Leader 12-27 B

Page 1B • The Leader • December 27, 2012 • @heightsleader

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H ousing markets in Leader neighborhoods continued to soar in N ovember – both in num-bers sold and prices – while the entire H ouston area registered unprecedented sales and sent the housing supply to its lowest level in 12 years.

Altogether, in The Leader’s 77007, 77008, 77009, 77018, 77091 and 77092 ZIP codes, 2,439 houses sold in N ovem ber, up from 1,881 last year at that time, according to monthly fi gures provided to The Leader by the H ouston Associa-tion of Realtors. That accounted for nearly half the hom e sales in the H ouston area.

The H eights’ 77008 Z IP showed sales of 760

homes, up nearly a third over last year, with av-erage price increasing 4 percent to $346,000.

The Washington C orridor’s 77007 Z IP code posted a 47 percent increase in sales, with 649 houses changing hands, compared to 441 in No-vember 2011. Price increase was a negligible 0.1 percent, just a tad shy of the $400,000 average m ark.

In the 77009 Z IP, there was an 18 percent in-crease in sales, up to 330 over the sam e m onth last year, with a 6 percent gain in the value of an average hom e sale to $275,000.

The O ak Forest-G arden O aks 77018 ZIP con-

tinued its hot streak with 454 sales for 20 percent growth over November 2011. And values jumped again, too, up 15 percent. The average price has now broken the $300,000 mark, up to $306,000 over a $266,000 average this tim e last year.

In the 77091 ZIP, 75 homes changed hands, for a 12 percent gain and an average price increase of 7 percent, while 77092 showed a 22 percent jump with 171 sales. It was the only Leader-area Z IP showing a decrease in average value, with a 5 percent drop to $133,000.

As she walked around an open house in O ak Forest this time last year, Tracy Brandon knew ex-actly what she wanted to do with the out-of-date place to m ake it her own.

For starters: Repaint. Rem ove the popcorn texture on the ceiling. Rip out the three types of fl ooring. And then develop a plan for more ambi-tious changes to be deployed as time and budget dictated.

But that’s not how things played out. After some planning that “went bold and then culled back to the important stuff,” Brandon ultimately plunged into a to-the-studs renovation that all but gutted the 4 bedroom , 1-bath hom e.

The transformation shifted the “too-good-to-knock-down” property from a standard ’50s-vin-tage ranch-style home into one she calls “M odern French C ountry with H ollywood G lamor and a Texas Flair.”

“I hadn’t thought I’d do it all at once,” said the homeowner, who has been in place since August following the fi ve-month morph. “It is nice not having a constant project,” Brandon later wrote in a project summary. “I am happy to live in peace in the fi nal product.”

As a supply chain m anager in the oil and gas industry, Brandon is a seasoned negotiator. That skill proved useful in the bidding and fi nancing of her remodeling project and in acting as the gen-eral contractor, a role that turned referee at times as subcontractors clashed.

While Brandon’s scope of work had pulled back from raising the mid-century ceilings, the project did m odernize the fl ow between room s and, in some cases, repurposed space. The original half-bath/half laundry room, for example, is now the m aster bath and part of a m aster suite captured from the back bedroom and hallway.

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see Records • Page 2B

Do Over: To the studs and back

The master bath has an open feel, compared to the old version (inset left).

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see Do Over • Page 3B

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The accelerated pace in hom e sales and the added dem and sent average and m edian hom e prices to historic highs for a November in H ouston.

According to H AR, single-fam-ily home sales achieved the second highest m onthly year-over-year percentage increase of 2012, rising 27.3 percent compared to Novem-ber 2011. This marks the H ouston area’s 18th consecutive m onth of positive sales. C ontracts closed on 4,978 hom es, driving inventory down to 4.1 months, a level last ob-served in D ecem ber 2000.

All housing segments saw gains in November except for the low end of the market – those homes priced at $80,000 and below. H om es priced from $250,000 through the m illions registered the greatest sales volume and accounted for the m onth’s jum p in prices.

“H omes are selling at an unusu-ally hefty pace for this time of year, and that has left fewer properties on the market and driven up pric-es,” said Wayne A. Strom an, H AR chairm an and C EO of Strom an Realty. “W ith continued local job growth and historically low inter-est rates, this aggressive home buy-ing trend is likely to continue into the new year. H om ebuilders now face the challenge of m eeting the dem and.”

The single-family home average price jum ped 10.5 percent year-over-year to $228,275, the highest level for a N ovem ber in H ouston. The m edian price – the fi gure at which half of the hom es sold for m ore and half sold for less – rose 8.1 percent to $167,000, also a re-cord high for a November in H ous-ton.

Foreclosure property sales re-ported in the H AR Multiple Listing Service (M LS) declined 8.9 percent com pared to N ovem ber 2011.

Foreclosures recorded the low-est one-month sales volume of the

year in November, making up 15.0 percent of all property sales. This is seen as a likely refl ection of the continued slowdown in the sales of hom es priced under $80,000. The m edian price of N ovem ber foreclosures ticked up 1 percent to $81,100.

N ovem ber sales of all property types in H ouston totaled 5,891, a 27.9 percent increase over the same month last year. Total dollar volume for properties sold in N ovem ber climbed 41.2 percent to $1.3 billion versus $926 m illion a year earlier.

November MonthlyMarket Comparison

N ovember brought H ouston’s overall real estate market positive results when all sales categories are compared to November 2011. O n a year-over-year basis, total property sales, total dollar volume and aver-age and m edian pricing all rose.

M onth-end pending sales for N ovem ber totaled 3,267. That is up 8.4 percent from last year and signals the likelihood of continued gains when D ecem ber property sales data are totaled. H owever, it is a signifi cantly sm aller increase than last month’s 24.6 percent year-over-year gain in pending sales and suggests an easing in the pace of sales. Active listings, or the number of available properties, at the end of November declined 19.0 percent from N ovem ber 2011 to 36,539.

H ousing inventory in H ouston has remained below a fi ve-month supply since August of this year, dropping in N ovem ber to 4.1 months from 6.2 months a year ear-lier. That is the lowest level record-ed locally since D ecem ber 2000. By contrast, the highest m onths inventory in recent history was 8.2 in June 1996. For perspective, the national inventory of single-family homes is 5.4 months, according to the National Association of REAL-TO RS.

Single-FamilyHomes Update

November sales of single-family homes in Houston totaled 4,978, up 27.3 percent from November 2011. That m arks the 18th consecutive m onthly increase.

Broken out by housing segment, N ovember sales performed as fol-lows:

• U p to $1 - $79,999: decreased 2.6 percent

• $80,000 - $149,999: increased 17.2 percent



• $500,000 - $1 million and above: increased 50.2 percent The aver-age price of a single-fam ily hom e rose 10.5 percent from last year to $228,275, the highest level for a November in Houston. At $167,000, the m edian sales price for single-fam ily hom es also achieved a re-cord high for a November in H ous-ton, up 8.1 percent year-over-year.

H AR also breaks out the sales perform ance of existing single-fam ily hom es throughout the H ouston m arket. In N ovem ber 2012, existing hom e sales totaled 4,143, a 32.1 percent jump from the same month last year. The average sales price rose 11.7 percent year-over-year to $215,396. The median sales price increased 11.8 percent to $154,000.

Townhouse/Condo UpdateN ovember sales of townhouses

and condom inium s soared 39.6 percent from one year earlier. A total of 441 units sold last m onth versus 316 properties in November 2011. The average price increased 8.3 percent to $187,500 while the median price declined a fractional 0.4 percent to $135,000. M onths inventory dove 36.6 percent year-over-year to 4.7 months compared to 7.4 months in N ovember 2011.

Lease Property Update

D em and was up for H ouston’s lease property market in N ovem-ber. Rentals of single-family homes climbed 16.5 percent compared to N ovember 2011, while year-over-year townhouse/condom inium rentals rose 18.5 percent.

The average rent among single-fam ily lease hom es and town-house/condominiums increased year-over-year but is down from the summer. The N ovember aver-age rent for a single-fam ily hom e was $1,517 and $1,397 for a town-hom e/condo.

Records • from Page 1B

Townhomes have become one of the trendi-est features on the H ouston housing m arket. W ith the construction of townhom es on the rise in many popular neighborhoods, residents are considering their options for a house with a sm aller footprint.

Steve Bland, an agent for Better H om es and G ardens Real Estate G ary G reene’s Inner Loop offi ce, said many of his buyers ultimately opt to buy a townhouse instead of single family homes. “In the H ouston Inner Loop area, townhouses are hot,” Bland said. “M y buyers this year have settled on townhom es 58 percent of the tim e, and half of those were new construction.”

M any factors are attracting buyers to town-hom es:

1. Closer to the action. Bland said m ost of his buyers want to live closer to work or to their so-cial life. Townhomes are popping up in locations that are close to the city - near all that H ouston has to offer. Elim inating the need to struggle with highway traffi c is an added plus.

2. More affordable. The cost of land in the Inner Loop is driving up the price of single fam-ily homes, Bland said. “M y clients may initially ask to see single family homes, but they quickly realize that they can get a lot m ore house for their money with a townhouse,” he said. Bland explained that a typical single family home lot is 5,000 square feet or more, while townhouses al-

low builders to place two or even more homes on the same amount of land. “The cost of that land is half of what it would be for the single fam ily hom e,” he said.

“C onsequently, the home has a smaller foot-print and has to build up rather than out to achieve the desired living space. If there’s a yard at all, it’s fairly sm all - just what city dwellers want.”

3. Low maintenance. The amount of exterior maintenance can be signifi cantly less for a town-hom e - saving hom eowners tim e and m oney.

“M any clients are actually looking specifi cally for a townhouse, because they don’t want the up-keep responsibilities of a large yard,” Bland said.

“M aybe they’ve had a house in the suburbs and realize they had an unintended second job tak-ing care of the lawn and landscaping.”

Still, Bland believes that most townhomes of-fer enough outdoor space.

“They may have multiple patios off of the liv-ing area or master bedroom, or a huge deck on the roof,” he said. “M any do have great backyard space, big enough for a cookout or even a small pool.”

4. Sophisticated style. N ewly built town-houses often have nicer features and a m ore contemporary style, Bland added. H e said that during the past decade, the typical fl oor plan for a townhouse includes an entry hall, garage and one bedroom on the fi rst fl oor, with all of the public space (dining room, living room, kitchen) on the second fl oor, and a generous master and a second bedroom on the third fl oor. “This fl oor plan works well for couples with no children or only one-which covers a lot of the market in the Inner Loop,” he said. “But it m ay not be a great fl oor plan if you have two children and you want them each to have their own room .”

Recently, Bland said he has seen a lot more tra-ditional fl oor plans - with the garage and public rooms on the fi rst fl oor and all three bedrooms on the second fl oor. “Buyers love taking their groceries directly from the garage to the kitchen, and they like living on two fl oors without having to clim b up one fl oor fi rst,” he said.

With better layouts and more affordable pric-es, townhomes have become a popular option.

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Hope You Have A Happy & Safe New Year

“Houston Lives O n: An Adventure in H istoric Preservation” is an activ-ity and coloring book aimed at help-ing students understand the value in local preservation. The 26-page book is fi lled with concepts and terms that introduce young people to the subject.

C olorful characters, such as Squeak, the inquisitive young ant, and his guide, Aunt Lucy, take chil-dren on a tour to learn about some of H ouston’s most popular historic buildings.

“This activity book is intended to present this concept to elementary-age children so that they, hopefully, will become aware of the impor-tance of historic preservation and the need to save our valuable struc-tures, as well as our historic neigh-borhoods, for future generations of Houstonians,” said Betty C hapman, chair for the Education C ommittee of the H ouston Archaeological and H istorical C ommission.

The book engages readers by us-ing puzzles, games and other activi-ties that are fun, educational and age appropriate for use at school, home and extra-curricular activities.

The narrative and its accompany-ing exercises are appropriate for ele-mentary-aged children, particularly in grades 2 and 3. This adventure is intended for use in classrooms, with groups such as Scouts or even in an informal family setting. An accom-panying teacher’s guide is available for instruction.

“Educators believe that it is im-portant for students to know the history of the place where they live. H ouston has a phenomenal his-tory—rich in stories of people, lo-cations and events that have created our hometown,” C hapman said.

“Houston Lives O n: An Adventure in Historic Preservation” was created by the Education C ommittee of the H ouston Archaeological and H is-torical C ommission, which makes recommendations to C ity C ouncil on historic properties. The 13 mem-ber board reviews requests for his-toric district designations, historic landmarks, archaeological sites and for work on historically designated properties.

The Activity book and Teacher’s G uide are available online at www.HoustonPreservation.org. A limited number of print copies are available from the C ity of H ouston Planning and D evelopment D epartment.

M eanwhile, the former hot wa-ter and linen closets at the front of the hom e becam e the new, larger laundry room . The kitchen con-fi guration also changed am id a total overhaul that added m ore cabinets, concrete counters that look like lim estone, a farm house sink, and unusual backsplash tile she spotted in one of the many de-sign guides in the blogosphere. The room’s shape also changed, from square to galley.

In the living room, workers rip-ping out a fi replace added by a pre-vious owner revealed another win-dow. That fi nd was a double win for Brandon, who said she gained natural light as well as square foot-age to better arrange furniture. Besides, she said, “Who in H ouston really needs a fi replace?”

O ther alterations included re-m oving a sm all pass-through off the front hallway and adding space-saving pocket doors to the overhauled bathrooms, in which original tile work had been painted over.

“I like to improve upon things,” Brandon said. And to restore. And to decorate. O n this project, she es-pecially enjoyed picking out the fi n-ishing details and working with the cabinet maker on custom pieces in the kitchen and master bath, both of which are her favorite room s.

BACK IN THENEIGHBORHOOD

Brandon is a “ricochet resi-dent” of O ak Forest. She previ-ously owned a hom e in the sub-division, but had been living in a 900-square-foot H eights home for

several years. H oping to provide a neighborhood-based childhood for her daughter, she returned to O ak Forest. That you get more square-footage for the money was also ap-pealing, she said.

H er 1,700-sq.-ft. home’s corner lot is across from the park and near

a school. Brandon said she and her child are still adjusting to having about twice the space and are not yet using it all.

While Brandon’s renovation plan had an eye on resale som e day, she realizes that housing tastes change and that raze-based new construc-tion has followed her to O ak For-est.

Just as the previous owners had lived in the hom e m ore than 50 years, Brandon is taking a long-term view. H er investm ent is as much in the com munity for her child as in the hom e itself.

“I did it for her,” she said.

LESSONSEvery hom e project has its les-

sons. “I learned that I am m ore patient than I thought I could be,” she said. “I can persevere. I grew as a person through this process.”

H er advice: “D on’t be afraid. G o for it.”

Do Over • from Page 1B

New cabinets, new appliances, new fl oor plan. Just about everything is new from the old (inset right).

The 2013 H ouston H eights H ome & G arden Tour has announced which hom es will be on this year’s tour. Below is general information about those homes and the event.

WHEN: Saturday and Sunday,April 6 and 7, 2013, N oon to 6 p.m .

WHAT: Then & N owSix H ouston H eights hom es will be available to

tour in one of H ouston’s most cherished neighbor-hoods, rich in its diverse mix of architectural styles and inviting gardens. The annual event attracts crowds of locals and is a popular springtime tourist destination.

•M ark Bouzek H om e, 1617 C olum bia• M ike Klaybor H om e, 1615 C ortlandt• Robert Woods H om e, 709 E. 19th• Bob D err H om e, 2310 Rutland• Eric Reed H om e, 1532 Tulane• Jonathan Elton H om e, 235 W. 18th Street

WHERE: H ouston H eights. Known for its shady tree-lined boulevards, historic structures, art galler-ies, antique and vintage clothing shops, eclectic bou-tiques and coffee shops, the H ouston H eights area is also home to numerous world-class restaurants. It is the perfect place to spend the day, take a stroll, enjoy the shopping and local cuisine, and tour six beautiful hom es and gardens.

TICKETS: Advance tickets are $20 and will be available online at www.houstonheights.org and at various H ouston H eights locations in M arch 2013. D ays-of-tour tickets are $25 and will be available at the H ouston H eights Fire Station (12th and Yale) and at each hom e on the tour and include the service of luxury shuttle buses that can be boarded at the H ous-ton H eights Fire Station. Individual homes may be

toured for $5 per hom e.

BICYCLES: Accom m odations will be m ade for tour goers who choose to ride their bicycles from house to house. Bicycle riders can purchase day-of-tour tickets at a $5.00 discount. Bicycle racks will be available at each home, and a “bicycle valet” will be on hand to assist with parking and securing bikes while the hom e is being toured.

Candlelight Dinner & Auction

WHEN: Friday, April 5, 2013

WHAT: G uests are offered an exclusive tour of the homes on Friday evening from 5 to 7 p.m., before the homes are opened to the public, followed by the high-ly anticipated C andlelight D inner & Auction from 7 to 11 p.m . The silent auction will be fi lled with ev-erything from A-Z, including donations by renowned artists from the area and som e surprises. Featured artist M ichael Arcieri, who currently has a solo exhib-it at Avis Frank G allery. H e has created a work of art to be sold to the highest bidder during the evening’s popular live auction. The auction also includes four additional works by prom inent H ouston artists.

WHERE: The soon-to-be-closed Fiesta M art at 1407 Studewood.

TICKETS: Individual tickets are $150 and reserved tables for ten are $1500. Tickets will be available ap-proximately M arch 1 until the event is sold out. Seat-ing is lim ited to 500.

For m ore event inform ation:C all the H ouston H eights Association at 713-861-

4002, option 3, or e-mail [email protected]. Visit www.houstonheights.org for event updates.

Studentslearningpreservation

This home on Columbia Street in Houston Heights is one of six homes to be featured on the 2013 Houston Heights Association Home & Garden Tour next April. (Photo by Kit Davis)

Featured homes revealed for Heights Home & Garden tour

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Page 4B • The Leader • December 27, 2012 • www.theleadernews.com

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The holiday break is a great time to watch college football and ponder N ew Year’s Eve plans.

But it’s also a good time to refl ect on some of the top sports stories of the 2012 fall season. It was an eventful one for Leader area sports fans:

1. St. Pius X FootballTo say the St. Pius X football team’s 2012 season was exciting would be

an understatem ent.The Panthers made a four-game improvement from 5-7 in 2011 to 9-3

last fall.They played a schedule fi lled with postseason teams and opened with

a 38-14 win over defending Southwest Preparatory C onference champion, Kinkaid.

Then, they defeated Sealy, 45-21, before a nationally-televised ESPN au-dience on Sept. 6 at Parsley Field. It was one of the biggest games in SPX football history.

The Panthers went on to win seven of their next 10 games, including a win over eventual district champion, St. Thomas, and two victories over defending district cham pion Beaum ont Kelly.

St. Pius X’s postseason run was dampened when senior quarterback Kohl Stewart, a Texas A&M commit, had what ended up being a season-ending injury in the regular season fi nale, a 27-6 loss to St. Thomas. SPX lost to 2011 state champion, Fort Worth Nolam, 28-14, in the TAPPS D ivi-sion I State Q uarterfi nals.

Stewart went on to earn Touchdown C lub of Houston Private School O f-fensive Player of the Year honors. H e’s been selected to the ESPN Under-Armour All-American G ame on Jan. 4 in St. Petersburg, Fla., and SPX head coach Blake Ware will be an assistant coach in the gam e.

2.Reagan Volleyball reaches new heightsStewart said he’ll return to the baseball diamond this spring to help lead

the Panthers to a repeat of their 2012 state title. H e’s expected to be se-lected early in the 2013 M LB D raft.

Waltrip H igh had a monopoly on C lass 4A-D istrict 21 volleyball com-petition, with the exception of Reagan sharing the district crown with the Lady Ram s in 2009.

This fall, the Lady Bulldogs secured sole possession of the 4A-21 title by edging Waltrip, 3-2, in dram atic fashion at D elm ar-Tusa Fieldhouse.

Naomi Huerta and Vanessa Ruiz led Reagan, coached by G reg G ibson, to its fi rst outright district volleyball title in 15 years.

3. HISD legend, Tusa, honoredH ouston ISD honored former district athletic director Joe Tusa on Nov.

3 by re-dedicating D elmar Stadium and D elmar Fieldhouse, as D elmar-Tusa, respectively.

For maximum effect, and appreciation, the dedication ceremony was held during halftime of the Reagan-Waltrip football game, which was the H om ecom ing G am e for both schools.

Tusa, 87, graduated from Reagan in 1945 and returned to coach the Bulldogs’ football team, guiding them to a pair of state quarterfi nal ap-pearances in 1958 and 1959, respectively.

H e became the assistant principal at Waltrip when it opened in 1960 and then served as H ISD ’s AD from 1965-89.

4. Reagan girls cross country three-peatsThe Reagan H igh girls cross country team won the C lass 4A-D istrict 21

C ham pionship for the third straight season.The Lady Bulldogs, coached by James Johnson, were led by senior Karen

Torres, who repeated as the district’s individual m eet cham pion.Torres also plays for the RH S girls basketball and track & fi eld teams.

RH S won the 4A-21 district championship in girls basketball in 2011-12. She’s considering running cross country at the University of Texas.

5. Reagan builds success on the gridiron The Reagan H igh football team won seven regular season games for the

fi rst tim e since 1976.In addition, the Bulldogs defeated Jones and Wheatley for the fi rst time

in program history. They also earned their fi rst win over Waltrip in 20+ years, accom plishing that feat in thrilling fashion.

The Bulldogs trailed 22-0 and won 34-29 on both teams’ H omecoming N ight at D elm ar-Tusa Stadium .

6. Waltrip Football reaches playoff s againReagan also earned a key upset, defeating C lass 4A-D istrict 21 runner-

up, Sharpstown, 22-21, at Butler Stadium .The Waltrip H igh football team returned to the postseason for the sec-

ond straight year. The Ram s started the season with a 4-1 record, their best start in a decade and struggled due to injuries late in the season. They managed to qualify for the postseason by defeating M ilby in the regular season fi nale.

Waltrip fi nished 5-5 under fi rst-year head coach M ilton D ailey.

7. Scarborough’s fi rst-year coachesA veteran (Rodney Price) and a rookie (Reagan C abeen) led their re-

spective Scarborough H igh athletic program s to success last fall.Price, a former head track & fi eld coach at the University of M iami and

University of O klahoma, guided the SH S boys cross country team to the C lass 3A-D istrict 23 C ham pionship.

8. St. Thomas wins fi rst district title in seven yearsThe St. Thomas H igh football team’s postseason wasn’t as successful as

its 2011 campaign when it reached the TAPPS D ivision I State Semifi nals.C abeen, a University of Texas graduate who had played volleyball just a

few years earlier at C ypress Ridge H igh School in C ypress, turned the Lady Spartans’ volleyball program around. They went from winless in 2011 to contending for a playoff spot last fall.

But the Eagles (10-2), who lost to D allas Bishop Lynch in the state quar-terfi nals, had a better regular season. They won the district title for the fi rst time in seven years and defeated Strake Jesuit for the fi rst time in 15 years under the direction of fi rst-year head coach Tim Fitzpatrick.

9.Venric MarkThe former St. Pius X phenom became just the 39th Northwestern Uni-

versity football player to earn All-American honors as a punt returner. M ark, a junior for the W ildcats (9-3), led the Big Ten C onference in all-purpose yards with 171.7 yards per game. H e enters Monday’s G ator Bowl vs. M ississippi State in Jacksonville, Fla. needing just 148 yards to break N U ’s single-season all-purpose yards record of 2,195.

10. Brent and Cameron PeavyThe identical twins who starred for St. Pius X wrapped up their junior

season with the Texas Lutheran University football team .Brent passed for 2,569 yards, 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and

also rushed for six scores, for the N C AA D ivision III Bulldogs, who fi n-ished 4-6.

C ameron was the team’s top wide receiver, hauling in 50 receptions for 814 yards and eight touchdowns.

WHAT A FALLA look back at 10 of the top sports stories of the last 3 months

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CLUES ACROSS

The Puzzles.Solutions in this issue’s classsi ed section.

46. Mazzard 47. Earthy pigment color 49. Hail (nautical) 50. Back 52. Deviating from the familiar 54. Inveighed 56. Within reach 59. Blood group 60. Howl 63. Farm state 64. Aba ____ Honeymoon 67. Seizure 69. College army 71. Graphic symbol 72. Intense trepidation 73. Of an ode 74. Capital of Shaanxi Province 75. Acid + alcohol - water 76. Flat tableland

ACROSS Cont...

1. Display stands 2. Forearm bones 3. British thermal unit 4. Drunkard 5. Corpuscle count (abbr.) 6. Pitcher Hershiser 7. Rod-shaped bacterium 8. Egg 9. Dancing With the Stars host 10. British Air Force 11. Opposite of beginning 12. Zanzibar Copal 13. Running contests 24. Arms factory 25. Sodium 26. Current Margulies show 28. Ancient Egyptian sun god 29. Former Hess Corp. name 32. Scrap of cloth 33. Highest card 34. Double helix nucleic acid 36. WW2 female corps 37. One point E of due N 39. Express pleasure 40. Data executive 41. Honey (abbr.) 48. One’s usual environment 51. Edison’s company 53. Delaware 54. Base of a system of numbers 55. Ancient computing devices 57. African adder genus 58. Podocarpus coriaceus 61. Plural of 33 down 62. An enticement 65. Tropical constrictor 66. “Birdie” star ___-Margaret 68. Sirius Satellite Radio (abbr.) 69. Memory hardware 70. Lyric poem

23. The reciprocal of cosine 27. Rubs away 30. Bravo! 31. Crash into 32. Radioactivity units 35. Dynasty’s “J.R.” 38. Components speci ed individually 42. Facial skin disease 43. The Peach State 44. Exist 45. Precipitation

1. Massages 5. Automaton 10. The side that goes last 14. Lowest female voice 15. Roar of acclaim 16. Tennis’ Kournikova 17. Canute (alt. sp.) 18. Blind gut 19. Insures bank’s depositors 20. Cathode (abbr.) 21. Appendage 22. Of I

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The Waltrip Baseball Booster Club met Dec. 5, to discuss the 2013 baseball season. There were more than 30 parents, volunteers and coaches in attendance.

Head baseball coach Mike Evans and his staff shared the many upcoming events for the spring season. First and foremost is the annual Ram Classic Golf Tourna-ment four man scramble scheduled for Feb. 17, to be held at Pine Crest Golf Club for an 8 a.m. shotgun start. This event makes it possible for the baseball program to accom-plish the many scheduled activities for another successful season. This year’s tournament projects to raise more than $15,000. All contributions from the tournament are directed toward operating the baseball program and are tax de-ductible to the extent provided by law. The Waltrip Baseball Alumni, with the same dedication shown in past years, will help assure this challenge is met.

Proceeds from the tournament fund the purchase of baseballs, bats, gloves, catcher’s equipment, clay, fi eld conditioner, fertilizer, seed, buses, and umpires to name a few.

Even if one doesn’t play golf, it is possible to help the team by contributing to the tournament as a sponsor. There are several levels of sponsorships available to busi-nesses as well as individuals and families. Waltrip Baseball depends on the community to help reach the goal of raising $15,000. Sign up to play golf or contribute to the program by contacting Ram Classic Golf Tournament Chairperson Glen-da Guidry at [email protected] or Head Baseball Coach Mike Evans at [email protected].

Scarborough H igh fi rst-year head boys soccer coach Sergio H ernandez Jr. said the Spartans’ success will be determ ined by its discipline.

“We have to m ake sure we play well as a team and not try to outshine each other but come together as a team,” H ernandez Jr. said.

The Spartans open the season in the Spring Branch ISD C up, Jan. 10-12, and open district competition on Jan. 29 vs. Worthing at D elm ar-Tusa Stadium .

H ernandez Jr. knows a thing or two about discipline. Prior to coaching Livingston H igh in East Texas, he was a police offi cer in M id-land, Texas for three years.

H e said that experience helped him as a coach.

“D efi nitely -- it goes back to being disci-plined,” H ernandez Jr. said. “(And) how to carry yourself, being a person of good char-acter. I like being a good exam ple for these kids.”

H ernandez Jr. expects to start six seniors, including forwards D wight H ernandez and Andre Escorcia, from a team that fi nished

second in district to H ouston Furr and lost to Richmond Foster in the fi rst round of the U IL C lass 4A Playoffs last season.

“Leadership com es natural to D wight,” H ernandez Jr. said. “D wight is more of a vo-cal leader, and Andre leads by exam ple.”

Scarborough is a 3A school now, but there’s no 3A soccer, so that doesn’t affect the team.

In 2010-11, H ernandez Jr. led Livingston to its fi rst district title in program history. H e guided them to two playoff appearances in as m any years.

“I was looking to get to the big city,” H er-nandez Jr. said. “W hen I saw Scarborough

was hiring, I threw my name in the hat. I saw that they had some talent there. They inter-viewed and offered it to m e, so I decided to take it.”

An Abilene native, H ernandez Jr. played goalkeeper for H ardin-Sim m ons for one season and for the U T-Arlington club soccer team for three years.

M ost of the Spartans soccer players were members of the SH S boys cross country team that won a district title last fall.

“C ross C ountry gave them a boost,” H er-nandez Jr. said. “The endurance is going to pay off.”

U.S. M ilitary Academy sopho-more M ilton Washington, a 2010 Waltrip H igh graduate, is ready to play a weekend of basketball in front of his friends and fam ily.

“It’s a chance to show what we’re able to do,” said the 6-foot, 180-pound guard.”

“[The eight Texans on our team are] very excited. We’ll probably have hom ecourt advantage.”

West Point (5-5) will visit Texas A&M at 4 p.m. Saturday, D ec. 29 in C ollege Station and H ouston Bap-tist University at 2 p.m . M onday, D ec. 31 in H ouston.

“H e’s a true student-athlete [and] a quiet leader,” Waltrip head boys basketball coach D an Kelly said. “H e leads by example and has a bright future as an offi cer in the U.S. Army.”

Washington was the team cap-tain at W H S and a two-time C lass 4A-D istrict 21 selection. H e chose West Point over the University of St. Thom as in H ouston.

The life of a student-athlete is much different at a military acad-emy. The athletes – along with all of the other cadets – live in the bar-racks for four years.

A typical day begins at 6:30 a.m.

with cadets going to eat breakfast at the m ess hall.

From 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., they’re in classes (with an hour for lunch), then it’s straight to basketball prac-tice from 3:30-6:30 p.m .

“H om ework takes the whole night, and we go to bed around 11,” Washington said. “Then, I wake up and do it all over again. You just learn to m anage your tim e to pri-oritize stuff and do what needs to be done.”

Washington recently declared his major, Systems M anagement, which is a combination of Business, Engineering and IT.

“It’s about fi nding better ways to solve problem s and m ake things work more effi ciently,” Washington said. “It provides m e the skills I’ll need when I [graduate].”

Washington will serve as an of-fi cer in the U.S. Army upon gradu-ation in 2015. H is older brother is currently serving in the Army in

Afghanistan.The sophom ore is one of eight

Texans on the Black Knights’ roster. H e was the team captain for the

U.S. M ilitary Academy Prep School, in N ew Jersey, two years ago and was an effective m em ber of the West Point team last season, con-tributing nine points in a victory over archrival, N avy.

“It’s very intense. The whole crowd rushed the fl oor after we won,” Washington said of the ri-valry. “You get on the court and play your hearts out. O ff the court, we’re pretty good friends with each other.”

West Point has never reached the N C AA Tournam ent, despite having a strong basketball history that includes former head coaches Bobby Knight and M ike Krzyzews-ki. They’ve reached eight National Invitational Tournaments, with the last invitation com ing in 1978.

Washington said winning a Pa-triot League C ham pionship and qualifying for the N C AA Tourna-m ent is the team’s goal.

Last season, Patriot League cham pion Lehigh, a 15th seed in the N C AA Tournament, shocked Krzyzewski’s second-seeded D uke Blue D evils; and Patriot League runner-up Bucknell upset Arizona in the N IT.

Waltripsets tourneyto boostbaseball

Spartans seek discipline before ISD Cupby Michael Sudhalter

[email protected]

West Point sophomore guard Milton Washington, a 2010 Waltrip High graduate, will return to Texas next weekend to face Texas A&M on Saturday, Dec. 29 and Houston Baptist on Saturday, Dec. 31. (Photo Courtesy of West Point)

Washington back to play in front of familyby Michael Sudhalter

[email protected]


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C O S M E T I C S & B O U T I Q U E

The details – most of them, anyway – made their way across Facebook and message boards literally while the manhunt occurred. O n M on-day, D ec. 17, H ouston Police cars and one of their helicopters hovered over an O ak Forest street, intent to catch a man later identifi ed as D ontrae C ampbell, 19.

Around 8:15 that night, C ampbell went to an apartment complex in the Thousand O aks area and allegedly held a 42-year-old man at gun-point, demanding his wallet and keys. According to H PD spokesman John C annon, the suspect left in the victim’s black 2001 Pontiac Sunfi re, which triggered the victim to quickly call police.

Not long after, an offi cer driving south on Ella spotted the very Pontiac in his rearview mirror, let the suspect pass him, and then quickly pulled him over. C ampbell, according to police, had oth-er ideas. Among his twists and turns in the stolen vehicle, the suspect did not stop for police, drove through a parking lot on O verhill Street, went the wrong way on Ella, and then attempted to ram a police car somewhere near the 4600 block of Ella where he allegedly succeeded in hitting an H PD cruiser.

The chase didn’t end there. C ampbell then turned onto M artin Street, turned again on H ewitt at a high rate of speed, eventually turned right on TC Jester, where he fi nally lost control of the car, according to C annon.

“That’s when the suspect ran toward the bay-ou, then crossed over TC Jester, and eventually, hopped a fence in the 220 block of D e M ilo where he hid in someone’s backyard,” C annon said.

O ne resident on that block detailed the experi-ence in real-time via a series of text messages to The Leader, starting with a note most residents likely shared with area friends.

“C razy number of cops – multiple patrol cars and a chopper at our street corner. Seems like a manhunt. Any idea what’s up?” read the text sent at 9:45 p.m.

According to C annon, H PD had brought in the helicopter during the chase, and by the time C ampbell fl ed on foot, the spotlight was already looking for the suspect.

That’s when the neighbor next requested ad-ditional information from The Leader. “Is it on TV?”

No, the chase did not air live, but H PD had set up a perimeter and with the three K-9 units on hand, it was only a matter of time.

At 10:18 p.m., the neighbor texted that the suspect was apparently cornered in a back yard on Brimberry. “Sounds like they may have just caught him.”

O nly a few minutes later came the next text. “They haven’t caught him; just have him on [in-frared] camera and cornered.”

That’s exactly what happened, according to C annon. O ne of the K-9s picked up the scent of the suspect, but that didn’t mean the chase was complete. At 10:38 p.m., the neighbor realized it might be a long night.

“Apparently they are expanding the area now? So [my wife] and I both have our .40s handy.”

After an hour of hearing a helicopter outside, it seemed natural that residents in the area grew more concerned by the minute. However, C annon said they never lost the scent of the suspect.

“When the K-9 got the scent, he stayed on him the entire time,” C annon said.

For residents locked up in their homes, there was no way to know, and that confusion was ap-parent by the next series of texts.

“C hopper shining light into backyard a few houses over; seems like they have someone pinned down,” the neighbor wrote.

O nly four minutes later, the next message showed the agony of the unknown.

“Apparently still looking – gonna be a long night.” That message was sent at 11:02 p.m.

According to C annon, it took 13 more minutes before the K-9 took the suspect into custody. In other words, the police dog locked his jaws on the suspect. By then the neighbor had downloaded the H ouston EM S app on his smart phone and

was following play-by-play with dozens of other neighbors.

“Suspect in custody, just came over the scan-ner,” wrote the neighbor. “The scanner says, ‘we need [H ouston Fire D epartment] for a, huh, ca-nine contact.’ Somebody got good and tore up.”

C annon didn’t go into specifi cs of the suspect’s injuries. H e did say that C ampbell was appre-hended hiding behind an air conditioning unit, where he had barricaded himself with sheets of heavy plastic.

The neighbor, who at one point armed himself and his wife during the event, was asked the next day what he thought of the event and if he felt communication from H PD was adequate. The answer likely refl ects the way most residents in the area felt.

“There’s not must else to say. The H PD com-munication was non-existent, but that’s fi ne – they obviously had more important things to worry about, and I wasn’t going to go get in the their way,” he wrote. “We just hunkered down, lis-tened to the police scanner, and watched events out the window.”

That’s exactly what C annon said residents should do, should they encounter a similar event.

“There are a lot of times when you may hear a helicopter,” C annon said. “That’s not unusual around here. But if you hear the helicopter for several minutes, that’s when curiosity usually gets the best of you. W hat we would not urge people to do, in that case, is to go walking around the area. And if you see a spotlight in your neigh-bor’s back yard, it’s probably a good idea to go ahead and stay indoors.”

While C annon obviously was stating the ob-vious, there were many people in the O ak For-est area who just couldn’t remain indoors as the manhunt ensued. Pictures from Facebook showed numerous people watching as C amp-bell was put in a patrol car. C ampbell has been charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, and aggravated assault against a public servant, according to C annon.

Early in the morning on D ecem-ber 15, 2012, over 40 volunteers, including boy scouts and scout leaders from troop 604, showed up at West 11th Street Park to spread what one volunteer called “a moun-tain of mulch.”

The mulch was delivered dur-ing the previous week by H ouston Parks and Recreation D epartment, as the fi rst step in a large tree re-planting effort around the neigh-borhood ball fi eld on the southwest corner of the park.

“If you’ve been to the park recent-ly, you know that the ball fi eld really suffered from the drought – nearly all of the big beautiful trees that shaded it are gone now, and it looks pretty barren out there,” said Lor-raine C herry, President of Friends of West 11th Street Park, the group that is spearheading the effort.

O n H ouston’s Arbor D ay, Janu-ary 26, the Friends will again be working with volunteers to plant about 250 saplings supplied by the city, and 10 larger trees that will be purchased through donations. The Friends will also be fundraising to have the trees watered by Trees for H ouston over the next two years until they get established.

The D ecember 15 event was de-voted to spreading som e 25 cubic yards of mulch over three beds that will be planted with new trees.

The Parks D epartment creates the mulch by recycling trees that were removed from city parks and espla-nades.

The mulch serves multiple pur-poses. Right now, it kills the grass underneath and drives m oisture down into the soil to make it easier to dig during the tree planting. Af-ter the trees are in, it will moderate the tem perature of the soil, keep moisture from evaporating, and in the long term, supply nutrients to the trees as it decom poses.

In addition to Scout Troop 604, volunteers came from Timbergrove M anor (both west and east of White O ak Bayou), Lazybrook, Shady Acres, and other neighboring com-munities. They made short work of distributing the mulch, completing the huge job in just over an hour and a half.

Friends of West 11th Street Park is a 501(c)(3) nonprofi t organiza-tion founded in 1999 and dedicated to the preservation, conservation, and appreciation of this “pocket wilderness” in the heart of H ous-ton.

Those wishing to donate to the tree re-planting effort or to edu-cational projects of the Friends can send contributions to: Friends of West 11th Street Park, P.O . Box 7679, Houston, TX 77270-7679. All donations are tax deductible.

Neighbors follow uncertainty of HPD chaseWatching a Manhunt

by Jonathan [email protected]

Volunteers disperse of mulch mountain

More than 40 volunteers helped spread new mulch at the West 11th St. Park.


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Get those pets pamperedLeader in search of the 5 cutest pets; stiff competition expected

It’s a pity the beloved pets in our neighbor-hoods go so unnoticed. Som etim es, it seem s they don’t get any attention at all.

C heck that. For som e of us, there’s nothing more loving than that sweet dog, sly cat or, um, quiet bird. And if folks in this community love their pets as much as it appears they do, The Leader fi gures it’s tim e to have a showdown. And what better time to do that than right after C hristmas, when some pets are more pampered than actual children?

With that, today we introduce Leader Love-ables, a contest that will nam e (based on your nominations and your votes) the fi ve cutest pets in The Leader’s coverage area.

C onsider this a sim ple introduction to the contest. Beginning in next week’s edition of The Leader, we’ll publish entry forms and tell you ex-actly how to subm it your pet for nom ination.

H ere are some of the general rules, just to get you prepared.

• Beginning with the Jan. 3 edition of The Leader, you will have the opportunity to submit a photo and a short description of your pet (30 words or less).

• It will cost $10 to nominate your pet, and we’ll provide you with a simple nomination form. (If you have more than one pet, you are welcome to pit Sylvester up against his brother Sm oky.)

• We will subm it nom inations of pets until

Tuesday, Jan. 15. That means you’ll only have two weeks to send in your nom inations.

• Beginning in the Jan. 19 edition of The Lead-er, we will publish the photo of every nominated pet, along with a ballot. (We also will have the photos posted on our website, www.thelead-ernews.com). Immediately after the ballots are published, we will begin accepting votes – one per day per person, and the ballot can be pho-tocopied.

• We will run all photos of the nominated pets

again in the Jan. 26 edition of The Leader and, again, we will publish a ballot for a second time.

• Votes will be accepted until M onday, Jan. 28.• We will publish the Top 5 Leader Loveables

for 2013 in the Feb. 2 edition of The Leader.So what will you get besides the pride of

knowing you have one of the fi ve cutest pets in the only area of town that m atters?

As of press time, we have 12 local businesses that will com bine to offer som e of the best pet gifts you can fi nd around. Am ong this year’s sponsors are: G retchen & Ivy’s Pet Sitting, Bone Voyage Pet Sitting, PetPals Pet Sitting, H aute D awgs M obile Pet Spa, Puddy C uts, D arlene’s Flowers and G ifts, Scoop le Poop Pet Waste Re-m oval Service, Royalty Pet C enter, Longhorn Feed & Seed, Harmony Electric C o., Arne’s Ware-house Store and The Leader.

As for gifts, the fi ve Leader Loveables (and their owners) will receive gifts such as free pet sitters, free pet walkers, gift certifi cates for pet waste rem oval, bowls, food, and assorted gift baskets, along with a 30-m inute photo shoot with a Leader photographer.

For now, it’s best pet owners just put this on their radars. And more important, get out those cameras during the holidays and make sure you have a great picture to submit of your Loveable. And check back next week for nomination forms and the rules for the contest.

OAK FOREST RUNNING CLUBKICK OFF6 p.m. Jan. 8 Oak Forest Chill3542 Oak Forest Dr.713-759-1133

The Oak Forest Running Club Kick Off will be at the Oak Forest Chill. It is sponsored by the Oak Forest Hom-eowners Association, Oak Forest Chill and Brothers Pizzeria. Runners must register for 10 runs before they can receive an Oak Forest Shirt. Call for information.

FRESHSTART TOBACCO CESSATION PROGRAM2-3 p.m. Fridays Jan. 4, 11, 18, 25Memorial Hermann NorthwestSouth Tower, Classroom C713-222-CARE

Start off the new year smoke free. This free program is a series of four classes. All classes are required to complete the program. Call to register.

FUN4SENIORS SEEKING ACTORS/VOL-UNTEERS 5 p.m. Jan. 5; 6 p.m. Jan. 9; 10 a.m. Jan. [email protected]

Fun4Seniors, a nonprofi t organiza-

tion through Harris County Precinct 4’s Senior Adult Program, is delighted to announce Shakespeare in the Shade Trees. This program is supported by Lone Star College-Tomball. Actors and volunteers are needed for a presenta-tion of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 12, at the Performing Arts Center at Lone Star College-Tomball located at 30555 Tomball Parkway #102, 77375.

Auditions for acting positions will be held at the locations and times listed below.

• Saturday, Jan. 5 at Texas Repertory Theater, 14243 Stuebner Airline from noon to 5 p.m.

• Wednesday, Jan. 9 at Mangum-Howell Community Center, 2500 Frick Road from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

• Saturday, Jan. 12 at St. Pius X High School, 811 West Donavan Street from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Regardless of skill level, there is a place for everyone. Administrative assistants, costumers, prop builders, set designers, and more are needed. Contact producer Judy Frow for in-formation. For information regarding Shakespeare in the Shade Trees, please call 281-893-3726 or visit www.hcp4.net/senioradult/shakespeare.

Mohawks to Highlights

THE CALENDAR.

On display at Sinclair Elementary last week at their fall GT EXPO was a living wax museum, a Kinex project that highlighted student’s work with simple machines and power point presentations covering everything from the solar system to ancient forms of money. In keeping with the communica-tions magnet theme, students were also on hand to discuss and answer any questions parents and community visitors may have about their projects.

Learning with their Hands

Send calendar items to [email protected] publish as many as we can, and we tend to use this space for

non-profi t organizations in our community.

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Kojak’s Café

I was driving down Brinkm an after dropping a child off at school when I saw a pickup truck with trash bags in the back. “It looks like it could be yard waste,” I thought to myself. I followed the truck, which turned onto the street my neighbor lives on and stopped in front of his house. I got out and asked Keith Koski if I could have the yard waste. Yeah, I know it is crazy to do som e of the things I do.

Keith Koski works at the city of H ouston Reuse Warehouse on M ain Street. The Reuse Warehouse is a place where contractors can take used building materials. Non-profi t organizations can go to the Reuse Warehouse and select items that they might need for building and m aintenance projects.

So Keith followed me over to my house, and I unloaded the bags of leaves. I hope they are free of ants, animal waste, and trash. Someone had mistakenly taken them to the reuse warehouse. And Keith was just taking them hom e to use in his gardens. I had been wanting for m onths to acquire som e yard waste. I do not own a truck. I really don’t want to put yard waste in my car since the new compostable bags fall apart so easily.

I gave Keith som e lem ons, a clum p of lem on grass, and a bor-age seedling for his trouble. I’ll run over the leaves with a lawnmower to chop them into little bits. I might even head over to one of the local

bat colonies to collect some guano. G uano is easy to collect and light-weight. I don’t mind putting bags of guano in the trunk of the car as it does not create a mess in the truck.

The soil in H ouston is truly a challenge unless it is amended with organic m aterial. Yard waste and kitchen scraps mixed with manure make wonderful compost. My wife said once that I would not even have a garden if I could not m ake

compost. I am not a horticultural expert, but,I do know the value of a bag of yard waste.

So the next time you have a yard full of leaves and don’t know what to do, get out the mower. Run over the leaves to chop them into small bits. N ext get a containm ent de-vice. I have used pallets, welded wire, bricks, and even bags of yard waste.

O nce you have an area set up that

is about 4 foot square, place the leaves in and sprinkle them with water as you pile them . Add vege-table material from your kitchen or some restaurant in your area. You could even head over to the polo fi elds near Memorial Park. I believe they will allow you to bag up some horse manure. Another place to ac-

quire manure is the H ouston Police D epartment mounted patrol head-quarters at 5005 Little York Road. I do have fond memories of standing in the dum pster over there when they were located on the West Loop. A 92-degree summer day, standing in a dum pster full of sweepings from horse stalls, is truly an un-

forgettable experience. You could, of course, just buy com post – but where is the fun in that?

Dennis Woodward is a resident of Shepherd Park Plaza, a home

gardener, and a reforester ofpublic lands in his community.

Life is both precious and unpredict-able, and G arden O aks photographer Jayne M altbie knows this as well as anyone.

In 2008 she received a call from expect-ant m other M ichelle VanW inkle. M alt-bie was a volunteer photographer for the American C hild Photographers C harity G uild, which provides its services to fami-lies in need, including those who will most likely experience the loss of their baby. Van-Winkle’s daughter had received a diagnosis of Trisomy 18 in utero. M ost children with the chromosomal disorder are stillborn, or only survive for a few hours or days.

“I had to have an emergency C -section,” said VanW inkle. “Jayne was on call for us and spent hours in the recovery room. She was very quiet and let us have our tim e with Addison. We didn’t know if we’d get to take her hom e.”

At the time, M altbie remembers think-ing, “I don’t know how they do it.”

Then in June of that year, her 3-year old daughter Emma was diagnosed with Ep-endymoma, a rare brain cancer. In the last fi ve years, she has endured six operations to remove recurrent tumors as well as ad-ditional surgeries and two rounds of radia-tion.

Both M altbie and husband M ike have learned to lean on their faith. “W hen you are faced with som ething like this, either you have faith or you go the opposite way,” M altbie said. “It has strengthened m e.”

In addition, it brought new purpose to her photography work, something that has always been a passion for her.

With a BA in television production from the University of H ouston, M altbie had an eye for image. H er photography skills are m ostly self-taught.

“I had Em m a around the sam e tim e about eight of my friends were having their

fi rst kids,” she said. “I started taking pic-tures of all of them .”

In 2005 M altbie started a photography business and through her professional net-works connected with charitable organiza-tions which link families and sick children with photographers who want to help free of charge. She gets referrals from friends and clients and has also offered her services to patients she m eets at Texas C hildren’s.

Although many of the children she pho-tographs have a short tim e left with their

families, M altbie strives to help them live in the m om ent during her sessions.

“No matter what I’m shooting, I work to make every occasion happy,” said M altbie. “I want them to forget what’s going on and let them just be a happy fam ily.”

Recently, she joined with another pho-tographer in the area, Kari N oser, to form Lot Five Studios. In addition to fam ily portraiture, N oser has a lot of experience with adults and weddings and M altbie with kids, so together they are a good fi t. This

year they have concentrated on children, handling the school pictures for G arden O aks Elementary, D urham Elementary and St. Rose of Lim a C atholic School.

“We did them all in a three week span. It was crazy but also such a pleasure,” M altbie said.

In addition to their paid work, they have done joint volunteer photography for Friends of Saint Jude in H ouston and G reater C lear Lake Fam ilies Exploring D own Syndrom e (G C LFED S).

M altbie also thinks about starting an organization which would focus on offer-ing free portraiture of children with cancer. Emma is still at Texas C hildren’s H ospital twice a week for therapy and M altbie en-counters numerous families in the middle of the sam e fi ght.

“I see what these children go through – the effects of surgery and the defi cits they have to deal with because of it. G etting pictures is oftentimes the last thing people want to think about, but it is som ething they can hold on to.”

M altbie is a passionate advocate for childhood cancer research, since the N a-tional C ancer Institute only gives four per-cent of funds to childhood cancer. “Eventu-ally they will fi nd new cures and treatments and it should be sooner rather than later,” said M altbie.

Em m a has now been tum or free for 18 months and the eight year old is currently enjoying second grade and her G irl Scout troop as well as her younger brother and sister.

“M ike and I said in the beginning that we were going to give her a normal life and treat her like anybody else,” said M altbie, “and that’s what we are doing to the best of our ability.”

VanWinkle still looks often at the photos M altbie shot for her fi ve years ago. Addi-son lived for another fi ve months after her birth, so there were other photos. But Van-W inkle is partial to the fi rst ones taken.

“They might have been all we had. I will cherish them always.”

As a gift, M altbie also cam e to photo-graph the birth of VanW inkle’s second daughter Avery, who is now two and knows about her big sister in H eaven.

For any thanks she might receive, Jayne is clear about what drives her.

“I’m not a hero. Emma is. She has such a wonderful outlook on life and a great heart. She really is my inspiration.”


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• Hand-selected Wines from around the world •

Happy Hour 3-7 pmOver 50 wines by the glass

with this coupon. Limit 2 per 2 people, Must be accompanied with food.

by Betsy [email protected]

Life truly inspires art, charity, for Jayne Maltbie

Jayne Maltbie’s children are among her favorite subjects to photograph. This is one recent family portrait.

Falling leaves are a good indicator that it’s time to build a compost pileby Dennis Woodward

For The Leader

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