South Knox Shopper-News 012815

SOUTH KNOX VOL. 32 NO. 41

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Sunny mood permeates

IN THIS ISSUE ‘Walk, Don’t Ride’ The WordPlayers of Knoxville are kicking off Black History Month in a big way with “Walk, Don’t Ride,” billed as “a presentation of drama and song depicting events that helped shape American freedom.” An example of the best kind of “edu-tainment,” “Walk, Don’t Ride” has been booked in nine different counties and 16 different venues in East Tennessee, including middle schools, colleges and churches.

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January July 28, 29, 2015 2013

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Mooreland Heights ‘groundbreaking’

See Carol Shane’s story on page 7

Tale of two bees Betsy Pickle chronicles the high drama of spelling bees at Bonny Kate and Dogwood elementary schools. Winners Hannah Gardner and Sam Dascomb will compete in the Knox County spelling bee in March.

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See her story on page 8

NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ

Community leaders and politicians join in the ceremonial ribbon cutting. From left are Bob Thomas, Pam Trainor, Roy Miller, Piers Littlejohn, Dominick Murray, Jim McIntyre, Mike McMillan, Amber Rountree, Mike Brown, Tim Burchett, Alan Williams, Sam Venable and Tanya Coats. Photos by Betsy Pickle

By Betsy Pickle

Hall seeks golfers Kids Play Free is more than a slogan at the Beverly Park Par 3 Golf Course.

George Hall, retired teacher from Halls Middle School and PGA golf instructor, spoke last week at the Halls Business and Professional Association.

“I’ve coached about every sport there is,” he said.

Hall led softball teams from both Halls and Gibbs high schools to multiple state tournaments. His son, Andrew, was a two-time all-state golfer for Halls High School.

George Hall was seeking donations to the Tennessee Golf Foundation, which manages the Beverly Park course that is owned by Knox County and located on Tazewell Pike.

In addition to free golf for kids, the course offers junior camps, clinics and competitions. The course has a brandnew, full-size driving range.

Holes range from 80 yards to 170 yards.

Adults as well as kids can play golf there, and Hall is available for lessons for adults and teens. Info: 423-794-0747.

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It’s not every day that a construction project breaks ground indoors. But with the unpredictable January weather – and the fact that the actual groundbreaking occurred on Dec. 30 – it seemed wise for Mooreland Heights Elementary School to hold the groundbreaking ceremony in its gym.

The two-story addition on the west side of the school toward Martin Mill Pike will be the first renovation at Mooreland Heights in about 50 years, so naturally all the big guns turned out for last Wednesday’s event. Schools Superintendent Dr. Jim McIntyre, current and immediate-past school board members Amber Rountree and Pam Trainor, board chair Mike McMillan, Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, County Commissioners Mike Brown and Bob Thomas and Sheriff J.J. Jones were among the luminaries, but the loudest applause seemed to come for two Mooreland Heights

alumni: News Sentinel columnist Sam Venable and WVLT anchor Alan Williams.

Dr. Roy Miller, principal for 11 years, built the excitement level as though it were a revival meeting.

He thanked Trainor for her “vision” and Rountree for carrying it through.

Miller – part joking, part sincere – expressed gratitude for no longer having to have multiple teachers share classrooms or a teacher use a closet, or 40 faculty members share one toilet.

(The latter comment drew cries of “Amen! Amen!”)

Miller put a special emphasis on the support for Mooreland Heights throughout its history and all the people who have “believed” in it.

“We’re special,” he told the attentive students.

“That’s why all these people are here – because they believe in you.

This is your school. This is your

By Bill Dockery

Richards heads KTA

Jim Richards, general manager of Mast General Store on Gay Street, is the new chair of the Knoxville Transportation Authority (KTA) board. Liliana Burbano Bonilla is vice chair, and Knoxville Area Transit (KAT) employee Lauren Robinson is recording secretary.

Richards is an avid alternative-transportation advocate. He has served on the KTA board since September 2012. Renee Hoyos is the previous board chair.

The nine-member KTA board sets policy for all for-hire intra-city passenger transportation services, including bus transit service, taxicabs and Jim Richards private for-hire transportation services. KTA sets schedules, fares and routes for KAT services.

To page 8

Push back on push-out African-American children in the Knox County school system are suspended from school almost three times more often than their white fellow students.

And that rate has not changed since 2007, when a community task force recommended ways to fi x the disparities in discipline. State statistics reported for 2012 show that black Knox County students are Sheppard still about three times more likely to be suspended than white students, despite the negative results such suspensions will have on their educational and legal futures.

Those facts are part of the information presented at a workshop on “school push-out,” the name given to discipline policies that re-

Fifth-graders Piers Littlejohn and Dominick Murray, who led the Pledge of Allegiance and the School Affirmation, pose with Superintendent Jim McIntyre after the ceremonial groundbreaking at Mooreland Heights Elementary School.

sult in children leaving school and getting caught up in the criminal justice system.

A group of parents, students, school personnel and civil rights activists gathered Thursday at Mount Calvary Baptist Church to share stories and strategize about ways to change county schools so that their discipline system does not discriminate against blacks, people with disabilities and other minorities.

Local activists with the NAACP and the Children’s Defense Fund sponsored the meeting.

“We want parents to understand that suspensions are not an individual problem with you and your child,” said Andre Canty, one of the organizers of the meeting.

“School push-out is a systemic problem that has some students being arrested for no reason.

That’s messed up.”

Amy Sosinski, a law student at the University of Tennessee, presented totals from 2012 state

rec ords that show that some 8,300 black students in Knox County schools are about 2.7 times more likely to be suspended than the system’s 44,600 white students.

Among students with disabilities, slightly more than one in 10 white students will be suspended; around one in four black students with disabilities will be sent home from school.

In November 2014, the Education Law Practicum filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education based on those disparities. That complaint is still pending in the department’s Office for Civil Rights.

Maya Sheppard presented information on an innovative plan in Baltimore that had dramatically reduced school suspensions.

Sheppard is a lawyer with the Knox County Public Defender’s Office who serves in the county’s juvenile court.

Other speakers discussed similar programs that have improved racial disparities in discipline in other school systems.

“These are proven methods for reducing suspensions and arrests,” Canty said. “What needs to happen from the people is a collaborative effort among parents, teachers and students.”

Canty asked the attendees to share their own experiences of problems with the school system’s disciplinary policies. He then led the attendees in a discussion of how they would like to see the system change and how those changes can be brought about.

Suggestions included mentoring programs for students, cultural sensitivity training for teachers and school personnel, increased parental advocacy and changes in special-education laws and policies.

“We want all our kids to have a bright future,” Canty said.

In late December, Canty participated in a discussion with Superintendent Jim McIntyre on WATETV’s “Tennessee This Week.”

During that broadcast McIntyre announced that he would create a working group to look at solutions to the disparity problems.

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2 • JANUARY 28, 2015 • Shopper news

health & lifestyles

‘I’m Free!’

Seymour man enjoys liberating experience with minimally invasive surgery Getting comfortable is something most of us take for granted. But it was something Seymour resident Ben Herndon, 67, longed for and couldn’t experience until he went to the Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center.

“I couldn’t lie down, I couldn’t sit, I couldn’t stand, and it was just excruciating pain,” Herndon, says. “I could not get comfortable.”

The pain was radiating down Herndon’s leg into his foot. His sciatic nerve was being compressed by a disc herniation due to spinal instability.

Herndon had undergone surgery to treat the effects of degenerative disc disease years earlier. That surgery had relieved spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal.

This pain was different, but it was quickly becoming just as unbearable. The sciatica also manifested itself in numbness below the knee, causing him to drag his foot and stumble.

“My job entails getting in and out of the car about 15, 20 or 30 times a day,” Herndon says. “The pain was debilitating, and I was relying on injections and other methods to relieve the symptoms. While the injections helped for awhile they eventually wore off. Nothing seemed to give me long-term relief.”

Deciding he didn’t want to take medication for the rest of his life, Herndon started searching for a solution. During that search, he read an article about neurosurgeon Joel Norman, MD, and minimally invasive spine surgery.

With this procedure, a surgeon makes several small incisions instead of one incision that’s larger. Using special imaging and instruments, the surgeon works to reposition the bones and fuse them together to stabilize the spine.

The surgery removes compression from

While Herndon wasn’t able to get comfortable After more than a physically, he says he felt decade of pain, Seyvery comfortable trustmour resident Ben ing his spine to Norman Herndon was freed from their first meeting. from his suffering All of Herndon’s questhanks to the work tions were answered, of Dr. Joel Norman and Herndon was asked at the Center for to answer plenty of quesMinimally Invasive tions, too.

Spine Surgery at Fort “They seemed to be Sanders Regional. genuinely interested in what I had to say about my problem,” Herndon says. “Dr. Norman seemed to know his stuff, he seemed extremely interested in doing it right, and he explained everything to me really well.”

Herndon says the detailed explanation included a hands-on model of a spine that the doctor used to show what would happen during the surgery. Then Herndon heard Dr. Norman say four important words.

“I can fix it,” the surgeon said.

“He was just that positive,” Herndon nerves, while the small incisions mean less says. “And I felt good about that, knowing he had the knowledge to do what I wanted blood loss and quicker healing.

“The article said there was less cutting, him to do, and that was to fix my problem.”

Having Dr. Norman’s office in Sevierville less bleeding and less recovery time,” Herndon says. “That was intriguing, so I decided and the surgery at Fort Sanders Regional to call Dr. Norman’s office and set up an ap- Medical Center gave Herndon the best of both worlds. Herndon had undergone heart pointment with him in Sevierville.”

Norman is a Sevier County native and surgery at Fort Sanders Regional just a few sees patients in his office near LeConte months earlier. The heart surgeon and the Medical Center. Not only did Herndon get neurosurgeon, both working in the same a sense of feeling “at home” there, he found hospital, were able to confer with each other out his daughter and Dr. Norman were part on every aspect of Herndon’s case.

Herndon says he wasn’t afraid to have of the same circle of friends.

“When I told my daughter that I was the surgery, at all. He was ready for relief looking to have back surgery with Dr. Nor- from debilitating pain, and that’s exactly man she said she knew him and that he was what he got.

“I was pain free!” Herndon says. “I don’t a really good surgeon,” Herndon says. “That added a little extra bounce to the ounce for have any pain in my leg now.” Herndon says sometimes it makes him want to put his me.”

hands in the air and cheer.

“It’s like, ‘Hey! I’m free!’ and you just wanted to shout,” Herndon says. “It’s hard to describe how exhilarating it is.”

Herndon says his first surgery (in 2004) required an incision of about five inches, and after six weeks he was still suffering and experiencing difficulty completing everyday tasks. There was a marked difference with minimally invasive surgery 10 years later.

“This time, I went back to work almost exactly five weeks after the surgery,” Herndon says, “and I was able to perform most of the duties of my job without pain, at all.”

“Minimally invasive surgery gets people back on their feet faster and back to regular activity much sooner than a large incision operation does,” Norman says. “After a hospital stay of one or two days, most people return to normal activities within one to four weeks.”

“I would highly recommend the minimally invasive surgery because it takes less time to recover, there’s less trauma, less bleeding and there’s less risk involved,” Herndon says. However, he also recommends that the procedure be performed by the right surgeon.

“Make sure whoever does your surgery knows the new technology and procedures,” Herndon says, “and you need a doctor who can fully explain the procedures.”

“The surgeon is going to be working around your spinal column, your kidneys – you want to be as comfortable as you can that he knows what he’s doing,” Herndon insists.

“It’s amazing that I can get up every day and go to work and do what I have to do without having that pain down my leg and without having to worry about tripping and falling,” Herndon says. “It’s a huge, huge relief.”

For more information about the Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at Fort Sanders Regional, call 865-541-2835 or visit fsregional.com/minimallyinvasive.

Meet Dr. Joel Norman – local neurosurgeon and Seymour native Dr. Joel Norman is a local native who returned to East Tennessee after medical school and now cares for patients in the place he calls “home.” He recently talked about his journey from local boy to well-educated neurosurgeon and the minimally Joel Norman, MD invasive spine surgery that is changing the lives of his patients.

Tell us your story – where did you go to school, and how did you decide to become a neurosurgeon?

I was born in Knoxville and raised in Seymour. After I graduated from Seymour High School, I went to college at MTSU in Murfreesboro, then moved to Johnson City to attend ETSU Quillen College of Medicine.

I completed neurosurgery residency in Lexington, Ky., at the University of Kentucky.

I’ve always had a keen interest in the sciences. I found neuroscience intriguing and challenging. Once

I found my way into the operating room, I knew I had found my calling.

Combining my love of neuroscience with my love of the operating room, neurosurgery was a natural extension.

What do you like about this area? In other words, why are you still here, instead of in a larger city?

East Tennessee is my home. I love the scenery here, the people here and the opportunity to give back to the community that raised me.

I appreciate the hometown feel here and the value that word-ofmouth retains in this community.

The greatest compliment I receive is when someone tells me they heard about me from one of my patients.

What are some common problems your patients have, and how do you help them?

We treat an expansive variety of patients from brain tumors to herniated discs. Many of my spine patients have seen several different medical providers and some have undergone several different treatments for their back and leg pain before they arrive in my office.

Most have complaints of back pain coupled with sciatica or nerve pain, typically running down the back of their legs. These patients benefit from the minimally invasive approaches to lumbar discectomies and spinal fusions.

What patients might be candidates for the surgery?

The ideal candidate for minimally invasive spinal fusion is someone suffering from back and leg pain due to a spondylolisthesis, or slippage, of the lumbar vertebrae. This is a condition sometimes missed on an initial workup as it often requires specialized X-rays with the patients bending forward or backward to clearly visualize.

Often, patients are pain-free while lying on their back, such as during their MRI scans, but upon standing their pain returns.

Can you explain how it works? What are the benefits of minimally invasive spine surgery?

Minimally invasive spine surgery uses specialized technology within the operating room to allow for smaller incisions and more precise

placement of instrumentation. We are able to actually obtain a CT scan of the patient while they are asleep on the operating room table and customize our surgical approach to the individual patient, in real-time.

This allows for much smaller incisions and less damage to the tissues surrounding the spine. Ultimately, this approach gets people back on their feet sooner than is generally necessary for a more traditional, open approach to the spine.

What makes the Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at Fort Sanders Regional Medical the best choice for this surgery?

Fort Sanders Regional has demonstrated a true commitment to excellence in spine surgery and especially minimally invasive neurosurgery. The hospital has been instrumental in purchasing state-ofthe-art intraoperative image guidance that allows minimally invasive surgery to be possible.

We have a dedicated team of nurses and technicians in the operating room who are experienced and specially trained to assist in these

minimally invasive procedures.

Post-operatively, our nurses are also hand-picked and specially trained in the management of our patients who have undergone minimally invasive spinal procedures, and we have a dedicated floor of the hospital reserved for neuroscience and especially spine patients.

What’s it like to also practice medicine in the place where you grew up?

Many of my friends and family still live nearby and it’s been great to reconnect with people I hadn’t had the opportunity to see in the years I was away for training. It’s also been an honor and a humbling experience to take care of people who watched me grow up in a small town. I’ve taken care of my school teachers, old friends, and family members of friends who knew me in high school.

I have a relatively unique experience in that I graduated high school with many of the same people I started kindergarten with. I’m honored that those people who watched me grow up trust me now with their health.

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community

SOUTH KNOX Shopper news • JANUARY 28, 2015 • 3

Alliance looks for growth The South Knoxville Alliance is an organization on a mission.

Betsy Pickle

Make that multiple missions.

At January’s meeting, chairman Debra Bradshaw launched a discussion on recruiting new members.

While the group reached 50plus entities on its membership rolls last year, there are hundreds more businesses in South Knoxville whose voices would be welcome in the alliance and whose presence could support projects SKA has in mind to improve life in SoKno. County Commissioner Mike Brown volunteered to mail a brochure with SKA info to 1,000 businesses, emphasizing those along Chapman Highway.

With spring on the way (fingers crossed!), SKA is looking ahead to two big events that will bring a lot of activity to South Knoxville.

First is the Dogwood Arts Festival, during which all of South Knoxville will be the focus and Chapman Highway the featured Dogwood Trail. Events take place April 1-26, but the official start is the Dogwood Luncheon on April 8 at Ijams

plans to celebrate the 100th anniversary of that neighborhood.

The South Knoxville SKNBC consists of repreNeighborhood & Business sentatives from South KnoxCoalition heard a call for ville neighborhood groups volunteers at its monthly and other organizations. meeting.

Nancy Welch from the ■ Life in South Community Action ComHaven mittee’s Volunteer Assisted The South Haven NeighTransportation introduced borhood Association’s JanuSKNBC members to the program. VAT uses all ary meeting focused on real volunteers to drive Knox estate and roads.

The group is coordinatCounty seniors and people ing with the South Woodwith disabilities to appointments, errands and other lawn Neighborhood Association to clear up confusion destinations.

Volunteers use VAT’s Pri- on the boundary between us sedans and wheelchair- the two neighborhoods.

Reps from South WoodSommer Barickman, Chris Widener and Brian Hedges, all of Lowe’s, chat with SKA chair Debra accessible minivans. There lawn attended the meeting is training for the vehicles Bradshaw about how Lowe’s employees can volunteer with the alliance. Photos by Betsy Pickle and other aspects of the at the Roundup Restaurant program, and volunteers to discuss. (Any excuse for a must pass a physical exam, Roundup breakfast will do!)

January moderator Dave Upcoming development a background check and a Gartner of Lake Forest listens drug-and-alcohol test. in South Haven and Island as Nancy Welch from the The volunteers aren’t Home is expected to require Community Action Commitjust chauffeurs; they assist extensive road closures, tee explains the Volunteer the passengers as needed particularly on Island Home Assisted Transportation proand stay with them through Avenue. gram to the South Knoxville Hillwood Avenue with its their outing. Welch said Neighborhood & Business steep grade and unforgiving there are about 400 trips Coalition. on average each month, and shoulders is a top priority, there’s a great need for more according to South Haven board member and Knoxliance’s Parks Committee drivers. and the monthly cleanup at For info, call 865-673- ville Vice Mayor Nick Pavlis.

The group is making Fort Dickerson, is heading 5001 or email vat@cactrans. plans for another “What’s a special group to address org. the much-needed cleanup SKA member Patrick Mi- Shakin’, South Haven?”

Nature Center. That’s also nial Commission selected of SoKno before visitors de- chael encouraged SKNBC It likely will take place in the kickoff for the trails.

Knoxville to host the 2015 scend this spring. He was to members to volunteer with March.

SHNA meets at 10 a.m.

Just on the festival’s heels commemorative event, and hold a meeting on Monday the SKA cleanup group.

Among the news from the third Saturday of each is the Blue & Gray Reunion many activities will take this week.

The SKA meets at 6:30 member neighborhoods was month. Check the Friends of & Freedom Jubilee, April place in South Knoxville.

30-May 3. The Tennessee SKA’s Carl Hensley, p.m. the third Monday word from Jim Staub that South Haven Facebook page Civil War Sesquicenten- who’s in charge of the al- monthly at LaborExchange. Island Home is working on to confirm the location.

■

Changing a child starts with Hope

■ Colonial Village Neighborhood Association.

Info: Terry Caruthers, 5795702, t_caruthers@hotmail. com.

By Carol Shane “One simple thing will make a big difference in the life of an at-risk child,” says the Kids Hope USA website.

“One-on-one, positive attention from a responsible, caring adult.”

Begun in October 1993, Kids Hope USA grew out of conversations between concerned church groups and experts in fields such as law enforcement, education, religion and health and human services. The experts responded with one voice: Churches that mobilize and train their members to form one-to-one relationships with the youngest children can make a profound difference in their lives.

St. John’s Lutheran Church is one of the Knoxville churches that provide Kids Hope mentors. In cooperation with Big Brothers Big Sisters, the program currently has 17 trained St. John’s Lutheran volunteers, each carefully matched with an at-risk child.

“We are in our seventh year of mentoring,” says program coordinator Thea Peterson. “We began at Christenberry Elementary and have followed students all the way to freshman year in high school.

“Mentoring young people to help them grow up to be productive, contributing members of our community was very important to us. We feel this is a wonderful way to transform our community.”

The “Kids Hope USA Way” relies on four integral parts: ■ One child: an at-risk public elementary-school child who needs a relationship with a caring adult; ■ One hour: 60 critical minutes each week when a trained mentor befriends a child and helps him or her acquire basic academic skills; ■ One church: a committed congregation that owns the program with its neighborhood school and provides a trained mentor and a behind-the-scenes prayer partner for each child; and ■ One school: a school that welcomes this proven intervention to increase the academic skills of at-risk

COMMUNITY NOTES

SKNBC and volunteering

■ Knoxville Tri-County Lions Club meets 7 p.m. each second and fourth Monday, Connie’s Kitchen, 10231 Chapman Highway, Seymour. Info: https://www.facebook.com/ TriCountyLions/info.

■ Lake Forest Neighborhood Association. Info: Molly Gilbert, 209-1820 or

mollygilbert@yahoo.com ■ South of the River Democrats (9th District) meet 6:30 p.m. each third Monday, South Knoxville Community Center, 522 Maryville Pike. Info: jim. sessions@comcast.net or 573-0655.

private banquet room available! for Birthdays, Graduations, Special Events

Local Kids Hope USA coordinator Thea Peterson and 15-yearold Thalia Photo by Owen Peterson

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Peterson has mentored Thalia, who is now 15, for the past seven years. The high school student has “moved from being an average student to one who has been on the honor roll for the last three years. Her self-esteem with regards to doing well in school has increased tremendously,” says Peterson. “I reward her efforts in getting on the honor roll with a trip each summer that provides many learn-

FAITH NOTES ■ Alice Bell Baptist Church, 3305 Alice Bell Road, will hold its Community Clothes Closet Opening 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

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ing opportunities.”

Clearly, special relationships are being formed here and not only for the good of the students.

Peterson encourages other churches that want to find a way to get involved in making a difference to consider Kids Hope USA. “I would be happy to talk with anyone who is interested.” Contact her at thea@ sjlcknox.org or 922-8555.

Send story suggestions to news@shoppernewsnow. com.

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■ First Comforter Church, 5516 Old Tazewell Pike, hosts MAPS (Mothers At Prayer Service) noon each Friday. Info: Edna Hensley, 771-7788.

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4 • JANUARY 28, 2015 • Shopper news

What happens when the cheering stops?

Real life is not far away.

College football is history for Justin Coleman, Justin Worley, Marlin Lane, Jordan Williams, Jacob Gilliam, Devrin Young, Matt Darr, A.J. Johnson and a few other Volunteers who settled for smaller headlines.

One, two or three may find jobs in the NFL. The others face this sobering question: What now?

What happens after the cheering stops, after the crowd has gone home and old jerseys and Adidas shoes are put away? What happens when life replaces fun ’n’ games?

Well, it depends.

Dick Williams looked like a tight end but played defensive tackle in the mid-late 1960s (heart of

Marvin West

a lion). He married well, co-founded an insurance agency and became a national leader in the industry. He has never had half the credit he deserves for supporting UT and for leading the East Tennessee chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame.

Larry Seivers, first of the great receivers, never believed the cheers were for him, so there wasn’t much to miss when it was over.

He went into the vending business (food services) and earned a fortune.

David Rudder, quarterback, completed 11 passes in a row against Alabama in 1978 and became our and several others’ dentist.

Bill Nowling, fullbacklinebacker, 1940-42, finished a fine career with an interception against Tulsa in the Sugar Bowl. Too soon, football was background.

Bill and many other Volunteers went away for World War II. Nowling was killed fighting in France on Aug. 9, 1944.

Jim Smelcher, tackle, 1956-59, coached for a while, got smart and started an insurance agency. There is value in being a former Volunteer.

Several Tennessee ath-

letes performed as well or better after the applause faded away. Hank Lauricella, great in 1950-51, enjoyed a 32-year political career in Louisiana, eight as a state representative, 24 as a state senator. He was managing partner of Lauricella Land Company.

Bill Johnson, 1957 really good guard, became a Sparta banker and university trustee. Bob Johnson, 1967 center (sixth in Heisman voting), was an icon with the Cincinnati Bengals and is one in Cincinnati business.

David Allen, cornerback, 1970-72, returned to Athens, Ga., and emerged as the state’s leading urologist.

Herman Hickman, 1931 guard, had a short but spectacular post-football career

as TV and banquet humorist and Sports Illustrated author. I probably shouldn’t tell you that he dabbled in pro wrestling.

Steve Chancey, secondgeneration Vol, son of a coach, scored a couple of touchdowns against Penn State in 1972. He and Art Reynolds created a heating and air-conditioning business. Good men. Good company.

Ed Molinski, 1939 guard, became a doctor.

Tony Robinson went another direction, from spectacular quarterback in 1984-85 to prison. His path looks better now.

Austin Shofner, 1936 tackle behind Bob Woodruff, became a Marine. He plotted and led the only successful American team escape from a Japanese prison camp during World War II. He brought to the world the first report of the Bataan

Death March.

Shofner retired as a brigadier general.

Dennis Wolfe, linebacker and captain, 1978, is another winner. He didn’t say much as a Volunteer but spoke right up as a school administrator. He is a leader in the lettermen’s T Club.

Mack Gentry was serious about academics and athletics when he arrived in 1963.

I recall that he was pledged to a fraternity for one week.

He was in law school before he ran out of eligibility as a defensive tackle.

He coached at West Point.

There were few cheers. The team went 1-9-1. He became an SEC and NFL official.

Nobody cheers for zebras.

He heads a tax law firm. It earns deep appreciation. If there is applause, it is private.

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

began with Reagan and er turnout since 1944, 36 peaked with the neocon percent of eligible voters, is tragedy that was the Bush not a ringing endorsement Gridlock of the party of “No.” In fact, Tall, short, slim, stocky, administration. smiling or somber, they in Washington has earned there’s a good chance the have one thing in common: both parties a bad rap, but Obama miracle may beget their white skin.

Republicans come off much still another.

Are you ready for a womA black president one worse in national polls. day? Dream on.

The worst mid-term vot- an in the Oval Office?

Viewed through my generational lens, Barack Obama’s presidency is miraculous. I was 13 years old when Bull Connor turned fire hoses and police dogs loose on children in Birmingham, Ala., 14 when three civil rights workers were murdered near Philadelphia, Miss.

As a man and a politician, Obama is flawed, as we all are. That doesn’t take away from the significance of his election.

President Barack Obama listens to Sen. Lamar Alexander while Despite the Republican meeting with a congressional delegation aboard Air Force One majority in both houses of en route to Knoxville Jan. 9. Also pictured are, from left, Ted Congress, there is a grad- Mitchell, undersecretary of education; Sen. Bob Corker; James ual turning away from the Kvaal, deputy director of the Domestic Policy Council; and Rep. reactionary politics that John “Jimmy” Duncan. Official White House photo by Pete Souza

Miracles on Pennsylvania Avenue Remember the fun Tina Fey had with her Sarah Palin impersonation on “Saturday Night Live”? If you do, you can hardly wait to see what the show does with Joni Ernst.

Ernst is what would happen if Palin and Michele Bachmann conceived a love child. Choosing “Shoeless Joni” to “rebut” the president’s State of the Union address makes as much sense as castrating hogs with bread bags on your feet.

Anyway, very little rebuttal took place.

There was the expected swipe at Obama’s “failed” health-care plan. Obamacare has proved such a resounding dud that 10 million people now have insurance who had none before.

Like her Tea Party soulmates, Ernst is not about to

Larry Van Guilder

let facts stand in the way of demagoguery.

But without the miracle that preceded her, Ernst wouldn’t have had an audience to admire her dental work. A black president delivering a State of the Union message is a social and political miracle few of my generation thought we’d witness.

I vividly remember the way in which the only black student in my freshman high school class was treated 50 years ago. I can recall feeling ashamed and em-

barrassed for her, but I was too cowardly to speak up.

I don’t know where she found the courage to show up each day and endure the name-calling, shunning and isolation, and I’ve often wondered how she made out later in life.

Now, leafing through my high school yearbook, I find the faces of two young black women among the hundreds of class photos.

I scan the superlatives: best dressed, best school spirit, best looking, most studious, most athletic, best-all-around, most likely to succeed.

I browse the clubs, the chorus, the student council, and the football and basketball teams. I come to the homecoming queen and her court, class officers and the happy scholarship winners.

Air Force One confab

Shopper news • JANUARY 28, 2015 • 5

Mark Donaldson: the gift that keeps on giving Former Metropolitan Planning Commission director Mark Donaldson retired in December with a $101,000 severance package (approved in a meeting that you can’t watch online because MPC doesn’t maintain an accessible video archive), but his policies continue to rile neighborhood groups.

Take Ryan and Amber Bradley, who live next door to a former church building on the west end of Cedar Lane and have invested money and sweat equity in their home.

In 2007, Donaldson championed a new zoning designation called Civic Institutional to apply to churches, schools and government buildings. This classification was attached to the parcel at 607 Cedar Lane although it was no longer being used as a church (churches are allowed in residential neighborhoods as a permitted use and frequently cause issues like this to arise if they vacate the property).

Fast forward to late 2014, and imagine the Bradleys’

Betty Bean surprise when they learned that MPC had recommended that their property – and that of their close neighbors westward to the railroad tracks – be rezoned from Residential 1 to Office 1 along with the former church building at 607 Cedar Lane.

The railroad tracks have long served as a boundary between residential Cedar Lane and the commercial hub of Merchant Road and its interstate ramp to the west. The Bradleys and their neighbors were not notified about the MPC recommendation. Critics charge that this is unlawful “spot” zoning.

MPC commissioners further complicated the issue by prohibiting all but three of the 15 uses allowed in office zones by “right” (meaning that they do not need to be reviewed).

The controversy came

about when real estate agent and former MPC commissioner Cindy Bradley (apparently no relation) bought the property, which had not been used as a church for many years, last April for a greatly reduced price after the previous owner was unsuccessful in an attempt to sell it to Family Promise, a nonprofit organization that provides housing for families with children who have lost their homes.

Cindy Bradley said the need for the rezoning became more urgent when city codes inspectors ordered her to remove a sign from the property in December.

Her request was supported by Betty Jo Mahan, president of the Inskip Neighborhood Association (and administrative assistant to Mark Donaldson).

It was opposed by Fountain City Town Hall, represented by board member Carlene Malone.

Mahan cited her organization’s worries about halfway houses and apartment complexes. Malone warned that excluding uses allowed by ordinance is vulner-

able to legal challenge and will likely be struck down, and although Cindy Bradley promised not to allow any objectionable uses, if she sells the property, the door would then be open to all kinds of things neither neighborhood association wants, like private clubs and halfway houses.

The vote was 5-4 to approve on first reading.

On second reading, Jan. 20, City Council member George Wallace, a Realtor and one of Cindy Bradley’s most adamant champions, recused himself, saying someone had complained that he had a conflict of interest because his company had been involved in the sale of the property to Bradley and also had a contract to resell it that expired Dec. 31.

Council member Duane Grieve, who represents the Sequoyah Hills area and voted no on first reading, flipped his vote, guaranteeing approval. On the crucial vote to change the sector plan, Mark Campen, Finbarr Saunders and Nick Della Volpe voted no.

It’s time to rethink Knoxville elections What if you threw an expensive birthday party for a friend and no one showed up? Would you do the same thing the next year or would you try something different?

Knoxville city elections are coming up this fall.

They are expensive and few people vote. Unlike state and county contests, which are held in even-numbered years (2014, 2012, 2010), the city has stand-alone elections in odd-numbered years (2015, 2013, 2011) for offices like mayor, city council and city judge.

As a result, city taxpayers get stuck with the entire bill of about $250,000 for the primary and general election.

But the cost of the election isn’t even the biggest problem. Voter turnout is worse.

According to the Election Commission, there

reflect the will of the people.

For example, an election with 50,000 voters is more likely to reflect the views of the community than an Scott election with 5,000 voters.

Frith However, in low-turnout city elections, special interest groups like government employees and neighborare approximately 107,000 hood organizations have registered voters in Knox- more clout because candiville. Yet, in the last city dates know that their memelection (November 2013), bers are more likely to turn only 4,350 ballots were cast out to vote than the general citywide. Think about it. population. In the long run, We have enough folks reg- low-turnout elections can istered to vote in Knoxville have a corrosive effect on to fill Neyland Stadium, yet government, electing folks the voters from the last city who cater to an elite few, election wouldn’t fill the rather than the views of the Civic Coliseum. city at-large.

Why is low voter turnout Nevertheless, the current a bad thing? system still has its supportWe have elections so that ers – mainly from folks who folks have a voice in choos- benefit from it – and city ofing their leaders. The larger ficials have little incentive the voter turnout in an elec- to change a system which tion, the more accurately benefits them. the election results should What now?

Let’s move city elections to the state election cycle in even-numbered years. Put the city primary in August and the city general election in November. It will save a lot of money, about a halfmillion dollars every four years, and turnout will increase exponentially.

Of course, this idea isn’t new. Other surrounding municipalities have elections in even-numbered years: Maryville, Alcoa, Oak Ridge and Clinton, among others.

If necessary, delay implementing any new election schedule until the current officeholders are term limited out of office. Removing political self-interest might give city officials greater incentive to act.

Knoxville city elections are broken. Let’s rethink them.

Scott Frith is a local attorney. You can contact him at scott@pleadthefrith.com.

Fire protection ‘hot topic’ in Knox County

By Wendy Smith There are 86 homes in George Turner’s West Knox subdivision, but not one fire hydrant. His home in Landmark subdivision, off Middlebrook Pike, has doubled in value since he bought it in 2003, and he’s afraid of losing his investment to fire.

It’s a valid concern. According to Turner, a home in the subdivision burned to the ground three years ago. The initial response was slow due to debate over

whether the home was in the city or the county, he said, and when a fire truck finally arrived, a hose had to be run across Middlebrook Pike to a hydrant at Weigel’s. By then, the home had burned.

Because his home is in the county, he pays for a Rural/Metro subscription.

Turner was the only resiGeorge Turner tells about his unsuccessful effort to have dent to speak at the first a fire hydrant installed in his meeting of Knox County West Knox subdivision. Photo Commission’s fire protection

by Wendy Smith workgroup. The group in-

Anti-Aging

cludes commissioners Dave Wright, Charles Busler and Bob Thomas, fire and emergency personnel and others.

They will spend the next year looking at ways to improve fire service in the county.

Kevin Lauer, a fire and emergency services management consultant, said that fire protection is a “hot topic” throughout the state because many county leaders realize that current systems might not work in a few years.

government Lawyers win regardless If anyone thought the new year would bring a kinder and more transparent TVA, they were quickly disabused of that notion when TVA rejected the freedom of information request regarding the amount of tax-paid incentives given to a Clinton industry to expand. In fact, TVA even suggests the News Sentinel should seek judicial review.

Hopefully, the News Sentinel accepts the challenge and takes TVA to federal court.

TVA’s most recent top legal counsel was paid $2 million a year. Management has minimal regard for fiscal restraint other than the layoff of some 800 employees across the valley while their top employees get literally millions each year.

New TVA legal counsel Sherry Quirk will earn $675,000 a year if she meets all goals. This still exceeds what 98 percent of East Tennessee attorneys make.

U.S. Reps. Jimmy Duncan and Chuck Fleischmann have said TVA should disclose the amount of money paid out. The two should go a step further, put some backbone behind their statements and introduce legislation to require more transparency in TVA’s use of tax dollars. Clearly, TVA does not care what Duncan and Fleischmann think, and only a new law or a court order will elicit the corporation’s attention.

■ Something strange is going on with Team Rogero and its treatment of Rick Evans, former Chilhowee Park general manager who now works at a much lower salary for the city’s service department. Evans, a 20year city employee, had received significant compliments at Chilhowee Park – up until Greg Mackay took over from Bob Polk as director of Public Assembly

Facilities and did away with Evans’ position. Abolishing a position is a cleverer way of getting rid of someone than simple termination.

Meanwhile, the city hired attorney Thomas Hale to do a report on some of the charges in the lawsuit Evans filed against the city. The report cost $10,868.50 but failed to settle the lawsuit.

This appears headed to court with lots of stories to come. Shirley Nash-Pitts, former chair of the Coliseum Board, says this issue never would have occurred if the Rogero administration had not removed the board’s authority and placed it directly under the mayor.

Jamie Satterfield, able News Sentinel reporter who first broke the story, has further details in her blog at http://knoxblogs. com/lady-justice-unmasked/2015/01/13/reportcity-boss-greg-mackay-potty-mouth-average-joe/.

■ It is interesting that two sponsors of the mayoral pay raise, Nick Pavlis and George Wallace, are both often mentioned as mayoral candidates themselves.

Maybe they did not get the memo urging them to avoid raising the pay if they have any remote notion of seeking the position in 2019 or before. Marshall Stair, also a possible candidate, did not sign the ordinance.

■ State Rep. Martin Daniel will hold an open house from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Bearden Branch Library on Golfclub Road for any constituent to attend and comment on pending legislative issues.

As a former Farragut fire marshal, Lauer is familiar with fire protection in Knox County. The county’s subscription-based funding through Rural/Metro is fairly unique, he said.

Shelby County, which includes Memphis and is the state’s largest, is covered by a career fire department.

Hamilton County, which includes Chattanooga, is covered by volunteer fire departments outside city limits.

John Linsenbigler of the Seymour Volunteer Fire Department said that Sevier and Blount counties are also

looking at ways to provide better fire protection.

In response to Turner, Dwight Van de Vate, the county’s engineering and public works director, said the group would have to engage utility companies to talk about contributing factors like water pressure.

The group will meet again at 4 p.m. Monday, March 16, in the large assembly room at the City County Building.

Each meeting will include a public forum.

Turner says he’ll come to every meeting until he gets his neighborhood a fire hydrant.

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6 • JANUARY 28, 2015 • Shopper news

Abel (Oscar Isaac) and Anna (Jessica Chastain) discuss their troubles in “A Most Violent Year.”

‘Violent Year’ sets scene, forgets action “A Most Violent Year” doesn’t fall short on violence, but it has all the emotion and allure of a research paper on the subject.

Written and directed by J.C. Chandor (“All Is Lost”), the drama is set in New York in 1981, which holds the distinction of being the most violent year in the city’s history. It takes place in the dog-eat-dog world of the heating-oil industry (who knew?), which apparently occupies the least populated areas of the city.

If none of that gets your juices going, there’s no point in checking out “A Most Violent Year.”

Well, there is the cast.

Oscar Isaac tries to pull a 180-degree turn from “Inside Llewyn Davis” – from unlikable ne’er-do-well musician to admirable, integrity-filled businessman.

He succeeds, but there isn’t much point in this bland enterprise.

Jessica Chastain plays his loyal wife, but she mainly seems to be on board to walk a cinematic catwalk in the 1980s-era outfits designed by Giorgio Armani – some original to the period

Betsy Pickle

and others created in concert with costume designer Kasia Walicka-Maimone.

(Perhaps the cost of her costumes decimated the budget for extras.)

Elyes Gabel (of CBS’s “Scorpion”) plays an immigrant oil-truck driver who wants to achieve the American dream, like his boss.

And Albert Brooks plays Isaac’s lawyer, a canny, world-weary type who sees the big picture better than most.

Abel Morales (Isaac) has done well in the heatingoil industry, but he’s under siege. His drivers are being attacked and their trucks hijacked, with the thieves making off with hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of oil.

Abel has no idea who’s behind the crimes. He’s an honest businessman trying to operate legally in a busi-

ness full of cut corners and questionable practices.

His wife, Anna (Chastain), is the daughter of an oil man who played by a different set of rules and got caught. She seems happy to follow Abel’s lead and reap the benefits of their nouveau-riche lifestyle as she works alongside him.

An ambitious district attorney named Lawrence (David Oyelowo) is investigating the oil business and its shady practitioners.

In his drive for power, he is willing to paint all the participants with the same brush.

Trying to run his business legally, rise above Lawrence’s persecution and solve the mystery of the hijackings takes a toll on Abel.

The resulting sizzle is too little, too late.

Chandor focuses so much on creating a specific atmosphere that he forgets to give the film energy. Even with a cast that also includes Alessandro Nivola, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Peter Gerety and Jerry Adler, he can’t lift “A Most Violent Year” out of its torpor.

All that oil. So little heat.

Octavia Spencer and Kevin Costner both want what’s best for their granddaughter in “Black or White.”

Jude Law plays a rogue submarine captain in “Black Sea.”

Costner, Spencer, Law head new film lineup

By Betsy Pickle Worlds collide in “Black or White,” one of four new films opening in Knoxville on Friday.

Kevin Costner plays a grandfather who suddenly finds himself raising his biracial granddaughter on his own. He loves the little girl (newcomer Jillian Estell) and believes that she belongs in his home and his world.

Octavia Spencer plays the girl’s paternal grandmother, who is encouraged

to seek custody by her lawyer brother (Anthony Mackie).

In this timely film intended to open discussion on racial relations and the meaning of family, both grandparents want the best for the child, but they have different ideas on what that means.

Mike Binder (“The Upside of Anger”) wrote and directed the film, based on experiences within his own family.

Jude Law sails into trou-

ble in “Black Sea.” Law plays a submarine captain who agrees to hunt for a submarine rumored to be full of gold.

Claustrophobia and danger ensue. Kevin Macdonald (“The Last King of Scotland”) directed the thriller, whose cast includes Scoot McNairy and Ben Mendelsohn.

Teenagers get into trouble in “Project Almanac.”

When a brilliant teen and To next page

weekender

Shopper news • JANUARY 28, 2015 • 7

FRIDAY ■ Gaelic Storm, 8 p.m., Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay St. Tickets: $21.50 plus applicable service fees. Info/tickets: knoxbijou. com.

■ Ron White, 9:30 p.m., Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay St. Tickets: $50-$60. Tickets: all Ticketmaster locations, tennesseetheatre.com, Tennessee Theatre box office.

SATURDAY ■ ENSO String Quartet concert, 7:30 p.m., Lambert Recital Hall at the Clayton Center for the Arts, 502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville. Tickets: $20-$35. Info/tickets: 9818590 or claytonartscenter.com.

■ World Class Bluegrass featuring Phil Leadbetter, 7:30 p.m., Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre, Clayton Center for the Arts, 502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville. Info: 981-8590 or claytonartscenter.com.

Joe Tolbert, Ethan Norman, Grace Hamer, Darneisha Riley and Kelsey Broyles rehearse a scene from “Walk, Don’t Ride,” which runs for the month of February. Photo by Jeni Lamm

Plate it

Chop House

Theater with a conscience The WordPlayers of Knoxville are kicking off Black History Month in a big way with “Walk, Don’t Ride,” billed as “a presentation of drama and song depicting events that helped shape American freedom.”

The play’s author is Peter Manos.

An example of the best kind of “edu-tainment,” “Walk, Don’t Ride” has been booked in nine different counties and 16 different venues in East Tennessee, including middle schools, colleges and churches.

A Christian theater company, The WordPlayers’ mission, according to the company’s website, is “to impact theatre audiences and artists by telling culturally relevant stories from a Christian worldview.”

The shows will be presented in collaboration with the Carpetbag Theatre, which is “a professional, multigenerational ensemble company dedicated to the production of new works,” according to the website.

Founded in 1969 and

Carol Shane

chartered in 1970, the Carpetbag Theatre works in partnership with other community artists, activists, cultural workers, storytellers and leaders. They work with people who are concerned about social justice, creating original works through collaboration in a style based in storytelling and song.

Events depicted in the Manos play are the Montgomery bus boycott, the Nashville lunch-counter sit-ins and the Greyhound/ Trailways freedom rides.

Speaking of these civil rights events, the Carpetbag Theatre’s website states, “For some, they are part of a seemingly distant history. And perhaps for others, they are unfamiliar. But without a doubt, a couple

of generations ago, those events changed the course of America.”

Private performances will take place in several area schools. The following performances are free and open to the public: ■ 5 p.m., Feb. 1, Fourth Presbyterian Church, 1323 N. Broadway ■ 6:15 p.m., Feb. 5, Walters State Community College, 1325 Claiborne St., Tazewell ■ 1 p.m., Feb. 7, ReCreate Cafe, 800 McCallie Ave., Chattanooga ■ 6:15 p.m., Feb. 12, Walters State Community College, 1720 Old Newport Highway, Sevierville ■ 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., Feb. 16, Roane State Community College, 276 Patton Lane, Harriman ■ 9:40 a.m., Feb. 17, Pellissippi State Community College, 1610 E. Magnolia Ave. ■ 6:15 p.m., Feb. 19, Walters State Community College, 500 S. Davy Crockett Parkway, Morristown ■ 2 p.m., Feb. 21, Oak

New film lineup

Valley Baptist Church, 194 Hampton Road, Oak Ridge ■ 5 p.m., Feb. 22, Fifth Avenue Baptist Church, 2500 E. Fifth Ave. ■ 1:30 p.m., Feb. 24, Walters State Community College, 215 N. College St., Greeneville, Tenn.

■ 7 p.m., Feb. 26, AustinEast High School, 2800 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. This project is funded under an agreement with the Tennessee Arts Commission and supported by the Arts Fund of the East Tennessee Foundation.

Info: www.wordplayers. org or call 865-539-2490.

Send story suggestions to news@ shoppernewsnow.com.

From page 6

his friends come across the blueprints for a mysterious device, they build it and end up on an exciting timetravel adventure. But since they apparently have never watched any time-travel movies, they discover belatedly that every time they travel, they affect the world as they know it.

Jonny Weston, Sofia Black-D’Elia, Allen Evangelista, Sam Lerner and Virginia Gardner star in the film from first-time feature director Dean Israelite.

Also opening this week is “A Most Violent Year.”

Please see review on previous page.

The 12-ounce prime rib at Chop House is tender and flavorful. To accompany the classic, a buttered baked potato, with a starter of a bowl of Shrimp Bisque. Photo by Mystery Diner When you go to eat at a place called The Chop House, it is probably a good idea to go craving a good piece of meat. Prime rib – which I consider to be the king of steak dinners – comes in three hearty sizes at The Chop House: eight, 12 or 16 ounce. I went straight for the 12 ounces because I like to clean my plate.

The prime rib at The Chop House is slow roasted for 12 hours. You can choose from a smorgasbord of “steak toppers” if you want to enhance your prime rib.

They offer everything from béarnaise sauce to blue cheese butter to lobster. I was strongly considering the burgundy mushrooms as a steak topper but decided to just stay pure with the meat.

I also kept the accompaniments classic – baked potato with butter, after starting with a bowl of shrimp bisque instead of a salad.

The prime rib and accom-

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Prime rib at The Chop House is tender and full of flavor. My cut was well-marbled with just enough fat to enhance to taste. It was cooked to perfection, which is medium for me.

The locally owned Chop House has three outstanding locations – each one befitting the casual, yet upscale restaurant atmosphere that makes you feel good about white tablecloths but not bad about your casual attire. Check them out at 4870 Harvest Mill Way in North; 7417 Chapman Highway in South; and 9700 Kingston Pike in Franklin Square in West.

Sam Lerner, Jonny Weston, Allen Evangelista and Virginia Gardner think using a time-traveling device is a good idea in “Project Almanac.”

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8 • JANUARY 28, 2015 • SOUTH KNOX Shopper news

A tale of two bees

By Betsy Pickle Two schools. Two showdowns. Two spelling-bee champions.

It all went down in South Knoxville last week.

In Bonny Kate Elementary library, the setting was dramatic: The highceilinged room was dimly lit except for the illuminated stage, where 22 spellers perched on chairs, excitement and nervousness in their eyes. The judges sat below, shadowy figures at a table.

Parents and other wellwishers filled sideways rows lined up almost to the entrance. Classmates sat cross-legged on the floor in the space between.

Dogwood Elementary’s gym was the total opposite.

The unyielding brightness of the fluorescent lights put the spotlight on the whole room. The mood was celebratory from the get-go.

Guests and students cheered wildly as the 18 proud classroom champions

were introduced and presented with medals on red, white and blue lanyards, and then their alternates were presented. Several spellers mugged for their classmates – and the sea of cell-phone cameras.

The Bonny Kate spellers felt the pain of defeat in the first round, when nerves caused one to turn “neat” into “neet.” The bell signifying a misspelled word sent a chill through the competitors, but instructional coach Sara Harris kept them focused, and there wasn’t another flub until the third round, when two spellers fell.

As words such as “waddle,” “parameters” and “jostle” came their way, six left after round four, and another half-dozen dropped after round five. Then came the bloodbath.

Only six were left for round six, and “duvet” undid the first speller. The next, who had conquered “vehicular” in round five, found

the seed of disaster with “sesame.” “Portrait” was a picture of success for the third speller, but “ vetera n” undid her successor.

T h e speller who w o w e d Hannah with “ultimatum” in round five met an unhappy fate in “skirmish,” and the one who had breezed through “nourish” got unhooked by “phonics.”

The last competitor was clearly in need of “edification” when he received that word.

Six up – five down, and all fourth-grader Hannah Gardner had to do was spell “outrageous,” which she did handily, winning the bee without a runner-up.

Humble Hannah, who was in the bee last year, said she couldn’t have handled some of the words that unseated the others, but she was beyond ecstatic as she received congratulations from classmates and her family – mom Tasha and younger siblings Caleb and Katie were on hand for the victory.

The competition at Dogwood had the feel of an athletic event. The judges sat to the side and, instead of ringing a bell, raised a green or red paddle to indicate

April Lamb:

Great reporter, great teacher (by TVA police trying to restrict access) that day,” she said.

In her spare time, Lamb worked as a reading tutor.

One day a student asked how long she had been a teacher.

“I’m not a teacher, I’m a reporter,” she said. The fellow told her she would make a wonderful teacher.

“That set me thinking,” she said. She remembered her third-grade teacher’s

By Sandra Clark April Lamb is best known to students at Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Academy as their technology teacher.

She’s got a lot of cool equipment since SMG is a magnet school. And she’s ordered $6,000 more as one of six winners of the recent TeacherPreneur grant program sponsored by the Great Schools Partnership.

But before Lamb was a teacher, she was a reporter.

And she talked to the newspaper club last week about her career.

A shy kid growing up in Bristol, she was challenged by her third-grade teacher to be the class reporter. She loved the job and determined right then to be a TV reporter.

There was discouragement. “You have to go to college … it costs too much ...”

“But I worked hard to earn scholarships,” she said.

She made it through East Tennessee State University with a degree in mass communications. Next came the challenge of finding a job.

“Back then, we had to send out tapes. I sent tapes to television stations everywhere.”

She was hired first by a local radio station and then by a TV station in West Virginia. Her big break came when she was offered a job

April Lamb engages with students. Photos by Madison Thomas at WBIR-TV in Knoxville as reporter/anchor for a show called “Style.”

Lamb’s PowerPoint showed her climbing a rock wall despite her fear of heights. The studentreporters were captivated, especially when Lamb told us she had to do it twice – once with the photographer on top shooting down and again with the photographer shooting her ascent from below.

Twice up a rock wall, but the show was still canceled.

The station gave Lamb a job as a reporter and backup anchor. She showed clips of both. Working on New Year’s Day, she was the first reporter on the ash pond at the TVA coal ash spill site.

“Was almost arrested twice

SPECIALS OF THE WEEK!

Heather Palmer congratulates Dogwood Elementary Spelling Bee winner Sam Dascomb and runner-up Maleki Somers. Photo by Betsy Pickle

whether a word was spelled correctly or incorrectly.

Classmates sat on the floor, with relatives and friends behind them in chairs.

Librarian Heather Palmer sat directly in front of the spellers’ microphone to pronounce the words. The mistake rate was fairly consistent after the first round wiped out four. Words ranging from “gross” and “snide” to “tulip” and “burden”

two words – “domestic” and “volcano” – in a row. He had foreshadowed his triumph by playfully showing off his muscles during his introduction, but Sam demonstrated that he was serious about winning. Mom Shelia Dascomb and little sister Sarah were on hand for congratulatory hugs.

Hannah and Sam will compete in the Knox County bee in March.

impact on her life. She decided, “We need teachers who can make a difference.”

So she returned to college for a second degree – this time in education.

“Education provides freedom,” she told the kids. “I have two degrees and can do a lot of jobs.”

A fifth-grade reporter, Eddys Garcia, said it best: “I think she was a great TV reporter and still is and she is also a great tech teacher here.”

For the younger reporters, Lamb included pictures of her daughter’s first birthday party. She said she met her husband while working in television. The family Karina Cortez and Safari Bahati snap photos of the PowerPoint lives in Fountain City. showing April Lamb reporting for WBIR-TV at the TVA coal ash spill.

Mooreland Heights school. And we are improving your school.

“We’ve improved this school since I’ve been here, and we will continue to improve the school as long as I am here. Not just the physical building – because bricks and mortar do not a school make. …

“This school has been improving not only physically, but academically. I’ll put our teachers and this faculty up against anybody, and I’ll put our kids up against anybody …”

Miller told the students that the next speaker “has a servant-leader heart” and “he believes in you because he believes in me,” then introduced McIntyre, whom he described as “my boss, our superintendent and my friend.”

McIntyre called it “an exciting day” and described Mooreland Heights as “a very special place.” Growth at the school has been a challenge, he said, but “we think

felled two each in rounds two, three, four and five, and “suspenders” dropped another in round six.

Round seven was the game-changer: Three youngsters spelled out, leaving fourth-grader Maleki Somers and fifth-grader Sam Dascomb in a two-man match.

It took four more rounds for Sam to emerge the winner by correctly spelling

From page 1

said, and now it “will have a facility that reflects that high-quality education.”

The day’s most comedic – or best-acted – moment came toward the end, when McIntyre called Burchett to the microphone. He explained to the kids that he and Burchett were “kind of like siblings who fuss at each other every once in a while. Sometimes you hear about it in public. But ultimately we love each other.

We have the same goal in mind, and that’s to make sure you get a truly outSchool board member Amber Rountree and her predecessor, standing education.”

Before cracking a few Pam Trainor, have been strong advocates for the renovations jokes and then offering and additions at Mooreland Heights. congratulations, Burchett played along with the superthis is going to be a great space and restrooms, and intendent.

“At the end of the day, solution to some of the chal- the project will reconfigure you’ve still got to try to get lenges that we’ve had here.” the playground space.

The 7,500-square-foot, Mooreland Heights is along. That’s what Dr. Mctwo-story addition will in- “providing a truly outstand- Intyre and I try to do every clude six classrooms, office ing education,” McIntyre day; we just try to get along.”

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business

SOUTH KNOX Shopper news • JANUARY 28, 2015 • 9

All flavors make Rob Followell left members of the Halls Business and Professional Association looking at each other d i f f e r ently after last week’s meeting.

Rob Followell F o l l o w e l l , CEO of Tennova North, borrowed from author George Manning to divide people into groups of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry.

Every team needs a mix of the three personality

Sandra Clark

types, he said.

Look for dark chocolate when hiring a CFO. These individuals like order and structure. They won’t go above the chain of command. Examples in history and sports are Moses (who literally carried rules carved into stone) and coaches Pat

Summitt and John Wooden.

“All successful leaders,” said Followell.

“I’m vanilla,” he said.

“That’s a team-builder who dislikes confrontation and lives within boundaries while leading toward a goal.” Most people fall into the vanilla category. They like to make people happy with plenty of discussion around decision-making.

In history and sports, examples are Ben Franklin, who pulled France into the American Revolution on the side of the United States. He went on to found the public library system and the U.S.

Post Office.

Rick Pitino is a coaching example. He led Kentucky to an NCAA national championship and then turned around and led “a team of scrubs” at Louisville to the same achievement. He’s a consensus-builder for sure.

Strawberry people are most likely to hit a home run. They’re also most likely to land in jail. “Don’t hire a strawberry as your CFO,” said Followell. “You might end up in jail.”

Historically, he cited Patrick Henry: “Give me liberty or give me death!” In sports he flashed photos of Bruce

Pearl and Bobby Knight on the screen.

Strawberries are creative people who focus on the present. There’s an element of marketing and optimism around them, and they don’t mind surprises.

“There are great leaders in all three groups,” said Followell. “As business leaders, we need a balanced team.”

Somebody asked about football. Folks quickly labeled Peyton Manning a chocolate, Joe Montana a vanilla and Michael Vick a strawberry.

Followell drew his talk

from the work of George Manning, a professor of psychology and business at Northern Kentucky University. He has written 11 books, and his consulting clients include AT&T, IBM, the IRS and the U.S. Navy.

As the meeting ended, I drifted over to the table where Hallsdale Powell Utility District CEO Darren Cardwell sat. “Now I know why Marvin Hammond and I always got along so well,” I whispered. “We’re both strawberries.”

“I tend toward chocolate myself,” said Cardwell.

Well, yes he does.

Confederate cemetery nominated to Historic Register current caretaker. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and by appointment with the staff of the Mabry-Hazen House, 1711 Dandridge Ave. Streeter is vice president of the Mabry-Hazen House Museum board. The Minnesota native isn’t sure why the cemetery became a hobby.

“I have no connection to the Confederates,” he says.

Calvin Chappelle, executive director of the Mabry-Hazen House Museum, says that being on the National Register of Historic Places will provide a certain amount of protection to the cemetery and cottage and make the property eligible for grants from the Tennessee Historical Commission.

While cemeteries are sometimes overlooked by the National Register, Streeter thinks the story of the cottage, and its residents, will make it noteworthy. The state review board meets today (Jan. 28).

By Wendy Smith Preservation of cemeteries is a challenge, but Bethel Cemetery, located just east of downtown on Bethel Avenue, has a couple of things working in its favor. The first is the Winstead Cottage, which has housed the cemetery’s caretakers since it was built around the turn of the 20th century. The second is Arin Streeter, the young architect who is working to put the cemetery, and the cottage, on the National Register of Historic Places.

Streeter’s extensive research is included with the application.

According to his work, the federal government took responsibility for locating the graves of Union soldiers after the Civil War and reinterring them in the National Cemetery on Tyson Street.

But the burial of Confederate soldiers was the responsibility of each community.

Ladies’ Confederate memorial associations formed across the South with the goal of placing Confederate soldiers in dedicated cemeteries with appropriate monuments.

Knoxville’s Ladies’ Memorial Association applied to the Knox County Court for a portion of an indigent cemetery where Confederate soldiers were already buried. They received a deed for the new cemetery in 1873, and it was named Bethel Cemetery.

A 48-foot memorial, topped with a sculpted soldier designed by Knoxville artist Lloyd Branson and executed by George Whitaker, a Union veteran, was unveiled on Memorial Day, May 19, 1892.

The cemetery had a fulltime caretaker for two years before the job was taken over by William Winstead in 1886. He was a Confederate veteran who lost part of his leg after the Battle of Gettysburg. According to his youngest daughter, Mamie, Winstead took the position because he wanted to ensure that his fellow soldiers had a beautiful final resting place.

It was a volunteer position,

Calvin Chappelle, executive director of Mabry-Hazen House Museum, and board member Arin Streeter stand in front of the Winstead Cottage, which has housed Bethel Cemetery caretakers for well over a century. The cottage and the cemetery have been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places.

NEWS FROM PREMIER SURGICAL Premier Surgical at Fort Sanders Regional: The 48-foot Confederate monument was installed in Bethel Cemetery by Knoxville’s Ladies’ Memorial Association on Memorial Day in 1892. Photos by Wendy Smith but the family was given the partially finished caretaker’s cottage that was being constructed by the Ladies’ Memorial Association.

Winstead maintained two neighboring cemeteries, as well as Bethel, until his death in 1907. His wife, Bridget, cared for the cemetery until her death in 1930, when Mamie took over the task.

Mamie, who had careers in the Knox County Old Records Department and the Tennessee Supreme Court Library, maintained the cemetery as a park, says Streeter. The property, adorned by ornamental trees and shrubs planted

by Mamie, has few head-

stones and yet contains the remains of more than 1,600 Confederate soldiers. Approximately 100 died in the Battle of Fort Sanders while the rest succumbed to injuries and disease. Over 50 Union soldiers, prisoners of war, are also interred there.

Mamie was given the deed to the cottage and cemetery in 1959 by the Ladies’ Memorial Association.

When she died in 1989, she left her estate to the Hazen Historical Museum Foundation to be preserved as a historical site.

Bethel Cemetery Museum is now located in one side of the cottage. The other side is occupied by the cemetery’s

Innovation Valley boosts local economy

By Bonny C. Millard The Knoxville region saw one of its best periods of economic recovery and success in 2014, a local business leader said.

That’s due in large measure to Innovation Valley, an economic development initiative created in 2008 by the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, said Rhonda Rice, Chamber executive vice president.

Rice made a joint presentation to the Rotary Club of Farragut with Doug Lawyer, Chamber vice president of economic development.

“Knoxville is a large, viable region, and we know that we can get more for this region and this community by marketing and recruiting as a whole instead of worrying about what political boundaries and geographical boundaries are in this area,” Rice said. She is executive director of Innovation Valley.

Lawyer said that last year, the Innovation Valley partnership recruited new businesses such as Flower Foods, Leisure Pools and Fresenius Medical Care and expanded current businesses including Aisin Auto-

motive Casting Tennessee Inc. and ARC Automotive.

The initiative has three goals: net new jobs, gain capital investments and increase wages.

During the 2013-2014 year, 3,273 new jobs were created, surpassing the goal of 2,300. Innovation Valley exceeded its capital investment goal of $300 million by $215 million. According to its annual report, distributed by Rice and Lawyer, the wages increase fell short of its annual 2 percent goal by just .5 percent.

“We spend a lot of time making sure that we’re out in front of site-selection corporate decision-makers who are interested in seeing companies grow,” Rice said. “We also spend a lot of time working with our existing industries in the region in trying to find ways and opportunities to help them grow.”

Created just as the national recession hit, Innovation Valley is managed by the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce but is a separate entity.

Expertise You Can Count On

MD, FACS, For deand Paul S. cades, the PreDudrick, mier Surgical MD, FACS. Associate phyDr. Midis sicians and completed staff at Fort a Surgical Sanders ReOncology gional Medical Fellowship at Center have the respected had a tradition M.D. Anderof providing son Cancer exceptional Center, and surgical care. a Colon It’s a tradition established Premier at Fort Sanders surgeons (from left to right) Dr. Paul and Rectal Dudrick, Dr. Joel “Trey” Bradley, III, Dr. Troy Kimsey, Dr. Greg Surgery Felby respected, Midis, Dr. Michael Kropilak and Dr. Richard Young. lowship at longtime the top-notch Fort SandCleveland ers surgeons Clinic. Like Dr. Kimsey, Dr. Dudrick including Richard A. Brinner, MD, received his surgical oncology FellowFACS, Randal O. Graham, MD, ship training at the renowned Memorial FACS, Hugh C. Hyatt, MD, FACS, Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. and Kevin P. Zirkle, MD, FACS, Vascular surgeon, Richard M. founding, early members of Premier Young, MD, FACS, completed FellowSurgical Associates. ships in Vascular Surgery at the UniverWith the retirement of these promisity of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and nent Premier surgeons in the past two Endovascular Surgery at the nationallyyears, one of Knoxville’s most estabknown New York-Presbyterian Hospital. lished surgical groups is experiencing a He specializes in complex vascular and changing of the guard and a rebirth.

“It’s an exciting time for Fort Sanders endovascular cases and treats varicose veins.

Premier Surgical,” says surgical oncoloThe group’s veteran surgeon, Migist Greg Midis, MD, FACS. “There’s an chael D. Kropliak, MD, FACS, who injection of new energy and an increashas practiced at Fort Sanders since 1988, ing need for specialized expertise.” performs general, vascular, and endoIn August, general surgeon Joel F. crine procedures. He completed a Vascu“Trey” Bradley, III, MD, and surgilar Surgery Fellowship at the esteemed cal oncologist Troy F. Kimsey, MD, Cleveland Clinic. He says working with FACS, joined the Premier Surgical practice at Fort Sanders. The pair brings multi-specialty Fellowship- trained a wealth of clinical knowledge and train- surgeons every day is a plus.

“It’s nice to have the ability to discuss ing to the group.

Dr. Bradley was Fellowship-trained in complex cases. There’s a lot of clinical knowledge and specialized experience in minimally invasive surgery at Carolinas this group.”

Medical Center in Charlotte. There he Dr. Midis agrees. “As operations bespecialized in minimally invasive surgicome more complex, specialty training cal techniques such as complex hernia and volumes point to better outcomes repair and abdominal wall reconstruction. Dr. Kimsey completed a Fellowship for patients.” in surgical oncology at the renowned Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York.

He practiced general surgical oncology in Georgia for six years and helped develop a community-based regional cancer center, before joining Premier Surgical.

Dr. Kimsey is part of the strong For more information about Premier Surgical surgical oncology team at Fort Sanders Associates, please visit Premier that includes Greg P. Midis,

www.premiersurgical.com.

10 • JANUARY 28, 2015 • SOUTH KNOX Shopper news

Shopper Ve n t s enews

Send items to news@ShopperNewsNow.com

chart-climbers and highly lauded acts from varied musical backgrounds. Info/tickets: www.rhythmnbloomsfest.com.

THURSDAY, JAN. 29 Opening preview of new exhibits: “LIFT: Contemporary Printmaking in the Third Dimension” and “Contemporary Focus 2015,” 5:30-7:3- p.m., Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park. Free. Both exhibits run Jan. 30-April 19. Info: http://www.knoxart.org/.

SUNDAY, FEB. 1

FRIDAY, JAN. 30

THROUGH SUNDAY, FEB. 1 “Huckleberry Finn” presented by 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: 2083677, knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com or info@ childrenstheatreknoxville.com.

THROUGH SATURDAY, FEB. 28 “Buy One, Get One Free” admission tickets available for Knoxville Zoo. Tickets can be purchased at the zoo ticket window during regular zoo hours.

Info: 637-5331, ext. 300 or knoxvillezoo.org.

THROUGH SUNDAY, MARCH 8 Call for entries for the next “Arts in the Airport,” a juried exhibition to run April 16 to Oct. 7 at McGhee Tyson Airport. Info/applications: www.knoxalliance. com/airport_entry.html or send an SASE to Suzanne Cada, Arts & Culture Alliance, PO Box 2506, Knoxville, TN 37901.

THROUGH FRIDAY, MARCH 27 Call for local authors of children’s books for “Farragut Book Fest for Children” to be held 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 11, at Founders Park at Campbell Station. $25 fee includes tent, table, two chairs and lunch at the event; authors will supply their books, decorations and signage. No fee: bring own set-up materials, which must include a tent fitting a 10’x10’ space. Info/to register: www.townoffarragut.org/ register and click the Programs tab; Farragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Drive; 966-7057.

THROUGH FRIDAY, APRIL 10 Tickets available for Rhythm N’ Blooms music festival, on stages set exclusively along downtown Knoxville’s Jackson Avenue. Features first-timers,

com or at the door.

Saturday Stories and Songs: Laurie Fisher, 11 a.m., Lawson McGhee Library, 500 W. Church Ave. Info: 215-8750.

Saturday Stories and Songs: Sean McCollough, 11 a.m., Cedar Bluff Branch Library, 9045 Cross Park Drive. Info: 470-7033.

Wallace Coleman in concert, 8 p.m., Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave. Tickets: $12, some discounts available. Info/tickets: www.jubileearts.org.

Alive After Five concert: Soul Connection, 6-8:30 p.m., Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive. Tickets: $15; $10 for members/students. Info: 934-2039.

Needle Tatting/Crochet/Quilting Class, 3:30-7:30 p.m., Hobby Lobby classroom, 6580 Clinton Highway. Cost: $24. Info: Monica Schmidt, 406-3971, monicaschmidt.tn@gmail.com, myquiltplace.com/ profile/monicaschmidt.

Performance Salon Series, 7-10 p.m., the Black Box Theatre in the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay St. Featuring: Shekita Arnold, Oh So Coy, Artese Slay, Jeremiah Welch and Kristopher Tucker. General admission $5 at the door. Presented by the Carpetbag Theatre and Arts & Culture Alliance. Info: Joe Tolbert, 806-0451 or thejoet@gmail.com.

SATURDAY, JAN. 31 Beginner Crochet Class, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Hobby Lobby at Turkey Creek. Cost: $24. Info: Monica Schmidt, 406-3971, monicaschmidt.tn@gmail.com, myquiltplace.com/profile/monicaschmidt.

Beginning Genealogy, 1-4 p.m., East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St. Instructor: Ann Blomquist, Med. Preregistration required. Info/to register: 215-8809.

Chocolatefest Knoxville, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Knoxville Expo Center. To benefit Knoxville’s Ronald McDonald House. Admission and parking are free. Tasting pass ticket: $15; VIP pass ticket, $30. Tickets: www. chocolatefestknoxville.com; Sugarbakers Cake, Candy & Supplies, 514 Merchants Road; Imagination Forest, 7613 Blueberry Road; at the door.

Gospel singing, 7 p.m., Mount Harmony Baptist Church, 819 Raccoon Valley Road NE, Heiskell. Featuring the Walker Boys Bluegrass Gospel Group from Clinton. The church is also collecting nonperishable food items for the church pantry. Everyone welcome.

Healthy Recipe Swap, 2 p.m., Farragut Branch Library, 417 N. Campbell Station Road. Info: 777-1750.

“La Femme Bohème,” an all-female cast of Puccini’s opera “La Bohème,” 7:30 p.m., NV nightclub, 125 E Jackson Ave. Presented by the Marble City Opera.

Admission: adults, $20; students, $10. Tickets: knoxtix.

Vegetarian Society of East Tennessee meeting, 6 p.m., Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike. Featured dish: Thai Green Curry with Vegetables demonstrated by Ellen Matteson.

Potluck supper to follow. Cost: $4. Info: bobgrimac@ gmail.com or 546-5643.

“Walk, Don’t Ride!” Black History Month Touring Show performance by the WordPlayers, 5 p.m., Fourth United Presbyterian Church, 1323 N. Broadway. Free performance; no reservations required. Info: www. wordplayers.org or 539-2490.

MONDAY, FEB. 2 Crochet in the Round-Make a Hat class, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Hobby Lobby, 6580 Clinton Highway. Cost: $24. Info: Monica Schmidt, 406-3971, monicaschmidt.tn@gmail.com, myquiltplace.com/ profile/monicaschmidt.

Tennessee Shines: Craig Market and Thomm Jutz and poet Jack Rentfro, 7 p.m., Knoxville Visitor Center, 301 S. Gay St. Tickets: $10, free for students with valid ID and children ages 14 and under. Info/tickets: WDVX. com.

TUESDAY, FEB. 3 Blount Mansion History Supper, 6 p.m., Boyd’s Jig and Reel, 101 S Central St. Speaker: Dr. Joan Markel.

Topic: Belle Boyd, Confederate Spy. Cost: $65. RSVP by Jan. 30. Info/RSVP: 525-2375 or info@blountmansion. org.

Needle Tatting/Crochet/Quilting class, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Hobby Lobby at Turkey Creek. Cost: $24. Info: Monica Schmidt, 406-3971, monicaschmidt. tn@gmail.com, myquiltplace.com/profile/ monicaschmidt.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 4 Brown Bag Lecture: “Clans, Septs, and Surnames in the Highlands of Scotland” by Graeme Mackenzie, noon, East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St. Admission: free. Bring a “Brown Bag” lunch; soft drinks available. Info: 215-8824 or www.EastTNHistory.org.

NEWS FROM GENTRY GRIFFEY FUNERAL CHAPEL & CREMATORY

Today’s funeral options are vast Locally owned funeral homes tailor services for unique celebrations of life When a friend or family member passes away, it is common for funeral or memorial services to be held.

Eric Botts, Managing Partner and Licensed Funeral Director.

There is a great deal of planning that goes into funeral and memorial services in East Tennessee because they serve as a way to honor the life of the person who meant so much.

There are different elements of a funeral ceremony or memorial that must be considered, and one of these is tone. It’s important that the family or friends who are planning the funeral choose a tone that is appropriate for their needs.

In recent years, there has been somewhat of a shift in the tone of funerals. Traditionally, funerals have always been a somber occasion, but more and more families are opting to incorporate elements that celebrate the life of the deceased. In part, this is due to pre-planning funeral arrangements because it allows the wishes of the person who has passed away

Long known as a favorite photo spot for proms and weddings, the gardens at Gentry Griffey provide an ideal location for a celebration of life service. Gentry Griffey is a proud sponsor of the Dogwood Arts Festival Fountain City Trail.

to be carried out.

Some individuals see pre-planning a funeral as a chance to emphasize different aspects of their life that set them apart. People who love a particular type of music or a sports team might want to somehow incorporate those elements into their funerals and memorials.

Funerals help the family and friends who are left behind cope with the loss while at the same time commemorating a life well-lived.

Funerals can be as unique as the individuals they honor. Whether they include religious aspects or cultural traditions, it is possible to

Catering is just one of many customized options that Gentry Griffey is happy to coordinate for your unique needs.

incorporate elements that set the desired tone at a funeral or memorial.

One way that tone is set at funeral services is by the type of music that is

played. A carefully chosen selection of funeral music can soothe those who are grieving as well as honor the life of the deceased.

Another way to set the

tone while planning a memorial or funeral is through the chosen readings. Whether or not there is a eulogy or religious reading plays a role in the tone. Poetry, sacred texts and other written passages can lend a distinctive feeling to the ceremony. Allowing attendees to take part in the service and even contribute their thoughts/share memories can affect tone as well.

Visual displays also assist in creating a funeral or memorial’s tone. “Here at Gentry Griffey, we offer the option of a celebration of life DVD with photos and special memories,” says Eric Botts, managing partner and licensed funeral director.

“We also encourage families to display photos and other memorabilia if they choose.

These things personalize the experience and only further allow families to honor their loved ones who have passed.”

Gentry Griffey has been offering families a source of comfort and peace of mind for more than 60 years.

If you are interested in planning a special memorial or Celebration of Life ceremony or learning more about the pre-planning funeral services, contact them at 865-689-4481 or info@ gentrygriffey.com.

Gentry Griffey Funeral Chapel & Crematory 5301 Fountain Road

Off Broadway above Fountain City Lake

(865)689-4481 www.GentryGriffey.com

SOUTH KNOX Shopper news • JANUARY 28, 2015 • 11

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