November 2013
Blues Ball Taste of the Town “Greenway Soiree” Diamonds and Denim Brooks Avant Garde Party Q&A with Margot McNeeley
CONTENTS
Contents November 201 3
From the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Signature Memphis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Dolph Smith shows RSVP his art installation at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. Blues Ball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Celebrating the music that changed the world, this fund-raiser for the Memphis Charitable Foundation had everyone grooving in their seats.
16 BLUES BALL Tatine and Bruce VanWyngarden
The Ambassador Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Cathy Cash: Fire on the Mountain This native Memphian helped spearhead the Santa Barbara Firefighters Alliance.
StreetSeens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 & 28 This cosmetologist turned quilter is spreading the good word of fiber art. He’s help-
50 DIAMONDS AND DENIM Mary Helen Butler and Grayson Smith
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Taste of the Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Make-A-Wish® Mid-South supporters brought their healthy appetites and culinary
4
Greenway in a picture-perfect setting.
RSVP
ing educate those in West Tennessee about the urban tree canopy. StreetSeens highlight Nysha Nelson and Craig Lenocker.
Vox Popular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Q&A with the Project Green Fork founder, Margot McNeeley.
curiosity to the Hilton Memphis for this special fund-raiser.
“Greenway Soiree” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Memphians showed their huge support for the Wolf River Conservancy and the
32 TASTE OF THE TOWN George and Tammy Hernandez
Onsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48, 49, 60 & 61 Gatherings that have earned an honorable mention. Diamonds and Denim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 The Memphis Botanic Garden celebrated its 60th anniversary with an evening of
56 RSVP ROOM VIEW A Downtown Loft
fun that included a twist on a black-tie dress code.
RSVP Room View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 This downtown loft finds a happy balance between modern and traditional styles, creating an eye-catching and comfortable space to call home.
Brooks Avant Garde Party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Memphis Brooks Museum of Art celebrated the Southern-inspired artwork of renowned artist Carroll Cloar at this annual party.
RSVPhillippi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 No Truffles, Thanks
40 “GREENWAY SOIREE” Morgan Westbrook and Mary Morgan LaMoreaux
Dennis Phillippi discusses his food issues, specifically his struggle with cupcakes.
58 BROOKS AVANT GARDE PARTY Phil Ashford and Jeannie Mandelker
Cover Photo Jacki Lindsay and Rebecca Rorie at Diamonds and Denim Photo by Don Perry
Volume XIX
Number II
November 2013 PUBLISHER
Roy Haithcock 901-774-6380
EDITOR
Leah Fitzpatrick CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Jeannie Mandelker Dennis Phillippi Eugene Pidgeon Suzanne Thompson Lesley Young ART DIRECTOR
Patrick Aker s PHOTOGRAPHERS
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Baxter Buck Roy Haithcock Don Perry Steve Roberts ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Chris Pugh Kristen Miller ACCOUNTING
Ruth Cassin EDITORIAL INTERN
R achel Warren
RSVP
6 RSVP Memphis is published monthly by Haithcock Communications, Inc. First class subscriptions are available for $55.00 per year. Send name and address with a check to: Haithcock Communications, Inc. 2282 Central Avenue Memphis, TN 38104 For advertising information contact Roy Haithcock Phone (901) 276-7787, ext. 101 Fax (901) 276-7785 e-mail publisher@rsvpmagazine.com WEB
www.rsvpmagazine.com For editorial information or to request coverage of an event, please contact RSVP Magazine one month prior to the event. Call 901-276-7787, ext. 105 or fax to 901-276-7785. e-mail editor@rsvpmagazine.com Follow us on
RSVP Memphis Magazine
Copyright 2013 Haithcock Communications, Inc.
R SV P S TA F F
CHRIS PUGH, ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE 901.276.7787, EXT. 103 chris@rsvpmagazine.com
KRISTEN MILLER, ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE 901.276.7787, EXT. 104 kristen@rsvpmagazine.com
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Chris has been exercising his talent in the advertising world since 1999. He joined the RSVP team in 2009 and brought with him a love for laughter and creativity. Originally from New Albany, Mississippi, Chris has settled in Memphis and enjoys being active in the fashion community.
RACHEL WARREN, EDITORIAL INTERN 901.276.7787, EXT. 108 rachel@rsvpmagazine.com
Rachel is passionate about print media and has covered many local events in Jackson, Mississippi in the past. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Millsaps College, and in 2011, she moved back to her hometown of Memphis. She is delighted to be part of the RSVP team as an editorial intern. She loves writing about all the amazing people and places in Memphis, enjoying a great book and chasing a good story.
RSVP
7 Having worked in print advertising for nearly eight years, Kristen Miller felt it was a natural fit to join the RSVP team as an account executive. Kristen, who lives in Arlington with her husband and four children, loves to cook, fish, watch college and Arlington Tigers football, spend time with her family and advertising, of course.
From the Editor
N OV E M B E R 2 013
T
RSVP
8
here’s nothing like a mountain adventure to get the blood pumping, and that’s what I experienced this month when my husband and I ventured to Chattanooga and northern Georgia for a friend’s wedding festivities. At higher altitudes, one’s worldview— the physical and figurative one—seems to be put into perspective a little more, and the oh-so-fresh mountain air doesn’t hurt. However, the best part of the getaway, hands down, came when about 30 of us decided to hop the fence. This wasn’t just any fence, as it was one with a padlocked gate and the police caution tape one normally sees on “CSI” or “Law & Order.” The group, all set to hike the trail immediately beyond the imposing gate, paused a minute upon seeing these obstacles, which were a product of the government shutdown, but I’ll reemphasize for a minute. Not ready to turn back in defeat, one by one, we helped pull each other across the stone fence and never looked back. I can safely say we got through the hike in one piece and without any scuffles, and unsurprisingly, a few more “intruders” ended up on the same hiking path as we turned back. The views of the valley and river below, not to mention the bonding along the way, made the whole thing totally worth it. Now, I’m not advocating trespassing by any means, but I do encourage you to never take no for an answer when you want something meaningful badly enough. For us that day, we desired a spectacular view from atop Sunset Rock, but in everyday life, that something could be a number of things: ensuring a nonprofit succeeds, crossing the finish line of a race, starting a business, acquiring a new skill or going back to school. Whatever it is you seek, don’t let the voice in your head or anyone or anything stop you. In this issue, a number of people featured are strong believers in the word yes. They didn’t even have to tell me because I can sense “yes people” a mile away. For instance, in the first StreetSeen (pages 26), you will come across an individual who didn’t stay complacent when he longed to pursue being an artist, and to boot, he felt comfortable enough to change what type of art he studied. In the second StreetSeen (page 28), the forester featured wanted more from retirement, so he chose to get involved in an area of forestry he wished to gain more knowledge of and ended up being the president of the West Tennessee chapter of the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council. The Vox Popular (page 44) brings you to one of the city’s biggest green living proponents, who became proactive about changing the way restaurants dispose of their waste by upstarting her own organization, and five years later, Project Green Fork keeps gaining backers. So, go on and hop the fence over the nos to get to the yeses. And if you do, remember to be grateful about the outcome this Thanksgiving holiday.
Leah Fitzpatrick editor@rsvpmagazine.com
RSVP
12 N OV E M B E R 2 013
Artist/Professor Emeritus, Memphis College of Art/Governor’s Distinguished Artist Award (2011)
Hometown: Born in Memphis and raised in the Mid-South, which I renamed TENNARKIPPI. Place You Go to Think: The shower. Biggest Pet Peeve: My wife’s cat, Henry. Best Dish You Cook: Fried zucchini pancakes. Favorite Song: “Advance Guards” by Seals and Crofts. Your Best Quality: My wife, Jessie, thinks it’s perseverance. Coolest Thing About Memphis: The incredible richness of the art scene. Who Inspires You: Burton Callicott—my teacher, mentor, colleague and friend. First Car You Drove: A 1948 two-door Buick with a trio of fake pipes coming out of the hood. Best Gift You Ever Received: A metal t-square I received for Father’s Day decades ago. I use it every day and think of my kids. Your Lucky Charm: A paper airplane, which is often used in my artwork to symbolize our fragile humanity overcoming obstacles. Proudest Moment of Your Life: When a student’s mom at a Memphis College of Art graduation told me, “You changed my son’s life!” One Goal You’d Still Like to Accomplish: To someday attempt the high jump at the Tennessee Senior Olympics in the 80-85-year-old category. Best Memphis Hangout: Our son’s restaurant, Tsunami. I know, I know…but we get to see our kids, our grandkids and friends. Oh, and the food is really good. Best Advice You Ever Got: While at Memphis State in 1954, I received a summons from the dean. He must have been very busy because it took him only a couple of minutes to let me know I was not college material…even held the door for my exit. Lifechanging! Photo by Steve Roberts
SIGNATURE MEMPHIS N OV E M B E R 2 013 RSVP
14
Dolph Smith
EVENT
Blues Ball
BLUES BALL
“Hallelujah Homecoming!”
W
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Randy and Ami Austin
Maranda Pounders and Justin Gadd
RSVP
16
here else can you find bikers, servicemen, Roller Derby chicks, city leaders, philanthropists and top musicians partying side by side other than at the Blues Ball? Nowhere…and that’s just how Blues Ball founder Pat Kerr Tigrett likes it when she hosts a Memphis Charitable Foundation fund-raiser. In fact, the event has held strong for 20 years now, so to celebrate, Tigrett declared the occasion a “Hallelujah Homecoming!” With late September weather agreeing with a crowd of more than 1,000 people, many guests opted to soak in the view along Lt. George W. Lee Avenue—blocked off from street traffic—for as long as possible during the al fresco buffet dinner. Area restaurants including Central BBQ, eighty3, Mesquite Chop House, Spindini and Sharky’s Gulf Grill, to name a few, donated plenty of dishes to choose from, and flutes of Champagne and glasses of wine were passed around to toast the festivities. But for those who wanted to take a break from feasting and imbibing, the inside of the Gibson Guitar Factory contained several tables of silent auction items, from the anticipated guitar art pieces to hotel stays and a chance to climb aboard the FedEx Flight Simulator. It was also in this space that emcee Ron Olson (George Klein and Earle Augustus additionally emceed.) greeted attendees with a warm welcome, as did both Memphis Mayor A C Wharton and Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell, who announced, “I like to say that music courses through our veins [in Memphis].” Indeed, music remains a strongpoint in this city, and definitely a pivotal part of the Blues Ball, which is why area musicians and contributors to the local music industry are honored annually with Blues Ball Awards. This year’s honorees were the following: the Rev. Al Green-Lifetime Achievement Award; Sam Moore-Pyramid Award; Will Tucker-Memphis Sound Award; and Randa Rosenblum-Volunteer of the Year. Corporate Award recipients were Sam Phillips Recording, Knox Music, HiLo Music and Big River Broadcasting. To boot, Tucker sang, as did “Soul Man” Moore, who performed after receiving his award—an accolade made all the more special with the accompaniment of a fireworks show. Other notable performances came from Billy Gibson, Al Kapone, Susan Marshall, Preston Shannon, Jason D. Williams and Ruby Wilson. Carla Thomas even showed she’s still got her vocal chops by performing with Moore. As indicated on the cover of the program, guests were definitely grooving from the tip of their tops to the depths of their souls after witnessing these musical greats during a memorable 20th Blues Ball. See all the party photos at rsvpmagazine.com Password: RSVP
John and Jan Brown
Story by Leah Fitzpatrick Photos by Don Perry and Roy Haithcock
Tawn King and Roderick Dunn
Rick McCracken and Jessica Simmons
David and Jeanne Simmons
Cecil Smith and Stacy Taylor
Chad Yeager, Halley Phillips-Yeager, Lauren Phillips and Wes Phillips
Aric Northern and Veronica Hayes
EVENT BLUES BALL
David and Diana Winters
Shelley Hood and Kevin Danish
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Bill and CC Brewer
Bob Terry and Ellan Maloney
Ashleigh and Paul Peak
RSVP
18
Elizabeth Hutton and Chad Cunningham
Jim Holt and Brooke Tweddell
Kari Miller, Jenny Earhart and Dr. Angie Foster
Ashley Stratman and Justin Simmons
Ellen Cassin and Cameron Kasmai
David and Karen Pool
EVENT BLUES BALL Rick Shackelford and Michelle Bradley
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Dennis and Mary Ann Stanley with Brittany Keeton
Amy Hyneman and Chris Pugh
RSVP
19
Ron Olson, Eddie Floyd and Berneta Miles
One Of The Largest Selections Of Engagement Rings And Bands In The Mid South
EXCLUSIVELY AT
Jonathan and Ashley McIntosh
Nick and Kris Nicholas
DIAMOND BROKERS of MEMPHIS 5134 Poplar AvenuF t t w w w. d i a m o n d b r o ke r s o f m e m p h i s . c o m
EVENT BLUES BALL
Terry Reeves and Carter Beard
April Andress and John Hodges
Jerry and Cindy Schilling
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Doris Axton Fredrick and Fred Fredrick
Alyssia Webster, Kristy Street and Kristen Hunter
Lisa G., Leroy Hodges, Willie Mae Bland and Rose Dugger
RSVP
20
Ceil and Cecilia Walker
Laura and Herb O’Mell
Ann Newell, Tommie Pardue and Mary Frazier
Jason Bowles and Leah Fitzpatrick Bowles
Lee Warren and Lina Tran
Patrick and Sarah Jeffries with Laci and Tristan Jackson
EVENT BLUES BALL
Valisia Exum and Rachel Warren
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Matt Stephens and Alisa Cunningham
David and Michelle Kuehner with Sarah Cooley and William Parson RSVP
22
Jerry Williams and Cindy Bailey
Mohamad and Lynn Hakimian
Patricia Barnett with Russ and Cindy Mire
EVENT BLUES BALL Brian and Lolita K. Davis
Honey and Rudi Scheidt
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Eric and Dawn Nielson, Renee Trammel and Nikki Schroeder
RSVP
23
Beetle Patel, Katie and Chris Devine and Ashlye McCormick
Diane Duncan and Knox Phillips
Alicia Cairncross and Amanda Boyer
THE AMBASSADOR SERIES
The Ambassador Series By Eugene Pidgeon
CATHY CASH: FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN
N OV E M B E R 2 013
S
RSVP
24
anta Barbara may be the most beautiful city on the entire California seaboard. This little diamond blip of paradise is barely a two-hour drive north from the obesely immoderate chunk of coal plate urbanoia of Los Angeles. However, if you didn’t know where you were and suddenly found yourself magically immersed in the blink of her shimmering eye, you might think you had stumbled upon the French Mediterranean waterfront or the Appian Way, an ancient beach route linking Naples to Rome in southern Italy. Quite aptly, Santa Barbara is, in fact, referred to as the American Riviera. But despite the balmy overtones, there lies a trouble in paradise. Situated on one of the longest stretches of south-facing coastline in the country, Santa Barbara is lucky to have both an ocean sunrise and an ocean sunset. Though casting magnificent visages, this too allows for a very narrow corridor for Pacific wind currents. With seasonal wind shifts converging on Santa Barbara from all points of the globe and ricocheting off of the steeply rising Santa Ynez Mountains, which form a beautiful stony collar around the city, it can get a little busy. Add to this a pervasive struggle to maintain a balance in the natural water tables and the oft unwelcome imposition of the Santa Anas winds (also known as Bully Winds), or the Sundowners, Santa Barbara contends with the elements of extended drought conditions which yield large arid or desert-like areas from the foothills up. There may be no more appropriate use for the word awesome than when describing a California wildfire. If you have never seen one of these rampaging and ravenous furies at work, nothing can be written and nothing can be said to announce the biblical properties of such a mesmerizing and destructive force of nature. And, this is regardless of whether the nature was human or otherwise. Because of the ever-expanding human population in California, where there is no more “Westward Ho,” people continue driving onward and upward into the hills and into the mountains. Previously, these inevitable blazes manifested as a necessary environmental pruning mechanism for those wanting to live in higher elevations. Now, they are clashing with and posing lethal threats to the communities and enclaves of the herds of migrating pio-
neers looking for their share of the new California Dream. Cathy Cash is a native Memphian who has been living in Santa Barbara since 1987. She says, “I first came here in 1979 to speak to the Santa Barbara Rotary Club. I was working with National Cotton Council as the Maid of Cotton Tour manager, and I just fell in love with the city.” The Painted Cave Fire in 1990 was her very first experience with a California wildfire. “There is nothing like the terror
of having a wall of flames rushing toward you,” she remembers. “From the origin of the Painted Cave Fire to our ranch on 14 acres, there was nothing but dry brush. The fire changed my whole life.” Fortunately, Cash’s home and the other structures on her family compound were not consumed by the conflagration. This was due in part to providence and intelligent pre-planning. She says, “The Painted Cave Fire was in June of 1990, and we had moved to this property in 1987. We knew we were living in a ranch area, and there was nothing around us but potential fuel elements.” In 2004, this prompted Cash to reach out with a group of Santa Barbarans who had in some way been affected by the Painted Cave ordeal and similar maelstroms to establish the Santa Barbara Firefighters Alliance, a nonprofit with a mission statement to “support the firefighters in Santa Barbara City and County with an alliance, to maximize efficiency and safety and to support the welfare of the firefighters. The Alliance will enable firefighters to provide a higher level of service to the community.” “This was after 9/11, and one of our directors had been at the World Trade
Center towers in New York and was also concerned about giving back to the firefighters,” Cash discloses. “We realized the firefighters here were having a hard time keeping up with all of the evolving changes in technology…and it was unrealistic to think our city and county budgets can keep up with all of the changes and buy the new equipment. Because the technology is changing so fast, the budget teams just simply cannot afford to provision the firefighters with the necessary materials to maintain personal safety and efficiency. It doesn’t solely help the firefighters. It helps the city and our community as well!” Initially, the idea for the SBFA was to combine the resources of the public and private sectors to find ways to provide funding for the new, special equipment and to relieve some of the financial burden of the Santa Barbara City and County governments. Since its inception in 2004, the SBFA has raised more than a million dollars to secure vital new equipment for the city and county firefighters, according to Cash. “The first item we were able to get was the new thermal imaging camera,” she explains. “They are amazing, but at wholesale, they cost $13,000 per unit. The benefit though is immediate; once they are installed on a fire truck, they start saving lives. They can detect body heat and the exact location of a person trapped in a fire. Now, the firefighter knows exactly how to fight the blaze and coordinate the rescue. The SBFA was able to obtain 20 of these cameras for every fire unit in Santa Barbara County.” Thanks to the Santa Barbara Firefighters Alliance, the new thermal imaging cameras are but one of the new weapons in the arsenal that helps a town like Santa Barbara maintain a better distance between the flame and smoke. For more information on this wonderful organization, visit sbfirefightersalliance.org. Cash concludes, “Everybody will need a first responder at some point…there will always be something that happens in a community that will affect everyone’s life. This is what we are here for.”
To make a suggestion or pitch a story idea to Eugene, feel free to e-mail him at eugenepidgeon@rsvpmagazine.com.
STREETSEEN
Nysha Nelson Furthering the Fiber Arts Scene
N OV E M B E R 2 013
S
RSVP
26
tanding beside a gallery wall filled with intricately detailed quilts created from all colors, shapes and patterns of fiber, one wouldn’t assume that the vibrant Studio Nysha once contained sterile cubicles. Moreover, a visitor might not expect to learn that the artist and educator who opened the space this past September to bring awareness to the fiber arts in West Tennessee just found his calling five years prior. The work that Nysha Nelson produces appears that skilled, but the fairly under-the-radar art form he now embraces came after years of mastering another medium. “Up until 2002, I was a cosmetologist and did hair,” he says. “Then, I realized that the magic would fade depending on what hair technique I’d done, so I wanted to do something more permanent.” With that objective in mind, Nelson enrolled in an adult painting course in the University of Memphis’ continuing education program and then studied painting under Kate Manzo in Memphis at the Contemporary Realist Academy. He kept with it when he relocated to Southern Florida for a few years, and put in studio time at Miami’s Bakehouse Art Complex. However, Nelson went a different direction altogether in the summer of 2005. He recalls, “I was staying in Nashville and happened to go from there to the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky. I realized in five minutes that I had been struggling with manipulating paint, and I’d always loved fabric.” He threw himself into learning everything about quilting he could, and fairly quickly, he got asked to lead classes. A passion for teaching took hold and became something Nelson benefited from immensely, as he alludes to by saying, “You have to think about what you do at a different level to communicate it, and you learn it more yourself.” He admits the mastery of something isn’t simple though, but the act of doing it isn’t really that difficult. He applies this theory to quilting by commenting that actually stitching a line isn’t too hard because a needle on a sewing machine only goes up and down. Easy or not, that hasn’t stopped the public from signing up for his classes at Studio Nysha on everything from connect the dot design, of which anyone can take this method and create his or her own design, or free motion quilting, a class that explores what the same color of thread does on different fabric and how it affects design. (Class schedules can be found on the Studio Nysha Facebook page.) Perhaps the most common inquiry Nelson receives about quilting has nothing to do with technique and everything to do with patience. “How long did it take to do that?” is often heard, and Nelson responds by saying that he’s 45 years old, so it took him 45 years to do a work due to all the experiences and skills that led him to this art. Truly, he admits that no piece can be given a time frame, preferring instead to point out the different categories displayed, which include pieces from class and figurative and abstract work, with some of those in the last category grounded in piecing, where a piece of fabric is cut off and attached to something else. Two quilts he considers diptychs are some of his newest and hang from giant metal frames. Seeing quilts displayed in this way definitely got people talking on opening night about what comprises fiber art, which Nelson says entails collages with paper, weaving, tapestry work and embroidery. His mission to further spread the word about this art form comes from his involvement in the international Studio Art Quilt Associates nonprofit as the current regional representative, as a member of the Tennessee Association of Craft Artists and as the challenge chairman of Germantown’s Uncommon Threads Quilt Guild. The question remains though whether quilting chose him or he chose it, but whatever the answer, he knows he made the right choice, saying, “In general, there is a growing appreciation for art outside the realm of painting.” Story by Leah Fitzpatrick Photo by Don Perry
STREETSEEN
Craig Lenocker Preserving the Urban Tree Canopy
N OV E M B E R 2 013
F
RSVP
28
or 34 years, Craig Lenocker worked at International Paper, lastly as a manager of international forestry in Europe and South America, but now a retiree, Lenocker has opted to stay connected to forestry, just closer to home. He spends his time these days volunteering as the president of the West Tennessee chapter of the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council (TUFC). Currently in his second two-year term, Lenocker, who received a master’s in forest business from Iowa State University, swears this term is his last, but he’ll never give up his lifelong affinity for the outdoors that he supposes took root during childhood. He surmises, “Who knows how I became interested in forestry? It probably goes back to someone reading to me about Hiawatha [the legendary co-founder of the Iroquois Confederacy], camping trips and canoe trips in Minnesota. It can be a scientific profession and an adventurous one, so probably the call of fighting fires appealed to me, too.” When it comes to urban forestry, Lenocker’s interest in that field developed while attending local TUFC meetings, which were then held in Agricenter International’s boardroom. Today, meetings occur nearly every two months at the Memphis Botanic Garden, a fitting venue for the group being that the Botanic Garden was named a TUFC Center of Excellence and is a Level 4 Arboretum (Tennessee is the only state with a formal arboretum program with different levels defined, according to Lenocker.). The Botanic Garden also is the spot where member Wes Hopper teaches the TUFC’s Urban Forestry Advisor’s class, a five-week long course, once or twice a year. So far, 55 people have been through the class, with most coming from the Memphis Area Master Gardeners, but it’s open to anyone wanting to know more about trees and issues facing the urban tree canopy. Lenocker says that oftentimes these issues arise from lack of knowledge about our landscape. “People aren’t really aware this [the Memphis area] is an actual urban forest and needs to be taken care of just like a forest,” he tells. “Also, people need education about how to prune trees—many cut too close to the branch collar—and mulching, which there is an ongoing campaign to tell people not to ‘volcano’ mulch, subsequently creating an insect problem because of moisture being held in.” Lenocker shares additional obstacles affecting the urban tree canopy when he mentions the arrival of the emerald ash borer, which farther north and east has been wiping out ash trees; invasive plant species like privet, because it limits the ability of the forest to regenerate itself; and commercial development that eliminates huge amounts of trees. And care we should about these issues because trees are what provide cooling, control water runoff to help alleviate flooding and recycle carbon dioxide into oxygen, to name a few importances. To spread the word about the advocacy and handson work it does, like during the West Tennessee chapter’s annual Day of Caring (This year, the group teamed up with Woodland Tree Service and Red’s Tree Service to remove a large, declining elm that posed a significant danger, and in the past has done work at Elmwood Cemetery, the Children’s Museum of Memphis and the Humane Society of Memphis & Shelby County.), the nonprofit sets up information tables at events and area institutions, from the Ames Plantation Heritage Festival to the Memphis Zoo and Shelby Farms Park, and hosts educational events at schools or for any group interested in learning about the urban forest. The TUFC West Tennessee chapter also has members working on Memphis being designated as a Tree City USA community by the Arbor Day Foundation. And if there’s one tip he could offer to locals to help get us there, he would say to “pay attention to the health of the trees, and for the future canopy, plant the right tree in the right place.” Story by Leah Fitzpatrick Photo by Don Perry
EVENT
Taste of the Town Benefiting Make- A -Wish® Mid-South
TASTE OF THE TOWN
W
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Joseph Kirk and Jaclyn Affatato
Rachael Ellison and Conner Voger
RSVP
32
hile most guests were checking out of Hilton Memphis at the close of the weekend, roughly 500 Make-A-Wish® Mid-South supporters were doing just the opposite by venturing to the hotel on a Sunday afternoon for the 13th annual Taste of the Town. Hearty appetites in check, partygoers quickly followed the trail of people to the Tennessee Ballroom downstairs to begin the day’s culinary journey. Hosted by the Germantown Area Chamber of Commerce, the event not only introduces many to specialties from area restaurants, caterers and food vendors, but it is also a competition between participants to find out which are considered the “Best of the Best.” In that vein, eateries are judged in two classifications—casual dining and fine dining—and within those classifications, there are three categories: appetizer/entrée, dessert and overall presentation. With CrêpeMaker’s Triple Threat Crepes of bananas, strawberries, Nutella and whipped cream the very first item as you entered the door, the task of selecting favorite entries was already a hard one for judges, who included Chef Tom Hughes of L’École Culinaire, FM 100’s Ron Olson and radio personality Karen Perrin. Further down the line, savory tastes came from Panera Bread with its French onion and butternut squash soups served in mini bread bowls; Taziki’s Wicked Special of penne pasta, feta, chicken, tomatoes and balsamic; Casablanca Restaurant’s spanakopita; and Mesquite Chop House’s tuna tartare with chipotle sauce on sesame crisps. Regional wine and liquor distributors set up between the 40 vendors to offer tastes of various drinks, which several sipped from stemless wine glasses provided by Harrah’s Tunica. Luckily, a $20 wine pull was stationed just outside the ballroom doors for oenophiles wishing to have something to fill their glasses back home. Amidst all the activity, guests were reminded of the event’s mission, which is to bring in enough dollars to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions, when Wish kid Katie and her family took the stage. Katie suffers from a seizure disorder, but thanks to the Germantown Chamber and Make-A-Wish, her wish of having a seizure dog to do things like open doors and alert her at the onset of a seizure came true. With that recount of Katie’s Wish experience, guests were encouraged by auctioneers Steve Conley of 94.1 KQK and Terry Reeves to generously bid in the live and silent auctions, the first of which raised $22,000 alone for Make-A-Wish. With items such as a massage from Baptist Rehabilitation, IRIS Orchestra tickets and a pair of courtside seats for a Memphis Grizzlies game in hand, guests left with a lot of fun loot, but what they really took home was the knowledge that their presence and bids at Taste of the Town give hope to Mid-South children going through difficult times.
See all the party photos at rsvpmagazine.com Password: RSVP
Lisa James and Diana Roberts
Story by Leah Fitzpatrick Photos by Baxter Buck
Forest Reyle and Caroline Cullum
Amy Reeves and Lee Booth
Mark Pender and Retha Moore
Latoya Chavers and Terence Lewis
Karen Perrin, Michelle McCracken, Frank Jones and Ron Olson
Ashley and Jonas Berry
DIVORCE THE RICES WROTE THE BOOK. They really did. Larry Rice and Nick Rice are co-authors of The Complete Guide to Divorce Practice. Published by the American Bar Association the book is recognized as the standard reference for divorce lawyers across the nation. This year’s 25th anniversary edition contains over 900 pages of insight, experience and techniques. Lawyers seek out Larry’s expertise. He has given over 200 lectures on divorce practice to lawyers both nationally and internationally. As the only Super Lawyer in the Mid-South certified as a Family Law Specialist, Larry spends most of his time practicing law with the Rice Divorce Team. A third generation lawyer, Nick Rice grew up with the law. After graduating from CBHS and UT-Knoxville, Nick clerked in the family firm while attending the University of Memphis Law School. Nick has lectured on several occasions and was recognized as one of Super Lawyers’ Rising Stars. The Rice Divorce Team is a practice group within Rice, Amundsen & Caperton, PLLC. The team is exclusively committed to family law - from prenuptial agreements to final decrees, from parenting time to property division and everything in-between. The team includes Jennifer Bellott, Jan Lentz, Erin O’Dea, Andrea Schultz CP, Teresa Brents, Carla Baker, Susan New ACP, Stacey Pipkin, Cyndy McCrory, Jessica Farmer, Tracy Cermack, Jennifer Bicknell, Cortney Sharp, Ada Askew, and Ken Schultz. The team applies generations of experience, nationally recognized expertise, and up-to-date technology to lead their clients through negotiations, mediation, arbitration or litigation. Hundreds of lawyers reviewed, contributed to and helped refine the system used by the Rice team. The depth of The Rice Divorce Team’s personnel provides the ability to tailor representation to each client’s individual needs and goals. While the team is proud of courtroom success, their greatest satisfaction often comes from obtaining a quiet settlement favorable to their client. Divorce is difficult. Divorce is made worse by misinformation. The Rices’ guide for clients, “About Divorce,” is available to you at aboutdivorce.com.
275 Jefferson Avenue Memphis, Tennessee 38103 901.526.6701 larry@ricelaw.com • aboutdivorce.com
EVENT TASTE OF THE TOWN N OV E M B E R 2 013
Jeremiah Mangrum and Amanda Morgan
Jennifer Luther, Lesley Giles and Linda Sandiford
Kathleen Buckhold and Donna Hughes
Greg and Frankie Clotfelter
Jacob and Natalie Crafton
RSVP
36
Debbie Snipes and Melissa Gwin
Cindy and Jeff Debardelaben
Jesse Keaveny and Lindsay Howell
Charles Speed, Jane Speed and Richard McBryde
Nick and Shannon Robbins
Lee Ann Davis and Jason Harris
RSVP
37
N OV E M B E R 2 013
EVENT TASTE OF THE TOWN
Katie Woodling and Ashley Woodruff
Jessica and Matt Stone
Sandra and Bob Hayne
Angela Moon and Cory Simonton
TJ and Jennifer Rivera
Jessie Forgione and Eric McHargue
Baxter Buck and Freddie Young
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Hillary and Charlie Robinson
RSVP
38
EVENT TASTE OF THE TOWN Janet Palmer and Brandi Palmer
Greg Hynes and Kelley Deibler
Jill and Earl Lake
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Melanie and Josh Clark
RSVP
39
Susan and Brian Grope with Anna Cox and JT Thompson
Ron and Sherry Fittes
Alexandra Phillips and Roger Phillips
EVENT
“Greenway Soiree”
“GREENWAY SOIREE”
Benefiting the Wolf River Conservancy
A
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Katie Cole and Kathy Kelley
Sharon and Wayne Fewell
RSVP
40
t the entrance to the Wolf River Greenway, the angelic voice of Maria Lindsey with Opera Memphis floated through the air during the Wolf River Conservancy’s “Greenway Soiree.” She was singing “Steal Me Sweet Thief” from the opera “The Old Maid and the Thief,” by Gian Carlo Menotti, as part of the #30DaysofOpera social media campaign—just one of the night’s many entertaining moments. To add to the ambiance, the path leading to the refreshment area was lined with candles in rustic holders dangling from shepherd’s hooks. Ghost River Brewing provided ice-cold beer and wine, and soft drinks were available for those so inclined. A VIP tent was set up where skewers of flank steak satay and “Hog Wild” style grilled shrimp with barbecue remoulade were served. John McCann and Laura Gray Teekell were among those underneath the tent, and the event held special meaning for them because they frequently run on the Greenway. “It’s nice to see this used for a different purpose,” Gray Teekell said. “We appreciate this place.” Guests like Sharon and Wayne Fewell and their friends Dr. Genevieve Hill-Thomas and Dr. Stanton Thomas proceeded down the Greenway, where a long buffet table loaded with heavy hors d’oeuvres awaited. The rustic décor, so perfectly suited for the venue, featured a little canoe that doubled as a serving vessel, and three-inch slabs of tree trunks were used as trivets. Garlic herb-encrusted pork, bacon-wrapped green bean bundles, mini fish tacos, summer tomato tartlets and parmesan cheese artichoke squares were among the mouthwatering fare. Another table was filled with an assortment of strawberry and lemon chess squares, and a large platter of brownies appealed to chocolate lovers in the crowd. Joe Royer said he is a regular at the fund-raiser that benefits the Wolf River Conservancy. “I’ve been every year, and it’s always wonderful,” he added. “They do a fantastic job of changing it and upgrading it each year. Keith Cole, the conservancy’s executive director, thanked Memphis Orthopaedic Group, the presenting sponsor, and others that included Boyle Investment and a few local garden clubs. Jerry Feinstone, president of Ghost River Brewing, also helped out by proffering a $6,000 check—proceeds of the portion of sales the brewery contributes to the Wolf River Conservancy. And before the Sons of Mudboy took the stage, Cole commented on the importance of the soiree. “The purpose of this event is to educate people about the Greenway,” he said. “The goal is to eventually add 2.7 miles to the Greenway that would connect Walnut Grove Road to downtown.”
See all the party photos at rsvpmagazine.com Password: RSVP
Lindsey and Ben Fowler
Story by Suzanne Thompson Photos by Baxter Buck
Keith Cole and Lee Anne Roehm
Philip and Mary Morgan LaMoreaux
Patty and Dr. Mark Harriman
Matthew and Megan Barnes
Tricia and Ben Granger with Russell and Molly Smith
Melissa Thompson and Rachel Dickens
EVENT “GREENWAY SOIREE” Stephanie Lemma, Michelle Wonderlich and Angela Cox
Robby Lane and Brittany Stiebel
41 RSVP
Dr. Genevieve Hill-Thomas and Dr. Stanton Thomas
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Lisa and Dr. Steve Waggoner
David and Lisa Jennings
EVENT “GREENWAY SOIREE” N OV E M B E R 2 013
Steve and Joann Selvidge
Boyd and Lucy Wade
Christa and Dr. Chris Ferguson
Molly and Robert Gooch
Cookie and Mike Swain
RSVP
42
Charlie and Maureen Smithers
Misty Welch and Michelle Hodges
Kevin and Gina Coates
Joe and Carol Lee Royer
Lynn Calzada and Louise Lee
Gary and Judy Edge
EVENT “GREENWAY SOIREE” Jeff Houston and Jill Creed
Alice and Matt Crow
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Rusty Bloodworth, Jeanne Arthur and Fran Bloodworth
RSVP
43
Margaret and Hugh Fraser with Sara Burnett
Dr. David Brand and Ann Brand
Lisa Sikkink and Pearson Allen
VOX POPULAR
Vox Popular Q&A with Margot McNeeley
P
N OV E M B E R 2 013
RSVP: What motivated you to start PGF, and did you see it as the nonprofit it is today?
RSVP
44
McNeeley: I started PGF with the intention of working with a few restaurants and helping them become sustainable—helping them set up recycling, composting and doing away with polystyrene, which is my kryptonite. But, the real reason why I set up PGF was because I eat out a lot and support local restaurants, and I got sick of hearing myself complain about not seeing restaurants recycle and still using polystyrene. After finding out that the city didn’t offer pick-up services for recycling for businesses, I had to quickly figure out how to tackle that one, and had the help of Madeleine Edwards with Get Green Recycleworks, who formed her business due to the needs of PGF. We started there, and Tsunami was the first restaurant we worked on in early 2008 to get certified. RSVP: What were people’s initial reactions when you started telling them about PGF? McNeeley: Most of the people I spoke with about this idea I had were a few restaurant people and close friends, both of whom were frankly surprised that no one had done it yet in this area. They encouraged me to figure out how to get it done. I had a couple naysayers. There are people who said, “Memphis is so behind; they’re never going to do that.” I didn’t listen to them obviously, but I really think it’s the community and the restaurant community who has made this so successful. They’ve embraced it and do the hard work. And once the community started to see that some restaurants had PGF stickers on their door that were certified, they started asking why other restaurants weren’t—I don’t have anybody [affiliated with PGF] ever ask that question to restaurants. I have a policy of not calling restaurants to tell them they should do PGF. I just never felt like it was something that would work if it was forced, so it’s always been the restaurant’s initiative to call us and say they want to learn more about our program. RSVP: Through the years, have you seen an increase in people wanting to know more about PGF, or has there been steady interest since day one?
Photos by Don Perry
roject Green Fork founder and executive director Margot McNeeley recently celebrated the nonprofit’s fifth year of helping the Mid-South restaurant scene adopt more sustainable practices—something she says was much needed judging by the 56 restaurants that have chosen on their own accord to become PGF-certified. She says she selected restaurants as her target demo since they’re the biggest polluter of all the retail sectors and have a lot they can keep out of landfills. RSVP editor Leah Fitzpatrick actually met with McNeeley at the recycling center in Cooper-Young that PGF gave a makeover, and now manages, to see firsthand how PGF is making an impact on the environmental front. Afterward, the two headed to one of the area’s PGF-certified restaurants, where McNeeley emphasized, “I want to encourage people to always think about where whatever they’re purchasing came from. If it’s not an edible item, what can it be used for in the future? It’s about not buying things that are disposable.” Visit projectgreenfork.org to find out more ways to help and to view all the PGF-certified restaurants.
McNeeley: There was a great interest in the first year or two we started this, to the point where other restaurants were calling me and saying they wanted to know about PGF and how to do it. We weren’t even finished with Tsunami yet, which was a part of our pilot program, so I had to say, “Well, let me figure out a couple more things and get back to you.” There were questions from the community as well, and it’s never really backed off. There’s a lot of interest and support around our program from people coming to our fund-raisers to people supporting the restaurants that are a part of the program to even a whistleblower, someone who called me yesterday and said they noticed that a restaurant wasn’t doing the recycling it was supposed to be doing. This particular restaurant lost its certification a couple of years ago, so it’s not a part of the program anymore. People do pay attention and thought the restaurant still was PGF-certified, so people want to know what the restaurants are doing that are a part of the program and why some restaurants that aren’t a part of the program aren’t doing it. RSVP: What are some benefits of joining PGF that you’d like to share with restaurants trying to decide whether or not to become PGF-certified? McNeeley: I think a big one is being a part of the PGF family. We take the small fee that we charge the restaurants every year, and we put that money back into advertising for them. We go to speaking engagements. For example, just today we spoke to 50 students, and they all got a tri-fold card that had a listing of all the PGF restaurants in it. So, while they’re here, they can visit those restaurants and support them. Through social media—Facebook, Twitter, Instagram—we try to promote each restaurant and what they’re doing, like special events, special dishes or maybe just a great cocktail. RSVP: What are the steps it takes to get PGF-certified? McNeeley: Recycle everything that’s recyclable. Compost vegetable and fruit pre-consumed food waste. No polystyrene, also known as Styrofoam. Use as many nontoxic cleaners as possible. Get an MLGW energy audit to reduce water and energy consumption; it’s a self-audit. Pollution prevention, which generally means keeping your
RSVP
45
N OV E M B E R 2 013
VOX POPULAR
kitchen equipment clean and cleaning up after your employees or customers go outside and smoke to make sure the cigarette butts are disposed of properly. RSVP: How do you think Memphis restaurants as a whole are doing today compared to five years ago with their sustainable practices? McNeeley: When we started this, there really weren’t that many options for restaurants that wanted to do the right thing. There weren’t as many nonpolystyrene containers or as many recycling options. Now, restaurants that aren’t even a part of PGF use the recycling containers at First Congo that PGF manages. I think that through PGF and the 56 restaurants a part of the program that there now is a supply and demand for more recycling companies, for nontoxic cleaning chemicals and for green to-go containers, and I think we’ve helped move businesses into that direction.
N OV E M B E R 2 013
RSVP: Do you ever hope to expand PGF in other areas?
RSVP
46
McNeeley: That’s something that we as a board discussed, and I really like the idea that it’s Mid-South area specific—it’s something kind of special for us. But, I’ve gotten so many phone calls from Chicago, Florida, Texas and Alabama from people who wanted to do a similar program, so I put together a tool kit. They can buy it online for only $75, and it walks them through how to do everything that I did: how to start, how to get a 501(c)(3) status, how to build a board, how to take care of recycling and composting, how to get community involvement and fund-raisers. The whole thing is in one really good program tool kit, and we’ve sold six of those. The kit brings a little money to PGF, but whoever buys it can’t call their program Project Green Fork. They have to come up with their own name. RSVP: How do you inspire people to want to care about adopting sustainable practices? McNeeley: I can talk specifically about one restaurant owner, who I think it was his mother who wanted him to talk to me. So, I came in, and he did not really believe in the program or think it would make much of an impact. Well, he ended up signing on, and now he and his employees take their own recycling and compost to the drop-off locations so they actually get to see what’s kept out of the landfill. He is now a believer and is on our board. I think a lot of people just really have to be involved to see what their impact can be. We also keep track, as much as we can, of what restaurants are keeping out of the landfill, both compost and recyclables. When people are able to look at those numbers on our site, I think they’ll find them pretty staggering. After a little more than a year of doing this, we had an intern who said we needed to figure out a way to measure things because the results and impact are pretty powerful, so we’re able to measure it by the container sizes we use, and also, if we take it to specific recycling centers, they weigh the truck before it gets emptied and afterward to see what the tonnage is. RSVP: What would be a surprising statistic you’d want to share with our readers about the impact PGF has? McNeeley: Well, to date, PGF has diverted more than 1.5 million gallons of glass, plastic and aluminum, over 1.4 million pounds of paper and cardboard and over 200,000 gallons of food waste from landfills. The food waste is used by Memphis community gardens to enrich the soil and create a source of healthy, local food. I want to point out though that these numbers might actually be a little lower than they should be because restaurants like Sweet Grass and Next Door do the recycling and composting themselves. RSVP: How did PGF get involved with the recycling center in Cooper-Young?
McNeeley: Madeleine with Get Green Recycleworks and I had been talking a little more than a year about how it was kind of a missed opportunity over there. It was kind of a mess, and not managed very well. The city was kind of doing it as a favor to First Congo, and First Congo was kind of doing it as a favor to the Cooper-Young community. We just kept talking to the city to figure out how to make it better, and the more we started thinking and talking, the more we realized the city had its hands full. So, we partnered with the Office of Sustainability, which got a grant to buy two new containers, and then we had a contest with local artists to come up with designs for the containers. We got around 18 designs, so we got a committee together and chose two designs. We got with the UrbanArt Commission, and they actually did the painting, as did the Memphis College of Art, volunteers, Madeleine and me. ReCommunity is who pays to have the recycling hauled. So, PGF pays for the insurance of it and gets to use it; Get Green Recycleworks gets to use it and help keep it clean; and ReCommunity pays for a hauler to come take it to them to have it emptied. Signworks came in and helped us repurpose an old sign they had from an apartment building, and that’s the sign you see today at the site. RSVP: Are there any new things you’d like to see added to the recycling center in the future? McNeeley: We’re continuing to learn. We need to figure out a way to probably get people to break down cardboard because it’s taking up so much space. Once that happens, it will be a lot easier to empty. Then, I’d like to try sometime down the road tackling another recycling center that looks and feels like whatever part of town it’s in, whether it be downtown, South Memphis, etc. I want it to be something that’s a little pride and joy for that neighborhood. I do get emails from people in different parts of the city wanting us to do that, but I’m just not 100 percent ready for that yet. RSVP: As a nonprofit, how do you receive most of your funding? McNeeley: Our two biggest ways to receive funding are through our two fund-raisers we have every year. They literally make or break us. We didn’t get very much help in the department of grants because we have this business model where our overhead is very low, and we don’t do a lot of big projects. When we did the recycling containers, we did the Kickstarter project, so we were able to raise enough money to pay the UrbanArt Commission and the artists for it. We do accept donations, and we charge the restaurants $100 a year. RSVP: What kinds of volunteer opportunities are there with PGF? McNeeley: We have a place on our site that you can click, and the email goes to me about volunteer opportunities. Opportunities are mainly for our fund-raisers, like the Loving Local fund-raiser on October 26 [from 4-7 p.m. at Wiseacre Brewing Company]. Then, we have internships available—we try to take on one or two a year. RSVP: How do you personally measure the success of PGF? McNeeley: One big way for me is when someone tells me they use the PGF list to determine where they’re going to spend their money. We created these tri-fold cards so you can put them in your wallet or purse and take it out to see what restaurants are certified and support them. Also, I have to tell you a story about when I was going to New York and deboarding from Memphis to LaGuardia. There was a woman and her husband, and the woman had a baby strapped on her front. I was commenting how cute the baby was, and I said, “That’s got to be one of the cutest babies I’ve ever seen.” And, the mom said, “You know why he’s so cute? Because he only eats at PGF restaurants.” They recognized that I do PGF, and for someone to say they choose to spend dollars at our restaurants because they’re doing the right thing keeps me going.
RSVP
47
N OV E M B E R 2 013
ONSITE
Onsite I
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Tour of the World Donor and Volunteer Recognition Dinner For two decades the International Children’s Heart Foundation has toured the world, bringing medical skills, technology and knowledge of congenital heart disease to developing countries. Because this could not happen without the hard work and concern of donors and volunteers, the local arm of the organization held a recognition dinner it called Tour of the World to honor those who helped make the mission possible. Held at the Cadre Building, the semi-formal event honored five people and corporations. In addition to presentations made by ICHF founder and medical director Dr. William Novick as well as executive director Terry Carter, perhaps the highlight of the evening was the presence of former patient and current volunteer Dilya Cleveland. The night was capped off with the documentary Babyheart, a film showcasing exactly how far of a reach the organization, volunteers and donors have.
48
Story and Photos by Lesley Young
Calvary Rescue Mission Dinner
Laughs for Le Bonheur
Ave Maria Gala Week Dinner
For 46 years, the staff and volunteers of Calvary Rescue Mission have fed, clothed, housed and counseled hundreds of thousands of homeless men in Memphis. Most of this was done in a converted 1920s church with only 46 beds. The mission, located on South Third Street, has begun a capital campaign, Breaking Ground, Building Hope, to expand its dormitory to accommodate 108 men and add up-to-date accessibility, safety and ventilation. In September, the organization held a dinner to celebrate the campaign at Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, with the likes of Sarah Simmons, a finalist on “The Voice” television show, delighting attendees with several songs and executive director Bob Freudiger and others explaining Calvary’s mission and the necessity for expansion. For more information about Calvary, visit calvaryrescue.com.
Put together with the mission to use the healing power of laughter, the second annual Laughs for Le Bonheur was held at the New Daisy Theater this past Labor Day weekend. Featuring prominent actor and stand-up comic Gary Owen, the event drew a large crowd of people from throughout the Mid-South. Owen, who has appeared in such films as Daddy Day Care and Little Man and performed on BET’s “ComicView,” did not disappoint and had the audience in fits of laughter. Two talented comedians Jermaine “FunnyMaine” Johnson and Ambrose Jones III opened for Owen and put their own unique spin on the show. NBA stars Thaddeus Young of the Philadelphia 76ers and Quincy Pondexter of the Memphis Grizzlies hosted the hilarious evening that benefited Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. This event was also presented by Gossett Kia and Gray Rule, an organization that operates with the goal of bringing to light various concerns and issues within different communities.
The Ave Maria Home kicked off its Fall Gala Week with an annual Gala Week Dinner at Christian Brothers High School’s Heffernan Hall. Recognizing individuals who are dedicated to making the community a better place through their contributions to several Catholic, civic and nonprofit organizations within the Greater Memphis area, the dinner honored John Barzizza, former president of Southwestern Distributing, John Zoccola , managing partner of Zoccola Kaplan, PLLC, and posthumously, Wanda Duke, a friend, donor and volunteer. As guests arrived, they enjoyed cocktails from the open bar and munched on various hors d’oeuvres. Several heartfelt and humorous toasts as well as the induction of the three honorees into the Ave Maria’s Blessed Mother Society accompanied dinner. The Fall Gala Week also included Ave Maria’s 13th annual Oglesby Memorial Golf Tournament at Quail Ridge Golf Course in Bartlett which was held the following Monday. Three hundred guests attended the wonderful dinner, and more than $65,000 was raised for the Ave Maria Home.
RSVP
Story and Photos by Lesley Young
Story and Photos by Rachel Warren
Story and Photos by Rachel Warren
Amy and Dennis McGivern
Louise Swarn and Linda Chambers
Hollie Grisham-Williams and Ashley Burgess Steve Landwehr and Frank Guttuso
Tiffani Morrow, Gary Owen and Toiaya Crawford Brigitte Ebel, Lawrence Devereux and Tammy Ebel
Barbara Freudiger, Larry Moore and Katie Hatcher
Mandy Rude, Vanessa Ourabah and Jessica Poole
Rickey and Stephanie Cole
Donna Nelson and Kay Johnson
Brian Gossett, Lisa Lilly, Nate Hall and Brandee Loving
Tyler and Cindy Hampton, John Barzizza and Steve Ehrhart
Rock for Love VIP BBQ
“WE Consign” Preview Party
Baddour Center Fashion Show
Nobody came late for this very important date: the Mad Hatter’s Bet Against Breast Cancer fundraiser sponsored by Wings Cancer Foundation. The Memphis Zoo was transformed into a Wonderland—as in Alice in Wonderland—that led 500 guests through the looking glass with nearly every nook and cranny in the zoo courtyard sporting a Wonderland motif, courtesy of Le Fleur florists. Layered on that was the symbol of progress against breast cancer–a sea of pink on people, wine bottles, wine glasses, tables and nametags. The most meaningful sight, however, were the pink flashing rings worn by scores of beautiful women to celebrate them as cancer survivors. More than a dozen celebrity hosts partied along with guests, including emcee WMC-TV 5’s Ron Childers and his wife, Joyce Peterson of Local 24; Fox 13’s Valerie Calhoun; U of M Men’s Basketball Coach Josh Pastner and Dr. Kurt Tauer, an oncologist and head of The West Clinic who helped found Wings Cancer Foundation in 1996. The event raised thousands of dollars that will be used to benefit Wings’ Form Fitting and Lymphedema programs for breast cancer survivors.
The Church Health Center’s Rock for Love 7 made some noise with a VIP BBQ at Midtown’s famed Ardent Studios. A kick-off event for the concert-heavy fund-raiser to follow at the Levitt Shell and Young Avenue Deli throughout the weekend, the barbecue had a limited number of entry tickets, which music lovers snatched up to see Marcela Pinilla and the Bo-Keys, featuring John Gary Williams and Percy Wiggins. Outside, a giant tent had been set up for patrons to mingle underneath as they learned more about the Church Health Center by perusing an info table, as well as another one where volunteers sold Rock for Love commemorative tee shirts, posters and CDs. Inside, people milled around the studio as they enjoyed munchies provided by Ardent and sipped Yazoo beer, wine or “Ice Picks” containing sweet tea, vodka and citrus juices. For those who attended the weekend shows, donations were encouraged, and an online auction also helped add to the funds (a total of $46,000) raised for the Church Health Center.
Woman’s Exchange members outfitted in blue aprons busily assisted attendees of the fourth annual “WE Consign” Preview Party, which was held at the Woman’s Exchange headquarters on Racine Street. Antiques and collectibles ranging from a copper shaving bucket from a barbershop to Lalique and Herend figurines captured guests’ attention. Chair Denise Stewart, assisted by cochair Lola Llewellyn, commented that one of the more special items—a biscuit barrel and cordial set displayed on a silver tray—had been purchased at a Woman’s Exchange consignment sale in 1970 and had now come back to this sale. The sale continues until December 20, and 30 percent of the proceeds will go to the Woman’s Exchange, a nonprofit that has been “helping others to help themselves since 1885.”
Story and Photos by Jeannie Mandelker
Story and Photos by Leah Fitzpatrick
The remarkable generosity of Memphians was evident once again at the 34th annual Baddour Center Fashion Show at Hilton Memphis. “I’m very blessed, and I feel fortunate that I can help raise money to help this organization and the amazing work it does,” said Betty Hays, owner of Seriously FUN! Apparel. She had brought many racks of clothes from her Germantown boutique for volunteers to wear as they glided down a long runway. Babbie Lovett, a former model who returned as emcee, narrated the fashion show that also included looks from Special Daze in Senatobia, Mississippi and Gloria’s Mother of the Bride in Memphis. But, five resident models from the Baddour Center were the highlight of the afternoon. The women waited nervously backstage until it was their turn to walk the runway, proudly walking its length, and their appearance was followed by the melodious voices of The Miracles choir, whose performance touched the hearts of all assembled. Many of the 500 guests said they make it a point each year to attend the luncheon, which is the primary fund-raising event for Baddour’s community for adults with intellectual disabilities based in Senatobia. One of the events most faithful guests is Gerry Williamson Sheppard, a former board member and tireless volunteer, who received special recognition for her work.
Story and Photos by Leah Fitzpatrick
Story and Photos by Jeannie Mandelker
Denise Stewart and Lola Llewellyn Mary Helen Fairley, Jeanne Thomas and Amanda Suddoth Elizabeth Montgomery, Lexi Matthews and Allison Buckley
Kerri Pastner and Betty Hays
Tes Herman and Leslie Herman Dr. Felice Wener and Anita Vabnick
Susan Marshall, Jeff Powell and Jeff Hulett Debra Powell, Missy Fleenor and Alla Lubin
Patricia Lynch and Joey Rosenberg
Joanne Watson, James Parker, Nia Zalamea and Dr. Scott Morris
Vickey Thomas, Sherry Greene, Charlotte Sanders and Becky Burks
Karen Christian, Jacqueline Fields and Thelma Person
49 RSVP
Bet Against Breast Cancer
N OV E M B E R 2 013
ONSITE
Onsite II
EVENT
Diamonds and Denim
DIAMONDS AND DENIM
Celebrating Memphis Botanic Garden’s 60th Anniversary
F
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Pam and Nick Lake
Ron and Josie Walker
RSVP
50
or its 60th birthday bash, the Memphis Botanic Garden celebrated with a luminous evening of fun called Diamonds and Denim. At the front door, patrons, who were encouraged to dress in black-tie and blue jeans, were directed through the Visitors Center to the entrance of the Four Seasons Fountain area, which sparkled with lights that seemed to twinkle from every direction. But before guests reached the doorway to go outside, smiling volunteers, including Ashley McCullough and Tara Marcum, greeted everyone by offering them flutes of chilled sparkling wine. While walking around the fountains, guests perused glistening gems from a case set up by Jewelers’ Choice, which provided a onecarat diamond that a lucky guest won during the Diamond Giveaway drawing. Meanwhile, servers passed tiny cone-shaped pastries filled with smoked salmon and citrus glaze, and a variety of miniature cheese balls with flavors like barbecue cheddar, goat cheese basil and Gorgonzola with walnuts were presented on forks fashioned as lollipops. White sofas and love seats had been scattered around the fountains to provide the perfect conversation area for guests such as Christine Evans and Oneka Richardson to chat. And in the middle of the Four Seasons, a large bar, decorated with bouquets made of white hydrangeas and lilies of the valley, was fully stocked with the event’s peach-flavored signature drinks and other libations. Just behind the bar, a backdrop covered with lights created a dazzling wall that separated the bar from the garden’s grassy expanse, where the sounds of 240 Loop filled the air. The band played in front of the Herb Garden, and a dance floor provided a centerpiece for the space. Tables laden with heavy hors d’oeuvres were arranged at the edge of the garden, giving guests plenty of choices. Some highlights included smoked chicken tartlets, ham and biscuits, tequila lime-marinated shrimp and roasted chicken sliders. Appropriately, large silver candelabras, positioned at both ends of the tables, cast a glow over the delectable morsels so partygoers could see to make their selections. Kristi Bush, CFY Catering’s executive chef, also made sure there was something to satisfy sweet tooths, who gladly enjoyed caramel tartlets and thick grasshopper brownies as they strolled across the lush blanket of grass. White linen-covered tables provided another spot for people like Steve Priddy to enjoy the treats. He was one of many happy revelers who proclaimed the party a glowing success. “The food has been great, and the band is terrific,” he said. See all the party photos at rsvpmagazine.com Password: RSVP
Jim and Elizabeth Duncan
Story by Suzanne Thompson Photos by Don Perry
Steve and Rebecca Priddy
Patty and Rick Earles
Michael Whaley and Megan Stitzinger
Ryan Dieck and Rachel Kang
Diana Clair Britton, Lizzy Newton, Sam Holcomb and Drew Herndon
Rosalyn Delequexe and Derek Hummel
EVENT DIAMONDS AND DENIM Neumon and Harriet Goshorn
Rich Ali and Tina O’Rourke
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Amanda, Beth, Lorna, Mary and Candice McCluskey
RSVP
51
Marsha Bradley, Ava Wilder, Rhonda Garvey and Keith Ledbury
Natalie Clements and Misty Caldwell
Gina and David McNamara
EVENT DIAMONDS AND DENIM
Mike Schween and Pam Welch
Hattie Rounder and Catherine Nelson
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Randi and David Pennington
Shaina Guttman and Lee Lakey
Liz Luedeman and Jimmy Graham
RSVP
52
Wendy Harris and Todd McCutchen
John and Amanda Gurney
Rawleigh and Julie Martin
Emily Burnette and Grace Ingram
James and Carlee Chumney
Alyson Hemann and Amanda Earnest
EVENT Bridget Barek and Margaret Ann Burnett
Emelia Miekicki and Janet Misner
George Vergos and Katie DiNuzzo
N OV E M B E R 2 013
DIAMONDS AND DENIM John and Marina Bogan
RSVP
53
Patricia Wheller and Dan Hayes
Kay and Paul Little
Samantha and Jason Ripper
Tiffany Benya and Shelby Scott
EVENT DIAMONDS AND DENIM
Courtney Crawford and Mark Plumlee
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Tina Berryman and John Brandon
Hilary, Bill and Michelle Dunavant RSVP
54
Donald and Chrissy Biggs
Betty and Bridget McCluskey
Christina Oppenhuizen and Stacy Brown
Esther Bonam and Ben Kerns
Advertising in RSVP Magazine places your message before an active, affluent market of Mid-Southerners who desire the best in quality and service.
More Than 120,000 Readers Average Household Income. . . . . . . . . . .$174,000 per year. Average Net Worth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,250,000 per year. Female Readers . . . 59.2% Male Readers . . 40.8% Marital Status . . . . . . . . . 62.2% married Home Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81.3% Education: Attended/Graduated College plus . . . . . .83.0% Have Post graduate degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21.6% 88.6% . . . . Purchased a Product or Visited a Store due to Advertising in RSVP. 42.6% . . . .Traveled Abroad during the past year. 52.% . . . .Eat out at least 3 times per week. 30,000 copies delivered monthly throughout the Affluent Shopping Areas of Greater Memphis From Harbor Town to Collierville.
For Information on How to put RSVP to Work for You Call 276-7787 Tara Marcum with Ashley and Corey McCullough
N OV E M B E R 2 013
EVENT DIAMONDS AND DENIM Mark and Mary Helen Butler with Grayson Smith
S I N C E 1995
RSVP
55
Richard and Tish Spore with Alexa and Porter Robinson
Mandy Caldwell, Tracy Dougan and Sarah Veazey
RSVP ROOM VIEW N OV E M B E R 2 013 RSVP
56
RSVP ROOM VIEW Interview by Suzanne Thompson | Photos by Nathan Berry
W
Top: The exposed concrete beam ceiling and wall of windows give the loft the appearance of a larger space. Above: Contemporary chairs placed across from one of the sofas separate the living area and the rest of the loft and create a cozy conversation spot.
hen interior designer Morgan Armstrong of Memphis Modern and her husband, Nick, moved into their downtown loft in June, she got busy transforming the space from raw and rustic to comfortable and quaint in just two weeks. A movable corrugated steel divider that came with the loft was just the right piece to provide privacy for a guest area. Its shiny finish combined with the exposed concrete beam ceiling are attention grabbers and, as one walks into the home, give a first impression that the décor would be completely modern, but nothing could be further from the truth. By combining traditional style furniture with more contemporary pieces in the open, industrial-looking loft, she has created a space that is eyecatching and eclectic, but has a homey feel. The loft is 1,400 square feet, but seems much larger, and the living area will accommodate seating for 14 guests, making it ideal for entertaining. Armstrong’s arrangement of the furniture in the loft gives the illusion of several separate rooms, though it is all one open space, except for the master bedroom, which is separated by a curtain-made-door. While many of the items in the loft are pieces from her family, she also has items that are exclusively sold wholesale to designers. Other pieces in the loft are very old—some family heirlooms—but they look new because Armstrong has given them facelifts using the simplest method, a coat of paint, and she says it’s something anyone can do. “If you like the shape, you can always paint it,” she says.
RSVP ROOM VIEW N OV E M B E R 2 013
Above: A stainless steel table taken from a salon that Armstrong's family once owned provides hidden storage and also serves as a breakfast bar. Left: A dining room set is centered below an abstract painting that was shown during a Friday-night South Main Trolley Tour. Artist Hillary Butler of Hillary Butler Fine Art created the piece. Below: A huge mirror in an asymmetrical wooden frame has an open-shelf buffet in front of it that functions as a bar where wooden wine boxes hold spirits and mixers.
RSVP: Why did you decide on a loft apartment? Armstrong: We wanted somewhere cool, where we could invite people and entertain. We can seat 14 comfortably. RSVP: Why did you position contemporary chairs across from two traditional sofas in the living area? Why do you mix the modern décor with your more traditional type furniture? Armstrong: I felt like I needed an open leg, and they’re more modern. I thought I would push the envelope. It probably wouldn’t work in everyone’s home, but I needed to step up the traditional. Many people don’t know you can mix, but I think it makes it interesting. I think it would be boring if it was all traditional, or all modern. You can’t have everything modern or it looks like a spaceship. RSVP: The headboard in your guest area is very unusual. Did you have it custom made? Armstrong: That was a wall hanging in our previous home. Here it became a headboard.
used heavy-duty stain remover, and it ate through the paint. I noticed the wood finish underneath, so I stripped it down and this is the result. This worn, rustic look is very in right now. RSVP: The spice rack hanging on your refrigerator is very unique. Where did you find that, and why did you decide to display them? Armstrong: It’s not actually a rack. Each one is separate, and they are on magnets. I found them at World Market. I used to have all the spices in a cabinet, but every time I’d reach for one, two or three would knock over and they were just taking up space.
RSVP: Is your dining room table one of the newer pieces? RSVP: What is your favorite piece of furniture in your loft? Armstrong: My parents gave us that table for a wedding present eight years ago. I spilled something on it, and it left a stain. I then
Armstrong: I’d have to say the olive green couch; it’s so comfy.
RSVP
57
N OV E M B E R 2 013
BROOKS AVANT GARDE PARTY
EVENT
Brooks Avant Garde Party Closing Out a Summer of Cloar
R Tyler Fuehrer and Devan Tackett
Carole and Emile Bizot
RSVP
58
enowned Mid-South painter Carroll Cloar might have passed away in Memphis in 1993, but his incredible body of Southerninspired works remains ever admired by the city the Arkansas native came to call home. The proof? A citywide exhibition of his art graced the walls of Christian Brothers University, the University of Memphis Art Museum and Mid-South Community College this past summer, and at the same time, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art displayed some of his pieces from a traveling exhibition entitled “The Crossroads of Memory: Carroll Cloar.” The latter institution chose to end the Summer of Cloar with a bang when it themed the annual Brooks Avant Garde Party around the artist’s work “Night Birds.” The Brooks had actually closed the Cloar exhibit to the public when it threw the Avant Garde Party, making the newly membersonly event a sought-after ticket. Those members who snagged a spot to the affair were treated to a magical marrying of art with casual relaxation—an atmosphere that works to eschew the stuffiness people often associate with fine art viewings. Encouraged to dress in summer-friendly attire, patrons young and old showed up ready to interact with one another over Southern-influenced edibles (think pulled pork with tomato jam and salsa verde on crostinis and heirloom tomato salad), enjoyable drink options (a Buffalo Trace bourbon tasting bar and mint julep snowcones!), games, a set by Star & Micey on the terrace and, of course, the exhibition of 80 Cloar works downstairs. Attendee Charlie Nelson noted that one particular painting in the exhibit could have been hers several years ago. Nelson related, “I had the opportunity when I was younger to purchase ‘The Baptizing of Charlie Mae’ for a good price, but at the time I had to turn it down. The person trying to sell it to me knew my first and middle name were the same as the girl in the painting, so it would have been great to have…later on, I found out I could have purchased it on layaway!” Kicking herself now, Nelson has come to realize the immense value of a Cloar painting, so much so that his “The Little Girl from Nashville” sold in early October for just shy of $47,000 at Sotheby’s. Regardless, she happily joined in the merrymaking, of which Brooks employees Laura Beth Davis and Kim Williams also delighted in as they floated about the dance floor donning bright butterfly wings in a nod to Cloar’s “Hostile Butterflies.” An artist’s influence definitely transcended time this night!
See all the party photos at rsvpmagazine.com Password: RSVP
Don and Denise Carpenter
Story by Leah Fitzpatrick Photos by Don Perry
Luis Seixas and Eda Machado
Christina Babu and Rachel Hayse
Mimi and Jim Taylor
Lee and Annette Askew
Jay and Carla Easter with Michelle and Jerry James
Andrea Bienstock and Nathan Bicks
EVENT Brenda Somes and Cathy Winterburn
Kent and Dana Farmer
Shirley and Michael Lupfer
BROOKS AVANT GARDE PARTY
Lana Glenn and Milton Rosen
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Pam Moss and Dr. Genevieve Hill-Thomas
RSVP
59
Missy and Dave Fuehrer
Laura Beth Davis and Kim Williams
Katie and Hampton Parr
Mary and Jim Simon
Rouben and Liz Simonian
Erma Elzey and Roosevelt Moody
ONSITE
Onsite III
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Les Passees Stock Exchange Preview Party
RSVP
60
Twenty-seven years later, the Les Passees Stock Exchange is still going strong, as evidenced by the long crowd lined up before the doors to the Preview Party opened. Ready to shop at the beloved consignment sale, hundreds of Memphians entered the former Schnucks building at 6100 Quince Road for an evening of good deals, fellowship, music by Donna Wolf and lots of delicious libations, appetizers and desserts, many of which were prepared by Les Passees members. If you missed out on the party though, the sale doesn’t close until November 10, when items will be marked down 75 percent. Proceeds raised from the event and sale purchases will benefit the Harwood Center and Les Passees Kids on the Block.
Josephine Circle Presidents’ Day Luncheon and Fashion Show The Josephine Circle held its annual Presidents’ Day Luncheon and Fashion Show at Chickasaw Country Club in September. Jo Walt, granddaughter of founding member Josephine Fitzhugh, was in attendance as an honored guest, as was noted by Josephine president Eula Horrell. Past Josephine presidents in attendance were Snookie Newman, Pat McCaleb, Pat Young, Bunnie Olivere, Ann Lansden, Billie Jean Ratliff, Elaine Dudley, Judy Adkins, Betty Cruzen and Norma McCrory. The Josephine Circle also celebrated a milestone for the charitable organization with the kick-off of its centennial anniversary.
Stomp in the Swamp
Grant’s Gala
As guests approached Lichterman Nature Center, it wasn’t the ghosts and goblins that were thwarted as Halloween approached; it was the crows. Scarecrows were scattered around the property for “Stomp in the Swamp,” a kick-off for the annual Scarecrow contest and a fund-raiser for the Lichterman Nature Center. The scarecrows—a testament to the craft and creativity spawned by programs of the Pink Palace Family of Museums—included brightly colored ones, from Elvis lookalikes to giant flamingos. They were made by members of local garden clubs, civic organizations and some individuals, as was the case with “Pinkalicious,” a family project for Abbey Vincent and her father, Jay.
Oh, what parents’ love for one child can do. Holly and Mike Goughnour were delighted when their son, Grant, was born. Then, only 17 days later, Grant died unexpectedly from an undetected heart condition. The heartbroken parents wanted to save others from their pain, and in August 2007, on the eve of what would have been Grant’s fifth birthday, they started a gathering at Pat O’Brien’s. The event, Grant’s Gala, benefiting the Children’s Heart Foundation, outgrew the venue and moved to the Memphis Zoo. “It started out as family and friends, and now…” Holly says gesturing toward the crowd that packed the Teton Trek lodge. After noshing on appetizers like bruschetta and squash soup, guests enjoyed a dinner buffet of chicken, beef tenderloin, asparagus, potatoes and rice catered by Patrick’s. A light drizzle began, but didn’t stop the partiers from dancing outside to the music of the Andy Childs band.
Story and Photos by Suzanne Thompson
Story Submitted Photos by Chris Pugh
Story and Photos by Leah Fitzpatrick
Orli Wesser-Pike and Steve Pike
Story and Photos by Suzanne Thompson
Arlene Southern, Paula Wellington and Annette Poole Amber Roettgen and Ally Luciano
Diane and Randy McKinna Holly and Mike Goughnour (Standing); Grace, Emma and Jacob Goughnour (Seated)
Nikki Walker, Jay Vincent and Virginia Carpenter pictured with “Pinkalicious” Karen Christian, Jacqueline Fields, Elma Schnapp and Thelma Person Jo Bridges, Lemoyne Robinson and Estella Mayhue-Greer
Bill Ross, Judy Winkler, Liza Monaghan, Raymond and Pat Harris and Sandra Cooper
Heather and Chris Brucks with Anna Howell and Robert Shands
Tommie Pardue, Mary Pat Custer, Martha McIntosh and Linda West
Patti and Bill Walsh
Sheila and Ross Braithwait with Jim and Sandy Federico
Retiring Christ Community Health Services CEO Burt Waller was honored for his contributions to the organization with an elegant evening entitled Panorama: Celebration of a Visionary at The Peabody Skyway. The event began with a VIP rooftop reception complete with passed hors d’oeuvres, an open bar and a sunset that couldn’t be beat. The festivities then progressed inside the Skyway, where guests enjoyed a three-course dinner and a “roaststyle” video of Waller’s achievements. Surrounded by many friends, coworkers and two of the nonprofit’s founders (Dr. David Pepperman and Dr. Rick Donlon), Waller definitely became the man of the hour, and for good reason. Thanks to his leadership, CCHS expanded from one to six centers to help the community’s underserved, three dental centers, three pharmacies and a mobile unit to serve the homeless.
Well-known Memphians like Claudia Barr, Kerri Pastner, Amy Weirich and Mayor A C Wharton lent their support to a worthy cause when they sashayed down the runway at Hilton Memphis during the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary of Greater Memphis Fall Fashion Show and Luncheon. Themed “Stars of Memphis,” the benefit attracted nearly 350 locals to help raise funding for the Salvation Army Angel Tree Project, a program that provides clothing and toys for more than 5,000 children and seniors in need during the holidays. And to get guests in the Christmas spirit, the organization’s familiar red kettles were placed inside wreaths for centerpieces, and Santa himself made an appearance on the runway to show off several live auction items and to disperse gifts to those children who walked the runway with their celebrity parents. The Shops of Saddle Creek provided the runway ensembles for the occasion, which was chaired by Nancy Bramlett, Jeanette Cooley and Billie Jean Graham.
Story and Photos by Leah Fitzpatrick
Story and Photos by Leah Fitzpatrick
Gear-Up for Gift Showcase
“Doctors in Concert”
In anticipation of its Junior League Gift Showcase, the Junior League of Memphis held its GearUp for Gift Showcase at the group’s Community Resource Center on Central Avenue. Guests arrived in the center’s courtyard, which was spectacularly decorated with colored lights and soft candles, and made their way into the house where they were greeted with an open bar. There was also a delicious spread of food from local restaurants and caterers like Sweet Grass, Jincy’s Catering and Events, Southward Fare & Libations and Heart and Soul Catering, to only name a few. The main attraction—the silent auction—was filled with hot items from Pet Foods, Stellar Cellar Wine & Spirits, Coco’s Sugar Shack, Itty Bitty Bella and Happy Heart Green Mountain Coffee, to mention a portion of the plethora of companies that donated items. All proceeds earned from this amazing event and the upcoming Gift Showcase on November 8-9 will go directly to support JLM’s mission of promoting volunteerism in the MidSouth and improving the community through the great work of volunteers.
“I want to remind you that this is for charity,” Dr. J.O. Patterson III told the audience before he began to play “Tenderly” on a gleaming Steinway Model D Concert Grand Piano. It was the first public piano recital for a very nervous Dr. Patterson, who by day is an accomplished internist but an admitted piano novice. He was one of 17 Memphis physicians who performed at “Doctors In Concert,” a night of music at the Buckman Performing Arts Center sponsored by Amro Music and Steinway & Sons to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. At Amro, the area’s only Steinway dealer, physicians constitute one of the store’s core customers, so it seemed only natural to invite physician pianists to play for a good cause. Rick Jefferies of Amro said, “Memphis is a musical and medical center. This is a great marriage of both.” In addition to raising money through ticket sales, Amro also offered guests a special treat in exchange for a generous donation: the use of an Amro player grand piano for a party in their home or, for a really generous donation, a chance to enjoy the use of the player piano in their home for three months–with all strings attached!
Story and Photos by Rachel Warren
Story and Photos by Jeannie Mandelker
David Pepperman, Burt Waller and Rick Donlon
Billie Jean Graham and Kerri Pastner
Jeff and Chelsey Savage Jane Roberts, Dr. Jay Jenkins and Judy Jenkins
Charlene Cox, Gina Deutsch and Madelyn Gray Maggie Hollabaugh, Ross Dyer and Bob Hollabaugh
Gerry Thomas, Gail Thompson and Nelda Hamer
Cava Sittnick with Sarah and Donald Dickert
Mariangela Romano Schardt, Hilda Mullen, Meg Gardiner and Martha Gardiner
Dr. J.O. Patterson III and Sarah Clark
Lara Scott, Stephanie Simpson and Catherine Harris
Rick Jeffferies, Emily Simpson, Nick Averwater and Tommy Edds
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary Fall Fashion Show and Luncheon
61 RSVP
Panorama: Celebration of a Visionary
ONSITE
Onsite IV
AFTER HOURS
After Hours A photo collage of the latest business happenings
N OV E M B E R 2 013
Ribbon Cutting and Reception at September Nail Salon
25th Anniversary Celebration at Loni’s Fashions
(Front Row from left to right) Amy Barringer, Kate Larkin, Kelly Churchill, Cyrus Purnell, Tiffany McKinney, Jennifer Purnell, Janie Day and Renee' McGuire; (Back Row from left to right) Nikki Hinton, Shaina Guttman, Max Dynerman, Hannah Nelson, Jon Murdock, Al Poindexter, Hemmy Patel, Charles Speed, Sherry Wood, Sharon Carney-Wright, Ron Fittes, Tom and Gail Mathewson, Brett Carter, Rick Bowers, Mike Simpson, Richard McBryde and Jim Kasperbauer
Diane McDaniel, Priscilla Robinson, Lonnie Sisco, Terry Miller, Courtney Richardson and Donna Meyers
RSVP
62
SINCE 1995
Advertising in RSVP Magazine places your message before an active, affluent market of Mid-Southerners who desire the best in quality and service.
More Than 120,000 Readers Average Household Income. . . . . . . . . . . .$147,000 per year. 88.6% . . . . . . . . .Purchased a Product or Visited a Store due 58.16% have HH incomes greater than . . . $75,000 per year. to Advertising in RSVP. Female Readers . . . 59.2% Male Readers . . .40.8% 42.6% . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Traveled Abroad during the past year. Marital Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62.2% married 52.% . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Eat out at least 3 times per week. Home Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81.3% 3 0 , 0 0 0 c o p i e s d e l i v e r e d m o n t h l y t h r o u gh o u t Education: Attended/Graduated College plus . . . . . . .83.0% the Aff luent Shopping Areas of Greater Memphis Have Post graduate degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21.6% From Harbor Town to Collierville.
How to put RSVP to Work for You Call 276-7787
18
19
20
23
24
21
33
34
30
35
42
44
45
47
37 40 43 46
48
49
53 58
28
32
39
41
57
31
36
38
27
54
59
60
55 61
50
51
56 62
63
64
65
66
67
68
45 46 47 49 50 53 55 57 60 62 63 64
Chilled “As you __” Buss Rodents
22 25
29
26
65 66 67 68
Sings like Jay-Z Studio where Elvis first recorded Place to learn Robertoʼs yes Fox hole Keats, e.g. Victorian ____ Mideastern Ruler Hewn Land unit Chars Before ten
52
DOWN
1 Small drum 2 ____ Oyl 3 ____ Forum 4 Drug doer 5 Buckeye State resident 6 Alerts 7 Time period 8 Lairs 9 Stand in 10 Charged particle 11 Compass point 12 Critical 15 Cyclic 20 Former 22 Claw 26 Monetary reward 27 Reversed the doing of 28 Biblical baby in the basket 29 ____ Island 30 River edges 31 Car rental agency 33 Boredom 34 Antiquity 35 Flood
RSVP CROSSWORD
15
17
12
36 Stack 39 USA Todayʼs “Best Iconic American Street” 40 TV lawyer Matlock 42 Art Museum in Overton Park 43 Peat, e.g. 46 Chutes 48 Give oneʼs veiw of 49 Bakerʼs needs 50 Capital of Bangladesh 51 Heron 52 Must haves 54 Military vehicle 56 Den 57 South by west 58 Shade 59 Make a mistake 61 Roman dozen
i t ’ s j a zz!
Solution:
For underwriting information, call 901-678-2560 Visit us online at wumr wumr.memphis.edu .memphis.edu
K E Y
cl a ssy
N OV E M B E R 2 013
14
16
11
63 RSVP
13
10
T H E N
9
M O S E S
8
P I N R O N O N E X Y L U U N C D B R I E E D N
7
N E E D S
6
E G R E T
5
D A C C A
4
L A I R
3
O W E D H A R E P I R A N H O N S T A A S A S N B A L I H A V O C B E N I N F E A K S A P S S U O L E L E T V I L A X E D N I N E K I S S
2
Edited by Ruth Cassin
B R O O K S
1 Meat alternative 5 Overdue 9 ____ Palace 13 Brews 14 Bunny 15 Horizontal 16 Remain 17 Iraqʼs neighbor 18 What bears like 19 Entertainment district ____ Square 21 Aretha and The Reverend Al Green recorded here 23 Tyrannosaurus 24 Owns 25 Insane __ 29 Womenʼs partners 30 Indonesian island 32 Spanish “one” 33 Razor manufacturer 36 Disturbance 37 Discs 38 Ribald 39 African country 40 Soft cheese 41 Wing 42 Birdʼs noses 43 Provides with food 44 Towel monogram
1
|
T O F U A L E S B I D E O V E R R E X M B R A U L E W D A L A H I S S C H O P S H E I B U R N W E R E
ACROSS
RSVP Crossword
RSV PHILLIPPI
By Dennis Phillippi
The crestfallen look on their faces is burning into my memory with shame. They had to come up with a restaurant in New Orleans that served uninteresting food. The task proved impossible. They took us to a very nice, very trendy new restaurant that was packed at eight o’clock on a Tuesday night. My wife had assured them that no matter what, every eatery has something, a steak, a pork chop or half-baked chicken that would please their half-baked guest’s appetite. He had some kind of mussel dish, my wife had a weird crab casserole and the woman, we’ll call her Katie, because her name is Katie, had duck. In the end, I choked down maybe a
Don’t get me wrong, if I could think of a dignified way to eat a cupcake, I’d pack on pounds like a Kardashian. third of my skirt steak, which was spiced with some herb that tasted somewhere between cumin and the stuff you soak your feet in for a pedicure. They were polite enough to ignore this when they paid the check. This isn’t some middle-aged curmudgeon development. I’ve always been like this. As a child, I was not only a picky eater, but I was also a food separator. No one food could come into contact with any other food in any way or it was rendered radioactive. As if that wasn’t bizarre enough behavior, I was also a food rotator. Each item had to be consumed individually before the plate could be turned to the next. That is, of course, if there were foods there that I would eat at all. One of the banes of my mother’s existence, and subsequently throughout my life, is that I cannot stand onions. Mom would try to sneak them onto foods in microscopic-sized bits, only to watch me painstakingly dismantle a piece of
meatloaf or plate of spaghetti and pick out each little one of the demon chips. This could take far longer than it took the rest of my huge, ravenous family to eat, argue and go downstairs to watch “Love, American Style.” Then it was just mom and me, as she watched me remove all of the onions and eat, knowing if she averted her eyes for even an instant the offending food was going to the dog. Well, would’ve gone into the dog, but even he didn’t have that much patience for a bite of mom’s meatloaf. For nearly 30 years now, I’ve watched my wife eat raw oysters, almost raw tuna, sushi, raw onions on a burger and any number of things that would make me retch, all while making adorable yummy sounds. It’s a curious dichotomy that has rendered yummy sounds both delightful, and at the same time, vaguely nausea inducing. When I do show some affection for a dish, my loving wife will insist that I get it as much as possible, which means in no time at all it’s yet another food I can’t stand. She means well, but if I ever even smell another Ranch-flavored corn chip, I’m jumping out a window. Believe me, I don’t want to be this way. I want to be like so many of my friends who go to third world countries and just nod that they’ll eat whatever they’re brought. This has resulted in them eating octopus, horse stew, snakes, parts of animal’s heads and lots of things that they described as indescribable. There is no way in the world, first, second, or third, I’m ever going to eat anything I can’t even identify. But, I do really want a cupcake. I will get on stage in front of thousands. I will zip line through jungle canopy. I will snorkel with sharks. But, I will not now, or ever, eat any part of an animal’s face. It’s not a moral choice; it’s culinary.
Okay Dennis, cupcakes it is for our office Christmas party this year. We promise not to watch you eat one, videotape you while you’re doing it or rave about the whole experience. At the very least, you gain material for a follow-up column…and maybe a pound or two.
65 RSVP
W
ill someone please explain the recent explosion in popularity of the cupcake? Suddenly, it seems like there are cupcake places everywhere, and everyone is constantly talking about them. At the beginning of last month, for some reason, there were a lot of birthdays, and at almost all of the events someone brought along a box of cupcakes, even to restaurants that sell perfectly pleasant desserts. “Oh, their crème brûlée is great, but not as great as these cupcakes” they would say, opening the cardboard vessel as if revealing the Ark of the Covenant. Here’s my problem, and it is very much my problem: I can’t figure out how to eat one of them. It seems impossible to take a bite of one of these little mini-cake delights without getting icing all over my face. Other people do not seem bothered by this. To the contrary, they seem to take some kind of childlike delight in having chocolate cream on the tip of their nose. I tried the only solution I could think of, using a fork to eat a cupcake, and was met with more derision than the time I told a bunch of teenage girls to sit down in front of me at a Bangles concert. Sadly, that is a true story. Don’t get me wrong, if I could think of a dignified way to eat a cupcake, I’d pack on pounds like a Kardashian. Clearly, I have food issues. Just a few weeks ago, my wife and I were in New Orleans, and some friends of ours who own a bar in the French Quarter were determined to take us out to a nice dinner. Then, the woman asked the question that ground the process to a near halt: “Is there any food you don’t eat?” At this, I let out one of those huge exhalations that signifies that the questioner is not going to be happy with the answer. Next, I rattled off an abbreviated list of the things I don’t like, culminating in the phrase even I have grown sick of hearing coming out of my own mouth: “I don’t care for interesting food.”
N OV E M B E R 2 013
NO TRUFFLES, THANKS
RSVPAST
Shelby County Basketball Champions
N OV E M B E R 2 013
1947
RSVP
66
P
ictured above are the 1947 Shelby County basketball champions, the Germantown High School “Red Devils.” Shown in the front row (left to right) are Elton Heckle, Bobby Lanier, Sonny Payne and Jimmy Springfield. Standing in the back row (left to right) are Frank BerrettaManager, David Posey, Skip Daniel and Coach Leon M. Stevenson. PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMES F. SPRINGFIELD If you have a past photo you would like to share with RSVP readers, please contact Leah Fitzpatrick at 276-7787 ext. 105 or e-mail the photo and caption to editor@rsvpmagazine.com All photos will be returned promptly.