As 2024 comes to a close, we are presenting you with a special issue of The Good Life Park Cities. This issue focuses on some of the amazing residents and contributors we have featured over the years. We have had the privilege to introduce you to some fantastic Park Cities families and have been blessed with knowledgeable sponsors who enjoy sharing their expertise with our readers. This magazine wouldn’t be what it is today without the support of the community and readers like you!
In 2022, we met the Brattons. Geoff and Amy, who met during high school and married in 2002, have built a wonderful life together with their twin sons. Geoff owns Holt Veterinary clinic, where Amy contributes after she stepped away from her legal career to help manage the practice and raise their children. The family enjoys outdoor activities like hiking, camping, and cycling, frequently visiting their retreat in New Mexico to appreciate nature away from city life. We also learned of Geoff’s impressive 10,000 mile per year streak with biking!
We also learned about the Letier family and their fun holiday traditions such as their “Bloody Mary and Bacon Brunch” featuring over 30 pounds of bacon, homemade cinnamon rolls, and gallons of Bloody Mary’s. Scott is also known for Feast of Seven Fishes. Donna, co-founder of Gardenuity, says they have recently upgraded to a 10,000 square foot studio in the Dallas Design District. “We have programs weekly, and we love seeing our friends stop by for some shopping and planting,” she shared. Their oldest daughter, Madison, now lives only a couple of blocks away and works for Anchor Capital. The family has also grown with the addition of a new puppy named Newman!
In July of 2022, we featured the Furrates. Jamie, owner of Curtis Specialized Moving & Storage, has taught us the value of hiring professional movers and utilizing a full-service, white-glove company, as well as finding the best to store space for our items. They are a great family who have supported the Crystal Charity Ball and Cattle Baron’s Ball and were recent additions to University Park when we interviewed them in 2002.
A new year brought out more wonderful families including the Susens family! Scott and Beth have been Park Cities residents since 2004 with their two children, Miller and Michael. They enjoy cooking and growing their own vegetables and herbs. For over 20 years, they’ve upheld an amazing holiday tradition: delivering over 50 holiday cocktails on Christmas morning, with names that change yearly such as “Merry Mistletoe,” “Rosy Rudolph,” and “Dirty Snowball.” We’re all still patiently waiting for Beth to publish her secret recipes!
Lifelong Park Cities residents Burton and Leslie Rhodes were featured in our April issue of 2023. Burton works in residential real estate and devotes much of his time to Preservation Park Cities. He has helped highlight numerous homes in the “Preservation Park Cities Top 100” including 3615 Dartmouth Avenue, 4331 Belclaire Avenue, and Mouzon’s Folly at 3444 University Boulevard. Both he and Leslie are involved in the community and attend their children’s many sports activities. Thank you, Burton, for your contribution to Preservation Park Cities!
The Jim and Patty Moody, featured in June 2023, have been Park Cities residents for four generations. Patty Moody’s great-grandfather Joe E. Lawther was a visionary Dallas mayor who developed White Rock Lake, and her grandfather Lynn V. Lawther, whose name is on the plaque dedicating Williams Park, was Dallas County and University Park Commissioner. We learned of Jim’s contribution to transforming Methodist Hospital by initiating the CareFlite program and achieving Level I trauma status, leaving a legacy with the Methodist Moody Brain and Spine Institute upon retiring in 2019. He had recently authored “On Call: A Neurosurgeon’s Story of Serving God and Others,” chronicling his life, medical career, battle with pancreatic cancer, and faith. With six children and nine grandchildren, the family values vacations, holidays, and the tight-knit community.
Next up, we have the Burdettes. Elliott and Lisa share a love for travel, and their adventures have taken them to Paris and the Périgord region of France, Tanzania and Kenya. Recently, Lisa, the founder of The Dallas School of Etiquette, travelled to Washington DC with her granddaughter, Lila, to be featured on the cover of Mount Vernon Magazine. “As I teach all my students, George Washinton lived for the good of those yet to come rather than glorifying himself,” she shared. “I encourage all of my students to visit Mount Vernon, especially the presidential library. This journey has and continues to be an inspiration to me as I seek to teach children and adults how to connect with all cultures through etiquette.”
In November 2023, we met Jared and Melrose Hutchins, recent additions to the Park Cities. Jared’s wife, formerly the Society Editor of People Newspapers, was deeply involved in Dallas philanthropy, serving on boards like the Mayor’s Star Council, The Family Place, TACA, Readers 2 Leaders, and The Trinity Trust Foundation. Tragically, his wife passed away suddenly in 2020 prompting Jared to move to Highland Park in 2022 for its schools and community. Recently, Melrose recently started Kindergarten at Armstrong and loves walking to school every day. Additionally, Jared has started writing a book, and the family spent time together in Mexico for Thanksgiving and have plans to visit London and Paris over Christmas.
2024 has brought us some great families as well. In our first issue of the year, we featured the Hudes family. Living blocks away from the World Trade Center, Marshall and Angie relocated to Dallas after the events of September 11, settling in Highland Park. When their daughter, Kayla, was born, Marshall decided to shift gears, assisting his brother in opening an Italian restaurant in Dallas. What started as a small venture, Cafe Nostra transformed into a successful catering business, CN Catering. Kayla attends Highland Park High School and will be graduating this year. Congratulations, Kayla!
Carrie and Jason Morski, featured in April, were also from New York. They moved to Preston Hollow in 2006 and then relocated to Highland Park in 2020. Their children, Maxwell and Addison, are students at Bradfield Elementary and enjoy playing soccer. Jason serves on the board of Preservation Park Cities and is chairman of the PPC car show. They spoke of their love for travel – from Colorado ski trips during spring break to sunny days on Florida beaches. They also shared their favorite local destinations like Mi Cocina, Café Pacific, Park House, and Honor Bar.
We also had the privilege of featuring “supermoms” Meredith Ferrell and Courtney Petit. Meredith transitioned from a career in advertising to real estate, inspired by her mother’s success in the industry, and now leads her own real estate group. Courtney retired from a corporate career in finance to pursue interior design, following in her mother’s footsteps. The two families became friends through their children, and Meredith and Courtney were co-chairs of the 2024 Preservation Park Cities Home Tour, with the goal of making the history and architecture of the Park Cities relevant to their generation.
To wrap up our December “Best Of” issue, we would like to mention our July 2024 feature. We learned that the Stone family runs a family-owned estate sale business founded by Janelle Stone, who has a background in fashion merchandising and interior design from Baylor University. Janelle and her husband, Bill, have four children. Their son Wen joined the family business and has been a key contributor for seven years. Since our July article, Wen and his fiancée, Sara, have married and they are expecting a baby boy in March 2025. Congratulations to the entire Stone family!
Thank you to all the families that have been featured in our magazine! We look forward to meeting many more of you in 2025!