Taking the temperature

This Dallas neighbor weighs in as the healthiest county in Texas, says U.S. News

The typical life expectancy in Collin County is 82.7 years, compared with 77.5 years nationwide.

Photo courtesy of City of Plano

For babies and baby boomers alike, Collin County stands out as the healthiest county in Texas, according to a new study by U.S. News & World Report.

Collin County lands at No. 50 on U.S. News’ list of the 500 healthiest counties in the U.S., making it the healthiest county in Texas. U.S. News assessed 2,735 of the 3,143 counties across the U.S. but ranked only 500 of them.

For the study, U.S. News examined 89 metrics across 10 categories tied to health:

Community health
Health, income, education, and social equity
Education
Economy
Housing
Food and nutrition
Environment
Public safety
Community vitality
Infrastructure

Collin County earned its highest score in the economy category (95) and its lowest score in the housing category (50). Data published by U.S. News highlights Collin County’s health status. For instance:

The typical life expectancy is 82.7 years, compared with 77.5 years nationwide and 79.2 years statewide.
The smoking rate is 12.4 percent, compared with 20 percent nationwide and 15.5 percent statewide.
Cancer and heart disease are less prevalent than in the U.S. or Texas.
12.5 percent of residents under 65 lack health insurance, compared with 11 percent nationwide and 20.7 percent statewide.

Collin County — home to more than 1.1 million people — also appeared at No. 1 in a report released in May by University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute that ranks the healthiness of the state’s 254 counties. This report relied on criteria similar to those used by U.S. News.

“Where we live, learn, work, and play matters to our health. And Collin County appears to be in great shape,” the Collin County government website boasts.

Two other counties in Dallas-Fort Worth made the top 500 in the U.S. News study.

Rockwall County wound up at No. 70. Its highest score was in the economy category (87), and its lowest score was in the housing category (54).

Further down the list was No. 180 Denton County. Its highest score was in the economy category (88), and its lowest score was in the housing category (43).

Other Texas counties that fared well in the U.S. News study are:

No. 91 Kendall County (San Antonio). Its highest score was in the economy category (79); its lowest score was in the housing category (53).
No. 121 Williamson County (Austin). Its highest score was in the economy category (93); its lowest score was in the housing category (52).
No. 291 Fort Bend County (Houston). No. 291. Its highest score was in the economy category (90); its lowest score was in the environment category (25).
No. 295 Travis County (Austin). Its highest score was in the infrastructure category (92); its lowest score was in the equity category (41).
No. 453 Comal County (San Antonio). Its highest score was in the economy category (75); its lowest score was in the environment category (43).

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RIP Kelly

Beloved Dallas public relations maven Kelly Hunter dies at 58

Photo courtesy of Sunwest PR.

Kelly Hunter passed away on June 12.

A beloved Dallas media figure has died: Kelly Hunter, a public relations maven who helped restaurants and other small businesses thrive, passed away on June 12, following a brief illness; she was 58.

Hunter spent 35 years in the field of public relations, first at Shiroma Southwest, then at Sunwest Communications, where she served as Vice President, Lifestyle, Hospitality & Tech.

She played a key role in a creative alliance with the City of Addison, particularly its annual Kaboom Town 4th of July event. Other notable clients she promoted over the years include the Statler Dallas hotel in downtown Dallas; Hotel Dax, the Statler sibling that recently opened in Addison; and the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Dallas Love Field.

A statement from Sunwest said that "Kelly’s unparalleled work ethic and encyclopedic knowledge of countless subjects were exceeded only by the passion she had for her job. She made an incredible impact on all she met. Kelly was a good friend, a great mom, and an even better wife to her husband, John."

Hunter was the consummate PR pro, embodying both the detail-oriented precision and the 24/7 responsiveness that the job calls for, along with a doting personal touch that was felt by her coworkers, clients, and members of the media. Hunter was beloved by her peers, as well — no small feat in the cut-throat world of Dallas media.

Chuck Steelman called her "amazing — one of the best public relations professionals I’ve ever worked with." Patricia Valderrama described her as "the warmest and kindest soul. Never saw her angry or upset ever." Allison Golden Tucker posted, "It always seemed like Kelly had more hours in the day than most. Her storytelling ability was second to none and she always had time for a quick word of advice."

Barbara Kovacevich highlighted Kelly's effectiveness, noting that "she elevated Addison events to national recognition. It’s hard to not link Kelly with Addison Kaboom Town. Kelly was driven to success and had a great heart for others."

Kelly was born in Dallas on June 28, 1967. Her parents were Joanne Washburn and John Alexander Jr., and she had a younger sister, Amy. She graduated from Plano Senior High School, going on to earn degrees in marketing and finance from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA in marketing from the University of North Texas.

She and her husband, John, had two children, Chandler and Reagan, and the four were frequent travelers.

She was also a lifelong volunteer, from the PTA at her children’s elementary school, to Junior League of Collin County, Women’s Auxiliary for Children’s Health, Chamberlain Ballet, and the National Charity League. A culinary enthusiast in work and life, she was recently inducted into Les Dames d’Escoffier.

"Kelly did everything in life with a cheerful attitude and a warmth that made everyone feel special," the statement from Sunwest said. "Her network reaches every corner of the DFW metroplex and beyond as a talented storyteller, fabulous home chef, and a dedicated friend. She was loved and admired by all who knew her."

Services will be held on Saturday, June 27 at 11 am at Christ United Methodist Church in Plano. The service will be live-streamed at cumc.com/memorial.

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