The Bellaire Buzz - June 2023

Margaret and Jack Reid

Class of ’58: Lamar Reunion

Houston

Dog Parks

Viva Fiesta!

First Fishing Experiences

Class of 2023

by Caroline Siegfried

Chef’s Corner:

Benchawan Painter

Travel Buzz:

Greenland

Summer Reading:

Uplifting Books

Cindy Gabriel: Hitting

the Family Lottery

This issue showcases our annual “Where Are They Headed?” feature on graduating high school seniors. When we launched this feature in 2013, students often dropped off hard copies of their kindergarten photos in a white envelope for our designer to scan. Today’s seniors were born into a digital world. Their childhood photos have been captured digitally from the day they were born, making it easier for parents to capture all those little moments. It is simpler for us, too, but I always enjoyed meeting the students rushing in at deadline to submit those photos. I wonder how many will use ChatGPT to submit their stories next year? Ugh. Not ready for this changing world. But you know who is? The Class of ’23. Also in this issue, meet 1958 Lamar grads who reflect on just how much the world has changed since they graduated. Spoiler alert: A lot has changed, but one thing that’s remained is their friendships. Congratulations, Class of 2023, and thank you to the members of the Class of 1958 who shared memories with us. joni@thebuzzmagazines.com

THE BUZZ MAGAZINES

Editor-in-Chief Joni Hoffman

Publisher Michael Hoffman

Editor Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld

Editorial Assistant Caroline Siegfried

Design Manager John Duboise

Staff Writers Tracy L. Barnett

Sharon Albert Brier

Cindy Burnett

Andria Frankfort Dilling

Angie Frederickson

Todd Freed

Cindy Gabriel

Cathy Gordon

Michelle Groogan

Dai Huynh

Annie Blaylock McQueen

Jennifer Oakley

Cheryl Ursin

Account Managers Andrea Blitzer

Leslie Little

Jo Rogers

On our cover: Twins Margaret and Jack Reid, graduates of Bellaire High School, are off to Baylor University.

Cover photo by Nikky LaWell, lawellphoto.com

The Buzz Magazines has made all reasonable attempts to verify the accuracy of all information contained within. Advertising claims are solely the responsibility of the advertiser. Copyright © 2023 Hoffman Marketing & Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this magazine by any means without written permission is strictly prohibited. Printed on recycled paper. Please remember to recycle.

Your letters, thoughts, opinions

From LEGO experts

We appreciate you for writing about the Buchmans and sharing their story with both us and your community [Pop Art: Jason Buchman inspires, brick by brick, by Jennifer Oakley, May 2023]! It's so wonderful how they've built so many memories together as a family with LEGO bricks. Their use of our products as furniture and decor is amazing and it’s opened my mind to the endless remodeling possibilities with LEGO bricks! We’re also so glad that they’ve shared their hobby and donated LEGO tables to those in need in their community.

LEGO Company Limited, United Kingdom

Editor’s note: We are delighted that this story is inspiring those in our communities and even those across the pond!

Soccer goals

Our family totally enjoyed reading the article titled Grace Yochum: Reaching Goals [May 2023] in The Buzz Magazines. A big shout-out to Todd Freed for capturing all the details and telling her story from YMCA club soccer to Oklahoma State to the NWSL draft. We make it a point to recommend your magazine to our friends and business associates. It’s a terrific place to advertise for coverage in Buzz neighborhoods!

A quick update on Grace since the article was published. After a great deal of thought and prayer, Grace elected not to go pro because of challenges with migraines and light sensitivity, due to shoulder and neck issues from all the years of headers. However, she is working in the soccer program at OSU. That is the happy ending for her, because she also always wanted to be part of a Power Five school given her long-standing goal of coaching.

Mary Kent and John Yochum

Editor’s note: Thank you for the kind feedback and for the update on Grace’s career. We are excited to hear she has further achieved personal and professional goals.

Author and hero

Thanks to Cathy Gordon for sharing about one of our own local writing heroes [Pearls of Positivity: An author’s gift to children, May 2023]. From floods to flower-eating cows, Ellen Leventhal's stories continue to inspire a new generation of young readers and writers. Thank you for sharing this important story.

Gabrielle Nidus

Extra, extra

Last summer, I had the experience of interning at The Buzz Magazines. I received hands-on experience, learning to research and write news stories. Every day was unique. One day we were interviewing families at Evelyn’s Park, and the next we were commuting to The Health Museum for the showing of a new exhibit.

Since my time at The Buzz, I became a correspondent for the School Buzz blog (thebuzzmagazines.com/columns/school-buzz), and I was able to write stories based on what is going on in my school community at Incarnate Word Academy. One of the articles I wrote was about an event my school hosted during the 2022 World Series. Since we are located next to Minute Maid Park, we decorated the sidewalks with chalk to show our support for the Houston Astros. The story was published on School Buzz, and I sent my article to the Lone Star Writing Contest. I received second place in all of Texas in the small school division!

Next year, I am thrilled to be continuing my studies at the University of Texas at Austin, majoring in journalism. My time as an intern at The Buzz allowed me to discover a passion for journalism and news reporting. I have everyone to thank at The Buzz for believing in me and inspiring me to continue writing.

Anna Galan

Editor’s note: Anna, we are so proud of you and know your future is very bright!

Send letters to info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Please include your name, address, phone number and email address for verification purposes. Letters are subject to editing for clarity and space. Views expressed in letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Buzz Magazines, and The Buzz takes no responsibility for the content and opinions expressed in them.

If this sounds like you or someone you know, please contact us at info@thebuzzmagazines.com or 713.668.4157, ext 102.

by Cindy Gabriel, staff writer

UnBridaled Gratitude

Hitting the family lottery

One of the joys of writing is you get to make up the rules as you go. That’s a rule I just made up in order to (A) show off my fake (spray) tan in a picture that makes me look better than I actually look. And (B) take a break from my Not a Memoir series, where I seem to be stuck at 4 years of age in 1958 Fort Bend County.

My sister-in-law Aimee Ehrenkranz McCrory (who, at 72, actually does look that good) and I are seen here claiming front row seats for the latest Ehrenkranz wedding. My man, Stan, who is Aimee’s brother, was about to walk his lovely daughter Jenny down the aisle to marry Jason Presley under clear blue skies, oceanside, near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on April 1, no fooling.

This was not my first Jewish wedding, but it was my first time to feel it from inside the immediate Jewish family as one not raised Jewish. Early on the day of the wedding, Stan went to Jenny’s room to deliver his tallit (or prayer shawl) from his Bar Mitzvah at age 13. It would be draped across the chuppah (or canopy) hovering over Jenny, Jason, and Rabbi Scott Weiss during the ceremony.

That morning, in exchange for the tallit, Jenny handed an envelope to her father. Inside was a handwritten letter, three pages, front and back. I was honored to be in the room with Stan as he read it slowly, savoring the words, reading bits and pieces to me as tears ebbed and flowed. Jenny’s words seemed refreshingly unrehearsed, tumbling onto the page with honest, humble, specific expressions of unbridled gratitude. In the end, he was always there for her, she said. Always. Her Rock, she called him.

True as those words hit me, I have never heard Stan described as a rock. It’s not exactly an image he cultivates. I always think of him as a happy-go-lucky jokester who teases everybody he likes. But I guess it’s possible to be a rock and a jokester at the same time.

I was drawn to Stan Ehrenkranz the first time I met him. When he told me he had three sisters, who were all very close, and all live in Houston, the plot thickened. Of course, my thoughts were mostly about me. Would they meet me, then get together and analyze me, tear

me apart, then accept or reject me piece by piece?

Here’s how I feel five years later. Close families like the Ehrenkranzes survive by not taking themselves too seriously. Everybody’s quirky. Everybody talks and laughs about it. Now that they know me, they talk and laugh about my ditzy side, like welcome to the club.

It brings out the competitor in me. You think you’re dysfunctional, listen to what I just did, or thought, or said, or most commonly, lost or forgot. They never pretend I’m faultless, they laugh and agree. Yep, that’s you!

These women –Aimee, Heather, and Mindy – are far too interesting to be described on this one page. They are deserving of a novel, a Jewish version of Little Women I need another life to write it.

Aimee tells her own story through her camera lens and goes out of her way to help me tell mine whenever I need a picture for a story. We recently traipsed all over Fort Bend County looking for landmark hints of my past life. After a morning of shooting, Aimee said, “I’m starving.”

Then, magically, like a mirage in a desert, there it was, Larry’s Mexican Restaurant, where I took my first bite of Mexican food in 1960. Dad loved Larry. Both men are gone now, but Larry lives on through his family-run restaurant that still has the original front door. Aimee and I left that day feeling sister-bonded and full of Larry’s Mexican food.

Full. That’s how Stan said he felt after reading Jenny’s letter on her wedding day. He sat back as if he’d finished a whole plate of enchiladas

and black beans. But this kind of fullness added nothing to his waistline, just perhaps a little time to his lifespan.

All we had thought about before was his suit, his tie and shoes for his big moment, walking Jenny down the aisle. It pales in comparison to a father with a full heart. As the couple stood under the chuppah, beneath Stan’s tallit, blowing in the breeze, I pictured 13-year-old Stan, flanked by his parents, Henry and Marion on the day of his Bar Mitzvah. Henry and Marion are no longer with us, but their DNA remains on that tallit, swaying like a veil between earth and sky.

In a world so bent on change, I’m anxious to grab on to the things that remain, like words of love and truths embedded in ancient stories and traditions that survive through the ages, including places like Larry’s Mexican Restaurant.

FAMILY TIES Sisters-in-law Aimee Ehrenkranz McCrory and Cindy Gabriel just before Stan-the-Man walked daughter Jenny down the aisle in the latest Ehrenkranz wedding. The photo was taken by brother-in-law Bob Westendarp (Heather’s husband).

by Andria Frankfort Dilling, staff writer

Fiesta

Best week of their lives

Imagine all of Houston going into party mode for one week, with events and parades popping up in all corners celebrating the city we love. Throw in some Texas history and Mexican culture, kings, queens, dukes and duchesses, and a slew of women in yellow dresses making sure traditions are at the forefront of it all. Multiply that vision, add endless, colorful papel picado garlands and bright paper flowers, and you’ll have a pared-down idea of San Antonio during its annual Fiesta.

It started in 1891, with a parade of horsedrawn carriages organized by a group of San Antonio women honoring the memory of the men who fought for Texas’ independence. To reenact the battle, they threw flowers at each other outside the Alamo.

Hence, the Battle of Flowers Association was formed (those are the above-mentioned women dressed in yellow), and today a new generation of women in yellow mobilizes a dazzling Battle of Flowers Parade that snakes through the city and is second only in size to the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif. From that beginning, Fiesta has emerged as a week-long, heavy-hitting celebration of all things San Antonio.

Superlatives abound: The Battle of Flowers Parade is the only parade of its size that is produced entirely by women volunteers; the Fiesta Flambeau Parade is the largest illuminated night parade in the country; there’s a four-night Night in Old San Antonio (NIOSA) street festival that is the largest historic conservation fundraising event in the country; and the Battle of Flowers Band Festival is the oldest marching band festival in the country.

This April, three Houston families – the McFarlands, the McGreevys, and the Roberts –found themselves in the center of the party. Their daughters, Judy Roberts, a recent college graduate, and Arabella McFarland and Molly McGreevy about to graduate (they now have done so), were duchesses in the Court of the Magic of Morocco (this year’s theme) chosen by the San Antonio men’s organization The Order of the Alamo, whose queen reigns over Fiesta.

Jackie McGreevy met her husband Connelly, who works at Goldman Sachs, in San Antonio when they were both young college graduates. A

couple of years ago, San Antonio friends (the husband is a member of The Order of the Alamo) asked the McGreevys if they would be interested in participating in the 2023 Fiesta. “Connelly and Molly and I sat on the back patio and talked about it and made the decision together.” It’s a commitment of time and finances. “We all had to be on board if we were going to do it.”

Once the decision was made that the answer would be “yes” if they were asked, “We got the call,” Jackie says. “We were super excited, but I had never been to a coronation, so it was a little bit of the unknown.” Which turned out to be just fine.

“Oh my gosh,” Jackie says. “It exceeded all my expectations.” For a week, there were several parties a day, parades, and an over-the-top coronation held at the historic Majestic Theatre. “Every time we did something else, I was like, ‘That was the best part!’ The parade is so crazy fun and cool. The coronation is magnificent. I mean, when your kid’s in it, that’s fun. But even if not, it’s magnificent.” For her part, Molly says it was the best week of her life.

Gretchen McFarland agrees. “Best week of our lives,” she says. Gretchen, a designer, and her husband Andrew, an architectural designer, had been to Fiesta before, although their daughter Arabella had not. “I’m a Texan and have an affinity for San Antonio and its people and culture,” Gretchen says. “I love that Fiesta is so unique. It’s hard to find another event like it

where the whole city comes together to celebrate for a week. It was an honor to be asked to participate as an outsider.

“Our best friends are from San Antonio and are Fiesta veterans many times over,” Gretchen says. “We had been a couple of times to celebrate our friends’ daughters, and we jumped at the chance to do it.”

She continues: “The pageantry of the coronation is pretty spectacular, like something from another era. It’s in this old theatre [the Majestic Theatre], and it involves so many people in the community. There’s just not much like that around anymore. I was blown away by the whole experience.”

Because Judy Roberts is a preschool teacher in Austin, she had to plan ahead (read: take off from work) to attend dress fittings and bow practices in San Antonio. “The commitment was worth it all,” she says. Judy’s sister Hailey had participated in Fiesta in 2020, so she had an idea how the week would unfold. She describes it as “the most fun week I’ve ever had in my life.” Judy’s parents are Sissy and Grady Roberts; Grady, who works in real estate, grew up in San Antonio, and Judy said “he was super excited” about the family’s Fiesta involvement. “I only knew two or three of the whole group,” Judy says of the 24 duchesses and their escorts. “But you have to make friends with them because you’re with them for a straight

SPECTACULAR Arabella McFarland is presented as a duchess at the 2023 Fiesta coronation in San Antonio with her escort, Jackson Tyng Scroggie.

(continued from page 10)

week. It was so fun getting to know them.”

Judy is also sure to praise all the volunteers, dress designers, and others who organize the many details of Fiesta: “They were amazing,” she says. “They just made it super special. Such a dream come true.”

Immediately following their nonstop week,

the McFarlands and the McGreevys had to gear up for UT graduation. Exciting as it was, the pace wasn’t easy. “After the coronation,” Jackie says, “all the kids get bussed over to the Alamo at midnight to take a picture, and then they all change into sweatpants and stay up until sunrise. Gretchen kept telling me, ‘If you do Fiesta right,

we have to stay up until sunrise.’ So we just stayed up all night long with the kids. I’m still kind of slap-happy.”

As they say in San Antonio, Viva Fiesta!

Editor’s note: Mark your calendar for Fiesta San Antonio 2024, April 18-28. See fiestasanantonio.org.

VIVA! (Clockwise, from top left photo): Molly McGreevy does her Texas bow at the coronation with escort Travis Swanson; Arabella shows her cowboy boots to onlookers at the Battle of Flowers Parade; Molly and friends; all the duchesses' trains from above; Molly in her crown; Judy Roberts with her grandmother, Barbie Roberts, and father Grady Roberts; Judy Roberts’ friends await her arrival in the Battle of Flowers Parade.

by Andria Frankfort Dilling, staff writer

Like No Time Had Passed

Sixty-five years after Lamar graduation

As Carole Stevens Mattingly thinks about her 65th Lamar High School reunion, she’s quiet for a minute (an unusual state for the engaging, talkative Carole).

“I am kind of just overcome with emotion about it,” she says. “I don’t know that there are a lot of people out there who go all the way to their 65th reunion.” She stops to think for another minute. “Well, I just think it’s pretty special to make it this far.”

Such was the sentiment for some 100 classmates and spouses who attended the reunion in April, a month after Lamar celebrated its 85th year with a big open house complete with food trucks, school tours, and dance, cheer, and choir performances. When they graduated, the class of ’58 had 563 students.

Gus Comiskey Jr., founder of Comiskey Kaufman Consulting, has been heading up the tight-knit class’s reunions since they began with their 10th in 1968. “Way back in 1967, they just called some of us to come to a meeting,” Carole remembers. “It was a weekend, and I was pregnant. Some of the people were good friends, some weren’t.”

But through many reunions and even more planning meetings, they’ve all become friends. “If we didn’t know each other in high school, it doesn’t matter,” Carole says. To help her old classmates out when they began planning their 60th reunion, Carole says she blew up a picture of herself from the yearbook and wore it to a meeting on a ribbon around her neck. “Some people you saw around school, but you never really knew. And some people will remember your young face, but your old one won’t register,” she laughs.

After the 60th there was a little uncertainty about counting on a 65th. “When we had the wrapup meeting,” Carole says, “everyone started talking and saying, ‘Well, what do y’all think? Do we try to have a 65th?’ Then somebody said, ‘How many of you have parents who lived to their 90s or 100?’ I raised my hand, and several others did, and we said there’s our committee for the next one!”

Held at The Forest Club and followed by a tour of Lamar High School, the “next one” was a big success. “It’s a wonderful feeling to be

able to renew old friendships,” says Ron Woliver, a petrochemical consultant and president of the class of ’58. “There was one fella I played football with. Then, of course, there were people I had gone to elementary school with, ladies and guys. There were several I went all the way through with. To put that whole thing together was really wonderful.”

Ron continues: “Julie Hodges [one of 16 members of the planning committee] has to get a huge, big, triple star for putting together a reunion for hundreds of people to show up to,” he says. “It was extremely well done, and an event I will never forget. I’m so glad I was there to see it. Time is moving on.”

Gus Comiskey adds emphatically: “Having a 65th reunion is an indication of long-term friendships.”

Those friendships extend beyond reunions and between the milestone five-year markers.

David Redford, a Lamar ’58 graduate and an attorney, sends reminder emails to a group of classmates for monthly get-togethers. “We go to

Memorial Park and Becks Prime, and we’ll gather there,” Ron says. “There might be six of us, might be 12. We’ll come and go, but it’s a way to continue to meet together and dialogue with our old friends. Being with guys like David, and Jack Whitten, and Gus Comiskey, being around these super-achiever people helps those of us who aren’t super-achievers,” Ron quips.

Looking back on his time at Lamar, Ron is grateful. “Lamar High School was a turning point of positivity in my life,” he says. “My mother and father divorced when I was very young. My Lamar counselor, Mrs. Goodrich, played a tremendously important role in my life. She asked me if I had heard of Georgia Tech. The long and short of that story is that she pointed me in that direction, I got into the school with a scholarship, and it turned out to be a great way for me to get away from the war in my family. That was the war between the Aggies and the Longhorns.”

Classmate Eleanor Powers Beebe also praises the

PLANNERS The Lamar High School Class of 1958 reunion committee: (Top row, from left) Ron Woliver, Anne Wendler Schwinger, Kathy Sangster, Gus Comiskey; (bottom row, from left) Jo Ann Dougall Levering, Judy Tucker Earle, Julie Shaw Hodges, Carole Stevens Mattingly, and Eleanor Powers Beebe.

teachers and staff. “We had very, very, very fine teachers,” she remembers. “This was a time when women had basically three choices – you could be a nurse, you could be a teacher, or you could be a secretary. We had a captive audience of women teachers who today would be bankers or CEOs, but they were teachers, and they were good.”

Eleanor was one of many – 30, maybe – classmates who went on to Rice University. She became a French teacher and then stayed at home to raise her children. “A very high percentage of our class went on to college,” Carole says. “Now this is 1958. A lot of people from that generation, their parents did not go to college. So for many of these kids, they were the first generation to go.”

Jo Ann Dougall Levering says that because of Lamar, “I was able to attend Duke University and go on to be one of two women in a class of

400 men at The University of Texas Law School. And the girl friends I made at Lamar are still close friends, 65 years later.” Jo Ann adds that she has been a part of her class reunion committees since “day one,” for their 10th. She sat out of the planning sessions this year because of failing eyesight.

Julie Shaw Hodges specifically remembers her favorite English teacher, Evelyn Ford. “I loved her class,” Julie says. “She always told us how hard the English language was and that someday she was going to write her own dictionary! When my first husband died 30 years after my graduation, one of the first phone calls I received was from Mrs. Ford. We had not kept in touch, but somehow she remembered me, made the connection, and called me – personally.”

Julie says her carpool group remained the same from River Oaks Elementary through

Lamar. “Believe it or not, we still meet for lunch every few months,” she says of Ann Rendleman Mather, Martha Smith Smith, Roberta Williams Terrell, Mary Lib Iiams, and herself. “Mary Lib died years ago,” Julie says, “but the rest of us meet quite frequently.”

“It always seemed to me that there were a lot of very successful leaders who came out of Lamar,” Eleanor says. “Our former mayor Fred Hofheinz, Governor Mark White, a city attorney, there was a Miss Texas, Marilyn Turner, who was a straight-A student.” David Redford is quick to remember Mark White as their “most famous classmate,” who eventually became, in David’s opinion, “the best education governor in Texas history.”

Looking back,” Eleanor says, “what strikes me is how many organiza- (continued on page 16)

HIGH SCHOOL MEMORIES From the 1958 Lamar Orenda: (Clockwise, from top left) Tawasi Booster Club members Eleanor Powers, Melanie Feeny, Helen Barners, Camilla Gramp, and Pat Faulkner; Lamar "Redskin" cheerleaders Charles Giraud, Mary Sue Hanks, Chris Brown, Anne Allen, Ann Craig, and Gus Komiskey gather around the Big Chief mascot; "Most Representative Girl" Kathy Sangster; Senior class officers Kathy Sangster, Chris Brown, Mary Sue Hanks, Ron Woliver, with Ron's signature (Ronnie Woliver) in Carole Stevens' yearbook; "Most Representative Boy" Gus Comiskey.

(continued from page 15)

tions there were on campus. Everybody had something. Everybody was secretary of this, president of that. There were clubs for the writers, a debate club, a drama club led by Ruth Denney, who later went on to start HSPVA and basically discovered Tommy Tune [a Lamar graduate of the same generation]. We had the singing groups Choralettes and Lamar Lears, astronomy club, I could go on and on. We had social service clubs, a lot like sororities, and we had so many formal dinner dances at the country clubs. We had dances all the time. We had hayrides, we had barn dances, there was something to go to every week. We did a lot of dancing.

“It was a happy time. We did have the atomic bomb over our heads, but aside from that, people were busy, and people in the community reported on you if you misbehaved. Oh, if you misbehaved, they knew it, and the teachers would call your parents. In loco parentis.”

Eleanor takes pause as she remembers the school being segregated. “We were not even

aware of how hurtful that was,” she says. “We were not aware of what we were doing, that we were doing damage to someone.”

The times were a mix of highs and lows. “We were not at war, but we did have the civil rights movement, which was very difficult,” Carole says. “But we [also] grew up in a really fun time. Our generation created rock and roll.”

Carole has fond memories of lunches with Eleanor and their friend Kathy Sangster, all still dear friends. “I can remember sitting outside under the trees having lunch,” Carole says. “Back then, we had these full, gathered skirts, and we wore petticoats made of crinoline underneath, and you starched them. Some people had really stiff petticoats – I guess their mothers knew how to do it up! But we would arrange those skirts in a circle around us so we could sit on the lawn under the trees. We were on the only street in Houston with a country club at both ends of the street.”

Carole also remembers leaving campus was off limits. “We weren’t supposed to go to the River

Oaks Drugstore, but they sold cokes there. Once in a while, some brave soul would say Okay, give me your money and I’ll go get some cokes. You were very spottable on that walk across Westheimer. I wasn’t about to take that chance, but I did give money to people who did!”

Everyone was full of stories at the reunion. “Seeing everyone was really fun,” Eleanor says. “I stood in the food line with a couple I knew. Both of them went to Lamar; they were high school sweethearts. I had good memories of being in our trig class with her. And then a girl I carpooled with, now our husbands are good friends and we’ve happened to keep up that way. The people who stayed in Houston, I run into them quite a bit.

“We’re just happy to be here,” she adds. “We are so blessed to have good health and to see our friends in good health. I don’t think we ever thought we’d live this long, but people are still hiking, I’m still playing tennis, others are traveling the world. It’s just a wonderful group of people.”

TOGETHER AGAIN Scenes from the April 2023 reunion: (Clockwise, from top left) Monroe Luther shakes hands with J.C. Whitten; Julie Shaw Hodges and John Patton look at a class photo; Charles Giraud holds up a copy of a Lamar Lancer article; Eleanor Powers Beebe, Kathy Sangster, Carole Stevens Mattingly, and Gail Adler chat; Kathy Sangster holds up a copy of The Lamar Lancer

Katy Anderson Photography

Katy Anderson Photography

Katy Anderson Photography

Katy Anderson Photography

Katy Anderson Photography

by Caroline Siegfried, staff writer

Class of 2023

Where are they headed?

The class of 2023 is one that feels a bit surreal – post-pandemic, these seniors have experienced virtual and in-person school. Their teen years took place in constantly shifting chaos. They grew up in the midst of it. And even though we’re on the other side of Covid-19, the world feels like it’s still changing at a rapid-fire pace. No one carries cash anymore. Low-rise jeans are back in style. Most couples I know met on a dating app and subscribe to around seven streaming services (and that’s a low estimate).

The modern world has started to feel a bit Matrix-y: we’ve been infiltrated with artificial intelligence bots and cryptocurrency. Some tech guy in Silicon Valley is likely trying to invent a hologram to replace me right now; but somehow, I’m certain that one thing will remain unchanged: the human desire for connection, to hear each other’s stories. These pages are full of well-rounded young people who love to learn. I hope that reading these little snippets about this year’s seniors bring you a little comfort – the more things change, the more things stay the same. Every year, seniors tell us that teachers have changed their lives, that they love their friends deeply, that they are grateful to be a part of their community.

Our annual tradition here at The Buzz is to share our graduating neighbors’ future plans. As they leave the nest and transform from adorable kiddos to high school graduates, we celebrate their achievements. Read on to see what they wish they had known as kindergarteners, what they’re looking forward to in the next chapter of their lives, and more. You did it, y’all – congrats. Cheers to the class of 2023!

Jessica Taylor Sigmon – Mark Twain Elementary School, Pin Oak Middle School, Bellaire High School

Jessica Taylor Sigmon is heading to Baylor to major in Psychology and Criminal Justice. She thinks Waco will be a fun city to explore, and looks forward to it. She hopes to one day work for the FBI as a Criminal Profiler. She says that Ms. Mary Brownfield, her Pre AP English teacher junior year, was one of the first teachers

who pushed her to her full potential; “she believed I could do things and I did.”

Margaret Reid – West University Elementary School, Pin Oak Middle School, Bellaire High School

Margaret Reid is headed to Baylor University for Business. She says a teacher who changed her life was her third-grade teacher at West University Elementary, Mrs. Kate Ward, who taught her that “your attitude and mood can have such an impact and it’s important to have joy that you can spread to others.” She would tell her kindergarten self to stop worrying – everything and every plan will fall into place.

Jack Reid – West University Elementary School, Pin Oak Middle School, Bellaire High School

Jack Reid is headed to Baylor University for Business. He is looking forward to figuring out what path in the Baylor business school he will take, as well as meeting new people and attending football games during his fall semesters. His favorite high school memory was participating in Bellaire High School’s annual Mr. Bellaire competition. Ms. Jenny Wood, his second-grade teacher at West University Elementary School, changed his life by teaching him how to overcome distractions and hold himself accountable

inside and outside of the classroom. He would tell his kindergarten self that being humble and caring are the keys to living a joyful life.

Ethan Jett – The Imani School, The Kinkaid School

Ethan Jett is heading to Tufts University with a major in Economics and a minor in Entrepreneurship. He would probably tell his kindergarten self to relax and enjoy the moment, because time flies, and next thing you know you’ll be graduating high school. He says Mr. Morris, his third-grade teacher, made a huge impact on him by teaching him the importance of taking pride in your work, and how to carry himself as a young man. He is looking forward to playing soccer at Tufts and living in Boston. Ethan has dreamed of playing soccer at the collegiate level since starting high school, and committing to Tufts made that dream come true.

Peyton Cantrell – Horn Elementary, Pershing Middle School, Bellaire High School

Peyton Cantrell is headed to Texas State University to major in Education. If she could give her kindergarten self one piece of advice, it would be, simply: bangs are not for you. Her favorite teacher was her marketing teacher, Ms. Terri Smith, who was “loving to every student, hardworking, and so funny.” Her favorite moment from high school

(continued on page 20)

Jessica Taylor Sigmon – Baylor University

Margaret Rotan

Margaret Reid – Baylor University

Jack Reid – Baylor University

Ethan Jett – Tufts University

Peyton Cantrell – Texas State University

Maya Friedberg – Middlebury College

Lexi Clark – Trinity University

Alyssa Wall – Northeastern University

Shira Alatin – Young Judaea Year Course

CharleneReddy Photography

Bhav In Bliss

Jenny Antill

Margaret Rotan

Cady Photography

Joanna Brandt

Hagit Bibi

was when she participated in the Mr. Bellaire pageant, as an escort for one of the contestants. She says that even though she and her friends are sad they’re all about to graduate, getting to do one last thing together was so fun.

Maya Friedberg – Beth Yeshurun Day School, Lanier Middle School, The Emery/Weiner School

Maya Friedberg is off to Middlebury College after a gap semester volunteering in Tanzania. Maya would tell her kindergarten self, “it’s okay to be uncomfortable sometimes – the best memories are a result of uncomfortable situations!” She’s looking forward to volunteering in Tanzania, and meeting different people from all walks of life at Middlebury. Maya says the teacher who changed her life was Spanish teacher and capstone mentor Mrs. Tanya Meinecke-Smith, because she cares about her students and encouraged Maya to pursue whatever made her happy. Her dream is to be involved in non-profit leadership abroad, and her favorite high school memory was when she led the ninth graders on their trip to Big Bend.

Lexi Clark – Horn Elementary, Pin Oak Middle School, Bellaire High School

Lexi Clark is looking forward to traveling around the world through Semester at Sea – she is visiting 11 countries this fall! After that, she is heading to Trinity University with a major in Anthropology. She’d tell her kindergarten self to find her passions and pursue them. She credits her Pin Oak theatre teacher, Ms. Kayla Boffone, with inspiring her to pursue acting, believing in her, and encouraging her to be the best version of herself. Lexi was under Ms. Boffone’s direction again all four years of high school at Bellaire in the Advanced Theatre Production Class. Her favorite high school memory was starring in the 2022 BHS Fall Production of Dracula as Dr. Van Helsing. Her dream job is to be an anthropologist working as a museum curator.

Alyssa Wall – Holy Spirit Episcopal School, St. Mark’s Episcopal School, Episcopal High School

Alyssa Wall is heading to Northeastern University for International Business. She would tell her kindergarten self, “Be open to change because it is inevitable, and be grateful for what you have because most things in life are temporary, but that does not mean that they aren’t beautiful or won’t have a profound impact on your life.” Mr. Garhett Wagers, her middle school headmaster at St. Mark’s Episcopal School, changed her life by making her live up to her full potential, and teaching her to be unafraid to speak her mind and tell her story – no matter how hard it may be. Alyssa’s favorite moment from high school was giving a speech in front of the entire school in chapel and receiving a standing ovation.

Shira Alatin – Kolter Elementary School, Lanier Middle School, The Emery/Weiner School

Shira Alatin is headed to a Young Judaea Year Course, studying Marketing. She’d tell her kindergarten self to enjoy your time while you’re here, because time moves faster than expected. Shira’s favorite moment from high school was a spring trip junior year where their class went to a restaurant with a live band; after half an hour, their whole grade was dancing and singing along. Shira says that Mrs. Tanya Meinecke Smith from The Emery/Weiner School is a teacher she will remember for the rest of her life. “Mrs. Meinecke has been my biggest supporter and cheerleader since the day she met me. She is so passionate about teaching and about every one of her students which is so evident through her close relationships with all her students.”

Benjamin Perkins – St. John's School

Benjamin Perkins is headed to Wesleyan University to study Neuroscience and Behavior. The teacher that had the most impact on him was Ms. Paula Angus at St John's, who helped him further his interest in neuroscience and taught him how to read scientific articles. His dream job is to be an orthopedic surgeon.

Willa Berry – Beth Yeshurun Day School, Trafton Academy, The Emery/Weiner School, Colorado Rocky Mountain School

Willa Berry is headed to The University of Alabama on the Pre-Med track. After being away from home at the Colorado Rocky Mountain Boarding School since sophomore

year, she’s most looking forward to being back with her brothers at Alabama and learning about pre-medical studies in depth. Her favorite teacher was Mr. AO Forbes, her soccer coach and teacher at school in Colorado. She says he always had something insightful to say, and gave her great advice. Willa’s favorite moment from high school is meeting one of her best friends, and having her as a roommate for three years. Her dream job is to one day become a successful doctor.

Ellie Gibbs – Beth Yeshurun Day School, Trafton Academy, The Briarwood School, St. Pius X High School

Ellie Gibbs is setting off to the University of Missouri on the Pre-Law track, majoring in Political Science. Her dream job is to become a family court judge. Her favorite moment from high school was when she had the opportunity to attend Texas Bluebonnet Girls State. She’ll always remember her junior year history teacher, Mr. Stephen Judice – “he had a great understanding of how we needed to be taught, and made it fun for all of us.” She would tell her kindergarten self to treat others as you want to be treated.

Nathan Marable – Crossroads School, Westbury Christian School

Nathan Marable is off to study Biology at Schreiner University. Nathan would advise his kindergarten self, “When you get to high school, read lots of Henry Thoreau and Emerson!” Having Mr. James Reid in ninth-grade biology was so inspiring that it led

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Benjamin Perkins – Wesleyan University

Willa Berry – The University of Alabama

Ellie Gibbs – University of Missouri

Nathan Marable – Schreiner University

Connor Kuenstle – Lehigh University

Bakri El-Hakam – Belmont University Nashville

Meredith Ratchford – The University of Alabama

Rushil Chetty – Princeton University

Elisabet Brandsberg-Dahl

St. Olaf College

Emily Marie Photography

to him considering biology as a career field. His favorite moments from high school include: the play productions, the games, and the Junior/Senior Banquet. Nathan’s dream job is being a farmer on the moon. We wish you luck, Nathan.

Connor Kuenstle – St Thomas’ Episcopal School, Episcopal High School

Connor Kuenstle is headed to Lehigh University for Finance. He’d tell his kindergarten self to enjoy recess and snack time while you can. He hopes to one day own his own business and work for himself while making a difference for others. Connor says he’s been blessed with several teachers who made an impact in his life, including Ms. Nguyet Pham, his senior year calculus teacher. Ms. Pham always went above and beyond in her role as a teacher to be encouraging, helpful, and patient. His favorite high school memory was when, after losing at SPC boys soccer junior year, the team got focused, worked hard and earned an SPC championship as seniors – “It was an unforgettable moment and I’m so grateful for it.”

Bakri El-Hakam – Poe Elementary School, Horn Elementary, Meyerland Performing and Visual Arts Middle School, Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

Bakri El-Hakam is headed to Belmont University Nashville for Piano Performance and Music Composition. He’s grateful to his English teacher, Ms. Marilyn Lunnon, for helping him find his voice and learn how to communicate better. His favorite moment from high school was when one of his compositions was performed as part of the piano department recital. It was the first time in department history that a student's work was performed. His dream is composing music for TV, film, theatre, and live performances.

Meredith Ratchford – Condit Elementary School, Lanier Middle School, Bellaire High School

Meredith Ratchford is headed to The University of Alabama to study Music Therapy. Her dream career is helping people through music, whether it's as a licensed professional or just in a passing moment singing together. Ms. Amy Solberg Odiase and Ms. Laurette Reynosa have been incredibly supportive as she participated in both choir and orchestra, and have encouraged her the whole way to pursue music in college. She'd tell her kindergarten self, “Don't stress about little things, or you'll miss big opportunities.”

Rushil Chetty – Horn Elementary School, Lanier Middle School, Strake Jesuit

Rushil Chetty is headed to Princeton University to major in Neuroscience with a minor in Finance, on a Pre-Med track. He’d tell his kindergarten self to trust the process, take

time to enjoy the journey, and follow your passions. He is incredibly grateful for his counselors at Strake, Ms. Yvette Simien and Mr. Jeff Fuller, and credits them with altering the trajectory of his life: “Without their consistent support, compassion, and willingness to endure my countless office visits, I would not have reached the level of success that I did while at Strake.” During Covid, he was able to travel to his hometown of Durban, South Africa and attend his classes virtually. He spent almost four months there with his family, particularly his grandfather, who passed shortly after they returned to the States. He says, “while Covid placed a damper on all our lives, it allowed me to spend my Nana’s last few months with him and create memories that I will treasure forever.”

Elisabet Brandsberg-Dahl – The Fay School, The Awty International School

Elisabet Brandsberg-Dahl is off to St. Olaf College to major in Psychology or Biology. Elisabet would tell her kindergarten self, “Sleep in and play as much as you can. Take advantage of being a child without responsibilities.” She was most impacted by her fifth-grade teacher Mrs. Emma Peterson, who created an environment that was nurturing and kind, and prepared her for a new school. Elisabet says, “I don't think I would be the same person without her, and being a part of her class is still one of my fondest memories.” Her favorite moment from high school was the Awty Connects field trip to Alaska. She says it was definitely one of the best experiences she’s had, and that she loved “the snow, the Iditarod dogs, and learning about the ongoing effect climate change is having on our world.”

David Anapolsky – Condit Elementary School, The Emery/Weiner School

David Anapolsky will be studying Robotics Engineering at the University of Michigan. He’s looking forward to the cold weather in Michigan. A teacher who changed his life was his Robotics and Java teacher Brandon Kirby; David says, “I would not have the opportunity to do the things I love to do without his support.” His favorite moment from high school was his Eagle Scout project, where he built 75 mini computers/count down clocks for each teacher at Emery/Weiner. His dream job is helping make the world a better place through engineering and robotics.

Remy Ayman Chritah – St. Thomas’ Episcopal School

Remy Ayman Chritah is off to The University of Texas at Austin to major in Biology. If he could give his kindergarten self one piece of advice, it would be, “Embrace your failures. They are just an opportunity to learn and be better, and always be kind to others.” Remy says that Mr. Bret Ramsey, his freshman year European History teacher and Cross

Country coach, “helped me mature as a human being by giving me a desire to develop myself as a person and not just a student.” His dream job is to be a cardiologist, and his favorite moment from high school was winning state freshman year.

Lizzy Newhouse – Condit Elementary School, Pin Oak Middle School, Bellaire High School

Lizzy Newhouse is headed to University of Colorado – Boulder with a major in Marketing. She would tell her kindergarten self to follow your creative side and use your imagination as much as possible. She would love to one day work in marketing in the fashion industry. She will always remember Mrs. Hilderman at Condit Elementary, a creative teacher who made learning fun, encouraged her, and gave her self-confidence. Her favorite moment from high school was the first day of senior year, when she and her friends dressed up in decorated overalls and had a breakfast party to kick off the school year.

James Kimzey – Horn Elementary, Pershing Middle School, St. Thomas High School

James Kimzey is headed to Loyola University Chicago. He says his history teacher at St. Thomas, Coach Brett Mills, was an amazing teacher because he gave great lessons and inspired students. His dream job is to be a pilot. Though he has many good memories, his favorite high school moments were playing lacrosse at St. Thomas; he’s had so much fun playing with the team.

Catherine Favoriti – St Anne Catholic School, Pershing Middle School, Lamar High School

Catherine Favoriti is headed to The University of Texas at Austin to major in Anthropology. She says that without Mrs. Rebecca Retzloff, her 11th-grade anatomy/physiology teacher, she would not have discovered her passion for anthropology. If she could give her kindergarten self one piece of advice, it would be, “Don’t let anyone stop you from following your dreams. If you want something in life, don’t let anyone else prevent you from pursuing it.” She is looking forward to making lifelong friends, experiencing college life, and pursuing her music career. She hopes to be a singer/songwriter and music performer. Her favorite moment from high school was the day she got accepted into her dream college, UT Austin.

Christian Lewis – Herod Elementary School, St. Thomas’ Episcopal School

Christian Lewis is headed to University of Missouri – Columbia to major in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology. He was most influenced by his coach, Mr. Jay Scruggs, who advised him to work hard and do the little things, because that is what leads to success in

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Jessica Laviage

David Anapolsky – University of Michigan

Remy Ayman Chritah – The University of Texas at Austin

Lizzy Newhouse – University of Colorado – Boulder

James Kimzey – Loyola University Chicago

Catherine Favoriti – The University of Texas at Austin

Christian Lewis – University of Missouri – Columbia

Hagar Cohen – Southwestern University

Morgan Hsieh – The University of Texas at Austin

Natural Expressions

Ling Wang Photography

Hagit Bibi Photography

both sports and life. His dream job is being a professional athletic trainer with the Kansas City Chiefs. His favorite moment from high school was winning the state championship with his soccer team.

Hagar Cohen – Herod Elementary School, Pin Oak Middle School, Carnegie Vanguard High School

Hagar Cohen is headed to Southwestern University with a major in English. She’d tell her kindergarten self, “being kind and empathetic almost always outweighs being right or successful.” She is looking forward to meeting new people with similar interests and becoming a part of a tight-knit and accepting community. She’ll always remember her fifth-grade math teacher, Ms. Pamela Hinsey, who fostered her love for reading books. Ms. Hinsey recommended many books that were impactful in her life, and always made time to sit and teach her the material in a way that made sense. Her dream job is to be a speech language pathologist.

Morgan Hsieh – Parker Elementary, Meyerland Middle School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

Morgan Hsieh is off to The University of Texas at Austin, majoring in Public Relations. She would tell her kindergarten self, “nap now or regret later.” She is looking forward to growing into who she is, and continuing to find her voice in the communities she is in. Mrs. Beth Benne Lopez from Parker Elementary taught her violin from first through fifth grade, and showed her the joy of music. Morgan says, “with her patience, encouragement, and guidance, I was able to embark on my own journey with violin, which has opened up so many doors.” Her favorite moments from high school were instrumental locker room birthday parties. Her dream job would be as the head of PR at a leading music corporation.

Emily Goldstein – Westbury Christian School

Emily Goldstein will be continuing her academic and volleyball career at Wellesley College, with a major in Neuroscience. She’d tell her kindergarten self to continue doing what makes her happy and to love herself for who she is, regardless of what others think. Starting her freshman year, Spanish teacher Ms. Malaika Lund took Emily under her wing. Emily says, “I wouldn't be who and where I am today without her!” Emily’s dream job is to be a neurologist, so she can research Multiple Sclerosis and assist those suffering from other neurological disorders. Her favorite moment of high school was the closing night of Westbury Christian’s production of Aladdin Jr. Following a school tradition, the cast came together to sing the hymn "God is Love." She learned this song in fifth grade by singing with the upper-

classmen in her first upper school musical, so it was a full-circle moment for her to teach it to the younger students.

Hannah Groogan – St. Thomas More Parish School, Westbury Christian School

Hannah Groogan is headed to the University of Houston to major in Sports Administration. She’d tell her kindergarten self, “Don't set yourself up for failure by limiting yourself just because of the possibility of not being able to do something well.” Her dream job is to be a real estate agent. Her favorite memory of her high school years was their senior retreat, and says it is a trip she will never forget. She had two highly impactful teachers: her kindergarten reading teacher Mrs. Shellie Abrameit, who helped instill her love of reading, and her second-grade teacher Mrs. Debbie Strausser, who patiently helped her improve reading comprehension.

Corah Blair – Westwood Elementary, Friendswood Junior High, Episcopal High School

Corah Blair is headed to Texas A&M University College Station to major in Allied Health. If she could give her kindergarten self one piece of advice, it would be, “Work hard, play hard! Embrace being different. Enjoy the journey!” She says that being one of the only Jewish students in her school community was challenging at times, but it shaped her into the confident person she is today. Her favorite teacher of all time was Mr. Matthew Gammons, who taught music class at Westwood Elementary. Her dream job is helping people and animals. She is planning to continue her education in veterinary or nursing school. As the youngest of three sisters, Corah has had to be patient and wait her turn – now it’s finally her time to fly!

Mateo Hernandez-Ortiz – West University Elementary School, Pin Oak Middle School, Bellaire High School

Mateo Hernandez-Ortiz is headed to The University of Texas at Austin, majoring in Plan II Honors and Health and Society, on the PreMed track. He appreciates his sophomore AP World History teacher Mr. Justin Cothran, who always went the extra mile with his students during the Covid-19 pandemic. His favorite part of high school was when, as president of the BHS Medical Club, he was able to establish a shadowing program with the Houston Methodist Hospital System. It involved participating in clinical consultations, patient interactions, and surgeries using state-of-the-art technology. His dream job is being the head of a hospital.

Katelyn Thompson – Wesley Academy, Westbury Christian School

Katelyn Thompson is heading to Howard University to major in Political Science, on the

Pre-Law track. She’d tell her kindergarten self to make the best out of every situation that life throws at you. A teacher who changed her life is Mrs. Elizabeth Shipsey, her choir director from seventh to ninth grade. Katelyn says Mrs. Shipsey always prioritized the mental health of her students, but ensured that they were performing at their best. Katelyn dreams of becoming an entertainment or corporate lawyer and owning her own practice. She is excited to explore Washington D.C. and meet new people.

Carter McKenna – Condit Elementary School, Lanier Middle School, Strake Jesuit Carter McKenna is headed off to University of Notre Dame to major in Finance. He is looking forward to meeting people who will be his lifelong friends, and feels that he picked a college that will do a great job of helping him build these friendships and communities. His dream job is anything financial/economics related. The teacher who changed his life is Steven Mossbarger, his freshman year AP World History teacher. His tests were hard, and Carter says that while he initially struggled, it taught him how to properly study and take school seriously. Carter would tell his kindergarten self that the ability to work hard and embrace it is the most important skill to have while growing up; and that while a lot of what happens in school is boring and difficult, it pays off if you have fully invested yourself into it.

Nicole Hampton – West University Elementary School, Pin Oak Middle School, The Emery/Weiner School

Nicole Hampton is heading to Northwestern University to take part in their Mathematical Methods for the Social Sciences program. She would tell her kindergarten self: don’t be afraid. She explains, “I spent a lot of my childhood being scared of trying new things, meeting new people, and pretty much anything including the word ‘new.’ All this did was limit me.” As she got older, she realized that she became happier and more successful when she learned to deal with that fear. One of the teachers who changed her life was her third-grade teacher Mrs. Alyce McLamb at WUES – “Even when I was a young kid who dreaded school, she was the first one to instill a love of learning, making anything from calculation to memorization fun.” One of her favorite memories was the visual art show at the end of the year. Nicole wants to continue helping and working with nonprofits regardless of her career path.

Natalie Hampton – West University Elementary School, Pin Oak Middle School, Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

Natalie Hampton is headed to Stanford University. She is looking forward to the freedom to explore more interests and take a range of classes as she decides her

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Terri Edwards

Emily Goldstein – Wellesley College

Hannah Groogan – University of Houston

Corah Blair – Texas A&M University College Station

Mateo Hernandez-Ortiz – The University of Texas at Austin

Katelyn Thompson – Howard University

Carter McKenna – University of Notre Dame

Nicole Hampton – Northwestern University

Natalie Hampton – Stanford University

Tanya Rollins

Tanya Rollins of the Photo Firm

Tiffiny Gist

Nikky LaWell

CADY

Tiffiny

Gist

major. She would tell her kindergarten self to enjoy nap time while it lasts. She says that Kerri Coffman Fujiwara, her seventh-grade science teacher at Pin Oak, taught her the value of hard work and the value of intellectual curiosity – without learning those values, she wouldn't be where she is today. Her dream job is to be a novelist. Her favorite moment from high school was returning to school after being online for a year. Coming back to an actual classroom with her friends made her realize how much she enjoyed learning and being surrounded by her peers.

Isabella Hu – River Oaks Elementary School, Lanier Middle School, Lamar High School

Isabella Hu is headed to The University of Texas at Austin to study Biology on the PreMedical Track. Her 11th-grade biology teacher, Ms. Katie Watson at Lamar High School, truly opened her eyes to the excitement of biology, and helped her solidify her aspirations to study science in college. Her dream job is being a pediatrician; “it combines my love of science with my passion for service towards children.” Her favorite high school memory was this year’s Lamar versus Bellaire football game.

Presley Houck – Mark Twain Elementary School, Pershing Middle School, St. Agnes Academy

Presley Houck is headed to Tulane University to major in Anthropology on the track for Pre-Medical Studies. Presley would tell her kindergarten self to invest her birthday money in Netflix. She is looking forward to exploring a new city, new experiences, new friends, and hosting her lifelong friends in NOLA when they visit. She says her fifth-grade teacher at Mark Twain, Ms. Jennifer Dennis, gave her class the gift of teaching to their strengths, and going outside of the normal curriculum when they were ready for more. She is also grateful to her English teacher Tim Nesser at St. Agnes, who helped her to realize she loved English as much as science and math. Her dream job is to be a neurosurgeon. She has so many favorite moments from high school, but says, really, “every moment spent with my friends and supporting each other at sports/dance/music/art etc. events and cheering each other on.”

Kennedy Webb – Travis Elementary School, Pershing Middle School, Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

Kennedy Webb is headed to West Virginia University for a BFA in Theatre Design and BA in Game Design and Interactive Media. If she could give her kindergarten self one piece of advice, it would be, “Don't keep looking at the older kids and what they can do, enjoy the stage you are in.” One day in kindergarten at Travis Elementary, her teacher Ms. Melanie Nelson stopped the class to let them observe a butterfly

on the windowsill. Kennedy says, “in that moment, she taught us that learning is not about tests and quizzes.” It also began Kennedy’s obsession with butterflies. She says that since students have so much stress in their lives, she would one day like to specialize in creating games that support positive mental health as a freelance video game creator. She can’t pick one favorite moment from high school, but says “The experience of coming together to create theatre shows is unexplainable.”

Jones Mays II – Challenger Elementary, Sablatura Middle School, Carnegie Vanguard High School

Jones Mays is headed to the University of Southern California with a Merit Trustee Scholarship to study Arts, Technology, and the Business of Innovation at the Iovine Young Academy. He says that Ms. Julea Brode at Carnegie changed his life by making learning math easy and fun. He looks forward to taking surfing classes on the California coast, and meeting new people who will push him to reach his future career goals. If he could give his kindergarten self one piece of advice, he would say not to worry about life so much, since everything works out in the end. Meeting peers that challenged him to be a better person both intellectually and socially was the highlight of his high school career. Jones aspires to be an entrepreneur or software architect who works on platforms that connect communities and solve pressing problems.

Oluwafeyitamilore (Tammy) Banjo – The American International School of Abuja (Abuja, NG), TASIS England (Thorpe, GB), The Village School

Oluwafeyitamilore (Tammy) Banjo is headed to Northeastern University with a combined major in Health Studies and Business Administration. She is grateful to her thirdgrade teacher, Ms. Catherine Harstad, for introducing her to musical theater at the American International School of Abuja. Ms. Harstad selected Tammy to be a part of the Alice in Wonderland production, which led to her love of music and musical theater, things she still enjoys. If she could give her kindergarten self a piece of advice, she’d say to always celebrate your accomplishments, even the smallest things. She hopes to be an orthodontist one day. Since she grew up in the UK, she is really looking forward to living there again when she studies abroad in London!

Leon Hoang – The Post Oak School

Leon Hoang is headed to Tulane University to major in English and Finance. Leon says he was “a very mischievous kindergartener” and recalls when families gathered to help the class garden outside. They spent hours planting trees and flowers. The next day, he convinced his classmates to uproot and clear the plants for

more playing space outside. When the teacher found out, he was forced to replant the whole garden. His advice to his past self would be to embrace and learn from these mistakes – and not to repeat them. He says he is forever grateful for his fourth-grade teacher Mrs. Maya Pinto, who changed his outlook on life. She told him he had talent and shouldn’t waste it – he sees now that she was right. Leon says he is looking forward to the freedom of being a young adult away from his loved ones and parents; “although I will miss them all, I want to see who I can be as an independent person in this new world.”

Lou Hughes – Bonnie Holland Elementary, Beckendorff Junior High School, Second Baptist School

Lou Hughes is going to study Mechanical Engineering at Southern Arkansas University His dream job is to be an architect. His favorite moment from high school was his senior retreat, and he says he will always cherish the special bonding with his classmates before they started senior year together. One teacher who impacted him was Ms. Gretchen Hollier, his fifthgrade teacher. In fifth grade, he was making As in all his classes except English. She told him she knew she could do better in his class, and spent time before and after school until he was acing English. That year, Lou went on to win the President’s Award, signed by President Obama. He’d tell his kindergarten self, “Don’t be shy to meet new people. The people you don’t meet could end up being someone you need in your life.”

Carlin Elizabeth McQueen – St. Mary's Catholic School, Meyerland Performing and Visual Arts Middle School, Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

Carlin Elizabeth McQueen is off to Loyola Marymount University to major in Dance and Computer Science. She is looking forward to being able to dance throughout the city of Los Angeles, and she is excited to show the city what she has to offer. She would tell her kindergarten self, “Continue to trust and believe in yourself. Everything happens for a reason.” Her dream job is to dance commercially for artists throughout the world. Once she feels her dance career has come to an end, she would like to find a way to combine dance and computer science to bring more attention towards the arts. A teacher that changed her life is Mrs. Leah Cessna, who believed in her at times she felt that she was crashing. Her favorite moment from high school was fall and spring dance showcases, where she says everyone uplifted and supported each other; “It's really exciting to showcase your talent to the ones that you love most.”

MORE ONLINE

See thebuzzmagazines.com for more graduating seniors.

Isabella Hu – The University of Texas at Austin

Presley Houck – Tulane University

Kennedy Webb – West Virginia University

Jones Mays II – University of Southern California

Oluwafeyitamilore (Tammy) Banjo – Northeastern University

Leon Hoang – Tulane University

Lou Hughes – Southern Arkansas University

Carlin Elizabeth McQueen – Loyola Marymount University

Claire McAdams

CADY Photography

Meredith Symonds

Chris Dunn

Omar Auzenne

by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

Dog Parks in Houston

Where pups can play

Owning a dog can bring people together, and for one couple, Jenna and Shalin Patel, a chance visit to a dog park changed their lives.

On September 25, 2013, two weeks after Jenna moved to Houston from Pensacola, Fla. for her new job, she decided to take her rescue dog, a Sheltie named Piper, to Danny Jackson Family Bark Park. She knew just one person in Houston at the time, so she was in the market to make new friends.

While at the dog park, she says she noticed Piper solely playing with the same little white dog. “I noticed her owner standing off to the side by himself,” said Jenna. “He kept shouting her name as if she were being bothersome to my dog.” Jenna and Shalin struck up a conversation over his dog’s name, Whiskey.

Whiskey was Shalin’s first dog he ever owned. “When he [moved from India], he knew he wanted a dog and adopted Whiskey, a lab/corgi mix, from the local Houston dog rescue group, PupSquad. She was found in a box outside of Home Depot,” said Jenna.

Jenna and Shalin stayed in touch after that chance meeting and eventually started dating and became engaged in 2016. They had engagement photos taken with Whiskey and Piper at the dog park. They are now married with two children. Piper passed away a year ago, but the couple still has Whiskey, who is 10 now. They continue to take Whiskey to Danny Jackson or their second favorite, Congressman Bill Archer Dog Park.

In honor of our many Buzz readers who love their dogs, we decided to make a list of favorite local dog parks, especially in time for those dog days of summer.

Houston Dog Parks

Houston is home to many great dog parks where you and your furry companion can enjoy the outdoors and socialize with other dogs and their owners. Always be a responsible dog owner and remember the Houston Parks and Recreation Department’s leash law. Dogs are not allowed, even with a leash, in children’s play areas, or on organized athletic fields.

Congressman Bill Archer Dog Park 3201 Hwy 6 North

Open daily, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

This 17-acre park, located north of I-10, has split sides for large dogs and small dogs. There is a pond for dogs to swim, agility courses, walking trails, a gazebo that provides shade for owners, plenty of parking, and a dog-washing station to clean off your pooch before heading home.

Tanglewood Bark Park

5801 Woodway Dr.

Open daily, 8 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

Tanglewood Bark Park is in the Tanglewood area, and in addition to a dog park, Tanglewood Park offers tennis courts, a playground, and sports fields. It has a fenced green space with a gazebo, and benches to sit. Small and large dogs play together at this park.

Johnny Steele Dog Park

2929 Allen Pkwy.

Open daily, 7 a.m.-8 p.m.

Buffalo Bayou has a dog park with a lot of great features including a large, off-leash area for dogs to run and play, separate areas for small dogs and large dogs, a water fountain, and several benches for owners to relax and watch their canines play.

Danny Jackson Family Bark Park

4828 ½ Loop Central Dr.

Open daily, 5 a.m.-10 p.m.

This dog park is in the southwest part of Houston and features a large area with a pond for dogs to swim in. There are also separate areas for small dogs and large dogs. The park has several shaded areas and a dog washing station for after a swim. No children under age 12 are allowed.

Millie Bush Dog Park

16101 Westheimer Pkwy.

Open daily 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

This dog park is in the northwest part of Houston and features a large area with several obstacles for dogs to play on. There are separate areas for small dogs and large dogs. The park has a walking trail and a dog shower.

Maxey Park Bark and Run Dog Park

601 Maxey Rd.

Open daily, dawn to dusk.

This 13-acre park features a dog park with a pond for dogs to swim in and a dog run area. There are separate areas for small dogs and large dogs. The park has several shaded areas and benches for owners, plus a dog shower.

Levy Park Dog Park

3801 Eastside St.

Open 24 hours

Levy Park is in the Upper Kirby area and features a small, off-leash area for dogs with a large dog side and a small dog side. There are shaded areas and a playground, splash pad, familyfriendly activities, and benches to relax on.

Ervan Chew Dog Park

4502 Dunlavy St.

Open daily, 6 a.m.-9 p.m.

In 1994, Ervan Chew became the first neighborhood park in Houston to allow dogs to legally run off-leash in a designated dog area. It is a small pocket park with a dedicated space that serves residents as a dog park, with an adjacent picnic area too.

Discovery Green Dog Run

1500 McKinney St.

Open daily, 6 a.m.-11 p.m.

Discovery Green is a fun downtown spot for the whole family. The dog portion of the park features the Kinder Large Dog Run and the Harriet and Joe Foster Small Dog Run. The areas around the dog park have crushed gravel, fountains, and of bench seating. Dogs must remain with their owners and leashed outside of the dog runs.

MEANT TO BE Shalin and Jenna Patel (pictured in 2016 with their rescue dogs Whiskey and Piper) met at the Danny Jackson Family Bark Park two weeks after Jenna moved to Houston for a new job. They are now married with two children.

. by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

Buzz Baby

First time fishing

Buzz Baby is a column about life with little ones. Writer Annie McQueen is a mother of four children under the age of 8.

Houston is an urban city with lots of fun and family-friendly outdoor activities at our fingertips, including great beginner fishing spots around town.

This month, in honor of Father’s Day and celebrating all the great dads and father figures out there, we thought we would explore the world of taking a young child fishing in our very own backyard.

Fishing is a great way to learn patience, bond with your child, and gain an appreciation for the outdoors. We created a guide to Houston fishing spots, and some tips to remember, too.

It is vital to bring the right gear such as a youth fishing pole, which can be found at Bass Pro Shop or on Amazon. They are smaller and easier for a small child to hold. Be sure to pack sunscreen, bug spray, water, a hat, and an extra change of clothes. A youth-sized life jacket is important to remember for added safety.

Dad-of-two Jared Taylor has risen early on weekend mornings to take his two daughters fishing around Houston from when they were toddlers (they are now 6 and 8). He says he prefers before sunrise when the city is still quiet. “It’s a great little escape into nature yet only 20 minutes away,” said Jared.

Jared says he brings options for the girls to use for their fishing bait. “I usually rotate through a handful of options trying to see where the fish are biting,” he said. His go-to is a Texas-rigged 5” watermelon Senko.

“If I see some decent topwater hits, I will go with a small rooster tail and keep it close to the surface,” he said. “I set the girls up with a weighted grub and crappie bait and a bobber so they can watch for bites,” said Jared.

This technique allows the girls to avoid casting their fishing lines over and over, explained Jared. “It is pretty fun to see their excitement when the bobber dips below the surface,” said Jared. They use a catch-and-release method.

A preferred spot on their list is Brazos Bend State Park. Visitors tend to go to search for alligator sightings, but Jared says he enjoys taking

the girls to fish for Largemouth Bass.

“It is a great outing for the whole family and also good to support the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department,” said Jared.

Jared says catching the fish is a memorable moment for the kids, but it is more about the experience that counts. “Where you go is not as important as how often,” said Jared. “I used to fish all the time with my dad. It is special getting to share that with my girls.”

Some other great Houston fishing spots include:

Tom Bass Regional Park Section III

15108 Cullen Blvd.

Tom Bass Park has two fishing lakes, Tom Bass I and Tom Bass II, stocked with catfish, bass, and other species. There are several fishing piers and a boat ramp, making it easy for kids to fish from the shore or a boat. Additionally, the park has picnic areas, a playground, and walking trails.

Sheldon Lake State Park and Environmental Learning Center

14140 Garrett Rd.

Sheldon Lake State Park has a 120-acre lake that's perfect for fishing for kids of any age, starting young. The lake is stocked with different kinds of fish, and there are several fishing piers and a boat ramp. The park also has a nature center, hiking trails, picnic spots, and an area to paddle boat.

Mary Jo Peckham Park

5597 Gardenia Ln.

Mary Jo Peckham Park is in Katy, about 30 minutes west of downtown. This park has it all for kids of all ages – including a lake stocked with catfish, bass, and perch, several fishing piers, and a boat ramp for small boats. The park also has a great playground, splash pad, picnic areas, and a Recreation Center with restrooms.

Herman Brown Park

400 Mercury Dr.

Herman Brown Park sits in north Houston

and has a lake that is stocked with different varieties of fish. The park also has a softball field, a picnic area, walking trails, and a playground.

Lake Houston Wilderness Park

25840 FM 1485

Lake Houston Wilderness Park is a lush, 5,000-acre park that offers plenty of space for hours of outdoor activities. The lake is stocked with fish. There are also 20 miles of trails, and spots for activities outside of fishing including kayaking, birding, mountain biking, and more.

Brazos Bend State Park

21901 Farm to Market Rd. 762

This expansive park has more to it than just fishing, with 37 miles of trails, some of which are wheelchair friendly. Visitors can shorefish or fish off the pier. The park has three lakes for fishing –Hale, Forty Acre, and New Horseshoe Lake.

Buffalo Run Park

1122 Buffalo Run

This park is an easy drive and a great beginner park to take young children to fish. It has four large ponds with plenty of shoreline to fish from. It has a boat ramp, an observation tower, a sand volleyball area, and walking trails.

Bane Park Lane

9600 West Little York Rd.

This park is located just inside the Beltway near Jersey Village. It has a playground, a covered picnic table area, a small pier, and easy parking. It also has a lake that is stocked with Rainbow Trout. Catch and release is recommended.

McGovern Lake

1700 Hermann Drive

Fishers under the age of 12 and seniors 65 and older are allowed to fish in the lake near Hermann Park (off Bob’s Fishing Pier). It is located on the west side of the lake.

CAST A LINE There are many kid-friendly fishing spots in and around Houston. Eloise Taylor (pictured, at age 4) goes fishing with her dad Jared and big sister Evelyn.

.

by Cindy Burnett, staff writer

Buzz Reads

Five picks for June

Buzz Reads is a column about books by reviewer Cindy Burnett. Each month, Cindy recommends five recently or soon-to-be released titles.

The Dark That Doesn’t Sleep by Simon Mockler (historical thriller) – This fast-paced historical thriller centers around a mystery at a top-secret American military base built under the ice in Greenland, a locale inspired by an actual Cold War project called Project Iceworm. It is December 1967, and FBI consultant and NYC psychiatrist Jack Miller is called to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. to interview Private Connor Murphy. Three soldiers were trapped at this secret base in Greenland due to an arctic storm and when rescuers finally reached the base days later, only Connor is still alive, badly burned with no memory of what cause the fire that killed the other two soldiers. The FBI hires Dr. Miller to help recover Private Connor’s memories as well as determine which soldier was passing secrets to the Russians. The more he delves into the case, the more Dr. Miller realizes that nothing is at it seems. The Dark That Doesn’t Sleep is a clever thriller with countless surprising twists and turns that weaves in fascinating historical details about a failed top-secret military base in Greenland. Once I started it, I could not put it down, and I read it in less than a day. This would make a great Father’s Day gift.

Drowning by T.J. Newman (thriller) –Drowning, former flight attendant Newman’s standalone follow-up to her 2021 #1 New York Times Bestseller Falling, is a heart-pounding thriller that grabs you from page one and does not let up until the very last page. Six minutes after Flight 1421 takes off from Honolulu, the plane plummets into the ocean. As the passengers and crew work to evacuate the aircraft, an engine explodes, and the plane begins to flood. Those still inside the plane are forced to abandon the evacuation and attempt to seal themselves inside the plane and hope it will float until they can be rescued. But it is too late and the plane sinks to the bottom with 12 passengers still inside. Drowning is a can’t-put-down thriller, perfect to toss in your pool or beach bag this summer, but you may not want to read it while flying!

A Right Worthy

Woman by Ruth P. Watson (historical fiction) – In this compelling historical fiction title, Watson spotlights trailblazer Maggie Lena Walker, a Richmond woman who created the first Black-run bank in the United States and pioneered Black responses to the early Jim Crow era policies that were adopted in the later Civil Right Movement. As a teenager, Walker was brilliant, outspoken, and aware of the economic discrepancy between her Jackson Ward neighbors and her laundress-mother’s wealthy white clients, so she decided to make it her life’s work to help her community bridge that gap. She launched a newspaper, bank, and department store in her neighborhood as well as organizing boycotts and helping Black neighbors and friends exert their economic power; she was an incredibly forward-thinking woman whose story should be known more widely. Readers will enjoy learning more about this influential woman who left an indelible mark on history.

The Spectacular by Fiona Davis (historical fiction) – Fiona Davis bases each of her books in an iconic New York City building, and The Spectacular is set at one of the city’s most wellknown and beloved locales, Radio City Music Hall. Nineteen-year-old Marion is selected as a Rockette, the prestigious dance troupe that performs at Radio City Music Hall, much to the chagrin of her parents and her boyfriend. She loves the job but with four shows a day and exhausting rehearsals, she is not left with much time for anything else. Then one evening, a bomb explodes in the theater, and Marion’s personal connection draws her into the investigation. The behind-the-scenes glimpses into both Radio City Music Hall and the Rockettes are fascinating, and aspects of the story are more personal for Davis. Historical fiction readers will

find this one compelling and at times sadder than most of her books.

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren (romantic comedy) – Writing duo Christina Lauren (writing partners/best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings) is back with a fabulous summer read. Felicity Chen, who goes by Fizzy, is a bestselling romance author who has lost her ability to write happily-ever-afters, partly because she feels that she will never find her own true love. When Connor Prince, a documentary filmmaker and single dad, is tasked with creating a reality dating show or face losing his job, he contacts Fizzy to star in the show – what would romance readers love more than seeing their favorite writer fall in love on national TV? Reluctantly, Fizzy agrees but includes a long list of requirements that Connor surprisingly agrees to. Chock full of fun pop culture references and focused on our nation’s obsession with reality TV, The True Love Experiment is a sweet and engaging romance with fun banter and genuinely likeable characters.

Editor’s note: Southside Place resident Cindy Burnett also writes our weekly Page Turners column at thebuzzmagazines.com. She hosts the award-winning Thoughts from a Page Podcast, is co-creator of the Houston literary event series Conversations from the Page, runs the Instagram account @thoughtsfromapage, and regularly speaks to groups about books.

WHAT TO READ This month’s selections include two page-turning thrillers, two historical-fiction titles – one about Radio City Music Hall and one about the first Black woman to found a bank in the U.S – and a sweet romantic comedy.

Cindy Burnett

. by Tracy L. Barnett, staff writer

Travel Buzz

Greenland with the Boyle Boys

Kevin Boyle has been quietly building a global father-son tradition with his two teenage boys, Kevin Jr., 14, and Sean, 13, for nearly a decade. Together they’ve traveled to more than 40 states and 20 countries on several continents. It’s not that they don’t like to travel with Mom (Liz); Kevin and Liz traveled the world together before she experienced some severe turbulence and developed a fear of flying. Occasionally she has been able to overcome it and join them – for example, on an epic road trip through Europe – but mostly, for travel that involves a flight, it’s just the guys.

The father-son travel tradition began when the boys were 6 and 5 respectively – a weekend getaway to SeaWorld and Six Flags in San Antonio. Since then, they’ve explored much of Europe and such exotic destinations as Iceland and Australia, where marine biology enthusiast Sean had dreamed of snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef. A few years back, their 2017 cross-country New Zealand adventure was featured in Travel Buzz: Beauty at the End of the World (October 2018).

In 2018 after their European adventure with Liz, she took a direct flight home, but the guys weren’t done yet. They had a stop in Ireland and then another one in Iceland. Treasured memories there included swimming in its steaming geothermal pools, exploring its volcanoes on a Jeep 4x4, and enjoying its marine life, fishing and grilling on the boat while whale-watching. They loved it so much they decided to take their Northern travels to the next level, so last summer they chose Greenland for their big getaway.

“It’s the first time the three of us have been north of the Arctic Circle – and it’s definitely the most remote and the most adventurous trip we’ve taken,” said Kevin, CEO at Alaunos Therapeutics. “With global warming and also potential tourism growth in Greenland, we wanted to get there before the beauty is spoiled.”

Signs of pending change on the world’s largest island are everywhere; for example, the airport is doubling in size in Ilulissat, a charming West-coast town known for having more sled dogs than people.

Their point of departure was Denmark, which has had a close relationship with Greenland for

a millennium (formerly a Danish colony, Greenland was redefined as a district of Denmark in 1953).

In Copenhagen they spent a day at Tivoli Gardens, the inspiration for Disneyland, before flying to the town of Kangerlussuaq, pop. 508 – home to the island’s largest commercial airport. Kangerlussuaq would later be the point of departure for their biggest adventure – a hike and campout on the Greenland Ice Sheet. For now, they just had time for a foray to the grocery store across the street.

“We walked in and immediately saw guns for sale – long rifles – probably to shoot a seal, right next to the freshly baked bread for the day,” said Kevin. They grabbed some food before their next flight, then boarded the turbo prop to Ilulissat, Greenland’s third largest city with 4,600 people. The town charmed them with its vibrantly colorful wooden houses, its friendly people, and the local culture. Nearly 90 percent of Greenland’s population is of Inuit heritage, with 7.8 percent being Danish.

“Our first impressions were of the breathtaking scenery, our lungs filled with the freshest air imaginable; it was brisk and so clean,” said Kevin. “I couldn’t stop taking pictures.”

They headed immediately to the port, where they had booked a sunset kayak tour amid the icebergs with World of Greenland. This was their first experience of the midnight sun, which lit up the massive icebergs that surrounded them with a brilliant golden sunset hue.

“From our perspective, the sun never set at all,” said Kevin.

They were lucky to float past some hunters harvesting a seal, a practice only allowed by local people for sustenance. They observed the process up close, seeing the traditional bone-handled, half moon-shaped ulu knife used to butcher the

animal. The skins are used for slippers and jackets, and the meat is a staple in the Inuit diet.

“How amazing that within a couple of hours we were able to see the natives living a very real existence, earning their sustenance off the land and the sea,” said Kevin.

Sean, a lover of marine life, was shocked. “At first I was a little hurt to see that,” he said. But on reflection, he thought, “it’s really no different from catching fish or farm animals.”

Their tour guide explained to them the importance of keeping their distance from icebergs, since there is a danger of pieces shearing off and creating large waves that can capsize a boat. Although they appear to be just floating on the water, about 80 to 90 percent of the formation is underwater – “thus the expression, ‘the tip of the iceberg,’” commented Kevin. “The pictures don’t do justice to how large they really are.”

Kevin had booked four nights at the Best Western Plus Ilulissat, which featured blackout blinds to keep the midnight sun at bay, and opened the windows to let in a breeze. “It was so great to be huddled under the blankets with this chilly arctic air coming in,” he recalled.

Their second day they took a tour to the Eqi Glacier, often referred to as the “calving glacier” since it is one of Greenland’s most active, with large pieces frequently shearing off into the water with an explosive noise, creating the icebergs they saw all along the way.

SAILING AMONG THE ICEBERGS Kevin, Kevin Jr., and Sean Boyle sailing Disko Bay, en route to the Eqi Glacier from Ilulissat. Here they stopped about halfway to Eqi to shoot a photo in front of a waterfall.

This time they went on a steel-reinforced motorboat so they were able to get closer to the massive glacier, which is about 5 kilometers long and 200 meters tall – although only about 30 to 50 meters appear above the water. At some points the boat plows right through what looks like a straight sheet of ice, pushing it aside with its reinforced hull.

“Sometimes you’d be chatting and all of a sudden you’d hear this giant roaring sound that was the glacier speaking to you and breaking apart,” said Kevin.

“It was almost like it was giving birth to the iceberg,” said Kevin. “It’s such an interesting sensory experience – the whole country is, really,” he said. “The cool breeze, the chilly rain … you could almost smell the cold. It was fabulous; it was just awakening.”

They had one day in Ilulissat on their own, choosing to hike along the spectacular Icefjord at the edge of the city. They walked the whole town, and stopped by a community hall where

freshly caught whale meat and blubber were being sold.

Their own culinary experience was more Danish than Greenlandic – fish and chips and pizza, rather than Native food like whale, moose, or reindeer. Kevin learned too late that there was only one such restaurant in Ilulissat and it was booked far in advance.

Another highlight was the Ilimanaq Glacier Adventure, which began with a frigid speedboat trip down the Kangia Fjord, past sea lions playing in the icy waters to the tiny town of Ilimanaq, pop. 53. Their all-terrain hike took them through the Arctic tundra through a squishy green wetland to a gravelly glacier, where they changed from rubber boots to crampons and climbed up to see an expanse of zebralike striations of dark gray and brilliant white, interspersed with bright blue pools.

A long boat ride took them back to their last evening in Ilulissat, where they watched local artisans at work, connected with a local family

eating at an outdoor café, and listened to the sled dogs barking at each other.

“I was surprised at all the things people were doing,” said Kevin Jr. “It’s a whole different lifestyle, and it was pretty impressive how resourceful people can be. We went to a shop where whale meat was for sale, and they were using bone knives to carve the meat.”

They had grown quite fond of the town and were sad to leave, but it was time for their last and biggest adventure: the hike and campout on the Greenland Ice Sheet.

They boarded a plane back to Kangerlussuaq and met with their Danish guide, who took one look at their boots and said, “Nope, they are not sufficient at all; you are not going to be ok.”

He asked their shoe sizes and went to the building where the guides gear up, and came back with three rugged pairs of boots and three pairs of wool socks. They would need boots that were not just water-resistant but waterproof, the guide explained, since

GLACIAL ADVENTURES (Clockwise, from bottom left): A sense of relief and accomplishment after successfully setting up camp on the Greenland Ice Sheet (Sean, left; Kevin Jr., right); sunset over a glacial river on the Greenland ice sheet near Kangerlussuaq; stopping for a rest and a drink from a pure glacial pool on an Albatros Arctic Circle camping adventure (Kevin Jr., Kevin Sr., Sean); the striking striation patterns of Saqqarleq Glacier (Kevin Sr., Sean, Kevin Jr.).

(continued from page 35)

they’d be fording streams along the way. Also, these were higher boots that would support the ankles on the rugged terrain and avoid a possible sprain, which could spell disaster in the treacherous backcountry.

“He was a savior,” said Kevin. “I really got the sense this is not an accommodation they typically make.”

Their tour bus had a fairly large group that was coming for a short hike, but only seven stayed for the campout. The campers were each responsible for hauling gear.

“We were like our own sled dogs, dragging behind our own sleds, and stacked in there were hiking poles, tents for all of us, food, cooking equipment, everything we would need – because there was positively nothing out there on the ice.”

They hiked for about a mile with the guides assessing the constantly changing landscape to find the best place to make camp, then set up their tents before heading out for a beautiful evening hike up to a point high enough where

they would briefly have cell phone reception. “We took a picture of the boys and I on the glacier and sent it to Mom, and she was flabbergasted,” said Kevin. “It was just gorgeous.”

The landscape was otherworldly – “just the vastness of ice as far as you can see. They very much warned us of the dangers; water is underneath and flowing, and you could end up falling into underground caverns. As beautiful as the surroundings are, you don’t want to twist an ankle or fall; the ice is sharp as razor blades.”

Finally back at camp they convened in the common tent, where they learned to chip the ice with an ax and melt it with their Sterno camp stoves so they could make instant coffee or hot chocolate and rehydrate the MREs of their choice.

Though it was time to sleep, it was a challenge – in part because of the excitement, but also because of the cold and wind whipping against their tents in the midnight sun.

In the morning, they breakfasted on crispy,

delicious grilled cheese sandwiches before cleaning up and packing for the hike back, and then, all too soon, the trip back home.

Looking back, Kevin reflects on what for him were the most important aspects of the trip. “We felt so connected to nature, and so removed from electronics,” he said. “In a world that is so wired, to be wireless and surrounded by perpetual beauty and to have a climate that was the antithesis of Houston –it was so invigorating.”

Father and sons alike were moved to be in such a pristine environment, said Kevin, and it made them reflect on how they can take more actions to reduce their environmental impact.

Hiking and camping together in such an extreme environment was also a great bonding experience, he said. “With the wind whipping like that, if it hadn’t been for the teamwork, the three of us working together, there would have been no way to pitch the tent. It really brought us closer together.”

ARCTIC MEMORIES (Clockwise from bottom left): A towering iceberg with reflection in Disko Bay, born from the calving Eqi Glacier; the quaint and colorful town of Ilulissat; Kevin Sr. enjoying the beautiful surroundings on a hike to the Ilulissat Icefjord; an evening kayak among the icebergs in Ilulissat (the Kevins: Sr., left, and Jr.)

by Dai Huynh, staff writer

Chef’s Corner

Benchawan Painter: An unapologetic, authentic Thai chef

The Thai people have the most lyricalsounding name for fish sauce. Many cooks claim nam pla is the most important flavoring ingredient in Thai cooking. Often, for fear of turning off the American palate, restaurants in this country will add too much water to dilute the intensely pungent taste and aroma of fish sauce for diners unable to surrender to its full funky charms. Well, you’re not going to get that at Street to Kitchen.

Street to Kitchen (6501 Harrisburg Blvd.) proclaims that it serves “unapologetically authentic Thai food.” Perhaps this is one reason why the James Beard Foundation selected its chef-owner, Benchawan Painter, as one of five finalists for this year’s Best Chef: Texas. Chef G, as referred to by her friends and patrons because her nickname “Kik” has the tonal sound of “G” in Thai, is determined to introduce Houstonians to the true, undiluted flavors of her homeland, which are sometimes a little jarring to the uninitiated.

However, this full-throttle approach has garnered Street to Kitchen a loyal following. The restaurant is booked up frequently, and the dining room’s teal-trimmed, pretty-in-pink walls ripple with anecdotes and laughs as Chef G’s husband and co-owner, Graham Painter, serves stir-fried basil beef, garlic chive pancakes, and fried veggie spring rolls at nearby tables.

The balance of sweet, salty, sour, and hot often is praised in Thai cooking, along with its harmonious bold flavors, but at too many restaurants, the heat is subdued, and the sweetness intensified as concessions to American palates. The spices are muted, and the herbs are less fresh than they could be. “You’re not going to find that here,” 47-year-old Graham says. “My wife started this restaurant because she couldn’t find food the way it was served in Thailand. So, we are not going to gringolize it here.”

In the kitchen, the 30-year-old Chef G choreographs her moves like a ballerina. Everything is labeled and orderly so that she can move fluidly, effortlessly preparing one dish after the next without hesitation. She worked at several Thai restaurants before opening her own minutes from her East End home, but most aren’t organized like this, she says. She learned

this lesson while cooking at Theodore Rex, whose James Beard Award-winning chef-owner Justin Yu stresses teamwork and that you can never over-prep.

You can barely squeeze three cooks into Chef G’s little kitchen. Her refrigeration space is also limited, and she orders just enough ingredients for the week. She relies on what’s in season and the farmers’ market. “It’s good,” she says, adding that it isn’t any different than back home in Central Thailand, where she fell in love with cooking at her grandmother’s knees. Her yaai used to say that if “you use fresh ingredients, the flavors will be good. You won’t need to add or do too much to the dish.”

The briny perfume of fish sauce fills the pocket-sized, 38-seat dining room attached to a

Valero gas station – along with the heady scents of Thai basil, galangal, coconut, lemongrass, lime, garlic, and chilies. Diners – diving into a faultlessly crisped whole, head-on branzino, green papaya salads, and stir-fry pad see ew with flat noodles coated with caramelized soy sauce and seared pork – barely notice the blare of horns and the rumble of the light rail train zooming across the overpass right outside the restaurant.

“This feels like Bangkok,” says Graham, a Houston native who met his wife while working as a creative director in Thailand. “If we close our eyes at night, it almost feels like we’re back home in Bangkok. Our image for this place is based on Thonglor, the Soho of Bangkok. Thonglor is this hip place full of designers, fash-

CHEF G Covid-19 pushed Chef Benchawan Painter – known as “Chef G” by friends and patrons because her nickname “Kik” has the tonal sound of “G” in Thai – and husband Graham to open Street to Kitchen sooner than planned, but their pandemic to-go business boomed with staples including drunken noodles made with homegrown Thai basil.

Raul Margarito Casares

ionistas, and hole-in-the-wall, chef-driven concepts like this. So, when we built Street to Kitchen, we told ourselves, ‘We’re not in Houston. We’re not in the U.S. We’re in Thonglor.’”

With that theme, Chef G offers no modifications or substitutions. For example, her curries don’t have the typical choices of chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp. In fact, you won’t see beef as a curry option because it is rarely eaten in Thailand, she says. Also, certain curries pair better with specific proteins. Therefore, Chef G has taken the guesswork out by offering massaman curry with only chicken or veggies. Her green curry comes with chicken or veggies, while the red curry can be made with veggies, shrimp, or chicken. The rare occasion Street to Kitchen offers beef is an overnight braised curry.

Diners also don’t have the option of mild, medium, or spicy. “We don’t adjust the spicy level,” says Chef G, adding that she avoids storebought curry pastes because they’re salty and lack complexity. Instead, the spicy level is pre-determined by the kind of curry paste she makes. “Massaman shouldn’t be spicy. It is the mildest of curries. Green curry should have a kick, but be followed by sweet and salty,” she says. “Now, if you want spicy, go for the red curry. This is how it is, and I try to go back to how I eat in Thailand.”

When we asked for a recipe that even a novice home cook could prepare, the Street to Kitchen chef offered pad see ew without hesitation. It’s quick, easy, and perfect for a weeknight family meal. It’s also super kid-friendly because the chili powder is served on the side, giving each diner the option of adding it.

Pad See Ew

16 ounces pork, thinly sliced

5 tablespoons oyster sauce, divided

3 eggs, divided

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons fresh cracked black pepper, divided

2 tablespoons canola oil or another vegetable oil, plus more for the egg

1 tablespoon minced garlic

16 ounces fresh sen yai or other fresh wide rice noodles (see note)

2 tablespoons mushroom soy sauce

4-5 stalks of gai lan (Chinese broccoli) sliced into 2-inch-long, ¼-inch-thick pieces with stems attached

2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce

1 tablespoon chili powder (optional)

In a medium bowl, mix 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, 1 egg, sugar, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Add pork and, using a large fork or chopsticks, gently rotate slices to coat the marinade onto all sides. Cover with Saran Wrap and place in the refrigerator for four hours. When ready to cook, line up the ingredients in the order they’ll be added to the pan. Also, pad see ew is best served hot, so turn on the stove when the family has gathered to eat.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 14-inch wok, heavy 12-inch skillet or a large Dutch oven over high heat until it smokes. Add the pork to the hot pan in a single layer. Let cook, undisturbed, until well-browned, about one minute, then stirfry until just cooked through, about one minute more, pressing it against the pan to sear.

Stir in the garlic with the pork, then add

noodles, spreading them around in the pan, then toss and separate them with chopsticks or a wok turner, tongs, or both. When the noodles are sizzling, add mushroom soy sauce, oyster sauce, and black pepper. Toss noodles to coat and cook through. Keep cooking, leaving noodles undisturbed for about 20 seconds until they sear and caramelize.

When the sauce is half absorbed, add the gai lan and stir-fry just until bright and beginning to wilt, 30 to 45 seconds. Push the greens to one side of the pan, add enough oil to lightly coat the other side, and add the slightly beaten remaining eggs. Use the spatula to scramble the eggs, stirring and scraping until cooked, about one minute. Toss with the sweet soy sauce (add more to taste if you wish). When the noodles have absorbed all the liquid and the flavors are balanced, transfer the pad see ew onto a large serving dish and serve immediately with chili powder on the side. Each diner can sprinkle a little chili on top or not. Makes four servings.

Note: Fresh sen yai or other fresh wide rice noodles is sold at groceries, including 99 Ranch Market (1005 Blalock Road) and Hong Kong Food Market (11205 Bellaire Blvd.). To get a taste of Chef G’s cooking, visit her Street to Kitchen stall at the Urban Harvest Farmers Market (2752 Buffalo Speedway). She sells her signature Thai Omelet for $12 every Saturday morning at the market. The omelets made with seasonal ingredients are only available at Urban Harvest, not at her restaurant.

Editor’s note: Buzz dining columnist Dai Huynh is a James Beard food-journalism award winner and longtime Houston-based restaurant writer.

STREET TO KITCHEN On left: Pad see ew with pork, a stir-fried noodle dish some historians believed was introduced to Thailand by Chinese traders in the 1700s. On right: An occasional weekend special, dry-aged Wagyu is grilled rare, Tiger-cries style.

SPORTS

SportzBuzz

With a remarkable tenth SPC Championship in the last eleven seasons, the Kinkaid Falcons continued their dominance in boys high school golf. The Falcons won this year’s SPC championship by a lofty 47 stroke margin over second place Dallas St. Mark’s. It also marked Kinkaid’s seventh straight SPC boys golf title.

“Our guys stayed focused all year round,” said Falcons golf coach Bobby Eggleston. “It’s an experienced group that practices hard and loves to play golf. They considered the SPC tournament a business trip and just went out there and got the job done.”

The Falcons featured four of the top five finishers including individual medalist Jaivir Pande. The Rice University signee fired a 70 and then a 73 over the two rounds of play. “Jaivir is not only a really good golfer, but he’s also a great individual,” said Eggleston. “He has a tremendous work ethic and is a role model for our younger guys on the team. Jaivir finds a way to shoot between 68 to 73 every time out. In his four years here, I’d say he’s maybe had three or four rounds over par. He’s just been incredibly solid for us.”

Finishing second overall at the SPC tournament was Kinkaid’s Will Anderson, who carded a 74 and 72 over the 36 holes. In addition, Kinkaid’s Ford Montgomery and Tyler Karkowsky finished tied for fourth while fellow Falcon Charlie Sole rounded out the field for the newly crowned SPC champions.

In baseball, the Episcopal Knights captured this year’s SPC Championship with a decisive 13-0 victory over Houston Christian in the SPC tournament final. Episcopal erupted for a season high of 14 hits while pitcher Preston Sullivan allowed only one hit in a game ultimately ended by the ten-run rule.

The blowout victory in the SPC final came one day after Episcopal rallied for two runs in its final at bat for a dramatic 2-1 victory over rival St. John’s in the SPC semifinals. Senior centerfielder Baron Dichoso capped off the Knights’ dramatic victory by knocking in the game-winning run, while pitcher Adam Katz fired a two-

hitter in the Knights victory. “We won 14 of our last 15 games and our guys just had a refuse-tolose mentality. I’m just very proud of them,” said Episcopal head coach Matt Fox

It was pretty much a tale of two seasons for the Knights, who had an uncharacteristic 8-10 record through their first 18 games. “We just kept finding ways to win,” said Fox. “It all started with our 11-inning comeback win over Houston Christian in the regular season and continuing through victories like our nine-inning win over Kinkaid, where we again had to rally late to pull out the victory.”

With a standout season on the mound to go along with a .338 batting average, Katz was named the Knights’ team MVP. The Falcons senior will next play at Davidson College. In addition, fellow senior Andrew Thornton, who’ll play college baseball at Washington and Lee University, won the team’s leadership award. “Andrew is the best defensive third baseman I’ve had in 21 years,” added Fox.

In tennis, Memorial Mustangs Tara Ahmadi and Sofia Mazzucato teamed up to win the UIL 6A Girls Doubles State Tennis Championship. The duo captured the title with a three-set victory over their opponents from Round Rock’s Westwood in the state finals. The victory also marked the fourth state championship over the

years in girls doubles for the Mustangs.

“It was a huge accomplishment for Tara and Sofia,” said Memorial tennis coach Budd Booth. “They had lost to the Westwood team they played in the state finals twice earlier in the season, but the third time was the charm. They worked extremely hard to win that title and I’m very proud of them. I also want to give credit to our assistant coach Brian Mandell, who did a great job with them while I was overseeing our mixed doubles team that was playing in the state finals at the same time.”

The Mustangs mixed doubles tandem of Kat Lowy and Egor Morozov came within one victory of a state championship before falling to Plano West in a tough three-set match in the state final. “Kat and Egor had an incredible season,” said Booth. “They had an undefeated 400 record leading into the state final. They were disappointed not to win state, but Kat is only a sophomore and Egor is a junior, so they’ll have a great shot at it next year.”

Editor’s note: Todd Freed is the host and executive producer of H-Town High School Sports, which airs Saturday at 10:30 p.m. on CW39 and Monday-Thursday on AT&T SportsNet SW. To submit high school sports news for possible inclusion in SportzBuzz, please email todd@thebuzzmagazines.com.

GAME WINNER Episcopal Knights junior Eddie Tamez, Jr. crosses the plate with the game-winning run in a dramatic come-from-behind 2-1 victory over St. John’s in the SPC baseball tournament semifinals. The Knights would then defeat Houston Christian 13-0 the following day to win the SPC 4A Baseball Championship.

. by Todd Freed, staff writer

Dee Blevins

. by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

SportzBuzz Jr.

Welcome to SportzBuzz Jr., a column spotlighting neighborhood athletes in elementary and middle school.

HISD district champs

The Pin Oak Middle School Chargers won the title of Houston Independent School District Champions for softball. They had an incredible undefeated season, with a record of 15-0. They were coached by head coach Eric Meyer and assistant coach Howard Frazier (not pictured). Houston Chief of Police Troy Finner stopped by Pin Oak to congratulate the Charger Softball team on their perfect season and championship. In the series, the Chargers beat West Briar, Pershing, and went on to win the District Championship, beating the final team with a score of 4-2. Pictured (top row, from left) are Coach Eric Meyer, Avery Marx, Madelyn Spain, Madyson Tennard, Kayla Juarez, Miranda Rappazzo, Eleanor Marino-Hunn, Riley Most, Natalie Quebodeaux; (bottom row, from left) Rebecca Balke, Mattie Edwards, Jothi Thiagarajan, Reagan Pinkerton, Eve Puzon, Megan BaezWilliams, Kailin Tang, and Faith Puzon

Kate the great

Rising gymnastics star Kate McCarthy (pictured), a fourth grader at Horn Elementary School, recently competed at the South State Texas Gymnastics Competition. She competed with her team from Discover Gymnastics, and it was an exhilarating day for all of the gymnasts who participated. Kate was awarded state all around, beam, bars, and floor champ for her age group. She appears a total of five times in America’s top 100 in her age group for bars, floors, and all around. With her all-around ranking, she is 66th in the country.

A night of fun

Recently, youth softball players ventured out for a fun and memorable evening with some of Rice University’s finest. The Rice baseball team hosted a West University Softball Association night at Reckling Park to participate in some pre- and post-game activities. Over 100 WUSA players and family members attended the game to watch the Owls take on the Charlotte 49ers. Daniel Pesikoff , WUSA president, represented the league and threw out the first pitch. WUSA players were invited onto the field for the National Anthem and opening ceremonies, including (pictured, from left, with some of the Rice players) Olivia Munro, Tessa Keller, Maggie Doyle , and Natalie Lane . After the game, the girls got to run the bases and interact with the Rice players.

Editor’s note: Send your best high-resolution photos and behind-the-scenes stories about young local athletes, in both team and individual sports, to SportzBuzz, Jr. at info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Include all contact info, names, ages, grades and schools. Featured athletes must live in Buzz-circulation neighborhoods. Items will be published on a space-available basis.

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DIRT AND DETERMINATION Natalia Norris, a freshman at St. Agnes Academy, poses after finishing the 2023 MUDGIRL race. MUDGIRL is an annual charity race held in several cities around the U.S. and has raised more than $300,000 for breast cancer research.

by Natalia Norris, age 15

Buzz Kidz

Overcoming obstacles

Beep, beep, beep!” My ears ring from the piercing alarm. I wonder how deep of a surge of motivation I must have been in to willingly set an alarm for 7 a.m. on a Saturday. Wait, Saturday – today was the long awaited MUDGIRL race! I jumped out of bed and ran downstairs. My mom and I drove to Conroe, talking about our expectations for the three 5K, 17-obstacle run. When we arrived, there was a long line of cars, but we eventually found my mom’s friends and daughters. We eagerly ran towards the start and began to warm up. There were crowds of women in pink, many wearing t-shirts dedicated to a loved one who experienced breast cancer. MUDGIRL Houston is not only a fun challenge but has donated more than $300,000 towards breast cancer research.

Within minutes, a voice shouted, “3, 2,

1...Go!” Off I went with my friend Kianna Vaz by my side, realizing quickly that our mothers would not be able to keep up with us. Everyone seemed to be doing the obstacles at their own pace, as if they found running, climbing, and being submerged in thick mud to be relaxing or even therapeutic. Every grunt was followed by infectious laughter as mud covered our bodies. Some groups showed solidarity by speed walking instead of running to stay together, but I ran through the obstacles on my own. After passing a group that had started before me, I naively thought, “This is so easy, I could do it twice.”

This was my mindset until I came upon two giant mounds of slippery mud. They clearly couldn’t be crossed alone. It required teamwork. Many people stood on someone else’s hands, as

they were given a boost to the top, where they would link arms and reach down to help the next women up. When I got through this obstacle, I realized it was more fun relying on a community of strangers than attempting the climb by myself.

When I reached the finish line, I talked to newfound friends about our hardest obstacles. When my group arrived, we laughed about the best and worst parts of our journey. This trial helped me see that life’s difficulties are easier and livelier with a community.

Want to be a Buzz Kid? Email approximately 350 words, a high-resolution photo and caption to info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Or mail it to The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401.

December 31, 2025 will be the most exciting New Year’s Eve in living memory for transfer tax nerds. That’s the last day to make a gift before the estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax exemptions are cut in half. Most of us need not worry about it. Some will enjoy worrying about it, but should not. Very few can and should do anything with the opportunity.

The unified estate, gift, and GST exemptions increased to $5 million in 2011, with an inflation adjustment after 2011. That $5 million temporarily doubled to $10 million both for taxpayers dying and for gifts made between 2018 and 2025. With the inflation index, the exemption amount is almost $13 million for 2023 ($12,920,000 to be precise). Without an act of Congress, come January 1, 2026, that exemption amount will be cut in half, to about $6.5 million (an inflation index will remain).

Initially, there was concern that taxpayers could not exempt the largest gifts made between 2018 and 2025 without also dying between 2018 and 2025. Final regulations in 2019 clarified that taxpayers can rely on the date of death exemption or the date of gift exemption, whichever is larger. In plain English, there’s a $6.5 million freebie that’s use it or lose it. If you have a spare dollar, or $6.5 million, you can give it away before 2026, and tax free. After, that same $6.5 million is taxed at 40% on gift or death.

Normal people with $6.5 million quit work. Their estates are not taxable anyway, and it usually doesn’t help them or their children to make big gifts. December 31, 2025 will be just another boring New Year’s for these peo-

ple.

A surprising number of people even with $6.5 million cannot afford major gifts. They have a $1 million home, their lifestyle costs $350,000 a year, and they need $10 million in liquid assets to maintain that lifestyle in retirement. Pity them. They cannot afford to retire, much less give money away. Their children will still get $6.5 million transfer-tax free (per parent), and will just have to scrape by after paying 40% on the excess.

Only those who have excess capital, and lots of it, should worry about 2026. A conservative plan assumes $1 million in liquid assets is needed for every $35,000 in annual expenses, after taxes, inflation, and investment advisory fees. Add a cushion for unfunded liabilities, e.g., long-term care. Multiply by 20%, just to be safe. If you don’t have $1 million or more in excess capital, don’t bother with major gifts before 2026.

We write wills and go to probate court. Foreign nationals and international families welcome.

Russell W. Hall, J.D., LL.M. (Tax), Board Certified – Estate Planning and Probate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 6750 West Loop South, Suite 920, Bellaire, Texas 77401, 713.662.3853, bellaireprobate.com/blog

Neighborhood Tails

Enzo, age 2, German Shepherd

281-884-9191

Hi, I’m Enzo. I’m a 2-year-old German Shepherd. I wake up daily to go to work with my dad to help with the bills. My responsibilities are to sleep and occasionally look like I patrol the place looking for bad guys. I scare folks with my looks, but I’m the friendliest German Shepherd you’ll ever meet. I love everything and everyone . . . seriously! My hobbies include chasing squirrels and chilling in the pool after long walks. I go crazy for tennis and soccer balls. You’ll often see me playing soccer, catch with mom and dad, and taking long walks. I try to put in about 30K steps a day to stay fit. Check out my photo. Don’t I look great? More than anything, I love seeing my friends from the neighborhood: Koda, Captain, and Prince. Also, a special shout-out to Ranger . . . I hope we can be friends one day. If you see me in the neighborhood, please say hi!

Got a cute critter? Email a picture of your pet with approximately 150 words to info@thebuzzmagazines.com or mail it to The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401.

Recently, I suggested to one of our long-time clients that he take a weekend off from caring for his wife. He retired four years ago, but he hasn’t taken a break from being his wife’s caregiver during that time. Now, he’s close to burning out.

I told him to give me a week’s notice that he wants to take a weekend, and we’ll ensure there’s sufficient coverage for his wife to feel comfortable without him.

He hasn’t given me notice yet.

At S. Gerber & Associates, we understand when you want to be your loved ones’ primary caregiver. But no one can provide care 365 days a year. We all need breaks to indulge in our hobbies and social interactions. Abstaining from these things is detrimental to your mental and physical health and leads to caregiver exhaustion.

Many people fear leaving their loved one because the care that person will receive when they’re gone won’t be the same – and that’s true. But sometimes, it’s refreshing for the loved one to see a new face. They might need a break as much as you do.

If you’ve done your research and you’re confident you’ve found a competent caregiver you’re comfortable with (preferably through an agency that has carefully vetted that caregiver), you can get away to recharge, mentally and physically. When you return, you’ll be an even better caregiver.

S. Gerber & Associates, 3730 Kirby Dr., Suite 1200, Houston, TX 77098, 713.857.3227, sid@personalcaregiving.com

Longer and stronger pollen seasons

Last month, I wrote that 25% of American adults now suffer from allergic rhinitis (hay fever). The hygiene hypothesis mostly explains why this has happened, but since The Buzz gives a limited amount of words in this space, I really didn’t get to express the complete picture. Compared to 1990, pollen seasons typically start 20 days earlier and last 10 days longer. An allergic reaction is essentially a “false alarm”. That is, an overreaction to a harmless substance.

So, what to do if allergen avoidance and medications don’t work? Allergen immunotherapy (allergy shots or drops) works very well to prevent those false alarms if prescribed and administered correctly. What does “prescribed and administered correctly” mean? Well, for one thing, don’t get your allergy shots prescribed by someone who isn’t board certified by the American Board of Allergy & Immunology. Medical allergists undergo rigorous training on how to dose allergy shots properly, so that we don’t mix ingredients that hamper or impede each other, and we use therapeutic doses high enough that can actually make you non-allergic. Second, if you decide to go with allergy drops, don’t buy them just anywhere. You know that label “Cedar Fever” on that bottle of store-bought drops that says it contains Mountain Cedar and the dose is “12x”. Do you know what that means? They took one milliliter of Mountain Cedar and made a 1:10 dilution 12 times. So that 30 mL bottle contains 0.000000000003 mL of Mtn Cedar. Guess what. That’s a placebo dose. That’s really a very, very low placebo dose. Sold as a supplement and not an FDA approved medicine, it doesn’t need to provide any proof that it is effective. But look on the bright side.

You only have a 0.000000000003% chance of anaphylaxis from that dose, so you don’t have to waste money on an EpiPen! Plus, placebos have been shown to work about 30% of the time. So, who knows. Maybe the placebo will work for you. While you’re at it, buy a few lottery tickets if you feel that lucky.

But if you’re really allergic and you want real relief, see the only group of allergists in the Houston area who have had two of their doctors as long-time members of the immunotherapy committee of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. You know, the group that requires that their members are actually physicians who did fellowships in allergy & immunology and that their fellows are actually board certified. And not board certified in environmental medicine or clinical ecology. But board certified by the one and only American Board of Allergy & Immunology. No one nose allergies like we do.™

Note: Information contained in this article should not be considered a substitute for consultation with a board-certified allergist to address individual medical needs.

David B. Engler, M.D., The Allergy Clinic, 7707 Fannin, Suite 100, Houston, Texas 77054, 713.797.0993, *1200 Binz, Suite 1400, Houston, Texas 77004, 713.522.9911, www.allergyclinic.com, *Operating as Houston Allergy and Asthma Clinic

. by Angie Frederickson, staff writer

Buzz About Town

Bellaire’s trolley run

BBYO reunion: 1975-80 grads

The Bellaire Trolley Run drew a huge crowd, including participants Derya Cepni, Pinar Cepni, Makoa Veiseh, Arda Cepni, and Kaliko Veiseh (pictured, from left). Starting in front of Bellaire City Hall, the event included 1-mile, 5k, 5k wheelchair, and 5k stroller races, followed by a post-race party at Bellaire Town Square with plenty of goodies for the runners. The annual run coordinated by the City of Bellaire, PATRONS for Bellaire Parks, and Al Lawrence Running Club provided fun for the whole family, and each participant received a finisher medal and t-shirt. The super-speedy, first-place winners of the 5k race are Matthew Persick with a time of 15:31 and Catherine Kruppa with an 18:19 finish time.

Plans are in the works for a BBYO reunion this fall. A group of old friends recently reunited at the home of Kathy Kaplan Parven to track down fellow Houston BBYO alumni who graduated from high school between 1975 and 1980. The group is part of a planning committee that is organizing an unofficial reunion on Nov. 25, 2023. Craig Howard, AZA #136 alum, is sponsoring the event, and former members of the youth organization are invited to join the fun and reconnect with lifelong and long-lost friends. Pictured, from left, are (top row): Suzie Finger Daum, Andrea Altman Croft, Larry Sklar, Lisa Kwartler Leva, Ralph Gardner, Chuck Goldman, Rebeca Spiegelman Zurawin, Holly Segal Plost, Lois Worchel Elitzky, Peter Loftspring, and Richard Seline; (middle row): Bernice Blum, Jay Dushkin, Elyse Selzer Schultz, Sabrina Zelikow Engel, Rochelle (Shelly) Palla, Adele Goldstein Croft, and Steve Croft; (bottom row): Shari Penner and Serena Brooks; not pictured: Kathy Kaplan Parven. For more information and to join the mailing list, BBYO alums can complete this form: bit.ly/3VBSVW6.

Young professionals welcome spring

Women of Wardrobe’s (WOW) Spring Fling co-chairs Serena Sneeringer and Victoria Villarreal (pictured, from left) organized the annual event benefiting Dress for Success Houston. More than 140 fellow supporters gath-

ered at the Owl Bar and raised more than $24,000. Each year, WOW’s group of young professionals gathers to support Dress for Success Houston, raising funds to provide professional attire for local women so they can join the workforce and become economically independent. Guests enjoyed music, drinks, a photobooth, raffle, and great food including grilled redfish over low country shrimp and cookies for dessert.

Heart and song

The Houston Chamber Choir celebrated 28 years of making music at the Heart & Song gala at the Petroleum Club. Choir member Marianna Parnas-Simpson and Houston Chamber Choir founder and artistic director Robert Simpson (pictured) joined more than 160 supporters for dinner, cocktails, and plenty of music. Along with wine and champagne, guests enjoyed a specialty cocktail named “Ain’t it a Pretty Night,” while local pianist Marvin Gaspard provided pre-din-

(continued on page 50)

Wilson Parish

Jeff Grass Photography

ner entertainment. During dinner, choir members Rebecca Castillo, Rameen Chaharbaghi, Wayne Ashley, Emily Wolfe, Melanie Piché Miller, Paul Steffan, and Patrick Schneider each performed a solo, accompanied by Dr. Andreea Mut on the piano. The successful evening raised $400,000 and concluded with the choir singing “Drinking of the Wine.”

D3 no-hitter

Bellaire High School (BHS) alumnus Aidan

Reichek (pictured) threw a no-hitter in his third start for Centenary College of Louisiana. The 18-0 run-rule shutout occurred in game two of Centenary’s doubleheader against the University of Dallas. This was Centenary’s first no-hitter thrown at home since 2018. Aidan, a freshman right-handed pitcher, graduated from BHS in 2022 and is continuing his baseball career as a college student in Louisiana. He recently received several honors, including Centenary Athlete of the Week, being named to the D3baseball.com Team of the Week as a starting pitcher, and being named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Div. III Rookie of the Week.

Flavors of the world

Condit Elementary students and families celebrated cultural diversity at the school’s

annual international festival. This year’s IFest, Flavors of the World , brought the community together to dress in costumes from their country of origin and enjoy foods from around the world. Condit students entertained the crowd with cultural performances, including a dance from the Bollywood Beats, a group of kids of Indian origin who performed a Bollywood fusion dance. Condit students and moms are (pictured): Rayan Bhardwaj, Ashvin Ghanta, Avighna Ghanta, Diyan Jagushte, Aiden Bhardwaj, Saisha Bhardwaj, Amara Bhardwaj, Charlotte Doucet, Mili Shroff, Hrisha Jagushte, Reva Pawaskar , and Satvik Valluru ; not pictured: Kush Kalra

Party with the Pershing PTO

The Pershing Middle School PTO hosted current and future Panda parents for a fun night out at Flight Club. Pershing principal Steven Shetzer joined PTO executive-board members Jessica Reyna, Sara Armstrong, Rachel Pasternak, Alison Morehead, Lisa Lim, Candace Blakemore, and Kim Nelson (pictured, from left) at the first-time event. About 70 Pershing parents joined the fun for socializ-

ing, playing darts, enjoying snacks, and an opportunity to meet each other.

Picnic in the park

Riley, Caren, and Madeleine Giga (pictured, from left) celebrated Earth Day at Evelyn’s Park’s annual Picnic in the Park and Earth Day Celebration. This year’s event also commemorated the park’s sixth anniversary with a special birthday cake. Earth Day and park supporters enjoyed a beautiful, sunny afternoon of live music from the Outlier Band, dance performances, face painting, scavenger hunts, crafts, food and drinks, environmentally focused activities like Crush the Can hosted by the City of Bellaire’s Environmental Sustainability Board, and a seedling giveaway from Trees for Houston. Search "Evelyn’s Park's 2023 Picnic in the Park and Earth Day Celebration" at thebuzzmagazines.com for more photos.

85 years of Lamar High School

Alumni and families gathered to celebrate the 85th anniversary of Lamar (continued on page 52)

(continued from page 50)

High School. Principal Rita Hayes welcomed hundreds of guests back into the halls where they spent their highschool days. The Lamar band performed as alumni walked through the Grand Hall to the renovated 1938 building and entered the Ned Holmes Performance Hall for a special program. Guests enjoyed listening to Lamar’s choir and orchestra, and alumni board president Max Shilstone shared information about improvements made to the school, scholarships for graduates, and efforts to support the teachers. After the program, the crowd was led to the front lawn by the cheerleaders to take an 85th anniversary photo (pictured), before enjoying lunch with former classmates and tours of the new facilities.

Condit’s busy bees

old days and sharing all about their lives since leaving their first Condit classroom, the students received some sage advice for middle school from Mrs. Garibaldi.

Long live Swifties

It was a night to remember. Moms and daughters (and one brave dad) piled into a party bus and headed to NRG Stadium for the event they had been waiting for, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. They planned their ‘fits, and then danced and belted out every word of the 44 songs that spanned the three hours. One of the best parts of the night was the people watching, with no shortage of creative ensembles ranging from western chic to sequins. Even with all the hype and anticipation, these fans say the show was even better than they hoped, and it was an unforgettable experience. These Swifties are (top

row, from left): Leven Rambin, Chuck Sanders, Erica Rose Sanders, Mandy Ogden, Lori Williamson, Ashley Wakeland, Taylor Terry, Shelley Terry, Jill Patir, Julie Atlas Taylor, Angela Atlas Mutisya, Yael Rahimi, Jennifer Rosenzweig, Debrah Rose, and Ryann Detamore; (bottom row, from left): Cindi Rose, Holland Rose, Paula Burson-Auerbach, Emma Arriaga, Talya Patir, Anna Taylor, Evelyn Forque, Eden Rahimi, Brynn Winograd, and Madison Rose. For more photos of Buzz-area Swifties enjoying the Eras tour, search "Worth the Wait: Taylor Swift Takes Houston" by Andria Dilling at thebuzzmagazines.com.

Be seen in Buzz About Town. Send your high-res photos and community news to info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Items are published on a space-available basis. Also share your upcoming-event listings on thebuzzmagazines.com.

Condit Elementary fifth graders reunited with their beloved kindergarten teacher before graduating from elementary school. Former “busy bees” Rayan Bhardwaj, Jackson Mondshine, Krish Beniwal, Nolan Patterson, Sylvia Lawson, Alena Chaudhuri, Zoe Cheng, Caden Chang, kindergarten teacher Barby Garibaldi, Maddux Patterson, Sajan Mathew, Hailey Kaiser, Aden Cortez, Naya Dahdel, Ella Pridgen, and Sydney Pasternak (pictured, from left) got together to reminisce about their time in kindergarten. After telling stories from the

. by Andria Frankfort Dilling, staff writer

Back Porch

Summer reading 2023: Uplifting reads

Every summer, Back Porch takes a month to share what books neighbors are finding engrossing and inspiring. Sort of a “people’s choice” version of Cindy Burnett’s expert monthly Buzz Reads column.

This is our month, and this year’s theme is uplifting. It’s been a long three years – someone recently said, However long ago you think something happened, add three years. Did we lose them or were we just in a twilight zone? Doesn’t matter – there isn’t anyone who couldn’t use a little happy this summer.

Carin Collins is always reading, whether that means she’s reading an actual book or listening to one being narrated on her walks. “I love listening on Audible, because you get the voices,” she says. Carin, who works in wine sales, enjoys a laugh-out-loud book, or at least one that brings a smile. “Everything we read right now is about gender and race and politics,” she says. “But I have read a few that might not be Nobel Prizewinning but made me smile.”

One book she says made her laugh out loud is The Guncle by Steven Rowley. “It’s kind of a sad story – very sweet and touching. But the Gay Uncle, Guncle, has never had kids before and suddenly has to take over the care of his niece and nephew after their parents die. He makes these crazy rules he thinks make sense for children – you can Google ‘Guncle Rules’ – which make no sense.” The Guncle was named to numerous “best beach reads” lists last summer.

“There’s another sweet one called The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie,” Carin says. “It’s a love story with an unexpected twist, which I hate to hear people say, because then you’re looking for the twist the whole time!” Written by Rachel Linden about life’s circumstances and the path not taken, Carin says the novel “makes you feel good about wherever you are.”

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus lands on Carin’s list not only because it’s a “best book of the year” many times over or because it’s a funny delve into feminism and what it was like to be a brilliant woman chemist in the ’60s, but also because “one of the neatest parts is that one of the characters is the dog, and there are chapters written from his perspective,” she says. An Amazon Review says: “If you’re looking for deli-

cious hilarity, characters filled with competency and quirk, and pure entertainment, then read Bonnie Garmus’ exuberant novel.”

The Jung Center – which once was named Houston’s “quirkiest bookstore” by Texas Monthly – holds the largest collection of books on depth psychology in the Southwest. Where better to look for books that help us refresh and renew? We asked Elissa Davis, longtime manager of The Jung Center’s bookstore, for her favorite picks for uplifting reads.

“Anything by Kate Bowler,” Elissa says. Bowler is the bestselling author, inspiring podcaster, and professor at Duke University Divinity School who is known for encouraging people to move beyond perfection to live lives that are “joyfully mediocre” (which was the title of her 2022 series of emails containing summer blessings).

Bowler’s latest book, co-authored with Jessica Richie, is The Lives We Actually Have: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days. It's “a reminder that we don’t need to wait for perfect lives when we can bless the lives we already have.” Other books from Kate Bowler include the national bestsellers No Cure for Being Human (And Other Truths I Need to Hear) and Everything Happens

for a Reason (And Other Lies I’ve Loved).

Elissa’s next pick comes from Koshin Paley Ellison. Untangled: Walking the Eightfold Path to Clarity, Courage, and Compassion is an introduction to a Buddhist way of finding meaning and aligning with our core values in order to “create a life of true pleasure” in the midst of a world that is increasingly filled with unhealthy distractions disguised as connection (think social media), often resulting in loneliness.

The Stress Prescription: 7 Days to More Joy and Ease by psychologist and stress expert Elissa Epel is also on Elissa Davis’ list. “It’s a little book,” she says, “and the copies I ordered for the bookstore flew out the door in a week. For me, that’s hotcakes!”

And for little ones, Elissa loves May All People and Pigs Be Happy by local mindfulness teacher Micki Fine Pavlicek. Elissa loves the book so much, she made a felt pig, complete with a tiny felt bow in her hair, to gift her goddaughter alongside the book.

Happy summer, and happy reading!

Editor's note: For more book recommendations, see this month's Buzz Reads plus our weekly Page Turners column by Cindy Burnett.

HAPPY READING This summer is the perfect time to enjoy a few uplifting books.