Brick & Elm | March/April 2022 by brickandelm

D OW N TOW N S KY L I N E | R E S I D E N C E AT 6 0 0 | R E F U G E E L A N G U A G E P R O J E C T

AMARILLO’S PREMIER LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

M A R C H/ A P R I L 2 0 2 2

Amarillo’s Trailblazers

THE BLACK MEN AND WOMEN WHO TRANSFORMED THE CITY

LEGENDARY COWBOY AND EARLY AMARILLO RESIDENT MATHEW “BONES” HOOKS

$7.95 ISBN 978-0-578-90022-3

50795>

9 780578 900223

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DISCOVER PINNACLE

Pinnacle by Rockrose is a neighborhood of open spaces and D parkways I S C Oin VanEarea R where P I Nwalkways N A C Lare E planned to D I S CforOK-4, V E5-6 R and P I9-12. NNACLE reach area schools Pinnacle by Rockrose is aof neighborhood of and open *Coming Fall 2022, Randall Jr High 7th 8th spaces and parkways in an area where walkways are planned to Pinnacle by Rockrose is a neighborhood of open reach spacesarea andschools parkways an area where walkways are planned to forinK-4, 5-6 and 9-12. *Coming Fall of5-6 2022,and Randall Jr High 7th and 8th reach area schools for K-4, 9-12. A collection of Amarillo's most notable builders will custom build your home, creating the perfect fit for your family. *Coming Fall of 2022, Randall Jr High 7th and 8th

Our builders offer o an array of home designs, featuring timeless exteriors and modern-day interiors that A collection of Amarillo's most notable builders will custom build your home, creating the perfect fit for your family. blend indoor living with outdoor experience for exceptional living.the perfect fit for your family. A collection of Amarillo's mostthe notable custom buildfeaturing your Panhandle home, creating Our builders offer o anbuilders array ofwill home designs, timeless exteriors and modern-day interiors that Our builders offer o an array of home featuring timeless exteriors for andexceptional modern-dayPanhandle interiors that blend indoordesigns, living with the outdoor experience living. nnacle by Rockrose is the ideal location for those looking to live life in the newest and greatest development Southwest Amarillo. blend indoor living with the outdoor experience for exceptional Panhandleinliving. Pinnacle by Rockrose is the ideal location for those looking to live life in the newest and greatest development in Southwest Am Pinnacle by Rockrose is the ideal location for those looking to live life in the newest and greatest development in Southwest Amarillo.

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Meet THE AMARILLO WEALTH TEAM Suzanne Wheeler, CFP®, AIF®, CeFT® Managing Director

Forbes 2022 Top Women Wealth Advisors Best-In-State - #22 in Texas

MARINER

WEALTH ADVISORS RA N KE D

TOP FIVE

When you become our client, we get to know you first then create a wealth plan that meets you where you are today and where you hope to be tomorrow. Your Amarillo wealth team is committed to being here for everything life brings your way. Contact us to learn more about how our 360° advice is designed just for you. 806-513-1120 | www.marinerwealthadvisors.com 7971 SW 45th Ave., Suite 100, Amarillo, Texas 79119

*Barron’s awarded the 2021 and 2020 #5, 2019 #4 and 2018 #3 Top RIA Firms ranking to Mariner Wealth Advisors based on data compiled for Mariner Wealth Advisors and the 2017 #2 and 2016 #1 rankings to Mariner Holdings based upon data compiled for Mariner Holdings’ registered investment adviser subsidiaries. The number of firms included in the rankings were: 20 (2016), 30 (2017), 40 (2018), 50 (2019) and 100 (2020 and 2021). Barron’s publishes rankings based upon a number of criteria and the firms’ filings with the SEC were used to cross-check the data provided. The listing includes numbers of clients, employees, advisors, offices and state locations. The award is not indicative of future performance and there is no guarantee of future investment success. For additional information visit www.barrons.com. The Forbes Top Women Wealth Advisors Best-In-State Wealth ranking by SHOOK Research is based on an algorithm of qualitative criteria, gained through due diligence interviews, and quantitative data. Those advisors that are considered have a minimum of seven years’ experience, and the algorithm weights factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and those that encompass best practices in their approach to working with clients. Portfolio performance is not a criteria due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK receive a fee in exchange for rankings. Third party rankings and recognitions are no guarantee of future investment success and do not ensure that a client will experience a certain level of performance or results. These ratings should not be construed as an endorsement of the adviser nor are they representative of client evaluations. Generally, ratings, rankings, and recognition are based on information submitted by the adviser. Mariner Wealth Advisors (“MWA”) is an SEC registered investment adviser with its principal place of business in the State of Kansas. Registration of an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. For additional information about MWA, including fees and services, please contact MWA or refer to the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website (www.adviserinfo.sec.gov). Please read the disclosure statement carefully before you invest or send money.

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38 | cover story AMARILLO’S TRAILBLAZERS:

The Black men and women who transformed the city

MAR | APR 2022

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ON THE COVER: AMARILLO GLOBE-NEWS PHOTO COLLECTION, PANHANDLE-PLAINS HISTORICAL MUSEUM, CANYON, TEXAS

CA N’T M ISS

The top things on our radar

SO CIA L SEEN

Who did we spot at area events?

SPOTLIGHT Colorful Closets

B IZ

Get up in the city’s business

THE CHA SE

With Andy Chase Cundiff

FO RWA R D

With Patrick Miller

M INDSET

With Jim Womack

R ETA IL THERAPY

Unique Dinnerware from Local Makers

SPACES

Garden Planning

ELEVATE YO UR PL AT E With Ruthie Landelius

48 | HIGH-ELEVATION

PREOCCUPATION

The growth of Amarillo’s distinctive skyline since 1925

56 | HIGH-RISE

62 | RIGHT PLACE,

An exclusive look at Residence at 600, Amarillo’s newest luxury apartments

A new community center for refugees transforms the city, one culture at a time

LIVING DOWNTOWN

MAR | APR 2022

RIGHT TIME

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PHOTO BY ANGELINA MARIE

PHOTO BY SHANNON RICHARDSON

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K I TC H

LISTEN

Recently on the Hey Amarillo Podcast

Soul Food

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K I TC H

IN FO CUS

Easter Lamb

Bary Nusz

106

F +D

B ACK WHEN

Savór Tapas Bar

The Big Fight

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ROA D TRI P

FINISH

Shamrock

Featuring Adam Cummings

PLUS: 77 | LEAD I NG WOM EN

PHOTO BY VENICE MINCEY

hi! it’s us AMARILLO’S PREMIER LIFEST YLE MAGAZINE P U B L I S H ER S Michele McAffrey

mm@brickandelm.com

Jason Boyett

jb@brickandelm.com

D E S I G N ER Kayla Morris

km@brickandelm.com

MAR | APR 2022

CONTRIBUTING P H OTO G R A P H ER S Chris Hale Angelina Marie Venice Mincey Shannon Richardson

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EMIER AZINE

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CONTRIBUTING W R I T ER S Jon Mark Beilue Chip Chandler Andy Chase Cundiff Ruthie Landelius Patrick Miller Wes Reeves Karen Welch Jim Womack Joe Wyatt TO S U B S C R I B E : brickandelm.com Print subscription: $34.99/year

lack History Month, of course, was in February. This is March. Because of our bimonthly publishing schedule, we worried a Black history focus might get lost in our January/February issue, which also included beginning-of-the-year content. So we scheduled our Black history articles—including our cover story and our soul food feature— for this issue. We would rather give these stories the full spotlight than worry about the technicality of the calendar. That said, we still believe Black History Month to be important, because that history should never be marginalized. The history of our African American residents is central to Amarillo’s history, and we hope our cover story informs and educates you about the ongoing legacies of these men and women. But if February is the only time you see Black faces in our magazine, we aren’t doing our job. If Hispanic Heritage Month is the only time we write about that community, then we need to do better. Our city is diverse, and every issue of Brick & Elm should reflect that racial, ethnic and socioeconomic diversity.

hi! it’s us

won’t attempt to add to Jason’s concise, hen I look back over the past few heartfelt and eloquent words regarding this A DV ER T I S I N G Imonths, N Q U I R it I Efeels S: like ages since I last issue. I can only say that I am grateful to be mm@brickandelm.com wrote an editor’s note, and then able to tell the stories of the important Amarillo 806.414.5235 at other times the weeks have flown by. Inleaders the that we feature this month. And so middle of January, it seemed my days of typing thankful to work with one of the city’s greatest up my last-minute thoughts prior to printing a storytellers in Jason. magazine were over. And then … a miracle.

Our March/April issue has us anxious for the My longtime writing partner Jason Boyett renewal of spring, as it is snowing while we finish became my new business partner and up this magazine. I am grateful for the moisture Brick & Elm was born. This “hyper-local” but eager to shake off the lethargy of winter and magazine was created in meetings at ourspend more time outside. We look at downtown Amarillo’s growth in our features respective homes, and it’s the compilation of pages everything we’ve hoped a newly opened The Place, a truly inspiring (see 48 and 56)ever and introduce Panhandle-focused publication could be.gathering The community outpouring for our new place for the local refugee community. And our stellar contributors share All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part has beenisoverwhelming in the best way.range My friends and local businesses a wide of expertise in our sections,have from mental health to event coverage to withoutproject written permission prohibited. sent streams of encouraging messages of support. Now Irecipes. truly know what itwe means to to learn more about Amarillo and its mouthwatering Join us as continue BRICK & ELM (ISSN 2770-2529), is published bi-monthly say my overflows. wonderful people. by Edgebow Media LLC,cup 1610 S. Washington St., Amarillo, TX 79102. Periodicals at Amarillo, TX,fantastic and at ThisPostage is thepaid first of many Amarillo-centric issues created by a true dream additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes team—Jason andAmarillo, the incomparable Kayla Morris. I’m thrilled beyond measure to to Edgebow Media LLC, PO Box 2104, TX 79105. share Brick & Elm with you. Thanks for reading.

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KAYLA MORRIS

SHANNON RICHARDSON

Shannon has been a commercial/advertising photographer for almost 30 years. His work can be seen at shannonrichardson.com.

ANGELINA MARIE

Angelina Marie has been a photographer in the Amarillo area for 11 years. She specializes in food and drink, architectural, and creative portrait photography. She has a passion to capture the true character of the Panhandle in all its beautiful and unique variety. Angelina is the founder of the Amarillo Women’s Collaborative, which promotes local, women-owned businesses. See her work at shorteareddog.com or find her on Instagram.

MAR | APR 2022

Kayla has been designing professionally for local businesses and nonprofits for more than 10 years. Kayla was raised in the Panhandle and graduated with a design degree from West Texas A&M University. When not designing she loves spending time outdoors with family and friends.

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VENICE MINCEY

Venice is a natural light photographer, specializing in senior, family and child photography. Her passion is photographing high school seniors, especially those who might not have the opportunity to have professional photos taken. Venice has been taking photos for more than 20 years. See her work at veniceminceyphotography.com.

ANDY CHASE CUNDIFF

Artist, singer-songwriter, music producer and humorist, Andy spent many years traveling the U.S. and abroad, but calls Amarillo his home. A longtime resident, Andy’s house is on a red brick street in Oliver-Eakle that is lined with elm trees.

CHIP CHANDLER

Chip is the senior communications specialist at West Texas A&M University. A Canadian High School graduate and award-winning journalist, he has covered arts and entertainment in Amarillo since 1998, and is a member of the Amarillo Convention & Visitors Bureau Arts Committee. He is a 2020 Golden Nail Award winner and a 2017 National Philanthropy Day award winner. He has seen every Best Picture Oscar winner and watches way too much television.

PATRICK MILLER

Patrick is President of the Amarillo Branch NAACP and assistant principal at Eastridge Elementary. In 2021, he completed a 6-year term on the Amarillo College Board of Regents, to which he was elected at the age of 25. He has earned master’s degrees in both teaching and educational leadership from WTAMU and has served in a variety of leadership roles within the Amarillo Independent School District.

co n t r i b u t o r s

RUTHIE LANDELIUS

CHRIS HALE

Chris is an FAA licensed drone pilot and photographer. He is the owner of 806AERIAL, which has been providing aerial imaging and video services to Panhandle construction, industrial, real estate, agriculture and broadcast industries since 2016.

WES REEVES

Wes was raised in the Texas Panhandle and has been a resident of Amarillo for almost 30 years. He has been active in the Amarillo Historical Preservation Foundation for the past 15 years, and works in his spare time to bring history alive through historical preservation and engaging new generations in the appreciation of the region’s colorful history.

MAR | APR 2022

Ruthie owns Black Fig Food catering and is proprietor of the online cooking platform Elevated Plant Plate. She has a degree in fine art but has been cooking professionally for more than two decades as a caterer, personal and private chef, college cooking instructor and certified plant-based chef. Learn more about Ruthie at blackfigfood.com and elevatedplantplate.com.

KAREN WELCH

Karen is the senior content producer for Panhandle PBS. She joined the station to add sound and video to her storytelling after spending 28 years in print journalism—26 of them at the Amarillo Globe-News. She is the winner of a Regional Emmy Award and more than a dozen individual or team reporting awards from Associated Press Managing Editors. She was an APME statewide Star Reporter of the Year in 2008. Karen is a local, born and raised in Amarillo, and earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from West Texas A&M University.

JOE WYATT

Joe has spent 14 years as the Communications Coordinator for Amarillo College, serving as lead writer and media liaison. He previously spent 10 years as Media Relations Coordinator at West Texas A&M University, his alma mater, and he spent nine years prior to that amassing innumerable bylines at daily Texas newspapers in Midland and Amarillo. He’s earned national recognition from the Associated Press and unabashedly claims having won categories twice (2009 & 2011) in the internationally acclaimed Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest.

JON MARK BEILUE

Jon Mark worked at the Amarillo Globe-News from 1981 until his retirement in 2018. He spent 17 of those years as sports editor, and the last 12 as the newspaper’s general columnist. Beilue received 16 statewide and national awards for his work. He has written five books—two are collections of his columns, and the other three are on Amarillo lawyers Wales Madden and Robert Templeton, and Canyon girls basketball coach Joe Lombard. Beilue is a native of Groom and graduate of Texas Tech University. He and wife Sandy have two adult sons.

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digital

MAR | APR 2022

rick streets and elm trees are tangible parts of our city, but Brick & Elm definitely has a digital component. In fact, there’s much more to this publication than the physical copy you’re reading now. We’re building a platform to provide the most comprehensive local coverage in the city, including the following:

BRICKANDELM.COM At our online home, we offer the digital version of Brick & Elm for free, courtesy of Palace Coffee. At brickandelm.com, you can also subscribe to the print magazine or give a gift subscription ($34.99 per year). Keep an eye out for regular, digital-only content at our website.

SOCIAL MEDIA Yes, of course, you can find us on Instagram (@brickandelm), Twitter (@brickandelm) and Facebook (@brickandelmmag). Follow us for a glimpse of what’s happening behind the scenes, first looks at our photo shoots and features, and fun gift-card giveaways from local businesses. The print magazine is a finished product. Our social media lets you into the process—with personality.

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BRICKLY This issue is packed with content, but we realize there’s a lot more happening in Amarillo than we can include in these pages. That’s why we’ve created Brickly, a free weekly email newsletter dedicated to Amarillo. Subscribe to it today for business and entertainment news, links to important stories, and updates from local businesses. (To subscribe, visit brickandelm.com.)

Subscribe today.

HEY AMARILLO While not technically part of Brick & Elm, one of our founders is the host of this popular local podcast. Every week since 2017, Jason Boyett has been interviewing the most fascinating people living in and around Amarillo, Texas—including in-depth interviews with folks you’ll read about in these pages. Find the show at heyamarillo.com or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

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Burrowing Owl RECOMMENDS

Bad Smoke, Good Smoke by John R. Erickson From his home on the Texas Panhandle, John R. Erickson, rancher and author of the bestselling Hank the Cowdog series, saw firsthand the raw power of two megafires that swept across the high plains in 2006 and 2017. “These were landmark events that are etched onto the memory of an entire generation and will be passed down to the next. They made the old-time methods of fighting fire with shovels, wet gunny sacks, and ranch spray rigs a pathetic joke.” Yet Bad Smoke, Good Smoke, while relating a tale of gutwrenching destruction, also provides a more nuanced view of what is often a natural event, giving the two-sided story of our relationship with fire. Not just a first-hand account, Bad Smoke, Good Smoke also synthesizes and explains the latest research in range management, climate, and fire. Having experienced the bad smoke, Erickson tries to understand a rancher’s relationship to good smoke and to reconcile the symbiotic relationship that a rancher has with fire. Evocatively chronicled, Erickson tells what it is like trying to stop the unstoppable: Bad Smoke, Good Smoke gives voice to the particular pains that ranchers must face in our era of climate change and ever more powerful natural disasters.

Also by John R, Erickson, geared toward the young reader

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ntertainment options have truly sprung this spring: You’ve got options, options, options every weekend (and many weeknights) for the next two months, and we’re only looking at the events that have already been announced. More events are in the works, so as always, make sure to subscribe to the Brickly newsletter for weekly updates.

MAR | APR 2022

March

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AMARILLO SYMPHONY: The orchestra’s conductor search continues with candidate Conner Covington offering up Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate and Brahms’ Symphony No. 2 on March 25 and 26 in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Buchanan St. Other scheduled arts events include Lone Star Ballet’s educational production of Remember the Alamo on March 3 in the Globe-News Center; Chamber Music Amarillo’s Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra on March 5 in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall at West Texas A&M University; Broadway Spotlight Series’ presentation of the musical version of An Officer and a Gentleman on March 15 and 16 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Auditorium, 401 S. Buchanan St.; the musical Tuck Everlasting from March 25 to April 3 in the ALT Allen Shankles Main Stage, 2019 Civic Circle; Amarillo Museum of Art’s annual 20x20 art exhibition and online auction March 30 and 31 (with online viewing March 25 to 31) at the museum, 2200 S. Van Buren St.; WT Dance’s Portraits of Dance on March 31 to April 3 in the Happy State Bank Studio Theatre; and WT Opera’s Gallantry: A Soap Opera Opera on March 31 to April 2 in the Fine Arts Complex Recital Hall. CHICAGO: The iconic jazz-pop band returns to the city for a March 7 concert in the Civic Center Auditorium, but that’s only one of the big concerts on tap this month. Rocking Texas country band Giovannie and The Hired Guns comes back March 3 to Hoots, 2424 Hobbs Road; beloved Amarillo rockers The Blue Johnnies hit the stage March 5 at Golden Light Cantina, 2906 SW Sixth Ave., for one of their too-infrequent reunion shows; contemporary Christian star Jeremy Camp offers his I Still Believe tour on March 10 at Church at Quail Creek, 801 Tascosa Road; Red Dirt giant Mike McClure returns March 13 to The Golden Light for an intimate Sunday show; Mexican pop star Marisela brings her La Dama de Hierro tour to the Civic Center Auditorium on March 18; and Perryton native and nationally renowned singer-songwriter Ryan Culwell will celebrate the release of his latest album at a March 26 show at Golden Light. RESTAURANT ROUNDUP: A few dozen of the city’s top eateries will offer their best bites in this beloved annual fundraiser for the Panhandle chapter of the Texas Restaurant Association’s work with local culinary students. Wear your stretchy pants March 3 and head out to the Rex Baxter Building at the Amarillo Tri-State Fairgrounds, 3301 SE 10th Ave. Other top events include the Make-a-Wish Car Show from March 4 to 6 in the Civic Center Complex; Kicker Monster Trucks on March 4 and 5 in the Amarillo National Center at the TriState Fairgrounds; Amarillo Botanical Gardens’ Mad Hatter’s Ball on

March 26 at the gardens, 1400 Streit Drive; and The Bridge’s Heroes and Legends Banquet featuring former Dallas Cowboys Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Danny White and Randy White on March 29 in the Civic Center Complex Grand Plaza. THE BATMAN: Robert Pattinson dons the cowl March 4 in director Matt Reeves’ emo-inflected take on the caped crusader, with Zoë Kravitz, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano and Jeffrey Wright along for the ride. Also heading to theaters: horror film X and family drama The Unbreakable Boy on March 18; and action comedy The Lost City on March 25. Plus, revisit the classic romance The Quiet Man in special screenings March 13 and 17.

April

ART: April is always the busiest month for arts events, but the one you absolutely can’t miss is ALT’s revival of this wickedly funny, scabrously brilliant comedy, the first performance staged when the ALT Adventure Space opened in 2001. It returns, directed again by Allen Shankles, for performances April 7 to 16, again in the Adventure Space, 2751 Civic Circle. Also lighting up the arts scene this month: Amarillo Opera’s gala concert and dinner on April 2; Broadway Spotlight Series’ touring production of the legendary South Pacific on April 5 and 6 in the Civic Center Complex Auditorium; Amarillo Museum of Art’s annual Amarillo College/West Texas A&M University exhibition from April 8 to 24; Lone Star Ballet’s revival of the iconic Coppelia on April 8 and 9 in the Globe-News Center; Chamber Music Amarillo’s salute to the cello on April 8 at the Amarillo Botanical Gardens, 1400 Streit Drive; WT’s fifth-annual Russian Music Festival featuring WT Symphony Orchestra, WT Chorale, Oklahoma Christian University Chorale and mezzo-soprano Mariya Kaganskaya on April 9 in Northen Recital Hall; WT Theatre’s The SpongeBob Musical

ly Visit brickandelm.com for Chip’s expanded event coverage and movie reviews. Better yet, subscribe to our newsletter, Brickly, for breaking entertainment news every week!

C H I P C H AN D L E R Chip is the city’s arts and entertainment expert, having covered area events since 1998. Stay up to date on local happenings with Chip’s Can’t Miss picks in every issue.

can’t miss WITH CHIP CHANDLER

BOB WILLS DAY: Two-step on down to Turkey from April 28 to 30 for the 50th annual celebration of the King of Western Swing, truly one of the most iconic musicians to ever have come from this area of the state. I haven’t seen the artist line-up yet, but I can guarantee some boot-scootin’ good times. Turkey’s love for Wills hasn’t faded one bit. Other area concerts are still being added to the schedule, but don’t miss red-hot Lubbock band Flatland Cavalry’s April 8 return to La Hacienda, 10695 U.S. Highway 287, and Texas party boys The Tejas Bros on April 9 and 10 at The Golden Light Cantina. MORBIUS: Jared Leto goes all out (as usual) as the titular vampiric anti-hero in this new film set in Sony’s Spider-verse (a la Venom, though Spider-Man’s villainous Michael Keaton is also on tap), opening April 1. Also coming to theaters: action thriller The Contractor on April 1; actioner Ambulance, video-game sequel Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and the exceedingly trippy-looking Everything Everywhere All at Once on April 8; fantasy sequel Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore on April 15; meta-thriller The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and Viking epic The Northman on April 22; and thrillers Memory and 65 on April 29. Plus, my all-time favorite movie Singin’ in the Rain gets 70th-anniversary screenings on April 10 and 13.

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YELLOW CITY COMIC CONVENTION: The city’s biggest celebration of pop culture returns April 22 to 24 in the Civic Center Complex with—in addition to all things anime, comics and more—an impressive lineup of celebrity guests: Denise Crosby (Star Trek: The Next Generation), David Dastmalchian (The Suicide Squad, Ant-Man, Dune); Doug Jones (Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, Star Trek: Discovery) and others. Other events include Amarillo Angels’ first Mom Prom on April 2 in the Civic Center Complex Grand Plaza; and National Reined Cow Horse Association competition April 26 to May 1 in the Amarillo National Center.

MAR | APR 2022

from April 14 to 24 in the Branding Iron Theatre; Amarillo Symphony’s take on Elgar’s Enigma Variations with conductor finalist George Jackson on April 22 and 23 in the Globe-News Center; and Harrington String Quartet on April 29 in Northen Recital Hall.

social seen THE BIG CHEESE

MAR | APR 2022

Mac-and-cheese fans ate their fill at the annual The Big Cheese event on Jan. 21. Hosted by The Hope and Healing Place, the tasting event featured 20 competitors vying for Best Mac-and-Cheese bragging rights. This year’s winners were Bubba’s 33 for People’s Choice, YOLOs for Kid’s Choice and Boys Ranch for High School Division. (Provided Photos)

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A M A R I L L O F I R E D E PA R T M E N T 1 25-Y E A R A N N I V E R SA RY The Amarillo Fire Department celebrated its 125th anniversary on Jan. 23 with a formal dinner at the Khiva Temple. Mayor Ginger Nelson, Chief Jason Mays and Local 542 President Todd Peden were the featured speakers at the event. (provided photos)

2 6 4 6 W O L F L I N AV E . R OYA L B A R .C O @ R OYA L B A R .C O

P ER S EPHON E 2 ounces Still Austin Whiskey ½ ounce Pama 1 ounce pomegranate juice ½ ounce lemon juice ¼ ounce Liber & Co Fiery Ginger Syrup ½ ounce simple syrup 3 drops Burlesque Bitters Garnish: Ice cube with dried flower, dash of edible glitter Add all ingredients to a shaker; shake vigorously. Add an ice cube to a snifter glass; strain over ice cube and top with small amount of edible glitter. Swirl to incorporate glitter.

ST I R RE D A portion of the sales of Persephone will benefit the Amarillo Little Theatre. Look for Persephone on the menu at Royal and learn how to make it on Studio 4 next month! {ADVERTISEMENT}

social seen PPHM STEAM LAB GRAND OPENING

MAR | APR 2022

Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum celebrated the grand opening of its new STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) Lab on Jan. 27. The lab will allow area teachers the opportunity to utilize the museum’s collection for interactive learning opportunities. (provided photos)

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SYMPHONY BALL

MAR | APR 2022

The Amarillo Symphony Guild hosted the 67th annual Symphony Ball on Feb. 5 at the Amarillo Club. The event serves to celebrate the Symphony’s education programs and this year’s Belles and Beaux. (provided photos)

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MARDI GRAS PARTY Hosted by Family Support Services, the annual Mardi Gras Party was held Feb. 12 at the Amarillo Civic Center Complex. The year’s event featured The Band Monarch, food by Girasol Cafe, a casino, live and online auctions, and a Mardi Gras Store. (provided photos)

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O M E

Locally owned since 1929, Broome Optical has been serving Amarillo’s eye care and eyewear needs for 93 years. Other optometrists may promote their service and selection, but they’ll never match our commitment to this area. For the best eye care in Amarillo, come see us.

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WHEN YOU’VE BEEN HERE THIS LONG, YOU DON’T NEED A CATCHY HEADLINE

spotlight

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PROVIDED PHOTOS

COLORFUL CLOSETS

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C LOT H E S M A K E T H E K I D hether we admit it or not, clothes are a big deal,” says Keely Brown. She’s just picked up her kids from school, and always pays attention to how children dress.

She recognizes how much it matters to adults. “When I put myself together for the day, I feel better about myself,” she says. The pressures of fitting in—or at least, not sticking out—makes clothing even more important for children. That understanding is central to Colorful Closets, the nonprofit Brown founded with friend and fellow mom Lindsey Wing in 2017. Parents like to tell their kids that the inside counts more than the outside, but in a pre-teen and teen culture that values appearance, the reality is inner confidence begins with external appearance. Brown saw this among her own children’s elementary school friends. Some would show up in pants that were too short or pullovers that had seen much better days. Even in higher-income parts of town, a few families fell through the cracks. “There’s poverty everywhere,” she says, from lower-income neighborhoods to schools like Puckett or Sleepy Hollow. “The family right next door could have lost everything.” With those kids in mind, Colorful Closets gathers and prepares matching outfits for boys and girls. Sometimes the clothes are very Proudly Sponsored by:

gently used. Sometimes they are bought new. Working with local schools, they deliver the clothing to a school counselor, who quietly gives the package to the student. Since launching, the organization has grown quickly. “We went from eight deliveries a week to up to 31 a day,” Brown says. The organization serves 55 schools in Amarillo, plus Canyon, Bushland, Highland Park, and organizations like CASA, Family Support Services and Opportunity School. Brown and Wing work out of a warehouse on Jefferson Street, but Colorful Closets accepts clothing donations at all five U.S. Cleaners locations in Amarillo and Canyon. Donors can place clothes in a bag or box labeled “Colorful Closets” and use the drive-thru window. “You don’t even have to get out of the car,” Brown says. She asks that potential donors think of them during spring cleanouts, focusing on casual, slightly used clothes. “Kids don’t want to wear Grammy’s old clothes,” she says. “We don’t want to put another layer of rejection on top of what they’re experiencing.” In other words, they value fashionable outfits kids may have outgrown but would otherwise still wear. With warm weather approaching, Colorful Closets specifically requests boys’ athletic shorts, short- and long-sleeve shirts for both genders, as well as full-sized toiletries including boys’ and girls’ deodorant. Learn more at colorfulclosetsama.org.

Shop for a Purpose! All March and April 2022, a percentage of sales will benefit Colorful Closets. #shopforapurpose #lovinthelocals

2612 Wolflin Village | Amarillo, TX 806.418.8920 purposeandpassionboutique.com

AMARILLO, TX | ROCKWOODFURNITURECO.COM

Power Church plans expansion at land located at 27th and Osage. A building campaign is underway to finance the building of a larger church.

MAR | APR 2022

Jacy Jenks started a nonprofit consulting firm, The Nonprofit Connection. Jenks has more than 20 years of fundraising experience and wants to connect nonprofits with expert services.

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BSA Health System announced a round of recent promotions. Katrina Tokar, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, was named new Chief Nursing Officer (CNO). Courtney Haschke was promoted to Bio-Medical Engineering Manager. Jeremy Hendrick was named Safety Manager. Mark Romero was promoted to PBX Manager. Kiersten Adams was named Front Office Manager at BSA Amarillo Diagnostic Clinic. Marylou Cordova, RN, was promoted to Manager of Quality Improvement and Infection Prevention. K’Lynne Reed, RN, MSN was promoted to Manager of Renal/Family Medicine. Brian Everett joined the BSA team as Project Manager in the Facilities Services Department.

BSA Advanced Wound Care opened a second location at 1500 Wallace Blvd., the former location of Harrington Cancer Center. The care center is part of the new BSA Medical Office Building.

After 42 years, BSA Health System President and CEO Bob Williams has announced his plans to retire, effective March 31, 2022. Williams will continue to serve BSA in a consultative role through the end of the year while a national search for his successor takes place.

Andrea Vance has joined Leslie Massey Farmers Insurance as an agency producer. Vance was a property manager in both residential and commercial property for 18 years.

Amarillo College announced that its Communications and Marketing Department emerged from the Ninth Annual Education Digital Marketing Awards with five national collegiate marketing accolades—two at the topmost Gold level. AC received Gold awards for: • Total Digital Marketing Program • Social Media Content Campaign The College captured three Silver awards for: • Digital Video: Under 2 minutes • Digital Publication • Outstanding Work in Blog High Plains Food Bank received a $250,000 donation from AIG Foundation to continue the food bank’s mission throughout the Texas Panhandle. According to a news release from the food bank, the $250,000 donation from the AIG Foundation comes from the $2 million contribution the foundation made to Feeding America.

The Amarillo South Rotary presented the 2021 Amarillo South Rotary County Deputy of the Year Award to Deputy Jonathan Gates.

Sarah Walter joined Estacar Companies as the payroll specialist. Walter has more than a decade of experience in payroll and bookkeeping services.

Dr. Anitha Subburaj was named to a new McFather Professorship of Engineering, Computer Science and Mathematics in the WTAMU College of Engineering. The position is meant to inspire underrepresented students in STEM fields.

Joseph “Joe” Rogers was reappointed CEO of Panhandle Independent Living Center. He previously served as a member of the Amarillo Commission on People with Disabilities.

West Texas A&M University’s online undergraduate program was named best in Texas and No. 24 in the country, according to newly released 2022 rankings from U.S. News & World Report.

American Land Title announced Cleta Johnson joined the team as an escrow officer. Johnson has more than 15 years of experience.

1910 PR, the student-run public relations firm at West Texas A&M University, announced its executive leadership team for the spring 2022 semester. Hannah Valencia, a senior communication studies major, will serve as executive director. Adam Jiwa, a master’s student in the Department of Communication, will serve as assistant director. Claudia Hicks, a senior communication studies-strategic communication major, will also serve as assistant director.

Amarillo Symphony announced Larry Lang as its new executive director. Lang is set to begin his duties as the symphony’s executive director in March. Lang was previously the executive director of the Flagstaff Symphony.

Meet

Suzanne Wheeler, the managing director of Mariner Wealth Advisors, was named No. 22 in Texas in Forbes’ list of Top Women Wealth Advisors—Best In State.

THE AMARILLO WEALTH TEAM

MARINER

WEALTH ADVISORS R AN K ED

TOP FIVE

806-513-1120 | www.marinerwealthadvisors.com 7971 SW 45th Ave., Suite 100, Amarillo, Texas 79119

Gizem Levent joined the faculty of the Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo as an assistant professor of epidemiology. Levent began her duties on Jan. 3.

*Barron’s awarded the 2020 #5, 2019 #4 and 2018 #3 Top RIA Firms rankings to Mariner Wealth Advisors based on data compiled for Mariner Wealth Advisors and the 2017 #2 and 2016 #1 rankings to Mariner Holdings based upon data compiled for Mariner Holdings’ registered investment adviser subsidiaries. The number of firms included in the rankings were: 20 (2016), 30 (2017), 40 (2018), 50 (2019) and 100 (2020). Barron’s publishes rankings based upon a number of criteria and the firms’ filings with the SEC were used to cross-check the data provided. The listing includes numbers of clients, employees, advisors, offices and state locations. The award is not indicative of future performance and there is no guarantee of future investment success. For additional information visit www.barrons.com.

Mariner Wealth Advisors (“MWA”) is an SEC registered investment adviser with its principal place of business in the State of Kansas. Registration of an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. For additional information about MWA, including fees and services, please contact MWA or refer to the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website (www.adviserinfo.sec.gov). Please read the disclosure statement carefully before you invest or send money.

Animal Management and Welfare announced a partnership with Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine, which will provide veterinary students with educational resources and hands-on care of shelter animals. The partnership includes a clinical rotation development program at the AAMW facility.

Education Credit Union and West Texas A&M University announced the conversion of the existing ECU branch at 2100 Fourth Ave. in Canyon into a student-led Buff $mart Branch after construction is complete on the new ECU Branch at 1900 FM 2590 in Canyon. The full-service retail branch will provide the same financial services to ECU members that all branches offer, but outside of a few management-level ECU staffers, all other employees will be WT students.

Education Credit Union’s President and CEO Eric Jenkins announced that ECU received a Bauer Financial 5-Star Sustained Superiority rating for 2022, and has been named a Best of Bauer Credit Union. ECU has earned and maintained Bauer’s 5-star rating for 30 consecutive years.

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The Amarillo College Board of Regents announced the acquisition of property located at 7161 I-40 West. The College plans to use the property in the next 3 to 5 years to relocate some of its technical education programs currently being delivered on the East Campus.

MAR | APR 2022

biz

MAR | APR 2022

FirstBank Southwest (FBSW) School Spirit Card Program has given back more than $32,000 to participating Texas Panhandle schools. The program has given more than $82,000 since its inception in 2019.

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Brown & Fortunato announced that Allison L. Davis, shareholder and director in the firm, earned board certification in labor and employment law. Beth Anne Jackson, shareholder and member of the firm’s Health Care Group, earned board certification in health law. Davis is a member of the firm’s Labor and Employment and Litigation teams. Jackson has more than 21 years of experience representing health care, corporate and nonprofit entities.

Lovelady, Christy + Associates, PLLC (LCA) and Terra Accounting and Consulting, PLLC have merged to form LPT CPAs + Advisors, PLLC. The merger brings together a firm led by Samuel B. Lovelady and Terry Pruiett with Johnny Terra.

Stephen Crandall, head of WTAMU’s Department of Art, Theater and Dance was named the artistic director of the TEXAS Musical.

Xcel Energy delivered high-efficiency LED light bulbs and faucet aerators for distribution through food pantries and social service agencies in the company’s Texas service area. The efficiency improvements will help customers reduce utility bills.

City of Amarillo Vital Statistics Team received the Exemplary Five Star Award for 2021 from the State of Texas. The Texas Department of State Health Services defines the Five Star Award as the acknowledgement of Vital Statistics Partners that understand the importance of vital statistics and its impact on the citizens of Texas. This award honors Partners who go above and beyond the duties of birth and death registration by attending training and keeping up with the latest legislation and trends.

Turn Center has named Amy Lovell as its Executive Director. Lovell assumed responsibilities in December 2021, succeeding Connie Wootton.

Amarillo National Bank announced a round of recent promotions. Cody Bivens was promoted to Senior Vice President and Commercial Lender. Tracy Patrick is now Senior Vice President and Mortgage Lender. Jessica Beghtel was promoted to Vice President, Mortgage Loans. Brenda Davis advanced to Vice President, Personal Investments. Robin Lannou was promoted to Vice President. Heather Price, a fixture in Mortgage Loans, is now Vice President. Erik Schrader has been with ANB since 1997, now serving as Vice President. Laura Bryant and Lilia Childers were promoted to Assistant Vice President.

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REID’S APPLIANCE SERVICE INC.

See p.89!

MAR | APR 2022

R I BBO N-CUT TING S

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SA•VÓR TAPAS BAR

STEAM LAB AT PPHM

YOLOS

We want to hear from you! To highlight your business, promotions, awards and ribbon-cuttings in this section, email a press release or your business brief to mm@brickandelm.com.

the chase

THE SIMPLE WONDER OF COFFEE

MAR | APR 2022

s I sat in uffish thought over my keyboard this morning, sipping coffee and thinking over interesting things to write about, I looked into my cup, observed its rich, deep color, took in its earthy, savory aroma, enjoyed that wisp of steam that wafted past my nose, and blithely decided on the topic. Everyone, myself included, has asked, “I wonder who first entertained the idea of roasting a certain kind of beans, crushing them up into a powder, steeping the result of that in hot water—and then drinking it?”

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So I started snooping around. As far as anyone can tell, the earliest intentional use of the coffee bean can be traced back to before 1000 A.D. The Oromo, or Galla people of eastern Africa (think Ethiopia), made a kind of energy bar out of ground coffee beans and animal fat. Sound gross? Some of our modern day “health food” has the exact same stuff in it. And the Oromo hadn’t come up with partially hydrogenated vegetable oil in those days, either. By 1000 A.D., Arab traders had domesticated coffee plants, ground up and drank coffee as we know it, boiling it into a drink they called qahwa. Eventually, it made its way to Constantinople, modern-day Istanbul, where the first coffee shop, Kiva Han, was established in 1475. I wonder if there were any jokes floating around the Ottoman Empire about having a Kiva Han on every corner of its capital? Probably not. They were notoriously not-in-the-mood-for-it before their first cup. I have a few friends who nonchalantly say, “I never really developed a taste for coffee. Don’t care for it.” Personally, I don’t think they have ever tasted real coffee. That’s fine. I’ll have theirs. Kingdoms and governments have toppled over this deep, delicious nectar! In 1511, the governor of Mecca declared coffee illegal. Then, the Sultan declared coffee sacred and followed up by proclaiming the governor a criminal. And had him executed. I lived in Turkey for many years and studied some Arabic history. Sultans were always doing stuff like that. I don’t know what they were drinking in Mecca in 1511, but if it was anything approaching modern Turkish coffee, the Sultan’s case was almost arguable. In or around 1600 A.D., coffee made its way to the port of Venice, and thus to the Western world. The papal advisors tried to get the Pope to condemn coffee as an infidel drink and declare it a threat to the world. Instead, the Pope actually baptized coffee and declared it fit for Christian consumption. My man. I am a Christian, and I did not make any of this up. You couldn’t. I think his Eminence had perhaps experienced his first shot of espresso. In 1607, John Smith introduced coffee to the colonies (in other words, U.S.) long before it made it to England. The British were, as

they still are, hung up on their tea. That fine point sets up a great little vignette in American history further down the line in 1773, as the colonists were strongly encouraged to drink coffee after the Boston Tea Party. Seeing a definite trend here. Italy, England, France and Austria followed suit during the mid- to late-1600s with their taste for coffee, and shops began to sprout up in sufficient numbers to sustain the industry. In the early 1700s, the magic elixir gained its now famous foothold on the South American continent when some high-level espionage included the smuggling of coffee seeds and cuttings. Some people really took that cuppa Joe seriously. In 1900, Hills Bros. came out with vacuum-sealed, roasted ground coffee. This was unfortunate for the up-to-then ubiquitous coffee shops and mills. The beginning of “you can just pick up a can of it at the store” coffee. I’m stifling a tear. 1906 marks the first mass-produced “instant” coffee. Time for another execution, in my opinion. George Constant Louis Washington, a Belgian-born American inventor, concocted the dreadful stuff, just three years after the Wright brothers lifted off the ground at Kitty Hawk. Mankind was actually flying with handmade wings, and that guy had to go and do that. In 1920, the Volstead Act, better known as the National Prohibition Act, outlawed any and all alcohol sales in the U.S. In hindsight, it is no surprise that coffee sales skyrocketed upward, and by the time the U.S. entered WWII, we were far and away the biggest importers of coffee in the entire world, commanding a whopping 70 percent of the world crop. Now, we are not even in the top 10. The countries that buy more coffee than Americans are the cold northern countries of Western Europe. Shock. If I lived somewhere called “Iceland” you can bet the farm I’d be chugging some Joe, and I wouldn’t make it exclusive to the morning hours. I would like to thank AN DY C H A S E C U N D I F F and encourage you to visit Andy is an artist, singerhistoryofcoffee.net for some of these songwriter, music producer details and other intriguing facts and musician. In every issue, his column explores the parts of his about coffee. I had a great time life that don’t always make it into researching this story. The opinions, his songs, accompanied by his as always, come free with the own illustration. magazine. Cheers!

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f o r wa r d WITH PATRICK MILLER

MAR | APR 2022

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ssessments in education are tools which enable us to evaluate the performance of students—and to a certain extent—serve as the evaluative measure of the depth of instruction. There are myriad forms of assessments ranging from cold-calls and non-verbal signals to unit and semester exams. The largest component of education aside from facilitating instruction is tracking students’ growth throughout an academic year. According to research conducted by Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessments, 39 states no longer tie high stakes to standardized testing. In fact, Texas could eliminate high stakes testing altogether without any concern, since federal law does not require high stakes assessments. Prior to announcing his retirement from the Texas Senate, State Senator Kel Seliger understood the importance of local autonomy regarding the future of Texas scholars who are the next in line to enter our robust workforce when he successfully sponsored Senate Bill 149, which enacted the use of individual graduation committees. The Texas Tribune reported in 2015 that “SB 149 allows individual panels made up of educators, counselors and parents to weigh factors like grades, college entrance exam scores and attendance to determine whether a student should get a diploma despite state standardized exam performances.” Fortunately, the desire to provide a holistic evaluation of students’ academic growth rather than simply basing it off students’ assessment performance has exponentially increased in light of the new House Bill 1603 which passed during the regular session of the 87th Texas Legislature. If ever there was a time for stakeholders to advocate for test reform, this is it. While every educator or public school stakeholder I know supports and even demands assessments, the same consensus is not present when the discussion turns to whether or not the high stakes associated with grade promotion or graduation should exist. While the state’s accountability system may provide an evaluative measure of quantitative growth per subject per grade, local assessments inform instruction in real-time and measure individual progress in myriad ways. According to Raise Your Hand Texas, “Texas is ranked 41st in overall child well-being, including indicators related to economic well-being, education, and health.” Therefore, more work needs to be done to ensure we are meeting some of the foundational levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs before we can justify placing high stakes on assessments. Assessment effectiveness should be a goal, but may only be achieved

if it yields opportunities for feedback, which contribute to academic growth. Director of the Melbourne Education Research Institute at the University of Melbourne, John Hattie, suggests there are five assessment strategies with the greatest effect size. However, I would like to focus on one of those: Deliberate practice. John Hattie’s research concludes, “Teachers need to take steps to deliberately improve student performance using the results from testing, such as teaching the specific skills needed to answer a difficult problem, making a success criteria explicit, or giving feedback to explain where the student needs to focus revision.” However, the type of data-analysis and intentional interventions in response to students’ assessment data required by this strategy are most effectively implemented by locally created assessments throughout the academic year as opposed to the standardized assessments administered at the conclusion of an academic year. What it boils down to is the current high stakes system of assessment administration is flawed. In yet another consequential election year, voters will have a plethora of choices to make when they arrive at their respective voting booths. However, there are myriad ways to remain aware of decisions regarding public education and prospective elected officials’ positions on high stakes testing. Please take time to educate yourself on the various issues affecting our public schools and contact your Texas legislators’ offices regularly. Get involved with the work of nonpartisan public education advocacy organizations to lobby for what is needed within our schools. Most importantly, find some way to volunteer in our public schools so you can see firsthand the value of local assessments and the effect of the educational interventions employed by our PAT R I C K M I L L E R extraordinary professionals to A passionate local educator and President of the Amarillo Branch support the academic growth of our NAACP, Patrick writes in every Texas scholars. issue about education, faith and forward momentum.

STRENGTH IN BEING BROKEN MAR | APR 2022

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hether you’ve lost your job, are recovering from physical or emotional pain, or have experienced personal tragedy, know that you can pick up the pieces of your life and patch yourself together stronger than ever. Although the trauma in your past cannot be changed, it can be managed in ways where it no longer dominates your life, and can, in fact, help improve your life. With the proper tools and support, it’s not only possible, but likely, that you will be able to live a positive and empowered life. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of mending broken pottery pieces back together with gold. This art form was developed from the idea that by embracing flaws and imperfections, you can create something that is even stronger and more beautiful than what you had before. Every crack is unique, and instead of repairing an item like new, this technique highlights the “scars” as a part of the design. In a world that idolizes physical perfection and showy lifestyles, embracing what is broken may seem weird. But learning to accept and honor scars and flaws is a powerful lesson. Viewing Kintsugi as a symbol for healing ourselves shows us something important—in the process of repairing things that have been broken, we can end up creating something that is more unique, beautiful and stronger than what it was before. An example of how past struggles can lead to a more fulfilling life is through post-traumatic growth. Most people have heard of posttraumatic stress, but many do not know about post-traumatic growth— the experience of positive change in your life after going through a highly stressful event.

Navy SEAL Commander Curt Cronin once said this: “After multiple years of back-to-back deployments, post-traumatic stress disorder continued to grow within the SEAL community. Learning about posttraumatic growth, learning to ask ‘how could these experiences serve us?’ and being pushed to own the experiences that we had been through and use them to fuel our future, proved a powerful tool in helping our individuals, teams and organization thrive, not in spite of the stress but because of it.” Post-traumatic growth doesn’t mean people emerge unhurt from traumatic events. However, researchers have discovered that many people report the following after experiencing a highly stressful event:1 • Renewed appreciation of life • Enhanced personal strength • Stronger, more meaningful relationships • Spiritual growth • Recognizing new paths for their life Stressful life events can also help you find the good in things. Finding the upside to misfortune changes the way people cope—they seek out support, report more hope for the future, and have a healthier physical response to stress. How you think about stress matters a great deal in terms of how you process it. Some people view stress as a threat, while others view it as a test of themselves. People who think of stressful events as a challenge and less like a threat report less depression and anxiety, and higher levels of energy, work performance, and life satisfaction.2 Some questions to ask yourself to help develop the ability to view events as challenges

mindset

No one would say that stressful events are always a positive thing. But there are ways to embrace your stress response as a powerful tool for helping you overcome the inevitable challenges that you will face in life. So, if you feel like your life is out of control and your stress levels are through the roof, know that past battles, even small ones, have given you the ability to manage the one you are facing now, even if it doesn’t feel that way. Resilience doesn’t always look pretty, and some days it’s just about getting through it as best you can. Even if your life feels broken, you can still make something beautiful with the pieces.

We all have battles to fight. And it’s often in those battles that we are most alive: it’s on the frontlines of our lives that we earn wisdom, create joy, forge friendships, discover happiness, find love, and do purposeful work.” —Eric Greitens

1. “Posttraumatic Growth: Conceptual Foundations and Empirical Evidence.” R. Tedeschi, L. Calhoun. 2004 2. “Rethinking stress: the role of mindsets in determining the stress response.” A. Crum, P. Salovey, S. Achor. 25 February 2013. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

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could include “Where do I have control in this situation?” and “What are my strengths?” And finally, stressful life events can increase your empathy for others and lead to improved self-confidence. Empathy is the ability to sense other people’s emotions, combined with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling. Living with empathy is more important than ever in our current society, when one can become jaded easily. And while an experience may be truly unpleasant and maybe even the toughest challenge of your life, it can also increase your confidence in your ability to conquer other challenges.

MAR | APR 2022

My scars remind me that I did indeed survive my deepest wounds … they remind me that the damage life has inflicted on me has, in many places, left me stronger and more resilient. What hurt me in the past has actually made me better equipped to face the present. —Steve Goodier

J I M W O M AC K Jim is the chief executive officer of Family Support Services of Amarillo, a local nonprofit that has been helping area residents since 1908. Jim has served as CEO of FSS since 2013, and has worked in various director positions in the nonprofit and criminal justice fields. Jim has undergraduate and graduate degrees from West Texas A&M University. Over the years, he has also worked as adjunct faculty for the University of Phoenix, as a probation officer, an educator, and as a mental health professional. Jim has also worked as a barista, a custodian, a bookseller, and a librarian; he has also delivered pizzas and newspapers, painted murals, and thrown his share of hay bales. Jim has served on many local and statewide boards and advisory committees, and has volunteered for many nonprofit causes. Jim and his wife, Jennifer, are residents of Amarillo. Jim can often be found hiking, taking pictures in out-of-the-way places, or rescuing dogs and keeping them “temporarily” until a good home can be found (which has, for the most part, meant they become a permanent part of the family).

retail therapy

SETTING THE TABLE FOR EASTER ver the past few years, countless locals have begun prioritizing the idea of shopping local. Rather than hand money over to Amazon or a big box store, they choose to support local retailers or artisans. We love this focus!

But dishware may represent one type of product that escaped the local radar. After all, plates are plates, right? But this area is home to some truly talented potters and glassmakers. With Easter approaching, it’s entirely possible to make a statement by setting your family table with beautiful, locally produced dinnerware. Each of these stunning designs are made by Amarillo-area artists.

MAR | APR 2022

PHOTOS BY SHANNON RICHARDSON

JOSH HOGGE GRAVY BOAT $27 FACEBOOK @JOSHHOGGEART

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BLUE SAGE POTTERY DINNER PLATE $50 SALAD PLATE $36 BOWL $34 BLUESAGEPOTTERY.COM

THE SOAP BOX DESSERT PLATES $12 EACH BOWLS $12 EACH INSTAGRAM @THE_SOAP_BOX OR FACEBOOK @THESOAPBOXAMARILLOTX

LAURIE DELLIS POTTERY & FUSED GLASS DINNER PLATE $32 SQUARE PLATE $24 SMALL PLATE $16

LARGE GLASS $22 SMALL GLASS $18

HAND-BLOWN, FILIGRANO MARGARITA SET $300 FILIGRANO LEMONADE SET $300; DRINKING GLASSES $75 EACH BLINDBIRDDESIGNS.COM

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BLIND BIRD DESIGNS

MAR | APR 2022

FACEBOOK @LAURIEDELLISPOTTERYANDFUSEDGLASS

MAR | APR 2022

n the Texas Panhandle, March can be a diabolical tease. A string of sunny, 70-degree afternoons can easily be followed by a blizzard or hard freeze. Many a local gardener has jumped the gun, planted in the unreliable sunshine, and awakened to a crop of sad, frozen plants.

That’s why Justin Young, the director of nutrition education at High Plains Food Bank—and the nonprofit’s gardening educator—says March is for garden planning, not planting. “Even though it may be cold, it’s still a great idea to get everything going now,” Young says. “So when May 1 hits, all you’ll have to do is put plants down. You don’t want to still be planning a garden and thinking it through when it’s time to plant.” Young advises local gardeners to check the 10-day forecast on April 15. If no snow is on the horizon, go ahead and plant. “To be completely safe, wait until May 1. If there’s no snow in the forecast, anything can go in the ground then.” He shares a few steps local gardeners can take now while they’re waiting.

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PL AN B EFO RE YOU PL ANT

A M E N D T HE S O I L. SE LECT A S P OT.

First-time gardeners need to be thinking now about a garden location, because May will be too late. “Make sure it’s accessible and easy to get to, but not high-traffic. You don’t want it to get trampled on by dogs,” he says. Look for a space that receives 6 to 8 hours of sun every day. For homeowners with existing gardens, March is the time to evaluate that location. If it needs more accessibility or sunlight, rethink your space now and get to work.

In the fall, Young always recommends that gardeners pile several inches of dry leaves atop their garden beds and leave them there all winter. As the leaves break down, they add nutrients to the soil. For those who didn’t take that early step, adding compost or other soil amendments in the spring is an essential step for Texas Panhandle clay. By enriching the soil before planting, you ensure future plants have all the nutrients they need. Be careful with application rates, though, especially for manure-based compost, which can be high in nitrogen. “It needs to be well-aged if you’re not going to till it in,” Young says. Gardeners have more leeway when top-dressing a bed with an inch or two of vegetable-based compost. “With homemade compost, you can get by with a 50/50 mix of the soil in the ground and your homemade compost,” he says. Mixing up the top inch or two of the soil is fine—you won’t be able to plant well in straight compost—but Young doesn’t recommend deep tilling. “That can wear out the life in your soil,” he says.

s p a ce s D E S I G N YO U R G A RD E N .

Once you’ve made a plan, look up the number of days it takes for a plant to reach maturity and backtrack from there. This is always listed on seed packs. Some cool-weather crops like chard or spinach can be planted in March. Others should wait until the warmer soil of early June. Base your planting schedule on those timelines. Also pay attention to which seeds can be sown directly into the ground and which need to start indoors. “You can actually start tomatoes inside around Valentine’s Day,” Young says. “They need a head start.” May is too late to plant tomato seeds, so at that point he recommends picking up tomato plants at a local greenhouse. March isn’t too late, though. Get those seeds started!

P L A N FO R WAT E R.

Young says irrigation is often an afterthought for new gardeners, but in a parched environment like ours, watering should be top of mind. “We live in a hot climate during the summer, and your garden needs to be watered every day. People don’t think about when they’re on vacation, or even if they’re out of town for the day,” he says. Young recommends solutions as inexpensive as a soaker hose and an automated timer. Water in the early morning when less water is likely to be lost to evaporation. The gardening season is about to begin. Sharpen your tools, select your seeds, and get ready.

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M A K E A S C HE D ULE .

MAR | APR 2022

“What are the crops you want to eat this spring and summer?” Young asks. Make that decision, and don’t just focus on what you want to eat, but what you should be eating. “If you grow it, you’re more likely to eat it.” Veteran gardeners will want to avoid planting the same crops in the same locations every year. “This depletes the soil,” Young says. “Certain plants take out certain nutrients.” It also increases the chance for pests or disease. From blight-causing bacteria to squash bugs, garden nemeses often hibernate or go dormant in the winter, ready to come to life when the temperatures warm. Crop rotation reduces these chances. Young recommends saving a map or photo of your garden every year so you can determine how to rotate plants.

SPR I NG INTO PL ANTIN G

ocal gardeners know the best summer harvests start inside the home, when the soil and weather are still too cool for planting. Most vegetables—apart from cool-season leafy greens—need to be sown before the last frost. If you’re growing from seed, that means sowing them in front of sunny windows or in a bright sunroom. Here are a few locally sourced products to get started. 2022 Farmer’s Almanac $9.98 Coulter Gardens & Nursery

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Garden Works soil scoop $39 Pete’s Greenhouse

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Kale Premier Blend seeds $3.99 Bean Bush Trio seeds $3.99 Carrot Calliope Blend $2.49 Pete’s Greenhouse

Fertilome seed & cutting $9.95 Coulter Gardens & Nursery

Ironwood Tool Co. gardener’s waist apron $34.99 Pete’s Greenhouse

Ferry-Morse seed starting heated mat $48.99 Pete’s Greenhouse

Accelaroot Jump Start $29.98 Coulter Gardens & Nursery

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Amarillo’s Trailblazers: MAR | APR 2022

THE BLACK MEN AND WOMEN WHO TRANSFORMED THE CITY

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BONES HOOKS

BY JASON BOYETT

he history of Amarillo’s influential men and women is written throughout the city, within the names of neighborhood subdivisions (Wolflin, Bivins) and on the names of elementary schools (Alice Landergin, Gene Howe). You can find that history on street signs, too. Prominent north-to-south streets like Hayden and Hughes originally had other names, but were rechristened a century ago to honor some of the city’s earliest law enforcement officers.

Jerry Calloway

Known as the first Black resident of Amarillo, Jerry Calloway arrived in the city when he was 18 years old. He came to Amarillo as an employee of the white Callaway family, who settled here in 1888. (Note: In the 19th century, many slaves ended up taking the family names of their owners. A generation after slavery ended, Amarillo history records Jerry’s name being spelled with an O, while the Callaway family spelled their name with an A.) Another member of Those historic names are familiar, but few locals know the the family—the wealthy heiress Melissa Dora Callaway Oliver-Eakle— stories behind these white pioneers. Even less eventually followed her brothers to Amarillo. recognized are the stories of Amarillo’s In those early days, the city wasn’t known for being PHOTO BY influential Black residents. On the north welcoming to people of color, but Calloway’s SHANNON side of town, Amarilloans encounter connection to a prominent family offered him RICHARDSON names like J.O. Wyatt, Charles protection. So did his size and demeanor. Warford and Bones Hooks, According to historian Paul Howard Carlson’s but not everyone recalls the Amarillo: The Story of a Western Town, Jerry enormous contributions of was “a giant of a man.” CLAUDIA those individuals—whether to Local educator and author Claudia STUART Amarillo’s Black community or Stuart says Jerry used his size and the city as a whole. position to stand up for the local Black “These stories are being community as the city began to diversify. lost,” says David Lovejoy, “Because Jerry was the first, he became a longtime local radio the protector of others,” says Stuart, who broadcaster and the current coauthored the book African Americans in first vice president of the Amarillo with Jean Stuntz. Amarillo Branch NAACP. “I learned When Black families arrived in town, my history in the home. That’s where many women would get jobs as domestic help I was taught. I learned a lot at the feet for wealthy families. Jerry was known to carry of my grandparents, great aunts and a whip and would keep an eye on these women as uncles, and older cousins.” they traveled from their homes in “The Flats”—the Black We asked Lovejoy and other local leaders to tell community north of downtown—to their workplaces at homes and those stories, helping contextualize the legacies left by prominent local hotels. As local Klan activity picked up in the 1920s, white men historical figures in Amarillo’s African American community. would sometimes harass those women. The jeering would stop as

AMARILLO GLOBE-NEWS PHOTO COLLECTION, PANHANDLE-PLAINS HISTORICAL MUSEUM, CANYON, TEXAS

KATHLYN HINES

PHOTO BY VENICE MINCEY

soon as Calloway showed up. “People knew Jerry. They knew his temperament and knew he was protected by this pioneer family,” Stuart says. She notes in her book that Calloway was widely recognized as “the bravest man in Amarillo.” Later in his life, Calloway worked for the Amarillo Hotel and, with other Black leaders, helped start Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, where he was known as “Brother Jerry.”

Bones Hooks

Born in 1867 to former slaves, Mathew “Bones” Hooks—so named because of his skinny frame—first arrived in the area with a reputation for being one of the best horse breakers in the West, attracting the attention of legendary figures like Charles Goodnight. One of the first Black cowboys to work alongside white ranch hands, Bones initially spent time on a Clarendon ranch, where he helped establish one of the first Black churches in West Texas. In 1900, though, he moved to Amarillo, first working as a hotel porter and then for the Santa Fe Railroad. Thanks to his legend, Bones rose to prominence within the city’s Black and white communities. In the 1920s, he used those connections to create the North Heights addition, a community designed for Amarillo’s growing Black population. When Bones had arrived, Amarillo had barely a dozen Black residents. But during the oil boom in the 1920s, many more families arrived and housing grew scarce. Black residents either lived in “the Flats”—an area of four square blocks near the railroad tracks—or in the servants’ quarters of wealthy white neighborhoods. To give these families more housing options, Bones worked with civic leader Lee Bivins and developer A.P. McSwain to purchase the higher land north of Amarillo, which he eventually developed into the North Heights. “I would say that he is the father of the Black community here in Amarillo,” says Floyd Anthony, a longtime Amarillo resident and former president of the local chapter of the NAACP. “As I was told, he

would come in on cattle drives and they would stop and water their horses at Wild Horse Lake. He used to look up the hill there and saw all that land. He got [city leaders] to allot land for Blacks to build houses.” He also played the role of goodwill ambassador. While Cal Farley’s Maverick Club was only open to underprivileged white children in those early years, Bones founded the Dogie Club to keep young Black boys out of trouble and teach them life skills. He was a charter member of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society. He became the first African American to sit on a Potter County Grand Jury. And he was known worldwide for giving out single white carnations to visiting dignitaries, to the families of deceased pioneers, and even to world leaders like Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. Newspaper accounts suggest he distributed more than 500 flowers in his lifetime—often accompanied by letters identifying himself as “Spokesman for the Colored Citizens of Amarillo.” His historical papers include dozens of letters of gratitude and commendation from people all over the world. “He was so widely respected by the community. A lot of Blacks didn’t have the status he had,” says Anthony. “By doing what he did, he opened up a lot of opportunities for African Americans, because he helped the white community look more favorably upon the Black community in the era of Jim Crow.” Bones passed away in 1951 at the age of 83. In 1976, the city named Bones Hooks park in the North Heights in his honor.

Mary Lou Harris Hazelrigg

Mrs. Hazelrigg grew up on her grandfather’s farm near Mount Pleasant, Texas, but moved to Amarillo in 1940 with her husband, Alexander. The couple spent the next 20 years working as janitors for the City of Amarillo, and then did private domestic work in the evenings for local families. They retired in 1960. In 1965, the couple began hosting Christmas parties in their 900-square-foot home at 206 N. Madison St. They invited

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FLOYD ANTHONY

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BONES HOOKS IN DOWNTOWN AMARILLO, COURTESY OF AMARILLO PUBLIC LIBRARY

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DAVID LOVEJOY

J.O. WYATT’S REPLY TO BONES HOOKS, AFTER BONES SUGGESTED THE PHYSICIAN SET UP A PRACTICE IN THE NORTH HEIGHTS. COURTESY OF THE BONES HOOKS COLLECTION, AMARILLO PUBLIC LIBRARY PHOTOS BY VENICE MINCEY

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underprivileged children from the North Heights community, recognizing that those families were likely too poor to give Christmas gifts. The first year, a dozen children attended and received gifts from the Hazelriggs. Even more came the next year. In the following years, the giveaway grew exponentially. Churches and businesses began contributing and, at one point, as many as 700 children would come to the Hazelrigg’s home to receive toys before the parties moved to the North Heights school. “I grew up at 202 N. Jefferson,” says Keith Grays, who serves in the music ministry at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church and owns In This Moment, a downtown event venue. “I used to walk one block over, across the alley, to Mrs. Hazelrigg’s house. I would get there and stand in line then go in the front door, through the living room, and out the back door and she would have a toy for you. She was an amazing woman.” Society often associates philanthropy with wealth, but Grays says Mrs. Hazelrigg showed him that the purest philanthropy comes from a heart for others rather than financial resources. “She was our philanthropist. She had a lot of love,” he says. Grays points out that today’s successful Northside Toy Drive has roots in her legacy. “That vision was written with Mary Hazelrigg.” In the late 1960s, she lobbied the City for a park on a vacant

half-block in her neighborhood, and eventually convinced the Parks and Recreation Board to establish one, complete with trees and playground LINDA AND equipment. Mary Hazelrigg Park, at ALPHONSO VAUGHN Northwest Fourth Avenue and Jefferson Street, is now located right across from her former home. Hazelrigg was named the Amarillo Globe-News Woman of the Year in 1982—the first African American to earn that honor—and passed away in 1990.

Dr. Melvin and Kathlyn Hines

After Dr. Melvin Hines and his wife, Kathlyn, moved to Amarillo in 1937, he broke ground as the first African-American dentist accepted into the Amarillo Dental Society. His family soon rose to prominence in the North Heights. He served as a trustee of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church and became a charter member of the Amarillo branch of the NAACP. “He was the epitome of what could be for an African American,” says Alphonso Vaughn, a past NAACP president and current Potter County Commissioner. “This was a man who had been one of the first African Americans to be admitted to his dental school. He meant a lot to this community—he was a man who had prestige but was still a man of the people. He believed in serving his community, he and his wife.”

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J.O. WYATT

RUBY LEWIS

PHOTO BY ANGELINA MARIE, SHORT EARED DOG PHOTOGRAPHY

KEITH GRAYS His wife was a teacher. Kathlyn Hines eventually became the first African-American member of the Amarillo Teachers Association and the city’s first Black Girl Scout leader. Beyond that, she was known for giving music lessons in her home and leading music at Mount Zion. “Sister Hines was the musician when I attended [Mount Zion] as a little boy,” Alphonso says. Linda Vaughn, a longtime local educator who was recently honored as the 2021 Amarillo Globe-News Woman of the Year, remembers the Hines’ home being one of the most beautiful in the neighborhood. “People were always going in and out,” she says. “I heard my mother talking about going to Christmas teas at the Hines’ home. It was a social place to be. When you have a community when everyone is working together and building community, it becomes like family.” The home still stands at 14th and Hughes. Having a Black dentist was vital to the community, Alphonso says. “During the earlier days, African American people were not treated with as much respect as they should have been if they had to go to a white doctor or dentist.” Dr. Hines practiced dentistry for 50 years, retiring not long before his death in 1988. Hines Memorial Park, located along North Ong between Northwest 18th and 20th streets, near the Warford Community Center, is named for the family.

Ruby Lewis (Lady Cool Breeze)

Born in 1922, Ruby Lewis was the first Black radio disc jockey in the Texas Panhandle as well as the first female in that position. Her

radio career began in the 1950s and lasted until she retired in 1987. “A woman like Ruby Lewis, she had two strikes against her,” says broadcaster David Lovejoy. “She was of color and she was a woman. But she didn’t let those obstacles deter her message. She was told several times ‘They’re not going to hire you. They won’t let you do that.’ But Ruby didn’t back down from a challenge.” Her first job was at KAMQ-AM in 1954, where she played jazz and R&B music. Eventually landing on KGNC, Lewis applied her mellow voice to music, news, and even hosted a half-hour theater drama on weeknights. Though their careers didn’t overlap, Lovejoy remembers listening to Lady Cool Breeze during his childhood, and that influence drew him into his own radio career. “She felt comfortable in every corner of the community—black or white, poor or rich. She covered every aspect of the media. She was a broadcasting giant in this state,” he says. She was even a ground-breaking leader before her radio career. As a young woman, Ruby Lewis became one of the first Black employees of the downtown Woolworth’s department store, working the counter and waiting on white patrons. Lovejoy remembers hearing stories about how she applied for the job multiple times—facing rejection after rejection—until they hired her. “That was a chance to show that if you’re good enough and you work hard, you can’t deny

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COURTESY OF AMARILLO PUBLIC LIBRARY

AMARILLO GLOBE-NEWS PHOTO COLLECTION, PANHANDLE-PLAINS HISTORICAL MUSEUM, CANYON, TEXAS

someone because of color,” Lovejoy says. “She broke the barrier and was an exemplary employee.” Ruby Lewis was a member of Carter Chapel CME Church for more than six decades. She passed away in 2016.

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Silas C. Patten

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Known as one of the first North Heights residents to own a car, Silas C. Patten came to Amarillo from Houston and, in 1925, began serving as the principal of the Frederick Douglass School—the city’s first school for Black students. He was also a pastor and founded the church that later became Johnson Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church. The Frederick Douglass school was located near the railroad tracks on the 100 block of Harrison. Linda Vaughn says her foster mother went to school there. “It was the only place African American kids could go,” Vaughn says. The community knew Patten as “Professor Patten.” At the time, the Frederick Douglass school only served elementary-age children, Vaughn says. “Professor Patten thought ‘We’ve got to do something about this.’” So in 1928, Patten donated his family home in the North Heights, at 18th and Hughes, to become the Patten School, the first high school in the entire Texas Panhandle for Black students. The road to the four-room school wasn’t yet paved, but “parents got their kids there,” Vaughn says. S.C. Patten acted as principal of the Patten School until the original Carver school opened in 1947. “If you had a school in the community, then you had community development,” says Linda’s husband, Alphonso. “Everything revolved around the school.” Linda says Professor Patten believed that every child needed to receive as much education as possible. “That was his goal and why he gave so much back to the community.” She and Alphonso still attend Patten’s church, Johnson Chapel AME. “He was very influential in the community.” Unfortunately, the building housing the Patten school and home no longer exist. A parking lot for North Heights Church of Christ now covers that original location.

Charles E. Warford

Charles Warford and his single mother, Nellie Parker, moved to Amarillo in 1937, just in time for him to become one of the original members of Bones Hooks’ Dogie Club. Warford graduated from the Patten School before joining the Navy, where he served on a destroyer during World War II. After the war, Warford attended mortuary school in Houston, then returned to Amarillo in 1962 to found Warford Mortuary. That business is still open today as the oldest continuously operated African-American business in the city. Freda Powell, Amarillo’s Mayor Pro Tem and first Black councilwoman, is the general manager of the mortuary and worked with Warford prior to his death in 2017. “From 1962 until his death, his stance was he wanted to be the go-to person in the community and help the African American community with whatever need they had,” Powell says. She remembers local residents coming into the mortuary not to make funeral arrangements, but to get Warford’s help with opening a bank account or securing a birth certificate. “He didn’t do anything elaborate,” she says. “He just focused

on helping people at the time of their need and even before their need.” She says Warford was as interested in building and sustaining relationships as he was in building and sustaining a business. “His focus wasn’t on making money but on making friends. If you did that, the business would automatically come,” says Powell. Mortuary science was one of the first integrated career fields, and the United States has a long history of Black-owned funeral homes. Those opportunities elevated morticians like Warford into leadership roles across the United States, particularly in communities like the North Heights. Warford and his wife, Wilma, took their leadership seriously. “He just truly loved people for who they were,” says Powell. Warford served as a deacon and trustee at Mount Zion Baptist Church and helped establish Amarillo’s United Citizens Forum in 1981. The Amarillo chapter of the NAACP honored him in 2002 with its Lifetime Achievement Award, and the City of Amarillo’s Charles E. Warford Activity Center spotlights his ongoing legacy.

J.O. Wyatt

A graduate of Samuel Huston College in Austin and then Meharry Medical College in Nashville, James Odis Wyatt practiced medicine in San Angelo and Kerrville before moving to Amarillo in 1939, at the request of Bones Hooks. Because of his race, he was denied privileges at both local hospitals, so he opened his own clinic in the North Heights. Dr. Wyatt bought an entire block to serve the city’s Black residents as a primary care physician. He lived on his property, provided nurses’ quarters, and managed Wyatt Memorial Hospital-Clinic. Most of the children born in the local Black community during the 1940s and 1950s were delivered by Dr. Wyatt, along with nurses including Billie Murphy and Marguerite Saunders. Wyatt successfully advocated for the desegregation of Amarillo College in 1951 (see page 45). And after the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling in 1954, Wyatt decided to run for the school board. He believed an African American should be involved in the coming school desegregation steps, and in the process became the first Black resident to seek public office in Amarillo. The day after he announced his candidacy in 1955, locals burned a cross on Wyatt’s lawn. He ignored it and continued his campaign, which was ultimately unsuccessful. “He certainly was a hero in many aspects,” says Patrick Miller, the current Amarillo Branch NAACP President and one of two assistant principals at Eastridge Elementary School. “I’m amazed at the resilience he displayed. Despite being denied the privilege of admittance to the hospital, as a medical professional, he embraced that entrepreneurial spirit and opened his own clinic. He championed his own cause for the betterment of his community.” Potter County Commissioner Alphonso Vaughn was born at J.O. Wyatt’s hospital in 1951, just a few months after Bones Hooks’ death. “We couldn’t go to Northwest Texas Hospital. His services mattered at the time,” Vaughn says. Today, the Northwest J.O. Wyatt Clinic recognizes his legacy at 1411 Amarillo Boulevard East. His original property is now home to the Amarillo United Citizens Forum and Black Historical Culture Center. Dr. Wyatt passed away in 1958.

DELORES THOMPSON AND ANGELA ALLEN

BY CHIP CHANDLER

ears removed from the excitement and tensions of charting a new path, several West Texas A&M University alumni found catharsis and a renewed connection during a recent anniversary event. Several of WT’s first Black students, staff and faculty members were honored in October for their efforts in integrating WT’s campus. The Celebrating 60 Years of Integration dinner, held on Oct. 8 as part of WT’s Homecoming events, was an emotional evening for those who took part. “That night was the first time many of our earliest Black students have returned to campus since they graduated, and they told me how meaningful this celebration was,” says Angela Allen, the University’s chief diversity and inclusion officer. “The experiences they had at WT helped them become who they were meant to be in their personal and professional lives.” Black students first arrived on campus at the then-West Texas State College beginning in 1960. They paved the way for countless other students of color who have earned their degrees at WT in the decades since, as well as faculty and staff members who help WT reflect the diverse population of the region it serves. “Our Black students and all of our students of color today owe a debt of gratitude to those who took the first steps toward integration at WT,” Allen says. “Indeed, all students and the entire WT community need to hear these students’ stories. WT has a fundamental commitment to equity and dignity for all, and remembering and learning from our shared past shows us how far we’ve come and how far we have to go.” WTSC denied applications from at least two male Black students in 1959, but when John Mathew Shipp Jr. took his

case to court, U.S. District Judge Joe B. Dooley found in February 1960 Texas’ attempt to maintain racially exclusionary colleges to be unconstitutional. That opened the doors to Betty Jo Thomas, Mae Deane Franklin and Roy Watson, who enrolled in fall 1960. She was followed in spring 1961 by Helen Neal, who attended WT to complete a college degree begun at Langston College, a historically Black college in Oklahoma. WT’s mission of creating a diverse and inclusive studentcentered community of learners is now a key tenet of the University’s long-term plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World. That plan is being fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. “At WT, we embrace the opportunity of enhancing our experiences and cultural perspectives, and we also believe in learning from the past,” WT President Walter V. Wendler said in a video message at the dinner. “We continue to aspire to create a welcoming and inclusive campus that will engage in action-oriented solutions to address discrimination and support all who come to WT.” Since that October event, Allen’s diversity office has received donations from alumni who had never before given to WT. Neal, who graduated in 1962 and was a community leader in Amarillo until her 2013 death, wanted to set a good example for her four young girls, daughter Delores Thompson says. “She and Daddy (Nathaniel ‘Nat’ Neal) met at Langston. When they got married, she didn’t get to finish her degree,” Thompson says. “She always thought that was important, and she wanted to be a good role model for us four girls.” In that initial group’s footsteps, other Black students began arriving, encouraged by the willingness of Coach Joe Kerbel to recruit Black athletes. Continued on p. 44

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Paving the Way: The Stories of WT’s First Black Students

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PROVIDED PHOTOS

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ROUSHELL HAMILTON JR. AND ROY WATSON

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JUDY TURNER AND ANGELA ALLEN

DR. LAL ALMAS AND CLAUDIA STUART OF WTAMU

Claudia Stuart, who arrived at WT in 1967, says she felt some racial tensions during her time as a student, particularly centering on the flying of the Confederate flag at football games. “We formed a committee to go and talk about the flag with the administration and how things could be settled down a little bit because the history of the Confederate flag was different for us than it was for (white students),” Stuart says. “It took years— years—but we stayed with it. “I was part of the Student Senate,” Stuart continues. “We were always having discussions on how to make things better for all of the students here at WT.” Stuart later returned to WT for her master’s degree, then taught sociology and criminal justice for 20 years. Now a professor emeritus, Stuart this year was named a Distinguished Alumna. Judy Turner, who started classes in 1967, had a harder time adjusting. “I remember a time when I went into a classroom

and sat down kind of in the middle of the room,” Turner recalls. “I was the only Black student in there—in fact, that was the way it was from the time I entered WT until the time I graduated—and no one sat beside me or in front of me, so I felt out of place. “I carried that with me until I graduated from WT. It was so stark that it was one of those things that never went away.” In addition to Watson, Stuart, Turner and the Neal family, the dinner also honored former students and alumni Ron King and Billy Cannon, as well as Roger Scott, who was the first Black staff member hired at WT. There’s a burden to being one of the first, says Turner, who went on to teach English at Caprock High School. “But you can share what you’ve learned with those who are to come,” she says. “I’ve seen changes, and I’m hoping it continues, and I believe it will because I believe the younger generation is the one that will help that become a reality.”

BY JOE WYATT AND JASON BOYETT

n October 1, 1951, Amarillo College welcomed its first Black scholars into its student body, three years before Brown v. Board of Education, when the Supreme Court ruled racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional. In doing so, AC became one of the first three publicly supported Texas colleges to desegregate. It may have been the first. But like so many stories related to desegregation, the history is complex. In the early 1950s, leaders of Amarillo’s Black community, including Dr. J.O. Wyatt, began arguing that they had been paying taxes that supported Amarillo College, and that college courses should be available to graduates from Carver High School. The Amarillo College Board listened to these complaints, and offered to start separate college courses at Carver starting Sept. 1, 1951. Initially the Black community agreed to this, but in the summer months leading up to the fall semester, leading citizens—including Amarillo’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Carver PTA—still had not heard any details from Amarillo College. No one knew who would be teaching the courses or even what courses would be available. Dr. Wyatt, who was opposed to segregation in the first place, arranged for a meeting with the AC Board, leading a group not only to ask those questions, but to also take it a step further: The group informed AC that separate college classes at Carver were not enough. They asked for full admission to Amarillo College. In what must have seemed like a surprise decision at the time, AC’s leadership not only listened to those requests but ultimately agreed

to them. After a lengthy discussion, the Board voted to allow Black students immediate admission for the fall semester of 1951.

The First Black Students at AC

Celia Ann Bennett, Freddie Imogene Jackson, Willetta F. Jackson and Dorothy Reese enrolled at AC in October 1951 and began attending classes. By most public accounts, the integration went smoothly. But not everyone in the community was on board. Within the next few days, right after the semester began, someone burned a cross on the Amarillo College campus. Willetta Jackson shared about this in Bruce G. Todd’s biography of Bones Hooks. “I have never been afraid as I was that day when the cross was laying on the ground burning,” she told Todd. The incident happened that October, and Jackson saw the cross as she arrived for morning classes. “As I went across, I started praying,” Jackson remembered. The women weren’t deterred, however. Celia Ann Bennett went on, in the spring of 1953, to become AC’s first Black graduate. The integration of Amarillo College had influence beyond its own campus, because around the same time, in the fall of 1951, Amarillo High School began allowing Black students to take certain classes at AHS if they weren’t available at Carver. Todd speculates that this partial desegregation was likely influenced by the AC decision. In fact, AC may have been the first public undergraduate college in Texas to integrate. The University of Texas Law School had allowed a Black student to enter following a Supreme Court ruling in 1950, and the private Wayland Baptist University voluntarily desegregated in May 1951.

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From Desegregation to Anti-Racism at Amarillo College

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PROVIDED PHOTOS

That means Amarillo College was among the first of three public institutions of higher education in the state to admit Black students to regular classes. “Texas Southmost College in Brownsville and Howard County Junior College in Big Spring had also voted to admit Black students, but whether they had admitted any at that time isn’t clear,” wrote the late Dr. Joe F. Taylor in his 1979 book, The AC Story: Journal of a College. Despite the complicated history, what is clear is that AC decided to desegregate before racial integration was common. In his book, Taylor pointed out that Texas state law at the time still provided for segregated schools. He also describes the AC Board’s concerns about how the Amarillo community—along with AC students and faculty—might react to its decision. But as it turns out, community complaints “were minimal.” By the time other schools were being compelled to desegregate, years later, Black students were already common on the Amarillo College campus.

ABOVE: KAREN WELCH, HILARY HULSEY, BRIAN FRANK AND NOLYN HILL COLLABORATED TO PRODUCE “LIVING WHILE BLACK” FOR PANHANDLE PBS, WINNING A REGIONAL EMMY AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY. Head to brickandelm.com to read an exclusive story from Panhandle PBS‘s Karen Welch about the series Living While Black.

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A Path Toward Anti-Racism

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Today, AC continues to demonstrate a willingness to challenge the status quo. As recently as August 2020, the AC Board of Regents adopted a five-year Strategic Plan, and among its key elements is a focus on building systems for equity gains. This includes inclusivity training among the Board of Regents and employees, continued equitable access to AC and its resources, and a top-down desire that Amarillo College becomes an “antiracist” institution. The term anti-racist means more than “not being racist.” The latter is a passive response. As long as people are simply “not racist,” the long-standing, systematic inequalities of racism can continue. Anti-racism takes a more active response. It seeks to tear down that system, advocating and promoting equity for People of Color. Anti-racism means asking hard institutional questions, and Amarillo College is committed to making changes based on that self-reflection. “This Board understands that this community is stronger when we are unified in purpose, when we are understanding of all facets of our community,” says AC President Russell Lowery-Hart. “The goal of our anti-racist initiative is to move us to a post-racial reality. We can get there only by understanding the role race plays in the decisions we make and the actions we take, and make a conscious effort to remove any and all impediments to racial tolerance.” In the fall of 2020, in response to that summer’s protests against injustice, Amarillo College’s Student Life department launched a Black Student Union and a Hispanic Student Association. These student organizations strive to create a welcoming place for students of color by focusing on, among other things, networking, community service, personal growth and intercultural awareness. The desegregation of Amarillo College may not be a simple story. But it is a story of hard conversations, a willingness to listen, and important steps forward. That progress continues today. With student participation on the upswing and an action plan in place, AC continues to work hard to serve all its constituents equally— echoing a historic decision it made more than 70 years ago.

FLOYD ANTHONY (RIGHT) AND CLAUDIA STUART (ABOVE) IN STILL FRAMES FROM “LIVING WHILE BLACK.”

A note from Jason & Michele For space reasons, we limited this feature to eight historic leaders of Amarillo’s Black community. From pastors to business owners to the legendary coaches and school teachers at Carver High School, we know many, many other leaders had just as much influence. These include individuals like Clifford Austin, Rev. Inez Z. Chance, Eddie Lee Jones, Johnny N. and Jewelle Allen, Nathaniel and Helen Neal, Iris Lawrence, Marvell White, and Lola Whitaker. We regret that we could only profile a few of these men and women in this issue. For a broader history of the local Black community, we recommend the books African Americans in Amarillo (by Claudia Stuart and Jean Stuntz) and the 2005 biography Bones Hooks: Pioneer Negro Cowboy (by Bruce G. Todd).

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PREOCCUPATION WITH The growth of Amarillo’s distinctive skyline since 1925 ANB PLAZA ONE RULE BUILDING

AMARILLO BUILDING

MAXOR BUILDING

ANB PLAZA TWO

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HERRING HOTEL

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CARLANDER ART COURTESY OF PPHM

BY WES REEVES

erhaps it was the perceived emptiness of the sky that drove the great men and women of Amarillo’s ascendant years to enliven it with tall buildings.

Or maybe they heard Lubbock was laying plans to build higher. Whatever the motivation, Amarilloans started building tall in the 1920s, back when an eight-story building was considered a skyscraper. Tall buildings continued to spring from the sod as late as the 1980s, and then the growth mostly stopped. But what we got was more than enough to stake our city to a sometimes hostile claim. As we wind our way through the river breaks on a drive back into town, we all look forward to catching that first glimpse of a city on the faraway steppe. Our familiar skyline has become an “icon of place” as the Houston-based

architectural historian Anna Mod calls it. And it reminds us of where we’ve been and what we’re capable of doing. Mod has grown familiar with Amarillo’s skyline as a consultant for several historic downtown properties, including the American National Bank/SPS Tower, recently renamed FirstBank Southwest Tower. She understands the visual impact of tall buildings and their role in advertising what we have to offer. “Amarillo’s skyscrapers pierce the big sky of the high Texas Plain,” Mod says. “And given the vastness of the surrounding landscape, they have elbow room as they tell us about the city’s cattle, banking, and oil and gas industries.” In the end, that tale is as much about people as it is bricks and mortar—the colorful characters who built their triumphs and failures into every component part.

MODERN-DAY BUILDING PHOTOS BY ANGELINA MARIE, SHORT EARED DOG PHOTOGRAPHY

HIGH ELEVATION FBSW TOWER SANTA FE BUILDING

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AERIAL PHOTO BY CHRIS HALE

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THE BARFIELD

FISK BUILDING

THE HERRING HOTEL

FirstB a nk Southwest Tower a nd Pl a z a One

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(600 S. TYLER AND 410 S. TAYLOR)

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Amarillo was all swagger for much of its early life, but in the late 1960s, the city’s confidence hit the skids. Amarillo Air Force Base, the city’s major employer, was marked for closure beginning in 1964. The population, which had been on a positive trajectory since the city’s founding, fell from a 1963 high of close to 167,000 to just 127,000 residents by 1970—a loss of almost a quarter of the population. Richard Ware, chairman of Amarillo National Bank and ranking member of one of the chief families of skyline builders, remembers the effects of the great depopulation vividly. “The whole Eastridge subdivision was vacant out there. If there were 400 homes, 350 of them were vacant,” he says. Even so, Amarillo National Bank’s Fourth and Polk location was decidedly overpopulated by the time Ware and his brother, the late Bill Ware, joined the bank in the 1960s. Office space was at such a premium that Bill Ware had to share a desk with another bank employee. Richard Ware’s father, B.T. “Tol” Ware II, believed a new skyscraper would solve the bank’s space crunch and give Amarillo a needed morale boost. His planned building, dubbed Plaza One, would also provide a new home for Southwestern Public Service Company, to boost the profitability of such a venture. About this time, competitor American National Bank joined forces with Trans America Group, a Tulsabased developer of tall buildings, with skyscraper plans of their own. According to Ware, Trans America also went after SPS by offering a square-foot price of $5, which was 50 cents cheaper than Plaza One space. The price was right for SPS, and the utility company instead sealed a deal with Trans America. The American National Bank/SPS Tower would rise to a height of 31 floors. Undeterred, the Wares moved forward with their plan to build Plaza One without SPS, opting for a solid 16 floors and calling it good. By 1969, both skyscrapers were rising in downtown Amarillo. Tol Ware sited Plaza One to face Taylor Street, which he saw as Amarillo’s new main street. Dallas architect Thomas E. Stanley delivered a strikingly modern structure in the International Style of Mies van der Rohe—a sleek and elegant bronze tower floating on an airy base. A few blocks west at Sixth and Tyler, Kelley Marshall & Associates of Tulsa with associate architect Arthur Vaughan employed the same aesthetic in dark blue on the American National Bank/SPS Tower but capped the top two floors with a row of white arches characteristic of the New Formalism movement of modern architecture. Both buildings formally opened in 1972 as the Amarillo economy began a steady rebound, visual affirmations of the city’s will to shake it off. American National Bank eventually faded away in a series of mergers. SPS, now part of Xcel Energy, moved to a new building in 2017. But Amarillo’s tallest building thrives as the rechristened FirstBank Southwest Tower. And Amarillo National Bank, bolstered by a new generation of Wares, is still championing Amarillo’s success from its longtime home in Plaza One.

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T h e Ama ril l o Bui ld i n g ( 301 S. POLK)

In 1920, Amarillo was a city of fewer than 16,000 inhabitants and its skyline was primarily a vista of church spires and a few remaining windmills. But the seeds of an urbane cityscape had already been sown in late 1918 with the completion of Masterson No. 1, a gas well north of the city producing 5 million cubic feet of natural gas a day. It was the beginning of a boom in fossil fuel extraction that attracted new wealth to the city and transformed downtown into a modern business center. Gen. Ernest O. Thompson, a veteran of World War I who would make his name known as a hotelier, mayor and a statewide leader in oil and gas regulation, was the first to build tall in 1925. He chose the Kansas City firm of Shepard & Wiser to design an eight-story office building in two phases at Third and Polk. The north tower came first, followed by a second adjoining tower identical to the first about a year later. Both units quickly filled with professionals engaged in the oil and gas business. Upon completion of the second tower in December 1926, a frontpage story in the Dec. 19 edition of the Amarillo Sunday News-Globe laid it on thick: “Towering paramount in a city of rapidly growing skyscrapers—the Amarillo Building—the first accomplishment in high buildings in this city, stands as a living memorial to faith, conception and achievement.” The Amarillo Building has seen many iterations since, but at this late date is still keeping the faith as a premier office address, a testament to its solid design and general appeal.

Ol iver -E a k l e B uil ding/B a rfiel d B uil ding/B a rfiel d Hotel (600 S. POLK)

As Amarillo’s oil boom gained steam in the mid 1920s, it wasn’t long until someone decided to build just a bit higher, and that someone was an Amarillo developer with a history of defying convention. Melissa Dora Oliver-Eakle, a wealthy Mississippi widow, came to Amarillo in the 1890s to join her brothers and invest her considerable wealth in land. By the 1920s she was developing real estate for residential and commercial uses and announced plans in 1926 to build an office building at Sixth and Polk. The first press reports of Oliver-Eakle’s building mentioned a height of only eight floors. But as the boom raged on, “the Duchess” as she was known, blew the lid off the brick ceiling in downtown Amarillo and went for 10. Noted Fort Worth architect Wyatt C. Hedrick designed a stately office tower crowned with a classical entablature and Corinthian pilasters. The building officially opened in the spring of 1927, housing a variety of professional offices, and a little bit more. “A leader in the temperance movement, she (Oliver-Eakle) was smart enough to have a speakeasy in her office building,” said Beth Duke, executive director of Center City of Amarillo referring to the Paramount Recreation Club in the basement. Eventually the Duchess’s grandson, B.R. Barfield, took charge and renamed it the Barfield Building. By the late ’80s the building emptied out, and after sitting vacant and neglected for more than 30 years, it was resurrected as The Barfield, Autograph Collection hotel, in 2021.

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AMARILLO’S SKYLINE IN THE LATE 1930S

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Fi sk Me d ic a l Art s an d Profe ssi ona l B uil ding/C ourtya rd by Ma rriott D ow n t ow n ( 724 S. POLK)

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Architect Guy Carlander came to Amarillo in the service of the Santa Fe Railroad in 1919 and struck out on his own in 1920. There was no better time for an architect to leave their mark on the city. When the tall buildings began to rise, they grew in the traditional business core of lower Polk. But by 1926, Charles A. Fisk, president of Amarillo Bank and Trust, was convinced downtown’s future was to the south and laid plans for an 11-story Polk Street edifice at Eighth Avenue to house his bank and prove his point. Fisk added some sizzle by hiring Carlander, fresh off designing Northwest Texas Hospital. Carlander set the Fisk Building apart by using a dark red brick and employing some of the same Gothic design elements that made his hospital so alluring. The crowning glory was the offsetting terracotta trim and finials on the upper floors—adding just enough without saying too much. Unlike some of the other 1920s skyscrapers, the Fisk never dissolved into ruin before it was adapted for new purposes. A 1970s makeover updated the interiors and it remained in service as an office building up to the point it was retrofitted to become The Courtyard by Marriott hotel in 2010.

were made to breathe life into the Rule, it has remained entirely empty for the past 30-plus years. MAR | APR 2022

W.S. Rule was employed by the LX Ranch and served as the manager of the Henry B. Sanborn Estate. But it’s safe to surmise his foray into commercial property had much to do with the real estate bonanza of oil boom Amarillo. He hired Shepard & Wiser, the same Kansas City architects who designed the neighboring Amarillo Building, to craft a simple but attractive eight-story brick and terracotta structure at Third and Polk, with a three-story garage on its northern flank. In 1947, Southwestern Public Service Company purchased the building for its new headquarters. SPS added modern touches in the early ’50s, hiring the young artist Stefan Kramar to paint a 20-foot ground floor mural of Reddy Kilowatt commanding horsepower incarnate with his lightning bolts above scenes of progress. SPS reclad the ground floor exterior in polished granite panels and retrofitted the upper garage floors in a highly modern Mad Men aesthetic. By the 1960s SPS had outgrown its home and finally vacated the Rule Building in 1971 for its lofty new headquarters in the American National Bank/SPS Tower on Tyler Street. Though later attempts

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Ru le B uil d in g ( 219 S. POLK)

Sa nt a Fe Genera l Office B uil di ng (900 S. POLK)

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With its enormous neon-trimmed red letters spelling out “Santa Fe” on all four sides of its crown, the Santa Fe Building has long served as a beacon for travelers coming into the city. For more than 40 years, it reigned supreme as Amarillo’s tallest building. The 1908 arrival of the Santa Fe railroad was a watershed moment for the city, firmly establishing Amarillo as a national transportation hub. The Santa Fe continued to expand, and by the late 1920s it was estimated the railroad accounted for one-sixth of all business activity in the city. In 1928, the railroad broke ground at Ninth and Polk on an elegant but highly functional skyscraper home for its 585 office workers. Prolific and talented Santa Fe company architect E.A Harrison, who also conceived the Santa Fe Depot on Grant Street, had the privilege of designing the new $1.5 million skyscraper that opened in 1930. The 14-floor, gothic-inspired Santa Fe Building expresses a modern, almost art deco feel. Clad entirely in pale terracotta, it is radiant in the daylight and casts an alpenglow of muted oranges and reds as the sun rises and falls. Corporate restructuring and downsizing in the 1980s took a toll on the Santa Fe’s white collar employment in Amarillo, and by decade’s end the railroad turned out the lights and mothballed its downtown showplace. Potter County purchased it for office space in the 1990s, and after a restoration funded largely by federal transportation grants, the building reopened to the public in 2000. The red neon letters were relit atop the building, bringing back some of the magic downtown had lost over the years.

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A CHRISTMAS CARD FROM ARCHITECT GUY CARLANDER AROUND 1932

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As Amarillo’s recovery from the economic sucker punch of the 1960s picked up speed, Richard and Bill Ware, sons of Plaza One’s driving force B.T. “Tol” Ware II, focused their energies on rebuilding Amarillo’s economy and expanding the influence of the bank their family had controlled since the 1890s. ANB’s rivalry with the mighty First National Bank of Amarillo was also a great motivator, as Richard Ware remembers, and played a role in beefing up Amarillo’s skyline in the ’70s and ’80s. “First National dominated things. They had that big strong board and they were doing most of the stuff. Bill and I really started going after them though,” says Ware. In the mid-70s, First National developed a five-story headquarters at Seventh and Fillmore along with multiple outlying office buildings connected by underground tunnels. Amarillo National, seeking additional space, answered the challenge in 1984 with a 12-story building that opened as Pioneer Plaza/Plaza Two, designed to house bank functions and the new headquarters for Amarillo-based Pioneer Corporation. Plaza Two, located across Fifth Avenue from Plaza One along Taylor Street, was distinctly different from anything that had come before. The Dallas architectural firm of Harwood K. Smith and Partners designed a modified rhombus floor plan that provided a greater share of corner offices. Covered head to toe in mirrored glass, it has a chameleon-like ability to blaze an Amarillo sunrise or take on the puffy clouds of a summer day. Upon completion, Plaza Two was the face of a new, post-bust Amarillo that hadn’t forgotten how to dream big. Then things got a little weird in Amarillo, again. A global energy bust hit Texas hard in the late 1980s. Pioneer, threatened by hostile takeover, was compelled to sell its struggling nonregulated business to downtown neighbor T. Boone Pickens at Mesa Petroleum, leaving the top four floors of Plaza Two mostly vacant. Pickens grudgingly honored a 10-year lease, but the dissolution of Pioneer was an unexpected setback for Amarillo’s newest tall building. Since those days, Amarillo’s economy has diversified considerably. It didn’t take long after Pioneer’s departure to fill the empty space at Plaza Two, and the building is still considered a top-tier downtown office address. Bill Ware saw this location as the heart of Amarillo, and after his passing in 2012, the bank placed a large red heart at the entrance of Plaza Two. It doesn’t just memorialize his vision, but beats for the city that still dreams of touching the sky.

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A ma ril l o Nat i on al Ban k Pl a z a Two ( 500 S. TAYLOR)

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The contemporary design of the apartments was overseen by Marjorie Hagan Ellis of Stephens & Hagan Interior Design, and includes upgraded appliances and neutral colors, accented by abundant natural light.

PHOTOS BY SHANNON RICHARDSON

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HIGH-RISE LIVING DOWNTOWN An exclusive look at Residence at 600, Amarillo’s newest luxury apartments

“walkable urbanism” is one of the keys to reviving a downtown neighborhood like Amarillo’s. Urban environments don’t just need entertainment options, restaurants or retail. They need people. Especially the presence of people after the workday ends. Thriving neighborhoods are 24/7 neighborhoods, so converting former industrial or office space into residential space is often the first step in this process. The building’s owner was intrigued by the idea and agreed to fund the process of remodeling two floors into luxury residential apartments. Then the pandemic hit. As with nearly all local construction projects in 2020 and 2021, timeframes got pushed back. Meanwhile, a surge of commercial leases on the rest of the building returned its business occupancy to normal levels. The tower finally opened the Residence at 600 apartments last year, putting 14 one- and twobedroom apartments on the market. As of Brick & Elm’s publication date, half of the apartments, which are located on the building’s 10th and 11th floors, are now leased. The Jensens viewed their apartment as something of an experiment. They had put their much-larger house on the market and begun to think about building. Then the house sold much faster than they expected. They needed a place to live—if only while waiting for their home to be completed. It turns out they love the downtown apartment life, from the security they feel to the way they’ve gotten to meet their neighbors—business and residential—riding up and down the elevators. “It’s pretty great,” Gary says. He points down Tyler Street, out the massive windows that spill early afternoon sun across his open dining room and kitchen. The views from this height are incredible, and six blocks to the south, the steeple of First Baptist Church pierces the blue sky. “That’s our church right there. We can literally walk to church if we want. That’s pretty neat.”

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“W

e thought it would be fun to live downtown,” says Gary Jensen while his wife, Linda, takes their dog for a walk outside FirstBank Southwest Tower. He’s standing in the kitchen of his 11th floor apartment, with a corner view of almost all of downtown, with southeast Amarillo extending behind it. “But this has exceeded our expectations in every way. It’s a very uncomplicated lifestyle compared to a house and all the costs with it.” The Jensens were among the first full-time residents of Amarillo’s tallest building. At 31 stories and 374 feet, the tower is the tallest building between Dallas and Denver. As Wes Reeves writes in his feature, Preoccupation with High Elevation, the original American National Bank/SPS Tower was designed for Amarillo’s business community. Then came 2016 and 2017. During a period of just a few months, tenant Chase Bank—which had naming rights to the building, known at the time as Chase Tower— announced plans to downsize in this market. Likewise, Xcel Energy, scattered over several floors in the tower, began building its new location on Buchanan Street. West Texas A&M University was also preparing to move out, as renovations completed on their Harrington Academic Hall in downtown Amarillo. “The three biggest tenants in the building, coincidentally, were moving out around the same time,” says Aaron Emerson, whose commercial real estate company Gaut Whittenburg Emerson manages the building. “It took the occupancy of the building to 45 percent.” In discussions with the building’s owner, it became clear the vacancies didn’t just represent a challenge, but also a perfect opportunity to experiment. Amarillo was growing. New restaurants and a ballpark were opening downtown. But the city still largely lacked something that has been central to other urban revitalization efforts: housing. According to reports by the Brookings Institute,

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BY JASON BOYETT

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“Each floor has seven unique apartments on it, but both floors are identical,” Aaron Emerson says. Each apartment has a “twin” above or below it.

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Apartments start at 1,050 square feet (one bedroom, one bath). The largest apartments are more than 1,600 square feet (two bedrooms, two baths).

Each apartment is equipped with a washer and dryer, but the Residence at 600 also offers convenient dry cleaning pick-up and delivery.

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Emerson says the residents are demographically diverse. Some are empty nesters who are attracted to the secure, turnkey living of apartment spaces. Others are younger, just getting started in their careers and enjoy being near the activity of downtown.

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“Every bit of infrastructure is brand, spanking new,” Emerson says, due to the need to shift from a typical office environment to a residential one. As a result, every apartment doesn’t just have its own heat and air system, but also a supplemental system within each bedroom. “If you want your apartment at 72 degrees but you want your bedroom at 65, you can set it that way,” he says. “At home, you want it to be perfect.”

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Residents have access to a number of amenities, including a pet relief and bathing station, lobby level coffee shop, a 24-hour fitness facility, private dining and room service from the Amarillo Club and an on-site barber shop.

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Each apartment lease includes covered parking, 24/7 security guard service, security cameras on each floor, and private key-fob-only elevator access to the residential floors.

C U T T I N G - E D G E D E C O R , LO C A L A RT A N D F I N E J E W E L R Y

2614 WOLFLIN VILL AGE | 367.5567 RESERVEA M ARILLO.COM VISIT OUR SHOP INSIDE FR OM 6TH COLLECTIVE IN BUSHL AND!

S TO P I N TO L E A R N M O R E A B O U T O U R B R I D A L R E G I S T R Y ! #FUNHAPPENS

PHOTOS BY VENICE MINCEY

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Right Place, Right Time A new community center for refugees transforms the city, one culture at a time BY JON MARK BEILUE

amuel is 24 years old. He came to Amarillo from the Republic of Congo in Africa in 2017.

Samuel was a young man in a new land and with all the challenges that come from being uprooted from one culture half a world away to a new and strange one. But he received some one-on-one mentorship, in both the form of a teacher and friend. He went to English classes, but also went to the movies. He got help with a job that hopefully will lead to a broader career. He gained trust with those who helped him. During the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020, Samuel was called on to be an interpreter between health officials and the refugee community. He was hired at Eastridge Elementary School in Amarillo, where students speak as many as 30 languages. Later, Catholic Charities of the Texas Panhandle hired him. “Now he is a leader in the Amarillo community and in his culture community,” says Dr. Ryan Pennington. “That transition

is what we hope for.” Samuel is the poster child—or more accurately, the poster adult—for the Refugee Language Project. It is a nonprofit organization that got its roots six years ago, and continues to grow in outreach, volunteers and physically with the opening of The Place, 4,000 square feet of meeting rooms that opened on Plains Boulevard in mid-January. Pennington is a linguist. Crystal, his wife, is a native of Amarillo. They met at Dallas Baptist University, where they both earned degrees in Biblical Studies and married nearly 16 years ago. They have three children, ages 6 to 12. The Penningtons moved to Crystal’s hometown in 2016 after living in Papua, New Guinea and Australia. Crystal was not aware how much the city’s refugee population had grown in the nearly 15 years she had been away from her hometown. Approximately 12,000 refugees live in Amarillo, about 6 percent of the population. “We didn’t settle back here to jump into cross-culture work

REFUGEES ATTEND LITERACY CLASSES.

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immediately,” she says, “but just discovered it as we got our feet settled back into the U.S.” Working with other cultures is part of their training and calling. They began by visiting local churches, which taught English as a Second Language (ESL) classes to refugees. “We observed early on that there were good educational opportunities in town, but there weren’t a lot of neutral places that allowed long-term relationships to develop organically,” Ryan says. “I would also see times when local programs would think they were sending one message, but actually send another message that would undermine their own goals. “What I mean is there are a lot of people in Amarillo with a big heart for refugees who now call Amarillo home, but fewer people in Amarillo with the cultural understanding to see the nuances at play so they could be more effective. “So we decided to launch this, not so much as a long-term vision, but rather an approach to ask good questions. We spent a lot of time meeting with leaders and building relationships with those leaders of different refugee communities and trying to understand who is here and what do they see as the problem, what are they frustrated by.”

A PAT T ER N O F TR U ST

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Ryan soon approached David Ritchie, pastor at Redeemer Christian Church, with what he called an “out-of-the-box idea.” Basically, Pennington wanted to be on church staff, but not get paid. He wanted to use the church to raise support for a nonprofit outreach for refugees. “This grew out of those humble beginnings from a church that was willing to give something new a try,” Pennington says. “What was really unique about David Ritchie’s willingness was they understood that everything we did was not going to be about Redeemer. “We were never going to offer an English class at our church. We wanted to leave the church to serve people in the community and not draw people to the church, necessarily. That open-handed spirit served to guide us in this project.” Pennington began by speaking with ESL leaders at churches, Amarillo College and local libraries to discover what was successful and what was frustrating. Next was to become familiar with the refugee experience. “Just because I had spent time in Papua, New Guinea, didn’t mean I understood the refugee experience,” he says. Pennington soon walked into a Somali mosque, but did so with his shoes on. He was asked by a man there to remove them. That led to the breaking down of an invisible barrier. “I said, ‘Thank you so much for teaching me. Will you teach me more?’” Ryan says. “That launched the two of us into a relationship that continues to this day, where he taught me the Somali language and I coached him through an MBA program at West Texas A&M, tutored his children through STAAR tests in AISD. That trust we established he passed on to other male leaders in the Somali community.” That started a pattern of trust, which is the engine that drives relationships. Building trust with one person often expands to the community of a nationality like the Karen or newly arrived Afghanis. The next steps are to listen and respond to needs.

PERSIAN TEA IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF SOCIALIZING AT THE PLACE.

THE PLACE OFFERS A COMPUTER LAB FOR REFUGEES.

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BRADY CLARK AND DONNA DORMAN MADISON OF SQUARE MILE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

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SARA WALSH AND EMMA ROHRS OF WE FIND IN LOVE

“Ryan is one guy. He can’t meet all people in all communities,” Crystal says. “Trust takes time. Relationships are at the heart of who we are today and who we were in the beginning. We started connecting in non-traditional ways—not as teacher and student in an ESL program, but a space for people to meet in a way that was not intimidating.” In its infancy, the Penningtons and a few volunteers scheduled Saturday gatherings in the Margaret Wills Elementary School cafeteria. They provided food and invited refugees to a neutral setting that was not a church or refugee home. Called “Table Talks,” they would pick a topic and discuss. A membership coordinator eventually was born from those meetings. The first two years, Ryan says, were lonely and hard. It was difficult to gain traction and make progress in the way he thought could happen. It was trial and error. “No one really understood what I was doing,” he says. “Churches at times felt threatened because they didn’t understand why I was trying to do something they were already doing. I just failed a lot. That was the model we followed—fail quickly and learn. I would get overwhelmed, put something on my shoulders and it would use me up and then go back to the drawing board. “It took a long time to build up credibility in our city and believe that what we were after would actually work. Once we did start to see fruit from our work, it really did begin to snowball.”

‘ THE PL AC E’ IS A S I GN I F I CAN T ST E P

The pandemic in 2020 was a turning point. That’s when city and health officials, as well as meat packing plants, relied on interpreters to get vital information to refugees. That opened up a new avenue. It was in 2020 that the Penningtons broke from Redeemer and transitioned into a stand-alone organization. The Refugee Language Project sharply defined its focus, which is to remove language barriers while continuing to cherish respective cultures. If that occurs, immigrants can better integrate into Amarillo without sacrificing their heritage, all the while honoring God. In September 2020, the RLP started separate funding, created a board of directors and hired a staff of five. Ryan is executive director, while Crystal is marketing director. There are 250 volunteers loosely engaged, and about 50 active mentors working with refugees each week. The RLP has partnered with other similar groups, most notably We Find In Love, which looks to find and maintain community centers in the Texas Panhandle for refugees, and Square

RYAN AND CRYSTAL PENNINGTON OF REFUGEE LANGUAGE PROJECT

Mile Community Development, which works to build thriving neighborhoods in Amarillo. “We don’t claim and we don’t want to claim a monopoly on transitioning refugees,” Ryan said. “This isn’t just us. This is a team of a lot of people.” The RLP took a significant step in January with the opening of The Place, located on Plains Boulevard between Georgia Street and Western Street. It’s 4,000 square feet that had been empty for nearly five years, which now offers classrooms, offices, a computer lab, Wifi access, international television programming and a casual meeting space. Open five days a week, The Place is within walking distance of 70 percent of those the RLP serves. One recent Tuesday saw a Somali literacy class in one room, Afghanis in another, one student on the computer on a job search, another studying for a driver’s test and another making Persian tea to socialize. “Where do you gather with people from your own country to just talk?” Crystal says. “We want to establish what was missing, what made communities vibrant in their own country and make it available here. There was that gap that was a lack of a neutral space.” The couple wants The Place to evolve into a beacon that attracts a blending and understanding of cultures. Pennington believes that lack of understanding remains the greatest barrier between refugees and their new and often forced-upon home. “The thing we often assume is the greatest barrier is language,” Ryan says, “but having done this for a few years, I disagree. The greatest barrier is understanding culture. Language is just the cloak that wraps around culture. “A refugee who comes to Amarillo and has been here multiple years understands English, but can’t understand why we make decisions the way we do. Maybe the type of leader they pick is different than the type of leader we pick, how we do conflict is different, or the way they value elders, how they spend their time, the difference between shame and guilt. “These things take longer to overcome. These are the things that keep refugees, not just from integrating, but thriving as leaders contributing to our community in profound ways. Because when you try and fail a few times with those cultural nuances you don’t understand, it’s discouraging and it causes many refugees to settle into their own isolated communities.” More Samuels are what the Refugee Language Project and their partners seek. Having the resources, filling the gaps, can only help.

e l e va t e y o u r p l a t e

WITH RUTHIE LANDELIUS

S P R I N G I N TO S E A S O N A L E AT I N G

pring is right around the corner, with all of the fresh beauty it brings to us and our bodies. As we awaken from our winter slumber ever so slowly, there’s a renewal waiting for us up ahead. This is the time when we are in sync with beautiful blooms, awakening our senses and energy to create something new.

Now that I’ve got you thinking about all of the delicious fruits and vegetables the spring season has to offer, it’s an excellent time to start thinking about what you’ll be in the mood for after winter passes. Not quite ready to let winter go? Slowly transition out of it by combining the two seasons on one plate!

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When I think of spring, I get excited about the foods that the season brings. Crispy asparagus, radishes, and light pasta dishes tossed with fresh herbs and lemon come to mind. During this time of renewal, our bodies begin to crave crunchiness, freshness, and brightness in our food. So it’s an exciting time for cooks to transition from comforting meals to fresh dishes that make you feel nourished, while gently cleansing and resetting your digestive and immune systems. Yes, my friends, it’s time to “spring” into seasonal eating!

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How Can Seasonal Eating Benefit Us?

• Eating seasonal foods is better for our health. Foods that are grown and harvested during their season are more nutritionally dense. However, frozen foods can also be a great choice. Great taste will always be top-notch! • It’s better for the environment. These foods don’t have to travel nearly as far, so the associated fuel emissions and transportation costs are minimal. Also, buying locally helps support local farmers. • Cooking with seasonal ingredients saves money. When a fruit or veggie is in season, it’s abundant, and—not surprisingly— available at a lower price.

So … What’s Cookin’?

Build fresh, crunchy salads with the candy of the vegetable world! Cucumbers, arugula and avocados drizzled with your favorite dressing make for a delicious weekday lunch. Each week, prepare at least two different zesty dressings or vinaigrettes to use during the week. Add fresh dill, tarragon or fennel fronds for added dazzle. Springtime doesn’t mean you have to put away your soup pot! Keep it out and make light and refreshing soups with the best produce of the season. Some of my faves are pea, asparagus and cucumber cauliflower soup. Make a weekly batch of arugula and parsley pesto. You can freeze it in ice cube trays for use in various recipes. Toss a few into your soup pot, or add a tablespoon to vinaigrettes for an Italian twist.

Spring’s Bounty Artichokes Asparagus Arugula Avocados Beets Blood oranges Blueberries Carrots Chard Cherries Cucumbers

Dandelion greens Fennel Garlic Grapefruit Greens Herbs Honeydew melons Kale Kiwi

W I N T E R -TO -S P R I N G S A L A D I pay homage to a few of my favorite winter fruits with this super simple salad. Pears and blood oranges mingle with a light vinaigrette. Regular oranges will work the same if you cannot find blood oranges. 1 orange, peeled and segmented 1 head butter lettuce, chopped ½ pear, sliced thin 4 dates, pits removed, cut into strips ¼ red onion, sliced Goat or feta cheese

1 tablespoon pine nuts 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped ¼ cup olive oil Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Arrange oranges, lettuce, pears, dates and onions on large platter. Combine vinegar with herbs, oil, salt and pepper into small bowl. Whisk ingredients together until emulsified. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad right before serving. Makes 2 to 4 servings

Kohlrabi Kumquats Leeks Lemons Lettuce Mint New potatoes Papaya Parsley Peas Radishes

Rhubarb Scallions Snow peas Spinach Spring onions Strawberries Sugar snap peas Turnips Vidalia onions Watercress Zucchini

R U T H I E L AN D E L I U S Ruthie owns Black Fig Food catering and is proprietor of the online cooking platform Elevated Plant Plate. Learn more at elevatedplantplate.com and blackfigfood.com.

Heart and Soul

BRICKANDELM.COM

“That’s the essence of soul food,” Brown says on a chilly Wednesday. “You use what you have. You make it work.” In those days, plantation owners kept the best cuts of beef or pork for themselves and their families, then tossed the leftovers to their slaves. Black families learned to feed themselves using animal parts the rest of society considered “trash,” including pigs’ feet, intestines, cow heads and tails. Outside the plantation, these parts had almost no value and were usually thrown out. On the plantation, they were how slaves survived. “They had to learn to use them, to the best of their ability,” Brown says. By improvising, he explains, Black families found a way not just to survive on the unwanted parts of a cow or pig, but to make the food delicious. Survival food turned into comfort food, and these family recipes—passed along from freed slaves to their descendants, generation after generation—eventually found their

way into the mainstream of Southern culture. Brown says the path of soul food into the mainstream has parallels within other ethnicities and nationalities. “If you had a poor upbringing and were Irish or Italian, there were meager dishes that were for the working man to afford,” he says. For instance, both shepherd’s pie and pizza, respectively, were considered peasant food in those cultures. “But with that culinaryartistry-plus-survival, your mom would turn it into one of your favorite dishes.” Traditional soul food, Brown says, is just comfort food. “It takes you back home. It was the food that we were raised on and that we could afford. It never tasted like trash to me.” African Americans began to embrace their heritage midway through the 20th century, and the Civil Rights movement helped soul food emerge from home kitchens into restaurants and cookbooks. “A lot of what folks used to cringe at are now mainstays,” Brown says.

STIR-FRIED CABBAGE

PHOTOS AND STYLING BY ANGELINA MARIE, SHORT EARED DOG PHOTOGRAPHY

MAR | APR 2022

oul food, Tremaine Brown says, is best described as “culinary artistry meets survival.” The owner of Shi Lee’s Barbecue and Soul Food Cafe describes these popular dishes as being a “MacGyvered” method of cooking, which dates back to slavery. When it came to food preparation, the harsh realities of American slavery required invention and creativity. Slaves had to survive on anything and everything they had available.

kitch TREMAINE BROWN

Oxtails are one of those soul food mainstays. “Oxtails were one of the items I grew up with, along with neck bones, smothered chicken, smothered catfish,” says Delvin Wilson, owner of Delvin’s Restaurant & Catering. His mother, Mary, was a talented home cook. “That’s how I got drawn into cooking.” Raised in Houston, Wilson first learned to cook many of his favorite dishes at home before he entered the fine dining world. That career eventually brought him to Amarillo. After executive chef stints at the Amarillo Country Club and Park Central, Wilson opened his restaurant on N. Hughes Street, in the middle of the North Heights. It has since become one of the most popular and well-reviewed restaurants in town. For this issue, Wilson shares his recipe for oxtails, a soul food staple he sells on special every Thursday. These cattle tails were once relatively unwanted—or, at least, inexpensive to buy—but have since taken on pricing that reflects their popularity. “You can’t get any more traditional than oxtail,” Wilson says of the dish’s role in Black culture. “To be called a comfort food or soul food restaurant, you’ve got to have some traditional items that you grew up on.” The dish’s popularity is broad. “Oxtail goes across a lot of traditions, from Black to Hispanic to Cuban, Jamaican,” he says. “One thing about the meat is it’s very rich, a lot of flavor. It’s very satisfying and just does something to the tastebuds.” For many of his customers, Wilson’s dish reminds them of childhood. When he first began serving it, he would sell about 10 pounds of the delicacy a day. “Now I’m doing 20 or 30 pounds of oxtails every Thursday, and it’s still not enough. We open at 11 and I’m sold out by 1,” he says. He credits his mother for his recipe. “It’s sweet and simple. There’s nothing elaborate about it,” he says. “It’s one of those foods you can take a fork and pull the meat off the bones, but it’s really a finger food. You’ve got to get down and dirty. You have to get personal with it. It’s not a white tablecloth [food].”

Stir-Fried Cabbage

Prepared by Tremaine Brown, this beloved side dish isn’t technically a regular menu item at Shi Lee’s, but might as well be. “It’s one of the favorites,” he says. “You’d think mutiny would happen if we didn’t have it that day.” Starting with a head of cabbage, this stir-fry dish is relatively simple. “Use just about anything you have—bacon, sausage, your favorite meat. I always throw in some shaved carrots and celery and jalapeños for color, or other fresh greens,” says Brown. “Season it to taste and just sautée it all together. It’s really easy to make.” It may be uncomplicated, but the dish itself has deep cultural significance and a history dating back to the days of slavery. “As they were working the land, slaves would be able to pick a few herbs here and there, a few fresh greens here and there,” Brown says. “Those go perfect with a stir-fried cabbage dish. They learned to make grease out of animal fats and had that same knowledge to use it with a dish like stir-fried cabbage. If they were able to turn out something like this, it’s a little silver lining.”

“

It takes you back home. It was the food that we were raised on and that we could afford. It never tasted like trash to me.

”

—Tremaine Brown

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Oxtails

MAR | APR 2022

DELVIN WILSON

MAR | APR 2022 BRICKANDELM.COM

Shi Lee’s Stir-Fried Cabbage 1 large head cabbage ½ to 1 pound diced meat (smoked sausage, hotlinks, turkey, cooked bacon) 1 cup shaved carrots 1 cup celery, diced ¼ to ½ stick butter 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil Salt, pepper, garlic powder, lemon pepper, and sugar to taste To kick it up a notch, add jalapeños or your favorite pepper or spice to taste Start with a large skillet filled with about 1 inch water. Add butter, oil, meat, carrots, celery and peppers over a low- to medium-heat. Cut the head of cabbage into fourths, removing the solid stalk, and then into shredded strips. Add the cabbage strips to the sauteéing ingredients. Mix thoroughly while adding other seasonings. Cabbage will create its own moisture. Cook cabbage until desired texture, but be careful not to overcook to mush. Plate and enjoy! Can easily be a complete meal coupled with some fresh cornbread. Makes 4 servings

MAR | APR 2022

Delvin’s SouthernStyle Oxtails

BRICKANDELM.COM

2 ½ pounds beef oxtails 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 large yellow onion, medium dice 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper 2 teaspoons Kosher salt 1 package Lipton Recipe Secrets Beefy Onion soup mix 4 cups beef broth or water (If you use water, add 3 beef bouillon cubes or 2 teaspoons beef base.) 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour ¾ cup oil

Add oxtails to a stockpot with beef broth or water; add spices and produce. Cover pot with lid and cook for 2 ½ to 3 hours at low to medium flame. Check every 30 to 45 minutes until tender. Make a roux: Mix flour and oil to make a paste. Add slowly to pot, stirring constantly, until thick. Cook for an additional 5 minutes and serve. Makes 4 servings

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Easter Lamb

RONNIE GRANGER

PHOTOS AND STYLING BY ANGELINA MARIE, SHORT EARED DOG PHOTOGRAPHY

73 BRICKANDELM.COM

Granger says he had always wanted a reason to cook with lamb, so he designated it for the religious holiday. “It’s so much more expensive than beef, so I decided there would be one day a year we’ll roast lamb. Anytime we have it, we know it’s a special day. It’s always a treat.” he says. The chef was kind enough to reserve one of those treat days for us, preparing leg of lamb—along with vegetables in garlic and butter—according to his tried-and-true, ovenroasted recipe. He maintains that any lamb preparation needs to put the meat’s unique flavor profile up front. That’s why his recipe remains fairly simple. “It’s more fatty, more robust and takes a little bit more care to cook,” says Granger. “You don’t want to hide [the taste] in smoke or anything like that.”

MAR | APR 2022

everal years ago, Ronnie Granger decided lamb was going to be his family’s Easter meal of choice. “I don’t have anything against ham, I just don’t really understand why it’s something people eat on Easter,” says the chef and proprietor of Sunday’s Kitchen, a popular downtown eatery at 112 Sixth Ave. “We’ve got to branch out. We can’t just eat pork anymore.”

BRICKANDELM.COM

74 MAR | APR 2022

Easter Sunday Leg of Lamb

Mix 1 pound mini Dutch potatoes in a large bowl, with 1 pound fresh carrots, chopped and blanched, and 1 pound asparagus, blanched.

Combine vegetables and lamb in an oven-safe dish. Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 1 ½ hours, or until desired doneness. Remove from oven, melt 1 ½ sticks butter and pour over the roast and vegetables; let it sit for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with fresh rosemary on a platter. Makes 6 to 8 servings

MAR | APR 2022

Mix all ingredients in a bowl; coat lamb generously.

Coat vegetables with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 ½ tablespoons garlic salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning.

75 BRICKANDELM.COM

3 to 4 boneless legs of lamb 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard 3 tablespoons garlic- and basil-infused extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped 1 ½ tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped 1 ½ tablespoons coarse salt 1 tablespoon fresh cracked black pepper 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning Juice from 1 lemon (2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice)

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ocal business is just a good-old boys’ club.” Maybe you’ve heard that complaint in years past. Maybe you’ve said it yourself. But times are changing, and thankfully, we’re leaving those days behind. At Brick & Elm, on a weekly basis, we encounter thriving womenowned businesses. We meet women in powerful management or educational positions. We see women leading their industries forward and bringing about necessary transformation. You’ll meet some of them in the following pages, and it delights us to call attention to their success.

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DR. JESSICA MALLARD

ANGELA ALLEN

DR. EMILY HUNT

West Texas A&M University Dr. Jessica Mallard Dean of the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities How do your roles shape the culture at WT? My goal is to help students and faculty have the resources they need to be successful. For students, that might be help understanding a situation or helping them with financial barriers. For faculty, that involves making sure they have the resources they need to achieve promotion and tenure. That support might include funding specialized training or funding national or international travel for research and conferences.

Dr. Emily Hunt Dean of the College of Engineering What do you enjoy most about your work? Research. I love research. It is the purest form, from idea to investigation to failure to success. Every step of the way, I love learning and growing. My most impactful technical work to date has been the creation and development of a new material that is antimicrobial, Copper Clean. This material has been patented and commercialized and continues to generate research funds for a decade.

Angela Allen Chief Officer for Diversity and Inclusion

DR. ANGELA SPAULDING

What challenges have you overcome to get where you are today? I knew early in my career that I would have few colleagues, mentors and peers who looked like me and that I would probably experience a lack of systemic support. Growing up in a military family, I was taught at a very young age to adapt to the environment without losing your culture, values and beliefs. We also were taught to learn all you can about other people and teach others as much as you can about your culture. And I’ve also learned good mentors and colleagues don’t have to look like you. They just need to believe in you. Together, that is key to your success.

Dr. Angela Spaulding Vice President for Research and Compliance and Dean of Graduate School What are your goals for 2022? I serve with a committed University community that is collectively engaged in attaining Carnegie doctoral status with a powerfully distinctive mission to be a Regional Research University. Through my roles in both Graduate School and Research, we are creating more student opportunities focused on applied research unique to the region we serve.

8 0 6 .6 51 .0 0 0 0 W TA M U. E D U

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Jennifer L. Webber Gaut Whittenburg Emerson Commercial Real Estate What is your primary title, business or expertise? I’m the Director of Property Management for Gaut Whittenburg Emerson Commercial Real Estate. How long have you been in commercial real estate? I worked in commercial real estate in the Dallas area for 15 years, and have been back home in Amarillo for the last 6 ½ years. What skills do you bring to your position? I am certainly grateful for my ability to juggle multiple things at one time and for my attention to detail. It sounds cliche, but I know I wouldn’t be able to do my job without both skills. What do you love about what you do? The GWE team makes it fun to come to work every day. I wouldn’t be able to do this without them. I love that I never stop learning something new. The industry is always evolving, which leads to more opportunity for growth. What challenges have you overcome to get where you are today? I’ve been blessed with great mentors, who were willing to show me the ropes throughout my career; therefore, the challenges have been few and far between. But when we found out the company we previously worked for was pulling out of Amarillo, there was certainly cause for alarm. Thankfully, Aaron Emerson and Ben Whittenburg stepped right in, kept the existing team in place, and developed a Property Management Division. Who are some powerful women you look up to? My mother is the most powerful woman I know, and I admire her more than anyone. She meets life’s challenges with grace and humor and is the most selfless person I know. I strive to be more like her every day. How do you seek a healthy work/life balance? Spending time with my family and friends is my outlet, but I have to admit, I’m not the best at balancing everything. I have a wonderful husband who supports my career and is just as excited as I am to see the opportunities ahead.

600 S. TYLER ST, SUITE 1509 8 0 6 .731 . 4 8 8 8 | G WA M A R I L LO.C O M

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Dr. Summer Clark Proffer Surgical Associates What is your primary title, business or expertise? I am a board certified dermatologist and fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon, and the primary focus of my practice is the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer. I specialize in Mohs micrographic surgery, which has the highest rate of cure for skin cancer of any treatment method. How long have you been practicing dermatology? I graduated medical school in 2014, and subsequently completed residency in dermatology at the University of Oklahoma, followed by a Mohs surgery fellowship at Vanderbilt University, graduating in 2019. My family and I moved to Amarillo in 2019, when I began working at Proffer Surgical Associates. What do you love about what you do? My husband and I were both raised in the Oklahoma Panhandle just north of Amarillo, and one of the things I enjoy most about my work is being able to offer a specialized service to the community where I was raised. Dr. Liana Proffer and I are the only fellowship-trained and board certified Mohs surgeons in the Texas Panhandle, and skin cancer is prevalent in this region; it is very fulfilling to me that my skills can be used in the area where I was raised, which is also an area of high need. What challenges have you overcome to get where you are today? One of the biggest challenges I faced during my medical training was trying to balance being a physician with being a mother. I had my first child just after graduating medical school and about one month into my internship year. Balancing the rigorous work and long hours with a newborn at home was very challenging, but with the help of my husband and family, we made it through. Who are some powerful women you look up to? For me, women in medicine who came before me have been the most influential. I have been fortunate to have a number of women physicians and surgeons who have guided me along the way and still serve as mentors, though now they have become more like friends.

1 61 1 WA L L A C E B LV D. 806.354.4900 | DRPROFFER.COM

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Dr. Tamara Thornton Clunis Amarillo College What is your primary title, business or expertise? Vice President Academic Affairs Senior Higher Education Administrator Teaching and learning in higher education with a special emphasis on underprepared students (students not ready for college level work). How long have you been working in higher education? I started working in higher education as an instructor in 1999. Prior to that, I worked as a community adult educator, helping adult learners obtain a high school diploma or learn English for academic purposes. I was fortunate to transition from instruction to instructional administration over the past decade, and worked in both the community college and university setting. My heart and first love is the community college setting. What skills do you bring to your position? First and foremost, I’m a strategist. I work to create pathways for students through partnerships with the faculty and downline academic leaders. My communication skills (verbal and written) are a core asset to excel in my position. In my role, you have to be knowledgeable about many different areas. Thus, my commitment to lifelong learning is also essential. What do you love about what you do? I love helping students write their success story. This is done through creating an academic learning system that removes barriers and integrates academic and daily support throughout the system. Graduation Day is the best part of the job. You shake the hands of students you support directly through mentorship and indirectly through strong academic programs. What challenges have you overcome to get where you are today? The hardest challenge was earning my doctorate. I am the first person in my family to earn a doctorate. I never stopped working full time while going to school. It has not been an easy road. A doctorate is the key qualification for the VPAA position, and there is not a clear career path to this position. Women are occupying more VPAA roles in the last decade, but this hasn’t always been the case. The majority of higher education administration positions are filled by men. I’m only the second female and the first woman of color to fill the VPAA role at AC. Who are some powerful women you look up to? I must give credit to Dr. Barbara G. Lyman. She has served as my academic and professional mentor since 1999. She was the first woman of color that I knew in a senior higher education administration position. She has supported me every step of the way. Of course, I have to include my mother. She’s not famous but she saw something in me from a young age and has pushed me and encouraged me to not give up. She’s powerful in her own right. How do you seek a healthy work/life balance? The issue of work/ life balance is so important. Currently, I focus on having interests and activities that have nothing to do with work. This includes reading for pleasure rather than for work. I’m also very engaged in community service organizations, such as the Maverick Boys and Girls Club of Amarillo and my church. I love teaching Bible classes. My focus is on feeding my spirit and caring for my body in the morning before coming to work.

806.371.5000 | ACTX.EDU

LEADING WOMEN

Mary Fuller & Leslie Fuller Meier OHMS Cafe & Bar What are your titles or leadership roles? Mary: I have owned OHMS since July 1, 1992. Leslie: I am the front-of-house manager, making all the desserts and handling the wine orders. How long have you been in the restaurant business? M: We both learned how to cook as children. I learned from my mother, whose first job in Amarillo was as a cook for a ranching family when she moved from Missouri in the early 1930s, before she was married. L: I have worked at our family restaurant since I was a little girl. I started out bussing tables, and then catering once I could drive. I started full-time work about 14 years ago, and began to focus on my skills as a baker. What do you enjoy most about your work? M: The café is an extension of how I grew up, a place for people to come and spend time together, eat good food and enjoy their meal. I have met so many people and they are like my family, especially the young people who have worked at OHMS. L: I love working with people and take great joy in knowing that guests have a wonderful time when they walk through the doors. Part of my joy comes from making delicious desserts to complement the phenomenal food and menu that my brother Josh Fuller has created.

What challenges have each of you overcome to get where you are today? M: As a divorced woman in the late ’80s, it was hard to establish a business without a credit history or funding. I wouldn’t have been able to get the café without people giving me very good advice and emotional support. L: One of my biggest challenges is proving that I am capable of many things, as well making desserts. I left a career that I enjoyed to help run my family’s restaurant. Working with family has its own set of challenges, but at the end of the day we all want the same thing, so we set our differences aside and get the job done. Who are some powerful women you look up to? M: Women who persevere to accomplish their dreams and goals, no matter how small or large, whether personally or just trying to get their children raised, deserve support from each other. L: My mother is my greatest role model and I have always looked up to her. She ran a successful business while raising four children as a single mother. She gave back to the community when possible and made sure that her restaurant provided a welcoming environment for everyone, free from discrimination.

619 S. TYLER ST. 806.373.3233 | OHMSCAFE.COM

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Caron Sansing & Taylor Van Valkenburg U.S. Cleaners What are your titles or leadership roles? Caron Sansing: Owner/President Taylor Van Valkenburg: VP of Operations How do your roles shape the culture at U.S. Cleaners? This is a multi-generational business and the culture is modeled after family values. In 1995, when we first opened and had one location, our entire family was involved in everything from customer service to manual labor. After doubling in volume, we doubled the size of our flagship location, and then expanded to six locations throughout Amarillo and Canyon. Our employees are like family to us. We know that our success is due, in part, to our wonderful team of employees. What do you enjoy most about your work? This has changed with each new role. While working the storefront, we most enjoyed getting to know our customers. We have our “regulars” who come in several times a week and have made lasting friendships with us. I guess you can say there is something intimate about handling someone’s dirty laundry. As business leaders we enjoy the creativity and problemsolving that come with a business this size. There are many moving parts, and no day is the same. Between six locations, 40-plus employees, a fleet of vehicles, a production facility that houses two boilers, six chillers, many high-tech machines, automated assembly and so much more, there is always something keeping us busy.

What challenges have each of you overcome? The biggest challenge we have faced as of late, has been overcoming the obstacles created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Quarantines, staffing shortages and supply shortages have been a struggle as a production-based business. We are a high-volume cleaners and being short handed affects every aspect of our business. While this pandemic caused shortages of all sorts, a shortage of hangers came as a total surprise. That was an obstacle that we hadn’t planned on, but we have learned how to pivot and work around these challenges. We are grateful for the things we have overcome and embracing our new normal. What are your goals for 2022? We are excited about 2022 and we have big goals to prove it. We are always working hard to continue our Best of Amarillo winning streak. We have won every Best Dry Cleaner category and we are proud of that accomplishment. We truly believe that gaining the trust of our customers is what keeps us earning that No. 1 spot. We have exciting service expansions planned in the coming months to continue to keep up with the demands of our busy customers. We are passionate about giving back to the community and plan to do even more this year. Our community has been wonderful to us, and it is an honor to give back and get involved.

USCLEANERSAMARILLO.COM

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Jackie Kingston KAMR Local 4 News What is your primary title, business or expertise? My title is Evening Anchor and Executive Producer for KAMR Local 4 News. How long have you been a journalist? I have been working in local news in Amarillo for 14 years. I got an entry-level position while I was still in college at WTAMU, and I knew my career had to be in journalism. What skills do you bring to your position? This position demands great communication skills, creative problem-solving, poise under pressure, endless curiosity, and a love of our community. What do you love about what you do? I love getting to tell our viewers’ stories. It is my privilege to share in their joyful moments, and my duty to report fairly and accurately what is sometimes their worst day. I love empowering my viewers with the knowledge they need to engage with their elected officials at the ballot box and beyond, especially during my Sunday morning show, Politics Today. I love the challenge of figuring out how a newscast fits together, and what elements we can use to better tell the stories of our area day after day. I love the excitement in news—each day and each newscast bring their unique challenges and opportunities for creativity and communication. Overall, I love that the news, as the name implies, is new each day. While stories may be similar in subject day-to-day, they are never the same, with journalists working tirelessly to advance the story, and find deeper truths. What challenges have you overcome to get where you are today? While there are many challenges for women, especially queer women, who work in the news industry, my biggest concern in the past six or so years has been increasing harassment and threats against the media. While there are still changes to be made, I have been grateful to see the industry make adjustments to keep journalists safer. Who are some powerful women you look up to? I am constantly in awe of the remarkable things women accomplish and achieve. From women who are breaking barriers in my industry and others, to those who are raising remarkable kids, I am fortunate that some of my best friends are women whom I revere and admire. How do you seek a healthy work/life balance? News never stops, but at some point, humans have to. I prioritize rest, meditation, therapy, exercise, and most importantly, fun, to help achieve a work-life balance. I try to focus on activities that require my careful attention, like cooking, when I need a break from near-constant notifications and scrolling social media.

1015 S. FILLMORE ST. 806.383.3321 MYHIGHPLAINS.COM [ SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION ]

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Kimberly Griggs Ignite Coaching & Consulting What is your primary title, business or expertise? Ignite Consulting concentrates its services in the field of communication, developing messaging and delivery strategies that connect a business to its best potential customers online. Additionally, we teach and train business owners, leadership or teams how to spot behavioral patterns in people and adapt their communication style in order to become more influential and achieve better outcomes. How long have you been doing in marketing? 20-plus years What skills do you bring to your position? • Interpersonal Communication • Data Analysis • Content Creation • Search Engine Optimization Expertise • Media Planning and Buying • Leadership Development What do you love about what you do? I love working creatively with small businesses. The entrepreneurial journey is fascinating to me. Most business owners I’ve worked with over the years can tell you as much as you could ever want to learn about their field, but often have challenges communicating the reasons why someone should choose them. It is often difficult to “market” oneself. By collaborating, we help them to see what they don’t see, and create effective messaging, placed on the right channels to increase sales opportunities. What challenges have you overcome to get where you are today? Fearing my ideas would not create positive results, selflimiting beliefs and the fear of failure. Who are some powerful women you look up to? There are so many women I look up to and admire like Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx, youngest self-made billionaire; Brene Brown, an author and speaker; and my mentor, Molly Davis. How do you seek a healthy work/life balance? Two pillars help me pursue a healthy work-life balance: family and fitness. These two things are my life pursuits and where I find purpose. When work goes out of whack, returning to these two pillars in my life help me regain the mental energy it takes to get back up on the horse so-to-speak, and keep building my business.

806.584.6505 I G N I T E C O N S U LT I N G . B I Z

Jennifer Rosenbach Amarillo’s Parkview Realty, LLC

LEADING WOMEN

What is your primary title, business or expertise? I am a full-time real estate agent with Amarillo’s Parkview Realty. How long have you been a REALTOR? This will be my 13th year in the real estate industry. What skills do you bring to your position? I believe that I am very empathetic and relatable and it helps create a strong bond between my clients and me. I am also really great at one-on-one interactions, which allows me to hone in on my clients, so that I know how to help them. What do you love about what you do? I love the challenges that I face with each transaction. No person, house or situation is ever the same, so it requires creative strategies from start to finish. Most importantly, I love the relationships built from being in this industry and helping my clients achieve their financial and real estate goals. What challenges have you overcome to get where you are today? Becoming an entrepreneur is literally taking a leap of faith. It is scary because you don’t have someone telling you what to do day in and day out. It is all about self reliance, mind set and knowing what motivates you. That being said, taking that leap of faith is what I feared for so long. It was a challenge, yet exhilarating, because I did it and never looked back. Who are some powerful women you look up to? I look up to my mom, my grandmother and my best friend. The common denominator with them is that they are grounded in their faith and goals, and have excellent work ethic. How do you seek a healthy work/life balance? To have a healthy work/life balance, I believe it is important to be surrounded by people who support you and your dreams. I have wonderful family and friends who always encourage and support me, no matter what my goals are.

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f+d SAVÓR TA P A S B A R

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7669 Hillside Road, Suite 600 806.310.2600 | savortapasbar.com

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“We really wanted to showcase the small plates,” says Schepisi, who also owns The Drunken Oyster. “A big reason I love tapas is because it is about sharing and communicating and bringing everybody back to the table. Put down your phones, put down your day, and let’s focus on each other and the amazing food in front of us.” That food, as prepared by Chef Tyler Ryen—a product of the high-end restaurant scene in Boulder, Colorado—is indeed amazing. We loved the incredibly flavorful braised shrimp in the Gambas al Ajillo and the grilled octopus of Pulpo a la Gallega. And for fans of traditional escargot, this is one of the few places you can get this delicacy in Amarillo. In addition to the Spanish-influenced menu, the wine list is also designed for exploration, intentionally avoiding wines produced in the United States. “We are embracing international wines,” Schepsis says, and she and her staff are happy to suggest alternatives to varieties popular in America. The atmosphere of Savór is also noteworthy. Schepisi and team built Savór during the pandemic, navigating a frustrating storm of labor and supply-chain issues. Like the wine list and menu, the decor is equally international, featuring dramatic green wallpaper from Capetown, South Africa and chandeliers from Hong Kong. As a result, Savór presents a sleek, sophisticated vibe, including a “secret” room for private events hidden behind a walkthrough mirrored door. After opening a few weeks ago, the restaurant has recently begun serving international sandwiches and salads for lunch, with a Spanish-style brunch menu being planned for Saturdays.

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wanted to bring something to Amarillo that Amarillo didn’t have—a higher-end speakeasy restaurant,” says Rory Schepisi, the local restaurateur behind this new-toAmarillo concept in Greenways Village at 7669 Hillside Road. Popular in Spanish cuisine, tapas refers to small, appetizer-sized plates of food. A typical approach to a tapas meal is to order several dishes and share them at the table.

AM AR I L L O

1887 SOCIAL HOUSE

The name refers to the year Amarillo was founded, but the atmosphere is way more modern than that. This dinner-only spot inside the downtown Embassy Suites specializes in small bites. There’s a full restaurant setting, but the spacious, trendy bar area gets the most traffic. 550 S. Buchanan St., 803.5504, hilton.com $$

MAR | APR 2022

575 PIZZERIA

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Owned by an Amarillo native, the two 575 locations serve the best pizza in the city. Locals rave about the incomparably thin crust, the way the thin-sliced pepperoni crisps up in the oven, and the fresh ingredients. Their easy to-go ordering includes craft beer and wine by the bottle. 2803 Civic Circle/7710 Hillside Road, Suite 700322.5575, 575pizzeria.com $$

THE 806 COFFEE + LOUNGE

Art meets coffee—and a surprisingly delicious vegetarian and vegan menu—at this locally owned, atmospheric shop on Sixth. (The brunch is especially good.) Time

it right and you’ll catch live music or an art show. If you’re ready to ditch the minimalist coffee scene, start here. 2812 SW Sixth Ave., 322.1806, the806.com $

ABUELO’S

This longtime chain has its roots in Amarillo and an incredibly dedicated local clientele. The Tex-Mex is flavorful but the true draw is nostalgia. Also: margaritas. As a bonus, Abuelo’s offers some of the best event room and catering deals in the city. 3501 W. 45th Ave., 354.8294, abuelos.com $$

THE AÇAÍ BAR

Don’t worry about how to say it. Just order one of these fruity, flavorful bowls or smoothies. They’re perfect for postworkout refueling or a light, nutritious lunch. The ingredients are mostly organic and the owners are local. Pro tip: It’s pronounced “ah-saw-ee.” 7306 SW 34th Ave., Suite 9, 367.9724, theacaibaramarillo.com $

ALDACO’S TACOS

Look, if your name rhymes with “taco,” then it’s pretty much just fate. Tucked away on Sixth street in one of those iconic, recognizable old Toot-n-Totum buildings, this is the spot for affordable, authentic tacos and tamales. 3623 SW Sixth Ave., 374.4945 $$

APPLEBEE’S GRILL + BAR

Look, it’s Applebee’s. You don’t need an introduction. You already know about the inexpensive family meals and daily lunch specials. You know it’s got a full bar and a “drink of the month.” You know it’s a decent spot for dates. But you may not know it now has food to-go and delivery. 2810 Soncy Road, 351.2810, applebees.com $$

ASIAN BUFFET

Everyone was worried about buffets during 2020, but this diverse 34th and Bell buffet pivoted to offer pickup, delivery and extra sanitization practices. Not interested in a buffet? The Mongolian Barbecue feature— prepared fresh, right in front of you—is unique to Amarillo. 3347 Bell St., 803.9588, amarillobuffet.wixsite.com/asianbuffet $

ASPEN CREEK GRILL

AMARILLO’S UPSCALE AMERICAN BISTRO

This comfort casual chain has very few locations, but ours on I-40 is constantly busy. The appetizers are great for sharing and the popular Happy Hour is ridiculously affordable. Each location offers a signature menu. Try a Black Angus steak or the pizza. 4110 I-40 West, 398.2776, aspencreekgrill. com/amarillo $$

THE BAGEL PLACE

This beloved breakfast and lunch spot introduced bagels to the Panhandle years ago, and locals have been grateful ever

This is not a comprehensive list of local restaurants. From issue to issue, we will try to include a wide variety of dining options based on the space available. If you notice an error, please email mm@brickandelm.com.

619 S. TYLER ST. | (806) 373-3233 | OHMSCAFE.COM

$ $$ $$$

Most entrees under $10 Most entrees $11 to $20 Most entrees over $21

f+d since. Grab a fresh bagel to go and choose from a variety of cream cheese flavors. Or try the oversized homemade sweets. (Look, everything here is delicious.) 3301 Bell St., 353.5985, bagelplace.net $

BANGKOK RESTAURANT

In a city known for its Thai food, Bangkok is truly authentic—and a legit Amarillo Boulevard dive. Take it from patrons with experience: If they say it’s “spicy,” they mean it. Get ready, and make sure you’ve got plenty of water. 5901 Amarillo Blvd. East, 383.9008 $

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MAR | APR 2022

3323 SW SIXTH AVE. 322.0086

with your bridal registry! This out-of-the-way spot is located south of BAR 3

town at Preston West Golf Course, but it’s got a loyal patronage. We might even say it’s worth the, um, long drive. Hit it on Taco Tuesday, or grab traditional bar/grill food the rest of the week. Regular drink specials quench your thirst. 9101 S. Coulter St., 353.7003 $

BEEF BURGER BARREL

Hands-down this is the most unique restaurant design in Amarillo, and this classic walk-up joint has held down the same spot since 1952. You can’t miss it. Because, y’all, it’s a giant white barrel. Not in the mood for beef and/or burgers? Try a fish, ham or grilled cheese sandwich. 3102 Plains Blvd., 374.0101 $

BEEF ‘O’BRADY’S

Amarillo is not exactly a haven for Irish food or drinks. But this family-friendly chain offers the closest thing to it—at Beef ‘O’Brady’s, the pub food is “Irish-inflected”—all wrapped up in a sports bar atmosphere. There’s a sizable party room, too. 7306 SW 34th Ave., 358.0997, beefobradys.com $$

BELMAR BAKERY

This family-owned bakery is known across the city for its cookies and cakes, but the restaurant side has a passionate clientele of its own. Grab an enormous breakfast burrito with Roasters coffee. For lunch, try the soup or a panini. Belmar also has great box lunches

papillon 1942 Civic Circle (806) 350-7356 papillonknittery.com

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The name should give you an idea of the Asian fusion available here. The dining area is very small—thanks, weird triangle roofline!—but you can get fantastic Thai food combined with even better sushi. Takeout orders are quick, and it also now offers an expanded gluten-free menu. 2413 S. Western St., Suite A, 353.4777 $$ Let us help you

and party trays. 3325 Bell St., 355.0141, belmarbakery.com $

BENJAMIN’S DONUTS & BAKERY

Local folks are serious about donuts, and there is definitely a “Benjamin’s donuts or no donuts at all” camp. Benjamin’s is family-owned and -operated, and you won’t find a bad option on the menu—from donuts to the pastries, kolaches, breakfast sandwiches and burritos. 7003 Bell St., 353.1100/1800 Western St., 803.1133 $

MAR | APR 2022

THE BIG TEXAN STEAK RANCH & BREWERY

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This tourist destination is packed at all hours of the day. Everyone talks about the 72-ounce steak challenge, but other standouts include the popular “Mountain Oysters,” normal-sized steaks, chickenfried steak and ribs. The onsite brewery recently added a hard seltzer to its menu. 7701 I-40 East, 372.6000, bigtexan.com $$

BITI PIES

Take your favorite traditional pie, like buttermilk or chocolate, then make it ittybitty and bite-sized. That’s the concept. And yes, tiny pies are just as delicious as normal-sized pies. Order yours to-go directly from Biti or get them from a variety of local retailers. 604 S. Maryland St., 367.6413, bitipies.com $

BLUE CRANE BAKERY

This locally owned breakfast-and-lunch spot has a frequently changing menu, welcoming staff, and a reputation as one of the best keto-friendly bakeries in town. The homemade poptarts are incredibly popular. Or, grab a cookie, pie or cake— all served with coffee from The 806. 3223 SW Sixth Ave., 322.3233 $

BLUE SKY

Burgers are big here, and locals almost always rate these the best in town, which is why Blue Sky’s two locations are always busy. We also love the homemade shakes, the fried anaheim chile sticks and the cheese fries. Families love the casual setting and outdoor dining. 4201 I-40 West, 355.8100/5060 S. Coulter St., 322.3888, blueskytexas.com $$

BUNS OVER TEXAS

“Amarillo, your buns are up!” This nofrills burger joint with the embarrassing announcements has locations elsewhere in the state, but started in Amarillo in 1989. Build your own burger, quench your thirst from a huge variety of iced tea,

and don’t forget the best cheese fries in Amarillo. 6045 SW 34th Ave., 358.6808, bunsovertexas.com $

BURRITO STOP

A mainstay for downtown workers, this unique, collaborative restaurant between Taylor and Polk offers menu items from some of the city’s favorites: coffee from Roasters and food from Belmar Bakery and The Bagel Place. The tortillas are always fresh and the breakfast burritos are some of the best in town. Open early for breakfast and closes at 3 pm. 114 SE Ninth Ave., 418.2705, burritostop.com $

BUTTERLOVE BISCUITS

Yes, the entire restaurant concept is built around biscuits and isn’t that all you really need to know? Biscuits are the ultimate comfort food and these are heavenly, with savory and sweet options and brunch cocktails in a fun environment—owned by the sweethearts behind Ruffled Cup. 3440 S. Bell, Suite 130, 418.8966, butterlove.com $$

CADA VEZ COMIDA MEXICANA

sunsets. It’s also a great spot for live music and cocktails. And while we love the shareable apps, we’re most impressed by the attentive service here. Every employee seems eager to please. 5461 McKenna Square, Suite 101, 410.1113, caskncorkamarillo.com $$

THE CATCH

Newly open on 45th in the old Carl’s Jr. building, this fast casual franchise offers Cajun-style seafood like shrimp boils, fish tacos, catfish, etouffee, seafood and fries baskets. The Texas franchise has locations throughout the state. 5900 SW 45th Ave., 803.2925, thecatchhouston.com

CATTLEMAN’S CAFE

Open 24 hours a day, this ancient restaurant has a reputation for one of the cheapest and best breakfasts in the city, with daily specials from 6 to 11 a.m. Expect to spend around $10 for almost everything. The portions are plentiful and the smoking section will make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time. 3801 Amarillo Blvd. East, 383.4818 $

This relatively new Town Square restaurant is already getting raves for its classic Tex-Mex fare. The savory birria tacos are wonderful, and so are the salsa selections— with 22 beers on tap and excellent margaritas to wash it all down. Try the weekend brunch! 9200 Town Square Blvd., Suite 1000, 418.6976, cadavezamarillo.com $$

CHILL NATURAL BAR

CALICO COUNTY RESTAURANT

CHOP CHOP RICE CO.

This Amarillo favorite isn’t fancy—the rusty farm tools on the cabin-style walls make that clear—but the homestyle food is always good, from breakfast fare to chicken-fried steak. This is the kind of friendly place where you always order the same thing (and you’re happy you did). 2410 Paramount Blvd., 358.7664, calicocountyrestaurant.com $$

CARNICERIA Y TAQUERIA LA POPULAR

You can’t go wrong at an eatery tucked into the back of a family-owned supermarket. Do your shopping, then hit the counter for a lunch of barbacoa tacos and tamales. On the way back, grab traditional Mexican sweetbreads like conchas and marranitos. 1505 SE Third Ave., 374.6451 $

CASK & CORK

The rooftop patio in southwest Amarillo offers unparalleled views of Panhandle

Locally owned, this simple establishment has a simple, healthy menu, including Ezekiel- brand bread, açaí bowls, salads, soup, fruit bowls, fresh-pressed juice, yogurt parfaits and smoothies. Everything’s fresh. Everything’s delicious. Everything’s, well, pretty chill. 6200 Hillside Road, Suite 100, 355.7100 $ This long-standing fast-casual Asian restaurant is Amarillo-owned, with two locations here and three in Lubbock. It’s a favorite of high school and college students, who appreciate its generous portions and reasonable prices. 3300 S. Coulter St., Suite 1, 457.0700/2818 Wolflin Ave., 731.4499, chopchoprice.com $

CITY CAFÉ AND ESPRESSO

“Wanna eat at the PD?” Don’t be surprised at the question. This basement location at the Amarillo Police Department offers a full breakfast—it’s very affordable—and lunch menu with an espresso bar. The daily specials are popular, along with sandwiches, wraps, flat bread, burgers and salads. Call-in and to-go orders welcome. 200 SE Third Ave., Level B, 378.6104 $

COYOTE BLUFF CAFE

DELVIN’S RESTAURANT & CATERING

After opening in 2015, this North Heights restaurant quickly gained a diverse, dedicated clientele from across the city thanks to its generous portions and made-from-scratch flavors. (The buttermilk pie is worth a trip by itself.) 1300 N. Hughes St., 803.9111, delvinsrestaurant.com $

DOÑA JUANITA RESTAURANT

The Boulevard is home to some of Amarillo’s oldest and best little dives, and few are as authentic as this one. The traditional Mexican dishes include homemade corn tortillas and some of the best refried beans in the city. Doña Juanitas is family-owned and has been around forever. Try the coffee with cinnamon! 2208 Amarillo Blvd. East, 220.2610 $

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DOUG’S HICKORY PIT BAR-B-QUE

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In Amarillo, nostalgia is spelled D-O-U-G-S. Generations of locals visit this teensy little shack, which developers have just built around at 34th and Georgia. Your friends ate here in high school, regardless of your age. You won’t go wrong with a chopped beef sandwich and a bowl of beans. 3313 S. Georgia St., 352.8471 $

THE DRUNKEN OYSTER

The opulent, moody atmosphere of the Drunken Oyster feels like you’ve stepped out of the Panhandle and into the heart of the bayou. The Louisiana-style cuisine never disappoints, from the fresh oysters to the jambalaya and crawfish étouffée. It’s also a great spot for live music. 7606 SW 45th Ave., Suite 100, 418.6668, drunkenoysteramarillo.com $$

C O NVE NI E NT PI C KU P A ND D E LI VE RY!

WE D O IT AL L , W ITH A L ITTL E E XTR A C O NVE N IE N C E F RO M AN AP P !

THE EATERY ON ROUTE 66

Located in the same building as Two Loons, this small cafe is just as delicious as it is quirky. We can’t get enough of the 50/50, an enormous beef-and-bacon-blended meatloaf sandwich. For a lighter option, order the Strawberry Fields Forever salad or a quiche. 2601 SW Sixth Ave., 322.0828, eateryonroute66.com $

MAR | APR 2022

It’s located in a little shack. It’s been featured on national TV shows. It’s one of those places locals love to take visitors. This tiny, iconic burger joint has a big reputation for its green chile burgers, its ribeye steaks, and—if you can handle it— the mouth-blazing Burger from Hell. A true Amarillo dive. 2417 S. Grand St., 373.4640, coyotebluffcafe.com $

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EAT-RITE HEALTH FOOD & RESTAURANT

This legendary cafe is nestled inside a longtime health food store in Wolflin Square, so you can feel good about everything on the menu. Its owner pioneered serving organic food in Amarillo. We’ve always loved the marinated carrots and enchiladas. Thirsty? Try the juice bar. 2425 I-40 West, 353.7476, eat-rite.com $$

EL BRACERO MEXICAN GRILL

This family-owned restaurant has multiple locations but this one on Grand is the original and legendary for authentic Mexican comida. Appropriately, it’s painted red on the outside and green on the inside. We recommend the carne asada or spicy green chile enchiladas. 2116 S. Grand St., 373.4788 $$

MAR | APR 2022

EL GIRO

A small, under-the-radar favorite for authentic Mexican food—not Tex-Mex—in west Amarillo. El Giro is well-known for its inexpensive tacos, including a huge taco box order with a dozen-plus tacos. Very much a go-to order for office meetings and small events. Look for their food truck on the Boulevard. 1800 Bell St., 318.3859 $

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94 EL TEJAVAN

Plenty of locals identify El Tejavan as their favorite Mexican food restaurant in Amarillo, especially the original location on east I-40. The guacamole and salsa are fantastic, along with homemade tortillas, tacos and barbacoa made from recipes passed down for generations. 3801 I-40 East, 372.5250/ 3420 I-40 West, 354.2444 $$

ELMO’S DRIVE-IN

Ordering a burger in this long-lived San Jacinto drive-in feels like stepping back in time—in all the best ways. You may wait a few minutes for your order, but the old-fashioned burgers and fountain drinks are worth the wait. One of the carhops has worked there for more than 30 years! 2618 SW Third Ave., 374.3566 $

FAVS

FAVs stands for “Fruits and Vegetables,” and that’s precisely the healthy focus of this small family-owned shop. Beyond the smoothies and fruit bowls, FAVs serves salads, sandwiches, wraps, soups and fresh pressed juice. A true hidden gem in the Plemons-Eakle neighborhood. 706 SW 16th Ave., 803.9171 $

FLAMINGO’S LATIN BAR & GRILL

Located in an old Taco Villa building, this locally owned lunch-and-dinner spot offers traditional Mexican dishes with Latin American flair. The birria tacos and barbacoa tacos are customer favorites, as is the dessert menu. Local foodies rave about this place. 701 Amarillo Blvd. East, 367.7304 $

FRANK’S BAKERY

A true French boulangerie (bakery) in Amarillo? Oui oui. Frank-o-phile’s have been rejoicing over this tiny shop since they began giving away a free baguette with every meal decades ago. The quiche, feuillete, croissants, crepes and sweets are perfectly Parisian. Bring cash! 1923 S. Western St., 352.8089 $

FRUTILANDIA

It’s easy to miss this tiny shop located right behind Fiesta Foods on Southeast 10th. Don’t miss it! Inside you’ll find beautiful ceviche, colorful fruit cups, gazpacho, shrimp cocktail, elote en vaso (corn in a cup), bubble tea and addictive Doritos chili pie. 1010 SE 10th Ave., 670.9054 $

GIRASOL CAFE & BAKERY

We are huge fans of Girasol, where the weekly specials are always creative, filling and delicious. The Saturday brunch never disappoints either, especially in the new outdoor dining area on a sunny morning. Girasol is lunch-only, so grab some baked goods or bread when you leave. 3201 S. Coulter St., 322.0023 $

GLORIA’S OYSTER BAR

One of the original Mexican seafood places in Amarillo, Gloria’s is known for its soups, oysters and traditional Mexican dishes like chile rellenos. In a city filled with quality Mexican food, Gloria’s stands out as unique. And the capirotada (Mexcian bread pudding) is incredible. 1300 S. Grand St., 373.2722 $

THE GOLDEN LIGHT CAFE

This doesn’t need an introduction from us, but are you a real Amarilloan if you’ve never dined at this icon? In business since 1946 at the same location, it’s the oldest-operating restaurant in Amarillo and maybe even along Route 66. Fantastic greasy burgers with outdoor dining and a music venue next door. 2908 SW Sixth Ave., 374.9237, goldenlightcafe.com $

GOONEY’S

The recent growth of downtown restaurants hasn’t stopped Gooney’s from thriving. This mainstay on Polk has been around for years

in the setting of an old department store. The inventive pan-Asian food is amazing—locals love the kimchi fries and wontons—but get ready to wait a while for your meal. Full bar. 705 S. Polk St., 367.9585 $

THE HANDLE BAR AND GRILL

Yes, it’s a biker bar, but don’t let the fact that you drive a Subaru keep you from this Texas-style comfort food. The fried bologna sandwiches are *chef’s kiss* and the gigantic Bloody Mary might as well be a meal. The outdoor dining on Sixth Street really gets our motors running. 3514 SW Sixth Ave., 803.9538 $

IT’S A PUNJABI AFFAIR

Indian food is hard to find in Amarillo, but this hut across from Sam Houston Park takes a friendly, youthful approach to Indian-style street food. Our go-to orders include the butter chicken, lamb curry, and marinated and fried tilapia—plus options for vegans and vegetarians. 4201 Bushland Blvd., 414.2114, itsapunjabiaffair.square.site $

JACOBO’S CAFE

This cute, diner-style storefront on Olsen serves down-home meals with a focus on Mexican food. The pancakes and breakfast burritos are super-popular, as are the spicy chilaquiles. Family-owned, fair prices and always worth a visit. 3701 Olsen Blvd., Suite L, 418.8850, jacoboscafe.com $

JOE TACO

This Amarillo stand-by has a solid reputation for fast service and great Tex-Mex, with two Amarillo locations and one in Canyon. The bar and outdoor patio at the Wallace location, near the hospitals, are always hopping with live music on weekends. 7312 Wallace Blvd., 331.8226/600 S. Buchanan St., 350.8226, joetaco.net $$

K-N ROOT BEER DRIVE-IN

This legendary, traditional drive-in opened in 1968. And while it recently lost its iconic covered parking in a windstorm, the wonderful burgers, shakes and floats are still around. And the root beer is served in a frosty cold mug! As the sign used to say, it’s “truly a bargain at today’s prices.” 3900 Olsen Blvd., 355.4391, knrootbeer.com $

KATHY’S KITCHEN

Breakfast is drive-thru only from 5 to 8 a.m., then the dining area opens at 10 a.m. for breakfast and lunch only. The northeast Loop location and homestyle food are perfect for drives up to Lake Meredith/Borger or

northeast to Pampa. Low prices and generous portions. 4517 Highway 136, 383.2513 $

LA BELLA PIZZA ON OLSEN

#shopforapurpose #lovinthelocals

“

Spring is nature’s way of saying Let’s Party!” MAR | APR 2022

– Robin williams

A locally owned pizza place with a dedicated clientele and a delightfully diverse menu. The pizza is great, of course—the 24-inch size is one of the biggest available in town—but they also serve burgers, gyros, calzones, subs, ribs, chicken and more. Full dining room and a full bar with live music. 3801 Olsen Blvd., Suite 9, 352.5050, ilovelabellapizza.com $

LA FIESTA GRANDE

The Bara family is iconic in Amarillo because of their long-lasting, family-owned restaurants featuring generational recipes. The familyfriendly menu is true Tex-Mex, with lots of fun Happy Hour specials in the bar area. We’ve loved this place since we were kids. 2200 Ross St., 374.3689/7415 SW 45th Ave., 352.1330, fiestagrande.com $$

LA PASADITA

You don’t really expect to find this little, walk-up restaurant in the middle of a residential area, but just get in line and go for it (the line moves quick). The menu is limited but the Chihuahuastyle food is fresh, traditional, and fast. Takeout only. Try a breakfast burrito, menudo, barbacoa or chile rellenos. 2730 NE 16th Ave., 381.2309 $

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LONE STAR BAR & GRILL

“No small steaks, no hot beer” is the motto of this Texas-style hideaway on the road out to Lake Tanglewood, and its steaks and burgers never disappoint. In fact, the steaks are quietly some of the best in the Panhandle. Plus: Pool tables! Avoid the big chain steakhouses and try this one, in business for more than 30 years. 935 E. FM 1151, 622.9827, lonestarbarandgrilltx.com $$

MACARONI JOE’S

Always a popular date-night choice, Mac Joe’s is an Amarillo institution known for elegant ambiance and attentive service. The menu relies on Italian dishes but also offers fantastic steaks—with one of the best wine lists in all of the Texas Panhandle. 1619 S. Kentucky St., Suite D1500, 358.8990, macaronijoes.com $$-$$$

MARHABA INTERNATIONAL FOOD MARKET

2612 Wolflin Village | Amarillo, TX 79109 Hours: Monday – Saturday 10:30am – 5:30pm Shop 24/7 purposeandpassionboutique.com

Marhaba means “welcome” and, while the food may be less familiar, you’ll definitely feel at home in this unique market with an Eritrean/Ethiopian restaurant inside. Menu items are served on plate-sized injera—a spongy flatbread—topped with savory meats and vegetables designed for sharing.

owned and has a fantastic salad bar, plus sandwiches and daily specials. It’s always, always good. 410 S. Taylor St., 352.2590, thepan-handlers.com $

specials a try. 3333 S. Coulter St., 398.7777, publichouseamarillo.com $$

Part of Town Square from its 2016 beginning, this elegant environment offers great service, a full bar, and excellent cuisine. It’s open early for coffee and limited breakfast, but also makes for a delightful date-night in the evenings. Metropolitan is a sweet spot to linger, with a seasonal menu, full bar and live music. 9181 Town Square Blvd., Suite 1201, 242.0117, metroofamarillo.com $$

PESCARAZ ITALIAN RESTAURANT

The sushi is good and the all-day Wednesday Happy Hour specials are even better. Popular with the downtown crowd, this spot is open for lunch and dinner, with a full bar and contemporary Asian cuisine. During Happy Hour, sushi rolls and appetizers are incredibly affordable. 817 S. Polk St., 331.1155, rainamarillo.com $$

NAPOLI’S FINE ITALIAN RESTAURANT

PHO 84

This downtown favorite offers live music, a full bar and a spacious private patio with views of one of the 2021 Hoodoo murals. Expect to become addicted to the housebaked bread knots, and to find something you love on the traditional Italian menu. The calzones are huge and worth sharing. 700 S. Taylor St., 220.2588, napolisofamarillo.com $$

NORTH HEIGHTS DISCOUNT & CAFE

If you’ve ever thought twice about dining inside a convenience store, this will change your mind. This place serves some of the best soul food in the city. It’s known for huge portions—the nachos probably weigh three pounds—as well as its ribs, pork chops, fried catfish and breakfast items. 1621 NW 18th Ave., 418.6751 $

OHMS CAFE & BAR

The Fuller family has operated this eatery for more than 25 years, and it consistently offers Amarillo’s best fine dining. We love the bar area and outdoor patio, as well as its buffet-style lunch and weekly chef specials from Chef Josh Fuller. Pro tip: The Bar Burger is the best burger in town. 619 S. Tyler St., 373.3233, ohmscafe.com $$-$$$

PANCHO VILLA RESTAURANT

Amarillo’s other restaurant with “Villa” in the name, this small place in River Road has exactly as much legacy and character as the faux-wood paneling suggests. Locals rave about the chips and salsa, along with the authentic barbacoa, enchiladas, menudo and low prices. 4601 River Road, 381.0105 $

PAN-HANDLERS CAFE

The best restaurants never seem to shout their presence, and this applies to this tasteful lunch spot hidden in the basement of Amarillo National Bank Plaza One. It’s locally

This locally owned Italian place is very involved in the community, has a full bar, and serves up the most irresistible free bread twists in the city. You’ll eat so many, you won’t be able to finish your pasta, pizza or calzone. In the evenings at Pescaraz, you’ll almost always hear live music. 3415-K Bell St., 350.5430, pescaraz.com $$ In a city with few traditional Vietnamese options, Pho 84 is a local favorite. We love the pho, of course, but you also won’t go wrong with the spring rolls, dumplings, curry and other Asian fusion dishes. Plus: Vietnamese coffee. 5713 SW 34th Ave., 437.1626 $

PIZZERIA NOMAD

A relative newcomer with a food truck origin story, Pizzeria Nomad catches your eye with its colorful exterior mural, then brings you inside for inventive toppings and a lot of local acclaim. That brick-oven crust, y’all. The young, husband-and-wife-led team are also known for convenient call-in and online ordering. 2648 SW 34th Ave., 477.2660, pizzanomad.co $$

THE PLAZA RESTAURANT & BAR

If you remember its original strip-mall location with the indoor, lighted fountain, then you’re already a loyal customer of this longtime Tex-Mex favorite. The menu is still affordable, with excellent fajitas, enchiladas and sopapillas—with a full bar. 2101 S. Soncy Road., 358.4897, theplazaarestaurant.com $

PONDASETA BREWING CO.

Already popular for its craft beer, a new mobile trailer enables the brewery to serve a food truck-style menu. The focus is pub-style food like burgers, sandwiches and mac-andcheese bites. Kids meals are available. The adults will want the charcuterie adventure board, with hummus, cheese, meat and crackers. 7500 SW 45th Ave., 418.6282, pondaseta.com $$

PUBLIC HOUSE

Known for one of the best brunches in town, this southwest side hangout boasts inventive cuisine and an upscale, serviceoriented atmosphere. The Happy Hour menu is extraordinary, as are the whiskey and wine lists. Give one of the daily bar and food

RAIN PREMIER SUSHI BAR & LOUNGE

ROCKET BREWS

Seemingly made for Instagram, this Boulevard location quietly built a loyal clientele. Then it got featured in Season 14 of the Texas Bucket List. Head there for to-go micheladas and daiquiris with Jalisco-style snack trays and bowls. Locally owned by Palo Duro grads. 1506 Amarillo Blvd. East, 350.7830, rocketbrews.com $

ROOSTERS RESTAURANT AND CATERING

This coffee, breakfast and lunch stop near 34th and Bell is quietly one of the best dessert places in the city. (That apple pie: Whoa.) But the quiche, sandwiches, soups, and salads are also worth an order. Be advised: the dining room fills up quickly for lunch, but we love the cute outdoor area. 3440 S. Bell St., Unit 110, 353.7309, silver-fork.com $

SAIGON RESTAURANT

Lots of Thai food in Amarillo, but few authentic Vietnamese restaurants. For that category, Saigon is the best. It’s family-owned, with amazing pho and crispy bird nest noodles. We love the great service, vegan-friendly menu, and of course the Vietnamese coffee. Closed on Wednesdays. 2909 I-40 West, 373.3456, ordersaigonrestaurant.com $

SAM’S SOUTHERN EATERY

This Louisiana-based chain has been around for more than a decade, but the Amarillo location is brand-new. The portions are big and the prices are low for shrimp or crawfish po’boys, catfish, crab, seafood platters, shrimp and more. Our city may not be known for seafood, but Sam’s is. 4317 Teckla Ave., 437.1349, samssouthernamarillo.com

SAVÓR TAPAS BAR

Amarillo has needed a true tapas bar, and finally it’s here. A product of Chef Rory Schepisi, Savor offers a swanky, modern vibe in the Greenways, with a full bar and a

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METROPOLITAN-A SPEAKEASY

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Try the traditional coffee after your meal! 2522 Paramount Blvd., 367.6077, marhabarestaurant.wordpress.com $

delicious selection of small-bite plates. Order a bunch of everything for the table, and don’t forget the dessert. 7669 Hillside Road, Suite, 600, 310.2600, savortapasbar.com $$

SHI LEE’S BARBECUE & SOUL FOOD CAFE

We love this place. One of the owners calls his chicken-fried chicken the “comeback kid,” because if you order it, you’re guaranteed to come back. He’s right. But everything on the menu is good, especially for takeout given the small dining area. (The portions are always big, though.) 1213 SW Third Ave., 220.0032 $

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SINALOA HOT DOGS AND MEXICAN FOOD

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If you’ve never had a Mexican hot dog, then stop reading and head over to the Boulevard right now. This is a small place but the flavor is huge. We also love the firegrilled chicken, tacos, tortas, carne asada, quesadillas, burritos, and mulitas. But that hot dog! (You’ll need napkins.) 2618 Amarillo Blvd. East, 367.8935 $

SOMALI AFRICAN SAFARI RESTAURANT

Amarillo has a strong Somali community and this restaurant is their gift to us. Expect East African meals like goat with basmati rice, or a surprise daily special. The flavors are big and bold. This place is a true dive—there’s no formal menu so just ask for what you’d like, or what they recommend. 5945 Amarillo Blvd. East, 471.0490 $$

SPICY MIKE’S BAR-B-Q HAVEN

The spice is nice at this very popular barbecue joint in west Amarillo, known for chopped brisket sandwiches, tender pork ribs and more. We also love the daily specials—like Saturday’s smoked turkey sandwich—and homemade cobbler for dessert. 6723 S. Western St., 358.8550, spicymikes.mymobisite.us $

SUNDAY’S KITCHEN

Everyone loves Chef Ron, but they especially love his West Texas twist on Gulf Coast and Cajun cuisine. This downtown dive is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Friday, and lunch only on Saturdays—and don’t miss the Sunday brunch. Try the Pit Master Mac & Cheese. 112 SW Sixth Ave., 418.6477 $$

TEDDY JACK’S ARMADILLO GRILL With a vast, no-frills menu, this regional restaurant concept was created by former NFL safety and Texas Tech standout Curtis Jordan, who turned to the food biz after

retiring in the 1980s. The outdoor area is great and so is the brick-oven pizza. A fun place to watch the big game. 5080 S. Coulter St., 322.0113, teddyjacks.com $$

TOOM’S RESTAURANT

Experts know that a lot of “Thai” food actually has origins in Laos, and that fusion is on display at Toom’s, one of our favorite spots on the northeast side. The family owners are super friendly, the space is incredibly clean, and the authentic flavors pop. Get the sticky rice and beef jerky. 3416 NE 24th Ave., 381.2568 $

WESLEY’S BEAN POT & BBQ

River Road restaurants aren’t always on the radar of every local resident, but Wesley’s has been around forever and deserves its legendary reputation. Loyal customers return again and again for the genuine Texas-style barbecue, especially the baby-back ribs, brisket and—yep—the beans. 6406 River Road, 381.2893 $

YCSF CRAFT

It started as a “food truck without wheels” and now this street food experiment is one of the city’s favorite restaurants, and one of the only vegan/vegetarian places in town. Definitely try the animal fries and diablo shrimp tacos. The burgers, craft beer and wine list are all wonderful. 2916 Wolflin Ave., 353.9273, yellowcitystreetfood.com $

YOUNGBLOOD’S CAFE

An Amarillo classic, where you can grab a hearty breakfast starting every day at 6 a.m. or wait a few hours to try its illustrious chicken-fried steaks. Our favorite thing at Youngblood’s? It’s gotta be the free banana pudding for dessert (while supplies last). 620 SW 16th Ave., 342.9411, youngbloodscafe.com $$

X– STEAKHOUSE

The name is a play on cattle brands—say “X-Bar”—and this newish Town Square steakhouse definitely knows beef. It’s locally owned, has a full bar, and the prices are extremely reasonable for such a swanky atmosphere. We hear great things about the weekend brunch, too. 9181 Town Square Blvd., Suite 1311, 322.4227, xbarsteakhouse.com $$-$$$

CANYON

BUFF’S

This small, locally owned spot advertises itself as an “old-school diner with a new school touch.” That’s a great description. The college crowd and Canyon families love the homestyle comfort food, including burgers, sandwiches, and daily specials. Try the breakfast burritos. 2201 Fourth Ave., 655.2833 $

CREEK HOUSE HONEY FARM AND HONEY BUZZ WINERY

The honey is made onsite from Creek House’s hard-working bees, and those fresh, sweet flavors find their way into homemade items from cheese boards to salads, sandwiches and baked goods. Check social media for daily specials, and definitely try the impeccably brewed mead. 5005 Fourth Ave., 381.3446, honeybuzzwinery.com $

HUDSPETH HOUSE COFFEE HOUSE

Georgia O’Keeffe once lived in this historic boarding house, and the newly opened coffee house has become a beloved weekday spot for light breakfast items, quiche, baked goods, sandwiches and soup, and even afternoon tea. The scones are almost as amazing as the history here. 1905 Fourth Ave., 655.9800, hudspethhouse.com $

RANCH HOUSE CAFE

Every bit what you’d expect from a smalltown, home-cooking restaurant. This is comfort food at its best, with all-day breakfast, chicken-fry and steaks, Tex-Mex specialties and desserts made-from-scratch. You didn’t hear it from us, but whole pies are available to order. 810 23rd St., 655.8785, theranchhousecafe.com $

SAYAKOMARN’S RESTAURANT

This traditional Thai and Laotian place is extremely popular with locals, who mostly have given up trying to pronounce the name and instead call it “Soccer Moms.” (It’s … close.) We love the pretty dining area and separate to-go pickup entrance. We also love the Boba tea. 421 16th St., 655.2698, sayakomarns.com $$

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF SHAMROCK EDC

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SHAMROCK: GET LUCKY

on’t let the vehicles speeding down I-40 give you the wrong idea: Life in Shamrock, Texas, is decidedly slower. It’s quiet and easy. It’s relaxed. Except on St. Patrick’s Day.

A straight shot from Amarillo 93 miles east on the Interstate, Shamrock is located near the Texas-Oklahoma border. But in the middle week of March every year, this border town is only marginally Texan and definitely isn’t Oklahoman. It’s full-blown Irish. The Shamrock St. Patrick’s Day Celebration is the biggest thing that happens on this side of the Panhandle every year, dating all the way back to 1938. This annual three-day event, taking place March 17-20, 2022, keeps getting bigger and bigger, and now includes a

carnival and parade, 5K race, ranch rodeo, wing-eating contest, green beer pour, a Donegal beard contest, outdoor vendors and more. The high point of the celebration promises to be “The Big Dance” on Saturday evening, March 19, at the Shamrock Country Club, with music by Cody Canada & The Departed and Seth Ward & the Silence. In fact, this year’s experience represents a milestone for the annual event. Shamrock’s 75th Annual Diamond Jubilee has gained attention all over the state, and in 2013 was designated by the State

(MOST LY ) G O OD LU C K

Shamrock’s history goes all the way back to the late 1890s, when a sheep rancher named George Washington Nickel—an Irish immigrant—applied to open a post office at his dugout home. He suggested the name “Shamrock” for good luck. Postal officials accepted his application, but the good luck didn’t quite take. Nickel’s home burned down just a few months later. But the name stuck, and when the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railway came through Wheeler County in the summer of 1902, the railroad named the stop Shamrock. The city incorporated in 1911. Once oil and natural gas were discovered nearby, its population had grown to nearly 4,000 by 1930. A local bandmaster named Glen Truax started the St. Patrick’s Day parade tradition in 1938, and the city has celebrated on the weekend nearest March 17 ever since. That celebration has come to define Shamrock. Early St. Patrick’s Day weekends would bring up to 12,000 people to the town, and some years have seen as many as 30,000 visit. A popular destination during the weekend is Blarney Stone Plaza, at the intersection on East Second Street. Visitors encounter an actual piece of Ireland’s famous Blarney Stone, which arrived from County Cork, Ireland, in 1959 in an armored truck, presumably transporting its mystical powers from the Emerald Isle to the High Plains. But a few days in March is not the only reason to visit Shamrock, as Route 66 road-trippers discover on a daily basis.

RO UT E 6 6 HIGHL IGHTS

The town itself sits at the intersection of Route 66 and U.S. Highway 83 and represents the first Texas stop for travelers heading west on the Mother Road. This gives Shamrock plenty more to offer

than green beer and a lucky parade. The town’s crown jewel is the historic Tower Station and U-Drop Inn, an art deco-style building completed in 1936. Once known as the “swankiest of swank eating places” along Route 66, this former restaurant and gas station once served as Shamrock’s first commercial business along the famous highway. Today, its iconic architecture brings tourists from as far as Russia, China and Australia. The building now operates as a community center and home to the town’s chamber of commerce. The U-Drop Inn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, inspired a look-alike building in the animated film Cars, and is now home to a Tesla supercharger. Another vestige of the Mother Road is the Magnolia Gas Station at East Second and Madden. Located in front of the Pioneer West Museum—a building which once served as the 1928 Reynolds Hotel—this station was privately restored several years ago. The entire town rests in the shadow of the historic Shamrock Water Tower. Built in 1915 and 172 feet tall, it’s touted as the tallest historic water tower in Texas, visible to approaching drivers up to 10 miles away. Don’t miss an enormous mural displaying Shamrock’s history at the tower’s base. Shamrock is easily worth a day trip from Amarillo, but if you wish to stay the night and enjoy retro accommodations, try the restored Route 66 Inn. Hungry? Locals love the Tower Plaza Cafe & Pizzeria or Tex-Mex flavors at El Sombrero. And music lovers can’t help but enjoy browsing stacks and stacks of vinyl at Spinning Jenny’s House of Music, right down the street from Tower Station. Known for its colorful murals and live events, this vinyl shop has been featured in Texas Highways. Plan your trip today at shamrocktexas.net.

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Legislature as the official St. Patrick’s Day Celebration for the State of Texas.

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road trip

listen RECENTLY ON HEY AMARILLO

O MAR | APR 2022

ur co-publisher and editorial director, Jason Boyett, is also the host of the popular Hey Amarillo podcast, a weekly interview show featuring Amarillo people. If you haven’t yet subscribed, here are a few recent episodes you may have missed.

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LANCE GARZA JANUARY 3, 2022 To start the year, Jason interviewed Lance Garza, owner of Bitter Buffalo Records and one of the partners of Caliche, a new retail space, art gallery and counseling collaboration. Garza left Amarillo in high school only to return at the height of the pandemic. Coming from Chicago, he was met with a thriving local creative scene. “I think Caliche is a really unique concept for Amarillo, and I wanted to hear about that,” Jason says. “But I also wanted to learn why Lance left a vibrant, urban setting like Chicago. What did he see in Amarillo that convinced him to uproot, move here, and start a business?” SUZANNE TALLEY JANUARY 10, 2022 Suzanne Talley spent 17 years as the executive director of Coffee Memorial Blood Center, guiding that organization through the first year of COVID-19. Then, in 2021, she left to take the helm of a smaller—but just as important—nonprofit, The 100 Club of the Texas Panhandle. “As Suzanne explains in this episode, the 100 Club fills in the gaps, financially speaking, after a first responder is killed in the line of duty,” Jason says. “A family might wait months for the government’s benefits to kick in, so Suzanne and her board members handdeliver checks to these grieving families.” CHARLES D’AMICO JANUARY 17, 2022 Brick & Elm readers first encountered D’Amico in our November/December 2021 feature about Little Free Libraries. He’s the author of several thrillers and the founder and president of Blue Handle Publishing, an indie book publisher. But in addition to that career, D’Amico is also the owner/operator of Amarillo’s three Jimmy John’s locations. “Charles is originally from Detroit,” says Jason. “We talked about how the franchise

opportunity brought him to this area, but also about his approach to problem-solving and how that’s made him a serial entrepreneur.” Few podcast episodes give equal time to the worlds of sandwiches and books, but this one does. MARCIE STEWARD JANUARY 24, 2022 “Sometimes I do a deep dive into a guest’s history to prepare for an interview,” Jason says. “But sometimes I don’t, just to see where the story goes. And those surprises can be really fun.” This was the case with Marcie Steward’s interview. She dropped out of high school and spent a few days as a homeless single mom before getting back on her feet thanks to Martha’s Home, a local nonprofit. “You can hear the surprise in my voice when we get to this part of her story,” Jason reveals. “We talk about those days as well as the depression that accompanied it. Marcie’s resilience and entrepreneurial spirit are so inspiring.” TREVOR CAVINESS JANUARY 31, 2022 Amarillo loves homegrown success stories, and few are as prominent as that of Caviness Beef Packers. Despite being a private, familyowned business in a world of corporate giants, Caviness is still one of the largest beef packers in the world. In this interview with Trevor Caviness—the third-generation president of the company—listeners learn the Caviness origin story. “I was really pleased that Trevor was willing to discuss some of the big challenges in his industry, like sustainability and food safety,” Jason says. “You can tell those things are important to him. They’re important to consumers like me, too.” Subscribe and listen to Hey Amarillo across a variety of podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher, or visit heyamarillo.com.

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BARY NUSZ

orn and raised in Amarillo, Bary Nusz comes from a family of ranchers and cowboys. But his attention turned in a different direction. “I was always the city boy playing with his computer. I love gadgets, technology, extreme weather, wild nature, and I love to share what I do with others,” he says.

For the past 30 years, he’s been taking videos and photographs of Tornado Alley skies and the canyons along the Llano Estacado. “Whether I’m videoing the beauty of a towering thunderstorm or photographing a box canyon at the end of a hidden trail, I try to find the abundant beauty of the wild Texas Panhandle,” he says. Nusz sold storm videos for years, and now sells that beauty in the form of dramatic landscape photos. He calls himself a “photographer who hikes” and doesn’t hesitate to trek 20 miles in search of hidden slot canyons in the Panhandle. That commitment to the outdoors has served him well. “I get messages from people who love to hike, used to hike, or can’t hike anymore,” Nusz says. “They all thank me for sharing my adventures with them. They are exploring with me. I wasn’t expecting that connection with others who love wild nature as much as I do.”

MAR | APR 2022

in focus

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BARY N U S Z A Cherokee citizen, Nusz goes by the nickname “the Nerdy Native,” which loosely translates to Asamadi Tsalagi in the Cherokee language. See more of his work at barynuszart.com and @nerdynativeskills on Instagram and Facebook.

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back when WITH WES REEVES

Presented by

MAR | APR 2022

In March 1886, simmering cowboy class warfare in and around Tascosa, Texas, had already primed a population of underpaid and love-starved bucks for violence, so it didn’t take much for a bit of liquor-fueled sass to turn deadly in what has come to be known in Western lore as “The Big Fight.” All around this outpost of what passed for civilization, several big ranches had been established in the 1870s, worked by cowboys who found a way to earn a little extra scratch by claiming maverick, or unbranded cattle. But by the early 1880s, the increasingly powerful ranch owners put an end to this practice and started enforcing new rules against the gleaning of mavericks. In 1884, the big cattle operators brought in Pat Garrett, the New Mexico lawman who killed Billy the Kid, and tasked him with reining in the rustling. He assembled a posse of cowboys known as the Home Rangers and the whole lot of them became wildly unpopular. Garrett, unaccustomed to that level of scorn, resigned within nine months. Upon his departure, the Home Rangers were dissolved. But they left behind a big stank in Tascosa for years to come. Ed King was one of these former Home Rangers who apparently took to brawling and drinking with so much extra time on his hands. On the night of March 20, 1886, he and his former ranger buddies Frank Chilton, Frank Valley and John Lang rode in from the LS Ranch to attend a baile, or dance, at the home of Casimiro Romero. They probably got a little tight at the Romero function, and at 2 a.m. early on March 21, headed into Tascosa for a nightcap. King and his buddies were likely quite unloved by the smattering of cowboys still lingering at that late hour. It’s not exactly clear how the shooting started. But considering everyone there had been greasing their hollers since before supper, courage was not lacking. Frederick Nolan, in his book Tascosa: Its Life and Gaudy Times, sets the stage for trouble a day earlier when King paid a visit to the Dunn & Jenkins Saloon and insulted bartender Lem Woodruff by calling him “Pretty Lem.” It seems Woodruff’s former love interest, Sally Emory, was getting sweet on King, which might explain the taunting. The next evening after the Romero baile, King and his LS buddies were walking down Main Street and spotted Woodruff and Louis “The Animal” Bousman along with “Squirrel-Eye” Charlie Emory and John “the Catfish Kid” Gough outside of the Dunn & Jenkins Saloon. King was alleged to have said “Well, I see you sons of bitches are still in town.” At that moment King took the first bullet and was possibly dead when he hit the dirt. There are other recorded perspectives of how it started, but the SOB thing is, in my mind, quite probable. Anyone who’s attended a rodeo dance in Dalhart or the St Patrick’s bacchanalia at the old Armory in Shamrock has likely seen a fight start in this manner. After King fell, Woodruff and his coterie quickly ducked into the Dunn & Jenkins Saloon as King’s LS cronies Chilton, Valley and Lang unloaded a fusilade of revenge into the thin walls. When it was all done, Chilton and Valley were also dead, Woodruff and Emory were wounded and Lang, the lone survivor of King’s party, hightailed it out of town. A fourth fatality was Jesse Sheets, who had simply taken a gander from the back door of a neighboring saloon. This breach in the dam of civility was sudden and short-lived, and very soon life among the adobe saloons settled back into a more placid lawlessness. From the safe distance of time, a Wild-West shootout almost feels like make-believe, but The Big Fight in Tascosa comes back quite real when we stop to imagine how hard it was to make a life in a raw land with few comforts—and how easy it is for things to go wrong when liquor loosens our lips after bedtime.

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ong before Facebook trolls and comment section gasbags, people around these parts were already perfecting the art of mouthing off and taking it a step too far.

finish

PHOTO BY VENICE MINCEY

MAR | APR 2022

THE NEW WEST PLAINS LOCKER ROOM AT HAPPY STATE BANK STADIUM

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ADAM CUMMINGS HEAD FOOTBALL COACH AND CAMPUS ATHLETIC COORDINATOR, WEST PLAINS HIGH SCHOOL The best advice I ever heard is ... Be yourself. Don’t try to be something you’re not, otherwise people will see right through you.

musicals. TEXAS brings those two things together in a very unique and exciting way. I think I’ve seen it at least six times in my life.

My three most recommended books are ... The Bible, The Coffee Bean, by Jon Gordon and Damon West, and Quiet Strength, by Tony Dungy. All three give great insight and wisdom on how to live your life. The Bible is the most practical and applicable written word ever.

If I could change any one local thing it would be ... the cold winter temperatures and the wind. I’ve lived in this area almost my entire life and I love so many things about it, but I have never grown to love those two things.

To me, success means ... reaching your potential and being the best version of yourself. When your standard is to be the best version of you and it’s achieved, that is success to me.

This city is amazing at ... being a big city that has a small-town feel. People are more friendly here.

People who know me might be surprised that I ... am a Star Wars and Marvel junkie. My kids and I are hooked! My biggest pet peeve is ... rude people. It doesn’t take much effort to be polite and respectful to others. This is another reason I love Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle. Everyone in Amarillo needs to experience ... TEXAS Outdoor Musical. I love Texas history, and have always enjoyed plays and

My favorite place in Amarillo is ... The Amarillo Botanical Gardens. It is where my wife Ashley and I got married. We visit every year and bring the kids to look at the Christmas lights. It’s become a family tradition. A local organization I love right now ... Kids, Inc. It’s great what they have always done and continue to do for youth sports in the Amarillo and Canyon area. They provide so many opportunities for kids, and I’m excited about the recent announcement of their new facility.

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Brick & Elm | March/April 2022

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