Q & A

Q What is the status of Great Southwest International Airport now that DFW is in full swing?

A Want to buy it? It’s owned by the City of Fort Worth, and to the surprise of many, lies within the Fort Worth city limits. City administrators say that not a week passes without someone proposing a development scheme for G.S.I.A. Some have suggested using the property for DFW expansion, but city powers will undoubtedly insist on getting the property on the tax rolls. One city staffer claims that the 1200 acres is the choicest industrial property between Los Angeles and Atlanta.



Q When we had that last big snow in February, the depth of the snow in my front yard measured anywhere from four inches out by the street to eight inches near the house. How does the Weather Bureau come up with its “official” measurement?

A You’re going to be disappointed. Ac-cording to the National Weather Service, they go out and look for a smooth, flat surface where the snow doesn’t appear to have drifted. They then insert a ruler. With this knowledge, you may wish to apply for your own snow measurer’s license.



Q I went to lunch the other day at The Old Spaghetti Warehouse and had a real hassle finding a place to park. The waitress said that they used to lease a parking lot a block away, but it had been “sold out from under them.” They have a lot available next door, but not till after 5.1 thought there was some law about restaurants having to provide parking. Are they violating the law?

A Apparently not. The City of Dallas Building Inspection Department says that downtown is one of the few places where a restaurant can get away with this. In most sections of the city, restaurants that serve beer and wine must provide one parking space per 100 square feet of restaurant area. But downtown, the requirement is only one space per 2,000 square feet. Get there early and maybe you can find it.



Q I read that the beautiful black skat- er on the “Donny and Marie Show” is from Dallas. Where did she go to school and how did she line up the job?

A Camellia Hudson did indeed grow up in Dallas, where she graduated from James Madison High. Ms. Hudson, the sister of State Representative Sam Hudson, started skating at the old Fair Park Ice Rink when she was nine. She signed on with the “Ice Capades” while a senior at Mills College in Oakland, California. After four years of road shows, she auditioned successfully for Donny and Marie. She’s part of a select group – not many performers are accomplished in both skating and dancing.



Q How much has the Woodall Rodg-ers Freeway cost the City of Dallas?

A About $5.5 million. The City of Dal-las and Dallas County shared the $ 11-million land acquisition cost equally. The city is not paying for construction, however; those funds are being provided by the State of Texas, with federal help. Known affectionately in the neighborhood as the Woodall Rodgers parking lot, the project is actually moving again. Concrete pillars are sprouting on the section between Field St. and Stem-mons Freeway, with completion of that segment scheduled for November 1979. The other section, between Field and North Central Expressway, is “in planning,” with a contract award expected by October 1978, and completion by 1981.



Q A few months ago you mentioned that Belle Starr lived in Dallas. I’ve also heard that Frank James, Jesse’s brother, once lived here. What’s the story?

A Historians agree that Frank James was once a resident of Dallas. After Bob Ford shot Jesse in the back in 1882, Frank went in hiding for a while, then turned himself in. Authorities in Missouri and Alabama tried three times to get juries to convict him, then gave up. Frank apparently fol-lowed the straight and narrow after his brush with the law, and drifted into Dallas in the late 1890’s. He is variously described as having been a floorwalker for Sanger Bros., an employee of Mittenhal Clothing Co., and a clerk in a shoe store during his Dallas residency. He moved on to Paris, Texas sometime after 1900 and then back to Missouri, where he died in 1915.



Q How does Dallas rank nationally as a corporate headquarters?

A Dallas has headquarters for 675 bus-inesses with net worths of $1 million or more. Only New York City (1,918) and Chicago (1,191) have more. The Dallas total is increasing, while New York’s is declining and Chicago’s is stable. Houston, which is in fourth place with 613, is also on the rise.