Street Sign Topper: Miss Persis Place
Location: S. Oak Street from W. Abram Street to W. Main Street
Miss Persis Forster is honored with a street sign topper on S. Oak Street from W. Main Street to W. Abram Street in Downtown Arlington for her decades-long legacy in the Arlington community as a community and civic servant, businesswoman, and performer. She lived in Arlington with her husband, Jerry, for over 57 years. Miss Persis passed away in 2021.
Miss Persis spent two years at North Texas Agricultural College (which would become UT Arlington), before graduating from UT Austin with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Radio/TV. She had a varied background in dance and theatre which included performing, directing, choreography and teaching in all levels of dance and musical theatre. As a professional actress, Ms. Forster appeared in leading principal roles at Casa Manana, Lyric Theatre in Oklahoma City, Carousel Dinner Theater in Ohio, Lyric Theatre in Irving, Theatre Arlington, Gown Town Theatre and Garland Summer Musicals.
Persis Forster established Miss Persis Studio of Dance in 1954. The original studio was in a three-story house near the First United Methodist Church on Mesquite Street, then to Main St above the Texas State Optical business before moving to the new Town North Shopping Center on the corner of Fielder and Randol Mill Roads. In 2004, the Studio returned to Downtown in its current location at 222 W. Main Street. For 70 years, the Miss Persis Studio of Dance has taught children and adults the fundamentals of dance, cotillion, and theater performance. She developed strong partnerships with the staff and faculty at UT Arlington, teaching as an adjunct professor for nearly 19 years, and producing the annual Gown Town Theater production on campus, in partnership with the university. In her business success, she was also the President of the Texas Association Teachers of Dancing, where she paved the way for future dance instructors in Texas.
Persis Forster didn’t just teach students who registered for her classes, however. She made sure that every young person in Arlington had the opportunity to experience cultural and performing arts. In 1981, she founded Dance Theater of Arlington, a non-profit organization that brings dance to youth in the community, with much anticipated annual performances such as the Teen Talent Follies and the Elf Shows. The Dance Theater of Arlington “I Am” community outreach program operated for over 20 years at Berry Elementary School. The “I Am” program partnership with local public schools allowed students to work with professional teachers and musicians to learn and perform with Dance Theatre of Arlington.
Her civic endeavors didn’t stop with the Arts. Ms. Persis was an active volunteer, who participated with the Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce on the Cultural Arts Task Force, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and served on the City of Arlington Centennial/Bicentennial Task Force, among others. Miss Persis was often the only woman in the room, including serving as the first female President of the UTA Alumni Association.
Although she had regional and national renown, her dedication to the Arlington community earned her the Arlington Businesswomen’s Distinguished Circle of Success Award, Arlington Chamber of Commerce Citation for Service Award, the Friend of Youth Award, the Women’s Legacy Award for the Arts in Tarrant County, Dance Council of North Texas’ “Texas Tap Legend” award, and the Distinguished Alumni Award from UT Arlington.