The West University Buzz - April 2017

Todd and Elna Griggs with son Aaron

What’s New at Your Park?

Evelyn’s Park and the Ritter Family

For the Love

of Baseball

by Jennifer Oakley

Happy 80th Anniversary, Lamar Chef’s Corner: Michael Parker Cooking Buzz: Spring Showers Back Porch: Team Snacks Houston, TX Permit No. 2047 PAID US Postage PRSRT STD

Buzz Baby: Unexpected Birth Stories

PUBLISHER’S NOTE This is the fifth year Joni and I attended the Interactive (i.e., technology) conference at SXSW in Austin, and I noticed some interesting shifts this year.

First, people just seemed more laid back. They seemed more interested in listening to what speakers and panelists had to say, instead of working furiously on their laptops to immediately blog or post about it. Second, there appeared to be more sessions on topics that have nothing to do with technology and a more to do with happiness, both personally and professionally. I attended non-technology sessions with topics such as employee engagement, emotional leadership, psychology in the human workplace, the power of purpose in business and life, and even how entrepreneurs can overcome depression. Technology has improved our lives in many ways but has it made us happier? The happiest people don’t have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have. This month’s issue is about simple outdoor pleasures – neighborhood parks, baseball and dining outside – and Buzz families who make the most of them. Happy springtime. michael@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 Carolyn McCormick Diana Moga Andrea Blitzer Leslie Little Kim Montgomery Amber Lewis Helen van Rensburg Dylan Aguilar

On our cover: Todd and Elna Griggs, along with son Aaron, are serious Houston Astros fans who followed the team to spring training in Florida.

Thank you to Minute Maid Park for hosting our photo shoot.

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.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 4

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Your letters, thoughts, opinions Made her smile Andria Frankfort’s article Little Smiles [Back Porch, March 2017] was smile-worthy itself! I have fun matching photos or images to the contacts in my phone, and it does make me smile to see a shot of a Dairy Queen sign pop up when I hear from a friend who loves Dairy Queen, for example. The suggestion Andria reported on to take photos of Christmas cards was, as she writes, “genius.” I look forward to doing exactly that before I recycle my next batch of Christmas cards next year, or to add other fun reminders of friends to their contact information in the meantime. It is easy to do and well worth the couple of seconds it takes.

Kathryn Wilson Editor’s note: We thought that was a great idea too. For readers who missed this story or any other stories or photographs in our print issues, you can find everything online at thebuzzmagazines.com.

Showing rivals as friends As a parent of one of the students that dives for SBISD, I want to thank Jordan Steinfeld for truly capturing the spirit and camaraderie of SBISD Diving [Buzz About Town, March 2017, The Memorial Buzz]. Their district coach, Anastasia Pozdniakova, has developed a unique situation in high school sports, rival teams that truly support and root for each other, and they want each other to succeed at the sport.

Geoffrey Dixon, Assistant Principal, Memorial Senior High School

Party write-up not funny I am a longtime, faithful reader of The Buzz. I was just reading the March [2017] issue when I came across an item in Rumor Has It that really offended me. I'm referring to the "thank you party" (Rumor Has It, The Memorial Buzz and The Tanglewood/River Oaks Buzz) where there was a donation jar for Planned Parenthood "in honor of Mike Pence" as well as an Obama cutout and a Trump piñata. I can only conclude that the idea was to beat the Trump pinata with a stick.

I find this piece to have been highly insensitive to those who share a different political philosophy. Indeed, hitting a piñata in the form of our president is incredibly disrespectful, not just of the person but also of the office itself. I can't imagine that you would publish a piece about a party given to celebrate the end of the Obama era, complete with a piñata of Pres. Obama that guests would gleefully hit with a stick.

I would hope that in the future, The Buzz takes a little more time to conWEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 6

sider what is printed on the pages of this wonderful, neighborhood magazine, and avoids this sort of inappropriate reporting.

Elizabeth Labanowski

Place to get a passport I saw that you published an article on passport services in The Buzz Magazines in January [Travel Buzz: Passport tips from the pros, by Tracy L Barnett, January 2017]. The Harris County District Clerk’s Office, my employer, runs a quick, efficient passport service. Is there a chance that you might provide some information on the DCO’s passport service in an upcoming Travel Buzz column, please? The downtown passport service remains the hub of the DCO’s passport operation. The service is convenient for residents of River Oaks, West University, Bellaire, Meyerland, Tanglewood and Memorial. The downtown service is located on the first floor of the Harris County Civil Courthouse, 201 Caroline. Hours of operation are weekdays from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Walk-ins are accepted. To make an appointment or get more information, residents may call 713755-1674. Thanks.

Bill Murphy, Office of Harris County District Clerk Chris Daniel 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?

We are looking for residents for upcoming articles who: • Are high school seniors who have chosen a college.

This is for our annual “Where are they headed?” story.

• Have college-dorm decoration stories, tips or mishaps.

• Have Sweet 16 party stories.

• Have back-to-school family traditions.

• 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.

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WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 7

NEIGHBORS

by Jennifer Oakley, staff writer

For the Love of Baseball Hitting the road for America’s pastime

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 8

man growing up in a small town looking for a way to make it in a bigger city someday as an adult.”

Later on at the end of high school, when a shoulder injury permanently shut the door on his Big League dreams, Todd turned to those words for comfort and inspiration.

“Once my playing days ended, I really didn’t follow the game as much. It was always tough for me to watch, knowing I could no longer play.”

Time moved on, and so did Todd.

He went to The University of Texas and married his college sweetheart, Elna.

Together they have a son, Aaron, now 9 years old and in third grade at Annunciation BIG LEAGUE Aaron Griggs (pictured at Minute Maid Park), a die-hard Astros fan, Orthodox School. went to spring training to watch the Astros play.

And, when our family. Todd coaches, Aaron plays, and I sit Aaron started to play baseball, just as Todd had, nervously watching my two favorite people do something shifted in his heart, and baseball their thing.” became a family affair. “Having Aaron love the On weekends, the family piles their car full of game so much has certainly rekindled my love baseball gear and drives to Aaron’s select baseof the game,” he says. ball tournaments. Aaron plays West U Little “Whether it be attending Astros games or League and is also on two tournament teams: watching Aaron play ball, we can often be found the West U Wranglers and the Houston Royals, at one baseball field or another,” enthuses Elna, coached by former MLB player Ben Bronson. who is an attorney with Morgan, Lewis & One night last spring, (continued on page 10) Bockius. “Baseball is such a bonding agent for lawellphoto.com

I

t took West U resident Todd Griggs 5,025 miles and 32 years to come full circle. For the tall and athletic Texan who grew up in Longview, a trip to Astros training camp in Kissimmee, Florida, last Spring Break had an unexpected and happy result.

His story, like so many other baseball stories, is about dreams rooted in the love of the game – and life lessons that come with hitting the road for America’s pastime.

Todd is one of many Buzz residents who log miles and hours for everything from attending select team youth tournaments to touring MLB parks. Memories are being made as families travel to their own fields of dreams.

As a standout centerfielder in his youth, all Todd wanted to do was play baseball in college.

He says that his speed, batting and arm were good enough to get him noticed, and year-round baseball helped keep his dream alive. He was even invited to attend a rookie camp with the Phillies organization.

“I was fortunate enough to attend the Augie Garrido baseball camp each summer while he was coaching at Cal State Fullerton,” Todd says of his middle school and high school years. “One year, our guest speaker was Gary Pettis, a great centerfielder for the Angels. He began speaking, and much to my surprise, he didn’t talk to us all that much about baseball. What he talked about to us was way more important and stuck with me forever.”

Todd was 13 years old at the time. “He talked to us about the fact that none of us would play professional baseball, but we were using baseball to learn how to deal with adversity. We were using baseball to learn how to work really hard to be great at something. We were using baseball to learn how to be team leaders. And we needed to all learn how to apply all of those things to our lives outside of baseball,” says Todd, manager of financial planning for Freeport McMoRan Oil and Gas. “He said it was easy to do all of those things inside the confines of a sport that was fun, but to be successful we needed to learn how to apply all of those things to school work or whatever career we chose as adults after baseball. That had a very profound impact on me as a young

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 9

wine (“terrible combination, right?” laughs Elna) the Griggs and some friends decided to plan a trip to Astros spring training. They pulled it together and took off for Florida to watch the Astros in the final spring training at their old facility in Kissimmee.

“I would absolutely recommend this trip to other families,” says Elna. “It’s baseball in an intimate and laid-back environment.”

“One really great moment,” says Todd, “was after the St. Patrick’s Day game when the players were heading into the club house and they stopped to sign autographs. Astros outfielder Tony Kemp had just made a spectacular diving catch that preserved the Astros lead for the day. When Tony got to Aaron, Aaron told Tony what a great catch he had made. Tony responded, ‘Thank you, young man! You know, I was thinking about giving my cleats away today – would you like them?’

He signed both shoes, chatted with Aaron for 30 seconds and walked off the field in his socks.

Aaron loves those shoes to this day, and they are proudly displayed on his dresser.”

Next year they plan to watch the Astros in their new complex in West Palm Beach.

Another Buzz family going the distance for baseball are Karen and Mike Haysley and sons Michael and Jake of Bellaire. They are looking forward to the 1,721-mile trek they will make to Cooperstown, New York, in June. As a member of the Bellaire Bats baseball team, 12-year-old Jake will compete in The Cooperstown Dreams Park and American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame Invitational Tournament.

Karen, a self-proclaimed baseball mom and part-time retail consultant, says although they have gone to tournaments in the Houston area, “this is our first time traveling together as an entire team – this is our ‘hurrah!’”

Competing at Cooperstown as a 12 year old is what dreams are made of. “Playing at Cooperstown, where the Baseball Hall of Fame is located, is going to be all baseball, all the time, for one week,” says Karen. “The boys will stay in the player barracks with the coaches, and all of the families are staying in the same house. I can’t imagine a better celebration of all of the hours we’ve spent in the stands together.”

And they have logged a lot of hours since Jake started playing Bellaire Little League at the age of 5. One year later he joined the Bellaire Bats and the Haysley household started to beat to the sound of a baseball year-round.

“I love having a car full of them on the road for tournaments,” says Karen. “I honestly chose the car I drive (an SUV that seats seven) so that I have room to haul the boys and their friends around. We play the baseball music playlist that they have created on my phone.

I’m pretty sure that cars around us can hear them singing, and it takes the edge off the big game that is about to take place.”

Jake’s love of baseball connects Karen to her childhood playing softball. “If Mom couldn’t find us, we were at the baseball fields. We often look WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 10

lawellphoto.com

(continued from page 8) over a dinner of queso and

SWING FOR THE FENCES Karen Haysley and son Jake stand on the mound at the new Tiras Family Complex field. Jake has played Bellaire Little League since he was 5.

back on our middle school years and recall that the only time we could get away with anything in Bellaire was Sunday night. That’s when our parents all played in the adult softball league.”

Karen says the sports lessons she learned then have translated to how she and attorney husband Mike relate to their sons: “It’s not how you fall down. It’s how you get back up. Many of our big life talks are about falling down and getting back up. There is no greater place to learn how to do this than on the baseball field.”

The long talks have long-lasting lessons.

“One play, one at bat, one error can change the game, but you have to get back up and go back on that field with all you’ve got. These kids are going to make mistakes. It is part of life. It is how you own that mistake and recover that will change your course in life.”

“The greatest part about the Bats is that I get to play with the greatest boys in the world,” says Jake, a Pin Oak Middle School student. “They are always there for me, and I am going to be there for them, too.” He can’t wait to get to play at Cooperstown. “I am looking forward to having a good time with teammates,” says Jake,

whose position is pitcher. “But what I am most excited about is the roar of the crowd. They will pump my team up, including me. Baseball means everything to me.”

That feeling that baseball evokes – when the sport transcends two teams playing on a diamond – is evident when Todd talks about that chance meeting that brought him face to face with the idol he had met in Fullerton, Calif., all those years ago.

“Gary Pettis is now the third-base coach for the Astros,” says Todd. “The truly special Spring Training moment for me occurred when I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Pettis again and thank him for caring enough to come out and talk to a group of kids at a baseball camp and for giving a young man a life lesson I have carried with me every day since.”

MORE ONLINE For more Buzz residents' baseball stories and for Karen Haysley's Baseball Pump-Up Song Playlist, see thebuzzmagazines.com. If baseball has impacted your life too, we’d love to hear about it. Leave a comment online, or email info@thebuzzmagazines.com.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 11

Christina Sizemore

NEIGHBORS

by Diana Moga, contributing writer

Parks Guide What’s new at your park?

M

aybe you’ve been hibernating inside this winter. When you venture out, you’ll discover your neighborhood parks have been doing a good bit of sprucing up.

We’ll get to the updated parks in a bit, but first, here’s a brand-new one. If you’ve been driving by this prime, corner property at Bellaire and Newcastle – the site of former gardening mecca Teas Nursery – you know the workers have been busy.

Evelyn’s Park After years of community effort, Evelyn’s Park is scheduled to open this month, on Earth Day, April 22. Teas Nursery closed in 2009, and brothers Jerry and Maury Rubenstein bought and gave the 5-acre site to the city of Bellaire under the condition that it be used as parkland and be named in honor of their mother, Evelyn, a longtime Bellaire resident and philanthropist who loved the outdoors.

Think tranquil and relaxing, with a decorative fountain at the southwest pedestrian entrance, a giant center lawn, intimate gardens, public restrooms and modern architecture under a canopy of live oaks, crossed by trails. The trails take you along a paved walkway to a gravel loop punctuated by rectangular-cube benches, gardens and artwork. More than 300 native trees have been planted, and designers used solar installations and repurposed tree stumps into play areas.

A main attraction will be a large Alice in Wonderland sculpture of the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party by artist Bridgette Mongeon. The Mad Hatter and the March Hare are 8 feet tall, and Alice is seated in a large chair with room enough for a park visitor to sit next to her.

The Children’s Play Area, located at the top of Lawn Forest Trail, does not feature traditional playground apparatus, but instead opts for a more natural play experience with open space and a single, extra wide slide atop a hill that Denton Ragland, executive director of the Evelyn’s Park Conservancy, calls “Mount Bellaire.” The play space encourages climbing and playing on the hill and jumping across a series of tree stumps.

Another draw will be a restaurant, The Ivy & WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 12

EVELYN’S PARK Artist Bridgette Mongeon created an Alice in Wonderland sculpture for the brand-new Evelyn’s Park, on the former site of Teas Nursery. The park is scheduled to open on April 22. It will feature a lawn, gardens, restaurant, fountain and trails.

James, located in the new “Old Yellow House”, a replica of the original structure, which could not be preserved due to wood damage. The restaurant’s owners are Jamie and Dalia Zelko, formerly of Zelko Bistro in The Heights. The cafe will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, including beer and wine, and can cater events at the Evelyn’s Park Event Pavilion. The pavilion, available for private receptions of up to 250 guests ($1,000$2,500), blends an airy indoor space with an outdoor patio and private lawn space.

Planned programming includes Farmer’s Market Saturdays and art events. The summer schedule will be posted on the Evelyn’s Park website after Memorial Day. The park is still accepting donations to complete remaining master-plan features, including a stream garden and pond. See evelynspark.org.

Nature Discovery Center Recent visitors to the Hana and Arthur Ginzbarg Nature Discovery Center, also in

Bellaire, just down the street from the new Evelyn’s Park, may have noticed restricted access to the north parking lot and a shuffling around of outdoor animal enclosures while the park has been undergoing improvements.

For almost 30 years, the four-acre Nature Discovery Center has stood as a surprising and intimate nature preserve surrounded by urban neighborhoods. It’s not a heavily landscaped, manicured park. Instead, the center’s mission to nurture native plants, teach youngsters and remain a natural escape for visitors.

The walkway to the Henshaw House has been expanded, making it more visible and inviting to people pushing strollers or wheelchairs alone Newcastle. Signs have been added to once-unidentified vegetation and trees, inviting visitors to learn about the native ecology, and inviting kids to “feel this bark.” The center path, which used to flood after heavy rains, has been reconstructed out of a porous material.

Executive director Henry (continued on page 14)

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 13

Morris Malakoff

THE NEW LEVY PARK The renovated park has community gardens, a dog park, lawn space, game tables and a modern, creative children’s playground. It hosts live music and regular programming. (continued from page 12) Owen said a new restroom

building outside prevents the old bottleneck of waiting children at the stairs in the Henshaw House. This means less time waiting in line for little ones to use the restroom, and more time visiting the park’s beloved bunnies and reptiles, spotting birds, and walking the trails.

The Renovation Reveal is 10 a.m. May 6, with naturalists leading demonstrations, lessons and crafts. See naturediscoverycenter.org.

Levy Park Levy Park, donated in 1941 by investor Leon Levy, came back online in February after a $15 million facelift led by the Upper Kirby Redevelopment Authority. To call Levy Park a park does not adequately describe this dynamic urban green space. It feels more like a permanent community festival.

The park occupies a city block at 3801 Eastside, south of Richmond Avenue in the Upper Kirby area. A swooping, modern, performance pavilion anchors the large park jammed with spaces that encourage activity more than lounging. It is a mix of lawn space, paved walkways, game tables, an enclosed dog park, and community gardens, shaded by live oaks and surrounded by upscale apartments and high-end offices.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 14

The creatively designed children’s playground, on a maze of blue rubber flooring, is all about adventure and imagination. It has a hill with a slide and a rock wall built in, a tree house, fountains to run through and what looks like a giant Buckyball to climb on. “It’s one of my favorite areas of the park,” says Doug Overman, park director for the Levy Park Conservancy.

“There is a reverse splash pad with mushroom towers and lit tunnels and mounds, a small climbing wall, and a seven-foot slide.”

A double-decker bus serves coffee and pastries in the mornings and beer and wine in the evenings. Live music is planned every Wednesday at noon, at an electric keyboard mounted inside an upright piano, painted in the Levy Park lime green. The event lawn and performance pavilion will host free concerts. For the Saturday morning crowd, there’s park programming, from yoga and tai chi to astronomy, photography and reading programs through partnerships with the Houston Public Library.

See levyparkhouston.org.

Memorial Park At the northwest corner of 610 and I-10 is one of Houston’s largest urban parks and protected green spaces, popular with runners, mountain bikers, hikers, golfers, tennis players and picnick-

ers: Memorial Park. It’s undergoing some changes too. One update will add 100 acres of grassy fields for passive relaxation, another will add a new endurance training loop for runners, and another will educate Houstonians about the park’s World War I legacy, Just after the Super Bowl, Memorial Park started moving East Memorial Loop Drive further east and expanding the popular running loop adjacent to East Memorial Loop Drive, the Lieberman Trail. The move will catch an 83-acre space that has been inaccessible to visitors due to the excessive growth of invasive plants. The move will expand the Lieberman Trail to measure exactly three miles, an optimum running distance for endurance and speed workouts. By next fall, the space will be further developed for use as a picnic area, with a five-acre lake and wetlands expected to create a whole new biology and habitat.

Memorial Park served as one of 17 World War I training camps and is one of a handful in the nation that has not been paved. Memorial Park workers and volunteers have discovered archeological ruins from the park’s Camp Logan history. Visitors who join Friends of Memorial Park can tour with park staff during the ongoing WWI centennial commemoration to view the ruins and even be part of the preservation effort.

See memorialparkconservancy.org.

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NEIGHBORS

Morris Malakoff

by Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld, staff writer

What’s happening?

Events and activities at the park

E

xplore neighborhood parks and you’ll find more than playground equipment and grass. Check out these upcoming events and programs.

Evelyn’s Park 4400 Bellaire Blvd.

This brand-new Bellaire park opens Earth Day, Sat., April 22 with a Picnic in the Park celebration 11 a.m.-5 p.m. The Grand Opening will include culinary events, a mini-farmer’s market, beer and wine tastings, fitness classes and kids’ activities.

See evelynspark.org/events.

Levy Park 3801 Eastside St. The newly reopened Levy Park offers free activities daily. Mondays: Yoga 6 p.m., Zumba 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays: Hula Hooping 11:30 a.m., Yoga 6 p.m. Wednesdays: Piano Concert noon, Tai Chi 6 p.m., Yoga 6 p.m. Thursdays: Houston Public Library Story Hour 10 a.m., MET Dance for Adults 6 p.m., Yoga 6 p.m. Fridays: Yoga 6 p.m., Tango 7 p.m. (last Friday of the month), Writers in the Schools, 7-8 p.m. (first Friday). Saturdays: Bootcamp 8:30 a.m., Yoga 10 a.m., MET Dance for Kids 1 p.m. (second and fourth Saturdays), Young Audiences of Houston 1 p.m. (first, third and fifth Saturdays), Houston Museum of Natural Science 2 p.m. (fourth Saturday). Sundays: Yoga 10 a.m., POUND 11 a.m.

Upcoming events: Houston VIP Poetry Performances: April 8, July 15, Oct. 21, Jan. 20 Prelude Family Concerts: March 11, May 6, June 3 MET Season Kickoff Performance: Sept. 30 See levyparkhouston.org.

Discovery Green 1500 McKinney St. There is something – a fitness class, concert, movie night and more – at Discovery Green every day. Here’s a sampling. Yoga on Mondays 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. through June 26. CoreFocused Yoga on Tuesdays 6:30-7:30 p.m. through June 27. Circus Arts on Tuesdays 6-8 WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 16

p.m. through June 27.

Zumba on Wednesdays 6-7 p.m. through June 28.

Parkour on Thursdays 6:30-8 p.m. through June 29. Hatha Yoga on Saturdays 9-10 a.m. through June 24. LEVY PARK About 7,500 people celebrated the reopening of Levy Park on Feb. 25. The renovated park has a creative playground, a dog park, a commuYoung Writer’s nity garden, a modern pavilion, a lawn and scheduled classes.

Workshop on Saturdays Blanket Bingo, April 20, 6-9 p.m.

10:30-11:30 a.m. STEM Saturdays on Saturdays 2017 Bayou Bash, April 22, 12-4 p.m.

12:30-1:30 p.m. through June 24. Screen on the See buffalobayou.org/calendar.

Green: monthly on a Saturday, April 8 (Moana), May 6 (Ghostbusters), June 3 (Secret Nature Discovery Center Life of Pets). Sundays in the Park (live music) 7112 Newcastle St. Sundays through June 25.

The Nature Discovery Center has been Upcoming events: undergoing a facelift and will showcase the renArt Car Sneak Peek, April 6, 6-10 p.m. ovations Sat., May 6, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Also, Earth Day on the Avenida, April 22, 5-10 p.m. upcoming programs include: FUNomenal Family Festival, April 29, 1-6 p.m.

Monday Morning Gardening (for adults): UTHealth Stomp Out Stroke Festival, May 6, April 3 and May 1, 9:30 a.m.-noon.

9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Curious Kids (preschoolers, ages 3-5): See discoverygreen.com.

Tuesdays, 10-11:15 a.m. or 4-5:15 p.m., through May 23.

Hermann Park Lunch with the Birds (all ages): Wednesdays, 6100 Hermann Park Dr. noon-1:15 p.m., through May 10.

Bring your kids for Children’s Story Hour and Walk on the Wild Side (all ages): Sat., April activities after on Fridays, 10-11 a.m., in the 8, 10 a.m.

McGovern Centennial Gardens. They can also lisSee naturediscoverycenter.org/events. ten as students from local schools perform in the free Student Performance Series starting on April 7.

Memorial Park The Hermann Park Conservancy’s gala, 7575 North Picnic Ln. Evening in the Park, will take place Fri., April Memorial Park is home to events and activi28, 6:30 p.m., at Molly Ann Smith Plaza and ties throughout the year. The next event is the Jones Reflection Pool. The event includes cockgolf tournament benefiting Memorial Park tails, dinner, dessert and dancing.

Conservancy May 9. Call 713-863-8403. In the See hermannpark.org/calendar. fall, popular activities include adult softball league, adult flag football or adult kickball.

Buffalo Bayou Park See memorialparkconservancy.org 1800-3600 Allen Pkwy./Memorial Dr. See houstontx.gov/parks Buffalo Bayou Park is good for hiking, canoeing, kayaking and more. Events include: Second Saturday Boat Ride, April 8, 10 a.m.-2 p.m See more upcoming events on our calendar at Waugh Bat Colony Boat Tour, April 8, 7thebuzzmagazines.com. Share your favorite park 8:30 p.m. activities or favorite park memories by leaving a “Looking Back” History Tour, April 15, 10 comment under this story online or emailing a.m.-11:30 p.m. info@thebuzzmagazines.com.

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NEIGHBORS

Bellaire 5111 Bellaire Boulevard | Bellaire, TX 77401 | 713.349.9700 Greenway Plaza 2 Greenway Plaza, Suite 150 | Houston, TX 77046 | 713.623.8899 *comScore, Jan.-Dec. 2015. The property information herein is derived from various sources that may include, but not be limited to, county records and the Multiple Listing Service and it may include approximations. Although the information is believed to be accurate, it is not warranted and you should not rely upon it without personal verification. Real estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage are independent contractor agents and are not employees of the Company. ©2017 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Operated by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker, the Coldwell Banker logo, Coldwell Banker Previews International and the Previews logo are registered and unregistered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. 13216HOU_1/17

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 17

NEIGHBORS

by Cathy Gordon, staff writer

Passion for a Park Chubby Foot Photography

A family’s love for Evelyn’s Park

I

n Patricia Ritter’s house, your word is your bond. You say it, you own it.

So when son Luke, then 6, looked squarely into a news camera four years ago pledging to raise $5,000 for Bellaire’s Evelyn’s Park, well, that was a surprise to mom.

“What just happened?” thought Patricia.

“Yeah, that just happened.”

It was a sweet broadcast segment, a child handing over his allowance – a Ziploc bag of $70.85 – to then-park president Marybeth Flaherty. As cameras rolled, Luke rolled out an ambitious business plan. “I’ll get the money by selling $25 cookies and $5 lemonade,” he enthused.

Easy-peasy.

“I remember thinking, okay, now Luke has to figure out a real way to earn $5,000 because you can’t just say things and not follow through,” says Patricia, the current park president whose family’s connection to the community project was sweetly, indelibly forged in that one teachable moment.

She rolled up her sleeves – Luke’s too – and set about meeting his goal. “I didn’t want to tell him what to do so much as make him think about what he could do,” says Patricia, an admitted Type A personality whose degree in marketing from The University of Texas came in handy.

That’s where she met husband Tom, of like mind when it comes to child rearing. “We think it’s important to help our kids think for themselves and do good for the community,” she says.

Luke, of his own volition, suggested that friends and family give money to the park in lieu of his birthday presents that year. So they hosted a party, hired a food truck, and invitees gave donations. Bellaire’s Whole Foods set aside a day for his cookie plan, letting him sell the store’s cookies and lemonade out front on “donate any amount you want” terms.

Between the two events, Luke overreached his goal.

“I was very proud of him,” says Patricia. “It’s an experience he will always remember.”

Fast forward a few years and you’ll find the Ritters are seriously devout Park People. Luke, now 10, and identical twin sisters Kia and Ellie, 8, give 10 percent of their allowance to the park.

Patricia, powerhouse behind the project’s marWEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 18

PARK PEOPLE Patricia Ritter, president of the Evelyn’s Park Conservancy, and husband Tom are all smiles with children Ellie, Luke and Kia (from left), who donated part of their allowance toward the park’s development.

keting, was appointed to the Evelyn’s Park Conservancy board in June 2014. Four months later, she was voted president.

The park, with trails, natural play areas, lawn, café, event center and art, opens on the former Teas Nursery site, Bellaire Boulevard at Newcastle, on Earth Day, April 22. Patricia is almost giddy about the positive impact she thinks it will have on the community.

“I think we forget what a park can do for you.

It takes you back to the basics. Our mission theme is ‘Enrich Your Everyday,’ with the core values being family, community and nature. I can’t wait for my kids to use the natural playscape. There are no typical park structures, just cool things from nature that spark the imagination.

“As adults we forget to spend time outdoors.

Our society has become such overachievers with no time to breathe. In nature, you reboot. Your brain figures out how to balance, figures out spacial relations. A hike is so refreshing to the mind. Luke and I like to hike and find fun learning things to do along the way, like we’ve hiked and counted prime numbers.”

Yes, Patricia is a bit of a math geek. She was president of Mu Alpha Theta, the math club at Clear Creek High School. Not that she’s always

looking to be president. But it’s a trend.

She was instrumental in a successful effort to acquire curbside recycling in Bellaire years ago.

Within six months of appointment to the city’s recycling committee, yep, she was president.

“I know how to get things done,” quips Patricia, who sits at her breakfast table, long dark hair topped with a baseball cap, looking like she’s in her 30s. She turns 50 in June.

“I get that all the time,” she laughs. “Don’t have a single gray hair. My dad died at 80 with a head of black hair.” Her youthful exuberance for life and giving back was certainly a learned trait from her Chinese immigrant parents, she says.

Her dad grew up dirt-poor in Shanghai, her mom in Hong Kong. “They had that immigrant mentality to come over here, work hard and live the dream, so to speak. And they always gave to charity and took leadership roles in the community.”

Three sets of acrylic containers on the breakfast room windowsill, receptacles for her children’s’ allowance, tell the tale. They are marked “Spend,” “Save” and “Donate.” The kids happily plop money into the donate jar.

“I want to instill a value in them,” Patricia says, flashing a smile, “that being a part of something is wonderful.”

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WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 19

NEIGHBORS

by Andria Frankfort, staff writer

Happy Anniversary, Lamar 80 years of high school memories

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 20

www.andrewsphoto.com

S

eptember 1937. A new Houston high school was opening its doors to just over 1,300 students in newly developed River Oaks. The school’s Texas limestone building, with its sleek, Art Deco design created by John Staub and Kenneth Franzheim, was a modernlooking spectacle capping the end of River Oaks Boulevard opposite the country club.

Mirabeau B. Lamar High School, named for the president of the Republic of Texas, was Houston’s newest and most exciting high school.

Eight decades later, Lamar still stands as a landmark on Westheimer, although much has changed. The student population has grown by 150 percent since that first day. And since then, countless luminaries – among them a Nobel Prize winner, the first African-American prima ballerina, a governor, congressmen, actors and business leaders – have graduated from Lamar. In total, 40,000 graduates.

The International Baccalaureate program, almost 40 years old, is the largest in the state. There’s a championship football team, award-winning robotics program and debate teams, an acclaimed JROTC and countless clubs. And in the fall of this year, the 80th graduating class will start their high school careers there.

Which makes the commencement of a new era for Lamar quite timely. On March 30, 80 graduates from 80 classes raised shovels to break ground for a new Lamar. The original Art Deco building will remain, but a new building will spring up behind it. Instead of limestone, the building will be glass and steel, with a swimming pool and giant parking garage. After that building goes up, the others that were built in the ’80s will go down, leaving ground space for five new sports fields, including areas for football, baseball, track, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and golf.

Grace Picton Wise and Alice Picton Craig are two sisters who were among the first to walk the halls at Lamar. “My father was an attorney, and we moved out to River Oaks when they opened it up,” Grace says. “We went to River Oaks Elementary, which had just opened, so we had our own school.

And then, of course, we went to Lanier [for middle school], and then to San Jacinto for a year and a half of high school until Lamar opened.

“It’s being at the end of River Oaks Boulevard

ALWAYS A CHEERLEADER Grace Picton Wise, shown here 10 years ago in the same cheerleading sweater she wore in high school, was a member of the first graduating class at Lamar.

made it especially pretty,” Grace remembers.

“We had a good time because we had clubs and we had social parties. There were a lot of dances, and of course the football games were all fun. I was one of the cheerleaders.”

Grace also was the president of the student body.

“I think Tom Hardy, captain of our football team, was president of our class,” she says.

Grace’s younger sister Alice, who attended Lamar at the same time, says, “It was very much a neighborhood school, and we often walked home. All our neighbors were our classmates.

We worked hard, we had wonderful teachers and tried to please them.”

Unlike today, there were no uniforms at Lamar. “We wore usually cotton dresses in hot weather and maybe wool skirts and sweaters in the cold weather. Never pants because they weren’t in fashion then.

“We cheered on all of the sports teams, and everybody attended all of the events, which were held on campus. There were informal dances there in the gym. And we had little social clubs, like girls’ clubs, and we would have parties and

lawellphoto.com

ALL IN THE FAMILY Top left: Carolyn Montgomery Lange (at left) and her daughter-in-law Vicki Venn Lange both graduated from Lamar, as did Carolyn’s grandson and Vicki’s son, Joe. Bottom left: Yearbook photos of Carolyn (at left), who graduated in 1944, and Vicki, who graduated in 1969. Top right: Amanda Kepke Fisher (at left) graduated from Lamar in 1988. Her daughter Elizabeth (right) is now a freshman. Bottom right: Amanda (fourth from top, on left) says the Lamar Madrigals, an elite acapella group, inspired a lifelong passion for music. Also pictured: Bentley Craft, Roderick Glass, Ted Willmore, Dylan Murray, John Bradshaw, Jason McAnaer, Philip Mustachio, Mark Patterson, Cyvia Reiser, Jennifer Day, Angie Reeves, Holly Taegal, Amy Chatewald, Molly Tarkington, Lauren Keith, Heath Wood and Jennifer Knight.

try to do something nice for the community. The one I was in was the Chums,” Alice says.

“My older sister was a year ahead, and my younger sister was a year behind me. I just thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Vicki Venn Lange attended Lamar many years later, graduating in 1969. For Vicki, the

school is family – her mother-in-law Carolyn Montgomery Lange graduated in 1944, and her son Joe Lange in 2006. “John [Vicki’s husband] went to Lee,” Vicki says. “We were rivals!”

In 2004 and 2005, Vicki served as PTO president. “They asked me to do it, and I feel such a tie to that school. I was so thrilled that one of

my children would be there.

“I think there is such an incredible mix of kids and teachers at Lamar. You learn so much from each other. When Joe was there, he said, ‘This is the real world.’ He was right, because there are kids who drive their own cars there and kids who get up at 5 in the morning to ride (continued on page 22) WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 21

(continued from page 21) the bus. You learn to get

along with everyone, and it’s a great mix.”

Vicki remembers her parents requesting Lamar, although her Tanglewood neighborhood was zoned to Lee. “It was interesting,” she says. “All the girls chose Lamar, and all the guys chose Lee. “Then, like today, there were all the gazillion different clubs,” Vicki says. “Everybody joined everything – future teachers, future nurses. All outlets for creativity and volunteering. I was a member of the Choralettes, a singing group that was around for 30 or 40 years. It was all girls, and every year we went on some fabulous trip; my year we went to Hawaii. And every year we performed at Jones Hall to raise money for those trips.

“I also was a member of the social club Mirabeau. You would apply, and they chose members by drawing names out of a hat. There were probably seven different women’s social clubs, and we did things like took turkeys to people during Thanksgiving and also had a party.”

Vicki says she also has fond memories of lunching under the trees facing Westheimer.

Although lunching under them is no longer allowed, “Those trees are still there,” she says.

Amanda Kepke Fisher graduated from Lamar in 1988 and, just this year, calls herself both an alumna and a parent. Her daughter Elizabeth is a freshman. “I had gone to St. John’s for middle school and River Oaks Baptist for elementary,” Amanda says. “My parents knew I needed a different environment for high school. So I chose Lamar, and I loved it from the minute I started. What I was really excited about when I got there was the wonderful longtime choir director – Judy McEnany.

Being so involved in the vocal performance at Lamar was one of the reasons I studied music in college at UT.” Amanda now runs AFA, a nonprofit connecting young people and music.

“I loved the diversity,” Amanda says. “I loved eating lunch on the front lawn like we used to be able to back in the ’80s. It felt very independent, and coming from a small school, I loved it being so large and diverse.”

Elizabeth will likely never eat lunch under the trees. Today, students eat in the courtyard outside or in the cafeteria.

“I always had wanted to go to Lamar because the swim program is the talk of every swim program I’ve been in,” she says. “If you’re serious about swimming, that’s where you want to go.”

About the academics, Elizabeth says, “Definitely the IB program is a lot more challenging than I guess when my mom was there. I love the classes. We’re not taking history, we’re taking human geography.”

“I think the IB program now is fabulous,” Amanda says. “It’s a true global education with real-life experiences. The kids are in charge and managing their time.”

So how does it feel to be a mom and not a student? “It smells the same; it really does! When I went up there last May, walking the halls trying to find the office, I saw the transoms over the doors that you would open to get air. I remember staring WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 22

HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEARTS Katherine Heyne Tramonte and Jason Tramonte, who graduated from Lamar in 1994 and 1993, respectively, started dating in high school (inset photo). Their daughter Isa is now a Lamar freshman.

off into space and looking at them, and when I saw those same transoms, I got a little emotional. It was very nostalgic. I was excited to see the differences and excited to see what was the same.

“The great thing about Lamar is that you can be whoever you want to be, and I was excited to see that with Elizabeth, how she would invent herself.

“I will say that when I drop her off, I drive by my old parking space every morning. Elizabeth will attest that I’ll say way too much, ‘That was my parking space!’”

Katherine Heyne Tramonte and Jason Tramonte met at Lamar; he graduated in 1993 and she in 1994. They dated in high school, took a little break when they went to different colleges, and then married 17 years ago. Their daughter Isa is currently a Lamar freshman.

“Coach Martinez, the football coach” Jason says. “That’s what I remember most about Lamar.

He was a very big influence on most of my life.

He was not the nicest, but he had the best intentions, and that was to push us to be the best we could and to bring out the potential in us.”

Katherine says, “I went and found him during open house [for Isa] and snapped a picture with him!”

Jason says of Lamar, “I love its diversity. It’s a great school to grow up in. It’s protected and safe, but you learn a little street credit while you’re there. You just get a mix of a lot of different people and backgrounds, and that’s really what the world is about.”

Isa agrees: “I like how you get to interact with all kinds of new people.”

The powerhouse behind gathering 80 graduates for 80 years to celebrate the 2017 groundbreaking is Fran Callahan. Fran went from being a parent and president of the Lamar PTO in 1998 to founding the Lamar Alumni Association, one of only about five associations of its kind in the country.

“The bathrooms were in terrible shape,” Fran says of her time as PTO president. “I went to the then-principal and said, ‘Listen, we came out of the Catholic schools where they’re always raising money. Maybe we could raise some money and fix the bathrooms. When you’re in Catholic school, you can sell raffle tickets and all kinds of things, but what do you do when you’re in public school?’ He said, ‘You can have a bake sale or car wash.’ I started laughing and said, ‘No, no.

We need money with commas and zeros.’ So we started the Alumni Association.

“We never got the bathrooms fixed because there was leftover bond money that did that,” Fran says. “But we’ve landscaped, remodeled the auditorium, bought the greenhouse, built a sports building, trimmed oak trees multiple times. And we’ve given $200,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors.

“When my first child was here, there were no computers in the school. One of my daughters took keyboarding on a piece of paper with a printout of a keyboard. The Alumni Association raised 100,000 for computers.” Today, the school gives every student their own laptop.

Of all the changes that have been and are yet to come, the high school’s motto, “Reach for the stars!” remains. Even still, what students hear every morning over the loudspeaker has changed. There are still daily announcements, along with a word of the day, recitation of the pledge of allegiance and a pledge to the Texas flag. And it’s all followed, every day, by a mantra: “At Lamar High School, we are on time, on task and on a mission. Have a great day!”

Editor's note: Ten years ago, Andy Blitzer wrote a 70th-anniversary story about Lamar. To see it and the photos we ran then, search "70th Lamar Anniversary" at thebuzzmagazines.com.

NEIGHBORS

Celebrating 15 Years of The Buzz Magazines I

t’s hard to believe that this year marks the 15th anniversary of The Buzz Magazines. Thank you to all of our readers and advertisers for your support and trust over the past 15 years.

The Buzz Magazines celebrated our anniversary Feb. 23 at Kirby Grove with more than 500 advertisers, vendors and longtime supporters. The newly renovated Levy Park provided a stunning backdrop, all lit up at night. Fifteen years of Buzz covers featuring Buzz residents were displayed on 80-inch monitors, along with the names of our advertisers and partners.

Pianist Kelly Dean was followed by high-energy dance music from DJ Matt Murdock. There were plenty of cocktails, bites from Charlie’s & Co. Events and Catering that included a carving station, sliders and ceviche, desserts by Chef Smirnov Catering, coffee drinks by Java Pura Coffee Roasters and entertainment by magician Dante. A highlight was when Houston Mayor Pro Tem Ellen Cohen presented a certificate of recognition in honor of our 15th anniversary. As guests left the party, they were handed a sweet treat – cookies from Michael’s Cookie Jar plus cartons of milk.

Thank you to the readers, advertisers and friends who celebrated with us. We are looking forward to many more Buzzworthy years.

Thank you, as well, to our vendors: Midway Companies, Kirby Grove, Charlie’s & Co Events and Catering, Chef Smirnov Catering, Java Pura Coffee Roasters, Michael’s Cookie Jar, Bacardi, Saint Arnold Brewing Company, Total Wine & More, Any Occasion Party Rental, Culinary Eye Candy, Texas Pro-Audio Rentals, Elaine’s Florist & Gift Baskets, Praetorian Protective Services Corporation, Kim Coffman Photography, Laura Howey Photography, Kelly Dean, DJ Matt Murdock, Laz Parking, Sharp Cleaning Houston, LetourneauKeller and Magic by Dante.

MORE ONLINE For more on the anniversary party, see the photo album on our Facebook page and search “Celebrating 15 Years of The Buzz Magazines” at thebuzzmagazines.com.

Leslie Little, Tomas Green, Victoria Ralls, Liliana Burnett

Howard and Teri Gerber, Andrea Gerber

The Buzz Magazines team celebrating 15 years: (front row, from left) Amber Lewis, Andy Blitzer, Jennifer Oakley, Sharon Brier, Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld, Joni Hoffman, Michael Hoffman, Annie Blaylock McQueen, Angie Frederickson, Andria Frankfort, Leslie Little, Russell Weil; (back row, from left) John Duboise, Cheryl Ursin, Helen Van Rensburg, Michelle Casas Groogan, Todd Freed, Cheryl Laird, Kim Montgomery

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 24

DiAnn and George Sutherland

Local students helped to check in guests at the party: Caroline Funderburk, Haley Kurisky, Celia Houston, Sarah Bass, Ella Morgan, Madelyn Montgomery, Emma Montgomery, Sophia Wayne, Sara Koch

Photos by Kim Coffman and Laura Howey

Robert Henrikson, Lloyd Lee, Joseph Avioli, Bob Alban

Joni Fichter and Diann Keller

Louise Upshaw-McClenny, Michael Savino, Anne Janis

Kathleen and Richard Colt Dee Dee Dochen and Leisa Holland-Nelson

Gigi Huang

Shelly and Nitin Chandra

Barbie and Jeff Horowitz

Nina and Asif Ali and Jennifer Oakley

Greg Hassell and Brock Wagner

Michael and Joni Hoffman with Mayor Pro Tem Ellen Cohen

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 25

KIDS

.

by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

Buzz Baby

Unexpected birth stories Leslie Gaworecki/Goodlight Photography

Buzz Baby is a column about life with babies from the perspective of a first-time mother.

T

ears filled Brandi Dowell’s eyes as she was pushed towards the operating room.

She was in labor with her fourth child, Watson, and after three successful drug-free deliveries, her labor had stalled out this time.

Baby Watson’s heart rate had started to dip with each contraction, so after more than 24 hours of drug-free labor, her doctor and medical team made the decision that it was time to deliver the baby via C-section. “[My doctor] quickly assured us the baby was fine, but that it was time to get him or her out of there. I didn’t argue. Of course I just wanted to do what was best for the baby, but I cried,” said Brandi. “Not because I was scared about having a C-section or because my birth plan had gone off the tracks, but because I knew I wouldn’t be able to get right back home to my then-6, 4 and 2 year olds.”

Brandi’s husband, Brian, a commodities broker, and the medical team hurried down the hallway, scrubbed up and ready for surgery.

“Everyone saw my tears,” said Brandi. “I think they thought I was worried or scared that this baby was in danger, but I was totally confident [my doctor] had all of that under control. But when you are a mom, you are always thinking about all of them, and what they need from you.”

Brandi said she had decided against using drugs or an epidural for a hopefully faster recovery and, in fact, less of a chance for an emergency C-section. That was her plan for all four births, along with the couple being surprised with the gender.

“It all went really quick, and then there was my precious Watson, another boy,” said Brandi, with a smile. “He was absolutely perfect.” She spent several days recovering in the hospital, and after some missed basketball games, downtime and a couple of weeks of no driving, all was back to normal.

The couple also had a dose of the unexpected with their first son, Fletcher, now 10. They had toured several hospitals, but when the due date arrived, they had trouble finding an available WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 26

UNEXPECTED PLANS Brandi Dowell had an emergency C-section after three natural deliveries. She says the important thing to focus on is what’s best for baby. Brandi and husband Brian have four boys: (from left) Jud, Dash, Watson and Fletch.

room. Almost one full week past her due date, her doctor called with an open room at Methodist Hospital. They rushed there. She was induced and delivered 12 hours later.

“The thing about birth plans is, the moment that baby is in your arms the birth plan is over anyway. The birth plan is not the important part,” said Brandi. She urges other moms to stay focused on whatever is happening. “[You are] getting one step closer to seeing that tiny face, and that is all that matters.”

Mom-of-three Amber Lewis, who is expecting a girl in May, found herself in an interesting scenario with the birth of her third son, Beck, in April 2015. Upon their arrival at the hospital, she said her husband, Mike, warned nurses of her track record of quick labor with the two older boys, Cade and Evan.

The nurse on-duty proceeded to check if she was in labor, standard protocol. “It was literally [the nurse’s] first day,” said Amber. “She couldn’t hook me up properly to the machines, so they were unsure about the [baby’s heart-rate] readings.”

They sent her to another floor for an ultrasound.

By the time she got back to her room, she was

in full-blown, ready-to-push labor. She barely got an epidural at 10 centimeters dilated. That baby was coming.

With no other family members to watch little Evan and Cade (no time to even call them), the boys just stayed in the hospital room. “The nurses quickly constructed a fort out of sheets and chairs in my hospital room,” said Amber. “Evan watched the iPad while Cade played on Mike’s phone. They heard everything but saw nothing.”

A healthy baby arrived moments later while the nurses entertained the boys. Amber said she is looking forward to a more controlled birth for their baby girl. “I actually had a friend ask me if I would have the boys in the delivery room, and my thought was, hell to the no!”

MORE ONLINE Did you or someone you know end up with an unexpected birth story? If so, we’d love for you to share the tale by emailing info@thebuzzmagazines.com or commenting under this article at thebuzzmagazines.com. For more baby stories, see thebuzzmagazines.com for writer Annie Blaylock McQueen’s column, “Mommy Moments.”

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 27

lawellphoto.com

FOOD

by Carolyn McCormick, contributing writer

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

W

hile we have Houston’s unpredictable rain to contend with in April, spring also means it’s time for bridal and baby showers. As wedding season begins, you can count on attending or hosting a shower or two this month. Although there are many wonderful venues for hosting a shower in Houston, I always appreciate hostesses who open up their homes for friends and family to celebrate together in a more intimate setting. Sometimes I find hosting a party in my home intimidating, but with enough advance preparation and the right make-ahead recipes, I can relax and focus on the guest of honor and her guests.

To prepare, I try to set the tables and all decorations at least a couple of days before the big event. Then, I can add fresh flowers on the morning of the shower, and the scene is set. When menu planning, I focus on those dishes that can be prepped in advance. My goal is always to free up my time on the morning of the shower to focus on the last-minute touches and addressing those sneaky problems that might pop up.

First things first, a signature drink to greet the guests. I like to have a bubbly drink ready to welcome everyone as soon as they arrive, and the Peach Champagne Punch from Peace Meals is perfect. Not only does the peach ice ring make for a beautiful punch bowl, but it can be prepared almost entirely ahead of time, with the soda and champagne added in at the last minute. For a baby shower, you can either substitute extra soda or sparkling apple cider in place of the champagne or keep the champagne separate to top off the glasses of any guests that would like a little bubbly.

For the main course, the Elegant Egg Strata from Peace Meals is delicious and hearty. I pair it with the Crème Brûlée French Toast also featured in Peace Meals. Both casserole dishes can be prepared in advance and baked the morning of the shower. As an extra time-saving bonus, they both bake at the same temperature (although depending on your oven you may WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 28

need to increase the cooking time if you’re cooking both at the same time). This combination of casseroles is great for a shower because the egg dish is creamy, cheesy and rich, while the French toast casserole is perfect for guests with a sweet tooth.

I always include a muffin or breakfast scone too, and the Scotch Oatmeal Muffins from the Houston Junior League Cookbook are a classic that are just sweet enough without being cupcakes in disguise. HAVE A GLASS Peach Champagne Brunch is festive and can be prepared Finally, for an extra ahead of time. fresh treat, I prepare the 3 Tablespoons almond extract Fresh Tomato Salad with Herbed Dressing 1liter (about 34 ounces) lemon-lime soda, from Peace Meals with the beautiful tomatoes chilled the markets are just starting to carry this time of 1 bottle Champagne, chilled year. While the tomatoes for this dish must be sliced on the day of the event in order to preThis recipe requires advance preparation. To serve their freshness, the dressing can be made make the peach ice ring, evenly distribute the in advance for an easier morning. chopped peaches in the bottom of a Bundt pan.

And, if I’m feeling ambitious earlier in the Fill with 4 to 5 cups of water and freeze until week, I’ll make a batch of Shortbread Cookies solid, about 5 to 6 hours or overnight. with Perfect Icing for a to-go favor since I can Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a large personalize these cookies to suit the shower theme saucepan; remove from heat and whisk in the – a ring cookie cutter for a bridal shower and a gelatin until dissolved. Mix in the lemonade, baby bottle cookie cutter for a baby shower. pineapple juice and almond extract. Pour into a With all of these make-ahead recipes, it’s pospunch bowl. When ready to serve, stir in the sible to host a beautiful brunch shower. soda and Champagne. Gently float the prepared ice ring in the punch. Serves a crowd.

Peach Champagne Punch From Peace Meals To buy a Houston Junior League cookbook, see 6 fresh ripe peaches, pitted and chopped jlh.org or call 713-871-6608. (about 3 cups) 1 package (3 ounces) peach-flavored gelatin 12 ounces frozen pink lemonade concentrate For other recipes mentioned in this story, see (or limeade) thebuzzmagazines.com 64 ounces pineapple juice, chilled

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WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 29

DINING

by Dai Huynh, staff writer

Chef’s Corner

Michael Parker

Find out about your favorite chefs, and where they like to eat, in our Chef’s Corner column. This month, restaurant writer Dai Huynh interviews chef Michael Parker.

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rior to the Super Bowl’s kickoff last month, 40-plus restaurants opened eagerly to fans converging on Houston. Among the most anticipated openings was Potente, Houston Astros owner Jim Crane’s restaurant.

Neighboring Minute Maid Park, Potente (1515 Texas) is an upscale, modern Italian showpiece with chef Michael Parker at the helm, working alongside chef de cuisine Micah Rideout and pastry veteran David Berg. A few weeks after Potente started serving veal osso buco and bistecca alla florentina, Crane opened trattoriainspired Osso & Kristalla. The two handsome restaurants anchor the ground floor of the blockwide 500 Crawford apartment building.

Parker and his team oversee the breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch menus for Osso & Kristalla and the dinner-only Potente. Just add this to Parker’s extensive duty roster. Along with being Crane’s personal chef, he is the executive chef at the millionaire’s exclusive Floridian National Golf Club in Palm City, Fla., which has hosted dignitaries that include President Obama.

“It’s not your average country club,” Parker said.

Members fly in on their private jets.

Parker now splits time between Texas and Florida. The 47-year-old Englishman earned his stripes in the kitchen, working with the famed Roux brothers at the Waterside Inn, a three-star Michelin restaurant near London. After graduating from high school at age 15, he received his culinary degree from Bournemouth and Poole College in Dorset in 1987. He has cooked for Queen Elizabeth II, along with Presidents Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Obama. Here, he talks about cooking for the Houston Astros and turning President Obama’s team onto hidden culinary gems along the North Atlantic Ocean.

When hiring new cooks, chefs like yourself come up with all sorts of tests to gauge skills.

How do you determine whether someone is qualified to work in your kitchen?

You’re only as good as your worst cook, so you WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 30

got to know your basics. The first test is can you dice or slice an onion?

It is amazing how many guys come through who can’t do it correctly.

Then I’ll ask, “How do you make hollandaise?”

You’ll be amazed by what some people say. I’ve heard guys tell me that you make it with hard-boiled eggs and then you put CHEF PARKER U.S. presidents, Queen Elizabeth II and other dignitaries have savored his signature dishes. Now, chef Michael Parker is cooking for Houstonians at mayonnaise in Jim Crane's two downtown restaurants. them. wine list, fine scotches, and whiskeys. How Michel and Albert Roux are culinary lumiwould you describe its more relaxed, younger naries. What did you learn working for them? sibling, Osso & Kristalla?

You learn perfection. You learn how to taste We have a strong coffee program for breakfast and season. We tasted everything. We had an with homemade pastries. We fire up the wood80-cover restaurant and 22 cooks. You worked burning pizza oven for lunch and dinner. We’ll 16-17 hours a day. have pastas and paninis. Lunch is fast-paced.

The Roux brothers put out an expressive Dinner is more relaxed, with wines by the glass. alumni roster – you and others.

Can you recommend a favorite place to eat?

Yes, Gordon Ramsay worked for the Roux, There is a place called Little Moir’s Food Shack along with Marco Pierre White and Gary Jones.

(Jupiter Square, 103 US-1 D3) in Jupiter, Fla. It’s What do you recommend ordering on a first just a bunch of surfer guys who love surfing and visit to Potente? fishing. They cook fresh fish. It’s not a whiteThe whole brazino, grilled and stuffed with tablecloth place; they don’t take reservations. I crab and cauliflower. We also have a terrific tratook some guys who worked for Obama here, and ditional veal osso buco with olive tapenade. The they loved it. They went back there a few times. beef carpaccio – that’s a good dish – and the It’s a no-frills place, but it’s fresh and good. tuna crudo, which I think is the best dish on the menu, with shaved foie gras, caper berries and a Editor’s note: Buzz dining columnist Dai Huynh lemon curd aioli. is a James Beard food-journalism award winner and What is Jim Crane’s favorite dish? longtime Houston-based restaurant writer.

Jim Crane likes a lot of fish. He likes scallops.

We have a good diver-scallop dish.

Have any Houston Astros players been See thebuzzmagazines.com/restaurants for spotted at Potente or Osso & Kristalla? restaurant listings. Use the restaurant finder to I’ll be doing a dinner for the Astros soon, and search by area, cuisine and price. Leave a comment naturally, when baseball season starts, the players online or write to info@thebuzzmagazines.com with will be hanging out there after the games, I’m sure. your dining stories and suggestions.

Potente is high-end, with an impressive

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Holding wealth in 529 plans A family – call them the Lucks – had a problem many would envy.

Having long hoped to send their two children to the best possible colleges, the Lucks had funded a pair of 529 college-saving plans to the tune of $450,000.

But as the kids approached high school graduation, it looked like neither would need the money. With a 94-mph fastball, their son signed a professional baseball contract. And their daughter decided to attend a state university with her friends, where she secured a full-ride academic scholarship.

What, the Lucks asked, should they do about the 529 plans?

First, a little background on 529 plans. Authorized by section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, these “qualified tuition plans” can be sponsored by states, state agencies and educational institutions. That means there are many different 529 plans out there, not just one. Some allow you to prepay future tuition at today’s rates. But the ones the Lucks held were the general college-saving variety, which allow the holder to save money towards the future higher education expenses of a named beneficiary.

The tax advantage is that the holder can withdraw 529 earnings tax-free to pay for qualified expenses such as tuition, room and board, books, etc.

The problem with taking money from a 529 plan and not spending it on the named beneficiary’s education is that the earnings will be taxed normally along with a 10 percent penalty. There is an exemption from the penalty for cases where the student receives a scholarship, so the Lucks could take out the annual value of their daughter’s scholarship each year with no penalty (though the earnings would still be taxed normally).

The Lucks, however, were well set and didn’t need the money them-

selves, so the best move was to simply keep the 529 funds in place.

That’s because these plans are quite flexible.

For instance, they can be used for graduate study as well as undergraduate. It’s also possible to roll money from one child’s plan into that of a sibling. So the Lucks’ plans might still come in handy if the son’s sports career doesn’t work out, or if the daughter needs money to pay for graduate school.

But suppose the son becomes a major league all-star and the daughter gets another full scholarship for graduate study. Why not then incorporate the 529 plans into the Lucks’ estate planning? It’s easy enough to change a plan’s owner and beneficiary. And while some 529s have time limits, it’s possible to roll into one which doesn’t.

Imagine the Lucks’ $450,000 growing tax-free for another 20-30 years, at which time several grandchildren might be able to take advantage of it for their education!

Flexibility makes 529 plans an excellent tool for providing for the education of your children, or that of generations yet to come.

James Waters, CFP®, PARTNERSINWEALTH, 3400 Bissonnet, Suite 145, Houston, Texas 77005, 713.964.4028, jrw@partnersinwealth.com, www.partnersinwealth.com

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 31

SPORTS

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by Todd Freed, staff writer

SportzBuzz I

t was a historic season for the St. John’s boys wrestling team, which became the first Southwest Preparatory School from Houston to win the Texas State Prep Wrestling Championship. The Mavericks defeated 23 teams to claim the title.

“I’m so proud of the kids and what they’ve accomplished,” said Mavericks wrestling coach Alan Paul. “It’s incredibly difficult to win state with so many great wrestling programs competing. This year’s field was especially tough.”

Toughing it out for St. John’s were several wrestlers, including Layo Laniyan, who won gold in the 138 lb. weight class. In addition, Peter Chen (170 lb.) and Josh Thomas (285 lb.) were each a state runner-up. Will Skinner (132 lb.) and Dani Yan (160 lb.) captured third place, while Thomas Grannen (120 lb.), Malcolm Sturgis (152 lb.), Matthew Mercado (182 lb.) and Michael Meaux (195 lb.) were all fourth-place finishers.

St. John’s then capped off the season by winning its fourth SPC Championship in the last five years. “We’ve really created a sense of community throughout our entire wrestling program,” said Paul. “A lot of our success comes from the boys caring and helping each other.”

In swimming, St. Agnes Academy defended its TAPPS Division 1 State Swimming Championship, while also winning the title for the third time in the last four years. “We had a lot of swimmers back from last year’s state champs, so, we knew had a chance to do great things,” said Tigers coach Kaitlin Kelley. “Our girls simply rose to the occasion.”

St. Agnes was especially strong in the relays, with the foursome of Lilli Metts, Bridget Hibbler, Rachel Wright and Anastasia Kontrimas breaking a school record to win gold in the 4x50 medley relay. Plus, Hibbler and Kontrimas teamed with Lilli Storemski and Delaney Wolfe to break a school record while winning the 4x50 freestyle relay. “We have a really strong and deep program,” said Kelley.

“The girls worked together and really went after the title.”

In TAPPS Division 3, chalk up eight state championships for the powerful Saint Thomas’ WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 32

BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPS The St. Agnes Academy Tigers put forth a dominant performance to defend their TAPPS Division 1 state swim championship. The Tigers have also won three of the last four state titles in TAPPS Division 1.

Episcopal School swim program, with the STE girls winning this year’s state title and the STE boys finishing a strong second. “The girls were simply dominant,” said STE coach Helena Finley.

Freshman Kathryn Schwartz led the way with four gold medals, including wins in both of her freestyle events. Schwartz, Celia Houston, Sophie Close and Olivia Lane broke a school record in winning the 200-yard medley relay, while the foursome of Schwartz, Close, Lucy McLean and Katie Flato won gold in the 400yard freestyle relay. Close also broke a school record in winning the 100-yard butterfly.

With a spectacular come-from-behind win in the 400-yard freestyle relay, the STE boys finished second overall at the state meet. James Finley, Sebastian Ortiz, Alexander Halsey and freshman Patrick Close, who made up a 10-second deficit on the final leg, pulled out the thrilling victory in the meet’s final race. Finley also won the 100 breastroke and finished fifth in the 200 individual medley.

A sensational performance from junior Clayton Bobo propelled the Stratford Spartans to a seventh-place finish at the UIL 6A State Swimming and Diving Meet. Bobo, who was named the swimmer of the meet, finished first in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle races. In the

50 freestyle, Bobo became the third swimmer ever to break the 20-second mark at the state meet, while in the 100 freestyle, he swam the second fastest time in the history of the UIL state meet.

“It was pretty amazing,” said Stratford coach Mike Hoskovec. “Clayton is actually so good that he doesn’t consistently get close competition. It’s really fun to watch him go when he has guys to push him. He’s also taken a lot of steps forward in his daily workouts to swim fast consistently.”

Bobo also teamed with Dean Rathgeb, Peyton Moak and Jim Nantz to win the consolation final in the medley relay, while Kyle Storemski, Bobo, Rathgeb and Nantz won the consolation race in the 200 freestyle relay.

The Stratford girls were led by sophomore Emma Stephenson, who finished fifth in the 50 freestyle and seventh in the 100 butterfly. Prior to state at regionals, Stephenson, Sloane Pyle, Brittany Baerg and Morgen Reyna broke a 22year-old school record in winning the medley relay.

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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Is your power of attorney too old?

Powers of attorney have become useful for disability planning, but only in recent years. Historically, if you wanted someone to manage your property when you could not, a revocable management trust was used. And if you forgot to do a trust, management required a court supervised guardianship, one of the most intrusive and expensive proceedings known to the law.

Powers of attorney were less than reliable because they terminated on disability. At common law, if the principal did not have the capacity to manage the agent, the power ended. Poof. Gone, just like that. When you needed help the most, the power of attorney failed.

It took an act of the Texas Legislature to improve matters. Effective January 1, 1972, the former Probate Code Section 36A permitted “durable” powers of attorney that remained effective even after disability. For the first time, private and inexpensive management of assets during disability was available without a trust.

At the time, durable powers of attorney were a novelty. Few other states allowed them, the local bank had never seen one, and, if you asked the experts, Texas’ 1972 statute needed changes.

Probate Code Section 36A lasted until September 1993. The last four years were the worst. In order to serve you better, the legislature ruined it (my opinion) by requiring the power of attorney to be recorded where you resided. If you signed your power of attorney between August 28, 1989, and August 31, 1993, your attorney likely recorded it for you. Did you sign a power of attorney in 1993? Can you remember? I thought so. I can’t either.

It gets worse. If your power of attorney was recorded, and you later did a

new power of attorney, did you record a revocation of the old one? If not, those old agents may still be in charge. In Harris County, search the Real Property records for powers of attorney and revocations at www.cclerk.hctx.net/applications/ websearch/RP.aspx.

Texas’ Statutory Durable Power of Attorney Act replaced Section 36A, effective September 1, 1993. With minor changes, the same form has been in place ever since, and it works well.

If your power of attorney was signed before 1972, you definitely need a new one. If your power of attorney was signed between August 28, 1989, and August 31, 1993, check the Real Property records where you lived then to confirm it was recorded. If not, instead of recording it, do a new one.

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

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WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 33

Dee Zunker Photography

SPORTS

.

by Angie Frederickson, staff writer

W

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

Kirsten Robinson

SportzBuzz, Jr. Kicking off another season Charlie Dabney, Blake Stomel, Daniel Fewox, Garrett Hood, Breck Scott and William Gagliardi (top photo, from left) enjoyed the Bellaire Little League (BLL) opening-day ceremony. Along with their teammates, these rookie division Rockies are ready for a great season. Ballplayers and their families look forward to BLL Opening Day each year, and this year’s celebration did not disappoint. Chris Sizemore, league president, led the ceremony and introduced emcee Kailee Wong, former Houston Texans linebacker and Bellaire resident. Wong announced each team, from youngest to oldest, for the Parade of Teams, and then the players scattered to enjoy food trucks and other activities.

Eighth grader Parker Rose (middle photo, at right) runs past a defender on his way to the goal in a lacrosse game against Lake Travis. Parker attends River Oaks Baptist School (ROBS) and plays for the Sidewinders lacrosse tournament team with other eighth-grade boys from ROBS, St. John’s School, The Kinkaid School and Memorial Middle School. The Sidewinders are coached by David deLemos and have been successful on the field, including winning first place in the Laxpalooza tournament held in College Station. Parker plays the attack position and began playing lacrosse in fourth grade. He plans to continue in high school, playing for both a school team and summer travel team.

Kimberly Buettgen

Dodging a defender

Play ball West University Little League (WULL) players Mark Tholany and Luke Magnus (bottom photo, from left) are all smiles at the league’s Opening Ceremonies. The St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School kindergarteners are excited to play the 2017 spring season on the Varsity Vipers team, coached by Paul Equale. Both boys played on WULL teams last year and are ready to get back on the field. Luke participated in the flag raising to start off the ceremonies, followed by the national anthem sung by St. Vincent de Paul eighth grader Brooke Bickham, and an invocation from Greg Funderburk of South Main Baptist Church. Then, players, parents and volunteers all recited the Little League pledges, and The Woman’s Hospital of Texas CEO Ashley McClellan threw out the first pitch.

Proud sponsor of West University and neighboring sports WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 34

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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Horton hears a what?

Fake news and alternative facts are nothing new. In the story, Horton Hears a Who, a young elephant tries to save a small speck of dust because it allegedly houses thousands of Whos in Whoville. That story, contrary to belief, was not written by Dr. Seuss, but by the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI). On their website, they state, “There is a misconception that asthma and allergy sufferers should avoid carpet. In fact, the opposite is true. Studies have shown that carpet actually improves indoor air quality.”

Oh, and what studies would those be, CRI? Carpet is a safe reservoir for dust mites and other allergens to hide. Dust mites thrive in heat and humidity, so they love Houston; in fact, they are the No. 1 cause of yearround allergies in this area. According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, “Wall-to-wall carpeting should be removed as much as possible." That sounds a little different from the advice offered by the Carpet and Rug Institute. The word “carpet," mentioned 68 times in the practice parameter on exposure control to dust mites, is almost always preceded by the words “eliminate” or “remove.”

In Horton Hears a Who, the outraged animals wanted to “…boil that dust speck!” This is what allergists have been recommending for years to decrease exposure to house dust mites. Washing sheets and pillow cases in hot water (at least 130 degrees) is effective in reducing mite populations.

The most important consideration in dust mite avoidance is preventing the humidity from getting above 50 percent. Dust mites can’t drink water.

They have to absorb it from the air. If the air is too dry, dust mites can’t

make baby dust mites, and your allergies start to get better. But don’t let the humidity get too low! Below 35 percent, your skin may itch and your nose may bleed. You can buy a digital Acurite humidity gauge at hardware stores for $10 or $15. In this area, running your air conditioner usually lowers the humidity adequately, but during spring and fall, it may be necessary to supplement with a dehumidifier. If you’ve got a dust mite allergy, that $10 investment in the hygrometer may be the best investment you’ll make this year. Lastly, if you’re allergic to dust mites, you should encase your mattress and pillow in a dust-mite impermeable cover.

Oh, and one more thing: APRIL FOOLS! (about Dr. Seuss and the CRI – the rest of the advice is scientifically sound.)

No one nose allergies like we do.™ Note: Information contained in this article should not be considered a substitute for consultation with a board-certified allergist to address individual medical needs.

David B. Engler, M.D., The Allergy Clinic, 7707 Fannin, Suite 100, Houston, Texas 77054, 713.797.0993, *1200 Binz, Suite 180, Houston, Texas 77004, 713.522.9911, www.allergyclinic.com, *Operating as Houston Allergy and Asthma Clinic

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 35

PASSION FOR PHOTOGRAPHY Chloe Roman, a junior at St. Agnes Academy, loves to take photos. This photo, Contemplation, received a Silver Key Award in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition.

KIDS

by Chloe Roman, age 17

Buzz Kidz

Contemplating cameras

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rowing up in a city like Houston, where you are constantly surrounded by art and culture, it is hard to imagine ever creating something that stands out from the rest. Since a young age, I have been interested in cameras and taking photos. I got my first digital camera at age 10, a small Kodak. I was obsessed. I took the camera on each family trip and made it a personal duty to catalog every aspect of the vacation. My family, thankfully, gave me a more advanced camera to further inspire me. I continued to take the camera on family trips, but my passion for taking photos began to subside with the piling on of schoolwork as I adjusted to high school.

This past year, my interest for photography was reignited by taking a photography class at

St. Agnes. I learned more about a camera than anyone would ever want to know. I realized through this course I honestly did not know anything about how cameras work or the basic settings of any camera. Thankfully, my teacher, Terry Suprean, taught us the ins-andouts of shooting in manual and proper techniques for creating photographs. I went out into the world ready to create, but realized it was harder than it seemed.

After many trials and errors, I began to create what I consider some quality photographs.

My obsession sparked again and I resumed becoming the family photographer, cataloging holidays and other events. I never felt validated that my work was actually any good until my teacher asked if I would like to submit a

photo into the Scholastic art competition. I submitted a photo of a friend called Contemplation and waited patiently for a couple months for the results. To my surprise, I received a Silver Key award.

My photo is now going up in an art show in Houston, thanks to this class and the motivation from a great teacher to learn proper techniques in photography. I doubt I’ll ever lose my interest again and plan on enrolling in the advanced class next year.

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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Have you ever wondered how the tooth fairy tradition started?

Join Abella, a precocious little fairy, on her journey through Tulip Hollow and discover how she accidently starts the tooth fairy tradition.

Local author, Zane Carson Carruth, debuts her first children’s book.

This delightful book makes the perfect Easter gift! www.worldsfirsttoothfairy.com Available on Amazon.com

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 36

T-Shirt Quilts Let me turn those t-shirts into a unique gift!

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The high price of a mental health misdiagnosis One in five Americans suffers from mental illness each year. Chances are you know someone struggling with a mental health issue that’s disrupting their personal or professional lives.

Yet common conditions, including ADHD, depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety disorders, are frequently misdiagnosed, especially when symptoms first appear.

Impact For those who receive an incorrect diagnosis, the price can be high.

“Misdiagnosis results in ineffective or delayed treatment, which worsens the outcome and risks, magnifying the impact of the illness on a person’s ability to function,” said Jonathan Stevens, MD, MPH, chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and medical director of Outpatient Services at The Menninger Clinic. “Initial misdiagnosis also increases the risk of recurrence and the duration of future episodes.”

What contributes to a misdiagnosis? The main culprits are often an incomplete history and physical, and the presence of other psychiatric or even medical disorders.

Getting it right So how do you avoid the risk of misdiagnosis?

“It’s crucial to be assessed by an experienced and comprehensive diagnostic team,” said Dr. Stevens.

Such a team should perform a careful examination of symptoms, which includes taking a comprehensive patient history and employing reliable screening questionnaires to help uncover the real diagnosis.

Information gathered from interviews with family, friends and significant others should also be included, and physical exams, brain imaging, sleep studies, lab work and genetic testing can help improve the chances of getting an accurate diagnosis.

“While the information these tests produce is important, success depends on a careful diagnostic evaluation by a multidisciplinary team of mental health clinicians,” added Dr. Stevens.

“Without such a team, you’re more likely to get – and keep getting – an inaccurate diagnosis.”

Sobering statistics Statistics from the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance help show why it’s important to find the right team to give you the right diagnosis: • Only one in four individuals with bipolar disorder receives an accurate diagnosis in less than three years.

• Depression costs U.S. businesses $70 billion in medical expenditures, lost productivity and other costs each year.

• Up to one-third of the 3.4 million children and adolescents with depression in the U.S. may actually be experiencing the early onset of bipolar disorder.

To make an appointment for an adult or adolescent outpatient psychiatric assessment at Menninger, call 713-275-5000.

The Menninger Clinic, 12301 S. Main Street, Houston, Texas 77035, www.MenningerClinic.com

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 37

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PETS

Neighborhood Tails

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Canine teenagers 713.662.2119 www.roveroaks.com

Zoe, age 2, Yellow Labrador, Carnegie St. My name is Zoe, and I’m a yellow Lab. I turned 2 last month. I was the best “prize” from Strake Jesuit College Preparatory’s live auction at the school’s gala. I’m a very busy dog who takes care of my master. My master recently went through a divorce, and she needs me to keep her company.

We run together through the West U neighborhood and stop and talk to all the neighbors. I travel to Galveston and Bastrop to keep my master company when we visit friends. I love to run on the beach and run through the woods. I also keep my master company while she is taking a bath, and we sleep together in the same bed. My master and I are truly best friends! I love her so much.

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.

In the March issue of The Buzz magazine, we highlighted the importance of puppy socialization and how vital the first three months of a puppy’s life are to its future well-being. Remember how cute that puppy was? Now fast forward three more months and continue for another year or so. Chewing. Tearing up everything within reach. Chasing anything that moves. Not coming when called. Excessive barking. Over excitement. These behaviors are typical when dogs enter their “teenage” period, which can be a very challenging time for pet parents, just as it can be with human teenagers. Unfortunately, many dogs are surrendered to animal shelters or abandoned when they become too difficult or too destructive. But there is good news! According to Mardi Richmond, a professional trainer and owner of Good Dog Santa Cruz, “Adolescence doesn’t have to be terrible. In fact, it can be an exciting and fun time. Adolescent dogs can be energetic, playful, full of curiosity, enthusiastic about learning and ready for just about anything.” Lots of exercise, continued socialization with humans and other canines, practicing obedience commands daily, and a commitment to “dog-proofing” your pet’s environment so Fido can’t get into trouble are some of the strategies needed to survive that teenage period and truly enjoy your young companion. For more tips on managing your teenager effectively, contact a professional trainer with experience in canine behavior and development.

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A minute with Maisie

Bunions and hammertoes

Many clients ask me, “What type of documents do I need to prove my claim of separate property?” The Texas Family Code provides a presumption that all property owned by either party is community property.

However, a party can rebut that presumption by proving that the property was 1) owned prior to the marriage, 2) inherited or 3) a gift. To prove any one of these, documents are typically required. For example, to prove property ownership of a bank account prior to marriage, it is incumbent on the proponent to produce ALL the account statements beginning at least one month prior to the marriage through the date of divorce. Therefore, for long-term marriages, this can be quite the task. Retaining documents is imperative in cases where there is no pre-nuptial or post-nuptial agreement. 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

Bunions and hammertoes are common causes of painful toes. A bunion isn’t a growth, but a misalignment of the bones in the foot. Although bunions and hammertoes can result from heredity, arthritis and bone abnormality, a more frequent cause is the prolonged wearing of shoes that squeeze the toes into pointy or narrow toe boxes. Bunions and hammertoes more often occur in women, but this doesn’t mean men are exempt. Bunions may not be painful at first, but you may notice a bump on the side of your foot, and that it’s harder to put on tight shoes. Over time, the bunion can become extremely painful and lead to reduced muscle strength in the foot.

Hammertoe, a deformity that develops when tendons and ligaments in the toe contract, cause the toe to bend over and curl up, resembling a hammer. The top of the toe may then rub against your shoe, causing irritation, corns, calluses or bursitis. The problem often develops in the second toe, resulting from a bunion that has formed in the big toe, pushing it inward and displacing the second toe.

Everyday, we see these and other foot problems in our practice.

Remember to check your feet daily for any unforeseen foot issues.

Bellaire Podiatry/Nail Laser Center of Houston, Dr. Barry P. Weinstein, 4909 Bissonnet, Suite 120, Bellaire, Texas 77401, 713.721.5500, www.BarryWeinsteinDPM.com

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Quy Tran Photography

NEIGHBORS

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by Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld, staff writer

Buzz About Town Priscilla Dickson

Grown-up spelling bee

The Houston Center for Literacy celebrated its silver anniversary in February with a grown-up spelling bee at White Oak Music Hall. More than a dozen teams of two competed in the bee, which followed many of the National Spelling Bee rules, and utilized words from the national competition lists. Lisa Malosky, sports anchor at KPRC TV2 and co-host of the original American Gladiators, was “Head Mistress” for the evening, and the Spelling Bee Panel included Linda Marshall, Ruben Dominguez and Amy Johnston. After many rounds of words spelled, Joe Herman and Boran Buturovic – wearing the team banner “Can U Use It In A Tweet Plz?” – won the competition as well as Best Team Name. The winning word was “bouleversement,” meaning reversal or upheaval. It was the second win for this team, which also won the Bee in 2015. Pictured (from left) are HCL board chair Leisa Holland-Nelson, 25th Annual Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee chair Mark Sullivan, HCL president and CEO Sheri Suarez Foreman and “Head Mistress” Lisa Malosky.

Cruella for a cause The invitation for the Cineball gala for Fresh Arts requested that guests come dressed as their favorite motion picture antagonist, “iconic Hollywood basket case” or Red Carpet “fail.”

Pictured are John and Maria Zerr, who channeled their inner Cruella de Ville and henchman from 101 Dalmations. Besides the creative, villainous costumes, guests enjoyed music by A WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 40

Fistful of Soul, live body painting, a Boomerang photo booth, caricature painting, and a red carpet and paparazzi entrance at the Silos at Sawyer

Dichoso, Varda Dror Fields, Shamika Johnson, Lisa Kornhauser, Sneha Merchant, Perri Kay Palermo Motamedi, Amy Pierce and Christina Zhou. A video on autism education was played.

Co-chairs were Tracy and Harry Faulkner and Drs. Alice Mao and Matthew Brams, and honorary gala chair was Carolyn Farb.

Special Olympics

Yards. Chairs were Juliana Zaraza and Joseph Horzepa, Paula Canlas and Myles McClelland, Vicky and Gordon Wight, and Ann and Richard Vaughan. Fresh Arts is a nonprofit dedicated to Houston’s art sector. See fresharts.org.

On the runway Guests gathered at The Briar Club for KNOWAutism’s A Transformational Evening gala. The venue was transformed into a garden scene by gala creative director David Peck, and the evening included a fashion show of junior fashionistas Caitlyn Chang, Alana Dichoso, Ariana Lee, Zenya Merchant, Alexis Nasser (pictured), Natalya Pavlovic, Josie Perich and Brooke Stevens. The event also featured a show by local models Farida Abjani, Karina Barbieri, Amy

Noah Wolfe, who’s 23 and has cerebral palsy, recently competed in the Special Olympics in the Individual Skills in Basketball competition.

He won a silver medal. Previously, he competed in Special Olympics for Bowling. Noah attended The Briarwood School for many years and often practices shooting baskets at Fleming Park. His favorite outing is a cheeseburger lunch at Smashburger with his (continued on page 42)

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(continued from page 40)

grandfather, Charles Wolfe, who lives at the Brookdale residence on Buffalo Speedway.

Dave Rossman and Gary Fountain

Out-of-this-world gala

Aviel Zadok, Ari Govshteyn, Ariel Maor, Nathan Lourie, Pranav Sriram, (front row, from left) Charley Abramson, Natalie Lane, Scarlett Criden, Bella Most and Makaela Strauss.

Pictured are Jeff Byrd and Jamie Broach Byrd.

See thebroachfoundation.org/gala.

Golden gala

Priscilla Dickson

Meredith Flaherty

Stand-up for brain cancer

Partiers gathered for the 21st annual San Luis Salute Mardi Gras! Galveston celebration at the Galveston Island Convention Center at The San Luis Hotel. The venue was transformed into a vision of outer space with a 35-foot spaceship suspended from the ceiling, a solar system floating overhead, 150-foot video walls broadcasting space vistas, a light display with space creatures, aerialists and more. Jason Derulo lit up the stage. Honorees were Zika researchers Dr. Mariano Garcia-Blanco, Dr. George Saade, Dr. Pei-Yong Shi and Dr. Nikos Vasilakis.

Proceeds from the intergalactic evening will benefit Zika research at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Pictured are Mardi Gras Duchess Erin Granberry, who graduated from St. John’s School and is now a senior at Tulane University, with Josh Thomas.

Young Picassos Pre-K students at Beth Yeshurun Day School spent a month learning about art styles and artists such as Mondrian, Jackson Pollock, Monet, Kandinsky, Georgia O'Keeffe, Van Gogh, Matisse and Andy Warhol. Students painted canvases, drew pictures and made paper mache. Family and friends were invited to a Pre K Art Gallery, in which each child showed their artwork and went home with a portfolio.

Pictured (back row, from left) are A.J. Sacks, WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 42

The Broach Foundation for Brain Cancer Research will host its sixth annual Stand-Up for Brain Cancer Gala on April 6 at River Oaks Country Club. Guests should be prepared to eat, drink and laugh the night away. Comedian Kevin Nealon will perform; he also performed at the inaugural gala. He’s best known for his nine-year stint as a cast member of NBC’s Saturday Night Live and has received acclaim for his role in the Showtime series Weeds.

More than 300 current and alumni families, faculty and friends of St. Catherine’s Montessori gathered at Hotel Zaza to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The evening honored the school’s cofounders, Sister Edna Ann Hebert and the late Sister Shirley Owens. The school’s golden anniversary was symbolized by bars of golden beads, a foundational Montessori material for teaching math concepts. Guests enjoyed bidding on auction items, a Big Board of classroom art projects, a Wine Pull, a silent auction and music from the David Caceres Band. A Paddles Up Auction for the Sister Edna Ann Hebert Library was a hit, as guests honored the co-founder known for her ability to teach children to read.

Table gifts were handmade and connected to the school: neroli soap made by students and marmalade made by parents from citrus harvested from the school orchard. Pictured are (seated, from left) Lorenzo Cohen, Alison Jeffries, Jamie Mann, Shannon Mann, Cathy Crath, (standing, from left) Ana Trevino-Godfrey, Joe and Tricia Crane, and Keri and Mark Dykes.

Play ball It’s time to play ball. West U Little League kicked off baseball season (continued on page 44)

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Kimberly Buettgen

All Stars (pictured) included the Dominican Sisters of the Mary Immaculate Province, SVdP alumni, parents and staff, who challenged the varsity basketball teams to a heated match and won with a score of 33-24. From the start to the final buzzer, it was a close game. Varsity captains Sam Callaghan and Ella Smith tried to keep the varsity teams afloat, but Brock Culwell of the SVdP All-Stars put on a stellar offensive performance. Highlights included eighth-grade cheerleader Brooke Michelle singing the national anthem and SVdP parent Jake Lewis winning a free pizza lunch for the students by making a half-court shot on his second attempt.

A pizza reception with disco lights and a blessing from Monsignor Bill Young was a great way to end the evening.

Basketball champs

(continued from page 42)

with all divisions, coaches, players and families gathering for a fun day on Walling Field. Opening ceremonies included a flag raising by Robby Organ and Luke Magnus, followed by the national anthem performed by Brooke Bickham, an eighth grader at St. Vincent de Paul. Ashley McClellan (pictured), CEO of Texas Woman’s Hospital, threw out the first pitch with Brooks, age 7, and Spencer, 4, cheering her on. See westull.org for a schedule of WULL games.

Appreciation of Older Americans Month celebration on May 12, which will include games, prizes, booths and lunch. Register by calling 713-662-5895.

All Star game

Chair volleyball competition

Monica Smith

The West U Senior Center recently held a chair volleyball tournament, played with a beach ball, versus Bellaire L.I.F.E. Bellaire won this round, and another tournament is planned for Aug. 15.

The West U Senior Center is holding an

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 44

The St. Vincent de Paul Middle School Ministry hosted the first annual SVdP Varsity Boys & Girls vs. SVdP All Stars Basketball Game organized by Phillip Rivera. The SVdP

The UCAL basketball season wrapped up with several nights of playoff games. The 16 teams in the third- and fourth-grade girls division played in championship games.

Teams from all over the Houston area participate in this league to learn the fundamentals of the sport. The Panther team from West University Methodist Church went 8-0 in the regular season and won the final game, making them undefeated for the season.

Pictured (back row, from left) are assistant coach Jay Knott and head coach Mark Selldin, (front row, from left) Annabella Woodcox, Greer Fuselier, Brett Selldin, Alexandra Bucy, Addison Vine, Layla Knott, Maddy Bos, Abby Woo, Layne Gasper and Caroline Raynes.

Editor’s note: The Buzz congratulates Buzz About Town columnist Annie Blaylock McQueen on the arrival of her beautiful baby Georgia. Annie took a short break to spend time with Georgia and twin toddlers Cash and Lila and will return to the Buzz About Town column in May. In the meantime, associate editor Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld handled this column.

As usual, please send your high-res photos and community news to info@thebuzzmagazines.com or 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401. Items are published on a space-available basis.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 45

NEIGHBORS

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by Andria Frankfort, staff writer

Back Porch

On top of team snacks

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ APRIL 2017 46

behance.net/runamokstudios

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here are a whole lot of soccer games (or swim meets or tennis matches – insert your children’s sport of choice here) in the life of a family with kids.

Which means there are a whole lot of “opportunities” for each family to be in charge of team snacks. (Note that I use the term “opportunities” here, intentionally steering away from something more to-the-point, like “forced marches.”)

After a few games, or a few years, the snack thing gets pretty de rigueur. Goldfish and water, anyone? Whatever they’ve got at Target that’s individually bagged and easily transported usually wins, as long as it won’t prompt turned-up noses from starving players.

“I felt like by bringing Cuties [oranges] and cheese sticks I was being a rebel, because everyone else was bringing Goldfish and those granola bars with chocolate chips,” one Buzz mom of three boys says. When asked if she ever got any more creative than that, the mom said, “Last week I brought [the] coaches a 12-pack of Bud Light, but I don’t think that’s the kind of snack you’re looking for.”

Jason Reimers, a beloved track, basketball and football coach at The Emery/Weiner School, has seen it all in his nine years as a coach. “It’s been a hot-button topic every now and then,” he says. “We actually are working with our Athletic Leadership Council now, which is about 10 to 15 kids, to figure out whether they like when one parent brings a snack, or if they want to bring their own, or if they want Sage [the school’s lunch caterer] to bring.” Apparently the kids are partial to either a parent or lunch service.

The range of snacks is wide: “Some parents are bringing Jimmy John’s, and some are bringing a bag of Cheetos,” Jason says. “One time a mom or maybe the girl told the nanny, ‘We need to bring a snack.’ They brought a whole chicken! We weren’t sure how to divide the thing up, and the girl was pretty embarrassed.”

So avoiding the whole rotisserie-chicken option, how do we move beyond tiny crackers in a bag?

Miri Levy, who has three children playing sports in high school and middle school, is known for her homemade quesadillas. “I buy

SNACK MOM Team snacks can run the gamut from bags of chips to homemade treats.

those Central Market tortillas; they make them fresh,” she says. “And I get the cheese that they grate for you, and I put it together in a nonstick pan to make it nice and crispy. No oil, no butter, and it’s really delicious, thanks to those tortillas.

The key is to bring them fresh to the kids so that they don’t get soggy. So I wrap them individually in parchment.

“Sometimes for my own kids, I will put fresh spinach that I add, but I never do it for the teams, because I never know who will hate it or not.”

Miri says when she finds the freshly made Central Market tortillas still warm at the store, “I buy like 20 packs and freeze them. I have three kids, so I bring a lot of quesadillas to school.”

Mary Johnson’s 14-year-old son Ben has played Post Oak Little League baseball since he was 8, having played around town since he was 6. (Her daughter, 16-year-old Helena, swims, “but there’s not really any snacking in that,” Mary says.)

When Ben’s teams were young, Mary liked bringing sugary treats. “If the boys were down

and blue, we’d go get a bunch of candy and put it in the dugout to lighten the mood a little bit and give them a little sugar kick.

“It would be so terrible to do it now that Ben is 14, but when he was in peewee, like 8 or 9, it was so much fun. But after peewees, they really frown upon that. A lot of moms will bring their kids tacos or hamburgers in the dugout, but as a coach, my husband never allowed that.”

Mary also believes that eventually the kids need to start planning their own snacks. “At this age, you’re old enough to start taking care of yourself,” she says. “It’s just a snack. You’re not going to die.”

To that point: Recently her son was playing in a baseball tournament with some older boys.

“I overheard the tournament director saying that the [college] scouts coming to look at the high school boys look for two things: one, if mommy is bringing food to the kids in the dugout, and two, if the kids are talking back to the coach.

“So now that they’re older, if they want Pixie Sticks, they can go to the store and buy them.”

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