Park Cities People is turning 45 on September 4, and instead of counting candles we’re counting memories. Fire, after all, is never a good idea when you’re a newspaper. Join us for a look back at what was happening in the Park Cities 40-plus years ago.
A Fresh Perspective (Sept. 16, 1982)
Park Cities People wrote that Kay Gilbert, the first woman to serve on the Highland Park Town Council, added a “feminine touch” to the group. Even on her first night as a council member, Gilbert hadn’t been afraid to speak her mind. The council was ready to dismiss a request for a new stop sign until she reminded the group that protection was important for the community’s most precious commodity, its children. The council later approved the sign’s installation at the corner of Byron and St. John’s.
Kid Control (Sept. 23, 1982)
Highland Park ISD announced that it was getting tough on uncontrolled children at Highlander Stadium. Kids who didn’t adhere to a behavior plan would be taken to a detention center in the stadium. Moms and dads of miscreants would be notified by loudspeaker or phone that they needed to come collect their troublemakers, repeat offenders would be banned from football season, and youngsters who refused to reform could face suspension from school.
Smash and Dash at the HP Jail (Sept. 22, 1983)
A prisoner under arrest for burglary escaped from the Highland Park jail by kicking a hole in the top of his cell, going through a crawl space into a hallway, and exiting through the back door of the police station. The town’s assistant director of public safety said that Highland Park planned to renovate the jail in the next year and would probably make ceiling strength a priority. Meanwhile, warrants were out for the escapee’s arrest.
Personal Shopper Plunderer (Sept. 5, 1985)
A whopping $531,000 in women’s clothing and accessories was missing from the downtown Neiman Marcus, and a University Park woman had been arrested in connection with some of the thefts. The woman allegedly resold clothing stolen by one of the store’s personal shoppers, who used legitimate orders and invoices to snag items identical to those she sold. The UP woman was arrested after police confiscated more than $31,000 in clothing from her home on Southwestern Boulevard.
You Gotta Wear Shades (Sept. 25, 1986)
A new Caruth Park playground had been in storage for months. Part of the plastic replacement for a rotting, wooden structure had already been installed when parks advisory committee members decided the colors were too bright. Park Cities People argued in favor of installing the colorful equipment. Neighbors who saw red, we wrote, should join the parks committee.
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