For every story published in the Advocate magazine, photographers shoot dozens of pictures, and reporters scribble sundry side notes. Only a fraction of the work makes it to the page. The idea of all those fascinating tidbits that never see the light of day can be depressing — and no one wants to start off the New Year despondent over deleted content.
We give you the cream of the previously unpublished crop.
The Flagship Detroit DC (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)
In flight, November
In September, Advocate photo editor Danny Fulgencio took a 45-minute joyride on Flagship Detroit, the oldest flying DC-3 in the world. From the plane, he snapped pictures of our neighborhood and helped a crew of local school children celebrate Girls in Aviation Day. We published two photos in our November issue and a slew of others on our blog, but one picture was not released — until now. This shot features Helen Adair, a docent at the Frontiers of Flight Museum. If her face looks familiar, it’s probably because she appeared in a previous issue of Preston Hollow Advocate. In 2012, Adair spoke to us about her experience as a flight attendant with Braniff Airlines back when flying was still glamorous in the 1950s and 1960s. She occasionally worked on the very same DC-3 plane pictured here, which may explain her look of pure nostalgia.
Jenny Grumbles (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)
Garbage collector, March
“Storage Wars Texas” star and Preston Hollow resident Jenny Grumbles loves junk. She scours thrift stores, roadsides and repossessed storage units for trash that — with a little bit of elbow grease and a few coats of paint — she turns into treasure. Given her penchant for garbage, the McCommas Bluff Landfill seemed like the perfect place for a photo shoot. But convincing the City of Dallas to let us stomp around one of its landfills with cameras wasn’t so easy. Advocate photo editor Danny Fulgencio called the Sanitation Services department and remembers pleading, “I’m not a muckraker … All I want is to take a beautiful photo of a beautiful woman in a landfill.” His wish was granted. (It helped that the assistant director with whom he spoke has a journalist daughter and was sympathetic to his plight.)
Michelle Staubach Grimes (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)
Chutes and ladders, August
Michelle Staubach Grimes may be the daughter of one of Dallas Cowboy’s most beloved quarterbacks but she doesn’t take herself too seriously. When Advocate photographer Rasy Ran asked her to climb into a laundry chute, she was happy to oblige. After all, laundry chutes play a pivotal role in her first children’s book, “Where is Pidge?” which we wrote about in August. Though adorable, this picture didn’t make it to print because Ran felt the dog, who inspired one of the characters in Grimes’ story, looked disinterested. Point taken. He’s clearly unimpressed by the cameras.
Left: Heidi Dillon and LeeAnne Locken; Center: John Tesar; Right: Arnie Verbeek (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)
Real talk, October
Our reality TV issue proved timely. A few short weeks after its release, Bravo announced The Real Housewives franchise was coming to Dallas. Though the cast is still top secret (as of press time), many media outlets speculate we’ll be seeing a lot more of our cover girls LeeAnne Locken and Heidi Dillon. We’re confident they’ll make for great TV. They effortlessly speak their minds. The ladies quickly trashed the $10 sparkling wine we poured them as “total shit” and dished on Preston Hollow gossip. Yet they were down to earth. Locken even admitted “If you put a glass of champagne in front of me, I’m going to drink it” with a laugh.
John Tesar’s reputation precedes him. He’s known for slamming restaurant critics on Twitter, throwing drunken temper tantrums and failing to show up to Advocate photo shoots. But our photo editor Danny Fulgencio says snapping pictures of Tesar couldn’t have been easier: “He was very gregarious and we talked about everything — fatherhood, surfing, all of that.” Phew!
Arnie Verbeek, Preston Hollow resident and owner of Maple Avenue Boxing Gym, arrived at our office with props — an impressive collection of rare boxing gloves. This pair by Louis Vuitton, one of only seven sold in the United States, didn’t make it into our October issue, but they begged to be shared.
Maya Elia (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)
Jumping for elephants, April
Our story about Maya Elia was one of our best read this year. It’s easy to see why — Elia is a remarkable young lady. At only 16 years old, she runs a successful charity. Elepants donates 100 percent of proceeds from its sale of harem pants to the Thai Elephant Conservation Center. Since its inception, the nonprofit has raised several thousand dollars for the cause. But in spite of her success, the Urusline Academy of Dallas student remains youthful. Advocate photographer Rasy Ran caught Elia jumping playfully on her bed during this photo shoot. Elephant knickknacks, of course, decorate the foreground.
