Dean Highland Neighborhood Association

Tag: fellowship

  • “Voices from Dean Highland” spotlight: Mark & Melinda Leazar

    Hey Dean Highlanders,

    Allow me to introduce the Leazars, Mark & Melinda, from Herring Avenue. Mark grew up in the Dean Highland neighborhood, just a few houses down from where he currently resides, and has a wealth of knowledge and memories from Dean Highland as a child and now as an adult with accumulated wisdom.

    Melinda came to Dean Highland via a lengthy and adventurous stay in Los Angeles (where she became a big fan of UCLA) before blessing us with her time and efforts here in the neighborhood.

    Mark sat down with me twice, on June 13 and July 13, 2026, and Melinda sat down with me on July 12, 2026. I am grateful to both of them for their time and their thoughtfulness regarding the Dean Highland neighborhood. They have been good to us.

    Given that the neighborhood association’s stated goals are service, advocacy, and fellowship, please be sure to give the Leazars a hearty greeting if you see them out and about at one of our service projects, advocacy efforts, or raucous quarterly meetings. If you would like to collaborate or fellowship with them, shoot me (Brandon Christensen) an email and I’ll try to introduce you.

    If you, or somebody you know and love, wants to participate in this project, shoot me (Brandon Christensen) an email and we’ll get started.

    You can read more about our “Voices from Dean Highland” project here. You (yes, you!) and your story are way more interesting and important than you think, and this project is something that your loved ones will appreciate long after you’re gone. Check out some other “Voices” spotlights here.

  • **Don’t Forget**

    Our next Quarterly Meeting is Thursday evening, at 6pm, on the 24th. We are pleased to report that our President, Scott Michael, was able to meet with the new Principal of Dean Highland Elementary School and secure our traditional quarterly meeting place. The new Principal will be at the meeting and is going to share some of the challenges that the school faces today. As a longtime supporter of the school, the Dean Highland Neighborhood Association is looking forward to hearing about the challenges and how we can serve.

    So, Thursday, September 24th, 6pm, at Dean Highland Elementary School (3300 Maple Ave., Waco, TX 76707). Here it is on a map:

    The front doors of the school will probably be locked, so you will have to hang a left (if you’re facing the front doors) and follow the building to the black gate, where you will see an entrance to the cafeteria. This is where you will find us!

    We are trying to gather as much information about the needs and wants and demographics of the neighborhood before the meeting, so please fill out (or re-fill out) a membership form before Thursday (the 24th).

    As always, if you have any questions, shoot us an email at deanhighlandwaco@gmail.com.

    ALSO

    Zion Hill Baptist Church will be celebrating its 145th anniversary on Sunday, September 27th 20th, beginning at 9am, and it wants to let the whole neighborhood know that we are invited to the service. Zion Hill Baptist Church is located at 2919 McKenzie Avenue, Waco TX, 76708. Here they are on a map:

    This is a fantastic opportunity to get out of the house and explore your neighborhood. You will not regret switching up your Sunday morning routine for this. Check out their Facebook page.

    ETC.

    Our “Voices from Dean Highland” oral history project is going well. You can read more about our “Voices from Dean Highland” project here. You (yes, you!) and your story are way more interesting and important than you think, and this project is something that your loved ones will appreciate long after you’re gone. Check out some “Voices” spotlights here. Reach out to me (Brandon Christensen) when you’re ready to tell some neighborhood stories!

  • DHNA’s State Historical Marker Challenge: Martha Totten and Claude Parker

    Hey Dean Highlanders,

    Meet our latest Challengers:

    Claude Parker and Martha Totten are neighbors, and they both live right next to the trolley tracks that are still embedded in the road. Claude has lived in Dean Highland for 31 years, and Martha has lived here for 7 years.

    They are both very thankful for this community. Some of you might know Martha as “the trash lady” because she is usually picking up trash while she walks/exercises around the neighborhood.

    If you see either of them out and about, you know what to do! They both got a DHNA t-shirt for their efforts, and you could too.

    For past DHNA State Historical Marker Challengers, check this out.

    Oh, and here is what our State Historical Marker Challenge is all about:

    Our Texas Historical Marker for the trolley stop is on-site now. You can check it out at the triangle on Trice and 28th:

    If you take a photo of yourselves and/or loved ones next to the Texas Historical Marker, send it to us via email at deanhighlandwaco@gmail.com and we’ll post it here on the website. We will also throw in a free Dean Highland Neighborhood t-shirt for each participant while supplies last.

    T-shirt supplies look like this:

    • 2 smalls
    • and 7 mediums

  • “Voices from Dean Highland” spotlight: Jessica Shelby

    Hey Dean Highlanders,

    Please allow me to introduce Jessica Shelby, who resides on Homan Avenue.

    Jessica is a proud Dean Highland Dragon and has lived a beautiful life — filled with adventures and a love of history – in many parts of Texas and beyond. As you can see, she’s a big Star Wars fan.

    Jessica contributed to the “Voices from Dean Highland” project on July 11, 2026.

    Given that the neighborhood association’s stated goals are service, advocacy, and fellowship, please be sure to give Jessica a hearty greeting if you see her out and about at one of our service projects, advocacy efforts, or raucous quarterly meetings. If you would like to collaborate or fellowship with her, shoot me (Brandon Christensen) an email and I’ll try to introduce you.

    If you, or somebody you know and love, wants to participate in this project, shoot me (Brandon Christensen) an email and we’ll get started.

    You can read more about our “Voices from Dean Highland” project here. You (yes, you!) and your story are way more interesting and important than you think, and this project is something that your loved ones will appreciate long after you’re gone. Check out some other “Voices” spotlights here.

    The project is going well. In addition to capturing neighborhood stories from residents, I have started to make inroads with people who have worked in the neighborhood at some of our most important institutions: Hillcrest Hospital, Zion Hill Baptist Church, Waco Police Department, and Highland Baptist Church.

    Currently, I am collaborating with the good, God-fearing folks at Zion Hill, who are celebrating their 145th anniversary this year. Please, shoot me (Brandon Christensen) an email or text, and lets get your neighborhood stories told and archived for the generations to come.

    Thanks Jessica!!!

  • Another postponement / SAVE THE DATE

    Hi Dean Highlanders,

    We were supposed to do another cleanup for our Dean Highland Conservancy Initiative yesterday but, alas, it was too darn hot.

    We will absolutely be doing our first cleanup post-summer break on Saturday September 26th, and our friends from Baylor’s Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED) Honor Society will be joining us again!

    We are going to meet in the parking lot of Highland Baptist Church that’s next to the church’s new Wellness Center. Here it is on a map:

    We collaborated with AED this past spring, and had a blast. We’d love to see all neighborhood association members attend this time. The fun will start at 10am. Saturday, the 26th. If you have any questions, shoot us an email at deanhighlandwaco@gmail.com.

    Our next Quarterly Meeting, by the way, will be before the neighborhood cleanup, on Thursday, September 17th 24th, at 6pm. We are still trying to find a spot to hold it, since administrative functions at Dean Highland Elementary School, our traditional meeting spot, are in flux.

    Stay cool out there!

  • Tailgate party at Baylor, anyone?

    Hi Dean Highlanders,

    Your humble neighborhood association board is putting together a tailgate party at Baylor’s football game on the 19th. We’d like to get a headcount of who might like to go. It’s free to attend, but we’re looking at instituting an “attendance” guard:

    • if you haven’t attended at least one of our quarterly meetings (the next one is on Sept. 24th);
    • or participated in at least one of our conservancy initiative service projects (the next one is Sept. 12th);
    • or shared some neighborhood stories for our oral history project (always available);
    • or donated money to us at some point in time (here’s our Venmo);
    • or participated in our totally awesome State Historical Marker Challenge;
    • or ever purchased any Dean Highland drip (lawn flags, t-shirts, etc.).

    Then we’ll probably put you on the wait list. 🙂

    If you’d like to go, shoot us an email at deanhighlandwaco@gmail.com. To save everyone some time, please give us a list of names of who would like to go and how you have participated (or plan to participate) in the Dean Highland Neighborhood Association thus far. If you haven’t participated in anything just yet: there’s still time! Our next Conservancy Initiative cleanup is, as noted above, on Saturday the 12th (a whole week before the tailgate party on the 19th!), or you could finally break down and set up an oral history interview with Brandon, or — if you’re really strapped for time – you could simply donate to our park fight war chest.

    We’ll have more details on the tailgate party as events unfold.

  • Dean Highland in the news: Arson and murder

    Hi Dean Highlanders,

    I sometimes get carried away sharing all of the great things that are happening in our neighborhood. Our trolley stop revitalization effort, and especially the story it tells, is truly unique and we should be proud of it. The fact that we’re doing, as a neighborhood, a State Historical Marker Challenge (complete with free t-shirt prizes while supplies last) is just icing on a delectable cake.

    Our Dean Highland Conservancy Initiative is unlike anything else in Waco. No other neighborhood is getting out into its streets and pocket parks and alleyways, on a sustained, bimonthly basis, and doing the difficult work of cleaning up a constant mess that the City and its non-profit partners cannot seem to tackle by themselves.

    Our oral history project, “Voices from Dean Highland,” is definitely becoming a bright spot for our neighborhood, thanks to all of your participation (and future participation — wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

    Yet all is not roses and lavender and butterflies and birds, and we have to remember this as we pursue our stated neighborhood association purposes of service, advocacy, and fellowship. There was recently a serious arson on the 2900 block of Colcord Avenue:

    Stay safe out there Dean Highlanders, and be sure to take care of each other. If you have any other information about the arson, feel free to shoot us a message at deanhighlandwaco@gmail.com.

    Even more seriously, there was recently a murder on the 2800 block of Summer Avenue (the star up top-left) and the suspect fled only a few blocks away, to another spot in Dean Highland on the 2600 block of Alexander Avenue (the bottom-right star):

    The Dean Highland Neighborhood Association is currently gathering information in order to put together a care package for the spouse of the murder victim. If you would like to contribute information or thoughtful notes/prayers for the victim’s spouse, shoot us an email at deanhighlandwaco@gmail.com. If you would like to instead make a monetary contribution, click here to get to our Venmo account (once you log in, there should be a spot for you to tell us why you’re giving).

    Thanks Dean Highlanders, and take care of yourselves out there. Take care of each other, too.

  • “Voices from Dean Highland” spotlight: Michael Long

    Hi Dean Highlanders,

    Allow me to introduce you to Michael Long, who comes to us from Fadal Avenue. He and his lovely wife, Edith, sat down with me on May 19th, 2026, although only Michael actually did the interview. Michael was a radio DJ for many years and is currently a filmmaker and podcast host. You can check out his podcast here.

    Michael has been interested in UFOs since his first sighting at the age of 12 in Ellisville, Mississippi. On the same date as Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker’s abduction in Pascagoula, Michael witnessed a huge orange ball float across his property about 90 miles from the coast headed north to south toward the gulf coast and Pascagoula. Since then he has had sightings concurrently about every two years. In 1975 he and a friend observed a huge silver ball hovering over them and moving against the wind. He has witnessed saucer shapes, balls of light, and even a small fleet of unidentified objects.

    Michael was definitely a cool addition to Dean Highland’s oral history project.

    If you, or somebody you know and love, wants to participate in this project, shoot me (Brandon Christensen) an email and we’ll get started.

    Given that the neighborhood association’s stated goals are service, advocacy, and fellowship, please be sure to give Michael a hearty greeting if you see him out and about at one of our service projects, advocacy efforts, or quarterly meetings. If you would like to collaborate with Michael, or simply fellowship with him, shoot me (Brandon Christensen) an email and I’ll try to introduce you.

    You can read more about our “Voices from Dean Highland” project here. You (yes, you!) and your story are way more interesting and important than you think, and this project is something that your kids and grandkids and other loved ones will appreciate long after you’re gone.

  • The Dean Highland Conservancy Initiative’s August 8th cleanup: A recap

    Hi Dean Highlanders,

    Y’all missed out on quite the treat at our latest conservancy initiative cleanup. We didn’t find any guns, but we did manage to fill up four big bags of trash, and we were able to connect with some of our Baylor buddies from Alpha Epsilon Delta Honors Society.

    Our next conservancy initiative project will be August 29th. Mark your calendars! Here’s some more fun:

    And here is the spot in the neighborhood that we hit:

    You can read more about the Dean Highland Conservancy Initiative here. Catch you next time, and don’t forget to bring a friend or, better yet, a neighbor!

  • **Don’t Forget**

    After a well-deserved summer break, the Dean Highland Conservancy Initiative is kicking back off this Saturday beginning at 9am.

    We will be meeting at the empty lot along the border of Dean Highland at 26th and Windsor:

    There is plenty of garbage to pick up, so bring that famous attitude of gratitude that Dean Highlanders are known for. We’ll have all the equipment needed to clean up the area, thanks to our friends at Keep Waco Beautiful, so just bring yourself, your family, and maybe even a neighbor.

    The purpose of these bi-monthly gatherings is to serve our neighborhood, fellowship with each other, and let the powers that be in Waco know that our neighborhood is not be trifled with when it comes to Hillcrest Park (i.e. advocacy).

    Some our friends from Baylor’s Alpha Epsilon Delta Honors Society (remember them?) will be there this Saturday, too. We are also planning to do a major cleanup with them sometime in September as well.

    These bi-monthly service projects have been a huge boon to the neighborhood’s advocacy efforts so far, and they’ve also led to some pretty cool relationships. Check out some our our past Dean Highland Conservancy Initiative cleanups!

    Remember: this Saturday, August 8th, beginning at 9am. The empty field at 26th and Windsor. You can just park anywhere. You can bike to it. You can walk to it. Bring the dogs. Bring the kids. Let’s kick off the last part of the year with a bang!

    If you have any questions, shoot us an email: deanhighlandwaco@gmail.com.