I’ve always loved the end of September/beginning of October— for many reasons. It’s when the weather turns from hellishly hot to an almost bearable purgatory. The State Fair gets under way, with a coterie of fine fried delectables, and the heavenly promise of the McRib is just around the corner. It also happens to mark my birthday, my children’s birthdays, and my anniversary. You see, besides the fact that I married up (as CBRE’s Phil Puckett regularly and accurately points out), I got married on my birthday. I figured that it would be more difficult to forget our anniversary that way; it also allows an extra layer of protection in case I do forget. (After all, how mad can my wife be with me on my birthday?) Anyway …
This time of year is recognized astrologically by the zodiacal sign, Libra; I do love being a Libra. The astrological sign of Libra is represented by a set of scales symbolizing balance. It also marks the beginning of fall, a time which is often considered the beginning of the end. Many companies, (including mine) have a fiscal year-end of Sept. 30. The leaves start to fall, symbolizing the end of the growing season; and I don’t have to remind our children that it marks the end of the highly valued summer vacation. But in keeping with my sign of balance, I’d like to take a moment to share some of the wonderful beginnings occurring at Spire this year.
Our brokerage firm, Spire Realty Brokerage Services, officially became free of any encumbrances and opened for business on Oct. 1, 2012. We have tapped Andrew Schendle and Allison Johnston to spearhead the firm. I like to think that this balances the FYE with a FYB (fiscal year beginning).
To balance the nastiness of the beginning of the school year, I’m proud to announce that our charitable foundation, Spire Realty Group’s Children & The Arts Foundation, has announced its first scholarship recipient. Lewis Warren Jr., 16, is an accomplished young musical artist. He composed many of his own songs by age 5, and by age 8, he was performing in piano competitions and recitals all over North Texas. At age 12, Lewis performed “The Star Spangled Banner” at the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (look for it on YouTube).
Lewis currently studies with Dr. Carol Leone, associate professor of piano and chair of the keyboard department at SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts. I’m pleased that this scholarship will allow Lewis to expand his composition skills as he studies with Professor Xi Wang, a nationally recognized composer at SMU. I look forward to inviting you all to our holiday celebration, which will feature this young man performing piano.
On the culinary front, I’ve already mentioned both the McRib and the State Fair. For those of you with a healthier constitution, apple-picking season has begun. When I lived up north, I always loved to take my nieces and nephew out for an afternoon of apple picking. The orchard we usually attended offers fresh homemade donuts and warm fresh cider. (As if we didn’t already eat our fill of apples while picking.) The air is crisp, and in the atmosphere is the first sign of family holiday spirit. The kids and I would laugh about family members who were missing out, play in piles of leaves as tall as the younger niece, and joyfully argue over who picked the best apple. I don’t know about you, but this event just screams fun in the Smith family households and serves as an excellent counterweight to all the early school-year stress.
In conclusion, I’d just like to take this moment to wish you all a wonderful FYB 13 and an indigestion-free fall season. On one last personal note, I’d like to congratulate my wife, Dr. Jane Lee, for being named yet again to D Magazine’s Best Doctor list. You make me and our girls very proud!
