Meet Your Highland Park Neighbors- The Hunsicker Family!

By Sarah Mitchell

Both Harry and Alison Hunsicker spent the majority of their lives right here in Highland Park. Harry moved here when he was just two years old and Alison when she was four. Alison’s father started the Knox Street Pub in the 60s, and her mother was a retail executive at Sanger Harris, as well as the first female store manager of a major Federated department store in the area. Harry’s roots run deep in the area. He is a fourth generation native of Dallas, his great grandmother having been born in what is now East Dallas in 1868 and his great grandfather having served as a judge in the 14^th District Court in the early 1930s. His father was in the real estate business, and his mother was a clothing and jewelry designer.

After graduating from high school, Harry attended Baylor where he received a degree in history. After Baylor, he became real estate appraiser and then a novelist and screenwriter. Alison attended the University of Texas at Austin where she received her undergraduate degree in business. She began working in a variety of industries including a position as a jewelry representative for Christian Dior jewelry and acted as manager for a group of doctors’ offices. She later obtained her MBA from the University of Dallas with an emphasis in industrial engineering and went to work for a fellow Highland Park resident whose company functions as an outsourced real estate department for national restaurant concepts. “We worked with our clients from strategic planning through real estate acquisitions all across the country,” stated Alison.

After meeting Harry through mutual friends, they were married in 2001 at which time Alison decided that her current career was requiring her to travel more than she would like. “I then began managing Harry’s family’s multifamily properties while starting my own company,” she explained. “In 2014, I was in the inaugural class at the University of North Texas Dallas College of Law where I graduated cum laude and received my juris doctorate degree. People would always ask me if there was anything I wished that I would have done, and law school was it for me. Since I also had my own business, I attended night classes and finished during the four-year program.” Harry added, “This was a difficult time as both her parents and my parents passed away while she was attending law school. Her mother actually passed away the week she was supposed to start studying for the bar. She studied and passed, which is a testament to her fortitude.”

Though the Hunsickers have made many amazing memories along the way, their favorite memory to date is their wedding. They married in Dallas on September 14, 2001. “It was a rollercoaster of emotions with 9/11 occurring just days before,” shared Alison. “Harry proposed on Saturday, 9/11 was on Tuesday, and we were married on Friday. We had a small wedding at home with immediate family, and it was very indicative of the time and that very few things were super important when the world was in chaos. This marriage was supposed to be, the way it all happened, so directed and so meaningful.”

The couple enjoy traveling and have recently traveled to Israel with plans to travel to Peru soon. Closer to home, they enjoy visiting Santa Fe. In addition to traveling, Harry also loves reading and writing. After taking classes at SMU, he began writing his first novel which came out in 2005. “I enjoy writing crime thrillers set in Dallas,” said Harry. “The first three books are centered around a detective, Lee Henry Oswald.” With eight books now under his belt, Harry branched out into screenplays with his first released in October of this year. He said, “Hit Squad, the family-friendly title, is a short comedic crime thriller based on a hit man with IBS and debuted at the Dallas International Film Festival. We are taking it on the festival circuit now and hoping to get some interest and make bigger picture out of it.”

Alison, a self-proclaimed lifelong learner, enjoys taking classes and has volunteered in several capacities within the community. She was previously on the zoning committee for Highland Park and was recently appointed to Board of Adjustment. In addition, she was two-time chairman of Highland Park Community League and participated on the Centennial Committee. Alison is also passionate about Girl Scouts and is on the Endowment Committee for Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas.  A lifelong Girl Scout, Alison says her motto to live by comes from the Girl Scout Law. “The Girl Scout Law which says, ‘I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout’ is exactly the motto I have thought about since I was a child. I do whatever I can whenever I can, and I enjoy giving back to the community that has given me so much.”

Harry and Alison live in Highland Park with their King Charles Cavalier named Radley, named after Boo Radley from To Kill a Mockingbird. “Our first dog was Scout,” Alison said. “Then, our fist King Charles was going to be named Atticus, but Harry said that was a ‘big dog’ name, so we decided on Truman, for Truman Capote. The next dog we had, we named Harper Lee. We have a theme here!” They both feel blessed to live in Highland Park and are passionate about the community. “After the centennial, we went to dinner with a group of people and we were all asked what we like about Highland Park,” shared Alison. “I have lived here essentially my whole life except for a year and a half in New Orleans. During that time, I had my car stolen twice and there were numerous break-ins. When I came back to Dallas, I realized how fortunate we are to not experience the looming fear that is present in some places. We have stellar police, fire, and EMS services, and I’m so grateful for the sense of community and small-town feel that makes this place amazing.”

Technically, it did premier at the noir festival but that was a one-time event so we are counting the film’s screening at the Dallas International Film Festival as its premier.

 After moving from Plano in 2012, the Watermans now reside on Amherst in a charming house built in 1933. Seeking a more inclusive school environment for their daughter, Happy, the Watermans moved to be a part of Highland Park ISD when Happy was entering her junior year and their son, Nick, was entering his sophomore year. With a business degree from the University of Maine, Bob has been in the media business for nearly 40 years with the majority of that time with CBS Radio, now called Audacy. Kelly has a degree in journalism and marketing from TCU and spent the first part of her career in corporate America in sales and management for the consumer packaged goods industry and CBS Promotions. The two met when Kelly was a client for the radio station where Bob was sales manager. At the time, she was sales manager for Kraft Foods/Oscar Mayer, and Bob was with KPLX. Kelly later formed an LLC to do contract project work, and she is currently a distributor for Aquaphalt, a high-performance cold patch for asphalt. The Waterman children both graduated from HPHS, and Happy went on to graduate from the Transition 18+ program in 2017. She now has a parttime job with Reading Glasses, Inc. where she works two days per week, and she attends HEROES, a day program based out of Richardson, the other three days. “She loves her work at Reading Glasses, Inc.,” shared Kelly. “She assembles 400-500 boxes per workday which is amazing. She truly loves it, and I love sharing what she does so other businesses can begin thinking of how they can hire someone with special needs.” Nick graduated from the US Air Force Academy in Business Management and is entering his fourth year of service as part of his five-year commitment. Sports and competition run in the family.  Bob played  football for four years at the University of Maine and played rugby for the Dallas Harlequins for 15 years. “Nick also played football at Highland Park High School,” said Kelly. “He was on the Player Committee and was one of the track team captains. He accepted an offer to play football at USAFA and did so for his first year before transferring to the USAFA Rugby team where he continued to excel, ranking in the top 10 collegiate rugby players in his position.” Happy is also involved with competitions, competing at the state level riding horses for the Special Olympics. “Every January, she competes at the Chisholm Challenge for riders with disabilities,” said Bob. “This takes place in Fort Worth and is associated with the Fort Worth Stock Show.” She also competes in HP Special Olympics Track and joins Bob every  Sunday for a game of golf. Advocating for Happy and others with special needs has always been important to the family. Kelly is a special needs advocate and has served on several boards. She currently serves on the board for ManeGait Therapeutic Horsemanship in McKinney where Happy rides weekly. ManeGait serves children and adults with disabilities, as well as veterans. Kelly also introduced the Sparkling Scots Cheerleading Squad to Highland Park High School. “We came from an inclusive cheer squad in Plano and saw the need here, explained Kelly. “In 2013, I put together a presentation complete with data, pictures, suggestions, how-to and secured funding to start up the inclusive squad. The Highland Park HS principal at the time, Walter Kelly, loved the idea and accepted it immediately. The squad started out with five members, including Happy. Now, nine years later, the squad has grown significantly and includes male cheerleaders which was the hope someday. They are now called the Spirited Scots, and I couldn’t be more proud!” Additionally, when Nick was in high school, he  participated in the Peer Buddy program which matched him with a special needs student, Jillian Letier. He remains in contact with her and flew home from the Air Force Academy in 2017 to surprise her and escort her to her senior prom. As a family, the Watermans love to entertain, travel and spend time with family. Bob and Nick both love to hunt, fish, and BBQ, and love sports, especially rugby. Happy loves movies, coloring, writing, and texting and calling friends. Her true love is horseback riding and has competed for years at the Texas State Special Olympics Equestrian Games. They have traveled around the US and internationally, with a trip to Africa in 2019 being one of their favorites. Bob and Kelly enjoy living in the Park Cities community and like to compare University Park to Mayberry RFD saying, “It truly is a small-town neighborhood feel smack dab in the middle of the city. The location is ideal! Our initial plan was to get the kids in school, and then move away after they graduated. We had no idea, however, how much we would love this neighborhood, and are so happy we decided to stay!”

   Born in Missouri, Jason Bottenfield moved to Flower Mound in 1986 when he was just eight years old. He later moved to Dallas in 2004 and began working in the Park Cities that same year. Jason’s wife, Brandi, is originally from Oklahoma and moved to Dallas in 2014. The couple now reside in University Park after moving from Dallas in February 2020. They have a daughter, Ainsley, who is 16 months old, and two dogs, Teddy Bear and Ace. Jason says he had a different college career compared to most people. “I went to college and was drafted in the 1999 MLB draft to the Boston Red Sox as a pitcher prior to finishing my finance degree,” he shared. “Following my childhood dream, I decided to try my hand at professional baseball.” After a few years in the organization, Jason had career-ending shoulder surgery in 2001 and spent six months in Fort Meyers, Florida completing active rehab. “Long-time pitcher, Bret Saberhagen, would eat breakfast with me and ask how I was doing,” said Jason. “I told him, ‘My fastball is down to 90-91 from 96, and I can’t throw but every three to four days without pain.’ He said, ‘Look around here. Some of these guys are 30 years old or more and may not make it. You’re 22. Don’t drag out baseball if you’re not coming back to where you were. Start your life and career.’” Jason took the advice of Bret Saberhagen and began to pursue his career in financial planning. He returned to college life and completed his degree in finance at UNT. “I then went on to pass the Certified Financial Planner designation test in 2005,” explained Jason. “To get into financial planning in my early 20s wasn’t easy. I started in the mailroom at Citigroup in one of their real estate management buildings. I began emailing Smith Barney managers to build rapport and let them know of my desire to work in the business and my timeline for finishing my degree. Eventually, Steve Austin, manager in the Smith Barney Park Cities branch, gave me a chance to meet with him, and I guess I did well because he gave me a shot.” Jason and his business partner created the Park Cities Group in 2006 while working at Smith Barney. They later left the corporate world of wealth management and are now equity partners in their broker-dealer and independent IRA firm. “This was always the goal for us,” said Jason. “We have enjoyed working and living in the Park Cities for so many years and look forward to many more.” Brandi, a cheerleader in college, earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology. When she first came to Dallas, she worked at Neiman Marcus and later transitioned into running her own Real Estate business, REBRANDI LLC, where she helps buyers and sellers with their real estate needs in the Dallas area. Brandi met Jason on Labor Day in 2014 while enjoying outdoor activities for the holiday. They were married on May 25, 2018, at a property they own in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. “The Casa Marina is typically considered a wedding hotel on the beach,” said Brandi. “It was a wonderful, sunshine-filled wedding that we got in just before Tropical Storm Alberto came through a few days later.” In addition to Florida, the Bottenfields have great memories of traveling coast to coast from San Francisco to New York on annual trips while dating and married. They continue to travel on long weekends when Jason races his 1969 Texaco Camaro in the Optima Ultimate Streetcar series. “I started this grassroots racing when Covid shutdown the baseball league I played on in Dallas,” he explained. “I was looking for something to fill the void, and I already had my Camaro which was my first car at age 15. We built it into a pro-touring, race-prepped car and traveled to the West Coast, East Coast and near Canada to compete. We have continued to travel and race even with Ainsley being born, racing one weekend a month. She has been to 20 states by the time she was one.” Brandi plays the role of team mom and part-time crew chief during the racing season. She has also enjoyed competing in various marathons in Texas and Oklahoma before Ainsley was born, and she is looking to get back into that in a few years. Together, the family attends Park Cities Baptist Church (PCBC) and love walking there on Sundays for worship. “We have always enjoyed PCBC and the opportunities they provide the local community,” they shared. “We did our pre-marriage classes at PCBC and look to involve Ainsley in all the offerings they have for kids.” The Bottenfields enjoy their Bryn Mawr neighborhood and the ability to walk to some of their favorite locations, some of which include Mesero for dinner or Hudson House for lunch. “A guilty weekend pleasure is getting coffee at Drip Coffee and grabbing a few ‘piggies’ at Yummy Donuts during our walk around the neighborhood with Ainsley,” stated Brandi. They love the safety of the community and say they are thankful for the University Park Police Department and all they do for the community. “We have a wonderful community and wonderful neighbors,” they said. “We moved in during Covid, so we are looking forward to spending more time with our neighbors and seeing the neighborhood kids play together as Ainsley gets older. We are thankful to be in a great community with such wonderful schools within walking distance. We both grew up with that, so having that for our daughter means so much”

Though neither are Dallas natives, both Padraic and Valerie Dillon now call it home and love their neighborhood and the small-town feel of their community. The couple met in 2017 through their two best friends. “We were meeting friends out on New Year’s Eve weekend, and I really didn’t want to go to dinner,” Pad laughed. “My friend, Tommy, convinced me that I really should go, showed me picture of Valerie, and at that point, I said, ‘When and where is dinner?’ We have been together ever since.”

Pad is originally from the Jersey Shore in the Long Branch and Asbury Park area. He attended Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA, and played football there while obtaining his degree in history. After graduating, he went to work for his uncle who dealt with construction materials and mining stone for highway construction. “I worked in operational improvement and then began traveling the country with a sales and marketing position in the company,” shared Pad. “I did this for over three years and eventually moved to Austin to work for a local company that we had acquired. Now, I, along with a partner, own Victory Rock, and we have four active rock quarries with one in Amarillo, two in Dallas, and one in Austin. Our goal is to be the largest limestone and sand and gravel reserve holders in Texas.”

Valerie is originally from McAlester, OK, and grew up in Altus. She attended Oklahoma State University

where she received her bachelor’s degree in fashion merchandising. She lived in Oklahoma City for 10 years but traveled to Dallas frequently for work before relocating there in 2001, later moving to Highland Park in 2005. She is now a real estate agent licensed in both Texas and Oklahoma. “I had invested in real estate on my own for about a decade,” explained Valerie. “One day while on a hike with a friend, she mentioned getting my real estate license. I was really against it at the time. I was too busy with the kids and traveling back and forth to Austin to see Pad. She looked at me and said, ‘But you’re already doing it. Everything that you have been doing on your own is what we do on a daily basis. You live in this community, are passionate about real estate, and are already doing it on the investment side.’ I thought about all of this, talked it over with Pad that evening, and decided to go for it! It’s one of the best things I’ve done. I love it and never thought I’d be as successful as I’ve been.” One of the couple’s best memories is their wedding. Before their wedding, Valerie had travelled with Pad, along with his dad and stepmother, to Ireland for two weeks on a driving tour. One of their stops was to Thomas Dillon’s Claddagh Gold shop in Galway. “My father had lost his wedding ring and purchased a Claddagh ring while we were there,” said Pad. “I also purchased a ring, and Valerie got a ring that went with her family eternity bands she wears.” Valerie continued, “The ring was shipped to me, and we

already had upcoming plans to go to a friend’s ranch. They have a beautiful property with a big tree, and we decided we wanted to get married under that tree. We planned our wedding in two weeks. The kids were there, and we were married in a field with 20 people, with Pad’s mom flying in from New Jersey as well. It was perfect.” Being a blended family with three kids, the Dillons and Valerie’s ex-husband all work together to do what is best for the kids. “Their dad lives close by and what matters to us is being there for the kids. We’re not the storybook family with a white picket fence and the ‘perfect’ family unit, but that’s ok. I actually kind of love that. Our kids have a great story.” The three children include Caitlin, Asher, and Emerson, all from Valerie’s previous marriage. Caitlin is 17 and a junior at Highland Park High School where she is a varsity cheerleader, and she has also participated in competitive cheer as well. 12-year-old twins, Asher and Emerson are in 6th grade at McCullouch Intermediate School. Asher plays baseball while his sister is involved with cheer. When asked if the twins get along, they said, “They act like they don’t like each other, but they really look out for each other and have each other’s backs.” The Dillons love their neighborhood and the proximity to local shopping, restaurants, and Katy Trail. “I came from a small New Jersey town that was very close-knit,” explained Pad. “I have the same feeling here. We have great pride in our school system here, and I feel like I get to live my glory days all over again through the kids and at Highlander Stadium. I love going into the barbershop and seeing a picture of my stepdaughter on the wall. Little things like that really give that small-town Texas feel.”

Dallas Symphony Orchestra League president Cynthia Beairdhas revealed that Sharon Lee Clark andKira Nasratare the event chairswho will kick–off the 9thannual Fashion Notes Luncheon and Style Showon October 13, 2022at the Fairmont Dallas. Honorary Chairs for this event are Patsy Donosky and Janie Donosky Condon. Also announced is this year’s featured Designer Award will be presented todesignerLele Sadoughi.Stunning fashions fromSt. John will be modeled ina runway presentationby League members and their families, past and present DSOL Debutantes, and members of the DSO Family. Highlighting fashion design and the Dallas Symphony Community, the event starts with a morningreception and raffle followed by a fashion presentation and luncheon live auction.Bachendorf’sis confirmed as the finejewelry sponsor of Fashion Notes.FallonBockis now designing jewelry for Fallon B and Bachendorf’sand will be donating a piece in the live auction. She has a long history with the DSOL as she is a pastDebutante and has served as President of the Assembly.