Richard J. Alley

No One Home

2011-10-14T11:34:00.000-07:00

Richard is a freelance journalist, husband, brother, son and father of four living in Memphis, Tennessee. In addition to interviewing and reporting, he writes short stories and has written two novels he is currently trying to sell.

Richard's work has been published in The Commercial Appeal, Memphis Daily News, ArtsMemphis, Memphis News, Memphis Magazine, Memphis Crossroads, River Times magazine, Memphis Parent, edibleMemphis, Chapter 16: Humanities Tennessee, Memphians (coffee table book, Nautilus Publishing) and Memphis Flyer, as well as being collected and scattered by the Associated Press, McClatchy News Service and Scripps Howard News Service.

He writes a bi-weekly humor column on parenting called "Because I Said So" and is the 2010 grand prize winner for fiction in Memphis Magazine.

For updated posts and clips from Richard, please visit Urf! or richardalley.com.

Thank you.

Photo by Brandon Dill

A week at home alone with 5 kids - the horror!

2010-08-05T14:46:00.001-07:00

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

Aug. 5, 2010

I'm going to have to ask you all to listen closely as I type this in a whisper. This week's column comes to you from deep within my walk-in closet, just off the bathroom.

This is one of the toughest times of the year for our household -- the week before the Memphis City Schools resume for the year. My wife, Kristy, teaches English at Central High School, and teachers are required to report to work one week before the students arrive to prepare for the coming year.

At least, that's what Kristy has always told me. She leaves here early in the morning and returns in the late afternoons smelling vaguely of textbooks and happy hour.

So this is my week alone on the front lines. It's the time for me to set aside work and other activities to see to the well-being of the children. As an extra bonus, I'm watching a friend's 3-year-old son as well. That means there are five of them out there. I can hear them through the closed closet and bathroom doors and the locked bedroom door beyond.

Any family, no matter its makeup, is about working together and cooperating to get through the trying times, and the children have done just that. Like the group of stranded ruffians in "Lord of the Flies," they've banded together and claimed the kitchen, living room and my office as their own ... (read more)

Economic downturn stokes home-cleaning services

2010-08-02T05:46:00.000-07:00

Feature story for The Memphis Daily News

Aug. 2, 2010

For many people, having someone else to sweep floors and mop bathrooms might be considered a luxury, and possibly the first item crossed off any budget when the economy spirals downward and times get tough.
Kip Uhlhorn, co-owner of 2 Chicks and a Broom, has a different take, however. “If you’re working a lot more, I guess your personal time becomes more precious.”
“People are working two jobs or more hours, so instead of me going home at lunchtime to let the dog out, could you add that to the time allotted,” Kip’s wife, Kelly, said people ask her. “Also, people don’t want to spend their time on weekends cleaning their house.”
The Uhlhorns purchased the eco-friendly home-cleaning business 2 Chicks and a Broom, where Kelly had worked in the past, from Candace Mills in September 2008. They have managed in nearly two years to grow their client base to about 2,000 clients and have expanded their reach further east.
“We tripled the client base,” Kip said. “Everything is pretty comfortable now, as far as the flow of new clients, but for a while there we were just too slammed for the amount of people we have.” ... (read more)

Love of running inspires unique tour company

2010-07-26T08:48:00.000-07:00

Small Business Spotlight for The Memphis Daily News

July 26, 2010

John Lintner loves to run.
“I run about four to six miles a day, and nine to 10 miles on the weekends,” he said. “I’ve run four marathons.”
A certified personal trainer and head of sales for Breakaway Running’s bulk embroidery division, Lintner recently trained his wife, Crissy, for her first major race, the 13.1-mile Germantown Half Marathon.
“Whenever we weren’t fighting, it was fun,” John Lintner said.
The two newlyweds – married last September – have recently taken their love of running, the outdoors and a healthy lifestyle to a new level by starting Rockin’ Running Tours.
The idea is simple: take visitors to the city on a three- or six-mile tour of Downtown Memphis at their own pace, at street level, where they can take the time to see all there is to see.
There are several ways to see the sights of Downtown, including horse and carriage tours, a riverboat ride on the Mississippi River and Backbeat Tours, a music-themed tour company ... (read more)

A new trail, and a path forward

2010-07-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

Feature story for the Summer 2010 Memphis Crossroads magazine

Long-awaited greenline links city neighborhoods with parks - exactly the type of asset employers say they need to make Memphis more attractive for workers.

Putting kids to work is its own reward

2010-07-22T14:54:00.000-07:00

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

July 22, 2010

When my wife and I made the decision to have children, we considered cherubic smiles, a house full of love, the legacy of family and free labor. And it is only now, nearly 13 years later, that I am drawing up plans for daily chores for my four kids. It's long overdue, yet the mere thought of it makes all these years and the trials of parenthood worth it.
Free labor. It gives those of us with kids who are long past that cute, big-eyed stage of babyhood something to continue to appreciate. It's the baby-head smell of adolescent children.
The timing is not arbitrary; it's being synchronized with the beginning of school in a few weeks. My idea is to heap misery upon misery and to then pass the cause of so much upheaval on their schools. I can't carry this burden alone. With that in mind, I gathered my flock in close and proposed the idea of daily work, and the first question, the only question, really, was "How much do we get paid?"
I opened my mouth to answer, and the voice that came out, as though channeled from a different era, one of disco and gasoline rationing, was that of a woman a bit younger than I, speaking to her own 8-year-old son.
"You have a roof over your head," I heard my mother saying ... (read more)

Jurex's Rudolph unites nursing and legal professions

2010-07-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

Memphis Standout story for The Memphis Daily News

July 16, 2010

Elizabeth Rudolph used her training as a nurse and an attorney to found Jurex, a Memphis-based company that trains nurses to be expert witnesses, review medical records in legal cases and become legal nurse consultants.
She developed the course in four formats: live, which is usually two full days of instruction, and by video, audio or an online e-course.
“What the course teaches is the legal and the marketing knowledge, and that’s combined with the nurse’s nursing knowledge,” Rudolph said. “The course comes with 15 accredited continuing education credits.” ... (read more)

Jim's Place East finds new home on Perkins

2010-07-15T11:02:00.000-07:00

Spot news story for The Memphis Daily News

(with Eric Smith)

July 15, 2010

Jim’s Place East – a Memphis tradition since its founding nearly 90 years ago – is opening a location at Poplar Avenue and Perkins Road, having signed a 10-year lease for the 5,900-square-foot space that recently housed Harold’s women’s boutique.
The restaurant, a popular site for events such as wedding receptions, parties, business meetings and intimate dinners, has operated at 5560 Shelby Oaks Drive since 1976.
The move is a relocation from Shelby Oaks, yet the current location will remain open until the doors open this fall at 518 Perkins Road Extended.
“We want people with special memories to know that we’ll continue to operate the current location and that people should come back and visit,” said Sam Taras, son of co-owner, Dimitri Taras ... (read more)

Development partners reunite on Midtown project

2010-07-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

Spot news story for The Memphis Daily News

July 13, 2010

Community Capital and Architecture Inc. have teamed up again, this time to build Community Capital’s new headquarters at 1708 Monroe Ave. between South Belvedere Boulevard and South Evergreen Street.
Located just behind Outdoors Inc. and half a block from Idlewild Presbyterian Church, the area is zoned commercial, although the new office space of Community Capital is designed to look like homes in the area and will keep the integrity and feel of the Midtown neighborhood.
“It’s primarily commercial use in there, but many of the buildings are converted residential structures, so in talking to OPD (the city-county Office of Planning and Development), they felt that going into that area with an office-type building would be inappropriate and they asked us to design a building that would be more residential in appearance, so that’s what we did,” said David Schuermann, lead architect on the project and co-owner of Architecture Inc.
Community Capital, whose president is Archie Willis III, is a boutique firm offering real estate financing, development prospectus packages, financial and affordable housing advising to municipalities and private companies alike. The firm also develops real estate ... (read more)

A lasting legacy: Body-donor program helps MERI train doctors in new techniques

2010-07-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

Feature story in The Commercial Appeal

July 11, 2010

The next time you or a loved one is to undergo surgery, consider that the performing physician may have been trained on that procedure or the procedure itself may have been developed right in the heart of Midtown Memphis.

Located near Union Avenue and Cleveland, the Medical Education & Research Institute — MERI — is conducting hands-on teaching and training for physicians who travel to Memphis from across the country and around the world. At the forefront of this education is the use of cadavers donated through the Genesis Donor Program for the express purpose of furthering medical know-how.

"Our mission is to impact patient safety and ensure that physicians have a way to learn the new procedures," said Diana Kelly, manager of institutional development at MERI. "They are able to come here and practice on an uninvolved cadaver before they work on us. That's a much-preferred method."

The old adage "practice makes perfect" applies to sports and the arts, but possibly no place is it more apropos than in the medical field with those who take our lives in their hands on a daily basis.

"These techniques and improvements are coming at us very quickly, and there's constantly a new and better way to do a surgical practice, so that's where we come into play," Kelly said.

MERI is a nonprofit, state-of-the-art facility begun 15 years ago through the inspiration of Dr. Kevin Foley and as a joint venture of Baptist Memorial Healthcare Corp., Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Corp. and Semmes-Murphey Neurologic and Spine Institute ... (read more)

In playbook of parenting, patience is the goal

2010-07-08T07:41:00.000-07:00

"Because I Said So" column in The Commercial Appeal

July 8, 2010

What is patience?

I'm not getting philosophical; I seem to have lost mine and am having trouble even recalling what it is.

I had it here somewhere, sometime before summer break and a house full of children every day.

Summer 2010 means only one thing, and if your family is anything like mine, then you've been gripped by World Cup soccer for the past month. I've used the matches and brackets as a forum for teaching my kids about patience, that elusive quality of the long sufferer.

Soccer is the sport of waiting, of passing, looking and hoping. I'm not sure my kids are completely on board with the game, though, as I heard 12-year-old Calvin leave the room the other day and tell younger brother Joshua, "Call me if anybody scores." ... (read more)

Ewing Carruthers, insurance agent

2010-07-06T08:35:00.001-07:00

My Profession story for The Commercial Appeal

July 6, 2010

Ewing Carruthers shows up at his office 5 1/2 days, each and every week.

Nothing remarkable about that -- except Carruthers is 93 years old and he has been at it a long time.

"I've been working since I was 12 years old," Carruthers said. "I enjoy it. It's rewarding. And it pays well."

Since 1939, Carruthers has sold insurance for Mass Mutual and recently was inducted into the Estate Planning Hall of Fame by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils.

Born in 1917, he grew up in Evergreen in a house built by his grandparents at the corner of Evergreen and Autumn, near Overton Park where his grandfather, A.B. Carruthers, tethered a black bear named "Natch" to a tree, the beginning of what would later become the Memphis Zoo. Nearby is a small street named for his family of land developers who also had a hand in developing the Evergreen neighborhood ... (read more)

For the Kids of Cooper St. in Midtown, business as usual all in the family

2010-07-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

Feature story for The Commercial Appeal

July 1, 2010

While many kids spend their summers vegging out poolside, at camp or in front of the television, a group of children, let's call them the Kids of Cooper Street, are chopping vegetables, greeting customers and shelving inventory at some of Memphis' favorite haunts.

At 4 years old, she will probably change her mind on careers dozens of times before adulthood, but right now Ayden Smith, daughter of Ben and Colleen Smith, owners of the Cooper-Young restaurant Tsunami, has a goal.

"Ayden has decided that she wants to be a chef," Colleen said, "and with that Montessori upbringing, she's very hands-on and literally can sit down with a very sharp knife and chop things up without cutting herself."

She's too young to run her own restaurant just yet, but the environment of a small business is a good one to spend time in, according to her mother. It keeps her engaged and entertained.

"She's very interested in that (cooking), and when she's here and just bored out of her mind, we can send her into the kitchen to peel some potatoes or slice bananas." ... (read more)

Casting out our kids in oceans of the world

2010-06-24T10:15:00.001-07:00

"Because I Said So" column in The Commercial Appeal

June 24, 2010

Abby Sunderland, a 16-year-old from California, recently ended her attempt to circumnavigate the globe when a wave broke the mast of her sailboat. Successful completion would have matched the record, which once belonged to Abby's brother Zac, currently held by 16-year-old Australian Jessica Watson.

There was endless debate before Abby Sunderland left, and since her rescue in the Indian Ocean, over whether she should have been allowed to attempt such a feat at all.

In May, 13-year-old Jordan Romero of Big Bear, Calif., became the youngest person to scale Mt. Everest, part of a growing trend of younger and younger adventure seekers. When he reached the peak, Romero used his cell phone to call his mother.

Kristy and I were surprised to learn this past week that our 12-year-old had signed on to Facebook. Calvin has weighed anchor and set his sails for a vast cyber-sea where unknown dangers lurk, prompting his mother and me to hold conferences and debates over how to best handle his foray into a new chapter of passive socializing. And it seems like only yesterday he got his first cell phone.

The computer in the home office is now a reason for worry for parents of my generation ... (read more)

Vacation filled with selective memories

2010-06-10T07:53:00.001-07:00

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

June 10, 2010

Dateline: Florida panhandle, toes in sand.

I will turn this column around right now. Just a warning to you readers that if you can't behave, if you're raucous, inconsiderate or argumentative, I will turn around and take you all back home and we'll just forget about this week's column.

By the time you read this, I will be home from a family vacation to Inlet Beach, sandwiched serenely between Panama City and Rosemary Beach. Once again, we escaped from work, reality, school and the day in and day out of our every day. The stuff of real life.

Natural selection is a function of evolution. Selective memory is a function of parenthood. It's what allows us to take these four kids, sprung from my wife, and pack them into a womb-like minivan for a nine- to 10-hour drive (I missed a turn in Alabama) to the gulf coast.

Selective memory is how Charles Darwin was able to take his family aboard the H.M.S. Beagle every summer to the Bluefoot Resort at Galapagos Beach (I will research this further when I'm off vacation) ... (read more)

In social networking, 'unfriending' is popular option when coversation turns unfriendly

2010-06-05T04:28:00.001-07:00

Lifestyle feature for The Commercial Appeal

June 5, 2010

Virginia Ivy, former Memphian and current resident of the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas, was raised with true Southern manners to believe that it is in poor taste to discuss politics, religion or money in social situations that are not specifically geared to those conversations.

"I started out on Facebook posting my political positions, but have since weaned off of it since I do not appreciate others' opinions opposite of mine when I am logging on for social stress relief," said the 39-year-old virtual manager for a New York corporate travel agency. "I un-friend people who post or link to hateful things."

Debate swirls over privacy concerns and information sharing on Facebook, but navigating the social network also leads to other questions, including those of etiquette -- what to talk about and how much to talk about it.

Certainly there is a decorum to be followed in face-to-face social situations, whether a dinner party, play date or actual date, but what of the fairly faceless medium of social media? Do the same rules apply and to what outcome? ... (read more)

First Tennessee Foundation

2010-06-02T08:47:00.001-07:00

Corporate giving story for The Commercial Appeal

June 2, 2010

The First Tennessee Foundation recently spread good fortune across its namesake state with grants totaling more than $80,000 to 95 nonprofit groups through the foundation's Leadership Grants program. Memphis area organizations received $33,500.

The Leadership Grants program also encourages bank employees to serve on the boards of nonprofit groups and offers amounts of $500 to board members and $1,000 to board officers to be contributed to the nonprofit organizations of their choice.
In 2009, 72 First Tennessee employees participated in board service.

"If you went around our state and looked at the market presence in each of our major markets, for the most part they (employees) have been chairpersons of United Way, the chambers and involved with the universities," said Charles Burkett, president of banking with First Tennessee ... (read more)

Sickle cell fundraiser Mark Yancy knows disease firsthand

2010-05-31T08:15:00.000-07:00

Inside story profile for The Commercial Appeal

May 31, 2010

To sit across from Mark Yancy, you wouldn't realize he is in pain. Chances are good, however, that he is.

"I try not to think about it, but I'm in pain every day in some type of way," he said. "You just get used to it and you deal with it."

And to sit and talk with him, you might not realize that the 32-year-old is not a medical professional trained in the debilitating effects of sickle cell disease on the human body. Yet having been diagnosed with the disease at 11 months old, Yancy understands it all too clearly.

"Education is paramount," he said. "There's not a gizmo or piece of surgical equipment that does wonders for sickle cell, it's simply having that knowledge of how to effect this disease." ... (read more)

Flying high

2010-05-31T08:09:00.001-07:00

Memphis in May festivities end with air show

Spot news story for The Memphis Daily News

May 21, 2010

Airplanes seen flying through the skies is a part of the daily tableau for Memphians. Odds are they are FedEx or Delta planes lining up for landing or beginning an ascent into the clouds at any hour of the day.
But anyone who looked closely this weekend might have seen the bright red stunt plane of Fagen Inc. turning loops and performing corkscrew maneuvers over the Downtown skyline.
Saturday’s Memphis in May Sunset Symphony and air show this Saturday ended the month-long festivities.
The air show has been part of the Sunset Symphony, the longest-running program for Memphis in May, since 2007. Diane Hampton, executive vice president of Memphis in May, said it usually draws some 25,000 spectators.
“It’s part of a whole day of family entertainment,” Hampton said of the air show ... (read more)

Cockadoos brings southern spirit to downtown

2010-05-31T08:04:00.000-07:00

Small business spotlight for The Memphis Daily News

May 31, 2010

Between John Bradley Wells and his wife, Lana, the two have nearly 40 years of experience in the restaurant business.
He owned Como Steak House in Como, Miss., for 10 years, worked for B.B. Kings for six years and has been general manager of Huey’s Downtown for the past four years. Lana was a nationwide corporate trainer for Ruby Tuesday and general manager of the Wolfchase location.
Their latest foray into the restaurant business brings them to the intersection of Union Avenue and Second Street, just steps from the Huey’s John Wells managed, and a place called Cockadoos.
“Being Downtown for the last 10 years or so, I always had people asking me where they could get breakfast and with nothing right here on this main drag that did breakfast, we just felt like it was a great opportunity,” he said.
Breakfast at Cockadoos includes Belgium waffles, Texas French toast, buttermilk pancakes and, of course, grits, as well as cathead biscuits and gravy, and catfish and grits. In addition to the traditional fare, a coffee bar is also on site for caffeine fiends.
“We have the full array of the lattes and cappuccinos,” Wells said. “We wanted to make sure that we covered the whole gambit as it pertained to breakfast, so we wanted to offer all the coffees as well. Our coffee is a small roaster out of St. Louis called Mississippi Mud Coffee.”
The restaurant is only three doors south of Union on Second, in the building that used to house Café 61. The walls have been painted a light yellow, with some left bare brick, and bright floral patterns adorn the tablecloths and throw pillows in the two seating areas filling the two large bay windows looking out on the foot traffic. A mezzanine balcony overlooks the main floor of the dining room ... (read more)

School's out, so is structure for the summer

2010-05-27T06:33:00.000-07:00

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

May 27, 2010

My family and I began our summer season last Saturday with the first weekend of the Levitt Shell's free concert series in Overton Park.

We spent the evening on a quilt spread in the grass listening to Jimbo Mathus perform his home-grown Delta music for a home-grown crowd.

It was the perfect evening as we lay there listening to songs about Skateland and cornbread, with the park and zoo as backdrop and a FedEx plane aligning itself for landing. The scene couldn't have been more Memphis-centric if Elvis and Isaac had shown up to serve barbecue.

The kids danced like little hipsters and I regaled them with a story of the time I spotted Jimbo from two checkout lanes away at the Midtown Schnucks.

Saturday night was the calm before my summer storm. School ended for the year only three days later and, just like that, our children's teachers expect us to take care of these kids all day long. We'll have to feed them, entertain them and see that they're safe.

It's going to be like a full-time job. The pay is terrible ... (read more)

Health partnership sights poor

2010-05-22T05:13:00.000-07:00

Spot business news for The Commercial Appeal

May 22, 2010

Baptist Memorial Healthcare Corp. kicked off its partnership with one of America's leading vision benefits companies, Davis Vision of Plainview, N.Y., to provide eye screenings to the homeless and underserved of Memphis.

"The Focus on America program targets children and adults underinsured or not insured at all," said Laura Dyer of Davis Vision. "This is not a one-time thing. This is the kickoff of a partnership that will provide glasses on a monthly basis."

Those who failed eye exams were either given vouchers for reduced-cost eyeglasses from any local retailers who work with Davis Vision, or free glasses in cases of homelessness. An average pair of glasses, according to George Yanoshik Jr. of Davis Vision, is $293.

"If you can't see, it's hard to fill out a job application or find your way out in the community," said Baptist Memorial Healthcare president and CEO Stephen Reynolds ... (read more)

Technology takes Ridgeway Middle music to new level

2010-05-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

Spot news story for The Memphis Daily News

May 21, 2010

The walls of a cinderblock city school classroom in East Memphis are hung with posters of John Coltrane, King Oliver, Otis Redding, Elvis Presley, Billie Holiday and a 78-inch interactive whiteboard called an ActivBoard.
In a medium whose foundation is built on the bar chords of the blues and sound of the sax, technology has been introduced to engage children and introduce them to those a world away in Ken Greene’s music class.
Greene, music teacher and choir director at Ridgeway Middle School, recently demonstrated how technology is used to teach students and connect with other programs.
“Do you mind if we jam with you?” Greene asked his counterpart from Weyanoke Elementary School in Fairfax, Va ... (read more)

Strategy for growth: Jackson builds on strong corporate, federal business to expand nationally

2010-05-19T06:08:00.000-07:00

My Profession story for The Commercial Appeal

May 19, 2010

After years away for college and work, Laurita Jackson returned to Memphis to be closer to family and raise her children in the South.

She moved home in 2003 to work for the family business, Memphis Chemical & Janitorial Supply Company, and took over as president in the beginning of May, bringing aboard a commitment to her employees and community.

"It's great working for a family business," Jackson said. "One of the things that allows us to make it work is we have a saying, 'We do what's best for the enterprise,' and that allows us to make the right decisions for the company, and also maintain our family relationships."

Memphis Chemical is a distributor of janitorial supplies, cleaning chemicals and cleaning equipment, in addition to servicing that cleaning equipment. Distribution ranges from throughout the city to nationally for some FedEx facilities and customers in the federal government such as the departments of Energy and Veterans Affairs.

"We are locally based but we do have the capability to ship nationwide, and we do that," she said ... (read more)

'Change is inevitable'

2010-05-14T05:03:00.000-07:00

Spot news reporting for The Memphis Daily News

May 14, 2010

Expo encourages job seekers to adapt -- even when discouraged

“They aren’t making buggy whips anymore.”
That’s what Tom Wilson, career counselor for careerhands.com, tells people who have lost or left jobs and are looking for something else in the workplace.
He then brings it around to the 21st century: “They aren’t making electric typewriters anymore, either.”
The message he conveyed at Thursday’s Second Annual Opportunity Expo at The Pink Palace Museum was one conveyed throughout the day-long event’s seminars and by speakers and company representatives on hand to talk to job seekers about potential opportunities.
OppCity.com, a job-listing site for the Memphis area currently attracting 250,000 hits a week from all over the country, put on the expo, which was sponsored by the local Talent Trust Foundation ... (read more)

With chicken, it's better to be done than good

2010-05-13T07:06:00.000-07:00

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

May 13, 2010

My cooking philosophy, and the title of my proposed cookbook, is "Burn Until Raw."

When I was 13 years old, my aunt put a match to charcoal and taught me how to make the perfect barbecue chicken. For a while I cooked it pretty well, too, but it's a skill I've lost over time. My chicken comes off the rack black and crispy as though pulled from deep inside the grill. When I cut into it, the kids are horrified by the sight. Poultry was never meant for medium rare.

In the time I've been a father, and the shorter time I've worked from home, I've become a pretty fair housewife. I get the kids up and dressed for school in the morning, do the bulk of the laundry and most of the dishes. I try to keep things tidy.

And, despite pleas for the opposite, I've been trying to cook more. Cook more, mind you, for one kid who eats nothing but cheese pizza and another who would eat his own weight in macaroni and cheese every night if allowed ... (read more)

Hutchison 8th-graders get long-distance lesson in global awareness

2010-05-11T05:37:00.001-07:00

Feature profile for The Commercial Appeal

May 11, 2010

John Stephany traveled nearly 7,000 miles to teach his eighth-grade students at Hutchison School a lesson.

Stephany, a world history teacher, recently visited South Korea with the Group Study Exchange, a program aimed at promoting cultural awareness for 25- to 40-year-old professionals.

The four young professionals chosen for this trip by the sponsoring organization, Rotary International district 6800 of Germantown, include an auditor, logistics manager with Smith & Nephew, a publicist with Le Bonheur Children's Hospital and Stephany, who used the experience to teach his students back home about life in other cultures.

"Rotary is about trying to encourage communication, cultural awareness and things of this nature," Stephany said.

Even before Stephany was chosen for the trip, the world history curriculum at Hutchison was being expanded farther east from China and India to Korea and Japan. "I applied for this trip before I knew this was happening."

Stephany is no newcomer to travel; he has spent the last five summers teaching high school seniors at the School of Public Service at St. Albans School in Washington. He has also "bummed around Ireland," spent time backpacking around western Europe and visiting Germany, Prague and Poland. He visited China in 2008 on a trip sponsored by the Columbia University National Consortium for Teaching About Asia that also acted as a teaching tool for his students back home. He sees his time in Korea as an extension of that trip and an addendum to any textbook he might quote ... (read more)

Boys & Girls Clubs investing in children

2010-05-10T08:32:00.001-07:00

Corporate giving story for The Commercial Appeal

May 10, 2010

Service Assurance, a Memphis-based information technology support and outsourcing company for the region, has teamed up with Monogram Food Solutions, maker of King Cotton products, to donate $7,500 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis.

"This was our first engagement with Monogram so we thought what a great way to start a relationship by giving all the revenue back to the community," said Mark Giannini, founder and CEO of Service Assurance. "Monogram's values are very much in line with ours in that they love supporting the community, and they love children and nonprofits that help children.

"It was the absolute perfect way to start what we both hope is going to be a long-term business relationship."

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis was founded in 1955 and serves more than 5,000 youths between the ages of six and 18 through academic and recreational programs. The local Boys & Girls Clubs operates six full-service clubs, a technical training center and Camp Phoenix.

"Service Assurance and Monogram Foods made an investment," said Vincent Borello, president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis. "They didn't really make a donation because in the long run these are the kids that are going to be working in the facilities, these are the families that are going to be buying their products, the families that make up our city." ... (read more)

A career of service for United Way's Harry Shaw

2010-05-01T19:17:00.000-07:00

Feature profile for The Commercial Appeal

May 1, 2010

Harry Shaw never did work for an airline.

The president of United Way of the Mid-South retired in April having begun his tenure with the organization in 1969 when a friend suggested he apply for a job with United Fund, as it was then called.

"I'm thinking it had something to do with United Airlines," he said. "So I take the interview and I come home that day and tell my wife 'I never saw any airplanes on anybody's desk' and I don't know quite what this job is, but it did sound fascinating."

In his 22 years as president of United Way of the Mid-South, Shaw has seen donations rise from $11 million upon his arrival to just over $25 million now, partly by becoming more aggressive with grant writing. The needs of neighbors cut through politics, finance and celebrity, and Shaw, with his staff of 52, is reaching one-third of the population in eight counties within three states.

"Harry Shaw has done God's work -- striving to improve all segments of the community," said congressman Steve Cohen. "He has been an untiring leader. His compassion and drive will be difficult to replace. The Mid-South certainly has a stronger sense of community and is better off because of his efforts."... (read more)

Ritchey, MED Foundation get gritty for hospital

2010-05-01T19:13:00.000-07:00

Memphis Standout Profile for The Memphis Daily News

April 30, 2010

When Memphians and those in the surrounding areas are faced with the trauma of a gunshot wound, life-threatening burn or car crash, chances are good that they’ll end up at The Regional Medical Center at Memphis.
For most of them, that visit is the difference between life and death.
Because of this, there is a scant degree of separation between most Memphians and The MED, said Tap into millions of public records, notices and articles on The Daily News.
Name Search
Watch Service', TITLE, 'Learn More', WIDTH, 200, SHADOW, true, STICKY, 1, CLOSEBTN, true, CLICKCLOSE, true, BGCOLOR, '#e1e1e1', BORDERCOLOR, '#7d0200', TITLEBGCOLOR, '#7d0200')" onmouseout="UnTip()">Tammie Ritchey, executive director of The MED Foundation.
“There are not too many people who haven’t been touched by The MED in Shelby County,” she said.
To do the work the doctors and nurses of the trauma unit perform, tending to patients in what is known as “the golden hour” – those 60 minutes when critical care is at its most urgent – a certain “grittiness,” as Ritchey put it, is needed ... (read more)

Rowdy game of tag takes dad back to childhood

2010-04-29T05:04:00.001-07:00

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

April 29, 2010

Last week we received a DVD from Netflix in the mail that has allowed us to stream movies and such into our television from the Internet.

It's as though the 21st century was delivered to our mailbox.

The following morning began with a film festival of classic cartoons created by Tex Avery and Chuck Jones for Warner Bros. The kids and I laughed aloud at the antics of Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Marvin the Martian, Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner.

It was as though the 1940s were delivered to our living room.

The plot, as it were, of so many of these old cartoons is simple. It's the chase, the hunt. Elmer chased Bugs, Coyote chased Roadrunner, Sylvester chased Tweety, and Pepe Le Pew chased anything that moved.

So it was disheartening later that same evening to watch my kids, some friends and a cousin outside playing chase. Or, rather, attempting some awful approximation of the classic childhood activity ... (read more)

Skate park competes for $250,000 grant

2010-04-25T11:30:00.000-07:00

Metro news story for The Commercial Appeal

April 25, 2010

Pepsi contest rewards community projects

A Memphis grassroots organization that advocates public skate parks is backing the Binghampton Development Corp.'s bid to win $250,000 for a park in the neighborhood.

Pepsi, through its site refresheverything.com, is awarding two organizations, people or businesses grants of up to $250,000 every month for one year for ideas that will have a positive impact on their communities.

"Memphis is two places from the bottom among the U.S. for the amount of money spent per person for parks and recreation," said Dr. Aaron Shafer, founder of the nonprofit Skatelife Memphis and a researcher at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "This is an incredible opportunity for churches to cooperate together and bring in some funds for their communities."

On Saturday, the Binghampton Development Corp. -- under the headline "Get our kids Moving! Build a skate park for inner-city Memphis youth" -- was ranked No. 16 among "Current Leaders" in the $250,000 category. Voting ends April 30 ... (read more)

Restaurateurs find opportunities in new technology

2010-04-22T18:22:00.000-07:00

Feature story for The Memphis Daily News

April 22, 2010

Nowadays there’s a cell phone app for nearly everything – and restaurant reservations are no exception.
That’s not been lost on local restaurateurs, who are embracing online reservations and finding that they are weathering the struggling economy better as a result.
“In an economy like this, we can’t leave any stone unturned, especially when people are cutting costs on dining,” said Josh Spotts, catering sales and conference service manager for The Madison Hotel, which operates Grill 83.
“You can get full off a hamburger at McDonald’s, but is that the experience that you want?”
Among the most popular apps available is OpenTable.com, a Web-based program offering reservation and table management services in real time for more than 12,000 restaurants worldwide.
Founded in 1998, OpenTable now seats about 4 million diners per month and has done so for more than 130 million since its inception.
The mobile app was launched in November 2008, and has been used by more than 2 million, a number that represents about $100 million to restaurant partners, according to OpenTable ... (read more)

Treehouse is platform for flights of daring

2010-04-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

April 15, 2010

My children's aunt and uncle, Elizabeth and Toby, just returned from a 10-day trip to Spain. They visited the village of Robledillo de la Jara and the metropolis of Madrid. They sampled new foods, saw centuries-old architecture, watched a bullfight and met new and exciting people.

My family and I recently returned from the local hardware store just off Summer Avenue.

We spent my wife's -- she's a school teacher -- and kids' spring break building a tree house and planting a garden.

The house is 7 feet off the ground with a zip line that will carry a kid 50 feet through the grove of pine trees behind our house. The only thing missing at this point is any sort of railing, some type of safety precaution.

Despite the lack of safety (or maybe because of it), this is the tree house I always wanted as a child. A Swiss Family Robinson structure, a home that would have made Tarzan proud.

Some people, especially here in the South, may look at it and think "deer stand," but I know differently. In my mind it rivals Frank Lloyd Wright's house, Fallingwater, for design and placement within nature.

It is Falling Daughter ... (read more)

Economist to address influence of big banks

2010-04-10T07:56:00.000-07:00

Business news story for The Commercial Appeal

April 10, 2010

Is a financial system dominated by giant banking institutions good for business?

Dr. Paul Merski says that's a question that deserves an answer, and he plans to offer his insights next week in Memphis.

The Rhodes Chapter of the Financial Management Association and the Department of Economics and Business will host Merski's lecture, "Financial and Economic Outlook: A View from Washington," on Wednesday.

Merski is the senior vice president and chief economist for the Independent Community Bankers of America, an organization representing 5,000 community banks of all sizes throughout the United States.

"I'll be looking at where we've come from in the past few years with the large financial crisis and the meltdown in the financial sector largely caused by the too-big-to-fail Wall Street banks," Merski said recently by phone from his office in Washington ... (read more)

Autism center provides intense therapy to transform childrens' behavior

2010-04-09T05:06:00.000-07:00

Business news story for The Commercial Appeal

April 9, 2010

Tracy Palm, executive director of Transformations Autism Treatment Center, simply wants the parents of children with autism spectrum disorders to have hope.

"I get so many families that come into my office who have completely lost their hope that their child will ever be able to do anything, even speak," she said.

"What I want them to know and understand is that these kids make progress ... they just need the right therapy to be happening in their life at that time."

Palm, a board-certified behavior analyst, began Transformations in 2007 and moved into a new facility on the edge of Bartlett in Memphis last January. The center, at 2535 Whitten Road, is just off Interstate 40 and is accessible to clients who come from as far away as Forrest City, Ark. The one-story, brick building is 2,500 square feet sectioned into rooms for group activities such as music and art, as well as private rooms where counselors can work with clients one on one ... (read more)

Art infusion: local artists look to beef up market in Midtown

2010-04-06T05:10:00.000-07:00

Small business spotlight for The Memphis Daily News

April 6, 2010

Frank Roberts, the owner of nine businesses in six buildings known collectively as The Palladio Group, understands the way to best use retail space.
When his tenant at 2256 Central Ave., Artists on Central, with its various art vendors and flea market feel, fell on difficult times in 2008, Roberts felt that the century-old house could be used better. He wanted to upgrade the offerings and inject the Cooper-Young area with fine art.
“Artists on Central had an image that was not consistent, nor could it be made consistent with our vision, and where there’s no vision, people perish,” said Roberts, whose background is in architecture and home building. “So we wanted to be sure there was a very clear vision and a deliberately chosen and focused point to reach that vision: a true fine art gallery, a sophisticated gallery, not intimidating and stuffy.” ... (read more)

Firm wants to bring top talent to Memphis

2010-04-06T05:06:00.000-07:00

Small business spotlight for The Memphis Daily News

April 5, 2010

Chris Chotard sees himself as a coach recruiting members to business teams throughout Memphis.
He founded his company, Top Notch, last year to bring the brightest college students to Memphis to spend eight weeks working for some of the most well known mid-level companies in the city.
“Some of the best marketers, best recruiters out there are college football coaches and their staff, or college basketball, and they’re selling very similar things,” Chotard said. “They’re trying to sell the city of Memphis as a place to live for a short period of time and they’re trying to recruit the best talent from cities around the country as well as locally.”
Chotard employs the same tactics to get the best to Memphis. And the mid-size businesses are his bread and butter ... (read more)

City pass would defray cost of 'I don't know' visits

2010-04-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

"Because I Said So" column in The Commercial Appeal

April 1, 2010

The first question out of my children's mouths every Saturday morning is usually, "Are we going anywhere today?"

The past couple of weeks, with spring in the air, I've told the housebound foursome that, "Yes, you're going outside."

But outside won't do. The backyard is not far enough away from the inside, requires much less effort to get there and much -- much -- less expense than traveling across town to ... where?

"Where would you like to go?" I ask them.

"I don't know."

I Don't Know. It's a faraway land of exotic promises and myriad possibilities. With a coastline on the Sea of Shrug, it borders the land of Mumbletopia and is inhabited by people other than, and much more fascinating than, their mother and me. It is a domain so vast as to be vague.

What is it these kids wish for? I don't know ... (read more)

Cody named co-chair of Society of Attorneys General Emeritus

2010-04-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

Law Talk profile for The Memphis Daily News

April 1, 2010

Michael Cody of Burch, Porter & Johnson PLLC was recently named co-chairman of the Society of Attorneys General Emeritus (SAGE).
SAGE is an organization formed in 1990 as a compliment to the National Association of Attorneys General, the 50-member group of active AGs. Cody was attorney general of Tennessee from 1984 to 1988. His co-chair is former attorney general and governor of New Hampshire, Stephen E. Merrill.
“What we (SAGE) do is a nice relationship, because current attorneys general can use our group as sort of a resource to talk with, we help them with programs,” Cody said. “It serves the purpose of us actually being a helpful part of their organization and giving us an opportunity to get together twice a year.”
Cody began his career with Burch, Porter & Johnson in 1961 under Lucius Burch, whom Cody considers a mentor. Except for his years in public service as attorney general, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee (1977-1981) and Memphis City Council (1975-1977), his entire law career has been spent at the law firm housed in the old Tennessee Club building overlooking Court Square ... (read more)

Stephenson finds success in Memphis

2010-03-29T06:02:00.000-07:00

Feature profile in The Memphis Daily News

March 29, 2010

Susan Stephenson grew up in East Tennessee and followed her heart to Memphis when a young man she knew decided to attend graduate school here.
She ended up falling in love with a city instead.
“You don’t get to pick where you start, but you get to pick where you end and this is the place where I chose to build my life and my family and my career, and it’s where I choose to end,” Stephenson said. “I really genuinely love this city.”

The CEO and co-founder of Independent Bank never intended to enter the world of banking. Her liberal arts education in history and English from the University of Tennessee suggested a different track altogether, one that might have included teaching had she not ended up in the corporate training program at First Tennessee ... (read more)

Memphian relishes writing role as second story hits the shelves

2010-03-28T12:20:00.001-07:00

Feature profile for The Commercial Appeal

March 28, 2010

Memphian Molly Caldwell Crosby credits her career as an author in the narrative non-fiction genre to her time as a researcher for writers at National Geographic magazine and a "morbid attraction to tragic stories."

"It (narrative non-fiction) tends to be a lot of hurricanes and earthquakes and great fires," she said, "not exactly uplifting."

Crosby's second book, "Asleep: The Forgotten Epidemic that Remains One of Medicine's Greatest Mysteries" (Berkley Books, $24.95), was released earlier this month. It's the story of the sleeping sickness, or encephalitis lethargica, of the early 1900s, an epidemic that rode in on the wave of the Spanish flu outbreak of the time.

Falling into long sleeps for weeks or months, the victims totaled 5 million, with nearly a third of them dying. The disease would later be the focus for Oliver Sacks' book "Awakenings" and the movie of the same name.

Crosby, 37, grew up in Dallas and moved to Memphis to attend Rhodes College, where she graduated in 1995 with a degree in English with an emphasis in creative writing ... (read more)

Lexus nexus: Car dealer opens its showroom for nonprofits' special events

2010-03-19T05:09:00.000-07:00

Corporate Giving story for The Commercial Appeal

March 19, 2010

Instead of a flower arrangement or ice sculpture at your next fundraiser, imagine a sleek black Lexus LS10 as the focal point.
Lexus of Memphis has been offering its two showrooms, with a total of 10,000 square feet of black marble tile and blond wood, located at 2600 Ridgeway Road for area nonprofits to host parties, banquets and galas.
"It's been an opportunity for us to do something that is an easy thing for us to do in the store," said Bryan Smith, general sales manager of Lexus of Memphis. "It's low cost to us, but can be a real benefit to the organizations that we partner with."
The building, in East Memphis just off Bill Morris Parkway on Ridgeway, making it easily accessible from all over town, was built six years ago for $12 million. In addition to the high end look of the tiling and wood interior, the space is well-lit and doors can be flung open in nice weather for guests to spill out onto a makeshift patio. There is a kitchen in the back for catering ... (read more)

Daddy's little flock is aflutter constantly

2010-03-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

March 18, 2010

Our house is square like a doughnut.
In the center of the house is a courtyard, and that is where I have amassed a collection of feeders in the hopes of attracting birds.
All a tired father of four wants on some days is to sit quietly and watch the finches alight on the branches of the crape myrtle, enjoying a safe place to eat. It's the same principle behind my parenting; no one wants to see my kids foraging through their backyard for nuts and berries and Cheetos.
When it comes to communing with nature, though, my kids have other designs. They want to flit around and jump up and down, twitching and turning their heads this way and that like nervous mockingbirds.
And, oh, they mock me ... (read more)

Good news: Architect's passion for building goes beyond property to character, lives

2010-03-16T07:15:00.000-07:00

Good News feature profile for The Commercial Appeal

March 16, 2010

Michael Walker builds houses and office buildings. He has built characters as an actor on stage and backdrops for those characters to move around. And he's helping build self-esteem and future success for a handful of young men at Manassas High School, both on and off the football field, as a volunteer coach and mentor.

Walker is the owner of Walkerarch LLC. Even as a child, the drawing, designing and creativity of his craft piqued his interest.

"We lived in a lot of new neighborhoods because of the moving (when his father was transferred for work), so I was always around construction and loved seeing things being built," he said. "As a kid, I was always building stuff or always had a project going of some sort, whether it was building a fort or models."

Born in Barrington, Ill., Walker attended DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind. On a break from school, his father, knowing his son's interests and creativity, took him to meet an architect friend.

"My father literally walked me to his office and I said, 'Yeah, I love that, the detail of a section and how you make it look like stone or wood or insulation.' " ... (read more)

My Profession: Health care administration

2010-03-10T06:06:00.000-08:00

My Profession profile for The Commercial Appeal

March 10, 2010

George Hernandez is a man on the move.

As the new CEO of Campbell Clinic, Hernandez is charged with carrying the 100-year-old orthopedic clinic into its next century of operation. He took the reins from former CEO John Vines, who retired Dec. 31.

Hernandez, 57, now oversees an organization that is at the top of its field in orthopedic surgery in the Mid-South, produces the top-selling textbook on orthopedics in the world, Campbell's Operative Orthopedics, and facilitates research in its field and the training of physicians domestically and internationally.

In addition, Campbell Clinic works with orthopedic implant manufacturers such as Smith & Nephew to develop new implants and devices for use in surgery.

"The support staff and I are here to provide the framework that allows the doctors to practice their skill, and that's to treat patients with orthopedic problems," Hernandez said ... (read more)

Oscar un-worthy films can be more fun to talk about than the best flicks

2010-03-04T05:06:00.000-08:00

Lifestyle cover feature for The Commercial Appeal

March 4, 2010

"You don't understand. I coulda' had class. I coulda' been a contender. I coulda' been somebody ..."

The line is from "On the Waterfront," and the film was certainly more than a contender. One of the greats, it garnered eight Academy Awards for 1954, including best picture, director, actor and actress.

But what of the others? In a year that saw 1,870 films released, according to the Internet Movie Database (imdb.com), they couldn't have all been great, they couldn't all be contenders.

Sure, there was "The Caine Mutiny," "Rear Window," "Dial M For Murder" and "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea," but not every movie would go on to become mainstays in popular culture. Some had to be bums.

In just a few days, film buffs will be abuzz with the winners from the 82nd Annual Academy Awards, where the best of the best will be honored.

While it is an honor just to be nominated, what of those that aren't? "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" isn't nominated for Best Picture. Neither is "Crank: High Voltage," "G-Force" nor "2012." Are these the worst films of last year, or will they one day be included on someone's list of the worst of all time? ... (read more)

Surprise! Not. Scheduled birth steals dad's big moment

2010-03-04T05:04:00.000-08:00

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

March 4, 2010

My little sister is having a baby today. Probably as you read this over your Corn Flakes and coffee, she's having an epidural catheter inserted into her back to administer anesthesia into her spine.

Sorry.

This is actually her second baby, the first a girl almost three years ago. She knows she's having the baby today because, in the new tradition of the time, it's all planned out.

The appointment, whether inducement, C-section or natural, takes some of the guesswork out of the process, and that's fine because I've come to learn that everything after "It's a boy!" is guesswork. But it also removes that element of surprise, the midnight wake-up call that something is happening, something very exciting.

Get up! This is it! We have to go! ... (read more)

Carpenter finds new creative life with latest venture

2010-02-26T05:19:00.000-08:00

New small business profile for The Daily News

February 26, 2010

Seven months after leaving the advertising agency that bore his name, Doug Carpenter has quietly hung out the shingle for his new venture, Doug Carpenter & Associates.
Devoted to advertising, public relations and consulting, Carpenter used social media to get the word out.
“My coming out was in the form of an e-mail to my database and a Facebook page,” he said. “And the response has been overwhelming.”
Carpenter in July sold his interest in the advertising firm carpenter | sullivan | sossaman – now known as CS2 – to fellow managing principal Brian Sullivan ... (read more)

Community college assignment evovles into exhaustively researched book

2010-02-21T09:23:00.000-08:00

Rebecca Skloot's "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" reaches No. 4 on Amazon Books Bestsellers List

Feature profile for The Commercial Appeal

February 21, 2010

For Rebecca Skloot, creative nonfiction professor at the University of Memphis, immortality is at hand with her new book, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" (Crown, $26).

Born in Springfield, Ill., Skloot moved to Portland, Ore., early with her father, author Floyd Skloot, and mother, Betsy McCarthy, a hospital administrator and "professional knitter" who has published a book on the subject.

A self-proclaimed "derelict kid," Skloot failed her first year of high school and didn't excel academically until forced to attend community college at the age of 16 to make up high school credits.

"I had some issues with the traditional school system and eventually ended up at this alternative high school. ... It was like a hippie school, like a holdover from Oregon in the '60s, where we had dream studies instead of science," she said ... (read more)

The Palladio Group fundraiser aids Mid-South Food Bank

2010-02-19T15:54:00.000-08:00

Corporate Giving story for The Commercial Appeal

February 19, 2010

The Palladio Group, a collection of nine entities representing art galleries, showrooms and antique shops in six buildings in Cooper-Young, recently donated $1,500 to the Mid-South Food Bank, a sum that equates to more than 3,500 meals.

"Traditionally at year-end we have done a customer appreciation where we pay the tax or hold an event, and it was nice, but we thought we could include someone else," said Frank Roberts who, along with his wife, Mindy, owns The Palladio Group.

The fundraiser took place the last week of December and first week of January, a time that is notoriously quiet for nonprofits.

"The food bank is a worthwhile organization in our community and we thought it a particularly good time," Roberts said ... (read more)

Teacher star of the show at career day

2010-02-18T04:48:00.001-08:00

Because I Said So column for The Commercial Appeal

February 18, 2010

I was invited to Richland Elementary School to speak to Ms. Darnell's second-grade class for career day last week. I prepared for it much the way I prepare to write for this column, over a cup of coffee and at the last minute. I figured I'd wander into the classroom around noon or so, mug of coffee in hand and, possibly, in my bathrobe. Just like any freelance writer anywhere.

I didn't, though. I woke at a respectable hour, showered and dressed presentably. And I finished my coffee at home.

Fifteen minutes trying to explain what you do and why you do it to 25 7-year-olds is daunting. Most kids, I think, don't fully understand what their parents do every day once they leave the house. How do you describe human resource management or certified public accountant to a kid whose hero is a little two-dimensional, mustachioed man named Mario? If you were leaving the house each day to traipse through different worlds, squashing mushrooms and jumping on turtles, well, that would be easy. To this day, all I really know about my own mother's career is that she does "something with computers." . . . (read more)

No tired hang-ups here: Midtown shop reflects owner's exuberance, expertise

2010-02-15T07:51:00.000-08:00

Small business profile for The Commercial Appeal

February 15, 2010

The sign reads: It's never too late to live happily ever after. Not only is the message a poignant one, but it is beautifully matted and framed as well.

For Danny Bubnick, happily ever after began at the end of last year when he opened Midtown Framer & Art at 1523 Union Ave.

"I'm feeling very good," Bubnick said. "People are extremely supportive."

Bubnick was manager for BA Framer in Midtown for 20 years until it closed, as did all its stores nationwide, in 2009. He brings his knowledge and a passion for the business to his new concern. When BA Framer announced its imminent closing, Bubnick knew he needed to act quickly and, while he looked elsewhere, he knew Midtown was where he needed to be.

"I didn't want to lose customers and we wanted to work closely with artists," he said.

Bubnick contacted property owner Jim Kinsinger about the 6,000 square foot space, known as Union House, and a four-year lease was signed for an undisclosed amount. Ten days after his previous employer closed its doors, Bubnick opened in his new home ... (read more)

Memphian's valentines spread love to people who don't otherwise get any

2010-02-15T07:42:00.000-08:00

Profile/human interest story for The Commercial Appeal

February 14, 2010

Dixie Brown is not your typical cupid. She has no wings, no bow and arrow, and cherubic may have been an adjective used to describe her more than five decades ago when she married and moved south from Brookline, Mass.

Yet every year since 1979, Brown has helped to put a smile on people's faces by sending out hundreds of "penny cards" to the elderly, who normally may not receive anything on Valentine's Day.

The cards started as an extension of her work with Sacred Heart Church here and her visitations with shut-ins.

"I met a retired first-grade teacher, and the good Lord whispered in my ear that I could send her a valentine," Brown said, "and that year she got 25 of them and it tickled her."... (read more)

Corporate Giving: Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation

2010-02-12T07:21:00.000-08:00

Corporate Giving story for The Commercial Appeal

February 12, 2010

Porter-Leath, the 160-year-old resource for at-risk families in Memphis, recently received a $5,000 donation from the Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation. The money was donated through the bank's newest branch at 42 S. Claybrook.
"Porter-Leath does such a good job at servicing at-risk families in our community and battling infant mortality in Memphis," said Tom Patronis, Memphis market president for Wachovia. "They're very important to us and a particular passion of mine."
The contribution will go to directly toward Cornerstone, Porter-Leath's early childhood home visitation program. The program sends AmeriCorps workers into the homes of new and soon-to-be mothers.
"They work with them (mothers) throughout pregnancy to help reach a healthy birth weight of 5.5 pounds, which we do 93.4 percent of the time," said Mike Warr, vice president of development for Porter-Leath. Effectiveness is monitored by the University of Tennessee Health Science Center ... (read more)

Leap of faith: Former commodities futures trader dives into market

2010-02-11T08:35:00.000-08:00

My Profession business profile for The Commercial Appeal

February 11, 2010

In spring 2009, Richard Morrow willingly jumped from the reasonably sound ship of commodities futures trading into the sinking boat of stocks and bonds.
"In commodities, what you do is get a small percentage of someone's high-risk capital because commodities are considered risky," Morrow said. "I've always wanted to manage a bigger piece of someone's pie, so to speak."
For the previous 20 years, Morrow had managed individual and institutional accounts in the commodities futures market for Bondurant Futures. He went with Wunderlich Securities during what he calls "ground zero for the financial meltdown" to manage individual and institutional client portfolios using an equity and bond-based platform that does not include futures trading.
"In commodities, we were relatively unscathed by all that (financial meltdown), so I didn't have the financial and emotional baggage of a blow-up," Morrow said. "I was essentially an observer, upset for my friends and country, but for the most part I averted disaster." ... (read more)

Read it and weep: No shame in shedding a few tears, more men realize

2010-02-09T10:55:00.000-08:00

Lifestyle feature for The Commercial Appeal

February 9, 2010

As the irascible Jimmy Dugan in 1992's "A League of Their Own," Tom Hanks shouts "Are you crying? There's no crying. There's no crying in baseball!"

In that scene, Hanks berates one of his players -- a woman -- who can't keep it together. The women of that film's World War II era were expected to be tough and to carry the burden for their absent husbands.

Today, as well, women are expected to be thick-skinned from the cubicle up to the boardroom. Mary Tyler Moore, in the early 1970s, may be the last known woman in America to cry unabashedly to her boss.

Once women began the big shift from the home sphere to the workplace, ideas about "ladylike" behavior began to shift as well. But what about our attitude toward men showing their softer side? ... (read more)

Cozy fire a fine spot to ponder fatherhood

2010-02-04T07:34:00.001-08:00

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

February 4, 2010

Can we make parenting a seasonal activity, like baseball or yard work?

I am not a winter parent. I'm pretty good in the spring and summer when I'm happy to get out and fill up the inflatable pool or work in the garden. Or at least to sit and watch the children doing those things nearby.

But in the winter, on days when the temperature can barely push above 20 degrees and ice is caked on the ground like it was last weekend, all I want is to lie around with a book in the ridiculously expensive heat we're paying for. All I really want is for my kids to want to do the same thing.

They do not.

They want to go out and taste the ground cover, see the freeze up-close and throw it on each other. My fatherly instincts tell me that I should at least want to be out there with them, mixing it up on the lawn and putting together a snowman.

I do not ... (read more)

Life in anti-mustache house requires stiff upper lip

2010-01-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

Because I Said So column for The Commercial Appeal

January 21, 2010

As the parents of four children, my wife and I knew full well that we would, at age-appropriate intervals, need to have some uncomfortable and awkward conversations with the kids.
In addition to general safety concerns, healthy eating, school grades, college and, of course, "the talk," there would need to be many discussions of personal hygiene and bodily upkeep before they are unleashed into the community among decent people.
I won't go into those conversations in detail here, such is the personal nature of the subject, but suffice it to say that soap, deodorant, underwear, feet and fingernails will come into play if they haven't already. For the two girls there will be other discussions, possibly including bar graphs, pie charts, ice cream, lunar calendars and a PowerPoint presentation.
I'll leave all that up to their mother ... (read more)

Philanthropy instilled at an early age, Pat Carter still giving back at 71

2010-01-19T08:52:00.000-08:00

Good News feature for The Commercial Appeal

January 19, 2010

Though he has sat on the boards of organizations, been inducted into halls of fame across the country and is deacon with Whitehaven's Middle Baptist Church, Pat Carter is a man who avoids committees when it comes to getting real work done.

Case in point: Carter and a handful of friends have been feeding the homeless Downtown in Confederate Park every Labor Day for 25 years with little more than his own barbecue grill and the determination that has kept this self-made man going for most of his 71 years.

"I think we can do more (ourselves), rather than depending on an organization," Carter said. "For years no one knew I was cooking for the homeless because I never told anyone. I do it every year because no one wants to cook for the homeless on Labor Day."

It's this taking of the reins that has guided Carter's life from the age of 12, when he set up a Kool-Aid stand in the front yard of his Raleigh home, catering to the church down the street whose members would filter down for refreshment after service.

"People were laughing at me, they thought it was funny, but I had $1,200 in my savings account when I was 12," he said ... (read more)

Memphis Crossroads Magazine

2010-01-08T08:09:00.000-08:00

Three feature stories for the Winter 2010 issue of Memphis Crossroads Magazine.

Santa is gone, but dad is still watching

2010-01-08T07:58:00.000-08:00

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

January 7, 2009

The Christmas holidays are over.

Do you know how I know this? Because the lights have been pulled down from the front of the house, the tree is lying at the curb, there are no sweets baking in the kitchen and the trash talking from my children is in full swing.

The kids got a Wii for Christmas. It's the first appearance of a video game in our home in the 12 years we've had kids and they are suddenly competitive. They have quickly, in the malleable nature of smallish children, become expert runners, jumpers, skiers, bowlers and kung-fu fighters.

And experts at bragging and talking smack and, frankly, it's beginning to hurt my feelings ... (read more)

Santa owes more than you know to the Mrs.

2009-12-24T06:48:00.001-08:00

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

December 24, 2009

I have dutifully read my kids' letters to Santa, at least those of the middle two. The oldest no longer writes letters to Santa and the youngest still can't spell. I confess that I didn't know what a lot of the items on their lists were. After 12 years of fatherhood, I don't know what a Bakugan is, where to adopt a Zhu Zhu Pet or what a "model of Chowder" might be.
I'm sure they wouldn't understand my list, either, were I to write one. They may understand the words, but not the concept of wanting nothing more than for them to grow and flourish through the next year; to be free of illness, fear or sadness.
I don't need much else, really. Sure, I'd like an iPhone or some new CDs, but those will come over time. They're tangible and can be budgeted for. Our kids' childhoods are fleeting, an unknown quantity.
I recognize some of the items on the lists. I know what a laptop is and that 8-year-old Joshua is not getting one. I also know what root beer is, though it's unclear why it is on his list. I'm pretty sure he'll be getting a six-pack, though, if only so I can drink half of them.
Every mother's child knows what this year brings: Gifts, cheer, gifts, and family and friends who bring gifts. This season may be the most stressful part of this year, when we parents are expected once again to become experts in shopping, decorating, cooking and, maybe most importantly, the delicate balancing act of managing expectations ... (read more)

Shelby Middle School gets $600,000 grant to continue Peer Power tutoring

2009-12-19T08:11:00.000-08:00

Business news feature story for The Commercial Appeal

December 19, 2009

Memphis businessman Charles McVean is well-versed in the art of speculation, and his recognition of the opportunities to invest in young students is paying dividends.
The latest investment is Shelby Middle School and its North Bolivar School district in Shelby, Miss., which has been awarded a $600,000 grant from the U.S. Education Department.
The grant was awarded to the school to continue its yearlong work with Peer Power Foundation, McVean's tutoring initiative aimed at students in grades 7-12.
Prompting the Education Department grant was the surge in state math exam scores among seventh-graders at Shelby Middle.
"This kind of financial support will mean that we can touch the lives of so many more students," said Rives Neblett, the Shelby businessman who funded the program through a nonprofit group ... (read more)

Bombing scenario preps Memphis' first responders for coordinated response

2009-12-19T08:08:00.000-08:00

Business news feature story for The Commercial Appeal

December 18, 2009

Chaos reigned in Midtown Thursday as emergency personnel rushed into an office strewn with desks, cables, computers, insulation and filled with smoke after a suicide bomber attack took out six city blocks.
Paramedics quickly assessed the situation and worked to stabilize and remove the injured -- many moaning and bleeding.
As realistic as the scene was, it was actually just the first of six scheduled training sessions being held by the Medical Education and Research Institute at Cleveland and Monroe.
"The training is impressive and invaluable," said Gary Ludwig, deputy fire chief for the Memphis Fire Department. "On the job is not the time to train, and this is about as close to the reality of a bomb blast as you can get." ... (read more)

Le Bonheur Teen Council/Madison Hotel

2009-12-11T09:37:00.000-08:00

Corporate Giving story for The Commercial Appeal

December 11, 2009

The Teen Advisory Board for Le Bonheur Children's Hospital spent a recent evening painting ornaments for the Christmas tree at the Madison Hotel.
The advisory board is a panel of current and past patients, their siblings and some teens who have no connection to Le Bonheur, to help guide the hospital on the wants and needs of the hospital's patients.
"We want them to have as much ownership in this as possible, we want them to be able to say 'This is what we think is important,'" said Thomas Hobson, director of Childlife Services.
Childlife Services is a clinical program that uses play to help children adjust to the hospital setting. The Teen Advisory Board is facilitated by Childlife Services ... (read more)

Political scientist is always up for debate

2009-12-11T09:32:00.001-08:00

My Profession profile for The Commercial Appeal

December 10, 2009

There is no debating that the Rhodes College mock trial team is one of the best of its kind in the country.
The team holds the record for most consecutive Final 48 (that's mock trial's equivalent to the Final Four) appearances at 23 straight years.
At the helm of this team for exactly that many years is political science professor Dr. Marcus Pohlmann.
Originally from Davenport, Iowa, Pohlmann did his undergraduate work at Cornell College and graduate work at Columbia University. Having spent more than two decades at Rhodes, though, he considers himself a Memphian and, as a political scientist, appreciates the political show here and its accessibility.
"I know Willie Herenton, I know A C Wharton, I run into them at restaurants," Pohlmann said. "You can't say that in every city, that you can have that kind of access to the players." ... (read more)

Seeking an antidote to the season of crabbiness

2009-12-10T08:01:00.001-08:00

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

December 10, 2009

My family has been overcome by sickness lately. Seasonal affective disorder, as any parent 500 miles above the equator knows, is brought on by that time of year when our children are required to wear hats, hoodies, mittens (that match) and coats.
Symptoms include ill temperament, crying, short fuses, screeching, whining and fatigue. It makes the kids crabby, too.
The condition, which we will call SAD for obvious reasons, is exacerbated by morning temperatures in the 30s and afternoon temps in the upper 50s, when outerwear is discarded by kids who are sure their hoods and scarves will never be needed again.
They are simple children. Children with no meteorological background whatsoever ... (read more)

Perfect partners: Toymaker right at home in Children's Museum at fairgrounds

2009-12-06T08:24:00.000-08:00

Business news story for The Commercial Appeal

December 6, 2009

In a move that officials say could help efforts to redevelop the Mid-South Fairgrounds, the Village Toymaker has opened a new store in The Children's Museum of Memphis.

The specialty toy store, which has three other area locations, celebrated its grand opening Saturday.

"Our customers have been asking for a Midtown location but nothing was ever a good fit, and then (Children's Museum CEO) Dick Hackett started talking to us just a few weeks ago and it sounded like this could be a good fit," said store owner Pat Monz.

The store is a welcomed addition to the fairgrounds, which is undergoing a $175 million redevelopment ... (read more)

Coffee's on again along Poplar at Perkins

2009-12-03T14:19:00.000-08:00

Business news feature for The Commercial Appeal

December 3, 2009

Espresso and chatter are flowing once again in the cream and coffee-colored building at Poplar and Perkins.

Poplar Perk'N has opened in the space formerly occupied by High Point Coffee, which closed the store and another one on Union in Midtown in September.

"I knew the area and couldn't understand why it had closed," said Poplar Perk'N owner Jimmy Whidden, who received a message on Facebook from a disgruntled friend the day High Point closed.

Whidden called High Point owner Thomas Blanche, who agreed to sell his fixtures and equipment, and landlord Stan Graber, who agreed to lease him the building.

With start-up costs in hand and no debt to service, Whidden faced no major obstacles -- other than repairing a leak in the roof -- to open ... (read more)

Room to breathe: Joe's Wine & Liquor expands for growing stock

2009-11-30T08:07:00.000-08:00

Business news feature for The Commercial Appeal

November 30, 2009

When the Great Recession ends, Joe's Wine & Liquor will be ready.

The Midtown store with the landmark Sputnik at Poplar and Belvedere is launching a 2,200-square-foot expansion by taking over the neighboring space formerly occupied by the Peter Pan Pantry.

The project is expected to be completed in the first quarter with the complete $400,000 renovation, funded through a loan with Independent Bank, wrapped up and his staff of 10 moved in by March of 2010.

"John Jones is the architect and they've put together a retro '60s kind of feel to the store," said store owner Brad Larson. "When it's all said and done, the countertops will be stainless steel, we'll have a light source at the top that will ring the building, a lot of metal and wood racking for the wines. It's going to look real nice." ... (read more)

True meaning of thanks not lost on kids

2009-11-30T08:05:00.001-08:00

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

November 25, 2009

I have fond memories of being a kid and traveling to relatives' homes for the holidays. Any child of the 1970s will recall long road trips spent singing along with the static of The Eagles on the radio, staring out the window, fighting with territorial siblings over the back seat and watching the ornamental seatbelts flap in the wind blowing through windows cracked open to allow the cigarette smoke to escape.

This country was founded on travel and a poor sense of direction.

I asked my children recently about their knowledge of Thanksgiving, its history and meaning. Somerset, 7, was almost positive the Pilgrims came over with Columbus in 1942. Calvin, 11 and my oldest, figured the trip must have taken at least a week and that the children on board spent most of the time throwing up.

"Wait," Somerset said, "the Pilgrims had kids?"

The throwing up, I was then told, was only one activity to pass the time, the other being one of my kids' favorites: rock-paper-scissors ... (read more)

Mid-South Minority Business Council awards honor institutional diversity

2009-11-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

Daily business news story for The Commercial Appeal

November 21, 2009

Methodist Healthcare president Gary Shorb received top honors Friday at the Mid-South Minority Business Council Robert R. Church Sr. Achievement awards.

Shorb was named the Model Diversity Corporation CEO of the Year at a luncheon at the Holiday Inn at University of Memphis.

"This is a team effort," Shorb said. "Driving from the top is important, but it takes a team to make it work."

The award is in recognition of the council's program to institutionalize diversity and inclusion, applying it from the top down, in corporations around Memphis and, eventually, nationally.

"CEOs gather their team around and they embrace diversity," said Luke Yancy III, council president and CEO. "They're passionate about it." ... (read more)

Buckley's Fine Filet Grill and U.S. Foodservice

2009-11-20T04:52:00.000-08:00

Corporate giving profile for The Commercial Appeal

Buckley's Fine Filet Grill, U.S. Foodservice and the Ronald McDonald House

November 20, 2009

Buckley's Fine Filet Grill, partnering with food distributor U.S. Foodservice, recently visited the Ronald McDonald House to help stock the kitchen and pantry.

"I read a story in the paper that the pantry was low, and we said 'let's just go fill it up,' " said Ken Dick, who founded the restaurant in 1993 with Jeff Fioranelli, his friend since the eighth grade.

U.S. Foodservice president Joe Campbell and vice president of sales Jimmy Cull see the donation as an extension of the work they already do with St. Jude, Grizzlies House and Target House.

"Jeff and Ken are good friends and good customers, and when they asked us to get involved, we said 'absolutely,' " Cull said. "Joe Campbell gave us the OK to do whatever we have to do to help the patients of St. Jude. Even in tough times we have not backed off from helping St. Jude." ... (read more)

Goodwill Industries bookstore writes success story in recession

2009-11-14T11:17:00.000-08:00

Business news feature for The Commercial Appeal

November 14, 2009

The Great Recession has hurt many businesses in the past two years, but one benefactor appears to be GoodBooks, the used bookstore operated by Goodwill Industries.

The store at 6063 Park in Park Place Centre was launched in February 2008 and has experienced such strong success that it was expanded earlier this year.

The bookstore recorded $78,000 in sales by the end of September. By comparison, the area's only other Goodwill bookstore, on Goodman Road in Southaven and open since 2006, had sales of $101,000 in the same time frame.

"The economy has helped the bookstore business where people who may not have shopped here before have tried it out and those who had shopped here may shop here more," said Goodwill vice president of operations Dave Leutwyler. "It's all about being in the right place with the right product." ... (read more)

Weekend with family serves ravioli, savored time

2009-11-12T06:10:00.000-08:00

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

November 12, 2009

What is the recipe for family?

Each person's idea of what family is can be as personal and cherished as favorite recipes of ancestors, brought here by boat, plane or covered chuck wagon. Mother and father, sure, plus brothers and sisters and all manner of blood relations. Sprinkle in neighbors and a healthy helping of friends and that family can become large enough to fill any dining table.

I spent the weekend wrapped in family. A family that grew each time I turned and satisfied a hunger for closeness and community.

On Sunday afternoon, we had friends and family into our home for the yearly making of my family's ravioli recipe. The Zanone recipe has been handed down through generations; pages filled with handwriting of those long gone, recent notations scrawled over stains from ages past ... (read more)

Edward Felsenthal tames Web 'Wild West' for readers as news site's editor

2009-11-08T07:55:00.000-08:00

Feature story for the Lifestyle section of The Commercial Appeal

November 8, 2009

The World Wide Web, with its seemingly unlimited information and eternal reach, is a beast. For the average surfer, any attempt to keep up with it all -- every news stream and nugget of gossip -- is mere folly.

It is native Memphian Edward Felsenthal's job as executive editor of The Daily Beast to rein that monster in and make it manageable, even useful, for readers on the year-old site at thedailybeast.com.

As Web site co-founder Tina Brown put it, "the Internet is the Wild West, in a way, and would become feral if there were no circus trainer to manage it."

To that end, she hired Felsenthal to work with his team collecting news from around the world and throughout cyberspace to aggregate under one governable and easily-traversed URL.

"There are a lot of assets you can grow, but time isn't one of them," the 43-year-old Felsenthal said. "We're giving busy people a quick and engaging fix on the day's happenings." ... (read more)

One little stitch can put a hitch in morning

2009-10-29T08:06:00.000-07:00

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

October 29, 2009

When I was a boy, we got our shoes at Youngtown behind the Lowenstein's Department Store in Poplar Plaza.

I would perch up on a tall booth with my socked feet on the metal pegs while a salesman slipped a pair of creamy Buster Browns on me. I was then made to stand while my mother and the salesman took turns pushing down on my toes, squeezing the sides and sliding my heel in and out.

"Is this too tight? ... Too loose? ... Does this pinch? ... Is there room? ..." they asked.

I gave them half answers: "Pretty good. Not too. Sorta,'" knowing that whatever the next day brought, cramped toes or blistered heel, I wouldn't complain. The questioning I went through at the time of purchase had been too rigorous for me to dare speak up 24 hours later.

Our kids' shoes come from Target now. I guess. Shoe buying isn't really my department. Some are handed down from friends' kids, I'm pretty sure. For all I know, my children are taking shoes from classmates ... (read more)

Competition reminds Memphians who's keeping area hotel rooms looking sharp

2009-10-27T05:53:00.000-07:00

Daily Business news story for The Commercial Appeal

October 27, 2009

Even as the Phillies and Yankees prepare to meet in the World Series, 12 other teams spent Monday afternoon making beds in this year's World Series of Housekeeping.

The sponsoring Metropolitan Memphis Hotel & Lodging Association will use the teams' $100 registration fees on a scholarship endowment for the Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management at the University of Memphis.

"Housekeepers are stuck in the trenches, so this event gets them out," said Peggy Callahan, executive director of the hotel association. "It's fun for them, and it's team building." ... (read more)

Siskind Susser firm builds niche in immigration law

2009-10-24T06:19:00.000-07:00

Business news feature for The Commercial Appeal

October 24, 2009

The labyrinthine legal maze employers must negotiate just to complete the hiring process often goes unnoticed.

But mistakes -- large and small -- result in conspicuous consequences.

Such consequences may not end in large-scale worksite raids that generate national media coverage, but they can result in a series of smaller fines that can be crippling to a midsize business.

It's after such mistakes are found -- normally through an audit -- when the expertise of Greg Siskind with Siskind Sutter Law Firm, Memphis' largest immigration law firm, would come in.

It's an expertise that has just become more accessible to employers and their human resource departments with the release of Siskind's new book, "The Employer's Immigration Compliance Desk Reference." ... (read more)

Think of our kids' future when voting

2009-10-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

October 15, 2009

It is such an auspicious week, with Memphis on the verge of change, that I decided I should sit down and talk it over with my kids. I wanted to ensure they grasped the auspiciousness, so, to be certain, I looked up what "auspicious" means before sitting them down at the family table.

These kids usually have trouble grasping bedtime, yet I had faith that the transforming days ahead would register with them.

"I have something important, something of a civic nature I'd like to discuss with you today," I said.

At this point, my three older children stood and left the room, leaving me with 3-year-old Genevieve at the far end of the table.

"It's just us then," I said.

She folded her newspaper down, obviously upset that I'd taken her away from Geoff Calkins and Wendi Thomas, the only two columns she reads.

"Pardon?" she said.

I told her that there are things going on in this city that she, even at her age, should pay attention to. There are characters on the civic stage this week who deserve attention and have the ability to thrust Memphis into a national spotlight.

The ensuing dialogue went something like this: ... (read more)

Attorneys flip flapjacks for Komen fundraiser

2009-10-10T07:49:00.001-07:00

Business news feature for The Commercial Appeal

October 10, 2009

At Calvary Church Downtown Friday morning there was no shop talk, only good-natured banter over eggs, pancakes, sausage and coffee.

For the 10th year, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz has sponsored the Barrister's Pancake Breakfast benefiting the Memphis branch of the Mid-South affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.

"If you look around, there are judges, attorneys, the city mayor is here today, members of staff including sheriff's deputies and representatives from the clerks association," said Leo Bearman, shareholder of the Memphis-based law firm. "It's really a bar association fundraiser and my law firm is happy to be the motivator." ... (read more)

Memphis Railroad & Trolley Museum on right track at Central Station

2009-10-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

Local news feature for The Commercial Appeal

Oct. 10, 2009

As concepts go, this one has barely left the station, yet it seems to already be heading down the right track.

The Memphis Society of Model Railroaders -- a 75-member, 50-year-old organization of train enthusiasts and hobbyists -- has signed a letter of intent with Central Station and the Memphis Area Transit Authority to develop the Memphis Railroad & Trolley Museum inside the Downtown train station.

"In Memphis, the railroads were vitally important," said Hugh Teaford, the model railroad society's president. "The river took goods up and down the country, but trains brought it all inland. There are five trains that come in here now." ... (read more)

Hornby hits another musical note with "Juliet, Naked"

2009-10-07T07:04:00.003-07:00

Book review of Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby for The Commercial Appeal blog, "The Shelf Life."

October 6, 2009

When Nick Hornby first hit big with his novel High Fidelity, it was an instant classic among young men whose affinity for pop culture and music trivia are worn on the sleeves of their black CBGB t-shirts.
With Juliet, Naked (Riverhead Books, $26), his fifth novel, it becomes apparent that his target audience is a group of men in their mid-to-late 30s who were once young men who wore their affinity for pop culture and music trivia on the sleeves of their black CBGB t-shirts. They are now, in their age of reason, able to see the folly in a life where an entire evening's conversation might center around the importance of the track order of Nirvana's seminal grunge album, Nevermind. The view taken of their own past selves, however, is not theirs alone, but is filtered through the eyes of their wives, girlfriends, children and ex-girlfriends.

Perhaps Hornby has aged with his audience. Perhaps he has grown just as those of us who devoured High Fidelity and laughed at (with) anyone who might plan a mix tape around a day of the week or an acquaintance's death. Or those of us who might be obsessive over a particular artist. Say, Elvis Costello, for instance. Listening to that man's work day in and day out until his wife pleads to "please, for the love of all that is holy, can we listen to anything else? Anything. Put on Chaka Khan for all I care." ... (read more)

St. Jude employee band plays Cleveland for corporate musicians' crown

2009-10-02T07:25:00.000-07:00

Business feature for The Commercial Appeal

October 2, 2009

The Mighty Electric St. Jude Band, a nine-piece group made up of St. Jude employees and spouses, leaves today for the ninth annual Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.

The event is sponsored by the National Organization of Music Merchants, Gibson Guitars, the museum and Fortune magazine.

The competition contestants were whittled from 34 bands to only eight.

"We're excited to be included in the event," said Brent Royer, director of creative media services for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital by day, percussionist and vocalist by night. "We got to see some of the bands at the regional qualifier in Nashville, and there were some really, really talented groups." ... (read more)

Home becoming museum for kids' art

2009-10-01T06:27:00.001-07:00

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

October 1, 2009

One of the first really confusing things about children for me, other than how you make a diaper stay on and how to bathe a kid in the kitchen sink and then prepare food to eat later in and around that sink, was what to do with all of the "artwork" brought home from school.

If we're frank, it's not very good, is it? Be honest, parents. We tell our kids how talented they are and how the drawing of a house looks "just like our house" but, in reality, the windows are all out of proportion to the structure, and you would never, ever paint your house that shade of purple.

Yet, we feel compelled to keep this ... art. First, on the refrigerator with the decorative magnet they made in kindergarten which, honestly, isn't very attractive either. Later the artwork ends up stacked at the far end of your kitchen counter. There, just above the junk drawer, shuffled in with bills, coupons and an unfinished crossword. But then what? It can't stay there forever ... (read more)

New book continues D'Army Bailey's mission of civil rights education

2009-09-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

Feature profile for The Commercial Appeal

September 26, 2009

D'Army Bailey grew up enveloped in family and in the shadow of LeMoyne College, at the time a black college working primarily to train teachers.

The LeMoyne Gardens housing project bordered one side of his world and his entrepreneurial and independent grandfather the other. This was the alchemy that helped to create the D'Army Bailey of today -- lawyer, judge, activist, father, husband and author.

He learned of racial strife early, listening to people talk at the neighborhood sundry and reading black publications of the day, such as the Chicago Defender, the Atlanta Daily World and the Pittsburgh Courier.

"I'd sit about and read the various black newspapers from around the country that came into this store, and it enhanced my view and sense of politics and civil rights," he said ... (read more)

Olympian urges girls to follow their dreams

2009-09-26T07:12:00.001-07:00

Business News feature for The Commercial Appeal

September 26, 2009

Olympic gold medalist Dominique Dawes on Friday urged local Girl Scouts to do their best and fulfill their dreams.

Dawes, who won a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, spoke to about 300 people at the Memphis Botanic Gardens, wrapping up a two-day visit that included an appearance at Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women on Thursday.

"When I was younger, I wasn't confident and didn't express myself. I wasn't sure I could ever make an impact," said Dawes, who sits on the Girl Scouts advisory board. "I want to encourage girls to get out and participate. I want to encourage the sport of gymnastics. You learn very quickly if it's for you or not."

The event was sponsored by Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp. and the Lipscomb & Pitts Breakfast Club ... (read more)

Well-traveled century plant adjusts to master's moves

2009-09-25T05:43:00.001-07:00

Home & Garden feature for The Commercial Appeal

September 25, 2009

Norman Dean of Cordova says people stop all the time and ask "what do you have growing there?"

What is that strange plant with its thick leaves sporting spikes that look to do harm, sending out offshoots that sprout up around it like so many children? Is it native to this area? To this planet?

The plant in question is a century plant (Agave americana), so named because it is said to bloom once every hundred years, an undertaking so strenuous that the effort eventually kills it.

This plant, which decorates the front corner of Dean's brick Cordova home on a street lined with well-manicured lawns, measures about 5 feet tall and its width, from tip to tip of the longest of its gray-green leaves, is nearly 8 feet ... (read more)

Expo educates job seekers to career changes

2009-09-25T05:40:00.000-07:00

Business feature for The Commercial Appeal

September 25, 2009

Piggly Wiggly founder Clarence Saunders fell on hard times in the 1920s and found himself out of sorts, out of money and out of a house.

So it seemed fitting Thursday that the famous Memphis entrepreneur's pink Georgian marble mansion -- the Pink Palace -- on Central Avenue was the site for the first Opportunity Expo, a joint effort between OppCities, Brother Industries and the Bartlett Chamber of Commerce to help out-of-work professionals get back on their feet.

"People have been very open, very excited about the program," said Carlos Fearn, OppCities vice president of development. "They see it as another vehicle to get their foot in the door."

The event also marked the launch of OppCity.com, a Web site for those looking for work or career transitions ... (read more)

Indie Memphis 2009 film festival

2009-09-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

Film synopses for the 2009 Indie Memphis Film Festival program

"God's Architects" by Zachary Godshall

Through the works of five visionary individuals, filmmaker Zachary Godshall tells the story of people's inspirations. There is Leonard Knight, building the "God is Love Mountain," a Seussian landscape in the California desert; Shelby Ravellette, a self-professed master mason and Knight Templar; Mississippi preacher H.D. Dennis and his wife, Margaret; Floyd Banks Jr., who builds with bricks, rocks and his own tooth; and the works of sculptor Kenny Hill as presented by Julius Neil ... (read more)

"St. Nick" by David Lowery

Two runaway children take refuge in an old clapboard house, their youthful curiosity and mischievousness succumbing to focused movement and the necessity of survival. The story is one not so much of innocence lost as of independence gained as the brother and sister forage and scrape to get by, setting up housekeeping -- including building a fort of sheets in the abandoned house -- as kids will do to feel safe ... (read more)

Read more about Indie Memphis and the 2009 film festival (Oct. 8-15) at indiememphis.com.

OppCities links professionals to job options

2009-09-18T05:59:00.001-07:00

Business profile for The Commercial Appeal

September 18, 2009

During this time when the economy is flailing about and the workforce is reeling with layoffs, it is often the white collar worker who becomes nearly transparent.

OppCities was formed earlier this year in conjunction with Brother Industries and the Bartlett Chamber of Commerce to assist out-of-work professional employees in their search for work, educational advancement or information on area businesses.

"Professionals are overlooked and there is a longer time frame from when they lose their jobs to when they find work again," said Carlos Fearn, OppCities vice president of development ... (read more)

My aim is busting myths, not fixing ills

2009-09-17T05:04:00.001-07:00

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

September 17, 2009

I've been writing this column now for a year and a half and I have a blog about parenting that's more than three years old. As I feel it necessary to do every so often, I'd like to make the disclaimer that these writings in no way constitute advice. I have little or no idea what I'm doing day to day. I have four kids, yet will leave the parenting advice columns to the experts: those with five kids. Suckers.

I am in the business, however, of dispelling myths about being a parent and about children, such as the "bundle of joy" myth or the "sleeps like a baby" tale. Another common myth is this notion that children know things, usually concerning some sort of weighty issue or upheaval in the home.

"Children seem to know things, they have a sense of what's going on," grandmothers will say, as though children are some sort of Jedi Knights using the Force. Grandmothers love Star Wars references ... (read more)

Heart to Heart

2009-09-13T10:04:00.001-07:00

International Children's Heart Foundation

Feature story for the lifestyle section of The Commercial Appeal

September 13, 2009

In December 2006, Dr. William Novick was in Pakistan for the first time, as part of a medical mission team with the International Children's Heart Foundation, the charity he founded in 1994 to take cardiac care to children in need around the world.

A young boy, less than 3 months old, was presented to him suffering from a condition in which the vessels carrying blood from his heart to his lungs, and vice versa, were in abnormal positions. He also had a hole between the two pumping chambers of his heart.

"He was totally emaciated. You could see every rib on this baby," Novick recalls now, as his organization celebrates its 15th anniversary.

Though Novick is generally wary of doing a procedure of this magnitude on a first visit, he knew the child wouldn't last until his team's next visit, so he operated.

The surgery went as well as could be expected and the boy, Abu Bakr, was expected to live. Later, Novick learned that Abu was the only living grandson of a former Taliban fighter ... (read more)

High Point Coffee stores close

2009-09-10T05:25:00.000-07:00

Breaking business news story for The Commercial Appeal

September 10, 2009

As the economy continues to hammer small businesses nationwide, it has claimed another local victim: All three High Point Coffee stores are shutting down.

Two of the stores -- one at 1680 Union and another at 4610 Poplar -- are owned by High Point Coffee founder Thomas Blanche and have already been closed. About 25 jobs were lost.

The third store -- in Germantown and owned by franchisee Tracy Gossett -- is closing Sept. 18 after being open for about a year and a half. The number of jobs lost was not disclosed.

"It's a unique time in that you had simultaneous effect where food prices increased dramatically and at the same time revenue dropped drastically," Blanche said. "I've enjoyed it, and it made economic sense for a long time ... (read more)

Tops Bar-B-Q: Cue the Caring

2009-09-04T08:20:00.000-07:00

Corporate giving story for The Commercial Appeal

September 4, 2009

Tops Bar-B-Q sold hearts for a dollar to benefit the Le Bonheur Foundation, the fundraising arm of Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center.

The 14 area locations spent six weeks raising money, with the culmination being the FM-100 radiothon for the hospital that took place last week.

In addition to raising money, they also provided food for participants in the radiothon.

Tops owner George Messick "is very happy and proud to lend a helping hand to people who need it," said Tops spokeswoman Amy Laughlin. "Tops has raised around $4,500 so far." ... (read more)

These cool cats just can't stop the music

2009-09-03T06:42:00.000-07:00

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

September 3, 2009

When my wife and I were newlyweds 15 years ago, we lived in a little house on a little street in Midtown. Like many Midtown streets, this one claimed an old woman with too many cats, and those cats had the run of the neighborhood. On any given night, one or several of those cats would sit underneath our bedroom window and make the most awful noise you've ever heard, warbling from sundown to sunup. It was part of the charm of Midtown.

I don't know what made me think of that just now after all these years.

Anyway, 11-year-old Calvin has recently taken up the saxophone for band class at White Station Middle School. Alto sax, to be specific, which is different in size, tone and price, I've learned, than the tenor or soprano saxophone ... (read more)

Russo's latest brings back the magic

2009-08-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

Book review for That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo for The Commercial Appeal blog, "The Shelf Life."

August 25, 2009

Richard Russo is a man obsessed with bridges. In his novels, these bridges are largely symbolic, spanning the chasm of emotions and responsibility that men feel, bridges they must cross on the road to coming to terms with divorce, death, estranged children, age and loss.

In his previous novel, Bridge of Sighs, and his latest, That Old Cape Magic (Alfred A. Knopf, $26), those bridges, while still metaphoric, have become quite real ... (read more)

Student volunteer program exposes hospital to diversity

2009-08-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

Cultural exchange at Le Bonheur

Corporate giving story for The Commercial Appeal

August 21, 2009

A group of immigrant students from Central High School and the City University School of Liberal Arts charter school worked as cross-culture volunteers at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare last year.

About 60 students are expected to enroll in the program this school year.

"The volunteers come after school twice a week for two hours and learn the clinical side of the hospital, teaching, nursing, administration," said Johnekia Catron, manager of volunteer services for Methodist Le Bonheur. "They shadow paramedics in the emergency room and work in same-day surgery."... (read more)

Dad glad his kids are in city schools

2009-08-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

August 20, 2009

I registered my kids for school almost two weeks ago. It takes no less paperwork to buy a house than it does to register three children for the Memphis City Schools system. I'm not even sure what I signed, I may very well have contracted them away into indentured servitude.

(That is not a complaint.)

The kids began their new schools last week, Richland Elementary and White Station Middle. By all reports, the first week was a success, although those are the reports of my kids themselves and not their teachers ... (read more)