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Before we were Highlanders, there was a neighborhood taking shape, families putting down roots, and a story already underway on Fort Worth’s East Side.

In Episode 21 of We Got The Funk, Donald “Don the Barber” Wenslow explores the origins of Meadowbrook and Eastern Hills High School while reflecting on the people who made both places feel like home.

Inspired by a homecoming weekend filled with hugs, laughter, and familiar faces, this episode connects local history with the memories we carry long after graduation.

We travel back through Meadowbrook’s early development, the electric transit routes that helped connect the growing East Side, and the schools and gathering places that brought neighbors together. Then we step into September 1959, when Eastern Hills opened its doors, and revisit the Highlander band’s connection to President John F. Kennedy’s final morning in Fort Worth.

Along the way, Don reflects on school segregation and integration, growing up on Gary Lane, attending Atwood McDonald Elementary, and the teachers, teammates, and classmates who helped shape his life.

In this episode:
• Meadowbrook’s early development and the Tandy family connection
• The Interurban and Meadowbrook Drive streetcar
• Meadowbrook’s schools, Oakland Lake Park, and golf course
• Eastern Hills’ opening and its connections to Handley and Polytechnic
• The Highlander band’s performance at JFK’s Hotel Texas breakfast
• Fort Worth ISD’s integration history
• Personal memories of growing up on the East Side
• Homecoming love for the Classes of ’99, ’02, and especially 2001
• Recognition for Miss Bevel, Keith Cook, and lifelong teammates
• A heartfelt remembrance of classmate James Potter

From step shows and lunchtime freestyles to the friendships that sustain us through adulthood, this is a celebration of belonging, gratitude, and the responsibility to pass our stories forward.

Whether you graduated from Eastern Hills, grew up in Meadowbrook, or simply love Fort Worth history, there’s a place for you in this conversation.

Have an old yearbook, neighborhood photograph, or memory to contribute? Reach out to Don the Barber and help preserve this community’s history.

Share this episode with a Highlander or someone raised on the East Side. Follow We Got The Funk and leave a review wherever you listen.

“Keep your mind sharp, keep that spirit grounded, and by all means keep honoring the shoulders you stand on.”

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We Got The Funk with Don the Barber
Preserving Fort Worth’s history. Honoring its people. Inspiring the next generation.

Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and share this episode with someone from Stop Six.

“Keep your mind sharp, keep that spirit grounded, and by all means keep honoring the shoulders you stand on.”

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When a neighborhood changes, how do we make sure its people and their stories aren’t forgotten?

In Episode 20 of We Got The Funk, Don the Barber takes you into Fort Worth’s historic Stop Six neighborhood to explore the story behind Babers Manor—and the community legacy that gives its name meaning.

This episode connects the history of neighborhood advocate Clarence Donald Babers with the story of Cavile Place and families who settled it. Along the way, we look beyond buildings and development to talk about the people who make a neighborhood worth remembering.

Because a place can be demolished, rebuilt, or renamed—but the memories of the people who grew up there still matter.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• The story behind the Babers Manor name and the legacy of Clarence Donald Babers.
• Stop Six’s roots and the pride carried by generations of residents.
• The families, relationships, and memories that shaped the neighborhood.
• Community life and the importance of preserving Fort Worth’s Black history.
• A new chapter of housing in Stop Six and its connection to the past.
• What preserving history asks of us as our city grows and changes.

This conversation is for everybody who came up in Stop Six and anybody who believes Fort Worth’s future should remain connected to the people who helped build it.

A special shoutout to the families, elders, neighbors, and community builders of Stop Six. Your experiences deserve to be heard. Your contributions deserve to be remembered. And your stories belong in the history of this city.

We Got The Funk uses Fort Worth history to explore purpose, identity, belonging, and legacy. Hosted by Donald “Don the Barber” Wenslow, the podcast honors the shoulders we stand on while encouraging the next generation to leave Fort Worth better than they found it.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION:

What do you remember about growing up in Stop Six? Who helped shape your life, your block, or your neighborhood? Share those memories with your family and help keep these stories alive.

Subscribe to We Got The Funk wherever you listen to podcasts. Share this episode with somebody from “the Six,” and leave a rating or review to help more people discover Fort Worth’s stories.

“Keep your mind sharp, keep that spirit grounded, and by all means keep honoring the shoulders you stand on.”

Support the show

We Got The Funk with Don the Barber
Preserving Fort Worth’s history. Honoring its people. Inspiring the next generation.

Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and share this episode with someone from Stop Six.

“Keep your mind sharp, keep that spirit grounded, and by all means keep honoring the shoulders you stand on.”

Send us Fan Mail

Every day, thousands of people travel Lancaster Avenue through Fort Worth, but few stop to ask who Lancaster actually was.

In Episode 19 of We Got The Funk, Don The Barber launches the Funkytown Streets series with the story of John Lynch Lancaster, the railroad executive whose leadership helped reshape Fort Worth in the early 20th century.

From his beginnings as a teenage railroad survey rodman to his rise as president of the Texas & Pacific Railway, Lancaster’s career became deeply connected to Fort Worth’s growth. His leadership helped guide the railroad through financial trouble, modernization, major downtown infrastructure projects, and the construction of the iconic Texas & Pacific Terminal.

In 1931, Fort Worth honored his impact by placing his name on one of the city’s most recognizable streets: Lancaster Avenue.

This episode explores the man, the railroad, the buildings, and the transformation behind a name Fort Worth residents still say every day.

Subscribe to We Got The Funk for more stories about the people, places, streets, and history that shaped Fort Worth.

Host: Don The Barber
Series: Funkytown Streets
Episode: 19

Keep your mind sharp, keep that spirit grounded, and by all means keep honoring the shoulders you stand on.

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