EIGHTY YEARS AGO, Highland Park West was pioneer Joseph Cole's farm. Dallas, the village, a cluster of cabins, was a speck in the distant Valley. Cole's wagon crushed a pecan sapling. He straightened it; nursed it back to life. Today the giant tree is a cherished land- mark; vigorous and beautiful it stands at Preston and Armstrong. Like the tree, Dallas, the great city which grew up around it, is living testimony of the character, courage, faith, and works of an ambitious, industrious people. Dallas, the city, is the "Mother Tree'' of us all. Its shade and fruit have benefited all; enriched many. Each succeeding generation has loved and revered the "Mother Tree." We continue to conduct our business and earn our livelihood under its shelter.

However, in recent years, too many of us have taken the tree's beneficence for granted. Artificial boundaries, separating the Park Cities, have cut off a goodly portion of our Mother Tree's root system. We cannot expect to continue to enjoy the "shade'' and "fruit'' if we leave responsibility for continued productiveness entirely to others. Neglect of proper care and culture can sap the vitality of the noblest tree. The result is gradual decay. We of the Park Cities have a vital concern in the continued health and vigor of Dallas. And it isn't merely sentimental; it is cultural, financial, political and moral, as well. Fortunately, in Dallas proper, those loyal to the traditional Dallas ideals are still in the majority.