Hey Amarillo

A conversation with Scott Houdashell, the inventor of the Eggmazing Egg Decorator and, with Curtis McGill, the owner of the toy and game company Hey Buddy Hey Pal . A former Farmers Insurance agent, Houdashell had always worked with his hands, and in 2015 came up with an idea for decorating Easter eggs without the messy dyes. What began with a hot glue stick, a spoon and an electric screwdriver so...

A conversation with Darlene Martin, a retired Amarillo ISD first-grade teacher, reading instructor, community volunteer and the founder of Westminster Presbyterian Church's Bear PAWS program, which serves students at Austin Middle School. Martin shares with host Jason Boyett about her teaching career and more than 20 years of service as a local hospice volunteer. Born with mild hemiplegia cerebral...

A conversation with Britten Ratcliff , a Tascosa High School senior. Host Jason Boyett starts this interview by explaining that he is typically uninterested in interviewing high school students for the show, but Ratcliff changed his mind about that rule. A member of the FirstBank Southwest Banking Advisory Council and founder of The Neighborhood, a Tascosa student group, Ratcliff shares with Boyet...

A conversation with Robert Altman, who is retired from two prominent local careers, first as a manager at the women's clothing store Kline's of Amarillo and then as an assistant scout executive with the Golden Spread Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Altman, whose family owned and operated multiple Kline's locations in the city until the 1990s—including along Polk Street and at Western Plaza—r...

A conversation with Sonja Gross, a Public Involvement Specialist with the Texas Department of Transportation and a former Public Information Officer for TXDOT. Gross arrived in Amarillo from Georgia around 20 years ago, and embarked on a communications career that took her from the local newspaper to the City of Amarillo to her current position with TXDOT. She shares with host Jason Boyett about r...

A conversation with Mark D. Williams, an Amarillo educator and author who has fly fished all over the world,  written a variety of fishing and travel books , been published in dozens of national magazines, and taught for nearly 30 years at North Heights Alternative School. He's also an entrepreneur, consultant and public speaker. In this episode, Williams shares with host Jason Boyett about the re...

A conversation with Kori Cooper Clements , a speech pathologist with Canyon ISD and a local volleyball legend. Kori was inducted into the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame last year with her father, former WTAMU basketball coach Rick Cooper—making them the first father-daughter duo to be inducted. One of the best players to ever come from this area, Clements spent one season as the Amarillo High Schoo...

A conversation with Joseph Peterson, an Edward Jones Financial Advisor serving Amarillo, and the city's 2023 Black Man of the Year. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Peterson moved with his family to Amarillo when he was a child. He played football for WTAMU before opening his office in Amarillo. Since then, he's built a reputation for community involvement, from membership in 101 Elite Men to service...

A conversation with Diane Dick, a legendary model and agent who opened the  Diane Dick International Modeling and Talent Agency in Amarillo more than 50 years ago. Her agency currently places local models in films, magazines and runways all over the United States and around the world. Now 80, she shares with host Jason Boyett the details of how her own career began, how the world of modeling has c...

A conversation with Andrew Hay, Executive Director of the Cultural Foundation of the Texas Panhandle , which provides oversight for Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum and the Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation. Before taking the reigns of the CFTP and PPHM, Hay served as executive director of the Amarillo Symphony and has a background in theology and seminary administration. Hay shares with host...

A conversation with Katharyn Wiegand, the President and CEO at the Mary E. Bivins Foundation . A product of the Texas Panhandle, Wiegand has spent the past few decades in leadership roles in the nonprofit world, including 15 years with Opportunity Plan and another 12 years with the Amarillo Area Foundation. At the Bivins Foundation since 2018, she helps lead the organization in serving older adult...

A conversation with State Representative Walter Thomas "Four" Price IV , who has decided not to run again after he completes his 7th term representing Texas House District 87, which includes Potter County. Price is from Amarillo and has been instrumental in creating significant legislation related to telemedicine, telehealth, mental health and more. A former practicing attorney and current Trust O...

A conversation with Dr. Alan Keister , an internal medicine specialist and partner at Amarillo Medical Specialists . An Amarillo native, he had the opportunity to take over a large practice in Tennessee after completing his residency, but chose to return to his hometown. In addition to his work as a physician, Keister is also the founder of Heal the City , a nonprofit Amarillo clinic that provides...

A conversation with Becky Murphy, a social worker with Amarillo ISD who assists families in transition and students who qualify as homeless. Before finishing her education and receiving a Master of Social Work degree, Murphy spent 16 years employed at Dillard's. In this episode, she tells host Jason Boyett about how she grew up in poverty, endured periods of homelessness as a child, and adopted an...

A conversation with John Harris ,  the Chief Meteorologist for KAMR Local 4 News and Fox 14 News. John is an Amarillo native who almost went into a business and marketing career, and then after being captured by meteorology, figured he'd land at the National Weather Service. But he soon found himself on TV—first at KFDA Newschannel 10 and now at KAMR Local 4 News. He tells host Jason Boyett how he...

A conversation with Matthew Rosas, the fashion designer behind the brand Momentum of Roses and the collaborative fashion show "Beauty from Afar " on December 2. A former basketball coach and teacher at Holy Cross Catholic Academy, Rosas has shifted to upcycling thrifted clothing and fabrics to create his unique streetwear style. He shares with host Jason Boyett about growing up within the Catholic...

A conversation with Stephanie Goins, the annual giving officer for the Amarillo Area Foundation and the city's recently named Black Woman of the Year. Goins, who grew up in Midland and spent time in the Metroplex before moving to Amarillo, shares with host Jason Boyett about how she discovered her niche in the nonprofit world, and why the generosity of local residents stands out from other communi...

A conversation with Jeff Renteria, the community organizer behind the annual Barrio Bash back-to-school event and the 2023 recent recipient of the "Heart of the Barrio" award at Amarillo's Hispanic Heritage luncheon. Renteria comes from a family that originally arrived in Amarillo as railroad workers, and tells host Jason Boyett about his upbringing in the historic Barrio neighborhood, his family'...

A conversation with Amy Hart, which is the on-air name of Amarillo radio personality Amy Presley. A local radio mainstay, Hart is Amarillo College's Audio Media Coordinator and the Music Director for FM90 KACV-FM , the long-running radio station at AC. She's also the co-producer of a new Texas Panhandle-focused true crime podcast series about the missing persons case of Dorien Thomas. Dorien grew...

A conversation with Karen Roberts, the owner/operator of Get Fit , Amarillo's only specialty running store. A former teacher and coach, Roberts found her way into entrepreneurship after moving back to Amarillo from the Metroplex area—and after discovering her passion for distance running as an adult. Roberts is not just a 5K enthusiast or marathoner. She runs ultramarathons. In this episode, she s...

A conversation with Dr. Eddy Sauer, a long-time Amarillo dentist at Shemen Dental and a member of the Amarillo City Council (Place 3) from 2017 to 2023. Sauer grew up in Amarillo and established his practice in the late 1980s, and says his time on the City Council completely changed how he views the city. He shares with host Jason Boyett about a devastating personal tragedy, details how his Counci...

A conversation with Dora Meroney, the owner of Texas Ivy Antiques on Historic Sixth Street in Amarillo. She's also a member of the nonprofit Historic Sixth on Route 66 Association . Born and raised in Amarillo, Dora left the area for several years as a young adult before returning in the late 1990s. She's been a fixture on Sixth ever since because of her shop. She shares with host Jason Boyett abo...

A conversation with Rev. Margie McNeir, an 83-year-old minister in the United Methodist Church, the nation's second-largest Protestant denomination. McNeir moved to Amarillo after retiring from a ministry career in the Metroplex. Over the past few years, she's had a front-row seat to theological disputes within the UMC denomination related to homosexuality and same-sex marriage. When every local U...

A conversation with Tac Buchanan , the Amarillo/Lubbock Regional Coordinator for the ministry Bridges to Life. (Trigger warning: This episode contains descriptions of sexual violence.) Buchanan grew up in Amarillo and has lived a life scarred by personal tragedy, including a deadly car accident when he was in high school, a lengthy struggle with addiction, and eventually the murder of his wife. In...

A conversation with Melanie Corpstein, an Amarillo native and the founder and president of the Adorable Originals clothing company and Adorable Girls dolls. Based in Arizona over the past three decades, Corpstein designed children's clothing and dolls, selling them wholesale to stores around the world. She retired right before the pandemic and returned to Amarillo, where a new career has begun tak...