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RSVP magazine is like no other publication in the city of Memphis. What began as simply “The Society Pages” more than a decade ago has evolved into a monthly review with stunning photography and entertaining, informative stories. See for yourself!
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A p r i l 2 0 1 3
Memphis Heart BallOscar® Experience MemphisHands of Hope Auction PartyOpera Memphis Wild Game DinnerQ&A with Dr. Lawrence EdwardsFeaturing:The Emerging Memphis Designer Project
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CONT
ENTS
12MEMPHIS HEART BALL
Carol Ann Jordan and Eli Jones
24 OSCAR® EXPERIENCE MEMPHIS
Niki Richard and Alexandria Roberts
22STREETSEEN
Janet Boscarino
34 HANDS OF HOPE AUCTION PARTY
Brad and Jacki Lindsay
44OPERA MEMPHIS WILD GAME DINNER
Janet and John Golon
42RSVP ROOM VIEW
Midtown Master Bath
Cover PhotoTim and Victoria Disalvo
atOscar® Experience Memphis
Photo by Don Perry
ContentsApril 2013
From the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Signature Memphis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Bob Westbrook, a man with many roles within the musical and entertainmentworld, invites RSVP to his office in Old Germantown.
The Ambassador Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Hampton Sides Part 2: Tracing His “Foote Steps”The second part of this piece discusses the influence the late narrative historianShelby Foote had on Sides.
Memphis Heart Ball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14This 37th annual event at The Peabody brought a taste of India to the Delta.
StreetSeens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 & 22Providing loving homes for abandoned or stray dogs in Memphis is this special cou-ple’s mission. She’s making Memphis a cleaner and greener place with a grassrootsorganization. StreetSeens highlight Melanie and Kent Pafford and Janet Boscarino.
Oscar® Experience Memphis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24Memphians roll out the red carpet and enjoy the Oscars® in style at The Columnsat One Commerce Square.
Onsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30, 31, 48 & 50Gatherings that have earned an honorable mention.
Vox Popular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32Q&A with Dr. Lawrence Edwards, the artistic director of the Memphis SymphonyChorus and the director of choral activities at U of M.
Hands of Hope Auction Party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34The Exchange Club Family Center asked guests to plant seeds of change and helpbreak the cycle of domestic violence during its annual benefit at The Columns atOne Commerce Square.
Memphis Fashion Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38These emerging designers are leading the way for local fashion at this year’s secondannual Memphis Fashion Week.
RSVP Room View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42From ruins to a Grecian oasis, this Midtown master bath combines natural lightand clean lines to create a stunning ocean-inspired refuge.
Opera Memphis Wild Game Dinner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44Guests enjoyed a delectable feast while raising funds at the Clark Opera MemphisCenter.
RSVPhillippi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53Dennis Phillippi muses about what to do to celebrate his 50th birthday.
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RSVP STAFF
CHRIS PUGH,ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
901.276.7787, EXT. [email protected]
Chris has been exercising his talent in theadvertising world since 1999. He joinedthe RSVP team in 2009 and brought withhim a love for laughter and creativity.Originally from New Albany, Mississippi,Chris has settled in Memphis and enjoysbeing active in the fashion community.
KRISTEN MILLER,ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE901.276.7787, EXT. [email protected]
Having worked in print advertising for near-ly eight years, Kristen Miller felt it was anatural fit to join the RSVP team as anaccount executive. Kristen, who lives inArlington with her husband and four chil-dren, loves to cook, fish, watch collegeand Arlington Tigers football, spend timewith her family and advertising, of course.
RACHEL WARREN,EDITORIAL INTERN
901.276.7787, EXT. [email protected]
Rachel is passionate about print mediaand has covered many local events inJackson, Mississippi in the past. Shereceived her Bachelor of Arts in Englishfrom Millsaps College, and in 2011, shemoved back to her hometown of Memphis.She is delighted to be part of the RSVPteam as an editorial intern. She loves writ-ing about all the amazing people andplaces in Memphis, enjoying a great bookand chasing a good story.
Volume XVIII Number VII
April 2013
P U B L I S H E RRoy Haithcock
E D I T O RLeah Fitzpatrick
C O N T R I B U T I N G W R I T E R SRuth CassinKelly Cox
Dennis PhillippiEugene Pidgeon
Suzanne ThompsonLesley Young
A R T D I R E C T O RPatrick Akers
P H O T O G R A P H E R SBaxter Buck
Roy HaithcockDon Perry
Steve Roberts
A C C O U N T E X E C U T I V E SChris Pugh
Kristen Miller
A C C O U N T I N GRuth Cassin
E D I T O R I A L I N T E R NRachel Warren
RSVP Memphis is published monthly byHaithcock Communications, Inc. First class
subscriptions are available for $55.00 per year.Send name and address with a check to:
Haithcock Communications, Inc.2282 Central AvenueMemphis, TN 38104
For advertising information contactRoy Haithcock
Phone (901) 276-7787, ext. 101Fax (901) 276-7785
e-mail [email protected]
W E Bwww.rsvpmagazine.com
For editorial information or to request coverage of an event, pleasecontact RSVP Magazine
one month prior to the event. Call 901-276-7787, ext. 105 or fax to 901-276-7785.
e-mail [email protected]
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RSVP Memphis Magazine
Copyright 2013 Haithcock Communications, Inc.
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Since it’s the first day ofspring as I write this col-umn, I can officially say
the winter doldrums are nolonger. Thank goodness!Nice weather (and sunshine)couldn’t come any soonerbecause I was in seriousneed of my favorite moodbooster, vitamin D, andsome time exploring thegreat outdoors when wearingseveral layers to stay warmisn’t necessary; by the way,if you haven’t been toLucius Burch Natural Area,go now for its great hikingand bike trails that meanderthrough a budding forestand alongside the peacefulWolf River. Perhaps biasedsince I’m an Aries, I thinkthis time of year is simplythe best because it symbolizes so much hope in all the newvegetation you see.
Something else springing to life this month will beMemphis Fashion Week (MFW), which RSVP has proudlysigned on to support as a media sponsor. Much anticipated inits second go-round, the event not only serves to highlightnative Southerners who have already made it in the fashionindustry, like Hilton Hollis, Annie Griffin and Billy Reid, butalso those rising local designers awaiting their big break,which MFW might very well be for them. In fact, we’ve gotthose designers that the MFW board, of which our own ChrisPugh is a member, selected for its Emerging MemphisDesigner Project featured on pages 38-41. If you’d like tocheck out these designs and many more in person, please clickon memphisfashionweekend.com for all of the official parties,runway shows and boutique events associated with this impor-tant fashion movement. Remember, everyone’s got to startsomewhere, so why can’t that somewhere be Memphis?
Being a lover of quotes and a big believer in MFW’smission, I thought I’d leave you this month with several enter-taining quotes from a few high-profile forces in fashionthrough the decades.
“Fashion has two purposes: comfort and love. Beautycomes when fashion succeeds.”—Coco Chanel
“Fashion is very important. It is life-enhancing and,like everything that gives pleasure, it is worth doing well.”—Vivienne Westwood
“Doing collections, doing fashion is like a non-stopdialogue.”—Karl Lagerfeld
“What you wear is how you present yourself to theworld, especially today when human contacts go so fast.Fashion is instant language.”—Miuccia Prada
Leah [email protected]
From the Editor
Editor’s Correction: On page 57 of the March issue, Fran Rileywas incorrectly identified as Fran Ridley in the Association ofWomen Attorneys Banquet and Silent Auction story, and alsoDiana Comes was incorrectly identified as Diane Comes in thesame story. We regret that these errors were made.
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Bob WestbrookVocal Coach and Manager of Young Actors/Pianist/Arranger/Bandleader
Hometown: Germantown.
Favorite Song: Anything jazz.Biggest Pet Peeve: Being tardy.Who Inspires You: My students.Best Gift You Ever Received: My family.
Best Memphis Hangout: First Evangelical Church.Place You Go to Think: My car, when I’m driving.
Your Most Annoying Habit: Neatness—look at the desk inmy office.
Best Dish You Cook: Anything I can microwave in three min-
utes or less.
First Car You Drove: A ’57 Chevy Impala that was paid for
with my paper route and by cutting yards.
Best Advice You Ever Got: Enjoy what you do and you willnever work a day in your life.
The Highlight of Your Day: Hearing that one of my stu-dents has booked a big role or won an award for singing.
Coolest Thing About Memphis: It’s a great place to raisea family and still has deep musical roots in the music industry.
Something You’ll Never Live Down: I am a U.S. cham-
pion accordion player. Have you ever seen me in lederhosen?
One Goal You’d Still Like to Accomplish: To write anumber one hit song for radio.
SIGN
ATUR
E ME
MPHI
S
Photo by Steve Rob
erts
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The Ambassador SeriesBy Eugene Pidgeon
THE
AMBA
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HAMPTON SIDES PART 2: TRACING HIS “FOOTE STEPS”“As Shelby practiced it, the professionof writing seemed impossibly remote
and inaccessible to me. He workedlike a druid in a dark, musty, cave-likestudy somewhere in the back of the house,a room that was strictly off-limits.
When he wasn’t at his desk, Shelbywould pad around the house in some sortof a robe or smoking jacket, as I recall.He’d endlessly fuss with his pipe as classi-cal music blared from enormous stereospeakers. I vaguely sensed even as a highschool teenager that I wanted to be awriter, but watching him, studying him, Icouldn’t see how I could get there. Icouldn’t see myself wielding a quill pen.My Southern accent was strong enough,but lacked Shelby’s beautiful custardy liltsand Delta diphthongs. And I knew I couldnever pull off a masterpiece of a beard likehis.”—Hampton Sides, from “Entirely HisOwn Man,” an original essay written aboutShelby Foote; RSVP is the first to publishthis excerpt.
Hampton Sides grew up inMemphis. By his own admission and via afragile mosaic of ideas—collected and spentlike polished grains of smooth stone tomark his trail—he knew from a young agehe wanted to be a writer. He just was notcertain what kind. Sides says, “I thinkwriting is innate. I think most writersknow they want to be a writer pretty earlyon and that was certainly the case with me.But, the trick is figuring out what kind ofwriter. For the longest time, I wrestledwith that question…should I write fic-tion…should I write poetry, or should I bea playwright or stick to investigativereporting?” He says he was even consider-ing broadcast journalism.
Sides admits, “I dabbled in all ofthose things. I did some radio. I did somefilm. It was a real struggle for me as it isfor most writers…because once they answerthe call…you spend your time honing andsharpening that calling until you discoverwhat kind of writer you are going to be!”
After 40 years of quickening hisporous imagination and supping the verypangs of his literary and figurative curiosi-ty, Sides has evolved into a writer of thehistorical narrative. “The very first writer Iever met growing up as a boy in Memphiswas Shelby Foote—he was one of the greatnarrative historians,” he says. Pausing, asif to show respect, Sides takes a momentto collect his thoughts.
Amused by the possible influenceof kismet, he chimes, “I am sure that isnot purely an accident, and I am not say-ing we were close friends; it is just veryfunny to me how I ended up being a writerin his genre. The historical narrative is avery specific and focused genre, and hewas one of the greats. So, I am sure Shelbywas a much more influential contact thanI realize.”
Sides’ relationship with ShelbyFoote was forged and tempered in a perco-
lating heat of battle, though one never asblack and white as the bloody ones foughtbetween the Blue and Gray that Footerediscovered and redefined. When Sidesfirst encountered Foote, he was in histeens, when his struggles were against theunsettling encroachments of puberty andadolescence. What can a po’ boy do butjoin a rock ‘n’ roll band? That is exactlywhat he did. Not surprisingly, the KeithRichards to Sides’ Mick Jagger or viceversa was Huger Foote, Shelby’s son. Itwas in Mr. Foote’s spacious living roomthat the electric guitar and drum foundparity with the quill pen and single-spacedtypewriter.
When Sides is asked about the pas-toral or mentoring contributions of Footeas his writing career took wing, he careful-ly and insightfully balances his expecta-tions with a prudent awareness of the dif-ferences between Foote as an artist and asa human being and father. Without neces-sarily having to temper his critique orimpressions because of his personal rela-tionship with Foote, Sides answers the
question fully as a writer. Thus, the follow-ing must be regarded as a constitutionaland professional assessment, one invokedwith a loving and compassionate voice.
“I never had much mentoring fromShelby…no, not really,” Sides tells. “Shelbyhardly noticed my existence, although Ithink he liked me well enough. He was, asfar as I could tell, often oblivious to any-one but himself. He loved the sound of hisown voice and his own peculiar ideas andhis own well-cultivated eccentricities.Writers can be very self-centered creatures—almost have to be—and he was certainlythat. If he mentored me, it was only byexample, and he was thoroughly unawareof it. He never critiqued anything I wrote.In fact, as far as I knew, he almost neverread anything except great books—especial-ly anything by Proust. He didn’t much likecontemporary things.”
One must note that Foote actuallypenned a three-volume set of The CivilWar: A Narrative (about 700,000 words) inthe style of Marcel Proust, who himselfonce wrote roughly 68 pages about theingestion of a single madeleine in an essaycalled “In Search of Lost Time.”
Amending his thoughts, Sidesrecalls, “When I was working at MemphisMagazine, however, I did do a series ofinterviews with him that were later pub-lished in a book called Conversations withShelby Foote (Literary Conversations) byProfessor William C. Carter. Those conver-sations—well, they were more monologuesin which I occasionally inserted a ques-tion—were very insightful and, in retro-spect, very influential to my developmentas a writer of historical narrative. I wasyoung and impressionable then, and hunt-ing for ideas and models for how to thinkabout writing, how to structure stories,how to develop a true voice and style,those kinds of things. And in this way,Shelby Foote helped me enormously!”
Be sure to grab your spot when HamptonSides comes to Memphis for the weekendof April 25-27. He will be the keynotespeaker and guest of honor at the very first“Libration,” a benefit to support and cele-brate the Memphis Public Library &Information Center. For more information,please contact Diane Jalfon, the MemphisLibrary Foundation executive director, [email protected], orvisit memphislibraryfoundation.org.
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Memphis Heart Ball“Delhi to the Delta”E
V E N T
Anita and Patrick Dickerson Monica and Tyler Auschwitz
Jason and Laura Wallace Carol and Dr. David Stewart
Emily Hopkins and Gary Yang Ray Finke and Elizabeth Whitten
MEMPHIS HEART BALL
Paula and Dr. Barry Bertolet with Olga and Dr. Murray EstesGabriel Phillips and Jennifer Emo Dr. Adam and Shannon Arthur
See all the party photos atrsvpmagazine.com Password: RSVP
The local outposts of the American Heart Association and AmericanStroke Association celebrated the 37th Memphis Heart Ball by giv-ing a nod to both Indian culture and that of the Mid-South with its
“Delhi to the Delta” benefit. While the theme was left open to lots ofinterpretation, the event’s purpose remained steadfast: to “unlock thenext generation of lifesaving discoveries.”
Though it unfolded again in The Peabody’s Grand Ballroom,this year’s Heart Ball didn’t resemble anything seen before by atten-dees, some of whom arrived in traditional Indian clothing and jewelry.Upon entering the ballroom, guests were transported to a colorfulworld filled with plenty of references to India, from Bollywood moviesshowing on two giant screens to henna artists painting intricatedesigns and, of course, hearts on guests’ arms, hands and fingers. Aphoto booth was conveniently stationed nearby so that newly “tat-tooed” patrons could show off their temporary body art in a perma-nent way, and a silent auction was in full swing as well, with itemsinclusive of a Midtown package featuring a Café 1912 gift certificateand eight tickets to Playhouse on the Square, a $160 gift certificate toMirimichi, a Huey’s dinner and jewelry from James Avery in TheShops of Saddle Creek.
The theme also carried over into the dinner menu, whichboasted Tandoori shrimp with chickpea, tomato and cucumber saladwith coriander yogurt vinaigrette for the first course and turmericmarinated chicken breast, grilled salmon, a brown rice pulao cake andcauliflower puree with cardamom cream for the second course.Dessert didn’t fall short either, as it catered to Delhi and the Deltawith a coconut cheesecake with saffron Chantilly and pistachioanglaise and a milk chocolate praline dome with roasted peanutcrunch and Jack Daniel’s bourbon anglaise.
After dinner, Shannon Arthur, who co-chaired the ball alongwith her husband, Dr. Adam Arthur, said that it was time to get every-one’s hearts pumping with some dancing to the Nashville bandBurning Las Vegas. Arthur jokingly apologized in advance for herElaine (of “Seinfeld” fame) style of dancing, but moments before, theparty held a serious tone when a video aired of the 2013 “Open YourHeart” honoree, Larry Andrews. Andrews, a project engineer forFedEx Express, shared his experience of going through a stroke,which is more of a harsh reality than many people think, as it waspointed out that someone dies from a stroke every four minutes. Withthat message at the forefront of their attention, multiple patrons gen-erously gave varying amounts of donations in the “Open Your Hearts”portion of the evening conducted by Jeff Morris, who also oversaw thelive auction. Total donations this night exceeded $250,000.
Emcee Andrew Douglas of WMC-TV 5 couldn’t have put it bet-ter when he said, “This is a great celebration—a celebration of theAHA and the impact it’s had on lives in the community.”
Story by Leah FitzpatrickPhotos by Don Perry
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E V E N T
MEMPHIS HEART BALL
Jack and Deana Weathers
Valerie and Jeff Morris Kirsten and Bryan Watson Mark and Mandy Morse
Shirley and Walter Banks Elizabeth and Bobby Rouse Jeshenna and Jonathan Watkins
Drs. Dharmesh and Purvisha Patel
JoAnn Phillips Wood and Grady Phillips
Juni Ganguli and Dr. Malini Gupta-Ganguli
China and Ryan Jenkins
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MEMPHIS HEART BALL
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Staci and Scott Gill Debbie O’Cain and Sam Henderson
Joe Tice and Kathy Myers Dr. Matthew and Megan Dress
Katy and Graham Laster Justin Talley and Julia Kavanagh
Drs. Adam Willis and Michele Battles Drs. Linda and Jim Porterfield
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MEMPHIS HEART BALL
E V E N T
Diana Dawson and Traci Pangonas Sara Hall and Ken McCown
Lucas Eligovich and Janet Lo Drs. Brooke and Dwight Dishmon
Rebecca and Kevin Floyd Philip and Mindy Johnson
Tom and Constance Conley Misty and James Stamper
Susheel and Deepthi Kumar
Michael and Kelly Codega with Dana and David Dye
Cheryl and Terry Ford
Ben and Dianne Traylor Tom and Christine Shelton
Beth and Jeremy Kitchen Lori Simpson and Adam Pope
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MEMPHIS HEART BALL
E V E N T
Vikki Nolan with Dr. Vinodh and Amy Doss
Carolina Montes and John Brown
David and Christina Metzger with Charles and Monique Jalenak
Ellen and Bennett Rudorfer
Karin, Cassidy and Steve Gubin
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Melanie and Kent PaffordCanine Savers
Four-legged friends hold a special place in the hearts ofMelanie and Kent Pafford, however the couple are any-thing but your average dog people. Wanting to do more
to help stray or abandoned dogs they came across on theside of the road or at kill shelters, the Paffords pooledtheir personal resources to found the Streetdog Foundationto get dogs fostered or adopted by responsible, caring own-ers.
Kent somewhat jokes when he says, “My job as anair traffic controller helps pay for this.” (Melanie works asa choreographer when not tending to the foundation’sneeds.)
Since last November, people have been donating toStreetdog at Hollywood Feed checkout counters, and thereare more fund-raisers planned, but Melanie says they stillusually supplement the foundation with their incomesafter paying vet bills and kennel fees through the Streetdogaccount every month. Money issues are irrelevant to thePaffords though, as they won’t waver from their mission tosearch for the “most fantastic homes ever” for animalsneeding it most, especially those large or bully dog breedsthat no other rescues will take. To date, Streetdog hasfound owners for 300 animals, with that number entailingboth dogs and cats.
“We follow our rescues from the cradle to thegrave—our promise is always to them,” Melanie says. “Welook at them as orphaned children.”
What triggered the Paffords to upstart their non-profit in the first place was a visit to the Memphis AnimalShelter in August 2009. Melanie went to the shelter tohelp locate a lost dog for a lady who runs a local pit bullrescue, and even though she couldn’t find the specific dog,she ended up being so moved by the faces of those she sawon the “Green Mile” (where animals are placed their last24 hours before being euthanized), that she told her hus-band she wanted to save two of them. Hearing the urgencyof Melanie’s plea, Kent headed to the shelter with Melaniethe next morning to rescue the two dogs, one an Americanbulldog and the other a cinnamon-colored puppy. Afterwalking past all of the cages, Kent began to understandthe fear Melanie had seen in the dogs’ eyes the day before.
She says, “It was like going to a third world coun-try with starving children, not to mention the fact that noone looks at those dogs in their eyes—I knew we had to goback and pull more from the shelter.”
Feeling the call to do something, Melanie and Kentreturned home and thought about what to do next, andsoon thereafter, Streetdog was born. They then began pick-ing up lots of breeds like pit bulls, bulldogs and rottweil-ers, and either temporarily keeping them at home orboarding them until placed with a potential foster oradopter. Of those strays they take in, about 80 percent areheartworm positive—an expensive problem to fix with nogovernment or grant money to fund each $700-$1,000treatment. Medical costs and the fact that all Streetdogsare microchipped are some reasons why Streetdog’s adop-tion fee is $250, but it also weeds out those less seriousapplicants who probably can’t afford to take care of a doglong-term. However, the Paffords urge those who just wantto foster a dog for a weekend or volunteer at one of theiradoption events, which take place every second Saturday atOverton Bark and every fourth Saturday at Hollywood Feedon Union, to do so by contacting them through Streetdog-foundation.com.
“I didn’t have my first dog till I was 45, but if Ihad known about an organization like ours where youcould just take a dog for a weekend, I would have done it—I just needed a dog sometimes,” Melanie says, as she andher husband proudly sport shirts with Streetdog’s “RescueMe…Rescue You” motto.
Story by Leah FitzpatrickPhoto by Steve Roberts
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Janet BoscarinoGetting Out the Grime
Sometimes a trip outside the city limits gives some-one all the perspective needed to enact change with-in his or her hometown, as was the case for Janet
Boscarino, the executive director of Clean Memphis.After traveling a bit for her former business develop-ment job, Boscarino noticed that Memphis looked dirt-ier than other places, and then, she read an articleabout Memphis losing some of its population to othercities like Nashville and Charlotte, North Carolina.None of these discoveries sat well with Boscarino, soshe turned to friends to help alleviate Memphis’ issueswith litter and neighborhood blight.
“I talked to Darrin Hillis and Mark Lovell, whoboth have been involved with show promotions foryears, and they were interested in a clean-up project,”Boscarino says, “and also, Mark said, ‘We could com-plain, move or do something.’”
Do something they did when the threelaunched the grassroots organization, Clean Memphis,back in 2008. The nonprofit’s whole premise is that “acleaner city will help to reduce crime, promote a senseof pride in our community and cultivate economicprosperity.” Boscarino points out that in order to getthe city’s citizens on board with the effort, there arethree platforms: working with existing community part-nerships or zone collaboratives; doing high-profile,monthly clean-up sweeps (around the South Main area,the Memphis Area Medical Center, Victorian Village,the Stax Museum, Sun Studio and the Memphis aero-tropolis) utilizing community service workers or nonvi-olent, non-sex offender inmates about to be paroled;and creating service learning projects with kinder-garteners through high school seniors, who learn abouttopics from how a watershed works and the importanceof not placing harmful chemicals in storm drains torecycling and environmental career options.
“When we started, we went to Memphis CityBeautiful and neighborhood groups to see what wasgoing on, and it seemed there was stuff happening, butnot a real strategy,” she explains. “So, we developedour strategic plan based on research from other cities,including Minneapolis and Charlotte.”
With a shoestring budget, Clean Memphis oper-ates out of donated space at 1859 Madison Ave. inMidtown and only has two full-time employees, consist-ing of Boscarino and educator Cindy Black, who hasworked in environmental education for 15 years. Thenonprofit also has an intern, who reports things likecode enforcement violations, and a nine-memberboard, which Boscarino hopes to grow to 11 members.Numerous volunteers assist with the group’s efforts incapacities ranging from being on an event-planningcommittee for the upcoming Hook Up 2 Clean Up, adowntown clean-up day on April 13 kicking off at 9a.m. at AutoZone Park, to becoming trained team lead-ers in their communities.
As a first step for someone looking to maketheir lives greener, Boscarino suggests, “Pay attentionto how you dispose of things and how you consumeenergy at work and at home.” She goes on to say thatmaybe people simply walking the talk might help,which is very fitting considering that Clean Memphiswill be rolling out a new logo, a “Walk the Talk” foot-print containing various hues of green, in May.
“We can’t be a city of people who talk aboutthings—we need to be a city of people who do things,”she reiterates.
Story by Leah FitzpatrickPhoto by Steve Roberts
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Oscar® Experience MemphisBenefiting the Ronald McDonald House Charities® of MemphisE
V E N T
April and Bill Bizot Hall and Gay Prewitt
Betha Gill and Caron Byrd David and Andrea Harano
Erin Baker and Chris Stuart Stephen and Elizabeth Monte
OSCAR®
EXPERIENCE MEMPHIS
Steven and Amanda Hankins with David MatherTerricka and LaVincent Hardy Reagan Kuehan and Mike Maxey
See all the party photos atrsvpmagazine.com Password: RSVP
Anticipation for the 85th Academy Awards® was at its peak in theBluff City in late February, as everyone was awaiting the night’sbig award winners to be announced on the big screen at The
Columns at One Commerce Square. Luckily, for 12 years now, RonaldMcDonald House Charities® of Memphis has hosted an official Oscar®viewing party sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts andSciences so that Memphians can feel part of the occasion in a localglamorous setting, and also help raise funding (more than $100,000this year) for the organization. But even though the party’s formulastayed the same, one noticeable change was the event’s rebrandingfrom Oscar Night® America to Oscar® Experience Memphis.
The event’s name change didn’t stop movie lovers from find-ing out where to go for a night of star-watching, at least judging bythe stellar turnout of 600 mostly black-tie clad attendees. Ready toindulge, patrons sidled up to an open bar featuring Prichard’sDistillery’s signature drink, “The Tarantini,” during the pre-showcocktail hour, during which freeze models wore fashions from bou-tiques in Laurelwood Shopping Center while standing atop white plat-forms. Who needs to watch the stars walk the red carpet on T.V. any-way when you have beautiful fashions featured on models right infront of you? Saxophonist Pat Register added to the energy in thefoyer, which also boasted a step and repeat backdrop for those want-ing to feel like they were celebrities being snapped by the paparazzi.
Following cocktails, everyone moved into the larger mainroom of The Columns to find their tables and enjoy the sounds of G3:The Garry Goin Group. Positioned around the perimeter were silentauction tables offering items ranging from a custom Ghost RiverBrewing growler package to Coke bottle art of the London 2012Olympic Games. Volunteers roamed throughout the crowd trying toget patrons to donate $20 for Oscar Experience chocolate bars, but forheartier fare, partygoers headed to food tasting stations set up by arearestaurants, including L’École Culinaire, Mosa Asian Bistro, OldVenice Pizza Company, The Melting Pot and ’37 in Harrah’s Tunica,to name a few. Downstairs, in the Malco Viewing Room, guests nib-bled on popcorn while they watched their favorite actors, filmmakersand directors pick up coveted film awards.
As Anne Hathaway picked up her first best supporting actresswin, she said, “It came true,” which are words that can hopefully bespoken one day by those children who stay at Ronald McDonaldHouse once they achieve their dreams.
Story by Leah FitzpatrickPhotos by Don Perry
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EXPERIENCE MEMPHIS
E V E N T
Isabelle and Angie Smith Mike and Laura Hairston
Donna and Mark Glover Karl and Gail Schledwitz
CW4 Phil and Andrea Wulff Jim and Hannah Hillegas
Mariangela and Fred Schardt Valerie Smith and Jennifer Jaudon
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E V E N T
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EXPERIENCE MEMPHIS
J.C. and Sandra Hannah
Mary Catherine Tagg and Cory Prewitt Burton Bridges and Kaci Murley John Clark and Margo Price
Bobby and Pam John Debbie Neal and Parker Patterson Barry Yoakum and Penelope Huston
Scott and Courtney Woodmansee
Jason and Amanda Strain
Justin and Lesa Vernon
Caralee Barrett and Lee Southard
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E V E N T
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EXPERIENCE MEMPHIS
Rosemary, Kiko, Rosa and Santos Martinez
Keaton Frick and Brian Patterson
Kristin Bennett, Marcie Lykins and Patrick McNicholas
Jackie and Brent Adams
Linda and Andy Henry
Kay Christian, Taylor Arnold, Britnee Stringfellow and Rebecca Buckley
Lynn and Gary Leviton
Becky and Tim Simcoe
Juanita Castellanos with Lt. Col. Chago and Renee Santiago
Catherine and Bill Milligan
Ross and Lori Braithwait with Jennifer DeClerk and Ron Carelle
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ONSITE Onsite I
Aliza Moran and Kinon Keplinger
Mike and Donna McManus
Metcalf and Madeleine Crump
Emily Holmes and Emily Fulmer
Mia Madison, Ace Madjlesi and Chad Johnson
Skeet and Beth Haag with Patty and Nick Scully
Janet Donato, Angelo Lucchesi and Frank Gattuso
Zack and Angie Street with Bonnie and Tony Barrasso
Memphi Mid-Winter Ball
The Mystic Society of theMemphi cast a spell over theMemphis County Club at its Mid-Winter Ball, transporting mes-dames et messieurs to anothertime and place: a “Return toVersailles.” This year’s six royalduchesses and their dukes were tobe unveiled in this magicalatmosphere of pink roses, candle-light, confections and, yes, bighair. Kaki Smith, the wife ofMemphi general chairman VinceSmith and an art teacher at theNeighborhood School inBinghampton, encouraged theladies of Memphi to wear elabo-rate coiffures as a nod to “HerHighness.” Kaki herself wore atiny Spanish galleon on her headwhile offering a handcrafted fasci-nator made of a fake cupcake. Letthem eat cake–and wear it, too!After dinner to the strains of theMemphis Jazz Orchestra, a cry of“The Revolution Has Begun!”introduced a surprise rock bandthat carried the party through thenight. C’était magnifique, y’all!
Story and Photos by Kelly Cox
Mid-South Peace and Justice CenterGrassroots Gala and Banquet
Journalist, Pulitzer Prize winner,best-selling author and senior fel-low at The Nation Institute,Chris Hedges was the keynotespeaker at the Mid-South Peaceand Justice Center GrassrootsGala and Banquet to celebrate thecenter’s 31st anniversary. Held inthe sanctuary of First Congrega-tional Church, the celebrationincluded a diverse and lively mixof arts and movement, greatmusic and delicious food. Fourhundred guests enjoyed horsd’oeuvres and a cash bar as theylistened to the smooth sounds ofDJ No Request. Just For Lunchcatered the event, serving upheaping portions of chickenstuffed with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, brown rice andgrilled vegetables, green beanswith tomatoes and basil,Mediterranean salad, Frenchbread and fruit tea. The programstarted off with a bang as DariusWallace captivated the audiencewith his moving performance of“The Starry Road To Freedom:The Life of Frederick Douglass,”a one-man piece, told throughsong and speech excerpts thatillustrated Douglass’ journey forunderstanding and meaning as herevisited his slave quarters.Hedges wrapped up the eveningwith a powerful speech that tooka deep and scrutinizing look atthe injustices of modern day soci-ety, touching on issues of home-land security, the Occupy WallStreet Movement, health care,corporate mega-powers and envi-ronmental concerns. With MartinLuther King Day just around thecorner, Jacob Flowers, the centerdirector, summed up the mood ofthe evening saying, “Tonight is acall to action.” The night endedwith Hedges signing copies of hismost recent book, Days ofDestruction, Days of Revolt.
Story and Photos by Rachel Warren
Andra DeVincenzo, Lisa Hord, Dana Bufordand Tia and Pat Byrd
Tom and Katie Midgley
Read-to-Me Gala
It is never too early to start read-ing to children, and sadly manychildren go without an earlyfoundation in reading readiness.Fortunately, Shelby County BooksFrom Birth has dedicated itself toproviding age-appropriate booksfor Shelby County children frombirth to age 5. In January, ShelbyCounty Books From Birth hostedits Read-to-Me Gala in the lovelyTower Center. More than 200guests started the evening bymingling in the VIP room andbidding at the silent auction. Inaddition to the silent auction,attendees could opt to buy a pairof sunglasses for $60 that wouldprovide young children withbooks. Mayor A C Wharton, astrong advocate of the BooksFrom Birth program, made anappearance and joined in on thefestivities. As the night pro-gressed, guests made their wayinto the dining room, whereElmo and the Shades got every-one dancing with their magneticR&B style and Mearl Purvis ofFox 13 News emceed the live auc-tion. The Read-to-Me Gala raisedmore than $75,000, guaranteeingthat many Shelby County chil-dren will receive the books theyneed.
Story and Photos by Rachel Warren
Italian Winterfest
Restaurants and beverage dis-tributors from all throughoutthe Mid-South came together forthe third annual ItalianWinterfest. Benefiting theCatholic Education ScholarshipFund and the Ave Maria Home,the event was held at theRacquet Club of Memphis andfeatured terrific Italian foodfrom Ciao Bella Italian Grill,Coletta’s, Folk’s Folly, FrankGrisanti’s, Pete and Sam’s andRendezvous, to name a few. Asguests helped themselves toheaping plates of Italianfavorites, they washed down din-ner with wines provided by AlLaRocca, Lucchesi’s, JackieAaron, Victor Robilio Company,Inc./Glazer’s and Wanda andJohn Barzizza. Tony Barrassoand Mike Spano provided thetraditional Italian music thataccompanied the meal. Joe Birchof WMC-TV Channel 5 emceedthe live auction, and Joyce Cobb,a local jazz legend, amazed thecrowd with her soulful voice,picking up musical genres on awhim and singing a range ofstyles from pop to jazz and rock‘n’ roll. More than $39,000 wasraised for Ave Maria Home andthe Catholic Education Scholar-ship Fund.
Story and Photos by Rachel Warren
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ONSITEOnsite II
Jonathan Lyons, Kate Marshall, Angela Michaels and Carrie Hormann
Lauren Johnston and Kate Smith
Kathleen Behnke, Scott Lewis, Jennie Robbins and Annie Christoff
Kristen Wright, Susan Wallace, Lynn Buck, Heather Barry,Beverly Roesel, Susan Goudge and Sandy Gould
Sarah DiNicolantonio, Courtney Miller Santo, ClaireCook, Mary Kay Andrews and Hillery Efkeman
Lynn Calzada and Heather Heath-Grosvenor
Karen Useldinger with Lloyd and Marsha Peterson
Brian Slack, Gary Quadros, Veronique Martino and Guy Primeau
Priscilla Hernandez and Jay Sieleman
Mary Ann Lucas and Jane Kikel
Phil and Marilyn Lucas
Dick Bevier and G. Vernon Drane
Church Health Center Happy Hour
Getting acquainted with the pro-grams and services of the ChurchHealth Center was the order ofthe evening at the inauguralChurch Health Center HappyHour at A. Schwab on Beale.Upon arrival, guests were givenfree passes to try Church HealthCenter Wellness and also urged toventure to the volunteer sign-uptable, where many brochuresdetailed volunteer opportunitieswithin the organization and at itsfund-raisers, including Rock forLove and the Church HealthCenter 5K/10K. Church HealthCenter employee Carrie Hormannsaid, “We’re also trying to pro-mote our monthly giving pro-gram, where you can give $5, $25or $50 a month, or whateveryou’re comfortable with to thecenter.” Fellow employee JeffHulett added to the occasion bytreating guests and co-workers tomusic from his one-man band,which proved the perfect perform-ance to get the crowd in thehappy hour spirit.
Story and Photos by Leah Fitzpatrick
Literacy is Key: A Book and Author Affair
Kappa Kappa Gamma alumCharlotte Bray said of theLiteracy is Key: A Book andAuthor Affair, which theMemphis Alumnae Association ofthe Kappa Kappa GammaFraternity presents, “Every yearwe’re trying to get bigger and bet-ter.” And that the event certainlydid in its third incarnation,bringing in more than 400 booklovers and literacy advocates tothe U of M Holiday Inn to raisefunds for Literacy Mid-South. Tokick off the event, a PrologueParty took place beforehand, giv-ing attendees a chance to meetthe three participating authors:Mary Kay Andrews, author ofNew York Times bestsellersSummer Rental and SpringFever; Claire Cook of Must LoveDogs fame; and Courtney MillerSanto, a new local author whodebuted her first novel, TheRoots of the Olive Tree, lastAugust. Darrell Greene of Fox 13News served as the guest emceeduring the luncheon, a benefitthat raised more than $23,000the two previous years forLiteracy Mid-South.
Story and Photos by Leah Fitzpatrick
Burns Nicht Gala
For more than 200 years, admir-ers of renowned Scottish poetand lyricist Robert Burns havegathered to celebrate his life andworks on or close to his birthdate of January 26. The MemphisScottish Society, Inc. (MSSI),established in 1984 to foster edu-cation and promote understand-ing of Scottish heritage and cul-ture, has long honored Scotland’sfavorite son with a Burns NichtGala. This year’s fete was held atthe beautiful Woodland HillsEvent Center, where societymembers and their guests, manyclad in tartan plaid kilts andsashes, gathered for an eveningof fellowship and fun. Prior toopening ceremonies, a Scotchtasting and silent auction featur-ing “things Scottish” got every-one in the mood for the festivi-ties. Joe Lyle, president of thesociety, addressed the crowd with“Cead mile failte” (a thousandwelcomes) and encouraged every-one to join him in a lovely rendi-tion of the unofficial Scottishnational anthem, “O Flower ofScotland.” A tasty traditionalScottish supper was served, andguests were treated to rousingperformances by Wolf River Pipesand Drums and Edinburgh nativeand folksong master Ed Miller.
Story by Ruth CassinPhotos by Roy Haithcock
Keeping the Blues Alive Awards Luncheon
To recognize those non-perform-ers who have contributed greatlyto blues music, The BluesFoundation hosts the annualKeeping the Blues Alive Awards,an event that attracts a numberof out-of-town blues artists,media and promoters toMemphis each spring, being thatit’s held the same week as theInternational Blues Challenge.This time, the KBA Awards cere-mony was held at the DoubletreeHotel, where attendees mingledbefore enjoying Southern-stylefare like barbecue white beans,catfish and banana pudding. JaySieleman, the president andCEO of The Blues Foundation,recognized all past KBA recipi-ents at the luncheon and point-ed out that this year’s 15 awardrecipients represented four coun-tries—Norway, Spain, the U.S.and Canada—and that the BluesChallenge itself boasted partici-pants from 40 states and 17countries. Remarking of howsmall a world it is among bluesmusic lovers, KBA award recipi-ent Lloyd Peterson of the Mt.Baker Blues Festival in Deming,Washington said, “I would liketo thank The Blues Foundationfor shining a light in the PacificNorthwest, which typically isn’ta blues part of the country, andI’d like to add that I’m sittingnext to Norwegian KBA recipi-ents, which is where some of myfamily is from.”
Story and Photos by Leah Fitzpatrick
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Vox PopularQ&A with Dr. Lawrence EdwardsVO
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RSVP: When did you develop a passion for music?
Edwards: I feel as if I was born to make music. My mother was aviolinist, and I was always interested in music, so my folks boughtme a piano at a young age. Even though my dad worked a blue col-lar job, I never went without piano lessons—I have such respect formy parents for that. I also had a great high school music programand started college as a music major, but I didn’t enjoy sitting in apractice room by myself. Being in an ensemble was my salvation.It’s who I am.
RSVP: You have lived in Seattle, Illinois and West Virginia, so justwondering how you ended up in Memphis as the artistic director ofthe Memphis Symphony Chorus and the director of choral activitiesat the University of Memphis?
Edwards: I had been thedirector of choirs at WestVirginia University inMorgantown for five yearsbefore moving here in 1987.I took the job at U of Mbefore also getting the jobwith the symphony in 1988,and financially, this was amore sound program [at Uof M]. My world definitelynever gets old, and I lovethat I’m involved with bothage spectrums musically,both at U of M and withthe Memphis SymphonyChorus. I’m currently alsothe interim director ofchoirs at IdlewildPresbyterian Church. I tookthis on for a nine-monthcommitment.
RSVP: As the artistic direc-tor of the MemphisSymphony Chorus, what are your responsibilities?
Edwards: My job is to prepare the chorus to be a flexible choir thatcan immediately transition to another conductor. Though, conduct-ing is something I enjoy when I do it because I have an interest inconveying musical ideas through gesture. Lisa Mendel, who is presi-dent of the Memphis Symphony Chorus, helps a lot, and I answerdirectly to Mei-Ann Chen [the Memphis Symphony Chorus musicdirector], as we are an extension of her musical vision. I try to getas much info from her or any other conductor as possible. I’m alsoan accompanist sometimes. I work really hard to prepare the cho-rus…choruses just take much longer than an orchestra to get readyfor a concert. The orchestra will start on Tuesday for their firstrehearsal for that Saturday’s concert. I’ve been working on it for
three months. There’s all my hardwork, and I give it to somebody else,and they get to sort of bring them into home. I think some people just can’t do that because it’s reallytough for their ego, but I think that I just love to watch people besuccessful. I love it though when I come out and take a bow at theend—the chorus is usually seated, and Mei-Ann or the music directorwill motion for me to come out to take a bow, and at that time, Iusually ask the chorus to stand up because I’m really taking a bowfor all of us. Then, when I hear the audience cheer, I turn aroundand look at this group of business people, housewives and retirees,and they just have these smiles on their faces. They get to workhard on a project and have people applaud their success. In our cul-ture, people don’t get to experience people standing up and cheer-ing at the job that they did.
RSVP: What is one of thebiggest changes you’ve wit-nessed with the MemphisSymphony Chorus duringyour time as its artisticdirector?
Edwards: Well, I think tech-nology has really helped usa lot. Of course, there’s aWeb site [memphissympho-nychorus.org], and we useit to let the world knowthat the chorus exists, butit’s mostly for me to com-municate to the chorus eas-ily. I now scan my score,which is marked with all ofmy breath marks andtempo markings, so thechorus can go at any timeto the site and look at myscore and transfer any kindof markings or things I’vegot. We use MIDI files,
which are files that take notes in a score and convert them to actualpitches, and those pitches are reproduced in time. You can assignany voice to any of those notes, and all of a sudden, that piece ofmusic can be converted into an audio representation of the work.For instance, in this Bach piece we’re working on, which is for adouble chorus where each chorus is four-part, you could go to thechorus site, and there’s an audio file that has all eight parts. Then,we actually can adjust the tempo; we have a performance tempo anda rehearsal tempo, which is much slower. So, technology has beenreally helpful for us. I also think the experience level of the chorushas constantly grown. My bar for letting someone come into thechorus—we’re an audition chorus, one of the only ones in town thatis—has just gone up every year. It makes us be able to learn musicquicker. Their ability to respond musically to different conductors is
The Memphis Symphony Chorus has been steadily increasing in quality and quantity for 47 years, and muchof this is in part to its artistic director, Dr. Lawrence Edwards, who is now celebrating his 25th season withthe group. Only the second director in the history of the Memphis Symphony Chorus, Edwards has spent a
great deal of time shaping the chorus into one that can easily adapt to different conductors and one that rivalsthose found in much larger cities than Memphis. With important outreach efforts happening, a forward-think-ing music director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra to work alongside and a few upcoming performance“firsts” for the chorus, Edwards vouches, “I think it’s an exciting time to be a part of this whole organizationof the Memphis Symphony.” RSVP editor Leah Fitzpatrick couldn’t agree more and felt lucky that Edwardsfound time in his schedule to meet during a break from his other job at the University of Memphis, where heserves as the director of choral activities. Under this umbrella, he conducts the University Singers, theUniversity Chamber Choir and Sound Fuzion; teaches undergraduate choral conducting; advises choral musiceducation majors; and is the director of graduate studies in choral conducting.
Photos by Do
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easier to do now because they just come in with stronger musicalskills than they did 25 years ago. That’s been a major shift. I tellthem, and I believe, that the Memphis Symphony Chorus is a profes-sional chorus that doesn’t get paid. That makes it also a challenge tobe in the chorus because it’s not a “y’all come when you can” cho-rus. You have to make a commitment.
RSVP: How often are rehearsals?
Edwards: We just have one a week, and during any prep period,there are a set number of absences or tardies allowed, and when youcross the line and miss more than the allotted number, there’s onemake-up rehearsal that’s scheduled that you must attend to get yournumber back below the line. If you can’t make that, you’re notkicked out of the chorus, but you can’t perform that particular proj-ect. We rehearse at Balmoral Presbyterian Church on Quince, whichis a wonderful facility for us. We havethe whole sanctuary and rehearse onMonday nights from about 7-9:15.People have to be flexible though. SinceJanuary, we’re working on three projectsat the same time involving different seg-ments of the chorus. Last weekend, thewomen finished up Holst’s “ThePlanets,” so I only had the women onthat project. At the same time, I wasworking on the If Bach Were aBeekeeper concert with the chamber cho-rus, but some of the women who were inthe large chorus aren’t in the small cho-rus. I would work with the full womenfrom 7-7:45, and then I would break,and the women who weren’t in chamberleft and the men who were in chambercame back. That meant I had a new cho-rus from 7:45 on. Then, I am also work-ing on the concert version of “Porgy &Bess,” and that involves all the men andwomen in the chorus. Again, that’s whythis chorus is unique—it’s about theneeds of the Memphis Symphony. Weput together the ensemble that theyneed for any project. You can see there’sa great deal of flexibility needed for thechorus, and I just think the world ofthem and believe we have one of thefiner symphony choruses in the country.I would hold them up to what’s goingon in Chicago and Seattle, which iswhere I have a home and have heardtheir symphony, and it doesn’t hold acandle to ours. Another reason why Ithink the chorus is important is becauseit’s important to the symphony players.They love it when this group of volun-teers comes on that stage, not for a paycheck, but for their love andpassion for music. They’re also committed, prepared and on top ofit, and they just energize the orchestra.
RSVP: What would you tell someone who has never been to see theMemphis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus?
Edwards: We’re used to hearing perfection and have amazing stereos,but there is nothing that will ever replace walking into a room andsitting in the audience with 2,000 other people and hearing a grouplike the Memphis Symphony. You’re not hearing one bit of energyfrom anything that man has made that is electronically based. If areader hasn’t experienced that, they must. We have an amazingorchestra and an amazing chorus, so just give yourself a treat andexperience something new. I’ll tell people that it won’t be perfectbecause there’s no such thing as a perfect live performance, butthere are those magical moments when everybody knows that some-thing special is happening and that it will never happen or soundthis way ever again.
RSVP: What are some of the Memphis Symphony Chorus’ outreachefforts?
Edwards: Most of our work in that area has been with public elemen-tary schools in their music programs. We’ve donated instruments,for instance, to Peabody Elementary School. We were at The Magnet[879 McLemore Ave.] also—the Memphis Symphony has a programnow where they’re doing free concerts there—so we were there givinga free Holst’s “The Planets” concert to the community around there.The whole symphony organization has done an amazing job ofbelieving that we have to be relevant to the entire community. It’snot just about the elite people who can afford to spend $60 for aticket to a concert. Symphonies can’t survive that way anymore. Wehave to be an organization that’s invested in all people. We alsodonate money from our fruit sale to invest and help other organiza-tions, as well as the symphony. For instance, I think we gave them$5,000 to help buy new stage modules that the symphony needed tomake some of these outreach programs happen.
RSVP: What can we expect from theMemphis Symphony Chorus going for-ward? I know you already have two con-certs coming up [If Bach Were aBeekeeper on March 22 and “Porgy &Bess” on May 18-19].
Edwards: Well, we’ve already got the ’13-’14 season planned, so in October thisyear, we’re doing a piece by Brahmscalled “Schicksalslied.” This will beanother first, which again, I think, is atestament to Mei-Ann being a risk taker.So, as a part of the [First Tennessee]Masterworks series, which is theCadillac series of the symphony withthese monthly big concerts at theCannon Center, the Memphis SymphonyChorus is going to be doing a set of fivespirituals by the English composerTippett. We’re going to sing with theorchestra, then the orchestra’s going toplay without us and then we’re going tosing without the orchestra—that’s neverhappened at a Masterworks concert inthe 25 years I’ve been involved with thechorus, and I wouldn’t be surprised ifthis isn’t the first time in 45 years thatthe chorus is actually singing a set of acappella pieces without the orchestra ata Masterworks concert. I think it’s reallygoing to be a treat for the audiencebecause to hear the chorus apart fromthe orchestra will let them hear a differ-ent color we have. We have a differentvocal production when we’re not singingthrough an 80-piece orchestra. I think italso attests to the faith that the sympho-ny organization has in the chorus. Of
course, we will have the Holiday Pops concert, which is an annualsort of gift to the community, but not only this community. We gointo Arkansas, alternating between doing a show in Jonesboro andForrest City the past two or three years, and we go to Dyersburgevery year before having two concerts at the Cannon Center. We’ll bedoing the Brahms’ “Requiem” in February [2014], which is one ofmy personal favorites. Then, we’re doing “Daphnis et Chloé” in May[2014], and they’re working on commissioning a piece for the sym-phony—actually hiring a composer to compose something for theMemphis Symphony—and we’re looking at doing that at the end ofMay 2014. We have five separate concerts total scheduled for ’13-’14,so the chorus is busy. Another interesting thing is that we’re pre-miering a work at the 45th International Horn Symposium, which isgoing to be held in Memphis this summer in late July and August.The finest horn players in the world gather some place around theworld every year, and this year it’s in Memphis. They commissioneda composer, Pamela Marshall, to write a brand-new piece called“Walden at Evening” for chorus, horns and percussion that we’repremiering on August 1. I think the concert will be at SecondPresbyterian Church. The chorus members are rolling up their shirtsleeves and stretching what we do, and it’s exciting!
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HANDS OF HOPE AUCTION PARTY
E V E N T Hands of Hope Auction Party
“Seeds of Change”
Katrina Bradshaw, Grace Ingram, Kerri Campbell and Nishel Patel
Pat Tronsor and Margaret Tronsor
Dorothy and Pat Burke
Vickie and Steve Jones
Sky Hamilton and Loren Smith
Eddy Argote and Alyssa Garza
Kathryn Stallins and Christina Ponnath
Danielle Hobbs and Daneren Davis
Anne and Hunter Jones
Invitations to this year’s Hands of Hope Auction Party included alittle something extra—flower seeds for planting. Event co-chairDorothy Burke said they were included “in the hope that they will
bloom,” and fittingly, the theme for this year’s fund-raiser, which isthe largest of the year for the Exchange Club Family Center, was“Seeds of Change.”
The invitations also called for cocktail attire, and theresponse was keen, as ladies donned the latest frocks and were greet-ed with a glass of champagne upon entering the night of merrymak-ing held at The Columns at One Commerce Square in downtownMemphis. Civvies were cool, but the bidding was hot, with morethan 230 items up for grabs during the silent and live auctions. ClubWindward provided passed hors d’oeuvres and gourmet food stationsto feast upon, and while ticket purchases included wine and beer todrink, liquor libations were offered for purchase to raise furtherfunds for the center. Memphis Jones and DJ Mark Anderson kept theparty rolling well into the evening for those who like to dance.“Memphis Jones is a great entertainer,” added Burke, who co-chaired the event with her husband, Pat.
IBERIABANK presented the benefit. “We strongly believe insupporting the communities we serve and the mission of theExchange Club Family Center,” IBERIABANK market president GregSmithers said. “We are proud to be the presenting sponsor of theHands of Hope Auction Party.”
The Exchange Club Family Center is a nonprofit organiza-tion that opened in 1984 with only one class and a staff of three,and now employs more than 35 staff members and volunteers whileoffering 23-plus programs a year to families affected by abuse andviolence. Intervention, anger management and positive parentingare a few of these programs, which all play a key role in breakingthe cycle of family violence by helping children deal with the conse-quences of witnessing violence in the home. The center served morethan 5,000 clients last year.
“Pat and I got involved with the Exchange Club FamilyCenter several years ago, and we believe in what they’re doing,”Burke said.
Story by Lesley YoungPhotos by Baxter BuckSee all the party photos at rsvpmagazine.com
Password: RSVP
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E V E N T
HANDS OF HOPE AUCTION PARTY
Trevor Schlafer with Diane and Herbert Montgomery
Brooke and Martin ShannonMady Alexander and Micah Lacefield
Tee and Julie CloarGreg and Kelli DeWitt
John and Michelle VincentRuchee Patel and Adam Johnson
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HANDS OF HOPE AUCTION PARTY
E V E N T
Clay and Tara Holder
Valerie Smith and Mike Schween
Jackie and Todd Richardson
Teri and Bart HannersRaquel and Tommy Carls
Katie and Craig Wright
Valerie Nelson and Catherine Schumacher
Jake and Kate Van Namen
Ashley and Cameron McCormack
Ashley Demsky and Bonnie Voldeng
Amy and Johnny Lamberson
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The Emerging MemphisDesigner ProjectPresented by Memphis Fashion Week
Top l to r: Karen Krog, Najee Strickland, Terial Lee, Jobe 88 (Nick Hall and Aharon Thomas), Elizabeth Crider, Tara Skelley, Brittany Jones (designer not pictured), and Mari GivensBottom L to r: Regina Dickerson, Sarah Hascher, Megan Travis Carr, Molly Doan, Star Hawks, and Les Lumieres (Madison Miller and Adair Smith)
Top l to r: Karen Krog, Najee Strickland, Terial Lee, Jobe 88 (Nick Hall and Aharon Thomas), Elizabeth Crider, Tara Skelley, Brittany Jones (designer not pictured), and Mari GivensBottom L to r: Regina Dickerson, Sarah Hascher, Megan Travis Carr, Molly Doan, Star Hawks, and Les Lumieres (Madison Miller and Adair Smith)
he Emerging Memphis Designer Project was cre-ated by the director of Memphis Fashion Week
(MFW), Abby Phillips, to encourage growth of thefashion industry in Memphis. MFW had more than30 submissions for the Emerging Memphis DesignerProject from applicants as young as 9 yearsold. Applicants ranged from art teachers to designstudents and costumers, all from the Memphisarea. The MFW advisory board had a tough timemaking a decision, but narrowed the finalists downto 14 designers with 31 looks based off sketches theysubmitted for Spring/Summer 2013, which are shownon the following pages.
Those chosen designers will see their finalgarments on models walking the runway on Friday,April 5, at the historic Cadre Building downtown.This will be a great experience for the designers tosee their works through, from conception to produc-tion. Audience members will have the opportunityto vote on their favorite designer, and the audiencechoice winner will be announced on April 6 at therunway shows held at Memphis College of Art.
Proceeds from the official event will benefitthe Emerging Memphis Designer Project andArtsMemphis. Visit MemphisFashionWeekend.comfor more information.
Photography: Marta Felix Special thanks to: Stash and the Levitt Shell
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Back in 2007, around two in the afternoon, Robyn Callowaywas at work when a freak wind gust blew through herMidtown neighborhood. She got a call from a neighbor say-
ing, “You probably need to come home. I think you have sometree damage.” When Calloway got there, her upstairs bathroomwas in the kitchen. It was the day before her birthday. “So, herecomes the delivery guy up the driveway holding flowers from myfriends,” she remembers, “and we’re all standing there boohoo-ing.”
With the home only 20 percent salvageable, Calloway hadno choice but to demolish and rebuild. The home that wasdestroyed by the fallen tree had been built in 1954 in an archi-tectural style now associated with East Memphis, but faced witha blank slate, she realized she wanted to go in a different direc-tion. That’s where architect John Pruett, owner of John PruettArchitects, came in, as did Nancy Adair, who did most of theinterior design for the bathroom. Now the home is bothMidtown and modern, and the master bath is an oasis of calm.
RSVP: How did you decide to use John Pruett for your houseremodel?
Robyn: John and I met through a mutual friend. I said, “I wantyou to build me a Midtown house that looks like Midtown.” Ifigured somebody who lives in Midtown and works in Midtowncould do that for me! And, this is what he came up with. WhenI saw the plans, I was like, “How did he think of that?”
John: Of course, when I saw Robyn’s house, it was all squashed,but still, I could see that there were opportunities to have betterviews and better light. The site is really wonderful. So, the wholehouse, including the master bath, has an open plan with lots ofnatural light.
RSVP: The master bath is so light and airy; it’s absolutely spa-like! Love the clean, simple lines.
RSVP ROOM VIEW
Top Left: This Midtown master bath has a spa-like atmosphere. Matte, white marble for the floors and tubplatform is carried into the shower, where a brilliant azure mosaic evokes the blue doors of the Greek Isles.The chandelier was salvaged from Calloway's previous home, which was destroyed by a tree on the sitewhere her new house now stands. Top Right: By not continuing tile all the way up the wall as originally sug-gested, Calloway was able to hang art like this fish sculpture in the master bath. Above: The homeowneradores the meditation pig that sits on the corner of the tub, as it was a Christmas gift from two of her closefriends.
Interview by Kelly Cox | Photos by Steve Roberts
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Robyn: It is spa-like. And, look at my meditation pig–he was a giftfrom dear friends of mine. Pigs became sort of an unofficial motifof the new house. I have a flying pig on the top of my garage. Ittook about 18 months from destruction to completion, so I hadthought, you know, this house will be built when pigs fly.
RSVP: What can you tell me about the flooring? I love that it’s notshiny.
John: Well, Robyn likes marble, so we went with this matte, whitemarble for the floor and the tub platform and took it into the show-er.
Robyn: I think John wanted to take the tile all the way up the wall,but to me that was too masculine. Without tile walls, I had theopportunity to hang some pictures. Although, to me, these windowsover the tub are just like having a picture.
RSVP: I can see that the view is green and gorgeous all year long,and very private. I love that the windows are square and don’t havesills. And, the reddish-brown stain is a perfect frame for the view.
John: I was trying to infuse a contemporary look. I just liked nothaving that little sill projection. When you go around Midtown andlook at older houses, you’ll see a lot of times a raised edge aroundthe outside of door jambs, sometimes ornate and sometimes simple.So, I picked up that idea for the doors and played with it for thesewindows. It’s the details that bring the Midtown look to this house,though it’s arguably a contemporary, open-plan house.
Robyn: My builder wanted to put in a rectangular bathtub, and Iwanted the oval tub. I know the big thing is to have rectangular
tubs right now, but the ovaltub felt more feminine tome.
RSVP: You had to fightfor your feminine touch-es! I like the chandelierover the tub.
Robyn: I know! All thesemen, designing my house!That chandelier is one ofthe few things saved fromthe other home. It was inmy bedroom.
RSVP: The color palette isso spare, really just white,blue, a little sea-glassgreen and the auburn ofthe wood trim.
Robyn: Having been inthe Greek Isles, I toldJohn I wanted a bluedoor. Because everywherein the Greek Isles you sawthese blue doors set intostark white, like the contrast of the sea. He was like, “Robyn, Idon’t know where I can put your blue door.” So, what he came upwith was to do the blue mosaic on the shower wall as a reference tothe blue door. That’s a very special touch for me.
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Left: A linen tower divides the double vanity and quadru-ples storage space. In rebuilding the house, architectJohn Pruett introduced an open plan that afforded anabundance of natural light. Above: The room is not over-furnished, and the color palette is equally spare and wellchosen, with mostly white, blue and little splashes of sea-glass green, which can be found in this mosaic created byNancy Adair. Below: Square windows without sills arestained reddish-brown. They infuse a contemporary lookwhile providing a perfect frame for the view.
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OPERA MEMPHIS WILD GAME DINNER
E V E N T Opera Memphis Wild Game Dinner
“Vittles. Vino. Verdi.”
David Dorsett, Spencer Blank and Sarah Squire
Rachel Hampton and Stewart Guenther
Mark and Martha Billions
Jack and Laurence Kenner
Amy and Cameron Mann
Dawn and Harold Graeter
Mike and Sherry Murphy
Raymond Berglund and Jennifer Hust
Kathy and Daniel Moore
There’s a good reason why Opera Memphis’ annual Wild GameDinner continues to attract a large and enthusiastic crowd—it justkeeps getting better each year! The 2013 event, themed “Vittles.
Vino. Verdi.,” did not disappoint, and a great many guests, whowere encouraged to wear safari and hunting garb, happily complied,sporting attire from kangaroo hats to zebra prints and full camou-flage.
A lively cocktail hour in the Clark Opera Memphis Center’slobby found attendees mingling and bidding on an impressive arrayof silent auction items generously donated by some of our area’sfinest eateries and merchants. There were gift certificates galore,including those from Folk’s Folly Prime Steak House, The ElegantFarmer, Erling Jensen, Delta Blues, Crown Winery, Coletta’sRestaurant, The Peabody hotel, Café 1912 and The Brass Door.Among other offerings were several pieces of Le Creuset cookware, adeluxe slow cooker, a “Hunter’s Delight” basket with soups andsauces, a Ninja chopper, a selection of extra virgin olive oils andmany good wines.
As hungry partygoers moved into the main hall, there was averitable feast to behold. Chef Michael Francis of Heart & SoulCatering prepared a whole wild boar (dubbed “Arnold”), accompa-nied by a green bean and a squash and zucchini medley, as well asslaw relish and duck breast with roasted garlic on crostinis. NeelyDraughon of Off The Square Catering presented venison ravioli, andClub Winward passed around delicious venison poppers, whileColetta’s pleased with a Pheasant Cacciatore with forest mushrooms.Just for Lunch’s Ann Barnes wowed the crowd with duck poppersstuffed with jalapenos and wrapped in bacon, thus winning the“Best Bites” award for the dinner. A very popular place to be was“Ray Jamieson’s Corner Bar,” a spot in which Mr. Jamieson heldcourt and provided tastings of his Jamieson Gun Oil—a spiced bour-bon liqueur.
The highlight of the evening was a wine pull, where guestshad the opportunity to purchase a chance(s) to pull numbered winecorks that corresponded to a nice, very nice or great bottle of wine.Wrapping up the festivities, and back by popular demand, was therousing “postmodern barrelhouse Tennessee music” of the BluffCity Backsliders. John Ryder, event chairman, was elated with thegreat success of the dinner, which is the opera’s largest annual fund-raiser, and we’re already looking forward to next year’s dinner!
Story by Ruth CassinPhotos by Baxter BuckSee all the party photos at rsvpmagazine.com
Password: RSVP
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OPERA MEMPHIS WILD GAME DINNER
E V E N T
Jonathan Ealy and David Goffman
Jessica Toliuszis and John Dawkins
Charlie and Mickey Schaffler
Lesley and Frank ColvettJill and Adam Botten
Lucy Fox and Michelle Grider
John and Sandy Brewer
Dean and Angela Fowler
Alice Higdon and Daniel Reid
Linda Gail and John David Douglas
Mark and Mary Lou Nowak
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E V E N T
OPERA MEMPHIS WILD GAME DINNER
Gene McDermott, Anne Gibson, Karen Canty and Marsh Gibson
Jan and Bill SpencerSandy and Harvey Kennedy
Nancy and Rodgers MenziesErik Jambor and Robin Salant
Aimee Hurley and Ned CantyTodd and Mary Wilson
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ONSITE Onsite III
Jason Danieley and Marin Mazzie
Kayla Myers and Sydney Armstrong
Becky Bartholomew and Laurie Bartholomew
Sheryl Bowen and Laura Nathan
Nancy Williams and Beryl Wight
Page Robbins Winter Gala
It was “Showtime” at the annualPage Robbins Winter Gala and fit-tingly, the walls of EsplanadeMemphis were plastered withmarquee decorations. Live auc-tion items included two 100-DVDcollections (one for children andone for adults), and scads ofsilent auction items containedsomething to keep almost anyoneentertained. Pam and JayJefferies, each of whom has a par-ent affected by dementia orAlzheimer’s disease, co-chairedthe event for the fifth consecutiveyear. “The cause is very dear toour own hearts, and they do sucha wonderful job,” Pam said of thePage Robbins Adult Day CareCenter. After dinner and dessert,the AIMS Gang band got thecrowd to its feet. This gala servesas the organization’s largest fund-raiser of the year.
Story and Photos by Suzanne Thompson
Tennessee Shakespeare Company Valentine’s Gala
Love was the guest of honor atthe fourth annual TennesseeShakespeare Company Valentine’sGala. Held in the GermantownPerforming Arts Centre, the galafeatured award-winning Broadwaystars and couple Marin Mazzieand Jason Danieley, who perform-ed an inspiring medley of Broad-way hits centering on the perilsand highs of romantic love. Uponarrival, guests enjoyed cocktailsand hors d’oeuvres at tables deco-rated with soft candlelight anddecorative heart pieces, and theyeven got cozy in a photo booth,where attendees were encouragedto rekindle fond memories andmake some new ones by puttingon silly hats or a moustache andcheesing it up. René Koopmanprovided the musical entertain-ment for the night, which alsoincluded both a live and silentauction to benefit the TSC’s edu-cation and performance pro-grams. Specifically, the proceedsgo to support the Romeo andJuliet Project, funded in part byArtsMemphis; this TSC programcreates a space for free discussionwithin Bartlett, Ridgeway andKirby High Schools, centeringaround modern issues of armedviolence, peer pressure and deci-sion-making in the absence ofparental role models through per-formances of “Romeo andJuliet.” Photos and a dessertreception with Ms. Mazzie andMr. Danieley concluded the love-filled evening, which was attend-ed by 320 guests who helpedraise more than $100,000 for theTSC.
Story and Photos by Rachel Warren
Works of Heart Valentine Auction
Most would probably agree thattheir 21st birthday was an espe-cially fun one, but that sentimentalso carried over to the MemphisChild Advocacy Center, whichhosted its 21st Works of HeartValentine Auction this February.Participating artists, dubbed“heartists” for the occasion, dis-played their creative takes on asingle wooden heart provided tothem, at Memphis College ofArt’s Rust Hall a week prior tothe event, which gave people anopportunity to place early bids ontheir favorite works. At the actualparty, early and regular biddersgot acquainted with some of the100-plus heartists, includingSharron Barrett, LaurieBartholomew, Donna Blackard,Ellen and Dale Cox, KatherineRhodes Fields and Sally Markell,to name a few. For themother/daughter duo of SherylBowen and Laura Nathan, theauction became a family affair, asBowen designed the heart neck-laces that all the heartists wore,while Nathan served on theWorks of Heart host committee.Nancy Williams, the MemphisCAC executive director, expressedher gratitude for those whohelped make the event a successby saying, “There’s not too muchspace to move around—that’s agood thing. We depend on you tohelp us serve children who needit.” Happy 21 Works of Heart!
Story and Photos by Leah Fitzpatrick
River Oaks Garden Club Valentine Dinner Dance
When members of the RiverOaks Garden Club arrived attheir annual Valentine DinnerDance at the Memphis Hunt andPolo Club, the floor was strewnwith rose petals and decorationsreflecting Cupid’s presenceeverywhere. During the cocktailhour, servers passed throughoutthe crowed with the club’sfamous fried oysters and miniBrie tarts, and while enjoying asumptuous dinner, partygoerswere entertained by music fromthe Captain Phil McGee band. Aspecial surprise performer,Palmer Whittington, the 11-year-old granddaughter of memberJayne Whittington, also took thestage and wowed the crowd withher amazingly powerful voice.
Story and Photos by Suzanne Thompson
Mike and Paige Omar
Silvia and Michael Membreno
Bob and Jo Lynn Edwards with Jeff Walker
Carey and Judy Parsons with Pam and Jay Jeffries
Deborah Matthews, Jeff Fioranelli, Mark Matthews and Jeanne Fortney
John and Paula Buttross with Mary Jane and Chip Hamlett
Betty and Dr. Jim Green
Dr. John Pender Jr. and Kathleen Pender with Cindy and Craig Nauert
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ONSITE Onsite IV
Jan Winterburn and Linda Feathers
Carrie Linder Lotterhos and Whitney Jo
Ann Marie Hall and Dave Landis
Lynette Thetford, Betty Fuller, Debbie Spencer and Michelle McCloud
Shirley Tipler and Ella Lewis
Anne Jones, Mary McIntosh, Kelly Blair and Michelle Miller
Trina, Brittany and Doris Hyman
Cathy Ross, Cheryl Bingham and Estella Mayhue-Greer
Jeff McEvoy, Morris McGehee and Steve Waggoner
Ara and Gina Hanissian
Rick Clausi and Ben Lewis
Bill and Seldon Murray
Brian and Missy Lurie
Anna Miller and Jenny McKenzie
Scotch Tasting Benefit
A few dozen Mid-Southerners nowknow more about the casking,maturation and character ofGlenturret, Glen Elgin andLaphroaig than most others inthe region thanks to TheatreMemphis. The local playhouseheld its second whiskey tastingon site at the theater thisFebruary as a fund-raising effortfor the Memphis institution.Since the theater paused the showand tore down the set for oneevening, whiskey enthusiasts,some in kilts, took advantage ofthe opportunity to dine on stage,where they feasted on a regale offood created by Memphis culinarydarling Erling Jensen. The Loyaland Royal Order of the Kirk pre-sented the tasting in conjunctionwith the theater, and SeldonMurray acted as maestro of thetasting.
Story and Photos by Lesley Young
Sandy Hook Benefit
In an effort to help fellow schoolshooting survivors heal, formerMemphians Mary Hollis Inbodenand Evan Linder collaborated towrite and produce the play “TheWarriors,” inspired by storiestold by their fellow students atJonesboro’s Westside MiddleSchool, which had a school shoot-ing in 1998. After the tragedy atSandy Hook Elementary inConnecticut, Inboden and Linderpresented the play in their cur-rent hometown of Chicago in aneffort to raise funds for the sur-vivors in Newtown. In February,Inboden had the opportunity toshare the play to a packed houseof Memphis supporters at CircuitPlayhouse in Midtown Memphis,again raising funds for survivorsat Sandy Hook, but also with pro-ceeds going to benefit the“Memphis Gun Down” initiative.
Story and Photos by Lesley Young
Dress For Success Suit and Salad Luncheon
Everyone got the memo for theDress for Success Suit and SaladLuncheon held in February at theU of M Holiday Inn, as there wasa sea of red and hats at theluncheon as women in atten-dance had replied with a resound-ing red “Yes.” This year’s annualluncheon marked 15 years of theorganization’s helping localwomen transition into the workplace. WREG-TV News Channel 3anchor April Thompson Larshaserved as mistress of ceremonies,while Estella Mayhue-Greer, pres-ident and CEO of the Mid-SouthFood Bank, and Cathy Ross, CFOof Federal Express Corporation,were honored as outstandingexamples of courage in the work-ing world. In addition to ticketsales and note cards available forpurchase, additional funds wereraised by the auction of a paint-ing donated by Peggy Van Buren.
Story and Photos by Lesley Young
Polar Bear Plunge and Chili Cook-Off
Participants made a big splashon a crisp February afternoon inthe frosty waters of the WolfRiver Harbor. In an effort toraise funds for Special OlympicsGreater Memphis, “plungers”dressed in their wackiest cos-tumes, including ’80s inspiredjogging suits, Hawaiian shirts,pirate ensembles and clownsuits, leapt into the icy water inexchange for donations. Held atMud River Island Park, the 14thannual Polar Bear Plunge wasmore than just a plunge into theriver, as the fun-filled day beganat 10 a.m. with its seventh annu-al Chili Cook-Off. Teams compet-ed in a heated battle to earn themost points in the categories ofBest Chili, Best Salsa and Show-manship. As the morning pro-gressed, more than 800 attend-ees enjoyed copious samples ofMemphis’ best chili and casttheir votes for the People’sChoice Award. At the end of theafternoon, all scores were settledwith the announcement of thewinning results: Blue HornChili-People’s Choice Award; LosHermanos Peligroso-Best Salsa;the Mid-South Buccaneers-Showmanship; and Hot AirChili-Best Chili. Plunger Awardswere given to those plunge par-ticipants who raised the mostmoney and had the best cos-tume, with this year’s GoldenPlunger Award going to Mr. andMrs. Clean, dressed appropriate-ly as a washing machine and alaundry basket. This wonderfulevent raised more than $69,000for Special Olympics GreaterMemphis.
Story and Photos by Rachel Warren
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ACROSS1 Mongolian desert5 Walk noisily10 Nobleman14 Evils15 Jacket part16 Continent17 Rodʼs partner18 Water retention19 Dregs20 W. Cameroon seaport22 To use or manage(natural resources)wisely24 List of meals26 Meet27 Is (2nd person)30 Division (abbr.)32 Ruse37 Dike38 Color between yellowand blue in the spectrum40 Halo41 A form of oxygen, O 3 thatis biologically corrosive43 Compass Point44 A leafy, shady recess formedby tree branches, shrubs, etc.45 Wine bottle46 Drugger48 Picnic visitor49 N. Western state
52 Rush53 Compass point54 Period56 Hanker58 Wetter63 City in Pakistan67 12 month period68 Creed70 Yes71 Southernmost of the Great Lakes72 Great ape73 Impel
74 Staffs75 Thailandʼs Peninsula76 Young girl
DOWN1 Belt up2 Fake butter3 Type of dressing4 Major world religion5 Neater6 Fellow7 Organization of PetroleumExporting Countries8 Business mail9 Any of the eight large heavenly bodies revolving about the sunand shining by reflected light10 Valley11 Exploiter12 Capital of the Ukraine13 Move gently21 Ridge23 Body of water25 Turn over27 Philippine dish with marinatedchicken or pork28 Shaving tool29 Behave theatrically 31 Printer need33 Train unit34 Large musical instruments35 Clothes pressers
36 Ala __ (menu listing)39 Asian nation42 Hen-peck44 Playing field47 Branch of biology dealing with therelations and interactions betweenorganisms and their environment50 Poem of praise51 Sargeant, e.g.55 __ cotta (clay)57 Grave robber58 Tinter59 Air (prefix)60 Domestic help61 President (abbr.)62 Concrete64 Gumbo vegetable65 Torn up material66 Potato sprouts69 Cell stuff
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16
17 18 19
20 21 22 23
24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
37 38 39 40
41 42 43 44
45 46 47 48
49 50 51 52 53
54 55 56 57
58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66
67 68 69 70
71 72 73
74 75 76
Solution: G O B I C L O M P D U K E I L L S L A P E L A S I A R E E L E D E M A L E E S D O U A L A C O N S E R V E
M E N U S E E A R E D E P T T A C T I C D A M G R E E N A U R A O Z O N E N N E A R B O R B O T A D O P E R A N T O R E G O N R A C E S S E
D O T L O N G D A M P E N E R L A H O R E Y E A R C R E D O O K A Y E R I E O R A N G U R G E R O D S M A L A Y L A S S
RSVP Crossword | Edited by Ruth CassinRS
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By Dennis Phillippi RSVP
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THE SUPPOSED HALFWAY POINTBy sheer coinci-dence, my bestfriend, at least
my best friend towhom I am notmarried, turns 50three days before Ido in the fall, soyou can imaginethere’s a constantconversation about
how we should commemorate this water-shed event. When the two of us discuss it,the attitude is more about how we canmake turning half a century old lessdepressing. We talk about how we shouldprobably just get hammered and pretendthe whole thing isn’t happening.
When there are other peopleinvolved, it becomes more of a fantasygame for them. Everyone seems to be justrooting around in their own bucket listand throwing items at us. They claim weshould go skydiving or bungee jumping orgo to NASCAR fantasy camp. That’s whatthey say they think we should do. The rea-son they say this is because we would bethe ones plummeting to earth or scream-ing around a racetrack at 150 miles anhour. It’s easy to suggest ideas when youstand no chance of being the one run overwhile running with the bulls.
While all of these things are proba-bly perfectly sound ways to celebrate fivedecades of life, they don’t take intoaccount that nearly 50-year-old men whospend a lot of time watching sports in barsdon’t exactly have a brimming load ofexcess energy. Going skydiving isn’t some-thing you do half-heartedly, the way we dovirtually everything we do. The same thingis true for bungee jumping. These are notthings you can do with little effort, likesay, spending weeks pretending to start ajai alai fantasy league or talking nonstopabout going boar hunting. It’s not likethere’s a good skydiving place in Midtown.There’s not a bungee jumping outfit in myneighborhood. NASCAR fantasy campsounds fun until you consider that it’sprobably in Vegas or someplace like that.The last thing I want to do is have to trav-el a long distance to put my life in danger.
Honestly, because my buddy and Ihave both spent most of our adult lives inshow business, we’ve gotten to do a lot ofthose stupid cool things that can get youkilled. The difference being that not onlywere we not paying to do them, someonewas paying us to do them, and in my casepointing a camera at me while I was doingthem so they could be shown on TV later.It’s a lot easier to make yourself get in anopen-cockpit biplane in that situation.
These suggestions, along with theones where I go to Fiji with my wife, or toan all-expenses-paid resort in theCaribbean, or visit the Pyramids in Egyptinvolve one obvious, but cheerfullyignored, factor: they all cost a fortune. It’s
counterintuitive to someone as allergic todebt as this writer to go spend a trunkload of money to celebrate my birthday.“Hey, I’m 50, let’s go spend a bunch ofmoney we won’t be able to retire on.”These are the suggestions from the peoplewho claim that life is too short to notoccasionally live like there’s no tomorrow.See, here’s the thing, there is a tomorrow,and as someone who has been aroundsince the Kennedy administration, I cantell you, life is not short. Picture yourselfin the waiting room of, well, anywhere. Isthat time flying by?
A very popular choice among myfriends is for me to “throw a huge party.”The reason this is such a frequent choiceis because I already “throw a huge party”every year at Christmas, and my ingratefriends just want another occasion wherethere’s lots of free food and booze. Oh,and I prepare that food, so what they wantis free booze and food that is cooked byme. Somehow that doesn’t have the ring ofcarefree celebration. It just sounds like a
lot of work for me. Not that they care.Ingrates.
People closer to my age tend tohave ideas that make more sense. When Iposted about this on social media, mypeers tended to say that the best option isto take a nap, get a massage or “have afew cocktails.” Those are all good, withthe only problem being that I do thosethings anyway. A nap, a massage and a fewcocktails describe a really good Saturday inmy world.
What I’ve noticed in recent weekshaving this conversation is that no oneever asks me what it is I want to do. It’s agood thing they don’t ask that because thisis the one topic for which I don’t have ananswer. I’m perfectly happy to weigh in onpractically anything, whether I have anyknowledge to back up my opinions or not,but on this one I am tapped. The truth is,no matter what I choose to do, it’s goingto be all about spending money and otherpeople’s time and energy to acknowledgethat I have managed to make it for 50years without stupidly getting killed.Anyone who knows me knows that nothingmakes me happier than celebrating me,but even for me, this is an embarrassingself-indulgence.
Not that I’m going the other way.Some people, people who clearly don’tknow me very well, went with the thoughtthat I should spend that day buildinghomes for the homeless, or gathering coatsfor the coatless, or feeding soup to thesoupless, but I’m much more of a write acheck for charity kind of charitable person.
When the time comes, I’ll probablyopt for a few drinks with friends whilewatching baseball on the TV above the bar.Is that something I’d do anyway? Yes, it is.How do you think I lived this long?
Happy birthday you quinquagenarian!Welcome to the second century of yourlife, which is one hopefully filled with lotsof fun-filled nights propping yourself up inwhat would be the ultimate birthday gift: amassage chair. And if your friends decidenot to invest in one for your longevity, youcan always go to the nearest nail salon andtry one out for size.
It’s easy to suggest ideaswhen you stand no chanceof being the one run overwhile running with the bulls.
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The Brown DaughtersRSVP
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Early 1900s
This picture, which is about 100 years old, shows the Brown daughters. On the left is Betty Brown, who was Jane Lettes’ moth-er, and on the right is Dorothy Brown, who was Kathy Katz’s grandmother. Betty and Dorothy resided at the old ParkviewHotel (until their marriages) with their parents, Arthur Halle Brown and Blanche Brown, who chose the Parkview as their per-manent home for their 62 years of marriage.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KATHY KATZ, COOPER STREET 20/20
If you have a past photo you would like to share with RSVP readers, please contact Leah Fitzpatrick at 276-7787 ext. 105or e-mail the photo and caption to [email protected]
All photos will be returned promptly.
