From the Publisher

ALMOST FAMOUS

Recently, a reader shared one of our articles on social media and commented on our proclivity for featuring “great homegrown stories.” Oh, if she only knew how much we appreciate that description.

In fact, the phrase “100% homegrown” is regularly a part of our marketing. That’s because everything about Out & About is locally sourced — from the stories we tell to the writers, photographers and designers who tell them.

It’s a decades-old recipe readers have found appetizing to this point. And as Out & About embarks on a new year with you for the 34th time, we hope you haven’t grown tired of the menu.

There are many more “great homegrown stories” to tell.

Those stories won’t always be about the hometown product who made the big time, like our recent profiles of Jamila Mustafa, Keith Powell, Donte DiVincenzo or Sudi Green. Or the local venture that is now a national sensation like Dogfish Head beer.

Such stories are always worth telling; however, they are often the stories most told. What about the local musician who didn’t earn a Grammy, but has been packing local venues for years? Or the area sub shop that didn’t spin into a franchise, but is the first stop for your out-of-town guests when they come to visit? Or the standout athlete who didn’t turn pro, but turned to youth coaching and now has mentored hundreds?

The line between stardom and very good is razor thin and luck is always part of the equation. Any highly successful person — if they answer honestly — will confess as much. Timing is talent’s greatest ally.

Back in my sportswriting days, I once covered a swimmer who missed making the Olympic team by one one-hundredth of a second. The lane he was swimming in could have explained such a blink-of-the-eye difference — yet it was the determining factor in his staying home rather than competing for an Olympic medal.

Is his a story worth telling? You bet your Out & About.

Just this year, we had the privilege of telling a host of stories that give our community its distinctive personality. Stories such as our profiles of veteran restaurateur Joe Van Horn, wine merchant Linda Collier, community activist Dave Tiberi, creative catalysts Asiata Beeks and Sara Crawford, music instructor Darnell Miller, meat market extraordinaire Bachetti Brothers, vinyl treasure Squeezebox Records, fried chicken hot spot Walt’s Flavor Crisp…

Then there were our spotlights on local treasures such as Reed’s Refuge, Delaware Art Museum, Arden Gild Hall, Historic New Castle, Yorklyn and The Playhouse on Rodney Square.

Individually, these people, places and things are each a great source of community pride. Collectively, they tell a compelling story — one unique to us.

If you do the math — approximately 10 stories per month x 12 months x 34 years — Out & About has told more than 4,080 homegrown stories during our three-decades-plus run. And that is not including blurbs and briefs; I’m only counting full-length features.

Each one is a reason to be proud of the place we call home. If you, too, find these homegrown stories “great,” that’s even better.

— Jerry duPhily

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Long retired from wars in the boxing ring, the indefatigable Dave Tiberi battles for the poor and underserved in Delaware FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT

By Bob Yearick

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By JulieAnne Cross Accomplished artists turned teachers are inspiring Wilmington youth Musical Notes of Change The Tiberi-Toney fight ended with James Toney, his face a mask of pain, headed to the hospital, while Dave Tiberi lifted his hands in triumph. O&A photo Butch Comegys

It’s one thing for an adolescent or teen to listen to music — an activity that, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, impacts children behaviorally, socially, and academically. But to play music can be life-changing. Research by the NAMM Foundation — which supports scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs surrounding music making — shows that two years of musical training improves auditory brain function. The Harmony Project, a NAMM Foundation grantee, found that in thousands of children living in gang-reduction zones of Los Angeles, participation in community music programs “can literally ‘remodel’ children’s brains in a way that improves sound processing, which could lead to better learning and language skills.” Scores of music teachers in Delaware can attest to the impact of music. Here are a few who are making a difference in the lives of kids in their communities: ► OCTOBER 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 25 When Dave Tiberi talks, his hands flash out in front of him, punctuating his words. Look closely, and you see that he holds them cupped in a half-fist, like a boxer about to snap off a jab or throw a hook. Old habits — and muscle memory — die hard. Tiberi used those piston-like hands and a rock-solid jaw to fashion a 22-2-3 record and win the International Boxing Council Super Middleweight Championship on his way to a watershed moment in boxing history: his Feb. 8, 1992, fight against International Boxing Federation Middleweight Champion James Toney at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. ► SEPTEMBER 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 15 Appropriately for the director of an art museum, Molly Giordano grew up surrounded by art and the tools to create it. “Our whole house was full of art supplies,” she says of her childhood home in Morgantown, W. Va. “You’d open the silverware drawer and there might not be any forks, but there would be paint brushes in there.” That was thanks largely to her mother. Susan Keresztury was an artist and art history professor who also managed the programs at the community art center in Morgantown.Naturally, young Molly tried her hand at painting, but she and her brother gravitated to other art forms. She was interested in writing, and from an early age dreamed of getting her MFA (Master of Fine Arts). Nick, 18 months older, went into the theater. Meanwhile, her father, Jim, gave her a view into the nonprofit world through his career as a social worker specializing in cancer prevention and care among rural West Virginians. ►

With a new executive director, the Delaware Art Museum is emphasizing diversity and First State talent while undergoing a major reinstallation Post-Pandemic Resurgence By Bob Yearick Photos by Joe del Tufo

Post-Pandemic Resurgence Exeuctive Director Molly Giordano (2nd from right) with members of the Delaware Art Museum's advisory committee (l-r): Arnold Hurtt, Rita Volkens, Dr. James Newton, Harmon Carey. AUGUST 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 25 Working with MTV and now SiriusXM, Jamila Mustafa has been named one of the Most Influential People of African Descent Under 40 by the United Nations. Photo by Michael Nicholls-Pierce

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Since 2012, Reed's Refuge has been a sanctuary for more than 1,000 youngsters. -Photo courtesy Reed's Refuge Center

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JANUARY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM Calling what Wilmington’s Jamila Mustafa is building a “media empire” might be premature, but people have been comparing her to Oprah for years. Praise swirls around this Cab Calloway School of the Arts and Delaware State University (DSU) alum as her career skyrockets. Last summer, President Joe Biden penned a letter to the 28-year-old MTV host, saying she represented “the most talented, most tolerant, the most educated generation in history,” and lauding her for using her “voice and talent to inspire future generations.”That was before Mustafa became a producer on MTV's Sound Up on Snapchat, which she also hosts, in addition to hosting MTV’s Fresh Out Live. Before that, she hosted MTV’s 2020 pre-shows for the Video Music Awards (and the post-show) and the Europe Music Awards, which reaches more than 180 countries. ► By JulieAnne Cross A whirlwind of creativity, Wilmington’s Jamila Mustafa continues to find new media worlds to conquer Getting Sirius MAY 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 21 For nearly two decades, Frederick and Cora Reed have dedicated themselves to uplifting youth in one of Wilmington’s most challenging neighborhoods. In 2012, after successfully running several childcare facilities, the Reeds again stepped up to support the youth of Northeast Wilmington. They created — as they say — a “diamond in the rough” called Reed's Refuge Center (RRC), located at 1601 N. Pine Street. Many Reed's Refuge constituents come from precarious, sometimes perilous, circumstances. Of its attending students, 100% are considered at-risk, with more than 60% being raised by a single parent. “Our community’s youth needed a safe haven to be able to express themselves in a positive way By Michelle Kramer-Fitzgerald Reed's Refuge Center continues to be a beacon for Wilmington’s Eastside youth The Place for Hope and discover their hidden talents and gifts,” says Cora. “We wanted them to express that creativity through the arts, whether singing, dancing, rapping or acting. [Reeds Refuge] gives them an escape from guns, drugs, violence and teen pregnancy.”Since its inception, RRC has provided an innercity sanctuary to more than 1,000 youth, and its programs boast a hearty 85% retention rate. The average student age ranges from 9 to 13. “One of the things I’m thankful for at Reed’s Refuge is that Mr. Reed and Mrs. Reed make me feel like I got another home here,” says 10-yearold Ahmere Jones, who has been a student for almost four years. ► MARCH 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 15 XX