Inside Today: The regional impact of Hurricane Beryl by the numbers Page 2
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Saturday, August 17, 2024 • Vol. 69 • No.33
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Stephen Hallmark: Heights realtor by day, football referee by night By LISA MORALES The Leader News Contributor As the NFL preseason kicks off and high school sports ramp up, The Leader had the chance to speak with someone who plays a critical role on the football field, though he’s neither a coach nor a player. Stephen Hallmark, an award-winning realtor with Berkshire Hathaway, has been a Heights resident for 21 years. While Hallmark is wellknown for his success in real estate, he has a fascinating side hustle that takes him from the closing table to the side-
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lines—he’s a football referee. Hallmark’s journey into refereeing began at the young age of 10, inspired by his father, Jim Hallmark, who was a varsity football referee for 47 years. Despite his family’s hesitation about the sport’s physicality, young Stephen would accompany his father to varsity games, often holding the chains as his father made the calls. Although Hallmark took a break from the sidelines during his high school and college years, he returned to refereeing after attending college. Now, as a head linesman with 21 years of experience,
Hallmark officiates games under the University Interscholastic League (UIL) and the Texas Association of Sports Officials (TASO). Refereeing at the varsity level requires dedication and skill. Referees work their way up from Division 5 to Division 1 through a point system that considers training, clinics, and onfield experience. Varsity games earn 2 points, sub varsity games earn half a point. To become a Division 1 referee you must accumulate 660 points See HALLMARK P. 2
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Heights realtor and referee Stephen Hallmark calling plays during football season.
PugHearts of Houston: Transforming pug lives one rescue at a time By LISA MORALES The Leader News Contributor
Mark your calendar: The organization’s annual fundraiser, Pugs on the Bayou, is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 19
Man accused of fatally strangling mother of his child
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Heights dietician explains shares insights on adequate protein intake
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The final resting place of Spring Branch pioneers lies in the middle of a Timbergrove neighborhood.
Houston history remains buried in Timbergrove backyards THE ORIGINS OF VOLLMERNIEMANN CEMETERY
By CHRIS DAIGLE The Leader News Contributor What’s happening around town this weekend?
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Fidelity National Title issues call for artists
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Photo by Laura Bradham
As you walk along Foxwood street in Timbergrove, you might just see it as a neighbor’s backyard fence. There’s no sign, no sidewalk leading up to it, yet inside is a legacy to early Houston history. It is an abandoned cemetery at the corner of Foxwood at Cindy known as the Vollmer-Niemann cemetery. a time tunnel to a German rural community known first as Vollmer before there were any streets or houses here, and next to townsites called Eureka and Smokeyville. It was the most significant settlement for Germans moving west along the prairie. The cemetery, at 1.5 acres, contains 35 marked graves of early German settlers, four graves of Confederate soldiers, and unmarked graves of several slaves.
Photo by Chris Daigle
Marks Hinton and his wife Barbara are bringing Houston history to life with the stories of long-lost pioneers in Harris County cemeteries. Marks Hinton has written extensively about Houston street names.
This area was well promoted in the South as good land for farming in 1836, when Texas gained independence. Henry Vollmer was a farmer and carpenter his whole life. He picked up his family and two mules and headed for Texas. Being the first one there, it was named Vollmer. Soon the Hillendahl family, the Bethje, the Clay, the Sauer, Telchow, and Lange families followed. The main feature was a bayou to the east later named White Oak Bayou. There soon was a post office there in the 1850s and the HT&C railroad came in 1852 to bring supplies from other states. St.John’s German Lutheran Church was the geographical center of the Vollmer settlement. It served as the
PugHearts of Houston, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity, has dedicated itself to rescuing, rehabilitating, and finding loving homes for unwanted and neglected pugs. Founded by a group of devoted pug owners and enthusiasts, the organization has grown into a vital resource for pugs in need throughout the greater Houston area, with over 5,000 pugs rescued. At the core of PugHearts’ mission are its volunteers, who are essential in ensuring that every pug receives the care and love it deserves. “Our volunteers play a vital role in accomplishing our mission,” says Angela Moebus, a Heights resident and dedicated volunteer with PugHearts. “Providing foster homes, picking up pugs in need of rescue from shelters or the streets, transporting pugs long distances, processing adoption applications, and organizing fundraising events—these are just some of the ways our volunteers assist the organization and the pugs.” This dedicated network of volunteers allows PugHearts to operate without the need for shelters or kennels. Instead, all rescued pugs are placed in private foster homes, where they can receive individualized care and attention and learn to be a part of a loving family. See PUGHEARTS P. 4
See VOLLMER-NIEMANN P. 3
Heights musician Ben Jarrad delivers a five-course magical music meal Local kids get private tour of Heights Blvd. art installation
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By CHARLIE HARDWICK The Leader News Contributor Ben Jarrad has lived in the Heights for about seven years and currently loves living in his house on Rutland. His history with the neighborhood goes back to his teenage years when he was a burgeoning musician. Although not yet a household name, Ben has been carving out a reputation as a music teacher, singer songwriter, studio hire, performer, amazing tennis player and a master at creating a nice grilled pizza.
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TEENAGER RECORDS ALBUM IN HEIGHTS STUDIO Ben’s family roots are centered in Oklahoma and Texas. His childhood was somewhat transient as his father took advantage of job opportunities in various parts of the country. Ben was actually born in Denver, CO, when his father was in business with his godfather who was a tennis pro. Eventually the business was sold and the family moved down to Houston settling in Katy. Not yet a teenager, at the age of 11, Ben played his first open mic night in Houston back in 1997 at a club
called The Mausoleum. Normally, at an open mic, one is allowed to perform only three songs. Laughing, Ben recounts how overkill he was by hauling in a huge stack of amplifiers while his friend brought in a full drum set. Ben and his friend would play Hendrix tunes at a blistering volume, blowing away the older musicians in the room. Living with his parents at the time, Ben credits his older brother Matt, who lived in Montrose, for helping him get his foot in the door to play these open mic gigs. Ben said, “My brother did not play music but knew about all these clubs,
so he was instrumental in my exposure to the Houston inner city club scene.” While in high school at Cinco ranch, Ben joined an original band called Solshine that was created by his friend Sasha. Ben was intrigued by Sasha’s multi-instrumental talent and his prolific songwriting ability. A musical family, Sasha’s mother had a vocal cabaret act, singing at a local Russian bar called The Russian Bear. With the connection from Sasha’s mom, the bar let the band rehearse in the day during off hours. See JARRAD P. 5
Allegiance Bank and CommunityBank of Texas have come together as Stellar Bank. While our name has changed, our commitment to serving our customers and supporting our local communities will stay the same. We look forward to a bright future together.
2222 North Durham | 281.517.8760 Margaret Vandever, Bank Office President Cecilia Rodriguez, Office Manager