Dear Members,
As another Texas summer is slowly winding down and Fall is beginning to inch closer it is time to look forward to the new season. We have excellent speakers, festive gatherings, a historic fundraiser co-hosted with the Dallas County Medical Society, our annual Holiday luncheon and perhaps a few surprise pop-ups. Our membership drive will begin mid-month with the renewal email from TMAA. I sincerely hope everyone of you will renew.
As you know guests are always welcome and we want to increase our membership. Inviting a physician family to the November 18th Beyond Duty: A Gift to the World evening event would certainly be a memorable evening to introduce the Alliance to a new family. We are also incorporating Doctors Day that evening honoring the physicians in attendance. If you have not received a letter, please let Kaki Hopkins know kaki.beyoundduty@gmail.com . You may RSVP via mail or at https:/beyoundduty.eventbrite.com.
Our holiday luncheon at the Aldredge House showcases the beauty of this historic home. This tradition is always special and a wonderful reason to host a table for family and friends.
All programs will be at the Aldredge House unless stated otherwise. What have we planned to date?
- • September 13th Brunch at Aldridge House followed with a tour of the Magdalen House 4513 Gaston. Please RSVP to Shana Wilcox wilcox.shana@gmail.com by September 9th. Space is limited.
- September 21st Board meeting 10 am.
- September 22nd North Texas Giving Day.
- September 28th evening program End of Life Care presented by Dr. Robert Fine with introduction by Dr. Marvin Stone. Reception at 6:00 followed by dinner at 6:30 and the program at 7:30.
- October 5th Lunch program presented by Sandra Steinbach, MD author of Sandy Sez, 40 Bad Poems and Wrapping It Up. Dr. Steinbach will give us 101 Mentally Healthy Habits to incorporate into our lives. Sandra is an active member with the Alliance and practiced Psychiatry for 50 years.
- October 26th- Board Meeting.
- Membership Halloween Party- TBD
- November 2nd Lunch program with Robert Decherd former Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of A.H. Belo Corporation of Dallas.
- November 14-18 Holiday decorating.
- November 18th Beyond Duty: A Gift to the World with guests Peter Hotez MD PhD and Maria Elena Botazzi PhD, Hyatt Regency 7-10 pm.
- December 7th Holiday Luncheon.
- Family Membership Holiday Party-TBD
- January 9-12 Decoration take down.
- Dinner Jimmies Italian Market- TBD
- February 1st Lunch program with Andrea Laurent Simpson PhD author of Just Like Family: How Companion Animals joined the Household.
- February 8 Dinner program Dr. Goran Klintmalm and Mr. Scott McCartney will present a program on Organ Transplantation. Introduction by Dr. Marvin Stone.
- Fentanyl – we are hoping to present a program. TBD
Our first program is this September 13, 2022. Please RSVP by September 9th. Spaces are limited.

Our first program is this September 13, 2022. Please RSVP by September 9th. Spaces are limited.
Please join us on September 13 for brunch and an inspiring field trip to an East Dallas-based organization that, like us, won an achievement award from Preservation Dallas, AND whose mission is to cure a serious disease that afflicts 1 in 11 women in the U.S.
A house in Peaks Addition, 4513 Gaston, is on the list of 2022 Preservation Dallas awardees, but the home’s recent $3.5 million remodel is about more than aesthetics or preservation. It is what happens inside the building that is worth seeing during our first DCMSA Fall 2022 gathering.
This beautiful 1904-built estate is home to The Magdalen House, a nonprofit where women have been coming since 1987 seeking treatment of alcoholism. The house has an important function: “To give alcoholic women a dignified space to recover from a disease. Where their children can come visit, where they don’t ever have to feel shame because they reached out for help.
Meet at Aldredge House at 10:45 and we will carpool to the Magdalen House for a tour from 12:00 – 12:30. Please RSVP to wilcox.shana@gmail.com. We hope to see you there.
Our first evening program on September 28, 2022, is coming up soon. We are so pleased to have Dr. Robert Fine speak on the topic End of Life Care. We thank Dr. Marvin Stone for inviting Dr. Fine. This will be an excellent and informative evening.
Dr. Fine is a graduate of UT Austin (BA, summa cum laude, English) and UT Southwestern. He is a member of both Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha honor societies. He has completed board certification in internal medicine, geriatrics and palliative medicine, and is a Fellow of both the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Dr. Fine is the founder of both Clinical Ethics (1985) and Supportive Palliative Care (2004) services at BSWH. The palliative medicine programs under his leadership have been nationally recognized for excellence twice by the American Hospital Association. He has previously served on the National Quality Forum Committee on Palliative and End of Life Care, the Ethics Committee of AAHPM, the Steering Committee on Palliative Care for the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC), and he co-chaired the national corporate ethics committee for VITAS hospice. In 1999 he served as the lead physician author of the Texas Advance Directives Act and has worked closely with the TMA, THA and others to maintain and improve the Act since that time. He has provided well over 2000 bedside clinical ethics consults, provided clinical ethics expertise to numerous health care organizations beyond BSWH, and has spearheaded development of the North Texas Mass Critical Care (pandemic triage) guidelines which have formed the basis of guidelines by many organizations across Texas. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management and publishes and lectures nationally on topics related to both Clinical Ethics and Palliative Medicine. Dr. Fine currently serves as the Clinical Director of the Office of Clinical Ethics and Palliative Care for Baylor Scott and White Health.
Additional programs and events will be added as we continue to plan out the year.
We have a few updates:
Our Historic Marker has been returned! It was found on August the 8th behind another home on Swiss Avenue. Plans for the reinstallation are in process. Over the summer ample work was completed in the Aldredge House. Interior painting, new air conditioning, roof repair, a through cleanup and general reorganization has been done. A generous thank you goes to Barenda and Peter Hino, Wendy Hansen and Dr. Mike Holub for overseeing the repairs and undertaking refreshing the interior design. As the house was organized and rearranged it became apparent that a yard sale is in order! The carriage house garage has been home to the overflow of furniture and decorative items. The time has come for rehoming of these treasurers. If you have items to donate keep an eye out for the announcement soon.
Aldredge House
The Aldredge House committee meets on the 4th Monday of the month at 9:30. We welcome anyone and everyone to join us. In addition to our monthly meetings, we schedule workdays throughout the year to handle tasks that need to be done to keep our beautiful home “company ready”. We are particularly looking for folks who would like to help in the gardens and greenhouse.
Dates to remember:
Committee Meetings: Sept. 26 and Oct. 24
Holiday decorating: Nov. 14, 15 and 16, 9:30 to 4
We are looking to a great year at Aldredge House! Please come join the team!
If you have any questions or comments please contact Wendy Hansen, 972-955-4325 or wendyhanse@aol.com
The health fair at the Church of the Incarnation held August 13th was a success. We thank all our members and friends who volunteered. This health fair has become a community staple and it is much appreciated by the families who are served. Past Presidents Sandy Secor and Michelle Anderson began this health fair 12 years ago and it has continued to grow and assist the Dallas Community.




This coming Spring, we will be able to return in person and conduct a Health Fair for the students at Bayles Elementary. We provided the handsome new blazers for the Student Council with a portion of the funds we raised during last year’s holiday luncheon. We are planning to implement a new book program for the students sponsored by the TMAA in collaboration with a local clinic in proximity to Bayles. We are in the early planning stages for the fair. If anyone is interested in brainstorming and helping with this Spring health project, contact Deborah Parnell debparnell@sbcglobal.net . We are also planning another health forum focusing on new legislation and its effect within the practice of certain specialties. This event will also be held in the Spring.
Recently, I met with the TMAA leaders, Pam Udall, Libby White and Jose Melendez during their Dallas visit. We enjoyed an extremely productive and enjoyable time together. The TMAA monthly report is chock full of information regarding other county Alliances and developments within the State. Positive changes and improvements have been made to the TMAA website in response to counties requesting a simplified membership renewal option. Pam and Libby will be joining us for the Holiday Luncheon and the Beyond Duty A Gift to the World dinner. We are looking forward to their company.
The North Texas Giving Day is in full swing now for early giving. Please consider donating to the Aldredge House Preservation Fund and the Edith Cavell Nursing Scholarship. You may find our pages on the North Texas Giving Day 2022 site. https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/giving-events/ntx22?gclid=Cj0KCQjwmdGYBhDRARIsABmSEeOrlmzlGP-RtNBCH4KhfaSqPakPmaCDa_ZDviSJ-lcKxRkTa5vnz54aAkuTEALw_wcB All donations are much appreciated.
This year we are awarding 8 nursing student’s scholarships. The Edith Cavell Committee noted how impressive our applicants are. A reception for this year’s recipients will take place in early November. The student nurses are always excited to have the opportunity to visit with our members and enjoy an afternoon of relaxation.
I hope we provide interesting, entertaining and meaningful times together this year. We look forward to seeing you. Thank you!
