RIP Viv

Vivian Castleberry, Dallas champion of women and journalism, dies

Vivian Castleberry was a trailblazer as a woman journalist and a peace activist.

Dallas journalist and pioneer Vivian Castleberry died on October 4 after a battle with breast cancer; she was 95.

Castleberry was born in Lindale, Texas on April 8, 1922, and graduated as valedictorian from her high school in Athens in 1940. She was a graduate of Southern Methodist University and a Distinguished Alumnae.

A lifelong journalist, she edited her high school newspaper, the SMU newspaper, and was women's editor of the Dallas Times Herald for 28 years, from 1956-1984.

She was the first woman to serve on the newspaper's editorial board, and helped draw attention to issues such as foster care, adoptions, abortion, domestic violence, and child poverty.

She won numerous awards, including a Legends award from the Dallas Press Club for lifetime excellence in journalism in 2013.

She was inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in 1984 and was honored with the Laurel Award given by the American Association of University Women; a Women Helping Women Award given by the Women's Center of Dallas; a Women Helping Women Award given by the Soroptimist Club, and the Extra Mile Award given by the Business and Professional Women's Club.

She helped found many women-centric nonprofits, including the Women's Center of Dallas, Women's Issues Network (WIN), and the Dallas Women's Foundation.

After her retirement from journalism in 1984, she became a peace activist, making trips to foreign countries as a "grassroots diplomat." The Oak Cliff Lions Club presented her with the Bill Melton Humanitarian Award in 2017 for her dedication to community and mankind.

In 2010, the University of North Texas founded the Castleberry Peace Institute, named after Vivian, to promote peace via research and education.

Vivian married her childhood sweetheart, Curtis W. Castleberry, who became a high school teacher; he died in 2013. She's survived by five daughters and multiple grandchildren.

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Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

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