Wick Allison

Fair Park is commonly referred to as being in South Dallas. It is actually­—as the map shows—in East Dallas. In fact, it was once an integral part of East Dallas. When the park’s 277 acres were preserved from development in the 1880s by the concerted efforts of leading citizens such as Alex Sanger, the reason was their proximity to the city’s best neighborhoods.

Editor’s Note: Wick Allison, a lifelong conservative, wrote this in 2008 ahead of the presidential election. Wick passed away on Tuesday; here is his obituary. In lieu of flowers, donations may be given in Wick’s honor to Society of St. Vincent de Paul Dallas or Coalition for a New Dallas. The more I listen to and read about “the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate,” the more I like him. Barack Obama strikes a chord with me like no political figure since Ronald Reagan.

Editor’s Note: This was the first publisher’s note to appear in D Magazine, in October of 1974. There isn’t a better person to explain the origins of D—and why it wasn’t called Dallas Magazine—than Wick Allison. Wick passed away on Tuesday; here is his obituary. In lieu of flowers, donations may be given in Wick’s honor to Society of St. Vincent de Paul Dallas or Coalition for a New Dallas. Two years ago, almost to the day, this magazine was named.