Tex Appeal Magazine | August & September 2018

Life and Style in Central Texas

Brynn Myers FIRST WOMAN TO LEAD CITY OF TEMPLE

August /September 2018

AT THE BELTONIAN THEATER

Classic films find a new audience

ATTORNEY & VETERAN SEEKS

Justice for all

BELL COUNTY MUSEUM DIRECTOR

LIVING IN HISTORY

Remembering the Titanic HISTORIC EXPERIENCE AT MAYBORN MUSEUM

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Features 12 Zechariah Baker

23 Ebony Jackson Todd

Start with classic movies.

Add Saturday morning cartoons, local bands, and locally sourced food and beverages. Top it with a vintage organ. The result is The Beltonian Theatre.

As a young wife and mother, a retired Army attorney and now founder of her own law office in Killeen, Ebony Jackson Todd has already experienced a lot of what life has to offer.

ready to entertain

offers legal service

27 Brynn Myers takes

31 Coleman Hampton

There was a loud crack in the ceiling at the City of Temple this past January when Brynn Myers became Temple’s first woman city manager. It is a role she trained for her entire life.

That passion serves him well as the executive director of the Bell County Museum, a job that allows him to step in and out of the ages from prehistoric times to the 20th century.

the lead in Temple

loves history

34 Aly McMillan serves

36 Brandon Griggs

Aly McMillan makes her living much like Superwoman does — carefully watching over her city and stepping in when circumstances are beyond the ability of mere mortals.

A large black-and-white abstract painting hangs in the office of Brandon Griggs, dean of Student Affairs at Texas A&M University– Central Texas. The image is an original he created.

local community

38 Bianca Accomando pays it forward

A teller ushers me into the office of Bianca Accomando at A+ Federal Credit Union in Harker Heights. She comes from behind her desk to shake my hand, greeting me with a welcoming smile.

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AUGUST & SEPTEMBER 2018 | TEX APPEAL

creates leadership

41 Kelly Garcia is a

designing woman

Architect Kelly Garcia welcomes her guest into the meeting room of the Neal Architectural Group in Temple. Books on architecture line tops of tables and bookshelves.

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Departments

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TexTalk NEIGHBORS Zechariah Baker of the Beltonian Theatre

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TexTalk FLAVOURS Arepitas Restaurant serves a taste of Venezuela

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TexTalk SCENE Baylor Scott & White new residents showcase

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TexTalk CALENDAR Upcoming events in August and September

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TexTalk WELL-FED HEAD “Burden of Proof” by DiAnn Mills

Life and Style in Central Texas

Brynn Myers FIRST WOMAN TO LEAD CITY OF TEMPLE

August /September 2018

AT THE BELTONIAN THEATER

Classic films find a new audience

ATTORNEY & VETERAN SEEKS

Justice for all

BELL COUNTY MUSEUM DIRECTOR

LIVING IN HISTORY

Remembering the Titanic HISTORIC EXPERIENCE AT MAYBORN MUSEUM

ON the COVER Temple City Manager Brynn Myers | 27 Photograph by JULIE DOUGHTY

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AUGUST & SEPTEMBER 2018 | TEX APPEAL

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EDITOR’S LETTER

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WELL-CONNECTED

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CONTRIBUTORS

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ADVERTISER’S INDEX

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PROFILES Meet young professionals in Central Texas

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TexFIT The importance of self-care

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TexADVENTURES Titanic exhibit at Mayborn Museum in Waco

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From the Editor

Tex Appeal Life & Style in Central Texas

Dear Readers,

Published by

This issue celebrates young professionals that knew their callings early in life and found a way to pursue and achieve their goals.

Brynn Myers, the first woman city manager for the City of Temple knew by the time she was 13 that to become a city manager was her goal. She joined the Killeen Youth Advisory Council, read Roberts Rules of Order and attended city meetings when other kids her age were outside riding bikes, horses, or jumping into water holes, Page 27.

Kelly Garcia knew from a young age that she wanted to create architecture.

She recalls family vacations when her dad pointed out architectural designs on regional houses. Now she helps to create modern commercial buildings using the latest design equipment, materials and technology, Page 41.

Zechariah Baker is a man of many callings. Last year he fulfilled his dream of buying his own business by purchasing The Beltonian Theater in Belton. Through his love of hospitality and entertainment — he’s a classically trained opera singer and performer — he has created a space where live music, performances, classic movies and cartoons all come together, Page 12.

Coleman Hampton loves history.

His first thought was to become a history teacher. But when he learned that his chosen major can transfer into the role of a museum director, he changed course. Now he is the executive director of the Bell County Museum keeping the history of the region alive for all generations, Page 31.

After a career in the military as a JAG officer, Ebony Jackson Todd, a retired veteran and attorney, opened her own law firm. Today she assists churches and small businesses with their legal needs, Page 23.

Aly McMillan, vice president of Community Impact for the United Way of Central Texas, is a down-to-earth, get-it-done kind of woman who makes her living much like Superwoman does — carefully watching over her city and stepping in when circumstances are beyond the ability of mere mortals, Page 34.

Bianca Accomando is the branch manager of A+ Credit Union in Harker Heights.

She took a roundabout way to finding her niche in the world of finance and now helps people attain their goals. She is the president of the Greater Killeen Young Professionals and she enjoys mission trips to Africa with REACH! Church, her spiritual home, Page 38.

Sail back in time on the RMS Titanic. From now until Jan. 6, Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition is boarding at the Mayborn Museum in Waco. Learn more about this fateful voyage from the words of survivors and biographies of victims that sailed on the Titanic on April 12, 1912, Page 52.

Wherever you are in your busy day take a break, pour yourself a glass of your favorite summer beverage and enjoy the August/September issue of Tex Appeal Magazine.

Catherine Hosman

Tex Appeal Editor editor@texappealmag.com 254-774-5234 8

AUGUST & SEPTEMBER 2018 | TEX APPEAL

FRANK MAYBORN ENTERPRISES, INC. KILLEEN DAILY HERALD 1809 Florence Rd., Killeen, TX 76540

TEMPLE DAILY TELEGRAM 10 S. Third St., Temple, TX 76501

Publisher SUE MAYBORN Editor CATHERINE HOSMAN Graphic Designer

M. CLARE HAEFNER Contributors JULIE DOUGHTY STACY MOSER BECKY STINEHOUR CAREY STITES Advertising 254-778-4444 254-501-7500

Tex Appeal Magazine is published monthly by Frank Mayborn Enterprises, Inc. 10 S. Third St., Temple, TX 76501. The cover and content of Tex Appeal Magazine is fully protected by copyright and cannot be reproduced in any manner without prior permission.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: For the United States, $24 per year, 12 issues.

Mail check to P.O. Box 6114, Temple, TX 76503-6114.

Questions about subscriptions, call 254-778-4444.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Tex Appeal Magazine, P.O. Box 6114, Temple, TX 76503-6114.

HOW TO CONTACT US: Advertising: Call 254-778-4444 or 254-501-7500.

Editorial: Contact Catherine Hosman at 254-774-5234 or email editor@texappealmag.com.

Well-Connected Life &

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

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Contributors JULIE DOUGHTY is a graphic designer and worldwide photographer. She also is a magical unicorn. Nuff said.

“Comfort is our logo, compassion is our business card, and how we leave families feeling after having their services with us is our trademark.”

-Jarrah Crotty

Family Owned & Operated 5431 West Hwy 190 • Belton, TX 76513

crottyfh.com • 254.933.0900

STACY MOSER comes to Texas from the Southeast coast, where she worked as managing editor at South magazine in Savannah, Georgia, and My Home Improvement magazine in Atlanta. She also was a contributing writer and editor for San Diego Home/Garden magazine, a college textbook editor for Harcourt Brace Jovanovich and owner and publisher of The Page Group, Inc. — counting Pulitzer Prize-winning authors among her clients. Stacy’s sonin-law is a captain stationed at Fort Hood, where her 1-year-old granddaughter, Evelyn Rose, was born. Stacy also has a background in landscape design, so when she’s not writing, you can probably find her out in the garden or cooking up a crop of fresh veggies in the kitchen!

“I regret taking such good care of my skin” - said no one ever

BECKY STINEHOUR is a portrait/wedding photographer who has lived in Central Texas since the early 1980s, after having grown up on several military bases. She has two grown sons. She is active in her church and enjoys gardening.

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AUGUST & SEPTEMBER 2018 | TEX APPEAL

CAREY STITES, MS, RD, LD, CPT is a registered and licensed dietitian working for Wellstone Health Partners in Harker Heights. Carey has been a practicing dietitian since 2001, with experience in both outpatient and inpatient medical nutrition therapy and sports nutrition. Carey also is an AFAA certified group fitness instructor and personal trainer. She has promoted health and wellness through presentations, classes, writing and cooking demonstrations all across Texas.

neighbors 12

flavours 14

scene 16

TexTalk

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well-fed head 21

Ready to entertain

Zechariah Baker offers patrons classic movies and more at the vintage Beltonian Theatre.

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TexTalk neighbors

Zechariah Baker brings new life to the Beltonian

Story by CATHERINE HOSMAN Photos by BECKY STINEHOUR

S

“When you work for someone else you leave the legacy of your work but nothing tangible to leave to your children,” Sara said. “Zechariah has worked for someone else and will leave a legacy of good work, but nothing to pass on to our daughter.

That made this a desirable project for us as a family.”

tart with classic movies. Add Saturday morning cartoons, local bands and music performances, locally sourced food and beverages. Top it with a vintage organ.

The result is The Beltonian Theatre in downtown MUSIC AND HOSPITALITY Belton — a historic venue that’s been given new life by co-owners Zechariah, 40, grew up in Marble Falls where his musical Zechariah Baker and his wife, Sara. and hospitality careers almost started simultaneously. “My dad “I want to provide a quality of food, comfort, and guest directed a youth camp and I saw him and the staff work tirelessly service to keep guests coming back,” he said. “Once you put at the camp,” he added. “I saw what a difference it would make.” yourself in your guests’ shoes — what kind of films do they like, After high school graduation, Zechariah entered the music music, what time of day — we can program at the University of Mary cater to what they want going Hardin-Baylor, training in voice. forward.”

A tenor, he earned a spot on the Classic films seem to be the school’s choir, One Voice, and best fit for the theater, he said. toured Texas with the group.

Since it reopened in October 2017 During one summer break patrons have been able to enjoy the he returned to Marble Falls and intrigue of “Casablanca,” the Civil worked the front desk of a local War saga “Gone with the Wind,” hotel — a position that matched his the musical “White Christmas,” interest in the hospitality business. “ The Polar Express,” “It’s a “Hospitality has been a part of Wonderful Life,” and “Singin’ in his life since growing up at Camp the Rain,” to name a few.

Peniel Christian Camp in Marble Folks who haven’t seen a Falls where his dad was on staff,” classic movie on the big screen in Sara said. a long time or who may have never Eventually, the One Voice seen a vintage film can get up close tour schedule took a toll. In his and personal with artists from fifth semester of college Zechariah Hollywood’s Golden Age. decided to take a break. He moved And it’s not just the classic home and spent a year working as American films that are bringing a line and prep chef at the upscale theatergoers. Zechariah formed Russo’s Restaurant in Marble Falls. a partnership with the Czech But his musical career Museum in Temple to present a beckoned him back. free Czech movie each month.

A friend called Zechariah and And the variety continues. offered him a place to live if he Zechariah Baker checks on the digital film machine in the vintage projector On Saturday mornings moved back to Temple to enter room at The Beltonian Theatre. it’s Breakfast at The Beltonian Temple College’s music program.

Theatre, where kids of all ages can enjoy classic cartoons and He took the offer and became a member of the choir. That’s a breakfast buffet. Zechariah also showcases local bands and where he met Sara in 1999. musical performances and plans to hold a silent film night once Their friendship grew and it seemed that their future a month. together was set. But another voice called to Zechariah. This “We now have an old Baldwin organ that was donated to time it was to serve his country. the theater by the Dow Fogleman family in Temple. Being able “I always wanted to serve,” he said. “My paternal to show silent movies to the Central Texas area will be very grandfather, uncle, cousins and other family members served in enlightening and educational. We’ll combine organ with silent the military.” movies as a fun way to bring people into the theater,” he said.

He joined the Army in 2000 and trained as a forward “Having live music and theater stays true to the history of The observer at Fort Benning, Georgia, and Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Beltonian Theatre.”

When his training ended he was assigned to Fort Hood, much One of the selling points for the Bakers to buy the theater closer to Sara. He was deployed to Iraq in 2003 with the 2nd was to serve as a legacy to their daughter, Grace Katherine.

Brigade, 4th Infantry Division in support of Operation Iraqi 12

AUGUST & SEPTEMBER 2018 | TEX APPEAL

Freedom. Two months before his service ended in 2004 he sustained a foot injury which rendered him disabled. When he returned to Temple he and Sara were married.

“I didn’t want to get married while serving in the military,” he said. “I didn’t want to leave behind a family if something happened to me while I was deployed.”

Zechariah returned to UMHB in 2004 and finished his BA in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy. During that time, he and Sara welcomed their daughter. After graduation he performed professional opera with the Chautauqua Opera Co. in New York State, the Pensacola Opera in Florida and the Des Moines Metro Opera in Iowa but felt he needed a little more polish.

When a voice teacher and professional opera singer from Louisiana State University called and offered him an opportunity to complete his master’s degree in opera performance, he said he’d accept but only if they could find a spot for Sara. Their daughter was three.

“Sara worked on her doctorate and I worked on my master of music,” he said.

With LSU behind them, Zechariah said he always imagined a life for himself as a performer, but another voice in the back of his mind kept calling him to open his own business.

“At first I thought it would be a performing arts academy,” he said. “But Temple College and UMHB both have strong

conservatory programs. The Cultural Activities Center also offers a wide variety of opportunity. It wasn’t the right time for a performance academy.”

The family returned to Texas and moved to Burleson where Sara taught at Centennial High School and Zechariah worked as a food and beverage manager/operations manager for SpeedZone, a family entertainment center in Dallas. Two years later Sara was offered a job at Temple College and Zechariah was food and beverage manager for Cinergy Cinemas and Entertainment in Copperas Cove. It was the start of his movie theater career.

He fell in love with the world of movie theaters. When The Beltonian Theatre became available in 2015 Sara suggested that he buy it. Zechariah started working on a business plan and a year later he toured the old movie house. Previous owners had renovated the interior and installed stadium seating.

“Renovation was done in 2008. The theater was in great shape. It has some modern touches but still had that old feeling,” he said.

At the end of his business day Zechariah said it’s the guest satisfaction that counts.

“When they leave fulfilled, especially when someone has a good time, when it’s your own business, that’s the best part of my day,” he said.

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TexTalk flavours

Arepitas serves a taste of Venezuela Story by CATHERINE HOSMAN Photos by BECKY STINEHOUR

A

Tony Caselle and Maria Fernanda Rodriguez own Arepitas Restaurant in Harker Heights. Tostones are their top seller.

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AUGUST & SEPTEMBER 2018 | TEX APPEAL

repitas Restaurant in Harker Heights is a family-owned and operated eatery that brings the flavors and colors of Venezuela to its patrons.

Husband and wife team Tony Caselle and Maria Fernanda Rodriguez prepare the food of their childhood adding their own infusion of flavors.

“We love food, we love to eat. Back home we made food for our friends,” Maria said.

When they first arrived in Central Texas two and a half years ago from Caracas, Venezuela, the couple wanted to find a way to share their love of native food with others.

“We love to eat, that was our main inspiration,” Tony said. “And we love to cook.”

His parents taught Tony how to prepare high quality meals with fresh food, natural seasonings and sauces. His mother, Carrie, helps at the restaurant.

“She was a full-time mom. Every time I came home she was cooking for me,” he said. Some days it was his dad who would create “an amazing meal” from whatever ingredients they had in the kitchen.

Maria said her late mother taught her everything she knows about cooking.

“When we moved here something awoke in me,” she said. “I started to cook things like mom used to cook; put together all the pieces.”

Their menu includes arepas, a white cornmeal pocket that can be stuffed with any combination of fresh foods from breakfast to dinner; tequeños, cachapas, empanadas and pepito. But it’s their tostones that take center stage.

“Our tostones are made with love,” said Maria of their best-selling item. “It’s an amazing combination of flavors.”

Tostones is a rainbow of fresh vegetables cut daily, homemade sauces and light cheese mounded on a layer of crispy, fried plantains. The colorful plate is almost too pretty to eat, but one bite will change your mind.

IF YOU GO Location: 360 W. Central Texas Expressway, Suite 205, Harker Heights Phone: 254-220-4534 Dine in or carry out. Arepitas Restaurant also caters.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; closed Sunday The restaurant does not serve alcohol, however, you may BYOB. “I wanted to know Venezuelan food and give it to the community,” Tony said.

“Our food has no additives, no hormones and is made from scratch. We use only high-quality ingredients. People don’t have to go to Austin for real food.”

Tony and Maria want everyone who walks into Arepitas to feel at home, and Maria makes it a point to remember their customers’ names.

“Someone can escape work, come here and feel like home,” Tony said.

“Here you are not just a number, but a part of the family.”

Everything at Arepitas is made from scratch daily. It also takes a little longer to prepare “because everything is made to order,” Tony said. “It’s not fast food.”

You can call ahead to place your order before arrival to sit in or take out, but either way, customers should be prepared to wait. The minimum wait time is about 15 minutes, but sometimes it’s “25 minutes to an hour,” Tony said as Maria chimed in, “And they wait.”

The couple has full command of their restaurant, which seats 36. “I can see everything happening,” Maria said.

“If you have bigger place, you lose control,” Tony added. “Customers really matter. The inspiration for us is for customers to have the best experience.

When you have 100 tables it’s really hard.”

TOSTONES 1 green plantain 2 ounces or a handful of shredded green cabbage 2 ounces or a handful of shredded purple cabbage 2 ounces or a handful of shredded carrots 2 ounces of fresh white cheese (shredded) 1 Hass avocado Fresh cilantro, for garnish 2 ounces of mayonnaise 4 ounces of ketchup Salt to taste Corn oil (necessary amount) Peel and cut the plantain into 6 equal pieces (no skin or bark should remain).

Fry the 6 pieces in hot oil (350 degrees) for 3 to 4 minutes, remove from the oil, to better results drain on absorbent paper and with a flat plate crush the banana to about 0.3-inch thick.

Fry crushed plantain pieces again for a couple of minutes or until golden, remove from the fryer and immediately add salt to taste, cuddle on absorbent paper and reserve.

In a bowl, mix the fresh vegetables, previously striped or shredded (cabbage and carrot), reserve.

Grate the fresh cheese and reserve.

In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise with the half of ketchup (2 ounces), mix well until a pink sauce is left, reserve with the rest of the ketchup. For better results at decoration time, you can pour them in a sauce dispenser with a fine peak.

Cut the avocado in half and make 6 vertical cuts of equal size (to remove the slices from the avocado peel, it is advisable to use a tablespoon).

In a large dish, preferably square or rectangular, place the 6 plantain chips (tostones), add the two previously reserved sauces on top of the tostones, then place the cabbage evenly over them, continue to sprinkle enough cheese on top of the salad, place each slice of avocado on top of the salad, make transverse lines with both sauces and decorate with fresh coriander and salt to taste.

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TexTalk scene

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Incoming Baylor Scott & White residents attend showcase 1. From left, reception coordinators Trina Thompson, Peggy Peters and Linda Billingsley with Steve Peters, City of Temple, Facility Services.

2. Garret Homan and new resident Dr. Katie Homan.

3. Renee Morales and Temple City Councilwoman Judy Morales.

4. Conner Moslander, DO, and Rebekah John, DO. 5. Dr. Katie Dowd and Dr. Derek Yang.

6. Dr. Curt Coggins, Nancy Coggins, Dr. Kenny Coggins, GI fellow and first-year resident, with his wife, Haleigh Coggins.

7. Dr. John P. Erwin III, chair of the Department of Medicine at Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple.

8. Dr. David Walker.

9. From left, Michelle Ejimakor, DO; Hannah Do, MD, and Cindy Ng, DO. 10. From left, pharmacist residents Sydney Kutter and Shannon Rice.

11. Dr. Alejandro C. Arroliga, chairman of the Scott & White Clinic Board of Directors.

12. From left, Heather Boyd, PA; Kayla Link, PA and Michelle Felix, PA. 13. Christian Curry, DPM. Photos by BECKY STINEHOUR 16

AUGUST & SEPTEMBER 2018 | TEX APPEAL

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TexTalk calendar Share

Simplify

Support

David Rush

Peggy Rush

Steve Conner

Michael Noatch

www.DocumentSolutionsHQ.com 306 E. 6th Avenue Belton, TX 76513 254.939.3065

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AUGUST & SEPTEMBER 2018 | TEX APPEAL

ONGOING Harker Heights Farmers Market Through October Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Aug. 4 is National Farmers Market Week. Celebrate by visiting and shopping at your local farmers market Sept. 1, Military Appreciation: military personnel get a 10 percent discount Visit the City Farmers Market for fresh produce from local farmers, local honey, farm fresh raw meat, jams, jellies, pickles, baked goods made from local ingredients, hand crafted items and much more.

Seton Medical Center Harker Heights 850 W. Centex Expressway Call 254-953-5493 or visit www. ci.harker-heights.tx.us/parks for more information.

Support Your Temple Farmers Market Tuesdays and Thursdays 7 a.m. to noon Off West Adams behind Temple Fire Station #7 For more information, call Mary Coppin at 254-778-2104.

Heart of Temple: Exploring Downtown Temple Through Aug. 25 Since its founding in 1881, Temple’s downtown area has been the heart of the town. Explore the history of downtown and all the many activities that brought residents and visitors to the area.

Temple Railroad & Heritage Museum 315 W. Avenue B, Temple Call 254-298-5172 or visit www.rrhm. org for more information.

Titanic: The Artifacts Exhibition Now through Jan. 6 Admission includes access to other museum exhibits Member: $6 Adult: $19 Children, age 2 to 12: $13 Senior, age 65+: $16 Group discounts available with advance reservations.

Take a journey back in time to experience the legend of the Titanic like never before. More than 200 authentic

artifacts recovered from the ocean floor along with room re-creations and personal stories each highlighting a different chapter in the compelling story of the Titanic’s maiden voyage.

Jeanes Discovery Center at the Mayborn Museum 1200 S. University Parks Drive, Waco Call 254-710-1110 for more information.

AUGUST Salado Legends Aug. 4 7:15 p.m. optional dinner, $12 per person, reservations required 8:15 p.m. performance, $20 adult, $5 child under 12 years Central Texas’ favorite outdoor musical drama returns. Written by playwright/lyricist, nationally honored Jackie Mills and directed by Donnie Williams, this play was placed in the Library of Congress for depicting life in the 1850s.

Purchase tickets at www.tablerock.org; call 254-947-9205 for groups; tickets also for sale at Fletchers Books & Antiques, First State Bank and Compass Bank.

Show tickets only at gate on show night.

Concessions open at 7 p.m.

Tablerock Amphitheater Royal Street, Salado.

Dig It! Archaeology Family Day Aug. 4, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Free Have you always dreamed of being Indiana Jones? Learn about how archaeology differs from paleontology; what cool things archaeologists do both in and out of the field; and explore the way people made things thousands of years ago.

Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum 315 W. Avenue B, Temple Call 254-298-5172 or visit www.rrhm. org for more information.

Belton Senior Center Country Western Dance Dances are $5. Attendees are encouraged to bring a dish to share.

Aug. 2, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Shorty Grisham & Friends

calendar TexTalk they see on the roads every day.

Along with the many trucks on site, transportation themed arts and crafts, snacks, sensory activities and a bounce house will be available.

Reuben D. Talasek Bend of the River, Temple Call 254-298-5474 or visit TempleParks.com for more information.

Fresh vegetables are available at the Harker Heights Farmers Market on Saturdays through October.

Aug. 16, 6:30 to 9:30, p.m. Bobby Dean, Timeless Country Aug. 27, 5:30 p.m. Potluck Dinner with Ken & Debbie Von Gonten.

842 Mitchell St., Belton Call 254-939-1170 for more information.

Touch a Truck Aug. 24, 9 to 11 a.m. $7 per child Preregistration is encouraged.

Children can see, touch, climb into and find out what it is really like to get behind the wheel of some of the vehicles

Harker Heights Parks & Recreation End of the Season Public Pool Party and Pooch Paw-Ty Aug. 26 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Open Swim 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Public Pool Party 5 to 7 p.m. Pooch Pool PAW-TY Regular pool admission required.

Pool passes are not allowed during the party.

Enjoy swimming, music and more.

Carl Levin Outdoor Pool 400 Miller’s Crossing, Harker Heights Call 254-953-5465 or visit www. ci.harker-heights.tx.us/parks for more information.

Continued

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TexTalk calendar

The Friends of the Temple Public Library Labor Day Used Book Sale Aug. 29 to Sept. 1 Aug. 29, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Aug. 30, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., teachers with ID get 20 percent discount Aug. 31, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sept. 1, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Aug. 28, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., membersonly preview. Memberships available at the door.

All genres of books, audio books, VHS tapes, CDs and DVDs Most items cost $1-$2 each Credit, debit, cash or check accepted Temple Public Library 100 W. Adams Ave., Temple Call 254-298-5556 or visit www. friendsofthetemplepubliclibrary.org, or on Facebook for more information.

SEPTEMBER 18th Annual Spurfest Sept. 15, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Free admission Visit the Coryell Museum & Historical Center for its annual “Spurfest” with “Old Time Demonstrations,” art exhibits, contests, music, and 6,000 spurs in the Lloyd Mitchell Spur Collection.

718 Main St., Gatesville Call Catherine Fulton at 254-8655007, email coryellmuseumhc@yahoo. com or visit www.coryellmuseum.org for more information.

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Classic cars like this 1930 Model A Ford Coupe Deluxe will be on display at Spurfest in Gatesville on Sept. 15.

Belton Senior Center Country Western Dance Dances are $5. Attendees are encouraged to bring a dish to share.

Sept. 6, 6:30 p.m. Larry Burgin, Texas Tradition Sept. 20, 5:30 p.m. Jus’ Country Sept. 24, 5:30 p.m. Potluck with Gary and Jayne Bledsoe, and Judy Owens 842 Mitchell St., Belton Call 254-939-1170 for more information.

Film & Food Fridays Sept. 21, 8 to 10:30 p.m.

The Harker Heights Parks and Recreation Department plans a free film in September at Carl Levin Park. Movies will be played on a giant inflatable screen.

Food trucks will sell concessions from

AUGUST & SEPTEMBER 2018 | TEX APPEAL

8 to 9:30 p.m.

Don’t forget a lawn chair or blanket.

Call 254-953-5466 or email devans@ci.harker-heights.tx.us for more information.

Dueling Pianos in the Park Sept. 22, 7 to 9 p.m.

Free admission Check out this high energy, familyfriendly, sing-a-long comedy experience.

Lion Sam Farrow Amphitheater at Lion Park 4320 Lions Park Road, Temple Call 254-298-5440 for more information.

Email events for October and November to editor@texappealmagazine.com by Aug. 31.

well-fed head TexTalk

Mills delivers another page-turner with ‘Burden of Proof’

By M. CLARE HAEFNER

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he’d followed the rule book and still failed.” Already reeling from a crisis negotiation gone wrong, FBI Special Agent April Ramos is exhausted and unprepared for the situation unfolding around her.

Handed a kidnapped baby moments before she’s taken hostage at gunpoint by the girl’s frantic father, April listens to his story and knows it will take all her skills to determine the truth.

“This whole thing feels like a nightmare that goes on and on.” Jason Snyder is convinced something sinister is happening in Sweet Briar, Texas. Hours after his business partner is killed, the construction company owner is a fugitive — wanted for murdering his best friend. As he’s trying to figure out why the local sheriff insists he committed the crime, his 1-year-old daughter Isabella is kidnapped. Jason tracks Isabella to Houston and takes the woman holding her hostage — quickly analyzing his options while praying that the FBI agent he’s now holding at gunpoint will believe him when he swears he’s been framed.

“Caring about others didn’t seem like a character flaw.

While she despised the way crimes affected victims, sometimes the bad guys were as much victims as the innocent.” Drawn to Jason and his young daughter, April wants to believe him, but she and Jason soon learn that uncovering the truth is harder when there are so many motives and no clear allies.

From page one, author DiAnn Mills goes full throttle in her newest novel, “Burden of Proof” (Tyndale, October 2018).

Meeting her heroine on the job, the reader is quickly thrown into the action, learning a little about who April Ramos is — a top-notch FBI negotiator who makes complex decisions in mere moments and carries guilt from every life she’s lost.

As the plot progresses, the reader also learns a little more about Jason Snyder — a man still struggling from his wife’s untimely death to cancer who is seeking a way to prove he’s innocent — even though he’s clearly keeping secrets.

If you’re already a fan of Mills’ work, there’s a lot to love about this page-turner. “Burden of Proof” is action-packed and offers more complex characters than some of her previous works.

With a sheriff playing loose with the law, deputies with murky allegiances and FBI agents hiding their true objectives, April and Jason have a lot to unravel. As they solve the case, they also have to face their feelings — about their own short-comings and their growing attraction to each other. Every time it seems like the case is about to be solved, a new element is introduced, leaving the reader as well as April and Jason wondering how it will all play out.

“

If you’ve never picked up one of her novels, this book is a great place to start. Mills deftly explores the flawed natures inherent in every human and encourages her characters — and her readers — to embrace life’s unpredictability.

“We aren’t guaranteed tomorrow and don’t know what sorts of mountains and valleys we’ll experience along our journeys,” Mills writes in an end note to her readers. “The age-old question of why do bad things happen to good people can become our mantra. Or we can choose to ignore our bruises and travel the road of good and prioritize truth and justice above all things.”

Seeking the “Burden of Proof” proves quite the adventure, and Mills gives readers a lot to think about as the story unfolds.

In ‘Burden of Proof,’ DiAnn Mills deftly explores the flawed natures found in every human and encourages her characters and her readers to embrace life’s unpredictability.

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“My prayer in everything I do, whether it’s parenting, as a business owner, as a wife, as a friend, as a Rotary member, whatever I’m doing — I want to exercise wisdom.” ­— Ebony Jackson Todd

Ebony Jackson Todd was a military attorney before she retired from the Army and opened a private practice.

Photo by Shelly Taylor

Legal service Ebony Jackson Todd opens own practice after years in Army Story by STACY MOSER Contributed photos

E

bony Jackson Todd has a philosophy about learning and life.

As a young wife and mother, a retired Army attorney and now founder of her own law office in Killeen, Ebony, 32, has already experienced a lot of what life has to offer. But she says she regards herself as “always a student” when it comes to her business and personal lives.

“I am learning every day,” she said. “That’s my prayer in everything I do, whether it’s parenting, as a business owner, as a wife, as a friend, as a Rotary member, whatever I’m doing — I want to exercise wisdom so people come to me knowing I’m not going to steer them in the wrong direction. I want to advise them with wisdom that I feel I’ve been given from God.” Like many in the Fort Hood area, her life story has taken her around the globe. As a young child, Ebony’s mother, Sabrina, and stepfather, Michael Cogborn, traveled from post to post (she was born in Germany, attended elementary and middle school in Killeen and graduated high school outside Fort Bragg in North Carolina).

She set her sights on a career in medicine and enrolled at Baylor University after high school. “I knew Baylor was awesome in the medical field,” she said. “But I took a science course there and felt it was all going so fast and I was going to be left behind. I was always so good at school — I decided I’m not supposed to do this.

“Baylor requires you to go to chapel and, back then, we students complained, ‘Why do we have to go to chapel?’

It actually was a very cool thing that allowed you to grow spiritually. Because of that influence, I prayed about what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to do something for money. I wanted to do something because I was led to it and I’m good at it. I was praying and reading the scripture and a career in law just came to me.

“When I was little,” Ebony said, “my mom used to tell me, ‘Save it for the courtroom, Ebony!’ because I always had a rebuttal for absolutely anything. My mom has an intuition that’s unlike any other. I feel like all women have intuition, but my mom is just spectacular with it.”

Remembering her mother’s words, Ebony decided to pursue a career in law.

“However, while I was in law school on a scholarship, I felt like the perception was that if you’re a lawyer, you’re out to get money. I’d hear jokes about lawyers and it left a sour taste in my mouth. I wondered, ‘Do I want to do this?’ Then it occurred to me that I had the opportunity to be a JAG [Judge Advocate General] attorney, and I thought it would be the most amazing thing I’ve ever accomplished.

“To practice law in the military is such an honor. I feel so proud that my husband, my dad and my stepdad all served.

I felt like people would see my uniform first, so they would see me as a soldier first. That appealed to me. I wanted to be a soldier who happens to be an attorney, rather than an attorney who happens to be a soldier.”

In short order, she married her Baylor sweetheart, James Todd, had her first child, James Edward Todd II (“JET for short,” she says), attended law school and passed the bar.

That’s when she found herself in a bit of a predicament.

“I had attended Texas Christian University’s ROTC program, which handled ROTC for my law school [Texas Wesleyan School of Law in Ft. Worth]. I was their guinea pig—I wanted to be a JAG and they’d never had anyone commission as a JAG before.” She wanted to be stationed in Okinawa, Japan.

Her husband had joined the Army after college and was stationed there, as was her stepfather. She asked anyone who would listen whether there was a chance she could serve in Japan. “They told me, ‘No way are you going to get a duty station there. Only a few uniformed attorneys work in Okinawa and there just isn’t room.’”

She grows somber when she tells the next part of her story. “I initially commissioned military intelligence, then was selected as a JAG officer. But the Army shipped me off to Virginia with orders to Korea after training. I didn’t think I’d get to Okinawa, but then I got a phone call. It’s still tough to think about that call—they told me a JAG officer had asked to be removed from his duties in Okinawa after his wife suddenly passed. It was awful.” She says it still bothers her tremendously. “It taught me that I need to appreciate what I have. Whether it’s family, it’s a job, no matter what it is. That was a big life lesson for me.”

Ebony’s compassion was to be tested in boundless other ways in her new job in Japan.

“In 2012, the military created the Special Victim’s Counsel program. Those are attorneys assigned to represent victims of sexual abuse. Because of all the scandals going Continued TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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As a young professional, Ebony Jackson Todd speaks to youth about resiliency.

Photo by Bethany Carpio

on at the time, they needed representation for victims. And I commend them for that. I think it’s a good idea — it’s progressive. I hope one day we won’t need it anymore but, for now, in this time, it’s something to help victims. That was my job and I was with victims throughout the entirety of the trial process, making sure my clients’ concerns didn’t fall through the cracks,” she said.

Ebony felt especially protective of her clients, as she had suffered an assault by an older man when she was an 11 year old. She understood the guilt and shame that comes with such an invasion and she felt in her heart that helping women who’d faced the same abuse was her purpose in life.

“This is why I believe in God,” she says. “Stuff like this doesn’t just happen accidentally. My whole focus was the victim and her needs.

“Why did that terrible thing happen to me when I was 11? I feel it was to make me passionate about helping 24

AUGUST & SEPTEMBER 2018 | TEX APPEAL

someone who went through something similar — or worse.”

Ebony retired from the Army in 2017 and gave birth to another son, Michael Alan Jackson Todd. “His initials are MAJ, so we call him Major.” And now she’s established her own law office, assisting churches and small businesses with their legal needs. She combines her experience working for a government entity with her interest in the church and its inner workings.

“I went to hear Marshawn Evans speak last year,” she recalls. “She helps people reinvent themselves, find their purpose. She taught us that ‘dreams without deadlines are delusions.’ Talk about a challenge! I left the event feeling like — I have to do this now!” She named the office Jackson Todd Law, a combination of her maiden and married names. “I want my husband, my kids, my parents, step-parents and inlaws to see that I’m trying my best to represent my family. I’m grateful they’re proud of me.”

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Brynn Myers is Temple’s first female city manager.

26 AUGUST & SEPTEMBER 2018 | TEX APPEAL

Big expectations

Brynn Myers becomes first female Temple city manager Story by CATHERINE HOSMAN Photo by JULIE DOUGHTY

T

here was a loud crack in the ceiling at the City of Temple this past January when Brynn Myers became Temple’s first woman city manager. It is a role she trained for her entire life.

Brynn had been running the city as the interim manager since April of 2017 after Jonathan Graham retired. The “interim” label was removed following a nationwide search when the city council members decided the best candidate was already doing the job.

Interestingly, all five of the positions appointed by the Temple council are held by women (Finance Director Traci Barnard, Municipal Court Judge Kathleen Person, City Secretary Lacy Borgeson and City Attorney Kayla Landeros are the others.)

Brynn, who is 38, recognizes that it takes teamwork to get things accomplished. She is the leader of the team — a team that includes more than 900 full- and part-time employees and a budget of nearly $150 million. “There is so much good and amazing work being done in Temple — a lot of projects. No way can one single person make that happen,” Brynn said. “We get the right person on the team, give them the tools, resources — things they need to be successful in their positions. I couldn’t do it all if I wanted to.”

Her day starts around 8:30 a.m., except when the occasional 7 a.m. meeting requires her presence. “If it’s not an early morning, I get the kids ready and we spend time together,” she said of her 7-month-old daughter and 2 ½-year-old son.

She tag teams the home and family responsibilities with her husband, Blake, who owns his own real estate investment company and works from home. “He is busy and has benefits of working for himself,” she said. “He has flexibility, he takes the lead in all household matters, and we have a big family to love and support us.”

Her work days are filled with meetings – each one with a

different topic or issue to be addressed, something to be done for the community. “There is no time to be bored,” she said.

She works closely with all departments, boards and commissions including police and fire, code enforcement, planning and zoning. “I don’t attend every board and commission meeting, but I do attend some of them,” she said.

“Once a month I attend department head group meetings and I meet with board members.”

As the city manager, she likes getting involved with the variety of projects.

Her attention to detail and analytical mind makes diving into a new topic an enjoyable process.

“It presents the opportunity to learn something new and find solutions to a problem.”

“There is so much good and amazing work being done in Temple — a lot of projects. No way can one single person make that happen. We get the right person on the team, give them the tools, resources — things they need to be successful in their positions. I couldn’t do it all if I wanted to.”

— Brynn Myers

CITY MANAGER IN TRAINING Brynn is a self-described nerd who read Roberts Rules of Order when she was in the eighth grade. She became a member of the Killeen Youth Advisory Council to learn firsthand how meetings are run. During her junior and senior years of high school she served as the council chair.

She was homeschooled through middle and high school, which gave her the flexibility to “explore personal interests and passions which included local government, youth advisory and other volunteer work.

“Homeschooling can look very different depending on the family,” she said. “In my experience, I’ve always been independent in my learning. It helped me in college to be able to work on assignments without direct oversight.”

In between lessons she still found time to study ballet, be active in her church and participate in her church’s Praise band.

“I’m not musically inclined at all so I would put together sound on Power Point notes on sheet music; I got to dig in and do Power Point. I love making Power Point presentations. I was able to spend time to hone my skills, know it and have it benefit me personally.”

Brynn knew she wanted a career in local government and majored in political science at Sam Houston State University in Continued TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

27

Huntsville. She was a freshman when her advisor suggested she become a volunteer at the city.

“The City of Huntsville was looking for interns,” she said.

“There were two vacancies.”

The city needed college students to help put together a budget with narrative and statistical information. Myers applied for the position and was hired. On her first day she was handed a budget from the previous year and told, “Good luck.”

“I like to dive into and solve a problem,” she said. “I start to understand problems and get them fixed. It fits my personality.

They don’t have time to show you how to do it. They let you figure it out on your own.”

While her roommate and other friends were out for the evening, Brynn kept on task. She would sit on the floor in her dorm and pore over City of Huntsville budget materials.

“The city manager presented my work to the financial board and I was hired for the job,” said Brynn, who became the part-time budget analyst for the City of Huntsville. She was one month shy of her 19th birthday and a SHSU student. Eventually the position became full-time and she worked while attending college and she was hired as the city’s budget manager.

She cited the city’s financial director, Winston Duke, as a great mentor. “He helped me learn so much about city finances. But my passion was not in budgets—I wanted to be a city manager,” she said. “I needed a mentorship to get started. I always loved it. It’s really my passion. I felt lucky to know what I wanted to do from early on. A lot of people work long before they find their life’s passion.”

TRUE TEXAN Brynn is sixth-generation Texan. Her great-great-great grandfather migrated to Texas in 1836 and fought in the battle of San Jacinto to form the Republic of Texas. Her greatgrandfather, Hiram B. Reynolds moved to Bell County in 1866.

Her ancestors had a farm on land that is now part of Fort Hood.

“In 1942 my family moved from the farm into Killeen when the farm was purchased for the establishment of Fort Hood,” she said. “My grandfather, Robert Preston Reynolds, owned a hardware store in downtown Killeen.”

It was her father’s participation in local government that inspired Brynn’s career in public service. Hiram Reynolds owned a carpentry business and served two terms on the Killeen City Council.“Once in the 1980s and again from 1995 to 2001,” Brynn said. “He sparked my interest and encouraged me. I watched him serve the community and get things done for the betterment of the community.

“He was passionate about helping serve on a program in Killeen that provided utility assistance for seniors with limited income. He saw an issue and was able to effect change and make it happen. Sometimes government seems so big that one person cannot make a difference in the local level. One person can make a difference.”

CONTINUING THE LEGACY OF SERVICE Brynn graduated from SHSU in 2007 and started looking for jobs in finance, which fit her budget experience. But her heart was set on city management. She applied for a position as assistant to then Temple City Manager David Blackburn and was invited to interview. When she was called back for a second 28

AUGUST & SEPTEMBER 2018 | TEX APPEAL

City Manager Brynn Myers keeps a close watch on all activities in the City of Temple.

Photo by Becky Stinehour

interview she had to create a Power Point presentation — a skill she mastered many years before.

She returned to Huntsville and waited. One day, two days, a week went by. She was sure that she wasn’t going to get the job.

On the last day of that long week Blackburn called her at 7 a.m. to offer her the position. In March 2008 she began as Blackburn’s assistant. She was promoted to director of administrative services in 2011. “The position was perfect for me. I’d be back to budgets but working for the city manager in a very well-respected community with a lot of goals on the horizon,” she said. “David created the position. I could make it my own. I was exposed to different projects and greatly appreciated it.”

Blackburn said he gave her “as much exposure as possible to many facets of city government as I could.

“That ranged from budget analysis to helping supervise staff in the office,” said Blackburn, who is president of the Temple Economic Development Corporation and the sole candidate for Bell County Judge on the November ballot.

“When I hired her and talked to her about her goals and objectives it was clear to me she had passion, motivation and dedication for local government,” said Blackburn. “I think she’s demonstrated that over the past several years. She is certainly competent and qualified and I expect big things from her.”

Brynn said she enjoys being in a position that helps to get things done in the community.

“I think both staff and community members have great ideas and concepts,” she said. “I enjoy helping to shepherd those things and bring them to fruition.”

celebrAtinG

of ownerShip

“

“ yb Charlie Wharton

Starfire Trunk Show 3 Spectacular Days!

Tuesday .......................September 11th Wednesday..................September 12th Thursday......................September 13th 20% of the proceeds will be donated to McLane Children’s Hospital.

A Showcase of Grace Jones fashions will also be on display.

Don’t miss our only trunk show of 2018!

1404 South 31st Street, Temple | 254-778-2242 TEXAPPEALMAG.COM preciousmemoriesflorist.com

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Executive Director Coleman Hampton leads the team at the Bell County Museum.

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Living history of Bell County Story by CATHERINE HOSMAN Photos by BECKY STINEHOUR

C

the Bell County Museum staff and visitors, especially the children.

He said he enjoys the daily variety that comes with being a museum director. “That’s something Dr. Caston talked to me about. Every day is different. It’s challenging that way,” he said. “There are a lot of moving parts with a museum.”

Coleman’s responsibilities range from administration and the preservation of artifacts to working with the education department programs, the budget and marketing. He calls himself a “one-man marketing team.”

“We have a fantastic staff giving visitors the best experience possible,” he said. “I’m working as hard as I can.”

One of his most challenging jobs is to stay on the forefront of museum thought.

“We are a county museum. I do the budget, talk to visitors — I need to keep things flowing smoothly. It’s essential for museum professionals today to be familiar with current thoughts and practices.”

Coleman reads books regularly to see what other museum leaders are doing statewide and nationally. “I need to keep the gears spinning,” he said.

One of the favorite aspects of his job is interacting with visitors and making them feel welcome. “I learn what they like and what it is about the museum they liked best,” he said. “It’s amazing to see the impact in everyone’s life. This is a real special place.”

oleman Hampton loves history.

That passion serves him well as the executive director of the Bell County Museum, a job that allows him to step in and out of the ages from prehistoric times to the 20th century.

A 2014 graduate of Baylor University with a bachelor’s degree in history, Coleman earned a master’s in museum studies from Baylor in 2016.

He thought he would teach history until he met Dr. Ellie Caston, executive director of the Mayborn Museum in Waco, who introduced him to the museum studies program. It captured Coleman’s imagination and made becoming a museum director his goal.

“Now I wanted to work at a museum,” he said. “I worked at the Baylor University Institute for Oral History and volunteered at the Mayborn Museum. I worked jobs that would prepare me to work in a museum.”

As a graduate student Coleman commuted five days a week to the Dallas Heritage Village where he worked as an intern and he gained a broad spectrum of experience.

“I wanted to be a director,” said Coleman, a native Texan who was born in Amarillo and grew up in east Texas.

Coleman worked on a ranch, in an outpatient physical therapy clinic and as — Coleman Hampton a volunteer after high school. “It took KEEPING UP WITH HISTORY me some time to find my calling in life, Ask Coleman what is his favorite museum leadership,” he said. era in history and you may be surprised by the answer. He He was named the Bell County Museum director in cites the mid-20th century as one of the most interesting February 2017. “I feel fortunate to have this position.” Earlier, times of the past. he was director-curator for the Central Texas Area Museum in “It was a great time of change,” he said. “Not just in Salado.

America. The 1950s and 1960s were a time of rapid growth At six-foot-three, Coleman, 35, is towering presence to Continued

“We are a county museum. I do the budget, talk to visitors — I need to keep things flowing smoothly.

It’s essential for museum professionals today to be familiar with current thoughts and practices.”

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and profound change. Lyndon Johnson was a Texas senator, who later became president. The Civil Rights Act and Great Society transformed the country and, in a sense, the world. Today’s perception of the 1960s is a decade’s worth of Woodstock and hanging out in San Francisco’s HaightAshbury neighborhood. The counter-culture was actually a very small portion of the U.S. population, which is reflected

by Nixon’s election by the silent majority. It’s just very interesting to me.”

Another era he gravitates to is 1820 to 1850s Texas. “The Financial Panic of 1819 drove eastern people to Texas land; then there was Texas Revolution from 1835 to 1836.”

Coleman said the Bell County area was, for the longest time, the “westernmost face of the frontier. West of here was not populated. People who came here were rugged.

“The Native American presence was disrupted,” he said.

“The Gault Site, an archeology discovery in southern Bell County, was discovered and predates Native American tribes.”

County history and its lessons are important, he said.

“The civilization in this area is astounding. Those stories are inspirational and don’t start with the arrival of Anglo-Saxons. What excites me are the patterns and larger movements from the past, and what we can learn to try and avoid mistakes or pitfalls of the past,” he said. “It strengthens the social fabric of our community when we learn we have a shared history that brings people together.”

Founding of a Nation is on display through Aug. 30 at the Bell County Museum.

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This mustache cup on display at the Bell County Museum was featured on an episode of the Travel Channel’s Mysteries at the Museum.

KEEPING HISTORY ALIVE Coleman wants to see the museum grow and continue to make a positive impact on the community.

“Coleman has the experience so that he hit the ground running when he came on board,” said Bell County Museum Board Chair Dennis Turk. “He is basically the originator of some of the (recent) programs at our museum like the spring lecture series that I hope goes on for a lot of years. We have access to expertise and talents you don’t normally see in a museum.”

“We are finding community partners,” Coleman said, “and we are proud of the schools in our community and the services we provide them.”

“There is a staff person directed at education and we very much value the approach we make to the schools,” Turk added. “We take trunk exhibits to schools and schools come to the museum.”

In addition to the traveling trunks, where museum volunteers bring educational resources to the children, the museum also offers a $50 bus grant to schools to encourage field trips.

“The museum has a talented staff dedicated to the schools: homeschooling, public, charter. They present programs that are tailored in content for the children,” said David Yeilding, PhD, professor emeritus of History. “We have programs all year round for kiddoes. Large numbers of them come to the museum and become acquainted very early in life with the Bell County Museum, and their parents will become aware of it.”

Coleman said his leadership style is not to impose his will on others. “It’s more about listening to what people want.

It’s the same for the trustees and staff. We are here to be a resource for the community and provide what the community wants,” he said.

“Coleman is a personable individual and he makes a wonderful presentation,” said Yeilding, who calls Coleman

Executive Director Coleman Hampton and education coordinator Kayte Ricketts rearrange artifacts at the authentic chuck wagon on display at the Bell County Museum.

the face of the museum. “When he gives programs he is very smooth, very accomplished.”

The museum includes a staff of four people. But it’s

the army of volunteers, including veterans, which help with the educational programs on the weekends, set up exhibits, and create murals like the one in the current “Founding of a Nation” exhibit.

“We couldn’t do what we do without the volunteers,” Coleman said.

There are 20 to 30 regular volunteers and a catalogue of others who work at the museum. “It’s uncommon to see this many active volunteers in a museum our size,” he said. “It speaks to the county and the type of people who live here.”

Coleman said it’s the dedication of the museum board, county commissioners, judges and previous director Stephanie Turnham that have built the Bell County Museum.

“I feel like I’m standing on the shoulders of great people,” he said. “This has been an exceptional museum for a long time.”

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Life-changing job

Aly McMillan helps the Temple community find solutions to problems Story by STACY MOSER Photo by BECKY STINEHOUR

other areas of their lives, causing bankruptcy or pushing them to use payday loans or those sorts of things.”

Aly’s responsibilities at the United Way have grown and her ly McMillan makes her living much like title, vice president of Community Impact, reflects the focus Superwoman does — carefully watching over of her work — creating strategies to help people not only cope her city and stepping in when circumstances are with health-related problems but also with other difficulties they beyond the ability of mere mortals to face. encounter.

She’s a down-to-earth, get-it-done kind of “The most rewarding part of my job, hands down,” she woman, so this comparison of her to a superhero probably said, “is meeting with agencies — seeing how fired up they are would be met with a humble shrug and a self-deprecating about brainstorming ways to solve community problems. There’s comment. But those who work with nothing more wonderful than bringing her at Temple’s United Way office together a group of passionate people acknowledge that rarely does such a to create change. We know what the capable individual show up in such a problems are. But what do we do about youthful package. them?”

Aly, 31, grew up in Folsom, Aly is the project director for California, and chuckles as she describes state and federal grant programs, and it. “It’s home to Folsom Prison, made she oversees a number of UWCT’s famous by Johnny Cash, and a pretty community-assistance programs. big lake.” She married her high-school “Take the 2-1-1 Call Center sweetheart, Nick McMillan, and, a few Program,” she said. “Our Texas network years after he enlisted in the Army, the of call specialists refers people to couple relocated to Copperas Cove in agencies that they may get help from.

2009.

For instance, if you need food, they’ll “It was the absolute peak of the recommend food pantries and then Great Recession right when I was explain how to apply for food stamps. moving across the country, starting Ultimately, they want to know what — Aly McMillan married life and with no work happened that caused problems for you. experience because I’d just graduated Is your electric bill is too high? Did you college,” she remembers ruefully. “I get into a car accident and have extra tried a couple of jobs that didn’t make me happy, which was bills? The specialists find long-term services to help you. It’s the incentive I needed to earn my master’s degree. That’s what pretty cool because many people are unaware of where to go for introduced me to social work, which I absolutely love.” help. They feel very trapped when they hit a crisis. There are She and Nick welcomed two baby girls to their family (now agencies all over the state of Texas that’ll help. You just have to ages five and three) and settled in Morgan’s Point Resort. “It’s call 2-1-1 to find out where they are.” known for having more deer than people,” Aly acknowledges, She gives another example of how the UWCT responds to smiling. “We actually found a condemned fixer-upper and did local needs. “The chief medical officer at Baylor, Scott & White, minimal repairs to get it ‘not condemned’ by the county, so we Dr. Robert Probe, approached us saying he had a hip-replacement have a house very close to the lake. We walk there all the time patient who couldn’t afford her pain medication following with the dogs and kids.” surgery. Because of that, she didn’t get up and move around and Nick retired from military life and is now attending school, the replacement didn’t heal correctly. He approached us and said, studying fisheries and wildlife sciences. “He works with the Army ‘This is the problem. How can United Way help?’

Corps of Engineers as a park ranger,” she explains proudly. “It’s “We gathered a group of great people and what came his dream job.” about was a fund, Bridges to Wellness and Health, that anyone Aly’s career kicked into high gear in 2013 when she was can donate to.” The fund provides short-term assistance hired by the United Way of Central Texas in Temple. with anything from durable medical equipment, prescription “That was the first year the health-insurance marketplace assistance or even transportation to a doctor’s office to those was available,” she said. “I started as the lead health-insurance who apply and qualify. navigator — helping people who didn’t understand the process of “Our goal is to connect people to something sustainable so getting insurance. The UWCT’s goal is to help people who need they can achieve the highest level of health possible. I love looking resources to find them — so their problems won’t snowball into at big-picture solutions, looking at what happened, thinking about

A

“I love looking at big-picture solutions, looking at what happened, thinking about what we need to fix — and then fixing it.”

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AUGUST & SEPTEMBER 2018 | TEX APPEAL

Aly McMillan is the vice president of Community Impact for the United Way of Central Texas in Temple.

what we need to fix — and then fixing it!” she said.

When asked what she sees as a common misconception about challenges faced by low-income people, she quickly replies, “Think about what your life would be like for a day without a car.

You’re relying on public transportation and you have to get to work. You also have to get to the grocery store and your kid has a recital after school. What time does the bus run? What time would you get home? If you work an overnight job, how would you get there if the HOP only runs during the day? You get a call from school that your kid is sick. How many bus transfers does that take? Think about how that one factor — not having a car — will limit the jobs that are available to you and how it exacerbates your medical problems because you can’t get to doctors’ appointments reliably. The impact on your life is huge.”

Facing some of her community’s toughest problems on a day-to-day basis would be a struggle even for someone twice Aly’s age. When asked how she successfully shoulders so much responsibility, Aly shares that her parents deserve the credit. “My mom is that person who doesn’t understand the word ‘no.’ She will do everything possible to get where she needs to go. And, truthfully, as a kid, that drove me nuts! But I learned that when you face a closed door, you find another way in.

“My dad taught me never to give up. He was always working on cars as a hobby. There were times when he’d spend days

rebuilding an engine, but then it wouldn’t start. He’d step back and ask, ‘What went wrong?’ and he’d figure it out. I learned from both of them that you don’t give up. If you need something, there’s always a way to get there.”

Aly admits that she’s learned from her own mistakes as well.

“I will own the fact that I was a mean girl in my younger teen years. Then I switched high schools in my sophomore year and I was bullied myself. Some of my former best friends got an email address called AlyHaters@yahoo.com! It was a terrible year! So I saw both sides of the situation. Why did I feel the need to be so mean? What do kids need in order not to bully each other?

I built empathy and compassion by acknowledging what I had inflicted on others. I’m a far better person for having had that experience than I would have been.”

Being a parent has only served to increase her sense of empathy. “My oldest is fine now, but she had some special needs when she was really little and we drove to Austin constantly. I worked part-time and I remember thinking, ‘If I had a full-time job, I’d probably be fired by now.’ How do people do it? How does a situation like this affect those who don’t have the luxuries I have?”

She may not have Superwoman’s red cape or ability to fly, but Aly’s determination to help those in need seemingly knows no bounds.

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Creating leadership

Brandon Griggs supports students at Killeen university Story by CATHERINE HOSMAN Photos by BECKY STINEHOUR

During high school, Griggs was a member of the Future Farmers of America, raising and showing livestock. It helped him groom his leadership skills and accept responsibility for the large black-and-white abstract painting hangs animals that depended on him. in the office of Brandon Griggs, PhD, Dean of “If you are sick or have other things going on in your life, you Student Affairs at Texas A&M University–Central still have to make sure that the animal is taken care of,” he said.

Texas. The image is an original that he created in Brandon traveled across the state attending FFA events. his garage studio.

He honed his leadership skills through the “contemporaneous” Some of his images are bright and colorful, others, like the speaking students were required to present. one in his office, are two-tone black and “We would be given a topic of the white. But there is something about the day and deliver a speech with limited image that is striking, peaceful to look at knowledge,” he recalled, adding that topics despite its scattered lines and splashed were agricultural related. “Other talks on paint against the white background. were planned public speaking and we had “I like to paint abstract because I have a several months to prepare the speech. structured job,” he said. “I can be creative.

These were team-based events where we I even throw the paint. There is a lot of worked with other students.” chaos when I paint.”

He was a member of the high school Brandon, 35, was one of the TAMUDrama Club and performed in UIL CT’s first employees, joining the university competitions. “Drama was building as director of student affairs in 2009. He confidence,” he said. “I learned to was named dean in 2013. perform, work closely with others to “We were brand new,” he said. “We deliver a team-based production.” structured the university with no buildings Brandon learned the importance of in 2009. We held college classes in leased mentorship.

“I realized my purpose was to Strike, above, and Power — An alternate view are classrooms at Central Texas College. Now original abstract paintings by Brandon Griggs. help students develop leadership skills and we have our own campus and this fall we find their purpose in life,” he said. will have a third building which will offer Brandon credits his Dobie High greater student space.”

School agriculture teacher, Jon Rascoe, for Student Affairs offers students core recognizing his potential. academic support, student and community “He saw that and took a special engagement and student counseling. interest in me. He mentored me “We are creating a community where throughout high school and had a students could thrive by providing those profound effect on me which led me to cores,” he said. “I work closely with where I am today,” Brandon said. “I was students to help ensure their success.” very fortunate.”

There is no template to guide his He found a calling in academia week, Brandon said, and no day is the when he went to college. Brandon has a same. He keeps an open office policy for bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Services faculty and students for internal advice, and Development/Communications from conflict resolution when needed, and to Tarleton State University and a master’s in provide resources for students abroad.

Student Affairs Administration in Higher “We are here 8 to 5 and any student can get in any time,” he Education from Baylor University. His doctorate is in higher said. If he is in a meeting, students can meet with the associate education administration from Azusa Pacific University. dean. “Students get seen. It’s very important for my students to Brandon and his wife, Dr. Marlow Griggs, who is a family get timely support when facing conflict or a problem.” practice physician at Baylor Scott & White, have four children: Bowen, 7; Ella, 5; Lilly, 2; and Crossin, 5 months.

BORN TO LEAD Brandon is a Houston native who grew up in Deer Park. He AN ACADEMIC COMMUNITY is one of three children born to Vicky and Terry Griggs. He has The majority of students at TAMUCT are non-traditional two sisters, Tiffany and Melissa. students who have jobs, and families, Brandon said. Many are

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AUGUST & SEPTEMBER 2018 | TEX APPEAL

Brandon Griggs is dean of Student Affairs at Texas A&M University­–Central Texas in Killeen.

military personnel.

“A lot of organizations talk about customer service,” Brandon said. “We provide customer care to our students and faculty, so availability is a huge part of this. We look for barriers that impede ability for students to be successful and work to remove barriers or provide structure for students to thrive.”

Brandon’s responsibilities include supervision and leadership of student programs such as Academic Support Programs and Study Abroad; Access and Inclusion; Campus Recreation, Career and Professional Development; Civic and Student Engagement; New Student Programs; Student Conduct; student Counseling Center; Testing Center and Student Success.

Brandon is also responsible for administering and monitoring student engagement, retention initiatives, student learning and development, and crisis and risk management.

He oversees budgets totaling more than $1,750,000, including external funding.

His focus is always on leadership, mentorship and responsibility. He makes it clear that he wants to do everything he can to make a student’s college life successful.

“I want students to be challenged, but not so they cannot compete,” Brandon said. “We provide some support but not too much support so it’s not so easy. I’m trying to strike the right balance between challenges and support to ensure there is a sense of accomplishment for the student.”

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Paying it forward

Bianca Accomando gives back as a mentor to Killeen’s youth Story by STACY MOSER Photo by BECKY STINEHOUR

A

Bianca Accomando is the branch manager of A+ Federal Credit Union in Harker Heights.

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AUGUST & SEPTEMBER 2018 | TEX APPEAL

teller ushers me into the warmhued, sleekly furnished office of Bianca Accomando, branch manager of A+ Federal Credit Union in Harker Heights. Bianca comes from behind her desk to shake my hand firmly, greeting me with a welcoming smile.

She’s not quite what I expected from someone so young. After chatting for a few minutes, I’m impressed by her confident, relaxed demeanor, even as she confesses that she’s a little anxious about being interviewed for a magazine profile.

It’s clear she’s comfortable in her role as the leader in the branch, though, and our conversation turns to talk of her career track and what it took for her success.

“I wouldn’t have been a good branch manager five years ago,” Bianca, 38, said.

“It took me a lot of time to get to this point and lead this team.”

She said her drive to succeed stems from her competitive nature. “I was a sports kid growing up — soccer, softball, volleyball, track.” When the older kids at school learned new skills inside or outside the classroom, she followed suit. “In high school, my close friends were already in choir and, being so competitive, I naturally joined the choir, too!”

She majored in music at Louisiana State University but eventually became disenchanted with the traditional structure of academia.

At the beginning of her junior year, she enrolled in an internship offered by The Walt Disney World College Program at Disney Hollywood Studios in Florida.

“That’s probably the best program I’ve ever participated in,” she said. “I was that kind of kid, though — when I arrived, I said, ‘I’m not just going to serve ice cream or sodas. I’m going to learn something. If I’m not learning, I’m just cheap labor.’”

Bianca reveled in her work at the resort, absorbing every detail about its daily operations. “After I shadowed a restaurant manager for a week, I went to his boss, the park manager, and asked, ‘What do

MAKING THE TREK TO AFRICA Through a program sponsored

by REACH church, Bianca Accomando traveled to Tanzania, Madagascar and Zambia on missions recently.

“The trips changed my life,” she said. “Their healing and salvation ministry made such an impact on me. I realized life isn’t all about me. My heart breaks for people who are less fortunate than me. It made me look at things a little bit differently. I wanted to stay there forever.” you do all day long?’” she said, laughing.

“I pestered him until he let me follow him around, too.”

She says the semester-long program gave her time to evaluate what she wanted to do with her life. “I realized that I hated school and I was even starting to hate music,” she said. “I needed to pursue something that energized me.” She instinctively knew that a college diploma wasn’t likely to be the key to her future.

An Austin native, Bianca returned there to live with her older sister, Angela.

“Even now, I see my parents, who live in Georgetown, at least once a week.

From their doorstep to my doorstep is 37 minutes,” she said. “I don’t ever want to be far from my family. They’re the best people on the planet.”

Bianca landed a job at a popular restaurant and, with her characteristic determination, set her sights on the job of manager, working her way up the ladder until she became the lead employee trainer.

“They wouldn’t promote me to manager, even though I’d been there for years.

They were very hesitant because I hadn’t finished college. It was really frustrating.”

A friend of a friend hired Bianca to work as a teller at Bank of America in Cedar Park. “One reason I got the job is that he was German and I speak German fluently,” she said. “I’m actually a firstgeneration American. My mother was raised in Germany and my dad in Italy.

As a kid, I always knew I had gotten into trouble when my mom would scold me in German!”

Bianca learned the business from the ground up, achieving the job of senior teller quickly. When an opening for an

assistant branch manager at A+ Federal Credit Union became available in Bee Cave, Bianca made the leap. The company moved her to their new branch in Harker Heights in 2016 — a move she felt was meant to be. “I moved here on my birthday — the same day that my church, REACH Church, opened here, too. The next day, I started at the new branch of A+. How all that came together so well was definitely a sign from above.”

Bianca did not know anyone in Bell County when she made the move.

She enrolled in Leadership Killeen, a training program run by the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce, where she rubbed elbows with some of the city’s best and brightest. And through her work at the credit union, Bianca experienced the powerful influence of two mentors. “[Cedar Park Branch Manager] Crystal Smith and [Area Vice President] Donna Raden were my biggest cheerleaders,” Bianca recalls. “They were really in my corner, cheering me on, saying ‘You can do this!’ They constructively criticize in such a kind way, I don’t take offense. I learn and grow from it.”

When asked what specific things her mentors advised her to address, Bianca laughs. “My face. I’m an expressive person.

I had to really be cognizant of what my face looked like when I talked to people. I would roll my eyes or purse my lips — I could come off as negative and that wasn’t the message I wanted to send. It was a struggle for me. I was so used to being in a restaurant environment. The way you communicate there is very different than how you talk to people in the banking world.

“I’ve learned that managing people

is hard,” Bianca folds her arms and leans across the desk toward me to emphasize her point. “It’s really about coaching. I’ve learned how to adapt to other people — they shouldn’t have to adapt to me. I had to change my coaching style for each employee’s needs. I’ve got a lot of young people on my team and their potential is so great.”

She said she feels good about her work’s purpose at A+. “Here, in creditunion land, it’s all about educating customers and helping them achieve financial success. It’s not a high-pressure sales situation.”

Bianca makes a difference in the Killeen and Harker Heights communities too. She was recently named president of Greater Killeen Young Professionals, where she focuses on attracting young people seeking mentors and business connections.

“Our luncheons, for example, were always at the same location and had the same type of speaker every month,” she said. “There were only nine people showing up. I said, ‘This is Killeen — do you know how many young people are here? We can do better than this.’ Now we change our locations and the types of speakers and our ‘Lunch and Learns’ are really well attended.”

Bianca is also on the board of the KISD Education Foundation, Killeen Police Department LEAF (Law Enforcement Assistance Fund) and she participates with the Harker Heights and Greater Killeen Chambers of Commerce.

“For me, it’s the people who make Killeen unique — they are from all over the world. There’s a small-town feel, but it’s not really a small town. It’s growing and I’m excited to see what happens.”

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Kelly Garcia is an architect at the Neal Architectural Group in Temple.

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Designing woman

Kelly Garcia part of a growing group of female architects Story by CATHERINE HOSMAN Photos by JULIE DOUGHTY

A

rchitect Kelly Garcia welcomes her guest into the meeting room of the Neal Architectural Group in Temple.

Books on architecture line tops of tables and bookshelves. A collection of model heavy equipment trucks sits on top of a bookcase. Blueprints are spread out on work tables or are rolled up and placed in containers like umbrellas collecting in a can waiting to be pulled out and opened. There is a fragrance of freshly cut wood in the room, part of the ambiance or a subtle power of suggestion?

Architecture is a male-dominated profession — about 25 percent of all architects are women. But it is slowly changing as more women enter the field.

Kelly, 38, is part of that growing group.

However, becoming an architect isn’t easy, regardless of gender.

“Our architecture class had 100 or more people. We lose a lot of students.

It’s a very intense program. It is time demanding,” said Kelly, who graduated from Texas Tech in 2003 with a master’s degree in architecture.

At the beginning of her freshman year at Texas Tech, the assistant dean told the students to look to their right and left. “‘One of three of you will make it to graduation’ he told us,” Kelly said.

Driven by pure determination, Kelly made it. “I had no clue what I would do if I didn’t do architecture,” she said.

She began her post-graduate — Kelly architectural career with HKS, a firm in Dallas. She was on the design group team that worked on projects ranging from “small medical office buildings to massive casinos.”

She was the architectural lead for Texas Women’s University Institute of Health and Science in Dallas — a project she holds especially close to her heart.

“It was the first project I ran start to finish,” she said.

“I drew the concept, floor plans, elevation — I was the lead architect on that project.”

While she tries not to get too attached to her projects “because plans change nine times out of 10 and it usually turns out better,” it is difficult. “They are your babies. If I drive down a road and see a project, I say ‘That’s my building.’”

In 2010, Kelly was hired as an architect with the Department of Veterans Affairs. She worked in San Antonio for three years before coming home to Temple as staff architect for the Olin E. Teague Veterans Medical Center.

“I got married, had kids and decided to move back to Temple because it’s a great place to raise kids,” said Kelly, whose husband, Andrew, is the associate director at the VA hospital. She was part of the team that designed the new Surgical Intensive Care Unit and worked on renovations throughout the facility.

Kelly returned to the private sector when she joined the Neal Architectural Group in 2017.

“Style-wise history tends to repeat itself,” she said.

“Even in modern architecture you can find some historical elements that are modernized to use new material.

Today we still use brick and stone as a veneer with architectural metals. We couldn’t do what we did before.”

INTRODUCTION TO ARCHITECTURE Kelly, a Temple native, said her passion for architecture began in childhood. She recalls a family vacation to Louisiana with her parents, Bill and Lynda Stokes, and brother, Brian. Her father took them to tour a local plantation and main house.

“Everywhere we went he pointed out the architecture,” she said.

This early introduction to architecture stirred her imagination.

She would play with Legos as a kid and remembers watching her brother building structures and trying to mimic his designs. “He’s the artsy one. I can look at something and build it with Legos.”

Garcia Kelly learned about drawing house plans by looking at home design magazines. When her high school sophomore geometry teacher gave her class a project to write and draw a house plan, she knew where to start.

“I had the graph paper, I would draw, erase and redo,” she said, adding that her dad, a banker by profession, but an “armchair architect,” had drafting tools and templates that allowed her to draw the tiniest details on the plan. “I created a Continued TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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Architect Kelly Garcia, left, and Megan Parker, intern architect at Neal Architectural Group, are seen at Lakes at Central Pointe in Temple during construction.

custom-designed house with three or four bedrooms and two or three baths. Before I turned it in, I was always tweaking. What can I do to make it better? I’d change this, tweak that.”

At 16, she realized she drew “what my dream house would have been.” That sophomore geometry project set in motion her future in architecture.

Initially, she considered Texas A&M–College Station. Her parents were avid Aggie fans and attended sporting events. Kelly had cousins attending Texas Tech. She learned they had a good architectural school, so she applied at both universities to see which one would be the best fit. She was accepted by both and chose Texas Tech.

TIMELESS CRAFTSMANSHIP Kelly spent a semester in Italy studying architecture. She toured Vicenza, Venice, Rome and most towns in between.

“There was a craftsmanship we don’t see any more,” she said.

Her favorite examples of historical architecture, however, are the intricate details of ancient Egypt and India. “How did they do that? The caring and detail of India arches is stunning,” she said.

That was a time when craftsman carved and chiseled their design into buildings, Kelly said. When cities began to rise during the late 19th and into the early 20th Century, handmade bricks were stacked one at a time by masons on scaffolds, creating buildings with three-foot thick walls. Today, modern buildings rely on technology to get the same effect.

“Style-wise history tends to repeat itself,” she said. “Even in modern architecture you can find some historical elements that are modernized to use new material. Today we still use brick and stone as a veneer with architectural metals. We couldn’t do what we did before.”

Kelly said the labor cost of doing what brick masons did years ago would be too expensive. “Today builders want their projects built in six months,” she said. “It still looks good. Brick and stone are still in use. Traditional would be all brick. Today modern is brick with metal veneers, different veneers.”

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AUGUST & SEPTEMBER 2018 | TEX APPEAL

APPROACHING A NEW PROJECT When approaching a new project, whether it is from the ground up or a renovation, Kelly said the team always tries to follow the wishes of owners and builders, if feasible.

“Our duty is to educate them on what would work better — a new build or renovations,” she said. “Sometimes we plan a project from the floor up. We play with designs, find out the specific material they want to use. Some still want the Texas feel, but a little more modern. Instead of just limestone, we use CorTen, a metal in the design.”

Because this is Texas, solid white limestone is readily available. “Add in metal, change up some of the metal roof details, shape of the roof line — this can change the look of a building,” she said.

“Some properties you work on take a year or two. Some go quick. Working on an 80,000-square-foot building takes a year to design, another year for construction. Before that they determine what they want. It could take two to three years to get completed.”

Budget is always the No. 1 priority she said. “With the cost of everything rising in the area — steel, labor, a shortage of laborers, to get laborers you have to pay more — this creates construction challenges. When we give the client the cost, it is more than what they wanted. This leads us to do value engineering, finding a substitute.”

Finding a substitute does not mean less quality in a building. “We are never going to compromise integrity of structure, safety, health and welfare. We always have the safety of the public in mind. The exterior may change but the integrity remains.

“I would like to see attention to detail come back,” Kelly added. “It makes the personality of our buildings and I think we are losing that. As people become budget conscious value engineering comes in. With technology some details can be salvaged. We need to bring back craftsmanship at an affordable rate.”

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The Bush family created the type of quick-serve restaurant that has a friendly in-store atmosphere where people feel comfortable bringing their family at meal time. Local folks can experience that great food and friendly atmosphere at Bush’s Chicken on 31st Street.

David Daniel, the operator, is a young leader who treats his employees like family. He passionately works with each one and shares in their successes. Among those employed are several high-school students on which David is happy to build the workschedule around their extra-curricular activities. He makes sure his employees are hard-working, well-trained and friendly.

Bush’s Chicken knows its success comes from loyal customers in the communities they serve. Most weeks throughout the year Bush’s Chicken donates meals and/or its famous ice tea in support of area schools, community events and churches.

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Years ago, while David was In high school, he walked over to Bush’s Chicken one evening while on break from another job.

“Everyone seemed happy,” David said. “It just seemed like a fun place to work.” So, he walked up to the manager and asked what he needed to do to get a job there. The manager said, “Well son, take off that competitor’s shirt for starters.” So, he took it off right then and started his career at Bush’s Chicken!

That was years ago. David now helps run one of the most productive restaurant in the chain and looks forward to its continued growth.

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EMILY

ELLIS Emily Ellis is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and Registered Play Therapist. Now she’s the owner of Ellis Group Counseling in Harker Heights with the purchase of Campbell & Associates in January 2018. The firm provides outpatient mental health services. It takes pride in its professionalism and the quality of its staff. With a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Texas A&M, Emily earned a master’s in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Texas at Tyler. She specializes in working with children and adolescents in the counseling setting, addressing common issues such as depression, anxiety, divorce reaction, ADHD management, behavioral problems, academic concerns, trauma, low self-esteem, and self-harm among others.

She loves to work with the entire family, offering family sessions and parent consultations as well. Emily currently serves as the President Elect of the Central Texas Chapter of the Texas Association for Play Therapy. Emily offers sessions with and without her therapy-dog-in-training, a sweet Bernedoodle named Sullivan.

This pair works hard to make sure kids and adults are comfortable and feel safe working on their current stressors, placing a heavy focus on the healing powers of developing relationships.

Animal assisted play therapy adds the elements of playfulness, humor and lightness to the therapeutic process and can be helpful to clients of all ages. Recent research has found therapy dogs such as Sullivan provide unconditional emotional support and companionship in session, facilitating social interactions and helping therapy clients embrace the process.

Ellis Group Counseling offers comprehensive mental health services for members of our community struggling with everyday stressors or facing more difficult circumstances. We work hard to do our part to help both our military families and civilians, using the therapeutic process to foster desired change and growth. Our team of providers is available to help all ages, with individual specialties ranging from soldiers and their families, PTSD, children and adolescents, married couples, and psychological testing. Our office works closely with the local police departments, assisting victims of crime and their families. Ellis Group Counseling also works to help military families with reintegration after deployment, support while military service member is away, and preparation for upcoming deployment. Emily strives to make Ellis Group Counseling a welcoming office with friendly and caring staff, creating an environment for clients to foster change and growth, helping to improve the mental health of our community. With Licensed Psychologist Michael Campbell, Licensed Clinical Social Worker Dianne Campbell, and Licensed Professional Counselors Bill LaBauve and Sue Dolifka, our providers have a range of experience, training, and counseling perspectives. Clients appreciate that we accept most major insurances and offer a sliding scale for those paying cash.

Ellis Group Counseling is looking forward to our ribbon cutting ceremony with the Harker Heights Chamber of Commerce in August and hope you join us in celebration.

Ellis Group Counseling 880 Prospector Trail, Suite 100, Harker Heights 254-690-1512 ellisgroupcounseling.com

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AUGUST & SEPTEMBER 2018 | TEX APPEAL

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

45

Melissa Tyroch Bragg Attorney at Law

Melissa Tyroch Bragg, a lifelong resident of Temple and fourth generation Bell County native, is an Associate Partner at the law firm of Blanchard & Thomas, LLP in Temple. She is experienced in assisting clients and families in a variety of legal matters including family law, divorce, criminal law, juvenile law, strategic business planning and estate planning.

Melissa began pursuing her dream of being a lawyer at a young age. At the age of six, Melissa sent a get well card to Justice Sandra Day O’Connor that sparked an interest and subsequent lifelong fascination with the law. After many elementary school projects and an exchange of letters with the Supreme Court Justice, Melissa began her higher education career with the goal to become a lawyer. In 2001, prior to graduating from Texas A&M University, Melissa had the honor of meeting her longtime inspiration, Justice O’Connor, while she was still a sitting Supreme Court Justice. Melissa credits many of Temple’s finest school teachers with constant encouragement to fulfill this lifelong dream.

Melissa learned at an early age that community service connects people in times of need.

Giving back and combining her work experience with her legal knowledge provides a good foundation to serve the community. “I was once a young girl in Temple with hopes and dreams of becoming a lawyer to help people with a variety of legal matters.

Serving in this capacity back in my hometown is a bonus to my childhood dream.” Melissa enjoys serving on the Citizens Review Committee for United Way of Central Texas, the Altrusa International of Temple Board of Directors, the Bell County Youth Fair Scholarship Committee, as an active member of the Bell County Bar Association and I was once a young girl Bell County Young Lawyers and as a in Temple with hopes community volunteer in her church.

Melissa was also recently selected and dreams of becoming as a Fellow for the Texas Bar a lawyer to help people Foundation.

“

with a variety of legal

Melissa received her Bachelor’s matters. Serving in this Degree in 2003 from Texas A&M capacity back in my University and her Doctor of Jurisprudence from Texas Tech hometown is a bonus to University School of Law in my childhood dream.

2006. Since 2006, Melissa has been licensed to practice law by the State Bar of Texas. Melissa also graduated with her MBA in 2011 from Texas A&M University-Central Texas and a Certificate in Charitable Financing Planning from Texas Tech University in 2015.

”

Blanchard & Thomas, LLP locations include Dallas, Waco, Marlin and Temple. Melissa’s primary office is in Temple and she looks forward to serving clients in the Central Texas region.

Blanchard & Thomas, LLP 7 North Main Street Temple, TX 254-410-6741 | www.bellcolawyer.com melissa@blanchardthomas.com

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

JENNIFER

MARVINA

DOUGLASS

DROZD

Jennifer Douglass has an education in Advertising and a passion for small business. “I focus on small businesses because that’s where I can make the biggest difference to my community.”

Social media and reputation management are important for every business. You’ve got to know how to target potential customers and engage with the ones you’ve got. Being authentic to your business and who you are is important in connecting with people.

Highly educated, well-traveled and with a nerdy passion for marketing and advertising, Jennifer will do what it takes to do the best job for her clients. She focuses on social media and online reputation, but also offers ideas and advice for all aspects of marketing.

The best way to keep up with marketing trends is to stay in a learning environment. She teaches Marketing for the University of Phoenix at the Killeen campus. In addition to her marketing, she also teaches yoga, Pilates and barre at TrueCore Fitness in Temple and Salado Fitness.

If you need help with your marketing and want to focus on getting people talking about your business, online, give her a call. She’ll listen to your needs and create a plan to grow your business!

Marvina Drozd started in the optical field when she was only 17. After she worked her way up to manager at Family Vision in Temple, Marvina knew that she wanted to stay in the field but didn’t want to work for a big chain. She decided to take a big gamble and cashed in her 401K to start Marvina’s Optical Boutique on 31st St. in Temple. She was able to show a profit in her first year and quickly outgrew that location. She moved to her new location in 2017 and has continued to stay on top of what people want.

DIGITAL COWGIRL 418 N 9th, Temple 773-428-4295 DigitalCowgirl.com

“I wanted to run my store the woman’s way – lots of color. I want to know who my customers are, who they are married to, their children’s names, everything!” she explained.

Marvina continues to carry all of the latest eyewear styles including Kate Spade and LAMB by Gwen Steffani.

Marvina’s Optical Boutique 5 Meadowbrook Dr Unit D, Temple (254) 771-2522 • marvinasoptical.com TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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THE PROS AT

Ellis Air systEms inc.

Three young professionals are carrying on a tradition of workmanship, customer service and community involvement at Ellis Air Systems: Mason Ellis, Preston Ellis and Mario Castruita.

Mason embraces his role as an HVAC innovator and is ecstatic at the opportunities he has to serve his HVAC community, as well as being a devout charitable contributor in the community.

Ellis Air has been serving Central Texas for more than 30 years, selling, installing and servicing heating and air conditioning systems. It is consistently voted the “Best In Central Texas” by readers. Mason, Preston and Mario are carrying on that tradition.

Preston Ellis Preston is the Chief Operating Officer. With more than 15 years of experience in the HVAC field, this young man is truly a seasoned professional. Preston is responsible for oversight and with his leadership, Ellis Air Systems has become a household name, not only in Central Texas but the entire state. He gives a fresh new perspective, it’s young men like Preston that will be the future of HVAC. Preston holds a Class A Refrigeration/ Air Conditioning License.

Mason, Preston and Mario believe in giving back to the community.

For example, Ken Cates, the CEO of the Fort Hood Area Habitat for Humanity, said “Ellis Air Systems has become our most faithful partner in our community.”

Jeff White, the co-founder of Bridge East Temple, said, “Having solicited many local businesses for help in this project, I can honestly say that none have been as generous or eager to help as Ellis Air Systems.”

Mason Ellis Mason, who attended Texas A&M University, is the Chief Financial Officer and your go-to guy. He handles all of your administrative needs from accounts receivable all the way to managing relationships with business associates.

In 2016, Mason was selected to the coveted “Top 40 Under 40” HVAC Professionals, Mason was the youngest to make the list. Often referred to as the future of HVAC,

Mario Castruita Mario is the Office Manager and has been an integral part of the Ellis Air team for more than four years. When you need something done and need it done now, Mario is the one you’ll want to call. He has a staff of five office administrators that he leads with an emphasis on good customer service. Among other things, he realizes that most customers are already having a bad day when they call (due to not having any cool air) and he makes strides to ease the pain until one of our friendly and knowledgeable technicians will be there to take care of them. Mario orchestrates the jobs for Commercial, Residential, New Construction and the routes for Service. This is an extremely tedious job as Ellis Air will sometimes have over 100 jobs per day to finish during the summer.

Ellis Air systEms inc. | 3513 florEncE roAd, killEEn | 254-526-5410 Ellis Air systEms inc. | 6102 W. AdAms AvE. #c, tEmplE 254-598-2074 ElliSAiRSySTEmS.cOm

mARiO cASTRuiTA

mASON ElliS

PRESTON ElliS

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TexFit

Self-care: What it means and how do we achieve it?

A

t times it seems our daily focus is locked on merely getting through the day and perhaps engaging in activities which can contribute to our goals, achievements and excessive expectations.

Plowing through and visualizing life as a destination rather than a journey can result in stress, burnout, fatigue, illness and a decline in overall well-being.

Self-care can be simply defined as an activity deliberately done to address mental, emotional and physical health; self-care is essential to improve our mood, reduce anxiety and build relationships with others.

A consistent self-care plan can preserve and heighten well-being now and in the future.

Self-care centers on considering our own needs and taking care of ourselves; however, these activities we engage in to protect our well-being also allow us to take care of others as well. The act of self-care must be deliberately planned and scheduledthese therapeutic activities should be included in a daily calendar, shared with others and committed to. Above all, the time spent taking care of ourselves should be enjoyed-not forced; methods of self-care are individual and while one activity might work for one person it may not be effective or fun for you. Where do you begin? The following ideas are self-care activities which can be done in a short amount of time-most are free or reasonably affordable.

ELECTRONIC BREAK: Designate a time, such as during meals or before bed, to

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BY CAREY STITES unplug. This means no internet surfing, social media, cell phone talking, texting or checking emails. Pick a time which is consistently achievable and the threat of interrupted down time is minimal.

GET SOME REST: Adults typically require 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Most of us do not achieve this on a daily basis for a variety of reasons from electronic addictions to stress triggered insomnia. Try creating an evening routine designed to prepare your body for rest-such as a warm bath/shower, hot cup of tea, reading a book or even watching a favorite television program (provided this does not keep you awake after it is over). Again, everyone is different so find the unique regimen which works for you.

RELAXATION TECHNIQUES: Most of us immediately think yoga or Tai

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Chi; however, relaxation techniques can be incredibly diverse! Mind-body classes offer the benefits of exercise, self-awareness, discipline and meditation which can help clear your mind and strengthen your body.

Relaxation techniques are not limited to this-especially if these types of activities are not enjoyable for you. Other activities include spa treatments, a relaxing massage or simply time spent outdoors enjoying the serene sounds of nature.

CONSUME A HEALTHY DIET: Your body requires quality fuel to operate efficiently and effectively. Proper nutrition can help you feel better by increasing energy, stabilizing your mood, regulating emotions, decreasing joint pain, inducing quality sleep at night, centralizing focus and reducing stress. A healthy eating pattern rich in fruits, whole grains, vegetables, lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids can impact your body on a daily basis and contributes to a proactive self-care lifestyle.

EXERCISE: Exercise is essential for both emotional health and physical health.

Exercise increases serotonin levels, which improves mood and energy. In order for exercise to fall under self-care, it is imperative you choose a form of exercise you enjoy doing and can engage in consistently.

Aim for physical activity most weekdays and at least one day on the weekend.

RETREAT: Get away! Short trips can break the day to day routine, offer a complete change of scenery, renew your zest

for living and allow you to have spontaneous fun! Spending time with loved ones (or even alone) can break life’s monotony and bring you back home refreshed and renewed to the routine.

SIMPLIFY: Why engage in activities you dislike? Learn to say “no.” A great way to begin this process is to create a list, complete with optional tasks you know you do not like, you no longer want to do or those which bring about stress. For

example, say “no” to committees you are not vested in, checking work emails after hours, attending gatherings you would rather avoid or tasks which create anxiety. It is perfectly acceptable to say “no” and skip the obligatory “yes” when possible.

Most of us have fast-paced lives filled with stress and what seems like unending obligations. Daily tasks designed to improve our family, social and work life can easily fast track us to complete burnout as the

tasks involving us taking a few moments for ourselves are the first to be omitted. Taking time to engage in daily self-care allows us to remove ourselves from everyday life-whether it is for five minutes or five days to reset, recharge and refresh.

CAREY STITES, MS, RD, LD, CPT, is a registered and licensed dietitian working for Wellstone Health Partners in Harker Heights. She is also an AFAA certified group fitness instructor and personal trainer.

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Sail back in time

Traveling exhibit on display at Mayborn Museum in Waco Story by CATHERINE HOSMAN Contributed photos

W

hen you step onto the port of entry at the RMS Titanic exhibit at the Mayborn Museum in Waco you are handed a boarding pass 52

with the name and brief biography of one of the passengers who sailed on the doomed ship.

For as long as it takes you to view the displays you are that person. Did you perish or did you survive?

At the end of the exhibit is a memorial board listing the names of the

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victims and survivors based on class and crew. Names are listed horizontally in alphabetical order. Look closely as you find out the fate of the person whose boarding pass you hold. What was it like for those people on that fateful journey?

What was going through their minds as they scrambled for one of the lifeboats or

Tex Adventures

A bronze replica of the Titanic’s hull that separated from the stern when it went down in the frigid Atlantic Ocean on April 14, 1912.

held onto loved ones and strangers as they went down with the ship?

This Titanic exhibit is one of several traveling the country, displaying artifacts from the debris field found at the bottom of the ocean where the ship perished.

Premier Exhibitions has been collecting artifacts since 1987 and now has an inventory of 5,500 pieces — 200 are on display in Waco.

“They (divers from Premier Exhibitions) don’t go onto the ship but stay in the debris field,” said Rebecca Nall, assistant director of Exhibits, Communication and Visitor Services.

Continued

IF YOU GO The exhibit is on display through Jan. 6 at the Mayborn Museum, 1200 S. University Parks Drive, Waco.

Call 254-710-1110 for more information.

Admission to the exhibit is members, $6; adults, $19; children, age 2 to 12, $13; and seniors, 65+, $16. Group discounts available with advance reservations.

The ticket includes admission to the rest of the museum, so plan a day, pack a lunch and see what the rest of the museum has to offer.

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A wrench and rivets used to build and maintain the Titanic found at the bottom of the sea.

This is an example of a third-class berth room. Usually there were six bunks to a room, often shared by strangers.

Two bathtubs served the 700 passengers in third class.

This is a replica of a first-class cabin. It cost $2,500 per person in 1912. In today’s dollars that equals $100,000.

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The ship went beyond carrying passengers. To create additional revenue, the RMS (Royal Mail Ship) Titanic and its sister ships also carried mail and cargo.

“It was one of three ships that included the Britannica and Olympian,” Nall said.

This might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Central Texans to view actual artifacts from the RMS Titanic.

Learn how first-, second- and thirdclass passengers traveled and the strict segregation. First-, second- and third-class passengers each had their own deck or level and they were not allowed to mingle with the other classes. They also had their own dining room and china.

On display is first-, second- and third-class passenger china with a menu of food service for each. The higher the class, the richer the food. Also on display are cooking pots from the galley, wine and beer bottles and even a champagne bottle.

Au gratin dishes that sunk to the bottom of the ocean floor coffined in a wooden cabinet that disintegrated over time are now in a glass display case. As the cabinet wore away from its contents, the dishes remained in the same order. They were found encased in the soft sand of the sea bottom. A photograph of the dish discovery hangs behind the exhibit.

Leather suitcases and wallets protected items such as women’s jewelry, hair pins and other personal items. They were preserved and are included in the exhibit. Shaving brushes and mugs, jewelry, wallets and paper money of that era are also on display. They help illustrate the human toll.

“The Titanic was owned by American JP Morgan and built in Ireland by an all British crew,” Nall said. “A first-class traveler paid $2,500 back then, $50,000 in today’s money, compared to a third-class passenger who paid $40, which is equal to $900 in today’s money for a family of four.”

While some first-class passengers stayed in parlor suites with a private bath, third-class passengers slept in bunk beds in rooms that oftentimes included strangers unless an entire family was traveling. There were only two bathtubs for 700 third-class passengers — one for women and one for men. In an era when people only bathed once a week, it wouldn’t have been too difficult to schedule a bath on what would have been

Touch the growing ice berg and feel the actual temperature that passengers would have experienced when jumping into the icy ocean to escape the sinking ship.

Passengers moving to America often carried household items with them, such as some of the things seen here. AT RIGHT: This is an example of the hundreds of au gratin dishes that were found at the bottom of the ocean, still lined up in rows as they were in the wooden cabinet that protected them.

a two-week voyage.

Photographic panels of the Titanic’s construction in Belfast, Ireland, line the walls of the exhibit and illustrate the ship’s short life. Images of passengers — that tell stories of survival or biographies of those who died — also hang on the walls.

Two of the most prominent first-class passengers on the ship were Isidor and Ida Strauss. Mr. Strauss was the owner

of Macy’s Department Stores. They were represented toward the end of the 1998 movie “Titanic” by John Cameron as an older couple on deck arguing over which one of them will get into the lifeboat.

There is little room for everyone and Mr. Strauss insisted his wife get in the boat.

She refused. Instead she chose to stay on the ship with her husband and died with more than 1,500 passengers and crew.

As visitors continue through the exhibit, they come upon a growing iceberg. They can lay hands on the surface and feel the frigid cold that passengers felt as they jumped into the icy waters in the quest to escape the sinking ship. Seven hundred people survived the chilling water and air temperature, rescued when the RMS Carpathia arrived, plucking them from crowded lifeboats.

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Come dine with us, shop with us and travel with us. The journey will be amazing.

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Tex Appeal

Horizon Bank....................................................................... 25 Killeen Vision Source........................................................... 57 Lastovica Jewelers.................................................................... 9 Marvina’s Optical Boutique..................................................47 Metroplex Hospital................................................................. 3

Tex Appeal is...

Omega Builders.................................................................... 45 Precious Memories................................................................ 29 Premier ER & Urgent Care..................................... Back cover Smile At The World Orthodontics........................................ 5 Susan Marie’s Boutique........................................................ 20 Temple Railroad & Heritage Museum................................. 57 Visiting Angels...................................................................... 25 Z Medical Aesthetics..............................................................10 The Advertisers Index is published for reader convenience. Every effort is made to list information correctly. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.

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“Getting knocked down in life is a given. Getting back up is a choice.”

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TexTherapy

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer.

Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”

— Harriet Tubman

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Premier is now In-Network with Scott & White Health Plan, in both our ER and Urgent Care