Category Archives: Community

More Than Sunday-Go-To-Meeting, Part 1

If you’ve lived here any time at all, you’ve noticed all the churches in the Brentwood/Crestview area—more than a dozen of them. Many were established more than 60 years ago, as the two neighborhoods were being built. Crestview United Methodist, left, celebrated its 60th in November 2013. Faith Lutheran celebrated its 65th in September and October 2015. For longtime members John and Judy Carlson, Crestview Methodist was more than a place to attend Sunday service. … Read more

Posted in Community, People, Places, Wall of Welcome Stories

The Gift Must Always Move

With Thanksgiving coming up, we’d like to acknowledge just a few of all who have encouraged us in our Voices of the Violet Crown community/history project, especially since 2007: Neighbors, friends, and family, who purchased copies of our film A Community Mosaic and book From Abercrombie to the Violet Crown, and Crestview Shopping Center businesses that helped sell them—Crestview Barber Shop, Crestview Beauty Salon, and Crestview Pharmacy. Texas Oral History Association, for acknowledging our project … Read more

Posted in Community, Events, People

“Pee Pop” of Dwyce Drive

Milton Gebhard‘s 2009 obituary didn’t reveal much about the man or his life—only that he was 89 and a retired carpenter, and he once lived in Austin. His birth certificate, found online, shows that he was born Milton Hugo Henry Gebhard, son of Bruno and Hedwig Renter Gebhard of Round Top, Texas. His Brentwood neighbors remember him well. One young neighbor who couldn’t pronounce Gebhard’s last name nicknamed him Pee Pop. His driveway was a … Read more

Posted in Community, People, Wall of Welcome Stories | Comments Off on “Pee Pop” of Dwyce Drive

Neb and Helen—and Ernest Tubb

A few years ago, I met a young mother in our neighborhood. After growing up in an Austin suburb, she said she was happy to move to our neighborhood and to have better neighbors. She just wasn’t sure how to be one herself. I couldn’t help but remember Neb and Helen Parson, who lived behind us for 10 years. Neb always had an abundance of tools and farm implements, and he planted a good-sized garden … Read more

Posted in Community, People

Continuum of Community

We couldn’t think of a better person to introduce our blog than Bill Williamson of Crestview. (See “Meet Bill Williamson.”) He’s one of the first people we interviewed for our project, and he was eager to share his story with us. We’ve seen that being a good neighbor matters, to people such as Bill, who moved here more than a half-century ago, and to younger people living here today. The continuum of community—past, present, and … Read more

Posted in Community