North/East Shopper-News 040616

NORTH / EAST VOL. 4 NO. 14

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Holston Hills celebrates 60

BUZZ

By Cindy Taylor

Illustration by Timothy Bush

S.O.R. Losers It was good enough for Charles Dickens and Alexandre Dumas, so we think Shopper News parents, grandparents and certainly children will like it, too. Today the Shopper News introduces a 14-week serial story, “S.O.R. Losers.�

The serial story – made famous by “The Pickwick Papers� and “The Three Musketeers� – is a complete book that is published one segment at a time. “S.O.R. Losers,� the story of a misfit sports team, is written

by Newberry Award Winner Avi and illustrated by Timothy Bush. The first chapter begins today and will be followed by 13 more chapters, bringing the story to its conclusion on July 6. Each segment can be read in five to six minutes.

Sit with your child as he or she reads about the antics of Ed and Saltz. Or read the story to them, so you all can enjoy it! – S.G. Howell

‘Thanks’ from A-E Austin-East rolled out the red carpet to thank sponsors and supporters of the school.

The school hosted “A Night of Celebration and Thanks,� a live thank you card featuring the West African dancers and drummers, the Dance Company, singing by club sponsors and food served by Joslyn Johnson’s culinary arts students.

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April 6, 2016

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The Holston Hills community is celebrating 60 years as a Dogwood Trail. It is the featured trail of the Dogwood Arts Festival for 2016.

Residents have been grooming their homes, yards and gardens for months in preparation. A drive through the rolling hills affords beautiful sites that have existed for years as well as new and unexpected treasures.

One such treasure stands at the home owned by John and Wanda Sobieski. When a 275-year-old oak tree in their front yard died they reclaimed it by creating a work of art. Chainsaw artist and woodcarver Dave LaVoie carved a six-foot Lorax and other creatures into the 30-foot-tall salvaged tree trunk.

Lisa Anderson has lived in the community for more than 15 years. “This is a lovely place to live and you get a lot of support from your neighbors,� she said. “Residents are often out working in their yards.�

Special social events will be held during the Dogwood Arts Festival. On Thursday, April 14, the Holston Hills Community Club will host a cocktail party on the patio at the country club to kick off the season. An exhibit featuring local artists will be held in the ballroom. Items to be displayed include sculptures and photography.

Tickets are available for $15 and include one drink. Hors d’ oeuvres will be served and a cash bar will be available. Info: Karen. bacon58@gmail.com A ribbon cutting will be held April 15 at the community park followed by the Dogwood Luncheon at Holston Hills Country Club. State Sen. Becky Massey, a former resident of Holston Hills, Though it isn’t floral in nature a will be guest speaker.

The Holston Hills Community new and interesting addition to the Holston Hills Dogwood Trail is this Club was formed in 1937. Active at the time were Edna Fain, Ann tree carving on Wyndcroft Drive.

Hicky and Margaret Blair. Karen Bacon is a current member of the Holston Hills Community Club and an avid history buff about her neighborhood. “Dr. Edward Grubb was well known for his garden,� said Bacon. “It was shaped like a horse shoe and contained roses and large red tulips from Holland. Cars would line up bumper to bumper to pass by his garden.�

Grubb, a long-time resident of Holston Hills, lived in one of the original homes across from the country club and owned Chapman Highway Drug Store.

Blooms are already peeking out in many yards but the official date for the trail opening will be April 15. For info on the Holston Hills, other Dogwood Trails and Dogwood Arts Festival activities visit dogwoodarts.com

Adeline Sellers and Zoe Hull weed a garden bed at the ECO Garden.

Garden visits the gardens

By Shannon Carey Students in Garden Montessori School’s lower elementary class took a field trip to the ECO Garden at Knoxville Botanical Gardens for the Every Child Outdoors program. Students went on a nature scavenger hunt through the gardens, exploring the bamboo grove and dogwood trail.

Volunteers led the children in gardening crafts and planting, fertilizing and watering pansies, carrots and lettuce. The students were encouraged to return to the garden to see their crops’ progress and even to harvest some to take home. Additional crops will be donated to Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries and a local food pantry.

Info: knoxgarden.org

Read Ruth White on page 3

Prospects ponder race for county mayor

SOUP at Dara’s Knoxville SOUP will add nature to the recipe for its quarterly micro-grant event.

Doors open at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 7, at Dara’s Garden, 2637 Maryville Pike. Presentations of four community-minded projects start at 6:30. Attendees can discuss the projects over a dinner catered by Rothchild and then vote on their favorite. The winner will be announced around 8:15. A suggested donation of $5 covers dinner and a raffle ticket.

(865) 922-4136 NEWS (865) 661-8777 news@ShopperNewsNow.com Sandra Clark | Ruth White ADVERTISING SALES (865) 342-6084 ads@ShopperNewsNow.com Patty Fecco | Tony Cranmore Beverly Holland | Amy Lutheran CIRCULATION (865) 342-6200 shoppercirc@ShopperNewsNow.com

By Betty Bean Two years out from the 2018 county elections, there’s half a gaggle of candidates thinking about running for mayor.

Don’t look for County Commissioner Bob Thomas to run for re-election to his at-large commission seat in 2018, even though he’ll be finishing his first term. He’ll be too busy running for mayor.

Thomas is making plans to succeed Tim Burchett, who is termlimited. He’s tearing a page from Burchett’s campaign book and will be the guest-of-honor at an old-timey baloney-cutting May 11.

That’ll be on a Wednesday, starting at 11:30 at Powell Auction & Realty – the venue where Burchett kicked off his campaign for county mayor. “We’re expecting 1,500,� Thomas said. “The Chillbillies are playing and we’ll have R.C. Colas and Moon Pies. It’ll be a big party.�

Thomas has had a long career in radio broadcasting, once owned a hockey team and has written

Anders

Burkhardt

TV shows. He stays in close touch with his son, Jake, a TV actor who lives in Los Angeles. He says he’s anxious to take on the challenge of promoting Knox County as a tourism destination and has big plans to move forward without a tax increase.

Knox County Republican Party chair Buddy Burkhardt is also running wide open. He’s got a Facebook page, “Buddy for Knox County Mayor,� that doesn’t have much information yet, but does display

Haynes

Thomas

some spiffy-looking red “Vote for Burkhardt� T-shirts and shots of Burkhardt with GOP notables like Jeb Bush and Ben Carson.

On Dec. 12, he asked, “Ready for your Buddy for Mayor Apparel and Yard Signs? Coming SOON!!!�

Burkhardt is an electronics and information technology specialist in the Knox County Sheriff’s Office – “Today, I’m wiring up water controls in the jail. Tomorrow it’ll be computers. I’m an electronics person.�

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Next leader?

Has he run for office before? “Lord, no. I’m still debating how sound I am for even thinking about this. “I’ve been involved in Knox County politics for a little while, but I’ve been anonymous for a lot of years, intentionally. I’ve worked on a lot of campaigns, helped as many people as I could. Mayor Burchett is term-limited, so this is a good time for me to give it my best shot. In eight more years, I’ll be too old.�

Another county commissioner, Brad Anders, is also mulling a run for mayor. Anders, a former commission chair, is a lieutenant and a crisis negotiator in the Knoxville Police Department whose name used to come up as a candidate for sheriff, as well. “That one (sheriff) is not as prominent in the conversation as it once was,� Anders said. “At this point, I haven’t ruled either one of them out, and I don’t know exactly

2 • APRIL 6, 2016 • Shopper news

health & lifestyles

Leg Work Bypass gives Louisville woman legs to stand on There was no pain, nor was there any pulse in her feet.

Except for feeling as if each of her legs weighed 200 pounds, Cathy Robinson felt just fine. But the lack of pulses in her ankles told her doctor something was wrong.

“I have gone to the same primary doctor for almost 20 years, and she knows my whole family history,” said Robinson, whose mother died at 62 of heart disease.

“She said, ‘Cathy, I’m not getting a good pulse in your ankles. We need to get this checked out.’”

Testing revealed that Robinson had severe aortoiliac occlusive disease, or more simply, plaque blockage of her lower aorta and proximal leg arteries. With peripheral artery disease (or PAD), the plaque builds up in the arteries, causing them to harden and narrow and restricting the flow of oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the legs. If that blockage is severe enough it can lead to limb threat if not treated.

“I could’ve lost my legs!” said the 63-year-old Louisville woman. “I don’t have very long legs and I wanted to keep ’em so I had the surgery.”

Robinson underwent an operation called an aortobifemoral bypass. The surgery was performed by vascular surgeon Dr. Richard Young at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center this past January. Since surgery Robinson is once again enjoying shopping and playing with her grandson.

“Yesterday was my first trip to the grocery story on Senior Day,” she said, seven weeks out from the surgery. “I used to have to stop in an aisle and rest a minute. I didn’t get short of breath but I had to let my legs settle down before I could do the rest of my grocery shopping. But yesterday, I was just going through the store and I thought, ‘Oh, I’m not hurting.’ This is great!’”

Prior to the surgery, however, Robinson said, “It’s strange – it’s not pain. They don’t hurt. They don’t ache. They just feel like each of my legs weighed 200 pounds if I walked any distance.”

That was particularly true of Robinsons’ driveway, which is pitched at a 45-degree incline. “I was fine going down to the mailbox for the newspaper. Coming up? I had to

stop halfway up. I didn’t really think much about it. I just thought, ‘Well, you’re an old woman and you’re out of shape.’

But then you realize it wasn’t the kind of feeling where you’ve exercised and your muscles get all sore.’ For me, it was just a heaviness.”

That “heaviness” or claudication, is one of the symptoms of PAD. Other symptoms might include weak or undetectable pulse in the leg, muscle atrophy, discolored or smooth shiny skin that is cool to the touch, non-healing ulcers or sores in the legs or feet, and cold or numb toes. As much as 40 percent of patients have no leg pain.

“PAD is very common,” said Dr. Young, noting it is believed that anywhere from 8 to 12 million people in the United States currently have it. “The majority of cases can be treated with angioplasty and stents, but Mrs. Robinson had an extensive amount of advanced disease that was better treated with a bypass. Her aorta and common iliac arteries were nearly occluded, reducing blood flow to her lower extremities.”

“Dr. Young told me that it wasn’t an ‘emergency situation by any stretch,’” said Robinson. “But when I got to the point where I couldn’t play baseball with my grandson, I couldn’t run with him, and that’s just

heartbreaking … I said, ‘Let’s just get it done. If I’m going to have to have it, I don’t want to wait until I’m 73 instead of 63.’”

Aortobifemoral bypass has been around for at least four decades and is the preferred therapy for severe blockages of the aorta. With this bypass, a polyester tube (graft) is used to go around the blocked arteries connecting the aorta to the femoral arteries.

The aorta is the body’s major artery out of the heart. Near the belly button level, the aorta branches to form the two iliac arteries. At groin level, the iliac arteries become the femoral arteries.

Despite the extensiveness of the surgery, it took only about 90 minutes before Robinson was wheeled back into intensive care. She was back home five days later.

“I don’t think I had an idea in mind about what it would be like. I knew it was serious surgery, but I didn’t realize truly how serious it was and what all he would have to do. But you get through it, you get over it. There was a time, I will admit, when I was all drugged up that I would cry and tell me husband I really wish I hadn’t had this done, but I don’t feel that way now.

“The Fort Sanders hospital was very good to me, they were all really good,” she added. “Dr. Young was a blessing because he was so good and explains things in a way that a non-medical person can understand. He’s very positive with you even though it’s bad news.

“You don’t want to go in and hear that you’re going to have to have a bypass!

Who wants to hear that? But he’s still very positive when he’s talking about it, even though he tells you everything that could go wrong. He’s still very positive about it, and I really did like that. I can’t say enough good things about him. I would recommend him to anybody. Anybody.”

In January, Cathy Robinson underwent an aortobifemoral bypass. The procedure performed by Dr. Richard Young at Fort Sanders Regional has given Robinson the ability to enjoy life and play with her grandson.

Smoking ‘worst culprit’ in vascular disease She had tried to quit countless times That was Nov. 7 – almost three months before she underwent without success, but when doctors told an aortobifemoral byCathy Robinson her smoking could cause pass at Fort Sanders Reher to lose her legs she listened and, with gional Medical Center the help of step-down nicotine patches, with vascular surgeon gave up smoking.

Dr. Richard Young per“I know that smoking is not good for you, I’ve known it all my life,” said Robforming the surgery. inson, who had smoked for 40-plus years.

“Dr. Young told me “My Dad smoked but I never ever assothis was not going to ciated smoking with vascular problems get better,” said Rob– just cancer because that’s all you hear. inson. “He said, ‘Yes, But it was either that or, if I continued to I’m proud of you for smoke, the healing would be slower, the Dr. Richard Young quitting smoking, but grafts or the bypass may not heal corquitting is not going rectly or last like it should, or I could’ve to improve it.’ Plus, it’s hereditary too. But lost my legs.” hopefully, it won’t get worse.”

The first step in preventing Peripheral Artery Disease is recognizing the risk factors, and changing those within your control.

“Smoking is by far the worst culprit,” said Dr. Young, noting that tobacco usage dramatically increases your PAD risk and makes symptoms of PAD worse.

“Your risk can be lowered by doing several things: don’t smoke, optimize your glucose control if you’re diabetic, control and manage your blood pressure and cholesterol. You can’t pick your parents, so you can’t do anything about family history.”

“I take a cholesterol pill too. It wouldn’t matter if I went days without eating, I would still have high cholesterol because my mother and brother had that too,” said

Robinson who is also on hypertension medicine.

At 5-foot-1 and 110 pounds, Robinson’s weight is not a risk factor for her. But if you are overweight, lose the extra pounds through a healthy diet and exercise program.

“By controlling your risk factors and walking, PAD can often be managed nonoperatively,” said Dr. Young. “When management fails, interventions can be considered. Intervention is mandatory if a limb is threatened.”

For more information about vascular surgery at Fort Sanders Regional, please call 673-FORT.

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community

NORTH/EAST Shopper news • APRIL 6, 2016 • 3

A night of thanks, celebration

By Ruth White Austin-East rolled out the red carpet for some special community members last week to say thank you to sponsors and supporters of the school.

The school hosted “A Night of Celebration and Thanks,� a live thank you card featuring the West African dancers and drummers, the Dance Company, singing by club sponsor Rukiya Foster and Drishaud Hall and delicious food served up by Joslyn Johnson’s culinary arts students.

What was the school celebrating? This summer, six students will travel to Paris and Madrid – a first ever in the history of the school.

Principal Nathan Langlois called the trip a “big moment in A-E history� and was excited for the students. “Going abroad helps students discover themselves.

They will be challenged and this trip will stoke internal fires within them. A special thanks to the sponsors who Stephanie Snyder performs with are helping open doors for the Dance Company at Austin-East. them.�

The students will travel from May 28 through June 6. Anyone interested in assisting with additional exMax Davenport and penses for the trip should Danielle Pierce serve as contact Rukiya Foster at the ambassadors for Austinschool, 594-3792.

East as this year’s Mr. and Miss AE. Photos by R. White

COMMUNITY NOTES â– Alice Bell Spring Hill Neighborhood Association. Info: Ronnie Collins, 637-9630. â– Beaumont Community Organization. Info: Natasha Murphy, 936-0139. â– Belle Morris Community Action Group meets 7 p.m. each second Monday, City View Baptist Church, 2311 Fine Ave. Info: bellemorris. com or Rick Wilen, 524-5008. â– Chilhowee Park Neighborhood Association meets 6:30 p.m. each last Tuesday, Administration Building, Knoxville Zoo. Info: Paul Ruff, 696-6584. â– Edgewood Park Neighborhood Association meets 7 p.m. each third Tuesday, Larry Cox Senior

Center, 3109 Ocoee Trail. Info: edgewoodpark.us. â– Excelsior Lodge No. 342 meets 7:30 p.m. each Thursday, 10103 Thorn Grove Pike.

Info: Bill Emmert, 933-6032 or w.emmert@att.net. ■Family Community Education – Carter Club meets 10 a.m. each second Tuesday, Carter Senior Center, 9036 Asheville Highway. Info: Anne Winstead, 933-5821. ■First District Democrats meet each first Monday, Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Info: Harold Middlebrook, haroldmiddlebrook@gmail.com; Mary Wilson, marytheprez@ yahoo.com. ■Historic Fourth & Gill Neighborhood Organization meets 6:30 p.m. each second Monday, Central UMC, 201 Third Ave. Info: Liz Upchurch, 898-1809, lizupchurch1@

History award nominations sought The East Tennessee Historical Society (ETHS) invites nominations from across East Tennessee for Awards of Excellence in the field of history. The annual awards recognize individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the preservation, promotion, programming and interpretation of the region’s history. The postmark deadline for award applications is April 8.

Info/nomination form: 215-8824; eastTNhistory. org; East Tennessee Historical Society, PO Box 1629, Knoxville, TN 37901.

Danielle Pierce dances with the West African dance group during the celebration.

Prospects for mayor

gmail.com.

Caldwell, 329-9943.

â– Inskip Community Association meets 6 p.m. each fourth Tuesday, Inskip Baptist Church, 4810 Rowan Road. Info: Betty Jo Mahan, 679-2748 or bettymahan@ knology.net.

â– Second District Democrats meet 6 p.m. each second Thursday, New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, 2504 Cecil Ave. Info: Rick Staples, 385-3589 or funnyman1@ comic.com.

â– Oakwood Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association meets 6:30 p.m. each first Monday, Community Club House, 916 Shamrock Ave. Info: Bill Hutton, 773-5228 or s_wlhutton@yahoo.com.

â– Thorn Grove Rebekah Lodge No. 13 meets 7:30 p.m. each second and fourth Monday, 10103 Thorn Grove Pike. Info: Mary Jo Poole, 599-7698 or mjp1101@aol.com.

â– Old North Knoxville meets 6:30 p.m. each second Monday, St. James Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 1101 N. Broadway.

â– Town Hall East. Info: Eston Williams, 406-5412 or eston_williams@yahoo.com; facebook. com/townhalleast/info.

what the drop-dead decision date is.�

Anders has served as a commissioner since 2008 and has been with KPD for 24 years, and said he has professional and family decisions to make before he can think about running for mayor. “A lot of things would have to click in the right way for that to happen,� Anders said.

Former state Rep. Ryan Haynes is also believed to be a potential candidate.

Haynes, who resigned from the General Assembly to become state Republican Party chair, pooh-poohs that notion. When pressed he offered this statement: “I’ll say this. I’m flattered my name has been mentioned, but I have a job to

â– Parkridge Community Organization meets 6:30 p.m. each first Monday except holidays, Cansler YMCA, 616 Jessamine St. Info: Jerry

" "

do, and it’s way premature to start a new campaign season when the current one isn’t even over. The last thing we need is individual interests dividing up our communities.�

And, finally, there’s Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond, who could not be reached for comment.

Court clerks are not subject to term limits, and Hammond, a former county commissioner who was elected clerk in 2014, is considered an unlikely mayoral contender.

All the candidates listed are Republicans. Democratic Party chair Cameron Brooks says so far no Democrats have expressed interest in the office.

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4 • APRIL 6, 2016 • Shopper news

Honors weekend for Tennessee track Track and field Volunteers from the golden era of Chuck Rohe and Stan Huntsman will honor 50 years of Ed Murphey Award winners Friday at a country club reception and dinner.

On Saturday, the University of Tennessee track program will recognize a lifetime of contributions by Terry Hull Crawford, former champion runner and women’s coach at UT, Texas and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. She evolved into coaching coaches for USA Track and Field.

Terry, many track alumni and guests will be treated to a reunion dinner in a showplace segment of Neyland Stadium. Coach Beth Alford-Sullivan will discuss current Volunteers.

A few good men lifted Ten-

The Murphey Award does not struggle with such chaos. It is presented each year for the outstanding Marvin performance by a Volunteer.

West It originated in 1965 as a gift from the legendary Ed Murphey.

What a story he was. nessee to third place at the In the mid-1950s, Murrecent NCAA indoor cham- phey played trumpet in pionships. Women ran sev- the Pride of the Southland band. He was manager for enth.

Alas, there will be no the basketball team, reserious running, jumping sponsible for clean practice or throwing at Tom Black uniforms and dry towels.

Track this weekend. It is He asked coach John bogged down in a rehabili- Sines, also the track coach, tation project that was sup- if it would be OK to go out posed to have been finished for track. months ago. Critics say big Sines’ response was hisbuildings have been built toric: “OK Murph, just don’t faster. Optimists say, if all get in anybody’s way.�

He didn’t. He ran the eventually goes well, there will be a home track meet or fastest mile ever on the cinthree next spring. der track around Shields-

Trust hard to come by during school threats The parents who attended Karen Carson’s meeting at Farragut High School were calm, but when they spoke, the tension of dealing with four separate school threats was evident.

They voiced concerns about who was in charge during a crisis − the school or the sheriff’s office? They questioned whether kids should be locked down in classrooms if there was potentially a bomb in the building. One was upset about not being able to help a child who got sick while on lockdown in the football stadium.

Mostly, they were frustrated over a lack of trustworthy communication.

What kind of threats were being made, and how were students being kept safe?

Wendy Smith

While the safety of students is the highest priority, there’s a delicate balance between enough and too much information, explained District 5 school board member Carson. Too little info frustrates parents; too much inspires copycats.

It’s a legitimate concern. Threats at Farragut Intermediate, Hardin Valley Academy and Hardin Valley Elementary schools followed the Farragut High threats.

Knox County Schools

Chief of Security Gus Paidousis explained why communicating during a crisis is a challenge. The only thing worse than no information is bad information, and when things are constantly changing, it’s difficult to provide accurate information, he said. Too much information could also allow someone who intends harm to anticipate strategy and do more damage.

Carson asked parents not to call the school during a crisis, but to trust that staff are doing everything they can to protect kids. Superintendent Jim McIntyre said schools need to communicate with parents, but after that, parents need to trust that the best decisions are being made.

Watkins Field. He set a Southeastern Conference record in cross-country.

He won the SEC mile three consecutive years. He won all-America recognition. “Ed Murphey was a champion when champions were few at Tennessee,� said the late Tom Siler.

You may have heard of some who received Murphey Awards: Richmond Flowers, Willie Gault, Lawrence Johnson, Justin Gatlin, Aries Merritt and Justin Hunter.

Terry Hull Crawford has a national prize named for her – the Terry Crawford Women’s Program of the Year Award.

Terry goes back to the late 1960s, the beginning of women’s sports at UT. Charlie Durham bought a

That’s a tall order for parents. Those of us with teenage children remember the shock of Columbine.

We were horrified by the murders at Virginia Tech, and we grieved with the parents of the innocents killed at Sandy Hook Elementary.

Local incidents like shootings at Central High School and Inskip Elementary School have also impacted us.

We know, rationally, that these are rare events. But all of us have imagined hearing the news that there’s been an incident at our child’s school.

It’s easy to imagine a student plotting to cancel classes for a day or two by writing a threatening mes-

newspaper ad announcing that the Knoxville Track Club was forming a women’s team. About 50 girls and women, ages 10 to 20, responded. Terry, 17, out of Greeneville High School, was in the group.

She became a three-time Volunteer all-American, winning the national 220 and 440 in 1969 and the 880 in 1970. She competed in the World University Games and Pan-American Games and twice got close to Olympic teams.

Terry came back as coach of women’s track. Her 1981 team won the national championship, first in any women’s sport at Tennessee. Among her other distinctions was the recruitment of sprinter and jumper Holly Warlick from Bearden High. Holly also wanted to try basketball. The rest is history.

There came a time when Texas offered Terry a better coaching opportunity (more money). Tennessee athletic director Bob Woodruff listened as Terry explained.

He could have countered.

He didn’t.

Terry went to Austin.

Her Longhorns won five NCAA championships and 18 Southwest Conference titles. Her 1986 team was the only triple winner in history – indoors, outdoors and in cross-country.

Terry reappeared at the World and Pan-Am games as coach of U.S. teams. She was America’s coach at the 1988 Olympics. She won enough meets and produced enough all-Americans to coach 17 years at Cal PolySan Luis Obispo.

The track world and I see her as a national treasure.

Marvin West invites reader reaction. His address is westwest6@netzero.com

Farragut junior Viktoria Ohstrom speaks as principal Stephanie Thompson, left, looks on.

sage on the wall. But, as Carson said, every threat has to be treated as if it’s real, which calls for lockdowns, bomb squads and bomb-sniffing dogs. Those things can make any parent less than rational, less able to trust.

Parents are not the only ones affected. Farragut High School junior Viktoria Ohstrom spoke up at the meeting to say that she

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didn’t know what was happening during last week’s threat, and it seemed like teachers didn’t know, either. “That’s what scares people. Not the threats.�

Communication is important, but the only thing that parents and students really want to hear is that the crisis is over and all is well. Until that’s the message, it will be hard to trust.

We’ve seen too much.

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Jo the conversation at Join www.ShopperNewsNow.com w ww

Shopper news • APRIL 6, 2016 • 5

Revered Ag teacher blooms in new garden Two years ago, life looked grim for Mike Blankenship.

Betty Bean At a time when he was facing serious family illnesses, he was notified that his agricultural program at North Knox Career Technical Education Center in Halls was being disbanded because of declining enrollment. His students were distraught. “2014 was a very tumultuous time. My son passed away, then my dad p a s s e d away three m o n t h s later. Two deaths in the family – plus the spiraling down Blankenship process at work. Anytime you’re RIFed, it’s tough.�

But his students, particularly rising seniors Ryan Cox and James Dunn, decided to fight for their Future Farmers of America club and their teacher. When CTE supervisor Don Lawson found a spot for Blankenship at the Career Magnet Academy in East Knox County, their efforts spurred him to allow Blankenship to spend part

Career Magnet Academy FFA members at their first state convention this spring: (front) Paul Stiles, Lauren Williams, Brittany Read, Darby Swanson; (back) Josh Rutherford, Tylor Gann and Tobias DuBose.

of the school day at North Knox, so Cox, Dunn and their classmates could finish their agriculture studies and continue to participate in FFA. It involved a lot of driving, but Blankenship says the commute was a snap compared to his first 12 years of teaching when he made a 50-mile round trip to and from his home in Gibbs to Doyle High School (he has been a teacher with Knox County Schools for 37 years).

This year, he’s at CMA full-time, and has found a

niche in the school’s Sustainable Pathway, where 13 students – most from north and east Knox County – enrolled in the program. One has moved, so he’s down to 12, still twice the number he was teaching at the Halls campus. He is proud that 11 of them will be headed “upstairs� next year to take college-level classes (CMA is housed on the ground floor of the Strawberry Plains Pike branch of Pellissippi State), and he’s proud of the brand-new FFA Chapter TNO337 he’s established there.

His teaching day starts with an agricultural science class, and he’s added an agricultural business and finance class in the second term and hopes to expand into business finance. “Our pathway is a little different from any other program in the county. This is all so new, like building a plane – you look out and we’re working on this wing.

We’re always in transition.

No two days are alike.�

Blankenship is also teaching college and career readiness to ninth-graders, beginning the process of preparing them for the future. He is proud that his students will be able to enroll in dual-credit (college level) courses that will put them far along the path to college degrees.

But one thing he misses is having a greenhouse like the one he built on the Halls campus, where he maintained an annual Christmas tradition of raising and selling poinsettias. “Oh, I miss it. But we’re working on that. It’s still in the talking stage, but we’ve ID’d potential locations.�

Overall, Blankenship is grateful for the new challenge and optimistic about the future. “I am not an ax grinder,� he said. “Whatever is put in front of me, I’ll do my best to reach young people. I’m still standing.�

Ashes, McIntyre (not that one) tour Cuba Three weeks ago, my wife Joan and I, along with my sister-in-law Kathy Ashe from Atlanta, joined a Yale Alumni Tour of Cuba for 10 days. It was fascinating. As Joan says, it was a trip not a vacation.

Also on the trip was another Knoxvillian, Dr. Anne McIntyre, who is a retired UT professor of psychology and lives in Sequoyah Hills.

We flew into Santiago from Miami on the eastern end of the island not far from Guantanamo Bay where the United States has a military facility. For the next six days we journeyed across the island and ultimately arrived in Havana two days after President Obama’s visit.

While the people were friendly and genuinely seem to want an improved relationship with the U.S., the economy and lifestyle were clearly third world. Cuba is longer than Tennessee (about 700 miles) and the eastern end has been neglected by various regimes.

Deferred maintenance is the order of the day as many historic buildings were collapsing or close to it. Carts were pulled by oxen or horses including carts used as taxis to transport people.

Victor Ashe

The cars are in large part holdovers from the 1950s which have been continually restored due to the embargo and lack of new vehicles being imported. On the other hand, the bus we rode in was brand new as were most buses for tourists. Internet service was spotty at best and expensive for Cubans ($2 an hour).

Hotels outside Havana were clean but basic in their service. Parts of Havana itself were modern and current and other parts were collapsing. The drive we took from Ernest Hemingway’s home outside Havana to the central part of the city passed several highly impoverished areas.

Havana itself has an incredible old city which exceeds San Juan in Puerto Rico in size but has been neglected since the Castro revolution.

While President Obama made overturns to the Cuban people, he had not been gone more than one day be-

Dr. Anne McIntyre, former Mayor Victor Ashe and Joan Ashe at the Ernest Hemingway house in Havana on a recent trip to Cuba with Yale Alumni Travel. Both Victor Ashe and McIntyre are Yale graduates and live in Knoxville.

fore his remarks were blasted by Fidel Castro who stills lives and appears from time to time in well-planned venues. But it was Fidel’s brother, Raul, the current president, who hosted Obama.

It was also clear that change is coming to Cuba, but at a very measured pace.

In terms of infrastructure and advancing into this century for their economic well-being the country is 30 years behind. In terms of democratic processes, it’s not there in any meaningful way. ■Blount Mansion

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is hosting a dinner talk on Molsey Blount, wife of Gov. William Blount, by Dr. Nancy McEntee at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 14, at Holly’s Gourmet Market.

Tickets, $60 each, can be reserved at 865-525-2375.

Proceeds go to Blount Mansion.

Not a lot is known about her, but like many wives, she was very influential after she moved here in 1792.

This year, which is the 225th birthday year of the Knoxville, is also the 90th anniversary of the Blount Mansion Association which

government

Mayor Tim Burchett with Jackie Booker Griffin at Jackie’s Dream.

Burchett boosts Jackie’s Dream CafÊ The place was packed, but no one was complaining when Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett and his people came to lunch at Jackie’s Dream.

Jackie’s Dream CafĂŠ opened March 6, 2015, at 2223 McCalla Avenue. It was a life dream for owner Jackie Booker Griffin. “I come from a family that cooks,â€? she writes on her website. “It’s what my mother, grandmother and uncles taught me. “We made our own jelly, chow-chow, pickles. My grandfather had chickens

so we had fresh eggs. We hardly ever went to the store. We made everything from scratch, and I continue to do it that way. Everything is peeled, cut and chopped here. We eliminate cans whenever we can. I had fresh green beans and corn all summer long.�

Since taking office, Burchett has used the occasional Dutch-treat lunch with the mayor to showcase locally owned restaurants.

This one is known for its soul food and hot chicken.

Hours and menu are online at jackiesdream.com

We’re cooking!

The District 6 Democratic Party is always angling to get pictures into the Shopper. There are the frequent trash pick-ups, the various parades, the frequent guest speakers. But the March meeting takes the prize.

Seems county commission candidate Donna Lucas was guest speaker. Janice Spoone said some members arrived early to find a fire truck at the Karns Middle School, smoke everywhere and their library meeting place closed.

Mike Knapp rushed to “We’re Cooking� to arrange a meeting space while Spoone and the school librarian found paper, markers and tape to post notices of the meeting change. The smoke was from a new heating/ air system and all is well. “You would have loved the excitement,� wrote Spoone. “Other than the fact that I probably smelled like smoke, we had a good group for the Lucas campaign meeting.�

saved this historic house from being turned into a parking lot in 1926.

Dr. McEntee has written a book titled “Molsey Blount: Colonial First Lady of Tennessee.� ■Groundbreak ing for the new $160 million State Museum in Nashville is today with Gov. Haslam and author Jon Meacham leading the ceremony.

The new facility is needed, but its design has been roundly criticized by several architects. The firm employed is from Minnesota with little knowledge of Tennessee as several

Tennessee firms, including Knoxville’s McCarty Holsaple, were rejected.

The Nashville Scene has described it as “a dumb box of a porch with no time or place and mute to the expressive powers of architecture.� The Museum Commission on which I serve had no role in the design of the building. The final say was made at a higher level.

I hope the governor takes another look at this design after the ground is broken so that like our State Capitol it is seen as an iconic building 50 to 100 years from now.

6 • APRIL 6, 2016 • NORTH/EAST Shopper news

SENIOR NOTES ■ Carter Senior Center 9040 Asheville Highway 932-2939 Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Offerings include: card games; exercise programs; arts and crafts; movie matinee each Friday; Senior Meals program noon each Wednesday.

Spring has burst onto the scene with a dazzling array of color. For the past two weeks breath-taking blooms in purple, pink and white have covered the trees, have brought smiles to even the dourest of curmudgeons.

Flowering pears, redbuds and cherry blossoms let us know that those dogwood buds are closely behind.

Soon the Dogwood Trails and Festival will begin, with multiple venues and varied events to visit.

And yet, something is missing...

I remember the Dogwood Festivals from simpler times, as a festival celebrating our East Tennessee heritage on Market Square. The bluegrass competition, with fiddlers and banjo players, along with steel guitars and washboard players and mandolins, jamming in the door-

Register for: Mighty Musical Monday, 11 a.m.

Monday, April 11; lunch available, $5. Free beginner computer class, 2 p.m.

Tuesday, April 12.

■ Corryton Senior Center 9331 Davis Drive 688-5882 knoxcounty.org/seniors Monday-Friday Hours vary Offerings include: exercise classes; cross-stitch, card games; dominoes, crochet, quilting, billiards; Senior Meals program, 11 a.m. each Friday.

Register for: Free CPR and AED course, 1-3 p.m. Friday, April 8. Super Seniors meeting, 10:30 a.m.

Tuesday, April 12. Veterans Services, 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 12; info/registration: 215-5645.

■ Larry Cox Senior Center 3109 Ocoee Trail 546-1700 Monday-Friday Offerings include: exercise programs; bingo; arts and crafts classes.

Authors talk books Clayton Brewer, published poet, and Sam Venable, local author and columnist, swap books when Venable visits residents at Morning Pointe Senior Living and Alzheimer’s Memory Care of Powell.

Venable has written several books – mostly comedies. Brewer holds Venable’s book titled “Warning! This Book Contains Nuttiness: A Look at the Bizarre World in Which We Live.” Venable holds Brewer’s book of poems called “Pathways Ahead.”

■ John T. O’Connor Senior Center 611 Winona St. 523-1135 knoxseniors.org/oconnor. html Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Offerings include: Card games, billiards, senior fitness, computer classes, bingo, blood pressure checks 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Monday-Friday. Free tax preparation available 9 a.m. Wednesdays through April 13.

Shopper s t n e V enews

Send items to news@ShopperNewsNow.com

THROUGH SUNDAY, APRIL 17 “Annie, Jr.,” Knoxville Children’s Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Ave. Performances: 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 1 and 5 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays.

Info: 208-3677; knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com; info@ childrenstheatreknoxville.com.

MONDAYS THROUGH APRIL 25 QED Experimental Comedy Lab, 7:30-9:30 p.m., The Pilot Light, 106 E. Jackson Ave. Free comedy show blending stand-up, improv, sketch and other performance styles. Donations accepted.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6 International Folk Dance Class, 7:30-10 p.m., Claxton Community Center, 1150 Edgemoor Road, Clinton. Info: Paul Taylor, 898-5724; oakridgefolkdancers.org; on Facebook.

THURSDAY, APRIL 7 Bee Friends beekeeping group meeting, 6:30 p.m., auditorium, Tazewell Campus of Walters State.

Club members will be discussing their experiences of this spring season and exchanging ideas and answering questions. Open to everyone interested in beekeeping.

Big Ridge 4th District Neighborhood Watch meeting, 7 p.m., Big Ridge Elementary School library.

Info: 992-5212.

Celebrate National Poetry Month with Rose Klix, noon, Halls Senior Center, 4405 Crippen Road.

Participants receive complimentary poetry book from Klix. Info: 922-0416.

Pop-Up Chess, 6-8 p.m., Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Open to all ages and skill levels. Info: 525-5431.

FRIDAY, APRIL 8 Reception for new Knoxville Watercolor Society exhibit, 6:30-8 p.m., Fountain City Art

Center, 213 Hotel Ave. Exhibit on display through May 4.

Info: 357-2787.

Scruffy City Orchestra inaugural concert, 7:30 p.m., First Baptist Church of Knoxville, 510 W Main St. Program: “Old Friends, New Faces.” Admission: $5 at the door. Debit and credit cards accepted. Info: facebook.com/scruffycityorchestra.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, APRIL 8-9 Children’s consignment sale, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

Friday and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Bookwalter UMC, 4218 Central Avenue Pike. Saturday is half-off day.

Presale, 6-8 p.m. Thursday, April 7. Consigning info: 689-3349.

SATURDAY, APRIL 9 Benefit singing and bake sale, 5 p.m., Rutherford Memorial UMC, 8715 Corryton Road. Featuring: Dorothy Mitchell, Crimson Ridge, Nicole Doyal, Roger and Amanda Theilen, the Rutherford Memorial Praise Team and House Upon the Rock. All proceeds go to Marisha Dotson, who is fighting a rare form of Stage 3 cancer. Info: Anita Duval, 394-1175.

Churchwide yard sale, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Powell Presbyterian Church, 2910 W. Emory Road.

Housewares, furniture, toys, clothes, books, movies and more. All proceeds go to ministry. Info: 938-8311 or powellpcusa.org.

Community Fun Fest and Ministry Awareness Event, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Luttrell Park. Luttrell. Activities include: vendors, silent auction, play area, bounce house, singing food, fun crafts and more.

“Cooking Wild” class, 10 a.m.-noon, Clinton Physical Therapy Center, 1921 N. Charles G. Seivers Blvd., Clinton. Instructors: Camille Watson, holistic health coach, and herbalist Danna Sharp of Wisteria Herbs. Cost: $39. Preregistration deadline: Wednesday, April 6. Info/registration: 457-1649.

Evening of Storytelling, 7-9 p.m., Mac Smith Resource Center, 1936 Liberty Hill Road, Washburn.

Info: 497-2753 or community@narrowridge.org.

Kitten and cat adoption fair, noon-6 p.m., West Town PetSmart adoption center, 214 Morrell Road.

Sponsored by Feral Feline Friends of East Tennessee.

Info: www.feralfelinefriends.org.

Love is the Answer: Youth Open Mic, 1-4 p.m., Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway.

Info: outsey2@hotmail.com or 306-7070.

Northside Kiwanis Pancake Jamboree and Bake Sale, 7 a.m.-2 p.m., Saint John’s Lutheran Church, Broadway at Emory Place. All proceeds support the club’s community service activities. Tickets available at the door: $12 for a family of four; $5 for individuals.

Info: Bill Larson, 693-8845.

Rain barrel workshop, 10 a.m.-noon, Church of the Good Shepherd, 5773 Jacksboro Pike. Sponsored by the Water Quality Forum. Cost: $40 per barrel.

Preregistration required. Info/registration: Kellie, kcaughor@utk.edu or 974-2151.

Nick Della Volpe

ways around the square until they got their turn on the center stage.

Can you picture your neighbor doing a bit of dosee-do-ing? Or gawking at craftsmen like Jesse Butcher and women from Tellico Plains, weaving soaked oak slats into butt baskets and such, while Alex Stewart and his grandson were riving cedar staves with draw knives, on raw wood snugged by that foot-driven work bench, into butter churns and pidgins right before your eyes?

There were gals in gingham dresses plucking feath-

ers from nervous geese while smiling seamstresses stitched quilts and coverlets ready for stuffing.

Not to mention the drifting smells of warm stack cakes layered with applesauce and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Yum! Hey, what about that blacksmith shaping hot iron with a hammer and anvil?

Or them ol’ knife swappers and whittlers in the corner?

A little nostalgia is a good thing. And, while you are at it, Knoxville, why not bring some of that genuine heritage back to the Dogwood Festival?

“Down through the corn leading down through the river, Her hair shone like gold in the hot morning sun.

She took all the love that a poor boy could give her, And left me to die like a fox on the run...”

Pellissippi State schedules choral concert, design showcase Pellissippi State Community College will hold its final musical performance of the year Thursday, April 28.

The Spring Choral Concert will feature musical performances by the college’s students in Concert Chorale and Variations Ensemble.

The free concert will begin at 7 p.m. in the Clayton Performing Arts Center, 10915 Hardin Valley Road.

The concert is part of The Arts at Pellissippi State, which brings to the community cultural activities ranging from music and theatre to international celebrations, lectures and the fine arts.

The work of Pellissippi State students in the Communication Graphics Technology program will be on display at the CGT Student Design Showcase April 18May 1.

A reception will be held from 4-8 p.m. Thursday, April 21, giving community members the opportunity to meet students and discuss their design work. The free exhibit and reception will be held in the Bagwell Center for Media and Art, 10915 Hardin Valley Road. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Info: www.pstcc.edu/arts or call 865-694-6400.

MONDAY, APRIL 11 Coffee, Donuts and a Movie: “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” 10:30 a.m., Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Info: 525-5431.

Family Movie Night: “The Good Dinosaur,” 5:30 p.m., Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Info: 525-5431.

TUESDAY, APRIL 12 Knoxville Civil War Roundtable meeting, 8 p.m., Bearden Banquet Hall, 5806 Kingston Pike.

Speaker: Scott Mingus. Topic: The Louisiana Tigers in the Gettysburg Campaign. Dinner, 7 p.m. Cost: $5 lecture only; $17, dinner and lecture. RSVP by noon Monday, April 11 to 671-9001.

Paulette 6th District Neighborhood Watch meeting, 7 p.m., Paulette Elementary School cafeteria.

Info: 992-5212.

“Salvage Jewelry” class, 6-9 p.m., Appalachian Arts Craft Center, 2716 Andersonville Highway, Norris.

Instructor: Sarah Brobst. Info/registration: 494-9854; appalachianarts.net.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13 Computer Workshop: Word Basics, 2-4:15 p.m., Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway.

Requires “Introducing the Computer” or equivalent skills. Info/registration: 525-5431.

“DIY: Learn how to make eco-friendly home cleaners,” 2-3:30 p.m., Humana Guidance Center, 640 Plaza, 4438 Western Ave. Free and open to the public.

Info: 329-8892, TTY: 711.

International Folk Dance Class, 7:30-10 p.m., Claxton Community Center, 1150 Edgemoor Road, Clinton. Info: Paul Taylor, 898-5724; oakridgefolkdancers.org; on Facebook.

THURSDAY, APRIL 14 Austin-East Magnet High School Artists’ Reception, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Light hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be provided. Info: 525-5431.

“Beginning Writing” workshop, 6-8 p.m., Appalachian Arts Craft Center, 2716 Andersonville Highway, Norris. Instructor: Kathleen Fearing.

Registration deadline: April 7. Info/registration: 4949854; appalachianarts.net.

“Getting Your House in Order” seminar, 10-11 a.m.., North Knoxville Medical Center, 7565 Dannaher Drive, Sister Elizabeth Room. Free; registration required. Info/registration: 1-855-TENNOVA (8366682) or Tennova.com.

“Ginseng: Gold in the Smoky Mountains,” 3:154:30 p.m., Humana Guidance Center, 4438 Western Ave. Presented by Master Gardener Janie Bitner. Free and open to the public. Info: 329-8892.

faith

NORTH/EAST Shopper news • APRIL 6, 2016 • 7

A new orchestra in the Scruffy City

By Carol Z. Shane Knoxville is bursting with Rhythm ‘n’ Blooms this weekend, and music and art of all types abound.

One fairly “new kid on the block� is the Scruffy City Orchestra, Knoxville’s first and only community orchestra. They’ll be presenting their very first concert, “Old Friends, New Faces,� this Friday.

The orchestra will be led by two local conductors, Ace Edewards and Matt Wilkinson, who’ve been on board from the beginning.

Wilkinson, a cellist, veteran of the Knox County “Strings in the Schools� program and currently director of the Maryville High School Orchestra, says, “A group of community members that played in the Maryville community orchestra while I was the conductor contacted me about starting a Knoxville community orchestra, and after a night at Central Flats and Taps we formed the Scruffy City Orchestra

and board. The idea is creating an atmosphere for amateur musicians to have a place to perform quality classical music.�

Edewards, a singer and conductor with a distinguished international pedigree, moved here last year to be with his wife, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra violinist Ruth Bacon (the two recently celebrated their first anniversary.) He conducted the highly successful production of “Amahl and the Night Visitors� last December at St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, and in the past few months has taken on conducting projects in South Carolina, Arizona and Mexico. “There seemed to be a need for a community orchestra in Knoxville,� says Edewards. “We put out the word to everyone we knew, and we had quite a few people show up on the first night.

Little by little we’ve filled out the ranks.

Everyone is a music-loving amateur.�

The program includes the well-

known, well-loved first movement of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, a stately selection from Sir Edward Elgar’s “Enigma Variations� and a medley from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical “The Phantom of the Opera.� Master of ceremonies will be Kevin Richard Doherty, operatic baritone and host and producer of “The Early Morning Concert� on WUOT, 91.9 FM. Anyone who is interested in playing on future rehearsals and concerts is urged to contact the SCO. “All are welcome� says Edewards. “Having a lot of people wanting to play is a good problem to have, and we will certainly do our best to give all who are willing an opportunity to participate.�

The Scruffy City Orchestra’s spring concert, “Old Friends, New Faces,� will be presented at 7:30 p.m. this Friday, April 8, at First Baptist Church, 510 W. Main St. in Knoxville. General admission is $5 at the door, and credit/debit cards are accepted. Info: on Facebook.

At the Lonsdale worksite are Spanish translator Benatto Lazo, Cindy Zimbrich, Colbi Young, Mike Wright, Tina Brogdon; (back) John Tapp, Todd Stewart, Mike Brogdon and Brody Young.

Making a difference one block at a time

By Nancy Anderson Pastor Todd Stewart and Mike Brogdon, Lonsdale community ministry leader, led a team of 40 members of Grace Baptist Church on April 2 for their monthly mission to make a difference in the Lonsdale community.

The Adopt-A-Block team meets the first Saturday of each month, visiting 150200 homes to give small gifts and offering prayer or minor house repairs. “We usually have a small practical gift to offer, like 9-volt batteries for their smoke alarms or light bulbs.

If they’re elderly or unable, we’ll replace it for them. If they need minor repairs and own their home, we’ll make a note of that and refer it on to The Crew, a ministry of folks at the church who will come out to do those repairs.�

Stewart said they don’t perform the repairs as acts of charity. “We are not a system

that just gives things away.

We ask them if they have a friend or family member who can help us with the work or if they can help purchase materials. We’re about empowering people for life transformation so they can accomplish the things they want and the things God wants.�

There are big things on the horizon for the Adopt-ABlock program.

A Lonsdale house was donated to the church, and the city of Knoxville has a building they’re willing to rent for $1 a year.

Stewart hopes to start a medical clinic in the front part of the building and possibly conduct English as second language and job skills training in the back.

The house will be renovated and offered for rent with the funds going toward the purchase and renovation of another house in the area. “We’d like to help provide

Let them see what they’ve done!

Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

(Matthew 27: 55 NRSV) Yes, Easter is past, but I am convinced that Easter is like Christmas: it is never “over.�

I am still processing something I wrote last week: “Isn’t it odd that not one of that blood-thirsty crowd bothered to stand at the foot of the cross and actually witness the agony of their victim?�

The 11 disciples who remained (Judas committed suicide after his betrayal of Jesus) were in hiding, fearful of the Jewish leaders. Simon Peter – who had declared his allegiance to Jesus, promising to die with him, if need be – hid, cowering behind closed doors.

However, the women who followed Jesus were at the foot of the cross.

The Gospels give differing accounts of which women, exactly, but Mary, the mother of James and Joseph (who was arguably also the mother of Jesus), Mary Magdalene, Salome, the un-named mother of the sons of Ze-

Cross Currents

Lynn Pitts

bedee, and Mary, the wife of Clopas are mentioned.

It is fair to point out that women counted for nothing in that culture, so they were no threat to the Roman soldiers who were carrying out the execution. Women were of no consequence in the eyes of the soldiers.

Still, I am reminded of what Jacqueline Kennedy said after the assassination of her husband.

When they were finally aboard Air Force One, flying to Washington, someone gently suggested to Mrs. Kennedy that she change out of the bloodspattered pink suit she was still wearing. “No,� she said emphatically. “Let them see what they’ve done!�

FAITH NOTES â– Church of God of Knoxville, 5912 Thorn Grove Pike, will hold a revival 7 p.m. through Saturday, April 9, and 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sunday, April 10. Evangelist will be Bryant Owen, pastor of the Church of God in Asheville, N.C. Info: 522-9520. â– First Comforter Church, 5516 Old Tazewell

Pike, hosts MAPS (Mothers At Prayer Service) noon each Friday. Info: Edna Hensley, 771-7788. â– Trentville and Pleasant Hill UMC will host a Spring Tea 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 24, at Trentville UMC, 9215 Strawberry Plains Pike.

Donations welcome. Proceeds go to Children’s Ministries.

them a beautiful, safe place to live – some place they can be proud to call home where the rent is fixed and affordable. There seems to be a gap between programs like Habitat for Humanity and other housing programs.

We’d like to fill that gap with safety and security,� Stewart said.

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kids Kindergarten Roundup is April 12 Kindergarten Round-up for the 2016-2017 school year will be held in all Knox County elementary schools Tuesday, April 12.

To enter kindergarten, children should be 5 years old by Aug. 15. To enroll their children in kindergarten during round-up, parents need to bring the child’s birth certificate, proof of up-to-date immunizations and health/ physical examination, and proof of residency within the school zone.

■ Belle Morris – 3:305:30 p.m. Info: 594-1277 ■ Carter – 3:30-6 p.m.

Info: 933-4172 ■ Christenberry – 3-6 p.m. Info: 594-8500 ■ East Knox County – 4-6 p.m. Info: 933-3493 ■ Green Magnet – 3:305:30 p.m. Info: 594-1324 ■ Sarah Moore Greene Magnet – 4-6 p.m. Info: 594-1328 ■ Spring Hill – 3:305:30 p.m. Info: 594-1365

8 • APRIL 6, 2016 • NORTH/EAST Shopper news

Café honors academic achievers

■ Sunnyview Primary – 8-10 a.m. and 3-5 p.m. Info: 594-1173

Culinary arts students at Austin-East Magnet High School served up lunch in the Roadrunner Café to help recognize classmates for academic achievement.

L&N STEM Academy L&N STEM Academy will host a spring concert, 7 p.m. Friday, April 29, at the Knoxville Convention Center lecture hall. Performance ensembles include the choral ensemble, string orchestra, concert band, percussion ensemble and symphony orchestra. The event is free to the public and parking will be available across the street as well as at nearby parking garages.

Ruth White

The café is open to staff members once a week, and the students always serve up a delicious lunch. But this time the guests at the café were students who have earned top grades during the semester.

The honor students ate chicken alfredo, spaghetti, garlic bread, salad and Cool Whip cake cookies in the culinary arts class, which was set up like a fine restaurant.

Alexa Sponcia with Hard Knox Pizza helped make the day possible. The business is a partnering sponsor with the group. Sponcia

Call for artists ■ Knoxville Photo 2016 Exhibition: juried exhibition of photographic works to be held June 3-24 in the main gallery of the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay St. Entries must be original works completed within the last two years.

Entry deadline: Sunday, April 17. Info/application: knoxalliance.com/photo. html.

S.O.R. Losers

done two things. Since none of us knew soccer rules, Mr. Lester read them to us.

Then we ran around in circles while he read the rules again, to himself. He didn’t know them either.

Second practice? We tried kicking the ball. Wasn’t easy.

“Gentlemen,” pleaded Mr. Lester. “We have our first game tomorrow. Doesn’t anyone know something about Kelly?”

No one said a word. The truth was going to hurt, and no one wanted to hurt Mr. Lester. He was a nice guy.

“We have to play tomorrow,” he said, as if we didn’t know. We knew it too well.

It was my special buddy, Saltz, who let it out. “Mr. Lester, Kelly no longer goes to

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brings local chefs to the a month, where they teach culinary kitchen at A-E once and mentor the class.

Students Brianna Stevenson and Jameelalah Chandler are just two of the many AustinEast students honored for academic achievement.

“a breakfast serials story”

The new team at South Orange River Middle School

“Where’s Kelly?” Mr. Lester’s face was pale. “How can we practice without Kelly?

Doesn’t anyone know where he is? It’s twothirty.”

Mr. Lester was our history teacher. I thought he was going to cry. For myself, I felt like laughing, laughing hysterically.

There were 11 of us standing behind the South Orange River Middle School, near the playing field, feeling silly in brand-new red shorts and yellow T-shirts with “S.O.R.” on our backs. If any dogcatchers had come around, they would have swooped us up for a bunch of stray mutts. On the field, kids were running, tossing, kicking, all that stuff.

During two practice sessions we had

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DeMarquise Nelson, Demetrius Johnson and Javon Turner serve lunch to students at Austin-East’s Roadrunner Café.

Written by Avi and Illustrated by Timothy Bush

CHAPTER ONE:

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Culinary arts students Nautica Hodge, Kenondra Cornelius, Santasia Cason and Essence Nail serve up Cool Whip cookies at the luncheon honoring academic achievers at Austin-East Magnet High School. Photo by R. White

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our school. His father’s job was transferred somewhere. Kelly tagged along.” I don’t think we’d had our new uniforms on for more than 30 minutes, but Saltz, a natural slob, looked like he’d slept in his for 20 years.

And he, like the rest of us, was only 12.

“No longer in school?” said Mr. Lester, who had actually volunteered to be our coach.

“But what about our first game?”

“He wanted to be with his family,” said someone.

I think it was Eliscue.

The coach sighed. He was a history teacher, and we were not what they write history about. If our school had a worse collection of athletes than the 11 of us, they were on display in the museum mummy section.

But there we were Hays, Porter, Dorman, Lifsom, Saltz, Radosh, Root, Barish, Eliscue, Fenwick, and me, Sitrow. In a school that was famous, positively famous, for its teams and all-stars, we were not considered typical. Walk in the front door and the first thing you’d see was a wall of trophies – all for sports. It was as if we were a sports club.

Not a school.

“Doesn’t he understand you can’t play soccer without a goaltender? He should have told me.” Mr. Lester said that the way he might explain the sinking of the Titanic.

“His father probably got the job because Kelly didn’t want to play,” said Dorman.

When Mr. Lester got red in the face from frustration, he looked like an overripe tomato. His round face puffed and the few bits of topside hair were like old, dead leaves. It was clear he already regretted being coach just as much as we regretted the thought of playing.

For example, me. I was so bad I was designated as the only sub. I didn’t expect to play at all. But then, none of us expected to play. The point was, our school had a requirement that you had to play at least one team sport each year. We had slipped through the first year. None of us had played. None of us wanted to. But once they caught on, they invented a team just for us.

“Let’s go back to the locker room,” suggested Mr. Lester.

Glad to skip practice, we followed him.

Luckily, the locker room was empty. Everyone else was either playing or practicing.

I sat on a bench next to Saltz. “Let’s hear it for Kelly,” he whispered.

“Maybe they’ll call the whole thing off,” I thought out loud.

He shrugged. Saltz and I had been pals since kindergarten. So I knew what he’d rather be doing: writing poetry.

“How many do we have here?” asked Mr. Lester.

“Two,” said Root. He was our math genius.

“Gentlemen,” said Mr. Lester, “this is not a joke. Please line up.”

Our cleats clicking like bad pennies on the cement floor, we went up against the wall, all 11 of us. Porter was on one side of me, Saltz on the other.

“Maybe we’ll get shot,” said Porter.

“Only if we’re lucky,” said Fenwick.

“Gentlemen, quiet please,” said Mr. Lester. He stood there looking miserable. You could tell he didn’t like what he saw. But then, considering what we saw in the future, starting the next day, we didn’t like it either.

“Gentlemen,” he said softly. When Mr. Lester shouted, his voice got softer.

“Gentlemen, you know why you’re here.”

No one said a word.

Seventhgrade boys don’t make good farewell speeches, not in front of execution squads.

“Do you?” he asked. My guess is that he was wondering himself.

“It’s good for us,” Lifsom said, as if describing someone’s need for a head transplant.

“South Orange River Middle School has a fine sports tradition,” continued Mr. Lester. “‘Everybody plays, everybody wins.’ That’s our motto. And you, gentlemen, have been here a full year without being on any team.”

“That’s because we’ve got better things to do,” said Barish.

Mr. Lester’s face turned purple. But he went on, even softer. You had to strain to hear. “That’s exactly the point. You are all – each one – nice, smart boys. You, however, have avoided sports. Too much desk work.”

“Nanotechnology,” slipped in Hays. “The big future.”

Mr. Lester’s face made the ultimate transformation. He turned deathly white and spoke as though from the grave. “S.O.R. believes in the whole person. We’ve created this team for your good. From now on, you’re going to play. Sport is a major part of American life. Starting tomorrow, we’ve got a season to play. Six games. Let’s do it with honor.”

“What about ability?” asked Radosh.

Mr. Lester passed over that with a sigh.

“We need a goaltender.” I saw his eyes travel up and down the line. To my horror, they landed on me.

“Ed,” he said to me, the way a kindly pirate might ask the next victim to walk the plank. “You’re the tallest. You’ll be goaltender.”

“Me?” I said, pointing to my narrow, weak and unformed chest. I couldn’t believe it.

“Yes, you.”

“Sir,” I said in a panic, “I never played goalie before. I never played soccer before.

I never played anything before.”

“Neither have your teammates. But we are going to give it our best, aren’t we? We’ll gain pride by trying. Game tomorrow. You all have permission to be out of your afternoon classes. Be ready, here, tomorrow at one-thirty for the bus. In uniform. We don’t want to be late. It makes for a poor start.”

And that’s how I became goalie for the South Orange River Middle School Special Seventh-Grade Soccer Team. I happened to be tallest.

Talk about talent.

On second thought, I’d better not. Not when you see what happened.

To be continued next week

Text copyright © 2012 Avi. Illustrations copyright © 2012 Timothy Bush. Reprinted by permission of Breakfast Serials, Inc., www.breakfastserials.com. No part of this publication may be reproduced, displayed, used or distributed without the express written permission of the copyright holder.

Shopper news • APRIL 6, 2016 • 9

Gibbs’ team heads UT construction project

and 1050-car parking garage at the corner of Volunteer and Lake Loudoun boulevards. The garage, open for fall semester, will offer advanced parking technology that lets users of the

By Sandra Clark Union County resident and school board member Marty Gibbs is directing a major new construction project at the University of Tennessee.

The Mossman Building is scheduled to Marty Gibbs open for fall semester 2018, and Rentenbach Constructors Inc., where Gibbs is vice president and general manager, is the contractor.

Designed by McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects Inc., the futuristic building will house flexible laboratory space, a vivarium and general purpose classrooms for UT departments of microbiology, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, psychology and nutrition.

Ground-breaking was Oct. 29 at the corner of Cumberland Avenue and 13th Street. The facility is named for the late Ken and Blaire Mossman, who met when they were students in 1968 and stayed connected to UT throughout their lives. The couple also endowed a professor in microbiology, a position currently held by Steven Wilhelm.

Ken Mossman’s younger brother, Michael, also a UT graduate, attended the ground-breaking. He said, “At the heart of things they were good people who were interested in education, in-

First floor of 228-person auditorium Architect’s rendering of the 6-story Mossman Building now under construction at UT.

Labs and graduate student work area (architect’s rendering) Photos provided by University of Tennessee

terested in paying things forward.�

Chancellor Jimmy Cheek said having state-of-the-art facilities is critical to recruiting and retaining the best faculty and students. “We’ve grown our research awards and expenditures and raised our national profile, particularly in science and engineering. We’ve

made great strides in recruiting more students into STEM majors,� Cheek said.

Dave Irvin, associate vice chancellor for facilities services, recently updated UT supporters on the campus improvements underway: ■The Mossman Building – seven floors (six occupied levels plus a mechanical penthouse); 220,935

square feet; total project cost: $102 million â– The Student Union with a portion open and completion expected in 2018 â– The first two buildings in the West End residence hall development are rising on 20th Street and are set to open this fall â– New residence hall

Reading and Rotary: a powerful combo It’s a powerful combination of forces that Theresa Carl is a part of these days.

She is the president of the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation that works Theresa Carl hand-inhand with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and with Imagination Library’s local affiliate programs in all of Tennessee’s 95 counties.

One of the other forces involved in this major literacy project are Rotarians in Knoxville, around the state, and even nationally in many states. In fact, when it comes to Theresa Carl, Rotary is for sure part of this.

She stays busy with her other job as the president of the Rotary Club of Nashville. On March 29 she was

business

Tom King

in Knoxville as the speaker for the Rotary Club of Knoxville’s noon meeting at the Marriott Hotel.

The Foundation’s mission is simple: To prepare children in Tennessee for lifelong learning through reading. “This partnership between the Foundation and Imagination Library is a dynamic public-private partnership unlike any other in the United States today,� she said. “This is all about allowing each of our children to have an educational journey that is successful. They are three to four times more likely to stay in school if they can read from an early age.�

Each of the 95 affiliate programs enrolls children between the ages of birth to 5 years old to receive books at no cost each month – or 12 books a year for five years. The affiliates and the Foundation provide the money for the program.

Imagination Library manages the selection, the pricing and the distribution of the books and they are distributed from here in Knoxville. The cost of each book, including delivery, is $2.15, she explained. “Why do we do it?� Carl said. “It’s about the development of the brain. By the age of 3, 80 percent of the brain is formed and by age 5 it’s 90 percent, so we have to start reading early to our children.�

There is a “Welcome Baby Initiative� and a “Child Poverty Initiative� to reach those children born to parents who are struggling and to reach the children in fos-

ter care. There is a “Birthing Hospital Initiative� to gift each child born a copy of “The Little Engine That Could� prior to discharge. “Early literacy matters for our children and now we have to start engaging our parents to start reading to their children,� she said. “It makes a huge, huge difference.�

Info: GovernorsFoundation.org or 1-877-992-6657 Newsy notes: Two clubs have a pair of very interesting and well-known speakers coming up. Knox County Schools Superintendent Dr. James McIntyre, who recently resigned, will speak at Bearden Rotary at noon, Friday April 29, at Buddy’s Banquet Hall‌.On Tuesday, May 31, the Rotary Club of Knoxville will hear from Gov. Bill Haslam at its noon meeting at the Marriott.

Tom King is a retired newspaper editor, a Rotarian for 28 years and past president of the Rotary Club of Farragut. He can be reached at tking535@gmail.com

UT app see empty and full spaces in real time. â– Facilities Services gets a new home on the site of an old industrial complex at 2000 Sutherland Avenue at Concord Street. Irvin said a part of the building is structurally reinforced with its own power, which will allow Facilities Services to stay operational during the most severe weather conditions.

Work continues at Tom Black Track; the old smokestack at the UT Steam Plant was removed over the December break, marking a visible milestone in the campus’s switch from coal to natural gas; and the former Sophronia Strong Hall continues its transformation into a large and modern science class and laboratory facility. Set to open in 2017, it will house anthropology and earth and planetary sciences departments and will provide laboratory and instruction space for the general biology and chemistry departments.

With all the work underway at UT, it’s great to see a Union County guy in the middle of the mix.

Habitat buys some lumber

By April Timko Knoxville Habitat for Humanity hosted its inaugural Sporting Clay Tournament at Chilhowee Sportsman’s Club in Maryville with 29 teams filling two flights for the all-day event.

The top three teams of each flight were awarded prizes as well as the top shooter of each flight. Winners include East Tennessee radio personality Phil Williams, who hosted the popular NewsTalk 98.7 program “The Phil Show� live from the event.

Tournament sponsors included NewsTalk 98.7, Dayton’s Pest Control, Allcor

Staffing and Waste Connections Inc. Proceeds raised will help low-income families in Knox County achieve strength, stability and selfreliance through homeownership.

In the first flight, the winning team represented Citizens National Bank.

Second place was claimed by the NewsTalk 98.7 team, led by Phil Williams.

In the afternoon flight, a team from Brunton Masonry won first place, while the “Over the Hill Gang� came in second.

April Timko is director of marketing and communications for Knoxville Habitat for Humanity Inc.

Design Center gets new directors East Tennessee Community Design Center has added five new directors.

Each will serve a three-year term: Lucinda M. Albiston, attorney; Bill Bruce, CRJAIBI Group; Scott Busby, AIA, Smee + Busby Architects; Mary Kathryn Durr, Gregarious Media; and Georgiana Vines, political columnist.

Board officers elected for 2016 include: Jan Evridge, president; Rick Blackburn, first vice president; Nathan Honeycutt, AIA, second

vice president; Katharine Pearson Criss, treasurer; Sheryl Ely, secretary; and Mary Wells Holbrook, past president. Jason Young, AIA, UT Knoxville College of Architecture & Design, is an ex-officio director. “The Design Center has served East Tennessee for many years, through the work of strong, committed volunteers. Our new directors are great examples of this ‘volunteer spirit’ at work,� said Evridge.

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10 • APRIL 6, 2016 • Shopper news

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