2018’s Five Fierce Females of Preston Hollow

Photo by Danny Fulgencio

Clarice Tinsley of Strait Lane is a TV anomaly: She’s worked as an anchor for KDFW (CBS and FOX) for nearly 40 years. In a business that cycles through reporters, Tinsley has staying power. She won a Peabody in 1984 for “A Call for Help,” problems with the Dallas 911 emergency system. She’s covered the fall of the Berlin Wall, Operation Desert Storm and a fire in Dubai when she was there to celebrate her birthday. An on-the-air mainstay, Tinsley shares her life with husband, Stephen Giles.

Why she loves her job: It’s a service profession. We give people information every day, and that’s so important.

Who inspires her: My parents gave my sister and me a strong work ethic. I’m from Detroit. Detroiters have a fierce work ethic. In the news business, it’s not 9 to 6. You work as long as the story requires. When I started in 1975 in Milwaukee, I was not the first woman to work in that newsroom. I wasn’t the first woman or the first black person to be on the air in that newsroom. There were other pioneers who opened those doors for me. 

What she’s most proud of: My husband and I just celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary. I love that. He’s my boyfriend, my husband and an amazing partner. And the Peabody! A man called me and said that his stepmother died in front of him in her living room and that he called for an ambulance three times. We aired the story, and the phones went crazy. It’s regrettable that a woman had to die, but the system changed. That is the story that I’m most proud of because it brought about change. 

The best advice she’s received: From my parents: be a leader, be kind, character matters. Find as much beauty as you can in life, but be compassionate and be aware of suffering.

Find as much beauty as you can in life, but be compassionate and be aware of suffering.

What she does for fun: You’ll find me at Preston Hollow Presbyterian singing in the choir. I’m not a soloist. I am a blender. My husband and I walk a lot. I really like Instagram; I’m not a Pinterest person. 

Advice she’d give her younger self: Make more time for fun. 

The biggest misconception about her: Whenever people see me, it’s “You’re so tiny.” I’m 5 feet 2 inches. I always laugh and say, “Tell everyone.”

Best gift: Mary Kay Ash was a friend of mine, and we invited her to our wedding. We were at the Mansion on Turtle Creek for the reception, and Mary Kay looked at my new husband and said, “What are you going to do for my friend Clarice?” She said, “My Mel gives me a gift every Thursday — either a diamond or a box of peanut brittle — to let me know that he loves me.” Stephen was totally taken aback. And he said, “Mary Kay, I’m going to give her a gift on the 18th of every month.” We got married on April 18. So, Mary Kay has been a part of our marriage for 31 years because on the 18th of every month, my husband gives me a gift, and he has never duplicated a gift. 

How she’d like to be remembered: As a person who believes in hard work, high standards, giving back and kindness.