VOL. 53 NO. 51
www.ShopperNewsNow.com |
December 24, 2014
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NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
Christmas greetings! In this drawing by Carol Chilton of Greeneville, Bill and Wanda Williams say it best. “Straight from the heart.”
Lights fantastic at Chilhowee Park Tour Chilhowee Park by car after dark to see the citysponsored forest of lighted trees floating on the lake. The exhibit will continue to Jan. 1.
Festival of Lights Walk around Concord Park to see the Knox County Festival of Lights, running from 6-9 p.m. through Dec. 30. It’s sponsored by the county’s Parks and Recreation Department. Come for a Dam Road Ride Saturday, Dec. 27, at 9 a.m. as the Knoxville Bicycle Company sponsors the Saturday Dam Road Ride. Meet at 10657 Hardin Valley Road. Info: www. Legacyparks.org/.
IN THIS ISSUE Marvin West Money trumps tradition. How else can you explain changing the name of the historic Gator Bowl to TaxSlayer Bowl? The online tax prep people started paying the price in 2011. Naming rights were finalized this year.
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See story on page A-11
Wendy Smith Judging at Tour de Lights was a challenge. In the end, there were 1,023 riders, most of whom sported lights, tinsel or costumes. It was nothing short of magical to watch them depart for a tour of the Fourth & Gill neighborhood, even though my toes were numb.
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See story on page A-5
Betsy Pickle Christmas is a huge day for movies, and Shopper-News previews two of the best ones: “Into the Woods” and “The Imitation Game.”
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See previews on page A-10
7049 Maynardville Pike 37918 (865) 922-4136 NEWS news@ShopperNewsNow.com Sandra Clark | Ruth White ADVERTISING SALES ads@ShopperNewsNow.com Shannon Carey Jim Brannon | Tony Cranmore Patty Fecco | Wendy O’Dell
Santa (aka Terry Clowers) makes his appearance in downtown Corryton. See more photos on page A-3. Photo by Bob Martin
Schumpert gets Myers award By Sandra Clark Tommy Schumpert has received the Claude C. Myers Award from the Fountain City Business and Professional Association. “We selected him for his many years of service to the Fountain City community as a coach and teacher at Central High and while county trustee and executive,” said club president Andrew Hartung. “Tommy has been a big supporter of our schools and is very deserving of this honor.” Calling it a great honor, Schumpert said he must have been chosen because he’s one of the few residents left who actually knew Claude Myers, longtime president of Fountain City Bank. “I saw Richard Tumblin there. I’m sure
he knew him.” Claude Myers had a huge impact on families and businesses through the bank, Schumpert said. “When I was teaching (general business at Central High School) we would go through a chapter on banking, and I’d think, ‘Fountain City Bank doesn’t operate like that.’ ” Bank officers knew their customers and often weren’t constrained by the bureaucracy of larger banks. “(The bank) was a little different, and it made a lot of impact. “If (Mr. Myers) knew you and believed in you, he would go to the hill for you.” Schumpert is an active member of Fountain City United Methodist Church. He was the community’s
first man of the year, selected by Fountain City Town Hall in 1976. He and his wife, Charlotte, are longtime residents of Fountain City. Schumpert was Knox County trustee for four years and was county executive for eight years. Schumpert Park off Dry Gap Pike is named for him. Since retirement, he’s headed a scholarship program funded by EdSouth, now Southeast Bank. “It’s very rewarding,” he said. “We’ve served about 110 youngsters from across the state in almost every public and private college.” Many of the students are the first in their families to attend college. When they gather for dinner,
Tommy Schumpert often the parents are prouder than the children. “Sometimes there are a few tears,” he said.
Blasius is new director of design center By Wendy Smith Wayne Blasius, who began his new job as executive director of the East Tennessee Community Design Center this week, remembers having coffee with Annette Anderson back in 1977. Anderson was executive director of the design cenWayne Blasius ter from 1973 to 1995. She was one of the first people Blasius met when he arrived in Knoxville to begin graduate work in urban planning. They talked about the importance of getting involved in the community, and the conversation stoked his enthusiasm for civic engagement. In the years since, Blasius has volunteered for the design center,
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Knox Heritage, Leadership Knoxville, the Central Business Improvement District and the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, along with other organizations. “I strongly believe in giving back, that our community is only as good as the work its citizens are willing to put into it.” He grew up in the Chicago area and didn’t intend to stay in Knoxville. But the South grew on him − especially the warm winters. After Blasius finished his degree, he was hired as a planner for the Metropolitan Planning Commission. He worked on the downtown master plan that ultimately led to that area’s renaissance. His firm, InSite Development, also contributed to downtown’s revitalization with the redevelopment of the Phoenix and the Mast General Store/Gallery Lofts.
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Knoxville has an incredible historic building stock, he says. “If you look down Gay Street, there are not many missing teeth.” The area has remained intact because businesses had little economic incentive to be there during the 1960s and 1970s, he says. If downtown had been booming, some of the buildings would have been torn down and replaced with modern equivalents. When it comes to good design, there’s always room for improvement, and he hopes the design center will continue to be a player in that. Blasius took the reins from interim executive director Mary Linda Schwarzbart, whom he commends for her leadership. He also praises the design center’s staff and volunteer board. He thinks his ability to envision a new future for downtown’s
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big, empty buildings will help him lead the design center, though its scope goes far beyond the city center. Knoxville and its outlying communities depend on each other, and good design is beneficial to everybody, he says. The ETCDC, which serves a 16-county region, provides professional design and planning services to communities and nonprofit organizations that would not otherwise be able to afford such services. Conceptual designs for projects, which are chosen based on service to the public, help organizations focus their vision and seek funding. The design center was founded in 1969 by renowned Knoxville architect Bruce McCarty. Staff is composed of three full-time and two part-time employees. Funding for the nonprofit comes from grants and donations.
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