Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1545488
Letter from the Editor We elect Billy George Fong. 16 P lease pardon me in advance; this may come across as late-night ramblings. But to be honest, it's quite late and I am very behind schedule. My normal Dallas life is fairly consistent: Beginning in early September, the society race starting pistol goes off, and it's a frenetic pace of events (trunk shows, charity lunches, galas) — and then it all comes to a whiplash-inducing halt, come Memorial Day. Those 12 or so weeks, aka summer, are my time to regroup (meaning, I send piles of clothes to the dry cleaners). But well into June, and with July 4 around the corner, it seems as if I can hardly catch my breath. Many of us remember America's bicentennial, back in 1976. Now we're celebrating another national anniversary — one that admittedly I had a little trouble pronouncing. In fact, I had to google semiquincentennial to make sure my facts are straight (it's the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence) when it inevitably comes up in conversation at a clambake on Martha's Vineyard. Google pulled up one of our favorite elementary school memories: the Schoolhouse Rock video "Fireworks." For such a short little ditty, we learned oh-so much: "And on the Fourth of July, they signed it … And 56 names underlined it … And now to honor those first 13 states, we turn the sky into a birthday cake." We started planning this issue a few months back and threw lots of editorial ideas against the wall. Pop-culture moments of the last decade came up, as we wanted to riff on the insanely popular Hamilton or the more recent Oh, Mary! How we wish we could have secured the latter's creator and original star, Cole Escola, for our cover before Tatler snagged them. An idea for a spread we'd call "By George" was pitched, where we would name off our favorite Georges: locals such as Kimbell Art Museum head curator George Shackelford; country star George Strait; iconic American Modernist designer George Nelson; and even a beloved cartoon father, George Jetson. But, in the end, to celebrate our country's birthday, we decided to simply share some of our favorite heritage brands and companies that scream Americana. So, to appropriate some of Pink's "Leading Lady Marmalade" opening number at the recent Tony Awards presentation … Gitchie gitchie Gracie Studio … gitchie gitchie Gorham Silver … gitchie gitchie P.E. Guerin. What do I have planned for this semiquincentennial summer? Beyond watching the fireworks from the verdant lawn of Klyde Warren Park and raising a foam cup of wine in honor of Kit Sawers (the Park's president assumes a new position at Southern Methodist University in late August), I am getting my home in order. For those of you who don't know, I purchased a new condo late in 2025 and still haven't fully nested. First off will be books. I have collected far too many over the past few decades, with the hope of finally displaying them in a way that shows I am a Renaissance boy. Something erudite, but not terribly sanctimonious. I must find a way to showcase my vast assortment of design tomes, which ranges from interior bibles such as Bunny Williams: Love Affairs with Houses and Parish-Hadley Tree of Life to fashion conversation starters such as Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld's bulging The Little Black Jacket. I'm strategizing my own Dewey Decimal System (hmmm, maybe Madison or Ellis Hill has chic index cards that I can send to my calligrapher for the bibliographic information) so I can readily find the right volume when a story requires research. That said, I need to find a special spot for something I reference time and again. For some, that might be the King James Bible or perhaps The Tao of Pooh when in need of guidance. For me, it's my well-worn, tattered original copy of Lisa Birnbach's The Official Preppy Handbook. In fact, to sign off, I'll borrow one of her famous exit lines: "Let's act like a preacher and get the hell out of here." See you soon at that clambake. William GEORGE Fong Jr. Dallas Editor in Chief