Notable Natives
Famous (and infamous) People From Oak Cliff

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"William J. Garrett,  TEXAS AGGIES: TRUE TO EACH OTHER by William J. Garrett, A&M Class of 1947, Sunset High, Class of 1943. Book for sale by the Corps of Cadets Assn, Texas A&M.   This is a story of Fish Garrett arriving at Texas A&M during the war years as his class and those upperclassmen on campus that Spring of 1943 who spent time preparing for the call to arms. The A&M campus had turned into a military base of its own training 25,000 enlisted men of the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Corps.  His story be gins his senior year at Sunset High recalling all those Sunset High and Adamson High graduates packing up to ride the Sunbeam from Downtown Dallas's Union Station to College Station. Recollections include Goble Bryan,and Monte Moncrief who starred in the T exas State High School Football Championship game in the Fall of 1942, and then played in the Kiddie Korps for A&M in the Sugar Bowl a year later. The stories of 13 classmates are told; those who died on the way to or in the Battle of the Bulge, or on Iwo Jima, or in attacking Japan before  the A-Bomb ended the conflict. Stories told for the first time in 60 years, and closes with the contributions of those Aggies of the war years at A&M who lived to accomplish extraordinary feats in their livetimes. The au thor lived all but two years of his life in Oak Cliff except for the time at A&M, including the past 6 years."

"Ralph Gary, a SOC grad wrote Following in Lincoln's Footsteps: A Complete Annotated Reference to Hundreds of Historical Sites Visited by Abraham Lincoln"

"The Aggie's 12th MAN -- E. King Gill, who played for the Texas A&M Aggies in 1922, was not suited up for the post season play. But when the coach needed him in a game (The Dixie Classic, played in Dallas), he came out of the stands to replace an injured p layer, suited up, and stood ready to enter the game -- although he never actually played, the Aggies went on to win in an upset over Centre College and the readiness of King is remembered to this day. That player, E. King Gill, was a W. H. Adamson High Sch ool (then Oak Cliff High) graduate. A&M fans remember this event by standing on their feet the entire football game --  ready to take to the field if needed. Gill was also an All-SWC basketball player in 1923. A statue was erected in Gil's honor on the A&M campus. Gill became a physician and practiced in Corpus Christi, Texas."

"Don 'Tiny' Goss of Sunset played professional football for both Cleveland and the New York Giants."

"Tom C. Greer is an award-winning children's author who lives in Oak Cliff.  He is a veteran educator as well and loves visiting schools and libraries in Dallas area."

"Jimmy Hampton -- Born in Oklahoma City, July 9, 1936. Grew up in Dallas, Texas, (Adamson alum) where father owned and operated cleaners. Two brothers; Blake, an artist living in Connecticut, and Dan, a rodeo clown. Star of Stage and movies. Best Actor Awa rd, U.S. Armed Forces European Command. Starred in Academy Award nominated short subject, 'The Cliffdwellers'. Alumnus of the Year, 1980, University of North Texas. Golden Globe nomination for 'Most Promising Newcomer' for the part of "Caretaker" in 'The L ongest Yard', 1972. WHO's Who since 1971. Bronze Halo Award for 'Hawmps'."

For more information: http://www.f-troop.net/james_hamptons_biography.htm

"Roy Hargrove -- Grammy award winning trumpet player and Keith Loftis jazz artist that played with Ray Charles. Anthony Evans is a Christian recording artist 2nd CD his dad is the pastor at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. Earl Lucas is a designer for Ford Moto r Co. James Clay was a jazz legend."

"Brenda (Brodnax) Hayward (Adamson '59) was a Head Leopardette and chosen the first 'Miss Teenage America' in Atlanta, Georgia in 1958. She grew up at 1209 South Marsalis near the Dallas Zoo and moved to Chicago in 1966 where she was a top photography and television model for ten years. In 1976 she moved to Southern California where she has been active as a real estate broker in the development of the exclusive community of Fairbanks Ranch in San Diego County. She is the music director of her church choir a nd childrens' bell choir and has been the organist for many years. She was president of the San Diego Chamber Orchestra Guild (2000 to 2002) and is a professional photographer, magazine editor and custom greeting card designer. She can be reached at bhywd@ cox.net."

"Michael Hinojosa graduated from Sunset High School.  He also taught at Adamson High School from 1982 to 1986."

"Karol Ann Hoeffner - (1950-) Prolific screenwriter -- has written several television movies and shows (Remington Steele, Palomino, Making of a Hollywood Madam, etc.) from 1984 to the present. She attended Daniel Webster, T. J. Browne, and Justin F. Kimbal l. Her father was a principal at Clara Oliver Elementary, Atwell, and Carter."

"Mark Housewright, Kimball 1966, Owner/Publisher "Oak Cliff Tribune", Dallas City Council"

"Ray Wylie Hubbard (Born 1946) was a leading figure of the progressive country movement of the 1970s. Heremains best known for authoring the  anthem "Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother." Born in 1946 in Soper, Oklahoma, Hubbard and his family moved to Dal las during the mid-1950s. He teamed up with a fellow aspiring musician Michael Martin Murphey. Hubbard later formed a trio named Three Faces West which regularly performed at the Outpost club in Red River, New Mexico."

For more information: http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/hubbard_ray_wylie/artist.jhtml

"Don January (1929-) Professional Golfer. He won 10 PGA Tour titles and won his first senior event in 1980 in Atlantic City. Played on the golf team at Sunset and graduated in 1947."

"Rudy 'MVP Tutor' Jaramillo attended and played baseball for Sunset High School and went on to play for the University of Texas and enjoyed a brief minor league career. He is now considered one of the best hitting coaches in baseball. With the Rangers sinc e 1994."

"Linda Jones- freelance writer and media consultant- has been a resident of North Oak Cliff for 10 years. She is author of 'Nappyisms: Affirmations for Nappy-Headed People and Wannabes!' The book is one of several projects under the group she founded calle d A Nappy Hair Affair, Inc., which promotes African American culture and identity. The humor-based book caught the attention of former NPR radio talk show host Tavis Smiley who featured it on his show. Linda, former feature writer for the Dallas Morning Ne ws, has used hair as a device in her writing to get to the "root" of cultural and social issues. The stories she wrote about Texas big hair, women with hairy legs and the men who love them, "braid raids," and the stigma attached to nappy hair, have sparke d lively conversation and attracted national media attention. Her essay about A Nappy Hair Affair appears in the anthology 'Tenderheaded: A Comb-Bending Collection of Hair Stories' and her reporting appears in the book 'Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America.' Linda is also owner of ManeLock Communications which provides professional writing, media and diversity consulting services."

For more information: www.nappyhairaffair.com