EDITOR’S NOTE THE YEAR IN REVIEW-AND THEN SOME

Every issue of D is a harvest of tales from and of the people who call Dallas home. Some are stories of triumph, others are of hardship, or corruption, or folly. Events rush on, and even those of us who write and edit these stories often wonder what has happened to those people in the ensuing months. This year I decided to follow a few and find out:

Remember Audrey, the little girl who became a human pawn in her parents’ bitter divorce (“Metropolis,” Laura Miller, August)? Surprisingly, there is wonderful news to report: According to state District Court Judge Bob O’Donnell, who has wrestled with this frustrating case for almost three years now, Audrey is doing well living in Wimberly. Texas, with her paternal grandparents. But even that’s not the best news. Audrey’s parents, having “exhausted themselves on the field of battle.” in the judge’s words, have been undergoing joint therapy for the past few months. With any luck, by the time you read this, the Pringles-divorced but civil-will be sharing their little girl’s life again.

The courts may not, however, have seen the last of Jim Currey vs, Hawkins and Leslie Golden (“Metropolis.” Laura Miller. April). These were the North Dallas neighbors who got into it over a property line dispute, which, among other things, prompted Mr. Currey to take a rifle shot at Mrs. Golden. Numerous lawsuits followed, with both parties playing plaintiff in charges ranging from civil assault to slander, The two parties have almost agreed to settle, but as of this writing, are arguing over whether Currey can stay in his house.

In June, we reported progress at the Wadley Blood Bank, which had undergone a management upheaval following a D feature in December 1989. “Blood Money,” by Glenna Whitley and Jeff Pasey. Longtime Wadley president Norwood Hill resigned, freeing the Wadley Board of Directors to chart a new course for the local institution. The work continues. In November, the doors were closed on Wadley”s Morton Hospital, which had failed in its self-appointed mission to be a world-renowned cancer hospital. A search committee composed of luminaries from across Dallas’s medical community (a significant step, considering the distrust that has existed between Wadley and area physicians for decades) has high hopes of snaring a national talent to replace Hill.

Dallas police officers Jan Forsyth and Richard Kirks, subjects of our May cover story, “Cops Betrayed,” by Glenna Whitley. are still on the force and still awaiting a court date for their lawsuit against former Police Chief Mack Vines and others whom they accuse of planting an illegal wiretap and thus endangering the lives of these former undercover narcotics agents. Kirks has reached his 20-year anniversary with DPD, but has opted to stay on in the hopes that a new police chief will breathe new vigor into the local law enforcement community. Jan Forsyth hasn’t fared as well. Transferred to a patrol division in Northwest Dallas, she was injured in a scuffle with an unruly robbery suspect, suffering a concussion and potentially permanent hearing loss. In addition, Forsyth is the subject of an internal affairs investigation instigated by a city council member who wants to know why she appeared on a tabloid-style TV show in police uniform. “Inside Edition1’ ran a segment on Forsyth as a follow-up to Whitley’s story.

Finally. two sad notes: Cookie Rodriguez, whose storefront ministry to gang members was the subject of our April cover feature on gang wars, ’”Dying To Belong.” by Lynn Kuntz, lost her own son Danny in a senseless drive-by shooting that police are still puzzling over. And Alzheimer’s victim Beth Rader, whose valiant husband had cared for her for more than 20 years (“In the Valley of the Shadow,” Rebecca Sherman. December), died on November 28, 1990.

I wish each of you the peace and strength to make your way through the coming year; and for the community, the fortitude to face our problems with dignity, and (he confidence to enjoy the blessings we share. Happy New Year from all of us at D!