It’s all in the Cards for the Dodson Family

If the words “redneck” and “aerospace executive” scream oxymoron to you, you’ve yet to meet Dahlem Dodson, whose hilarious new card game crowns the player with the most teeth — most often lost in a brawl — the “Redneck Rhetoric” champion.

Dodson, not a particularly chatty fella, doesn’t put on any airs, and the numbers guy seems to care little about radiating counterfeit southern panache. But it doesn’t take much digging to reveal the story behind his deep-rooted modesty. 

The former RTX executive and Preston Hollow resident grew up in small town Decatur, retiring last year from his CFO position, eliminating his frequent commutes to Washington D.C. and Arlington, Va. A nonprofit board member, which includes his role with the International Dyslexia Association’s Dallas chapter, Dodson prefers, as his wife Amy conveyed, “to fly under the radar.” 

Inspired by his children’s chuckles at the colloquialisms exchanged during the Wise County reunions their family revisited each year — the southern idioms of Dodson’s childhood flooding his memory — he called on his sister to help formulate the material for a new card game he named “Redneck Rhetoric”. 

Compiling the questions for the game soon became a family affair.

“Everyone took part in contributing to the content,” he said. His wife, Amy, a former preschool teacher, was tasked with eliminating cards deemed “too bawdy.” 

Keeping his children engaged in the underwhelming behind-the-scenes logistics took some persuasion on dad’s part, but their efforts paid off when the trademark request came through, a manufacturer was established, and a newfound hilarity took over family game night. 

Older sisters Melissa and Meredith were no longer guaranteed the win as they’d been accustomed to in Scrabble and Monopoly, as advancement in the game is earned by stealthy quick-wittedness. 

Dodson named his youngest, Davis, the family’s all-star player. 

“All of a sudden, out of nowhere, he comes with these zingers that have us all cracking up,” said the dad of three.

But how would the southern anecdotes resonate with a group of say, Nantucket residents?

“It’s more about appealing to creative imaginations and people who can appreciate a little humor,” Dodson replied. “The best was when my eldest daughter told me the game was popular with her college friends on the other side of the country — that alone made the entire process worthwhile.”