Northwest Sports and Ortho takes a modern approach to help you get back in action — no matter what your athletic level.
This is not your ordinary physical therapy. Our team includes an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports-related injuries and highly trained physical therapists to help you reach your individual goals.
Our relationship with Verdure Fitness Club in Amarillo gives you access to more than 65,000 square feet of advanced exercise and training equipment, as well as surfaces for nearly any sport — from basketball courts and pools to field turf and a boxing ring.
Two Caprock students are headed to America’s most renowned
Michele McAffrey mm@brickandelm.com
Jason Boyett jb@brickandelm.com
DESIGNER
Michele McAffrey mm@brickandelm.com
Kayla Morris km@brickandelm.com
Jason Boyett jb@brickandelm.com
Kait Bradford Bellmon
Angelina Marie
When I look back over the past few months, it feels like ages since I last wrote an editor’s note, and then at other times the weeks have flown by. In the middle of January, it seemed my days of typing up my last-minute thoughts prior to printing a magazine were over. And then … a miracle.
I’ve been asked if we have a test kitchen, likely because people see the quality of Brick & Elm and assume that we’ve got a glamorous office space that matches the look of this beautiful magazine. But, no. We’re simply fortunate enough to work with the best talent in the city, photographers who excel at lighting, staging and other trickery that I will not reveal at this time.
Venice Mincey
Jeremy Pawlowski
Kayla Morris km@brickandelm.com
Shannon Richardson
Jon Mark Beilue
Angelina Marie
Chip Chandler
The gorgeous images you see on the cover, the pages devoted to our “queso quest,” and Ruthie Landelius’ beautiful and supremely delicious Mexican sweets (see page 82), were all shot in my dining room. At our cover shoot, we laughed at the gargantuan mess that was left in my kitchen and dining room, with cheese or some kind of cheese derivative, salsa, chips and vegetables on every conceivable surface. I failed to capture a behind-the-scenes shot, but I’m hopeful that Jason or photographer Jeremy Pawlowski did. It was a wild mess and so much fun.
Meaghan Collier
Scott Thomas
Shannon Richardson
Andy Chase Cundiff
Ruthie Landelius
Mason Dudley
Ryan McSwain
Gray Gillman
Patrick Miller
Wes Reeves
Karen Welch
My longtime writing partner Jason Boyett became my new business partner and Brick & Elm was born. This “hyper-local” magazine was created in meetings at our respective homes, and it’s the compilation of everything we’ve ever hoped a Panhandle-focused publication could be. The community outpouring for our new project has been overwhelming in the best way. My friends and local businesses have sent streams of encouraging messages of support. Now I truly know what it means to say my cup overflows
This is the first of many fantastic Amarillo-centric issues created by a true dream team—Jason and the incomparable Kayla Morris. I’m thrilled beyond measure to share Brick & Elm with you. Thanks for reading.
Beyond the food-inspired features in this issue, we’re delighted to focus on education as the school year approaches. We’ve packed six full features in our Summer 2023 issue, and you’ll want to savor every one. We hope you’re inspired by our content to get out and enjoy quests of your own, whether food related, volunteering at a new-to-you nonprofit, or experiencing a vibrant live music venue. We’re grateful that you’re here to experience these adventures with us.
Jim Womack
Chip Chandler
Andy Chase Cundiff
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Wes Reeves
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All the best parts of my career began in the Amarillo College Journalism Department. There, in the mid1990s, I learned to write fast. I learned to edit. I learned desktop publishing, design and photography. But what I learned most of all is that I really liked magazines. I ended up the editor of AC’s award-winning campus magazine, AC Current, and fell in love with the process of creating a publication, start to finish.
If you ever hear me complain about the hard work of making a magazine, tell me to stuff it. For this issue, Michele and I joined our spouses for an entire afternoon eating queso. We got a behind-the-scenes, private tour of AmTech and got to explore its digital cadaver. We’ve been able to watch the transformation of a trailer into a mobile farmers market. We’ve met entrepreneurs like the Standefer brothers and high-achieving Caprock grads Connor Castaneda and Isaiah Flores. Last spring, I hiked the Cross Bar SRMA with Adrian Escobar and heard his plans for that spectacular landscape.
Here I am again, more than a quarter-century later. For years, Michele and I have worked together telling stories about our city. A few months ago we decided the time was right to launch a new, sophisticated, independent magazine about Amarillo. It feels appropriate that our first issue covers topics like trail-building, business reopenings, creative problem-solving and breathing new life into historic structures. We feel like all of those are metaphors for Brick & Elm, and maybe for print magazines in general.
I love telling stories. I love words and photographs. But the real joy of producing a magazine like Brick & Elm is the access it gives us to the people and places that make this area special. Access is a privilege, and we are overwhelmed by the willingness of local people to share their lives, businesses and dreams with us. It requires trust and transparency, which we dare not take for granted. An issue like this one may begin with our editorial vision, but everything rests on the willingness of local people to say yes when we ask. I’m grateful.
So here’s to fresh starts and a new way to shine a spotlight on the city we love. Thanks for reading. We’re honored that you’re here with us, at the beginning.
Kayla has been designing professionally for more than 10 years. She was raised in the Panhandle and graduated with a design degree from West Texas A&M University.
SHANNON RICHARDSON
Shannon has been a commercial/ advertising photographer for almost 35 years. His work can be seen at shannonrichardson.com.
Kait is the owner of Three Feather Photo Co, a local lifestyle and wedding brand that specializes in destination elopements. See her work at threefeatherphoto.co.
RYAN MCSWAIN
Ryan is the author of Monsters
All the Way Down and Four Color Bleed He’s written for the best industries in Texas. You can find him at ryanmcswain.com.
Jeremy and Lauren Pawlowski are food and product photographers who focus on bringing playfulness into every picture they take. They recently moved back to Lauren’s hometown of Canyon with their son. See their work at neighborscreative.com.
Venice is a natural light photographer, specializing in senior, family and child photography. Venice has been taking photos for more than 20 years. See her work at veniceminceyphotography.com.
Karen is the senior content producer for Panhandle PBS. She is the winner of a Regional Emmy Award and more than a dozen individual or team reporting awards. Karen is a local, born and raised in Amarillo, and earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from West Texas A&M University.
Jon Mark worked at the Amarillo Globe-News from 1981 until his retirement in 2018. Beilue received 16 statewide and national awards for his work. Beilue is a native of Groom and graduate of Texas Tech University. He and wife Sandy have two adult sons.
Angelina has been a photographer in the Amarillo area for 13 years. She is the editor of the Hey Amarillo podcast. Angelina is co-director of Make Space, an Amarillo nonprofit focused on local artists. See her work at shorteareddog.com or find her on Instagram.
Wes was raised in Wellington and has lived in Amarillo since the early 90s. He serves as chairman of the Potter County Historical Commission and as a member of the Friends of the Texas Historical Commission board of directors. Through his writing and community involvement he seeks to help people appreciate the Texas Panhandle experience, past and present.
Meaghan works in communications and marketing for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Amarillo and spent 15 years as an anchor, reporter and producer in local television news. Meaghan is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. She and husband Cody live in Amarillo with their dog, Bradford.
By Mando Rayo and Jarod Neece
Rooted in tradición Mexicana and infused with Texas food culture, tacos are some of Texans’ alltime favorite foods. In The Tacos of Texas, taco journalists Mando Rayo and Jarod Neece take us on a muy sabroso taco tour around the state as they discover the traditions, recipes, stories and personalities behind puffy tacos in San Antonio, trompo tacos in Dallas, breakfast tacos in Austin, carnitas tacos in El Paso, fish tacos in Corpus Christi, barbacoa in the Rio Grande Valley, and much more.
Starting with the basics—tortillas, fillings and salsas—and how to make, order and eat tacos, the authors highlight 10 taco cities/regions of Texas. For each place, they describe what makes the tacos distinctive, name their top five places to eat, and listen to the locals tell their taco stories. They hear from restaurant owners, taqueros, abuelitas, chefs, and patrons—both well-known and everyday folks—who talk about their local taco history and culture while sharing authentic recipes and recommendations for the best taco purveyors.
Whether you can’t imagine a day without tacos or you’re just learning your way around the trailers, trucks, and taqueros that make tacos happen, The Tacos of Texas is the indispensable guidebook, cookbook and testimonio
The summer heat has arrived, as have hot days and nights of fun across the area. There’s a full slate of entertainment options heading your way in the next two months, including more outdoor concerts, fundraisers with the emphasis on “fun,” and major movie events—even the start of the fall arts season at the tail end of summer.
Check out these highlights for July and August, and don’t forget to subscribe to the free Brickly and Flavorillo newsletters for my weekly entertainment picks all summer long.
DIAMOND RIO: The ’90s country band wants you to meet them in the middle … of Starlight Ranch Event Center, 1415 Sunrise Drive, where they’ll perform July 13. Other concerts of note include Rock & Roll Over, a KISS tribute band, on July 1, Blake Shelton tribute singer Blake Nation on July 8, and Van Halen tribute band Next Halen on July 22, all at Shark Beach Burgers, 1505 E. FM 1151; the ever-popular Tejas Brothers on July 2 and Jason Scott & The High Heat on July 7, and rising local stars Travis Roberts & The Willing Few on July 29, all at The Golden Light Cantina, 2098 SW Sixth Ave.; indie acts Garrett T. Capps and Heavy Meddo country band on July 2 at Caliche Co., 2311 SW Seventh Ave.; Treaty Oak Revival on July 7, Texas country star Jon Wolfe on July 8, rock band Giovannie & The Hired Guns on July 21, and Elton John tribute artist Kenny Metcalf on July 22, all at Starlight Ranch; rocker Jonny Craig on July 9 at Hoots Pub, 2424 Hobbs Road; Austrian post-hardcore band Lehnen on July 24 at The 806 Coffee + Lounge, 2812 SW Sixth Ave.; metal band Bondbreakr on July 15 at Zombiez Bar & Grill, 711 SW 10th Ave.; and Godsmack tribute band Whiskey Hangover on July 29 at Skooterz Bar & Grill, 4100 Bushland Blvd. Plus, don’t miss the continuing slate of summer outdoor concert series: Starlight Theatre on Tuesdays at Sam Houston Park, Line Avenue and Western Street; High Noon on the Square on Wednesdays at the Potter County Courthouse, 501 S. Fillmore St.; Music at Wellington Square Courtyard, 1619 S. Kentucky St., on Thursdays; and Music in the Gardens on Thursdays at Amarillo Botanical Gardens, 1400 Streit Drive.
28TH ANNUAL ORIGINAL HARLEY PARTY: Rev your motors up for Family Support Services’ popular fundraiser, set for July 29 at the Amarillo National Center on the Tri-State Fairgrounds, 3301 SE 10th Ave. Included in the fun are food, beverages and music from The Buster Bledsoe Band, Touching Voodoo and Too Far Gone. Other events to mark on your calendars include the Do Portugal Circus performances from June 30 to July 9 at Starlight Ranch; the traditional First Thursday activities on Historic Route 66 on July 6; the Amarillo Community Market on Saturdays through Sept. 9 around the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce, 1000 S. Polk St.; the Nazareth German Fest on July 8 in Nazareth; continuing performances of Songs of the Eagle on July 8, 15 and 22 at the Kwahadi Museum of the American Indian, 9151 I-40 East; Moto Xtreme Circus on July 14 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Coliseum, 401 S. Buchanan St.; the annual Las Fiestas de Amarillo celebrations on July 15 and 16 around Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, 1210 SE 11th Ave.; Randall County Sheriff’s Office’s 14th annual Mud Volleyball tournament on July 15 at the sheriff’s office, 9100 S. Georgia St.; the Paddle Battle for Kids pickleball tournament for Amarillo Area CASA on July 22 at the Amarillo Country Club, 4800 Bushland Blvd.; Texas Panhandle Relief Foundation’s Crawfish Boil on July 28 at Cactus Gun Club, 9999 Brickplant Road; the Khiva Shrine’s Cajun Shrimp Boil on July 22 at the Shrine, 305 SE Fifth Ave.; a Family Care Foundation fundraiser on July 29 at Starlight Ranch, featuring Amarillo Americana band Comanche Moon; the eighth-annual La Mission Christian Car
Show on July 30 at the Amarillo Civic Center Complex; and Amarillo Sod Poodles action in Hodgetown, 715 S. Buchanan St., against the Tulsa Drillers from June 28 to July 3, versus the Frisco RoughRiders from July 14 to 16 and versus the Wichita Wind Surge from July 18 to 23. Keep your eyes open for Fourth of July activities around the Panhandle, including Kickin’ It in Canyon featuring William Clark Green on July 3 in the First United Bank Center at West Texas A&M University.
PUFFS: Amarillo Little Theatre Academy hopes to cast a spell with this cheeky musical, subtitled “Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic,” which should help you discern what it’s parodying. It’ll be staged July 13 to 16 at the ALT Adventure Space, 2751 Civic Circle. Other arts events include continuing performances of outdoor musical Texas throughout the month in Pioneer Amphitheatre, including the traditional Comanche Summer festival on July 1, a staging of a William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet on July 10 at the Amarillo Botanical Gardens, and the Texas Opera production of The Pirates of Penzance on July 23 and 24 in the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex Branding Iron Theatre at WT; the First Friday Art Walk on July 7 at the newly reopened Arts in the Sunset, 3701 Plains Blvd.; and West Texas Drums, featuring top Drum Corps International ensembles from around the country, on July 17 at Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium on the WT campus in Canyon.
BARBIE: C’mon Barbie, let’s go party July 21 with this delightfully garish, modernday take on the classic doll, starring Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and a whole doll cabinet full of other actors. Also opening this month: horror sequel Insidious: The Red Door and raunchy comedy Joy Ride on July 7; action sequel (and ridiculously punctuated) Mission: Impossible–Dead Reckoning Part One on July 12; horror flick Terrifier on July 19; historical drama Oppenheimer on July 21; and family comedy The Haunted Mansion and thriller Talk to Me on July 28. Plus, watch for special screenings of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind on July 9 and 11, Castle in the Sky on July 10 and 12, and National Lampoon’s Vacation on July 16 and 19.
AMARILLO SYMPHONY: The orchestra opens its historic 100th season Aug. 26 with a pops concert in Hodgetown featuring homegrown
Visit brickandelm.com for Chip’s expanded event coverage and movie reviews. Better yet, subscribe to our email newsletters for breaking entertainment news every week!
CHIP CHANDLERChip 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.
country talent Randall King, hometown opera star Eric Barry and partially hometown ensemble The Opera Cowgirls (featuring Amarillo’s Sarah Beckham-Turner). Other arts highlights include a handful of Texas performances through Aug. 5 in Pioneer Amphitheatre; Amarillo Arts Institute’s All Things Artful fundraiser on Aug. 11 in The Arts at Sunset; and Amarillo Little Theatre’s seasonopener End of the Rainbow, a late-day Judy Garland bio-drama, Aug. 17-27 in the Adventure Space.
AMA-CON: Amarillo Public Library’s pop-culture party is popping back to the Amarillo Civic Center Complex for a two-day celebration of all things geek Aug. 5-6. Other can’t-miss events include the return of comedian Daryl Felsberg in an Aug. 11 show at Pondaseta Brewing Co., 7500 SW 45th Ave.; and more Amarillo Sod Poodles action in Hodgetown against the Corpus Christi Hooks (Aug. 1-6), the Arkansas Travelers (Aug. 15-22) and the Midland RockHounds (Aug. 29Sept. 3).
THE JOSH ABBOTT BAND: The Lubbock-born Texas country stars return to town to headline an Aug. 4 hoedown at Starlight Ranch. Other concerts to watch for include Red Dirt star Stoney LaRue on Aug. 5, Texas country greats Randy Rogers Band on Aug. 12, and The Read Southall Band on Aug. 25, all at Starlight Ranch; indie singer-songwriter Bryan Bielanski on Aug. 17 at The 806 Coffee + Lounge; 1999: The Legacy of Prince tribute act Aug. 19 at Shark
WITH CHIP CHANDLER
Beach Burgers; the massive Viva Chihuahua Fest with eight norteño bands on Aug. 19 at Azteca Music Hall, 500 N. FM 1912; Texas country stars Don Stalling & The Divided on Aug. 19 at Golden Light Cantina; glam metal band LA Guns on Aug. 23 and Texas country great Jason Eady on Aug. 26 at Hoots Pub; and rock band Sleep Signals on Aug. 30 at Skooterz Bar & Grill. Plus, don’t miss the final installments of the summer outdoor concert series: Starlight Theatre on Tuesdays at Sam Houston Park; Music at Wellington Square Courtyard on Thursdays; and Music in the Gardens on Thursdays at Amarillo Botanical Gardens.
BLUE BEETLE: A Latino teen (Xolo Maridueña of Cobra Kai) gains powers after finding an alien scarab in this new superhero flick, opening Aug. 18 and being billed as the first of the new era of the DC Extended Universe. Also opening this month: animated reboot Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem on Aug. 2; video-game adaptation Gran Turismo, sports drama Challengers and fantasy horror film Last Voyage of the Demeter on Aug. 11; comedy Back on the Strip and talking-dog comedy Strays on Aug. 18; and sports biopic The Hill on Aug. 25. Plus, look for special screenings of Princess Mononoke from Aug. 5 to 9, Drum Corps International finals Big, Loud & Live on Aug. 10, 50th-anniversary screenings of Enter the Dragon on Aug. 13 and 16, Porco Rosso on Aug. 20 and 22, The Wind Rises on Aug. 21 and 23, a preview screening of biopic Golda with Helen Mirren on Aug. 23 and Renée Fleming’s Cities that Sing: Paris on Aug. 26.
The Amarillo Chamber of Commerce presented its annual business-to-business tradeshow on May 18 at the Amarillo Civic Center Complex, the largest of its type in the city. Hundreds of businesses, restaurants, and local customers met to network and sample a variety of wares.
(Provided Photos)
Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum held a gala on May 6, “A Beautiful Night in Venice,” in Pioneer Hall. Guests enjoyed a four-course Italian meal, live and silent auctions, and dancing.
(Photos by Kelsey Peeples Photography)
The Amarillo SPCA hosted its annual festival on May 19 at Starlight Ranch Event Center. The pet-focused festivities included a silent auction, shot clinic, vendors, and canine contests. (Provided Photos)
Amarillo Art Institute hosted an opening reception, Sistine in the Sunset, for Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition on June 8. The exhibit is a collection of the artist’s ceiling frescoes from the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, reproduced in an interactive, close-up format. The exhibit runs through July 23 at Arts in the Sunset. (Photos by Ian Watson, courtesy of Amarillo Art Institute)
Amarillo Little Theatre staff, volunteers and community members met for a “family reunion” event at the Allen Shankles Mainstage on June 10, to celebrate the theater’s 95th season. (Provided Photos)
Two hours west of Amarillo on I-40, Tucumcari, New Mexico (pronounced “TWO-come-carry”) is a relaxed, rural community packed with Route 66 nostalgia, Old West history, and wide-open vistas. Originally founded as a railroad camp in 1901, the town was incorporated in 1908, and became part of Route 66, also known as the Mother Road, in 1926.
Route 66 runs through Tucumcari and is lined with historic motels, classic neon, and unique shops and eateries. Most known for the moniker “Tucumcari Tonite!” there is a wide variety of lodging for people traveling the highway to stop for the night and enjoy comfortable accommodations.
Museums and murals draw visitors into Tucumcari. The Mesalands Dinosaur Museum and Natural Science Laboratory features a 40-foot-long skeleton of Tovosaurus (a carnivore
relative of Tyrannosaurus rex), many interactive displays, and the world’s largest collection of bronze skeletons and fossils. History buffs will enjoy exploring the Tucumcari Historical Museum, which is located in a 1903 schoolhouse. Each room has themed exhibits filled with artifacts and memorabilia. The displays also fill annex buildings on the property, two of which house a 1926 Chevrolet Fire Truck and an original chuck wagon.
The Tucumcari Railroad Museum is located along the tracks in the recently restored, 1926 Spanish-style historic depot. It offers a step back into the history and development of the Union Pacific Railroad in Tucumcari with pictures and artifacts. Visitors can even take a turn at the controls of a GP38 diesel locomotive simulator.
Classic car lovers will not be disappointed with a stop
at the Route 66 Museum where there are several on display, including a 1929 Ford Model A Sedan and a 1956 Mercury Montclair, along with historic photos and other memorabilia.
There are nearly 100 murals in Tucumcari. Most of them are easily sighted and accessed along Tucumcari Boulevard, while others can be found on businesses and buildings throughout town. A mural map is available at the Tucumcari Chamber of Commerce to help visitors explore these unique pieces of art, many of which have a hidden object or message.
Come discover our stretch of the historic Mother Road and experience the small-town charm and hospitality of Tucumcari, New Mexico.
There are over 22,000 churches in the state of Texas,” says Sydia Aguilar of Arrow Child & Family Ministries, a Texas foster care organization. “If one family from every church opened their home [to a foster child], we wouldn’t be in crisis.”
Aguilar is Arrow’s local foster care recruiter. The crisis she speaks of is one that continues to develop. In Texas, the foster care system is currently responsible for more than 15,000 children. Some have been removed from environments of abuse or neglect. Others enter the system after parental incarceration or abandonment. All need a safe, temporary foster home.
As a faith-based nonprofit, Arrow knows that some of the best foster care candidates are families attending those churches. “I’m out in the community educating about the need locally,” says Aguilar.
That need is significant. Arrow’s office in Amarillo serves a 41-county area, from the top of the Texas Panhandle into the South Plains and a satellite office in Lubbock. In the past quarter, more than 200 children in the Panhandle alone were displaced from their homes and have entered the system.
It’s important to keep those children in the Panhandle, which means it’s important to identify, train and support foster families who live here. “When a child is removed [from a home], the primary goal is reunification. With that kind of goal, they need to stay in the area in order for that to be successful,” she says. When local homes aren’t available, kids have to be sent outside the county—or even the region. “That makes it very difficult for visits to happen.”
Trauma is already a significant issue for children who require foster care. Many are coming out of tragic and difficult situations. But layered on top of that is distance from their families. Arrow simply needs more local foster families. “It’s just such a dire need for individuals to step up to this responsibility. It takes a village to conquer this crisis,” she says.
Arrow works to identify, train and license foster families for children birth to 17. “The two areas of greatest need for our homes are those who can take sibling groups and older teens. Those are the hardest to place, like two little brothers—we want to keep them together,” she adds.
The organization also enlists and trains individuals to provide respite care—like babysitting—for foster families, and always accepts financial donations, hygiene items, baby needs and other basics. Learn more about the organization at arrow.org
In a collaborative effort between Elevate Amarillo, the Innovation Outpost and Forward 48, the Forward leadership program has successfully connected Amarillo’s rising talent, ages 25 to 40, with accomplished executives. This program aims to foster leadership skills and empower emerging leaders for positive change. The latest cohort of 16 participants showcased the program’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of leaders.
Elevate Amarillo partnered with Forward 48, an established leadership development program, to expand its reach into the Texas Panhandle. This partnership provides access to influential leaders for knowledge-sharing, mentorship, and personal growth for emerging young talent. The program featured personal stories from the faculty members, offering insights into their career journeys and personal lives. These stories inspired participants to reflect on their own challenges and growth.
The success of the Forward program has led to partnerships with companies in the Panhandle region, addressing their professional development needs. Interested parties can contact current president, Skylar Gallop, at info@elevateamarillo.org with inquiries about future cohorts and partnership opportunities.
The Forward program provides a transformative platform for leadership development and networking. By connecting emerging leaders with seasoned executives, it equips participants with valuable skills, knowledge and connections to make a meaningful impact. Forward remains committed to empowering the next generation of leaders and driving Amarillo’s growth and success.
Elevate Amarillo is a leadership development organization for emerging professionals in the Amarillo area. For more information or to join, visit elevateamarillo.org .
The Xcel Energy Foundation provided a $20,000 grant for scholarships to WT’s Engineering Camp this summer. A portion of the funds provided full scholarships to 12 students taking part in WT’s Engineering and Computing Camp, which ran in June.
Mike Young, a six-year WT veteran and manager of the Information Technology Success Center, was named WTAMU Employee of the Year in June.
Christy Bertolino, director of donor relations for Family Support Services of Amarillo, and Carroll Wilson, a longtime editor at the Wichita Falls Times Record News and the Temple Daily Telegram, were inducted into the WT Hall of Fame in May. Lauren Gaston was named Eternal Flame winner for her significant impact at WT. Stephanie Price, director of marketing and communications for the Cultural Foundation of the Texas Panhandle and Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, was named the department’s Rising Star for 2023
Amy Henderson, vice president and business loan officer with Amarillo National Bank, was recently named the Women’s Business Champion of the Year for the West Texas region. Hudson House Canyon, owned by Alyssa Lewis, was named the Woman-Owned Business of the Year for the West Texas region. The Small Business Awards are presented annually by the U.S. Small Business Administration during National Small Business Week.
Four new professorships were established at WT: Baptist Community Services Professorship in Health Sciences, held by Dr. Gene Farren; High Plains Christian Ministries Foundation Professorship in Nursing Leadership, held by Dr. Holly Jeffreys; High Plains Christian Ministries Foundation Professorship in Psychiatric Mental Health, held by Shaina Neely; Baptist Community Services Professorship in Rural Health, held by Laura Reyher
Matthew Loftin, WT’s Miller Professor of Entrepreneurship and adviser for the WT Enactus team, has been selected as the Enactus Sam Walton Fellow Hall of Fame Inductee for 2023
Dr. Alan Keister was awarded an honorary Ph.D. in Health Sciences from WT’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences in May.
Bruce Thompson was presented with an honorary Ph.D. in Engineering from WT’s College of Engineering in May.
Dr. J. Dirk Nelson, dean of West Texas A&M University’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences is departing to become the founding dean of a college at Abilene Christian University.
Pantex was recently named Employer of the Year by West Texas A&M University’s Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business for exceptional contributions to the College, and commitment to promoting workplace excellence.
Annie Valicek, a senior agribusiness and economics major at WTAMU, was appointed as a student regent by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in June for The Texas A&M University System.
The Canyon Independent School District announced the new Darnell Family Scholarship, made possible by former Canyon ISD School Board Member, Randy Darnell and wife Lisa
Amarillo ISD named its 2023 Teachers of the Year: Beth Talley, South Georgia Elementary School, and Chelsey Dosher, Austin Middle School.
Consolidated Nuclear Security provided a $1,000 grant to five area schools for STEM education with projects: Boys Ranch High School, Clarendon High, Fort Elliott CISD, Pampa High School, Rogers Elementary, and AISD.
The Underwood Law Firm recently announced the appointment of new firm president, Dave Goad. Goad is Board Certified in Tax Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He has been recognized as a Super Lawyer Rising Star and is a member of Amarillo Area, Dallas and American (Tax Section) Bar Associations.
Northwest Texas Healthcare System Wound Care Center physicians, leaders and clinicians have been recognized as the recipients of the Center of Distinction Award by Healogics, the nation’s largest provider of advanced wound care services. The Center achieved outstanding clinical outcomes for 12 consecutive months, including a patient satisfaction rating higher than 92 percent.
BSA Health System’s trauma services department earned a Level III designation, providing patients, local EMS providers and surrounding hospitals an additional option for trauma care.
BSA Health System has received certification from Det Norske Veritas Healthcare Group (DNV) as a Primary Plus Stroke Center.
BSA Health System recently performed its first Intuitive Ion procedure. BSA is the first health care provider in the Texas Panhandle to use the Intuitive Ion endoluminal system. Ion is used to perform robotic-assisted bronchoscopy.
For the tenth year, Physicians Surgical Hospitals was named to Modern Healthcare’s list of 150 healthcare companies and providers recognized as Best Places to Work in Healthcare
KP Automotive signed on as a U-Haul neighborhood dealer, offering U-Haul trucks, trailers, towing equipment, moving supplies and in-store pickup for boxes.
The Amarillo Economic Development Corporation received Site Selection Magazine’s 2023 Mac Conway Award. The award is given to the top 20 communities exhibiting excellence in economic development in the United States.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center was ranked among the top 7.9 percent of 20,531 universities worldwide for 2023 in the Global 2000 List by the Center for World University Rankings released in April. TTUHSC
achieved an overall score of 67.4 for an overall world ranking of 1,618. The university was ranked 287 among U.S. universities and 323 regionally, which includes U.S. and Canadian colleges and universities.
FirstBank Southwest announced the appointment of Steve Bowen as Senior Vice President, Commercial Senior Lender; Jim Bryan as Senior Vice President Commercial Lender II; and Cathy Tate as Portfolio Manager at the Downtown Banking Center.
FirstBank Southwest will donate a total of $42,105.15 to area schools through its School Spirit Card Program this year and will add three new schools: AmTech Career Academy, Ascension Academy, and San Jacinto Christian Academy.
Amarillo Area Foundation announced the recipients of its first 2023 Discretionary Grant cycle of 2023: Panhandle Community Partnership, $25,000 education; Frank Phillips College, $83,000; City of Friona, $114,276; Square Mile Community Development, $120,000; and Faith City Mission, $275,000, and its second cycle: Panhandle Regional Planning Commission, $100,000; Amarillo Children’s Home, $20,000; Hemphill County Hospital District, $160,000; Hereford Senior Citizens Association, $50,000; Plainview Foundation for Rural Health Advancement, $46,000; St Helen’s Outreach, $50,000; Snack Pak 4 Kids $100,000; WTAMU, $200,000; Young Life of Amarillo $50,000; Wellington Opportunity Center $28,000; and Don Harrington Discovery Center, $50,000.
Baptist Community Services announced that Chief Financial Officer Mark Hotmann will also take on the Executive Vice President role. Hotmann began this role on July 1.
Xcel Energy has completed work on the new Demon Substation northeast of Dumas, a system upgrade that will improve reliability and add capacity.
Brown & Fortunato announced that Megan Israelitt and Trey Dumler have joined the firm. Israelitt is a member of B&F’s Labor and Employment and Litigation Groups. She is currently a member of the State Bar of New Mexico and the District of Columbia Bar. Dumler is a member of the Corporate Group.
Robin Ure DC recently opened Power Within Chiropractic. Dr. Ure has been practicing chiropractic for 20 years in Kansas, and has recently relocated to Amarillo.
Jace Nelson, an Amarillo High School graduate, was recently appointed to join the U.S. Naval Academy by Representative Ronny Jackson.
Albers Aerospace announced its decision to bring its new facility to Amarillo. The defense contractor will occupy 30 acres of land near the airport with two hangars and runway access.
Deputy Chief Sam Baucom recently retired from the Amarillo Fire Department. Chief Baucom joined the AFD in 1993.
AAF Amarillo, led by Honnah Taylor, recently won the American Advertising Federation’s Division 4 Ovation Award
Caylar Harper recently joined the AEDC team as the Director of Marketing & Workforce Initiatives.
Lisa Schmidt Johnson was named new Director of District Communications for Canyon ISD
Canyon Independent School District announced former Caprock Head Coach Dan Sherwood as the next Head Football Coach at Randall High School. Sherwood is an Amarillo native who graduated from Amarillo High School and West Texas A&M University with his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Cacique Foods celebrated its 50th anniversary and marked the Grand Opening of its new dairy processing facility in Amarillo. The move to Amarillo brings more than 200 jobs to Texas.
Matador Resources acquired Advance Energy Partners Holdings, LLC in April. Joe Foran, founder and CEO of Matador Resources, is a 1970 graduate of Amarillo High School. Gary Petersen, founder of EnCap Investments, which is the portfolio company of Advance Energy Partners Holdings, LLC., is a 1965 graduate of Tascosa High School.
BBB of Amarillo announced its 2023 Torch Awards for Ethics honorees: Window & Door Replacement, LLC, small business category; Legacy Supportworks, medium business category; Carpet Tech, large business category; Chandra Perkins, Storybridge, Excellence in Community Service Award.
Chris Morris has joined BOC Bank as a Commercial Lender.
Amarillo National Bank VP/Trust Officer Whitney Wells has been named the 2023 Emerging Leader by the Texas Bankers Association. She was honored at TBA’s 138th Annual Convention in May.
Amarillo College won the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence in April. AC shared the award with California’s Imperial Valley Community College. The award recognizes high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges.
In response to this year’s flooding, Amarillo National Bank donated $100,000 to the Panhandle Disaster Relief Fund, managed by the Amarillo Area Foundation.
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.
BY JANNA KIEHL
Texas Panhandle citizens are being bullied into believing they owe taxes to the IRS; some have sent money. Fortunately, most people know this is a scare tactic crooks use to get you to transfer money.
Young couples in need of a loan are being taken advantage of with advanced fee loan scams. These types of loans are illegal but scammers still attempt to steal money from unsuspecting people in need.
Families looking for a pet are losing money to online pet scammers. These crooks set up tiers of contact, going back to consumers multiple times to request payment. Losses reached $2 million last year.
The Better Business Bureau regularly hears from consumers who participate in high-stakes foreign lotteries. They experience the hardpitch tactics scammers use to steal their money and possibly even their identity.
There are many different scams or variations of the same scam. Most scams adopt marketing strategies to appear to be a legitimate business. They follow the headlines and victimize people of all ages, education and income levels. Solicitations come from all over the globe: Australia, Spain, Germany, Canada, Nigeria and the U.S.
You can help the BBB and national law enforcement efforts to track scams by reporting scams on BBB’s Scam Tracker, whether or not you have been a victim. Even if you are not a victim, and you were aware enough to hang up or say no, reporting will help others. Stay informed on the latest scams and the methods criminals use. At the site, you can report a scam, look up scams and use the site’s resources to help educate yourself and others.
• They use the same techniques as legitimate sales professionals.
• They build trust and believability.
• They play on your emotions.
Spot imposters. Scammers often pretend to be someone you trust, like a government official or a company you do business with. Don’t send money or give personal information in response to an unexpected request—whether it comes as a text, phone call or email. Do online searches. Type a company or product name into a search engine with words like “review,” “complaint” or “scam.” Or search for a phrase that describes your situation, like “IRS call.” Search phone numbers to see if they’ve been reported as scams. Don’t believe caller ID. The name and number you see aren’t always real. If someone calls asking for money or personal information, hang up. If you think the caller might be telling the truth, call back to a number you know is real.
Don’t pay upfront. Don’t pay in advance for things like debt relief, credit and loan offers, mortgage assistance, or a job. Don’t pay for taxes or fees on supposed prize winnings.
Consider how you pay. Credit cards have significant fraud protection built in, but some payment methods don’t. Wiring money or using reloadable cards is riskier. Government offices and honest companies won’t require you to use these payment methods.
Talk to someone. Before you give up your financial or personal information, talk to someone you trust. Con artists want you to make decisions in a hurry and want you to keep it secret. They might even threaten you. Slow down, do an online search, consult an expert, or just tell a friend.
Hang up on robocalls. If you answer the phone and hear a recorded sales pitch, hang up and report it to the BBB and FTC. Don’t press 1 to speak to a person or to be taken off the list. That could lead to more calls. Don’t click on links when contacted by email, text or online.
Never share PII. Personal Identifiable Information should never be shared with anyone. Banks and agencies such as the IRS have this information and don’t need to ask their customers for it.
Don’t deposit a check and wire money back. By law, banks must make funds from deposited checks available within days, but uncovering a fake check can take weeks. If a check you deposit turns out to be a fake, you’re responsible for repaying the bank.
Sign up for free scam alerts. Get the latest tips and advice about scams:
BBB Scam Tracker: bbb.org/scamtracker
BBB Scams HQ: bbb.org/all/scamtips
FBI: fbi.gov/scams-and-safety
FTC: ftc.gov/scams
Submit a Report
Submit a report using our guided “Report a Scam” form.
BBB’s Internal Review
Our team of investigators will audit the information and reach out to you if we need additional information.
Once the information is verified, your report will be published on the website. You will be notified if your report should be submitted as a business complaint.
We will share your report with federal, state, provincial agencies, and law enforcement to help shut down scammers.
f I ever said I was opposed to any form of public media, I really wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. I have been on one media circus train or another (sometimes many, simultaneously) since my youth. Radio, TV, newspaper, and the occasional classy magazine have been my workspace for decades. On the other hand, in the “new” frontier of social media, the playing field has been leveled, and anyone with a finger with which to type can participate in the parade.
This is a mixed blessing.
My wonderful, radiant, introverted wife tends to be far less active on social media for all the obvious reasons. She is the most gracious, civilized person I know (for a Bohemian, I mean). It absolutely horrifies her for her intentions or words to be taken as less than the positive, well-meaning jewel that she actually is. Literally, it is more agreeable to her to stay away from social media than to be misread by another person. (However, she never fails to find an obscure image of Godzilla to post on Facebook, leaving the rest of us who know her wondering what, exactly, is going on inside of that head of hers…)
I have gone the opposite direction. I ride social media like a stolen mule—my decorum, decency and self-consciousness bouncing down the road and over the cliff. It is too much temptation for me not to write an intimate note to 5,000 friends. Maybe I need to follow some rules. Here are a few I dug up from a blog by someone who goes by “Mr. Banks.” Thanks, Banks.
1. “Don’t pretend to be someone you are not.”
This struck my suspicious side right off the bat, Mr. Banks being a pseudonym. Does not telling who you are equal pretending to be someone you’re not? Hypocrite.
2. “Don’t be a smart aleck.” (“Banks” used another word for “aleck.”)
This was particularly laughable to me as a card-carrying smart aleck. If I got on social media and wrote or spoke without sarcasm, how would my friends know it was really me? (See rule No. 1.)
3. “Don’t get into arguments.”
Much easier said than done. It took me at least two years to understand when the “discussion” light turned into the “argument” light. It’s a tricky distinction, like when people can’t distinguish yellow from red on, say, Bell Street. Sometimes the “discussion” heats up without one party realizing that it is happening, and then suddenly you’ve got yourself a genuine brew-ha-ha, part of which is due to the lack of human voice. We understand a lot more than we realize by tone, I believe.
4. “Don’t stoop too low.”
Objection, your honor. Some people have NO honor, and therefore have no relative idea of “low.” Unfortunately, you or I could be in the middle of a discussion with one of those people long before that discovery. That is another reason my wife stays well below the social media radar. Maybe she is right after all. Do
not read this to her.
5. “Double check your grammar.” That should go without saying. Along with, “check your spelling,” “check your (you’re) contractions,” and a few other things. You can tell fairly quickly what kind of person you are dealing with by the way they use, or abuse, the language.
6. “Interact with people.”
“Social media” includes the word social. (Thank you, Captain Obvious.) Still, some people post on social media like it is just a big billboard, never going back to check responses or communicate further. That is no fun.
7. “Censor yourself.”
This one is no joke to me. It is very important to be sure you are not ugly, obscene or short-sighted in your communication. Also remember that words are forever, and all the sayings apply here, for instance: “Make your words sweet, because you never know when you may have to eat them.” It is easy enough for something to be taken wrong, without the added offense of rough language. That might sound old-fashioned, but not if you have kids, nephews, nieces or grandchildren.
8. “Don’t post party photos.”
My generation is so fortunate. It was such an effort to take a photo, get it developed, weed through the stack, and find the pic you were looking for. Then there was no place remotely comparable to showcase them. In other words, you had time to think about that photo. Now you can show the entire world how ignorant you can be with the flick of a fingertip.
9. “Link original sources.”
I’m not doing that one today, mostly because I’m making fun of them. Right, Mr. Banks?
10. “Have fun.”
If I were to follow all these rules, I am afraid that would really put a crimp in my style.
Andy is an artist, singersongwriter, music producer and musician. In every issue, his column explores the parts of his life that don’t always make it into his songs, accompanied by his own illustration.
This place is our home. So that means we invest here. In the community. In the local economy. In helping grow jobs that can keep this place humming. Using renewable energy, we can keep costs lower for every home and every business. Our tax dollars go here. Our economic development efforts are here. We’re putting in the work to make the places we serve light up a little brighter.
Visit xcelenergy.com to learn more.
This issue marks two years since Forward first appeared in the July/August 2021 issue of Brick & Elm. Hopefully, Michele McAffrey and Jason Boyett will allow me to brag on them without editing this portion out. Having the opportunity to contribute to Amarillo’s best and most reputable lifestyle magazine is an extraordinary privilege provided to me because of Michele and Jason’s thoughtful, visionary leadership. They allow ordinary people to share their hearts with our beloved Amarillo community. The recognition and accolades Brick & Elm has received for its authentic inclusivity in reporting on local issues is well-deserved. Using a platform for good in print and digital media is still alive and well because of Michele and Jason. On behalf of Amarillo, thank you.
In my first column, I shared the perspective of public school educators and stakeholders during the pandemic—how we innovated, learned to be flexible, battled misinformation and worked hard to foster inclusive environments. I’m still proud of how local educators adapted during a difficult moment. In recent months we’ve faced another kind of challenge. I used to feel confident that public education would never be threatened by school voucher schemes. Today, that confidence is shaken.
Public schools across Texas remain the preferred choice for parents of approximately 5.4 million students. But Texas public education funding hasn’t kept up with inflation. Compared with other states, our schools are among the worst-funded in the nation. According to Raise Your Hand Texas, our state “is currently $4,000 behind the national average in per-pupil spending, and the basic allotment for our spending has not increased since 2019.” Class sizes are bigger than ever. Standardized assessments have raised the stakes. But during the recent 88th Texas Legislature, any actions seeking to address the concerns raised by public school teachers and their advocates were opposed by advocates of school voucher plans.
Prioritizing public school funding, eliminating the flawed standardized assessment program, and increasing teacher pay were not considered in “good faith” outside of any bill which included the creation of a school voucher plan. Just reflect on that for a moment. Students of all backgrounds need a quality education for success in a complex world. Teachers strive every day to ensure students learn those skills in the public school setting. But some of our Texas lawmakers wanted to take taxpayers’ money away from public schools to fund private education.
Early in the session, Texas Senate Bill 8, which would have created Education Savings Accounts school vouchers, was defeated by legislative efforts like the Herrero amendment. According to the amendment, “Money appropriated by this Act may not be used to pay for or support a school voucher, including an education savings account, tax credit scholarship program, or a grant or other similar program through which a child may use state money for nonpublic primary or secondary education.” The amendment passed 86-52 with the support of local State representatives Four Price (R-Amarillo) and Ken King (R-Canadian). Moreover, State Representative Ken King authored Texas House Bill 100, which would have provided
approximately $4.5 billion dollars to public schools, raised the basic allotment or per pupil spending, and increased teacher pay. But despite being approved 141-3 in the Texas House of Representatives, this legislation was obliterated by the Texas Senate, who revised the bill to include school vouchers in the form of Education Savings Accounts. The Senate’s version of HB 100 would give taxpayer money to parents who opt out of the public school system—up to $8,000 per student, per year, to pay for private schooling. That is $1,840 more per student than the state gives to public schools. Please tell me how that makes any sense.
Though the 88th Legislature has adjourned, a special session regarding public school funding and private school vouchers remains likely. Public school advocates can only hope that Texas lawmakers continue to stand with the majority of citizens and taxpayers who support public schools. We must continue to contact the offices of our legislators to remind them of the value of public schools and of our appreciation for their support. Nonetheless, our public school teachers will continue learning and adopting new strategies to ensure Texas’ 5.4 million students receive the quality education they deserve.
PATRICK MILLER
Jun Kaneko was born in Nagoya, Japan, in 1942. In 1963, he came to the United States to study at Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, CA where he was introduced to sculptural ceramics. Kaneko has realized more than seventy public art commissions from 1985 to present. Many are large-scale permanent installations that can be seen across the United States and internationally. His artwork appears in numerous international and national solo and group exhibitions annually and is included in more than eighty museum collections.
Kaneko received Commendation from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Master of the Media from the James Renwick Alliance, Gold Medal for Consummate Craftsmanship from the American Craft Council, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Sculpture Center.
Terry Allen is a visual artist and songwriter, born in Wichita, Kansas and raised in Lubbock, Texas. He has received numerous awards and honors including a Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Art Fellowships among many others. His work has been shown throughout the United States and internationally, and is represented in major private and public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and L.A. County Museum of Art in Los Angeles. In addition to working in theatre and radio, he has recorded 13 albums of original songs, including the classics JUAREZ (1975) and LUBBOCK (on everything), 1979. Terry Allen lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Austin, Texas with his wife, actress and writer, Jo Harvey Allen.
Wednesday – Saturday: 11 am to 5 pm & Sunday: 1 pm to 5 pm | amoa.org 2200 S. Van
For many people, coworkers become like family, and in some cases even closer. Subsequently, a coworker’s death can be extremely hard to cope with—especially if you were close to the person or if the death was unexpected. We spend most of our waking hours with them, building special bonds of trust and friendship that are unlike other relationships.
You or a coworker who was particularly close to a person who died may feel depressed, absentminded, short-tempered or exhausted. These are all normal feelings. You may also feel anxiety and guilt if the death occurred in the workplace or if your last interaction with the person was unpleasant. And even if the coworker’s death came after a prolonged illness, you may still experience shock and depression when you hear the news.
How we cope with death depends on many things, from our personal beliefs to the presence of other stressors in our lives. You may find that thoughts of the deceased make it hard to focus on work, resulting in mistakes that can disrupt an organization’s functioning.
During your daily drive, a preoccupation with a coworker’s death may cause distractions that could easily lead to a car accident. In more extreme cases, a coworker’s death may cause you to become stressed and angry. Those feelings can make an already stressful work environment worse and create new challenges elsewhere in your life.
Grieving a coworker’s death can have a negative effect on your physical health. Long-term feelings of deep sadness can disrupt eating
and sleeping, draining you of energy. Grief can also cause people with chronic health conditions to deviate from their prescribed diet, medication or exercise regimens, with serious health consequences. In addition, prolonged grief regularly leads to depression. Depression has been linked to many other health concerns, such as heart disease and stroke. In one study, for example, depression increased the risk of diabetes by 17 percent. Researchers also found that depression boosted women’s risk of stroke by 29 percent. Trying to not think about a coworker’s death has its own costs. Those who attempt to lose themselves in their work risk burnout. Some may turn to unhealthy coping behaviors such as overeating, drinking alcohol or taking prescription drugs.
Grief is a natural process that requires time to deal with. You may find these suggestions helpful:
• Find a way to keep their memory alive. Honor your coworker in a way that best reflects the work they did. Ask coworkers how they want to see your team member honored. Those who were quiet during the earlier stages of grieving may feel drawn to a project like this.
• Raise support. Hold or participate in a fundraiser for a special cause or for the family of the deceased.
• Create a book of memories to give to the family. Many people are not aware of the work life of people they love. These will be unique memories for the family and a way for you to privately express feelings and memories.
• Conduct a workplace-only event. A luncheon or office-only memorial is a chance for coworkers to acknowledge their unique
relationship with the deceased.
• Attend the funeral or memorial service. Share your feelings. Your other coworkers may be experiencing the same emotions you are. Mutual support can help everyone get through the grieving process. Take advantage of employee assistance programs, if available.
• Respect coworkers’ privacy. It’s OK to ask how they are doing, but don’t assume they want to process the loss with you. You can listen and be there without trying to “fix” the grief. If you’re not sure how to grieve in your workplace, first consider what you want to share and what you don’t want to share with fellow employees. Don’t be afraid to keep your boss or supervisor informed if you’re having difficulty adjusting to returning to work.
• Allow yourself time. It may take you several weeks or months to process your coworker’s death or go back to feeling normal. You’ll need to take the appropriate time to return to functioning at normal capacity. Talk to your coworkers and ask for help when needed. Tell your supervisor what you may be experiencing. Grief is a process. You’ll experience some good days and some bad days. You may become frustrated if you seem distracted or
get a little tired more easily at work. This is a normal reaction during the grief process.
• Counseling can help. If you continue to feel overwhelmed, consult with a licensed mental health professional who can help you manage your grief more effectively. He or she can help you identify problem areas and then develop an action plan for changing them. Mental health professionals use a variety of evidence-based treatments—most commonly, therapy—to help people improve their lives.
Remember, with open communication and the right support, the workplace can be a comforting and encouraging place for those experiencing a loss.
JIM WOMACKJim 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.
Are chips and queso an authentic Mexican delicacy? No. But are they a staple of Amarillo’s Tex-Mex culture? Absolutely. Whether you’re in the mood for tacos or enchiladas or more traditional entrees like tamales or carne asada, a queso starter remains one of the most classic appetizers in Amarillo restaurants.
And as any home cook can and should attest, delicious queso involves thinking beyond a block of Velveeta and a can of Ro-Tel. (In fact, let’s just leave shelf-stable cheese products out of this altogether.)
Almost every Tex-Mex option in Amarillo offers its own take on queso, from family-owned dives to regional chains like Torchy’s. So we picked a few favorites from across the city for a QuesoFest taste-test. Our samplers definitely had a few favorites, but our intention isn’t to crown any winners. Instead, think of this as Brick & Elm’s local queso tour.
Grab a chip and let’s dip.
Taqueria El Tapatio: Definitely the spiciest we sampled, this smooth, well-blended queso is just the right consistency, with a flavor you notice from the first bite, and a slow burn that builds in intensity. We taste habanero peppers, which explains the heat. (3410 S. Coulter St., 806.331.6248, tapatiotx.com)
El Manantial: Don’t call this Tex-Mex. El Manantial’s menu is authentically old-country—but they do make a concession and serve a standout queso. This smoky, peppery dip includes chorizo, which adds to its spicy flavor. (3823 E. Amarillo Blvd., 806.383.1852, restaurantmanantial.com)
Flamingo’s Latin Bar & Grill: Leave it to this family-owned Amarillo Boulevard joint to introduce a Latin twist to this Southwest dish. Deliciously cheesy and slightly sweet, we noted the presence of savory, crumbly bits of cotija cheese—and perhaps a little cumin. Flavorful and creative. (701 E. Amarillo Blvd., 806.367.7304, facebook.com/flamingos-latin-bar-grill)
Torchy’s Tacos: Yes, Torchy’s is a chain based in Austin, but we had to include it because the greenchile queso is SO good. Maybe it’s the kicky dash of diablo sauce. Or the guacamole topper. Or the shredded cotija. We can’t quite explain it but we want more. (3562 S. Soncy Road, Suite 101, 806.398.1111, torchystacos.com)
Pancho Villa Restaurant: This humble, mom-and-pop River Road dive is everything you want it to be, right down to the wood-paneled walls. The queso is just as nostalgic. It relies on a thick, cheesy base and just a hint of onion flavoring. (4601 River Road, 806.381.0105, facebook.com/pancho-villa-restaurant)
The Brunch Truck of Amarillo: Parked downtown behind the Greyhound station, Paul Olivarez’s food truck is a consistent delight. He admits to using slightly tweaked versions of family recipes (which will be familiar to patrons of El Camino in Tulia). This thick, five-cheese queso is so good we wanted to repurpose leftovers for mac-and-cheese. (213 SW Seventh Ave., 806.373.4199, thebrunchtruckofamarillo.com)
La Frontera: There’s something about the fresh-grated cheese at La Frontera—there’s so much of it—and maybe that’s why we love the queso, too. Honestly, it’s close to what you’ll make at home, but pairs perfectly with their peppery salsa. Pro tip: Just drizzle some of the salsa into the queso and stir it all up. You’re welcome. (1401 S. Arthur St., 806.372.4593, facebook.com/la-frontera-mexican-food-restaurant)
La Fiesta Grande: An institution in the Amarillo Tex-Mex scene, La Fiesta Grande doesn’t disappoint with its white cheese-based queso. It’s thick and savory and ideal for topping a burrito, or double-dipping with their salsa. (2200 S. Ross St., 806.374.3689/7415 SW 45th Ave., 806.352.1330, fiestagrande.com)
El Charro Mexican Restaurant: This family-owned gem isn’t exactly hidden—it’s on I-40—and the homestyle food is always fresh and flavorful. The white queso is thick and appropriately cheesy, with a subtle citrus flavor we are convinced derives from tomatillos. (4207 I-40 East, 806.373.4555, facebook.com/el-charro-mexican-food)
Mac Joe’s Kitchen & Cellar: Yes, we know this is an Italian place, but no Amarillo Queso Tour is complete without the beloved Mob Queso from this local restaurant. The banana peppers, shrimp and Italian spices make this an appetizer to remember—as does the fiery presentation. (1619 S. Kentucky St., Suite 1500-D, 806.358.8990, macaronijoes.com)
Few drinks pair as well with chips-and-queso as a margarita. This tequila-based drink—which also includes lime juice, triple sec or orange liqueur, and a salted rim—adds refreshing zest to most Mexican or Tex-Mex meals.
Heather Bragg, the Line and Spirits Manager at Budweiser Amarillo, is a former bartender with two decades of experience at places like O.H.M.S Cafe & Bar. She’s mixed her share of margs, and says the secret lies in fresh-squeezed lime juice and choosing a good tequila.
Bragg suggests a reposado tequila. Reposado means “rested” or “aged” in Spanish, and this liquor has been aged in oak barrels as it matures, giving it a deeper, more refined flavor compared to unaged blanco or silver tequila. “I believe that a margarita should use at least a reposado so you can actually taste the tequila,” she says. Bragg’s favorite tequila for margaritas is Dos Rios, produced in New Braunfels, Texas. “To be a true tequila, it’s supposed to be made in Jalisco, Mexico,” she explains. “Dos Rios is made there and then imported into New Braunfels.”
She also prefers margaritas on the rocks, rather than frozen. “Frozen waters down faster,” she says. “Ten minutes later, you’ve got water at the bottom. It’s not as good of a cocktail.”
And while she loves a standard margarita, Bragg also encourages experimentation.
“A spicy margarita is kind of my jam,” she admits. During her tenure behind the bar at O.H.M.S., she used tequila infused with jalapeños and cilantro. You can also muddle jalapeños in order to add spice. “That, to me, is the best way.”
TRY THIS: For margarita lovers who want to branch out, Bragg suggests a Paloma. Combine one part tequila with three parts grapefruit soda—preferably the Mexican soda Jarritos—plus fresh lime juice and a salted rim. “It’s super simple and super refreshing,” she says. “A Paloma is one of my favorite summer drinks.”
A Texas native, Heather has called Amarillo home since 1999. She has spent more than 20 years in the restaurant and bar industry, with positions at Bourbon St. Cafe, Golden Light Cafe/Cantina, Coconutz and OHMS Cafe. Heather is currently the Wine & Spirits Manager at Budweiser Distributing Company. She introduces the public to new spirits and well-made ready-to-drink cocktails.
Rows of green produce welcome visitors to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church—or, at least, the garden behind it.
Leafy arugula and bright red radishes look ready to eat. Things are growing in this urban farm near the West Hills neighborhood, thanks to hard-working volunteers led by Mary Emeny of St. Anthony’s Legacy and Redevelopment Corp. (SALARC) and Donna Dorman Madison and Brady Clark of Square Mile Community Development. This group of people loves to make things grow.
This proved an essential trait for a new project: an old travel trailer converted into a farmers market on wheels. The goal of the trailer is to bring healthy food options to underserved parts of Amarillo, including Northeast 24th and Grand, one or two locations in the North Heights, and at least one location in San Jacinto. The project is a joint effort of SALARC and Square Mile.
“We’ll basically have a slimmed-down grocery store,” says Mary Emeny, president of the SALARC board. “We’ll have as much fresh food as we can get, and we’ll have staples,” along with information about community programs like internet access and health screenings.
For now, this collaboration relies on volunteers, but the organizations hope to create new jobs that pay a living wage. They’re working toward a self-sustaining model, where people can purchase their own healthy food at affordable prices.
“There’s something about being able to shop for your own food,” says Donna Dorman Madison, Square Mile’s program director. “Without food, without proper nutrition, we can’t learn. We can’t give our best in our jobs, in our education. It’s just the basics in life.”
The market trailer is an ambitious solution to one of Amarillo’s most important but least talked about issues: local food deserts.
Food deserts are communities with limited access to fresh, affordable, and healthy food—for instance, the produce section of a grocery store—within a certain distance. According to a 2017 USDA estimate, 19 million Americans live in a food desert. It’s not a problem limited to metropolitan or rural areas. It’s a growing issue right here in Amarillo.
What’s the primary cause of this situation? “Grocery stores moving out and not rebuilding,” explains Emeny. Store closures over the past couple of decades have cut off entire neighborhoods from easy access to fresh food, especially for residents who lack their own transportation.
While the term “food desert” suggests a total lack of food, Madison clarifies the phrase. “It’s not correct to say that people lack access to food. They have access to lots of junk. But they lack proper nutrition. They lack fruits and vegetables and things that fuel their bodies and their brains. They lack things they can cook for themselves and their families,” she says.
Brady Clark, Square Mile’s founder and executive director, identifies a grocery store as a fundamental basic in any community. “How do you have a healthy neighborhood, a strong neighborhood, if you don’t have grocery stores?”
For residents who can’t afford a vehicle, public transportation is far from an ideal solution. “It’s insufficient for the need,” says Emeny. “It’s hard to carry a week’s worth of groceries for a family on a bus.” It takes time to navigate a bus route. “With a full-time job and babies at home, there’s no way you can do that.”
PHOTOS BY ANGELINA MARIEAmarillo’s food deserts have persisted for decades without easy solutions. The market trailer, in the works for the past year, might represent a small step in the right direction.
Mary Emeny, a long-time local activist and philanthropist, attended a conference in Oklahoma City in March 2022. There, she witnessed similar trailers as an idea for empowering people living in food deserts, with the same freedom of choice a supermarket provides. Her organization, SALARC, hopes to use local business development to grow community-based wealth.
Meanwhile, Madison and Clark of Square Mile are always looking for opportunities to serve under-resourced neighborhoods. Established in 2016, Square Mile focuses on encouraging local businesses and addressing food insecurity. Brady Clark also serves on the board
of SALARC. The two organizations partnering on this new concept seemed ideal.
Plus, Brady owned a travel trailer. Square Mile had considered using it as a mobile farm stand, but it had been sitting in storage. “We had all these other projects going, and the trailer went on the backburner,” he says. It wasn’t in great shape. SALARC and Square Mile needed a potential grocery trailer to be welcoming and—most importantly—food-safe. They needed someone up for the challenge.
“If Brady Clark asks you for coffee, decline,” jokes Crys Tidwell. “They said, ‘Hey, we have this great idea for taking this mobile farmers market to the food deserts.’ I said, ‘That’s a great idea. You should definitely do that.’ They said ‘No, we want you to build it out.’ And I said, ‘No, thank you.’”
Despite her protests, they insisted Tidwell was the go-to person for the job. “She’s the go-to person for a lot of stuff,” says Emeny.
Tidwell owns and operates Handy Ma’am Home Repair, where she handles everything from minor repairs to full-scale remodels. Despite her experience, the travel trailer presented a new set of challenges. It was like working on a house, but without the same standards.
“I learned this the hard way,” she says. “It’s not like a home where the studs are 24 inches on center or 16 inches on center. They just put studs wherever they need them. If there’s a cabinet going up in the shell, they just put in studs for the cabinet. If there’s a door, they frame around the door.”
After gutting the trailer down to the shell, Tidwell built new floors, walls and a ceiling. The trailer now houses brand-new lighting, counters, storage and wiring. There’s a retractable awning and a generator to power refrigeration. The transformation, which took Tidwell six weeks to complete, has to be seen to be believed. She received help along the way from people like Dan Zwinck, Tammy Breitbart, Vanessa Beach, Gregg Dickey, and Tidwell’s wife, Ann Cobb-Tidwell.
“Crys does not like to toot her own horn,” says Madison. “She’s exceedingly talented. The trailer is now ready to move and hold food, including cold storage and dry storage.” Meanwhile, Clark coordinated with the city to establish safe and responsible operating procedures. “It’s a challenge for any small food-based business to be fully compliant, especially when you have a project that’s outside of the box,” he says. “There’s not a template for this. People say, ‘We want to help make this happen.’ But we have to do it right.”
Square Mile and SALARC’s previous successes opened doors. “We’ve been fortunate to have good relationships with the city,” says Clark. “We’ve worked together in a lot of great ways. We want to make it a win-win for everybody.”
A solution emerged: Consider the trailer a farmers market on wheels. This overlapped with Square Mile’s original plan to sell produce from their community farms. But the farms couldn’t cover
all the food requirements for this project. For the mobile farmers market to move forward, they needed serious help.
This summer, businesses across the High Plains have committed to working together to make the mobile farmers market a reality. Market 33 provides access to wholesale distributors for nutritious produce and healthy staples. Pepsi has donated refrigerators and freezers to keep everything fresh. A local supplier is donating highquality Panhandle protein, including wagyu beef. Once the mobile farmers market begins making its stops, media partner KAMR will use airtime to announce a schedule and locations in English and Spanish.
Then there’s St. Peter’s Episcopal. Along with hosting one of Square Mile’s farms, St. Peter’s acts as the trailer’s homebase, providing a safe place to restock between stops.
Even with this level of engagement, there is still plenty of room to help. Emeny, Clark and Madison all insist that the market trailer isn’t completely finished. There’s still plenty of ways people in Amarillo can help.
While future plans involve accepting fresh produce from farmers and gardeners, right now, the trailer needs funding and volunteers as the partners launch what they hope can be a model for future programs.
“This is part of our vision to build stronger long-term transformation for neighborhoods that need it the most,” says Clark. “We want to help our older neighborhoods have a chance to thrive and be successful, to really utilize the talent and gifts that are in there. We want to let them shine and have an opportunity to grow.”
It’s a slightly overcast Thursday afternoon in early June, and the recent rainfall has put a bit of a damper on big weekend plans at Palo Duro Canyon. Even still, a steady stream of joyful shoppers are eagerly perusing the wares at Sad Monkey Mercantile, a new general store located just ahead of the entrance to the state park.
The shoppers are diverse. All ages. From many places. Some are drinking wine, some beer and some are in need of a strong cup of coffee on this cloudy day. You can’t know for sure what made them stop in today, but Michael Standefer, one of the coowners of the Mercantile, says one of the Texas-sized reasons people stop in is to see the longhorns that live in the field near the building.
“It’s very Texas,” he says. “We’ve had a lot of people from places like Russia, Italy and China ask to see the longhorns, and we’ve actually taken them out to see them. They just love it. They go on and on about how neat it is to see them up close.”
Turns out, the Standefer brothers have a soft spot for all
things on four legs.
“There’s a dog park down here,” Jonathan Standefer laughs. “Michael and I are both single and no kids, but we both have dogs. So we made a dog park.”
The two brothers-turned-business owners are three years apart in age. They both graduated from Amarillo High School. Michael went to college at West Texas A&M University in Canyon and got into the family construction business. Jonathan left the Panhandle for 17 years, spending time in Waco and Austin, where he worked in graphic and web design. He decided to return to the Panhandle when his brother pitched him the idea of opening the Sad Monkey Mercantile. The business opened its doors in November 2022.
“Me and my dad came up with the design of the building and built it,” Michael says. “Now, Jonathan and I run it.”
They admit the two of them have been blessed with very opposite skill sets, and when it comes to running a business, it’s been pretty serendipitous.
“If we need a new product put into the system or on the
PHOTOS BY KAIT BRADFORD BELLMON
website, I’ll do it,” Jonathan says. “But if we need a door fixed or have an issue with an espresso machine, Michael will have to do it.”
It seems to be a true brotherhood, and a peaceful one. “We get along really well,” Jonathan is quick to say.
“We’re kind of yin and yang,” Michael adds. “Polar opposites in a way. We’ve both got a dry sense of humor, but we get along really well. We rarely fight, if ever.”
The feeling may be peaceful, but it’s far from easy. “It’s been a lot of work,” they say almost in unison.
After a half year in business, they’ve learned to stock plenty of Dramamine and to cut back on their Snickers orders. They know, now, that you’ve got to have plenty of Michelob Ultra on tap, even though visitors are eager to sample their eclectic craft beer selections.
“It’s consuming for sure, but it’s great. It’s so much different than what I’m used to,” Jonathan adds. “It’s really nice talking to new people. You go to so many places never thinking about what went into that place where you and your friends gather. Now, we have provided a place for people to gather, and it’s really nice to see people meet and hang out and laugh.”
It’s clear they designed the space with gathering in mind. Different-sized tables fill the center of the room, while 100-year-old whiskey barrels and beams line the walls. Nearby, the Sad Monkey Mercantile’s shelves are filled with snacks, beer and wine, camping supplies and a host of unique product lines, many of which are made by local artisans (including issues of Brick & Elm). They also sell a few
health and beauty items. Jonathan notes with a smile that soap sales haven’t been as strong as they thought they might be.
The brothers are particularly fond of their Sad Monkey-branded Stanley products—a special homage to their grandfather, who developed Sunday Canyon in the 1960s. “We were at my brother and my dad’s office, and we found this super old Stanley mug,” Jonathan explains. “It was our grandfather’s. He passed away when we were in high school, but we just got to thinking that mug probably passed this piece of land many, many times. So we reached out to Stanley, and we got our own line. It’s kind of full-circle.”
Behind the main building is the Sad Monkey Hall, an impressive, quintessentially-Texas dance hall that holds up to 150 people seated and 300 people standing. Designed with concerts, weddings, reunions and public markets in mind, the hall offers a perfect blend of feminine and masculine touches throughout. Bookings have started to trickle in, and the Standefers have hired an event planner to help with that side of the business.
On the patio, visitors are greeted with picnic tables, cornhole and on the weekends, a food truck that serves, “everything that’s good but not good for you” like burgers, chicken sandwiches, brisket fries and a churro donut that has received rave reviews.
Visitors are frequently treated to live music. Michael calls the small, acoustic shows Campfire Sessions, and the music is certain to give listeners a taste of the Panhandle music scene.
And while a few local visitors stop by for a last-minute anniversary or birthday gift, the Standefers say 80 percent of their customers
come from outside the area, proving that the travel boom experienced by state and national parks during COVID is still going strong.
“Many of our customers come out for the craft beer,” Michael says. “But statistically, most of our customers are brand-new every single day. Their idea of what Texas is is kind of funny. They get a lot of it from the Western movies, and they just assume we all wear cowboy hats and ride a horse to work.”
While they may not wear cowboy hats every day, the brothers do think there is an opportunity to ride the wave of affinity for cowboy culture into new business ventures in the future.
“We’ve talked about opening another [mercantile] somewhere else,” Jonathan says. “Maybe adding a little onestory roadside motel in the back.”
They are focused on creating memorable experiences for their customers and guests. The brothers have fond memories of traveling as kids, when they were able to create special moments together. Their eyes get teary when talking about the nostalgia of their youth and the special opportunity they’ve been given to, once again, create something together.
“You know this was about two years in the making,” Michael says. “There was one night when we were just kind of gathered in the bar locking up. To just stop and look at what we’ve done, it’s surreal. Never in a million years did I think we’d do a camping goods and beer and coffee shop. We wear a lot of hats hats we never thought we’d wear, but it’s been a lot of fun.”
The Sad Monkey Mercantile is named after the Sad Monkey rock formation in Palo Duro Canyon that overlooks the amphitheater, where the world-famous play TEXAS is performed. From 1955 to 1996, a miniature train with the name “The Sad Monkey Railroad” took visitors on tours through the state park.
Hours of Operation
Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week
Location 9800 Texas 217 Canyon, TX 79015 806.488.2658
sadmonkeymercantile.com
“You go to so many places never thinking about what went into that place where you and your friends gather. It’s really nice to see people meet and hang out and laugh.”
—Jonathan Standefer
Big news: A rich uncle has left everybody in Amarillo a 12,000-acre ranch, just minutes away from the heart of the city. It’s got canyons, creeks and trails for taking in a landscape straight out of a Hollywood Western. The land is ours—if someone can figure out a way to get us there.
Many people in Amarillo have never heard of the Cross Bar Special Recreation Management Area, a hunk of prime Texas Panhandle real estate where the shortgrass prairie meets the rugged breaks of the Canadian River Valley. Maybe it’s because Cross Bar has essentially been sealed off to the world, part of a complex Uncle Sam built nearly a century ago to safeguard a certain colorless, odorless treasure—vast, underground helium deposits—that floated military blimps in World War II and eventually helped send astronauts into space. The story is complicated. For decades, Cross Bar Ranch was a component of an Amarillo-based helium processing and storage operation run by the U.S. government, which established the Federal Helium Reserve in the 1920s. Natural gas extracted from the newly discovered Hugoton Panhandle gas field was rich in helium, which put the Cross Bar—located just south of the Canadian River and west of what is now U.S. 287—at the epicenter of a gas-drilling
The Cross Bar is on the cusp of becoming Amarillo’s next playground
bonanza that transformed Amarillo into a boomtown. In 1931, the U.S. Department of the Interior acquired the Cross Bar from Humble Oil and Refining Co. to push helium through a pipeline to the government’s processing and storage facilities.
By the 1990s, Amarillo’s government-owned helium operation was losing money, compelling the feds to start selling these assets to private firms. Thankfully, most of the property wound up in the care of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in 1997. The BLM retained it for conservation purposes, with an eye toward making it accessible for public use. In 2017, it was proposed that Cross Bar be officially decoupled from its helium mission and, in 2020, the property was designated a special recreation management area under the BLM.
That’s noteworthy. Texas has very little in the way of public lands. In fact, out of 245 million acres of BLM land nationwide, only 12,000 are in Texas—all within the bounds of the Cross Bar SRMA. Unfortunately, the Cross Bar is an island in a grassy sea of private land, so there’s no easy way to get to it. The only access is through private ranch roads involving multiple gates. This works well enough for small groups of equestrians or bow hunters who can be escorted to the ranch, but unobstructed public access requires a paved road.
That road doesn’t yet exist.
There’s not much road construction on the resume of Adrian Escobar, outdoor recreation planner for the BLM’s Cross Bar Special Recreation Management Area. He holds a master’s in wildlife biology—not public relations or fundraising. But Escobar serves as the work boots on the ground for the BLM, and has been thrust into the role of caretaking the Cross Bar and supporting the community’s efforts to gain access to it.
“I started working on the outdoor recreation portion in either
2013 or 2014,” Escobar says, pointing out that he was initially hired to reintroduce endangered species to the property. “But we didn’t get any traction until about four years ago, when I met the right people in town and got the easements locked down for the public access road.”
But easements are nothing more than lines on a map. The deciding factor in Cross Bar’s success as a public attraction is securing funding for a road to allow travelers on U.S. 287 to access the front gate of the Cross Bar Ranch—just like they would travel to Palo Duro Canyon State Park or any other recreational site. And while BLM has committed to operate and maintain Cross Bar Ranch, it’s up to the community to find money for the road.
“So now I get to see what grant writers and nonprofits feel like—scraping the bottom of the barrel to stay afloat. Everybody thinks that the government has unlimited money for anything it can think of, but that’s not the case for recreation,” Escobar says.
Estimates for a paved road have run as high as $9 million. Federal grants are available, but most come with match requirements, either from another public source or from private dollars raised in the community. That’s where “the right people in town” come in. One in particular, Lorie Van Ongevalle, has gotten in deep.
Lorie is a trailblazer, and not just in the figurative sense. She actually blazes and maintains trails for horseback riding and other activities, such as hiking and mountain biking. So it’s fitting that she’s playing the role of trail boss, wrangling a coalition of the right people Escobar credits for elevating Cross Bar in the public consciousness. She met Escobar almost a decade ago when Mary Herring, an avid local equestrian and Cross Bar volunteer, suggested she enroll in a trail workshop put on by the
American Endurance Ride Conference. Lorie was paired with Escobar in the training, and it was Escobar who got her fired up about building trails at Cross Bar.
“Once we got back, Mary kept encouraging me to get out there and work, and once I did, I was pretty well hooked,” Lorie says.
She and other volunteers have built close to 16 miles of trails at Cross Bar, out of the 40 miles they hope eventually to blaze over the 9,900 acres of the property planned for public recreation. But building pathways for equestrians, cyclists and hikers is one thing. A paved road is another. The effort to secure public access to Cross Bar involves an intricately spun web of public and private interests aimed at raising money and awareness to create a recreational asset for generations to come.
After Lorie gained the trust of the BLM through her volunteer efforts, she was asked to create a nonprofit to help in this fundraising effort. Friends of Cross Bar SRMA obtained nonprofit status from the Internal Revenue Service this spring, bringing to the table a committed board of community leaders and outdoor types including Mary Herring, with Lorie as their president.
Another vital thread running through this combined effort is the
Amarillo Convention & Visitors Bureau and the leadership of Kashion Smith, executive director. Smith has committed CVB funding, organized community meetings and oversees a Cross Bar steering committee to assist the Friends group with fundraising and public relations efforts. She also serves on the board of the Friends of Cross Bar.
“They [the CVB] are a great support and we’re super thankful they can help us with connections and everything else we need,” Lorie says.
These combined efforts are bearing fruit. Potter County has come on board and requested funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Lands Access Program, known as FLAP— with the understanding that the community will raise the matching funds if the application is successful. In late 2022, Potter County was shortlisted for the program, meaning it has made the final round and funding looks promising, even if it only amounts to about $5 million of the total $9 million needed. The difference could come from other government grants the Friends group is pursuing. Either way, private funding will still be necessary.
Beyond the public access road is the thorny issue of a century-old railroad trestle the new road must pass beneath. The bracing of the timber structure provides a narrow passage that isn’t wide enough
for two vehicles to pass. So a new trestle will be needed, and the FLAP grant won’t cover the replacement cost. But Lorie, Escobar and others involved in making the Cross Bar accessible are determined to take it one step at a time.
“We’re hoping things fall into place a lot easier and it goes quicker once we get the FLAP grant,” Lorie says.
How quick is another unanswered question. If FLAP funding comes through, construction may not start until 2027. But that will give the Friends group time to secure the community match and start banking money for other improvements, including campsites and a visitors’ center. The Friends group has established a website, friendsofcrossbarsrma.org, to keep the public informed and receive tax-deductible donations, and eventually hopes to involve the general public in the fundraising effort.
The many hurdles ahead and the time it will take to move past them don’t deter Lorie or Escobar. Both say they are enjoying the process—meeting new people and getting the community excited about what lies ahead. And for Escobar, playing the role of cheerleader on top of his regular job is starting to grow on him.
“I love it. More and more,” he says. “We’re doing something really positive for the community. Once we get it developed, it will be here forever.”
Connor Castaneda shakes his head now and smiles a little bit. It was part naivete and part youthful enthusiasm.
He was an eighth-grader at Fannin Middle School in 2019. One of his last assignments was a slideshow about where he expected to go to college. Castaneda chose Harvard.
“It was like ignorance is bliss,” he says. “I was probably the biggest dummy ever. Realistically, even if you’re almost perfect in school and do a ton of stuff and have amazing test scores, most don’t get in.
“You can only do so much before it’s just luck. I just assumed that I was smart and I would get in. Looking back, it was not a good idea to put all of your eggs in one basket.”
That’s not recommended, but Castaneda had such tunnel vision on the renowned Ivy League school that he saw little else. It came to stomach-churning fruition at 7 p.m. on Dec. 15, 2022, when he sat down and logged on to the portal on the website where applicants learn their fate.
“It was like time stopped,” he says. “I sat there for what seemed like forever. I didn’t really say anything. I was with one of my friends and she started screaming, and I thought, ‘Well, that can’t be a bad thing.’ I sat back for five to 10 seconds, saying to myself, ‘This is it. This is everything I wanted.’”
Isaiah Flores had grown up with Casteneda from South Lawn Elementary to Fannin to Caprock High School. He put his eggs in a number of baskets—Cornell, Swarthmore, Stanford, Harvard, Vanderbilt and Texas to name a few. Stanford was his preference, but they didn’t accept him. Four universities did say yes, however, including Harvard.
“I was disappointed a little bit, actually,” Flores says. “It wasn’t that I wasn’t happy about Harvard, but I’m very goal-oriented. I have a
vision and goal that I set. If that fails to occur, even though it’s outside of my control, it’s a longer process for me to accept.
“But the more I thought about it, I thought everything I wanted at Stanford is there at Harvard except the weather. So I’m happy.”
Harvard University is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, three miles west of downtown Boston across the Charles River. There are more than 70 colleges in greater Boston, almost as many as there are Dunkin’ Donuts.
But none are quite like Harvard. Established in 1636, it is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Some will argue, but it has long been considered the top academic university in the country.
Eight U.S. presidents were educated at Harvard—from the second president, John Adams, to latter-day presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, from the Roosevelts, Theodore and Franklin, to John Kennedy, whose name is attached to the school of government.
There have been 161 Nobel laureates from Harvard, 23 heads of state and 132 Pulitzer Prize winners. The university has the largest academic endowment in the world at more than $41 billion.
It’s not impossible to gain admittance to Harvard. It just seems that way. For every 100 of the brightest students in the world who apply, at least 96 are denied. Harvard’s acceptance rate runs at about 4 percent. It’s easier to get into North Korea.
For the class of 2027—this year’s incoming freshmen—
56,937 students applied. Harvard accepted 1,935. That’s 3.4 percent.
Within that 3.4 percent are two Caprock High School students. One is the youngest child of a mother who is a manager for American Airlines and father who is a courier for FedEx Ground. Another is the oldest child of two parents who work at Pantex.
Two Caprock students are headed to America’s most renowned university—thanks to their focus, their intellect, and their community.
These are not families of financial means. No legacy Ivy League connections here. Neither young man got started at a private college preparatory boarding school with $35,000 annual tuition. They learned from dedicated faculty at South Lawn, Fannin and Caprock. They had encouraging parents with high expectations. Most of all, these two put no limits on their dreams or their future.
Breaking the mold? They invented the mold.
“They may not realize this yet because they’re 17, 18 years old—although I think they’re starting to—what this means not just to Amarillo, but the east side of Amarillo and to the Caprock community,” says Abby Ortega, college career military readiness coordinator at Caprock.
“It’s a huge deal over here. I’m Hispanic. To me, it shows minority kids, ‘Hey, guys, come on, we can do this. Everybody can do this.’ We need that voice. We need that example. No, it’s not necessarily about going to Harvard, but about setting goals high and not letting the barriers that seem to hold a lot of people back do it again.”
When Flores was young, Christopher and Cristina Flores set high standards for him, the oldest of four children. They didn’t want him to go through the struggles, he says, of their choices when they were young.
“It was a structured environment,” he says. “They focused on education a lot. But they would have been happy had I gone to Amarillo College.”
Charity Castaneda is a teacher at heart. She read to Chazz and Cara, Connor’s two older siblings, and she passed that along to him. She had Connor doing simple math, counting to 10, higher if he could, by the time he was 3 years old.
“So by the time I got to school, it seemed like I was a year ahead of
everyone else in just what I knew,” he says. “I was able to meet people, make good friends and just be a kid.”
Charity was no tiger mom, nor was Connor’s father, Christopher, overbearing. They believed in raising well-rounded children.
“It was not one of those things that you can watch TV for only 30 minutes and then you have to go read a book,” Castaneda says. “I was pushed to read, but as a kid, I was also outside until the street lights came on. I was just a regular kid. My parents wanted me to do what I loved. They didn’t want me to hate school.”
By the time the two reached Caprock as freshmen in what would be the COVID school year of 2019-2020, a foundation for learning had long been established. Structure was in place. The process toward a path after high school was in full swing.
“I was just oriented into the way school taught subjects,” Flores says. “Also, I built my application [for college] with more than just academics. I built them with extracurriculars, as well. I wouldn’t say I’m as academic as Connor per se, because Connor is super Type A-oriented.”
Flores looked at each step and each challenge in high school a bit like putting together an engine. It takes time. Each part is important, and no part is too small.
“It took a lot of work,” he says. “It’s a bunch of moving parts. It’s like this giant set of gears, and you have to take each gear and put it in its place for it to work out. For me, that was easy because I’m very organized. But, yes, a lot of studying and pushing myself outside my comfort zone.
“That’s both education and extracurriculars. Some of them are hard for me to understand, like calculus. But I forced myself to take the class and understand the subject. For extracurriculars, a lot of that involved meeting with community members. I’m not the most
PHOTO BY VENICE MINCEYoutgoing person, so being able to expand on how I act socially with other people was something I had to learn.”
Flores was a Superintendent Ambassador for four years, where these young leaders spoke to groups on school issues. He participated in Teen Leadership of Amarillo and Canyon, a teachernominated position with three representatives from the high schools in the two cities. The focus is on community outreach.
For most, if not all his time at Caprock, Flores only spent the mornings there. In the afternoons, he attended AmTech Career Academy on Plains Boulevard, Amarillo ISD’s hands-on state-of-the-art learning center for technical and professional careers. (See page 60.)
Entering Caprock, Flores thought he might pursue veterinary medicine. He spent his afternoons at AmTech on the veterinarian pathway program. A U.S. History class under Jennifer Towles in his junior year, where constitutional law was studied, turned Flores toward a legal career, but that didn’t stop him from continuing at AmTech.
Through AmTech, Flores worked as an intern with Canyon Road Animal Hospital, where he spent four hours from Tuesday through Thursday afternoons at the clinic.
“The concept as a whole, being able to graduate with a certificate and complete an internship was a good learning experience,” he says. “The internship taught me so much about working with different types of people. It developed me as a professional in a different way than at Caprock because of AmTech’s focus.”
Castaneda also had a history course impact him as a freshman— an Advanced Placement World History class. He didn’t like the class, which confirmed that he should focus on math and science. Castaneda was already on Caprock’s Science Bowl team as a freshman, and there was no reason to change direction.
As a sophomore, Castaneda took two OnRamps classes that are dual enrollment initiatives through the University of Texas. They are college-level courses in science, technology, math, arts and humanities.
“They are very rigorous and difficult and probably the highest level of college work I’ve seen,” says Caprock Physics Teacher Christi Wheeler.
The homework and exams are online. High school teachers may help, but it is college level work. Castaneda took an OnRamps Physics course and then took an OnRamps GeoScience class guided by Science Teacher Rohn Butterfield.
“Those classes harnessed my desire to learn and steered me in that direction,” Castaneda says.
Both Wheeler and Butterfield have coached Caprock’s Science Bowl. They saw a student who was both focused and grounded.
“He is very driven, which I love because I’m very driven myself,” Wheeler says. “He’s always pushing for more, and trying to learn and achieve more. That’s one of the things I tell my students is not to ever stop learning, so that’s one thing I love about him.
“He just has a way of thinking about things I have never seen before. He’s definitely over my level. He has pushed me when he’s asked me questions—‘I’m going to have to get back to you on that.’ I do a little research and answer to the best of my ability.”
Castaneda was Caprock’s valedictorian with a 102.50 grade average. He was also a National Merit Scholar, a drum major in the Longhorn band, and played the saxophone in a jazz band. That’s in addition to working at Target the past two years.
“Connor knew he was the smartest kid in the room in whatever room he was in, but he never had to show that he was that guy,” Butterfield says. “He always included people.
“Some students are very intellectual and miss some of the social skills. They are good in a room of odd ducks like themselves, but with
regular people, they are kind of gruff, impatient, and ‘you should understand this because it’s so simple.’ Connor never exhibited any of that.”
While good and improving on the sax, it did not come easy for Castaneda, certainly not like math and science. That was probably good in terms of balance.
“He was not the best sax player in the world and that grounded him a little bit,” Butterfield says. “He had to work to become a really good sax player.”
Last summer began the college application process for most of the class of ’23, including these two. As Flores might put it, there were a few more gears for him as he applied at more universities.
Stanford, in the Bay Area of Palo Alto, California, had always been his dream school. He also applied to the Ivy League’s Cornell, Yale, Harvard and Princeton, as well as the University of Texas, Vanderbilt in Nashville, and Swarthmore College, a small liberal arts school in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.
Texas’ acceptance rate is 29 percent. The average acceptance rate of the other seven schools is 5.3 percent.
For his part, Castaneda considered Cal Tech and Massachusetts Institute of Technology—just 1.5 miles from Harvard—but not enough to apply. He wouldn’t recommend it, but he applied for just one—the one he did a slideshow on as an eighth-grader at Fannin.
“As stupid as that was, I only applied to Harvard,” he says. “Every time I looked at different programs or majors at other schools, it pointed me back to Harvard. That was the place I needed to be. For someone who knew early on where he wanted to go, I was not prepared at all. I really had to run for the finish line.”
Castaneda took the SAT as a sophomore and again as a junior. He took the SAT again this past November, the last possible date and within a three-week grace period that Harvard allows. He scored a 1540 out of 1600. The average SAT score at Harvard is 1530.
Flores took his SAT last year. Submitting the test score was optional at Ivy League schools because of the COVID year.
“I chose not to submit it,” he says. “My score was good, but not Ivy League good.”
Applications at elite academic institutions are not that different from most universities. There’s the high school transcript, the college test scores—though even those can be optional at some universities—and the common essay. Beyond that, schools often will tailor specific requirements.
Applicants to Harvard interview with a graduate from their region, which can be large depending on the location. Flores and Castaneda interviewed with an environmental engineer who had been employed in Midland, but had moved to Detroit.
They are interviewed on personal life, academics and extracurricular activities. The interviews, done on Zoom, carry significant weight.
Flores found the Harvard application “light and abstract” compared to other Ivy League schools. There was a general essay of 1,200 words, which was “my personal statement,” and the option to include more work. He submitted a 10-page analysis of a Supreme Court case he wrote in government class.
Castaneda, with his college eggs in just one Ivy League basket, did a deep dive on his essay. He had one shot to make an impression.
“My essay was not very normal,” he says. “I didn’t want to be put in a stack 100 pages high of common essays. I wrote in mine that I knew I always had the ability to achieve, but never knew who I was. I had all these grades but didn’t know what I was supposed to do. But band and Science Bowl taught me how to be a regular kid and focus on what I wanted to do and who I was.”
Later, after he was accepted, Castaneda received an email from a Harvard administrator who reviewed the applicants to say how much he enjoyed his essay because of its simplicity.
For Flores, college acceptances and a few rejections trickled in. Cornell and Texas said yes. He was wait-listed at Vanderbilt and Princeton, and accepted at Swarthmore. Yale said no. He was accepted at Harvard, then the next day, he was denied at Stanford.
Financial aid is more plentiful in the Ivy League. After getting over the initial disappointment of Stanford, it seemed like an easy call for Harvard. It was.
For Castaneda, the anticipation and the academic crossroads were a little different. He didn’t have another option should Harvard deny him. Finding another university wouldn’t have been difficult, just disappointing.
Through the process, Castaneda believed it more likely he would be rejected than accepted. Some of it may have been that 96 percent of all applicants are denied, and some perhaps just a defense mechanism against disappointment.
“So when I was accepted, there was just the whirlwind of emotions, like what’s next?” he says. “I felt kind of alone. It was scary.”
Castaneda initially only told Chazz. His brother, who is attending West Texas A&M University, has pushed him to be better for a long time. How and when to tell his parents?
It was 10 days before Christmas. Some kind of announcement at Christmas would make for quite the present. Castaneda ordered two hats that day, “Harvard Dad” and “Harvard Mom” and paid extra for next-day delivery.
Waiting for Christmas was going to be impossible. Castaneda didn’t sleep much for two nights. He was sure his parents knew he was acting strange.
Two days later, his parents had a rare day off during the busy Christmas season. They were doing some shopping that day. Their son was working an 8-hour shift at Target. He called them and arranged to take a break and meet in a nearby parking lot.
Castaneda jumped in the back of the truck and handed Christopher and Charity two wrapped gifts. Open them now, he told them.
“They were like, ‘What are you doing? What is this?’ They were confused,” he says.
Taking the hats out, Charity asked, just for confirmation, if he got in. His father stared ahead in silence, gathering it all in.
“He didn’t say a word,” Castaneda says. “He started to cry a little, maybe. They are good parents, and I think it hit them—‘I raised my kid and he’s going to Harvard.’ That’s something they never expected.”
One month past high school graduation, Connor Castaneda and Isaiah Flores are already in Cambridge. They are part of the Harvard Rising Scholars program from June 24 through Aug. 12. It is an intensive seven-week, eight-credit course on campus that introduces first-year students to academic expectations with specialized support.
Flores will major in Public Policy, while Castaneda will likely hone in on Computer Science, believing that study could branch off to a number of fields.
For these two, they are immersed in learning as they have been for years and will continue for several more. But the other part of the story is what they can teach others. In the classroom of opportunity, they have seized it.
They were not born with silver spoons. They had no connections, no wealth to open closed doors. They worked for DoorDash and at Target. They are sons of East Amarillo. They had a support system and an unquenchable belief in themselves and are happy to share that.
What they share doesn’t have to be as specific or lofty a destination as Harvard. It is the hope that’s visible when goals point past the barriers of broken dreams.
“That’s exactly how I feel,” Flores says. “To see little kids come up to you or people comment on Facebook they’ve been inspired makes me happy. To be that representation for people in my community, especially the younger ones who may have those goals but don’t necessarily believe they can be achieved, to be that person to show them they can has really been special.”
In the fall of 2021, not long after the AmTech Career Academy opened to its first students, principal Jay Barrett asked the school’s media and graphic design students to produce a bumper sticker for him.
Above the AmTech logo, it reads, “I wish they had a place like this when I was a kid!”
He’s heard that statement dozens and dozens of times. From teachers. From Amarillo ISD Board members. From state representatives and local politicians.
Barrett remembers a recent tour he gave to a wellconnected Amarillo leader, someone whose public and behind-the-scenes efforts have pushed the city forward. “She was just giddy,” says Barrett. “I asked her why she was so excited. She goes, ‘This doesn’t look like it belongs in Amarillo, Texas.’”
She’s right. And AmTech doesn’t just impress locals. Barrett has guided dignitaries and CEOs through the 235,000-square-foot facility—which previously served as the former headquarters for Hastings Entertainment—and heard them wishing their communities back home could have something like AmTech.
From the Texas Panhandle to Washington, D.C., and beyond, AmTech is getting attention. The state-of-the-art $40 million-plus building (with an additional $9 million in equipment) is easily one of the premier learning communities in the United States.
That’s no overstatement: AmTech has literally earned national recognition for its approach to learning. The education publication Tech & Learning awarded it the “Most Innovative Learning Spaces” honor in early 2022—before AmTech’s construction had even finished.
This fall, around 2,800 AISD high school students will attend
classes here as they gain experience and industry certifications across three dozen career pathways, from plumbing and HVAC repair to medicine, law, and architecture. They’ll use cutting-edge equipment that makes even some college campuses envious. They’ll end up on the workforce radars of corporate partners like Bell and Pantex. They’ll learn from industry professionals as they receive the kind of hands-on education that prepares them for life after high school graduation.
And if they are like the most recent AmTech graduates, they’ll leave the academy with baseline certifications in hand and multiple job opportunities awaiting them. “We’re helping students find their passion so they’ll know where they’re going the day after graduation,” says Barrett. AmTech’s 400plus seniors last year obtained 515 professional certifications. And some legitimately did have full-time careers lined up as soon as they hung up their caps and gowns.
In and around Amarillo, AmTech graduates are becoming the newest generation of welders, machinists and dental technicians. Some are 19 years old and making money as professionals.
“This is a fun place to be,” Barrett says. A school administrator since arriving in Amarillo in 1991, he’s held assistant principal and principal roles from Forest Hill Elementary to Travis Middle School to Tascosa and Palo Duro. “The work is so gratifying. It’s kind of the culmination of my life’s work, in my career of 38 years.”
He’s as giddy as anyone else to walk the halls of AmTech, pointing out its real-world laboratories. “Our classrooms are not just four walls and a ceiling,” he says. They are massive, technological marvels, and have set the standard for similar career academies nationwide.
Only days after AISD’s spring 2023 graduation, Barrett gave Brick & Elm a guided tour of the facility.
PHOTOS BY TANNER BEGGSTheTexas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo is already producing a new generation of veterinarians— and within a few years, some of them will have gotten their start in AmTech’s animal science lab. Students at AmTech can graduate with a Certified Veterinary Assistant certification. Outdoor pens are equipped to hold goats, horses and other animals for inspection.
Immediatelyinside the AmTech entrance, the Cafe 21 Bistro welcomes guests. Behind it—and less visible to the public—is a 26,000-square-foot commercial kitchen that’s the envy of professional chefs across the state. “We have tripled the number of culinary students who’ll be coming to us next year,” says Barrett. This part of the campus includes high-tech prep kitchens, culinary learning labs, and a banquet hall that sees frequent use by high school sports teams celebrating their seasons. Those events are typically catered by AmTech’s culinary students.
Last year, all 15 students working in the AmTech Pharmacy Technician Pathway passed their Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam. They spent most of the winter break working at area Walgreens pharmacies. Some students were working up to 40 hours a week—enough for their instructor to check in to make sure they were OK with the hours. “They said, ‘Yes! We love adult work,’” Barrett laughs. At the “AmTech Pharmacy,” students learn about medications, dosages and even how to do the kind of medical compounding practiced at area hospitals.
Healthcare staffing is a significant focus of area providers right now, and AmTech’s innovative medical labs are producing this professional workforce—including the 93 percent of students who passed their Certified Medical Assistant exams in the spring. The “Sim Lab” provides hands-on learning experiences, which allow students to practice medical procedures, including blood draws and EKGs, on high-tech mannequins. “We can put these into cardiac arrest and students have to respond just like they would in a hospital,” says Barrett.
BSA has hired several certified students already. Other grads are pursuing nursing certification or going into medical school.
In the Cadaver Lab next door, a $75,000 computerized, touchscreen Anatomage Table allows students to explore comprehensive 3D images of human bodies, from trueto-life muscular depictions to the cardiovascular and nervous systems.
With 20 innovative dental stations— including specialized mannequins— students can pursue Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) certification, putting them on the path toward becoming a hygienist, dentist or orthodontist. “It costs our students nothing to go here and get their RDA,” Barrett says. They can make $35,000 to $45,000 immediately as an RDA, or continue their studies at Amarillo College—potentially for free thanks to the Thrive program—before earning even more as hygienists. “Then, they won’t have any student loan debt.” Barrett is also on the AC Board of Regents, and says the partnership with AC is a major component of students’ success.
One of the largest rooms within the AmTech facility is the robot/drone coliseum, where a drop-down net allows students to pilot drones indoors on their way to becoming licensed drone pilots. Remote-controlled cameras on the room’s pillars allow robotics competitions to be recorded or broadcast. “Most people want a basketball court,” Barrett says. “I wanted this.” Teams from across the Panhandle have participated in robotics competitions here.
The space also serves as an enormous meeting and banquet room for up to 600 people. Students gather on the nearby “learning stairs” for assemblies or presentations from local professionals.
In AmTech’s School of STEM and Information Technology, students benefit from immersive coursework in everything from engineering to cybersecurity and networking. Students learn to use 3D printers and a laser engraver, and some are assembling parts of an airplane using materials donated from Amarillo College.
Aerospace becomes a focus during students’ junior years. A compact, full-motion flight simulator offers a stunningly realistic training environment for would-be pilots. “I’ve been in there and I was looking for the airbag,” Barrett says.
Labs within the School of Architecture, Construction and Manufacturing are some of AmTech’s largest and most impressive. Here, students explore multiple careers using industry-specific equipment—including the Haas machining centers in this machining lab.
“You know, if you’re going to be in the trades, this is your thing. You’ll be exposed to how it all operates,” says Barrett.
Students in the machining technology pathway learn everything from how to produce precision metal parts to use of handwelding equipment.
Construction trades at AmTech are guided by industry professionals. For example, Russell Radney teaches plumbing and HVAC students. Prior to his teaching position, he spent time as general manager at A&R Mechanical and then territory manager for Ingersoll Rand, an industrial products company.
“He’s from industry,” says Jay Barrett. “He was a rep across five different states and just said, ‘I’m tired of the travel.’ He’s a family guy.” Radney built the training facility shown here, which allows students to hang a furnace and learn to connect pipes.
The banners in the background are from AmTech partners. “We don’t put up any banners unless we have worked with them or are currently working with them. They have helped us out immensely,” says Barrett.
AmTech’s School of Transportation includes two career pathways: Automotive Collision Repair and Automotive Technology. Like everything else, it’s hands-on work. Students repair and maintain their own vehicles, customer vehicles, and donated vehicles from industry partners including Street Toyota.
The Blowtherm automotive paint booth is a $200,000 piece of equipment that was shipped to AmTech from Italy. “The guy who was assembling it said no one could believe he was putting this in at a high school,” Barrett says.
“Last year, we worked on 155 customers’ cars, everything from your basic oil change and brake job to an engine swap,” Barrett says. During school hours, the shop is open to the public. “You’ll never see a teacher take your car. Students will do everything: write your ticket, take your car, tell you when to pick it up.”
The students do the work under professional supervision, of course. “This isn’t a two-dollar brake job ... Our teachers are in the background making sure it’s done properly.”
During the school year, fifthgrade students from every elementary school in the Amarillo Independent School District spend a day at JA BizTown, located on the AmTech campus. This simulated town—a program developed by the national organization Junior Achievement USA—includes miniature business operations branded and sponsored by local enterprises, from Amarillo National Bank to Sparkman Orthodontics and United Supermarkets. There’s even a City Hall where students can learn how a municipality works.
“Every fifth-grader will come through here and can be the CEO of a business or a cashier at United,” explains Barrett. “They’ll have jobs at each of 14 different storefronts.”
During this immersive, day-long experience, students learn basic business practices and workplace skills, along with money-management essentials. “When they come here, they are given a blank debit card and earn money. At a break time, they can spend money,” says Barrett. Student businesses can apply for BizTown bank loans, but have to conduct enough business to pay those loans off by the end of the day.
Once all the AISD schools have participated in the program, BizTown will open up to elementary students in other districts.
It’s still summer, but school will be back in session before we know it. And that includes locals of all ages, from preschoolers first entering a classroom setting to college students, physicians-in-training and beyond. We’re excited to bring readers this special section about education, which covers everything from private academies to public schools, from nonprofits to higher education
It was nothing short of prophetic when the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program christened Amarillo College (AC) a Rising Star in 2021; for just two years after receiving that uplifting designation, the ascension is complete. On April 20, the Aspen Institute named AC winner of the 2023 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America’s 1,100-plus community colleges. AC today stands second to none.
In accepting the preeminent Aspen Prize at a festive ceremony in Washington, D.C., AC President Russell LoweryHart declared, “We will use this recognition as a springboard for greater improvements. We are certainly not a perfect College, but today, at this moment, we are a proud one.”
AC is hardly a best-kept secret. Most are aware that it’s comprised of seven campuses in three Panhandle counties. Folks know AC offers more than 140 degree and certificate options at a cost that is approximately one-third that of attending a public university in Texas. The Aspen Institute, however, drills down into the soul of the institutions it deems worthy of assessment; they seek data.
The Aspen Prize, awarded every two years, is focused on student success and based on outstanding achievement in five critical areas: teaching and learning, certificate and degree completion, transfer and bachelor’s attainment, workforce success, and equity for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. Through data-supported actions, AC has increased its three-year completion rates across all the demographics Aspen measures, and the same can be said for AC’s transfer rates and subsequent bachelor’s degree attainment. AC’s overall three-year completion rate has practically doubled since 2015, soaring from 30 percent to 57 percent. Over the same span, the College has experienced an across-the-board, 139-percent increase in certificates and degrees being awarded, and the increases are more pronounced among students of color—179 percent among Hispanics, and 208 percent among African Americans.
AC began to take a foothold on the national landscape in 2015 due to its innovative and multi-faceted response to internal surveys revealing that students who underachieve academically were not necessarily experiencing problems in the classroom. Rather, they were overwhelmingly thwarted by issues related to transportation, childcare, health care, food and housing insecurity, utilities, and legal services—life was getting in the way of school. Therefore, the College adopted a Culture of Caring to help mitigate issues of poverty and connect all students with academic and social services structured to help them overcome barriers. And the entire workforce dedicated itself to “loving students to success.”
“We made our Culture of Caring the foundation of every decision we made moving forward,” Lowery-Hart says. “Community colleges are uniquely situated to glue our communities together, and love times learning equals success.”
The College next established a free legal aid clinic, a career and employment center, a childcare center, as well as an Advocacy and Resource Center that houses a food pantry and connects students with social services provided by more than 60 local nonprofits. AC also opened a Counseling Center staffed by professionals to address behavioral health; condensed most traditional 16-week semesters into 8-week classes, instantly improving time-to-degree completions; and aligned programs of study with Career Communities that present AC students with clear course sequences and precise timelines to completion. Success Coaches aid students by providing individualized pathway guidance and mentoring.
Peer colleges experiencing similar student-success challenges began to take note of AC’s game-changing strategies. Over the past four years, representatives from close to 300 community colleges have flocked to AC to seek advice and learn more from the College that was, and still is, leading the way. The Aspen Institute was watching, too, of course, and in 2021 AC was named a Rising Star. Yet AC’s accomplishments since then have been, at the very least, equally transformative, and are too abundant to fully list. Among them, though, and for the first time in its history, the College received a perfect score during reaffirmation of its regional 10-year accreditation. AC received not a single recommendation for improvement, a true rarity in higher education. Not only did the accrediting committee wholeheartedly endorse AC’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), the cornerstone of the reaccreditation effort, but they were not alone in their praise. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board singled out the QEP for a prestigious Star Award, which essentially is the gold standard of laurels earmarked for post-secondary schools in Texas. AC’s distinctive QEP aligns developmental courses with credit-bearing courses so that underprepared students can be placed simultaneously in both, earn transferable credit hours, and thus achieve success at a significantly faster pace.
In 2022, AC also introduced a virtual health care plan called TimelyCare. The service is totally free and accessible not only to all students who are enrolled in academic classes, but to their dependents as well. It provides basic medical and mental healthcare 24 hours a day from licensed physicians and counselors.
AC works with industry to produce a skilled pipeline for the regional workforce and launched work-based learning so students can simultaneously earn credit hours, relevant experience, and paychecks. AC graduates earn, on average, $11,000 more one year after graduation than all new hires in the region. The list could go on.
The Aspen Prize indeed is a heady capstone to a phenomenal era for AC; however, the prestigious national accolade more pragmatically underscores the benefits students reap from those myriad initiatives that led the College to catch lightning in a bottle.
“Ascension Academy is a great private school that offers so many opportunities for families who want to provide their children a great education to fit their specific needs. They offer small class sizes, which means your child will have one-on-one attention from teachers and will receive the extra help they need. Ascension Academy offers a rigorous curriculum that prepares students for college and more.”
—Current Ascension Parent, Dey Gabriel
Ascension students range in social and economic status, athletic abilities, artistic expression and academic skills. What these diverse students have in common is a desire to be challenged in an environment where they can be themselves and be an important part of a close-knit community that recognizes their individual gifts and talents.
Ascension is a place where students can find themselves and their passion. It is a place where they can be challenged academically in a safe environment. It is a place where they can branch out and try new things. All of these things add up to make Ascension a unique school community that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the Panhandle—it is the Ascension Difference.
“Both of my Ascension graduates left Ascension Academy with vast knowledge and the ability to multitask in and out of the classroom, and were prepared for the rigors of college-level classes and academic work. Both of them feel that they had an easier time transitioning to college life and curriculum because of the academic foundation that Ascension gave them.”
—Current and Alumni Parent, Deanna Morris
Ascension students are encouraged and supported to become well-rounded individuals who can call themselves Scholars, Artists, Athletes, and Leaders—our Four Pillars. Grounded in our Four Pillars and given opportunities to grow, an Ascension Graduate becomes a confident, collaborative, lifelong learner who is well-prepared for success in college and in life. How are students grounded in the Four Pillars? The school offers unique electives in addition to advanced core classes, language courses, leadership opportunities, athletic programs, fine arts, student clubs, and TAPPS or WTCAA competitions in the arts, academics, and athletics.
Ascension Academy is committed to furnishing an exemplary college-preparatory education to its students. It offers a number of AP, Dual-Credit, and Pre-AP courses. All core classes are vertically aligned, beginning in middle school. Students have earned prestigious recognitions, such as National Merit Scholar, National Hispanic Scholar, Texas Aerospace Scholar, AP Capstone Diploma Scholar, DAR Award Scholar, and National AP Scholar. Ascension Academy is also a member of the Cum Laude Society and National Honor Society, and inducts members each spring.
Ascension Academy is one of only 14 Cum Laude Society member schools in the state of Texas. The prestigious Cum Laude Society of 383 chapters worldwide, honors the scholastic achievement of secondary school students.
The opportunity for creative expression is both valued and encouraged at Ascension Academy, and many students are enrolled in multiple fine art disciplines. Ascension offers several levels of Orchestra, Band, and Choir, in addition to Studio Art, and Theater. Ascension Artists are passionate about their craft, and spend countless hours practicing on and off campus. The result is award-winning programs and coveted memberships, such as the International Thespian Society.
Ascension Academy recognizes the need for students to develop physically as well as mentally. Athletics provides abundant opportunities for character development—from teamwork and coachability to perseverance and humility. Ascension offers a robust number of sports and many students also participate in off-campus athletics that support their passion and earn credit.
Leadership is a quality that Ascension intentionally works to develop in all of its students. Students are members of councils and ambassador groups, and are the face of Ascension at all campus ceremonies and events. They plan, execute, and lead these important activities, in addition to setting an example for others. Students are encouraged to engage in a number of activities and groups that take them beyond the classroom in order to foster a deeper understanding of their responsibilities to their community.
“[My daughter] came into Ascension as a quiet, shy sixth-grader. Today, she is challenged in and out of the classroom and she has the confidence to go out and try new activities at school. She has become a leader, speaks her ideas in the room, and is a supporting voice to others around her.”
—Current and Alumni Parent, Deanna Morris
Ascension Academy has a 100 percent acceptance rate for its graduating classes every year. The Class of 2023, a diverse group of 27 students, received more than $1.6 million in university offered, merit-based scholarships from more than 40 colleges and universities. Ascension Academy graduates attend colleges across the country, ranging from every major college and university in Texas, to East Coast schools such as Yale, Princeton, and NYU to West Coast schools such as UCLA, Stanford, and Pepperdine, and many more in between.
The Ascension Difference creates confident, independent learners who are successful in college and beyond, as they begin careers or advanced degrees. Ascension graduates are those college students who excel in their fields of study and are those their classmates depend on to get help in advanced math or to review an English paper. They take leadership roles on their campuses and in their communities. They take their knowledge, compassion, and leadership skills with them wherever they go because they learned and practiced what being a global citizen means as Cardinals at Ascension Academy.
The farmers and ranchers of the Texas Panhandle are the backbone of our West Texas culture, economy, and way of life. AgTexas serves these memberowners with credit and crop insurance at multiple branches, including an Amarillo location which servies Potter, Randall, Armstrong, Carson and Oldham counties. AgTexas lending experts live and work in the communities where they serve. They understand local needs and make loan decisions locally. They are passionate about helping members thrive and about supporting agriculture.
That means AgTexas is also passionate about supporting the next generation of ag producers. The lending cooperative does this by taking part in a variety of local youth programs and sponsorships. Sometimes that happens through financial donations, and sometimes it means donating time and talents.
But by far, AgTexas’ favorite way to support ag youth is through a scholarship program: the AgTexas Ag Youth of the Month
This program recognizes the best and brightest young minds in Texas by honoring those students who excel in the classroom and serve as leaders in their FFA chapters and 4-H clubs.
Both organizations offer educational experiences centered around agriculture. Participants learn everything from animal husbandry to agricultural mechanics, all while gaining valuable life skills including teamwork, problemsolving and communication. Many of AgTexas’ team members today got their start in these organizations during their teenage years.
The Ag Youth of the Month program, which began in 2015, supports these young ag students throughout Texas, including within the Texas Panhandle. For Ag Youth of the Month, each chapter or club advisor selects students to submit an online application to their local branch. Each AgTexas Farm Credit branch then forms a committee to review and select six winners for each location, recognizing one each with the Ag Youth of the Month award for November, December, January, February, March and April.
AgTexas encourages these advisors and students to begin submitting their online applications mid-August.
The Ag Youth of the Month award fulfills four purposes:
1. To raise the profile of 4-H and FFA by recognizing outstanding senior class leaders within these organizations.
2. To recognize these monthly winners in local media, social media and the AgTexas website.
3. To bring together these outstanding young men and women at annual banquets.
4. To create scholarship opportunities to help graduating seniors afford a college education.
AgTexas Ag Youth of the Month recipients are eligible for the Ag Youth Distinguished Alumni Scholarship, which is reserved exclusively for past Ag Youths of the Month. Since 2015, AgTexas has recognized more than 600 students and awarded nearly $200,000 in scholarships. To learn more about the scholarship, visit agtexas.com/agyouth
AMARILLO: 806-376-4669
BROWNFIELD: 806-637-3589
BURLESON: 817-293-6103
DUMAS: 806-935-6851
HEREFORD: 806-641-1730
HILLSBORO: 254-582-2471
LEVELLAND: 806-894-6119
LUBBOCK: 806-745-4575
PLAINVIEW: 806-296-2782
SEMINOLE: 432-758-3201
STEPHENVILLE: 254-965-3151
Opportunity School has been providing high-quality, early childhood education for local families since 1969. That’s more than a half-century of giving at-risk children a solid foundation for learning before they enter the school system. But Executive Director Jill Goodrich still encounters people in the community who are surprised by what the organization offers.
“I’m always struck by people who say, ‘I didn’t know you did that,’” Goodrich says with a smile. “We have two campuses and have reached more than 5,000 children since opening in 1969, but a lot of people still aren’t sure what sets us apart.”
The core of what Opportunity School provides is affordable education during the early years of a child’s life—from birth to five—primarily to children from low-income families. But a few of the organization’s benefits are less familiar:
Early Intervention: Until children enter the classroom, their families often aren’t aware of developmental delays, learning disabilities or medical diagnoses that may be impacting a child’s ability to learn. The teachers and staff at Opportunity School are trained to watch for these potential barriers, under the supervision of a full-time intervention specialist. “Some kiddos struggle with communication or may not be as verbal as they should be for their age,” says Goodrich. “A new parent without a support system may not realize their child is delayed in that area, but those are things that can be super-important to address early.”
Providing early intervention and supporting families in the process is vital to Opportunity School’s work. For instance, the organization has partnered with the Department of Communication Disorders at WTAMU to provide occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech and language screenings. “We have WT interns who are learning to be speech and language therapists,” says Goodrich. “They come to work with children at all our locations.”
Student assessments help teachers monitor progress and age-related milestones. “We are very intentional about that. Our curriculum and lesson plans involve age-appropriate activities that help develop foundations for reading literacy, math, using the right muscle groups and more,” she says. Children’s brains develop rapidly during these years—80 percent of the brain is “wired” by the age of 3—so what they learn in preschool impacts them for years to come, explains Goodrich. “We start early so they get on the right pathway. They won’t need as much intervention as they get into school.”
Professional Development: Many organizations are struggling in the current job market, and Goodrich admits it can be hard to find qualified early childhood educators. But Opportunity School isn’t just looking for warm bodies to babysit toddlers. “We are looking
for educators who connect with our mission, and if they don’t have experience in the field, are willing to learn,” she says. “Our professional development program is very specific to this age group and focused on developmentally appropriate practices.”
Many staff members at Opportunity School are beginning educational careers and value the training they receive. “In addition to our internal professional development, we also bring in great outside speakers,” says Goodrich. “They might be from our national accrediting body or might provide training about our curriculum.”
As a nonprofit that depends on donated funds, Opportunity School is always careful with how it spends money. But Goodrich views professional development as one of the most important expenditures in her program’s budget. “We are growing, but not at the expense of quality, so professional development throughout our team helps us maintain a high-quality program,” she says.
Social & Emotional Problem-Solving: Many parents think the most important things children learn in preschool are basics like shapes, colors, numbers and the alphabet. Those are facts and figures—the so-called “hard skills.” But Goodrich says soft skills may be even more important.
“You have to teach social and emotional skills just like you teach a child to tie her shoe or write his name,” she says. “We can’t just tell kids to ‘behave’ and expect them to know what that means or how to do it. So we focus on teaching a very broad set of social skills.”
For instance, many kids haven’t learned how to handle intense emotions like sadness or anger. “Kids need to know that we understand they’re having big feelings, that they are safe and that we will help them develop the tools to understand how to keep themselves and others safe when they have those big feelings,” she says. “That’s what gives them the confidence to stand up to a bully in middle school or, in third grade, to tell someone ‘I don’t like you pulling my hair.’ We all need those skills in every walk of life.”
Opportunity School has been able to build brains for more than five decades because of generous support from individuals and corporations throughout the community who recognize the difference Opportunity School is making in the lives of local children and their families. “We’re not just plopping kids in front of a TV,” Goodrich says. “We are a high-quality program that prepares young kids for school, while supporting parents who need to be at work.”
If you would like to make a lasting difference for generations to come, please visit opportunityschool.com for more information about leaving a legacy. An investment in our children is an investment in the future of our community.
In Amarillo ISD, the word “More,” and the confident optimism it promises, is becoming our identity. Here, more means exclusive opportunities to do more and experience more. It means more training and more resources, empowering students to achieve more and elevating them into champions. More means more support and better outcomes, so our students—no matter who they are, where they come from or what unique gifts they have or challenges they may face—take it all in and leave here capable of so much more.
Hear from those students who have been built up by more, by the people, places and programs not available anywhere else for miles and miles.
In AISD, bigger means more. Our size is our superpower.
“I thought getting recruited to play in college was pretty difficult,” says 2023 Amarillo High School graduate Eleanor Archer, who earned herself a spot on the women’s tennis team at Washington University in St. Louis. With four state gold medals, Archer is AISD’s most decorated tennis player ever. She acknowledges one advantage from her time in high school that might have given her an edge in the recruitment circuit. “I’ve learned to play as part of a team. A lot of colleges look for good team players, not just individuals.”
As a sophomore, Archer spent some time with AISD’s athletic trainers rehabbing a shoulder injury. The District has the most robust sports medicine program in the area. “Even today, I still do the exercises they showed me,” says Archer. The experience inspired her to want to become an orthopedic surgeon. “I want to be able to help other athletes like that.”
Luxuries like a dynamic sports medicine program contribute
significantly to AISD’s ability to develop and support high school
The fierce 5A competition, plus the important advantages a school district this size can provide, are a formula for elite success. “What it comes down to is we have the coaches who are dedicated experts in their sport, we have the training component with weights and speed, we have the medical support with athletic trainers and team doctors, we have the built-in competition from big schools, and you put it all together and we’re producing those kinds of athletes,” says Hefley.
Dance turned out to be a real gem for 2023 Palo Duro High School graduate Emerald Htee Wah Naing, giving her the confidence to dream bigger and take big steps toward making those dreams come true. School dance programs aren’t offered anywhere else in the Panhandle, and with each year, AISD’s program grows in size and variety. At Amarillo High, for example, this fall students will be able to enroll in yoga for PE or fine arts credit.
As a member of Palo Duro’s dance team, the Don Diamond Dancers, Naing was inspired to step out of her comfort zone outside of the dance studio, as well. Through her classes at AISD’s AmTech Career Academy, Naing earned a collection of industry certifications including 911 Dispatch, Private Security Level 2, CPR, and FEMA.
A confident Naing is taking those skills now to Amarillo College as a Presidential Scholar. She chose AC because of the Thrive Scholarship, which provides a full ride exclusively for AISD graduates. “Definitely life-changing,” she says of the experience. “There are so many different opportunities. You never know what’s going to be headed your way. Don’t be scared.”
DO MORE WITH EXCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITIES:
• ORCHESTRA BEGINNING IN 5TH GRADE
• DANCE
• SWIM
• JROTC
• AMTECH
• ADVANCED ACADEMICS INCLUDING UT ONRAMPS
• SPECIALIZE DIPLOMAS LIKE IB AND AP CAPSTONE
• THRIVE SCHOLARSHIP
AISD offers exclusive opportunities no one else can which means our students are doing things no one else is.
AMARILLO ISD
Have you ever cooked a dish so good that it transported you to another place and time? For me, that dish is SopadeConchas
Every time I make it, I’m whisked away to my mom’s kitchen, where she would cook up a huge batch every week. Even now, decades later, her cooking still brings comfort and happiness to my family. What is it about food that can create such powerful connections across generations and cultures? I believe it has something to do with the way we use food to celebrate our shared traditions and heritage. Because of that cultural connection, I make a point to appreciate this dish every single time I make it for my kiddos.
If you’ve seen the movie Ratatouille, you surely remember the scene where Anton Ego loses his mind over Remy’s dish. I have the same experience each time I cook and eat my mom’s soup of conchitas (shells). It is THE dish I’ve carried with me throughout my life that equates to home and comfort.
Growing up in a lower- to middle-class family, we didn’t have much money to spend on food. Both of my parents worked as janitors for the school district, and they had a total of seven mouths to feed. Most nightly meals were Mexican picadillo, refried beans, rice, or a bowl of conchitas. It is the most simple dish, yet it comes with so much love and nourishment.
When I had a bad day at school, a bowl of conchas awaited me at home. And when my high school boyfriend asked to come over on a Saturday afternoon, it was to eat a bowl of conchas—not necessarily to see me. It is the dish that encapsulates the essence of my mom and to this day, connects me to her with every spoonful.
Food connects us. Across the globe, hands down, food is the language we all speak. If we sat down at a table with someone who spoke a different language, one thing is for sure: we’d both understand, “Mmm.”
One of the most beautiful things about connecting with culture through food is opening your mind and taste buds to a whole new world. I remember tasting Asian food for the first time as a child, and it quickly became a favorite. And let’s not forget about that boyfriend who fell in love with my mom’s soup. (I married that guy, by the way.) Although the marriage didn’t stand the test of time, the soup has, and my new guy loves it just the same.
• Work food into your travel: Or rather, plan a weekend getaway around eating to expand your experiences in regional cuisines you’ve never had.
• Learn about a new culture through a friend: Host a dinner party with friends and ask them to bring a dish from their cultural background. It not only creates a deeper connection with them, but also increases cultural awareness.
• Take a field trip to a local international food store: Some of the most fun grocery shopping excursions have been to the international store. Walking in without a plan or list, wandering down each aisle, and exploring all the interesting ingredients is my kind of a good time.
• Explore your city: If you’ve been wanting to try that new Mediterranean or Somalian place, what are you waiting for? Check out those places and new local food trucks. Make it a point to try a new restaurant every month. You never know what new delights you will uncover.
While you’re penciling in all of those plans, I am tickled pink to share my mom’s recipe of Sopa de Conchas with you. Granted, it’s become MY version over the years, but she’s still in every bite. I hope you enjoy this dish and all the cultural connections it brings. From my culture to yours.
RUTHIE LANDELIUS
Ruthie owns Black Fig Catering and is proprietor of a food blog at blackfigfood.com. Learn more about her online classes at blackfigfoodprograms.com.
5 roma tomatoes
1 sweet onion, divided
2 to 3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
12-ounce package macaroni shells
8 to 10 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
½ red bell pepper, deseeded and sliced into strips
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
For Garnish
2 avocados, peeled and sliced
1 fresh bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
½ yellow onion, finely chopped
Heat oven to broiler setting. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place tomatoes and half the onion, roughly chopped, onto the baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes, or until tomatoes soften and slightly blacken.
Add tomatoes, onions, and garlic cloves to a high-speed blender; blend until smooth. Set aside.
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and shells. Brown shells, occasionally stirring with a wooden spoon. Add remaining finely chopped onion to the pot and brown the shells a bit more. Once the shells are golden brown, carefully pour in blended tomato-onion mixture. Then add your choice of broth. Add cumin, garlic powder, bell pepper, salt and pepper. Slightly cover pot with a lid and bring soup to a gentle bowl. Once the shells are al dente, adjust seasoning, if needed. Serve in bowls topped with cilantro, fresh onion and avocado.
Makes 6 servings
Brick & Elm food contributor Ruthie Landelius is Hispanic, but says she never really connected with her family heritage during her childhood. It became important to her as a young adult, and this chef found expression for that cultural appreciation in the kitchen. “The tradition and the romanticism within the dish, the history of it, where it originates from … embracing it as you cook” helps her forge those connections to Mexican culture, she says.
For this issue, Landelius shares two favorite, summer dessert recipes inspired by that heritage.
The first, a chocolate tart, is a traditional Mexican dessert with an element of surprise: The cayenne spice in the crust delivers a slow, subtle heat with each bite. “When you think about Mexican food, you expect some sort of spice. But you don’t expect it in a dessert,” Landelius says. “Whenever I add cayenne to my chocolate desserts or cheesecake, I like to add it to the crust rather than the actual filling. You get that spice right at the end, when you swallow it.”
For the next dessert, Landelius admits her piñon-and-pistachio ice cream cake isn’t exactly traditional. Nevertheless, “it’s summertime, and who doesn’t like ice cream in summertime?” she asks. The cake relies upon piñon (pine nuts) ice cream, a unique flavor made by El Tropico, a beloved local ice cream shop. “I’m just a huge fan of El Tropico, so I wanted to honor their beautiful, tasty ice creams with a fun, summer dessert. My favorite flavor they have is piñon,” says Landelius.
The ice cream cake also comes with a flavorful surprise. In this case, it’s an infusion of ginger. “Ginger is not really a prominent flavor in Mexican cuisine,” Landelius admits, but she loves adding Asian-inflected elements to her dishes. “It’s just my thing,” she says.
Both the tart and the ice cream cake are rich, delicious and simple to prepare—but with surprisingly complex flavors.
Filling:
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
12 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
Crust:
1 cup vanilla wafers
1 cup pecan halves
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
Whipped Cream:
2 cups whipping cream
½ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Extra powdered sugar for dusting
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together cinnamon, salt and cornstarch with a fork. Set aside.
Process together the vanilla wafers, pecans, sugar and cayenne pepper. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl. Combine melted butter with wafer mixture. Then press into the bottom of a tart pan. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
Heat a cup of water in a small pot. Bring water to a boil. Combine chocolate, cream and butter in a mixing bowl large enough to fit on top of the pot. Whisk until chocolate is melted.
Pour chocolate mixture into a glass bowl and let cool for 5 minutes. Fold in cinnamon, salt and cornstarch mixture. Then, add eggs and whisk until smooth.
Pour chocolate mixture into cooled crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Using a stand mixer and whisk attachment, whisk whipping cream, cinnamon, and powdered sugar together until stiff peaks form. Spoon whipped cream into a piping bag with a decorative tip. Place in the refrigerator until ready to pipe onto the tart.
Pipe whipped cream and sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the tart and serve. The tart can be served warm or cold.
Makes 8 to 10 servings
12 ounces gingersnaps, lightly crushed
3 slices candied mango, coarsely chopped
3 slices candied ginger, coarsely chopped
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ¼ cups dulce de leche
½ cup mango nectar
3 pints piñon ice cream (My favorite is from El Tropico. You can also use vanilla.)
½ cup salted roasted pistachios, coarsely chopped
½ cup shredded sweetened coconut
Combine the gingersnaps with mango, ginger, sugar, and melted butter in a food processor. Process into crumbs. Press crumb mixture evenly over the bottom and up the sides of
a spring-form pan. Freeze for 15 minutes or until firm.
Combine dulce de leche and mango nectar in a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth.
Spread half of the ice cream onto the chilled crust. Drizzle half the dulce de leche sauce over ice cream. Scoop remaining ice cream over the first layer. Drizzle the rest of the dulce de leche on top, saving extra for serving. Sprinkle cake with sweetened coconut and chopped pistachios. Freeze for 2 hours or until firm.
Remove the ring and cut pie into wedges. Serve with leftover dulce de leche.
Makes 8 to 10 servings
At Market 33, Chris Bombarger wants his customers to consider pairing wine with Mexican food. They love wine, and living in Amarillo, they love Mexican food. But they don’t always combine those two loves together.
That’s why Bombarger, the beer, wine and tasting room manager at the locally owned grocery store, often finds himself suggesting unconventional wine pairings.
“Mexican food and Italian food have similar base components,” he says. He lists them: tomato-based sauces, spicy meats, flat breads like a tortilla or a pizza crust, and intense, rich flavors. “People think about pairing wine with Italian food but don’t think about Mexican food. But those two types of food are very similar.”
He would know. Before returning to Amarillo a couple years ago, this WTAMU grad worked in the tech industry in Austin before launching a Mexican food restaurant north of the city. He found himself recommending wines to his restaurant patrons, who always seemed surprised. So Bombarger began organizing quarterly wine dinners. “We started selling them out like crazy,” he says. Soon, those dinners became monthly affairs, pairing wine with fun, Mexican-food dishes.
Bombarger ended up selling the restaurant—“thankfully, right before COVID,” he says—and lived in Merida, Mexico, until returning to Amarillo to be nearer to family. When he stepped into Market 33 in search of good tortillas, he was immediately impressed by the beer and wine selection as well as the tasting room in the back of the store. “That appealed to me,” he says. After discovering Market 33 was family-owned, he reached out to the Copheranham family. Now Bombarger oversees the department, which includes the largest craft beer selection in the Panhandle. He’s since added more than 175 wines to the shelves.
And he spends a lot of time encouraging customers to pair those wines with their favorite Mexican dishes. “Pouring a glass of wine is way easier than garnishing a margarita glass with salt and lime,” he says.
According to Bombarger, the key to pairing wine with Mexican food is to remember to avoid high-alcohol wines with spicy dishes. This can overwhelm the palate, increase the heat sensation of the spice and result in an unbalanced taste experience.
But otherwise, he offers these suggestions for common Mexican or Tex-Mex meals:
As discussed in this issue’s queso feature, the appetizer is one of the most significant draws for a south-of-the-border meal. Fresh
salsa and guacamole are also great options, and Bombarger has the perfect wine for that.
“When loading up chips with either fresh salsa or guacamole, grab a glass of Nortico Alvarinho from Portugal,” he says. “This wine will be fruity but not sweet, and have a nose of lemon that will pair nicely and start a meal off right.”
Wine pairs well with seafood dishes in Mexican cuisine, including the popular camarónes a la diabla (“devil-style shrimp”), which features shrimp in a rich, spicy red sauce made from dried chiles and tomatoes.
He suggests a drier, lower-alcohol bottle of California’s Birichino Chenin Blanc. “It is refreshing with medium acidity and a light, crisp, citrus nose,” Bombarger says.
Any cream-based sauce—even a traditional Mexican one—calls for a French white wine. For dishes like roasted poblano pepper stuffed with chicken and covered in a poblano cream sauce, Bombarger recommends Thevenet & Fils Mâcon Pierreclos White Wine
A medium-bodied Chardonnay with notes of green apple and honey, this wine pairs perfectly with the mild heat and earthy flavor of poblano peppers. “French white wine and cream sauces—how perfect,” he says.
Combine a new-world-style California Pinot Noir with spicy, meaty dishes like tacos al pastor. “It makes a great dish even better by working well with the base spices used to prepare the meat,” explains Bombarger.
He loves Luli Pinot Noir from California’s Santa Lucia Highlands region. “Luli Pinot Noir has the fruit-forward notes and an earthy backbone, which gives this wine enough strength to hold up to such a traditional dish,” he says.
“Whether you marinate your meat or simply rub it with salt and spices, the smoke from this dish will pair well with a Malbec from Argentina,” he says. The jamminess and soft tannins of a Malbec offer the perfect counterpoint to, for example, a dish like carne asada
Bombarger recommends Black Tears Malbec from Argentina’s Mendoza region. “It has concentrated dark fruit that will pair with the char of any asada dish,” he says.
CANYON SQUARE
DOWNTOWN AMARILLO
SOUTHWEST AMARILLO
WOLFLIN SQUARE
BE KIND. DRINK GREAT COFFEE. PALACECOFFEE.CO
Denny Antel had found success already with his Pork n Things food truck. Then he saw that the old Outlaws Supper Club building—and its nearly five acres of property just within the city limits, near the airport— had become available. He jumped at the opportunity to expand, giving life to a big vision.
“I’ve always loved music and have played music since I was young,” says the award-winning cook. “I’ve always wanted a concert venue. This property reminded me of some of the places down in Austin that are famous barbecue joints.”
He’s at the beginning of what he describes as a fiveyear plan, but has already made progress. Summer visitors to Pork n Things BBQ will enjoy a beer garden, outdoor activities like cornhole, a fantastic open-air patio and a lot of televisions. “What makes a place in Amarillo busy?” Antel asks. Then he answers: “TVs and cheap drinks.”
There’s also the food itself. A former surgical first assistant, Antel had been a hobbyist in the competitive barbecue world for more than a decade when he opened the food truck, regularly traveling from Texas to Kansas City to compete. He racked up plenty of awards. “I have a basement in my house full of trophies,” he says. You won’t see them yet at the restaurant, though. “People ask me why I don’t have all the trophies [on display] here. My response is because the restaurant hasn’t won any trophies yet.”
In other words, all those trophies have Antel’s name on them, not Pork n Things. That may change soon. “My goal is to get this place in the top 10 of Texas Monthly barbeque joints in Texas,” he says.
Patrons are already making the drive out to the restaurant’s SE Third Ave. location, not far from I-40, and raving about Antel’s brisket, Kansas City-style ribs, burnt ends and green chile hominy. Everything on the menu is tender and flavorful thanks to the massive smoker out back.
The location may be a little out of the way, but that’s part of the appeal. “We’re still in the city limits, but when you come out here, you’ve got that out-of-town feeling,” he says. “But it’s not that big of a drive. We’re just 16 minutes from the Sam’s Club out on Soncy.”
Pork n Things BBQ is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday through Sunday, with both dine-in and outdoor seating.
many different life
Owned by an Amarillo native, the two local 575 locations (plus a food truck) 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 700/ 1204 N. Western St., 806.322.5575, 575pizzeria.com $$
This beloved breakfast and lunch spot introduced bagels to the Panhandle years ago, and locals have been grateful ever since. Grab a fresh bagel to go and choose from a variety of cream cheese flavors. Or try the oversized homemade sweets. (Look, everything here is delicious.) 3301 Bell St., 806.353.5985, bagelplace.net $
“Wanna eat at the PD?” Don’t be surprised at the question. This basement location at the Amarillo Police Department offers a full breakfast—it’s very affordable—and lunch menu with an espresso bar. The daily specials are popular, along with sandwiches, wraps, flat bread, burgers and salads. Call-in and to-go orders welcome.
200 SE Third Ave., Level B, 806.378.6104 $
With locations in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Amarillo—not exactly obvious seafood
destinations—this growing seafood boil chain brings Cajun flavor to the southwest. The house oysters are spicy and the servers are friendly. Locals recommend ordering the bread to soak up all the butter and delicious seasonings.
3350 Soncy Road, 806.437.1555, crackincrab.com $$
Don’t let the I-40 location fool you: This is a local Tex-Mex place with a friendly hometown attitude. Locals love the full bar, daily lunch specials from 11 to 3, and the amazing salsa verde. Brick & Elm staff tip: Try the stuffed avocado. 3401 I-40 West, 806.418.6934, elpatronrestauranttx.com $
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., 806.310.9410, delvinsrestaurant.com $
EL
This little red-and-yellow, walkup hut is one of the true gems in the River Road neighborhood. Located near Pleasant Valley Elementary, it’s locally owned and open early for breakfast, serving incredible breakfast burritos and tortas. The wellseasoned lunch and dinner portions are large. 4404 River Road, 806.383.4545 $
$ $$ $$$
Most entrees under $10
Most entrees $11 to $20
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.
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806.352.7388
You probably think you know all the submarine sandwich places, but Firehouse does things a little differently. To start, the subs are steamed before serving, releasing a rush of flavors. Founded by firemen, this chain sets aside a portion of every purchase to donate to local first responders, helping provide life-saving equipment.
1901 S. Georgia St., 806.418.6651/ 3450 S. Soncy Road, 806.398.0056, firehousesubs.com $
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., 806.374.9237, goldenlightcafe.com $
Located right off I-40 on Grand, this BBQ joint has been pleasing downtown diners and neighborhood residents since the 1970s, with the usual chopped beef sandwiches, hot links, ribs and beans that locals love. Think traditional counterserve Texas barbecue.
1508 S. Grand St., 806.372.9011, orderhenksbar-b-que.com $$
Tikka bite at this longstanding Indian restaurant, where everything—from the homemade naan to each item in the lunch buffet—is worth a try. The samosas are crispy and the chicken vindaloo tangy. A number of meals
are offered as vegan options. 2406 Paramount Blvd., 806.335.3600, indian-oven.com $$
Tacos Garcia is consistently one of the highest-ranking TexMex stops in the city, whether you’re into the family-friendly atmosphere or the full bar. (The house batch margaritas are legendary.) 1100 Ross St., 806.371.0411, tacosgarcia806.com $$
KATHY’S KITCHEN
Breakfast is drive-thru only from 5 to 8 a.m., then the dining area opens at 10 a.m. for breakfast and lunch only. The northeast Loop location and homestyle food are perfect for drives up to Lake Meredith/ Borger or northeast to Pampa. Low prices and generous portions. 4517 Highway 136, 806.268.1465 $
LUPITA’S
The original Lupita’s tortilleria is home to the best tortillas, burritos and tamales in town—that means something in Amarillo—and this family restaurant has now expanded to multiple locations. Some are takeout only. All are good. So good. For holiday tamales, order early! 4013 SE 10th Ave., 806.372.3537/
2403 Hardin Drive, 806.350.7637/
1706 Amarillo Blvd. East, 806.350.7614/
1901 SE 11th St., 806.350.7398/
2801 SE 27th, 806.418.6476/
1007 Ross St./3309 Bell St., 806.350.7297 $
MARIA’S COCINA MEXICANA
This little hole-in-the-wall on 10th is close to downtown in the heart of the Barrio. There’s not a ton of parking, but if you can find a place
you’ll enjoy authentic Mexican dishes like fresh tamales, menudo, chile verde, and traditional enchiladas. Warning: Maria means it when she says her hot sauce is hot. 1316 SE 10th Ave., 806.373.8841 $
With a food-truck kitchen and a brick-andmortar dining area across from Hodgetown, the Latin-inspired menu of Mi Gente (“my people”) offers a unique indoor/outdoor experience. Chef Paul Leal arrived in Amarillo from a high-end Metroplex restaurant career in 2020. His savory, fusion-style dishes like the Cuban Sanguish and Steak Fajita Eggroll have attracted a dedicated clientele. 800 S. Buchanan St., 806.576.5467 $$
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., 806.418.6751 $
The Fuller family has operated this eatery for more than 30 years, and it consistently offers Amarillo’s best fine dining. We love the bar area and outdoor patio, as well as its buffetstyle lunch and weekly chef specials from Chef Josh Fuller. Pro tip: The Bar Burger is the best burger in town. 619 S. Tyler St., 806.373.3233, ohmscafe.com $$-$$$
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 specials a try. 3333 S. Coulter St., 806.398.7777, publichouseamarillo.com $$
Seemingly made for Instagram, this Boulevard location quietly built a loyal clientele. Then it got featured in Season 14 of the Texas Bucket List. Head there for to-go micheladas and daiquiris with Jalisco-style snack trays and bowls. Locally owned by Palo Duro grads. 1506 Amarillo Blvd. East, 806.350.7830, rocketbrews.com $
Owned by the same company that owns Taco Villa, locals can be forgiven for loving this regional Tex-Mex chain. The portions are big and the prices affordable. Patrons love the convenient drive-thru, the queso, the free salsa bar (inside dining only) and the homemade tortillas. It gets really busy on Taco Tuesday. 4312 SW 45th Ave., 806.351.1194/ 3820 I-40 West, 806.352.8227/ 6007 S. Soncy Road, 806.803.9145, rosascafe.com $
There are dives and then there are places like Scott’s Oyster Bar, a legit, shacketyshack hidden in a mostly residential area off Paramount. This tiny place has been here forever, though the interior and menu have changed slightly since Scott sold it a few years ago. Fresh oysters, tasty shrimp creole and classic Amarillo hospitality. 4150 Paramount Blvd., 806.354.9110 $$
One of the best things to hit downtown since the Sod Poodles, this Polk Street restaurant is known for its craft beers, amazing outdoor patio and rooftop, and its trendy vibe. The Nashville chicken sandwich is one of the best in the city. Like IPAs? Make Good Choices. 625 S. Polk St., 806.576.3396, sixcarpub.com $$
With a vast, no-frills menu, this regional restaurant concept was created by former NFL safety and Texas Tech standout Curtis Jordan, who turned to the food biz after retiring in the 1980s. The outdoor area is great and so is the brick-oven pizza. A fun place to watch the big game. 5080 S. Coulter St., 806.322.0113, teddyjacks.com $$
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, 806.381.2893 $
Amarillo College is proud to be the top community college in the nation. They offer Associate Degree and Certificate programs that help students succeed whether they are looking to immediately enter the workforce or proceed to a university.
AmTech students learn and work alongside peers from high schools across the district which encourages collaboration and teamwork. Faculty experts share knowledge and experiences to prepare students for careers after graduation.
Texas Tech Health Sciences Center offers programs in Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Physical Therapy, and the Women's Health Research Institute. Students receive hands-on training in clinical and research settings.
West Texas A&M University is geared for success with nationally ranked undergraduate and graduate programs on-campus, online and hybrids of both. They offer programs whether students are seeking a degree or professional development.
Everyone has long-term financial goals, but not everyone has the time or economic literacy to navigate the landscape of personal finance. That’s where financial professionals come in. From bankers to insurance reps to wealth advisors, these experts have the knowledge to help locals make better decisions, build wealth, and secure a financially stable future.
How long have you been working in financial services? In February 2024, I will have been working in this industry for 25 years. My first job with ANB was as a teller.
What kinds of services do you provide? Every Amarillo National Bank branch serves as a one-stop-shop for banking. We can do loans, open accounts, instantly print debit cards, and provide financial education for our customers.
How do you maintain your education or expertise? Things are constantly changing in the financial world with technology, products, and how customers bank. My main goal is to stay ahead of it all and ensure we still offer the kind of service our customers expect of us. All of it—from staying up to date to exceeding customer expectations on a daily basis—keeps me on my toes.
What motivated you to choose a career in financial services? It kind of chose me when I started as a teller at ANB. I realized I was at the perfect place. I resonated with ANB’s desire to provide excellent customer service and I knew I was capable of providing it. Twenty five years later, here I am.
What is the greatest challenge you’re facing right now? Things were slowly changing before the pandemic, and after COVID, the change has been constant. The way people want to bank today is completely different from even five years ago.
What is a common misconception about your career? That I am 100-percent a banker all the time. Leading a very busy branch, where I manage 20-plus employees and work hard to grow my team is really the biggest part of my job.
How can someone begin building financial stability? The easiest way is to spend less than you make, and keep your debt as minimal as possible. At ANB, we are always eager to help customers evaluate their spending and debt so they can meet their financial goals.
What’s one piece of financial advice you like to give? Take one month to track where your money is going, and track every penny! I believe once anyone who is struggling financially takes a moment to see where their money is going, they’ll find many ways to cut back.
How long have you been implementing financial services for businesses? Our team of seasoned, highly skilled professionals boasts more than 50 years of collective experience in the implementation of financial business systems. We have an impressive record of achievements, notably within the finance team at Merrick Pet Care. Our extensive work in this field has given us invaluable insights into the intricacies of the manufacturing and supply chain industry. We help construct business systems that enhance financial performance, while also possessing a keen acumen for generating comprehensive business intelligence reports.
What kinds of services do you provide? Our team specializes in Netsuite Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, a cloud-based system for financial management, supply chain and inventory management, production management and more. We offer an extensive range of services to help organizations adopt and optimize ERP to meet their needs. From procurement to customer relationship management (CRM) to warehouse and fulfillment systems, our professionals have in-depth expertise in Netsuite’s suite of integrated business management software.
Our services span the entire implementation lifecycle, including crucial steps such as initial planning, requirements gathering, configuration, tailored customization, data migration, and seamless system integration. We work closely with our clients, taking the time to fully understand their unique business needs. This enables us to customize the Netsuite solution to align perfectly with their operational requirements. Beyond implementation, we also provide comprehensive training and support services so our customers can maximize the system’s potential. Our ultimate objective is to enable organizations to streamline their operations, enhance visibility, and drive growth by harnessing Netsuite’s robust features.
What motivated you to start Canyon Rim Consulting? Through our extensive involvement in multiple financial system implementations at Merrick Pet Care, we took note of the intricate relationship between finance and business operations. This experience ignited our passion and led us to establish Canyon Rim Consulting.
At Merrick, we saw firsthand the role that financial business systems play in strategic decision-making and overall business performance. Accessing accurate and timely information is crucial, and these systems help make it happen.
How do you stay up-to-date in such a rapidly changing industry? Canyon Rim emerged organically through a convergence of personal interests, academic pursuits, and practical experiences—and those characteristics keep us moving forward. This industry also calls for individuals who possess robust analytical skills and meticulous attention to detail. Those are our strong suits, which gives us the ability to make sound judgments based on data-driven insights. By pursuing continuous education and aligning our skillset with the industry’s demands, we have established a strong foundation for future success.
What key challenges do small businesses face when implementing financial software? The initial transition and adaptation phase is always a hurdle. Integrating new financial software into an existing business infrastructure takes a lot of planning and allocation of resources. Comprehensive staff training is another major component. This can be difficult for small businesses who have limited financial and human resources—or a lack of technical expertise. That’s where communication becomes critical. Extensive customization helps us align the software with their unique business processes.
When that happens, small businesses can streamline their financial processes, enhance decision-making capabilities, and elevate overall operational efficiency.
How long have you been working in financial services? I have been working in financial services for 8 years, going on 9 years.
What kinds of services do you provide? My office specializes in life insurance and financial service products. Of course, what we are known for just like any State FarmTM office is helping with Auto, Home, and Renters, but we take pride in our expertise in the financial service products.
How do you maintain your education or expertise? We train with the top agents in the country every week to make sure we are providing the best service and educating our customers on what financial service products are best for their family. We have multiple group studies and travel with the best in our company continuously to make sure we stay the best in our industry.
What motivated you to choose a career in financial services? I do have a servant heart and I enjoy meeting with
families and putting plans in place to protect assets and themselves. My team feels 100% the same way, so each day we have that drive and goal to give our best to each customer we come in contact with. To me, family is the most important thing, so putting these plans in place to help others, I know GOD has put me here to help and serve others.
What is the greatest challenge you’re facing right now? One-hundred percent, I would have to say the state of our economy. We have hyperinflation right now, markets aren’t doing much, we don’t know what real estate is leaning to do, interest rates are very high. With the auto, home, life, and financial services we provide, we are constantly meeting with customers each month to make sure we have the right plan in place for their goals and their family.
What is a common misconception about your career? For sure, how many people just get excited about insurance? In the beginning of my career I knew I didn’t want to be that “insurance guy” so I have traveled across the country to train with the best and separate myself from being just another insurance office. I know the hard work has paid off. We are a top 3% agency in the country and just voted best insurance agency for the second time this year in 2023. State FarmTM agents are more than that, we offer protection of assets and financial services. How can someone begin building financial stability? Sit down with a professional. You have many great companies in Amarillo with great representation. I am friends with many of them; just do your research and pick who you would like to assist you in planning for your retirement and family. Don’t do it on your own.
What’s one piece of financial advice you like to give? Live below your means. I think as a society it is easy to get caught up in “keeping up with the Joneses.” Have a balance of saving, but also enjoy life in the present. I was one to only save for tomorrow and not enjoy today. My wife lived for today and didn’t plan for tomorrow. We met in the middle and have our balance. Find your balance for your family.
How long have you been working in financial services? I have enjoyed working in the financial services area since 1997, when I co-founded a registered investment advisory firm in Tulsa, Oklahoma. My colleagues and I had a passion for helping clients achieve their goals by providing investment and planning advice. In 1997, the financial service area in Tulsa was dominated by broker-dealer relationships and men. We wanted to see change in both areas. We later joined Mariner Wealth Advisors in 2012.
What kinds of services do you provide? Most clients come to us to assist them with their portfolio allocation and investment/financial planning needs, but there are many other services we provide to our clients, such as cash flow planning, insurance analysis, estate planning review by our advisors as well as our in-house estate planning attorneys, tax planning and wealth transfer planning. We can also provide family office services and business succession and valuation planning.
How do you maintain your education or expertise? I attend several conferences throughout the year to maintain designations, and Mariner has a dedicated team to provide online, in-person and webinar training on a weekly basis. If you think you have learned it all, you are mistaken. I continue learning everyday through these areas, as well as from colleagues and fellow business leaders.
What motivated you to choose a career in financial services? I love people and the thought of helping them navigate from accumulation to financial independence, where they can enjoy retirement and create memories along the way. I enjoy collaborating with our clients, through building their careers and families to traumatic transitions such as divorce or loss of a loved one, and working with them emotionally, not just in a technical form. Seeing clients through successes and challenges fills my heart with gratitude.
What is the greatest challenge you are facing right now? I would say our greatest challenge is also an opportunity. We are actively looking for advisors to join our firm with a client-first focus that aligns with the culture we have created at Mariner. We have a team approach and finding talent can be a challenge.
What is a common misconception about your career? A common misconception in wealth advise is you can do it on your own. I was blessed to have a mentor early in my career that pushed me to do my best, be my best, continue growing and learning with a team. While many feel they can perform the full scope of services on their own, I believe a team approach is better for professionals. Having a second eye on all decisions is something all clients deserve, and clients appreciate when someone is available and ready to meet their needs, rather than waiting for their advisor to return to the office.
How can someone begin building financial stability? One of the first areas to start building financial stability is participating in company sponsored retirement plans, such as a 401(k). If you are not participating, you are leaving part of your salary on the table, as many employers offer a match. Second, looking at your budget and cash flow will help you determine how much you can save monthly on an after-tax basis and start investing. After-tax investing is particularly important, as you will pay tax on every dollar you take from an IRA or 401(k).
What is one piece of financial advice you like to give? It is much easier to start earlier than waiting until later and catching up. Many people are fearful about taking the first step, but you will be so glad you did, and it is not as scary as you might think.
How long have you been working in financial services? I have worked in financial services for 18 years.
What kinds of services do you provide? At FirstBank Southwest, we provide full-service solutions for individuals, families and businesses. Whether it is a checking account, personal banking, mortgage loans, business loans or investment advice, we are here to help! We want to be your first and last call whenever you need assistance or have a question about your finances.
How do you maintain your education or expertise? I’m a huge believer in continuous learning and the value it brings to our customers, the bank and my own personal growth; I’m very fortunate that FirstBank Southwest shares that value.
I recently graduated from ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking, a threeyear program on all facets of banking and bank management presented by the Wharton School and American Bankers Association. I learned from the best in the business and met other bankers from across the country who are also striving to find the best ways to serve their customers.
What motivated you to choose a career in financial services? Both of my parents worked in financial services, and my mother is still active in personal financial planning. So for me, this career felt natural. I love the chance to use my analytical skills to solve problems, and community banking is so personally rewarding. We get to see the real impact we can have in people’s lives. Nothing beats that.
What is the greatest challenge you’re facing right now? Everything is moving and changing so quickly. People are concerned about the economy, inflation and being able to pay their bills. Our mission is to have the right answers at the right time to help people navigate the uncertainty.
What is a common misconception about your career? That it’s “boring.” I promise you, it’s not, especially the past few years. In a lot of ways, this is the most exciting time to be in banking—even if it’s not always easy.
How can someone begin building financial stability? Financial stability is about having a vision for where you want to go and a plan to get there. Everyone’s goals are different (and they can change). When it feels overwhelming, start with small steps, and find someone you trust who can help guide you in making a plan.
What’s one piece of financial advice you like to give? Have a goal. Do you want to go to school? Take a vacation? Buy a house? Have three month’s salary in savings? Whenever you are making a decision that involves money, ask yourself, “Will this get me closer to my goal or further from it?”
How long have you been working in financial services? In addition to home and auto through Farmers, I have been offering life insurance since I started my agency in 2009. What kind of services do you provide? We offer a variety of life insurance solutions to fit your specific needs and budget, including term life insurance and more permanent coverage plans, such as Farmers Index Universal Life. How do you maintain your education or expertise?
As life insurance agents with Farmers, my team and I are required to keep up with the latest training for the products we offer. Our life and financial licenses require continuing education, as well.
What motivated you to choose a career in life insurance and financial services? I have a heart for helping others. Protecting families from a financial burden after a loved one passes away is important to me.
What is the greatest challenge you’re facing right now? Farmers Insurance is well-known for auto, home and business insurance. But we’re also experts at competitive life insurance options. Getting the word out that we offer life insurance can be a challenge.
What is a common misconception about your career? The insurance and financial services industries sometimes have a bad reputation due to agents who look out for themselves instead of what is best for the client. That’s definitely not the case with the agents I know! People also think life insurance is expensive and out of reach. That’s not true, either.
How can someone provide financial protection for their family with life insurance? Life insurance gives your family options after you pass away. For instance, a family that loses a loved one without life insurance has decisions made for them—like having to move out of a home they can no longer afford.
What’s one piece of financial advice you like to give? Get life insurance while you are young and healthy. Review your policies and your beneficiaries on a regular basis to be sure your coverage is up to date with what your family needs.
Canadian, Texas Population 2,339
On U.S. Highways 60/83
BY KAREN WELCH, PANHANDLE PBSWhere in the 806 can you gaze at a Norman Rockwell original, take in a movie with a vintage vibe and see a prehistoric turtle?
Canadian, Texas, is the place.
Dr. Malouf and Terese Abraham purchased the 1910 First Baptist Church in Canadian for $15,000 in the 1970s, saving it from demolition and renovating it as a home for their growing family. Avid art collectors, the couple filled their home with treasures and, in 2008, donated the structure and its contents as a public art museum, The Citadelle
“I think that everyone is surprised that something of this magnitude exists in a tiny little place like Canadian,” Citadelle Art Museum Executive Director Wendie Cook says.
The Norman Rockwell painting there became the catalyst for an eclectic collection of art—paintings, sculptures, stained glass, fine crystal—and interesting antiques. (They later met Rockwell and served on the Norman Rockwell Museum National Council.) The meticulously maintained grounds include more sculptures and a separate gallery for traveling exhibits from across the country.
Not far from the Citadelle lies the River Valley Pioneer Museum, which tells the story of Hemphill County back to prehistoric times. A large dinosaur-era land turtle found on a local ranch in 1966 leads a display about prehistoric animals unearthed in nearby fossil fields.
The museum exhibits indigenous and Army artifacts from the Red RIver War, handmade saddles and vignettes of early life in Canadian.
While you’re in town, try the Palace Theatre, which started life as the Queen Theater in 1916 and reopened under the Palace name in the 1930s, after a fire. Renovated in the 1990s, it boasts THX sound, shows first-run movies and has a classic screening room and concession.
Check out Panhandle PBS— panhandlePBS.org and the station’s social media—for video tours of these sites and other highlights from Canadian.
Brick & Elm offers these insider tips to make the most of your visit to Pampa. Fuel up and grab snacks for the road at an Amarillo Pak-a-Sak before your adventure!
EAT HERE:
The Cattle Exchange (122 S. 2nd St.) is located in the historic Moody’s building in downtown Canadian and known for its steaks, calf fries, burgers and Frito pie.
The Bucket (207 S. 2nd St.) is a locally beloved breakfastall-day joint. Everyone raves about the homemade sourdough bread.
The Stumblin’ Goat Saloon (217 S 2nd St.) is legendary, even showing up in author Taylor Moore’s novels. The portions are big and the service is impressive.
STAY HERE:
Best Western Oasis Inn (303 S. 2nd St.) is a modern 3-star hotel located on the main strip through town.
Canadian Inn (502 N. 2nd St.) is a vintage motor court that has been lovingly restored by new owners. Most reviewers mention the new Memory Foam mattresses.
Hadaway Haven (419 E. Elsie Ave.) is a multi-room bed-andbreakfast hosted by a local Realtor. It’s cozy and comforting like a stay “at Grandma’s house.”
The Last Cowboy’s Court (606 N. 2nd St.) is another nostalgic, renovated 1950s travel court with a fun, brightyellow exterior and unique rooms.
PLAY HERE:
Canadian’s three-day Fourth of July Celebration (July 1-4) includes “the Best Fourth of July Parade in Texas,” a watermelon feed, an annual turtle race and a public rodeo that dates back to 1888.
Lake Marvin is a 63-acre lake east of Canadian, located within the Black Kettle National Grasslands and known for its birding, hiking, picnicking and fishing.
Canadian River Wagon Bridge is the longest pinconnected steel bridge in Texas, completed in 1916 after floods washed away two previous bridges. It serves as a wonderful photo opportunity, wildlife-viewing platform and hike-and-bike destination.
FUEL HERE:
Pak-a-Sak (1701 N. Hobart, Pampa) serves as a convenient restroom and fuel stop on the way back to Amarillo.
The Palace Theatre features a concession stand with a 1940s popcorn maker that still shells out the salty treat.
Dr. Malouf and Terese Abraham have a large collection of art built over a lifetime, like this original by Joseph Leyendecker on display at The Iris & Oofie Abraham Gallery.
On page 52 of this issue, contributor Wes Reeves explains the unique opportunity the Cross Bar Special Resource Management Area represents for outdoor recreation near Amarillo. The nonprofit Friends of Cross Bar SRMA is helping raise awareness and funds to improve the property’s accessibility. Since it launched, the Brick & Elm team has loved seeing the occasional game camera photos the organization posts to its social media feeds.
The property may be difficult for humans to access, as our feature explains, but it hosts plenty of wild residents, including bobcats, boars, raccoons, porcupines, skunks, coyotes, deer, and badgers.
“We have 25 game cameras on the Cross Bar, with plans for more,” says Lorie Van Ongevalle, President of Friends of Cross Bar SRMA. She says her favorite captures are those of badgers (photo top right). “They are not as aware of the camera as many of the other animals, so pictures are of them living their daily life.”
Badgers burrow underground and are notoriously solitary, so it’s rare to see one in person. “They are one of the hardest animals to see while visiting the Cross Bar. I like knowing they are out there,” says Van Ongevalle.
See additional photos on Instagram at @opencrossbar as well as on Facebook.
I’m old enough to remember the “Nestea Plunge” commercials. They all started the same way: Attractive people working or playing under a broiling sun, followed by closeups of actors chugging Nestea out of a clear, sweaty glass. And you knew what was coming next—they’d fall backward, fully clothed and still clutching the tea glass, into a swimming pool with a look of ecstasy on their face.
Being an anxious child, I couldn’t fully enjoy the thought without worrying about all the spilt tea and the possibility of the glass breaking and carpeting the bottom of the pool with shards. But watching those commercials made enough of an impression that every time I get really hot, I have an urge to fling myself backward into standing water. Finding a suitable water hole, however, is not always so easy in a land where we generally measure rainfall in hundredths of inches (except this year). Panhandle people have somehow persisted nonetheless, and the pursuit of quenching a full body thirst crops up often in our historical record.
There was a time before flush toilets and deep well irrigation that water actually bubbled up from the surface in many parts of the Plains, creating seasonal opportunities to take a dip when it got hot. Kids, especially, have been drawn to water throughout history, but the grownups of times past worked harder and longer and likely viewed swimming as more of a bathing exercise in the absence of roll-on deodorant. For cowboys on the LX, the XIT and other legendary spreads of the Panhandle, taking a swim most often meant driving the herd across the Canadian. This probably felt more like work than recreation.
Then life became a bit more settled and the concept of leisure time took hold. Surviving a Panhandle summer increasingly demanded opportunities to get wet and have some fun doing it. The country folk could improvise with earthen dams across creek beds, but town dwellers in places like Amarillo had to make do with horse tanks or a muddy playa bath until a cement pond type of arrangement could be made.
In 1916, a movement began in Amarillo to crowdsource a swimming pool through subscriptions. The Amarillo Daily News printed regular updates on funding progress, listing donors by name and the amount they gave. Pioneer cattleman P.H. Landergin fronted $100 for the pool fund, which in today’s money would amount to more than $3,000. Then there was little Fred Little and his 25-cent gift, no small amount for a child in 1916.
But the dream of a public pool wouldn’t float on 25-cent donations. It needed taxpayer buy-in, which has long been a tricky thing in Amarillo. Even in the boom years of the 1920s, citizens were still fussy about how tax dollars were spent. It took the Great Depression to convince Amarilloans we needed a flashy public works project to chase the gloom away, and the Thompson Park Pool was finally built in 1931. Fred Little, by then Big Fred, at least got to go with his kids if he was a father at that time.
Another reason why it could’ve taken so long to get a public pool in Amarillo was the fact that a private concern met the need pretty well with the Amarillo Natatorium, which opened on the corner of Southwest Sixth Avenue at Georgia Street in the spring of 1924. A swimming and diving competition marked the occasion, with J.Y. Bell diving through a ring of fire to kick things off. Within a few years, the Natatorium’s ownership decided to install a removable floor over the pool during the winter months (and at some point a roof) to make additional money off dances when it was too cold to prance about poolside in a soaking wet Jantzen suit.
Not everyone in Amarillo was privileged to cool off in a public or private swimming pool in those days. In fact, it wasn’t until 1953—two decades after the opening of Thompson Park Pool—that city fathers opened a pool in North Heights Park (now Bones Hooks Park) for Black citizens, who had long been victimized by Jim Crow segregation laws in the city.
Years later, when the city council debated closing the aging Bones Hooks pool, Black citizens protested. For them, the pool built in 1953 was more than just a nearby recreational facility. It was a big part of their story of surviving and thriving against all odds. The pool eventually got traded for a splash pad with nearby Thompson Park getting a new pool AND a lazy river, but the point was made.
The Bones Hooks pool saga says a lot about the value of soaking our parched skin in cool water in the high time of the year. Whether it’s a dip in a boggy watering hole or a splash in the fountain at Sanborn Park when no one is watching, taking a plunge to beat Amarillo’s summer heat is a right and privilege we should all enjoy.
The best advice I ever heard is: Pay careful attention to your own work. Then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.
My three most recommended books are: The Purpose-Driven Life, by Rick Warren (for discovering the life you’re meant to live); The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig (for overcoming depression and suicidal thoughts); Everything Sad is Untrue, by Daniel Nayeri (for remembering to be humble and kind).
To me, success means: being mentally, emotionally and financially mature enough to live generously with your time and resources.
People who know me might be surprised that I: was voted most likely to be a millionaire in high school which, just like high school physics, I’m failing miserably.
My biggest pet peeve is: selfish behavior and an arrogant attitude.
Everyone in Amarillo needs to experience: chicken-fried steak from Green Chile Willy’s, fresas con crema (strawberries and cream) from El Paleton, and building a terrarium at Roots Plant Craft.
If I could change any one local thing it would be: having a weekend-long music festival at Cadillac Ranch, complete with vendors, food trucks and camping.
This city is amazing at: supporting local nonprofit organizations.
My favorite place in Amarillo is: at home with my three dogs and husband, but when I’m not home or working I love to catch a live band/artist or go bowling at Eastridge Lanes.
A local organization I love right now: I adore Amarillo Angels! They go above and beyond supporting area foster kids and their host families.
