Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas Celebrates 40 Years
By Anne DeVries
On June 18, 2025, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas (RMHC CTX)
celebrated its 40th anniversary with a community event at the Ronald McDonald House, located at 1315 Barbara Jordan Boulevard. Families, volunteers, and supporters gathered for an evening filled with live music, BBQ, sweet treats, and art activities, marking the organization’s four decades of providing a “home-awayfrom-home” for families with hospitalized children.
Since its founding in 1985 with just eight rooms, RMHC CTX has grown to include 30 private guest rooms and served over 30,000 children.
The organization’s mission is to ensure that families can stay close to their hospitalized children at no cost, offering Family Support Services that include guest suites, homecooked meals, laundry facilities, Ronald McDonald House family rooms, Happy Wheels Cart visits, and transportation support.
Thomas Kim, RMHC CTX CEO, was on hand to meet attendees of the 40th-year celebration. Kim joined the organization 18 months ago, bringing with him a family legacy that taught him, “When God blesses you, you pass it forward.” With roots that stem from a military family, he is a decorated combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom,
Enduring Freedom, and New Dawn. His extensive business experience in both the private and nonprofit sectors, combined with his years of service to our country, has him well prepared to tackle the growing demands of RMCH, CTX.
Fundraising is an ongoing challenge for the RMHC CTX to maintain its ability to serve the needs of families, but paramount to these demands is the need for volunteers. Kim shared, “With only 22 staff members across seven locations, we could not have provided 14,000 nights of accommodations for families and delivered over 23,000 meals in 2024 without the support of volunteers, donors, and corporate sponsors. But some meals go unfilled because we are short on volunteers”. He
looks forward to the day they have “too many volunteers.” He believes someday, “they will get there”.
The current 30-room Ronald McDonald House, located on Barbara Jordan Boulevard next to Dell Children’s Medical Center, has a waiting list for families seeking private guest rooms. Kim and the RMHC CTX Staff are focused on devising plans to add rooms and alleviate the current waitlist. With an additional seven Family Rooms spread across hospitals in Austin and the Brazos Valley, they face daily challenges to utilize their current resources to meet the needs of families flocking to central Texas for
state-of-the-art treatments.
In celebration of the anniversary, the community is invited to contribute to the “Give $40 to Celebrate Our 40th Birthday!” fundraising initiative. Donations can be made at www.rmhc-ctx.org/ donate-40/. Individuals and groups can register to volunteer by visiting www.rmhc-ctx. org/get-involved/volunteer/. The 40-year celebration was a testament to RMHC CTX’s enduring impact and the community’s role in its mission. As the organization looks to the future, it remains committed to ensuring every family facing a child’s medical crisis has a place to call home.
OUR FAMILY PRACTICES
AND CARE FOR OTHERS. VOLUNTEERING AT RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE BRINGS US CLOSER TOGETHER AND SHOWS OUR KIDS THE IMPACT OF SERVING OTHERS.
—KARA DIXON
Our PATRON SPONSORS/SUBSCRIBERS
Around the Neighborhood:
McCallum and Anderson high schools are among five AISD campuses where modernization work is underway. McCallum High at 5600 Sunshine Dr. (1A) will get athletic field upgrades, including scoreboard, turf, resurfaced track, seating, lights at baseball and soccer fields, concessions, and restrooms; secure entry vestibule; and HVAC, electrical, plumbing, roofing, and technology improvements. Anderson High at 8403 Mesa Dr. (1B) will receive similar athletic field upgrades including lights at baseball and softball field; as well as improvements to gyms and locker rooms; secure entry vestibule; and HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and technology improvements. Both modernization projects are expected to be completed in 2027. Austinisd.org
Old Quarry Branch Library has
When Old Quarry at 7051Village Center Dr. comes back to us we’ll see new shared Learning Rooms, improvements to the Children’s Area, a new Teen Space, and an Outdoor Reading space. Library.austintexas.gov
Austin Regional Clinic celebrates 45 years of patient care in Austin. In 1980 ARC, founded by Dr. Norman Chenven, had its first location on Far West Blvd. with three doctors. Today ARC has grown to 35 clinics in 15 Central Texas cities with 450 physicians and clinicians providing care to about a quarter of our Central Texas population and to generations of families. Austinregionalclinic.org
World Market, with its offerings of furniture, one-of-a-kind and handmade home décor, and international food findings, has relocated to Great Hills Station at 10225 Research just across Great Hills Trail from Target. World Market moved from Arboretum Crossing which Culture Map Austin says has been losing tenants as “things were growing quieter.” The space at the nexus of 183 Research and Loop 1 would become much more valuable if it were developed under Austin’s new zoning, which allows dramatically taller buildings, Culture Map Austin also says. Worldmarket.com
Anderson Parker opened its doors in Westlake at 3300 Bee Caves Road, Suite 375. The store offers apparel and shoes for children and babies, accessories, gifts, and monogramming services. Open 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Mon-Fri and 10:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Shop online at www.shopap.com.
Around the Neighborhood
Texas Toast Brunch and Burgers has recently opened at 2801 Guadalupe St. at the former location of Torchy’s Tacos near the UT campus. The menu features a variety of burger and sandwich options, as well as Mexican food and breakfast items, including omelets, biscuits and gravy, waffles, and more. Hours of operation are daily, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Thrift House at 4901 Burnet Road closed May 31 for renovations. The upscale nonprofit Thrift House plans to reopen in the fall after major renovations to the 70-year-old building I first knew as Davis Hardware on what my Round Rock-born parents called the Old Austin Highway, so hold on to your donations for a couple of months until the new store opens and can take donations again. Thrift House profits have benefited Central Texas families for decades through programs with local schools, Austin Community College, local hospitals, and emergency relief efforts. “A major glowup!,” say the volunteers who run Thrift House.
El Mercado Restaurant and Cantina, located at 1302 S. First St. and 7414 Burnet Road, is celebrating 40 years in Austin. The Tex-Mex headquarters offers a lunch menu, weekend brunch, appetizer buffet, and dinner buffet, as well as a full menu. Visit this iconic Austin restaurant’s website to check out their full menu, daily specials, and each location’s hours at www. elmercadorestaurant.com.
The Balloon Museum, located at 2930 W. Anderson Lane, formerly the longtime home of Louis Shanks Furniture, is now open. Their Let’s Fly exhibition, making its debut in Texas, features a celebration of art, air, and creativity. The one-of-a-kind experience features monumental inflatable artworks by renowned international artists. Open now until November 2nd, Monday-Sunday. Visit www.balloonmuseum.world for more information and to book your visit.
Summer vacation
A Celebration of Life on the Amalfi Coast
By Mela Sarajane Dailey
The best vacation I’ve ever taken wasn’t about luxury or location — though it had plenty of both — it was about something much deeper: gratitude, healing, and the joy of being together.
In 2023, just weeks after my husband, Peter Bay, received the miraculous news that his cancer surgery had been successful and he was officially cancer-free, we boarded a plane to Italy. With our son Colin by our side, we set out for the Amalfi Coast, a trip that would become more than a vacation — it became a celebration of life itself.
We made Positano our home base, a cliffside town as picturesque as any painting. Every evening, we watched the sun sink into the sea, the sky transforming into a watercolor of pinks, oranges, and golds. Peter and I would glance at each other during those quiet moments — no words necessary. We were both overwhelmed by the beauty of the world and the fragile, sacred nature of time.
One of the most unforgettable moments was hiking the legendary Path of the Gods — a five-hour trek high above the sea, carved into the cliffs. The views were both majestic and terrifying. My fear of heights kicked in, and I found myself crawling at points, clinging to the rock face and breathing through the panic. But at the very top, a surprise
awaited us: a humble meal with a local farmer, his sheep grazing nearby, and the kind of hospitality that fills your heart. We sat on rough wooden benches, breaking bread and sharing cheese made that very morning. It felt like communion with nature, with each other, and with life itself.
During the days, we explored the coastline with wide-eyed wonder. From Capri’s romantic gardens to the winding streets of Amalfi, we soaked in every view, every flavor, every moment. We laughed over heaping plates of pasta, marveled at the simplest tomato tasting like sunshine, and devoured gelato at every possible opportunity.
A highlight — one we still talk about often — was our pizza-making class in Napoli. There, in the birthplace of pizza, we tossed dough into the air, smothered it with San Marzano tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, and baked it to perfection in wood-fired ovens. Colin’s enthusiasm was contagious, and Peter looked healthier and happier than I’d seen him in months, covered in flour and grinning from ear to ear.
That trip wasn’t just a vacation; it was a turning point. We returned home rested, yes, but more importantly, renewed— with full hearts, full spirits, and a deeper appreciation for each other and this beautiful, unpredictable life we get to share.
Jim Susman
BBY FORREST PREECE
ack in 1980, Jim Susman sold his VW, went to New York City with $1200 in his pocket, and landed a job with Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates, the top architecture firm in the country in that era. Not a bad start for a career.
Recently, I sat down with him in the offices of his company STG Design, which has created the iconic Sail Building on Cesar Chavez in partnership with Pelli Clarke Partners; many structures for Dell; the LCRA Headquarters on Lake Austin Boulevard; the Seaholm complex (where Jim and his wife live); and smaller projects of which he is equally proud, like a chapel for St. Andrew’s School, and the new Thinkery Building in the Mueller complex. His achievements in Austin have been substantial, and he is still in full gear forward. It was fun to hear about that initial step in his professional journey. The first project he worked on at Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer was the renovation of the Willard Hotel in
ering place for politicians in the center of the national capital, it needed some modernization. Jim’s team did some careful updating to the building, and they added an extension that was a stairstep down from the original. That was exciting, and it gave him impetus for his projects to come. In his mind, the rest of a professional’s career is influenced by the first firm they work with. “You have a template for what’s good and what’s not.”
THE HUMAN ELEMENT
Jim says that these days, as his career has advanced, he is less focused on details and more on the way people move and respond to buildings—and the outdoor areas around and between them. Giving me a
“I’ll bet that when you were walking over here today, you were looking for the shady side of the street.”
That statement says a lot about his philosophy of architecture. His designs are magnificent, but he’s always looking for the human element and incorporating ways to make his buildings and the downtown environment people-friendly. To that shady side of the street point, Jim is working with the Downtown Austin Alliance to provide more tree canopies in the downtown area. (And yes, as for my choice of sidewalks, he hit the nail on the head.)
Talking about how buildings fit into urban areas led our discussion to affordable housing, a major concern for everyone in urban planning these days. Jim says that he understands the viewpoint of developers and the demands on them to incorporate affordable units into their planning.
“It’s three times as expensive to build housing units in a high-rise as it is to do ‘stickframed’ housing within a one, two, or three-mile radius from the primary site,” Jim says. If they live in urban core affordable units, people will not have to absorb the transportation costs of being in an outlying suburb like Pflugerville or Hutto.
Jim says one idea on this subject is to identify organizations that have available land, such as churches, and make deals for a developer to build housing there. Then the developer could exit with a profit, allowing the church to take the property for student or service industry lodging. He adds that the school district is looking at the same sort of thing, possibly using abandoned land and buildings for new housing.
FOCUSING ON DOWNTOWN
Jim has been on the board of the Downtown Austin Alliance for four years and chairs the Built Environment Committee. He says their focus has shifted more toward safety and mobility, especially along the East Sixth corridor. They are now working on revitalizing what they call the North Congress area. “South Congress has so much community activity that it’s harder and harder to get down there,” Jim explains. Creating that same level of energy north of the lake on Congress would give a boost to local businesses. And with more people on the street, safety improves. Regarding the North Congress upgrades, he highlighted the impressive remodeling projects planned for the Paramount and State Theatres, which will turn these event spaces into first-class venues and draw more visitors into the area.
An elephant in the room for downtown is the effect of the demolition of the existing Convention Center and its rebuilding, plus all that is involved with Project Connect and the reworking of I-35. Jim had just returned from a meeting on those topics before
our conversation. The disruption is going to be significant, and there needs to be careful planning on how to cope with it and mitigate the impact. One thing that is needed is a timetable grid with firm deadlines for what will be finished and when. As he says, when the work is completed, the result will be transformative. “All those efforts will translate into wonderful spaces around the downtown area.”
Jim’s latest interest is introducing green space into downtown through the remarkable Waterloo Conservancy effort. He serves on its board and is lending his design expertise to this important project, which is already gener-
ating positive energy for locals and visitors alike. Like the Children’s Museum, it draws people from all parts of town and binds them together with enriching experiences.
Up and down the corridor defined by Waller Creek is the Innovation District that needs to find complementary types of development to bridge the gaps between downtown Austin, the Convention Center, and UT. The goal is to bring people from all economic levels and parts of town together. Some win-win positive benefits are already happening. With two hospitals on the way – the Dell Seton Medical Center expansion and the new MD Anderson branch — combined
with the Moody Center, there is a huge amount of growth and activity coming into the area. Jim mentioned that Colette Pierce Burnette, the new CEO of the Conservancy, is a valuable resource and a reliable leader for this complex project, bringing engineering, financial, and executive expertise to the effort.
He’s doing a lot to improve our central city, and never one to stay on the sidelines, Jim takes advantage of the trails in downtown Austin, especially around Lady Bird Lake. Jim says, “I’ve run over 20,000 miles along its shores. What a terrific set of natural assets we have in our town.”
UT Women’s Basketball Coach Vic Schaefer Inspires
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area (BGCAA) hosted its annual Great Futures Spring Luncheon at the Four Seasons. The event raised $185,350 to expand BGCAA programs and serve even more Austin youth.
Attendees were treated to a keynote address by Vic Schaefer, the esteemed head coach of The University of Texas at Austin’s women’s basketball team. Schaefer, 2025 SEC Coach of the Year, recently led his team to a Final Four appearance in the NCAA tournament. During his keynote, Schaefer shared valuable insights on leadership, teamwork, and success, providing inspiration and perspective for attendees.
Brian Jones — CBS sports analyst, longtime BGCAA supporter, former Longhorn and NFL player — served as emcee for the event, engaging and entertaining attendees throughout the program. BGCAA CEO Zenae Campbell also delivered remarks, highlighting the incredible achievements of Club youth and the dedicated leaders who support them.
“Each year, our Great Futures Spring Luncheon celebrates the power of leadership and the unique ways our Clubs provide safe, supportive spaces for kids to be who they are, strengthen their skills and realize their full potential in the classroom, in athletics and in life,” said Campbell.
“Much more than a meal, this luncheon underscores, underwrites, and rallies support for BGCAA’s mission and our Club youth. We are so grateful for our partners and the community for joining us here, and in our ongoing work.”
To learn more and support BGCAA or get involved, visit www.bgcaustin.org.
Women’s Symphony League of Austin Announces Royal Court, Revealing Diamond Queen, Princesses, and Duchesses at Annual Jewel Tea
In celebration of the 70th Annual Jewel Ball, the Women’s Symphony League of Austin (WSL) announced its Royal Court participants at its Annual Jewel Tea. The Court consists of the 2025 Diamond Queen and Princesses, along with their Escorts from Austin, honoring the support of local families for the Austin Symphony Orchestra. The WSL also invites outstanding, college-aged young women and men from across the state to represent their communities as Duchesses and Escorts of the Visiting Jewel Court.
Hosted by the Past Presidents’ Council of the WSL and chaired by Past President Araminta Sellers, the Jewel Tea is a highly anticipated annual tradition. This year, guests arrived at the home of Stacy Toomey to reveal the court. Members enjoyed a variety of wines, tea sandwiches, and strawberry-filled traditional cake during the royal announcement. In keeping with 70 years of tradition, the 2025 Jewel Committee, chaired by Stacey McLeod Brewer and Stephanie Wilson, had the privilege of selecting this year’s Royal Court.
The 2025-2026 Royal Court includes the following young women and men: Diamond Queen Rylee Walker Hissey, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Eugene Hissey; Princess Reese Madison Bain, daughter of Knight and Mrs. David Fallon Bain; and Princess Katherine Elizabeth Martineau, daughter of Knight and Mrs. David Tucker Martineau Escorting this year’s ladies are: Escort Michael Butler van Bavel, son of Knight and Mrs. Nicholas Richard van Bavel, grandson of King Brio XXXII and Mrs. Ernest C. Butler; Escort Henry Newton Bell V, son of Chancellor and Mrs. Henry Newton Bell IV, grandson of Mrs. Pamela Roberts Bell and the late Henry Newton Bell III; Escort
Callahan Dixon Geisler, son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Charles Geisler; and Escort Zachary Marc Zimmermann, son of Ms. Ashley Ann Smith and Mr. Marc Jason Zimmermann
WSL is honored to have a wonderful group of Visiting Jewels and Escorts. Representing the Lubbock Symphony Guild, the Sapphire of Lubbock, Reese Morgan Rogers, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kirk Rogers, will be escorted by Braxton Cole Buckner, son of Mr. and Mrs. Todd Buckner. Representing the Waco Symphony Council, the Ruby of Waco, Duchess Juliet Elizabeth Indergard, daughter of Mr. and Michael Theodore Indergard, escorted by Gabriel Ruben Lugo son of Mr. and Mrs. Joaquin Nomberto Lugo. Representing the Dallas Symphony Orchestra League, the Pink Diamond of Dallas Annabeth Gracelyn Winn, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lester Martin Winn.
Jewel Ball festivities are held in September beginning with the annual Soirée, a party attended by area 9th and 10th grade students. This year’s Soirée is chaired by Julie Dye and Christine Napierkowski and will take place on Sunday, September 14.
The 70th Annual Jewel Ball, “The Platinum Jubilee”, will take place on Saturday, September 20. This milestone fête will include a presentation of The Platinum Jubilee Royal Court, a seated meal followed by a live auction, dancing, and several special surprises to salute the long history of the WSL’s impact on Austin and surrounding Central Texas communities through its support of ASO’s music education programming. This year’s Jewel Ball events are chaired by Elizabeth Doughtie and Tricia Moose. Tickets for the Jewel Ball and Soireé events will be available online at wslaustin. org.
PHOTOS BY BUSTER JETTER, JETTER PHOTOGRAPHY
Westlake High School announced its 27 finalists in the 2024-25 National Merit Scholarship Program recently. Nationally 15,000 students were chosen to compete for Merit Scholarships worth more than $26 million.
Westlake High School National Merit Finalists for 2024-25 are: ▲ Morgan
From left to right: Bobby Jones, Miles Fuquay, Hannah Jones, Lawsin Wilt, Brannon Kroll, Phyllis Kyle, Chris Kardys, Todd Brockwell, Melissa Anderson, Matt R. Richter, Caroline Satel, Mike Sierra, Jessica Drought, Richard Dullnig, Hunt Hord
Austin History Center Association Hosts 46th Annual Meeting
By Forrest Preece
On Sunday, June 22, the Austin History Center Association (AHCA) held its 46th Annual Meeting in the Austin Central Library. Adam Powell, the association’s executive director, made opening remarks and gave an overview of the center’s Impact Report with excellent visual displays, including high-quality drone videos of the 1933 Building at 9th and Guadalupe and the Faulk Center immediately to the south, which will soon open as the Austin History Center’s new home. He mentioned that anyone wanting to see the presentation online should visit http://austinhistory.org/ Jennifer Chenoweth, Division Manager for the Austin History Center, presented updates about special gifts it has received and spoke about what the reopening in the Faulk Building will bring.
Alicia Perez-Hodge, AHCA vice president, and Charles Peveto, AHCA president, also made remarks.
Two Austinites who have made important contributions to preserving Austin’s history and telling its story were given recognition during the program.
Ted Eubanks, owner of Fermata and an interpretive planner, writer, and photographer, received the Katherine Drake Hart Preservation Award, presented by Martha Hartzog, AHCA co-founder, for his extensive efforts to provide interpretive messaging in Austin public spaces.
Jesse Sublett
Author,
artist, and musician
1. What’s something about you that not many people know?
Recently, Eubanks finished an interpretive master plan for the Neill-Cochran House Museum about the last remaining intact slave quarters in the city. He also created Our Austin Story, which focuses on the heritage of Austin’s four historic squares (Brush, Republic, Wooldridge, and Hamilton) and Congress Avenue. This interpretive plan documents the stories of the people and places that shaped these important civic spaces and offers an important framework for celebrating Austin’s diverse heritage. Eubanks researched and developed this Interpretive Master Plan (IMP) for the Downtown Austin Alliance (DAA) in cooperation with the Parks and Recreation Department of Austin (PARD). The Our Austin Story interpretive plan led to the installation of the first interpretive panels (designed by Fermata as well) dealing with Mexican American and African American histories in Republic Square.
There were 19 in the class of 1972 at Lyndon B. Johnson High School at Johnson City, 1972, and I was valedictorian. My speech was a clumsy attempt to mix radical Sixties politics and ideas from sci-fi novels that were current back then, but my writing ability wasn’t really up to the challenge. From the podium, I could see my mother crying and thought she was offended by the political stuff, but instead she was crying because she was so proud of me.
2. What was your first job?
Dishwasher on the night shift at a place called Charles’ Restaurant on Highway 290, which inspired a lifelong respect for food service employees and wage-earners of all stripes, as well as an ingrained skepticism toward management and the capitalist upper class.
3. If you could have dinner with three people — dead or alive, at any time in history — who would they be?
Diplomat, and, finally, Bosch and Ballard, two series adapted from novels by Michael Connelly.
6. Most powerful movie you have seen.
Eubanks has also created and installed interpretive panels in Woodridge Square Park and has researched the history of Mount Calvary Cemetery, the oldest Catholic cemetery in Austin. He has worked on many other projects of this nature and has received numerous awards for his efforts. Robert Godwin received recognition from the Austin History Center Association for his long career of covering Austin’s history — both with his camera and his writing. The Austin History Center will benefit greatly from his body of work accumulated over 44 years. Robert is donating a massive number of documents to the Center including 20,000 black and white and color prints, 44 years’ worth of negatives and digital images, 20+ years of work calendars, 12+ membership directories, 1000+ columns from the West Austin News — in all, 100+ pounds of newspapers, magazines, programs, and invitations. This material will serve as an encyclopedic research resource for generations to come.
Lyndon Johnson, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Mitchum. Imagine what they would say now, back from the dead, about the world we’re living in? Of course, Mitchum might just steal the show with his smoldering presence alone. If there was room for a fourth, could we invite the writer Denis Johnson? He was so passionate about life and writing. I was lucky enough to meet him, too. Loved that guy.
4. If you had to pick three musicians for a playlist, who would they be?
Roxy Music, Rolling Stones, and Howlin’ Wolf.
5. Favorite book and TV show?
I’ve got to mention a handful. Books are part of my life blood. Anything by Michael Connelly, our greatest living crime writer. Books that I read again and again include “The Iliad,” by Homer (even more so with the new Emily Wilson translation), “The Big Sleep” and “The Long Goodbye” by Raymond Chandler, “The Maltese Falcon” and “The Glass Key” by Dashiell Hammett, and “Devil and a Blue Dress” by Walter Mosley. Everyone should read “A Natural History of Empty Lots” by Austinite Christopher Brown. “An Immense World” by Ed Yong is an amazing, essential book about the endlessly varied means of sensory perception in birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, bugs, and even one-celled eye creatures, written with a light touch, as humbling as it is mind-expanding. Oh, and John Richardson’s four-volume biography of the colossal artist Pablo Picasso. Finally, I humbly submit that my last book, “Last Gangster in Austin,” is a big favorite of mine. As for TV, lately we’ve been devouring Columbo. Peter Falk’s detective is one of the greatest hero roles ever. Current series we love include Slow Horses, Project Q, The
Top of my movie list is usually a toss-up of “Out of the Past” (1947), directed by Jacques Tourneur, with Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas and Jane Greer, or Orson Welles’ “Touch of Evil” (1958), starring Welles, Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Akim Tamiroff, Dennis Weaver and Marlene Dietrich.
7. Favorite place in Austin?
Probably Lady Bird Lake. Go there on a beautiful, sunny morning, and we are blessed with many of them, and you’re bound to fall in love with Austin. Or Roy G. Guerrero Metropolitan Park, my go-to birding spot. Or a booth at C-Boy’s Heart & Soul during happy hour or the bar at Vespaio, both on South Congress.
8. Favorite restaurant and watering hole
Hands-down, it’s Vespaio. The people, the food, the atmosphere.
9. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
10. Which living person do you most admire?
Anthony Fauci, the physician-scientist and immunologist is a real hero, a great humanitarian who has saved countless human lives.
11. What makes you happy?
I’ve published over 16 books, and I think most writers will tell you that the process of writing is not necessarily a happy time, but having written, that’s the key, because once the book is finished and published, that is a uniquely satisfying feeling. My wife Lois makes me happy and keeps me happy. Apple pie with Haagen-Dazs butter pecan makes me happy. Books, art, music and birds keep me engaged with life. I’ve been very lucky to live a life as a musician, author and artist for most of my life, and these days, I’m very happily studying birds and painting them. I’m very passionate about birds. The positive reception of my artwork to friends, fans and strangers is extremely rewarding. I have an art show at Link & Pin here in Austin July 25-August 3 and I’m happy to show off my new bird paintings. I am happiest of all, however, when I’m with our grandkids, Serafina and Mio. They are endlessly fascinating and inspiring and, in our opinion, quite exceptional.
12. Best advice you ever received?
Love yourself so that you can love others, be kind, stay curious, and keep moving forward. I have to credit Lois for helping me adopt this philosophy.
My first ambition, starting around age 10, was to be a famous poet. I wrote reams of poetry, all of it pretty bad. When I was 11, I wrote a notso-bad poem about a classmate who had been killed in a horse-riding accident which was published in the newspaper and it really touched a nerve in people, including her family. This made a great impression on me and probably sparked my ambition to be a songwriter, performer and author. First step was playing in rock n roll bands in my 20s in Austin, which led to years of great experiences and rewards. And, you know, the music scene created in the late 1970s, including my bands, The Skunks and The Violators, helped put Austin on the map. I’m proud of that. I never became much of a poet, but poetry is still a very important part of my life.
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• Large inventory of wood, 3” to 16” widths, engineered or solid
• Unfinished or prefinished
• Stairways, computer cut patterns, ceilings, and countertops
Large inventory of wood, 3" to 16" widths, engineered or solid Unfinished or prefinished Stairways, computer cut patterns, ceilings, and countertops
• Sand & Finish
Breakthrough Central Texas Honor Roll hosted An Evening with Breakthrough.
The event featured a cocktail social hour with new and prospective Honor Roll members, caring partners of the Breakthrough community who help proivde students with the tools, guidance and encouragement they need to navigate the complicated process of preparing for, enrolling in and graduating from college.
Additional attendees included Breakthrough advocates, Breakthrough students, alumni and staff, as well as a First-Gen College Student Panel featuring Diego Carrera-Martinez (Breakthrough Student attending Texas State University), Gloria Perez (Breakthrough Alumni, St. Edward’s University graduate, Breakthrough Board Trustee & Honor Roll Member), and David Walker (First-Gen Graduate and Breakthrough Honor Roll Steering Committee Member).
The panel was moderated by Justin Rosas (Breakthrough advocate and supporter and
First-Gen Graduate).
Breakthrough Central Texas is the leading college access and success nonprofit in Central Texas. For more than 20 years, Breakthrough Central Texas has partnered with thousands of middle and high school students who aspire to be the first in their family to graduate with a degree or certificate. They make a radical, long-term commitment to students, to and through college, unlocking the power of education and a lifetime of opportunity. Breakthrough students attend 60+ public schools and persist at nearly 100 colleges and universities. The result is that nearly 60% of Breakthrough students graduate from college, compared to 14% of low-income students in our region. Breakthrough’s work has resulted in more than 470 college graduates, with 3,700 on their way, positively impacting families for generations, our region’s educational equity, and the Central Texas economy. To learn more, visit www.breakthroughctx.org.
