I love all things Polo. A butterfly (“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”) Ali the Greatest. March 3rd 2024This is Amy. In December of 2024, I was checking out at the self-checkout in a Kroger grocery store when a store employee asked me if I would like to make a donation to a foundation sponsored by the store. I told her no, because I need someone to make a donation to me. Amy was next to me and heard our conversation before she checked out. As I was headed out, she was coming back in, so I asked her if she was about to go make a donation to the store. She replied, “no, I am making a donation to you.” She handed me two $20 bills which I accepted not to appear cocky. I sent the money received to the Southern Poverty Law Center to help fight hate. I teared up.Fair WarningStudent Guitarists (giving me victory signs) arrive at UTD for the three-day Classical Guitar Competition, March 6-8, 2025. They will attend master classes and concerts by internationally recognized guitarists. (photo March 2015)High School Classical guitarists. UTD March 2020.Dublin Airport, Ireland. (Why would Ireland soon become the largest country in the world?) Answer: Because the capital is always Doubling (Dublin)– pun intended. Dublin is expensive.July 2025Tampa Bay Florida 11/29/2025Tampa Bay Florida 11/29/2025Yvonne Deen in black. Tampa Bay Florida 11/29/2025Tampa Bay Florida 11/30/2025George Getschow -Writer-In-Residence, UNT, Denton TX (The Mayborn)
An affable man!The times I have visited him at his home, it was hard to leave.
March 2025An Irvin Police Officer at Uplift High at the height of the Covid pandemic. Irvin TexasTwo High school kids locked their key in the car. I asked the immigrant gas station attendant to help them open the door and he did, after I brought a tennis ball they said could be used to open it failed. I asked how they knew it would, they referred me to YouTube. (Allen Texas, about 500 meters from my home.)Uplift High Irvin Texas.
I was teaching in Garland one morning when the vice principal came into my class and said, “Mr. Deen, I heard you are retired but you still got it, we have an opening in Farmers Branch. Would you like to come onboard full time?” I did not give it any thought because I like choosing my scheduleand I had taught at Farmers Branch.A K-9 to sniff for drugs in my classroom. The handler permitted me to take this photo. (South Dallas-name withheld) When the dogs come, they will come up to me asking for fragrance because I always smell good. I will not condone their behavior and turn them down.I never would have guessed there is a school in Deep Ellum until I was assigned there. The problems here are, there is no playground, everyone is locked-in, and as a tourist area, food is expensive. (See the condition of the pavement due to heavy foot-traffic?) Bring your lunch. Two things I can guarantee, the teachers in these schools are good and security is tight. When I do not have class, I enjoyed watching them teach. This is not the entrance.
TheUniversity of Texas, Dallas, March 28, 2024. Student-Alumni Creative Night.Yulonda Michelle MillerPlease scroll downAn empty restaurant due to Covid 19
Shoutout to the 12 readers in Nauru. I am interested in knowing which story piqued
your interest. How did you come upon my blog?
I pulled up at this gas station on LBJ in South Dallas and so did these horsemenFeelin’ Lucky on St. Patrick’s DayDon‘t call it a SIX-PACK, St. Patrick’s Day on Greenville Avenue DallasYou can get lit here on St. Patrick’s Day. 504 Grill, Greenville Avenue Dallas Youghiogheny River Maryland Dec. 2021 (Photo Credit Amelia Jaycen)A Good Night(Dec 3, 2022)Elections and the crazies. Daniel Thomas Chandler. 2/25/2022Mr. Chandler’s truck (candidate for State Rep. District 70 Collin County)Amelia Jaycen(MD 2021) Reports on environmental science & technologyBarb Paulson, is my favorite bartender. Forty years on the job & counting One day this week, a former restaurant cook said, if a customer comes 10 minutes to closing time, he would drop the food on the floor and put it back on the plate, out of anger. My drink has been spiked in the past which is why I stopped by Barb today 2/21/2025 to wish her Happy Birthday.With her, I am safe.
Move over Whisky. Who invented the Margarita & Where?
Watermelon Margarita & a shot of Tequila.Happy-go-lucky guy. He does not vote. Colbert OklahomaEastern European immigrant landscapers, Surrey, LondonDec.2018Celebration of Juneteenth (2013) in what was once the Brady Arts District, named after Wyatt Tate Brady of the Ku Klux Klan and founder of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The name has since been changed.Leader and instructor of a dance group talks to attendees @ Black Wall Street (2013 Juneteenth)Instructor Mary Ann and her dancers. Juneteenth Tulsa 2013Cornell plays the keyboard as well, very well.Playing one of Steve’s flutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pra4ahn7Le4&authuser=0Steve Petermann builds flute for Cornell Kinderknecht
Cornell plays the Ocarina (Cornell features in Steve’s story elsewhere on this blog – titled “Retired? Not Quite”)Cornell looks on as Steve perfects his flutes. Click the link for Steve’s story. https://francisdeen.com/2017/04/22/retired-not-quite/No problem JamaicaZumba Rocks Tulsa (Mary Zumba Spice)Like Whoa, Mary Ann.ZumbaEcstasy – Tulsa Oklahoma. Boy, can she dance? “Has crotch-grabbing in dance ever caused controversy? Yes, it has been a matter of debate, balancing between artistic expression and societal norms. Case in point, choreographed ‘crotch grabs’ by Michael Jackson sparked controversy while also adding to performance intensity and emotional involvement.” TheEssence Music Festival Louisiana Superdome May 21, 2022.Houston, Texas 06-08-2020 (Heading to George Floyd’s Viewing)At George Floyd’s Viewing on 06-08-2020The public @ George Floyd’s ViewingThe Fountain of Praise Church, Houston, to pay respect to George Floyd and bid him farewell. 6-8-2020Dr. Tiffany Crutcher (her masked family behind her) delivers an emotional speech (Juneteenth, Tulsa, 2020)I am demanding a JUSTULSA. (Dr. Tiffany Crutcher of Greenwood)An Interracial Couple Listens to The Rev. Al Sharpton (Juneteenth Tulsa 2020)Juneteenth Tulsa 2020(Sanitized wipes in hand)Black Wall Street Mural on the wall of Interstate Highway 244 Tulsa (MLK Jr Expressway)Juneteenth Tulsa 2020Nameless Security posed for my camera. 2020 Juneteenth TulsaKayla flanked by her daughters. Juneteenth Tulsa 2020A family waiting for the show to begin. Demanding a just Tulsa. Juneteenth 2020Shops at Black Wall Street, Greenwood. Juneteenth Tulsa 2020This Black Lives Matter Mural in Greenwood District (Black Wall Street) Tulsa has been removed by the city.Juneteenth 2020Black Lives Matter Juneteenth, Tulsa Oklahoma, 2020Juneteenth Tulsa 2020Water and Soap Dispenser, Greenwood District Juneteenth 2020Social Distancing and Mask-wearing were enforced as the crowd listened in, some inattentively. (Oklahoma State University in the background)Safety team embedded to encourage people to social distance.The Food line Juneteenth Tulsa 2020Ample parking space was available at the OSU campusJuneteenth Tulsa 2020The Media Juneteenth Tulsa 2020The Young and Vibrant, Juneteenth Tulsa 2020Underneath MLK Jr. Expressway Tulsa, GREENWOOD emblazonedDallas TexasBlack is BeautifulBangs. Her real hair.Barbara Holbrook, Cheryl Wilson, Yulonda Michelle MilerAbout 27 miles south of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is Winchester(Muskogee). “Honk 4 cannabis y’all,” the sign ends. There is a Redneck Corner in Longview, Texas as well. I first noticed this sign in 2017.Essence Music Festival Louisiana Superdome with Leon & TonyDinner was sumptuous with longtime friends Cheryl & Leon WilsonNew Orleans for the Essence Music FestivalThe Guitar is my favorite musical instrumentMiranda Arana, Faculty, University of Oklahoma school of music.
(Nuclear Okra)- Larry Hammettalso a faculty of Oklahoma school of music plays
with Miranda)
Larry & Miranda, UTD March 7,2020 before the pandemic took over our lives.“You are what you eat” I ate healthily @ the Larry & Miranda reception; would you not say for me?Dr. Enric Madriguera,(left) Russell Cleveland Professor in Guitar Studies, UT Dallas. When he entered the class, his first words would be, “Let’s read.” He is a great teacher, and I am grateful to him. March 2020Ray & Joan Howard. I teamed up with Joan to knock on doors for BarackQueens. 41st Ave. New York May 1986 (A wet day)Diana Jill Moxhay @ the American Embassy, Freetown, Sierra Leone. 1942-2016 (RIP)Frank Bernard DeenKwame Baldwin DeenAmare Baldwin Deen
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Kevin Gray’s Midnight Embrace (January 1, 2020)Ashley Falgout of Colab, Dallas’ hip-hop improv group (Deep Ellum)We had a severe winter storm a few years ago and the snow/ice took several
to melt away. Got home from work and could not back up the slope into the
garage because the driveway was caked with ice. One of my neighbors George,
saw my struggle and went to work. ‘CAN WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?”-
Rodney King
Kara Greene (Kary) Mayborn Graduate Institute. “We Mean Green” Nov. 2018 Talk About Diversity A tattered telex report. With telex, what you type cannot be erased, and once you sign on, the clock starts running, so you have to type fast. BIBI (is Bye Bye- shaved off two letters) I like beer, don’t you? Lots of beer, but I am only a microcosm of 7.6 billion people worldwide. I am a Global Citizen! A colorful Tipi at the Grand Prairie Pow Wow, Trader’s Village, used to be made of animal skin. Rocking an Inka shirt outside my barber’s shop (Joc D’s Cutz – jocDscutz.com) -09-28-18 Not been to the Essence Music Festival in a minute? July 3, 2018, in Steve Petermann’s Woodwork shop Welcoming Dr. Joseph Opala to the dais @ Texas Christian University (TCU) to speak on Slavery Sierra Leoneans at TCU (Black History Month) Burn calories while having fun It is so easy 2017 – To the left Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Katherine Boo. She has documented the lives of the poor in some of our most prestigious newspapers. The Dallas Morning News V.P./Managing Editor – Robyn Tomlin Richardson’s Officer Austin Trice and Supervisor Lt. Hart help a stranded motorist. Rode with Officer Trice for eight hours to write a police profile. Pulitzer Finalist Miles Moffeit of The Dallas Morning News Dan Malone is in the background. Won a Pulitzer for his work on “Abuses of Authority.” My stint at The Dallas Morning News on Monday evenings. The Dallas Group assembles at Hunger Busters to make sandwiches and boxed lunches for inner-city elementary after-school programs. A Comet My neighbor and best friend Steve Petermann November 18, 2016 Did we not just celebrate Christmas? George Getschow (Pulitzer Jurist) hammers home what it takes to write a narrative story. He retires this year from teaching after an illustrious career as editor and bureau chief at The Wall Street Journal, among others. Bill Marvel – a fitting last name for a man who has spent a lifetime writing. Was Staff Writer for The Dallas Morning News and has written for many more news outlets. Dallas.
The Dallas Morning News Editor Mike Wilson chats with Katherine Boo
Mayborn School of Journalism Dean Dr.Dorothy Bland shares some laughter with Dr. John McCaaof WFAA Channel 8 at the Literary Nonfiction Conference Dinner, Grapevine Texas Professor Christian McPhate – UNT and The Dallas Observer. In the editorial boardroom of The Denton Record-Chronicle. The Chronicle moved to a new location. January 17, 2018 – Too cold to step out? Nah!
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Dozens of us volunteered to knock on doors, work the phone bank, and more for Barack in 2008 when many people were in doubt. Proud to have been one of Barack’s Precinct Captains.
A request from the Beto campaign to knock on doors and work the phone bank in October this year. I was too busy to honor it but should he run in 2020, I am in if he has no stain. I promise!Amelia Jaycen Read The North Texan -Fall 2020London January 2019What am I thinking of right now?Bassist/Vocalist Kevin Gray (KJ) of Friday’s Foolery. Deep ElumFriday’s Foolery Dallas @ my son’s wedding (Kwinton, Felix, Brandon JaQuay & Kevin) Kingstina & SuadGeorge and MelissaThe Mayborn Literary Nonfiction ConferencePulitzer winners Nikole Hannah-Jones and Cheryl Thompson at The Mayborn.Winnie Mandela. A warm handshake and some encouraging words.Dallas TexasCollege Station TexasRichard Miles of Dallas Texas spent 15 years in prison but he committed no crime. He now runs his own organization MILES
OF FREEDOM to bridge the gap between prison and promise
(The 2019 Arts of oppression, a showing of Art created by people
currently in prison or who have been incarcerated..
Professor Cheryl Elizabeth Brown Wattley (in white, winner of Oklahoma Book Award) UNT Dallas College of Law. Attorney for Richard Miles). The 2019Arts of Oppression.Summer 8-5-2020 (Mask in hand, took it off to smile)Writers in Archer City, Texas, for a workshop. Bill Marvel(Graybeard/hair)St. Stephen’s, St. Mark’s church S E London, telling my mom’s story.Mom in her late TwentiesMom and Grandson Nigel Deen. Nigel is a Havard graduate.Hey.Fort Worth TexasWeatherford TexasA Christmas night outThanks: They took me out to dinner for my birthdayMy Lap dance“A good woman can be a man’s best investment”Plenty of hair
Winnie Mandela UTA (Backstage)
Winnie/Yulonda UTA Texas(backstage)Winnie Mandela autographs, UT Alington Texas (backstage) 1996Yu & Winnie, a joyful moment.UTA, backstage.UT Arlington Sierra Leone 1981
Like the Evergreen trees, I write, making sure my stories are never stale.
Some trees are deciduous, so they shed their leaves, lending support to the
season we call Fall. Here are a few such trees on my street and round
the corner.
My Tree(immediately above)The fallen leaves in Fall are bagged to be picked up by the city, to
prevent drainage clogging or pollute our local waterways, depleting
the oxygen in the water.These paper bags, not plastic, are required.
The leaves together with the bags are made into compost.
Top 22 of 66 countries where my blog is read. I am grateful.
Francis Baldwin Deen 