The Memorial Buzz - October 2021 by The Buzz Magazines

School Buzz 2021-22

Tulsi Parikh

by Jenna Mazzoccoli

Wildlife in our Yards Telling Dad’s Holocaust Story Cindy Gabriel: Dazed and Amazed Her Little Halloween Witches Making a Proper Manhattan A Passport Odyssey Houston, TX

Buzz Baby: Family Costumes

Permit No. 2047 PAID US Postage PRSRT STD

Adventures on the Eastern Seaboard

EDITOR’S NOTE What is that noise? Michael and I first noticed a strange buzzing sound around midnight shortly after relocating from Portland to Houston in 1996. It was a hot August night. We thought it was electrical, possibly a transformer on the power pole in our yard. Michael walked around the house and even drove around the block in search of the mysterious noise. We tried to go back to sleep, but the sound kept us up. Finally, we called the nonemergency number for the Bellaire Police Department. An officer soon arrived and said, “Welcome to Houston. Those are cicadas.” I grew up in Houston but didn’t recall ever hearing them. Fast-forward 25 years, and Buzz writer Cheryl Ursin is digging deep to help us better understand the critters living in our backyards. Also this month, meet our 2021-22 School Buzz correspondents, who create their own buzz online at our School Buzz blog, where they tell us what’s happening in local high schools. joni@thebuzzmagazines.com

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

Contributing Writers Account Managers

Joni Hoffman Michael Hoffman Cheryl Laird Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld Jenna Mazzoccoli John Duboise Tracy L. Barnett Sharon Albert Brier Cindy Burnett Andria Frankfort Angie Frederickson Todd Freed Cindy Gabriel Cathy Gordon Michelle Groogan Dai Huynh Annie Blaylock McQueen Jennifer Oakley Pooja Salhotra Cheryl Ursin Meg Scott Andrea Blitzer Leslie Little Jo Rogers

On our cover: Tulsi Parikh, a junior, is on the School Buzz team at Memorial High School. Cover photo by Michael Hart, hartphoto.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 © 2021 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.

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MAILBAG

Your letters, thoughts, opinions Henry will be missed My heart sank when I read the story [Determined Spirit: The large life of Henry Furler, by Michelle Groogan, September 2021] as this was the first I heard of Henry Furler's passing. Until the pandemic, my family would attend the St. Mark's Parish Retreat yearly, and we could always count on seeing members of the Furler family (Betsy, Eric, Sam, Henry, and Scout) at the weekend retreat. Our daughter loved playing games with Henry and giving Scout lots of belly rubs. The Furler family is always full of life, love, and gratitude. I will miss Henry's infectious smile and our family [Robert, Kristin, and Morgan Horn] sends hugs and sympathy during their time of loss. Kristin Horn

Flat Henry’s adventures Just read the lovely article [Determined Spirit: The large life of Henry Furler] in The Buzz – what an amazing young man! Such an incredible heart, mind, and spirit Henry had! Can’t imagine how much y’all must miss him, but how proud you must be! Even though we never had the privilege of meeting Henry, we’re headed on a trip in 2 weeks and would be honored to take Flat Henry with us. Hope you all are healing and doing well. Cindy Greenberg Editor's note: Thanks for writing, Cindy. You can search "Traveling the World with Flat Henry" on Facebook to follow Flat Henry's adventures or request a Flat Henry. Also, see henryfurlerfund.org, where funds are being raised for organizations Henry was passionate about, including Boy Scouts of America, Holocaust education, and Vacation Bible School.

Mystery solved My wife and I have enjoyed your magazine for years. Excellent people stories. My question is: How often do you Photoshop? There seems to be a pair of legs missing on the September 2021 [Bellaire] cover photo [of the Furler family, featured in Determined Spirit: The large life of Henry Furler]. David Plesa Editor’s note: Thanks for your feedback and your close look. Now that you point it out, it does appear Sam Furler’s legs are missing, but they are just hidden behind the dog and Betsy. Sam’s legs were not Photoshopped; however, we did Photoshop one of the dog’s eyes as his fur was entirely covering his eye in the photo.

Gold-star grandparents I enjoyed reading the article about the Clamen family [A Poetic Tribute: Celebrating Grandparents’ Day, by Andria Frankfort, September 2021] and the incredibly heartwarming poetical homage by Allen and Rhoda’s grandchildren. Allen and Rhoda are both exceptional parents, grandparents, and human beings – and this is just such a wonderful way of showing how our MEMORIAL BUZZ OCTOBER 2021 6

roles should and could be vital in our families’ lives. Lucila Haase

From the heart Just wanted to reach out and say how amazing my experience working with Annie was on the article she wrote about my experience [Heart Attack Foiled: When a heroic nurse drives by, by Annie Blaylock McQueen, September 2021]. She is always so professional and was so easy to work with. Her 750 words told the story very well! Thanks! It was fun to hear from so many people when they read the article. Ashley Miller

Life-saving neighbor I just wanted to tell you how many people reached out to me after the article [Heart Attack Foiled: When a heroic nurse drives by] was published – many of whom I had not talked to in a while. Also, the article led to me and Ashley [Miller] finally getting together, which was great! She’s the hero in this story! Mark Nitcholas 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: • Have special holiday traditions. • Have a unique story or tradition related to the Houston Marathon. • Know a Buzzworthy neighbor to feature. • Have an interesting hobby. • Have a compelling travel tale. 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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The new kids on your block. Now treating adults too.

Pediatrics Alana Kennedy-Nasser, MD Kelly Hodges, MD Alexander Injac, MD** Charlotte Zuniga, MD**

Memorial** 7700 San Felipe, Ste 470 Bellaire 6750 West Loop S, Ste 465

Internal Medicine/Pulmonary Dean Nasser, MD

832.431.4336 www.purepediatrics.com

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NEIGHBORS by Meg Scott, contributing writer

Keep Your Friends Close lawellphoto.com

And keep your witches closer

his is the big lady,” Allyson McClurd said, pointing to the 4-foot-tall witch standing next to the window in her living room, overlooking a room full of smaller witches. “She is the general. She keeps all of the other girls in line.” And by “the girls,” Allyson means the other witches. “She watches over the neighborhood here, too, by the window.” Allyson, 61, has an ever-growing collection of decorative witches that turn her two-story townhome on a quiet, tree-lined road into their lair each October, when every surface becomes haunted with Halloween flair from the front door to the back. “I named her after my sorority sister Janice, who we used to call The General, because she ram-rodded us all.” (Don’t worry – Janice is in on the joke.) The first, founding witches of Allyson’s collection are smaller, with silky, black, pillowy bodies, wickedly long noses, and crooked, black hats. They are surrounded by a swirl of purple, green, blood red, and deep blue ribbons. These girls, individually named for Allyson’s sorority sisters Glenda, Susie, Ellie, and Vicki, collectively make up “The Sisters.” You may be noticing a trend: Allyson’s “girls” are almost all named after her real girlfriends, whether from her local Beta Sigma Phi chapter or from her Hammersmith neighborhood, where Allyson serves as a board member of the Hammersmith Community Improvement Association. Beta Sigma Phi is a social sorority for women of all ages – or, as it calls itself, “a friendship network” – that started in the 1930s as a book club during the war. Allyson joined in 1984 when her best friend invited her into the Preceptor Alpha Chi (PAX) chapter, whose members currently range in age from 60 to 80 years old. PAX is one of more than 30 chapters of Beta Sigma Phi in the city of Houston, not even including the Greater Houston area. “I love it,” Allyson said of her intimate, 13member chapter. “We’re a great group. We’re very close; four of us went up to New Jersey in MEMORIAL BUZZ OCTOBER 2021 10

AT ATTENTION Allyson McClurd sits next to her commanding witch, The General, who she says keeps the other witches in line.

April just to visit another sister who had moved away.” The PAX chapter meets twice a month at members’ homes and is always planning a service or social event. In past years, the women have adopted a family that they help throughout the year, with a Thanksgiving feast, Christmas gifts, or a visit from Santa (with a member’s husband in costume). They have volunteered time at the Houston Food Bank and West Houston Assistance Ministries, and they have prepared packages for the Houston Area Women’s Center. Allyson, a retired accountant, was born in Illinois but has lived in Texas since she was 10. As an only child, Allyson’s friends have always been like her family – her sisters and brothers. Now they’re even nearer and dearer as they keep her company (in enchanted, witch-decorations form) throughout the month of October.

There’s Miriam, Sharon, Carolyn, Jane, Barbara, Debbie, Olivia, and Sue in residence, just to name a few. “Well, this witch kind of looks like a schoolteacher to me, so I named her after Carolyn,” said Allyson. “And this one’s eye makeup is the same color that Miriam wears, so I named her Miriam. She’s actually one of the first I named.” From the original gaggle of witches, The Sisters, Allyson’s coven expanded when her husband, Allen, brought home several as gifts. One is named Tabitha (not after a friend) and is pure comedy. Her face is as long as the rest of her body, with a chin protruding out past her nose. Her hair is really just a few strings, and she has two black buck teeth. Allen brought home a decorative black cat to accompany the witches, and from there it took off. They’ve been collected from a variety of stores like T.J. Maxx, (continued on page 12)

lawellphoto.com

WICKED WITCH The coven of witches, named for her nearest and dearest friends, fly into Allyson’s house each October. (continued from page 10) HomeGoods,

and Cornelius, and most sit or stand under 2 feet tall. Allyson’s favorites are collectibles by designer Mark Roberts, with their black bat-like wings and elaborately detailed costumes. “This is the second in command over here,” said Allyson, pointing to one witch sitting on a table near the base of the house’s staircase. “Her name is Edith.” Edith came with the name (on the tag at purchase), and it stuck. She is Allyson’s favorite in the collection – a Mark Roberts witch with bedazzled cat-eye glasses and a black veil over her face. Her black hat is covered in orange spots and rises up, over, and down again like something drawn by Dr. Seuss, finally tipped with a bat dangling on a string. Her burnt orange and black brocade skirt spreads out across the buffet table, and her tiny glittery heeled shoes just peek out. Across the room from Edith is the witch collection’s sole male: Jack Sparrow. Jack Sparrow is a pirate, hence the name, but he fits the bill with his batlike wings and black-and-orange striped bows. His billowing, bold red and black costume is overshadowed only by the twinkle in his eye. With his full white beard (hinting at the next holiday season around the corner), Jack Sparrow is one to watch with the ladies … specifically Jezebel. “This is Jezebel. I kind of have to keep her away from Jack Sparrow,” said Allyson, by way

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of introduction. Jezebel is a very buxom witch with a flirtatiously tilted head and a sparkle in her eye to rival Mr. Sparrow’s. Silver tinsel caps her shoulders, and black and silver polka dots adorn the length of her arm. Then there are the fishnet stockings and embroidered black-and-gray cowboy hat, not to mention the black fingernail polish and cigarette in hand. Jezebel is a whole vibe, and she owns it. Allyson’s imagination runs wild with the characters in her living room, bringing the witches to life. “When I go to bed at night, I tell them, ‘You behave yourselves,’” Allyson said with a laugh. “Then I come down in the morning, and I say ‘You guys had a party last night, didn’t you? I heard y’all.’” She imagines they must like to escape from their boxes in storage during the remainder of the year: “They don’t like it when I put them away.” (Shh, don’t tell the witches, but then the Santa collection gets to come out.) “They’re my girls. I just like ’em,” she said, then corrected, “No, I love ’em.” Allyson has gathered other small collections over the years – unicorns, dolls, perfume bottles, Santas. “We didn’t have a lot of money,” Allyson said of her childhood. “And I was an only child. So, when I got older, I started kind of going overboard.” Allyson decorates the front of her home for every season and holiday, but she says her

favorite is, without a doubt, Halloween. “I just love the idea of it. I love the fall, the colors, the weather getting cooler, the kids coming by all dressed up,” Allyson said. “And I like to dress up.” She and Allen, who is a retired member of the U.S. Air Force as well as a retired IRA accountant, have made Halloween appearances over the years as Sonny and Cher, Caveman and Cavewoman, and Harlequin clowns, with all the costumes handmade by Allyson. Allyson also loves a good scary movie, specifically old classics from the 1940s and 50s, such as The Wolf Man with Lon Chaney Jr. She has vivid recollections of seeing scary films in the 1960s and 1970s, such as The Exorcist and The Haunting. “What scares me the most is ghosts. I remember seeing The Haunting when I was a teenager,” said Allyson. “We went downtown in Victoria, Texas. There was an old courthouse down there, and you come out of the theater in the dark….” Allyson shivers at the memory. From witches to cats to pumpkins and pirates, Allyson’s Halloween décor covers all the bases. Her assortment of skeletons includes a “voodoo man” from New Orleans and a skeleton wife and husband. But she is sure to clarify, “I don’t name the skeletons. That’s just weird. It might come true.” Now if only Allyson could get those witches to settle down in the night. (I’m looking at you, Jezebel.)

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NEIGHBORS by Cindy Gabriel, staff writer

Dazed and Amazed As Alaska goes through you

nmoored, anything but bored, Stan and I tried out the TV in our cabin, a last check-in with so-called reality as our cruise ship left the Seattle harbor, bound for Juneau, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, and Skagway, Alaska. It’s August 15th. See ya, Houston heat. But first, the news… U.S. troops have left Afghanistan as heartbreaking images emerge, evoking endless comparisons to the 1975 fall of Vietnam. Wait, I just wrote that story for the September issue. Not about Afghanistan – about one family’s rescue from Vietnam during the fall of Saigon. I’m not clairvoyant and will be sure to prove it if I take any kind of credit for seeing the future. I just think it’s important to note such things. The cruise is just getting started, and already my sense of linear time has gone overboard. I wondered if Katherine Le – the VietnameseAmerican woman who told us about her family escaping Saigon in last month’s story – was having similar feelings. I texted her from our Alaskabound ship, which is kind of amazing in and of itself. She too was marveling at the “coincidence” of the publishing timing. The Afghanistan news was already prompting new questions from her American-born friends about her past. For all I know, you could be wondering what I’m doing on a cruise anyway? All I can say is, it’s the only place we could be around people where everyone on the ship is vaccinated and tested negative for Covid prior to boarding. Hopefully, as I write this in August, our poor hospitals won’t be so slammed by October when it’s published. Just now, the captain of the cruise ship told us precisely where we were in nautical miles from the coast of Canada, our longitude and latitude points, and the hundreds of nautical miles of sea below us. I’m glad somebody’s navigating. It gives me the luxury to feel the motion of the water, as the wind whistles reminders that I can’t always see what actually exists. We will soon learn of the indigenous Tlingit Indian clans who say it’s one thing to go through Alaska, but it’s quite another to let Alaska go through you. The Tlingits aren’t big watch wearers. They, like many ancient people, think of time as more circular, with past, present, and MEMORIAL BUZZ OCTOBER 2021 14

HEADING FOR DEEPER WATERS Quiet thoughts while leaving Glacier Bay, Alaska.

future existing in a kind of eternal now. The Tlingits, or People of the Tides, must have noticed that the otters, seagulls, and their sacred life-sustaining salmon, don’t wear watches either. They just dip and glide, taking life as it comes. While cruising through Glacier Bay National Park, occasionally you hear what sounds like a jet engine about to take off. It is actually a piece of ice cracking and falling into the ocean. It’s called calving, typical of summer, not just global warming. In 1794, the explorer George Vancouver described the area as a strait filled with more than 4,000 feet of ice. Eighty-five years later, in 1879, the naturalist John Muir traveled by canoe with the help of Tlingit guides through an inlet that was widening as much as a mile a year. Today we are cruising through 65 miles of bay and air described as the freshest on the planet. We could have watched more news of Afghanistan on the trip, but didn’t. There was too much fresh air to fill our tanks, too much open ocean to wet our souls. I want to recognize my kinship with this wild and improvisational land of ice, rock, forest, bay, otters, whales, and seagulls.

There will be plenty of time back home to cry real tears as this new reality folds into our American story. From Vietnam in 1975 to the United States on September 11, 2001, to Afghanistan in 2021, we carry around images of a world nobody wants. The author Luis Alberto Urrea has become my latest inspiration. “There is only us. There is no them,” he famously says, as he writes stories of empathy and humanity from both sides of the border. Born in Tijuana, Mexico, to a Mexican father and a white American mother, he recounts scenes of children using a border wall as a volleyball net. This trip makes me long to search for the gentle answer to the gotcha quip, to get to know the other, only to realize the other is not my enemy. What’s an enemy anyway other than someone to disarm with love? The Tlingits learned a long time ago – a gun is no match for a grizzly bear. They have a counter-intuitive way of behaving when encountering a grizzly. Many have lived to say this works. They drop their guard and sing to it.

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TRAVEL by Tracy L. Barnett, staff writer

A Passport Odyssey That confirms her faith in humanity

was all packed and ready to go. I’d called my daughter, Tara; we’d been planning the details of my trip from Guadalajara, Mexico, where I now live, back to Missouri for more than a month already. If all went well, I would be arriving in time for lunch with my little granddaughters, Rasai and Arayah, whom I hadn’t seen – except on Messenger chat – for nine months. Tara had orchestrated a packed itinerary of activities, and the whole weekend was dedicated to reconnecting with the little girls. I was pretty excited, too. But all, unfortunately, did not go well. I hung up the phone with Tara, bid farewell to my guests in the other room, and headed out for my last two errands. I jumped on my bike and made the loop through downtown Guadalajara and was back in time to have a relaxed dinner with my godson Bernardo, reflect on the new chapter ahead of us, and give him a sweet farewell. Now it was time to pack my last items. I made one last passport check – I always kept it in a special pouch on the back side of my purse. But the passport was not there. My mind flew into a review of all my past activities. I checked every bag, every drawer, every corner where I might have misplaced it. My mind kept going back to the same possibility. I had taken the passport out to enter the number when I checked into my flight online. I didn’t remember putting the passport back in its special compartment. But my mind kept going back to the possibility that I had done so, and forgotten to zip it. It was 10 p.m. and there had been a hard rain after I returned. Still, I had to see if I could find it. I jumped on my bike and did the whole circuit twice. Nada. Bernardo and I spent much of the night tearing the house apart, looking to see if I had absently dropped it or placed it somewhere and forgotten. I couldn’t stop seeing my daughter’s excited face, thinking of how disappointed she would be. Finally, at 4 a.m., the hour I had set my alarm to have plenty of time to get to the airport, I accepted the bitter truth. I would not be going MEMORIAL BUZZ OCTOBER 2021 16

NEW PASSPORT, NEW PERSPECTIVES Travel writer Tracy Barnett details her own journey of a lost passport. Connecting with Santiago, who found her passport and called her – even though he could have sold it for much-needed rent money – was an inspiration. Pictured, in a park around the corner from Tracy’s home in Guadalajara, Mexico, is Tracy with Santiago and his dog, Mía.

to Missouri this day. The next morning, I went back around the circuit, posting signs with the hope that an honest soul had found it. One man saw me and read it out loud. “Oh, that’s been sold, for sure. A U.S. passport is worth $500, minimum. I wish I could find it, I’d love to go to Los Angeles!” My heart sank. Still, I kept posting the signs. But… nada. I learned that emergency passports are so backed up because of Covid that it would take at least six weeks to get one. I had only six weeks for this visit; then I needed to be home because Bernardo’s college classes were starting. Casting about for options, I contacted my friend Felicia Rangel-Samponaro, founder of the Sidewalk School for Children Asylum Seekers, who helped me to devise a Plan B. She confirmed I could cross the border by foot without a passport, and helped me find the cheapest and safest way: Fly to Tijuana, walk across the bridge and take a taxi to San Ysidro, where I could catch a shuttle to San Diego, and catch a flight to Missouri from there. My mother and my daughter pooled resources to help me buy two more tickets. Travel time arrived once again at 4 a.m., and

I bid one more farewell to Bernardo, who was still up, finishing a final project. By 6 a.m. California time I was touching down in Tijuana, enjoying my last street tacos and heading for the border crossing. To my dismay, the line stretched as far as I could see. I walked and walked and finally stopped. “Is this the end of the line?” I inquired. “No,” said the man. “But I can help you get up close to the beginning, for just $20.” I didn’t stop to ponder the fairness of being able to afford that $20 in a sea of people who could not. I produced the bill, and the gentleman called someone on his cell phone and led me through the crowd to a place within view of the coveted entry gate. The system was clever; one of their crew showed up early and held a space near the front while the others scouted the crowd for likely clients. I wasn’t sure about the ethics, but I took my place gratefully and soon began chatting with the people behind me, who didn’t seem bothered by my cutting in line. Two hours later, I was learning to navigate the San Diego Trolley. Never one to miss an opportunity for tourism, for the cost of an $8 day pass, I was able to make my way to my budget hotel, explore the historic (continued on page 18)

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SIGHTSEEING IN SAN DIEGO Never one to miss an opportunity for tourism, even after a hectic day walking across the border, travel writer Tracy Barnett seized the moment to check out the Gaslamp Quarter, Seaport Village, and Old Town – some charming bits of Spanish Americana on the southwest edge of the country. (continued from page 16) Gaslamp

Quarter and Seaport Village, and watch the sunset over the bay from Old Town. Thanks to my mother and my daughter and Felicia, I touched down in Columbia, Mo., just four days after the appointed date – still in time for lunch, with my excited granddaughters in tow. I waited a week to see if someone would find my passport and call me. But… nada. Worried about identity theft, I reported the loss and applied for a new passport. Four days later, I got the call. It was a Guadalajara number. “Señora…. Usted perdiste un pasaporte?” “Siiiii,” I responded, amazed. The woman on the other line was holding my passport. Her brother, a disabled man who sold candies and peanuts in the historic center, had found it. The U.S. passport agency was very clear. Once you report a passport lost or stolen, it is no longer usable. So I thanked the woman and told her I’d look for her when I got back home. I contacted my state representative, who intervened on my behalf, and I got my new passport in time to fly back to Guadalajara, thankfully, without having to walk back across the border in Tijuana. Fast forward two months, and I’m back in MEMORIAL BUZZ OCTOBER 2021 18

Guadalajara. I get a phone number I don’t recognize. “Hola, señora. I’m the person who found your passport. Do you still need it?” Well, I didn’t really. But there was something in his voice. “Are you offering some kind of reward? I don’t want you to think badly of me, but I need to pay the rent for my room. And I don’t have enough right now to even buy a taco.” “Of course,” I said. Santiago was his name, and I met him on the plaza. He was a kind-faced man with a bad leg injury from a motorcycle accident – he had swerved to miss a young man who had walked in front of him at an intersection, he would later tell me. He was about my age, with a tiny black chihuahua named Mía as his companion. I was happy to meet him and Mía and happy to get my old passport back. I asked him if we could take a selfie. Sure, he said. He told me the story of how it had caught his eye on the side of the street and how he took it home and couldn’t decide what to do with it; he thought of taking it to the police, but he didn’t trust them, and he didn’t want to be accused of stealing. “My father, may he rest in peace, told me when I was young that if I ever got in trouble

and ended up in jail, to call him and he would come and get me – but not if it was for stealing,” he told me. “He told me that stealing is the worst thing you can do.” And then he began to cry a little, as he remembered his father, who had died recently in the hospital and he hadn’t been able to see him or wish him farewell. Finally, he told me of the day he saw one of the signs I had made and gave the number to his sister to call me. Since I hadn’t called back, and, casting about for a way to pay the rent, he took the initiative to give me a call. Seated there on the park bench with him after the selfie, I thought about how much it would have changed his life – at least for the short term – to have sold that passport. And he knew it. Everyone knew the value of a U.S. passport. But he chose to track me down instead. The old passport no longer has any value, on the street or in my wallet. Except for one thing. It reconfirmed for me, once and for all, the crazy, unquenchable faith I have in humanity. Editor’s note: Buzz travel columnist Tracy L. Barnett is a Lowell Thomas travel journalism award winner and longtime travel and environmental writer. Email her at info@thebuzzmagazines.com to share your own travel tales.

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NEIGHBORS by Andria Frankfort, staff writer

Telling Dad’s Holocaust Story Thanks to puppy walks and a new friend in the neighborhood

hat would Millie the beagle and Stelly the schnoodle, two neighborhood dogs who like to play together, have to do with telling a Holocaust survivor’s story? Actually, everything. Millie and Stelly met in West U last summer, during quarantine, when their humans were looking for a little social interaction. Millie is Paula and Alan Schlesinger’s third beagle, and she was a happy consequence of social distance. “Our second beagle died in 2019,” Alan explains, “but we said, ‘We’re going to be retiring, let’s wait for that to get a dog, and then wait another year because we’ll be traveling.’ Well, I retired in June 2020. So we moved the dog up and travel back.” Paula is now a retired pediatrician, and Alan is a retired pediatric radiologist. With a very active beagle. “She follows her nose,” Alan says. “She smells and is off and running.” Stelly is another happy result of quarantine. Dee Dee Dochen, a marketing and communications professional, adopted the 12-pound, furry Schnauzer-poodle mix about the same time Millie came on the scene. Puppy walking was a repeat activity for both Alan and Dee Dee. “I’m on Rice, he’s on Lafayette,” Dee Dee says of Alan, who adds, “Our puppies really hit it off.” “They were completely drawn to each other,” Dee Dee says. “They were so playful, and we got such a kick out of it. While they were playing, we started chatting.” After a few puppy-instigated visits, conversation turned to What do you do? Alan said he was recently retired. Dee Dee asked what he planned on doing, besides having a puppy. “I told her I was thinking about writing my dad’s memoir [about surviving the Holocaust], but I was having trouble getting started,” Alan says. “For years, I carried a journal and jotted notes,” he says. “But once I actually retired and had time to do it, I couldn’t get motivated.” Dee Dee was interested. They talked some more, over the puppies, and she asked if she could read the book when Alan finished it. Four months later, Alan began. “Really, it was talking to her that encouraged MEMORIAL BUZZ OCTOBER 2021 20

me to do it,” Alan says. “Her interest and eagerness to read it made me feel there are people who want to read this.” Alan’s original idea was to write his father’s stories for his children and grandchildren. “If I didn’t do it and just told the stories to my kids, and they told them to their kids, with each step there would be more and more lost. I wanted to get it all in a book that I could hand to my kids and they could hand to their kids.”

lan’s father, Joe Schlesinger, didn’t like to talk about his experience. “I asked, but CELEBRATING LIFE Joe Schlesinger laughs as he climbs into a boat in 1968. The tattoo on his arm is what remained of his time in the concentration camps. "This he was very resistant,” photo symbolized his whole attitude of living a joyful life," son Alan says. Alan says. “Sometime camps in the span of four months, until he wound around when I was 20, in the early ’70s, he sat up at Nordhausen, a camp in central Germany. down and told me stories.” In 1945, three weeks before the war ended, He told Alan that when he was 32, he spent Nordhausen was the target of a nighttime British 17 months in a forced-labor camp in Russia. bombing raid that killed many prisoners and solWhen the Russians pushed the German and diers. Again, Joe survived, and he took advanHungarian armies out, Joe, an only child, went tage of the bombed fences and escaped the camp. back to his parents in Hungary. Still, in just a He moved west until he found an American disfew months, the three of them were deported to placed persons camp, where he was liberated, Auschwitz in southern Poland. Joe’s parents died and where he met his wife, Perla “Pepi.” immediately, in the gas chambers, but Joe surAmazingly, in the displaced persons camp, vived six months at Auschwitz. Joe, who was a doctor in Hungary, volunteered “He talked about how his parents were killed, to care for the Nazi sympathizers. “There were how people were worked to death, and that only three groups of doctors caring for people there,” the strongest survived,” Alan says. “He felt like Alan says. “The American Army doctors cared he survived because of a combination of good for the American soldiers, my dad was assigned fortune and good instincts, knowing how to be to care for the displaced persons, and civilian at the right place at the right time.” doctors were supposed to care for the German As the Russian army began liberating Poland, civilians. But the civilian doctors didn’t want to the remaining prisoners were sent to camps in or take care of the previous Nazi sympathizers closer to Germany. Joe was in that group of prisbecause they didn’t want to (continued on page 22) oners and was moved around to five concentration

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(continued from page 20) be associated with them.

They asked the American Army doctors if they would take care of them, but the Army only allowed them to care for soldiers. When my dad heard this, he volunteered to care for the Nazi sympathizers. He said, ‘If they take away my humanity and make me break my Hippocratic oath, then I’m truly defeated.’ He saw this as the beginning of the healing process.” Pepi and Joe immigrated to America, where they started a family. Joe did a residency in Boston (he had been a doctor in Poland but had to retrain to practice in the U.S.), and then he practiced psychiatry in New Hampshire. In 1969, he moved his family to California, where he went to work for the VA and set up one of the first methadone clinics to treat Vietnam veterans.

e just talked about it that one time,” Alan says. “His philosophy was not to dwell on it, not to let anger run your life. He wanted to celebrate life. So I just knew these stories. They’re stories you don’t forget. “I kept thinking I was going to get him to write them down, but I got busy, went to college and med school. So those stories had been rattling around in my brain for years. My father died in 1990, and I decided the stories would die with me if I didn’t write them down.” Still, Alan never could find the time or motivation to begin writing, until this year. And he is thankful for the timing. “Two things made it much better that I hadn’t done it earlier,” Alan says. “In 2010, we moved my mother from California here to live in assisted living, where she lived for the last 5 years of her life. When we moved her, she didn’t want to do much about cleaning the house out, so I said I’d take care of everything. While cleaning out the house, I found a whole bunch of papers, correspondence between my dad and a lawyer in Boston. The German government was providing pensions to people who had been Holocaust victims. My dad had to get a lawyer in the U.S. to deal with the German legal system, and it took several years to get their application approved. So there’s years of correspondence between my dad and this lawyer. “In the papers, there were all these details, where and when. Now I knew the exact dates he was in Auschwitz and the transport from Auschwitz to Nordhausen. I knew when he got to the American zone. I knew what displaced persons camp he was in. So I had all these details, which was the first big advantage of having waited. “The second big thing was the internet. I had the details, but I didn’t have the historical context to put them all together. Between those papers and the internet, I filled in a lot.” Alan spent three months researching and writing Resilience: The Story of How My Father Survived the Holocaust. Dee Dee was one of the first to read it. “I loved it,” she says. “It’s a remarkable capture of history. There’s so much value of family MEMORIAL BUZZ OCTOBER 2021 22

PUPS AND FRIENDS Dee Dee Dochen and Stelly the schnoodle meet Alan Schlesinger and Millie the beagle in the neighborhood for a walk. After the neighbors met walking their dogs and eventually became friends, Dee Dee encouraged Alan to write a book about his father, Joe.

and friendships among people who had gone through so much together. Alan finishes the book with lessons he learned from his father about life, family, friendships. That’s worth the read in itself.” Dee Dee asked if she could share Alan’s book with the Holocaust Museum Houston, where she is friends with executive director Kelly Zuniga and board chair Carl Josehart. Within an hour of hearing about the book, Kelly and Carl started working with Dee Dee to share Joe’s story. “This story is unusual,” Dee Dee says, “because you get the after as well.” In August, the museum hosted a book talk for

70 people, where Dee Dee moderated and Alan told his stories. “I thought I’d print eight copies, for us and our kids and a few friends,” Alan says. “Everybody who reads it outside my family is like gravy. I’m blown away that more than 200 copies have sold. That’s why I did this – to keep the story alive.” Alive it is, thanks to Millie and Stelly for bringing inspiration, in the form of a neighbor, to Alan. “Resilience: The Story of How My Father Survived the Holocaust,” by Alan Schlesinger, is available on Amazon for $4.

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925 Echo Lane #130 | Houston, Texas metropolitancustomhomes.net

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NEIGHBORS by Cheryl Ursin, staff writer

Wildlife in Our Yards So who do we have here?

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star insect traveler, the monarch butterfly, migrate thousands of miles every year. Dragonflies don’t have an internal way to regulate their body temperature. That’s why you may see them seeking sun sometimes and shade others, and perching in convoluted poses, such as with their butts up in the air; they are trying either to stay warm or to cool off. Their colors can even fade or become more intense depending on their body temperature, like a mood ring. Dragonflies, which breathe air, and their nymphs, which have gills, are such voracious predators of mosquitos, which the adults often catch and devour in midflight, that Harris County has experimented with using them to control our mosquito population, according to The Houston Chronicle. “And if you want to see something wild, look up ‘dragonfly sex,’” suggests Deborah Lancaster, whose garden in Bellaire is designed to attract and support HOWDY, NEIGHBOR Top: Deborah Lancaster greets a little visitor, a green anole wildlife. lizard. Bottom: A screech owl keeps watch. The male dragonfly their bodies to join their bottom ends, forming grabs the female by her neck. According to what is called “a wheel,” but which actually Introduction to Dragonfly and Damselfly Watching, looks like a heart shape. (Aww.) They can fly a booklet available on the Texas Parks and around like this for hours. Wildlife website, that initial impact of mating Squirrels may seem ho- (continued on page 28) dragonflies is often audible. They then arch Keith Kingdon

ight before Covid, I went on a trip to Madagascar. It was fabulous. The guided trip was devoted to seeing wildlife, much of which lives nowhere else on earth, most notably lemurs. But when our caravan of four-by-four vehicles would come to yet another screeching halt for everyone to pile out and point their cameras at yet another gecko or chameleon, I found myself thinking, these people should come to my backyard in Houston. I have at least as many kinds of lizards … and insects … and actually a lot more mammals … right off my back step. I dismissed the thought as a bit of misplaced Texan pride. Turns out, though, my sense that Houston teems with wildlife is not wrong. Houston is “one of the most populated and diverse wild animal ecosystems in the state,” according to Houston’s Bureau of Animal Regulation & Care (BARC) and is “one of the most ecologically diverse major urban areas in the country,” according to Houston Wilderness. The last time the Nature Discovery Center in Bellaire did its twice-yearly “bio blitz” census of wildlife in the 3¾-acre Russ Pitman Park, it uncovered 350 species, including two kinds of owls, three kinds of hawks, eight kinds of spiders, and nineteen different kinds of butterflies and moths. Eric Duran, head naturalist at the Nature Discovery Center, points out that Houston is under a major migration route for birds, the Central Flyway, and is near where it converges with another major route, the Mississippi Flyway. We are also on the itinerary for migrating butterflies and dragonflies and are at the intersection of four ecosystems: tall-grass prairie, the bayous, coastal prairie, and bottomland hardwood. Though they may be very familiar to us, the critters who visit our yards are as interesting as the ones I traveled across the world to see. Take dragonflies and their more petite and slender cousins, damselflies, for example. There are many different kinds in Houston, most with names that sound downright poetical, like the roseate skimmer and the wandering glider. Some of these dragonflies, like our more famous rock-

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Maura Denman

Deborah Lancaster

istockphoto.com/BrianEKushner

Cletus Lee

CRITTERS GALORE Clockwise from top left: A carpenter bee on a passionflower, two green anoles mating, a flying squirrel, and a neon skimmer dragonfly. (continued from page 26) hum, since they, especial-

ly our gray squirrel and our reddish-colored fox squirrel, are so common, but we have a whole other kind most people are not even aware of: the southern flying squirrel. If you see something flying at night but it isn’t fluttery like a bat, you just might be looking at a flying squirrel. Flying squirrels look like little squares against the night sky. That’s because these tiny doe-eyed squirrels, only about five inches long, don’t fly but rather glide. Before they jump out of a tree, they poke their little heads up and look around to see where they want to land. Then, when they jump, they stretch out their limbs to use their patagium, a fur-covered membrane that runs from their front feet to their back ones, to catch air like a sail. By manipulating their legs and tail, they can make even sharp turns and gain altitude. To land, they point all their legs forward, turning the patagium MEMORIAL BUZZ OCTOBER 2021 28

into a parachute to soften their impact. According to Kelsey Low, adult programs manager at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, you are more likely to hear flying squirrels in the evening – they have high-pitched squeaks and are often in groups – than see them. Speaking of hearing wildlife, you are also much more likely to hear our Eastern screech owl than see them. And if you do spot them in a tree, you might wonder how such a tiny thing can be so loud. While screech owls, one of the smallest owls in the U.S., stand only about eight inches tall and weigh less than six ounces, the Great Horned Owl, who also lives here, can be 25inches tall with a wingspan of up to 60 inches. Is it opossum or possum? According to Merriam-Webster, either is correct. The official name of this animal, the only marsupial in the United States, is the Virginia opossum. (Marsupials are mammals that keep their babies

in pouches.) About the size of a cat, a possum looks like a cross between a rat and a cat and also looks like it has lived a very rough life. The Wildlife Center of Texas refers to them as “aesthetically challenged,” but goes on to say that possums “are probably the single most important wild animal to your backyard ecology.” “Possums attract ticks but then groom themselves and eat those ticks. They can bring down the population of ticks in the area where they live,” says the Nature Discovery Center’s Duran. It’s been estimated that a single possum can eat 5,000 ticks in a single season. They are also the only mammal who routinely eats snakes, including poisonous ones. They are immune to snake venom. They also eat snails and slugs and carrion, like that animal that died under your house and would otherwise start to stink. They do not carry rabies. Though they have fifty pointed little teeth, “more teeth than any other (continued on page 30)

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istockphoto.com/:galinast Deborah Lancaster

istockphoto.com/Vladislav Mikhailov Buffalo Bayou Partnership

LIFE EVERYWHERE Clockwise from top left: A yellow-crowned night heron, a possum, an orb weaver or zipper spider, and Mexican free-tailed bats. (continued from page 28) native animal,” according

to the Wildlife Center, and they will hiss and growl when cornered, they are not aggressive. And when they “play possum,” they are not playing. That reaction, from fear, is involuntary, like fainting. Their eyes will stare, their tongues protrude, they will drool, their bodies will become stiff, they will even begin to stink like something rotten, all to get a predator to pass on eating them. This state can last from a few minutes to up to four hours. According to the Opossum Society of the United States (really), the first sign that a possum is beginning to come around is that its ears will twitch. Although they only sleep in the same place for two or three nights, possums build themselves nests. They use their prehensile tails, curled tightly, to carry their nest-making materials. This hardly scratches the surface of who’s living in Houston with us. There are alligator snapping turtles in our bayous, looking like prehistoric monsters, that can get, though MEMORIAL BUZZ OCTOBER 2021 30

rarely, up to 250 pounds. We have Mexican free-tailed bats under the Waugh Street bridge. If you go at dusk to watch them emerge, Kelsey Low recommends looking also for the hawks waiting to swoop down and grab any that appear injured or weak. Look for our two-foot-tall night herons, both the yellow-crowned and the black-crowned varieties, nesting happily in our towering live oak trees. There are moths that look like – and are the same size as – hummingbirds, the aptly named hummingbird moths. The mud dauber, a solitary and nonaggressive wasp, builds little mud nests for its young – and stuffs them full of paralyzed but living spiders to feed them. There can be hundreds of spiders in a single mud dauber nest. (That’s the stuff of nightmares, isn’t it?) While, by and large, it’s best to leave our wildlife alone, there are, according to local naturalists, some simple things we can do to make their lives in our city a bit easier. When possible, turn off our outdoor lighting

and shut our blinds at night. Migrating birds travel at night and lights can disorient them and even cause them to crash into buildings. Plant native plants in our yards. “While obviously converting your entire yard to native plants would be great,” says Low, “even just one native plant, a tree, a shrub, even a flower in a pot, can have such a big impact.” She points out that while a crepe myrtle tree, which is not native, might support one or two species of caterpillars, a native oak will support hundreds of them – and that’s just caterpillars. If you see an injured or sick animal or a baby that seems to have lost its mother, you can call either the Texas Wildlife Rehabilitation Coalition Wildlife Center (twrcwildlifecenter.org) or the Wildlife Center of Texas (wildlifecenteroftexas.org). And if you’d like a handy way to identify an animal, or a plant, that you come across, iNaturalist (inaturalist.org) is a good, free app from the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic.

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KIDS

School Buzz Meet our 2021-22 correspondents by Jenna Mazzoccoli, staff writer

ur popular School Buzz program is in its ninth year this fall. Our correspondents – 74 high schoolers from 24 local high schools – cover campus happenings and give us behind-the-scenes glimpses into everyday life at their schools. At thebuzzmagazines.com, you can see hundreds of student-written articles about campus events, clubs, teachers, classes, extracurriculars, trends, and more. Some writers and editors are fresh faces just getting started, while others are veterans returning for their fourth and final year with School Buzz. In August, before the school year began, some of our correspondents gathered at The Emery/Weiner School to capture this photo and discuss their vision for the upcoming year. Below, they share their experiences with School Buzz so far and how the program has impacted them as writers and students.

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SCHOOL BUZZ 2021-22 Some of our correspondents gathered before the start of school to coordinate for the upcoming year. Pictured are (front row, from left) Eliot Aiman, St. John’s School; Kate-Yeonjae Jeong, Kinder HSPVA; Tulsi Parikh, Memorial High School; Tina Li, Carnegie Vanguard High School; Maya Harpavat, St. Agnes Academy; Mary-Ellen Abshire, St. Thomas’ Episcopal School; (second row, from left) Berkley Matthews, Memorial High School; Abby Cowan, The Emery/Weiner School; Ayushi Mohanty, Carnegie Vanguard High School; Viola Holmes, British International School of Houston; Sana Malhotra, British International School of Houston; Lauren Haas, The Emery/Weiner School; (third row, from left) Rushil Chetty, Strake Jesuit; Bailey Raymond, St. Agnes Academy; Rebecca Jackson, St. Francis Episcopal School; Sara Stribling, The Briarwood School; Hank Davis, Stratford High School; Gabriela Rodriguez, Carnegie Vanguard High School; (back row, from left) Eshaan Mani, The Kinkaid School; Scout Novelli, The Briarwood School; Jasmine Sidhu, Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions; Alina Syed, The Awty International School; Laine Lohfink, Memorial High School; Matthew Jeong, Kinder HSPVA; and Denise Walsh, Incarnate Word Academy.

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SCHOOL BUZZ TEAM Some correspondents are new this fall and others are returning for another year of School Buzz. Pictured are (top row, from left) Mary-Ellen Abshire, reporter at St. Thomas’ Episcopal School; Eliot Aiman, reporter at St. John’s School; Abby Cowan, editor at The Emery/Weiner School; Hank Davis, reporter at Stratford High School; (bottom row, from left) Maya Harpavat, editor at St. Agnes Academy; Zoe Kass, editor at Bellaire High School; Lauren Koong, editor at Lamar High School; and Tulsi Parikh, reporter at Memorial High School.

Mary-Ellen Abshire, Saint Thomas’ Episcopal School, reporter Through my work as a School Buzz reporter, I’ve gained skills that will be helpful in the business world, like time management and meeting deadlines. Joining School Buzz also helped me realize how much I enjoy writing and my passion for journalism. I joined School Buzz because I wanted to hone my writing and photography skills while highlighting fun events at my school. Student spotlights are probably one of my favorite topics because I get to get a peek into students’ lives and learn interesting things I never would have known. The most fulfilling topic I covered was the rebuilding of my school. After Harvey devastated our school, the community came together, and eventually we started to rebuild. Hearing memories of the old building from staff and students as it was being demolished gave us a heavy dose of nostalgia but hope for the future. One of the fun facts I learned from STE alumni was how milk was delivered to the school and a lucky kid in each class got to fetch the milk for their class with tiny grocery carts! I love learning new things about my school and sharing them with the Buzz community. Eliot Aiman, St. John’s School, reporter I’ve always known I wanted to be a writer – MEMORIAL BUZZ OCTOBER 2021 34

not a full-time author, or even a profound journalist, but rather an adult whose hobby offers the privilege of occasional publication. At first, spending a month as the Buzz Magazines summer intern seemed daunting. I wasn’t sure journalism would “be my thing.” What I quickly learned, though, was that journalism, especially with The Buzz, was actually a great combination of my passions: community and writing. I spent my month-long internship visiting museums and local events, writing, interviewing, and helping connect the community I've grown up in with neighborhood news. The end of my internship brought a hard goodbye, but I’m thrilled to be back as a School Buzz correspondent, a new experience for me! This year, I hope to cover a wide range of topics and share a piece of my St. John’s life and family with the broader Buzz community. I’m still not sure about becoming a full-time writer as an adult, but I am sure that I’ll be spending these next months with School Buzz learning, writing, contributing to community, and doing something I love. Abby Cowan, The Emery/Weiner School, editor After my internship with The Buzz during the summer of 2020, I was inspired to continue improving my journalism skills and to remain a

part of the Buzz family. Joining School Buzz has been the most amazing way to do so, as I have been covering stories that showcase my school community and that interest me as a young writer. I have had the opportunity to report on first-time voters and students’ summer experiences, to name a few. It is fulfilling to use my voice and promote the extraordinary things happening in the Emery community. I hope to work in journalism in my future, and I know my experiences in School Buzz have helped to prepare me. Hank Davis, Stratford High School, reporter I joined School Buzz this year to explore and report on the various endeavors of students at Stratford. The Buzz Magazines and, in particular, School Buzz are great resources for keeping the local community informed on what is happening in the numerous schools and neighborhoods across our awesome city. The thing I like most about the Memorial area is that there is a broad mixture of both public and private schools where student groups come together and merge for a time and then go in different directions. It is great to have a resource like School Buzz where residents can stay informed and support one another. I am intrigued by the unique nature of Memorial and the diverse achievements and undertakings of its student population. As a School Buzz

reporter, I hope to learn more about and report on these extraordinary pursuits. Maya Harpavat, St. Agnes Academy, editor I joined School Buzz because I wanted to view writing from a different lens. In school, I am used to creative writing and essay writing, but School Buzz gives me the opportunity to combine both styles into articles about my community. This past school year, I wrote a more personal narrative about cultural dress day at St. Agnes. It was so meaningful to me because I got to report on the happenings at St. Agnes while also sharing the importance and impact of cultural dress day from my perspective. My experience with School Buzz gives me the opportunity to connect with people in my community and hear their own stories. I am a senior this year, and after high school, I eventually want to become a pediatrician. My experience with School Buzz and dreams of being a pediatrician may not seem to go together, but it has taught me the importance of hearing everyone’s story. One day when I am a doctor, I hope to realize that behind every patient is a person with a story. Zoe Kass, Bellaire High School, editor Writing for School Buzz as a freshman helped me familiarize myself with the often-overwhelming Bellaire High School experience.

Approaching people for pictures and exploring Bellaire's clubs and extracurriculars to find inspiration for an article was never easy, but this process made me realize the value of being a reporter. When an article I wrote sophomore year about Maple Street Journal, BHS's literary and art magazine I was struggling to restart, was noticed by a manager at HISD’s printing operation, my small club’s dreams of seeing students’ creative works on paper transformed into a reality far exceeding expectations. That one article led to my team establishing a collaborative relationship that allowed us to publish two volumes (and counting) of incredible student work. Now, as I enter my senior year as a School Buzz editor, I get to view the BHS experience through different eyes and look forward to seeing what doors these articles will open for a new group of reporters. Lauren Koong, Lamar High School, editor I joined School Buzz to gain more experience as a journalist in a real-world setting. At school, I am very involved with the journalism program but was interested in furthering my journalism education. By writing for School Buzz, I was able to get hands-on learning about journalism in a professional setting. I started out as a School Buzz reporter and was promoted to editor. Not only is writing for School Buzz helping me further my journalistic ability, but I also have so

much fun doing it, and it is one of my favorite extracurricular activities. Because I will be graduating this year, this will be my last year writing for School Buzz, which is hard for me to accept, but I am so grateful for all the lessons I have learned along the way. Tulsi Parikh, Memorial High School, reporter Entering 11th grade as a third-year School Buzz correspondent, I cherish the privilege of carrying this outlet with me throughout my high school career thus far. At the beginning of my freshman year, I was in search of a creative release separate from my school environment and stumbled upon School Buzz after receiving our monthly subscription. During my time as a contributing writer, I’ve been putting the spotlight on Memorial’s theater program. Although I thoroughly enjoy updating our community on the stories of our stage, I’m hopeful that this upcoming season that School Buzz will encourage me to discover parts of my school that I normally wouldn’t be introduced to. This summer I was blessed enough to intern at the Buzz Magazines and cover my own story from the first spark of an idea, reporting at events, to finishing the last edit before publication. Without writing for the School Buzz, I wouldn’t have been led to this internship that truly developed my skills as a writer.

This year’s journalists If you are in a high school in or near The Buzz Magazines’ circulation zone and are passionate about writing or photography, it’s not too late to apply for our School Buzz program. Check out the School Buzz blog at thebuzzmagazines.com to learn how. Questions? Email Jenna Mazzoccoli at jenna@thebuzzmagazines.com. Here are this year’s correspondents so far. The Awty International School Alina Syed British International School of Houston Viola Holmes Alexis Westlake Bellaire High School Jonathan Chiriboga Anya Edelman Sophia Hernandez Zoe Kass Mickie May Levin Amy Park The Briarwood School Scout Novelli Sara Stribling Carnegie Vanguard High School Tracy Huang Tina Li Nitin Manian Ayushi Mohanty Gabriela Rodriguez Ruhaan Singh Dhruv Tekumalla Danielle Yampuler

Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions Abby Von Eik Jasmine Sidhu Athitiya Singhapan Duchesne Academy of The Sacred Heart Caitlyn McConnell The Emery/Weiner School Abby Cowan Leah Cororve Rachel Gittleman Lauren Haas Hailey Saikin Frances Sherman Houston Christian High School Joshua Chin Dj Ijaola Adriana Martinez Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Kate-Yeonjae Jeong Matthew Jeong Irene Roddy

Incarnate Word Academy Isabella Terracini Denise Walsh The Kinkaid School Eshaan Mani Lamar High School Lauren Koong Kayla Pearl Kathryn Stone Memorial High School Ellen Baik Catherine Fenz Orianna Fong Hannah Kothari Laine Lohfink Berkley Matthews Tulsi Parikh Giselle Tabibi The Post Oak School Leila Lopez Marks Sutton Walsh Second Baptist School Preston Igo Caroline Martinez St. Agnes Academy Melinda Dae Anna Frederickson

Maya Harpavat Lilly Jarlsjo Ava Phillips Bailey Raymond Anika Shethia St. Francis Episcopal School Rebecca Jackson St. John’s School Eliot Aiman Mia Baumann Emma Chang Veda Chilakapati Josie Feldman Wellsley Moore St. Thomas' Episcopal School Mary-Ellen Abshire Laura Newcomer St. Thomas High School Robert Longo Strake Jesuit Rushil Chetty Carter McKenna Stratford High School Hank Davis The Village School Aditi Iyer

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NEIGHBORS

by Sharon Albert Brier, staff writer

Married in Mexico. The Atascocita gal and the Memorial guy met online through Bumble in 2017. Because of their love of water, Matthew Holland Staff proposed to Madison Paige Butt at Galveston Country Club overlooking the bay. The glamourous July 9 wedding, at the Excellence resort in Playa Mujeres, made a splash on the Spice Terrace that overlooked the ocean. The night before, guests partied on the beach at the X-Lounge. A photo booth kept guests laughing when not on the dance floor. Lounging in hammocks hanging over the many pools was a resort bonus. Elated parents of the couple, Richard and Victoria Staff and Mike and Jill Butt, were “shore” happy as they “waved” goodbye, as the couple Ubered to their honeymoon in Tulum. Snake River castaway. When Jackie and Jay Smyre and Ann and Derry Essary ventured to Jackson, Wyoming, to beat the heat in August, the Smyres went on their first guided flyfishing trip in a drift boat with a very patient guide, Boots. While the 90-degree heat made fish finding difficult for the Smyres, the Essarys went sightseeing. Jay, a seasoned fisherman, was impressed that Jackie caught the only two fish. They were surprised at the amount of work it took to fly fish, but then the challenge is the angle, isn’t it? Small whale of a party. When Maison Kay Fendley turned 1 on Aug. 13, it was a family-only event at Lakeway. She was introduced to boating and water life early, as parents Hunter and Melissa Fendley live at Lakeway but spend many weekends in Rockport at their second home. Maison’s grandparents, Lucille and Morris Fendley and Aunt Brooke Fendley, who made the exquisitely decorated smash cake, had a “porpoise” at the whale-themed celebration. Throwback in time. Four generations of Nettles have enjoyed the natural paradise of Channels Ranch at Ennis, Montana, for 25 years. This “fishing dude ranch,” according to Corliss Nettles, is a safe place where the grandkids can roam around freely, ride bikes and horses, float down the Madison River, and picnic. Corliss and Gene Nettles’ family, Kelly and Ryan Henderson and son Rivers, and Gene’s brother’s family, Charlie and Betsy Nettles and MEMORIAL BUZZ OCTOBER 2021 38

Juan Carlos Lancelotti, Cancun Riviera Maya

Rumor Has It

DESTINATION WEDDING Encircled by flowers and love, Matt and Madison Staff married in Playa Mujeres.

their married children and eight grandchildren, join them every year. The state that boasts it is the “Last Best Place” created lasting memories. Sage in bloom. Planning 16 months ago during the height of the pandemic, Nancy Sage Roberts invited the entire family to dinner at River Oaks Country Club for an all-out reunion stating, “We need something to look forward to.” This would not be your ordinary little family dinner, said Helen Sage Perry, who is the seventh of eight children from whom 89 immediate family members and spouses evolved. Four generations of 70 people shared 90-second updates, won door prizes, ate fried chicken and beef tenderloin with all the fixins, and fixated on an ice cream bar/buffet with complete trimmings. And lots of sage advice was on hand as well. Moving on, no regrets. When Sue and Louis Atlas visited their sons, Todd and Chad, at Duke University eons ago, they fell in love with the Chapel Hill, North Carolina, area. The pandemic was a wakeup call to make the move to be near Todd, but it took time to find the right house. They now call Governors Club, a gated community, home, and they are within walking distance to the clubhouse. Wasting no time, they joined the bridge club and dance club and plan to join more. The only hiccup is the waitlist for the wine club, which

is maxed out at 200 members. The view of the Edwards Mountain is spectacular and just minutes from downtown Chapel Hill. This year, they were able to celebrate Todd’s birthday at the club overlooking the lake without flying from Houston. Now flights will be to California to see their son Chad. On the safe side. When Vicki Friedman and Mary Reed Lankford attended the Crime Stoppers Community Chat with Citizens United Against Crime, they were impressed with all the notables in the intimate crowd of 75 patrons. John Eddie and Sheridan Williams welcomed guests to their home before CEO Rania Mankarious spoke on the state of crime. An expert on crime trends and bond reform, director of victim services Andy Kahan was joined by executive director Ray Hunt and former Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. The introduction to the talk was led by Amy Leibman and Genny McIntyre. With police Chief Troy Finner, Mayor Sylvester Turner, and former White House Chief of Staff James Baker and wife Susan in the crowd, everyone felt pretty safe.

MORE ONLINE See Rumor Has It at thebuzzmagazines.com for additional photos. Have some good news to share? Email us at info@thebuzzmagazines.com.

MEMORIAL BUZZ OCTOBER 2021 39

KIDS

by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

Buzz Baby

Costumes for everyone

Buzz Baby is a column about life with babies. Writer Annie McQueen is a mother of four children under the age of 7.

or certain fun families, Halloween is a group effort. Gina and Raymond Yu – along with kids Lyana, Matthan, and Jakin – dress up every year as a family in group-themed Halloween costumes. The Yus do not take Halloween lightly. Gina, an investor and entrepreneur, starts the process of pulling together five costumes weeks ahead, finding accessories for each character. Their Halloween family-costume tradition started almost a decade ago. For oldest daughter Lyana’s first Halloween, they assembled various bits and pieces to create costumes from the old comic strip Popeye the Sailor Man, with Raymond as Popeye, Gina as Olive Oil, and 6month-old diaper-wearing Lyana as Swee’Pea. Raymond’s nude body suit had fake muscles, and he wore a sailor hat and held little Lyana in her red felt dress. Gina says taking a lot of photos that first year slipped their mind, so they have only one picture, but now, they document their Halloween well. And they are hooked on their costume tradition. Each year, these days, the whole family – parents, 8-year-old Lyana, 6-year-old Matthan, and 4-year-old Jakin – selects a popular movie or TV show of the year to dress up as together. They picked the Disney show PJ Masks in 2019. Last year was Gina’s favorite, when they dressed as characters from Hamilton. Jakin, 3 at the time, was King George and wore his costume all week long. In 2018, they dressed as the family from the movie The Incredibles. Gina says the kids’ personality traits even matched up with their characters. On Halloween night, the family sets out to their neighborhood’s annual parade one block from their house; the parade wraps around street by street. They trick-or-treat, filling their bags with candy. Once it gets dark, they head home to spend the rest of the evening handing out candy together from their doorstep. “We live near a bustling intersection, so we get plenty of foot traffic late into the night,” said Gina. MEMORIAL BUZZ OCTOBER 2021 40

When they were younger, their kids were allowed to eat 10 pieces of candy on Halloween night, but their limits increase each year, and less candy gets saved for the family stash. People-watching on Halloween night is their favorite part, says Gina. “Our family loves seeing others in costume and also being seen in costume.” She said she feels like other parents walking the streets with candy-filled bags have an “unspoken understanding” of exactly how much thought and effort went into each costume. “We can all appreciate the work behind the festive enviPROJECT HALLOWEEN The Yu family – Raymond and Gina, 8-year-old ronment.” Lyana, 6-year-old Matthan, and 4-year-old Jakin – dress up together every Gina says it is all Halloween. Last year, they dressed in a Hamilton theme. about the process – they Shannon and her husband Dylan were all set (or plan early and keep it thrifty by pulling bits and so they thought). pieces from various websites and stores. “For the The costume arrived and Hollan was so PJ Masks villain [Romeo], I ordered a lab coat, ecstatic about it, that is until Halloween night safety goggles, and rubber gloves, which double rolled around. In true toddler form, one hour as dishwashing gloves,” said Gina. “We like to before her neighborhood’s annual Halloween be resourceful with our costume accessories.” parade, Hollan decided she did not want to be The Yus also reuse the costumes for other Poppy. No way. She wanted to be a ghost. events they attend, such as the Texas Shannon says she didn’t have time to play Renaissance Festival and their school’s storytough or convince Hollan otherwise. She was on book parades. her neighborhood’s Halloween parade commitAs some of you know, Halloween-costume tee and needed to get there early to help set up. plans don’t always work out, especially when The resourceful mom and dad grabbed an old there is a toddler involved. pillowcase, cut circles for heads and arms, and Shannon Richey, who works in interior painted Hollan’s face white. “Dylan went a little design, checked off an item on her to-do list last crazy on the face paint, so we didn’t let her look year by ordering her then-2-year-old daughter at herself in the mirror to avoid another ‘I don’t Hollan’s Halloween costume – Poppy the troll. like it’ moment,’” Shannon said, laughing. “She was very much into Poppy and Trolls,” said Shannon says she plans to wait until Halloween Shannon. “I was pleased that I was ahead of the is much closer to order costumes this year. game and did not have to scramble last minute.”

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ARTS

by Cindy Burnett, staff writer

Buzz Reads

Five picks for October

Buzz Reads is a column about books by reviewer Cindy Burnett. Each month, Cindy recommends five recently released titles. Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis – This feel-good book provides an antidote to everything happening in the world right now. After leaving her class reunion frustrated and unhappy, Brit Noelle finds herself trapped in her car in the midst of a blizzard with a nearly dead cell phone. When handsome American Sam Attwood knocks on her car window offering help, the two proceed to spend the next eight hours together until morning arrives and the roads are cleared. Parting with no intention of seeing each other again, Sam and Noelle instead continually bump into each other and begin to wonder if fate has other plans for them. Eight Perfect Hours is a sweet story full of heart that will make readers believe in fate. A Most Clever Girl by Stephanie Marie Thornton – Based on the true story of Cold War double agent Elizabeth Bentley, A Most Clever Girl chronicles Bentley’s life through her own eyes as told to a young woman who shows up on Bentley’s doorstep demanding answers to a secret she has learned about her own family. From her recruitment by the American Communist Party to creating the largest Russian spy network in the U.S., Bentley details her story and what happens when ideologies shift. Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan – Callahan’s beautiful, magical, and captivating new book, Once Upon a Wardrobe, delves into the question of what inspired C.S. Lewis to create Narnia. Megs Devonshire studies math and science at Oxford and relies on facts versus intuition. When her terminally ill brother, George, becomes infatuated with a new book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and implores her to find out how Narnia came about, Megs finds herself visiting C.S. Lewis, an Oxford don, and his brother Warnie, hoping to answer George’s questions. Instead of providing her answers directly, however, Lewis tells her stories about his own life growing up, which she then relays each weekend MEMORIAL BUZZ OCTOBER 2021 42

to George. While Megs struggles to find the connections, George helps her understand the stories that Lewis relates and how they led to the creation of Narnia. We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza – This contemporary, timely, and relevant story follows two female friends, one white and one Black, as they navigate the fallout from the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager. We Are Not Like Them is written by two female authors, one Black and one white, and is told in a dual-narrative format, allowing the reader to see how differently the two women view and WHAT TO READ This month’s picks include two historical-fiction titles, a novel experience the same about racial justice, a C.S. Lewis-inspired story, and a feel-good, romantic novel. tragedy. Best friends Nashville. When a tragedy strikes at one of since kindergarten, Riley and Jen have stayed Two Feathers’ shows, she begins to notice close as life has sent them in different direcstrange things happening. Ancient ghosts tions. Riley has a successful career as a newsbegin appearing, and one of the zoo animals woman at a prominent Philadelphia news becomes ill. At the same time, Two Feathers channel, and Jen married young and is finally finds herself avoiding an unwanted admirer pregnant after years of trying painful and invaand befriending Clive, Glendale’s zookeeper. sive IVF treatments. Their close relationship Two must rally zoo employees, her fellow peris drastically tested when Jen’s husband, a formers, and the zoo owners to solve the mysPhiladelphia police officer, shoots an unarmed tery of the strange occurrences. This highly Black teenager, and Riley is assigned as the original story is a gem to read. chief reporter on the case. As I read the tale unfolding from two perspectives, I found Editor’s note: Southside Place resident Cindy myself angered and saddened but also hopeful Burnett also writes our weekly Page Turners column that this book will help readers understand at thebuzzmagazines.com. She hosts the Thoughts how much change is needed. from a Page Podcast, is co-creator of the Houston When Two Feathers Fell from the Sky by literary event series Conversations from the Page, Margaret Verble – Two Feathers is a runs the Instagram account @thoughtsfromapage, Cherokee horse-diver whose Wild West show and regularly speaks to groups about books. loans her to the Glendale Park Zoo in 1926

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TRAVEL

by Tracy L. Barnett, staff writer

Travel Buzz

Adventures at sea

or Bob, it was a chance to land the catch of a lifetime while treating his wife and his kids to an anniversary adventure in Cape Cod. For Phylis, it was an opportunity to spend a special week with her daughter, two grandsons, and sister on an unforgettable voyage in the coastal bays of Maine. And for both families, it was the seafaring trip of a lifetime. Bob Shults and his wife Jennifer were married in Italy, so they celebrated their June 21 anniversary there for 17 years before Covid took the wind out of their sails in 2020 and left them grounded in Houston. This year, with the pandemic still hanging on, they decided to celebrate – but in a safe way, and closer to home. Bob’s a New York native, and the Eastern Seaboard has always called to him. So they decided to head to Hyannis on the Cape Cod peninsula in Massachusetts. Phylis Tomlinson and her daughter Allyn Wise were enjoying a Mother’s Day dinner and talking about summer vacation when the idea came up of a windjammer cruise exploring Maine’s dramatic, rocky coast. Grandsons Zane, 13, and Cade, 11, thought it was a fine idea, and so did sister Beth. And so it was settled.

Checking off the bucket list Bob’s wish was to go tuna fishing. However, that usually means a long trip to deep water, which can be rough. “The family agreed to a compromise to start the day fishing for striped bass (Dad), look for seals (Audrey, 5), look for whales (Blake, 11), and get some sun (Jennifer),” wrote Bob in an email to The Buzz. “Prior to the day of the trip, Captain Matt mentioned that on occasion there may be tuna under the whales. I told him to bring some rods.” The day of the trip, the conditions were ideal: flat water with only a slight breeze. The water was crystal clear, as was the sky, a beautiful sunny day. “Check the box for Jennifer,” wrote Bob. They left the harbor and brought along Audrey’s stuffed seal, on a mission to introduce Pinky to her family. “Captain Matt did not disappoint. We saw many seals, both grey and harp. Check the box MEMORIAL BUZZ OCTOBER 2021 44

THE CATCH OF A LIFETIME The Shults family – (from left) Audrey, Bob, Jennifer, and Blake – enjoyed an unforgettable fishing trip during their time in Cape Cod.

for Audrey,” wrote Bob. Because the conditions were so ideal, Matt chose to skip the striped bass fishing and head out further and look for whales. No more than three miles out, the water was exploding with wildlife. Birds, bait balls (small fish swimming in a tightly packed spherical formation), mackerel jumping. “My son dropped a line in the water, and we soon had a live well full of bait-size mackerel. We also started to spot whales… hundreds of them. Minke whales, finback whales, and humpback whales. Check the box for Blake,” wrote Bob. Captain Matt put out three lines with balloons, which served as bobbers. A quick tug would indicate something – hopefully a large fish – pulling from below. No luck. The group sailed on, perhaps a mile, to get

closer to the humpback whales that were frolicking about and breaching over and over. Matt saw something on his radar and dropped a single line. “We immediately heard the awesome sound of the line screaming out,” wrote Bob. After about an hour and a half, they landed a bluefin tuna that weighed nearly 500 pounds and was more than 8 feet long. “The excitement of landing this fish with all the whales threatening to snap the line was intense. Getting it into the 35-foot boat and into a collapsible cooler was also an adventure. What a magnificent fish. Check the box for Dad,” wrote Bob. Because the tuna was in excess of 70 inches, it was considered commercial and was the property of the captain, who sold it when they landed back in the harbor. “Check the box for (continued on page 46)

MEMORIAL BUZZ OCTOBER 2021 45

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS Clockwise from upper left: Five-year-old Audrey brought her stuffed seal Pinky along so he could meet his family; 11-year-old Blake and Captain Matt dropped a line in the water, and the Shults family soon had a live well full of bait-size mackerel; no more than three miles out, the water was exploding with wildlife; the Shults family spotted hundreds of whales – Minke, finback, and humpback. (continued from page 44) Matt,” wrote Bob.

“We wrapped up the day with a relaxing dinner at the wonderful Chatham Bars Inn overlooking the water. Captain Matt: ‘What a day. Hard to top.’”

Wandering on a windjammer Phylis and her sister Lee had done a windjammer cruise in 1984, skipping from bay to bay, and the experience had left them with wonderful memories. Windjammers are the grandest of the cargo sailing ships that plied the seas in the 19th century, these days employed mainly in the tourism industry. So when they were casting about for ideas for a family vacation – it had to MEMORIAL BUZZ OCTOBER 2021 46

be in the U.S., it should be a cool summer destination, and it should be an adventure – it was an obvious choice. This time Phylis would be joined by her other sister, Beth, and her daughter and grandsons. They met up with Beth in Boston and took a bus, a Concord coach, up to Rockland, Maine, a 4.5-hour ride. They arrived on a Sunday and headed for Penobscot Bay, where at 6 p.m. that same evening, they boarded a two-mast schooner, 93 feet long from bow to stern – a tall ship named Heritage that would be their home for the next six days and nights. “It’s not all the creature comforts of a regular cruise,” said Phylis. “One of the people talked

about it being like camping on water – cabins are small, there’s three lavatories on the schooner and one shower.” That was for about 35 passengers and crew, including Captain Sean and Captain Ben, who owned the boat: the Heritage Schooner. Prior to boarding, each passenger had to show either proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid test. Each captain took a small group on a tour of the vessel, pointing out auxiliary vessels (a oneperson sailboat, a larger rowing boat, and a small rowboat for four to five people). “It was so cool we made good use of the wool blankets, both topside and in our cabin,” Phylis said. They were all (continued on page 48)

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WE AND THE SEA Clockwise from upper left: Sister time for Phylis (left) and Beth Tomlinson; Phylis's daughter Allyn and grandson Cade row as Phylis enjoys the ride aboard the “Lois Lane” out from Schooner Heritage (background); one of many picturesque views in the bays of Maine; final morning family photo on the bow of Heritage – Phylis and daughter Allyn with Cade, Zane, and their Aunt Beth Tomlinson. (continued from page 46) enchanted with the pris-

tine, calming, and peaceful bays of Maine, with the rhythms of sea and sky, the rocking of the waves, the wind against the sails, the occasional sightings of gulls, osprey, and cormorants. A simple but delicious menu featuring a lot of seafood was prepared on a wood stove. Breakfast was served below deck in the galley, alongside the kitchen. There, the captain would announce each day’s itinerary. Lunch was served above the deck, on the foredeck. Dinner was there or in the galley, determined by “where the wind blows.” One particularly unforgettable meal began with a trip by rowboat to a place called Lobster Island. There they had a lobster bake over an open campfire, and the shellfish were served with lots of butter and salt. “The shells were soft enough we didn’t need any utensils; we just used our hands,” marveled Phylis. For Phylis, one of the best parts of the trip was when they could participate as a team in the work of sailing the ship: hauling lines, folding sails, hauling up the auxiliary boats after they were finished using them. “There were plenty of times where we asked to haul the line – we don’t call them ropes in sailing,” she said. “We could help bring in the anchor at times; we could also help in the galley, drying flatware and putting dry dishes away in secure cabin spaces.” MEMORIAL BUZZ OCTOBER 2021 48

For the kids, it was jumping off the side of the boat into the chilly waters, or climbing the jib boom with the help of crew, which took them out to the farthest point on the schooner – and they would jump from there into the water, a thrilling 15-foot jump. It was a treat when the captain lit the small cannon. It made a great boom and echo. “The captain said every day was a surprise; it depended on the wind,” she said. In the evenings they would drop anchor in a small cove where they often saw seals and a few dolphins and birds fishing. That’s when folks swam off the side of the schooner – in 50-degree water. The whole family bonded with the captains and the crew; the boys helped pull the lines, the girls taught one sailor how to knit. They sang along when the captains played guitar and learned a sea shanty that they all sang while raising the mainsail. And Phylis will never forget the words of one of the captains when asked where they were headed next: “If you’re happy where you are, it doesn’t matter where you go.” It always depended on the wind – and sometimes there was none at all. “I’m an art therapist and a marriage and family therapist, so that really rings my bell,” said Phylis of the bit of seafaring wisdom. But the best part for Phylis was the memories they will take with them of all the family having

an adventure together. She was the only one in her family group who had been sailing; for everyone else, it was an entirely new experience. And the camaraderie and teamwork of onboard life was a lesson for all of them. “The power, the joy of people living and working together under such conditions – being so gracious to one another in such a tight space – it was so delightful,” she said. She appreciated the way that the captain and crew took the boys under their wing and taught them things, treating them with the utmost respect. Everyone honored quiet hours and coffee was on deck at 7 a.m. Zane and Cade loved sleeping on the deck the last night on board. That was a chilly thrill for both of them, wrapped in blankets and falling asleep to the sound of the lapping waves against the sides of the Heritage. And while in Boston, prior to returning to their respective homes, they took in a Red Sox game vs. the Yankees at the famous Fenway Stadium. To their delight, the Red Sox won. “I would do it again in a heartbeat,” Phylis said. Editor’s note: Buzz travel columnist Tracy L. Barnett is a Lowell Thomas travel journalism award winner and longtime travel and environmental writer. Email her at info@thebuzzmagazines.com to share your own travel tales.

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DINING

by Dai Huynh, staff writer

Chef’s Corner

Keith Williams

eith Williams realized soon after high school that he could earn more behind the bar than waiting on tables. So now, after years of learning as much as he could about liquors and liqueurs, his well-crafted cocktails attract diners as much as the double-cut pork chops and Asian-marinade rib-eyes at Hillstone Restaurant. A regular declares Williams' Old-Fashioned "perfect." The bartender doesn't tamper with tradition. "People like my Old-Fashioned because I make it the traditional way," the Jefferson High School graduate says. No cocktail (seriously) gets people as riled about methodology as the Old-Fashioned. This 1800s cocktail is pared down and elemental at its core: rye whiskey or bourbon, simple syrup or sugar, bitters, and ice. That's it.

Then the ’90s came around, and "people went through a phase of introducing club soda to make it less boozy," Williams says. THE OLD-FASHIONED Many veteran bartenders consider the Old-Fashioned a good "Now you have measure of a mixologist's skills. Hillstone Restaurant bartender Keith Williams has amassed people making it a loyal following through the years with this stellar classic. the old way and Galveston – who make the weekly drive to another group making it the new way." Hillstone Restaurant (4848 Kirby) know they'll In the mid-2000s, mixologists started swapget the real deal from Williams. Here, the 44ping rye or bourbon for tequila, gin, brandy, rum, year-old Houston native shares his time-tested and even mezcal. Others substitute the sugar Old-Fashioned recipe along with a few cocktail with maple syrup, agave, honey, Splenda, or any trends. sweetener clients prefer. When did you start bartending? Was it in your You could say that the Old-Fashioned got lost early 20s when you worked at (continued on page 52) in the mix. Still, fans – from Conroe to

A proper Manhattan and more Keith Williams shares his recipes for a properly proportioned Manhattan, a rye-based Old-Fashioned, and a sophisticated, pink French Martini. Keith Williams' Manhattan 3 ounces Woodford Reserve Bourbon Two dashes Angostura bitters 1 ounce Carpano Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth Luxardo Original Maraschino Cherries In a mixing glass, add large ice cubes along with bourbon, bitters, and vermouth. Stir for 30 revolutions and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a couple of cherries, and serve immediately but sip slowly. Makes 1 serving. The Old-Fashioned This classic cocktail can be made with bourbon, but Keith Williams prefers rye. He notes that bourbon can be too sweet, while rye is consistently pungent, and when you add simple syrup and dilute it with ice, it is perfect. 2½ ounces rye whiskey 1 ounce simple syrup (see note) 3 dashes of Angostura bitters Orange peel twist

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Luxardo Original Maraschino Cherries In a mixing glass, add large ice cubes along with whiskey, simple syrup, and bitters. Stir for 30 revolutions. Strain into an old-fashioned glass over a large chunk of ice and garnish with orange peel and cherries. Makes 1 serving. Note: To make simple syrup, add ½ cup, each, of granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool before using. Pour leftover simple syrup into a glass jar and seal tightly with a lid. Simple syrup will keep in the refrigerator for about one month. The French Martini This gorgeous, sophisticated, pink drink is ideal for someone who doesn't want anything too intense. 2 ounces vodka 1 ounce Chambord black raspberry liqueur 1 ounce pineapple juice Orange peel twist Fill a martini shaker with large ice cubes along with vodka, Chambord, and pineapple juice. Now, shake robustly for 10 seconds, then strain into the chilled martini glass. Garnish with orange peel. Makes 1 serving.

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(continued from page 50) the Pappasito's Cantina

near NRG Stadium? No, I waited on tables at Pappasito’s, but I was getting some of the best training in the city. It was my stepping stone. Every day, they lined us up to check the ironed creases along our sleeves. I went there to learn the restaurant business, and soon enough, I knew the guys behind the bar made more money than the waiters, so when I went to pick up the drinks, I would start asking questions. Hey, what's in this Cuba Libre? When did the real training start? A unique experience happened. I met a guy who took me to the next level. He asked if I wanted to model in a fashion show. "You can make $100 in two hours," he said. The show took place at a high-end, popular club just off Fountainview and (Highway) 59. After the show, the owner, Ms. Pat, said, "I want you here." My goal was to be behind the bar. So in four months, I started making drinks in the billiard room. I got good at it, but the nights were hard. I was getting home at 4 a.m. So I did that for a couple of years until I burned out. Next, I went to Copeland's of New Orleans. I was there two years until I became the manager of a Bennigan's. But I wasn't happy. There was no joy in being a manager. The only time I interacted with the guests was when they were upset. I wanted something that I would find joy in doing, along with some freedom, so I quit. Then on Oct. 31, 2006, I proposed to my wife, and I thought I better find a job quickly to pay for this wedding. So that's how you ended up at Houston's, rebranded Hillstone Restaurant. Wow, for the restaurant industry, that's a long run – you've been there 15 years and going. So what's happening on the cocktail scene today? Often, what's going on in the media [impacts] what we [bartenders] make the most of. But you never know. Take St. Germain, which is relatively new to the scene. The elderberry liqueur came out of nowhere in 2007 but hit the scene about three years ago. So nowadays, it's, “what can we make with St. Germain?" It's delicious. It's herbaceous with these floral

notes that make anything taste great. So, you can take a traditional cocktail and introduce St. Germain to it to create a whole different cocktail. You can add it to vodka, gin, like Hendrick's, another botanical spirit. Then, for the holidays, you can wow guests and add it to Champagne. Just take a flute glass and drop in about half an ounce of St. Germain, then top it off to the very top with your favorite sparkling wine, whether it is prosecco, Spanish cava, or Champagne. Then, finally, garnish it with a lemon twist. Here, you have the citrus, effervescent, and silky floral syrup that tranFRENCH MARTINI Cocktail historians credit the French Martini for helping to kick off scends the drink. Bartenders, or the flavored-martini craze of the ’90s. New York City’s famous French brasserie, Balthazar, may have introduced the pretty pink drink, whose "French" moniker stems from the use mixologists as food- of Chambord, a raspberry-and-blackberry liqueur produced in the Loire Valley. ies like to call them, You can make a Manhattan, and it can taste have a following just like chefs. Your fans praise your like garbage if you don't have the right proporsolid cocktails, like the Old-Fashioned. But what's tion or mix it properly. your poison of choice? Do you have a favorite pour? My friends would know this: the Manhattan. Editor’s note: See the previous page for Keith I only need one of those. It's very complex and Williams' Manhattan recipe. Buzz dining columnist sophisticated. Dai Huynh is a James Beard food-journalism award It only has three ingredients – what makes it comwinner and longtime Houston-based restaurant writer. plicated? It's just bourbon, vermouth, and bitters.

The 12-Bottle Bar Starting a home bar from scratch can be daunting and expensive. But, it doesn't have to be. Sure, you can stock up on 25 or more spirits, but why? Instead, simplify the process with just a dozen and still create more than 200 cocktails, along with garnishes and fresh juices from the refrigerator. Keith Williams became a proponent of the premise after reading The 12 Bottle Bar: A Dozen Bottles. Hundreds of Cocktails. A New Way to Drink by David Solmonson and Lesley Jacobs Solmonson. Here are his selections to get you started. 1. Wray and Nephew Overproof White Rum 2. Myers's Dark Rum

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3. Tito's Vodka 4. Michter's Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey 5. Woodford Reserve Bourbon 6. Carpano Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth 7. Angostura Bitters 8. The Botanist Gin 9. Tanqueray No. Ten 10. 1738 Rémy Martin Cognac 11. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur 12. Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur

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SPORTS

by Todd Freed, staff writer

SportzBuzz W

ith star quarterback Maddox Kopp now at the University of Houston Cougars, the St. Thomas Eagles had some huge shoes to fill this season. Transfer quarterback Jake Wright stepped in quite nicely in a magnificent season-opening victory over UIL Class 4A Needville. Wright completed 24 of 31 passes for a lofty 343 yards and four touchdowns in a thrilling 35-28 victory for the Eagles. “We don’t have the sensational type of Koppto-Cameron Bonner connection as in years past, but Jake and senior wide receiver Cameron Price did a tremendous job of hooking up all game long,” said Eagles head coach Rich McGuire. “Jake played in Pittsburg, Kansas, last season, and we’re just thrilled to have him on our team. He’s a great kid.” The true hero of that season-opening victory, according to McGuire, may have been senior Caleb Davis. “On defense, Caleb made one of the most unbelievable-effort plays I’ve ever seen to break up a pass to end a Nederland late-scoring threat, and then on offense Caleb turned right around and rushed in for the game-winning touchdown. Caleb is just so athletic with a refuse-to-lose attitude. In all, it was just a really nice way to start the season.” The win also marked the first season-opening victory for St. Thomas since defeating The Kinkaid School 27-20 in 2016.

he Bellaire Cardinals opened the football season in memorable fashion with a dramatic 23-20 come-from-behind victory over the Fort Bend Elkins Knights. The Cardinals rallied from 10 points down in the final eight minutes of the game to pull off their first season-opening victory in eight years. “We graduated a strong senior class, so to open the season with a win behind a young and inexperienced lineup was especially nice,” said Cardinals head coach Herb Kunz. “I’m just proud of everyone, including our coaching staff, for showing the resilience to pull out the win. We just kept plugging away and played hard, and, sure enough, good things happen. It was a great team win in all three phases.”

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NEW KID IN TOWN Quarterback Jake Wright made an impressive debut in his first start for the St. Thomas Eagles. Wright threw for 343 yards and four touchdowns in a season-opening victory over Needville.

While the Cardinals are extremely young, they do return a couple of key starters led by defensive end Ejike Brown, who also plays some tight end on the offensive side of the ball. “Ejike looks really strong out there. He’s a senior leader who works extremely hard both on and off the field,” said Kunz. In addition, three-year letterman running back Jonathon McCoy, whose older brother Willie McCoy was a standout receiver for the Cardinals, is off to an impressive start, exploding for 205 rushing yards in the win over Elkins. Plus, Kunz had great things to say about senior Chris Totten, who is all over the field as a receiver, cornerback, and return specialist. “Chris is a smart and gritty football player who loves the game.”

n six-man football, the Emery/Weiner Jaguars are off to another impressive start to the season, having posted a dominating 60-24 victory over Bastrop Tribe in its season opener. Bastrop Tribe has been a perennial power over the last several years in six-man football. “We have 15 seniors back from last year’s state semifinalists, with about 10 of them having played on our state-championship team in 2019, so it’s an outstanding group of guys,” said Jaguars

head coach Jason Reimers. Leading the way is senior Vincent Banks, an all-state kicker, linebacker, and tight end. Banks was named the preseason six-man football defensive player of the year and was one of only three six-man football players statewide to earn a spot on the pre-season, 100-player, private-school watch list by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. Meanwhile, the Jaguars also bring back standout running back and wide receiver Leo Gerst, as well as quarterback Doran Yustein. Over the previous two seasons, Yustein threw for 44 touchdowns, while Gerst opened this season by accounting for 170 yards and three touchdowns in the win over Bastrop. Defensively, safety Drew Cohen returns after earning all-state honors last season. “Drew is the captain of our secondary,” said Reimers. “He’ll also play some wide receiver for us. We have a terrific team, and our goal as always is to win a TAPPS Division 1 state championship.” Editor’s note: Todd Freed is the host and executive producer of H-Town High School Sports, which airs Monday through Thursday on AT&T SportsNet SW. To submit high school sports news for possible inclusion in SportzBuzz, please email todd@thebuzzmagazines.com.

MEMORIAL BUZZ OCTOBER 2021 55

SPORTS

by Angie Frederickson, staff writer

SportzBuzz Jr. W

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

South Stars win it all Tanner Drda, Judson Dowell, and Grant Sperandio (top photo, from left) represented Post Oak Little League (POLL) at the USA Baseball National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup in Cary, North Carolina. After an extensive tryout process, the players were selected as members of the 13U South Stars team along with other top players from Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Kansas. The South Stars battled teams from five other U.S. regions and won the 2021 NTIS Champions Cup after undefeated tournament play. In the championship game, the South Stars played the Southwest Stripes and put together a 7-run fourth inning with consecutive hits from Tanner, Jud, and Grant. Jud pitched the final three innings of the game, allowing no additional runs, and the South Stars secured the 10-4 victory.

Stamina pays off Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart seventh grader Olivia Kiefer (middle photo) medaled in ninth place in the 2-mile run at a recent crosscountry meet. The middle school team participated in the first competition of the new school year, which was hosted by Incarnate Word Academy at the Willow Waterhole Greenway. Duchesne’s middle-school team averaged fourth place, overall, against tough competition from 14 participating schools, including St. Vincent de Paul, Presbyterian School, Annunciation Orthodox School, and St. Thomas’ Episcopal. The 21-member girls’ team practices each day, with a minimum 2-mile run, to prepare for each competitive race. Crosscountry season will wrap up with the Houston Junior Preparatory Conference championship that Duchesne will host in mid-October.

A dashing guest Soccer players at the Spring Branch-Memorial Sports Association (SBMSA) skills camp met a special guest when Houston Dash player Shea Groom (bottom photo, back row) arrived. More than 450 kids participated in the annual pre-season camp at the Spring Branch Education Center to work on the dribbling, passing, and shooting skills they need for a successful season. The camp was divided into separate sessions for different age groups to ensure each player learned age-appropriate skills and strategy. Shea, a forward for the Dash and former player at Texas A&M University, signed autographs and talked to the young players about her love for the game of soccer and encouraged them to work hard and enjoy the sport. 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. MEMORIAL BUZZ OCTOBER 2021 56

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KIDS

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SUPER FRIENDS Laine Lohfink, an 11th grader at Memorial High School, spends her lunch period once a month catching up with friends who are in special-education programs.

by Laine Lohfink, age 16

Buzz Kidz

Lunch club

o matter what grade I’m in or what classes I’m taking, my favorite part of the day is always the same: lunch. Lunch is the time I get to hang out with my friends, eat, and take a break from schoolwork. This past year, some of my lunches looked a little different. When I was a sophomore at Memorial High School, on the last Friday of every month, I got to share my lunch period with special-education students on campus, as a member of the Super Friends club. Super Friends is a club that was restarted by sophomores Ellen Baik and Evelyn Carney in 2020. They did this with the help of sponsor Leslie Ott, who is Memorial’s Autism Intervention and Management teacher and the Special Education department chair. Ellen and

Evelyn reached out, looking for club members, and I joined without hesitation. Little did I know that joining this club would open my eyes to a completely different side of MHS. I remember my first club meeting where a group of my friends and I met our Super Friend Alexander. Alex was quick to give us the tour of the classroom and point out all his favorite things, including his chair and his calendar. After that, we sat in a circle and shared stories of our past week. When it was Alex’s turn to share, he immediately brought up listening to music on his computer. Before we knew it, listening to music with Alexander was something we looked forward to every month. We would dance and sing to Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, and Katy Perry. However, there was nothing

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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Alex liked more than listening to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. We spent many Fridays figuring out our favorite songs. This was a tradition that was definitely missed over the summer. As I am now beginning my junior year, I am so excited to be a member of Super Friends again. I encourage any Memorial student to take a look at Super Friends and become a member of this wonderful organization.

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