Ft Worth

Ft Worth, Texas was very good to me for a very long time.  After renting for less than 6 months, we bought a three bedroom brick house on Wales.  Where Wales ended at Trail Lake, we had a shopping center anchored by a Kroger Super Market. From then until the end of an era, we shopped in that center.  Everything you needed could be found somewhere in that center.  7-11, a meat market, a cleaners, a dry goods store, a bar, a restaurant, a drug store, a Good Year Store, and of course Bernie's Burgers.(short for Bernstein).

Before some guy named McDonald came along, Texas was king of the burger franchise. There were at least three guys who worked in that business who lived within a mile. Blood (the type you give) was my only bond with Bernie.  I gave blood when Bernie was in the hospital and never paid for a burger after that without a fight.  I remember trying to dance at his daughters wedding (Jewish). I can only say that Bernie had to have liked me because I never could dance.  

I became a member of the Jewish Community Center, bought a 17 foot boat, coached flag football, basket ball, swam every weekend during the summer, played racket ball, won the state championship in paddle ball while partnered with an agent from the FBI, and met Charlie Hillard a Ford Dealer. My second job by then was in advertising.  After one of many ads, he became King Charlie Hillard.  I bought one or two company cars from Charlie, but nothing personal.. The only other advertising clients I remember were Tandy Corp.and an FM radio station. For a while, I raced outboard boats on Lake Dallas then later on a lake near Denton. I also drove my very first hydroplane. 
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I taught all three of our children how to swim, then to water ski on Benbrook Lake and we camped by the lake almost every weekend during the summer.  Someone who worked for Sinclair Oil gave us a canoe so both boats went with us to the lake.  I learned to sail on Lake Worth and in the process met Buddy Champlain who owned Champlain Oil & Refining Co in Enid, Okla. I can't recall the person who actually taught me to sail but he worked for Buddy.

The Leonard Brothers owned a Department Store in downtown Ft Worth. They also started Shady Oaks Country Club because the "establishment" wouldn't let Jews belong to a "traditional" country club. As you might guess, Ben Hogan was the pro. I joined Colonial Golf & Country Club (a traditional club) and followed Arnold Palmer around the golf course every spring from then on as a part of Arnie's Army.  Don Leonard became a judge and Lon Evans was elected Tarrant County Sheriff with my help. Unlike today, both men remembered who brought them to the dance. My favorite steak house was "The Farmer's Daughter" my favorite Tex-Mex Restaurant was called El Chico's.  My children went almost every place I did.  They were well behaved so it was a pleasure to take them anywhere. They also managed to go to the Zoo which I think was in Forest Park and ride the trains.