Did you know that Park Cities People will celebrate its 45th birthday next month? We published our first issue on September 4, 1981. As we approach middle age, we’re reminiscing about the people, places, and events that have shaped our community’s story. So, what was happening in the Park Cities 40-plus years ago?
Not Under My Roof
(August 5, 1982)
Hundreds of angry residents attended a University Park Board of Commissioners meeting to protest an ordinance that would have permitted the city to inspect homes and ensure they met minimum housing standards. The Board voted unanimously to throw out the proposal in the meeting’s first two minutes, but that didn’t stop irate members of the crowd from continuing to speak against the already-dead ordinance.
The Highlander Highsteppers?
(August 18, 1983)
Highland Park High School’s new drill team needed a name and uniforms for the upcoming football season. Park Cities People’s publisher Reid Slaughter took matters into his own hands, launching a “Name the HP Drill Team Contest.” Entries included “The Highlandaires,” “Classy Lassies,” and “The Highland Fling,” but Slaughter chose “The Highlander Highsteppers” as the competition’s winner. Fortunately for today’s Highland Belles, that name didn’t stick.
Olympians Make a Splash
(August 2, 1984)
Park Cities natives Mike Heath and Bruce Hayes led the country’s 4×200 freestyle relay team to a gold medal in the 1984 Summer Olympic Games. Hayes held off the West German “Albatross,” then considered the world’s best swimmer, by inches to clinch the team’s world-record-breaking win. His anchor leg is still cited as one of the greatest swimming finishes of all time.
University Park’s Ice Cream Dreams Melt
(August 2, 1984)
The city rejected the only application for a permit under its new ice cream vending ordinance. That potential ice cream truck driver had a concealed weapons arrest and multiple speeding tickets. City officials said that they were surprised by the lack of interest in selling sweet treats.
Keep Your Pants On
(August 21, 1986)
Highland Park High School’s new principal Jim Gibson told Park Cities People he didn’t have immediate plans to relax the school’s dress code. Shorts were off the table at least until the student handbook was revised later in the year.
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