Oct 1, 2025   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Dallas Love Field Airport and Belmont Village Senior Living Honor Veterans with ‘American Heroes: Portraits of Service in Texas’ Exhibit

Belmont Village Senior Living in partnership with Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL), announces the arrival of a new exhibition, American Heroes: Portraits of Service in Texas, a specially curated exhibition made exclusively for Dallas Love Field. The photographs are part of a larger collection of senior veteran portraits commissioned by Belmont Village Senior Living, a national leader in senior living with deep roots in Texas. Now on display near baggage claim at DAL, the exhibit showcases portraits of 39 distinguished senior veterans from Belmont Village’s four Texas communities who valiantly served their country during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and peacetime, captured through the lens of renowned photographer Thomas Sanders.

“The exhibit at Dallas Love Field gives the millions of people that pass through each year the chance to pause and reflect on the extraordinary courage and sacrifices of our veterans,” said Patricia Will, Founder and CEO of Belmont Village Senior Living. “We are proud to bring American Heroes: Portraits of Service to Dallas, and to continue sharing the powerful stories of these veterans with the broader community.”

Travelers now can explore the inspiring stories of veterans like Dino Barela, a resident of Belmont Village Turtle Creek in Dallas, who served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War as a cryptologist and language instructor, later working for the National Security Agency. Additionally, Belmont Village Lakeway resident Sheila Allen, who was a longtime flight attendant for Braniff Airlines out of DAL, will see her husband Dick Allen’s military attributes also showcased in the gallery for his service. The exhibit also features World War II veteran Theodore “Spider” Mohle, a resident at Belmont Village Hunters Creek in Houston, who served from 1952-1954 and earned two Purple Heart Medals of Honor.

“Our art program has become a staple within our terminal walls and throughout the community, so we are honored to host this exhibit in partnership with Belmont Village. It shines a spotlight on the brave servicemen and women of Texas, and allows us to celebrate these heroes with every traveler passing through our airport,” said Patrick Carreno, Director of Aviation for Dallas Love Field.

Belmont Village Senior Living with Thomas Sanders launched the American Heroes: Portraits of Service photography project in 2008 to capture and preserve the personal accounts of resident veterans. The portraits led to Sanders’ first published book, “The Last Good War: The Faces and Voices of World War II.” Sanders has since photographed more than a thousand Belmont Village resident veterans, and the project has been displayed in over 30 permanent exhibits in Belmont Village communities across the country.

The installation of the exhibit at DAL marks the third public display of American Heroes: Portraits of Service, following its acclaimed exhibitions at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway International Airports that continue to draw thousands of travelers and community members who pause to honor the veterans’ remarkable stories.

The American Heroes: Portraits of Service in Texas exhibit will be on display at DAL until December 31, 2025.

About Belmont Village Senior Living

Founded in Houston in 1997, Belmont Village is an integrated developer, owner, and operator of high-quality senior living communities, with more than 4,600 employees and 5,000 units. Its 35 locations across the country and in Mexico City, provide award-winning independent, assisted living and memory care programs. The Company collaborates with UC San Diego, USC, UCLA, and Baptist Health South Florida to innovate its programs for cognitive health and life enrichment. The company is a market leader in major markets including the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, Chicago and South Florida. Renowned for distinctive design, high standards of life and safety, and reputation for leading edge, quality programming, Belmont Village has been certified as a Great Place to Work® since 2018 and has been recognized by U.S News & World Report as Best in Senior Living. www.belmontvillage.com, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram.

About Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL)

Centrally located within seven miles of Downtown Dallas, Dallas Love Field (DAL) achieved a historic milestone in 2023, serving over 17.5 million passengers. As the busiest medium hub airport in the U.S. and a frequent recipient of prestigious awards such as ACI-World's Airport Service Quality, ACI-NA's MarComCX, and others, DAL continues to lead the evolution of the airport experience. Historically contributing over $5.6 billion in economic activity and boosting labor income by $1.7 billion through more than 28,000 local jobs annually, the airport looks forward to further developing its footprint and level of exceptional aviation services.