NORTH / EAST VOL. 2 NO. 30
IN THIS ISSUE Fly fishing If you don’t know a lot about fly fishing, you might not get it. Spend a morning in the back of a fishing boat with Project Healing Waters program leader Steve Thompson as your guide, and it will all make sense. Thompson helped start the Knoxville chapter of Project Healing Waters to rehabilitate former or active military service personnel both physically and emotionally through fly fishing. “There are no restrictions to the veterans that can participate, and this diverse group shares a common bond.”
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July 30, 2014
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Swingin’ at Strickland Park By Betty Bean Town Hall East will have its annual ice cream social 6-8 p.m. Monday Aug. 11, to celebrate the newest addition to Strickland Park – a fancy tire swing for which the group raised $4,000 via a program sponsored by Knox County Parks and Recreation. Town Hall East campaign chair Sharon Davis and City Council member Nick Della Volpe got the campaign started last August when they began raising money. For months, Davis carried a large pickle jar around collecting funds. She also petitioned City Council and County Commission and was joined by Town Hall member Scott Behan, who helped apply for a grant. The campaign’s largest contributor was Antonio De Luca at CEMAX, who has been a faithful supporter of the park’s development for years. De Luca pitched in $1,500. “We really appreciate his gener-
Read Ruth White on page 3
Credibility “It’s tough to balance the interests of good people holding public office with the public’s right to know and question relevant matters. “And it falls to a newspaper’s editor to decide what to print and when to print it.” Shopper-News publisher Sandra Clark talks about the decision to write about Gloria Deathridge’s health issues and prints a response from Deathridge.
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See both on page 4
Donaldson under fire from all sides “The major unreported news this week is the letter signed by numerous neighborhood leaders in both the city and county calling for the departure of Mark Donaldson as head of Metropolitan Planning Commission.” Columnist Victor Ashe writes about an alliance of former City Council members Carlene Malone, Jean Teague and Barbara Pelot to topple Donaldson.
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Read Victor Ashe on page 5
Workers with Knox County Parks and Recreation install the new swing at Strickland Park. Photos submitted
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Burchett not happy with new Beck director By Betty Bean Last week, the board of directors of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center chose independent consultant Renee Kesler as its new executive director. She was elected by a 9-2 vote after an executive committee selected her from a pool of candidates Renee Kesler for the position. Board chair Sam Anderson said he’s comfortable with this decision, but Kesler’s hiring is not sitting well with Knox County Mayor
Tim Burchett, who has tangled over budget matters with Beck’s leadership in the past. “I’m gravely concerned. We’ve had some issues with the leadership and the bookkeeping at Beck, and we’ll just have to see what kind of relationship we’ll have going forward,” Burchett said, adding that he believes the Beck Center is “grossly underutilized.” The Beck Center is at 1927 Dandridge Ave. in the former home of the late James Garfield Beck and Ethel Benson Beck, who were leading African-American educators and entrepreneurs. The Beck Center has been renovated and
expanded in the past decade and contains extensive collections of history and artifacts of East Tennessee’s African-American community as well as a large meeting hall and space for children and others to access computers and tutoring services. The Beck Center is slated to receive $25,000 each from the city and county (a total of $50,000) this fiscal year. Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero (who replaced Kesler as city community development director in 2007) was more positive in tone than Burchett: “The Beck Center is a commu-
nity treasure for all of Knoxville. Its archives hold materials of great historical and cultural significance, and the city is committed to supporting its mission and future growth. On personnel matters, we respect the decisions of the Beck Center board of directors, and we will continue to work with the board and staff.” The Beck Center saw its county funding slashed from $150,000 to $12,000 in 2011, the first budget prepared by Burchett. The center’s founder and heartbeat, Robert Booker, has been serving as interim director. Fundraising is one of the executive director’s primary duties.
Dr. Black retires Dr. Robert Black knew when he was a kid that he wanted to become a veterinarian. “I didn’t think I could attain it, but I thought I might as well go ahead and try,” he says. He wanted a job where he could be outside and be his own boss. “I attained the part about being a veterinarian, but I wasn’t outside, and I wasn’t independent. I was inside most of the time, and you’re certainly never independent.” Even retirement doesn’t promise that, not with his wife, Sue, to keep him on his toes. He retired after 42 years with Central Veterinary Hospital but immediately got busy helping with Vacation Bible School.
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Read Betsy Pickle on page 9
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Horror, Shakespeare style By Wendy Smith Critics have panned William Shakespeare’s “Titus Andronicus” since it was penned in the late 16th century, but that hasn’t kept the violent play from being hugely popular with audiences, says Tom Parkhill. Parkhill is artistic director of the Tennessee Stage Company, which has brought Shakespeare to the Knoxville masses since 1991. He admits that while he doesn’t care for the play, thought to be Shakespeare’s first tragedy, he’s having a good time showcasing it on Market Square. Each summer, Shakespeare on the Square alternates two of the Bard’s works, a tragedy and a comedy, on Market Square. “Titus Andronicus” performances are Aug. 1, 3, 7, 9, 15 and 17 and “Much Ado About Nothing” is July 31, Aug. 2, 8, 10, 14 and 16. All shows begin at 7 p.m. There is no admission fee, but donations are accepted. “Titus Andronicus” is rarely performed these days, Park hill says. He describes the play as boring political discourse punctuated by acts of brutal violence.
In the Tennessee Stage Company version, much of the political discourse was cut to focus on the story of two families. In spite of scenes depicting beheadings, mutilation and crimes against humanity, no stage blood is used in the performance. Instead, cloth effects are used to represent violence. The technique doesn’t mitigate the horrible events, but makes them beautiful as well, he says. In contrast, the romantic comedy “Much Ado About Nothing” is considered one of Shakespeare’s best comedies by critics and audiences alike. It tells the story of Beatrice and Benedick, who are determined, without success, to avoid the foolishness of love. According to Parkhill, the Tennessee Stage Company is Knoxville’s only professional theater company that employs primarily local actors. The two plays mostly feature returning cast members. While actors shouldn’t take themselves too seriously, they must take the work seriously, he says.
Aaron, played by Davon Guest, strangles the Nurse, played by H. Caitlin Corbitt, in the Tennessee Stage Company’s production of “Titus Andronicus.” Photos submitted
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