How To Cook For Kids

Saturday morning, the sky was clear and a cool 70 degrees, what a wonderful day to dedicate the Dave Andres Ballpark. Apparently Mayor Leppert and Dr. Hinojosa agreed - they were there as was former Lt. Governor (Maryland) Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, because the ballpark was at the John F. Kennedy Learning Center down where Henderson meets Ross. The program lasted 1 1/2 hours, or about five good cries - there's a lot that's honorable and "American" in baseball and it all was mentioned.

So impressive was Carolina Leon, JFKLC's amazing principal, and future star 5th grader Stephanie Jaramillo, who gets credit for one of my cries with her speech. Jack Lowe, Dr. Hinojosa, Adam Medrano, Dale Petroskey and Ms. Townsend all had very nice things to say and the school choir sang the school song. Marc Andres, son of Dave, and his mother get credit for another cry when they spoke of Dave's passion for baseball and kids and Dallas. But three cry credits go to the young man who invited me, the one who worked to build the field, someone I've known since he was a kindergartener, Greenhill senior Paul Stanley.

Paul was one of the kids in my earlier post about cub scouts, and his mom was one of my fellow den mothers, we've had lots of fun watching these boys grow up. Paul may not have made the Eagle rank in scouts, but he made it in his heart by completing this project of bringing a quality baseball field to a school located in a low income neighborhood. He acknowledged that he was overwhelmed by the response of his Dallas community, kind of an "Ask it, and they will give", take on his dream of a field. Raising almost $60,000 of money well spent, Paul took it beyond construction, arranging a partnership with the Texas Rangers to "team up" for future baseball clinics.

Paul has obviously learned how to cook for others but I don't think "Chef" will be a word in his future as he heads off to college. I only hope "Dallas", is.