VOL. 9 NO. 6
IN THIS ISSUE
First Friday
A balmy February First Friday brought Knoxvillians out in droves, and many of them took the time to peruse two new exhibitions at the Emporium Center. The Emporium is headquarters for the Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville, which serves and supports the city’s diverse community of artists, arts organizations and cultural institutions.
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See Wendy Smith on page A-3
Dance with Dad It was a magical night of princesses, pearls and punch at the annual Father Daughter Valentine’s Dance hosted by Cokesbury United Method Church in Farragut on Feb. 6.
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See Nancy Anderson on page A-7
Level playing field for students? Unexpected barriers awaited the Austin-East Robotics Team when they applied to participate in the FIRST Robotics Competition, an international program that challenges talented high schoolers to solve high-tech science and engineering problems.
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See Bill Dockery on page A-4
Meet the toreador Bass-baritone Ryan Kuster thinks that most people can relate to George Bizet’s opera “Carmen,” which is being performed by the Knoxville Opera Company this weekend. “For one thing, people will recognize the music. Most people know a lot more of ‘Carmen’ than they think they do. And the story is compelling. There’s no real hero. It’s very human – there’s not a clear moment where you say, ‘Oh, this is the person that I root for.’”
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See Carol Shane on page A-11
NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
Hollywood Restaurant patrons sought The Pond Gap Neighborhood Association is seeking to contact patrons of the Hollywood Restaurant (also known as Hollywood Crème Bar), which operated on Papermill Road from the late 1950s to the mid-1980s. A history project is planned. Those interested in sharing their memories should contact David Williams at 865-5882268.
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February 11, 2015
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It’s love-all at tennis park dedication By Sherri Gardner Howell A look at former Knoxville Mayor Kyle C. Testerman’s life offers many opportunities for honors and tributes. A member of Knoxville City Council from 1969 to 1971, he was elected mayor in 1972, serving one term, then returning as mayor from 1984 to 1988. Testerman is credited with being a visionary who saw the need for downtown revitalization and was behind the 1987 Downtown Plan that led to the City County Building, TVA Towers, renovation of Market Square and the beautification of Gay Street. Considered a business-focused mayor, Testerman, in his second term, also tackled the stabilization of the city’s finances, which had seen a decline in the bond rating following debt from the 1982 World’s Fair. A recent honor, however, encompasses not only what Testerman did for the city, but also his love of tennis. The dedication and naming of the tennis courts at Tyson Park as the Kyle C. Testerman Tennis Complex on Feb. 2 was a fitting tribute, says daughter Janet Testerman Creswell. “When we told Dad, he was very honored,” says Creswell. “His involvement in developing the facility and his love of tennis span not only his political career, but his entire life. As we talked about it, he told me that he was very proud of the fact that Tyson Park and … the
Looking dapper after the dedication of tennis courts named in his honor, former Knoxville Mayor Kyle C. Testerman talks with guests and dignitaries at the ceremony on Feb. 2. Photos submitted
tennis complex there … brought all segments of the town together. It’s a place where diverse populations come together to enjoy the sport and park.” Knox County Clerk Foster Arnett, a great and longtime family friend, says Creswell, was the guiding force behind the dedication. “We had talked about it as a family, but Foster really got behind it and took it on, getting it in front of the right committees and the mayor,” says Creswell. “It turned out to be a great day and a very fitting honor for Dad.” Testerman grew up in the Lake Avenue area of Knoxville, was on the 1951 Knoxville High School state championship basketball team his junior year, then graduated from McCallie School in Chattanooga. He originally went to the University of Tennessee on a basketball scholarship but switched to tennis. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a law degree from UT. Creswell says the family was touched and excited to see so many longtime friends come to congratulate Testerman at the dedication. “The whole family was there – my mom (Janet Testerman Crossley), sister (Muffett Testerman Buckner) and her family, brother (Ben Testerman) and his family, my family and all the grandchildren. Dad was so happy to see longtime tennis
Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero congratulates former Mayor Kyle Testerman.
To page A-3
Research is key to local author’s novels By Wendy Smith Sequoyah Hills resident Pamela Schoenewaldt’s novels put readers in a different time and place, and, sometimes, in achingly difficult circumstances. But the journey is so compelling that the reader is happy to go there. Her first two novels, “When We Were Strangers” and “Swimming in Pamela Schoenewaldt the Moon,” received criti- submitted cal praise and awards, and
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her third, “Under the Same Blue Sky,” will be released in May. After living in such inspir ing locales as New York City, San Francisco and Naples, Italy, Schoenewaldt wrote all three in Knoxville − a place she knew nothing
about when she arrived in 2000. The New Jersey native worked as a freelance writer in San Francisco before she moved to Naples in 1990 “for a man.” Her projects included speeches, documentaries and scripts, and most required extensive research. The work taught her to research quickly, which set her up well to be a histori-
cal novelist, she says. One of her primary activities in Naples was learning Italian. Her teacher’s beautiful villa, and her musings about how difficult it would be to clean, were the initial inspiration for “Swimming in the Moon,” the story of a mother and daughter who are servants in a villa beTo page A-3
Love, love me do By Sherri Gardner Howell I have bad news for greeting card companies, restaurants and florists. When it comes to filling hearts with love on Valentine’s Day, you have some heavy competition that you will never beat. Elementary schools. My sweet husband, who groans like all men when February rolls around, has presented me with some very lovely cards, beautiful flowers and delicious dinners for Valentine’s Days through the years. Nothing can compare, however, to the Popsicle sticks picture frame with crayon red hearts on all sides and a second-grade photo of our younger son grinning from ear to ear. The scrawled “I love you Mommy” on the back completes the heart-tug. And then there is the plaster of Paris handprint from our firstborn
when he was 5 with a teacher-assisted poem on the back: “Here’s my hand on Valentine’s Day; Hold me close as I grow and play.” Even now, in the midst of trying to declutter, I can’t part with the schoolmade Valentine’s Day cards. I have been away from elementary schools so long that I don’t even know what’s “allowed” anymore as far as giving Valentines to classmates. I remember my own Valentine’s Days at school, however. Who knew so much could be read into the size and sentiment on silly “tear on the dotted line” Valentines? Yes, class lists were sent home with proper admonishments for every child to provide a card for every other child and that no additional “gifts” could be brought to school, unless there was one for everyone. And, yes, we followed all the
rules in my small town in the 1960s. But that doesn’t mean each chipper “Barbie says: You’re the grooviest” or Yogi Bear’s “I can’t BEAR to be without you” we received wasn’t analyzed, dissected and conclusions drawn. I knew Greg Hart loved me after Valentine’s Day in fourth grade. Greg and I both bought The Beatles Valentine’s pack to pass out in our classroom that year. We both gave each other the same card: the largest one in the pack with all FOUR Beatles on it and the sentiment: “Love, Love Me Do. Happy Valentine’s Day.” I knew it was true love. I, personally, had spent almost an hour deciding between that card and the “All You Need Is Love” smaller card for Greg. It was destiny. (Destiny took an ugly turn the next year when Greg threw me
over after I won Miss Lexington Junior First Princess. He immediately declared his love for Teresa Smith, who won queen. He moved out of town shortly thereafter, but I had nothing to do with that.) Unfortunately for adult men and women today, all this competition from elementary school crushes and children’s handprints doesn’t take the pressure off for Valentine’s Day. We all love to be loved, and we love to be reminded that we are loved. The point, of course, is to look inside the heart of whoever it is you love. You’ll find the right “gift” in whatever brings that smile to his or her face. And if you just can’t figure it out, call an elementary school teacher.
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