North Texas couple creates tailor-made legacy in Highland Park
DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) — Thousands of hours, thousands of spools, thousands of patches.
Since 1973, Yolanda and Jose Hernandez have become interwoven with the Highland Park High School community through a needle and thread. They've been responsible for nearly every patch sewn onto a high school athletics letter jacket or uniform.
"We sew the patches, football patches," Yolanda Hernandez said. "So sometimes they make it to state, sometimes they don't. So it just depends on how many patches and how far along they get."
And not just for football—every sport, as well as the band. And with every stitch, they said, comes responsibility.
"I'm always afraid something's going to happen to them. We haven't lost any, which is something that I'm very proud of," she said.
The Hernandez' owned a shop close to the high school until 19 years ago, when they relocated to their Farmers Branch home. And they said there's only one thing they miss.
"I do miss the contact with all the people. It's nice when you have someone that's a friend and a customer as well," said Jose Hernandez.
They offered home delivery until about a year-and-a-half ago. Now, they'll sew when customers come to them. But those they've worked with said their impact is immeasurable.
"The letter jacket's supposed to tell the story of their sport. They take such pride in that," said Mollie Halpin, a manager of The Scot Shop. "Literally, patches go on those jackets that they can look back over their four years, or their two years, whatever it is, and know exactly what that patch means."
Generations of handiwork apparent in the literal fabric of the community.
"I have a lot of pride when I see them. When I see, you know, somebody walking down the street, and they have a jacket, when they bring me a jacket here," said Yolanda Hernandez. "I enjoyed [it] for many years, and I will probably still do for another few years."