Notable Natives
Famous (and infamous) People From Oak Cliff

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"Sheryl Stamps Leach -- Sheryl graduated from Kimball in 1971. She is the creator of the Barney the Dinosaur character that is the idol of millions of kids worldwide. She received an honorary Doctorate from Texas A&M-Commerce in 2000. 'Children are more di vine than we are. They're closer to that spark of the Divine. They think anything is possible and they can do anything...we want to keep that spark alive.' -Sheryl Leach"

"Kara Lennox, a.k.a. Karen Leabo, has written more than 40 novels of romance and romantic suspense for both Harlequin/Silhouette and Bantam-Dell.  Before her career in romance, Kara was an art director, typesetter, textbook editor and freelance nonfiction writer with hundreds of magazine articles under her byline.  She's worked at a boutique, a health club and an ad agency.  She's been an antiques dealer and even a blackjack dealer.  But no work has made her happier than writing romance novels. When not wri ting, Kara indulges in an ever-changing array of weird hobbies. (Her latest passions are treasure hunting and creating mosaics.) She loves to hear from readers. "

For more information: www.karalennox.com

"Basketball Hall of Fame member Nancy Lieberman (Native New Yorker who was an All American at Old Dominion and first player drafted in the Women's Professional Basketball League/by the Dallas Diamonds in the late 1970s) lived in the Kessler area of Oak Cli ff while single then later with  her husband former semi-pro player Tim Cline. She was the first woman in basketball to have her own signature shoe contract and was the first true female professional basketball player. She later coached in the NWBA and was color commentator on TV coverage of women's basketball for two or three different Olympics. Also toured one or two years with the Harlem Globetrotters as their first female player who, of course, played for the New Jersey Generals. Now divorced and lives in Frisco with her son."

"Mike Livingston - Graduated from SOC in 1964.  Mike lettered in football, baseball, basketball and track all three years of high school for a total of twelve letters. He played football at SMU and went on to quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs from 196 8 to 1979."

"Richard Mabry, MD, is the author of The Tender Scar: Life After The Death Of A Spouse, as well as having written or edited a number of medical textbooks. He lived in Oak Cliff while in medical school at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and after specialty training in ear, nose and throat, practiced in Oak Cliff, and later in Duncanville, for 26 years, before becoming a professor at the same medical school from which he graduated. He has written two novels, both of which are under active consideration by publishers."

For more information: www.rmabry.com

"Dan Malone, Kimball H.S. '73 shared  a Pulitzer Prize for investigating reporting while at the Dallas Morning News. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.  Malone now teaches reporting classes at the University of North Texas."

"Paul Mansfield graduated from Sunset in 1946 and was Jayne Manfield's first husband.  Jayne graduated from Highland Park HS."

"Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Harvey Martin, (South Oak Cliff High School, 1969) once a Super Bowl MVP, died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 51 in 2001. Part of the famed Dallas Cowboy's Doomsday Defense under coach Tom Landry, Martin played 11 s easons with the Cowboys from 1973-83 and earned four Pro Bowl trips. He remains the Cowboys' leader in all-time sacks with 113."

"Kenyon Martin – All-star forward in the NBA lived in Oak Cliff and attended Tyler Street Christian Academy -- during the ’93-’94 when Tyler Street won the state championship.  He transferred to Bryan Adams High School then to  the University of Cincinnati .  He recently signed with the Denver Nuggets."

"Jerry Mays, Played Tackle and End for Kansas City Chiefs from 1961-70, Superbowl Championship team graduated from Sunset and attened Southern Methodist University. He died in 1994. "A six-time AFL All-Star, Jerry Mays was selected to the All-Star team at two different positions: at defensive tackle in 1962 and 1964, and at defensive end in 1965 through 1968." He is a member of the American League Football Hall of Fame."

"George Robert Phillips McFarland ("Spanky" of Little Rascal fame) was born at Methodist Central on October 2, 1928. He became "Spanky" at the age of 3 at the Hal Roach Studios. I was contacted last year by a company placing memorabilia at the new Oak Cli ff Applebee's on Illinois. They wanted pictures of Spank for their Home Town Hero area of the restaurant. I supplied these and the display is wonderful, altho the bio information has some mis information we are getting corrected. For instance, we are no t Jewish. Spank was my oldest brother. Tommy was born 2 years later here in Dallas and then I was born in California in 1940. Our youngest brother, Rod, was born in CA. in 1944. Rod and I both live in Cedar Hill. If you want pictures and an accurate b io of Spanky please let me know. Of course, our family believes he is one of Oak Cliff's most famous. By the way, our grandmother's home was next door to what is today the Texas Theatre. Info provided by Amanda McFarland Hall"

"C. C. Miller -- Principal of Sunset in the Mid 50's. He  passed away at the age of 101."

"Belita Moreno, whose mother taught Spanish at Kimball and who graduated from there in 1967 has appeared on a number of TV shows and stars on the George Lopez Show and formerly on Perfect Strangers."

"Lewis Mullins, aka Skipper Mullins was raised in Oak Cliff.  He graduated from Justin F. Kimball High School. He won seven World Karate Championships, worked with Chuck Norris on Walker, Texas Ranger and is a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame."

"Michael Martin Murphy -- Called 'Today's Best Selling Singing Cowboy' graduated from Adamson High School (1963). He also attended North Texas and UCLA. He currently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Music and American Studies at Utah State University, spe cializing in songwriting from a cultural and historic perspective. His first professional venue was 'The Rubiayat' on McKinney Avenue and his first album was Geronimo's Cadillac."

For more information: http://www.michaelmartinmurphey.com/

"Jack Nance graduated feom SOC in 1962.  He was the lead actor in David Lynch's 'Eraserhead.' He played in all of David's films except 'Elephant Man' up to the time of his death in 1996.  Jack attended North Texas State Univ. He also studied acting at the Dallas Theater Center. Jack's biographical documentary film was released in 2001 titled 'I Don't Know Jack' and has won a number of Film Festival Awards, including Best Actor(Jack Nance), five years after his untimely death."

"Josephine Oliver (Class of '26), neighbor and student of Frank Reaugh, was a concert violinist and played with the Dallas Symphony.  She is a noted water colorist and her work will be featured at the Valley House Gallery (Carter Museum) in Ft. Worth in Ap ril, 2007.  She was also Miss Dallas in 1927 in a sort of Miss America  pageant."

"Rob Preece is the electronic publisher of www.booksforabuck.com and has written a number of romance and mystery novels available on the web. A full-time author and book reviewer, Rob is also a black-belt in Tae Kwon Do and a student of Jujitsu. His novel, ONE HANDSOME DEVIL is currently among the top sellers."

For more information: www.booksforabuck.com

"Ray Price -- Country Music Star known as the 'Cherokee Cowboy' -- Born Nobel Ray Price in Perryville, Texas in 1926, Ray attended Boude Storey Junior High School in Oak Cliff. Number one music hits include 'For the Good Times,' 'I Won't Mention It Again,' 'She's Got to Be a Saint,' and 'You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me.' He was inducted into Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996."

"Hank Price is a 1963 graduate of Adamson High School married to Martha Campbell, a 1964 Adamson grad. While attending Adamson, Hank had the lead in musical productions such as 'The Merry Widow.'  He was part of a popular Oak Cliff folk band, The Kingsmen, along with Michael Martin Murphy and Tom McGown (deceased), both Adamson graduates. The Kingsmen played for Adamson assemblies on a regular basis. After graduating from Adamson in 1963, Hank earned his B.A. in music at the University of North Texas.  He l ater studied at the American Opera Center of Julliard School of Music and earned a D.M.A. at Claremont Graduate School.  Hank’s wife, Martha, graduated from Adamson in 1964.  The two have one son, Henry, IV, who also is in the music field. Hank is presentl y a professor of music at Pepperdine University in California.  He also teaches Stage Direction and Musical Direction in the Flora Thorton Opera Program. In 1978 Hank won a GRAMMY award for best opera recording.  Listed below are some of his accomplishment s:  leading tenor with major opera companies and symphony orchestras in America and abroad including: New York City Opera, Miami Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Milwaukee Florentine Opera, Opera Memphis, Fort Worth Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Metropolitan Opera at the Forum, Opera Puerto Rico, Winnipeg Opera, Landes Theater Linz ( Austria), Städtische Bühnen Mainz (Germany), New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Handel Festival at Kennedy Center, Dallas Symphon y and others.  Hank has earned many other honors during his career. (He is not related to other 'Price' country western singers.) -- info from Shirley McCann Gee (Adamson 1964)"

"Ken Pritchett -- graduated 1956 from Sunset.  He is a builder known all across the country and has served as President of the National Home Builders Association, the Dallas Home Builders Assoc, as well as the Duncanville Home Builders Assoc."