A MILLIONAIRE’S HANDBOOK

EVERYONE DREAMS of it from time to time. Money. Lots of it. A million dollars. Better still, a million dollars a year for life. It could happen to anybody. Well, almost anybody. Just about everyone has a rich uncle or a claim to a piece of property somewhere that could produce a windfall fortune. It could be a will you didn’t know you were included in, or a trust fund you’ve been waiting for 30 years to mature. It really doesn’t matter how you come about your fortune, because one thing you can count on in our culture is that no one really cares how you got it. You could have worked your fingers to the bone; you could have won it in a lottery; you could have stolen it as far as most people are concerned. The point is that a million dollars a year for the rest of your life takes you right to the head of the class in most circles. To your former peers in middle-class suburbia, you are instantly somebody. Your opinions, your tastes, your aspirations take on a whole new meaning to those who don’t have a seven-figure annual income. You’ve got enough money to travel, buy yourself a fleet of big cars and a house in Highland Park. You’ve got it made. Or do you?

You’ll find that being a millionaire in Dallas involves a little more than changing your phone listing from “Ben Paxton” to “Benton Carlisle Paxton IV” and enrolling your children in Hockaday and St. Mark’s. Being a millionaire in Dallas, where there are literally scores of millionaires, doesn’t automatically make you a member of the inner circle of the city’s social strata. You can’t just stroll into the Dallas Country Club or pick up a ticket to the Crystal Charity Ball as easily as buying a scalped ticket to the Texas-OU game. And although this may be shocking to those of us who live in places like Garland or Piano, a million dollars won’t even allow you to rub economic elbows with the big boys over a good business deal. “A million dollars, even if you invest it all in one deal, isn’t all that much money anymore,” says Jere M. Trim of Windsor Association, Inc., investment counselors. “A million can get you into a good deal, but certainly not into a big one.”

You’ll soon find that having a million a year isn’t the end of your troubles. Inflation can kill you, just like everybody else. A million dollars a year sounds great in 1981, but you’ve got to remember that with double-digit inflation, a million dollars a year will be the annual salary of an arch welder 35 years from now. You’ve got to take steps now to make sure that young and rich in the Eighties translates into old and rich in 2015. (If you had been given a million dollars in 1930 and had been stupid enough to merely put it in a savings account, you’d have $4.2 million today as the result of compounded interest. Sound like you’ve made $3.2 million? Wrong. With inflation, a 1930 dollar is only worth 20 cents today. Your $4.2 million buys what only $800,000 would buy 50 years ago. You lose $200,000 by being thrifty and putting your million in the bank. Moral: You’ve got to make The Deal.) It’s not as simple as running away to Bora Bora and having your annual checks mailed to you. You’ve got to try to beat the IRS with tax shelters or the lion’s share of your million will go to Washington without you. To really make something of your wealth, you’ve got to penetrate the inner circle of Dallas’ power elite. You’ve got to find those infamous back room boys who can cut you in on The Deal, the investment that will flash across the Dow-Jones ticker. You’ve got to make connections. It’s not as simple as buying a pair of $800 cowboy boots, a Stetson, and a big Cadillac to drive down Commerce Street. You’ll just get laughed at or mistaken for a rich tourist. To make it big in Dallas, you’ve got to climb the social ladder. You’ll find the good ol’ boys who can make you or break you at the top of that ladder. To climb it you’ve got to have a strategy and a plan to help you assume your station in life. You’ve got to look, dress, act, work, play, and pray like your fellow millionaires. You’ll need the right address, the right car, the right club memberships, and the right attitude if you are to make it in Dallas on a million a year. You have to learn that your goal – The Deal – will ultimately come through the friends you make at the country club you got into through the friends you made in the service club, which you got into through the friends you made in your North Dallas Sunday School class. Every part of the Dallas social structure is interrelated to all the other parts of the social structure. And to get the road-map to that labyrinth, you’ve got to start playing the game by the rules. You’ve got to acquire the right tastes, the right friends, and ultimately the right connections. We’ve made that process somewhat simpler for you, with the first edition of The Dallas Millionaire’s Handbook. We’ll show you how to be a millionaire with your first million. All you have to do is come up with the initial bankroll and you’re off to the races.



THE STRATEGY



Playing the Dallas social status game is like playing Monopoly, only you use real money. The multiple components – home, clubs, civic affiliations, church leadership position, status schools for your children – all must be used in concert with each other. To have really arrived in Dallas you want a setup like this: a huge house in Highland Park, a membership in the Dallas Country Club and the Petroleum Club downtown, a leadership position at the Highland Park Presbyterian Church or St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal, children in Hockaday or St. Mark’s schools, a wife who is in the Junior League and is an organizer of the Crystal Charity Ball, a spot on the board of trustees of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, and perhaps a position on the board of the Southwestern Medical Foundation or the SMU board of governors.

Having all those entrées into the upper crust will put you in the right circles to make the big money, the type of money that will make your million look like chicken feed. But you’ll soon find out you can’t buy all of those things, or even half of them, on a million dollars. A top-of-the-line mansion in Highland Park alone will cost you $2 million or more. You’re just not going to be Governor Clements’ neighbor overnight; not on a million a year. You can’t have a Lear jet ($3.4 million) or a Cessna Citation ($2.5 million) to impress people by flying them to New Orleans for the Super Bowl – you simply can’t afford your own jet on a million dollar annual income.

What you must do with your first million is make trade-offs, skimping in some areas and laying out a lot of cash in others. Remember, you’re simply laying groundwork in the first few years for the real status plateau you’ll reach five to 10 years from now. Start with some solid investments of money and time and you’ll be able to climb into high status later.

Your first investment should be a house in Highland Park. The good thing about this exclusive enclave is that there just isn’t any poverty there. One of the first things you want to be able to drop in a conversation with your new friends is your address. If it’s Highland Park, they’ll know you dropped at least a quarter of a million even if you were just buying a teardown house to obtain the lot. We suggest you buy into one of the so-called “French Streets” – Versailles, Bordeaux, Lorraine-where you can still buy a nice four-bedroom for half a million to $600,000. It will make a respectable starter home and get you in a nice enough neighborhood to get Neiman-Marcus catalogs addressed to “Occupant” in the mail. That Highland Park address is going to help you in every area – clubs, service organizations, the whole bit. It will also put your kids in the Highland Park school system, which is academically one of the best in the nation. Besides that, you’ll make great connections at the PTA meetings.

The best board in town in terms of pure prestige is the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts Board, where you can rub shoulders with the likes of Ed Cox, Stanley Marcus, Robert Dedman, and Mrs. Algur Meadows. But you’re not going to walk onto the DMFA board overnight, so we suggest you shoot for the Dallas Symphony Board of Governors, a close second to DMFA and rising fast in terms of clout. For $1250 you can buy yourself a spot on the DSO board of trustees, not to be confused with the smaller, more elite board of governors. You can get their attention by underwriting one of the subscription concerts at a mere $10,000. It’s a great way to meet people – you get a kind little write-up in the concert program – and besides, it’s a great tax break. Remember, you’re in the 50 per cent tax bracket, so Uncle Sam is really paying half of anything you donate to charity. While you’re working your way onto the Symphony Board of Governors, start laying the groundwork for your eventual graduation to the DMFA board. You can’t afford to make any dramatic gesture like Leland Fikes’ donation of a $400,000 Modigliani, but it won’t hurt to spend a quick thousand and join the Museum Associates and then give DMFA $10,000 or $20,000 a year for the first few years. It won’t bowl anyone over, but it will keep your foot in the door for later when you can make a real gesture.

The strategy is really quite simple: Start small (but elegant) in most areas and work your way to the top, step by step. Options abound in every category. There are almost 2100 millionaires in Dallas. They don’t all live in Highland Park and belong to the same country club and civic organization. What the Millionaire’s Handbook provides is a ranking of these options – the top neighborhoods to buy into, the best clubs to join, the right clothes to buy. There are as many ways to win as there are to win at Monopoly. Choose wisely from our list of options and you can’t go wrong.



THE HOME



Nothing you spend your first few hundred thousand on will be as important as your home. It’s not just a place to sleep and throw an occasional cocktail party – this is a statement of who you are. That’s why it’s important to invest your money wisely.

Highland Park. Call it overpriced, call it overrated, but it is still Dallas’ most impressive neighborhood. Many say Lakeside Drive, which runs along the banks of Turtle Creek and dead-ends into the Dallas Country Club, is the most prestigious street in Texas. And the home owners pay for that. You could probably find a house on this street for as little as a million dollars, but it would be a complete redo or a teardown. Expect to pay upwards of $2 million for a home on this street. Second choice is Beverly Drive (the street which intersects Lakeside at the south fence of the Dallas Country Club). Highland Park is home for oil man Ed Cox, megabuck developer Trammell Crow, and a list of monetary luminaries that is almost endless. All share the precious 75205 zip code. All paid less than you will, because they bought into Highland Park before inflation drove the prices through the roof. Expect to pay $600,000 to $700,000 for a house befitting your station in life. Since mortgage companies will not arrange conventional financing for more than $200,000 on a home loan, you’ve got to either pay cash – many houses in Highland Park sell for cash – or establish yourself with a bank well enough to get a loan for half a million or so. The second route gives you a tremendous tax write-off because of the massive interest payments you’ll make. Either way it’s worth the investment. Ten years from now you can sell your house for enough money to buy Costa Rica.

University Park. The “second” Park City places a close second behind Highland Park. It has all the same basic advantages: lower city taxes, personalized city services, and it shares the Highland Park school system.

Preston Hollow. This area and the area on Inwood Road nearby has some fabulous mansions, set amongst some beautiful trees. The area of Preston Hollow west of the Tollway to Marsh Lane is rising rapidly, while the once hot area east of the Tollway is cooling off. Both are still in the City of Dallas, however, which means higher taxes and busing for your children if you choose public schools. If you don’t, which you won’t, this neighborhood is close to St. Mark’s and Hockaday, the preferred private schools.

Bluffview and Creenway Park. Beautiful neighborhoods, but, alas, inside the Dallas city limits and not as prestigious as the Park Cities or Preston Hollow.

Strait Lane. Enormous mansions north of Walnut Hill. If Ross Perot lives there (which he does), it can’t be too shabby a neighborhood.

Preston Trails. This new development in far North Dallas ringing Byron Nelson’s Preston Trails golf course is the most prestigious of the new developments in the city. It boasts several million-dollar homes, including that of millionaire Mayor Bob Folsom.

Turtle Creek. For high-rise condo living, no other address in town can compare to one along Turtle Creek. It’s the only place where a street number alone – 3525 – is enough to identify which high-rise along Turtle Creek you live in. The advantage is the proximity to downtown and the nightlife and semi-bohemian atmosphere of Oak Lawn. Lots of wealthy men in the throes of divorce have condos there.

Preston Tower. While less prestigious than the Turtle Creek condos, Preston Tower has been a good address for some time. It’s been good enough that all you have to say to identify it is that it is “behind the pink wall” on Northwest Highway. The nearby Athena condo, another high-class high-rise, is the headquarters of Ann Draper, one of the city’s well-known party coordinators.



THE AGENTS



It’s important to choose a good real estate agent to put you in the right home. Reason: On many of the homes which go for a half million or more, a “For Sale” sign never goes up. The homes are simply turned over to an agent who discretely finds the right millionaire to buy it.

Ellen Terry. Ellen is a partner in the firm of Terry, Abio & Adleta. She has participated in the sale of several million-dollar plus homes since she started in business four years ago. She prides herself in her discretion and in the fact that her firm handles the highest priced listings in Dallas.

Charles Freeman. Charles won’t handle clients himself, but he will work alongside one of his agents to make sure things go smoothly. Freeman sold the house at the corner of Northwest Highway and Inwood to its current owners, the Irvin L. Levys.

Mona Biscamp. Mona works for Henry S. Miller and has a reputation for listing some of the most expensive homes in Dallas.

Ben Briggs. Ben and associates have been handling Park Cities properties for decades and have a reputation for knowing where the good six-figure buys are found.

Ralph Porter Co. Ralph Porter died years ago, but his son, Rufus “Buddy” Porter, has been working out of his father’s Snider Plaza office since 1948, selling the multi-room mansions which make Highland Park what it is. You don’t see Porter Company signs; most of the houses Buddy sells don’t need a sign to sell.



CHURCHES



The church in Dallas is more than just a place of worship – it is one of the central components in the social structure. It is through the church, and many times the Sunday school class, that you will make the connections which will help you in other areas -social clubs, arts and charities, and of course, business. In Dallas, church is one of the best places to meet the right people.

St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal. Probably the most prestigious of all the churches in town, it didn’t get its nickname-St. Minks and All Cadillacs -by catering to the blue-collar crowd. Parishioners are so well dressed that a visitor might wonder whether he had stepped accidentally into the couturier department at Nei-man’s instead of a church. Governor Bill Clements is a member, along with Morning News publisher Joe Dealey. John Stemmons prays here, as does construction magnate Henry C. Beck.

Highland Park Presbyterian. Clayton Bell, evangelist Billy Graham’s son-in-law, is the pastor here. He ministers to such people as Bunker and Herbert Hunt, Ross Perot, and Highland Park Mayor Jack Hammack. The Hunts donated $3 million towards construction of a new wing on the church. Sunday school is a big thing here, and it’s important to be active.

Temple Emanuel. Some of the biggest names in the city’s Jewish community pray here. At any given service Donald Zale, Bruce Lipshy, Annette and Ted Strauss, Ray Nasher, or Adlene Harrison might show up. It’s also home of one of the city’s most respected spiritual leaders, Rabbi Levi Olan.

First Baptist Church. One of the biggest and oldest churches in Dallas is also one of the most affluent. Rev. W.A. Criswell is among the most powerful men in the state for many reasons; one is that he has lots of millionaires in his congregation who follow him, religiously.



COUNTRY CLUBS



Dallas Country Club. Want to feel humble? Check into joining the DCC. They don’t care if you do have a million dollars. Lots of DCC members do. They don’t care if you can plunk down the $15,000 initiation fee in cash – you’re still looking at a waiting period of up to 10 years to become one of the 1400 members of this traditional, old-money country club. The reason DCC is so sought after is simple: It’s the best in Dallas in terms of pure prestige. Here you can rub shoulders with some of the old-money Dallas families like the Caruths, the Cullums, and the Collinses, not the mention the likes of Ben Carpenter, James Aston, Jess Hay, Gordon Mc-Lendon, Troy Post, and Cecil Green. What better place to make friends with people who can put you onto The Deal than on one of DCC’s 14 outdoor tennis courts or its 18-hole golf course, which winds along Turtle Creek and into the edge of ultra-rich Highland Park? But your million won’t get you inside the chain link fence for the first few years, so you’d best plan on joining a lesser club and working your way to the top of the country club mountain.

Brook Hollow. This 60-year-old club is almost as prestigious as DCC and hence just about as difficult to join. Brook Hollow has the best golf course in Dallas, but is also considered the most purely social club in Dallas, with members like Margaret McDermott, Garry Weber, Ed Cox, Clint Murchison, Eddie Chiles, the Schoellkopfs, and the Wynnes on its roster. Initiation fee is a scant $20,000; but you’ll have to know somebody to become one of Brook Hollow’s 900 members.

Preston Trail. Here’s where your money can work for you, if you qualify for Preston Trail’s all-male membership roster. Because membership is limited to 250 golf-hungry rich people, initiation fees are taken on a sealed-bid basis. Memberships have gone for as much as $30,000. But if you want to buy your way into the club that hosts the annual Byron Nelson Classic and has members like Mayor Bob Fol-som, Mickey Mantle, and Jim Haggar, you probably can. Preston Trail has proven to be solid from the investment standpoint. Memberships originally went for only $3000 and now bring 10 times that. One member claims the three best investments he ever made were Vail, Southwest Airlines, and Preston Trail. Think what you’ll make when you unload your membership a few years from now as you climb into Brook Hollow or DCC.

One of the added attractions at Preston Trail is Renfro, the locker room man. He’s every man’s Man Friday, and he can get you anything from some Super Bowl tickets to a no-interest loan. Some folks contend Renfro is one of the better bookies in town, but we’d never accuse him of that. Pat at the Dallas Country Club, Bruce at Brook Hollow, and Billy at Northwood are known for the same type of services, but Renfro still has the reputation of king of the locker-room men.

Northwood. This remote, far North Dallas club got off the ground right after World War II by plucking up some of the affluent young men waiting to join DCC or Brook Hollow. Those same young men have now grown old, rich, and prestigious. Northwood has some of Dallas’ better known names, like Ralph Rogers; but because the club has started actively recruiting younger members, it’s not as tough to join as the real biggies. Write them a check for$15,000 and you’re on your way.

Bent Tree. Some of the old money people in Dallas like to look down their noses at Bent Tree members as having more money than class, but that hasn’t stopped the Bent Tree membership roll from adding names like Jerry Stiles, Clint Murchison, and Roger Meier, not to mention its developer, Mayor Bob Fol-som. Membership is yours for a quick $15,000. This club is likely to become more sought after as the northward sprawl of Dallas continues.



DOWNTOWN CLUBS



In addition to the country clubs, you’ll want to seek membership in the two top downtown clubs, the Petroleum Club and the Dallas Club. Initiation fee for the Petroleum Club is $2000, but for the new millionaire it may as well be $50 million, because the waiting period is about six years. Members include both of Texas’ U.S. Senators, Mayor Folsom (of course), the governor, and a host of rich oil men. The main dining room is the place to eat lunch downtown if you’re a man who wants to make connections; if you’re a woman, forget it. The Dallas Club, atop the Republic Tower, is just about as prestigious as Petroleum, and there’s a five-year waiting list to prove it. Anyone who wants to become a member has to be recommended by two members. Then each of the 450 members is encouraged to review the application. One blackball and you don’t make it.



CONSULTANTS



It’s very important, of course, to have a professional handle your money. The names to know for estate planning, investments, etc.: Larry Bean, Sam Winsted, Don Forman; any of the Big Eight can also help you out here. The important thing is to do something to keep a 50 per cent tax bracket status from gobbling up your newfound fortune.

You’ll also need a big-league law firm to handle the legal aspects of your wheelings and dealings. Gardere & Wynne has lots of clout and a small army of lawyers, as does another big-bucks Dallas firm, Akin, Gump, Strauss (Bob Strauss), Hauer, & Feld. If you need a criminal lawyer, call Phil Burleson.



SOCIAL TIES



In Dallas, having money doesn’t automatically make you a member of its society. You’ve got to distribute it correctly among various charities and worthy organizations, along with little parcels of your own personal time and effort. A $1000 to this arts organization, a $1000 to that charity – nobody said this was going to be inexpensive – and you could end up with an invitation to the Crystal Charity Ball, a top prize among Dallas charity ball buffs. Which isn’t to say it is the most prestigious social function of the year. The line-up on prestigious organizations and the parties runs something like this:

Crystal Charity Ball. Put together by a select committee of 100, this party benefits children’s charities. Organizers must, among other things, be willing to kick in for the price of at least two regular tickets.

Junior League Ball. This benefits various Dallas charities with which the Junior League is working on a volunteer basis.

Beaux Arts Ball, or Dallas Museum of Fine Arts Ball. Benefitting the museum, this was once open to anyone who could afford a ticket. Cramped locations ended that recently, and turned tickets into trophies for arts patrons. This will probably be changed by the next ball, which is currently planned to take place in the museum itself.

To be sure, there are other social organizations, but these are the main areas to infiltrate. Naturally, you cannot merely present yourself at the doorstep of one of these esteemed clubs and ask for admittance. You have to use strategy to be included. “You might start by joining up with one of the more active Sunday school classes in town,” advises one old-time observer of the Dallas social set. After firmly establishing yourself there, the next wall to scale is the 500 Inc. “All you have to do is apply,” says our source. “You’ll need recommendations from people within the group.” These can be obtained from the people you meet in the Sunday school class. From there, you might want to try for the Dallas Assembly, a group of citizens with an interest in affecting community affairs. (See Service Organizations.) These affiliations give you access to arts organizations, and offer you the chance to make donations of time and money to good causes. (See Arts Organizations.)

If you’ve gotten this far, you should have met plenty of people who can put you on lists for parties, provided you have proven yourself charming enough and moneyed enough and generous enough. You should have purchased something from TACA, and contributed handsomely to the arts at every chance. Mrs. Millionaire should have been asked to become a member of the Junior League, particularly if she’s over 28. And now that you’ve secured your social future, you won’t have to worry much about that of your children. Chances are, if you enroll them in the right schools they’ll be asked to join Junior Assembly or Cotillion, dance clubs for small socialites. From there they will progress to sorority and fraternity memberships and thence to young women’s clubs – Cotillion (not the same as the dance club) or Slipper -or young men’s clubs – Dervish and Calyx.



BOARDS TO JOIN



The Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. Its board of trustees is the top of the line, with members like Margaret McDermott, Robert Dedman, Ed Cox, and Mrs. Raymond Nasher. The way to get on the DMFA board is to join the Museum Associates ($1000), which supports the museum and sponsors junkets to China and other exotic places. On those junkets, you’ll get to meet members of the DMFA board nominating committee and make yourself con-spiciously available for higher service. It won’t hurt to make a conspicuous contribution, like Leland Fikes’ $400,000 Modig-liani. Drop anything more than $100,000 on DMFA in one lump and they’ll quickly learn your wife’s first name and whether you take one lump or two in your coffee. For the ultra-rich and influential, museum director Harry Parker performs a special service: He goes with the patrons and inspects paintings before they purchase them for their personal collections.

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra. The board of governors of this organization is closing on the DMFA for the top spot in prestige. Start with a $1250 contribution and you become a trustee. Get out the large denominations if you want to be a member of the board of governors, which only has 56 members. (Anybody with $1250 can be a trustee.) Underwrite a subscription concert or two at $10,000 a throw and you’ll start to get noticed. Buying your way onto the DSO board, or any other for that matter, is considered less prestigious than working your way up, but it still works. Make a six-digit contribution to DSO and see how fast you start getting party invitations from board members.

Dallas Civic Opera. This board is less prestigious but not to be sneezed at. Give them $1500 and you’re a trustee. You can assume a position of leadership if you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and work or if you are willing to be extra generous. A few seasons ago, Elsa von Seggern, who made her fortune in earth-moving equipment, paid the entire production costs for Tale of Hoffman. Make that type of gesture and you’ll become an overnight celebrity with the opera people.



SERVICE CLUBS



If you want to exercise some of the power that goes with getting the money, you’ll need to get involved in the public service game in Dallas. Those who don’t pay their dues in town, so the majority of the city’s powerful say, don’t get to exercise any power at all. Those who choose to play the game and perform poorly arc also shut out.

There are a number of ways to get started. If you’re sales-oriented, you’ll want to join the Salesmanship Club of Dallas. It’s not easy to get in, but it’s got clout. You’ll want to volunteer to work on the establishment side in city elections, like promoting a concert hall bond issue, for example. You’ll want to give money to establishment candidates like mayoral candidate Jack Evans. You’ll want to gain membership in such organizations as the Dallas Assembly, the group of younger leaders in Dallas who hear important speakers every month. You’ll need to be a leader in your church, preferably a member of its governing board, a contributor of time and money to the United Way campaign, and a mover and shaker in several of the city’s arts organizations. Finally, you’ll want to make it onto the Dallas Citizens Council, the elite group of businessmen in town who area major lobbying force in city and county politics. Remember, the goal here is to give back some of what you have taken out, so there will be some sacrifice.



TRAVEL



One of the most important aspects of being a member of the leisure class is not how you work but how you play, and travel is a big part of how to spend the free time your money has bought you. Being rich means being able to hop a Lear jet and fly away to wherever you damn well please. (You can rent a Lear complete with crew, catering, and bar for only $2.50 per statute mile. That’s a mere $625 for a quick jaunt to Houston, or eight times what it costs to fly first class on a scheduled airline.) But you’ll usually want to travel the same way you do everything else, with refinement and class. When you’re sitting in the locker room at Dallas Country Club, it’s a lot more impressive to be able to say you learned a lot on your barge trip down the Nile than to say you won $800 on the one-armed bandits on your last trip to Vegas. You’re likely to want some professional help with an itinerary. Here’s where Dallas travel agents are sending some of the city’s well-heeled citizens this year.

Cruising. This has always been big for the Geritol set, but with the advent of Love Boat, luxury liners like the Queen Elizabeth II are making a big splash with the young rich. An 80-day, round-the-world tour on the QE II runs an average of $20,000 per person but can run as high as $100,000 depending on accommodations, side trips, and brand of champagne.

Exotica. Organizations like Lindblad and Society Expeditions are offering 20-35 day excursions to places like Patagonia, Mongolia, Tibet, the Galapagos Islands, the Seychelles, and other exotic destinations, many of which are unpronounceable.

The Buddy Bonbard Balloon Tour. A week of ballooning and barge travel in the chateau country of France, with gourmet food and first-class accommodations, for $2800 per person, plus air fare to France.

China. Lindblad is offering a float trip on the lakes of China aboard the good ship Kunlun, reportedly Chairman Mao’s favorite boat.

Safaris. Kenya and South Africa are still popular, though more for photographs than trophies these days since hunting licenses are becoming harder to get.

Renting a villa in the Caribbean. Ever popular in the winter. If parting with a few thousand dollars doesn’t bother you, why not rent a villa, complete with cooks, maids, and gardeners, preferably in the Bahamas or the Virgin Islands.



PERSONAL LOOK



A North Dallas tradition is the Lou Lat-timore Beauty Salon, which serves both men and women at 4336 Lovers Lane. Co-owner Michael Ventiglia, affectionately just called “Michael” by his blue-blooded customers, administers haircuts and facials to some of the biggest names in Dallas society. Just walking through the shop on any given day you can bump into Jess Hay, Virginia Eggers, Mandy Dealey, Betty Meadows, Myrl Levy, and Lee Cul-lum. Affluent ladies don’t mind coming in two or three times a week to have Michael do their makeup before a big evening. It only costs $50 a visit. For the full treatment, including a facial, manicure and hairdo, you can expect to pay about $250. Michael’s customers don’t pay at each visit or even pull out a credit card or sign a check. You just walk in, get your treatment, and walk out. Michael’s staff will compute your bill and send you a monthly statement. Cash is never seen at Michael’s.

A rival of Michael’s is Grady Hall, hair-cutter extraordinaire, who takes care of men and women. Grady has no sign, no advertising, no listing in the phone book. You find Grady through word of mouth. Like Michael, Grady will come to your home if you don’t like the salon atmosphere. If you still enjoy the old-fashioned haircut, manicure, and shoeshine tradition, go to the Highland Park Village Barber Shop or, if you’re a woman, try Fiorente, just off McKinney. Other places women can trust their faces and hair to include Marie Leavell, L’Image, and the ever-present Neiman-Marcus.



DOCTORS



Rich people live longer than poor people. One reason is that they get the best medical care. Here are some of the best medical specialists that money can buy:

Internists. For the flu or whatever, many of Dallas’ more affluent residents beat a path to the doorway of Dr. Bobby Temple and his partner, Dr. Robert Bass. They have a reputation for being very good at their specialty. Dr. Albert D. Roberts is another internist sought after by the wealthy. He has made so much money, however, that he isn’t seeing patients more than once a week anymore. The other days of the week he spends being a dean at Southwestern Medical School. Developer Raymond Nasher is one of his patients.

Psychiatrists and Psychologists. Now that you’re rich, you can afford to pay someone to tell you why you don’t cope, relate, and feel good about your environment. Dr. Jerry Lewis, who runs the expensive psychiatric live-in center, Tim-berlawn, is the most popular when the wealthy need to get their heads together. Dr. Burton C. Einspurch is another prestigious psychiatrist. When weight or smoking is a problem, the well-to-do head over to Dr. Harold Crasilneck’s office for hypnosis. Crasilneck, a psychologist, has helped many Dallas physicians lose weight.

Obstetricians. Dr. Charles Guerriero, Dr. Julian Wells, and Dr. David Bookout deliver the babies with silver spoons in their mouths. Ditto for Presbyterian Hospital’s hot trio of Stuart Stone, James Strong, and Clark Griffith.

Allergist. Dr. Gary Cross is good enough that he attracts movie stars like Barbara Belgeddes, Dallas’ Miss Ellie.

Plastic Surgeon. Dr. Mark Lemmon has taken care of more double chins and oversized noses than most people see in a lifetime. He makes the beautiful people beautiful.

Orthodontist. Dr. Robert E. Gaylord has been straightening upper-class over-bites for years from his Highland Park Shopping Village office.



WHAT TO WEAR



This is very important, in that your clothing makes a statement about your persona. It doesn’t matter whether you are wearing your $700 tailored suit or your Calvin Klein jeans and Sperry Top-Siders, affluence is a look that should extend throughout your wardrobe. It’s okay to look grubby at times, as long as you look rich-grubby instead of middle-class-grubby. You’ve got an image to uphold.

Men’s Clothing. The look for dress wear may be Brooks Brothers, but you aren’t going to buy it there. Any junior millionaire worth his dividend coupons will scout for the tailor who made the clothes of other junior millionaires and good old boys hanging out at the Petroleum Club. A good bet is Franco Rando, formerly with Neiman-Marcus, now in his own shop off Main Street. He’ll measure you from sleeve to inseam and put together something that will make you look like what you are – worth a million. Naturally, these suits will have all the details you would expect: sleeve buttons that really button, a cut that will flatter you (and only you), and a price starting at about $700. Neiman’s can fit you with the finest off-the-rack line of clothing, Oxxford. Suits run from $600 to $1000, sports coats about $500 and top coats $900. The price is high because every item is individually cut, hand-sewn and made of the best materials money can buy. If you want an Oxxford suit individually tailored, Neiman’s will take your measurements and send them to the manufacturer in Chicago. For something more informal but still elegant, try the Polo Shop in Highland Park Shopping Village. Some of the best shirts in the world come from Takly Custom Shirt-makers of Hong Kong. Takly tours the world making shirts for those who can afford to pay $45 and up. He stops twice a year in Dallas and briefly opens shop at the Hilton Hotel, Central and Mockingbird. A must item in the man’s wardrobe is a tuxedo, since you’ll be going to the usual round of charity affairs. A standard model at Brooks Brothers goes for about $600. As for Western wear, leave it at home unless you’re attending a charity barbecue for the arts. Stetsons may be new to New Yorkers, but down here they’re old hat.

Women’s Clothing. Dallas abounds with stores of designer goods, with stores of designer originals, and with designers themselves. The key thing to remember is that your designer original should be recognizable as such without any label showing, a la Calvin Klein jeans. The way others will know that your gown is yours alone in that no one else will be wearing anything like it. This isn’t merely a matter of trotting down to a high-priced shop and picking something out. The tailor who suits your husband has his counterparts in womenswear: Graciela and Baba. Gra-ciela is known for making debutantes’ gowns. Baba is renowned for her creations out of antique lace. Both are pricey, with basic charges starting at $600 for a gown from Graciela and $200 for a blouse by Baba. If your needs are for something everyday, you can depend on a host of stores, many of them old-timers in the Dallas retail scene: Lou Lattimore, Marie Leavell, Loretta Blum, Harold’s, The Gazebo, and of course, Neiman-Marcus.



JEWELERS



Neiman-Marcus. Dudley Ramsden’s impeccable taste has kept Dallas dazzling for many years, and son Chip is already there carrying on the tradition.

Richard Eiseman. Another name Dallas has equated with good taste for years.

Jorge Miguel. Polished, experienced, opened his own store (in Lou Lattimore), and already has a loyal clientele.

Watches are very important for men. With the exception of a gold monogram ring, it’s considered gauche for stylish, rich men to wear jewelry. Forget the diamond pinkie rings and the gold chains, the only place to display your wealth with taste is in a good watch that cost you four or five figures at the jeweler.

Vacheron & Constantin, Girard-Per-regaux, Patek Philippe, Audemars-Piguet, and Agassiz. Rare and expensive. Anyone who will recognize these will know you paid thousands.

Concorde, Piaget, Baume & Merrier, and Corum. Elegant, tasteful and quite expensive. Not as rare as a Vacheron & Constantin or a Girard-Perregaux, but still expensive enough to be well into the decadent range.

Cartier and Rolex. Forget them. Good time pieces, but not nearly esoteric enough any more to be a mark of upper-crust taste. You can see Rolexes by the dozens on the streets of Dallas. And Timex now makes a watch that is fashioned to look just like a Cartier. Need we say more?



AUTOMOBILES



As much as any material possession you’ll acquire, the car makes a statement as to who you are. That’s why it’s important that the car fit into the general style of your life – understated elegance. That’s not to say you can’t have a red Jaguar convertible for a weekend runabout. It’s just that the main part of your personal fleet should be like you Want to be – quietly elegant.

Mercedes-Benz. Translated into English: “I made it.” Despite the fact that there are almost as many Mercedes in North Dallas as there are people, it still gets the point across. The best choice is the 450 SL, a good investment at $40,000. It will appreciate over the years, rather than depreciate like an old Caddy. The new 300 TD station wagon is getting very popular with the rich who want to project the family image.

BMW, Porsche, Jaguar. Deliver the same type of message as the Mercedes, although certainly more sporty than the 300 TD wagon. Buy the most expensive model of any of these cars and you are guaranteed maximum appreciation.



ART AND ANTIQUES



Shaindy Fenton. Anyone interested in a Stella, Warhol, Rauschenberg, or other blue-chip contemporary artist knows about Shaindy Fenton in Fort Worth. Works out of her home and a red Mercedes 450 SL.

Delahunty. Collectors and visiting curators are usually directed to Murray Smither at Delahunty. Shows a wide range of contemporary art from both coasts as well as major Texas Artists like Vernon Fisher and George Green.

Southwest II. Mainly graphics. Limited edition prints by Miro, Tamayo, Dali, and other main-line figures.

Texas Art Gallery. One of the centers of the current boom in contemporary Western art. At one or another, director William Burford has handled most of the big names – James Boren, Frank McCarthy, Melvin Warren.

You can easily drop $25,000 for one piece of furniture with any of these dealers: Manheim Galleries, Rose Driver, Heirloom House. All feature 18th- and 19th-century period furnishings. Lloyd Paxton is another big gun, but sells to decorators, not individuals.

Decorators. Jed Mace, John Astin Perkins, Marguerite Green, and Eugene Frazier are all status decorators. If you can afford it, try Wilson McClure, who did the Ed Cox home at Preston and Beverly Drive in Highland Park.



PRIVATE SCHOOLS



St. Mark’s for boys and Hockaday for girls are without a doubt the schools to send your children to. Tuition at St. Mark’s will run anywhere from $2000 to $2800 a semester. Hockaday tuition costs from a thousand to $2700 per semester. Well worth it for you and your children. Your child gets the best academic training money can buy and you get to meet some of the richest people in the Western Hemisphere on an informal, first-name basis at parents’ meetings. Greenhill, with tuition rates similar to Hockaday and St. Mark’s, runs a close academic second to them. Some parents prefer Greenhill because it’s coeducational. The Highland Park public schools, because they serve such an exclusive community and because they have incredibly high academic standards, are considered by many to be as good as any private school in town.



If you’ve chosen wisely from our list of options, you should be well on your way to turning your million-a-year income into millions a year. Simple, isn’t it. Almost as simple as making your first million.