The Memorial Buzz - May 2017

Ashley Forgason Willis, daughter Halley, Dianne Dreyling Forgason, Leonean Hunt Harrison

Meet Mr. Marvin The Berrys Fight Distracted Driving

Parenting Tips from Mom – and Her Mom

More Mothers, More Love

by Annie Blaylock McQueen

Appreciating Teachers Hotel Dining is Back Menu Memories Houston, TX Permit No. 2047 PAID US Postage PRSRT STD

Chef’s Corner: Richard Sandoval

EDITOR’S NOTE Love, loss, prayers and perseverance. That’s what you’ll find in this month’s Buzz – which is one of my favorite issues. Residents were willing to trust our writers with the most personal of stories, sharing painful – and hopeful – experiences to help readers who might need the inspiration right now. Andria Frankfort shares the efforts of the Berry family to help pass legislation in Texas banning hand-held cell phone use, including texting, while driving. Jennifer Oakley gives us a glimpse into the “constellation” family of Claudine and David Hartland. Theirs is a love story lifted up by the strength of their family members, including four moms. Also, new-to-us writer Amber Blossom introduces us to “Mr. Marvin,” the greeter at the Weekley YMCA who, at age 90, has seen his own share of challenges, but the children he greets with stickers on a daily basis would never know it. Wishing a happy Mother’s Day to all. I hope you find peace, comfort and joy in The Buzz this month. joni@thebuzzmagazines.com

THE BUZZ MAGAZINES BELLAIRE • WEST UNIVERSITY • MEMORIAL • TANGLEWOOD/RIVER OAKS Published by Hoffman Marketing & Media, LLC 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401 info@thebuzzmagazines.com • p: 713.668.4157 • f: 713.665.2940 Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter thebuzzmagazines.com Editor Publisher Associate Editors Design Manager Staff Writers

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Joni Hoffman Michael Hoffman Cheryl Laird Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld John Duboise Tracy L. Barnett Sharon Albert Brier Andria Frankfort Angie Frederickson Todd Freed Cathy Gordon Michelle Casas Groogan Dai Huynh Annie Blaylock McQueen Jennifer Oakley Cheryl Ursin Amber Blossom Nicole Harrison Francois Elisha Selzer, Russell Weil Andrea Blitzer Leslie Little Kim Montgomery Amber Lewis, Helen van Rensburg Dylan Aguilar

On our cover: New mom Ashley Forgason Willis (pictured, with daughter Halley, 13 months), takes parenting advice from her mother, Dianne Dreyling Forgason, and grandmother, Leonean Hunt Harrison.

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 © 2017 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.

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 4

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 5

MAILBAG

Your letters, thoughts, opinions RV meant more than recreation I loved your article on the Avion, and I'm so glad it went to someone who appreciates it [You Want a What? How I ended up with an RV, by Cheryl Laird, March 2017]. The camper brought me many hours of enjoyment during a real dark time in my life.

I was diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer. Along with the diagnosis came instructions from my doctor to "get my things in order," so I did. I completed my will, went and looked at cemetery plots, said farewell to some close friends.

As weeks unexpectedly turned into months, I found a project to work on, mostly to put my mind's energy to work and not think about what my future held. I bought the Avion as a project. I wanted to spruce it up a bit, so I had some hardwood floors installed. I picked out new fabric and had the couch and bed-boards recovered, along with new curtains. The interior wood was immaculate, and all I did was keep it rubbed down with lemon oil.

With the upgrades I had the perfect little vintage camper, and the following year we set out to the NASCAR races in Dallas. We had so much fun and parked in the infield with all the luxurious motor homes. The little Avion became the talk of all the resident campers, everyone wanting to take a peek inside.

Last year my husband and I decided we were going to downsize so we could travel. After all, God had given me extra time! We both agreed the Avion was just too small for extended stays. So together with our spare car and Harley-Davidson, we put those items up for sale.

We were able to purchase a new 5th wheel. We sold our home, and my husband just retired this month. We will hit the road in May and will return to Texas in October! We are so excited! I enjoyed your article and I wish you and your family many hours of enjoyment. I just had my scans in January, another year cancer free – that makes 6!

Paula Mitchell

couldn't find what they needed for their child, so they created it. Aspire Accessories is partnered with [non-profit] Social Motion Skills (founded

by Wendy Dawson, who lives in Memorial).

Catherine Christopherson

Once and always – Lamar Great article on Lamar [Happy Anniversary, Lamar: 80 years of high school memories, by Andria Frankfort, April 2017]! Amanda Kepke Fisher was in my class! I play tennis with her husband David all the time at HRC. David lost the battle to send her [daughter Elizabeth] to Memorial where he attended (they would have had to move), but I know they are pleased with their daughter's choice! Once a Redskin always a Redskin... I mean, Texan.

David Cromack

Generations of Lamar Loved your Lamar High article. Our eldest married his Lamar High girlfriend, and her family had four generations attend. Just sent article to all (that are still alive!) So fun. All still in Houston. They all still see each other. They're all in each other’s weddings. Lamar was great for them.

Nancy Beck 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.

What’s your story?

Finding work and friends My son, who has high-functioning autism, is 23 years old now and looking for employment. A friend referred me to Denise Hazen with Aspire Accessories. My jaw dropped when I walked in and saw a thriving business where there were 20-plus young adults (who come from all areas of Greater Houston) just like my son having fun together and busy working on all sorts of products from leather goods to engraving. I hope you will consider doing a story so that everyone can see that there is a wonderful place where lots of people with autism can find employment and community. Until this, every parent has had to go out and find or create a special job for their child, like Ryan in your story in the March issue [Working It: Careers for adults with autism, by Michelle Casas Groogan]. Having a job is fantastic, but it doesn't solve the community (friends to hang out with) aspect that is so lacking. Both of these organizations were started by mothers who MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 6

We are looking for residents for upcoming articles who: • Experienced a gap year before college.

• Know an interesting senior citizen to profile.

• Have back-to-school family traditions.

• Enjoyed trips to Galveston with their significant others.

• Have a travel story to share.

If this sounds like you or someone you know, please contact us at info@thebuzzmagazines.com or 713.668.4157, ext 12.

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 7

lawellphoto.com

NEIGHBORS

by Andria Frankfort, staff writer

Enough Lives Berry family fights distracted driving

T

hey say it’s not our circumstances that make us who we are; it’s what we choose to do with them.

That sentiment could not ring more true than it does for the Berry family. Six years ago this July, Peter, Aaron and Willa Berry were driving home from a Colorado vacation with their parents, Robin and Josh, when a distracted driver hit them head-on. Neither Robin nor Josh survived the crash. Peter and Aaron were paralyzed from the waists down; Willa escaped with broken bones. But while that tragedy tore lives apart, it also became the impetus for a family’s incredible journey of service.

“Everyone has their challenges, and this is ours,” says Simone Berry, Robin and Josh’s softspoken sister-in-law. She and her husband Matt, Josh’s brother, are raising the children along with their own two, Noah and Misha.

“We don’t want what happened to us to happen to other people,” says 14-year-old Aaron, who loves music and art, plays competitive wheelchair basketball and always has a smile.

Aaron’s cousin Noah, a competitive tennisplaying 15 year old, says, “You go to hospitals and hear all the stories. Having that experience, seeing everyone struggle, makes you want to do something. People say, ‘Don’t text and drive,’ and you’re like, ‘Okay,’ but then…”

Aaron chimes in, “You don’t ever think it’s going to happen to you.”

“Prior to this, we were never involved,” says Aaron’s brother Peter, 15, ranked as the best freshman wheelchair basketball player in the country and on track to go to the Paralympic Games in four years. “We deep down needed a way to inform other people about the dangers of distracted driving.” Peter has been described as a born leader since his Little League days.

A little over a year after the accident, the family started brainstorming. “We thought, ‘What can we do to make a difference?’” Simone says.

“Nobody intends to get in their car and hurt anyone, ever. That’s why there needs to be a law.”

That’s how OLIE, “One Life is Enough,” came to be. (See stopdistractions.org/olie.)

Since its start, the Berrys have become intimately involved in a movement to pass legislation in MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 8

STRONG TOGETHER The Berry family – Noah, Peter, Matt, Willa, Simone, Aaron and Misha – are making their voices heard to help pass a law against distracted driving. Inset photo: The Berry children give OLIE (One Life is Enough) bracelets as reminders to people who pledge not to text and drive.

Texas banning hand-held cell phone use, including texting, while driving.

“We created pledges that drivers could sign,” Peter says. “Our goal was to get maybe a thousand pledges. You sign your name and say that you won’t be distracted while driving.” The family took the pledge sheets and OLIE pledgereminder bracelets to tennis matches, wheelchair basketball games, schools, synagogues and churches, and even to Texas A&M in College Station, where they spoke to hundreds of fraternity members, and The University of Texas at Austin. They got almost 5,000 pledges.

“It just grew and grew,” Simone says. “As a family, we’ve been speaking at events and legislation, telling our story, in hopes of getting the law passed.

It’s a very simple law: no texting and driving.

“What infuriates me is when we go to the Capitol and new families are there telling their stories. Accidents are happening all the time.”

The family has spoken twice on the floor of the Texas Senate, and they’ve visited legislators in the Capitol five times. “There are so many other families there who have been terribly affected, and they all share their stories. There are tears and it’s very emotional,” says Misha, Simone’s 14-year-old daughter, who plays tennis competitively.

“It was most powerful when we got to speak to the Senate, because they’re the ones who if we change their minds, the bill passes, and if we don’t, it doesn’t,” Aaron says.

“It’s all a domino effect,” Simone says. “I got

a call last year from the WE Movement (we.org), which is a nonprofit that works with schools and kids all over the world who are making a difference. They found us and came to our home for four days, did the most beautiful interview with the family. In October 2016, we went to Toronto, and the kids spoke to 20,000 people.” Those attending were kids and families who had earned tickets to WE Day, which brings together world-renowned speakers and performers, by serving their communities.

At this writing, Texas remains one of four states that hasn’t passed a bill prohibiting texting and driving. The Berrys are hopeful that by the time this article prints, that will have changed.

Willa, at 11 a firecracker and competitive soccer player, says, “We’re just spreading the word to make people aware of how dangerous distracted driving can be.”

Peter chimes in: “If you believe in something as strongly as we believe in OLIE, you do all you can to promote what you think is right. If you really believe it, then you really have a lot of power.”

MORE ONLINE See thebuzzmagazines.com for a video of the Berry family speaking at WE Day and for the August 2011 Buzz article “Remembering Robin and Joshua Berry.”

See stopdistractions.org/olie to participate as a school, family, organization or individual in OLIE, One Life is Enough. You can download materials, ask for a speaker, or request pledge bracelets.

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NEIGHBORS

by Jennifer Oakley, staff writer

Pieced back together through prayer

D

ear Lord, I am so broken. I am a broken vase. Please put me back together.”

Claudine gave it up to God. One moment she was a wife and mother of three young children enjoying a ski vacation with her husband. The next moment, she was only a mother. Edd K. Hendee died in 2010, the day before Valentine’s, in a skiing accident on a mountaintop in Vermont.

One moment Claudine was cooking chicken marsala, waiting for Edd K. to return from a day on the slopes. The next moment, in shock and grief, she was on a plane, kids in tow, arriving back in Houston, her parents and in-laws encircling her in their arms. At just 33 years old Claudine Hendee became a widow, and her children, Campbell, then 4, Hudson, 3, and Reagan, just 8 months, fatherless.

“I am a shattered vase, God. I am in bits and pieces.”

Mothers take on an extra special significance in Claudine’s family. Seven years since the accident, Claudine is now remarried, to David Hartland, whose first wife Kristen died from breast cancer in early June 2005. David and Kristen’s son, Sam, was 18 months old at the time.

Today, Sam is 13, Campbell, 11, Hudson, 10, and Reagan is 7. Married exactly five years this month, Claudine and David have a son together, Conrad, the bookend who further ties them all together. The family’s moniker, H7, which represents their unity, is emblazoned on stationary and David and Claudine’s license plates. Claudine wears a delicate H7 charm on a golden necklace.

They are fueled by love from their constellation of a family: four moms, four dads, 17 sisters and sisters-in-law, 12 brothers-in-law and 18 nieces and nephews – along with the star-bright memories of both Edd K. and Kristen.

And, seven years after the death that rocked her to her core, Claudine is bolstered by the support of four women: her own mother Norma Jean Moore, her mother-in-law Joan Hartland, her first mother-in-law Nina Hendee, and David’s first mother-in-law Darla Stone. The quartet of moms are so seamlessly woven togethMEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 10

lawellphoto.com

More Mothers, More Love er, so fiercely bound by love and loss, that there is no way to tell who belongs to whom. They all simply belong to each other.

“Of course it’s easy to love your own mother, and my own mother is exceptionally easy to love,” says David, associate director of Tulcan Management. “Many of us would shudder at the thought of having essentially three mother-in-laws. But in this case that’s where we’d all be wrong. Darla, Norma Jean, and Nina all fit in and lend their own strengths, and together they make a fantastic foursome.

Together they’re the mother equivalent of [superhero robot] Voltron!”

“People tell me I will be angry, Lord. I do not want to be angry. Lord, take my anger.”

“I did not see her smile or laugh for over a year. She was there, but MOTHERLY LOVE Claudine Hartland (center) is surrounded by the love of the she was not really four moms in her life: (from left) Nina Hendee, Joan Hartland, Darla Stone and there,” recalls Norma Jean Moore.

Claudine’s mom, Moore. “I used to keep a little stick-on note with Memorial resident Norma Jean Moore. “She verse in my wallet for years. My daughter is had support from family and friends, but she is a always encouraging me, and she is a really believer. I never thought she was mad or blamed incredible mother.”

God. I have known people who lost their husLooking back, Claudine’s first parents-in-law, bands, and they were very, very mad for a long Nina and Edd Hendee, took Claudine and the time. Not Claudine, she gave it to God.” kids into their Memorial home, ministering to Moore, a real estate agent with Woodway their every need. A funeral was planned. Claudine Realty, says Claudine’s Christian faith has been and Edd K.’s Connecticut house was sold. Lives steadfast since youth. “She has always been the were restarted. And while (continued on page 12) one who would write me Bible verses,” says

Brooke Schwab Photography

LOVE ABOUNDS Claudine and David Hartland use “H7” as a family moniker. From left: Hudson, Sam, David, Conrad (on lap), Claudine, Reagan and Campbell. (continued from page 10) the days were rocky, the

nights were achingly difficult. “I used to lay in bed and cry so hard, my whole body would shake,” recalls Claudine, whose expressive eyes recount the sadness. “I just remember saying: ‘Lord, please take it from me, take my pain.’ And my whole body would just relax and I would sleep.”

Nina, who owns The Taste of Texas restaurant with husband Edd, says, “Our lives changed forever with a phone call from Claudine telling us our son had a skiing accident and had died instantly. He caught an edge on ice, hit his shoulder on a tree and was gone before he hit the ground with a torn aorta in his heart. My first prayer was for God to hold Claudine and the children close and for our family to see God’s mercy in the days and weeks to come. That first prayer included a prayer for a Godly man that would love her and the children when the time was right.”

“Lord, I give you this. I am not looking forward to dating, but I put it in your hands. I am a shattered vase, God. Please put me back together.”

More than a year after Edd K. died, Claudine was set up with David by mutual friend Elizabeth Fertitta. Claudine thought a widower would be able to fathom her heartbreak. Their lunch date was a success, and little by little, their relationship grew, with Claudine slowly getting pieced back together. Thoughts of Edd K. and Kristen were never far away.

“Kristen always wanted two things: to be truly loved and to be a mother. When I think of Kristen’s life, and even though it looks tragically unfair to everyone, I think maybe God knew what he was doing in that he granted her everything that she wanted during her time,” David, who is on the board of Bo’s Place, a non-profit bereavement center, says of his first wife. “I also MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 12

have this thought along the lines of the Bible verse where it says ‘that your love may abound more’ because in so many ways it’s because of her life that now I see in our family that love has truly abounded.”

Darla Stone, Kristen’s mom, says there was never a moment’s hesitation accepting Claudine and her children into her heart. And, by all accounts, Darla’s heart had been broken.

Her grief journey was so great, she documented the cancer and her response in a book she wrote called Inside the Shadow (available on Amazon). “I had begun to pray for this possibility a couple of years after Kristen died,” says Darla, who along with husband John, welcomed the marriage. “I also prayed that God would bring a Mom to Sam who would love him so much that a mother/son bond would form. Sam loves his new mom, and I am grateful to God for Claudine.”

And, so is Nina. “I thank God for my precious daughter-in-law and her love for me,” says Nina.

“The Stone family has been a special gift, because we have the bond of having lost a child and lived to tell of God's mercy and grace.”

“Lord, I am a broken vase. Put my life back together. It will be different, and I trust it will be beautiful.”

Claudine and David’s River Oaks home is a house of love and laughter. Evidence of the children’s busy lives is apparent in the backpacks, art projects, baseball gear, balls and toys. Regularly, the grandmothers are in and out of the house, helping watch the kids and taking them for sleepovers. Nina, whom the children call ‘Honey,’ tries to stay involved on a daily basis, as when they all lived together, helping with everything from carpools to River Oaks Baptist School – where Sam, Campbell, Hudson and Reagan attend – to

ball games and ballet recitals.

Joan Hartland says, “We four grandmothers have a great time when we get together because we have a lot of things in common, especially when it comes to the love and welfare of H7.”

Conrad, at age 3, is a beacon for everyone.

“The addition of Conrad was more momentous than we could have known – we didn’t think things could be much more perfect, but then this adorable little boy with an oversized personality arrived and the whole family fell in love again,” says David. “I like it that Conrad’s looks favor everyone else in the family – he’s a perfect composite of his siblings, and at different times people will remark that he looks exactly like Sam or Campbell, and then others will say that he favors Reagan or Hudson. But it’s not just that we see us all together in his looks: on another level he loops us all in a little tighter because he’s a constant reminder that God ‘makes all things beautiful in his time.’ And we see that it’s true – with Conrad there’s new life and joy making beautiful what was tragedy and despair.”

“Thank you, Lord, for all your blessings and for bringing so much joy to my life again.”

“The ‘broken vase’ was a constant prayer in my life,” says Claudine, who came up with the imagery and prayer to reference how she felt after Edd K. died. “I prayed it often, and slowly saw pieces coming together. Sometimes when you are in the midst of tragedy and pain, you don’t immediately realize God’s hand at work, but when you look back you do. In my head I was totally shattered. I was a broken blue and white vase. Now I am a multi-colored vase, with all the colors representing the family I have gained and love so much. All I know is, this vase has grown, and the life God has put together for me is more beautiful and more blessed than I could ever have imagined.”

Create a buzz for your biz.

BELLAIRE WEST UNIVERSITY MEMORIAL TANGLEWOOD RIVER OAKS To advertise in The Buzz Magazines, contact us at 713.668.4157, ext. 11 or advertising@thebuzzmagazines.com

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 13

NEIGHBORS

Meet Mr. Marvin Y’s greeter has message that sticks

lawellphoto.com

by Amber Blossom, contributing writer

M

r. Marvin, 90 years old and a trim 6 feet tall, sits just inside the front door of the Weekley YMCA five mornings a week, sometimes with chatting company and sometimes solo. Always, he keeps an eye out for the door.

When it opens, Marvin Smith smiles. He greets everyone who walks in or out of the gym, offering a “Welcome” or a “Have a lovely day” with the voice of a radio announcer and often a turn-of-phrase from a time past. The adults smile quietly and hurry by, or linger and greet him back: “Hi, Mr. Marvin. How’s it going?”

But it’s when a child lays eyes on him that it becomes clear how special this man is. He’s Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. He’s everybody’s Grandpa.

Children race toward him. His famous sticker box is a coveted treasure trove. With each sticker he gives, Marvin breaks into his well-known and well-loved refrain.

“The message from the beginning has always been the same,” says Marvin. “I tell them, ‘I gave you the sticker so that when somebody sees it, it says that you and I are friends ’cause I gave you the sticker! The second thing it tells you is that you are a wonderful, kind, loving, generous, beautiful young person. Everyone that knows you loves you and respects you and thinks you’re special. But nobody in the world will ever, ever love you more than your mom and daddy, maybe grandma and grandpa.’”

Marvin has a presence and persona to match his generous words. Born in St. Louis in 1926, Marvin is the son of a carpenter. “Our life was very ordinary. I was a good student, a little fellow, tiny. Because we didn’t have very much, I always had an interest in making a buck or two for myself any way I could.”

His memory, though he thinks it is failing him, is enviable. While recalling the names of schools, employers, cities and friends, he sprinkles them with charming anecdotes.

He recalls his mother’s advice upon his enlistment in the Navy in 1944. “She would preach to me ‘Don’t get tattoos! But if you must, get your social security number on the inside of your arm so at least you’ll have something useful.’”

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 14

NINETY YEARS YOUNG Marvin Smith holds onto the special cards and signs he has received during his nine years as a greeter at the YMCA.

A navigation specialist on an aircraft carrier during WWII, Marvin slept beneath torpedoes, witnessed the Tokyo Bay peace signing, and can remember the name of every ship he encountered.

His most memorable encounter, though, came after the war when Marvin met his wife, Jeanne.

“When I found out she was the only switchboard operator at nighttime, I knew that if I picked up the phone she would answer. I hadn’t been able to get the time of day out of her otherwise. One night a light bulb came on: It doesn’t cost anything to pick up the phone and

get the operator. What if I can get this beauty to talk to me?” They wed soon after on St. Patrick’s Day, 1946 and were married for more than 40 years.

Marvin and Jeanne moved to Houston in 1963 when he found work in the oil and gas industry. Marvin climbed the ranks as an engineer for Austral Oil, headquartered downtown.

He and Jeanne raised their two children, Mark and Kelly, in their Meyerland home where Marvin lived until four years ago.

Marvin lost his beloved (continued on page 16)

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 15

Dylan Aguilar

Dylan Aguilar

LOVE STICKS At left: Hudson Crosby, 1, intently listens to Mr. Marvin’s message of encouragement. At right: Caleb Henry, 19 months, searches for his prized sticker from Mr. Marvin’s selection. (continued from page 14) Jeanne to cancer in 1988.

The following year, he had open-heart surgery.

His long-time employer was closing its doors, so Marvin retired. He took to golfing with friends.

A few years later, however, Marvin’s time of leisure was harshly interrupted. He had invested heavily in a trusted friend’s company. Disaster came by phone. “I got a call from the FBI. That’s when I found out I had nothing,” says Marvin.

He says he had been swindled out of his retirement savings. The SEC charged Marvin’s broker “friend” with stealing funds from at least 24 investors in the Houston area.

Marvin, in his seventies, searched for a job for the first time in more than a decade.

“Technology had changed. Nobody wanted to hire an old man. I hit the panic button. It was my lowest of lows. I never wanted to be a burden on anyone.”

Marvin describes the tough years that followed. He sold vacuum cleaners door-to-door for a small income. He moved his ailing mother into his home and did what he could to care for her.

“Her health had turned bad about the same time as this money problem happened to me,” says Marvin, with clear affection for his mother.

“All of a sudden, there were two old people on nothing but social security, and I didn’t have enough money to keep us going.”

Thanks to the generosity of a family friend, Marvin was offered a job at a title company.

He spent the next 10 years working data entry and caring for his mother. “Everything we had to eat I cooked in the microwave, and she never complained.”

After his mother passed away and his most recent job was outsourced, Marvin found himMEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 16

self in the job market yet again.

Opportunity arose while Marvin was exercising in the Weekley YMCA gym on Stella Link.

A regular exerciser since his early twenties, Marvin says it has always been of great value to him to stay close to a gym. This was the case in 2008 when a friend pointed out a job posting on the YMCA bulletin board.

“Greeter is what it was called,” says Marvin.

“I didn’t understand what it was all about, but I knew it was something I could handle. There were no particular guidelines, just help people any way you can.” He was hired immediately.

His first day on the job, Marvin noticed the many young children he encountered. “The second day, I brought stickers in,” he says. “It was just an easy something for me to say something extra nice to make them feel good.” And so, “Mr. Marvin” and his newest legacy began.

The original stickers, Marvin says, were left over from his wife’s supply as an art teacher.

“When I lost Jeanne, I just closed that drawer in the office, and I probably never opened it until I got this little job. I remembered having the stickers and I thought this is a good place to use them. I’ll give them to the kids.”

Now, those stickers have a place in many a child and parent’s heart.

Noah Barcot, 11, remembers meeting Mr. Marvin and watching him talk with his two younger brothers.

“When you are little, it makes your day,” says Noah. “My little brother Brock would come home and say, ‘Yay! I got a sticker from Mr. Marvin!’ Then, he’d walk around the house with a little sticker book and say exactly what Mr. Marvin said and put it on your hand as if he

were Mr. Marvin. He’d say, ‘Your parents love you and you’re really special.’”

“I love that he pours that message into them,” says Noah’s mom and Braes Heights resident Linda Barcot. “How often do you have anyone that focused on the words coming out of their mouth toward kids? Mr. Marvin very sweetly and intently looks at them, talks to them, and makes eye contact with them. He is a neighborhood treasure.”

In Marvin’s West University apartment are treasures of his own. The walls of his self-proclaimed “bachelor pad” are covered with beautiful paintings by his late wife. A sampling of his own artwork towers above him – two paintings of a man and woman in traditional Asian clothing. Marvin meticulously restored the antique canvases by hand. In the corner, a beautiful framed picture of his daughter is poised prominently. Marvin lost her to breast cancer last year. Near the kitchen sits a black and white photo of young Marvin and Jeanne, and nearby is a collection of snapshots of Marvin’s loved ones, including his two grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and sister – all of whom live in Florida.

But most noticeable are the glitter-covered poster boards, photo collages, homemade cards and hand-drawn pictures that line Marvin’s dining table – all gifts from the children he has met the last nine years.

“The surprise to me is that so frequently I have their absolute, undivided attention,” says Marvin. “There’s nobody in the world but them and me at that time. That is a special feeling.

I’m convinced that the kids are better-directed kids because of the conversations we exchange.

They may forget it, but I’ve got a feeling they won’t. It’s been a great source of pleasure to me, probably more than anybody else.”

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DINING

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Menu Memories Favorite restaurant meals

L

ast year, I wrote the second in a series of stories on iconic restaurants from Houston’s dining past. These memories still resonate, sparking conversations and trips down memory lane, from family celebrations at Kaphan’s on South Main to barbecue and fried chicken at The Barbecue Inn on Crosstimbers and Yale Street.

Readers who contacted us after the stories appeared shared favorite dining spots they have enjoyed (and in some cases, continue to enjoy) through the years. And it wasn’t only the restaurants, but the specific dishes and how they were prepared, that hold fast in their memories.

I recently came across a 1980s-era book on menus of Houston restaurants, Houston Epicure – A Menu Guide to the Better Restaurants in Houston

by Fran Fauntleroy. The vintage menus included my favorite place to eat a steak when I was young, Bud Bigelow’s on Westheimer near Hillcroft.

Greeted by an attentive valet parker as we drove under the rustic porte-cochere, we could smell the charred dishes as soon as we got out of the car.

The dark wood interior and small dining rooms were cozy. The “Charcoaled Specialties” section highlighted their steak offerings. I always ordered the extra thick rib eye steak for $11.95. Cooked pink in the center, this juicy entrée was accompanied by a crisp romaine salad topped with homemade salad dressing, my choice being Thousand Island. For dessert, I chose warm fudge pie topped with vanilla ice cream. There was not a better meal in my opinion.

Buzz resident Chuck Zagst wrote in about one of his longtime favorites, Hebert’s Ritz, specializing in steaks, seafood and a popular shrimp remoulade. Run by Clifton and Lula Hebert, “The Ritz” was a large, white, two-story house at McGowen and San Jacinto, in what now is known as Midtown. “Their bone-in rib eye, warmed saltine crackers, and trout almandine were the best,” Chuck wrote.

“When you sat down, they served warmed saltine crackers in a serving dish lined with a cloth white napkin, and butter on the side. The butter was served in individual squares. Trout almandine was also served as a boneless filet in the oven. The almonds were very thin-sliced MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 18

STRAWBERRY PATCH Tiffany lamps, brass accents and a dark-wood bar create a cozy atmosphere at The Strawberry Patch in this photo from the 1970s.

and were toasted to a dark brown. The fish was also cooked in butter.”

Hebert’s Ritz was around for over 40 years before closing in the mid-1980s.

Local foodie Jay Francis is a longtime fan of Mexican food, and he has a special place in his heart for the puffy and crispy tacos that are made at Fiesta Loma Linda on Telephone Road and also at Los Tios on Beechnut, both of which continue to enjoy loyal followings today. “When I was growing up, these were available at most Houston restaurants. But I fear they will all but be forgotten if these places close.” For vintage nostalgia, his fondest memories are of the cafeteria-style, serving-line lunches he would have on Saturdays at the Felix Mexican Restaurant on Main Street. His family also liked to eat at an El Patio on Telephone Road. While Felix is a memory, El Patio still serves up Mexican Food at its Westheimer location in the Briargrove area.

The Strawberry Patch was one of the most popular restaurants serving traditional American food to hit Houston during the 1970s.

Owned by the Pappas family, it was located at 5839 Westheimer Road, where Pappas

Steakhouse stands today. The September 1977 issue of Texas Monthly magazine called The Strawberry Patch one of Houston’s first fern bars. The centerpiece was the impressive wooden bar flanked by brass rails, Tiffany lamps, ferns, bromeliads, and other plants. Large floor-to-ceiling windows allowed natural light to flank the interior. Lines were always long, as this popular eatery was jammed noon and night for meals that were all priced under $10.

Buzz reader Randy Jennings wrote, “I miss the Strawberry Patch on Westheimer where Pappas Steakhouse is now. I loved their chicken teriyaki and their large blueberry muffins.” A basket of muffins would be brought out to the table as you sat down. The teriyaki chicken was topped with a pineapple ring and served with fries and a salad.

At $6.95, this was one of the most popular dishes, along with burgers served on an English muffin and a bacon-wrapped filet accompanied by a salad served in a flower pot. Drinks came in mason jars.

Haute cuisine from Tony’s Restaurant is still enjoyed today in its Greenway Plaza location on Richmond Avenue at Timmons Lane, but Buzz reader Michael Chadwick (continued on page 20)

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BUD BIGELOW’S STEAKHOUSE This 1980 menu from Bud Bigelow’s, featured in Houston Epicure: A Menu Guide to the Better Restaurants, highlights its steak and chop offerings. The restaurant was especially popular in the ’60s and ’70s. (continued from page 18) remembers one fine-din-

ing establishment that started downtown and eventually built the structure where Tony’s currently stands.

In 1949, taking over the Greek restaurant Peacock Grille, Maxim’s opened its downtown location at 802 Lamar Street, home of a nondescript parking garage today. The French owner, Camille Bermann, took the name from the famous Maxim’s restaurant in Paris, introducing Houstonians to French food, including lobster thermidor, poached Trout Marguery, and desserts of cherries jubilee and peach melba.

When he realized that this was Houston, where meat and potatoes were popular, steak offerings were quickly added to the menu, as were New Orleans Creole-inspired dishes including Creole Gumbo and a signature seafood dish, Red Snapper Excelsior, topped with artichokes, mushrooms and chili powder.

“The original Maxim’s downtown was the only upscale restaurant downtown that was open after 5 and was very popular in the ’70s,” Chadwick said.

In 1981, the next generation of the Berman family relocated Maxim’s to the Richmond location in a newly built facility. With a luxurious pink interior and ornate chandeliers, Maxim’s catered to a new River Oaks crowd, while hoping to maintain loyal customers from the downtown location. Thriving for another 20 years, Maxim’s MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 20

closing for renovations in 2001 was permanent.

Soon afterward, Tony’s made the location its own.

Buzz reader Lindsay Freireich wrote in about one of her favorite fine dining spots, Vargo’s on Fondren Road near Westheimer: “I remember Vargo’s lush garden and settings with elegant silver platters.” Memories of Vargo’s are often different than those we have of other favorites from Houston’s dining past, where we tend to recall our favorite menu items. Here, we reminiscence of lavish grounds with exotic plants, serene lake, and peacocks roaming the property.

Dining on the patio was a popular option.

The opulent gardens were a favorite destination for weddings and other milestone events. I fondly recall being asked out for a prom date at Vargo’s in the early 1980s, feeling like a real adult ordering fancy food and a libation. (The legal drinking age at that time was 18.) While I am unable to recall what I ordered that evening, I can visualize the main dining room with large windows overlooking the outdoor paradise. This memory has stayed with me for over 35 years.

Many Houstonians remember the Southernstyle, upscale dining experience of The Confederate House at the original Highland Village site where Smith & Wollensky is today.

In an elegant setting with antebellum murals and large white columns, and where male diners were required to wear jackets, waiters with napkins draped across their arms served the upper

crust of Houston with precision.

The original menu of traditional Southern specialties was created by Texas food legend Helen Corbitt, the New York-born and Texasproud American chef and cookbook author.

Buzz reader Karen Le recalls her favorite meal.

“Our meals always began with the Wilhelmina salad – chopped-up iceberg lettuce, avocado, tomato and blue cheese, which was followed by the Confederate Fried Steak. The succulent rib eye was crunchy on the outside and tender inside. Even if we were completely full, we would never leave without their pecan ball for dessert.” Having eaten at The Confederate House myself on many occasions, I can personally vouch for the pecan ball, which I remember as a cold, nut-encrusted, snow globe drizzled with warm bittersweet chocolate.

After a move to the corner of Weslayan and West Alabama, currently home to 2929 Weslayan Apartments, and a name change to State Grille by new owners (members of the Mandola family) in 2001, The Confederate House has, like so many others, quietly moved on.

Editor’s note: Do you have favorite old timeHouston restaurant dishes to share? Or stories about other unforgettable restaurants in the city’s past?

We’d love to share your menu memories. Comment below this story at thebuzzmagazines.com or email info@thebuzzmagazines.com.

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 21

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Update on nose sprays The most popular type of preventative nose sprays for allergy contains small amounts of steroids. Examples include Flonase, Nasacort and Nasonex. For the past several years, Flonase and Nasacort have been available without a prescription (OTC). A couple years ago, Rhinocort also went OTC. One advantage of Rhinocort is its lack of certain preservatives.

Flonase contains phenylethyl alcohol (PEA), which gives it that floral odor.

Many people find the odor unpleasant, though others tell us it’s the “smell of relief.” PEA, an alcohol, can dry the inside of the nose and cause nosebleeds. Both Flonase and Nasacort contain benzalkonium chloride (BKC), another preservative that can dry out the nose. Rhinocort has neither, so many prefer it. In March 2017, Glaxo (owner of Flonase) put Veramyst OTC, renaming it Flonase Sensimist. Like Rhinocort, Flonase Sensimist has no PEA or BKC, so it too is gentler. Why would Glaxo put its superior product OTC? To sell some. They couldn’t sell much prescription-only Veramyst for $250, but OTC Flonase Sensimist sells for $28, minus the $8 coupon at your allergist’s office.

Meanwhile, Glaxo’s Flonase, which contains fluticasone propionate (along with PEA and BKC), is losing more and more market share to generics, which can sell for less than half the $20 price. In April 2017, Costco had a package of five bottles of its Flonase generic, on sale for $19.99! That’s $4 each.

All these sprays contain steroids. Are they safe? For the most part, yes.

Flonase contains 50 micrograms (mcg) of fluticasone. So 2 sprays per nostril twice per day is 200 mcg. In the meantime, our adrenal glands make 5,000

mcg of cortisol each day (5 milligrams), so the 200 mcg doesn’t really add too much unless the patient is also using other forms of steroids, such as preventative asthma inhalers.

Unlike decongestant nose sprays, such as Afrin, you can’t become physically dependent on steroid nose sprays. The decongestant nose sprays go to work more quickly than steroid nose sprays, but the more you use them, the less effective they are.

Next to go OTC will probably be Nasonex, which lost its patent and is now sold mostly as generic. Interestingly, the same company that owns Afrin also owns Nasonex. Abstracts have been presented at allergy meetings testing a combination spray with both Nasonex and Afrin. Should we get ready for Nasonex-D? 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.

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MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 25

NEIGHBORS

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by Sharon Albert Brier, staff writer

Rumor Has It

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 26

destinations welcomed them back this year with no penalties. All agreed the Sugar Baron’s seven-course dinner at Houmas House dining room, where The Bachelor was filmed, was the star outing of the week. And they looked like stars in their matching pink Tshirts on a swamp tour.

On trips, by the way, they never play bridge!

Extreme.

Why jump out of a perfectly good plane? Jenna Jackson hasn’t served in the military, but she’s grateful for those who have served, like Navy Seal Ryan “Birdman” Parrott and Jenna’s attorney husband, former paratrooper (Army JAG Corps) Brendan Gilbert. To bring aware- SCORED Chris Scarbrough and bride Kristen Hendrix Scarbrough share a ness and gratitude to vet- moment at the 360 Bridge in Austin. erans, Jenna is taking the was not present), waved super-sized colorplunge challenge in the Bird’s Eye View changing glow sticks to the beat. Don’t miss the Bombshells airplane jump, based on Ryan’s Bird’s next annual show in 2018. Other band members Eye View project about veterans and first responwere Dahl Thompson, Nick and Barbara Ann ders overcoming adversity and living their lives Grimmer, Chris Payne, Jeff Dehner, Steve to the fullest. Jenna’s goal is to raise $10,000. To Daum and Heidi Massin. donate, see bevpbombshells.businesscatalyst.com.

Eyeful. When the mah jongg group that The beat goes on. While David Ronn’s regularly plays with Dorothy McDade saw her day job is an attorney, on March 4 he was a wear sunglasses for a minor “fix” at their game, rocker for Backspace Goes to the Movies to raise Faye Johnson suggested that all the gals wear more than $32,000 for Child Advocates. He sunglasses. They had a good “crack” up being portrayed Dr. Frank-N-Furter from the Rocky sympathetic to Dorothy. Other jokers were Horror Picture Show and John Travolta from Betty Latham and Jeanelle Waldrop.

Saturday Night Fever, among others, as he belted out familiar songs while playing his guitar.

Movie clips were on the background screen as See Rumor Has It at thebuzzmagazines.com for the band played cinema songs at White Oak additional photos. Have some good news to share?

Music Hall. Fans, including wife Ann Ronn and Email us at info@thebuzzmagazines.com. teen children Gabrielle and Ahava (Netanya Ashley Garmon Photographers

Scored! At happy hour seven years ago, Chris Scarbrough learned Kristen Hendrix likes to golf, so it was natural that he proposed to her on Pebble Beach in Carmel, Calif., last summer.

Par for the course, they married Feb. 4 at the Smith Family Chapel at Riverbend Church with the reception at the Austin Country Club. Their big laugh was the groom’s cake styled just like his favorite blue Yeti cooler, topped with beer cans also made of carrot cake. A can was stored for their one-year anny. Turns out, not only can Chris squeeze a can, but he hand-addressed all the invitations with a beautiful script. Exploring other endeavors, they honeymooned in Hawaii on helicopters, horses and hikes. Parents of the couple, Mark and Susan Hendrix and Tom and Belinda Scarbrough, know the adventure has just begun.

London calling. Jennifer, Matt, Lindsay and Hailey Bates posed in front of England’s Parliament gates during Spring Break in London. They fell in love with the British as they saw all of the historical sights and had afternoon tea at The Savoy Hotel. They made a special trip to visit Lambeth Walk since Lindsay performed the dance routine during The Lambeth Walk song in the Stratford Playhouse Me and My Girl show in January.

72 years of service. The Houston Junior Forum elected officers for the upcoming year, with 106 members turning out to vote. The new president, Karen Hardin, will start in June, inspiring her membership team. Others on the executive board are Mary Cooper, Linda West, Liz Arend, Kim Vidor, Debbie Berner, Frances Carr, Marilyn McDowell, Joey Rovira, Cindy Cochran, Mopsy Andrews and Jodie Parker.

Several parties are in store, along with trips, book club and mah jongg games.

Martinis, tobacco and swamps.

Sampling a variety of “French” drinks was a bonus on a Louisiana girls trip. Bridge-playing friends of five decades, Rosiana Lee, Barbara Hammer, Patsy Andrews, Gail Northern, Maureen Turner, Joan Postma and Sally Kelly, tried to go on a trip last spring, but they couldn’t get the van out of the driveway with all the flooding going on. Fortunately all of the

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MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 27

lawellphoto.com

KIDS

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by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

Buzz Baby

Advice from Mom’s Mom

Buzz Baby is a column about babies from the perspective of a mom of three, including twin toddlers and a newborn.

M

om’s words can come in handy when parenting your own children.

Sometimes, the most useful tactics come from what you learned in your childhood.

When Dr. Kelley Watts, a psychologist with a 4-year-old son named Stirling, was a young girl, she remembers standing next to her mother, Marilyn Sage Meagher, with a yellow phone book. Her mother watched as Kelley looked up the phone number to the pizza place, called and placed the order. Kelley’s mom wanted to teach her kids how to handle situations by themselves.

She started them with simple things, like ordering their own pizza. “She had shared her own challenges with self-esteem and confidence, and the conscious decision she made was to make sure she raised kids who believed in themselves,” said Kelley. “She expected us to work for what we wanted to achieve and encouraged us to set our sights high.”

Other advice she passed on was that “kindness and manners will get you far in life.” Kelley said that came in handy for her mom, who grew up in Houston with seven brothers and sisters and lots of friends and family. She taught Kelley how important your network is.

Kelley said she also used to say, ‘You just can’t see everything.’ “That was actually a piece of advice from my great grandmother, Johanna O’Connor, to my grandmother, Margaret Sage, in reference to how to manage parenting with eight children,” said Kelley. “I still find the essence of the advice relevant with only one child. As we all know, life can be busy, and we don’t always have the time or capacity to respond in the appropriate manner, so why not give ourselves permission to let some stuff slide.” Kelley lost her mother when she was 18, but still feels her presence in her own parenting.

When Ashley Hulsey turned around to find her 2-year-old daughter, Anna Katherine, had smeared chocolate syrup all over her white couch, her mother’s advice rang through her MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 28

head. “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

“My mom has always been the one who never cried over spilled milk and always says ‘everything is going to be ok,’” said Ashley. “She definitely practices what she preaches.

You really ‘can’t sweat the small stuff’ when you have a white slipcovered sofa.”

Her mom, Debbie Aduddell, again displayed that strong attitude GENERATIONS New mom Ashley Forgason Willis (pictured, with daughter Halley, in 2010 when she 13 months), takes parenting advice from her mother, Dianne Dreyling Forgason, and was diagnosed with grandmother, Leonean Hunt Harrison. breast cancer just a said that you can never hold your baby too month before Ashley’s first baby (Alex) was much,” said Ashley. “She told me I would never born. “We were absolutely devastated when we look back now or when she’s all grown and heard the news,” Ashley said. “The thought of think, ‘I wish I hadn’t held her so much when my mom not being there terrified me. We lived she was little.’ in Birmingham at the time, and even though “It was hard the first six months of Halley’s she was sick and about to start chemo and radilife because she suffered from acid reflux and ation, she would not let me talk her out of comwould not sleep or nap hardly unless she was ing to help us for a few weeks with the baby. Not being held. Those times were very, very hard. I a day goes by that I don’t think about how couldn’t have done it without my mom helping things could have been very different for us. me through that time.”

“Mother’s Day every year is near and dear to To all of the moms – and those who do the me as I get to celebrate more time on this earth job of moms – out there giving advice through with her. She really is everything to us, and even example and words, keep it up. And Happy though she’s a 7-hour drive away [in Oklahoma Mother’s Day. City], I can’t imagine our lives without her. She is the glue that holds our family together.”

A different Ashley, Ashley Willis, has a 13Did your mom or someone else give you some month-old baby girl, Halley. Her mother, great parenting advice? If so, consider sharing it by Dianne Forgason, and grandmother, Leonean emailing info@thebuzzmagazines.com or commentHarrison, are Ashley’s go-to women for parenting under this article at thebuzzmagazines.com. For ing advice. Ashley and her mother are both only more baby stories, see thebuzzmagazines.com for children, so their bond is extra tight. writer Annie Blaylock McQueen’s column, Dianne encourages Ashley to enjoy the early “Mommy Moments.” years of Halley’s childhood. “My mom always

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TRAVEL

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by Tracy L. Barnett, staff writer

Travel Buzz

Memorial meets India

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 30

Doug Peck

A

sh Sharma has been sharing the culture of his native India since he left at the age of 26. First, with his wife Yoosun, who is Korean; then with their two children, Mira and Aaron, and always with their friends, mostly in the Memorial neighborhood of Houston, where they have made their lives for more than two decades.

Mira and Aaron are happy Houstonian products of that cultural blend, with periodic trips to each of their parents’ homelands during their childhood, after which they would come back to Memorial and share stories with their friends.

“Growing up I would go to the Korean church with my mom, and then I’d come home and watch Bollywood movies with my dad,” said Mira.

“It all came together with my parents because they appreciate each other’s culture so much.”

This January, a dream a decade in the making finally came true when the Sharmas and a group of 27 friends, most of them from Memorial, made an epic journey to India. Thirteen of them were Mira and Aaron’s friends. Mira, now 19, is a freshman at The University of Texas at Austin, and Aaron, 21, is at Texas A&M University.

“It’s like a 10-year-old idea,” explained Ash, an engineer in the oil and gas equipment-manufacturing business. “We’ve been promising some of our close friends we would make a trip to India when my niece gets married. My sister has one daughter, and my niece finally at age 31 got married – so we had a long wait.”

When Mira mentioned it to her group of friends, she assumed the majority wouldn’t be able to come – but then it turned out that most of them could. “They were so on board. They were like, ‘Oh my gosh, that would be so fun to go to India.’” In all, six of her friends accompanied her, and seven of Aaron’s friends.

Father and daughter both worried a bit about the culture shock, and whether their friends would be comfortable in a land so different from their own. As it turned out, everyone was enthralled.

Between the grandeur of the Taj Mahal and the monuments of the Golden Triangle, to the Jungle Book-like quality of the countryside wild animal safari, to teeming city streets filled with chaos, it was like nothing their friends had ever

A SARI EXPERIENCE All the ladies were given silk saris and sari-draping services before the wedding. From left: Sue Hwang, Rhonda Van Liew, Caroline Peck, Mira Sharma, Yoosun Sharma, Michelle Tura and Saroj Sharma.

experienced. And the over-the-top traditional Indian wedding, a three-day affair with more than 1,000 guests, was the unforgettable climax.

Even for the Sharmas it was a new experience, as they had usually stayed with family when they had come before. Except for a train trip they took when the kids were young, this was the first time Ash had gone into full tourist – and tour-guide — mode.

“I discovered the country along with them.

And with the kids grown up, and with all of our friends, you draw a different kind of flavor with a group that’s never been there before… it was jaw-dropping, really.”

Attorney Karen Peck was impressed with the graciousness and hospitality at every turn, beginning when the group arrived at their hotel, the Taj Palace New Delhi, where they were welcomed with a traditional red dot, known as a

tilak, on the forehead and a glass of fresh juice.

A history buff, Karen was excited to learn more about the vibrant history and culture of this cradle of civilization. “Going to these beautiful monuments and palaces and temples that were built in the 1500s and 1600s with such engineering feats was just amazing,” she said. “And learning more about the rich cultural history… with so many different languages, but they meld that all with such a respect for the diversity of religions that are there. It’s very impressive.”

The lineup of UNESCO World Heritage sites in Delhi included ancient Hindu temples and the country’s largest mosque. There was the Red Fort, with its once jewel-encrusted walls, long since looted but just one more indicator of its former glory. In Agra, there was the magnificence of the Taj Mahal – seen draped in fog, which made it all the more mysterious, from the

Doug Peck

AN EPIC JOURNEY In January 2017, the Sharma family led an expedition of 27 friends from Memorial to India. From left, first row: Mira Sharma, Dr. W. Hwang, Aaron Sharma, Daniel Peck, Hohyun Hwang, Arabella Benavides, Nabeel Uddin, Tara Molavi, Elizabeth Washburn. Second row: Doug Peck, Bruce Marion, Ash Sharma, Andy Hwang, Gina Hwang, Hosung Hwang, B.J. Hwang, Caroline Peck, Karen Peck, Lynne Marion, Yoosun Sharma, William Wilson and Yusuf Hadidi.

perspective of Mira’s friend Arabella Benavides.

Retired businessman Gary Van Liew, another friend, was equally impressed by the antiquity and elegance of the architecture and the culture, but also by the contrasts. The rich were fantastically rich, and the poor were everywhere.

Change is everywhere, as well.

“The modernization of some of the cities – skyscrapers, modern buildings with modern architecture – the growth, the enormous population” struck him right away, as well as the tremendous traffic issues in the big cities.

“The automobiles and buses can be rolling down the freeways at 70 miles an hour, and there could be a cow or steer walking down the highway – and there were pedestrians on the highway as well as bicycles and carts and elephants and everything else – so you do see some sights you wouldn’t see in the U.S.,” he added with a chuckle.

His first taste of this was as they were leaving the airport. “A man was there with a herd of sheep, right by the entrance to the airport, just walking on by.”

Karen, too, was impressed by the chaos of the city streets.

“The lines on the road seemed to be mere suggestions, really,” she said with a laugh, describing the intense weave and flow. “There was tons of honking, but it’s not mean honking, there was no road rage, no one would get upset. It’s like our guide explained, there’s a belief in destiny, so no one worries about it. You just go for it, and if it’s your time, well, so be it…,” she said.

Arabella was blown away by the sheer scale of things in a country with more than a billion people.

“What struck me a lot were the statistics,” she said. “You could say 10 percent of the population is Muslim and you’d be talking about 100

million people. The scale is incredible. The cities are huge and crowded with rickshaws and tuk tuks riding alongside the cows walking around and monkeys in the middle of the city.”

India’s extremely multimodal transportation rose to the top of the highlights for many of the travelers. First there were the helter-skelter rickshaw rides in the narrow, humanity-packed streets of Delhi’s city center. Then there were the rides on the backs of elephants to the heart of the Amber Fort in Jaipur.

The food was another highlight for most – even Gary, who was challenged by the lack of beef, given the cow’s sacred status in India.

A complete departure was a trip into the countryside for a tiger safari at the Ranthambore National Park, with a setting that Ash described as “straight out of Jungle Book,” with its ancient vine-draped trees and menagerie of exotic animals. The group stayed at a hunting lodge converted into a hotel, where the likes of Queen Elizabeth and John F. Kennedy had been guests.

For the safari they were divided into jeeps and driven out into the reserve in search of the elusive tigers. One group got lucky; the rest saw antelopes, leopards and crocodiles.

Finally it was time for the wedding, to be held in the beautiful “Pink City” of Jaipur, the third city in the famous Golden Triangle. The sights here included the Amber Fort, famous for its hall of nearly a million mirrors. The wedding itself was held in a palace-turned-hotel, and the festivities kicked off on Friday with a party called a sangeet. Here, the bride and groom held a cocktail party to welcome the younger crowd, and a simultaneous family sangeet was held.

Saturday was filled with activities – a gathering

designed for the women and one for the men, and a garden party featuring Mehendi, or henna painting, on the hands of the women. In the evening there were performances, including a Bollywood number by Mira and Aaron’s group, a dance they’d taught their friends and practiced throughout the trip.

There were sari-draping services for the women – all of whom were given their own silk saris for the occasion – and safaa or turban tying for the men. Bride’s-side women wore one color turban, and the groom’s side wore another.

Every Texan present wore a turban or a sari, with no complaints. “It’s a lot different from wearing a ball cap,” commented Gary.

An elephant was the choice mode of transport for the groom, whose entrance on a decorative platform atop a painted pachyderm was perhaps the most talked-about detail.

Arabella is accustomed to seeing poverty in her periodic visits to her parents’ native Peru.

“But it was a completely different level of poverty. Peru is poor, but India makes Peru seem like a first-world country.”

For Mira, her encounters with that poverty throughout her life helps her to put things into perspective back home.

“I remember thinking how blessed we are in this country. We have poverty, too, but in India they have a caste system, and although now it’s not as prominent you can still see it,” she said.

“There are so many people there, it’s hard to help everyone – but they’re still so happy to be there and have their position. It makes you think about how we have so much stuff, but still we’re unhappy about certain things, when we could have nothing and still be just as happy.”

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 31

FOOD

by Nicole Harrison Francois, contributing writer

The Junior League of Houston

Cooking Buzz Teacher-appreciation lunch Cooking Buzz is produced in partnership with the Junior League of Houston, a women’s charitable and education organization founded in 1925.

A

lthough I don’t have children of my own, as the school year winds down and thoughts turn to summer vacations, I like to make a point to thank the teachers who have nurtured and taught my nieces throughout the year. The best way I know how to do so is through a special home-cooked meal.

I’ve found it easy to collaborate with the group of teachers the girls have had and arrange to bring lunch to the teacher’s lounge at least one day throughout the year.

I make sure to have a couple of vegetarian options, an easy meat main dish and, of course, some sweet treats to end the lunch. On the vegetarian side, White Gazpacho from Peace Meals is a light and easy crowd pleaser. Slightly different from the more well-known red gazpacho, this one gets its flavor from cucumbers in lieu of tomatoes. Although the original recipe calls for chicken broth, I substitute vegetable broth (and if I’m feeling the need to be healthy, Greek yogurt for sour cream).

To please both meat eaters and vegetarians alike, I set up a salad bar of sorts with whatever looks good at the grocery store, paired with at least one homemade dressing option. A large platter of assorted greens forms the base, and from there I’ll add bowls of tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, celery, assorted cured meats and cheese cubes for everyone to mix and match and make their perfect salad. For the dressing, I always make a batch of Matilda’s Garlic Dressing from Stop and Smell the Rosemary, which is almost ranch-like, but just different enough to be interesting. For those who are looking for something lighter, I make sure to also have a nice olive oil and a couple of vinegar options on hand for a simple olive oil vinaigrette.

And for the meat eaters in the group, I’ve found the Pork Chops Creole from the Houston Junior League Cookbook can be whipped up the morning of the lunch, and they taste great whether served warm or at room temperature.

This recipe is one of the easiest I keep in my colMEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 32

lection of “favorites.” It isn’t spicy as prepared, so I also bring in some hot sauces for those who want to spice it up.

We have to have something sweet to end the lunch. The Party Lemon Cake from Stop and Smell the AND DON’T FORGET Forget Me Cookies are light and meringue-like, full of chocoRosemary is cer- late and nuts. tainly celebration warm. Drain excess fat from skillet if necessary worthy, and it makes for a stunning centerpiece and saute onion until tender. Add tomatoes, that tastes as good as it looks. I can’t forget the green pepper, salt, pepper and Worcestershire chocolate lovers, though, so I also make a batch sauce. Return pork chops to tomato mixture and of Forget Me Cookies, which are light simmer, covered, 1 hour or until tender. meringue-like cookies from the Houston Junior Meanwhile, cook rice. Plate rice on a heated League Cookbook that are chock full of chocolate platter, cover with chops and pour the tomato and nuts. sauce over all. Makes 6 servings.

And as a parting token of my gratitude, I also like to give each teacher a batch of frozen orange Forget Me Cookies rolls, a Junior League of Houston specialty, that From Houston Junior League Cookbook I pick up from The Pantry at the League. Paired 2 egg whites with a gift card to a local coffee shop, they make ¾ cup sugar a great breakfast for the next day. ½ teaspoon vanilla Our teachers enrich the lives of future gener1 small package (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate ations, my young nieces included, and I love to chips show my appreciation with a meal that comes 1 cup pecans, chopped from the heart.

Pork Chops Creole From Houston Junior League Cookbook 6 loin pork chops, one inch thick Flour 1 medium onion, chopped 1 can (1 lb.) tomatoes ½ green pepper, chopped 1 teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper 1½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 cup uncooked rice Dust pork chops on both sides with flour. In a lightly greased skillet, sauté pork chops on each side until golden brown. Remove and keep

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg whites until stiff. Add sugar gradually. Beat at high speed for about 5 minutes. Fold in vanilla, chocolate chips and pecans. Drop from teaspoon onto foil-lined cookie sheets. Put in oven and turn off heat. Leave overnight (or at least 8 hours). Makes about 3 dozen meringue-like cookies.

To buy a Houston Junior League cookbook or for hours of The Pantry, see jlh.org.

MORE ONLINE For other recipes mentioned in this story, see thebuzzmagazines.com

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 33

DINING

by Dai Huynh, staff writer

Chef’s Corner

Richard Sandoval

Find out about your favorite chefs in our Chef’s Corner column. This month, restaurant writer Dai Huynh interviews chef Richard Sandoval.

C

hef Richard Sandoval racks up about 300,000 air miles annually. That’s roughly 12 trips around the globe.

With 45 restaurants and lounges around the world, Mexican-raised Sandoval is a superstar.

Recently, he opened Bayou & Bottle, in the lobby of the Four Seasons Houston (1300 Lamar). The bourbon-and-whiskey concept is his first Texas endeavor. Known as the “King of Latin Fusion,” he opted instead for an abbreviated, modern, American platform of small plates and a few entrees for Houston. The real stars are the 100-plus bourbons and whiskeys savored in a mid-century modern “living room” accented by rich walnut, European gray oak, onyx and Carrara marble.

Hours before boarding a plane to inspect his three restaurants in Dubai, he took time out to talk.

With restaurants in beautiful resorts and your free miles, you must take the family on great vacations.

You know the worst thing about it all? I have restaurants in all these great resorts, but we don’t go on vacation while there; I go to work. I can’t disconnect. I’m always observing, judging.

Would you say that your grandmother, Maruca, introduced you to the love of food?

Absolutely. In our culture, in Mexico, family is important. On weekends, our entire family would get together at my grandparents’ home. If you can imagine this long table with about 20 people, and my grandmother would sit at the head of the table. She and her cooks have been cooking six, seven courses all morning, and there I was, a young boy of 8 or 9, watching what they were doing.

What was the most important thing you learned from your grandmother about good cooking?

She and the maids were always tasting. They weren’t cooking from recipes; they were cooking by taste, and that’s the most important thing that I’ve passed on to my chefs. When you cook from a recipe, you’re not going to be a good cook because ingredients are always changing.

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 34

You published “Modern Mexican Flavors” in 2002, five years after opening Maya on the Upper East Side of New York City. Do you remember what those first few months were like?

It was hard. I was two months from closing.

Many people traveled to Acapulco, and all they saw were tequila, RICHARD SANDOVAL Tennis pro-turned star chef Richard Sandoval opened Bayou & Bottle, a chic mid-century lounge at Four Seasons Houston that features a modern shooters, tacos, American menu and more than 100 whiskeys and bourbons. nachos and combiBottle, what recommendations would you nation plates. What they probably had was Texgive them?

Mex. People would say, “Why would I spend The oxtail and bone marrow. It’s a braised $50 at Maya when I can spend $10 at oxtail with bone marrow. That’s one of my Margaritaville?” favorites, especially in cold weather. Another Now, whenever I see (New York Times restaufavorite dish is the scallop with brown butter, rant critic) Ruth Reichl, I say thank you because sunchoke, and pears. she changed the direction of my life. She knew Bayou & Bottle features many rare whiskeys Mexican food and wrote a great review. Maya and bourbons, but you are a tequila and mezcal was the first Mexican restaurant that got 2 stars fan. Do you have a favorite tequila, and can you from The New York Times, and we went from give us your recipe for a perfect margarita? doing 25-30 covers a night to doing 250 every I personally like to put a little mezcal float on single night thereafter and for the next five years. top to give it a nice smokiness. I use a blanco Through the years, you’ve partnered with rather than añejo or reposado tequila. I put in some high-profile individuals. You and Plácido about 2 ounces of fresh lemon or lime, a tableDomingo opened critically acclaimed Pampano spoon of simple syrup, a tablespoon of quarto on East 49th Street in New York. and an ounce of tequila.

I knew Plácido and his family while I was working in Acapulco at my father’s restaurant.

Editor’s note: Buzz dining columnist Dai Huynh He has a compound there, and his family would is a James Beard food-journalism award winner and gather there. When I opened Maya, he would longtime Houston-based restaurant writer. periodically come in to eat.

Why did you opt for a bourbon-andwhiskey modern American concept, rather See thebuzzmagazines.com/restaurants for than a tequila-inspired venue? restaurant listings. Use the restaurant finder to There are so many good Mexican restaurants search by area, cuisine and price. Leave a comment here. To do another Mexican or Latin concept online or write to info@thebuzzmagazines.com with here just didn’t make sense. your dining stories and suggestions.

If this was someone’s first visit to Bayou &

MORE ONLINE

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 35

DINING

by Dai Huynh, staff writer

This Month in Dining

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 36

coffee bar with breakfast pastries, including bourbon croissants to mirror the extensive bourbon and whiskey collection at chef-driven lounge. “We wanted to create an approachable, unintimidating living room setting where people can spend many hours making connections and meeting IL GIARDINO The Amburghesa with Kobe beef and caramelized onions is a popular friends,” Segesta item for al fresco dining at Il Giardino in the Hotel Granduca Houston. said, adding that right now. So, there is the buying power, and that there are more improvements to come. gives you a little bit better pricing,” he said.

Restaurant competition is fierce, and hotels In April, Italian Riviera-inspired Hotel need to constantly update their menus to amp Granduca (1080 Uptown Park Boulevard) their appeal. But unlike stand-alone restaurants, launched its new al fresco dining concept, Il where updates can be made immediately, hotel Giardino, or “the garden” in Italian. It’s dining changes are slow to roll out. Even after meant to be a casual companion to the elesix months, executive chef Franklin Thompson gant, award-winning Ristorante Cavour and and sous chef Mathew Cooper at Omni an added draw for out-of-towner and local Houston Hotel (Four Riverway) are finalizing travelers. The palm-lined oasis overlooks the new items for Noe Grill. “Independent restaupool, dotted with cabanas, patio tables and rants tweak as they go, whereas in a hotel, all plush settees under a veranda. General manthe tweaking has been done before it gets out to ager Martin Nicholson said these days, many the diner,” said Cooper. people opt for a “staycation.” Here, residents Hotel restaurants are getting more savvy at from Conroe, the Woodlands, Katy, Tomball, marketing themselves to compete with indeGalveston and Clear Lake come to regenerate pendents. Shedding the cookie-cutter approach, and refresh. They check in and dine at Cooper said, hotels are now more chef focused Cavour or in the garden at Il Giardino. He and market driven. People want to experience noticed, too, many non-staying guests dropfood with a local flair, he explained. Even though ping into Il Giardino to escape from the there is a Noe in Houston and in Los Angeles Galleria fray and unwind with an espresso or and their menus share the same building blocks, Italian craft beer with pizza. On Saturday the offerings do not mirror each other. evenings, couples nosh on Italian appetizers The same holds true at ARA restaurant in the while listening to live jazz.

Royal Sonesta (2222 W. Loop South), where Some industry types have claimed that “the chef Robert Graham often customizes menus for future of dining is going to be in hotels.” True guests. “A free-standing restaurant might be limor not, what many people can agree with is that, ited by its resources, but when you belong to a as Food & Wine Magazine said, “hotel dining has network of hotels, you can pick up the phone and never been better.” ask what is the best seafood available in Boston Hotel Granduca

U

p until the late ’80s, hotel restaurants were the headliners. For many cities, including Houston, they were cultural institutions featuring avant-garde menus and esteemed chefs. But then the ’90s arrived, and the Food Network launched in the spring of 1993. A modern food revolution arose, and suddenly, “Bam!” Emeril Lagasse was cooking before a TV audience along with Curtis Aikens and Jacques Pépin.

Two years later, Mario Batali and Bobby Flay made their debut on cable, and donning a toque was officially cool. Independent, chef-driven restaurants switched on their burners at a dizzying rate, and hotel dining was no longer the main dish. Now, hotels are reestablishing themselves and experiencing a dining renaissance. How? Taking a cue from Las Vegas, hotels are partnering with big-name chefs to create instant buzz and recognition. Mario Batali’s La Sirena is at the historic Maritime Hotel on West 16th Street in New York. Last fall, Tom Colicchio opened Fowler & Wells at the Beekman Thompson Hotel in Lower Manhattan. Michael Mina is serving up Eastern Seaboard comfort food at Wit & Wisdom in Baltimore’s Four Seasons Hotel. And Houston’s Hugo Ortega is in the galley of Oaxacan-themed Xochi at the Marriott Marquis (1777 Walker Street).

“You got 1,000 people sleeping above you who have no kitchen and need to eat,” says Tracy Vaught, who with husband Ortega is behind some of the city’s most popular restaurants, including Hugo’s and Caracol. “That’s a gift. The hotel supplies you with customers. I think these days, it’s important for hotels to have a local presence.”

Which is why celebrity chef Richard Sandoval decided on an American concept with a southern flair for the Four Seasons Hotel (1300 Lamar). Bayou & Bottle is one of the most relevant transformations in the last three decades, said general manager Tom Segesta.

Not only can you play a game of virtual golf there, but walk down memory lane in the Angel’s Share private dining room lined with 50 or so photos of historical relevance to Houston. The hotel also added a grab-and-go

The comeback of hotels

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 37

SPORTS

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by Todd Freed, staff writer

SportzBuzz

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 38

Kelly Rives

I

n the wake of a remarkable, undefeated regular season, the Strake Jesuit Crusaders entered the UIL soccer playoffs as the top-ranked high school team in Texas and a No. 3 national ranking, according to Top Drawer Soccer.

“Zero losses at the end of the regular season doesn’t happen too often, so we were very proud to get that kind of recognition,” said coach Bill McDonald.

Team unity was key to the Crusaders’ success, according to senior forward Santiago Chavez: “Most of us have been playing together since our freshman year. I think it reflects how much work and dedication we’ve put into this season and the last four years.”

The Crusaders put their best foot forward right from the start of the season by shutting out its first four opponents while competing in the prestigious Klein Showcase and Governor’s Cup tournaments. “Junior center back Tom Haney is the leader of our defense, while senior Chase West is another solid defender who’s done a great job of denying the other team’s attack,” said McDonald.

Offensively, the Crusaders are loaded with firepower, with midfielders Diego Sordelli and Angel Cueva accounting for 30 goals and nine assists between the two of them and Chavez adding another nine goals and four assists. Junior midfielder Diego Blancq Cazaux, senior midfielder Jared Rice and senior left back Harrison Vickers were all big contributors to the Crusaders’ offensive attack. “We’re able to attack from so many different angles,” said McDonald. “The other big thing about this team is that these guys really do care a lot about each other.”

In girls’ soccer, the Bellaire Cardinals won their fourth consecutive district championship with a perfect 12-0 district record. Amazingly, the Cardinals didn’t allow a single goal in district play, outscoring their opponents by an 800 margin, making Bellaire the only Class 6A team in Texas to not allow a district goal.

“We had a tremendously successful season,” said coach Alan Thompson. “But there was disappointment with a 2-1 opening playoff loss to Cy Fair. We wanted to make this happen for our seniors, so the playoff defeat really stings right now.”

NIMBLE MUSTANG Memorial junior Grace Yochum led the team in assists and was second in goals this season.

Yochum, who’ll play at Oklahoma State, is one of three Mustangs who’ve committed to play collegiate soccer.

The Cardinals were led in scoring by junior Allison Schachter, who will play college soccer at the University of Pennsylvania. Schacter scored a lofty 31 goals with 17 assists in the Cardinals’ 21 games this season. “Allie is the hardest worker I’ve seen in my 11 years of coaching,” said Thompson. “Her work ethic and teamfirst spirit make her a special person and player.”

Sophomore Rayne McKenzie also put up some big scoring numbers with 18 goals and 15 assists, while freshman Laila Saravia (8 goals and 8 assists), junior midfielder Elidaisy Ortuso and junior Charlotte Ehlers were all big offensive contributors. Defensively, senior goal keeper Meagan McAuliffe allowed only 14 goals in 21 games, while Thompson said senior Brittany Smith, freshman Demetra Pappas and sophomores Tessora Stefan and Alexandra Couvillon were also defensive leaders.

It was another terrific season for the Memorial Mustangs girls’ soccer team, which raised its season record to 16-4 with a decisive 6-0 first-round playoff victory over Aldine Davis. “We moved into a really tough district this season, and the girls really stepped up to the challenge,” said coach Lindley Amarantos.

Along with winning their bracket in the I-10 Shootout, the Mustangs earned a thrilling 2-1 district victory over perennial statewide power-

house Klein. The Mustangs trailed 1-0 before rallying to score the winning goal with only 20 seconds left in the game. “It was Klein’s only district loss of the year, and really a big-time victory for us,” said Amarantos.

The Mustangs’ lineup boasts a trio of players who’ve committed to play collegiate soccer, including junior Grace Yochum, who’ll play at Oklahoma State. Yochum led the team in assists and was second in goals. In addition, junior goal keeper Bella Killgore, who Amarantos describes as a “vocal leader on the back of the defense,” has committed to play for Rice University, while sophomore forward Grace Collins has already committed to TCU. All three of those players were all-district choices this season.

Meanwhile, Amarantos also had high praise for sophomore forward Alina Khan and sophomore midfielder Maddie Dichiara. “Alina is a cool and collective player who is very technically skilled, while Maddie is a physical player and an excellent distributor.”

Editor’s Note: Todd Freed is the Emmy Awardwinning co-host and producer of the KUBE SportsZone, which airs Saturday and Sunday at 6 p.m. on Channel 57-KUBE. To submit high school sports news for possible inclusion in SportzBuzz, please email todd@thebuzzmagazines.com.

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SPORTS

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by Angie Frederickson, staff writer

SportzBuzz, Jr. W

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

Undefeated, again The fourth-grade Rocketbombs (top photo) finished their second undefeated season in the Kingdom Basketball League. The boys attend Memorial Drive Elementary and the Regis School, and are coached by Joe Blasi, Harald ten Wolde and Trey Comiskey. It was a competitive season, and the Rocketbombs came from behind to win a few of the games. When the boys were down, they relied on Coach Blasi’s advice to stick to the plays and remember the teamwork they had practiced. It worked and they finished the season without a single loss. The Rocketbombs are (top row, from left) coaches Joe Blasi, Harald ten Wolde and Trey Comiskey; (middle row, from left) Jingzhi Chen, Luke Fuqua, Keel ten Wolde, Brando Blasi, Corbin Comiskey and Jared Norton; (bottom row, from left) Graham Fuqua and Julian Keck; not pictured: Luke Jackson.

Relay champs Memorial Middle School (MMS) eighth-grade girls Mary Kate Skrabanek, Caroline Parnell, Camille Smith and Lauren Chaffin (middle photo, from left) smile after their relay team won the 4x400 event at a recent meet. The foursome placed first in the relay event at this season’s meets at both Crump Stadium and at Stratford High School (SHS). The girls’ teammates were also successful as the MMS girls team placed second, overall, in the meet at Crump Stadium and placed first, overall, at SHS.

Player of the year Trey Duffield (bottom photo), 13, traveled to Las Vegas to play for Team Texas powered by Under Armour and was named Player of the Year. The Spring Branch Middle School seventh grader also plays 13U premier baseball with Mizuno Baseball USA, coached by Mark Klein.

Trey’s primary position is pitcher, but he also loves to play catcher, and you will sometimes find him playing first base. His love of baseball began with Little League when he was 6 years old, and he advanced to select baseball at age 11. In addition to team practices, Trey takes private weekly hitting and pitching lessons, and gets plenty of use from the batting cage in his backyard. One day, he hopes to play college baseball.

Proud sponsor of Memorial and neighboring sports MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 40

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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KIDS

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FOOT SOLDIER Madeline Muschalik, a junior at Memorial High School, started a charity to collect shoes for Cambodian children after volunteering in the country with her family.

by Madeline Muschalik, age 17

Buzz Kidz

Cambodia and 10,000 shoes

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lasting impression. That’s what Cambodia left with me. The natural beauty, the caring children and the people’s desire to succeed. I have been forever changed by my visit there.

On one of our days in Cambodia my family boarded a dusty van at dawn. We rode through the humid jungle, jostling around as we drove over potholes and avoiding barefoot children in uniform who were biking to school.

The strong smell of chicken broth and rice wafted through the air when we arrived at the school just outside of Siem Riep, where we volunteered for the day. As the children arrived one by one, my family took turns scooping the chicken-porridge breakfast into small bowls and serving it to them. These children were some of the

most polite children I have ever been around.

After breakfast we followed them into the courtyard to watch them sing their national anthem while they raised their flag – a blue and red rectangle with the ancient temple of Angkor Wat in the middle. As I watched, I noticed the sense of pride they had in their country.

Cambodia is a culturally rich country with a rocky past. In the 1970s, a dictator named Pol Pot started a horrible regime called the Khmer Rouge in which much of Cambodia’s educated were killed. Cambodia is still recovering, which is why it is vital that the new generations get the education they deserve. Programs like Caring for Cambodia (a non-profit organization that runs the school) are helping to make this possible.

After leaving Cambodia, I felt inspired to help

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the school children. I started a charity called 10,000 Shoes to collect shoes from Houston schools. They need shoes to ride their bikes and walk to school, especially during monsoon season. This past fall I collected and sorted shoes from many elementary schools and preschools and drove them to Austin so they could be distributed to the children in Cambodia. To help, visit my website at www.10000shoes.weebly.com.

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.

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Jax, age 4, Silver Labrador, Perthshire Rd. My name is Jax. I am a big, sweet, silver Lab. Duck hunting, riding in cars, going for walks, swimming and playing with Sophie and Drew are my favorite things. I am always staring out the front window of my home looking for Ranger, Chance and Sadie (the Golden and Labs next door). I love it when I get to play with my neighborhood friends. We have playdates in the front yard quite a bit. I must confess, I can be bad sometimes. I can’t help myself. Do not trust me around any food on a counter. Rotisserie chickens are my favorite. I have been known to jump up and eat them whole. I even had my stomach pumped for eating a bag of grapes out of the sink. I didn’t know grapes could hurt me. My brother Pepe is a Coton De Tulear. We look nothing alike. I am happy Pepe lives with us. Now I always have a friend to play with.

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. Featured pets receive two passes to Rover Oaks Pet Resort. Each pass can be redeemed for one day of lodging in a Bunk House Suite, 25 percent off your next grooming appointment or 25 percent off one obedience training class.

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Finding an honest roofing contractor is extremely difficult. In Houston, 70,000 roofs are replaced annually. Unfortunately, too many will be installed incorrectly. This could be easily avoided. Here are a few tips.

When choosing a roofing contractor, always go local. Many roofing contractors are here today and gone tomorrow; some even have fake addresses.

Always check how long they’ve been in business; 85 percent of roofing companies go out of business after year two. These companies offer cheap prices, but they won’t be around to honor their warranties.

Remember, verbal bids are just promises; as we both know, verbal promises get broken all the time. Always get a written contract outlining the job, products, and warranty details in contract form. If they are not in writing, they mean nothing.

In the roofing world, if it sounds too good to be true, then it is! Comparing roofing estimates is nearly impossible, even for the savviest of homeowners.

Because the average roof lasts 20 years, this is a long-term decision. Never make your decision based solely on price. Your home’s foundation is the most expensive remodeling work, and the second most expensive project is the roof. No one selects the inexpensive option on foundation, so why go inexpensive on a roof?

We suggest contacting a trusted professional to assist you in making a well-informed decision. Sam Stilley is a second-generation owner of Amstill Roofing, in Houston since 1974. Contact Sam if you have any questions.

Sam Stilley, Amstill Roofing, 11311 Richmond Avenue, Building L Suite-100A, Houston, Texas 77082, 281.495.1878, amstillroofing.com, info@amstillroofing.com

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A minute with Maisie

Addiction hurting the family?

Many clients ask me, “What is a Child Advocate?” The Texas Family Code provides that a volunteer advocate may be appointed in cases involving CPS where termination of the parental rights is requested. They must be trained and certified by the court to appear as a volunteer. Once certified, these volunteers are able to speak with teachers, mental health professionals and other people important in the lives of these foster children to assist the court in making positive changes. Typically, these volunteers are indispensable champions for children in foster care, particularly when CPS is so overwhelmed by their voluminous caseloads. If you are interested in helping children in foster care, please contact Child Advocates, Inc. at www.childadvocates.org for more information. Your time and attention could make the difference in the life of a child. Maisie A. Barringer is a partner at Jenkins & Kamin, L.L.P., a full-service, boutique, family-law firm specializing in divorce, child-custody modifications, grandparent access, paternity, adoption, and premarital and postmarital agreements.

Maisie A. Barringer has been recognized as a Texas Rising Star by Texas Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters service printed in Texas Monthly magazine for 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013.

Jenkins & Kamin, L.L.P., Maisie A. Barringer, Partner, Board Certified in Family Law, Two Greenway Plaza, Suite 600, Houston, Texas 77046, 713.600.5500, www.jenkinskamin.com

Almost every family has someone who struggles with drinking too much and/or using drugs.

Addiction has always been an issue, and it’s not going away. In fact, it may be getting worse.

Addiction creates chaos, resentment and a mass of confusion in the lives of those who are struggling and the lives of their families. The stigma of alcoholism and addiction often leads to silence and leaves families wondering where to turn. The Internet is no place to find answers, and while turning to trusted friends and family members can provide insight, it is only into their own unique experiences. Fortunately, there is another option for those seeking support and guidance in a time of need. Luna Recovery Services provides compassionate care from professionals who can assess, treat and refer individuals suffering with addiction to the appropriate level of care.

One thing is for sure, addiction is a progressive disease and only gets worse if left untreated. An estimated 24 million Americans struggle with substanceuse disorders. We are in the midst of an opioid epidemic, and alcohol-related deaths are at an all-time high. As co-founders, Rob and Kathleen Park are passionate about helping those still suffering, and we are committed to walking the path to recovery with you and your loved one. If you or someone you love needs help or if you have any questions, please reach out.

Robert Park, LCDC, Co-Founder of Luna Recovery Services, LLC – Addiction and Mental Health Specialists, 5757 Woodway Dr., Suite 110, 888.448.LUNA or 832.850.2980, info@lunarecovery.com, www.lunarecovery.com

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 45

Happy Mother’s Day! Celebrate a lifetime of memories.

Heirloom quality portraits for the next generation.

LaWell Photography Specializing in photographic wall art and dĂŠcor A portrait remembers 713.523.4916 nikky@lawellphoto.com www.lawellphoto.com

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 46

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Managing someone else’s money Have you stepped up to help friends or family in need? Someone who could handle everything but now cannot? If you manage their money, you are probably a fiduciary. That is a special relationship of trust and confidence.

Fiduciary relationships include agents under a power of attorney, trustees under a revocable trust, court-appointed guardians, representative payees, and VA fiduciaries. Fiduciary relationships typically begin with a signed piece of paper, e.g., a power of attorney, a trust agreement, a court order, or an appointment form. Two signatures on a bank or brokerage account may be enough to create a fiduciary relationship.

Informal fiduciary relationships are also possible. There is no piece of paper, but someone trusts you and relies on you.

A fiduciary, formal or informal, must be diligent, trustworthy, honest, and act in good faith. A fiduciary has duties: i) act only in the beneficiary’s best interest, ii) manage their money and property carefully, iii) keep their money and property separate from his or her own, and iv) keep good records and communicate actions. If not, the fiduciary may be removed, sued, have to repay money, and go to jail. The cardinal rule: “It’s not your money!” These standards and penalties apply regardless whether the fiduciary is unpaid, untrained, and inexperienced.

Some fiduciaries have additional requirements. AARP Texas and Texas Appleseed have prepared five toolkits that help. All are available, for free, at www.protecttheirmoneytx.org. Each toolkit is an excellent guide, with real-world examples, practical insights, and resources that even a professional fiduciary could appreciate.

The Agents toolkit points out that once an agent accepts a power of attorney, an agent may assume fiduciary responsibility for all the beneficiary’s business. To make careful decisions about one thing, the agent needs to know about everything. The Agents toolkit suggests that a new agent make a list of all the beneficiary’s money, property, and debts, change locks, choose a financial advisor, buy insurance, and collect debts.

Fiduciaries must be more careful with the beneficiary’s money and business than with their own. If this is too much responsibility, each toolkit explains how to step down.

No fiduciary is an island. Each must deal with other fiduciaries, government benefits, and problems with family and friends. The toolkits explain how to respond, and how to engage professionals that can help.

Hats off to AARP Texas, Texas Appleseed, their Advisory Committee, and Baker Botts for their pro bono support in creating these toolkits.

We write wills and go to probate court. We offer no-obligation initial interviews for estate planning and administration, so it costs nothing to hear specific recommendations that suit your needs. 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, www.rwhpc.com

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 47

Priscilla Dickson

NEIGHBORS

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by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

Buzz About Town Art on wheels

Olivia Zarich, Luke Stoerr, Chris Hudson, Stella Whilden and Cummings.

A full-scale production

The big 5-0 June Christensen and Willie and Linda Chiang (pictured, from left) gathered at The Wortham

Theater to celebrate The Society for the Performing Arts 50th anniversary gala. The evening raised $600,000 for arts and education programs. Supporters mingled over appetizers and cocktails to toast the last five decades. They included co-chairs Stephany Olsen LeGrand and Curt Karges, Janet and Bill Swanstrom, and honorary chairs Katherine and Paul Murphy and Sharon and Tim Taylor. The gala honored Marc and Brenda Watts for their dedication to SPA and contributions to the arts community in Houston.

Basketball champs The Spring-Branch Memorial Sports Association 7/8 boys basketball Memorial Drive Elementary team won the championship game vs. the Blazers in the (continued on page 50) David Shutts

Colorful art cars stopped by Hunters Creek Elementary in preparation for the world’s largest Art Car Parade. They visited the school thanks to the coordination of art teacher Maggi Cummings (pictured, top right). Kindergarten through second-grade students toured the cars and got to hear all about the parade from the artists. Pictured (from left) are first grade teacher Ashley Johnson and first graders Kirby Krouse,

The Kinkaid School upper class musical Into The Woods was a success. It was a two and a half-hour performance with technical and theatrical delights, including an evil witch soaring above the audience, Jack rappelling down a steep beanstalk while continuing to sing, and a rotating stage that characters traversed. It was written and composed by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, and featured multiple fairytale characters, including Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and Little Red Riding Hood. A narrator, played by sophomore Riley Shaper, guided the audience through the exciting and troubling experiences of The Baker, played by senior Austin Karkowsky, and The Baker’s Wife, played by senior Brock Looser.

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 48

Craftsmanship By John, Inc. An Award Winning Custom Builder and Remodeler

Craftsmanship never goes out of style www.craftsmanshipbyjohn.com • 713.984.8834 MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 49

Wilson Parish

Platinum division.

Pictured are (back row, from left) coach Bill Onorato, William Hoogendam, Bardo Bucknell, Tanner Drda, Asif Dakri, (front row, from left) Mark Onorato, Robert Onorato, Tanner Watkins, Dain Dakri, Ethan Kook and Anthony Curtis. Not pictured: Zach Boutalbi.

(continued from page 48)

Outstanding young men A total of 17 Second Baptist School seniors were awarded the rank of Eagle Scout at a Court of Honor for Troop 13. The Eagle Scouts are (pictured, front row, from left) Jaret Prothro,

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Ben Applegate, (second row, from left) David Towne, Andy Verghese, Walker Thode and Thompson Tondera, (third row, from left) Bubba Pfeffer, Nathan Ammerman, Nick Verghese, Cooper Carlyle and Jason Daniels, (fourth row, from left) Austin Strozier, Scott Martin, David Little, Paul Rush and Glenn Turner. Not pictured: Hayden Grobleben.

Museum fundraiser Kelly Horton, Rishma Mohamed and Lauren Biggs (pictured, from left) mingled at the River Oaks Country Club for The Children’s Museum

of Houston 2017 Friends & Families Luncheon.

The event, hosted by Tenenbaum Jewelers, was an intimate gathering for patrons to meet gymnast Jen Bricker. Co-chairs Michelle Smith and Rachel Regan were pleased with the $166,000 raised. Also in the mix were Millette Sherman, Renee Dugan, Milessa Lowrie, Krystal Thompson, Lauren Wuertz, Shana Gordy, Bevin Dubrowski and Neekie Kasahni.

Gala kickoff Chari Beth White and Roseann Rogers (pictured, next page, from left) (continued on page 52)

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Wilson Parish

Sly Cat Studios

hung out at Pratham Houston’s gala kickoff. Prantham is a non-profit that has helped more than 45 million children in India with educational support. Sushmita Sen, actress, model and former Miss Universe, was a guest at the annual fundraiser. Pratham Houston president Ash Shah and vice president Asha Dhurme welcomed more than 70 guests, including the gala’s mistress of ceremonies, KTRK-TV meteorologist Casey Curry, along with her husband Carl Hahn and Deborah Elias, Corbett Parker, Sonia Soto, Dr. Angela Sturm, Mani Surkari, Meena Patel, Megha Tejpal, and Dr. and Mrs. Kiran Shah, plus gala co-chairs Annu and Sagar Naik, Shital and Bob Patel, Shawn Karande, Mini Vettical and Pratham USA treasurer Swatantra Jain and his wife Bimla.

(continued from page 50)

Great minds Rummel Creek Elementary students participating in the Odyssey of the Mind creative problemsolving competition included (pictured, from left) Kora Vavasour, Madeline Wright, Viktoria Rueda, principal Nancy Harn, James Hobson, Jacob Hobson, Marcelo Carvalho and Mateo Estrada. The 6 and 7 year olds used props and costumes to tell a story about a group that moved from one location to another. The team decided to do an African safari theme and told the story

of a mother and baby elephant who were separated due to a storm. A gorilla saved the day by rescuing them after pretending to be a receptionist.

Fashion and philanthropy

along with crafts, photo booth and the symphony’s instrument petting zoo.

Stories to share

Chloe Segelke and Bridget Bering (pictured, from left) modeled spring trends at the 2017 Houston Symphony Children’s Fashion Show and Luncheon. It was themed “The Wizard of Oz” and was a hit among the 270 children and adults at the annual springtime family celebration. The event was chaired by Saula Centa Valente. Toddlers to teens walked the “yellow brick road” modeling fresh spring fashions from Macy’s. From ruby red slippers to centerpieces reminiscent of the Emerald City, the festive atmosphere was a hit. After the show, everyone enjoyed lunch and wizardly entertainment, Everyone in the community is invited to the monthly free speaker series at the Trotter YMCA called Stories of Service. This month’s Stories of Service will take place on May 19 at 11 a.m. in Multipurpose Room 2 where Dr. Sam Axelrad will speak. Dr. Axelrad will share his story as a captain of a Forward Medical Command in the U.S. Army’s First Cavalry. He is author of the book, Peaceful Bones, which is the story of an extraordinary friendship in a time of war and the reunion 46 years later. On June 16, Pat Ceglia will share his story serving in the United States Air Force during World War II. He will talk about his experiences as a radio gunner in the 8th Air Force. SOS is held the third Friday of the month at 11 a.m. for both members and non-members. Light refreshments are served. Pictured (from left) are Dick Baile and Ed Haye at a previous SOS. 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.

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 52

Delicious Food. Creative Ideas. Professional Staff.

Let us cater your special occasion • Weddings • Engagement parties • Bar/Bat Mitzvahs • Personal celebrations • Corporate caterings • Client entertaining • Staff lunches • Office parties

Owners - Frank N. Demeris and Stathy Demeris 4803 Bissonnet St. Bellaire, Texas 77401 713.664.7964 charliesandco.com

MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 53

NEIGHBORS

by Andria Frankfort, staff writer

Back Porch

Magic granola – and other teacher gifts

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here’s a granola from San Antonio’s Bird Bakery that my girls and I love. I mean love. Addicted. They package it in clicktop mason jars, the empty versions of which litter my container drawer as evidence that this family has enjoyed more granola than we should.

So last May, when considering what to give teachers for end-of-year gifts, I ordered 20 jars of it, wrapped each with a grosgrain ribbon and had the girls write notes that we attached.

I wasn’t ready for the response. One teacher told Lucy, “My wife says that that granola is for a special kind of person!” Another wanted to know where she could get more. And for yet another, I swear it was the difference between two letter grades. We came out ahead.

It’s the big question in May – what are you giving the teachers? And the bigger question – what do the teachers think of those gifts?

Teachers say gifts run the gamut – good, bad and just plain off. Handles of liquor, anyone?

When recounting her worst-ever gift, one teacher says, “I once got a Jesus clock. His arms were the hour and minute hands. Depending on the time, he was either covering his privates or hanging on the cross.

“Another time, I got an engagement ring from an 8 year old. His mom called me, freaking out, because she didn’t realized he had taken it from her jewelry box!

“And please do teachers everywhere a favor, and stop with the apple stuff. We don’t need another apple coffee cup or apple-shaped notepad. I’m all appled-out.”

Note taken. But what do you all want? “The best gift ever was a full day at the Trellis Spa,” the same teacher says. “It was awesome.”

Another elementary school teacher counts off best-evers: “Massage gift certificates, gift certificates to restaurants and stores, orchids, succulents, movie tickets, and, with an extra star [so like a teacher], a mani/pedi to a salon the teacher frequents.”

JoAnn Klar, a nurse at The Shlenker School, says that planning yields the best results. “When my son, who is now 26, was at Metropolitan Montessori School at Christ Church Cathedral, the parents did [a teacher information form], MEMORIAL BUZZ MAY 2017 54

and it turned out to be a big hit. Some teachers were reluctant to fill it out, saying it felt presumptive. But parents are going to give gifts [anyway].... If you’re going to get a gift, it might as well be something you’d want!”

The forms would be left at the school’s front desk for parents’ reference. Questions included: What would I enjoy receiving?

I would absolutely love to receive… My hobbies are… I collect… I like the following places to shop, eat, explore… My favorite charities are… I do not wish to receive…

One parent of three young children and former elementary school teacher gives gifts she would have wanted as a teacher. And being a former teacher, she’s super creative with her AN APPLE A DAY Daily apples to the teacher might be too much, but carefully choices. chosen gifts can bring a smile.

“For the holidays I ing, ‘There’s no bundt about it, you’re the best did a tube of brown paper, curling ribbon, scisteacher.’ The cake gift card may be $5, but sors and tape with a little poem about wrapping they’ll have the cake platter afterward.” your gifts,” she says. “With those kinds of gifts, This mom finds inspiration on Pinterest. “If most of it will be disposable, but there will be you search for teacher-appreciation gifts, you’ll one thing to keep, in this case it was the scissors. find a lot of ideas that will spur others,” she says.

“I’ve given infinity scarves before, not over“It’s a jumping-off place. the-top ones, and said something like, ‘We love “It’s totally a creative outlet for me,” she says. you infinitely.’ I’ll buy things when I think about “I probably choose to spend more time than I it and Amazon them to the house and keep need to, but only because I like doing it.” them in a closet. If I see something I think will Best gift she received herself? “As cheesy as it be cute, I’ll write it down on a running list. Or sounds, the hand-written note from the student or I’ll go to the Target dollar bin. They had cake even a parent just saying how they feel about you is plates for $5, so I picked them up and I think I very meaningful. You do remember those over might do a fun cake cutting knife and a gift card time. Something as small as that is very impactful.” or small Nothing Bundt Cakes, with a note saybehance.net/runamokstudios

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