Y'all Magazine – February 2006 by Yall Magazine

Where Is The World’s Largest Auto Plant That Was Built From Scratch? Japan? No. Germany? No. Detroit? No.

Mississippi? You Better Believe It! A once-barren, 1400-acre field now bears a plant that would envy the world … in central Mississippi. Yes, Mississippi. A state known for its agriculture now cultivates plants of a different sort. The automotive sort.

In May of 2003, Nissan started production at the company’s $1.4 billion assembly plant in Canton. The 3.5 million square-foot facility has the capacity to produce 400,000 vehicles a year. Nearly a half-million automobiles a year. Right here in Mississippi.

Mississippi … now a powerful engine in the automotive industry.

www.mississippibelieveit.com

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In my south…strangers are treated like family. And family is treated like royalty. – Angela Bassett St. Petersburg, Florida

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ʼall

THE M AGA ZINE OF

SOUTHERN PEOPLE

Volume 4 | Number 1

this-n-that Y’all? 9 Where Capturing hot Southern stars,

Grey’s Anatomy

Southern Connection

from Dollywood to Hollywood.

ABC’s new Sunday night smash Grey’s Anatomy has a trio of Southerners in the triage room. Houston, Texas is where actors Isaiah Washington (“Dr. Preston Burke”) and Chandra Wilson (“Dr. Miranda Bailey”) grew up, while the Nation’s Capital is the spot where “Dr. Izzie Stevens,” aka Katherine Heigl, was delivered. Discover more about these dynamic actors.

On the Money

Cranky Yankee

Max’d Out

Money man Dave Ramsey gets you prepared for a Total Money Makeover. This ain’t New York City! Laurie Stieber shares her new life Down South. 2005 is in the books, and Max Howell is already looking forward to 2006.

Grizzard -ALL NEW 66 Just Legendary Southern columnist Lewis Grizzard may be gone, but his words will live forever in a new column for Y’all Magazine.

Cajun Humor

Wine Down South

Blue Collar

What Southern Women Know

Lawd have mercy, dat Tommy Joe Breaux dun brought a nodder humorous look at cajun life. Doc Lawrence breaks out the good wines for Y’all. Funnyman Larry the Cable Guy has taken his act from Florida to the big time, teaming up with Jeff Foxworthy and Bill Engvall.

ABC/FRANK OCKENFELS

Ronda Rich’s dose of Dixie wisdom.

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Star Gazing

GRITS

In Memoriam

Joe LoCicero reports from Hollywood, with a salute to the South’s own Red Velvet Cake. “Ms. Grits” Deborah Ford shares her take on Southern sisterhood. Remembering Southerners who have passed to the Great Beyond.

South 78 Festive A new year brings lots of exciting festivals, carnivals and more in big cities and small towns across Dixie.

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BETTER THAN EZRA This group of New Orleans boys didnʼt know what their LSU frat band would turn into. Weʼve got BTEʼs rise to fame.

23 features

40 27

Phil Vassar

Lee Haney, “Mr. Olympia”

Country music got a lot classier and cooler with the addition of Phil Vassar to the airwaves. His hits “American Child” and “Carlene” have attracted millions of new listeners to America’s Music. The only 8-time “Mr. Olympia” bodybuilding champ, Lee Haney grew up in Spartanburg, S.C., dreaming of becoming Hercules. He did it!

14 4

southern sounds

L TO R: COURTESY OF ABC, VASSAR: ARISTA RECORDS, EZRA: ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES, HOME DEPOT: TIM SLOAN/AFP/GETTY

Bernie Marcus

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Billionaire Bernie Marcus came south looking for fame and fortune. He got it, as co-founder of The Home Depot. Today, the Atlanta celeb is quick to give away his time and money to worthy causes, including the brand new Georgia Aquarium.

The South has some hot new music to listen to as you get ready to rock in 2006. The Dave Matthews Band has a new live CD, while new mommy Britney Spears has a hot new dance disc, B In The Mix, The Remixes.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 • Y’ALL

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inside INDUSTRY Automotive South

inner VIEW

Dixie may soon be known as “The Land of Engines.” BMW, Mercedes, Nissan and more have come to the South, and transformed it with massive automobile plants. Read more about their impact.

COMMUNITY Volunteer Radio

Public radio at its best.

AUTHOR Nicholas Sparks

Texas Tech University gave Yankee Bobby Knight a chance to come to the Lone Star State and shout his way to success. In just five seasons, Knight has guided the Red Raiders out of the West Texas pits to national respect.

FOOD Hoover Lee

L TO R: CORA: COURTESY FOOD NETWORK, SPARKS: VINCE BUCCI/GETTY, COLBERT: ETHAN MILLER/GETTY, KNIGHT: KEVIN WINTER/GETTY

Coach Bob Knight

The Notebook and Message In A Bottle author Nicholas Sparks traded in pharmaceutical sales for a typewriter. Read more about the North Carolinian’s amazing success story.

The Mississippi Delta is home to thousands of Chinese descendants. Hoover Lee uses his ancestry to influence his own line of barbecue sauce. Now that’s Southern!

Cat Cora

The Food Network’s female Iron Chef.

Stephen Colbert

Look out Jon Stewart, you’re old sidekick has his own Comedy Central show now! Charleston, S.C., native son Stephen Colbert hosts The Colbert Report, a wacky take on the day’s headlines. Discover more of the Lowcountry Laughster, and the fake-reporting that made him famous.

Y’ALL OF FAME FREDERICK DOUGLASS

Born a slave on a plantation on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in 1818, Frederick Douglass would escape bondage to become America’s leading champion of civil rights in the 19th Century. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 • Y’ALL

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yʼall

Slow this thing down!

®™

THE M AGA ZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE ™

President & Publisher Jon Rawl jon@yall.com Managing Editor Molly Fergusson molly@yall.com

VP & Associate Publisher Keith Sisson

If youʼre like me, you grew up deep in Dixie, enduring hot, humid summers and winters with little or no snow. All you could think about is getting old enough to get your wheels, and your “wings” to fly the comfy coop and enter the real world.

keith@yall.com

Art Director Carroll Moore carroll@yall.com

Photographer Chad Mills Asst. Managing Editor Tabatha Hunter Circulation Director Rachel Thompson Twiford rachel@yall.com New Media Andy Young andy@yall.com Art Assistant Maria Augustine Copy Editor Molly Fergusson Illustrators Don Maters Contributing Writers Lewis Grizzard Deborah Ford Ronda Rich Kristin Gravatt Tommy Joe Breaux Larry the Cable Guy Doc Lawrence Dave Ramsey Joe LoCicero Max Howell Katie Batte Kristin Frost J.E. Pitts Audrey Bourland Alabama Bureau Paula Sullivan Dabbs alabama@yall.com Arkansas Bureau Jason Nall arkansas@yall.com

Account Executive Meredith Dabbs

meredith@yall.com

(662)236-1928 Florida Bureau Mark Cook florida@yall.com Georgia Bureau Laurie Stieber georgia@yall.com Kentucky Bureau Colleen Cassity kentucky@yall.com Louisiana Bureau Clay Reynolds louisiana@yall.com Missouri Bureau Matthew Bandermann missouri@yall.com North Carolina Bureau Jason “Pig” Thompson northcarolina@yall.com Oklahoma Bureau Lee Cartwright oklahoma@yall.com Tennessee Bureau Joshua Wilkins tennessee@yall.com Texas Bureau Matthew Heermans texas@yall.com Virginia Bureau Linda Sassorini virginia@yall.com Publishing Consultant Samir Husni Circulation

Looking back, I should have stopped and smelled the jasmine a little more. Itʼs 2006 now, and weʼre six years removed from what I thought was impossible, surpassing the lyrics Prince so enthusiastically sang about in Publisher Jon Rawl with “1999.” We can put a man on the “Ms. Grits” Deborah Ford moon, but we canʼt find a way to slow this dang time clock down? The stork hasnʼt dropped off a load at my doublewide yet, so you parents can relate to this more than I can. Kids grow up and are gone before you know it. I did it, and you did too. For goodness sake, letʼs at least just make sure the little Southerners of today know to take it easy and appreciate their Southern being. One day too, theyʼll be upset about this whole time thing. Congrats to Yʼall columnist Deborah “Ms. Grits” Ford on the release of her brand new, GRITS Friends Are Forevah book. Ford, who made a little fortune with her GRITS® Girls Raised In The South T-shirts that are seen throughout Dixie, is a true Southern Belle. Growing up on a cotton farm in the North Alabama town of Athens, Deborah shares her farm girl upbringing in this, her third book. Deborahʼs latest Yʼall exclusive column is also a dandy, “ Birds of a Feather: Southern Sisters.” Check it out on page 72.

Curtis Circulation Company Phone (201) 634-7416

Thank you for reading Yʼall, the Magazine of Southern People®. Y’ALL (ISSN 1557-2331), Janurary/February 2006, Volume 4, Number 1. Published bimonthly by General Rawl Media, LLC. Editorial and advertising offices at 1006 Van Buren, Suite 211, Oxford, MS 38655-3900. Mailing address: P.O. Box 1217, Oxford, MS 38655. Telephone: 662-2361928. Basic subscription rate: 6 issues, U.S. $19.95; Canada $32.69. 12 issues, U.S. $34.95; Canada $45.80. Entire contents copyright 2006, General Rawl Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Products named in these pages are tradenames or trademarks of their respective companies. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect that of the publisher. For subscriptions, queries, and customer service, please visit www. yall.com Y’all Magazine Business phone: 662-236-1928. E-mail us at: mail@yall.com Subscriptions: Toll-Free 1-800-935-5185 Application to mail at Periodical Postage Rates is Pending at Oxford, Mississippi and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Y’all, c/o Magazine Processing Center, P.O. Box 0567, Selmer, TN 38375-9908. Printed in the USA.

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Southernly yours,

Jon Rawl President and Publisher

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

12/14/05 11:10:03 PM

where yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;all?

NASCAR in New York City! Veteran Mark Martin at the NASCAR Nextel Cup Awards Banquet. (Photo:Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images)

Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 Roush Racing National Guard Ford, at the NASCAR Nextel Cup Awards Banquet at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. (Photo By Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images)

(L-R standing) Jeremy Mayfield, Ryan Newman, Rusty Wallace, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, and Mark Martin.(L-R front row) Jimmie Johnson, 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Champion Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, and Carl Edwards pose for the media prior to the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Victory Lap in New York City. (Photo: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images)

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where y’all?

Spotlights on Gala Nights Texas actress Lynn Collins attends the after party for the opening night of Shakespeare in the park As You Like It. (Peter Kramer/Getty Images)

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Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

Virginia girl Sandra Bullock (Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty)

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(Left) Kentuckian George Clooney attends the premiere of Syriana at the Loews Lincoln Center Theatre. (Evan Agostini/Getty) (Right) Richmond, Va., native Shirley MacLaine attends the gala premiere of In Her Shoes in Toronto, Canada. (Evan Agostini/Getty)

Memphis’ Kathy Bates (Kevin Winter/Getty)

Texas boy Luke Wilson (Thos Robinson/Getty)

(L-R) Dermot Mulroney of Virginia and Tyrone Giordano attend the Variety Screening Series of The Family Stones. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 • Y’ALL

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where y’all?

red carpet

Dripping Springs, Texas’ E.D. Hill of Fox News Channel’s Fox & Friends at a book signing in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Chad Mills)

Tim McGraw (above) and wife Faith Hill arrive at the 2005 American Music Awards. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images) (Right) Houston’s Kelly Rowland and (far Right) Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn accept the award for Vocal Duo Of The Year at the 39th Annual Country Music Association Awards In New York. (Photo by Scott Gries/Getty Images)

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Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

12/14/05 11:13:31 PM

06 Tappahannock, Va., native and new R&B star Chris Brown at the Virgin Megastore at New Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Times Square. (Photo by Scott Gries/Getty Images)

Country star Lee Ann Womack arrives at the 2005 American Music Awards in Los Angeles. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)

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reviews Dave Matthews Band Weekend on the Rocks

To end their 2005 summer tour, Dave Matthews Band planned three nights at the historic and scenic Red Rocks Amphitheatre outside of Denver, Colo. A fourth night was added as a fundraising event for Hurricane Katrina victims — all profits from ticket sales, parking, food and beverage sales totaled a donation of $1.5 million to the Bama Works Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. The September 9-12 show also spawned a live release with two versions — Weekend on the Rocks being a two-CD, one-DVD release of the show’s highlights, and The Complete Weekend on the Rocks, an eight-CD, one-DVD release of the entire four performances. The two-disc compilation provides a first-time listen of live versions of seven songs from Dave Matthews Band’s studio release Stand Up, which came out in May. It also contains an excellent mellow cover of the Zombies’ “Time of the Season,” which is also on the DVD. Also exciting for the band’s fans are some rarities, like “#34,” which had not been played live in over ten years before this summer’s tour. Other treats include “Don’t Burn the Pig” and “Halloween.” Special guests include Butch Taylor, Robert Randolph, Rashawn Ross, and Dave Cast. “Bartender,” from the latest release, closes out the first disc with a version that rocks for over 15 minutes. Likewise “Smooth Rider,” originally just a few minutes long, is extended to a 12-minute jam. Of course, many of the band’s classic favorites are included, mainly on the DVD. The discs include “Everyday,” “#41,” “Say Goodbye,” and “American Baby.” The DVD has the hits from 1996’s Crash: “Crash Into Me,” “So Much To Say,” and “Too Much.” Another treat on the DVD is Robert Randolph rocking on stage during “Louisiana Bayou.” Randolph is always a charismatic and energetic presence on stage, while his fingers remain glued to his 13-string sit-down steel guitar his body jumps and dances around, bringing the crowd to a frenzy. If you have never visited the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, you must to appreciate its beauty. The DVD provides views from a helicopter flying over the city of Denver, then Red Rocks in the day during the show setup merges into a night view of the venue packed with screaming fans and the band’s light show projecting the classic logo onto the majestic rocks rising to enclose the crowd.

The DVD also shows the pure love for performing the entire band has. In “Jimi Thing,” Dave, who moved to Charlottesville, Va., in 1986, induces the crowd into a chant of “Stop, hey, what’s that sound, everybody look what’s going down,” with a big grin on his face and an ecstatic crowd. He continuously jumps around stage and takes time between songs to talk with the crowd. This shows that even after over a decade of performances, these guys are still in it for their love of the music, not just profits. Fans will remember the 1995 live release from Red Rocks, but no songs from that release are on this twodisc set. The band’s development over the 10-year span between these discs is quite evident. Beginning as a band with a strong college fan base due to extensive touring, they blew up during the 1990’s, and have continued their meteoric rise to superstardom since. Dave did release a dark solo album, but none of his songs are on this collection. This live release is the latest of many the band has been issuing to discourage bootlegging of their live shows. It’s a good move, considering many fans prefer live versions of the studio album songs. This release takes random songs from each of the four nights of shows and blends them seamlessly together, giving the discs and DVD a well-produced feel. An amazing accomplishment considering the set was released only two and a half months after the show. For fans who want the complete show experience, the complete set of the shows will be for you, but comes at a price, $60 compared to $20 for the highlights. Each can be found at the band’s website, www.dmband.com

reviews by Kristin Gravatt 14

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Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

12/14/05 11:14:09 PM

SPEARS: SHOWBIZIRELAND/GETTY IMAGES

Britney Spears B in the Mix, The Remixes Britney Spears has collected dance-club remixes of her songs, mainly from her In the Zone album, and one new track, “And Then We Kiss.” From the virgin candy-pop princess from Kentwood, La., that burst onto the scene with “…Baby One More Time,” Spears quickly evolved into a party girl going out of control, embracing the image of extreme sexuality and maturity. Next she shocked us all by falling in love with a backup dancer, quickly getting married and becoming a mother. It’s almost as if she followed her mentor Madonna’s path from controversial sex symbol to mature mother, except instead of taking her time she crammed an entire career path into a few short years. So now that she is off the touring circuit for a bit, this album is a filler for fans awaiting new material. Some of the songs on this album have been remixed and released before, so there are no real surprises. This album is perfect for a Britney fan who wants some upbeat dance tunes for a holiday party, but if you already have all of her previous material there is no new substance to be found on this album. The package material is also lacking, with no pictures or writing, just information about who made each remix. One cool feature of the CD is found when played on your computer. Instead of playing through any of your computer’s programs, the disc has its own playing station, where you can make legal copies of the album as a backup disc or copy it onto your computer. You can also email friends songs they may enjoy. If they are a fan of “Toxic,” they may enjoy “Me Against the Music.” It is not new to being remixed, but this version has additional vocals from Britney and Madonna, though they are a bit strange in the beginning. The song has a very heavy beat with breathy vocals to offset it at times, and fast lyrics at other times. The next song, “Touch Of My Hand,” has more of a steady club beat and is better than the original version of the song. It’s a lighter club mix, with moments of spacey beats and soft vocals. Another song that has been remixed before, on Britney’s Greatest Hits album, “Breath On Me,” gets a new feel in this version by Stuart Price. The beat begins

slow and pulsating, with heavy breathing by Britney, and never really picks up the pace for long. The slow rhythm makes this less of a dance club tune. Britney’s most recent tune on this album is “And Then We Kiss,” which is a love song that sounds almost like a disco tune. Unlike many of the other songs, this one has steady vocals that give it less of a club remix feel and more of a radio-worthy sound. But one song with a very strong club feel is “Everytime,” with a pulsating and overpowering beat. This song was also included on the bonus disc of Britney’s Greatest Hits album. The one song where Britney has sole writing credits is “Someday,” written before she knew she was pregnant, so the lyrics are eerily predictive. It sounds much like the original version, just with a fast beat for an originally slow song. “Early Mornin’” has a party sound while not being spacey or techno. More like a house party than a club, it has a fast beat and plenty of vocals. One real disappointment was the classic “…Baby One More Time.” It is pretty much the same song, set on fast forward wand with a steady rhythm background and a few extra groans of “Oh, baby baby.” The longest songs on the album are “Don’t Let Me be the Last to Know,” over eight minutes, and “Toxic,” at nearly seven minutes. “Toxic” starts the album out letting you know what you’re in for. With a pulsating buzzing beat, it disappoints by not having any new vocals, sounding like a typical club remix. “Last” goes through several stages of beats, from repetitive lyrics, stretches of beats, and then a return to a semblance of a song before fading out to more pure techno beats. The song, which is at the end of the album, seems to end several times, just to pump back up into gear.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 • Y’ALL

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primetime southern outherners ers

Houston Houst on stars shine in grey’s anatomy When you tune into ABC on Sunday nights, you can go to bed a little happier knowing you have just seen two of the best hours of television right now beginning with Desperate Housewives and ending with this year’s break-out hit, Grey’s Anatomy. Half of the reason Grey’s has skyrocketed to the top of viewer’s must-watch lists is dynamic writing, and the other half is a phenomenal cast that somehow manages to showcase each other’s talent and bring out the best in one another. Chandra Wilson (“Dr. Miranda Bailey”) and Isaiah Washington (“Dr. Preston Burke”) are no exception to this rule and, in fact, as the two Houston natives point out, it is this cast interaction that makes Grey’s Anatomy the onehour of television to watch each week.

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

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ners

Chandra Wilson

by Tabatha Hunter

BOTH PHOTOS: ABC/CRAIG SJODIN

Standing at just 5-foot-tall, Chandra Wilson has a larger than life personality that shines through her petite frame as “Dr. Miranda Bailey” on Grey’s Anatomy. The thing is, Chandra is nothing like her character in real life.

“I cry at the drop of a hat. It doesnʼt take much. I laugh, certainly, a lot more than she does and I donʼt think I intimidate folks. Sheʼs certainly an alter ego of mine, though, that comes out every now and then. Just like on a day-to-day basis, Iʼm much more demure than she is,” offers Wilson. Anyone who has watched the show knows that “Dr. Bailey” is a tough as nails, sassy and bright young doctor known as “The Nazi.” Though there are a few similarities between the two, as well. Greyʼs fans know that “Dr. Bailey” is now pregnant with a little boy and while Chandra is no longer pregnant, she is the very proud mother of a bouncing baby boy born in November 2005. Wilson, 36, is also the mother of two girls, ages 12 and seven, who admits that, “Iʼve learned what loving is through them and learned about people. We just kind of start of pure, there are no prejudices. There is nothing there and through lifeʼs experiences we turn into the people that weʼre going to turn into so Iʼm very mindful of the food that I give them as far as encouragement and criticism. The way I make them feel. Itʼs going to effect the kind of people they become and itʼs an awesome responsibility and I look forward to doing it and then being able to step back and see if Iʼm doing a good job or not.” “Iʼve learned that you canʼt mother the same all of the time.

As they change, you have to do it too because their needs are different and you have to adjust the kind of mothering they need so I have to be just as flexible a human being as they are because they are changing with every age,” adds Wilson. She has been able to apply this same flexibility to her acting career over the past 20 years. Wilson has appeared in a little bit of everything ranging from The Cosby Show to The Sopranos to Philadelphia, alongside Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. Home is this Houston nativeʼs place of normalcy. It is where she goes to be just mom and not an up and coming actress with a hit television show. “Home is normal, and then work is going to work,” says Wilson, “As an actor work is kind of sporadic and home is the constant thing. So, itʼs more normal for me to be home and being their mom than it is for me to work…. You get tired and you have to pace yourself but there is room for everything. There really is. For whatever reason I have just been very fortunate to have room to kind of do it all.” But on the set of Greyʼs, Wilson is an integral part of a phenomenal cast, which includes the easy on the eyes Patrick Dempsey. The secret to Greyʼs success may very well be in the castʼs ability to have fun with one another and play out a few practical

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 • Y’ALL

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Grey’s Anatomy actors Katherine Heigl, Chandra Wilson, T.R. Knight and Justin Chambers.

L TO R: PETER KRAMER/GETTY, VINCE BUCCI,, ABC/FRANK OCKENFELS

jokes. “Patrick [Dempsey] just did a thing actually to one of our guest artists that is coming on who had to do a lot of scenes with him. He [Dempsey] had a letter sitting in the dressing room welcoming him to the show and it was the rules and regulations of how you deal with Mr. Dempsey, how you canʼt look at him in the eye and you always have to call him by his character name. It was just ridiculous. It was like a 10-point check sheet. The poor guy, bless his heart came on the set and Iʼm sure he was taking it seriously. … That poor actor, he just had a hard time with us that day. I thought it was very cute.” Chandra knows that the big set joke is undoubtedly coming, she just isnʼt sure when. “No one has done the big one yet,” she says laughing, “…and it might just have to be me. I might have to initiate the thing, but I know its coming.” Working with Isaiah Washington has been a joy for the actress; she admits that Washington is like a brother. “Coming from the same place we just know how to communicate with each other so it really is like working with a sibling. That is just so neat because we didnʼt know we were from the same place at all before the show started and just early on we figured that out. We have a really cool relationship, completely respectable at the same time,” she says. Graduating from NYU with a degree in theatre, it is the stage that Wilsonʼs heart belongs to. It was while on stage performing in Caroline or Change that Wilson was recognized by The New York Times as one of its “8 to Watch, Onstage and Behind the Scenes” for the Spring of 2004, and it is the theatre that she will go back to every chance she gets. “The immediate gratification of being on stage and having an audience there is kind of nice. You get to try different things each night and see how it goes over, how it transforms the character and the rest of the show. [With T.V.] You just have to hope and pray that youʼre doing something decent because you are not going to know until the thing gets put together. … There is a different kind of self trust that you have to have in television that you can play with a little bit more on stage,” says Wilson.

“Coming from the same place we [she admits that Washington is like a brother] just know how to communicate with each other so it really is like working with a sibling.”

But as far as life after Greyʼs Anatomy, the actress has not given it a second thought. “I havenʼt the slightest idea. This thing just sort of showed up so who knew that it was going to be what it is,” she says. “So, Iʼll ride this wave and then take the time while I am here to learn and to watch and to observe to be able to take away from this experience new knowledge that I can take towards something else.” For now, though, we can find this Texas Belle dazzling the small screens in our living rooms each Sunday night on ABC.

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

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Isaiah Washington Proud to be Southern

Isaiah Washington was not always proud to call the South and Houston, Texas, home. In fact in the early 1990’s, the Grey’s Anatomy heartthrob went to great lengths to hide his Southern heritage.

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“I’ve been in the closet for a long time. For me and my experience in New York and in the early Spike Lee years, I could not afford to sound like I was not from New York,” Washington reveals. “It is really interesting though because the more my success began to move upward, I felt less and less alone and started seeking out people from Texas. I found out that Dennis Quaid was from Texas and Patrick Swayze,” he says. “The Houston Rockets were really starting to perform better and I started to feel better about my Southern roots because for so long I was running in circles and meeting situations that frowned upon Southerners for whatever reason.” Soon, Isaiah’s closet days would be over when, “…about eight years in the business I realized this is bull. I am going to start telling people that I am from Houston. So I stopped wearing the New York Yankees cap and started wearing the Houston Astros cap.” “I think I’m the perfect Now, the Air Force veteran guy to bring ‘Burke’ could not be more proud into people’s homes to call the South home. In and allow them to see fact, when he finds himself a little of themselves at parties with others talking and learn from that about where they are from, he based on how I am is quick to represent the South responding to certain by responding “Gulf Coast In things.” the House!” to the chants of “East” or “West Coast In the House!” Just how passionate is Washington about being Southern? So passionate that he is taking his character, the dreamy “Dr. Preston Burke,” from Grey’s Anatomy and giving him a little bit of Southern flair. “I think I’m the perfect guy to bring ‘Burke’ into people’s

homes and allow them to see a little of themselves and learn from that based on how I am responding to certain things. I am having a good time. I put him in Alabama. (Isaiah’s character recently revealed on the show that he is from Alabama.) He is born and raised in Birmingham. He also studied at Tulane University which means he is a Southern boy, so I was able to slip that in,” explains Washington. One of the most important things Washington hopes to communicate to viewers through his time on Grey’s Anatomy is “…what it means to be a man, what it means to be a professional, what it means to be committed and also what it means to be human,” he says. Acting is not something Washington knew he wanted to do from day one. The journey to becoming the talented artist everyone knows him to be was a long one for Isaiah, who has

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L TO R: STEPHEN SHUGERMAN/GETTY, ABC/SCOTT GARFIELD, ABC/SCOTT GARFIELD, COURTESY OF WASHINGTON

Actors Patrick Dempsey, Chandra Wilson, Sandra Oh, Kate Walsh, writer producer of Grey’s Anatomy Shonda Rhimes, Justin Chambers, Isaiah Washington, James Pickens Jr., Kaori Momoi and T.R. Knight pose for photos during the reception for MMPA’s 13th Annual Diversity Awards. (Photo by Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images)

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done every thing under the sun from throwing peanuts at the AstroDome to being a logistics engineer. And let’s not forget the four years Washington served his country in the Air Force as an aircraft maintenance technician. One day Isaiah realized that he was not on the path he wanted to be on. “I just realized that this is not what I want to do, to be an engineer and retire with a bunch of pens and protractors in my pocket,” he laughs. “Everybody thought I lost my mind when I decided that I wanted to do something different. In 1986, I went to go see a film by a gentleman named Spike Lee called She’s Gotta Have It, and when I left that theatre it was very clear to me that I wanted to make that transition and become an actor.” It was to his girlfriend at the time that he confided his dream to work with Spike Lee and act telling her that he was going to give himself ten years to work with the filmmaker. “I remember telling my girlfriend at the time, while I was in Washington, D.C., that one day my name will be on this marquee. My name will be known one day,” reminisces Isaiah, “She just held my hand and said, ‘I know it will.’ She was the only one while I was at Howard University that never doubted me. I am forever grateful for that support.” Ten years later, in 1996, Isaiah had not only completed one film with Spike Lee, but he was working on his fourth film with Lee. It is Isaiah’s drive that has led the now 42-year-old to working on one of today’s biggest television hits, Grey’s Anatomy, alongside fellow Houston native Chandra Wilson. “She is amazing,” says Washington of Wilson. “The good and the bad about that is that I cannot pretend that I am someone that I am not around her. She knows where I am from, where I grew up.” Wa s h i n g t o n has become the cheerleader of the show’s cast and admits that the work is very inspirational, very exciting and a lot of fun. But, “Bring your ‘A’ game. If someone is bringing a ‘B-’ or ‘B+’ because they are tired or life is beating them up that week, then it is my job to get them up to their game. I am teaching them,” he says. “They call me the maniac sometimes because I am a cheerleader. I am constantly in between takes being silly. They cannot believe the differences between Isaiah and ‘Burke’ are like night and day. I think a couple of my co-

stars are going, ‘Just stop talking. You’re much sexier that way. Right now you are starting to come off like a dweeb.’ No one would really know how corny Isaiah really is. I am pretty corny,” admits the incredibly personable and refreshingly honest actor. In some of his more candid moments, Isaiah revealed his love of country music, saying that if Johnny Cash were alive, he would have liked to do something with Cash. He also loves the music of Charley Pride, Ray Charles, Conway Twitty and his own grandfather’s favorite, Hank Williams. Washington also has an unwavering respect for the men and women he and his castmates portray on Grey’s Anatomy each week... the doctors and nurses. “This show has given me an opportunity to dive into a world that I always took for granted. I have been amazed and fascinated by the gifts of these people that we call doctors and nurses; what they know, the gift they have, what they are able to do,” he says. by Tabatha Hunter

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Capital Girl

by Jonathan Craig

Heigl’s first professional work was as a child model, eventually segueing to movies with 1992’s That Night. She played Steven Seagal’s daughter in Under Siege 2: Dark Territory. She also starred opposite Johnny Knoxville in the Austin, Texas-shot film, The Ringer. A string of lackluster films and TV movies have followed the actress through the years, that is until Grey’s Anatomy premiered on ABC in 2005, and over 20 million viewers tuned in each week. Her role as “Dr. Isobel ‘Izzie’ Stevens” has catapulted the 5-foot-9 actress into unknown levels of stardom. She’s even become a sex symbol. “I definitely don’t wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and think ‘I’m hot’ or ‘I’m stunning’. What’s really on my mind is: ‘All right, it’s another day and I’m just me’,” she says. Katherine reveals a lot of herself as a music video babe in Augusta, Georgia native Josh Kelley’s latest pop hit, “Only You.” The two have begun dating each other, after meeting on the set.

L TO R: ABC/FRANK OCKENFELS, David Livingston/Getty Images, Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images. EZRA: photo credit Tom Corbett

Heigl and beau, singer Josh Kelley

Katherine Heigl may not win a true Southern Belle award anytime soon, but at least she got her start South of the MasonDixon Line. Born in Washington, D.C. on November 24, 1978, her parents kept the family on the move when she was young. The Heigls ultimately settled in Connecticut, where Katherine finished high school. 22

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by Tabatha Hunter

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When Better Than Ezra first formed in 1988, it was just something to pass the time while the members were in college at LSU. Lead singer Kevin Griffin admits that he had no idea that the group would grow to be as big as they are. He thought that playing in the band was something he would do for a few years before going to law school. All plans for doing anything but being rock stars changed when the single “Good” became an overnight sensation in 1995. Even today the song can be considered to be one of the greatest examples of contemporary songwriting.

With a 17-year music career now behind them, the band has a lot to be proud of. BTE recently turned out their eighth album, Before the Robots, with the latest single and music video “A Lifetime.” In addition, Griffin has penned songs for Meatloaf, Howie Day and recently a song for the Desperate Housewives soundtrack.

though,” bassist Tom Drummond says. “We try to give as much as we can to our fans and in return, maybe when the single is not blowing up or this record is not as big as the last one, they can help. It allows us to go out and tour at any time whether we have a record out or not. It is really cool.”

Along the way, the New Orleans band has garnered some of the most loyal and steadfast fans on the planet. “The Ezralites are our hardcore fan base. We have a really hardcore loyal online fan base that will do just about anything for us if we ask them to, go out and plaster out pictures wherever, that kind of thing. I think it is a two-way street

“A lot of people in the business are amazed at how active our fans are and how we can tour on such a successful level,” adds Griffin. Just who deemed them the Ezralites? It is something that Drummond, 36, is unsure of but as to where the name Better Than Ezra came from — that is something

ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES

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Drummond knows. But just like the rest of the trio, Drummond is remaining mum on the subject.

went to rebuild New Orleans) for free, the band is also planning more to help out their home area.

“We do not tell. We never have. The real reason is just lame. It is our one gimmick and it is better off that you do not know. There are a lot of great theories but you will never get it,” says Drummond.

“We plan on having a benefit show later in the year when people are back in town. Maybe when it is not a headline anymore so that people do not forget because it is going to take a long time to rebuild New Orleans. It is in really bad shape. It is really sad,” says Drummond.

One of the many charitable projects the “Crescent City” natives are currently involved in includes Hurricane Katrina relief. In addition to playing 2005’s VooDoo Music Fest (all proceeds from the show

A Southern boy through and through, Drummond’s favorite food is fried chicken and anyone can see that he, drummer Travis McNabb and Griffin all love being the rock stars that they are.

“We really enjoy playing live. Honestly. I love to travel and meet new people and see new things and places. You have to love to travel to be in a rock band. Our friends will come out with us and they are like, ‘Party!’” he says. “They will be with us for three days and they are like, ‘I am going home.’ They cannot hang. You have got to kind of be built for it.” Drummond also has a little parting advice for everyone, “Eat some fried chicken and get along,” he says with a twinkle in his eye and a bit of a laugh.

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s ’ e l l i v h s a N

n a M Piano by Keith Sisson

VASSAR: ARISTA RECORDS

rowing up in Lynchburg, Virginia, or as one of hit songs suggests, “Nowhere, Virginia,” country music hit songwriter and headliner Phil Vassar mildly dreamed of establishing himself as one of Nashville’s most talented personalities. Phil’s father was a restaurant owner that was also a successful local musician. Even though his father loved playing music, Phil did not catch the singer/songwriter bug until later in life. In high school, he excelled as a track star, which led to an athletic scholarship at James

Madison University. It was at that college campus in Harrisonburg, Virginia where he first became serious about entering the music and entertainment business. “I think I have known that I wanted to be in the business my whole life, but really didn’t do anything about it until college, it was like I was putting off the inevitable,” he reveals to Y’all just after a recent songwriting appointment. Fresh out of JMU and 23, like so many other young aspiring musicians, Phil made the journey west to Music City.

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VASSAR: ARISTA RECORDS

“I didn’t know what to expect. I wanted to be an artist; I wanted to be a singer. I hadn’t written any songs or developed any song writing skills at that point,” he says. “I had written a couple songs and thought they were good, but when I got to Nashville I realized they were just crap—especially when you get down there and your surrounded by all these unbelievable songwriters!” Tending bar at night, and pounding the pavement of Music Row during the day is a fairly common procedure for people trying to break into the business. Phil, however, would prove to be different than the countless others that have tried and failed before him. “Being the only piano player made it different. I played in clubs and shows and began developing my songwriting skills, but being a piano player helped people remember me,” Vassar says. He continued to constantly practice the piano and write songs. He played small restaurants and clubs in the Nashville area, and following in his father’s footsteps, he saved enough money to buy the restaurant and club where he had been performing, Nathan’s Italian Restaurant. “I bought the place so I could have a place to play. It was very successful. Many folks from the industry would come

in and see me play at my own restaurant. Whenever a label would ask me to go showcase for them, I always told them that I wasn’t showcasing for them, but they were welcome to come to the club. The restaurant was also job security for me. I was a dishwasher in my dad’s restaurant and he always told me whatever I did not to go in the music business or open a restaurant—like a good son, I did both,” he laughs. The first big break in Phil Vassar’s career came in 1995 when a customer at the restaurant asked if he could share Phil’s demo tape with his father. The customer’s father turned out to be Engelbert Humperdinck. The demo tape consisted of original songs that Phil wrote or co-wrote. One of the songs, “Once in a While,” would end up being recorded by Humperdinck. “It was incredible, I met him, and he was a great guy. He was the first person to call me after I won Songwriter of the Year. It’s hard to get your first cut. After that, everything started to fall in place,” he says. Following that success, Phil began to concentrate on writing with many established Nashville songwriters that were also regular customers at his restaurant. “All of the record labels and other artists would come in and see me play. It really was a hopping place for live

“I didn’t know what to expect. I wanted to be an artist; I wanted to be a singer. 28

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music,” he says. None of the regulars would prove to be as important to Vassar as Greg Hill, a publishing executive that contracted Vassar to music publishing company EMI. It was soon after that Vassar’s name would appear as the songwriter for hits recorded by Alan Jackson, Collin Raye, Tim McGraw and Jo Dee Messina. His string of hits for country’s biggest stars garnered him the ASCAP Songwriter of the Year in 1999. “It wasn’t that difficult for me to make the transition from just a writer to a recording artist. I had always been an entertainer. A lot of people have songwriting hits for other artists before beginning their own recording career, Neil Diamond and Willie Nelson come to mind. I had waited all these years to get a record deal, it was all I ever wanted and it was good to see it finally happen.” Arista Records signed the restaurant-owner/ songwriter to a solo recording contract with the first release, “Carlene” reaching Billboard’s Top 5. “The song was a fun song and a little autobiographical. I got a lot of the story from Cindy Crawford’s E! True Hollywood Story. I never knew she was her high school valedictorian and went to an Ivy League school. She was the brilliant beautiful girl and I laughed because I was the poster-child C student. I thought it was a good story to combine the two,” Vassar says. Following “Carlene” were Vassar’s first No. 1 hit, “Just Another Day in Paradise,” and the summertime anthem, “Six Pack Summer.” Vassar’s self-titled debut album had featured radio-friendly singles, which led to a demanding live touring schedule.

“The first tour I went on in ’99 and 2000 was with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. I was opening their shows with just me and a piano. It was very interesting being on the stage by yourself in front of 20,000 people,” he says. Phil’s now released three hit albums, and his shows are energetic and entertaining. That kind of stage presence is easier for a singer who is playing guitar or not playing an instrument at all. For Phil, it was more difficult, considering he is country music’s only solo artist that’s seated in front of a piano during the show. “Jerry Lee Lewis, Billy Joel, those guys are my heroes. Jerry Lee Lewis lit a piano on fire—how cool was that? I never could see me being the concert pianist that just sits, it was always a rocking deal,” he says. With a hit album on shelves, a new single being released this month and a tour schedule that has him performing three to four days a week, it is difficult for Vassar to find spare time. But when the down time arrives, Phil is never resting. “Even when I am not working I am working! This is all I do. I did play golf once this past year,” he reveals. “I am married with two girls and they are a great inspiration. Both ‘Just Another Day In Paradise’ and ‘American Child’ were songs that were partially autobiographical.” There is no break in the future for Vassar. “I love what I do and feel so blessed to have this opportunity,” he says. The former restaurant owner turned musician plans to continue living, “...the life that I love,” which will no doubt include an impressive tour schedule, songwriting, and inspiring the next generation of Nashville entertainers.

TAKE 5 with Phil Vassar

Favorite song ever: “What A Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong Favorite restaurant: A sushi place in Portland, Oregon Favorite vacation spot: Florida Gulf Coast or anywhere warm Favorite sports team: Tennessee Titans First concert ever attended, how old were you? Merle Haggard and Van Halen in the same week when I was 16…it was awesome.

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There are places where the conversation always comes easy.

B B a n dT. c o m © 2 0 0 3 B B &T M e m b e r F D I C

We think your bank should be one of them.

Our one-on-one approach to banking hasn’t changed much since we star ted back in 1872. Perhaps that’s because we’ve maintained the belief that you are an individual, not an account number. And that when it comes to your banking, you should be able to feel as comfor table talking to us as you would any of your other neighbors.

You can tell we want your business.

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on the money Three steps to keeping your financial New Year’s resolution

by Dave Ramsey Dave Ramsey is a financial counselor, host of the popular syndicated radio show “The Dave Ramsey Show,” and author of the New York Times bestseller The Total Money Makeover. His columns appear regularly in Y’all.

Most of us will make a New Year’s resolution this year – whether or not we stick to it is questionable. According to our government’s official Web site, www.FirstGov.gov, saving money is one of the most popular New Year resolutions Americans make. What can we do to make sure we haven’t given up on this resolution by the time summer comes around? We need to make a well thought out, written plan. Something mystical happens when we commit something personal to writing. We somehow begin to live out our plans. I am not saying that if you do a written plan you will fall into a trance and automatically carry out the very last detail. Clarifying your goals and aspirations, and then facing financial realities, changes the way you see your situation. When you see what must be done, you will begin to move in that direction as a matter of course. Are you wondering how to get to this magical place known as “cash flow land”? There are three specific steps you can follow to develop your written plan. Step 1: Keep your checkbook properly recorded and balanced. Sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Then why do so few people do it? Bank officers tell horror stories of people who bring in checking accounts so far out of balance the only thing that can be done is close them out and start over with a new account. The math involved in keeping and balancing a checkbook is basic addition and subtraction, and yet most of us have experienced the frustration of an account that won’t balance. Why? There are a few factors. Do you ever get in a hurry and forget to record the proper amount? We all have experienced being in this long line of impatient people at the grocery store, and we are scared to death that someone might have to wait 30 seconds longer while I record my check. Then when I get home, I can’t remember the right amount. I know; I have done it. If you have trouble recording your checks, you can try using duplicate checks. Most banks sell No Carbon Required paper or carbon checks, which automatically record your checks as you write them. You also must be aware of automatic teller machine cards. These cards are a wonderful convenience, and we use

ours for emergency cash withdrawals, but as a cash management tool they are a recordkeeping nightmare and are primarily used for impulse purchases. It is best to deal in cash. Step 2: Write out the details. Get yourself started on a budget. First, figure out how much money you have to work with for the month. Don’t try to have the perfect budget for the perfect month because we never have those. Spend every dollar on paper before the month begins. This is called a zero-based budget. Income minus outgo equals zero every month. Look at this month’s income and what you’ll be putting your money towards, like food, bills, savings and debts, and match them up until you have given every income dollar an outgo name. A good plan lives and moves – it is dynamic – and changes as your life changes. You will need to do a review budget the next month to make adjustments. You may have budgeted too little for some areas and be strained, so you will need to adjust. Some areas you will have budgeted too much, and have a surplus. You will need to adjust there as well. If you have lived on an illprepared budget or no budget at all, it will take you a few minor adjustments to get the plan to a realistic level. The plan is not to complicate your life. On the contrary, when you begin to know where your cash is flowing, it will make life a whole lot easier. Step 3: Commit to your plan for 90 days. You have tried living your life the other way all this time. Why not give these suggestions a real opportunity to take hold? A one-week trial run and the “I-can’t-do-it” is not a fair or proper analysis. I am asking you to commit to trying a written plan for 90 days – and I mean commit. If you will stay with the 90 days, however, I promise that you will work the kinks out and your financial life will never be the same. You will have formed a positive new habit. Ninety days would be less than one percent of your life; and if you give it a try you will be on your way to financial peace.

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cranky yankee MY SECOND GRADE LIFE

by Laurie Stieber

Laurie Stieber is an Atlanta-based entertainment attorney and freelance columnist. The New York City native can be reached at yankee@yall.com 32

Mickey Ray Lukas must have done something horribly naughty to have gotten the kind of spanking his daddy gave him. He never did return to his innocent, pinewood, shellacked second grade desk behind Lillian Kutcher, the biggest snitch on the planet, ever again. The wrong child definitely got in harm’s way of that infamous spanking. We felt sorry for Mickey Ray, but it was clearly the semi-selfish type of sorry in the better him than me sense of the word. There was also the undeniable thrill of having something out of the ordinary happen in our otherwise utterly predictable, miniature lives. This missing boy mystery was definitely not the familiar, excusable absence that came with a signed note from home and sporadic embarrassing visits from Nurse Hazel, who would poke her head into the classroom on your first day back after having the chicken pox. She would shake her long, boney, index finger with a thermometer glued to it, and warn that picking left over chicken pox scabs caused them to grow back twice as big, sometimes with bugs in them. Just when the not knowing one way or another if Mickey Ray Lukas was in a position to be blowing out the candles on any of his own forthcoming birthday cakes, Nancy Wallerstein, a seven year old gossip columnist in the making, uncovered the truth with her very own ears; The Bible belt his daddy used on poor little Mickey Ray’s bottom killed him. No matter how far fetched it sounded to be spanked to death by a combination of the Holy Book and something normally used to keep your pants from falling down, second graders hold their truths of wild imagination to be self evident. We were sticking with the most unreliable evidence in any court of law in any solar system anywhere. Nancy “Wadyasay?” Wallerstein. She had ears behind her head. That set didn’t work properly either. Evidently, what Mr. Lukas did say to Principal Martin, and what Nancy Wallerstein overheard closely but no cigar, was, “The only decent way to raise a child nowadays was in the Bible Belt.” He did not say, as had been misreported, “The only decent way to

raise a child nowadays was with a Bible belt.” The Lukas family was moving back to Memphis, Tennessee. How and why they had to be relocated in the first place was adult language I could not articulate, but very much understood deep in my soul where it was too far down to scoop up and share with Mickey Ray Lukas. I liked him and I’m pretty sure he liked me. We were the best kickball players in the class, which was a respected bond in and of itself, but Mickey Ray was the only non-Jewish boy in school. That wasn’t always so respected. Not knowing where you fit in, or worse, feeling like you don’t fit in anywhere, is beyond pain. It’s agony. Just think of oozing blisters from a pair of ill-fitting shoes and then imagine never being allowed to take the shoes off. Even though our team was going to lose the kickball tournament without Mickey Ray, I was happy that the Lukas’ were going to be able to walk around barefooted again in Memphis.

“

The Bible belt his daddy used on poor little Mickey Ray’s bottom killed him.

”

I am 51 now and find the tables are turned. Atlanta is a long way from the Atlantic, where I grew up loving the deep blue sea even when pollution turned it into the greenish grayish blue sea. I am counting on the new Georgia Aquarium and the ability to keep drumming up some of the precious, wild second grade imagination that enables me to be a humorist today. Life is so funny sometimes, it hurts. Shalom, Y’all.

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When we started in 1982, polite women

didn’t speak the words “breast cancer.”

so we shouted them instead. It’s hard to ﬁght a disease people won’t even mention in public. One of our earliest efforts was getting the subject out in the open, so we could confront breast cancer head on. Our success at raising public awareness of the disease paved the way for education programs and treatment innovations. Today, we discuss breast cancer the same way we ﬁght it: with commitment, energy and passion. Join us by visiting komen.org or calling 1.800 I’M AWARE®.

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max’d out WHERE DID THE TIME GO?

by Max Howell

MAX’d OUT can be heard on many radio stations across the South. www. maxhowell.com, HookedonDestin. com, and Kickoffzone.com, the show is streamed live daily M-F, 9-12 Noon CT

Writing from my new home in beautiful Destin, Fla., I often stop to reflect how the time has accelerated. It was just yesterday I got my drivers’ license, graduated from high school and graduated from college. The next thirty years were spent in places like Tallahassee, Fla. (FSU); Oxford, Miss. (Ole Miss); Troy, Ala. (Troy State University) and several high schools where I coached mostly football… really getting to know people like Bobby Bowden, Billy Brewer, Billy Atkins (Ace’s Dad), Emmitt Smith, Deion Sanders, Leroy Butler, Mark Richt, Lou and Skip Holtz and the list could go on and on. After that 30-year span it was on to Atlanta, Memphis, back to Atlanta and finally settling on the beautiful Emerald Coast, to do of all things, sports talk radio! Which leads me to this issue’s topic. It’s now late winter, the holidays are over and football for 2005 is just a memory. Sports fans are talking college recruiting, NFL draft, Super Bowl and basketball. At the writing of this article, I did not have the results of the BCS Bowls, or where the Tim Tebow’s or Mitch Mustang’s of the recruiting world would sign. I did have the preseason basketball polls. The conference and national races are just beginning to shape up for basketball season…so here is my preview. On the national scene in the preseason Top 10 it was-Duke, Connecticut, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisville, Gonzaga, Michigan State, Arizona, Kentucky and Boston College in the Top 10. The SEC had in the East: Kentucky, Vandy, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. In the West were Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, Miss State and Auburn. In the ACC it was: Duke, Boston College, North Carolina State, Wake Forest, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, FSU, Clemson, Ga. Tech and Virginia. Many writers,

fans, coaches, and sports information people want to know why and how Duke and Coach Mike Krzyzewski are always close to the top. Chris Dortch, editor of Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook states it best: Since 1986 Duke has appeared in 10 Final Fours; since 1991 they have won three national championships, in the last 20 years Duke’s been to 11 Elite Eights, and 16 Sweet 16’s. In seven of the last eight years Duke has earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tourney. The Blue Devils today are what Coach John Wooden built UCLA into years ago. As we head into the depth of college basketball seasons and March Madness, yes it will be Duke again with 64 more of NCAA’s best but, my pick will be Duke. For guys like me into sports talk for a living, this time of year still brings much to discuss. Spring training for college football is always just a few weeks away, and we are all still excited over our recruiting classes. College basketball and March Madness is always exciting. College baseball is just around the corner and of course you always have your favorite pro team to analyze. For those of you who need a sports fix daily, my show, MAX’d OUT can be heard in over 30 communities in the South and on www.maxhowell. com, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 Noon CT. It’s sports, good food, family and friends that makes living and working in the South the best of all worlds… what might seem like forever to many, the good life we have is why time seemingly flies by. My life has revolved around sports for over 40 years. And, yes I do wonder where did the time go? It’s the beginning of a new year with all the expectations, anticipation and excitement of what is to come. And you will be right back here next year with the same question, where did the time go?

Until then, Max

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inner VIEW

BOBBY KNIGHT “The General” Texas Tech Head Basketball Coach

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College basketball’s loudest voice is heard loud and clear at Texas Tech.

Y’ALL: Coaching and teaching go hand-in-hand. How are you impacting Texas Tech? KNIGHT: “Texas Tech hasn’t had very good graduation rates the last several years. That will change. I taught a class at Indiana. Every year I’d tell the kids, ‘I want you to write down the names of two teachers in your experience you learned the most from.’ Then I’d say, ‘Write down the names of two teachers who demanded the most of you.’ No baloney, invariably it was the same two names. I’d say, ‘How many of you had a coach you didn’t like?’ Out of 80 or 90 kids, all would raise their hands. I put my hand up too and said I had a coach I didn’t like. I said, ‘Here’s the first lesson in teaching for you. We don’t like all of you

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little bleeps either.’ They looked at me like, ‘You are not allowed to not like us.’ Kids have changed, but I don’t think they’ve changed more than we allow them to.” Y’ALL: The media has covered you extensively at both Indiana and now Texas Tech. Do you want to be liked by the media and fans? KNIGHT: “I really don’t care. I do care if our fans like me, but the media? The thing about the media that’s always intrigued me is when they act like they know so much about people that they’ve never even met. I will say I have read statements that I supposedly said that I never said, so what does that tell you? I am just glad I am coaching right now.” Y’ALL: After reaching the Sweet 16 in 2005, the Texas Tech Red Raiders hope to exceed that mark during March Madness 2006. Will your team be ready? KNIGHT: “A guy told me something once I still kind of like. He said, ‘Don’t start vast projects with half-vast ideas.’ What we’re trying to do is show the players there’s a heck of a difference between doing it almost right and doing it right.” compiled by Matthew Heermans

ALL PHOTOS/ PREVIOUS PAGE: STEPHEN DUNN/GETTY IMAGES

Y’ALL: You are known to be a disciplinarian… KNIGHT: “I have a grandson (Braden). My son and daughter-in-law are modern psychologists. I’m with them and they say, ‘Braden, if you don’t quit that, we’ll have a time out. Did you hear me? Braden, count to three. If you don’t quit that at 3, we’ll have a time out.’ They went through this routine one time and the little kid looks at me and winks. If that was me? I learned a great word in Texas.” Son(bleep). I’d say, “You son(bleep), sit in that chair until I tell ya to leave.”

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MR. OLYMPIA LEE HANEY

BY KATIE BATTE

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Think of your wildest childhood fantasy and imagine that you lived it. That’s what Lee Haney, eight-time “Mr. Olympia” bodybuilder did. At the ripe old age of six, acting on his fantasy of being Hercules, he picked up a bowl and tried to throw it over his dad’s car. The bowl crashed through the back windshield and thus “Mr. Olympia” was born.

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

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BELOW: HOLLY STEIN/GETTY, OTHERS COURTESY OF LEE HANEY

Born and raised in Spartanburg, S.C., Haney, 46, did not let his love of Southern food get in the way of his bodybuilding career. He spent most of his time reading, researching, and studying material on nutrition to understand how different foods affect the body. According to Haney, his results showed that “...home grown country foods are the best foods for developing a good strong physique.” His Deep South diet included turnip greens, okra, corn, and black-eyed peas to name a few. However, it’s not just the right diet to maintain the right physique. When Haney was 12 he asked for and received his first set of weights as a Christmas gift. Following in the steps of men like seven-time “Mr. Olympia” Arnold Schwarzenegger, Haney developed the work ethic he needed to beat 79 competitors for the title of “Mr. Teenage America” at the age of 19. However, he stumbled over a few blocks on the way. As a teenager at Spartanburg’s Broome High School, Haney played football. At the position of nose guard, he didn’t shy away from injuries. When his coach told him to break a leg before the game, there was a good chance Haney would do it. He never quit training for body building competitions during this time; instead he used football as a way to further his education. After high school, Livingstone College in Salisbury, N.C., offered Lee an athletic scholarship and a chance to continue learning and playing nose guard. Haney tried his hand at both, but in summer practice, he injured his left ankle. Then he decided that he no longer wanted to play football because the avid learner wanted to know everything about conditioning. With the help of his high school guidance counselor and former principal, he received a basic education grant to Spartanburg Methodist College.

There the man that would one-day hold the record for “Mr. Olympia” wins (eight consecutive wins from 1984-1991) had time to focus on school and bodybuilding. Through his winning combination of genetics, knowledge of nutrition and training, and his courage to work hard, Haney placed fourth in the competition at the age of 20. In his research Haney discovered what exercises and foods make the muscle larger, that under-training or overtraining a muscle leaves it as useful as the dead car battery that almost cost him his title of “Mr. Teenage America.” Luckily, he had his future wife and second grade sweetheart, Shirley, to bail him out of that jam. Since he had to fix the dead battery had no money to pay for the application for “Mr. Teenage America,” Shirley used her entire paycheck to fund it. Twenty-two years later he gives his sweetheart credit for who he is today because of her endless support. And like any true Southern Belle, she doesn’t let him forget that moment. These days, 5-foot-11-inch Lee Haney still weighs the 240 pounds that he did when he was 20. Now living in Fairburn, Ga., he has developed a line of nutritional products, Lee Haney’s Nutritional Support Systems, and spends time giving speeches to churches and fellowship groups because he wants to share what God has taught him about being a good husband, a strong community leader, and devoted father to his two children, Joshua and Olympia. Following in his father’s footsteps, Joshua is a sophomore wide receiver on The Citadel’s football team. Despite his grown-up physique and life lessons learned, “Mr. Olympia” still possesses the untainted confidence of a six-year old who can do anything. For more information on Lee Haney and free diet advice visit www.LeeHaney.com.

In his research Haney discovered what exercises and foods make the muscle larger, that under-training or over-training a muscle leaves it as useful as the dead car battery…

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Bernie Marcus

Home Depot founder builds dreams with new Georgia Aquarium

hen I first got word that yes, Mr. Bernie Marcus would be delighted to allow me to interview him for Y’all - The Magazine of Southern People, my knees buckled. I write the humor column, “Cranky Yankee” for Y’all and have only recently begun to represent the Georgia Bureau. Perhaps Bernie’s original roots in New Jersey may have given our young, bright magazine a slight

by Laurie Stieber sentimental edge in being able to experience 15 minutes of fame - Mr. Marcus’ fame - in the midst of an unfathomable media frenzy that is surrounding him with the November 23, 2005, opening of the new Georgia Aquarium. I am also a Jewish Cranky Yankee, an important leap of faith, which Publisher Jon Rawl was very happy to make when he launched me and my column, like in the film, Operation Dumbo, smack dab in the middle of his magazine for Southern People.

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and excitement for new ventures on the horizon; he can understandably lose track of time. Bernie Marcus is warm, friendly, sharp as a whip and sounds decades younger than his actual age. If I had blown this opportunity by putting him to sleep with the same questions he has already been asked over and over again, like an old 45 record with a scratch on it that everyone pretends they don’t hear so that they don’t have to get up to move the needle, I was going to be airlifted out of my column space at Y’all as fast as I was dropped off there. But I am uncharacteristically calm because I have thought most of the questions through in advance, and Bernie said ever so cheerfully, “Good morning, Laurie!” right off the bat, almost like he knew my dad, may he rest in peace, or one of my fossilized Hebrew School teachers from Long Island. L TO R: BARRY WIILIAMS/GETTY, COURTESY OF BERNIE MARCUS, TIM SLOAN/GETTY

Quite likely there was no sentimental edge at all playing a part in the decision to jump Y’all to the head of the class. It was simply Bernie Marcus being the man he always was before the rest of the world knew him by name and his staggering financial success. The 76-year-old businessman is one of the world’s richest people, with an estimated net worth at $2.4 billion. But what distinguishes true philanthropists from those with their wealth crazy glued to their pockets is that philanthropists, such as Mr. Marcus, genuinely like to see their bank accounts dwindle for the common good of humanity. Bernie Marcus is still, metaphorically, going to be the meshugeh (“crazy” in Yiddish) dreamer waking up to open the doors of Home Depot with his partner, Arthur Blank, treating a customer purchasing a thumbtack and corkboard with the same deference they would treat the customer purchasing supplies for a mansion. When Sharon Marshall, the “Wonder Woman” assistant to Bernie Marcus, acknowledged receipt of their requested copies of Y’all it was one of the most exuberant moments of my life. I posted her email up beside my computer with a thumbtack on a piece of corkboard. The morning of the interview arrived exactly on schedule. If there were a male equivalent of the word “diva,” this Atlanta resident would definitely not be one of them. No doubt Sharon Marshall keeps him from having to tailgate airplanes on the runway because he has such passion for discussing the latest advances of his charitable work

The 76-year-old businessman is one of the world’s richest people, with an estimated net worth at $2.4 billion. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 • Y’ALL

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“Well then, Mr. Bernie Marcus, let’s get started with our interview.” “Great,” he said. Y’ALL: Bernie, if you were a woman, and Arthur Blank proposed marriage to you, would you accept? MARCUS: No! No, way. Arthur is definitely not handsome enough for me. (But after a few moments hesitation, Bernie amends his answer.) You know, Arthur is a very, very good dresser. He really is. Y’ALL: I know. I like to see him on the sidelines. He always looks so nice. Elegant. He got me into football, into watching the Atlanta Falcons (which Blank owns). MARCUS: Hmm… Arthur is a great dresser AND he has a LOT of money. OK, I think I would say yes if he asked me to marry him. Y’ALL: If you could walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, whose shoes would they be? MARCUS: Laurie, I wear a size 12 shoe! 12! I couldn’t fit into anyone else’s shoes. Besides, why would I want to? I mean, I can’t think of wanting to be someone other than who I am. I am here to do the very best I can possibly do. Hopefully, I will have accomplished that and continue to do good things. Y’ALL: I’m glad you are comfortable in your own shoes because philanthropy seems to me to be an entity that gives out loitering tickets. You have to keep moving forward. MARCUS: There is always a way to help. There is so much yet to be done. And it’s very easy to write a check. Anyone can do that. It’s the hard-working volunteers. The employees dedicating time and effort. Y’ALL: Perhaps you are suggesting that while it may be wonderful to provide a strong, sound skeleton with financial assistance, it’s the people out there who have to make a vision a living entity. MARCUS: Exactly Y’ALL: When you think of your parents, what is the first song that comes to your mind? MARCUS: “God Bless America.” My parents were Russian immigrants. They loved this great country and were so proud to be Americans. I never once saw my father cry (not counting kidney stones, maybe), but he cried when he was sworn into citizenship. Yes, the song I can still hear my mother singing is “God Bless America.” They were honored and grateful to live here. The opportunity to be everything you wanted to become and more. To eat. To have enough to share. This great, great country. All of us in our family are very patriotic. We were raised with gratitude.

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“I agree with Golda Meir. Why be falsely humble when such a wonderful dream is coming true? For the safest possible transport of the Aquarium’s inhabitants, neither expense nor caution is spared.” Y’ALL: My husband, Dr. Andrei Stieber, is a Romanian immigrant. He was naturalized when our daughter, Alexandra, was two years old. He survived the brutal dictatorial regime under Ceausescu but now, Andrei is Associate Director of Liver Transplantation at Emory University Hospital. For my husband, he did find the land of milk and honey. He is such a proud American; he has become an honorary, well-bred Redneck – a “Bredneck” – as I affectionately call him in my “Cranky Yankee” columns. MARCUS: That’s really funny. That’s fantastic! A Bredneck … But please have him get in touch with me. There is some very exciting, breakthrough research being conducted on Hepatitis C. Y’ALL: Give me three traits that you deeply admire in your wife, Billi, and then give me just one trait, or habit, of yours that drives her nuts! MARCUS: Billi and I are the same person. We have the same interests. We think the same way. We get along extremely well. And, we both love golf.

L TO R: BARRYWILLIAMS/GETTY

Y’ALL: So, that’s your idea of Paradise. A great day on the golf course? MARCUS: With Billi! Here is how the best day would play out; golf with Billi, then dinner at a little Italian restaurant, and then a movie. We don’t need anyone else. We never did. We are happy to be alone together. We don’t socialize much at all. We are happy with our own company. Y’ALL: You’re married over 30 years and you still speak like a newlywed. In the case of Billi and Bernie Marcus, “Birds of a feather, flock together.” Sounds like you would be very content to leave the “Opposites Attract” to some other less fortunate couple. We all know that Billi shares your commitment to charitable causes near to her heart as well. The Shepherd’s Spinal Center is one of many. Billi is quite clearly a loving, equal partner in the Marcus legacy of hope and giving. MARCUS: She is a marvelous woman. I am a very lucky man. Y’ALL: And would this very lucky man, Mr. Bernie Marcus, have grandchildren? MARCUS: Girls, girls and more girls until finally, the last one

– the very last one – was a boy. The only grandchild with an appendage! We all lovingly call him “The Prince.” Y’ALL: I absolutely love that you have made no secret of wanting the new Georgia Aquarium that you are personally donating to the city of Atlanta, to be the biggest and best in the entire world. The brilliant Golda Meir once said, “Don’t be humble. You’re not that great.” I believe that she would have loved to see you reach for the stars – or in this case, the ocean - and shout it out for the entire world to hear as well. Atlanta awaits with baited breath and welcome mats paving the road to the most spectacular Aquarium ever conceived of and actually brought to life! www.georgiaaquarium.org MARCUS: I agree with Golda Meir. Why be falsely humble when such a wonderful dream is coming true? For the safest possible transport of the Aquarium’s inhabitants, neither expense nor caution is spared Y’ALL: Like the heroic rescue mission of the two beluga whales who were living in hell under a roller coaster at an amusement park in Mexico City? Knowing you, Mr. Marcus, had you have heard about those abominable conditions, you quite likely would have spent the $200 million of your own dollars right then and there to get them out. MARCUS: (He is silent for a moment and clearly moved by the hideous plight of those belugas who are now doing splendidly and thriving at their new home at the Georgia Aquarium). Why not ask for the best for a city that has given me the best. The first Home Depot was opened here. This is a thank you gift to Atlanta for giving me the start in life that

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enabled such good to be made possible. Y’ALL: My husband and I have a dear friend who lost his beautiful, young sister to anorexia nervosa. Please tell us about The Marcus Foundation, specifically its unique reputation in the field of childhood eating disorders. To the public, pediatric anorexia is a little known tragedy, but to families like our friend’s, who suffered their loss in shame and silence, The Marcus Foundation has an astonishing treatment facility for them. MARCUS: We are the only program with a 100 percent cure rate. The problem is that currently, there is a seven-month waiting list to get in. The gravely ill, however, who are not drinking fluids nor eating anything are moved to be admitted sooner. We are also making phenomenal strides with Autism. If this disease can – it must – be diagnosed early enough, a lot can be done to restore the patient and the family to a productive life. Without medical intervention, such as what we provide at The Marcus Institute, these children are a serious danger to themselves, their family members and society at large. The key is to find the answers because this disease goes on forever and I want to see it solved in my lifetime and not just with financing. “Autism Speaks” has been created by a $25 million donation from The Marcus Foundation, but we need the help of the public to make it work. www.autismspeaks.org

Y’ALL: Your dedication to, and love for, the State of Israel is known the world over. The IDI (Israel Democracy Institute) was also founded, in perpetuity, by The Marcus Foundation to be run solely by Israelis with their own, very capable, governing body. How does the following statement touch your heart: “What happens to one Jew, happens to all Jews?” MARCUS: It touches me deeply not only because it is true, but also because it brings with it tremendous responsibility. As one man, I will do every thing in my power to ensure the safety and survival of Israel first and foremost above all other of my other interests and pursuits. Anti-Semitism is at the highest most horrific level it has ever been. Just to walk the street, here, as a Jew, and someone wants to kill you! It’s horrifying! Someone in every city on every continent wants to see the death of Judaism. Israel is my family. It’s democratic principles in the Middle East must be protected. Y’ALL: You meet God at Heaven’s Door. What do you hope God’s immediate words to you will be? MARCUS: I hope they’ll be, “I know you! And you’re all right.” I am who I am. There is no sense in turning back and worrying about the past, or wondering or wishing for things to have happened differently. I am comfortable with exactly who I am.

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Y’ALL: If you had the opportunity to take back a mistake you have made, what would you do with that opportunity? I imagine you’ll rightfully say that there is no use turning back. So, Mr. Bernie Marcus, no regrets? MARCUS: Nah, no regrets. A person can only do the best that he can do. I have no regrets. Well, there is one thing I am very sorry, very sad, about. I was not the grandfather my grandchildren wanted me to be. I am fully aware of it, too.

L TO R: BARRYWILLIAMS/GETTY

Y’ALL: Not the type for the Thanksgiving Day plays at grade school, huh? MARCUS: No. I am just too busy with my charitable work to spend the kind of time with my grandchildren that they want and deserve. Billi and I have dedicated ourselves to our philanthropic work. The grandchildren will have much, much more of me when I retire. But the problem is, I don’t see that ever happening. I can’t imagine it ever happening. Y’ALL: And it won’t, Bernie. Retirement has destroyed otherwise healthy, vital people. You will not be one of those causalities. You will have one foot in the grave, and the other one racing to catch a plane to your next speaking engagement or award ceremony. You will have to trust that your grandchildren will know exactly how cool their grandpa is and that he works as hard as he does to give all the children of the world a chance at having a tomorrow. MARCUS: Thank you, Laurie, and please have your husband get in touch with me about the hepatitis C research. He’ll be

very excited to hear the news. It’s astonishing. Y’ALL: I’ll tell him immediately. Oh and by the way, whoever named the two whale sharks “Ralph” and “Norton” (from the classic T.V. series The Honeymooners) are geniuses! Shortly after conducting this interview, I had the extraordinary privilege of attending Media Day on November 19th at the Georgia Aquarium. When the time came for the ribbon cutting ceremony, I couldn’t help but notice three of the Marcus grandchildren standing on the stage. They were poised, beautiful and did not seem any worse the wear after being in the limelight for such a long, crowded, media day of events that were a million times larger than life. Suddenly, I recalled a warm summer evening during my childhood at a carnival in town. For one ticket, maybe the price was a nickel; you had the chance of throwing a ping-pong ball into one of many lined up glass bowls containing goldfish. If the pingpong ball landed inside the bowl, you got to take home the gold fish in a plastic baggie. Hopefully the poor little orange swimmer made it to the house alive. I believe the average lifespan of a carnival goldfish sent home in a baggie was about one week, and that’s counting the two days you bought your mom’s story that the floating fishy was just sleeping. Looking back up at the stage where the Marcus grandchildren were standing, I smiled with happy tears in my eyes. Their grandpa was going to do a whole lot better than a oneweek lifespan for the lucky marine residents in the Georgia Aquarium.

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The Charleston Chuckler by Jonathan Craig JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 • Y’ALL

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Charleston, South Carolina may be known for a lot of things: good manners, beauty and the most historic city in America. But humor isn’t exactly one of the Holy City’s best-known traits. Enter native son Stephen Colbert. Lately he’s made a name for himself and his hometown on Comedy Central, with his unique fake-reporting opposite Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. Colbert’s been such a hit; the brass at the network recently gave the Carolinian his own show, The Colbert Report. The half-hour platform each night gives Colbert a chance to share his take on the issues of the day and more importantly, to tell you why everyone else’s take is just plain wrong. What The Daily Show is to evening news, The Colbert Report is to O’Reilly/ Scarborough/Hannity/Anderson Cooper, et al…except Colbert’s show is intentionally funny. “Bill O’Reilly’s got a real simplicity that I admire,” says Colbert. “I like the cut of Anderson Cooper’s suit and I’m a huge Stone Phillips fan, for his neck.” Since its October 2005 debut, the show is drawing an average nightly viewership of 1.2 million. It airs at 11:30 pm. ET, immediately following The Daily Show. “I want to thank Comedy Central for picking up the show, but more importantly I want to congratulate Comedy Central for picking up the show,” says Colbert. Growing up in a Catholic family in Charleston, Colbert’s father was a doctor, his mother a homemaker. Stephen was the youngest of 11 kids. “My parents knew how to have pleasure,” Colbert confesses.

Stephen and wife Evelyn attend Comedy Central’s Emmy after-party in Hollywood. (At Right) Daily Show correspondents Colbert, Rob Corddy, Jon Stewart, Ed Helms and Samantha Bee attend the Comedy Central party.

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(L TO R) MATTHEW SIMMONS/GETTY IMAGES, ETHAN MILLER/GETTY(PREVIOUS PAGES), PHOTO BY: JOEL JEFFERIES

“We were a humor-ocracy,” Colbert recalls of growing up as the youngest. “There was constant competition to have a better story or a better joke or to fall down in a funnier way. . . . And by no means was I the funniest person. I was way down on the list.” As a child, he sought to erase any traces of a Southern accent by imitating the “deep, rich, buttery, confident tones” of such newscasters as John Chancellor and Frank Reynolds. He attended Charleston’s exclusive private academy PorterGaud, before heading north to graduate from Northwestern University’s famous theater program in 1986. He did improvisational comedy for several years for the famed Second City company in Chicago. His big break came when he teamed up with Stewart on the Comedy Central show as a correspondent and contributor in 1999. The 41-year-old “journalist” is married to fellow Charlestonian Evelyn (“Evie”) McGee-Colbert. The couple lives in New York with their three children. In addition to his T.V. fame, Stephen has starred opposite Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman as “Stu Robison” in Bewitched, wrote and was a cast member on The Dana Carvey Show; appeared in commercials for GM “Mr. Goodwrench,” wrote for Saturday Night Live and did the voice of “Ace” on the animated SNL series “The Ambiguously Gay Duo.” In addition, Colbert contributed as a writer to AMERICA (THE BOOK): A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction (Warner Books), which was co-written with Jon Stewart. During his Colbert Report monologue, Colbert often humorously drops in his native South: “North Carolina’s Kenneth Lee Boyd is slated to be the 1,000th person executed in the United States since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976. He was the milestone that was supposed to be reached yesterday, but the Virginia governor commuted a sentence. Thanks a lot, Virginia Gov. Warner. I made a seven layer dip for the occasion, and I think we all know avocado doesn’t keep. Me and my buddies got all worked up for nothing, which takes us to tonight’s word: spectacle. Recent polls show that the death penalty has reached its lowest levels of support in 25 years. Apparently, many see strapping a man to a gurney and poisoning him is somehow cruel.

That’s why this next execution is important…. I support the death penalty because statistics prove it is an effective deterrent. Now I know some of you fact checkers out there will say that that is not the case and I’m just making things up. Well, guilty as charged. What are you going to do? Execute Me. Wait, that’s not a deterrent.” Fake journalist or not, Stephen Colbert is filing his story, and millions are tuning in, and he’s determined to win over millions of new viewers. “We’re going to deal with truth on my program,” he says. “We’re going to catch the world in the headlights of my justice.” JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 • Y’ALL

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12/15/05 9:49:27 PM

“BMW, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Toyota have all chosen the South as their new home in recent years.”

The

New

Automotive

South

by Kristin Frost

n case you missed it, the automotive industry has moved South and probably to a town near you. BMW, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Toyota have all chosen the South as their new home in recent years. As more of the world’s best-known automakers move to Dixie, an influx of jobs in the region has led to a historic shift in the perception that the South holds mainly low-skilled and low-paying jobs. The arrival of the automakers, along with other high-tech industries producing computers and other durable goods, is changing the lives of many Southerners. Small towns in Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi in particular are experiencing a new life as the automakers have brought thousands of

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high wage jobs. In just a few short years, the image of Southerners living in cotton fields has given way to the technician or auto associate, urbanized and educated, putting together the cars that Americans drive. The auto industry has replaced the dwindling dominance of the textile industry in the South, primarily because the success of these auto companies new home has led to gaining the interest of foreign companies and the eagerness of state and local officials to bid their welcome to even more automotive growth. The growth of the auto industry in the South really began in the early 1990’s, and has since moved at a rapid pace. These days, at least one-third of the vehicles turned out in the United States have Southern roots.

Tennessee ranks third among automaking states. Rural Mississippi is the new home to a billion dollar Nissan plant, and more massive expansions are still on the way in Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee. Even despite a slumping economy, the rapid development continues. However, the question has been posed several times, why move to the South? It may have something to do with a little thing called Southern hospitality. When Honda decided to begin producing their Odyssey minivan in tiny Lincoln, Ala., located about 55 miles east of Birmingham, locals made every effort to make the Japanese automaker feel at home. Official highway signs

The growth of the auto industry in the South really began in the early 1990’s, and has since moved at a rapid pace.

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Major Automotive Plants in the South General Motors (Saturn) - Spring Hill, Tenn. Nissan - Smyrna, Tenn. Mercedes - Vance, Ala. Honda - Lincoln, Ala. General Motors - Doraville, Ga. Ford - Hapeville, Ga. Nissan - Canton, Miss. General Motors - Bowling Green, Ky. Toyota - Georgetown, Ky. Ford - Louisville, Ky. BMW - Greer, S.C. Ford - Norfolk, Va. General Motors - Baltimore, Md. Hyundai - Montgomery, Ala.

The new automakers are also committed to creating a diverse workforce. breaks and job training programs. The new automakers are also committed to creating a diverse workforce. Twenty percent of the 4,300 associates at the BMW plant in Greer, S.C., for example, are minorities, and 30 percent are women. When Honda announced intentions to locate to Alabama, company members set out to meet with every minority leader and organization they could find. Many of the new automakers employ a team approach using a half-dozen to a dozen associates who are trained for up to eight weeks. Recent history has shown that interest in these jobs is phenomenal. When BMW put out the call for its first round of applicants in 1994, 60,000 people responded. Come what may with the American economy, automakers say they intend to stick around in Dixie for the long haul. For residents of the latest Southern town to welcome an automaker, Canton, Miss., (population 12,000) the coming of the Nissan plant, which was constructed on a cotton field, has brought excitement. “Everybody is glad to see them come. We don’t really know what to expect except for growth, growth and more growth, Canton business owner Bobby Chandler says. We’re sure glad y’all are here!

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were put up in the city welcoming Honda, and printed in both English and Japanese. Local business leaders even ordered new business cards, English on one side and Japanese on the other. Although most of Honda’s 1,500 employees are not Japanese – but local residents – the gestures did not go unnoticed. Or could the progression south just be simple economics? Low unionization and wages, superior transportation infrastructure, substantial incentives and tax breaks for auto suppliers and proximity to over 5,000 automotive-related manufacturing plants in the Southern Auto Corridor make the South an ideal location for automotive manufacturing. Emil Hassan, Nissan’s senior vice president of North American manufacturing, has said as his company scouted potential locations, most of the companies zoomed to the South; and that Nissan never even looked beyond the region. “We discovered the South 20 years ago. We like the South, we like the work ethic,” Hassan said. And there were other attractions: cheap land and plenty of it; up-to-date interstate highways and seaports; a new regional emphasis on education; and local and state governments eager to lure business. In this highly competitive arena, automakers have been offered new roads and airport runways, immense tax

12/14/05 11:53:03 PM

The Public’s Radio A

E NO MID-SOUTH YOU AR

by J. E. Pitts

n interesting thing happened in Mississippi in the midst of all of the sad ravages of Hurricane Katrina this past summer: communication with the outside world from the storm area was almost completely wiped out; television stations went down, their sketchy signals fading in and out, newspapers had trouble publishing consistent editions with up-to-date information, and many, many radio stations had days and days of dead air. In Mississippi, though, public radio, based in the capital of Jackson and with satellite transmitters planted around the state, suspended regular programming before the storm came ashore. During the storm they broadcast the stories of whoever happened to call in; police officers trapped on the roof of their station house, doctors calling in to plead for donated generators, housewives literally floating above the waters. To listen to those calls was riveting and unlike anything most have ever heard on the radio. After the storm passed they were on the air round-the-clock with the latest updates from Governor Haley Barbour, FEMA officials, and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. When the other radio stations got their transmitters up and returned to broadcasting, the majority resorted to the same music and advertising that they’d always done, but no one was really listening to them. Most of the state was tuned to the public station, because the bulletins were coming in fast and furious from everywhere and had to be sorted out and announced to the public. In the first days after the storm, lives literally hung in the balance, and people needed correct and consistent information, and so bit-by-bit, the state gravitated towards the public station network. For a while, listening to the Governor’s 5:00 p.m. press conference became a ritual of the day. Public radio is funded by tax dollars, but to a very small extent. Most states put such appropriations

very low on the list; the budgets of most public radio stations haven’t changed in years. They instead greatly depend on the donations from the public; hence, such stations feel they have a special bond with the public, one in which they help to inform and protect, besides just entertain or advertise. This became apparent during Hurricane Katrina, when the Mississippi network basically threw all the rules out the window in favor of helping their fellow citizens. This sort of diligence and help given so quickly was repaid recently during Mississippi Public Radio’s “Drive-Time”, which is the twiceannual call for donations from the public. The Mississippi network received over $150,000 during one week; their largest donation total ever. Most of the donations included a thank-you for the extensive

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R I A N W

Katrina coverage, and most mentioned that they would never take the network for granted again. As Mississippi Public Radio stated many times during their storm coverage, their first mission is to inform the public. But their second mission is to entertain, and they, like many other public radio stations, do an excellent job on the second point. Radio does not require the concentration of watching television or surfing the Internet; music by its nature instead floats around in our minds, settles for a while, vanishes, and returns. Being independent, stubborn animals, we pick and choose and go back to what we like again and again. With commercial radio stations, you might have to turn the dial for a while to find a song that you like, much less a place to settle, but with public radio, you can actually plot out your listening enjoyment. You like bluegrass? It’s on each week at the same time. The same with Celtic music, or Ambient music, or Classical, or Jazz. With public radio there is routine, yes, but what a good routine it is. Another excellent example of this sort of thing is WEVL FM90, broadcasting out of Memphis, Tenn. Operational since 1976, the “V” in their call letters represents something unique in radio and unheard of at a commercial station: Volunteer. With only three paid positions on the staff and a roster of over 60 programs that air weekly, the station is overwhelmingly manned by volunteers who simply care about great music. Bit by bit, program by program, they’ve taken individual visions about music and the quality of life in the Memphis community and collectively turned WEVL into one of the best radio stations in the

Mid-South. The mix is just that: a little of every kind of music yet invented: Ambient, Blues, R/B, and Soul, Country and Bluegrass, Folk-Singer-Songwriter-America, Eclectic, Rock, Rockabilly and 50’s Rock, Techno and Dance Electronica, Gospel and Jazz, Big Band and Louisiana/New Orleans, Memphis Music, and World Music. Programming starts at 6 a.m. each day and runs long into the night. The Saturday afternoon lineup is highly recommended, including the programs “Through the Cracks,” (folk-singersongwriter America) at 1:00 p.m, “E-Town” (eclectic) at 3 p.m., and “Pajama Party” (eclectic) at 4 p.m. Like Mississippi Public Radio, the majority of WEVL’s funding comes from donations from listeners, and it’s a surprisingly affordable $35 a year to become a member and support their programming mission. During a recent listening session, listeners were treated to liberal doses of Bob Dylan, both from the man himself and in cover versions of his songs by other bands, Pure Prairie League, Emmylou Harris, Beat Poet John Sinclair, The Velvet Underground, Sam Cooke, June Fisher, Donavan, Aretha Franklin, Townes Van Zandt, dowop, and some rousing Dixieland jazz, all in the space of about three hours. There’s something to be said for a radio station that plays one great song after another after another and doesn’t break in with ads for a car dealerships and payday loans. Some philosopher (or advertising executive) once said brighten the corner where you are. Optimistic advice, and WEVL takes it to heart. You can hear it as their volunteers play one classic musical artifact after another with the sole express desire of enriching the community they serve without thought of gratitude or payback. Stations like WEVL and Mississippi Public Radio engage in intelligent and entertaining programming and also rise to the occasion in times of crisis, and they are an asset that the South should support on every available occasion. After all, there is life and there is life well-lived, and music like this that touches the soul with such regularity helps us all achieve the latter.

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NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD The Confederacy’s Military Genius A documentary of General Nathan Bedford Forrest featuring commentary by Civil War author Shelby Foote. Presenting Rebel Forrest, the first documentary to look exclusively at the life of the Confederacyʼs “Wizard of the Saddle.” This film on Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest features expert analysis from Civil War writer Shelby Foote, Gen. Parker Hills, Nelson Winbush and others. Portrayed by Stan Dalton, Gen. Forrest comes to life in this objective work by director Jon Rawl. Ride with Forrest and discover for yourself the extraordinary life, controversy and myth that surrounds this Southern legend. Also available is the full 49 min. Shelby Foote Commentary on Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest audio interview CD, featuring commentary not heard in the documentary DVD/VHS.

by Rick Hynum

$1995 60 min. VHS

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$1995

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Mail check/money order payable to Jon Rawl, P.O. Box 1217, Oxford, Miss., 38655 $3 per item shipping charge. | www.RebelForrest.com | or call toll-free: 1-866-815-0872

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DECADE OF SPARKS The Nicholas Sparks Story

by Tabatha Hunter

In Nicholas Sparks’ novels, which include A Walk to Remember, Message In A Bottle, A Bend in the Road and The Notebook, the North Carolina author writes of the life-changing, soul-shaking love we all dream of and few of us find. Sparks, who just turned 40, is one of the lucky ones who found such a love with his wife of 16 years, Catherine. The kind of love that Nicholas writes about can only be described as true love. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 • Y’ALL

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Sparks knew that he had met his match in March of 1988. For him it was a case of love at first sight. “I met a girl named Cathy on spring break in Florida. She was from New Hampshire and it was love at first sight, at least for me. I told her the day after we met that we would be married one day. She laughed and told me to get another beer,” Sparks reveals. The couple wed in 1989, and now have five children. “True love exists and there’s evidence of it every day. I think people’s perceptions about romantic love, however, are similar to people’s perceptions about schools for children,” he says. NICHOLAS SPARKS TRIVIA: “It seems that most people • Is a black belt in Tae feel that the school their Kwon Do. child goes to is wonderful, but elsewhere, schools are • Holds a track and field terrible. But if most people record at the University of feel that way, then it becomes Notre Dame. a logical impossibility. Same thing with romantic love. • After selling The Notebook, Many people perceive it in the first thing he bought was their own lives, but doubt if a new wedding ring for his other people do. And those wife. who don’t have it hope that someday, they will.” • Is a major contributor The native Californian to the Creative Writing fi nds the inspiration for Department at Notre Dame. his novels in his everyday Southern life. For his 1996 • Moved to North debut, The Notebook, Sparks Carolina in 1992 to take a found his inspiration in his pharmaceutical job. wife’s own grandparents. “They had a truly magical relationship, one that withstood the test of time and circumstance. When I first met them, they had been married over sixty years and I remember marveling at how much they still seemed to care for each other. The Notebook attempts to describe such a love.” The names for his major characters come from those around him. “‘Miles Ryan’ (from A Bend in the Road) was named after my two oldest sons. Landon (my third son) had already been used in A Walk to Remember, and I didn’t want them to feel left out,” says Sparks, “ ‘Sarah Andrews’ was named after the children of friends: Sarah and Andrew. The names (for Nights in Rodanthe) came from my in-laws, Paul and Adrienne. Flanner, Paul’s last name, was the name of the dormitory where I lived in college. Willis, Adrienne’s last name, came from someone in the town where I live.” With Sparks’ success in recent years, he has become a famous

name and face. People Magazine recently named him as the sexiest author – and alongside J.K. Rowling – he is one of the only two contemporary authors with novels that have spent more than a year on both the New York Times hardcover and paperback bestseller lists. Nicholas, somehow, remains down to earth in the face of it all, even finding time to attend Tae Kwon Do with his five children and attend church every Sunday. “The success has been wonderful. It’s enabled me to concentrate on writing full-time, but more than that, it’s allowed me to spend more time with my family. …. I go to Tae Kwon Do with my kids, we go to church every Sunday, we’re in a ‘Supper Club’ with the same people we’ve known for years, my wife volunteers at the school like every other mom. We still eat Kraft macaroni and cheese,” he laughs. “Nor have our values changed. We worry about the same things all parents do, and we’re doing our best to raise kind and confident children. Our relationship with each other, with our children, with our community, and with God, will always be the most important things in our lives,” adds Sparks. Not bad for an author who got his start when his life hit a patch of destiny. “My life took a U-turn and things got tough. During my freshman year in college (at Notre Dame), I got injured, went a little insane, and after breaking the Notre Dame record in the 4 x 800 relay (at the Drake relays -- a record that still stands), I spent the summer icing my Achilles tendon. During those three months, in which I was told not to run at all, I moped around the house until my mom got tired of it. ‘Don’t just pout,’ she said, ‘Do something.’ ‘What?’ I asked, not bothering to hide the sulkiness in my tone. ‘I don’t know. Write a book.’ I looked at her. ‘Okay,’ I said.” With that began the career of Sparks, although his first book titled The Passing was never published and is now hidden deep within the author’s attic. Choosing to set his novels in small town America is one of the things that make Sparks’ novels different from many of today’s mainstream novelists. It is also a factor that adds to the romance and intrigue of the books. “I live in a small Southern town, and life there is different than in a big city,” he says. “For instance, a friend of mine got hurt. Instead of bringing him to the hospital or an urgent care clinic, I took him to the doctor’s house. The doctor took care of him, drove to the office to pick up a temporary cast, returned, and then bandaged him up. No charge, by the way. Small towns feed a nostalgia that people have for the way things used to be. Simpler, less rushed, more community oriented, things like that.” Sparks also recognizes the importance of his fans, taking time to answer questions concerning his novels on his website. The writer also enjoys hearing the stories of how his novels touched readers. “Writing is communication; hearing from readers about their impressions of what you’ve written is the other half of a conversation that you’ve begun. It’s one of the aspects I most enjoy about being an author,” he says.

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DECADE OF SPARKS

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Southern BY THE GRACE OF GOD by Jonathan Craig

Snow in Mississippi Hoover (at right) and brother, Joe, 1943.

Soy sauce isn’t likely to overcome the popularity of ketchup-based barbecue sauce in the Deep South anytime soon, but don’t tell Louise, Mississippi’s (pop. 315) former mayor that. For years, Hoover Lee has brewed his tasty Hoover Sauce, which goes great on chicken, pork and more. Lee came up with the sauce that combines his unique Chinese ancestry with the Mississippi Delta’s own culture. Lee, 71, is among thousands of Chinese who settled the Delta in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. “I’m a Chinese redneck,” he laughs, complete with a thick Mississippi drawl. Unlike most of his fellow Delta Chinese who have been in America for generations, Hoover was actually born in the old country. He immigrated to America when he was nine months old, where his family settled in Louise and opened a grocery store serving a mostly black clientele. Seventy years later, Hoover runs Lee Hong Company, when he’s not busy in the back making his sauce. “The Chinese opened these little mom and pop stores,

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Southern BY THE GRACE OF GOD some in New Orleans, then some came up to Natchez, Greenville, Vicksburg,” Lee shares. “They were originally here to replace the cotton field labor, but they found that the Chinese that were here did not care for that kind of work so they opened these stores up and saved and saved. Then finally the second generation got a little easier, the third generation was able to go to a school, and the fourth generation was able to get college degrees and things like that.” Lee grew up attending the white schools around Louise, and then went on to graduate with a business degree from Mississippi State University in 1956. Along the way, he found time to court a fellow Delta Chinese, Freeda Gee. The two married and had three children. Today, Freeda shares the store duties with her husband of 50 years. In 1975, the townsfolk of Louise asked Hoover to enter politics, and he went on to serve as the town’s mayor for 18 years. “There have been some good times, and there have been some bad times, but allin-all I have to take either one because it was my choice to do it and I just stayed in there till the time I felt like it was my time to retire and let all these younger people coming up take over,” Lee says. Mr. Lee Goes to Washington. In 1985, President Ronald Reagan invited all first time local office holders that ran on the Republican party and won up to Washington D.C. for a visit. “It was something I felt like I could not turn down,” he says. “How many times in a lifetime does a person get an invitation to go to the White House and meet the President?” With his political days behind him, the mayor-turned-sauce maker gets to spend more time with his Methodist church congregation, and making his famous concoction. “I love the taste of Cantonese duck, or the barbecue pork that’s hanging in those deli shops in San Francisco. I just worked with it and worked with it till it fit my taste and other people’s taste,” he explains. “I started bringing it around when I was mayor and we used to cook at the fire department once a month. Today, people can buy the sauce at my store. It’s basically soy sauce plus spices and all that. We do

1949 class photo from Chamberlin-Hunt Academy, Port Gibson, Miss.

HOOVER SAUC

have people from all over the country looking for it. Just last week, I sent a gallon to Hawaii and had a man from Minnesota in the store looking for it.”

E 1294 Main St., PO Box 133 Louise, Mississip pi 39097 662.836.5131

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Every Sunday, the Food Network is serving up something extraordinary right after Emeril gets done with his live show. At 9:00 p.m. ET, The Food Network treats its viewers to a culinary competition with Iron Chef America.

Three C’s in Culinary Art

COURTESY OF FOOD NETWORK

by Tabatha Hunter The showʼs first female Iron Chef, Cat Cora, thrills audiences each time her name is drawn and she is chosen to battle the worldʼs greatest chefs with her awe-inspiring culinary creations that have everyoneʼs palate watering. Raised as a part of a close-knit Greek family in Jackson, Miss., Cat grew up in the heart of the South where food is not just something we are forced to make, it is an art form all its own. “All the people in my family were great cooks. I was very influenced. My godfather had a restaurant when I was really young and after college I decided that I wanted to get into cooking,” she says. In fact, Cat chose The Culinary Institute of America in New York, based on the advice of the one and only Julia Child. “She was at a book signing that I went to and she spent 45 minutes to an hour just mentoring me and giving me advice.

The Food Network’s Chef Cat Cora I asked her about culinary schools and the first one she suggested was the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. She told me it was the Harvard of culinary schools, so I went right home and applied.” Anyone who believes the saying, “Donʼt trust a skinny cook,” has never eaten one of Cat Coraʼs world-renowned dishes. Cat is not afraid to cook with anything and she is sure to add a little Southern flair to everything coming from her kitchen. Cora obtained a degree in exercise physiology with a minor in biology from the University of Southern Mississippi before attending culinary school, so she knows a thing or two about nutrition and staying in great shape. “I like to live a healthy lifestyle. I like to eat well. That doesnʼt mean that I do not splurge or indulge in things like a bowl of

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ice cream,” Cora says. “Iʼm going to taste everything and try everything. But everything in moderation is my motto.” “Chefs have bigger roles. They are not just in the kitchen being chefs now. We have so many other responsibilities and skills. Now we have to be out in front of the camera. We have to be marketers and CEOs of our companies and cookbook authors and talent and all these other things,” she reveals. A fact that is evident in Cat Coraʼs own career. She is currently working on her second cookbook, Cooking from the Hip, coming out in the spring, making preparations

for her signature restaurant set to be named Spiro, helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina through the charity she founded (Chefs for Humanity), and chasing around her two-year-old son, something she admits is the best part of her day. It was not always easy for the 38-year-old, who advises aspiring cooks to, “Educate yourself.” “To get to the place where I am at takes many, many years. You cannot just go to culinary school. You are not going to walk up there and be on Food Network or be an executive chef at a top restaurant in New York City or San Francisco,” she

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(l to r) Iron Chefs Masaharu Morimoto, Cat Cora, Mario Batali and Bobby Flay

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says. “It is years of hard work. I think it is about perseverance, working hard, staying focused and not giving up.” When Cat became Americaʼs first female Iron Chef, she found herself in unfamiliar territory. She had been hosting and appearing on cooking shows like Melting Pot and Ready Set Cook for years but as an Iron Chef she became a role model. “It is a great chance for me to mentor a lot of young people. I think it is a great position for me to be in. Anytime you are the first of anything I think it is an important role.” While Cat exudes confidence in the kitchen, she manages to show the world a softer side and she becomes the picture of Southern charm in a single conversation. She is a chef at the top of her game, set to shake up the culinary world.

“Chefs have bigger roles. They are not just in the kitchen being chefs now. We have so many other responsibilities and skills. Now we have to be out in front of the camera. We have to be marketers and CEOs of our companies and cook book authors and talent and all these other things.”

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grizzard Put Some South in Yo’ Mouth

Car Dealer Commercials

by Lewis Grizzard

Lewis Grizzard (1946-1994) penned thousands of columns during his journalism career. Y’all Magazine is proud to showcase the late legend’s work in each issue. For more on Grizzard, log on to www.LewisGrizzard.com

It should be against the law for automobile dealers to do their own television or radio commercials. If they do, then the penalty should be somebody sticks a hot exhaust pipe . . . well, they should be severely punished. This isn’t some half-baked idea I just thought up. This idea is fully baked and it comes from years of listening to car dealers doing their own television and radio commercials. What is it with these people? Do they think we’re deaf ? “Nobody will make you deal like Cuzzin Tom at Cuzzin Tom’s Chivey, located just four miles past Cuzzin Tom’s Loan Company on Cuzzin Tom Blvd!” Cuzzin Tom will pick you cleaner than buzzards on a dead possum in the highway, and he will spend every decibel in his power to lure you into his trap. I don’t begrudge a guy trying to move a car or two, but why must these money-changers go on radio and television and make absolute fools of themselves? Patriots and kinfolk There are several ways car dealers make fools of themselves on radio and television. There is the patriot: “We sell only American cars, ‘cuz we believe in Americah. If you don’t buy a car from us, then you must be some kind of commanist.” Then there is the I-Am-Just-OneOf-The-Family routine: “We luv you, and we luv yo’ chillun and we luv all chillun and we luv evahbody’s chillun, and if you buy a car from somebody else, it must mean you one of them chile-abusahs. We offer easy financin’ right on our lot.”

“

There is the patriot: “We sell only American cars, ‘cuz we believe in Americah. If you don’t buy a car from us, then you must be some kind of commanist.”

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There are the car dealers who recently underwent frontal lobotomies: “We’ve gone crazy at Crazy Al’s! We’ll sell you any car or truck on our lot at crazy prices! We’ll give you a car or truck! We will pay you to take one! Take our cars! Take our trucks! We don’t care! We’ve gone crazy!” He wouldn’t slick you The all-time car dealer who does his own commercials, I firmly believe, is right here in the Atlanta area. His name is Charles Hardy, and he operates out of Dallas. I’m not sure how many car dealerships Charles Hardy must own, but if it’s got wheels, Charles Hardy sells it. Charles Hardy says, “We luv you and we need you.” Charles Hardy says, “ . . . And for goodness sakes, let’s take care of those precious chilluns.” Charles Hardy loves America. Charles Hardy is a family man. Charles Hardy is a country boy who wouldn’t slick you. If you buy a car from Charles Hardy, he will be so appreciative, he’ll probably come over to your house once a month to wax it. And one more thing. I have every right to say these things, because I come from a long line of used car dealers. Charles Hardy may be all that and he may do all that, but his commercials are driving me crazier than Crazy Al. There is only one way to stop these people and that is to make it unlawful for them to clutter the airways with their nauseous hard sell. And if they disobey, I’ll tell you where to stick that hot exhaust pipe. Right up their Isuzus.

”

12/15/05 12:02:29 AM

cajun humor De Flood

by Tommy Joe Breaux

Humorist Tommy Joe Breaux has been delighting the South with his cajun stories for years. Breaux has numerous tapes, videos and books available at www. tommyjoebreaux.com.

Hello dare Y’all readers. I guess y’all know dat me an Don (da illustrator) had a little blow named Katrina down our way an as usual I gots a story out of it to pass on to y’all. I guess y’all know dat me and Don are good frans, so when Katrina was lookin’ like she was headed our way we gots our heads an wives together to ride it out. De water gots real deep round de house an didn’t go down for quite a while. Don, his wife Sue, and my wife Cathy, aka “Boo Boo,” climbed up on top of my house to kep dry. I was tole dat nobody really missed me until Don notice dis hat dat was floatin’ to de house, den back away from de house. He tole de wives, “Look at dat hat, ain’t it funny how de water made dat hat move back an forth like dat?” Den my “Boo Boo” say, “Don, dat ain’t de water dats made dat hat move like dat, dats Tommy Joe down dare!!” Don say, “Wat de world is Tommy Joe doin’ down dare in de water, is he crazy?” “Boo Boo” tole him, “No, he ain’t crazy. He’s just doin’ jus wat I tole him to did.” Don axed her, “An wat was dat?” “Boo Boo” said, “I tole him come hell or high water he had to Cut Dat Grass!” I did, an tangs are doin’ much better now. My shoes are almost dried out. Editors Note: Tommy Joe Breaux rode out Hurricane Katrina in his Biloxi, Miss., home. During the storm, Breaux helped to save the lives of people fleeing an apartment complex next door by pulling them in his home. Several people perished inside the complex during the storm. Y’all salutes the bravery of Tommy Joe, and all of the Gulf Coast rescuers. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 • Y’ALL

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wine

down south THE BIG TROPHY DINNER— WINE WITH GAME

by Doc Lawrence

After revolutionizing television news with CNN, leading the Atlanta Braves from bottom feeders to perennial winners and dominating international championship yacht racing, Ted Turner introduced buffalo to modern American diners. His rapidly expanding restaurants, Ted’s Montana Grill, are serving buffalo today in 15 states. Ted’s-a solid family-style restaurant-also has a nice selection of wines to accompany the buffalo prime rib, burgers and pot roast that prompted me to check out the presence of game entrees available with good wine in other restaurants and resorts. The discoveries are mouth watering. “We showcase game entrées regularly, “ Chef Lou Rook III of St. Louis’ renowned Annie Gunn’s Restaurant told me. “From elk, rabbit and venison to squab, duck and quail and much more, game is very popular here. Our wine program is extensive and game and wine dinners usually sell out the day they’re announced.” Rook is teamed with esteemed wine director, Glenn Bardgett, who has amassed around 700 wine choices. Bardgett, who is a member of the Missouri Wine Council, steers diners to memorable wines like the glorious AllAmerican regional Norton (the native grape made skillfully into fine wine in Missouri, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia) and others which combine with game to create some unforgettable flavors. Bardgett’s description of a recent venison and wine gourmet dinner menu almost prompted me to book a flight for dinner there the same evening. There are reasons why game and wine are appearing more often on menus throughout the South. Topping the list are great taste and health benefits. Game on a menu, dear hearts, doesn’t mean something shot by a hunter. That’s only for private dining. Elk, venison and rabbit, like Mr. Turner’s buffalo, are commercially packed and distributed to restaurants and gourmet markets under federal and state regulatory guidelines. But, the distinctive “wild” flavors remain along with most of the beneficial qualities of organically produced meat and fowl. Take it to the bank that these are quite lean, antibiotic-free and very low in cholesterol. Bardgett believes that the common origins of game and wine explain much of the taste

enjoyment. “Eating something natural like roast elk accompanied by a delicious Pinot Noir suggests things from the earth and really opens up those basic eating instincts we still have deep inside,” he says. Columbus, Mississippi is home to Fran Ginn’s fabulous Back Door Café, a Deep South restaurant that has attracted national acclaim. Ms. Ginn serves some adventurous game and wine dinners. Fortunate guests at recent events were served wild boar ravioli, twin medallions of venison and ostrich, venison loin chops and bison bratwurst. Bold reds, particularly cabernet sauvignon, accompanied each dish. But the item that caught my food-savvy eye was Ms. Ginn’s “Death by Gumbo,” her variation of the ever-popular New Orleans Gumbo Ya-Ya, featuring semi-boneless quail stuffed with andouille, oysters and rice with a deep dark roux foundation. “We pour a high octane Zinfandel with this,” she recalled. “The spiciness makes it almost perfect for gumbo.” Dry Comal Creek Vineyards, the legendary Texas Hill Country winery, produces an opaque Black Spanish Wine that is not for the faint of heart. Made from the descendants of very rare grapes brought into 17th Century Texas by Spanish monks, this is indisputably a highly concentrated testosterone-infused beverage. My first glass –rather delicious, by the way-made me yearn for barbecue bear I ate at Henry Dillard’s North Georgia mountain dinner table years ago. A ranking member of the admired Rabun County Dillard clan, Henry served bear once each year. Black Spanish Wine, unknown to both of us then, would have been a divine match. During our coldest days, comfort food down here just requires more intense flavors. Nothing satisfies the desire for heartier fare better than exquisitely prepared game enjoyed with well-chosen wine. Wine and game dinners are hardly new in the South; they’ve been around since Mr. Jefferson popularized them at Monticello. But, they are increasing in popularity and the good news is that you don’t have to go to a restaurant to experience them. This is a rewarding culinary event that is just as much fun at home.

Doc Lawrence writes about wine and Southern cuisine from his homes in Atlanta and Fort Lauderdale. Doc is 2005 Chairman, Food and Beverage Section, Public Relations Society of America and welcomes comments: doc@yall.com. 68

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

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blue collar Nebraska Born, Southern Bred

by Larry the Cable Guy

My dad had a little Southern twinge to him. He used to play with the Everly Brothers in the early 1950’s; they were called the Blue Valley Boys. He was always a guitar player, and taught himself how to play. He had his own show in Nebraska and he would always go in on Sunday and play country gospel music and play it live. Anyway, he met Don and Phil Everly when they were 16 and they formed the Blue Valley Boys. Then he went to the Korean War and got saved in a foxhole and never played music with them again. He still played on the weekends. Anyway, that’s neither here nor there but he always had a Southern flair. I picked up my accent real bad when I moved from Nebraska to Sanford and West Palm Beach, Fla., because I always connected with the more rural kids and the country kids. They were all the horse kids and the cow kids and I hung out with them so I started picking it up here. Then I moved to Georgia to go to Baptist University and one of my roommates was from Beaumont, Texas and my other one was from Dalton, Ga., and then I was full on Southern from then on out. When I started out as a comedian, I used to do this cable installer routine and it was only about a three minute bit in my act but it was really funny. But I liked doing it because it was just a combination of me and people that I grew up with. So I just kind of created this character, “Larry the Cable Guy.”

“

I call myself the cable guy because the first time I ever called a radio station, my buddy was on the morning show and they were waiting on the cable guy to call in and he said, man why don’t you call in and pretend like you’re the cable guy. My middle name is Lawrence, so I called up as “Larry the Cable Guy.” So then I started touring as Larry the Cable Guy because that’s what was on the radio and that’s what people remembered. It ain’t a far stretch from me, anyway. Folks ask me if it’s an act. It is and it isn’t. I’m not as big a partier as the character would indicate. I’m a staunch right wing, Ronald Reagan, John Wayne, Merle Haggard-listening country boy. That’s the way I would describe myself. I am like that and proud of it. Larry the Cable Guy is a little more extreme than I am personally, but that’s the funny thing about it. I’m different from Jeff Foxworthy and Bill Engvall because I get up and I make up my family. My act is also different from theirs in that I’m a oneline comedian. I’m a fan of the old type. I’m a fan of Don Rickles and Buddy Hackett and I liked early Steve Martin. So all my jokes are one-liners; they’re all eight seconds or less. I’m not a storyteller at all. So some of the stuff comes out of true experiences. That’s always been my style. When I come up with my jokes, some of them are halftrue.

Folks ask me if it’s an act. It is and it isn’t.

Bill Engvall, Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy star in Blue Collar TV, airing Sundays at 9:00/8:00 Central on The WB.

”

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 • Y’ALL

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what southern women

know

Pretty Is As Pretty Does…And Looks

by Ronda Rich

Ronda Rich is the author of What Southern Women Know (That Every Woman Should) and The Town That Came A-Courtin’. 70

Any decent, worth-her-weight-inmagnolia-blossoms Southern woman will tell you that presentation is more than just important to us – it’s as essential to our being as high heels are to a fancy party dress. We take it very seriously and that’s why the bows on our gifts are always elaborate, our lip gloss is always shiny, our flowers are colorful, our tables are always set with attention to detail and we put a lot of thought into our make-up, hair, clothes and accessories. If you don’t believe me, just listen to what a Southern woman says the next time she mentions seeing another Southern woman. I’ve been thinking about this since one of my friends called the other day. “I saw Jenny at lunch yesterday,” she reported. “Really?” I replied. “How’s she doing?” “Well, I don’t know how she’s doing but she looked like hell. Her roots were grown out by an inch. Listen, we all knew she wasn’t a natural blonde but there’s no sense in flagging down traffic and announcing it from the town square. If she had on any make-up, you couldn’t tell it by what I saw and, please, let’s not even discuss her clothes.” Rewind to a conversation two weeks before with my mother. “Margaret Jane stopped by to see me.” Mama paused then smiled broadly. “She had on the best looking suit you’ve ever seen. She looked like a New York model. She was the prettiest thing you can imagine. I’ve thought about it ever since she was here. She was beautiful.” Mama talked for 15 minutes on how fabulous she looked, detailing Margaret Jane’s appearance down to how her earrings matched the buttons on her suit. See, Southern women are quick to brag on you when it is deserved and equally as quick to criticize when you need to straighten up and look better. It is always, without fail, the first thing we notice and the first thing we comment on – either immediately to you or later to everyone else. Once I got a letter from a female high school student who chastised me in no uncertain terms for writing a book that placed a certain amount of emphasis on personal appearance. “Women should be judged for ability and talent. Not on make-up and clothes,” she wrote. “I will never give into the pressure to look good. I will rely on my intelligence.” I agree with the first part. The quality of folks should be determined by more

than just good-looking hair (though any woman I know will tell you that beautiful hair is highly desirable) but let’s be practical – how often does that really happen? That’s why Southern women are so successful in life. We realize that appearances attract, disarm and give us an extra edge. We would never be foolish enough to discard such a lovely advantage. Be honest. If you were shopping for a new house and had to choose between a pretty, well-decorated one or one that was shabby in appearance with an unappealing décor, which would you choose? The shabby one might be more durable, functional and well-built but would you look past the unattractiveness to find the quality? As for the women who frown upon our devotion to hair, make-up, clothes and a terrific pair of high heels, know this: We welcome your disapproval. In fact, we encourage it. The reason? Because the worse you look, the better we look. We’ll take on all the shabby-dressed disapprovers and pray that we get to meet up with y’all when it really counts such as competing for a job, social advancement or – please, dear Lord, let this happen – a man.

“

Southern women are the big leagues of femininity. In fact, we’re the reigning world champions...

”

In these circumstances, that kind of competition is no competition for a wellturned out Southern woman. It’s like putting a biscuit-making woman up against an I-can’t-even-boil-water woman. It’s like pitting a Pee Wee football team against Brett Favre. It’s like trying to mow kudzu with a push mower when only a bush hog will do. When it comes to womanhood and the fine art of maximizing it to full advantage, Southern women are the big leagues of femininity. In fact, we’re the reigning world champions and we make no excuses for it. Femininity and polished appearances are assets. Unabashedly and unashamedly, we capitalize on both at every opportunity. We believe it is better to have an appearance that is an asset rather than a liability. If you don’t agree, you might need to check your roots. They may need a touch-up.

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

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star gazing PRACTICAL WHIMSY southern hospitality hollywood style

by Joe LoCicero

Stone Mountain, Ga.-raised Joe LoCicero is a Hollywood writer-publicist and entertaining guru whose eclectic, collective credits include Entertainment Tonight, The All-New Captain Kangaroo and Frasier. He is the co-author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Clear Thinking. Joe began the “Practical Whimsy” movement in 2003. For groovy goods and hip tips, check out www.practicalwhimsy.com

Seeing “Red” on Valentine’s Day

I’ll admit it. I have an addiction. Granted, this isn’t the kind of addiction that puts stars into rehab centers with names like Promises Malibu and The Betty Ford Center, but I do — nonetheless — take it very seriously. It started when I was in the third grade, at a Valentine’s Day covered dish supper. At the time, the venerable Rich’s (sadly no longer an Atlanta — even Southern — institution) still had a bakery. At the supper, one of the Moms unceremoniously plopped a box down on the dessert table. At the time, I was more caught up in the look of the box than what was inside. This wasn’t just any box. It was chartreuse, with a white latticework illustration woven around it and the words “Rich’s Bakery” scrolled across the top. Later, from out of the box came a cake, which really could have seemed ordinary enough. A cake with mounds of white icing swirled all around. A pretty cake, sure, but just a cake. Until, that is, someone sliced into it to reveal two thick bright red — not cherry-red, not brick-red, not candy-red, its definitive own red — layers, standing out even more as a wide swath of white frosting was sandwiched between the two halves. Being from Florida and of Hispanic/Italian heritage, my family hadn’t been acquainted with the Red Velvet Cake before, but now that we had moved to Atlanta, we began to realize it was a staple of most social activities involving food. After that, any event took on a whole new meaning for me if a Rich’s box containing a Red Velvet Cake was present. I’d instantly be in a better mood if I knew that a sliver of that would be mine at some point during the activities. When I moved to Los Angeles in the ‘90s, I quickly learned that Red Velvet Cake here wasn’t just a rarity; few people even knew what it was. The entire reference point for the confection seemed to be a scene in the movie Steel Magnolias when Julia Roberts’ character was getting married, and her fiancé (played by Dylan McDermott) had armadillo-shaped Red Velvet Cake as the groom’s cake. It was slathered in gray icing, and — at one point — a knife chopped off the critter’s “tail,” revealing the red cake interior. I wondered, “An armadillo-shaped Red Velvet Cake?” To me, that was kind of blasphemy, putting such a cherished sweet in such an unflattering stature. However, I did take a cue from the film and later made sure that Red Velvet was my groom’s cake; it — of course — went faster than the wedding cake. (And it was a great wedding cake; honest).

Nonetheless, Red Velvet Cakes were absent from the L.A. scene. So, I took it upon myself to introduce others to them. For a few years, I brought along a homemade Red Velvet Cake to any event I was invited to. Some still refer to me as the “Red Velvet Guy” from this period. Making the cake even became a bit of a side business: wordof-mouth led me to bake my Red Velvet Cake for network presidents, sitcom stars, style mavens, and even for a couple of brides for their grooms-to-be. I consider that recipe a treasure. I think probably every Southern household — unlike every Southern California household — has access to a winning Red Velvet Cake recipe. Mine started with someone’s curvy hand lettering of the ingredients on a faded piece of ditto paper. I futzed and finessed, trying to re-create the Rich’s cake that had been pierced into my memory with a lipsmacking crumb-tined fork, until I finally created one that hewed pretty close. I still serve it up at soirees, or bring it over to friends’ homes for special dinners. And anyone new to the party always asks one of three questions before they dive in: “What’s it taste like?“ (Um, kind of a mix of vanilla and chocolate or sort of like a spice cake). “Why haven’t I heard of this before?” (I think the South likes it too much to let it stray too far). “What makes it red?” (I’ll never tell). And no matter how many times I serve it, I always feel such glee over a new Red Velvet recruit who marvels over its taste, its moistness, and its uniqueness. I sort of get to relive my Rich’s Bakery introduction to it all over again. Now Los Angeles, always on the prowl for the next trend, has found the Red Velvet Cake…sort of. If you visit L.A., you can find versions of it at celebrity haunts like Toast and Doughboys, or the Beverly Hills cupcake emporium Sprinkles. And it was a big hit at Hilary Duff ’s recent 18th birthday party at the L.A. club Mood. Still, the ones I’ve tasted here just don’t compare to their Southern counterparts. And since it’s not easy to find the real thing out and about here, I’ve — thankfully — got a tried-and-true recipe when a need for a fix sets in. And now’s the time to indulge: I happen to think that the very hue of Red Velvet Cake makes it a perfect accompaniment to a Valentine’s Day romantic dinner. Of course, I can also make a case for it being a perfect accompaniment for 4th of July, Christmas, Easter, somebody’s birthday, any couple’s anniversary….

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 • Y’ALL

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ms. ms. grits grits Birds of a Feather: Southern Sisters

by Deborah Ford

Deborah Ford is the founder of Grits® Inc. (Girls Raised in the South), a multi-million dollar merchandising company. Ford is the author of the best-selling GRITS, Guide To Life, and Puttin’ On The GRITS, a Southern Guide to Entertaining. Her newest, Grits Friends Are Forevah is now available. Contact “Ms. Grits” via email at msgrits@yall.com 72

Friends are important to a Southern girl, but family is sacred. In a time when people travel across the country, or even the world, for jobs, when new neighborhoods are sprouting up over the South like mushrooms after an autumn rain, when fast food and video games are replacing meal time, it’s harder to maintain the kind of deep ties that we Southerners cherish. Making friends outside of our families is more important than it used to be, but that doesn’t mean that we need to get rid of our family connections, even if, after hearing Uncle Wade’s war stories for the hundredth time, we sometimes wish we could. GRITS® (Girls Raised In The South) love their girlfriends, but taking time to make friends with their women kin is deeply important to them, even if sometimes they make us want to back-talk and roll our eyes like teenagers. Our relationships with our mothers, grandmothers, sisters, cousins, and aunts form the basis of our character. Our female relatives make us who we are, and they shape all our future friendships. In my own family, Mother worked so hard that she often didn’t have time for us, so my eldest sisters, Barbara and Virginia, became both mother and sister to me in a lot of ways. I don’t think I would have made it at all in this world without the love, attention, and kindness my two older sisters provided for me. My sister Rita, on the other hand, was a lot closer to me in age, and we fought like cats and dogs. We even fought at my mother’s funeral! We still don’t see eye to eye, but of all my sisters, we probably have the closest bond. That’s because with sisters, love and fighting go hand-in-hand. I could never leave out Mavis, my life-long best friend and the best partner in crime a girl could ever have. A sister will always keep your secrets, even if it sometimes takes a little blackmail to keep that mouth shut. My first real boyfriend, Johnny, and I dated for four years. He wrote letters to me once, and sometimes even twice, a day during his first year of college. Even when we broke up, I refused to discard the letters I received from him. Like all Southern girls, I eventually had another boyfriend. When my new boyfriend and later husband found out I still had all of these letters, he demanded that I throw them away. He even wanted me to get rid of the beautiful cameo necklace Johnny had given me. Well, a man might ask a lot of things of a woman, but he’s kidding himself if he thinks she’s going to get rid of pretty words and prettier jewelry! My sweet sister, Virginia, took my big box of letters, placed them in her attic, and vowed to take care of them. To this day, she still has those letters. I’m sure I know why she was so intent on keeping this secret for me: her fake ponytail. When Virginia met her husband, Julian, she was wearing the “ponytail.” It didn’t take her long to realize that he loved her long hair, and

she found herself in a real dilemma. She was afraid he wouldn’t like her if he knew her hair was short, and it would be even worse if he knew she was lying. She decided to wear that ponytail every time they were together until her hair grew out. Her hair did eventually grow and she was able to put away her fake ponytail and wear a real one. She made us all promise not to ever tell Julian her secret. We had so much fun bribing Virginia, and we did it for years! Finally, after three children and fifteen years of marriage, my brother-in-law found out about his bride’s secret. I think she just got tired of being blackmailed! Growing up, there was always someone we could go to when we needed advice on a crush, when we were fed up with Mother, or when we were worried that our breasts were too big, too small, or just plain funny looking. Sisters were always there when we needed them, or when we needed to “borrow” a blouse or a lipstick. A girl will usually have more history with her sister than with any other family member, even her parents. Sometimes, we wished that our sisters weren’t there, especially when they ratted us out to Mother or read our diary. In the end, it doesn’t really matter whether you’re sisters by birth, by marriage, or just by love. Any GRITS can become a sister. All it takes is love, caring, a warm shoulder, and endless patience. Sisters are fun, sisters are annoying, and sisters know our secrets, good and bad. There’s a reason that one of the most popular shirts my company makes reads: “Pearl of Wisdom...a sister is a girl’s best friend.” They’re the joys in our hearts and the pains in our necks, but most of all, they’re sisters, and that’s a sweet word on any Southern girl’s lips.

Guide to Southern Sisters Full: We’ve got the same mommy and

daddy, the same smile, the same problems, and the same hair-trigger temper, so do not make us mad. Half: We’ve either got a different mommy or a different daddy, but we’ve got the same love for each other. Step: Our mommies and daddies married each other, and once we learned to share the bathroom, we got a new friend in the bargain. Almost-Sisters: Our parents were close and so were we. Whether we’re cousins or just best friends, we have a bond that can’t be broken. Soul: Our mommies and daddies are different, but we’ve got the same grace, the same history, and the same spirit.

Sisters of the South: All GRITS are family, and like all families sugah, you can never leave. And that’s a promise, not a threat.

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

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12/15/05 12:06:02 AM

Co-hosts Justin Cave & Christine Pullara and their gang of guerilla gardeners ambush unsuspecting homeowners and surprise them with full-blown lawn makeovers.

All New Episodes SATURDAYS 12 NOON ET

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Go to turnersouth.com/buyitnow for Cookbooks, DVD's & other Great Holiday Gifts!

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yʼall

of fame

Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) 74

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

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Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Talbot County on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 1818, and was given the name Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey. During the course of his remarkable life he escaped from his Baltimore master in 1838, became internationally renowned for his eloquence in the cause of liberty, and went on to serve the national government in several official capacities. Through his work he came into contact with many of the leaders of his times. His early work in the cause of freedom brought him into contact with a wide array of abolitionists and social reformers. As a major Stationmaster on the Underground Railroad he directly helped hundreds

The Southâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Southâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Web Address!

on their way to freedom through his adopted home city of Rochester, N.Y. Renowned for his eloquence, he lectured throughout the United States and England on the brutality and immorality of slavery. As a publisher his North Star and Frederick Douglassâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Paper brought news of the anti-slavery movement to thousands. Forced to leave the country to avoid arrest after John Brownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s raid on Harpers Ferry, he returned to become a staunch advocate of the Union cause. He helped recruit black troops for the Union Army, and his personal relationship with Lincoln helped persuade the President to make emancipation a cause of the Civil War. Two of Douglassâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sons served in the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, which was made up entirely of black volunteers. The storming of Fort Wagner, S.C. by this regiment was dramatically portrayed in the 1989 film Glory! In 1872, Douglass moved to Washington, D.C., where he initially served as publisher of the New National Era, which was intended to carry forward the work of elevating the position of Freedmen in the post-Emancipation period. This enterprise was discontinued when the promised financial backing failed to materialize. In this period Douglass also served briefly as President of the Freedmenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s National Bank, and subsequently in various national service positions, including U.S. Marshal for the District of Columbia, and diplomatic positions in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. He died in 1895.

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in memoriam

MILLS: MANDATORY CREDIT: CRAIG JONES /ALLSPORT, LUCAS: CREDIT: TOM HAUCK /ALLSPORT, GRANT: RONALD MARTINEZ/GETTY, LOPEZ: SUSAN GAETZ/AFP/GETTY

CARROLL CAMPBELL Former Gov. Carroll Campbell Jr., who helped turn South Carolina into a Republican stronghold and recruited bigname industries, died Dec. 8, 2005 of a heart attack. He was 65. Campbell had had Alzheimer’s disease for more than four years. Campbell’s two terms (1987-1991, 19911995) may be most remembered for his focus on economic development, capped by the luring of the German automaker BMW to build its first North American manufacturing plant, near Greer. Campbell was a four-term congressman before becoming governor; at the time, he was only the second Republican governor in the state since Reconstruction. Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole considered Mr. Campbell as his running mate in 1996, but eventually chose Jack Kemp. He was a native of Greenville.

BUD CARSON The architect of the Pittsburgh Steelers 1970’s “Steel Curtain” Defense, Bud Carson died at 75 of emphysema on Dec. 6 in Sarasota, Fla. Carson played at North Carolina from 1949-51. He was the head coach of Georgia Tech from 1967-71, and also coached the Cleveland Browns. JOHN RICE A self-made millionaire who stood 2 feet, 10 inches, John Rice was in the record books as one of the world’s shortest twins. Rice died unexpectedly at 53 on Nov. 5 in his native Palm Beach, Fla. John and his identical twin, Greg, were household names in Palm Beach County, where they prospered in real estate, ran a national motivational company and attained celebrity status as the improbable television pitchmen for a local pest control company.

JASON COLLIER Atlanta Hawks and former Georgia Tech star Jason Collier died of cardiac arrest at the age of 28 on Oct. 15, 2005. The 7-foot center had been a starter for the struggling NBA franchise. Collier was drafted in the first round in 2000 by Milwaukee. “He married an Atlanta girl and adopted Atlanta as his hometown,” former Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins said.

TALMADGE DAVIS American Indian artist Talmadge Davis, given the title Master Artist by the Five Civilized Tribes Museum, died of a heart attack at 43 in Tulsa, Okla. In 2004 he was awarded the Cherokee Medal of Honor for bringing the Cherokee Nation heritage to the mainstream.

DR. ADRIAN ROGERS Dr. Adrian Rogers, a three-time president of the Southern Baptist Convention and leader of a conservative takeover of the denomination, the nation’s second largest, died Nov. 15, 2005 at the age of 74. Like Ezra, the great leader of ancient Israel, Dr. Rogers committed his life to one overarching purpose: the preaching and teaching of God’s Word. “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments” (Ezra 7:10). Dr. Rogers succumbed to pneumonia after battling cancer that was diagnosed soon after his March 2005 retirement from 32 years as pastor of the Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn. One of America’s largest churches, Bellevue has more than 29,000 members and a ministry that reaches around the world. The church grew and thrived under the dynamic preaching and loving pastoral care of Dr. Rogers. He was named Pastor Emeritus of the church at his retirement. Rogers was elected president in 1979 as part of the conservative takeover of the 16.3 million-member convention, second in size to the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. In the years that followed, conservative leaders pushed hard against abortion rights, homosexuality and female pastors. In 1954, and earned a Master of Theology degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisiana in 1958. The West Palm Beach, Fla., native earned a B.A. from Stetson University. Rogers held several pastorates in Florida before coming to Memphis in 1972. 76

Y’ALL • THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN PEOPLE

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ROSA PARKS Rosa McCauley Parks, whose act of civil disobedience helped inspire the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, died on Oct. 24, 2005 at the age of 92. The Tuskegee, Ala., native became the first woman to lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda. Parks’ moment in history began in December 1955 when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery. At the time of her arrest, Parks was 42 and on her way home from work as a seamstress. She took a seat in the front of the black section of a city bus in Montgomery. The bus filled up and the bus driver demanded that she move so a white male passenger could have her seat. Her arrest triggered a 381day boycott of the Montgomery bus system by blacks that was organized by a 26-year-old Baptist minister, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. HERRION:Jed Jacobsohn-Getty, RUSSELL:Evan Agostini-Getty), KATRINA (TOP) ROSS TAYLOR/GETTY, Win McNamee/GettY

SHIRLEY HORN Grammy-winning vocalist and pianist Shirley Horn died of diabetes in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 15, 2005 at 71. Horn, who began playing the piano at the age of 4 and studied music at Howard University, went on to win a Grammy for best vocal jazz performance in 1998 after more than 30 years in the music industry. Horn got her first big break when Miles Davis invited her to open for him at New York City’s Village Vanguard in 1960 and subsequently got a record deal with Mercury Records. Horn didn’t tour for a long time, choosing to stay in the Washington area and raise her daughter. Her lone Grammy win came in 1998 for her tribute to Miles Davis, I Remember Miles.

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DICK HUTCHERSON NASCAR veteran Dick Hutcherson died at 73 on Nov. 6, 2005. Hutcherson won 14 races in just 103 starts in NASCAR’s top series in the 1960s. Hutcherson resided in Huntersville, N.C.

LEONORA HORNBLOW Leonora Hornblow, novelist and co-writer of a series of children’s books with her late husband, film producer Arthur Hornblow Jr., died at 85 at her home in Fearrington Village, N.C. The effervescent stepdaughter and heiress of tobacco magnate Leon Schinasi was known in her socialite youth as ``Bubbles’’ Schinasi. The Hornblows moved to Hollywood and became friends with such well-known personalities as Ronald and Nancy Reagan and Frank Sinatra. She used her understanding of the Hollywood crowd into her first novel, Memory and Desire, in 1950.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 • Y’ALL

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festive south Jan. 5 - 8 Professional Cowboy Finals Rodeo The Grand Finale of the Rodeo Year for the Professional Cowboy Association. Biloxi, MS. 251-947-4650 www.pcarodeo.com pcarodeo@gulftel.com

Jan. 28 - 29 Cape Fear Model Railroad Club The annual fundraiser held to promote model railroading features vendors offering trains, scenic supplies and railroading memorabilia Free clinics offered both days. Wilmington, NC. 910-270-2696 capefearmodelrailroadclub.org Ben.Jackson@charter.net

Jan. 6 - Feb. 28 Mardi Gras of Southwest Louisiana The season begins January 6 with the Twelfth Night celebration. The day that honors the Three Kings’ presentation to the Christ Child in a parade that features nearly 2000 Mardi Gras royalty members and dancers. Lake Charles, LA. 800-456-7952 www.visitlakecharles.org

Jan. 28 - Feb. 11, 12, 17-19 Edison Festival of Light Jan. 28, Edison Day of Discovery presented by Florida Power & Light Feb. 11, City of Palms Turn on the Town, Feb. 12, Junior Events presented by Sprint Yellow Pages, Feb 17-19 - Crafts on the River, Feb. 18, Run for the Light 5K; Stadium & Fireworks show; Grand Parade. Fort Myers, FL. 239-334-2999 www.edisonfestival.org Edison@edisonfestival.org

Jan 7 - 15 16th Annual Wilderness Wildlife Week Nine days featuring more than 100 experts devoted to the past, present and future of the Great Smokey Mountains . Pigeon Forge, TN. 800-251-9100 www.mypigeonforge.com events@cityofpigeonforge.com

Feb. 1 - 26 Native Islander Gullah Celebration The month long celebration showcases the rich cultural heritage of the Gullah people and their history on Hilton Head Island. Hilton Head Island, SC. 877-650-0676 www.gullahcelebration.com nibcaa@aol.com

Jan. 13 - 21 Tampa Bay Black Heritage Cultural Festival A celebration of art, music, dance and literature offering ethnic foods and performances. Tampa, FL. 888-224-1733 Ext. 143 www.tampablackheritage.org ken.anthony.bxps@statefarm.com

Feb. 2 - 4 15th Annual Smoky Mountains Storytelling Festival Storytelling by a variety of featured artists; festival activities include storytelling and rides aboard the Pigeon Forge Trolley. Pigeon Forge, TN. 800-251-9100 www.mypigeonforge.com events@cityofpigeonforge.com

Jan. 19 -28 Augusta Futurity The largest and richest cutting horse event east of the Mississippi and also one of the top six in the world. Augusta, GA. 706-823-3417 www.augustafuturity.com janice.pelcher@augustafuturity.com

Feb 4 - 28 Mardi Gras on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Features parades, parties and balls. Celebrations on Mississippi ‘s Gulf Coast began 1699. In recent years, the area has been the host to more than 100,000 visitors for the weeks of parades leading up to Fat Tuesday. Biloxi, Gulfport, d’Iberville, Long Beach, Pass Christian, Ocean Springs, Bay St. Louis, Waveland, Gautier, Pascagoula, MS. www.gulfcoast.org tourism@gulfcoast.org

Jan. 21 - 29 Southwest District Livestock Show and Rodeo Livestock show featuring 4H and FFA members throughout Louisiana; Rodeo Bull fighters and other special animal acts; wild west gun fights and a live cattle drive. Lake Charles, LA. 800-456-7952 www.ssrodeo.com debraharper@centurytel.net Jan. 26- Feb. 19 Washington’s Birthday Celebration After 109 years, this is still the best party on the South Texas bordertown of Laredo. Features a mixture of a Mexican fiesta and a Fourth of July celebration. Combines the gallantry of Colonial America, the serenity of the Native American culture, the colors of a Mexican Fiesta and the essence of Mardi Gras. The almost month-long celebration includes parades, a carnival, an air show, fireworks, street festivals, a nationally renowned jalapeno-eating contest, live concerts and more. www.wbclaredo.org

Feb. 11 - Mar. 12 Florida Renaissance Festival Twelve stages of continuous entertainment, educational demonstrations of period trades and crafts, delicacies of the middle ages, and knights in full armor make 15th century history come alive in a five week recreation of a medieval village. Deerfield Beach, FL. 954-7761642 www.Ren-Fest.com info@ren-fest.com Feb. 15 – Feb. 19 International Birding Festival There is a valley full of birds waiting to be seen during this event in Brownsville, Texas. The Rio Grande Valley’s warm climate offers 150 to 200 possible bird species this time of year in an area that has counted 500 different birds. Festival offers: birders, guided field trips, seminars, and other educational events to explore in South Texas and Northern Mexico. www.brownsville.org

Feb. 18 Casanova Hunt Point to Point Races The opening steeplechase of the season features 10 events including thoroughbreds racing over barriers, brush and water. Elaborate tailgate parties compete for prizes. Warrenton, VA. 540-788-4806/540-788-4116 Feb. 18 Krewe of Centaur Parade In what has become the 5th largest Mardi Gras parade in Louisiana, costumed riders throw beads, doubloons and commemorative cups to the crowds celebrating the unique history of North Louisiana Mardi Gras. Shreveport, LA. 318-560-8318/318-868-9541 www.kreweofcentaur.org Feb. 23 - 26 6th Annual Saddle Up! One of the few cowboy poetry/ western music events to take place east of the Mississippi. Pigeon Forge, TN. 800-251-9100 mypigeonforge.com events@cityofpigeonforge.com Feb. 23 - 25 Georgia National Rodeo Rodeo includes 6 major rodeo events and specialty acts including saddle bronc riding, calf roping, steer wrestling and more! Perry, GA. 478-987-3247/800-987-3247(GA only) www.gnfa.com mtreptow@gnfa.com Feb. 24 Krewe of Lafitte Mardi Gras Parade Marching bands and lighted floats entertain crowds in Pensacola ‘s only illuminated nighttime parade. Pensacola, FL. 850-436-7638 www.pensacolamardigras.com dannyzuf@aol.com Feb. 25 Opry at the Ryman The historic Ryman Auditorium is home to the exciting winter run of the Opry. Nashville, TN. 615-871-OPRY/800-SEE-OPRY www.opry.com Feb. 25 Pensacola ‘s Grand Mardi Gras Parade Pensacola hosts this family oriented Mardi Gras parade in the historic downtown area with lots of crowd involvement as beads, doubloons and moon pies are thrown from floats. Pensacola, FL. 850-436-7638 www.pensacolamardigras.com dannyzuf@aol.com

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