South Knox Shopper-News 070616

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SOUTH KNOX VOL. 42 NO. 27 1

BUZZ Fence at SKES Omitted from the list Knox County Schools security chief Gus Paidousis gave the Shopper last week of schools receiving new fencing this summer was South Knoxville Elementary School. But that may be because it isn’t guaranteed the fence will be installed before students return in August. While the school had expected that to happen, Doug Dillingham, KCS supervisor of facilities and construction, said it may be later in the year. He said he had hoped to put up the fence after the city finished the Sevier Avenue Streetscape Project, but that is at least 18 months out, so KCS will go ahead and install the fence. Schools were assigned priority for fences based on the approximate response time from KCS security at the central office, which meant SKES wasn’t high on the list, but Dillingham said it had been moved up. The fence along Sevier Avenue will be of a decorative wrought-iron and brick-pillar design, similar to that at West High School, but the fencing along the side streets will be black-vinylcovered chain link. Meanwhile, SKES’s gym is getting spruced up. Work on the floors began last week, and principal Tanna Nicely said they will be “restored to their original glamour.� – Betsy Pickle

VBS Mount Olive Baptist Church, 2500 Maryville Pike, will offer Vacation Bible School 6-8:30 p.m. July 10-14 for ages 3 through fifth grade. Theme: “Submerged.� Info/ registration: mobcknox.com.

Pat in context Times were tough when Patricia Head came to Knoxville in 1974 to teach physical education, train for the 1976 Olympics and work on her master’s degree at the University of Tennessee.

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July July29, 6, 2013 2016

Taking stock of

Janice Tocher, Adam Fritts, Carson Dailey, Bobbye Edwards and Chris Widener discuss details for the July 7 Knoxville SOUP at the South Knoxville Community Center. Photo by Betsy Pickle

By Betsy Pickle In October 2014, South Knoxville Alliance president Debra Bradshaw convinced the group’s board to sponsor SOUP, a crowd-sourcing event that benefits a local community project. Bradshaw’s daughter had discovered the concept online, and the SoKno businesswoman quickly fell in love with the idea, which originated in Detroit. The first Knoxville SOUP – “social opportunities, unlimited po-

tential� – was held in March 2015 at Flenniken Landing. A project called Rejuvenation of Mary Vestal Park and Greenway won $412 from donations at the door, and SOUP was on. So far, five SOUP dinners have raised a total of $2,389 for worthy causes. The sixth version takes place Thursday night at the South Knoxville Community Center, 522 Maryville Pike, with four groups presenting proposals and hoping

to win the pot. Doors open at 6 p.m., presentations start at 6:30, with dinner, discussion and voting following. A donation of $5 at the door is suggested. At an organizing-committee meeting last week, the SOUP team was finalizing details for the July 7 event. There were still food donations to nail down and raffle items to solicit and collect. Oh, and little things like secur-

ing at least four project proposals and finding a performer or visual artist to feature. “I always get really concerned about the proposals coming in,â€? said Janice Tocher, chair of this month’s event. “They typically will come in at the last minute. “This time we don’t have a featured artist ‌ but maybe the artist community doesn’t want to participate; I don’t know.â€? To page 3

Paul Y. Anderson: Award-winning reporter By Kelly Norrell A man who may have learned relentless honesty at his South Knoxville Baptist church is credited, 78 years after his death, with shaping the face of American investigative journalism. Paul Y. Anderson, who attended Central High School but never finished, left Knoxville at 19 in 1913 for the newspapers of St. Louis. He cut a shining arc for about 21 years

on the national journalism scene, netting a Pulitzer Prize in journalism in 1929 for his stories in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on the Teapot Dome scandal. His reporting on bribery of government officials and misuse of public funds resulted in the jailing of Secretary of Interior Albert Fall and oil magnate Harry Sinclair, among others. But dark forces of alcoholism, despondency and perhaps his

childhood hardships halted Anderson’s life. In 1938, after three marriages and the loss of his job at the Post-Dispatch because of erratic behavior, he died by suicide at 45 in Washington, D.C. Today, his remains lie in a family plot in the graveyard at Island Home Baptist Church, where he was probably baptized. He is surrounded by the graves of his parents, five siblings and other forebears.

At his pinnacle, Anderson was the highest-paid journalist in Washington, said Terry Ganey, former investigative reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and author of articles about Anderson for the Gateway Journalism Review. He is gathering material for a book on Anderson. To page 3

Read Sandra Clark on page 4

R.B. Morris and the long road home

Swimming seniors Sara Barrett visited the South Knox Senior Center where the county’s only indoor swimming pool is used frequently, especially during hot summer days.

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See Sara’s pictures on page 6

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Dr. Bob Collier writes about milkweed and monarch butterflies. Powell edition.

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

By Betty Bean Despite a lifelong case of wanderlust, R.B. Morris has a tight connection to his hometown. He has sung about it, analyzed it, helped found a park in it, celebrated and fled it. But no matter how far he flies, he always comes back, and he’s probably halfway serious when he calls Knoxville “the Bermuda Triangle of the Appalachians.� Family, friends and an innate sense of place create bonds that stretch but never break. If anyone was surprised when Mayor Madeline Rogero and the Arts & Culture Alliance named Morris Knoxville’s first poet laureate, nobody has said so. Maybe Rogero’s quoting a verse from “Then There Is a City� (a song from his album “Spies Lies and Burning Eyes�) in her inaugural address was a hint. As photographer Bill Foster put it, Morris’ selection was “the most obvious slam-dunk decision in the history of obviousness.� Richard Bruce Morris is a poet,

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R.B. Morris talks with fans at Time Warp Tea Room. Photo by Ruth White “It was a pretty rich scene,� Morris remembered. “Kind of a movable feast.� His influence was Bob Dylan (naturally), with John Prine and Bruce Springsteen entering his consciousness a little later. He abandoned all of that, temporarily, when a breakup with

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a playwright, a singer and a sometime actor who wrote his first song (about his dog, Dixie) when he was in the fourth or fifth grade at Alice Bell Elementary School. He graduated from Holston High School and spent a year at the University of Tennessee before his itchy feet took him away. “I just bailed for the high and wide,� he said. “I took off traveling around the country, wanting to get an advanced education.� It’s hard to keep up with his youthful ramblings, but one of his first artistic partnerships was with Jimmy Rector (son of famed mandolin player Red Rector). They started playing old-timey music up in the hills of Cocke County. After a while, he came back to town and joined a burgeoning music scene where musicians, singers and songwriters were honing their licks and finding their identities. Bands called Shaky Little Finger, See Rock City, Bull Rooker, Ears and the Lonesome Coyotes were striking out in many directions.

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a girlfriend drove him to the mountains in January 1980 to “a little old half-built cabin with no running water, a wood stove, a bed and my old man’s manual typewriter. I was kinda flushing myself out of everything – ended relationships with girlfriends and close friends – stopping the world as best I could. That’s when I did my hermit year, living up on Round Mountain up an old gravel road. I was probably the last man in Tennessee.� When he came down from the mountain, he headed west and spent spring 1981 in San Francisco, meeting Beat Generation survivors like Gerald Corso, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and William Burroughs, plus Jack Kerouac biographer Gerald Nicosia, with whom he corresponded after he returned to Knoxville, determined to create something of his own. That’s when he hooked up with painter Eric Sublett and started To page 3

2 • JULY 6, 2016 • Shopper news

health & lifestyles

’Chute straight

Trust helps ex-paratrooper take leap of faith He jumped out of airplanes 102 times during his 25-year Army career and spent the Vietnam War in Korea getting shot at by snipers along the Imjin River. But when the time came for 65-year-old John Parris of Knoxville to undergo back surgery, he was admittedly nervous. “I was scared,” he said flatly. “Somebody’s messing with your spinal cord. All the nerves and everything that makes your body function are in a ganglia back there. So there was a moment that I asked ‘Why me?’” But with his radiculopathy, a neuropathy caused by nerve compression and spondylolisthesis, which is the forward displacement of vertebra, causing back and leg pain and repeated falls, Parris put his trust in neurosurgeon Dr. Barrett Brown at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center. In late August, Parris underwent Barrett Brown, a minimally invasive procedure M.D. known as transformational lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) of his third and fourth lumbar vertebrae. Using small incisions and stateof-the-art intraoperative image guidance, Dr. Brown attached surgical hardware such as pedicle screws and rods to the back of Parris’s vertebra. An interbody spacer called a fusion cage was inserted into the disc space from one side of the spine to help promote fusion. In contrast to the traditional or “open” surgical method which would have required a large midline incision, stripping muscle tissue away from the bone and placement of large retractors, the minimally invasive technique employed by Dr.

John Parris is enjoying all the things that used to be challenging, like preparing his garden for summer without pain thanks to his minimally invasive spine surgery at Fort Sanders Regional

Brown offered several advantages. “In my experience, people get back in their normal routines a little sooner,” said Dr. Brown. “Their hospital stay is not quite as long. The blood loss is less and there’s usually less tissue destruction. Because of that there’s less pain, and you get out of the hospital sooner and back to what you were normally doing more quickly.” After just a few days in the hospital and three weeks on a walker or cane, Parris – with his back made straighter by the rods – was free of pain, walking in physical therapy and well on his way to a full recovery. “I was up walking within 24 hours, and once I got my legs under me it wasn’t long before I was doing the therapy, and I’ve done really well,” said Parris. “Coming up this August, it’ll be a year that I have been pain-free.” Not just pain-free, but also more active. Now 44 pounds lighter thanks to Dr. Brown’s recommendation to see a dietitian, Parris isn’t limiting his activities at all. In fact, you might catch him pressure-washing

his house, hoeing his garden or playing his guitar, bass or mandolin. “I can swim, I can ride a bike, I can walk all over Dollywood,” said Parris. “My back has not slowed me down whatsoever. I can do anything I set my mind to.” “I think he had a good outcome,” said Dr. Brown. “His leg pain was completely resolved. He reported his pain as zero.” Parris said a big reason for his successful outcome was that Dr. Brown used a methodical “holistic” approach to diagnosing and treating him, conferring with Parris’ oncologist, primary care doctor, physical therapist and dietitian. “He looked at me and talked to me about trying to lose some weight and doing some things that would take the pressure off

my back,” said Parris. “I had a curvature in my back from where my gut had gotten so big and it was putting pressure on some nerves and affecting my ability to walk. Dr. Brown said, ‘Lose a little of this right here, and it’ll take care of that back, too.’ It wasn’t easy but I didn’t starve. The big thing was to increase my water intake, stay away from white bread, stop the gravy and give up the soft drinks.” “We didn’t rush into surgery from the get-go – we talked about other non-surgical options as well,” said Dr. Brown, adding that Parris had three epidural injections that offered relief temporarily. “He is diabetic so when I first saw him the concern was, ‘Is this a femoral neuropathy, an effect of the diabetes? Or is this secondary to the slippage?’ That’s one of the reasons we talked about doing the epidural injections to help determine between the two. I wouldn’t think it would help with the diabetic neuropathy, but if it was secondary to the subluxation it could potentially help ease his pain and it did.” But when the third injection wore off after about 10 days, Parris again found himself falling. “So I called up Dr. Brown and he set up a surgery date,” said Parris. “Within 48 hours, he had a surgery suite for me and was ready to go.” However, Parris, despite his death-defying leaps from airplanes and near misses in Korea, was still a bit nervous about the whole thing. After all, his fatherin-law had undergone seven back surgeries. “My wife, Karen, was on top of things,” he said. “She knew about my medicine, she knew about my therapy, she knew all this stuff beforehand because she had seen her Daddy go through all the back

surgeries, and she was well informed. “Between her and Dr. Brown and his staff, I was blessed. So I give a lot of kudos to my wife. She and Dr. Brown had some talks about what’s going to be best for me, and Dr. Brown was able to basically calm my fears. I looked at his staff at how well they were coordinated, and how well he presented himself to me. He made me feel calmer. I had trust in him. And that’s what really helped me – he calmed me down. I looked at the reviews and I saw that this guy is a top-notch surgeon.” He was particularly pleased with the nursing staff at FSRMC. “When they scheduled me for my surgery, they kept me informed,” he said. “By keeping me informed, that eased some of the anxiety. On surgery day, I thought there would be more drama to it than there was. The process was very efficient, everyone was involved in a tag team approach – whether it be the procedure, the prep, the day after the surgery – if I had a problem, all I had to do was call them. They made that quite clear: if I needed them at any time, I was to give them a call. That was reassuring. “When it comes surgery date, you take a deep breath and say, ‘OK, Doc and the Good Lord, I’m in your hands.’ I was blessed with the surgical team, and his whole staff. I trusted in what they were saying and what they were doing. You have to have a little faith in people, especially your neurosurgeon and your doctor’s staff. If you can’t trust them, then you’ve got to look somewhere else.” For more information about the Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at Fort Sanders Regional, call 865-541-2835 or visit fsregional.com/minimallyinvasive.

MI-TLIF or open? It’s the surgeon’s choice The jury is still out, but evidence is mounting that minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MI-TLIF) continues to gain patients’ favor in the treatment of serious spondylolisthesis, degenerative disc disease, or nerve compression with associated low back pain. Yet, despite obvious benefits of minimally invasive TLIF procedures, surgeons are likely to keep traditional, open spinal fusions in their armamentarium. In fact, Dr. Barrett Brown, neurosurgeon with the Fort Sanders Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, says John Parris’ recent surgery probably could have been done more easily using the traditional, open approach. “A lot of surgeons have done this surgery open and that’s always a consideration,” said Dr. Brown. “Just like when you do a gall bladder of appendix laparoscopically, there’s always a potential chance that you’ll need to revert to an open procedure. Mr. Parris’ case could have been done open – he probably would have been in the hospital

an extra day or two. On the surface, that may not seem like a big difference, but when you add up hundreds of cases, that’s hundreds of hospital days that are saved.” Some argue that the term “minimally invasive” is a misnomer, that “minimal access” would be more appropriate. That’s because the key difference in MI-TLIF compared with the open method is the exchange of one long incision for multiple small ones. In MI-TLIF, the surgeon does the entire procedure through a tube using special instruments and 3D fluoroscopy. By working through such a small portal, the technique greatly reduces the amount of muscle and tissue that must be cut or retracted, blood loss is dramatically reduced and less pain means shorter recovery periods. “Most surgeons are trained in the open method so it might be a little quicker, and there’s less of a learning curve,” said Dr. Brown. “But I think once you’ve learned the MI technique, the procedures are largely equivalent.

Some patients may prefer one over the other. But we’re hopefully getting the same outcome with a less invasive approach, with less tissue destruction and less pain.”Studies conducted at UCLA demonstrated a five- to 10-fold reduction in blood loss, 20 to 40 percent shorter surgical times, 30 to 40 percent decrease in postoperative narcotic use, a 30 percent shorter hospitalization time and more rapid overall recovery. Studies conducted at UCLA of minimally invasive surgery demonstrated: ■ Five to 10 percent reduction in blood loss ■ 20 to 40 percent shorter surgical time ■ 30 to 40 percent decrease in postoperative narcotic use ■ 30 percent shorter hospitalization time ■ More rapid overall recovery.

REGIONAL EXCELLENCE. Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center is the referral hospital where other facilities send WKHLU PRVW GL̇ FXOW FDVHV ł ł ł ł

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community

SOUTH KNOX Shopper news • JULY 6, 2016 • 3

The Pinklets, a pop-rock sister act from SoKno, play to an enthusiastic crowd at Meadow Lark Music Festival. From left are Lucy Eric Edwards of Farragut moves his hoop to the music of SouthAbernathy, Eliza Abernathy and Roxie Abernathy. Photos by Betsy Pickle ern Culture on the Skids.

Meadow Lark brings cool sounds to hot day The 2016 Meadow Lark Music Festival may go down as the hottest edition the festival has ever known, but music lovers gamely braved the high temps and turned out in force to support the Ijams Nature Center summer tradition.

Margaret Hambright and Scott Carpenter enjoy dinner during the Barstool Romeos’ set. Tasty offerings at the festival included wood-fired pizza, traditional and chicken gyros, jerk chicken and New Belgium beer.

Paul Y. Anderson

Betsy Pickle

Last year’s event suffered some rain, so no one really complained about the sun at the June 25 fest. Attendees parked their chairs and blankets under the trees at the edges of the meadow. Fortunately, as the afternoon progressed the shade grew, allowing the burgeoning crowd to share the cooler edges.

Paul Y. Anderson

Photo courtesy of the St. Louis PostDispatch

Paul Y. Anderson’s headstone in his family plot at the Island Home Baptist Church graveyard bicycle and later worked as a copyboy and then a reporter for the Knoxville Journal. Ganey said the hardships affected Anderson all his life. “He told stories later about being happy if he got a banana at Christmastime. I believe he fought for the little guy because of the way he grew up.� After his death, Anderson seemed to fall into obscurity.

the Hard Knoxville Review. “We were just all about that literature thing and the art thing,� he said. “And the Artists’ Colony, after the World’s Fair.� He married (and later divorced) during this period; he has a 27-yearold daughter, Frances Johanna, who is an art therapist and lives in Oregon. Morris began to be published internationally and hit the road with guitarist Hector Qirko. He participated in a seminal writers conference on Kerouac in Colorado and made trips to New York and Quebec to meet with writers he’d gotten to know along the way. In the ’90s, he started commuting to Nashville and signed a contract and made an album with John Prine’s Oh Boy Records. The title single from “Take That Ride� (named for the road to Nashville taken by so many Knoxville-area musicians) made prestigious lists of top 10 releases of 1997. He also recorded for a New York label, Koch, and the resulting album, “Zeke & the Wheel,� was nominated for an Americana Award. He had poems choreographed

“I believe he is an unsung hero of the journalistic profession during a troubled time in our history,� Ganey said. Tim Fleegor, pastor of Island Home Baptist Church, said church members are proud of Anderson’s legacy. “If he was in Sunday school here, he learned the things ■Colonial Village Neighborthe Bible told him, to tell the hood Association. Info: Terry truth and stick to his guns. “ Caruthers, 579-5702, t_ From page 1

you’re going to stop somebody� (from another area from applying to present). “If other locations want to do their own SOUP dinner, we’d be more than happy, I’m sure, to help them figure out how to go about doing it, but it doesn’t need to affect our schedule of the first Thursday of every quarter that we still do something in South,� said Tocher. The group still need more help pulling together their own events. Fritts handles social media. Bobbye Edwards handles the raffle and this time had to oversee food when another volunteer dropped out. Susan Martin is the volunteer coordinator. Carson Dailey handles set-up. Chris

Widener does a little bit of everything and will chair the October event. Tina Shelton “provides constructive criticismâ€? at meetings, Tocher jokes, and has been a key volunteer since the beginning. Having more people to share organizing duties would be a big help, they all say. Regardless, they are pleased with what Knoxville SOUP has accomplished. “The fundraising and the networking ‌ I think you’re putting people in the same room that would never have gotten in the same room otherwise,â€? said Fritts. He pointed to a proposal from South Knoxville Elementary School that didn’t

From page 1 for modern dance and wrote (and played the leading role in) the first iteration of a play about James Agee, “The Man Who Lives Here Is Loony.� He was UT’s writer in residence 2004-2008 and in 2009 was inducted into the East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame. He’s still living in Fort Sanders. His wife, Karly Stribling, is a gifted sculptor, metalsmith and blacksmith, and they have a 6-year-old daughter, Oona Pearl. Morris is looking forward to writing something for the city’s 225th anniversary and directing “The Man Who Lives Here Is Loony� at the Knoxville Museum of Art in late October and November. He’ll be taking on other projects in his role as poet laureate, as well. Knoxville inspires him. “There’s something poetic about this place – the rivers, the mountains, the unfulfilled promise – I’ve ventured out into the world but always come trailing back. I’ve written about Knoxville, but never quite finished.� Hear “Then There Is a City� by R.B. Morris on YouTube.com.

COMMUNITY NOTE caruthers@hotmail.com.

Taking stock SOUP’s focus is raising money to help a group or individual deliver a project that will benefit the community, but the endeavor also promotes artists and musicians who deserve exposure. Raffle proceeds help cover expenses. Bradshaw’s original hope was that SOUP would become so popular that other parts of town would create their own. So far, that hasn’t happened, and the committee members don’t have the resources to branch out. “I think maybe the branching out can come with who applies to receive SOUP money,� said Adam Fritts, who joined the committee in January. “It’s on a website, so I don’t think

Skids made a welcome return to Knoxville, delivering their humorous songs and fried chicken to an adoring crowd. Fans were dancing in front of the stage and throughout the lawn as they played. Dale Watson and His Lone Stars also got the dance floor hopping. Watson probably had more women swooning than the sun had with his silver pompadour and vibrant bass voice. His rebel-country sound, friendly patter and unapologetic plugs for Lone Star beer put the crowd in a good mood as he and the band closed out the night.

R.B. Morris

From page 1

Island Home Baptist Church pastor Tim Fleegor says the Early in his career, An- church is proud of Anderson’s derson earned a reputation legacy of honesty. for raw courage and honesty Merry-Go-Round in reporting stories like the ington East St. Louis race riots of column, Kenneth Crawford 1917, the murder trial of Na- of the Washington Post and than Leopold and Richard Clark R. Mollenhoff of the Loeb in Chicago in 1924, and Des Moines Register. Ganey said he believes the Scopes “Monkey Trial� in Dayton, Tenn., in 1925. His Anderson’s tenacious remother, Elizabeth, whom porting was a result of his he visited in Knoxville each anger over early hardships. Born in 1893 to Holston year, feared that enemies and Elizabeth Anderson, a would try to kill him. Anderson adopted a fear- South Knoxville stonecutter less style and an obsession and his wife, Anderson was for uncovering exploitation the second of three siblings of the weak that investiga- who lived to adulthood. Tragtive reporters still copy to- edy struck on Jan. 21, 1897, day. In his book “Reporting when a quarry derrick fell on from Washington, the His- Holston Anderson at work, tory of the Washington Press killing him. Paul was only 3. The family received no Corps,� Donald Ritchie said Anderson influenced the re- compensation and fell into porting of such journalism poverty. Elizabeth became a giants as Drew Pearson and teacher. Paul delivered newsRobert S. Allen of the Wash- papers and telegrams on his

The day started with music from the Pat Beasley Band, Grassroots Gringos and Red Shoes & Rosin. There was an enthusiastic reception for South Knoxville’s own the Pinklets – sisters Lucy, Eliza and Roxie Abernathy – who played earlier this summer at Bonnaroo. Their melodic pop engaged the crowd and apparently created new fans. Local favorites the Barstool Romeos and Four Leaf Peat offered entertaining sets as well. Two popular acts took the stage as headliners. Alt-rockabilly band Southern Culture on the

win but still found funding from an attendee. “I think that is as valuable as any amount of money that was donated.� Widener, a manager at Lowe’s, said he’s had customers tell him that they came to the store specifically because Lowe’s supported SOUP. “South Knoxville, probably more than any other community that I’ve had anything to do with, is extremely loyal to businesses that put effort into making the community better.� He wants other SoKno businesses to know that. “If they started getting involved, it’s amazing what comes back to them in the end.�

■Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Firearms Association meets 6 p.m. each first Tuesday, Gondolier Italian Restaurant, Chapman Highway, 7644 Mountain Grove Drive. The public is invited. Info: Liston Matthews, 316-6486. ■Knoxville Tri-County Lions Club meets 7 p.m. each second and fourth Monday, Connie’s Kitchen, 10231 Chapman Highway, Seymour. Info: facebook.com/TriCounty Lions/info.

Group meets 7 p.m. each third Thursday, South Knoxville Elementary School library, 801 Sevier Ave. Info: Gary E. Deitsch, 573-7355 or garyedeitsch@bellsouth.net. â– South Haven Neighborhood Association meets 10 a.m. each third Saturday, Hillcrest UMC, 1615 Price Ave. Info: Pat Harmon, 591-3958. â– South Knox Republicans meet 7 p.m. each third Thursday, South Knox Optimist Club, 6135 Moore Road. Kevin Teeters, kevinteeters018@ gmail.com.

â– Lake Forest Neighborhood Association. Info: Molly Gilbert, 209-1820 or molly gilbert@yahoo.com. â– Lindbergh Forest Neighborhood Association meets 6:30 p.m. each third Wednesday, Graystone Presbyterian Church, 139 Woodlawn Pike. Info: Kelley DeLuca, 660-4728, kelleydeluca@gmail.com. â– Old Sevier Community

4 • JULY 6, 2016 • Shopper news

Stu Aberdeen story lives again The last time I visited Wolfville, Nova Scotia, was 1976, on the way home from the Montreal Olympics. I went to Acadia University to see the basketball trophies and treasures coach Stu Aberdeen had accumulated. The Canadians thought I was big-time. They received me graciously, but the first two I asked didn’t recognize the Aberdeen name. When I found the administrator who knew whom and what I was talking about, he seemed embarrassed to say there were no statues or monuments carved in stone. There were some leftover plaques and a few pictures, but he didn’t know where they were. Maybe in a closet. His explanation: “He has

part of a package with 6-10 Canadian Bobby Croft. Ray Mears would have taken either separately, but they Marvin were better together. West Aberdeen did many other things for Mears, including transform Tom Boerwinkle and capture the attention of been gone 10 years.� referees. Stu could slap the Did I suffer disillusion- Tartan playing floor with ment? Well, the story line his clipboard and cause refs changed, but I understood to think they might have that Acadia was not UCLA been shot. and Aberdeen wasn’t John Stu distracted Adolph Wooden. All young Stu did Rupp. The great Kentucky was lead the Axemen to six coach dubbed him “The conference championships, Fieldhouse Mouse� and five Maritime titles, a na- tried to keep the big little tional crown and an overall man under constant sur122-50 record. He won the veillance. coach-of-the-year trophy so Many years after my visit many times, they eventually to Wolfville, I realized that the Volunteers treated the named it for him. Stu came to Tennessee as memory of Stu Aberdeen

Survey seeks help on East Knox business development By Sandra Clark Nick Della Volpe has created a survey to gain public opinion on ways to improve the business community in North/East Knoxville. He wants to organize an economic summit this fall to “focus positive energy on our broader east side community.� Della Volpe is now seeking information from a survey he’s posted online. He says: “The survey results will help us plan the upcoming economic roundtable or summit to be held this Della Volpe fall. Stay tuned; we’ll likely have a few planning and preliminary meetings once we get a better handle. Let’s join together and become a catalyst for positive change in our area.� The survey can be found at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KCMR9X9 Nick Della Volpe is term-limited on City Council, from District 4. He can be reached at 865-525-2880.

much as Acadia had. Tennessee celebrated the Ernie and Bernie show without a second thought of how those New York prep stars got to Knoxville to become all-time greats. The recruitment of Ernie Grunfeld and Bernard King was a legendary accomplishment. Work and more work were the key words. Tireless determination was relevant. In one case, the brilliant interpretation of a coffee stain on the great book of high school transcripts proved pivotal. I never believed Aberdeen cheated. I always thought the simple explanation for the two miracles was his refusal to go away. The second stay created a crisis for Bob Woodruff, Tennessee athletic director. Stu handed in an expense account almost two months late. Normally, Bob looked

at numbers and entered a period of meditation. This time there was a loud exclamation: “Fifty-two consecutive days in New York City!� It was not a question. Mears had signed off on Stu’s expenses and had initialed beginning and end dates. Ray called it tenacious recruiting coupled with frugality. When Stu ran out of money, he had moved in with friends and borrowed a car. “Tenacious� and “frugality� were not common in Woodruff’s vocabulary. He repeated them carefully. Mears just stood there, awaiting an explosion. It never came. Later, there was an earthquake. Not yet aware of King’s terrific talent, what a great thing Aberdeen had done, Woodruff reduced the basketball recruiting bud-

get for the next year so there would be no more months in New York. After Aberdeen’s death (heart attack, June 11, 1979), Acadia staged a fourteam holiday tournament in his memory. It did not flourish. Acadia tried it as a preseason project. It eventually expired. I called from time to time to ask about it. I was told it might be coming back. It is. The Stu Aberdeen Memorial Basketball Tournament will be Sept. 30-Oct. 2, hopefully before the first snow. Inspiration and motivation was a large donation from a former player to launch arena renovation. Acadia will name the playing floor in Stu’s memory. Several Aberdeens will participate in the ceremony. Thought you’d like to know. Marvin West invites reader reaction. His address is westwest6@netzero.com

I’m not a feminist, but ‌ Times were tough when Patricia Head came to Knoxville in 1974 to teach physical education, train for the 1976 Olympics and work on her master’s degree at the University of Tennessee. At just 22, she was asked to coach the women’s basketball team – a job she left 38 years later when driven to retirement by early-onset Alzheimer’s. She never had a losing season and won eight national championships. Even more remarkable was her personal transformation from Trish Head to Pat Summitt. But think back to 1974. Richard Nixon resigned the presidency on Aug. 9. Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle in Zaire on Oct. 30. Pocket calculators had just come into use, and no-

Sandra Clark

body had heard of a personal computer. With oil prices soaring and a global recession underway, politicians were wrestling with fallout from the previous year’s Roe v. Wade decision. Gerald Ford kept tripping over things, including his pardon of Richard Nixon and his amnesty for draft dodgers. In this context, Patricia Head earned $250 per month ‌ and she had to drive the team van and wash the uniforms. Until Dave Hart dismantled it, Pat and her ADs, Nancy Lay, Gloria Ray and

Joan Cronan, built an organizational juggernaut. Not only did Pat assemble outstanding players and assistant coaches, but she also put together a team of trainers and managers, and public-relations and fundraising whizzes. And, most remarkably, these women achieved great things, but they were not feminists. If you don’t believe that, all you had to do was ask. A friend’s daughter went to one of Pat’s camps at age 12. This was a camp for kids who would never make the high school team, much less play in college. Yet the kid came home glowing after each session. Pat motivated these girls to believe in their ability to set goals and reach them through hard work. Pat told them they might not be the most talented player on the

court, but they could be the most competitive. She told players when their shots weren’t falling to double down on defense and rebounding. She left a legacy of excellence that inspires each of us. And that’s why a dusty orange gloom has settled over Knoxville during the past weeks. Pat is gone.

Red, white and ... Erma Bombeck wrote: “You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4th, not with a parade of guns, tanks and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. “You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.�

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SOUTH KNOX Shopper news • JULY 6, 2016 • 5

‘Building capacity,’ says Barber Chris Barber looks even younger than his 26 years. Let’s see what he looks like in November after spending most of the year managing Knox County Democratic candidates’ campaigns. Barber got his degree in political science from the Un iver sit y of Tennessee in 2013, is from the Middle Tennessee town of Waverly and came here in 2008 to go Chris Barber to school. His mom came with him – he says they wanted a change from the 40-acre farm where he’d grown up – and now she has a job as a computer engineer in Oak Ridge. Barber loves Knoxville and is proud of the ways it has changed since he’s been here. “I planned to leave when I graduated, but now it’s

Betty Bean home,” he said. For now, he’s focusing on three County Commission races – District 1, 2 and 4 – where Evelyn Gill, Laura Kildare and Marleen Davis are facing off against Republican opponents. After that, he’ll move to the 13th District state House race where Gloria Johnson is trying to win back the seat she lost in 2014 to Republican Eddie Smith. The Knox County Democratic Party and the Tennessee Democratic Party are going halfsies on Barber’s $3,200 per month salary. His staff consists of four interns and a cadre of volunteers. Barber worked as a bartender or server at several downtown eateries for a

couple of years, and then he traveled to Alaska, where he spent a month and all his money. He was working for a lawn-care service when Knox County Democratic Party chair Cameron Brooks offered him a job helping Marleen Davis. He jumped at the chance to work in his preferred field for a highly qualified candidate (Davis is a former dean of UT’s College of Architecture). He says one of his biggest challenges has been learning to deal with “the politics within the politics.” He’s working full-time and then some, and he ends his days with a conference call to Nashville to report the number of doors he’s hit. He says his mission is to build a stronger base for his party, and he believes that boosting awareness of local races – or “building capacity” – will serve Democrats well in the future. He’s frustrated by the

tendency to treat local races as popularity contests instead of opportunities to examine the qualifications of competing candidates and firmly believes that his side would win that comparison. An idealist who sports a Remote Area Medical bracelet among a rainbow of other arm wear, Barber is a Bernie Sanders suppor ter (but not a Bernie-or-Bust guy), and he attributes the age divide among Democrats to the changing times. “I didn’t grow up during the Cold War, so I don’t fear socialism,” he said. “But I’ve seen what unbridled capitalism does. In my view, (the lack of) economic opportunity is the driving issue.” He’s working to get Sanders voters motivated to turn out in August, when Sanders won’t be on the ballot. This could be crucial in the first and second districts. “I frame it as a matter of responsibility,” Barber said.

UT Trustees should rethink pay policy State Rep. Roger Kane, longtime champion of the Lady Vols, says that “restoring the name of the Lady Vols to women’s sports at UT would be a wonderful way to honor the memory of Pat Summitt,” who passed away last week. Kane, along with many others, believes that Athletic Director Dave Hart would never have touched the Lady Vols name had Pat Summitt been able to articulate her views against it prior to the onset of her illness. People will be watching at the July 14 service for Summitt at ThompsonBoling Arena to see if this topic is mentioned and, if so, how. Restoring the Lady Vols name would be a lasting honor for Summitt. ■ The four contenders for the Republican nomination for the West Knoxville state House seat now held by Martin Daniel will debate at a forum 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 12, sponsored by the League of Women Voters outside District 18 at the East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St. The public is invited. In addition to Daniel, candidates include James Corcoran, Bryan Dodson and former state Rep. Steve Hall. Hall has distributed several attack pieces on Daniel while Corcoran has promoted his support of Gov. Haslam’s Insure Tennessee proposals. He is the only candidate openly for it. Hall is opposed, while Daniel supports a more costeffective plan. Hall’s recent mailer misspelled Gov. Haslam’s name. Daniel has renewed his backing for open-records

Victor Ashe

access to the public without fees, changing the state education funding formula to assist urban counties like Knox, and funding for Mayor Burchett’s building project for short-term housing of mentally ill offenders. ■ Expect the federal indictment of state Rep. Joe Armstrong to go to trial on Aug. 2 as scheduled, just two days prior to the Democratic primary on Aug. 4. The trial should last a week. It does not appear that a settlement or plea bargain is possible, so a jury will decide guilt or innocence. Armstrong is a candidate for re-election. He faces Pete Drew, an independent, in November. No Republican is running. If Armstrong is convicted, he is not barred from seeking another term, but it is unlikely the House would seat a convicted felon, which would force a special election to fill the seat. Retired federal Judge Tom Phillips is presiding over the case. ■ My column last week said that former Gov. Phil Bredesen voted on the losing side of the DiPietroNoland contest for UT president in 2010. This was in error as Bredesen was absent from the meeting and did not vote. It is true that the Board of Trustees split 11-10 between the two men. In 2004, Bredesen had

attended the board meeting at which John Petersen was elected over John Peters, and he voted for the losing candidate, Peters, at that time. Petersen was ultimately forced out as president. ■ UT Chancellor Jimmy Cheek will return to a tenured faculty position sometime next year. His new salary will be 75 percent of his current salary. This comes out to roughly $330,000 a year as a professor as his current chancellor’s salary is in the $440,000 a year range. UT has a policy that allows any tenured faculty member who moves to an administrative post to return to their prior post at a pay grade that is 75 percent of their administrative salary. This always results in a significantly large bump in pay from their prior tenured pay. ■ Provost Susan Martin, who leaves as provost Aug. 1, will receive a generous increase as well as her current salary is $327,000. It will fall back to roughly $246,000 in three weeks. It seems to me that this policy should be reviewed by the Board of Trustees for future situations. The new positions Martin and Cheek are assuming are clearly less stressful and time-consuming than their current positions. A salary more consistent with what other professors in the same field are making, taking into account the individual levels of expertise and the new workload (hours spent teaching or researching), should govern the pay as opposed to an automatic 75

percent of current salary. This is an expensive policy for tax- and tuition-payers. It also happens when a dean or interim president returns to the faculty. ■ City Council member Marshall Stair turned 38 on June 30. He is the youngest Knoxville council member. U.S. District Court Judge Tom Varlan turns 60 on July 8, while U.S. Rep. John Duncan turns 69 on July 21, and federal Judge Pam Reeves turns 62 the same day. Happy birthday to all. ■ Barbara Kelly, longtime director of CAC and previously top aide to L.T. Ross of CAC, completes 50 years of service to CAC this year. The L.T. Ross Building on Western Avenue is undergoing a major and needed facelift with the leadership of Kelly and active assistance of city director David Brace and city forester Kasey Krouse. ■ The sign that never was (namely the one indicating the Knox-Blount greenway along the river) is going up this week, according to an email from city public works director David Brace to council member Nick Pavlis, who represents South Knoxville. While the greenway was formally opened by the mayor in December, the city failed to erect a sign to it for eight months. Only direct intervention from Pavlis got it done. Pavlis is seen as a “go-to person” on the council to get results. Brace is also a very diligent and effective city director who can act while others fail the test.

government Future growth in Knox County

Lessons learned from the transformation of downtown can be applied to the county By Marleen Kay Davis Experts predict that Knox County will experience a 30 percent population increase by 2040. Will we have 30 percent more sprawl? 30 percent more traffic? How Marleen Davis do we plan to address such growth in the next 25 years? Can we retain our existing high quality of life? Decisions we make today will affect our quality of life for decades. We need 21st-century ideas that give us the flexibility to create diverse neighborhoods, vibrant commercial districts, attractive parks and safe streets, while preserving green space. Residents, businesses and investors should be involved in an open process to guide this change. We should overhaul outdated 20th-century approaches to planning and growth, with single-use zoning and an inconsistent “variance” process. For example, we need to have genuine “mixed-use” neighborhood centers with residential and commercial uses in walkable districts. Right now, a building with commercial below and residential above isn’t possible in our zoning codes, except in special districts, such as downtown. Currently, the City Council is considering a mixeduse concept for Bearden Village. This could be a model for future development of compact, walkable neighborhood centers, while preserving traditional residential zones and green spaces. Since 1994, I have been one of many involved in efforts to revitalize downtown. As a result, I know how property owners, businesses and local government can collaborate in a process for positive change. Efforts for change are slow and complex and involve many stakeholders, with much at stake. Silver bullets don’t exist. Decades later, we appreciate the dramatic transformation of the downtown. As a county commissioner, I could apply my collaborative experience

with the downtown in helping the county address future growth, especially in the Fourth District. We should engage concerned stakeholders in a transparent public process to develop new guidelines that provide predictability and flexibility. Some strategies for 21stcentury quality growth that we should consider are: ■ Diversify residential choices for young people, families, empty nesters and retirees. (We need many options: single-family homes, condos, apartments, mixed-use residential buildings in walkable neighborhood centers, residential communities with amenities and subdivisions.) ■ Develop walkable neighborhood centers, with residential units. Imagine living in an area where you park once at your residence and then walk to stores, restaurants and other amenities. Traffic is reduced. ■ Cluster walkable commercial development and preserve green areas, rather than allowing random commercial expansion along roads. ■ Provide safe streets, with appropriate widths. ■ Increase the numbers of sidewalks and crosswalks, especially at commercial areas and schools. ■ Expand the county’s parks and greenways, with connectivity for biking. ■ Preserve the scenic character of Knox County’s landscapes. ■ Explore imaginative transportation options. ■ Consider innovative planning processes, resulting in “overlay districts,” new zoning definitions and other flexible strategies. In my work over the past 20 years with downtown Knoxville, I have seen firsthand how the public and private sectors can work together to guide change. This is a slow process, but it takes imagination, patience and respect for the concerns of all stakeholders to work together to achieve positive change. Marleen Davis is the Democratic candidate for Knox County Commission, District 4. She is an ACSA Distinguished Professor of Architecture at the University of Tennessee. The Republican nominee is Hugh Nystrom.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 6

THURSDAY-FRIDAY, JULY 7-8

SATURDAY, JULY 9

Craft: Wind Socks, 2 p.m., Farragut Branch Library, 417 N. Campbell Station Road. Ages 3 and up. Info: 777-1750. Craft and Play Field Day, 3 p.m., Lawson McGhee Library, 500 W. Church Ave. Preschool and school-age children. Info: 215-8750. Smoky Mountain Storytellers performing, 1:30-2:30 p.m., Vienna Coffee House, 212 College St., Maryville. Donations appreciated. Info: Sheri Liles, 680-8453 or spinningmaid@gmail.com; smokymountaintellers.org.

“iPad/iPhone Basics for Seniors” class, 10 a.m.-noon, Farragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Drive. Presented by Social Media 4 Seniors. Cost: $45. Registration/payment deadline: Wednesday, July 6. Info/registration: townoffarragut.org/register; in person at Town Hall; 218-3375.

“Are Your Shrubs Hiding Your House?,” 1:30 p.m., Bearden Branch Library, 100 Golfclub Road. Presented by Master Gardener John Payne. Free and open to the public. Info: 588-8813 or knoxlib.org. Saturday Stories and Songs: Emagene Reagen, 11 a.m., Lawson McGhee Library, 500 W. Church Ave. Info: 215-8750. Saturday Stories and Songs: Kindermusik, 11 a.m., Cedar Bluff Branch Library, 9045 Cross Park Drive. Ages birth to 5 years old. Info: 4707033. Second Saturday Concert at The Cove: The Hit Men, 6-8 p.m., The Cove at Concord Park, 11808 S. Northshore Dr. Free concert; bring blankets or lawn chairs. Presented by Knox County Parks & Recreation. Info: Jennifer Linginfelter, 215-4579; or Michael Grider, 215-4750. Using County Records in Genealogical Research, 10 a.m.-noon, East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St. No registration required. Info: 215-8801. Vintage baseball, noon and 2:30 p.m., Historic Ramsey House, 2614 Thorn Grove Pike. Games and parking free; concessions available. Bring lawn chair or blanket for seating. Info: ramseyhouse.org.

THURSDAY, JULY 7 Free Introduction to Self Defense for Women class, 6 p.m., CrossFit ex libro, 5438 Hilton Industrial Way. Info/registration: 454-8359 or exlibroselfdefense. com. Knoxville Zoomobile, 10 a.m., Sequoyah Branch Library, 1140 Southgate Road. Info: 525-1541. Magician Michael Messing, 11 a.m., Bearden Branch Library, 100 Golfclub Road. Info: 588-8813. Sean McCollough Musicale, 4 p.m., Karns Branch Library, 7516 Oak Ridge Highway. Info: 4708663.

FRIDAY, JULY 8 “It’s Concert Time in Townsend”: Early Morning String Dusters, 7 p.m., Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, Highway 73, Townsend. Presented by Boyd’s Jig and Reel. Bring lawn chairs. Tickets: $8; kids under 5 and GSMHC members, free. Tickets available at the door. Info: 448-0044 or gsmheritagecenter.org.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY, JULY 8-24 “Fiddler on the Roof” presented by the Oak Ridge Playhouse, Jackson Square, 227 Broadway Ave., Oak Ridge. Performances: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Info: orplayhouse.com or 482-9999.

6 • JULY 6, 2016 • SOUTH KNOX Shopper news

Seniors enjoy summer in SoKno Mike Smith realizes he is outnumbered during water aerobics at South Knoxville Senior Center with friends Linda Schubert, Ann Kotowicz, Starr Suneson, Carol Money, Connie Jones, Marie Owens, Diana Horner and Linda Hayes. Photos by S. Barrett

Cooking wiser with Terri Geiser

South Knoxville Senior Center coordinator Janet Word checks out a new grill donated to the center June 30 by nonprofit WoodmenLife.

Cooking instructor Terri During the preparation Geiser recently hosted a of the meal, Geiser exlive cooking show at plained the process and also discussed the Halls Senior Center. The event, called the importance of using fresh herbs. Cooking Wiser with The finished prodTerri Geiser, walked uct looked (and guests through an entasted) like it was tire dinner menu with difficult to create, step-by-step instrucbut Geiser’s step-bytions and recipes. step instructions had The menu consisted of The finished product, featuring g even the most not-socaprese salad with basil pork loin, rosemary roasted gourmet cook saying, “I and balsamic reduction, potatoes and caprese salad think I can do that.� cheese-and-herb-stuffed Geiser can be pork loin and rosemary roasted new potatoes, and strawberries with reached at tdgeiser@comcast.net or 9639277. Her website is cookingwiser.com. mint topped off pound cake for dessert.

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Cooking instructor Terri Geiser prepares a cheeseand-herb-stuffed pork loin during a live cooking show. Photos by Ruth White

SENIOR NOTES

â– South Knox Senior Center 6729 Martel Lane 573-5843 knoxcounty.org/seniors Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

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Offerings include: dulcimer and guitar lessons; arts and crafts classes; dance classes; exercise programs; Tai Chi; card games; Joymakers practice; free swim 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. MondayFriday. Senior Meals program noon each Wednesday and Friday. The pool will be closed July 11-15 for cleaning. Register for: iPhone/ iPad class, 1-3 p.m. Thursday-Friday, July 14-15. â– South Knox Community Center 522 Old Maryville Pike 573-3575 Monday-Friday Offerings include a variety of senior programs.

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

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Offerings include: Card games, billiards, senior fitness, computer classes, bingo, blood pressure checks 10:30-11:30 a.m. Monday-Friday. Register for: Veterans Services visit, 10 a.m. Monday, July 11; RSVP to 215-5645. Advanced iPad/ iPhone class, 10 a.m.-noon Tuesday-Wednesday, July 12-13; cost: $25. AARP Driver Safety Program, Wednesday-Thursday, July 20-21; info/registration: Carolyn Rambo, 382-5822.

faith

SOUTH KNOX Shopper news • JULY 6, 2016 • 7

cross currents Lynn Pitts, lpitts48@yahoo.com

On hallowed ground On that day, says the Lord of hosts, the peg that was fastened in a secure place will give way; it will be cut down and fall, and the load that was on it will perish, for the Lord has spoken. (Isaiah 22: 25 NRSV)

Assembling and tying blankets are Donna McMahan, Bobbie Sue Wood, Marcia O’Neal, Kris Dozier, Kim Lambros and Charlotte Heptinstall. Photos by Kelly Norrell

‘Bundled in Love’ blanket ministry comforts more than 5,000 By Kelly Norrell When Cheryl Allmon, director of volunteer services at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, received a distress call from the ER recently, she took quick action. A chronically ill teen was frustrated and refusing to cooperate. Allmon walked briskly to the ER … and placed a soft, handmade pink blanket around the girl’s shoulders. “This is yours to keep,” Allmon told her. The girl pulled the blanket closer and visibly relaxed. Her mother thanked Allmon through tears. “You know, pink is her favorite color,” she said. Children’s Hospital and other organizations have been able to give away thousands of blankets since 2009 because of the Bundled in Love ministry of Hillcrest United Methodist Church, 1615 Price Kim Lambros piles finished Ave. Meeting two evenings blankets to be taken to East each month in the fellowTennessee Children’s Hospital. ship hall, about 15 members

have made, prayed over and given away more than 5,000 blankets, said the Rev. Richard Richter, pastor of the about 200-member church. Allmon said the blankets have a powerful effect on young patients. “There is nothing more comforting to a boy or girl in the hospital than that sense of home. It is theirs to keep, with special designs and themes. “It also means a lot to the parents,” she said. “Parents are scared. When they see someone doing this out of love for the child, it is a huge comfort to them.” For Kim Lambros, Marcia O’Neal, Donna McMahan, Charlotte Heptinstall and other church members, making the blankets is just how they do God’s work. “It’s God working through us to give love to the children who need it,” said Lambros. The group includes men too, like David Page. “He ties knots all during church. That

man always has a blanket in his hands,” Lambros said. Begun in 2009 by church member Elka Hyder, whose toddler son was comforted by a blanket during an ER visit, the ministry has become a church institution. At Easter, the church piles colorful blankets around the altar instead of flowers “because no one is allergic to blankets.” Lambros became project director in 2012 after Hyder moved away, but “everybody has done everything. Anyone who needs comfort, we try to be there for them,” she said. The group buys fleecy fabric by the bolt, using coupons and watching for sales. Fabric for one blanket costs $10-$15. They cut the fabric to a 3x5-foot size (smaller for babies, larger for adults) and add a border of strips. A finished blanket consists of two layers tied together. “If you can tie your shoes, you can tie knots to make a blanket,” Lambros said. At Children’s Hospital,

Recently, I was privileged to stand on hallowed ground. We were in Oklahoma City, visiting my daughter Eden. On Sunday, we went to church with her, lunched, then went to the site of the Oklahoma City bombing. I confess that, with all the other horrors that have happened in our country since that day, the memories of that particular event had faded in my mind. But standing there on a beautiful afternoon, in the midst of a large city, the quiet and surprising peacefulness were healing. The scenes came flooding back; my most vivid memory of that day was seeing a firefighter on live television carrying a dead baby in his arms – a casualty from the daycare center – tears on his face, horror in his eyes. The footprint of what had been a large building is now a shallow reflecting pool. Beside it stands a large elm tree that somehow survived the holocaust of the bombing. On the other side of the pool there are concrete chairs that represent the persons who died. Each one has a name engraved on it; they are placed in lines to represent what floor they were on when the building crashed to the ground. Every one of those deaths was a peculiar atrocity: a singular, personal, unnecessary tragedy. My heart aches for the dead, and for the survivors, who carry the scars forever. I am pleased to discover that I do not remember the bomber’s name. I want to remember neither him, nor his name!

where most of the blankets go, departments compete for them, said Allmon: Surgery wants blankets for children awaking from anesthesia, ER for frightened patients and the Sleep Center for youngsters in overnight sleep studies, among many others. Other city recipients include fire and police de-

partments, neighborhood children coping with tragedy and adults with grave illness. When killer tornadoes struck Oklahoma in 2013, Bundled in Love sent 50 blankets. Info: 1615 Price Ave., http://humcknox.com, hillcrestknox@gmail.com or 865-577-0737.

business

the Rotary guy Tom King tking535@gmail.com

Rotaract clubs want young adults There are seven Rotary clubs in Knox County, and there are three “Rotaract” clubs –Knoxville Community Rotaract Club and UT Rotaract Club, and Pellissippi State Community College is in the process of restarting its Rotaract club. What is Rotaract? It is a Rotary-backed club for young adults age 18-30 that meets twice a month to exchange ideas, network, focus on professional development, work on hands-on projects and, in the spirit of Rotary, make our community and world a better place. While Rotary clubs serve as sponsors, Rotaract clubs decide how to organize and run their clubs and what projects to carry out. Leon Barkley is beginning his second term as president of the Knoxville Community club. The club meets at 5:45 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of each month at Brixx Pizza near West Town Mall. Barkley is the enterprise resource planning support lead at Radio Systems Corp. The other officers are vice president Cate Bolden, an opera singer and adjunct professor in the voice departments Leon Barkley at Carson-Newman University and Pellissippi State Community College; secretary Rachel Dellinger, director of communications for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra; and treasurer Jordan Knight, manager of the Bearden branch of US Bank. The club is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Knoxville, and Ed Anderson has served as the liaison to the Rotaract club. Jim Decker, CEO of Medic Blood Servic-

es, will be the adviser for 2016-17. “Right now we have 10 members, and we’re looking for young professionals who want to give back to our community, enjoy professional development programs and do some networking,” Barkley said. The club recently partnered with the Bearden Beer Market and raised $1,200 for The Love Kitchen. If you are interested in joining or would like more information about Knoxville Rotaract, contact Barkley at 865-740-1611 or lbarkley@petsafe.net. ■

Parade time

The Rotary Club of Turkey Creek-Sunset didn’t cancel its Fourth of July week meeting. It just moved it from July 5 back a day to July 4 to participate in the 29th annual Town of Farragut Independence Day parade. Club members walked the parade route and passed out hand fans with the club’s name on each and also carried a banner with the Rotary Wheel and Club logo and corkboards naming the various projects the club has worked on and is working on. What a great way to spend the Fourth! ■

Ann Lotspeich

Ann Lotspeich, past president of the Rotary Club of Turkey Creek and one of its founding members, passed away June 21 at her home in Powell. Lotspeich, 59, had recently retired from the human resources department at the Y-12 plant. She also was currently serving as the club’s secretary. Club members at the June 28 meeting celebrated her life and raised $200 to be given to the Rotary International annual fund in her name.

BIZ NOTES ■ Paul Arab has been promoted by Home Federal Bank to vice president and manager, internal audit department. Arab has been with the bank for eight years and is a resident of South Knoxville.

Paul Arab

Dr. Penniman

■ Eric Penniman, D.O., has joined Summit Medical Group as executive medical director. He will serve as the liaison between Summit Medical Group healthcare providers and the support staff, patients, business partners and community. Penniman has practiced family medicine for 21 years. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Oral Roberts University and his doctorate from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Mo. For the past 10 years, he has led an annual medical mission trip with Global Health Outreach and the Christian Medical and Dental Associations. ■ Ashley Swift is business sales executive for U.S. Cellular in East Tennessee. She began her career with U.S. Cellular in 2005 as a

Swift

Holmes

retail wireless consultant. She was promoted into leadership in 2008 and to store manager in 2010. She worked as a store manager for six years. In her new role, Swift will focus on small-business customers with 21-50 phone lines.

■ Chris Holmes of Sweetwater has been promoted to managing broker of Crye-Leike Realtors Athens branch office. He is responsible for managing and recruiting a sales force of Crye-Leike associates who list and sell residential and commercial real estate in a nine-county region including Knox. He will continue to list and sell real estate. His previous job experiences were in management with Merck and Roche Carolina as a chemist and quality-control laboratory supervisor. He is a graduate of UT-Chattanooga. ■ Food City has teamed with NASCAR legend Richard Petty to raise funds to benefit Paralyzed Veterans of America’s Mission ABLE campaign. Customers may contribute $1, $3 or $5 at checkout.

Freedom Senior Living hires director Freedom Senior Living has hired Donna Richardson as executive director. The facility will offer assisted living, memory care and respite care for senior adults. Opening date for the community will be near the end of July. “Dusty Boot Tours” are available Monday through Friday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. or by appointment. Freedom Senior Living is at 2951 Boyds Creek Highway, Sevierville. “I want our seniors to be treated with respect and honor,” said Richardson. “I Richardson want Freedom Senior Living to be a home of love, comfort and quality care. Those things make for a great place to work and live.” Richardson, a licensed physical therapist, brings with her more than 25 years in geriatric care. She has worked as an assisted-living executive director in Cleveland, Tenn., and Sevierville. She and husband Mike live in Sevier County. Hiking is a favorite hobby. Owner Nancy Hensley said her top criterion in hiring Richardson was to find an administrator “we could trust with our own families.” Info: 865-365-1916.

Roy’s ‘Sunset’ takes top honors at quilt show Several quilters from the Knoxville area were recognized for their creativity and workmanship at the 36th Annual Quilt Show, hosted by the Smoky Mountain Quilters of Tennessee in June at the Knoxville Expo Center. Taking home top honors was Linda Roy of Farragut, who won Best in Show in the Bed Quilt category for her “Aztec Sunset” quilt, which also won an award for Excellence in Hand Workmanship. Other Knoxville community winners included: Lynda Wallace, Knoxville – First in Bed Quilts, Pieced and Quilted for “Rainforest” Leslie Hinson, Halls – Third in Bed Quilts, Pieced and Quilted for “To Support and Defend” Miriam Land, West Knoxville – Honorable

Mention in Wall Quilts, Pieced and Quilted for “Banana Split Swirl” Melissa Everett, Knoxville – Honorable Mention in Two Person Team Large Quilts and Modern Quilt Award for “Eli’s January”; Honorable Mention in Pictorial for “Striped Light” Debbie Cooper, Knoxville – Honorable Mention in Two Person Team Large Quilts for “1930s Sampler” Agnes Lawrence, Bearden – Third in Two Person Team Small Quilt for “Color for Nolan” Linda Puckett, Knoxville – First in Other Techniques for “Imaginary Day” Robin Burns, Knoxville – Honorable Mention in Other Techniques for “Rick’s Blues” Nancy Burwell, Knoxville – Scrap Quilt Award for “Jack Holler Wild Turkey”

kids

8 • JULY 6, 2016 • SOUTH KNOX Shopper news

Sarah Lynn and Zoe Weller test their foil boat to calculate the number of pennies it can hold before taking on water with assistance from volunteer Moriah Brown. Photo by Ruth White

Volunteer Madeline McInturff shows the completed Tri Hexa Flexagon created during math day at the Two Blues STEM Camp hosted by Hardin Valley Academy. Photo by Amanda McDonald

Joanna Lee and Sophie Park test their roller-coaster creation under the supervision of volunteer Kat Offutt at STEM camp. Photo by Ruth White

Camp strengthens STEM skills By Ruth White

A close-up of the Battleship graph a student created during a workshop at STEM camp. Photo by Amanda McDonald

S.O.R. Losers

Close to 100 campers from across Knox County spent a week at Hardin Valley Academy, participating in Two Blues STEM Camp. The camp is named for the school colors of the host schools, HVA and Farragut. Students from rising second-graders through seventh grade explored science, technology, engineering and math through hands-on activities and

Written by Avi and Illustrated by Timothy Bush

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Story So Far: The special soccer team has lost every game they have played. With the last game at hand, they have to decide their fate. Will they win or lose? As we ran onto the field, we were met with something like a roar. I think the whole school was there. They were chanting, “Win! Win! Win!� Then when they saw the back of our shirts, they really went wild. Crazy. You couldn’t tell if they were for us or against us. It was scary. As for the last game . . . We had been told that Parkville was a team that hadn’t won a game either. They looked it. From the way they kicked the ball

games. Activities held during engineering day included creating a lemon battery, building a roller coaster from foam tubes, floating pennies in a foil boat and making a tower from spaghetti and marshmallows. Students rotated through the sessions, learning and building and sometimes asking the question “How would I make changes?� when a project didn’t work as expected.

Math activities included playing the game of Battleship using graphs created by each student, an addition/ multiplication game using cards similar to War, colorful origami hexagons and exploring inner superheroes. Teachers from Farragut and Hardin Valley work the camp and were joined this year by a few creative friends from Central High. The STEM camp just finished its fifth summer session.

“a breakfast serials story�

Last chance for a Hollywood ending!

around — tried to kick the ball around — it was clear this was going to be a true contest between horribles. The big difference was their faces. Stiff and tight. You could see they wanted to win. Had to win. We were relaxed and fooling around. Having a grand old time. Not them. The ref blew his whistle and called for captains. I went out, shook hands. The Parkville guy was really uptight. He kept squeezing his own hands, rubbing his face. The ref said he wanted a clean, hard game, and told us which side we should defend. “May the best team win,� he said. A believer! We started.

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(I know the way this is supposed to work . . . There we are, relaxed, having a good time, not caring really what goes on, maybe by this time not even sweating the outcome. That should make us, in TV land, winners. Especially as it becomes very clear that Parkville is frantic about winning. Like crazy. They have a coach who screams himself redfaced all the time. Who knows. Maybe he’s going to lose his job if they’re defeated: No Soccer Team Left Behind.) Actually, a lot of things happened that game. There was the moment, just like the first game, when their side, dressed in stunning scarlet, came plunging our way. Mighty Saltz went out to meet them like a battleship. True to form (red face, wild), he gave a mighty kick, and missed. But he added something new. Leave it to my buddy Saltz. He swung so hard he sat down, sat down on the ball. Like he was hatching an egg. We broke up at that. So did everyone else. Except the Parkville coach. He was screaming, “Penalty! Penalty!� So they got the ball. But I was laughing so much they scored an easy goal. Worth it. “Least you could have done is hatched it,� I yelled at Saltz. “I think they only allow eleven on a team,� he informed me. He must have been studying the rules. Then there was the moment when Porter, Radosh and Dorman got into a really terrific struggle to get the ball — from each other. Only when they looked up did they realize with whom they were struggling. By that time, of course, it was too late. Stolen ball. There was a moment when Parkville knocked the ball out of bounds. Fenwick had to throw it in. He snatched up the ball, held it over his head, got ready to heave it, then—dropped it out of bounds. Their ball. It was a close game, though. The closest. By the time it was almost over, they were leading by only one. We were actually in the game. How did the crowd react? They didn’t know what to do. Sometimes they laughed. Sometimes they chanted that “Win! Win!� thing. It was like a party for them. Then it happened . . . Fenwick took the ball on a pass from Lifsom. Lifsom dribbled down the right side and flipped it toward the middle. Hays got it fairly well and, still driving, shot a pass back to Radosh, who somehow managed to snap it easy over to Porter, who was right near the side of the goal. Porter, too frustrated to shoot, knocked the ball back to Hays, who charged toward the goal, only some Parkville guy managed to get in the way. Hays, screaming, ran right over him, still controlling the ball.

I stood there, astonished. “They’ve gotten to him,� I said to myself. “He’s flipped.� I mean, Hays was like a wild man. Not only did he have the cleanest shot in the universe, he was desperate. And so . . . he tripped. Fell flat on his face. Thunk! Their goalie scooped up the ball, flung it downfield, and that was the end of that. As for Hays, he picked himself up, slowly, too slowly. The crowd grew still. You could see it all over Hays. Shame. The crowd waited. They were feeling sorry for him. You could feel it. He was standing there in the middle of the field — everything had stopped, everybody was watching — when Hays, poor guy, began to cry. That’s all you could hear. His sobs. He had failed. Then I remembered. “Be a Loser!� I bellowed. At my yell, our team snapped up their heads and looked around. “SOR LOSER!� I screamed again. The team picked up the words and began to run toward Hays, yelling, cheering, screaming, “SOR LOSER! SOR LOSER! SOR LOSER!� Hays, stunned, began to lift his eyes. Meanwhile, the whole team, and I’m not kidding, joined hands and began to run in circles around Hays, still giving the chant. “SOR LOSER! SOR LOSER! SOR LOSER!� The watching crowd, trying to figure out what was happening, finally began to understand. They began to cheer! “SOR LOSER! SOR LOSER! SOR LOSER!� You should have seen Hays’s face. It was like a Disney nature film of a blooming flower. Slow, but steady. A grin grew on his face. Then he lifted his arms in victory, and he too began to cheer. He had won — himself. Right about then the horn blared. The game was over. The season was done. We were total losers. Champions of last place. We hugged each other, screamed and hooted like teams do when they win championships. Want the truth? We were a lot happier than those Parkville guys who had won. In the locker room, we started to take off our uniforms. Mr. Lester broke in. “Wait a minute,� he announced. “Team picture.� We trooped out again, lining up, arm in arm, our backs to the camera. We were having fun! Go losers! “English test tomorrow,� said Saltz as he and I headed for home. “I haven’t studied yet. I’ll be up half the night.� “Don’t worry,� I said. “For that, I believe in you.� “You know what?� he said. “So do I.� He did, too. Aced it. A winner. His way. (The end.)

Text copyright Š 2012 Avi. Illustrations copyright Š 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.

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