Today brought a brush with history. It was totally unexpected. RaeRay is settled in at a Fairfield by Marriott on the northern fringe of Dallas. This is the first real chance to relax and really digest the surroundings.
My reason for coming to Dallas was to relive a brief span in my life when I would drive from Chapel Hill, NC, to Farmer’s Branch, TX, for weekends. I had a sister, Luanne Kaylor Hays, living here, and she loved my visits. That was in the early 1970s. I had planned to move near her after college, but she died in 1972. Her funeral had been my last visit to Dallas. On this trip, I would drive up Marsh Lane to her old neighborhood. I wanted nothing more than to see her old home, and I would be on my way.
I did make one call, though, to a couple who had known her well during her early 20s. He was a judge who helped during a difficult period in her life, and his wife managed to find her a government job. They became her family while she was far from home. They love her almost as much as we did.
When I called, the judge and his wife invited us to join them for dinner. They waited while we spent a helpless hour in traffic 100 miles away. Although we were strangers, they gave us a Texas welcome. They took us to Woodfire Kirby’s on Greenville Avenue, where the valets gave us red-carpet treatment and the judge’s table was waiting.
The judge is the Honorable Joe B. Brown, Jr., who was waiting with his wife Nell at a luncheon for President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie on November 22, 1963. As a Justice of the Peace in Dallas, Judge Brown signed various search warrants during the murder investigation of suspect Lee Harvey Oswald and his killer, Jack Ruby. What’s more, Judge Joe B. Brown, Sr., presided over the Jack Ruby trial.
My reason for coming to Dallas was to relive a brief span in my life when I would drive from Chapel Hill, NC, to Farmer’s Branch, TX, for weekends. I had a sister, Luanne Kaylor Hays, living here, and she loved my visits. That was in the early 1970s. I had planned to move near her after college, but she died in 1972. Her funeral had been my last visit to Dallas. On this trip, I would drive up Marsh Lane to her old neighborhood. I wanted nothing more than to see her old home, and I would be on my way.
I did make one call, though, to a couple who had known her well during her early 20s. He was a judge who helped during a difficult period in her life, and his wife managed to find her a government job. They became her family while she was far from home. They love her almost as much as we did.
When I called, the judge and his wife invited us to join them for dinner. They waited while we spent a helpless hour in traffic 100 miles away. Although we were strangers, they gave us a Texas welcome. They took us to Woodfire Kirby’s on Greenville Avenue, where the valets gave us red-carpet treatment and the judge’s table was waiting.
The judge is the Honorable Joe B. Brown, Jr., who was waiting with his wife Nell at a luncheon for President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie on November 22, 1963. As a Justice of the Peace in Dallas, Judge Brown signed various search warrants during the murder investigation of suspect Lee Harvey Oswald and his killer, Jack Ruby. What’s more, Judge Joe B. Brown, Sr., presided over the Jack Ruby trial.
Our visit with Judge Brown and Nell alternated between their own esteemed experiences and their love for my late sister. We had a wonderful meal at Woodfire, and Morgan and I parted from the Browns on Day 2 of RaeRay’s Great Adventure feeling as if we had added two new members to our family.
A note for Jay Leno:
Devoted fans know that one of the host’s favorite guests on “The Tonight Show” is Terry Bradshaw. Leno always enjoys making fun of the NFL Hall of Fame quarterback.
Well, RaeRay’s Great Adventure discovered the Terry Bradshaw Passway in Shreveport, LA. It is a quick sprint connecting two Interstate highways.
The highway department must have named the road for Bradshaw’s IQ. It runs between I-20 and 49.
A note for Jay Leno:
Devoted fans know that one of the host’s favorite guests on “The Tonight Show” is Terry Bradshaw. Leno always enjoys making fun of the NFL Hall of Fame quarterback.
Well, RaeRay’s Great Adventure discovered the Terry Bradshaw Passway in Shreveport, LA. It is a quick sprint connecting two Interstate highways.
The highway department must have named the road for Bradshaw’s IQ. It runs between I-20 and 49.
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