in the 49-year history of the party to more than $93 million.
A mechanical bull, fireworks, a carou sel, and a performance by Old Dominion (and Chris Young for VIPs) helped make it a festive evening along with a live auction, silent auction, and endless amounts of food.
Event chairs Nancy Gopez and Kris Johnson brought the event back outdoors at Southfork this year after being at Gilley’s Dallas since 2013.
Dallas All Star Chef Classic Cooks Up $750K For Addiction Recovery
Many of Dallas’ top Chefs, led by Honorary Chef Janice Provost of Parigi, gathered at Lighthouse ArtSpace on Oct. 16 to prepare wonderfully delicious tast ings for guests attending the Dallas All Star Chef Classic.
The classic, presented by Ben E. Keith, benefits the Dallas 24 Hour Club and its work to help addicts embrace long-term sobriety and become contributing and self-supporting members of the community.
Event chairs Kimberly and Shannon Wynne and honorary Chairs Chef Pau la Lambert and Chef Stephan Pyles led this year’s event, bringing in $750,000plus, Dallas 24 Hour Club CEO Marsha Williamson announced.
Jordan Kahn Music Company featuring Georgia Bridgwater entertained the guests, who also participated in a silent auction.
Compiled by William Taylor
The 23rd annual TWO x TWO for AIDS and Art benefit dinner and contem porary art auction on Oct. 22 raised $9.4 million in funds for the Dallas Museum of Art and amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research.
“Over two decades ago, we never would have dreamed that TWO x TWO would become such a dynamic and meaning ful event in our community,” said Howard Rachofsky, who founded the event with his wife Cindy.
The Rachofskys co-hosted the sold-out black-tie event with Lisa and John Runyon at the Rachofsky House in Preston Hollow. The largest fundraiser for amfAR and the Dallas Museum of Art drew 533 guests.
– Compiled by Sabrina Gomez
A record-breaking crowd enjoyed food prepared by a plethora of chefs from Dal las’ finest restaurants and ever-flowing wine during the 13th annual Burgers & Burgun dy fundraiser on Oct. 14 at Peace Plaza.
Cathedral of Hope donated the venue while ticket sales and a luxury silent auction brought in tens of thousands of dollars to support HIV/AIDS service organizations and provide direct care to those living with HIV/AIDS. The guest list topped 500.
The Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) mission: creating the first AIDS-free generation.
DIFFA Dallas also revealed the antici pated theme for House of DIFFA, the run way fashion show, gala, and luxury auction presented by The Louis L. Borick Foun dation: “The List.” After many years at the Omni Dallas, it will return to the Hilton Anatole on May 13, 2023.
“You will not want to miss this elevated evening of art, music, and fashion,” House of DIFFA co-chair Richard Rivas said. “You’re on The List.”
– Compiled by Chloe Ching
A PASSION for EDUCATION
Meets
The Sethi family has two charitable funds at CFT to further their passion for supporting students - a scholarship fund and a donor-advised fund.
Working with CFT is like having your own charitable giving concierge. If you give $5,000 or more to charity annually, contact us for a complimentary conversation to learn about the effectiveness, efficiency, ease, and advantages of creating a charitable fund at CFT.
Learn about the benefits of a charitable fund and watch our latest overview videos at CFTexas.org/Benefits
CRYSTAL CHARITY BALL CELEBRATES 70TH ANNIVERSARY
CRYSTAL CHARITY BALL
By Rachel Snyder rachel.snyder@peoplenewspapers.comThe Crystal Charity Ball will celebrate its 70th anniversary with a Splendido Italiano-themed gala.
Members of The Crystal Charity Ball Committee have dis tributed more than $165 million to 152 children’s charities in Dallas County over the past 69 years.
This year, to com memorate its 70th anniversary, if the ball raises more than the approximately $7 million commitment to the eight beneficia ries chosen this year, donations also will go
to the 70th-anniversary project, chair Susan Farris said.
The Action Before Crisis project, a col laboration between Children’s Health and the Meadows Mental Health Policy Insti tute, would help facilitate early identifica tion and treatment of mental health is sues in children.
“It’s a big am bitious project that they are collaborat ing on, and so we have agreed over five years to donate to that project if we are successful and raise funds above what our annual commitment to our beneficiaries [is],” Farris said.
The eight beneficiaries for 2022 are
Agape Clinic (a first-time beneficiary), Baylor Oral Health Foundation, Behind Every Door (another first-time beneficia ry), Educational First Steps, Family Com pass, Hope Supply Co., Southwestern Medical Foundation, and, also new this year, United to Learn.
“It’s always exciting because once [organi zations are selected as a] Crystal Charity Ball beneficiary, it creates awareness in the com munity,” Farris said of the new beneficiaries.
Silent auction items will also be avail able to bid on online as well for the second time this year for supporters who don’t at tend the ball in person.
Farris, who served as underwriting chair, auction chair, charity selections chair, and various other jobs since getting involved with Crystal Charity in 2009, said the Ital ian theme is a nod to her heritage. It’s the
first time the grand gala has had an Italian theme since 2008.
“I always knew if I was going to chair Crystal Charity that it would be an Italian theme because I’m 51% Italian. Both my grandmother and my grandfather immigrat ed from Italy in the late 1800s, so it’s just al ways been a special country for me,” Farris said. “Splendido Italiano means we will be featuring at the ball different regions of Italy.”
“It should be a beautiful, fun, and tasty ball because … there’s just so much good food in Italy. We’ll feature that, we’ll fea ture a lot of the things that are recogniz able in Italy as far as the decorations and the flowers,” she continued.
She said Le Louvre Antiques in the De sign District in Dallas is loaning pieces for the first time, including statuaries, to help bring the theme to life.
It should be a beautiful, fun, and tasty ball because … there’s just so much good food in Italy.
Susan Farris
One
Just North of
Stunning Texas Hill Country with classic architectural lines designed by Corner Stone Architects. Nestled on breathtaking 32 acre property on coveted St. John Road in the Heart of Horse Country. Warm interiors & material selections give this home an aura of true approachable luxury. Limestone, steel windows & doors, metal roof & reclaimed wood railroad trestles highlight this architectural masterpiece. The peaceful neutral color pallet helps to not detract from the homes peaceful surroundings. Superb craftsmanship & attention to detail throughout. Brilliant floor plan enhanced by fine finishes and generous room sizes. French doors extending main living to the front courtyard back patio for seamless entertain opportunities. Private courtyard boasting landscaping by Paper Kites Studio. Outdoor living overlooking stunning pool & spa and private pond nestled in groomed pastures flanked by granddaddy oak trees. Estate completed with 2 bedroom guest home & stables. Additional land available.
Runway Worthy: Philanthropists Meet Fashion at Neiman Marcus
Some of Dallas’s most philanthropic and fashionable women took to the runway for the 49th-annual Crystal Charity Ball 10 Best Dressed Fashion Show on Sept. 8 at Neiman Marcus at NorthPark Center.
Former honoree and philanthropist Jennifer Dix chaired the fashion show this year, with Gene Jones serving as honorary chair. In the 48-year history of the fashion show, only three other women have served as honorary chairs: Margaret Hunt Hill, Annette Simmons, and Norma Hunt.
Honorees included Marybeth Conlon for the second time, Tiffany Divis for the third time, Monica Eastin for the first time, Libby Hegi for the second time, Kim Hext for the second time, Meredith Land for the first time, Anne McPherson for the first time, Karla McKinley for the third time, Amy Prestidge for the third time, and Kim Quinn for the first time. This year’s hall of fame honoree was Pat McEvoy, who was named to the 10 Best Dressed list in 2011, 2012, and 2013, chaired the fashion show and luncheon in 2014, and chaired the Crystal Charity Ball in 2019.
BENEFICIARIES
The Agape Clinic
The Commitment: $550,000
The free healthcare service provider will use the funds to expand care by hiring a pe diatric nurse practitioner, medical assistant, and occupational therapist. Occupation al therapy will be provided in collaboration with TWU in a newly reconfigured on-site space. The Agape Clinic opened its doors in 1983 in the basement of Grace United Methodist Church, providing free health care on Saturdays. In 2015, Agape opened its new clinic, serving patients six days per week.
Baylor Oral Health Foundation
The Commitment: $1,602,596
The foundation was created in 1993 to receive, manage, invest, and disburse funds to Texas A&M University College of Den tistry. Funding over three years will estab lish a special needs dental clinic at the Texas A&M College of Dentistry. The dedicated special needs dental clinic will provide in creased access to critical oral health care to a widely underserved pediatric, special needs patient population.
Behind Every Door
The Commitment: $692,244
Founded in 2009 as a faith-based organi zation, Behind Every Door works to address complex aspects of poverty and partners with other organizations. Funds will be used over two years in support of the children’s programming at Cedar Crest Community Center, which will serve an estimated 500 plus new students. The children’s program at the center will provide academic sup port, mental and physical medical services, enrichment services, one-on-one coaching, spiritual enrichment, summer camps, hot meals, and athletics.
Educational First Steps
The Commitment: $500,000
Educational First Steps (EFS) was cre ated to support early learning environments for children in under-resourced centers from birth to 5 years old. EFS trains child care centers on how to create high-quality early learning environments. Funding over a two-year period will be used to employ edu cational specialists to help teachers develop their classroom skills and provide gap fund ing to childcare facilities within the EFS network. EFS will increase the number of centers, thereby serving 500 additional chil dren annually.
Family Compass
The Commitment: $899,665
Established in 1992, Family Compass works to prevent child abuse and neglect – the only agency in North Texas with the sole focus on preventing the abuse from ever happening in the first place. Funds will be used over three years to expand the existing community education and home mentoring programs by hiring and training an addi tional two staff members to increase capac ity and services.
Hope Supply Co.
The Commitment: $770,028
Hope Supply Co., founded in 1989, serves as a clearing house of donated re sources for unhoused and at-risk children. Funding will be used to serve 10,780 more children over three years to establish a direct services diaper pantry by remodeling space and adding a social worker. This new pan try will supply diapers, wipes, and hygiene products. Additionally, funding will be used to support an existing project: critical needs program for infants and toddlers serving 9,000 children through partner agencies.
Southwestern Medical Foundation
The Commitment: $960,000
Established by Southwestern Medi cal Foundation in 1943, UT Southwestern Medical Center has become a multifaceted academic institution that is internationally recognized for excellence in high-impact re search, medical education and training, and compassionate patient care. Funding for the Neuro Wellness in Brains of Infants Pro gram, NEWBI, will expand the Neonatal Neurology Intensive Care Program piloted and still only delivered at Parkland Hospi tal. Funding over three years will be used for personnel, equipment, supplies, conferences, and research to expand the program to UT Southwestern’s Clements University Hos pital, Children’s Medical Center, and Texas Health Dallas sites.
United to Learn
The Commitment: $1,206,022
United to Learn (U2L) works to drive literacy achievement for more than 26,000 students attending 28 Dallas ISD elemen tary schools. U2L will expand into 21 new est Dallas ISD elementary school partners in southern Dallas over the next three years, improving literacy rates for 10,466 elemen tary students in the area.
Source: crystalcharityball.org
Beauty is just the beginning at The Tradition-Lovers Lane and The Tradition-Prestonwood Assisted Living and Memory Care Communities.
• Locally owned and managed
• Rental Community with no large buy-in fee
• Innovative memory care: therapy intervention
• 24-hour licensed nursing
• Seamless medication management
• New American cuisine with global influences
• Outpatient rehab and underwater treadmill
• Secured with access control and cameras
• Socially engaging activities calendar
LOVERS LANE
THE TRADITION – PRESTONWOOD
Travel during the holidays is some times motivated by guilt: “Over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go,” and all that.
Our To-Do Lists are filled with holi day-related errands and tasks, so the fun kind of travel, the day trips and staycations, don’t happen like they do the other 47 weeks of the year.
Let me fix that by giving you oodles of reasons to celebrate Christmastime in Cowtown.
Yes, I know not all our readers cele brate Christmas, but I like the alliter ation in the title. Maybe next year, I’ll write about Hanukkah in Houston. The point is there are lots of fabu lous things to enjoy in Fort Worth in December, and I encourage you to plan a day, night, or long weekend there.
Stay Fort Worth has a few
newer hotels to choose from, but the Kimp ton Harper, located near Sundance Square, has my vote. Housed in a 1920s bank build ing, it has a sophisticated and energetic vibe with a rooftop bar, and a Champagne Ho tline installed in each room so guests can have a bottle of Veuve Clicquot delivered at a moment’s notice.
Eat
Cowtown is on the national radar screen for dining. La Onda, an elegant Mexican/South American restaurant, was recently recognized by Bon Ap petit magazine as one of America’s best new restaurants. Other ex cellent options include Magda lena’s, Wishbone & Flynt, and Tre Mogli in the bustling Near Southside. If you want sweet souvenirs, visit the Swiss Pastry Shop for a piece of its world-famous Black Forest Cake or Loft 22 Cakes for Butterscotch Banana Pudding or slabs of cake in myriad flavors.
Drink
Both the Sinclair Hotel and the Harp er have rooftop bars from which to view the twinkling lights below. If you’re afraid of heights, check out Locust Cider Tap room for refreshing ciders or Lockwood Distillery on Magnolia, both in the Near Southside.
Spices are must-stop shops. If you’re in the Stockyards, go to M.L. Leddy’s, the quintessential Texas outfitter and custom boot shop, which is beautifully decorated for the holidays and always has the best people watching in town.
Do
Visit the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, which hosts Lightscape, a magical display of more than a million twinkling lights, including fields of bluebonnets as you’ve never seen them before. You can also go ice skating in the Stockyards Rodeo Rink or go to the WCRA Christmas Cowtown Championship Rodeo at the Cowtown Coliseum. There’s so much to do, you might even want to stay the week.
Shop
Fort Worth is gaining on Dallas’ shop ping scene, with The Shops at Clearfork brimming with luxury stores and bou tiques like Katie Kime, known for darling Dallas and Nashville-themed toile-printed jammies and robes. For foodies, the Best Maid Pickle Emporium and Pendery’s
Though it’s only 30 miles west of us, Fort Worth has an entirely different vibe from Dallas. It’s got western grit but in a sophisticated, authentic way. As a Fort Worth girl, I love being its ambassador and hope you visit.
Follow Kersten Rettig, a Park Cities-based writer with 30-plus years of experience in food and beverage marketing and public relations, on Instagram @KerstenEats.
The point is, there are lots of fabulous things to enjoy in Fort Worth in December, and I encourage you to plan a day, night, or long weekend there.KERSTEN RETTIG
Make The Most of Art: Designer Tips for Displaying a Collection
Have you ever purchased a piece of art work and then weren’t sure how to display it when you got home?
Art is subjective, and there are no hard rules for displaying it. That said, I do have guidelines for display ing art that I like to share with my interi or design clients. Here are some of my top tips for hanging your paintings, photography, masks, plates, textiles, or wood carvings:
a piece of furniture (like a couch), there’s no need to space them across the entire width of the furniture. Instead, center the whole collection in a tight grouping. You can help blend your artwork into the room by picking up accent colors in the painting and pairing them with accessories of a similar color.
MARGARET CHAMBERSMost artwork should be hung at eye level, around 60 inches above the floor. On the oth er hand, if you’re hanging art in your dining room, you may want to display it a touch above the eye lev el of seated diners.
Extra tall artwork should be hung about 15 inches off the floor.
While a large painting or photo can bring drama to a room, a series of small prints has its own charm, inviting the viewer to step closer. Small, standalone works of art can be a delightful surprise when displayed in unexpected places, such as bathroom van ities, kitchen shelves, and windowsills.
When you hang multiple pieces of art together, try to keep them at least 2 inches apart. If you want to display a collection over
Traditional frames are best for classical subjects like landscapes and portraits. On the other hand, modern art and photogra phy usually call for frames with clean lines. Large photos often look their best when mounted in plexiglass or acrylic. Small di mensional pieces will also look great in plexiglass display boxes, which give them a “gallery” feel.
Another thing to keep in mind is that artwork and photos on paper will fade in direct sunlight, so in rooms with lots of natural light, protect those pieces in plexi glass or UV glass.
When you live with art, you want to show it off to its best potential. Hopefully, these guidelines can help you pick out the perfect places for all your prized collections.
Margaret Chambers, a registered interior de signer (RID) and member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), leads Chambers In teriors and Associates. Her colleague Caitlin Crow ley helped edit this column. Visit chambersinteriors. com/blog for more design advice.
You can help blend your artwork into the room by picking up accent colors in the painting and pairing them with accessories of a similar color.
Common Unknown REASONS
Why People Fall or Have Balance Problems.
Never Because Of Age... There’s Always A REASON! – Now What To Do About It?
By Leading Balance Expert, Dr. Jeffrey Guild, Physical
Are you worried about losing independence because of falls? Are you seeing your friends around you falling and losing their indepen dence? Are you becoming increasingly frus trated with your doctors and kids telling you not to fall (Ok… How?). Here are some com mon unknown reasons why people fall, and a SOLUTION to prevent it from happening.
1: Vertigo/Inner Ear Balance Problems: Problems with vertigo and dizziness are symptoms that put older people at fall risk. These symptoms are so common that 1/3rd of people over the age of 70 and 50% of peo ple over the age of 85 are experiencing dizzi ness and/or vertigo right now! These condi tions are usually very treatable!
2. The Legs Losing Perception Of Where They Are (Proprioceptive Loss): As a bal ance specialist I see this problem ALL THE TIME. This is a problem that largely goes unrecognized & people have no idea it’s hap pening to them. I often see this when people are falling or having balance problems for what seems like NO APPARENT REA SON. This is simple to find out and there are ways around the problem.
3. Walking Slowly & Furniture Walking: Walking slower makes older people less
Therapistbalanced, but this is a common strategy to falls and balance problems. Touching furni ture and walls while walking is a sign that something is wrong and immediate action is needed to prevent this from becoming a fall!
Want more information & solutions? My new special report provides Actionable Tips that will help you keep or regain your inde pendence. And the best thing is it’s 100% FREE, and you’re under noobligation to buy anything when you call.
IMPORTANT: For obvious reasons, my offer to send you this report FREE must come with a restriction on the number I can mail out… so it’s critical that you call TO DAY and request your free report now. What To Do Next?
Call: (214) 712-8242 (Leave a Message 24/7) & Choose:
• Option 1: Have your FREE Report mailed or emailed to you
• Option 2: Free Report + FREE Balance/ Fall Screen Or Discovery Visit
Author Dr. Jeffrey Guild, Physical Therapist is owner of Optimove Physical Therapy & Wellness. You can contact him at (214) 712-8242 or email at J.Guild@OptimoveDFW.com
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It’s
Adults, Children Can Enjoy A Classic Holiday Cookie: Three Ways
In our home, Christ mastime has always meant tins of holi day cookies will be stacked in the pantry. For gift-giv ing, an after noon snack, an after-din ner dessert, or a sweet surprise for delivery drivers stopping by with packages, each tin holds family-favorite cookies.
From the time I was a teenager, I assumed the role of chief cookie bak er at Christmastime, and it’s a role I still love. Seeing kids’ faces light up at the sight of decorated cookies is a magical thing – and aren’t we all kids at heart?
This isn’t a surprise to anyone who knows me, for some of my ear liest Christmas memories revolve around cookies – delicate, ultra-but tery spritz made by Grandmother Henrietta, my Grandmom Kathryn’s thin, crisp, spicy gingerbread cook ies cut in the shape of bells, stars, and trees, and my mother’s Noel nut balls, date pinwheels, and sug ar cookies. When we were growing up, my sisters and I wiled away many snowy afternoons decorating sugar cookies with frosting, sprinkles, and red cinnamon candies.
Those treasured memories are why Christmas cookies are still an essential part of my holiday cele bration. Still, during the final weeks before Christmas, I transition from labor-intensive cookies to timesav ing recipes that provide a blank can vas for quick decorating options. Take my Christmas Shortbread Cookies, for instance. These meltin-your-mouth, buttery shortbreads are ideal for afternoon tea anytime, but when garnished with frosting, sprinkles, dark chocolate, or crushed candy cane, they become delight ful, gift-worthy cookies my friends, family, and Santa will love. So, here’s my holiday gift to you – a classic Christmas Shortbread Cookie reci pe, plus three ideas to turn the basic
recipe into three entirely different, irresistible holiday cookies: Spar kling Shortbread, Chocolate and Peppermint Dreams, and Sugar plum Shortbread. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Christy Rost is a cookbook author, chef on PBS sta tions nationwide, and longtime res ident of the Park Cities and Preston Hollow. Her Cele brating Home 4-minute cooking videos are available at youtube.com/ChristyRostCooks and on her christyrost.com website.
CHRISTMAS SHORTBREAD COOKIES
*Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter, softened ¾ cup sifted confectioners’ sugar ¼ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla 2 cups flour 1 tablespoon cornstarch
*Other ingredients will depend on how and whether you decorate the cookies.
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in thirds, beating until the dough is crumbly. Dust hands with flour, form 1-inch balls and place them on greased cookie sheets. Using a sturdy glass with a flat bottom, dip the bottom of
the glass in flour and flatten each cookie to ¼-inch thickness. Bake 14 to 16 minutes until the cookies are set but not brown. Remove them from the oven, cool 1 minute, and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve cookies plain or decorate as desired.
Yield: 3 dozen shortbread cookies
Decorating options
Sparkling Shortbread: Whisk together 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, and ¼ teaspoon vanilla until smooth.
Drizzle cookies with icing in a back-and-forth motion and sprinkle with tinted sugar.
Chocolate and Peppermint Dreams: Break a 3-ounce dark chocolate bar into pieces and heat them in the microwave at 50% power until soft, then stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Dip half of each cookie into the chocolate and garnish with crushed candy cane.
Sugarplum Shortbread: Melt two 2-ounce squares vanilla candy coating in the microwave at 50% power and stir until smooth. Spread the top of each cookie with a thin layer of coating and decorate with red, green, and white nonpareils.
New Listings Announced in Highland Park
THE PERRY-MILLER STREIFF GROUP
An Experienced Agent is Key for Spring Market
Ranked #1 in Dallas, #2 in Texas, and #27 in the country for medium-sized teams by RealTrends The Thousand (as featured in The Wall Street Journal).
historically high comps.
We will use our knowledge and experience to guide you through pricing, staging and preparation so that we bring your home to the market with the best photos, most attractive staging, and careful timing to create a superlative presentation resulting in a turnkey product offered to this market’s most discerning buyer’s and igniting in them the strongest possible sense of urgency.
With the shifting market conditions and uncertainty about the direction of the economy, this is a crucial time to employ experienced agents who will implement their time-tested wisdom and hands-on professional approach to council their clients on every detail of the transaction.
Backing up to the Katy Trail, 4800 Abbott Ave. offers exquisite living in Highland Park.
The agents at Allie Beth Allman & Associates have the experience you need to find your dream home in Highland Park. Allie Beth Allman & Associates sells more in Highland Park and University Park than any other brokerage, according to the Multiple Listing Service.
Explore these residences currently available, and trust the leader to deliver the deal, whether you’re buying or selling.
The four-bedroom home at 4800 Abbott Ave. is an exceptional combination of modern design and exquisite finishes. The meticulously maintained home features wood floors throughout, an acrylic modern staircase and a contemporary, black granite fireplace. The property backs up to the Katy Trail.
In the heart of Highland Park, 3717 Maplewood Ave. sits on a heavily treed lot on one of the most coveted blocks in the neighborhood. The rare, onestory, four-bedroom masterpiece was designed by architects James Pratt E.G. Hamilton and built by Sebastian.
Nearby at 4601 Lorraine Ave., the West Highland Park residence combines the charm of the past with today’s style and conveniences. Complete with updates on the inside, such as new fixtures and water heaters, and on the outside, such as repainted exterior wood trim and new gutters, the home sits on a beautifully landscaped lot.
BRIGGS FREEMAN SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTYEuropean Elegance in Bluffview
The Perry-Miller Streiff group is excited about the opportunity to serve our clients in this new and changing market. Inventory
levels are increasing and we are seeing more price reductions and longer wait times on the market. We are reaching out to all our clients and prospective customers as we feel this is a critical time for sellers to leverage the most expert guidance in preparing one’s home, while capitalizing on
LENTZ LANDSCAPE LIGHTING
Upgrade Older Homes’ Lighting While Maintaining Vintage Charm
5211
The perfect house for both pizza nights and posh parties? 5211 Farquhar Lane. In scenic Bluffview, this European-style Traditional offers an oversized living room with a stone fireplace, a gourmet kitchen, a study, a library, a media room, four bedrooms, five full baths and two half baths — all in the 6,494-square-foot main house. Outside the main house? Another world — thanks to the loggia, pool, spa and 2,400-square-foot guesthouse inspired by Ralph Lauren’s Colorado lodge, complete with vaulted ceilings, a built-in bar and charming tiled floors. The lush landscaping and towering oak trees make the property even more magical.
5211 Farquhar Lane is represented by Meredith Houston for $4,795,000. 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.
Dallas, TX— Many people find buying and restoring older homes a great investment as well as a worth while endeavor. The challenge is often how you maintain the classic features of the home, while upgrad ing for better efficiency and safety. This also applies to outdoor and in door lighting.
Often homes in older neighbor hoods feature wonderful vintage lighting fixtures inside and outside the property. Due to the age of the systems, homeowners eventually confront the decision to either re
BETH ALLMANExtraordinary
Homes Available in University Park
place the whole system, or upgrade their existing system. Richard Lentz, owner of Lentz Landscape Lighting, says he gets these requests quite often. “We were recently called out to this amazing home featuring Mid-Century Modern outdoor light fixtures throughout the entire prop erty. We were able to maintain the historical integrity of these vintage fixtures and upgrade them with highly efficient LED technology,” Lentz commented. “We are expertly trained in knowing how to balance warm and cool LED lights to present a soft, natural atmosphere as you take an evening stroll around your outdoor spaces.” He adds, “Upgrad ing to LED also provides cost sav ings for many years to come.”
Updating vintage indoor light fix tures provide the same benefits, so before replacing light fixtures in an historic or older home, consider upgrading to maintain the timely, distinctive features of a home filled with history.
To find out more information about upgrading exterior and indoor light ing, contact Lentz Landscape Light ing @ 972-241-0622 or go to their website www.lentzlighting.com.
Check out the charming home at 2920 Daniel Ave. The threebedroom home, built on a 215-footdeep lot, has spot-on features including and a wet bar with an ice maker and wine refrigerator, ready for weekend revelry.
Music to your ears: This home is move-in ready. The six-bedroom, brick home at 2815 Amherst Ave. has a flexible floor plan and includes a study on the first level.
Buyers are looking for properties that are competitively priced, tastefully staged, beautifully photographed, and with the total marketing effort unfurled with the most strategic timing. So, the Perry-Miller Streiff group is now accepting submissions for homes to be listed in the Spring of 2023. Please call us for a review of your property and to schedule an appointment so we can begin putting together a successful strategy for getting your home expertly marketed and sold.
Contact the Perry-Miller Streiff Group at 214.799.1488 or visit DPMFineHomes.com.
DAVE PERRY-MILLER REAL ESTATERanch
Opportunity 1.5 Hours From Dallas
of trails through the woods to explore. Weekends will never be the same!
This fantastic recreational ranch on 415 diverse acres in Montague County is less than 1.5 hours northwest of Dallas. Outdoor enthusiasts will be in hog heaven. Offered for $4,950,000 by Brian Smith with Country Connection, this ranch at 000 Alamo Road (000alamo.daveperrymiller.com) has it all. Deer, turkey, waterfowl, hogs and a 17-acre trophy fishing lake stocked with bass, bluegill, crappie and catfish and two floating docks. And then there are the miles
ALLIE BETH ALLMANTexas Still a Sellers’ Market
Two large supplemental food plots are available for wildlife. For cattle, there are over 110 acres of coastal Bermuda and native grasses producing 100-120 round bales. There is also a loafing shed and a good set of pens. The elevated homesite overlooks the lake, and includes a 520-foot water well (100gpm) and 3-phase electric. The ranch has agricultural and wildlife tax exemptions of $445 per year. NOTE: Part of property is also in the Montague ISD. Come take a look!
To schedule a showing, contact Smith at 972.588.8300 or brian@ countryconnection.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.
Associates, can guide both sellers and buyers through the transitioning market, helping to sell your home for the highest price or find your perfect next home.
Here’s a look at some homes currently represented by the brokerage.
New listings in University Park, such as 2920 Daniel Ave., provide room to grow.
If you are ready to move up to a home that is served by some of the best schools in Texas, talk with an expert at Allie Beth Allman & Associates about planning the sale of your home and moving into University Park.
New listings in University Park come on the market each week, either as public listings or private sales.
Open the front door of the fivebedroom home at 3320 Westminster Ave. and expect to be wowed by the tall ceilings and four comfortable living areas. Extensively remodeled, the kitchen is well equipped to handle any crowd that drops in to watch football or celebrate the holidays.
The three-story home at 3411 Granada Ave. has five bedrooms in more than 3,000 square feet and a private, enclosed patio. The primary bedroom features dual vanities and a large walk-in closet.
The transitional home at 3600 Armstrong Ave. in Old Highland Park is offered by Alex Perry.
As the real estate environment continues to normalize from the pandemic frenzy, the art of selling and buying in this market needs a critical and analytical approach.
Only an agent who understands the realities of the market can set expectations to make sure the deal closes.
The experts with the luxury leader in DFW, Allie Beth Allman &
The extraordinary estate at 10540 Lennox Lane sits in the heart of Preston Hollow’s Strait Lane corridor. Beyond the resortworthy pool, spa and large cabana, you’ll find a two-hole regulation golf course, complete with sand traps and water features.
At 4321 Windsor Parkway in University Park, the kitchen’s floorto-ceiling cabinetry and furnituregrade center island set the stage for party prep, while expansive outdoor living space can handle any size party.
Allie Beth Allman & Associates leads in the sale of homes priced at $2 million and higher in Dallas County and in DFW. Call to connect with an expert agent: https://www.alliebeth. com/associates/int.
‘Shelley’s Heroes’ Take On Lupus Shuttlesworth perseveres
through often-misunderstood autoimmune
By Carley Hutchison People NewspapersLupus, an often-misunder stood autoimmune disease, is challenging to live with, difficult to diagnose, and hard to treat.
Shelly Shuttlesworth, who lives near Turtle Creek, knows that all too well.
“Your white cells don’t recog nize your own body as itself,” she said. “It can be your skin, your organs. It really just doesn’t know the difference.”
With some of her “Shel ley’s Heroes” teammates, Shut tlesworth joined the Lupus Re search Alliance’s 20th annual Walk with Us to Cure Lupus on October 22 in Glencoe Park. The goal: to raise awareness of the au toimmune disease and urge do nations to support much-needed research to help find a cure.
There are no first symptoms of Lupus, although the early signs can be fatigue, joint pain, or a
butterfly rash.
And symptoms greatly differ throughout all patients, though one common one is a red butter fly-shaped rash over your cheeks and nose that often follows expo sure to sunlight.
“My mom told me to go to my dermatologist, and they thought the rash on my face was the but terfly rash, which is very common with Lupus patients, so they did a skin graft, and the results came back positive,” Shuttlesworth said.
The cause of Lupus is un known, but it, along with other autoimmune diseases, can often run in families. Doctors suspect either a response to certain hor mones or environmental triggers.
There are four kinds of Lupus:
disease
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Cutaneous Lupus, Drug-Induced Lupus, and Neonatal Lupus.
Shelly Shuttlesworth
Systemic Lupus Erythema tosus is the most common form. Cutaneous Lupus is only limited to the skin. Certain prescription drugs cause Drug-Induced Lu pus. Neonatal Lupus affects in fants of women that have Lupus.
“It is something that you can live with, and there are ways that you can take care of your body,” Shuttlesworth said. “It makes me do things . . . so that I can do ev erything I want to do.”
It can be your skin, your organs. It really just doesn’t know the difference.
Allie Beth Allman &
New Preston Hollow Listings
Announces
of land value, according to Bryan Hagen of Hagen Appraisal Services. And that’s a healthy sign for new construction and buyers.
If you’re ready for a new home in the Preston Hollow area, explore these listings available and connect with an expert at Allie Beth Allman & Associates to learn more.
9851 Kingsway Ave.
Situated on a preferred site in a new gated community in Preston Hollow – and adjacent to shops and retail including Trader Joe’s – this stunning new, fully-customized 4414 sf, modern residence offers a rare opportunity for the new owner to choose final cosmetic finishes for this recently completed move-in ready home! The spacious living/dining room features 11 ft ceilings, wide-plank walnut stained hardwood flooring and floor to ceiling windows, all prewired for power shades. A wood burning/gas fireplace is centered between two windows. The adjoining dining area boasts a custom wine room, equipped with state-of -the art temperature and lighting controls waiting for the new owner’s final specifications. The large, light-filled kitchen is equipped with a 48” Wolfe gas cooktop – with double wall-ovens in the adjacent prep kitchen.
Two Asko dishwashers, a Sub-Zero undercounter refrigerator and a Kitchen Aid ice maker make this home an ideal venue for entertaining.
EBBY HALLIDAY
As one of the city’s most soughtafter neighborhoods, Preston Hollow offers a convenient location and lush, green, open spaces.
It’s also one of the most stable neighborhoods in terms
Reasons to List During the Holidays
The holidays mean many things to many people, but associating it with being a good time to sell your house is not usually one of them. We think it may actually be an ideal time!
Here’s why listing now makes sense.
• Many people are still working from home, which means they may want more space, home offices, or a change of scenery. With more flexible work
Downstairs at 6422 Prestonshire Lane, you’ll find a chef’s kitchen, keeping room and breakfast area that flow onto the screened porch, where you can view the pool, outdoor entertaining space and manicured yard.
At 6230 Stichter Ave., the .439-acre grounds provide for fantastic entertaining opportunities, with walls of stacked windows and accordion doors that blur the lines between indoors and outdoors.
A stunning new and fully customized home in a new gated community, 9851 Kingsway Ave. features four bedrooms and a spacious living and dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows.
Set on a little more than an acre, 5460 Northbrook Drive is a charming Austin stone home with five bedrooms and numerous living areas, a heated pool, sports court and separate guest house.
schedules, many prospective buyers may use the extra time to search for a new home.
• Consumers who shop for a home during the holidays are typically serious, motivated buyers, who for one reason or another can’t wait until the spring market to buy.
• Typically there are even fewer homes on the market during the holiday season. Translation: less competition for you!
• Homes “show” better when decorated for the holidays.
Ebby Halliday Realtors is celebrating 77 years of serving the real estate needs of our valued clients. We’re proud to offer you the most-convenient, full-service residential real estate experience available, with our in-house brands: Prosperity Home Mortgage, Home Team Insurance, Texas Premier Title and HSTX Title.
One transaction, one experience. For more information, visit the awardwinning ebby.com.