Part 18 of my "Heritage" travel campaign.
On my way to Texas, traveling from Tennessee, I drove through Arkansas and stopped at two places, the Confederate Cemetery in Helena and the Louisiana Purchase State Park near Brinkley. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_Confederate_Cemetery https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/louisiana-purchase-state-park
I spent about a week in Dallas, Texas. My main reason for traveling to Dallas was to attend the Alpha Kappa Psi Convention, which was being held at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel. Another reason was to see my Aunt and Uncle from Houston, whom I hadn't seen in a long time. A third reason was to visit an old friend from college (SFASU), whom I had also not seen in a long time and the last reason was to explore more of Dallas. https://www.visitdallas.com/
Alpha Kappa Psi is a professional, co-ed, business fraternity that has more members than any other collegiate business organization, worldwide. There are chapters in the US, UK, Canada, and Hong Kong. It was founded on October 5th, 1904, at New York University. I was a member of the Epsilon Kappa chapter at Southern Illinois University Carbondale from 2006 to 2008. The Dallas Convention showcased new ideas, offered networking opportunities, fraternity sessions with voting, professional development workshops, post-college employment opportunities, evening social functions, and city-wide tours of Dallas. I was grateful to be able to relive my AKPsi experience and meet other brothers. https://akpsi.org/leadership-development/events/convention/
I met with family from Houston and an old friend from college and we were able to do some much-needed, long-overdue catching up. This experience reminded me of what it means to be a Texan and why that's so special. My Aunt gave me a portfolio with our family's history that focuses on the American Civil War, this is priceless to me. My friend, Anne, from college met with me, since she actually lives close to the Motel 6 where I was staying in Richardson. We met a couple of different times, once for dinner and again when she took me on a culture tour of downtown Dallas. We visited the Old Red Museum, Crow Museum of Asian Art, and Dealey Plaza, where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22nd, 1963. http://www.sfasu.edu/ https://www.oldred.org/ https://crowcollection.org/
I was also able to check out the George W. Bush Presidential Center on the SMU (Southern Methodist University) campus in downtown Dallas. The permanent exhibit highlights Bush's presidency from 9/11 to the financial crisis that lead to the Great Recession. There are also special exhibits, one that highlights various presidential retreats. There is also a native Texas park which has Texas bluebonnets, and a restaurant that offers fine dining. The Center hosts occasional guest speakers as well as scheduled tours for different groups. There is a gift shop for purchasing souvenirs. https://www.bushcenter.org/
I had a very memorable experience in Dallas and I'm looking forward to returning someday, soon, and exploring more of it.