Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
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!
Citation preview
J u l y 2 0 1 2
Zoo Brew
Vin-A-Que
GPAC Gala
Gift of Life Gala
Crown & Sceptre Coronation Ball
Q&A with Brian Craig
RS
VP
4
JULY
20
12
CONT
ENTS
12CROWN & SCEPTRE CORONATION BALLRon Kirkpatrick and Cindy Hawthorne
36 GIFT OF LIFE GALA
Jud and Jeanne Cannon
26STREETSEEN
Mylissa and Mark Horrocks
40 ZOO BREW
Allyson Van Hooser and Jessica Mays
54VIN-A-QUE
Shannon Morgan and Elly Deyhle
50GPAC GALA
Keith Ellis Prest and Lucy Chancellor
Cover PhotoDr. Eric and Nikki Gardner
atGift of Life Gala
Photo by Don Perry
ContentsJuly 2012
From the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Signature Memphis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Two-time Olympic medalist Rochelle Stevens invites RSVP to the track.
Crown & Sceptre Coronation Ball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Carnival week kicked off in grand fashion at the Hilton Memphis.
StreetSeens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22, 24 & 26The Agricenter president gives us a glimpse into a project that almost didn’t hap-pen: the state’s first solar array with a tracking system. One Memphis woman wasbrave enough to take on a new role in order to help start the inaugural Women’sTheatre Festival of Memphis. This couple has opened up their home and theirhearts to assist families during some difficult times. StreetSeens highlight JohnCharles Wilson, Karen Moore and Mylissa and Mark Horrocks.
Vox Popular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28Q&A with WEVL program director, Brian Craig.
Onsites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32, 33, 48 & 49Gatherings that have earned an honorable mention.
Gift of Life Gala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36Guests arrived with a spirit of giving at the black-tie gala hosted by the NationalKidney Foundation of West Tennessee
Zoo Brew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40A couple of thousand guests gathered at the Memphis Zoo’s springtime benefit tosample an array of beers and socialize among the ambiance of animals.
RSVP Room View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46Out in Lakeland, Julie and Keith Patterson have erected a pool house that providesyear-round outdoor living.
GPAC Gala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50GPAC adopted a Vegas theme, complete with a gold Cadillac and an Elvis imperson-ator, for the organization’s spring benefit.
Vin-A-Que . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54The newest addition to the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art Wine and Food Seriesoffered more than 350 foodies a taste of snout-to-tail pork barbecue.
RSVPhillippi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65A Look Back at Bad LooksHe dodged a bullet, but not a mullet. Humor columnist Dennis Phillippi takes alook back at bad hairstyles.
RS
VP
6
JULY
20
12
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 is pleased tojoin the RSVP team as account executive.Kristen, who lives in Arlington with her hus-band and four children, loves to cook, fish,watch college and Arlington Tigers football,spend time with her family and advertising,of course.
MAGGIE GIFFIN,EDITORIAL INTERN
901.276.7787, EXT. [email protected]
Maggie is a recent graduate of theUniversity of Mississippi with a degree inmarketing communications with an empha-sis in magazine publishing. Originally fromJackson, Mississippi, Maggie moved toMemphis to attend culinary school inhopes of pursuing a career in both foodstyling/writing and magazine publishing.Maggie enjoys reading magazines, cookingand her new position as editorial intern atRSVP.
Volume XVII Number X
July 2012
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 SKelly Cox
Jonathan DevinJeannie MandelkerDennis PhillippiSuzanne Thompson
A R T D I R E C T O RPatrick Akers
P H O T O G R A P H E R SNathan BerryBaxter BuckDon 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 NMaggie Giffin
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 B
www.rsvpmagazine.comFor 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]
Follow us on
&
RSVP Memphis Magazine
Copyright 2012 Haithcock Communications, Inc.
Fran Barnett ... 485-1646Jim Black ... 483-3478
Cathleen Black ... 483-3476Aleesa Blum ... 581-2775
Melody Bourell ... 461-4016Camilla Brinner ... 569-0343Leanne Brooks ... 292-4332
Margaret Burke ... 550-1959Ramona Chapman ... 550-2396
Eileen Cherny ... 682-1868Jon Dickens ... 496-5702
Barbara DuFour ... 292-5055Rip Haney ... 351-2190
Lita Hurston-Reed ... 351-1119Linda Kaplan ... 482-6473
Laurence Kenner ... 351-4210Jerry Lucius ... 355-3076
Christie May ... 233-3096
Courtney Murrah ... 493-9536Katie Nichols-Cook ... 628-3065Mike Parker ... 277-7275Juanna Phillips ... 485-2079Barby Perlberg ... 619-8543Mary Frances Pitts ... 355-5038Jimmy Reed ... 461-1868Greg Renfrow ... 283-2899Sheldon Rosengarten ... 483-0546Paula Sansom ... 335-7909Myra Sheddan ... 870-0154Alta Simpson ... 484-6040Jim Simpson ... 484-0792Melonie Simpson ... 921-6986Teri Trotter ... 647-4018David Tester ... 351-3439Ward Walthal ... 634-6900
5860 R IDGEWAY CENTER PARKWAY, SUITE 100, MEMPHIS , TN 38120901 -682-1868 | WWW. MAR X-BENSDORF.COM
Thank you to the many
organizationsand individuals
whose generositymake Memphis
a great place to live.
RS
VP
8
JULY
20
12
Though July hasn’t quitearrived, I can feel theheat coming before it
even hits. If you’ve lived inMemphis for some time, youalready know the swelteringdays and nights I’m refer-ring to, and in order to getthrough them, some neces-sary distractions better belined up to make summermore bearable. For me,those distractions come inthe form of celebrating fami-ly traditions…and also sleep-ing, eating and workingwithin arm’s length of a fan.
The first traditionI’ll honor this month comeson the Fourth of July, andno, it’s not having a picnic or watching fireworks, which werereally never big in my family. Instead, the thing that I will beenjoying is going to pick blackberries—something I once didevery Fourth of July with my grandfather and sister. While Iupheld this tradition for a few years after my grandfatherpassed away, the last few holidays I have admittedly slipped upby not dousing myself in bug spray and venturing out to thefields in search of deliciously ripe berries. Of course, the bestpart about the experience, and what I probably miss the most,is coming home to make a cobbler with all my prized wildfruit. I remain determined, however, to bring back blackberry-picking this year and am already smiling just remembering mygrandfather say, “Girls, you know blackberries are always ripeby the Fourth of July, so let’s go.” Unsurprisingly, each timeI’ve been out on my family’s farm in Middle Tennessee with-out him, his berry prediction has been correct.
Another favorite tradition coming up will be watchingthe Summer Olympic Games (unfortunately on TV, and not inLondon), which kick off July 27. Seeing Olympians competefor a coveted medal has always appealed to me, maybe becauseany athlete growing up wishes to achieve that level of physicaland mental greatness that would allow him or her a shot atthe gold. As for my favorite Olympic sports, I have alwaysbeen a fan of gymnastics, archery, diving, swimming and ath-letics, or what I simply refer to as “track and field.” So, youcan only imagine my delight when two-time Olympic medalistRochelle Stevens agreed to be in the Signature Memphis sec-tion, featured on page 10. She even graciously brought hergold medal that she won in the Atlanta 1996 Summer OlympicGames in the women’s 4X400-meter relay to the photo shoot,and I gleefully got to hold it—what an experience!
Have fun reading the rest of this issue, which comesfilled with lots of Carnival Memphis pics, nonprofit coverage,an article about a sweet pool house, informative feature storiesabout local people, a hysterical RSVPhillippi article and every-thing else that keeps Memphis cool (just not in July).
Leah [email protected]
From the Editor
RS
VP
10
JULY
20
12
Rochelle StevensFounder & CEO, Rochelle Health & Wellness/President, Rochelle StevensFoundation/Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist in the 4x400-Meter Relay
First job: Nike contract.
Guilty pleasure: Sleeping.
First concert: The Gap Band.
Favorite author: Myles Munroe.
Ideal vacation spot: Monte Carlo.
Personal hero: Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
Stress outlet: Sitting by a pool or lake.
Childhood ambition: To be a track star.
One thing you can’t live without: Happiness.
Words or phrases you overuse: “Make it happen.”
Historical figure you most identify with: President Obama.
Last book you’ve read: Think Like A Man by Steve Harvey.
Movie you could watch over and over again: Fast & Furious.
Biggest obstacle you’ve overcome: Making the Olympic team.
Your greatest achievement: Graduating with several college degrees.
One thing most people don’t know about you: I take everything
seriously.
Your mission: The Rochelle Stevens Foundation, which helps college
coaches recruit athletic talent for scholarships and development.
Your mantra: “Achieving Dreams,” which is the mantra of my foundation.
SIGN
ATUR
E ME
MPHI
S
Phot
o by
Ste
ve R
ober
ts
4732 Eiffel LaneNesbit, MS
$849,000
453 Tennessee StreetThe Bluffs
$689,000
585 S. Greer StreetCountry Club Tower
$399,000
2246 Court AvenueMidtown
$325,000
415 Twelve Oaks CircleEast Memphis$259,000
137 Harbor Point LaneHarbor Town$469,000
954 Harbor View Dr.Harbor Town$305,000
SOLD
391 Chickasaw Bluff St.The Bluffs
$399,000
Office: 901.754.0800
2515 Cedarwood DriveGermantown$249,000
50 Gayoso AvenueDowntown
$149,000
859 Harbor Isle Circle W.Harbor Town$549,000
1052 Island DriveIsland Crest$549,900
119 Harbor Commons Dr.Harbor Town$399,000
1234 Main Street$150,000
Feature Your Home Here!
948 Island DriveHarbor Town$379,000
SOLD
2221 Washington Ave.Midtown
$469,000
SOLD
SOLD
SOLDSOLD SOLD
SOLDSOLDSOLDSOLDSOLD
$849,000Nesbit, MS
ane4732 Eiffel L
$689,000The Bluffs
ennessee Street453 T453 Tennessee Street
SOLDSOLDSOLDSOLD
ennessee Street
$469,000ownHarbor THarbor Townoint L137 Harbor P
SOLDSOLDSOLDSOLD
$399,000y Club TCountrCountry Club T
585 S. Greer Streetaneoint L
SOLD
$399,000owery Club Ty Club Tower
585 S. Greer Street
$399,000Harbor THarbor Town
119 Harbor Commons Dr
$399,000ownHarbor THarbor Town
.119 Harbor Commons Dr119 Harbor Commons Dr.
$469,000
our Home Here!Feature Yeature Yeature Yeature Yeature Yeature Your Home Here!our Home Here!our Home Here!our Home Here!our Home Here!our Home Here!eature Yeature Yeature Yeature Your Home Here!eature Your Home Here!eature Your Home Here!F
Midtownashington Ave.ashington AMidtownashington Ave.2221 W2221 Washington A
$325,000Midtown
venue2246 Court A2246 Court Avenueve.
our Home Here!our Home Here!our Home Here!our Home Here!our Home Here!our Home Here!our Home Here!our Home Here!our Home Here!
venue
$305,000ownHarbor THarbor Town
954 Harbor View Dr
$259,000East Memphiswelve Oaks Cir415 T415 Twelve Oaks Cir.954 Harbor View Dr954 Harbor View Dr.
$259,000East Memphis
clewelve Oaks Cir
$399,000The Bluffs
391 Chickasaw Bluff St.
$399,000The Bluffs
391 Chickasaw Bluff St.
$150,0001234 Main Street
$150,0001234 Main Street
$249,000Germantown
2515 Cedar
SOLDSOLD
$249,000Germantown
wood Drive2515 Cedar
$549,000Harbor T
859 Harbor Isle Cir
SOLDSOLDSOLD SOLDSOLD
$549,000ownHarbor THarbor Town
.cle Wcle W.859 Harbor Isle Cir
$549,900Island Crest
1052 Island Drive
SOLDSOLDSOLD
$149,000Downtown
50 Gayoso A
$549,900Island Crest
1052 Island Drive
SOLDSOLDSOLD
$149,000Downtown
venue50 Gayoso A50 Gayoso Avenue
SOLDSOLD
Office: 901.754.0800Office: 901.754.0800Office: 901.754.0800Office: 901.754.0800Office: 901.754.0800Office: 901.754.0800Office: 901.754.0800Office: 901.754.0800Office: 901.754.0800Office: 901.754.0800Office: 901.754.0800Office: 901.754.0800Office: 901.754.0800Office: 901.754.0800Office: 901.754.0800Office: 901.754.0800Office: 901.754.0800Office: 901.754.0800Office: 901.754.0800Office: 901.754.0800Office: 901.754.0800Office: 901.754.0800
$379,000Harbor T
948 Island Drive
SOLDSOLDSOLD
$379,000ownHarbor THarbor Town
948 Island Drive
SOLDSOLD
RS
VP
12
JULY
20
12
Crown & Sceptre Coronation Ball“The Party With a Purpose”E
V E N T
Tom Coogan and Westin Lawrence L.R. Jalenak Jr. and Peggy Jalenak
Nancy and Jimmy Tashie Kati Tannehill and Blake Campochiaro
Katie Borgmeyer and Matt Gambrell Paul Fermi and Ed Galfsky
CROW
N &
SCEP
TRE CO
RONA
TION
BAL
L
Carnival Memphis King Michael Lightman and Queen Elizabeth ParrishMike Walsh and Cathy Welsh Paige and John Phillips
See all the party photos atrsvpmagazine.com Password: RSVP
“It’s the greatest show on Earth. It’s Carnival,” said John Phillips,president of Carnival Memphis during his opening comments.He went on to describe the Crown & Sceptre Coronation Ball,
held at Hilton Memphis, as “the South’s grand tradition.” The ballmarks the beginning of Carnival week, during which members of the10 Grand Krewes make their way through a series of nearly non-stopparties.
The presentation of Carnival royalty began as King MichaelLightman and Queen Elizabeth Parrish made a grand entrance andprocessed from one end of the ballroom to the other, toward their ele-gant thrones. The shimmering train of Queen Elizabeth’s flowinggown was guided by some of the court’s pages, one of whom was KingMichael’s grandson, Michael Aidan Lightman. “Welcome the fairestladies in the land,” the announcer said as the Carnival’s princesseswere presented to the court. These fair ladies included three princess-es of the Royal Court, followed by the Festival, Regency and GrandKrewe Princesses, as well as the Ladies of the Realm. Each of themwas attired in a white evening gown, and with their escorts, the 49young ladies took their places at court.
Royalty of the 10 Grand Krewes were presented next, and afterqueens of each krewe were announced, their dukes and duchesses fol-lowed. The duchesses of each krewe were dressed in evening gowns ofvibrant colors, except for those from Phoenix, who wore attire inkeeping with its Roaring Twenties Coronation Ball theme. The lastgroup in the procession, The Secret Order of the Boll Weevils, woretheir wacky costumes and threw small bags of popcorn into the audi-ence to emphasize Carnival’s salute of the movie and film industry.This tribute was prompted by King Michael’s family business, MalcoTheatres, which were founded by his grandfather, M.A. Lightman, in1915.
Carnival Memphis raises money through its parties and eventsfor different children’s charities each year, which is why the socialgroup has been dubbed “the party with a purpose.” This year’s chari-ties were the School Advocates for Vision & Education (SAVE), theBoy Scouts of America Scout Reach Program for the Raleigh-Frayserarea and Jubilee Schools.
“Let the party with a purpose begin,” declared QueenElizabeth, ordering her subjects to begin the night’s festivities. Afterdinner was served, the revelers crowded the dance floor, where themusic of the Pat Patrick Band kept them on their feet until the clockstruck midnight.
Story by Suzanne ThompsonPhotos by Don Perry
RS
VP
14
JULY
20
12
E V E N T
CROW
N &
SCEP
TRE CO
RONA
TION
BAL
L
Paula Wyatt and Dr. Greg Maksi
Carolyn Ashmun and Richard Ashmun Cindy and David Gambrell Dan and Meredith Borgmeyer
Holly and Patrick Crump Chuck and Mary Stewart David and Mace Gearhardt
Joe Campochiaro and Sarah Steele
Angela and McKenzie Nobert
Stephanie and Dr. Richard Cape
David and Chrissie Tashie
RS
VP
16
JULY
20
12
CROW
N &
SCEP
TRE CO
RONA
TION
BAL
LE V E N T
Debbie and Barry Marshall Joey and Amy Dudek
Abe Plough and Julie Ellis Barbara Benstein and Mike McNeer
Lisa and Gaylon Lawrence Janie and Bruce Hopkins
C.C. and Bill Brewer Julie Eaves and Michael Harless
RS
VP
18
JULY
20
12
CROW
N &
SCEP
TRE CO
RONA
TION
BAL
LE V E N T
Gary and Joann Jones Anna Cox and Ben Hanks
Brannon Smithwick and Zac McMillian Natalie Brown and John Thatcher
Catherine Norton and Jonathan Sessions Donnie Angel and Cindy Shaw
Grant Joiner and Annie Buttarazzi Paul and Holly Craft
RS
VP
19
JULY
20
12
CROW
N &
SCEP
TRE CO
RONA
TION
BAL
LE V E N T
Virginia and Reg Steele Linda Yoakum and William Raiford
Dr. Jess and Mary Lee Wesberry Kirk and Karen Johnston
Trip and Elaine Spear Charlie Shoaf III and Ann Newell
Marilyn and Phil Seaton Kelly Acree and Clay Anderson
RS
VP
20
JULY
20
12
E V E N T
CROW
N &
SCEP
TRE CO
RONA
TION
BAL
L
Vickie Carwell and Sandra Cooper
Jeff and Chantal Johnson with Dr. Eric and Elvira Ormseth
Jack Conway and Kelley Martin
Buddy Russell and Debbie Halbrook Michelle Kornberger and Jeff Box
Ryan Landwehr and Amber Roettgen Ronnie and Rhonda Solberg
RS
VP
21
JULY
20
12
CROW
N &
SCEP
TRE CO
RONA
TION
BAL
LE V E N T
Holly and Ken Cooper
John, Jennifer and Lauren Lasseter with William Pickering
Kim and Ron Cribb
Sarah and Dennis Norton
Grace Norcross, Kristina Jennings and Catherine Knight
Frank and Kim Stallworth
RS
VP
22
JULY
20
12
John Charles WilsonManaging a Power Farm
The 1 megawatt solar farm that Agricenter Inter-national manages on five acres alongside WalnutGrove Road has the distinction of being the state’s
first solar array with a tracking system, but accordingto Agricenter president John Charles Wilson, the sunliterally almost didn’t shine on this project. He vividlyremembers time running out for Agricenter to securethe project’s financing, which was the final piece need-ed needed to guarantee a spot in the Tennessee ValleyAuthority’s Generation Partners Extended PilotParticipation Agreement (a TVA initiative that offerstechnical support and incentives for installing renew-able generation facilities).
“It was one hour before our deadline to turn inthe plan when we called Silicon Ranch about financingit,” Wilson tells, “and they said they would consider it.Within 30 minutes, they had faxed a letter to TVA say-ing we had the financial end covered.”
The fact that Silicon Ranch, a company found-ed by former Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen, isNashville based resonated with the Agricenter boardadds Wilson, who says working with local and state-wide outfits on the solar farm was important. TheAgricenter mostly kept to that regional focus whenenlisting LightWave Solar in Nashville to build thearray, and LightWave subcontracted Sharp Solar inMemphis to make the 4,160 solar panels, ECE Solar inBartlett for electrical work and Ronald S. TerryConstruction in Memphis for dirt work at the site.However, Array Technologies out of New Mexico isresponsible for the single-axis tracking system, a fea-ture that communicates with a GPS tracker to find thepanels’ best position based on the sun’s location,thereby increasing electric production by as much as20 percent. Evergreen Solar, a Virginia company thathas a company principal living in Memphis, helpedwith the tracking system installation.
Wilson vouches, “Memphis averages 5.1 hoursof sunlight a day per year, making us a good site forsolar.”
Memphis Light, Gas and Water and TVA com-missioned and grid-interconnected the solar photovolta-ic system, which offsets energy used by the Agricenter.When more energy is produced than Agricenter uses,the surplus energy can power 107 outlying houses.Wilson points out that the average home uses 15,600kilowatt hours of energy per year, but that the solarfarm will produce 1.6 million kilowatt hours annually.
The Agricenter will have the option to buy thesolar farm at a fair market cost, estimated in 10 yearstime by Wilson, but until then, Silicon Ranch will ownthe $4.3 million venture and sell power to MLGW. Andfor each kilowatt hour of electricity produced, SiliconRanch will receive 12 cents above market rate from aTVA subsidy. According to Wilson, there is really norisk involved for Agricenter as a manager, and from aneducational standpoint, the farm is a huge asset to thenonprofit since it hosts visits for nearly 6,000 youtheach year.
“The solar farm lets people understand aboutdiverse energy systems—we’re doing a farm now thathas plants to make into biofuel, of which it’s going totake all of these alternative sources to produce energyfor the future,” Wilson expresses.
Installing an informative display platform forvisitors at the site is currently in the works, and if peo-ple take what they learn about solar electricity serious-ly, Wilson says it might mean more solar panels willappear on homes—a green solution indeed. Oh, thepower of a farm!
Story by Leah FitzpatrickPhoto by Steve Roberts
STRE
ETSE
EN
RS
VP
24
JULY
20
12
Karen MooreOpening the Stage for Women
While the buzz about Overton Square’s revitalizationgrows, there soon will be another reason to flock to theneighborhood with the inaugural Women’s Theatre
Festival of Memphis (WTFM) set to hit the MidtownTheatre District August 2-4. As only the third knownwomen’s festival of its kind (others are in L.A. and India),WTFM co-founder/executive producer Karen Moore knowsshe and co-founder/producer Ruby O’Gray have a monumen-tal undertaking on their hands, but both are ready to worktoward expanding women’s roles in all aspects of local the-ater.
“We feel like Memphis is the right spot [for theWTFM] for the fact that so many of our artists have to leaveto make it, and we want to create the opportunities forthem to make it here,” Moore explains. “Also, Ruby, whohas written over 60 plays, has been saying for years thatMemphis is her Hollywood.”
A trained vocalist, director and stage/film actressherself, Moore first noticed O’Gray’s desire to create theWTFM when the two attended the National Black TheatreFestival in North Carolina some years ago. Afterward,O’Gray began toying with starting a festival of the samehigh standard but that also honored women, however thetiming wasn’t right since Moore lived in Italy then. OnceMoore moved back to Memphis (she had lived in Memphisbefore when she worked as a reporter for News Channel 3)after her daughters got accepted in Overton High School’sCreative and Performing Arts program, planning the festivalwith O’Gray became more of a reality. However, the finalmotivation came when O’Gray suffered from congestiveheart failure a year ago. Moore says that after that experi-ence, O’Gray wanted to be sure her dream came to light, sothe two began meeting on a weekly basis starting last July.
“I’m amazed at all the things we’ve accomplished:we wrote grants, got a commitment from the MemphisConvention and Visitors Bureau, became a sponsored proj-ect of Women of Style, Spirit and Success, got a donationfrom FedEx and secured a host committee, with BeverlyRobertson of the National Civil Rights Museum at itshelm,” Moore remarks.
She adds that the theater community has embracedthe project and that more than 70 arts organizations in theGreater Memphis area have been invited to participate inthe festival’s 20 something performances, inclusive of plays,dance numbers and workshops from costuming to writingplays. In addition to Moore and O’Gray, all other festivalproducers (Olivia Johnson, Sherronda Johnson, AryenMoore-Alston and Michelle Mitchell) have also volunteeredtheir time to the effort and helped pour over performanceapplications from across the U.S. to those from Australia,Brazil and the United Kingdom. The criteria for applicationsstipulated that a performance either had to be about awoman, written by one or directed by a woman, and thosechosen will take place simultaneously from 9 a.m.-11 p.m.on the Friday and Saturday of the festival at CircuitPlayhouse, Playhouse on the Square and TheatreWorks.
On opening night at 7 p.m. at Circuit Playhouse, 11women will also be honored for their work in theater duringthe Gyneka [Greek for woman] Awards Gala, which Moorepromises will involve an actual performance and not be astodgey awards show.
Moore smiles, “You’ve never seen this type ofawards show, and the rest of the festival is going to besomething!”
Story by Leah FitzpatrickPhoto by Steve Roberts
STRE
ETSE
EN
RS
VP
25
JULY
20
12
RS
VP
26
JULY
20
12
Mylissa and Mark HorrocksOne Roof, Lots of Love
In today’s culture, extended families often live underone roof, however for Mylissa and Mark Horrocks,an extended family means something different at
their home, which functions as the headquarters forHabitat for Hope. Located on 48 tree-filled acres nearShelby Forest, the 4,000-square-foot house where theHorrocks and their three children live has, on average,18-20 additional families, who have children with seri-ous illnesses, come through its doors a month to stayon either a long-term or short-term basis. Mylissa esti-mates that since Habitat for Hope opened, it has actu-ally supported, served and cared for nearly 400 familiesduring some of their most trying times.
A nonprofit since 2006, Habitat for Hope aroseafter the Horrocks dealt with their daughter, Bella,being treated for stage III malignant melanoma. Re-siding in Fort Myers, Florida at the time, the Horrockstraveled to Memphis for their daughter’s 52-weekchemotherapy treatment. Fortunately, they had theirhometown church and community’s support, but theyrealized that many families going through similar cir-cumstances didn’t have the same support network theydid. Then, Mylissa and Mark were further inspired tostart Habitat for Hope when they met Ana and RobBrennan, as the Brennans were contemplating movingto Memphis to keep their five children together duringtheir daughter, Briana’s, cancer treatment.
Mylissa says, “Ana was a real source of joy andencouragement to me as a mom, and then we dreamedwith them about this concept [providing a room forvisiting family members coming to see a patient].Though their daughter has since passed away, I’m sohappy things are being carried on. We even have arocker on the front porch in tribute to Briana.”
The Horrocks went home to Fort Myers afterBella was cured, but they felt the call to return toMemphis to start Habitat for Hope, with the goal ofproviding emotional and spiritual care for families inaddition to temporary housing as their child undergoesmedical treatment. Once Habitat for Hope got nonprof-it status, the Horrocks luckily had a board memberwho offered exclusive use of his Millington house andproperty, which the Horrocks are purchasing in stages.Mylissa and Mark have added special touches along theway, including a horse pasture, playground, deck withfire pit and an expanded horse barn, to give Habitatfor Hope families a sense of living their normal lives.In addition, the Horrocks have a partnership withALCO Management for use of two downtown apart-ments for Habitat families.
“The care we provide is about a family as awhole, and we’ll even do things like put on a gradua-tion party, organize retreats for moms who have lostchildren or pick up a family at the airport,” Markrelays.
He adds that Habitat for Hope kicks into highgear when providing hospice/palliative care for fami-lies, and in the future, hopes to provide two free-stand-ing cottages for pediatric hospice families. Habitat alsooffers bereavement support, has trained family carevolunteers, does in-patient care at area hospitals, org-anize fellowship and spiritual gatherings, does serviceprojects at FedExFamilyHouse and the list goes on. Atthe end of the day, which is much longer than 9-to-5for Mylissa and Mark, they know they’ve succeededwhen a Habitat for Hope family feels like their own.
“It’s not just us who make families feel liketheir own; our volunteer coordinators also do that,”Mark emphasizes.
Story by Leah FitzpatrickPhoto by Steve Roberts
STRE
ETSE
EN
RS
VP
28
JULY
20
12
Vox PopularQ&A with Brian Craig VO
X PO
PULA
R
RSVP: What was your first experience like visiting the WEVL sta-tion, and where was it located then?
Craig: The first time I came to the station it was in the ExchangeBuilding, but when I first started being a volunteer, it had moved toMadison and Cleveland. Anyway, when I first came to the stationwith my friend, it was to get a tour. We walked into the place, andthe woman on the air said, “I’m so happy to see you guys becauseI’ve got a headache and have got to go home.” She thought we werethere to relieve her, so she was gone. We were only like 14, andsince she’d left, we were left to do the show. I had done sound atchurch before, so I kind of knew where certain things had to go,and my friend was an audio-visual type. We were able to get stuff onthe air, but I’m sure itwas the worst radioshow ever. I think thelady who had beenthere before us hadbeen doing some kindof folky stuff, but westarted playing somebluegrass because Iknew a little bit aboutthat. Afterward, thenext person came on,and my friend said, “Ithink I’m going to get ashow.” I thought theywouldn’t give a teenag-er a show, however hegot a show and after afew months startedinviting me to comedown because I was therecord collector person.I started coming downto do the show, andslowly, it kind ofbecame my show. Then,my cousin started com-ing down with me, sothe three of us started doing the show.
RSVP: What type of show were you doing?
Craig: It was kind of a Bashful Bob type of show, like country musicof the ‘50s and ‘60s. No one was doing that here at the time. Whatfascinated me about that type of music…well, I was really into radioas a kid, and when my parents bought me a nice radio, I got realfascinated by being able to pick up those AM stations at the time
from around the country. WWL inNew Orleans and WSM in Nashvilleboth had these shows geared towardtruck drivers, and I don’t know why,but I thought that was the coolest thing in the world. Every songwould be an old country song that was sent out to someone like Billon the road from Omaha to Kansas City from his wife, Charlotte,who is at the house in Springfield, Missouri. I just thought thatwhat I wanted to do was be the all-night truck driver disc jockey.That was the first thing that got me interested in music that wasn’tjust current rock music on the radio, and listening to old countrymusic just led to me liking older rock, older R&B, blues and justmusic in general.
RSVP: Is it true thatWEVL shut down awhile in ’83 for lack offunds?
Craig: What happenedwas WEVL was only a10-watt station, and ithad applied to the FCC[Federal Communica-tions Commission] togo to a higher power soit could cover the wholecity. WEVL got grantedpermission to do that,but it involved chang-ing the frequencyslightly. The stationwas 90.3 then, but tobe higher powered,WEVL had to become89.9. So, WEVL got theapplication granted,and as soon as ourapplication was grantedto do that, Oxford,Mississippi applied for
90.3 for Oxford since WEVL was vacating 90.3. All of a sudden, thedate comes where WEVL is supposed to move, and we don’t havethe funds to move, but the folks in Oxford are ready to start broad-casting. So, we had to go off the air until we could get the funds tobuy the equipment to go to a higher power. We just kept gettingextensions to do that, and eventually it came down to the pointwhere there were going to be no more extensions. A lot of peoplethought we should just hang it up. I have to give Judy [Dorsey, thestation manager] all the credit in the world for keeping on it and
Warmer temps signal the onslaught of summer concerts, and not to be missed is the 24th annual Blues onthe Bluff, a benefit concert for WEVL FM 89.9. A mostly volunteer-run station, WEVL (“WE VoLunteer”)only has two full-time employees and one part-time staff member, but the independent station keeps the
radio waves burning with its listener-supported tunes thanks to quality events like Blues on the Bluff, sched-uled for July 21 at 6 p.m. at the National Ornamental Metal Museum grounds. RSVP editor Leah Fitzpatrickmet with long-time WEVL program director Brian Craig in the studio to get the scoop on the concert line-upand to hear just what makes this nonprofit station thrive not only within its 50 mile-radius coverage area, butoverseas as well thanks to online streaming. If you haven’t tuned in, do so now because nothing beats the per-sonalities and the originality behind WEVL shows.
Phot
os b
y Do
n Pe
rry
RS
VP
29
JULY
20
12
RS
VP
30
JULY
20
12
VOX
POPU
LAR going, “No, let’s apply for one more extension.” She did, and we got
granted what was probably going to be the absolute final extension,and somehow they raised enough money to get back on the air inFebruary of 1986.
RSVP: Were there any major changes when WEVL got back on theair in ’86?
Craig: The biggest change was that WEVL could be heard—it wasn’tjust in Midtown anymore. Now, you might get someone calling infrom San Diego or an e-mail from Japan since we’re able to streamonline.
RSVP: I know you weren’t always the program director, so when didyou officially assume that role?
Craig: In April of 1992. So, I’ve been the program director for just20 years, and 11 years before that, I was a programmer/volunteer.
RSVP: How is being a program director at WEVL different thanbeing one at a commercial station?
Craig: It is different because I’m not going to go in there and tellTom, the host of our New Orleans Big Beat show, what to play andwhat not to play. My job as program director revolves more aroundtraining people how to be disc jockeys because 99 percent of the peo-ple who come here have no prior radio experience. You have to trainthem how to be broadcasters and make sure that they are up on allthe FCC rules and regulations, which at a noncommercial station area little bit different than at a commercial station. We have to becareful what we say about for-profit businesses, etc. The job is moretraining people and overseeing that. We also expect people to play a
certain type of music that they set forth in their shows, but it’s upto them to define what that style of music is. For instance, weexpect Tom to play New Orleans music, and if all of a sudden, hestarts playing the Grateful Dead every week, I would have to step inand say something. Most of the people we screen pretty well though,so I never really have to do that. We have people who have beendoing shows for a long time; both Joyce Cobb and “Ridge Runner”started doing shows in 1981.
RSVP: Is WEVL currently looking for any show hosts?
Craig: Always. I like to hear people’s ideas and think it always worksbetter if someone comes to us with an idea for a show, rather thanus telling people what kind of show we’d like. The best way to get ashow is to go online [wevl.org] and fill out our application. No expe-rience is necessary, and the vast majority of people have never hadany deejay experience. We have a little bit of music in every genre inour library for program hosts to use, but most bring in their ownmusic. It’s interesting seeing the music format go from playingrecords to CDs to people bringing in digital music, but we still havea turntable for a few programmers who still like to play a lot ofvinyl. J.B. [host of A Fistful of Records] on Sunday mornings andRebecca [host of Pajama Party] on Saturdays both play a lot of vinyl.The good thing about volunteer radio is that the programmers bringa passion and knowledge about music. The bad thing is that if theyever have to quit the show due to moving, a new job or a lifestylechange, they aren’t instantly replaceable. That can be hard on listen-ers because they might get used to hearing a certain type of show.
RSVP: What has been the most memorable live performance done inthe WEVL studio?
RS
VP
31
JULY
20
12
Phentermine, Adipex, Ambien,and Other PrescriptionMedications Available
Cordova MedicalClinic
(1 block east of Corky's)
Fastest Weight LossClinic In Town!
Lose Weight
Now OfferingLipotropic Shot $25Helps with weightloss!
Walk-Ins WelcomeNo Appointment NecessaryMonday-Saturdaywww.cordovamedical.com
30-day supply of phentermineavailable in clinic for only $25
VOX
POPU
LARCraig: Probably one of the most memorable for me was Mud Boy and
the Neutrons—Lee Baker died not too long after he was in the studiohere. Them being here was really special. Of course, the Harlan T.Bobo Christmas shows were always special when he did those be-cause you never knew what to expect. We’ve had a lot of good per-formances though. We just had Alejandro Escovedo in the studio,and he recently played Minglewood.
RSVP: What are the off-air volunteer opportunities at WEVL?
Craig: There are lots of people who come down here all the time andhelp out in the music library by opening up the CDs and kind ofprocessing what comes in—we get about a hundred CDs a week in themail—to doing data entry and mailings. Then, there are people whowork our events, like Blues on the Bluff or our pledge drive, whichwe do twice a year.
RSVP: What groups are playing at Blues on the Bluff this year?
Craig: The opening act is going to be Lightnin’ Malcolm withMarquell Kimbrough, then Jimbo Mathus & the Tri-State Coalitionand Elmo & the Shades. It will be the first time that Jimbo andElmo have played Blues on the Bluff. We’ll also have the silent auc-tion again, and Central BBQ will be there. One thing we really wantto get across to people is that WEVL pays to rent the grounds at theNational Ornamental Metal Museum for Blues on the Bluff, so theconcert is not in conjunction with the museum. Blues on the Bluff issolely a WEVL event.
RSVP: What do Blues on the Bluff proceeds go toward at WEVL?
Craig: They keep us in business—they go to operate the radio station.
It costs about $22,000 a month tokeep the radio station on the air. Thevast majority of our money comesfrom our spring and fall pledgedrives, and we get miscellaneousdonations year-round. Car donationsare also a big source of income forus. You can donate your used car,motorcycle, RV or boat to WEVL,and there’s a company that sells it atauction, with the proceeds coming tous. We air the announcement about it several times a day on WEVL.Occasionally, we’ll do a small concert at places like the Hi-Tone as afund-raiser, and last year, in October, we did the first WEVL TriviaTournament, which we’ll do again this year at Minglewood Hall.
RSVP: How do you plan to keep WEVL relevant for the next genera-tion of listeners?
Craig: I think the whole radio thing is changing rapidly becauseyou’ve got lots more competition now with satellite radio and allsorts of streaming services, but what I think keeps WEVL relevant isthat you can’t replace the local hosts we have. You can’t replace“Ridge Runner” and the other personalities involved. I think as longas we can develop the next generation of personalities to present themusic in a knowledgeable fashion, we will be relevant. We can usesome more young programmers though.
RSVP: If you could use three adjectives to describe WEVL, whatwould they be?
Craig: Diverse, entertaining and local.
RS
VP
32
JULY
20
12
ONSITE Onsite I
Roger and Sandra Lewis
Mitch and Denise Omar with Mike and Page Omar
Rick and Teresa Jordan
Martine Hobson, Alyson Edwards and Suzanne Culpepper
Denise Martin, Cindy Robb and Amber Cook
Chandra Evans, Elliot Hobson and Nina Staples
Jessica and Sam Hord
Beena White, Holden Potter, Kontji Anthony and Ned Canty
Arts in the Garden Party
Despite the threat of rain earlierin the day, the weather cooperat-ed, and by evening, clear skiesprevailed for Arts in the GardenParty, held in MorGreen Nursery& Landscape’s picture-perfect set-ting. The lush greenery and floralplants bursting with new bloomsprovided the perfect backdrop todisplay works created by localartisans, which were available forpurchase to support the PageRobbins Adult Day Care Center.Guests were offered smokedturkey and mozzarella meatballs,Angus beef flatiron skewers,chorizo sausage-stuffed, bacon-wrapped shrimp and many othertantalizing treats. A live auctionwas also conducted, during whicha few select items that were madeby Page Robbins’ clients, whohad collaborated with localartists, were up for bids.
Story and Photos by Suzanne Thompson
Get Down and Derby
With women wearing hats ofevery description, it would havebeen easy to mistake the TowerCenter for a club near ChurchillDowns since it was filled withpeople gathered for the runningof The Kentucky Derby. Shoutsrose up as the horses thundereddown the track during the broad-cast of the race at Get Down andDerby, a fund-raiser for the DownSyndrome Association ofMemphis & the Mid-South.Guests were offered the chance toplace money on their favoritesteed, with ticket sales benefitingDSAM. Only three people chosethe winner, and their modest win-nings were split among them,after half was donated to the non-profit. To add to the festivities,the crowd was treated to a danceperformance by Company d,which is made up of DSAMclients.
Story and Photos by Suzanne Thompson
Bubba and Judy Winkler
Robin Owens, Ann Graham, Dr. Donnie Owens and Patti Russell
Cindy Shaw and Donnie Angel
PTAH’s Black Tie-Tennis Shoe Party
After weeks of merrymaking atCarnival Memphis krewes’ coro-nation balls, revelers needed toshake off the pressure and relax,so what better way to revive one-self than another over-the-topparty? At the Grand Krewe ofPTAH’s annual Black Tie-TennisShoe PTAH-OGA at the GreatHall of Germantown, tuxes,sneakers and togas were the dresscode, and the goal was to havefun and raise money for theCarnival Memphis Children’sCharity Initiative. “Did you everthink you’d see a football playerin a toga?” asked Bubba Winkler,a University of Memphis Hall ofFamer who played pro ball withthe Green Bay Packers. “I neverthought it would be me.” Thedance floor, packed with guestsdancing to the music of 240Loop, was cleared for the Kreweskit contest. The Grand Krewe ofPtolemy captured first place withits rousing “Ptolemy Salutes tothe Great PTAH-OGA!”
Story and Photos by Jeannie Mandelker
PRSA-Memphis Vox Awards
Public relations professionals’stories about people, places andorganizations help make theMid-South shine, so the commu-nity came together to honor thearea’s best storytellers at thePublic Relations Society ofAmerica-Memphis Vox Awards.Guest emcees Ned Canty andKontji Anthony presented theawards during dinner at theUniversity Club of Memphis asvideo clips prepared by RunningPony Productions played aroundthe room. The two biggestawards went to Baptist MemorialHealth Care Corporation, whichwon the Vox Grandis for its“Play It Down” public servicecampaign about hearing loss,and cocoabeens communicationsfounder Beena J. White, namedProfessional of the Year. Keep-ing to the storytelling theme,Opera Memphis’ KristinVienneau, accompanied bypianist Stephen Carey, per-formed before tables with center-pieces of artfully arranged booksand origami-like paper sculp-tures. “‘Storytelling’ is a bigbuzzword now,” noted PRSA-Memphis president HoldenPotter, “but PR professionalshave been talking about it foryears.”
Story and Photos by Jeannie Mandelker
RS
VP
33
JULY
20
12
ONSITEOnsite II
BRIDGES Fashion ShowThe BRIDGES Fashion Show brought together 200-pluspeople for fashion and a worthy cause at the BRIDGESCenter. This year’s show, “Sharing Our Worlds ThroughFashion,” showcased local designer Yendry Alvord, whocreated the featured designs exclusively for BRIDGES, andto get guests in the party spirit, a Miami Fusion VIPCocktail Party took place before models heated up the cat-walk. The event raised $32,650, which benefits BRIDGESand its mission of building a community of leaders toadvance racial, economic, educational and environmentaljustice.
Story by Maggie GiffinPhotos by Chris Pugh
Memphis BrewfestThe third annual Memphis Brewfest would have taken placerain or shine, but shine it did the day of this event, prompt-ing more than 2,200 beer nerds to line up at AutoZonePark’s gates to try some 100 beers from around the globe.While listening to tunes by The Brit Stokes Band, patronsperused tasting stations set up by Magic Hat BrewingCompany, New Belgium Brewing, Samuel Adams, StellaArtois and Stone Brewing Company, to name a few of thevast sipping selections. All Brewfest proceeds benefit ParentProject Muscular Dystrophy and the Memphis RedbirdsFoundation, and once again, the fund-raising effort wasdeclared a huge success by event volunteer Margaret Stokes,whose brother, Martin Daniel, founded the premier beer cel-ebration.
Story by Leah FitzpatrickPhotos by Chris Pugh
Centennial Speaker SeriesAcademy Award-winning actress and “Dancing withthe Stars” alum Marlee Matlin used her fame forcharity as she spoke at the 2012 CentennialSpeaker Series, held at Hilton Memphis to raisemoney for the Baptist Memorial Hospital forWomen’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Hearingimpaired since she was 18 months old, Matlincould identify with the cause she helped raisefunds for since many babies in the hospital’s NICUare also hearing impaired. The luncheon’s proceedswill specifically go toward purchasing koala warm-ers to save babies’ lives in the NICU.
Story by Maggie GiffinPhotos by Chris Pugh
Josephine Circle Luncheon, Fashion Show and AuctionMembers of Josephine Circle teamed up to bring its membersand guests an exciting day of fashion at the annual JosephineCircle Luncheon, Fashion Show and Auction at Hilton Memphis.As the group’s one fund-raiser of the year, the pressure was on tocreate a truly unique environment, which definitely happenedthanks to members choosing a classic theme: “The RoaringTwenties, Gatsby, Flappers and Hot Jazz.” Once guests bid onauction items donated by area businesses, they stepped inside theballroom and were quickly transported to the bygone era withspecial touches, including towering centerpieces that boastedblack and white curly plumes jutting out of slender hurricanevases, which also contained black and white ribbon, flowers andzebra-print decorations. Laurelwood Shopping Center suppliedthe fashions for the main event, and guests supplied generousdonations that will go toward educational loans and scholarships.
Story by Leah Fitzpatrick Photos by Chris Pugh
Terrye and Andy Mastin, Margaret and Robert Stokes and Susie Hudson Skip Ledbetter, Aaron McKenzie and Tim Armor
Christian Conway, Nikki Haynes and Major McNeilAllison Gillis-Brownlow, Janice Davis, Wendy Marie
and Dr. Candyce Thompson
Barb Poier and Anne WesberryAnita Vaughn and Marlee Matlin Pam Arrindell and Dr. Brooke Dishmon
Betty Kirkland and Paula Crow Susan Orabone and Wanda BarzizzaBeth Skudder and Kelly Fossett
RS
VP
36
JULY
20
12
GIFT
OF LI
FE GAL
AE V E N T Gift of Life Gala
Benefiting the National Kidney Foundation of West Tennessee
Alex, Sophie, Dr. Nawar, Isabelle, Reem and Nicole Mansour
Carolynn and Lewis Clark
Ivy Bryant and John Phillips
Pat and Neil Sherman
Tom and Alyce Mantia Price
Meghan Terry and Rebecca Reasons
Lakisha Waters and Willis Davis
Lori and Dan O’Brien
Dr. George Flinn and Johnny Diggs
Some people give money to support good causes. Others give foodto the needy. Some give life by donating their organs to those whowould die without them. That spirit of giving was celebrated in
grand style at the 2012 Gift of Life Gala, hosted by the NationalKidney Foundation of West Tennessee atop The Peabody in theSkyway, where giving never tasted so good.
Guests arrived to a buffet of shrimp cocktail, cheeses andfruit while servers passed spanakopita and chicken satay. Gents intuxedos and ladies in full-length gowns, many in summery blues,aquas and reds, mingled amongst a silent auction containing suchprized possessions as a fiddle signed by Charlie Daniels and a guitarautographed by Taylor Swift. Dinner soon followed with a black beanand tortilla salad, baked salmon, fried chicken, asparagus and sweetpotato purée all served on black linen. Centerpieces by HollidayFlowers brightened the tables with yellow tulips, snapdragons, euca-lyptus and ivy.
Before dessert—a trio of tasty delights—was served, partygoerswere treated to video presentations of three honorees whose workhas served patients with renal disease. Alyce Mantia Price, who isstill known for her international culinary market, was honored fororganizing a cook-off event called “The Teflon Chef,” which benefitsthe NKFWT annually. Debbie Jones, an NKFWT board member, alsoreceived accolades for 10 years of service to the KEEP program, ahealth screening program that raises awareness among patience whohave never considered the condition of their kidneys. Finally, manygenerous remarks were made to honor Dr. Nawar Mansour, the med-ical director of Acute Dialysis at Methodist University Hospital,where his expertise in nephrology and renal pathophysiology hashelped thousands of patients.
Though she had not intended to be honored herself, NKFWTexecutive director Mable Barringer was also noted in several mom-ents of spontaneous praise from the podium for her hard work. Thesolemnity of the evening then melded into festivity as the MemphisSoul Revue struck their first chords and guests flocked to the dancefloor.
Story by Jonathan DevinPhotos by Don Perry
See all the party photos at rsvpmagazine.comPassword: RSVP
RS
VP
37
JULY
20
12
GIFT
OF LI
FE GAL
AE V E N T
Dr. Luis and Corinna Campos
Phil Cannon and Cindy Brock
Drs. Wesam and Lama Ballouk
William M.J. Taylor and Gretchen TurleyMelissa and James Cobb
Bob Bell and Jamie Patterson
Aidar and Elvira Gosmanov
Tina and Adam Sandoval
Laretha and Bryson Randolph
Judy and Kevin Spiegel
Michael Rohrer and Melody Cunningham
RS
VP
38
JULY
20
12
GIFT
OF LI
FE GAL
AE V E N T
Barry Wall and Angie Wallick
Leon Edwards and Kenya Burks
Angel and Darron Dowell
Martin and Cathy PantikLeland Burress and Erica Augusto
Ted Medlin and Betty Shipman
Bill and Teresa Bullock
Lawrence Migliara and Sharon Leichman
David and Patricia Dunavant
Lesley Hartney and Lauren McHugh
Angela and Tim Foster
RS
VP
39
JULY
20
12
GIFT
OF LI
FE GAL
AE V E N T
Sam and Jennifer Tucker
Carla and Joseph Fahhoum
Terry and Cynthia Lawrence
Sheila and Michael VigliettiRobert and Teresa Hug
Joyce Fykes with Chuck and Jaye J. Doan Sharon and Mashhud Mirza with Kimberly German
Tammie Haymer, Debbie Jones and Ellen Edge Melissa Moore, Vinay Ranga and Adrienne Ross
RS
VP
40
JULY
20
12
ZOO BR
EWE V E N T Zoo Brew
Spring into Suds
Brad and Jennifer Farrell with Lisa and Robert Giardino
Adrian Hall and Allison Ertz
Tiffany Stuart and Peyton Aven
Tommy and Cindy Nettle
Jeremy Riddick and AJ Konrad
Sheila and Tom Moore
Kevin and Crystal Barrett
Chris and Randa Kelley
Lydia Berryman and Kaitlyn Dassatt
Ales and alligators, pilsners and porcupines, stouts and storks—atthe Memphis Zoo’s springtime Zoo Brew, the ambiance of ani-mals helped beer aficionados get their lager on. Actually, the ani-
mals called it an early night as a couple thousand guests arrived tosample an array of beers from Memphis and around the globe whilestrolling among the scenic habitats of the zoo.
Each guest was given a map leading not to the giraffes, thepandas or the scimitar oryxes, but to 44 different stations from thehippo pool to Primate Canyon, where souvenir shot glasses wherefilled and refilled with suds. Cold beer was just what the veterinarianordered on a hot, sultry night in May that inspired most guests towear shorts, tee shirts and light summer dresses. Into the evening,as the shadows fell, many danced to the live cover band Gary Escoe& the Atomic Dance Machine playing in the entry plaza, while oth-ers relaxed in the Dino VIP Lounge. Under the Primate Pavilion,Jeremy Shrader kept the beat moving, and Dingo Entertainmentrocked the night away inside the China Exhibit courtyard. Just out-side of Cat Country, guests munched on cheeseburgers, hot dogs,nachos, pretzels and other concessions in order to keep pace withthe drinking.
Tennessee was well represented by Yazoo Brewing Companyof Nashville with its Dos Perros, Hefeweizen and Sly Rye Porter.Ghost River Brewing of Memphis was also on the scene offering achoice of ales, including Copperhead Red and Witbier. Some beersseemed to be in competition for the cleverest name, like StoneBrewing Company’s Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale, Rogue Ales’Chateau Rogue OREgasmic Ale, Shipyard Brewing Company’s OldThumper and Red Brick Brewing Company’s Laughing Skull Amber.The German beers scored high on longest names, which proveddifficult to pronounce after drinking for a while. Just try sayingWeihenstephaner Hefeweissbier or Aecht Schlenkeria Rauchbierwithout any drinks. But, fruit beers seemed most popular of all andincluded Lindemans’ Strawberry, Samuel Smith’s Organic Cherryand Raspberry, Saranac’s Pomegranate Wheat and Woodchuck HardCider’s Pear beer.
The kegs eventually emptied, and bottles all found their wayinto recycling bins, but not one guest left feeling thirsty. And sincethe $133,000 raised by the event goes to support general zoo opera-tions, even the lions and tigers and bears could say “cheers!”
Story by Jonathan DevinPhotos by Nathan BerrySee all the party photos at rsvpmagazine.com
Password: RSVP
RS
VP
42
JULY
20
12
ZOO BR
EWE V E N T
Sean and Anna George
Brittany and John Paul Mintz
Steve and Whitney Hegedus
Chelsea Kilgore and Matt TutorAlex Mackin and Becky Taylor
Nour Haddad, Casey Beck, Gina Harden and Sydney Tomes Rachel Bradley, Kera Massey and Stephanie Johnson
Riley Jennings, Alex Snyder and Sam Coates Monica Masoud, Carol Matthews and Pegah Shahidi
RS
VP
43
JULY
20
12
E V E N T
ZOO BR
EW
Brennan Zachary, Richie Rich and Kyle Cooper
Katie Shotts, Tim Brewington and Dawn Norman
Derick Garner and Mary Alice Ruleman with Caroline and Tom Kuhnert
Felicia Brownlee, Deanna McClendon and Barbara Arnett Bryce and Julie McCreary with Cari and George Baird
Scott and Susan ArmacostKiran Hanumaiah and Shelly Price
Carist and Darrell NealWade Woodmansee and Tricia Pirozzi
Katie DiNuzzo and Ted ShroyerAndrew Hussey and Grace Paik
RS
VP
44
JULY
20
12
E V E N T
ZOO BR
EW
Eric Gray, Allie Mounce, Holly Whitfield and Bryan Thorn
Steve Potter, Melanie Nicholson, Natalie Cole and Chris Churchill
Drs. Michael and Erin Amini with Dr. Rana Khazmadar and Dr. Michael Perez
Emily Williams, Stacey Voyles, Ray Williams and Katie March
RS
VP
45
JULY
20
12
E V E N T
ZOO BR
EW
Lorrie Allen-Moore, Kevin Smith and Jennifer Freeman
Ronny and Jen Piper with Tracy and Jason Simpson
Andressa Santos and Sergio SoaresCarlos Torres and Rachael Keating
Christy Colley and Adam BakerTricia Harris and Zak White
RS
VP
46
JULY
20
12
RSVP
ROO
M VI
EW
Situated in an environment that is both artfully designed and invit-ingly casual, the pool house of Julie and Keith Patterson bringslaid-back luxury and year-round outdoor living to their 1.7 acres
in Lakeland. If the rattan patio seating under the pergola or the trailleading down the hill to the swing and the fire pit have a SouthernCalifornia feel to them, it’s no coincidence—Julie is originally fromSan Diego.
The pool itself was built by Nature’s Path, while Lisa Holmesand Wade Burrus are to credit for building the pool house. It fea-tures an open floor plan of post and beam construction supported bycedar timbers, with a tongue and groove stained pine ceiling and ascored and stained concrete floor by HB Concrete. Creature comfortsinclude a gas fireplace and a full kitchen with a large granite islandand all Viking appliances, right down to a big gas wok.
RSVP ROOM VIEW
The pool house serves as a year-round retreat for the Pattersons, who enjoy the space as much incolder months as they do in spring and summer thanks to a stone fireplace and wood shutters thatcan be closed to keep heat inside.
Interview by Kelly Cox | Photos by Steve Roberts
RS
VP
47
JULY
20
12
RSVP: How did the pool house project take shape?
Julie: We found a picture in a magazine of kind of what we wanted,and then we showed it to Lisa and Wade, and they took it fromthere. They said, “What if we didn’t do that, but we did this?” andI said, “Okay!” They gave us some great ideas. They asked us if wewanted a bathroom, so we added a full bath. I work in the yard alot, so it’s great to be able to shower out here. At their suggestion,we installed air-conditioning in the bathroom because otherwise it’sso hot in the summer you couldn’t get your suit down and back up!
RSVP: Are you able to enjoy the pool house through the seasons?
Julie: Absolutely. On the side that opens to the pool, remote-controlshade screens go all the way to the floor to cut down on the sun-light in the afternoon, and you can really feel it lower the tempera-ture in here by several degrees. I have a Lady Banks rose planted toclimb across the arched openings in the brick on one side; it onlyblooms in the spring. Then in the winter, we can close the shuttersand turn on the gas fireplace, and it’s really comfortable to sit outhere. Honestly, every day that we’re home, we’re out here. My hus-band is usually sitting in one of two spots, and I’m usually garden-ing. I was just in a show for the Bartlett Garden Club and won firstplace with my coleus. It was the first time I’d entered. I also wonthe Horticulture Award of Excellence for this grouping, which con-tains two types of coleus, angelonia, variegated ivy and marigold.
RSVP: Do you have a lot of parties out here?
Julie: Oh, yeah. We do. My husband will take chicken, shrimp, beefor any other kind of meat and wok it all together with vegetables,and having the Blue Moon beer tap really does help cut down on
trash. One of our neighbors who just moved in a few months agoasked if it would be alright if he and his fiancée could get marriedin our backyard. We said, “Sure, we don’t care!” So, there’s evengoing to be a wedding here. We’ve actually had a lot of people weknow come and take pictures here, like engagement pictures.
RSVP: I like that the clock is always set to 5 o’clock.
Julie: Yes, yes it is. I bought that at a little store in Chickasaw OaksVillage. My friend and I were walking through after lunch, and Isaid, “I need that clock. I love that clock!” Then, I looked at it,and I noticed on the back that it didn’t even have the inner work-ings—it didn’t keep time. My friend said, “So, it can be 5 o’clock allthe time!” and I said, “That’s perfect.”
RSVP
ROO
M VI
EW
Left: The contempo-rary freeform pool isdesigned in a natura-listic style. Insets: TheBlue Moon beer tap,while a playful touch,really helps cut downon waste during par-ties. And, the clockon the wall in the din-ing space is alwaysset to 5 o'clock.
RS
VP
48
JULY
20
12
ONSITE Onsite III
Steak n’ Burger Dinner
More than 750 people attendedthe Steak n’ Burger Dinner thatfunds one club affiliated with theBoys & Girls Clubs of GreaterMemphis for an entire year!During the fund-raiser atMinglewood Hall, adults enjoyedburgers generously supplied bySonic, while youth from theBGCM savored more than 120steaks provided by Napa Café.Guests also got to hear fromMemphis Grizzlies forward RudyGay, who served as the keynotespeaker. Once the last bite hadbeen taken, and after sponsorsgot a chance to know the kids,everyone left full of good foodand in even better spirits know-ing that the event raised morethan $277,000 for the BGCM,now in its 50th year.
Story by Maggie GiffinPhotos by Libby Huff
Duration Fine Arts Club Spring Luncheon
The Duration Fine Arts Club ush-ered in the change of season withits Spring Luncheon at theUniversity Club. Ruth Boyd andJoan Draper teamed up to chairthe affair, which also included theinstallation of new officers:Dianne Ramsey-president; DonnaGodwin-vice-president; BobbieTempleton-secretary; AnnemarieBobay-treasurer; and HildaMullen-programs. Each of theofficers was presented by memberCarole Feisal, who entertained allwith her dramatic interpretationof a Southern belle, and given afragrant gardenia. With the club’scommitment to providing arts-related experiences for its mem-ber, the program wouldn’t havebeen complete without beautifulmusic made by Terri Theil, onpiano, and Theil’s vocal student,Sophie Blatt, who impressed withsongs like “I’ll Be Seeing You”and “I Dreamed a Dream.”
Story and Photos by Leah Fitzpatrick
Debbie Fields Rose, Lou Carrick and Dr. Susan Murrmann
Mona and Jacquelyn Sappenfield
Valerie Morris and Dr. Tina Jones
Nancy Stutts and Tiffany Griffin
Dianne Ramsey and Donna Godwin
Ruth Boyd and Joan Draper
Terri Theil, Sophie Blatt and Brenda Glass
Eula and Rob Horrell
Sally Hook and Billie Jean Graham
Herschel Walker with Kim and Johnny Pitts
Trip Spear, Dan Clarahan and Vinny Borello
Duane Carter and Ron Nelson
Pryor Lott and Antonio Harris
Go Red for Women Girls Night Out
Memphians broke out their bestred ensembles to combat heartdisease at the Go Red for WomenGirls Night Out at HiltonMemphis. Heart disease remainsthe number one killer of womenin the U.S., so the event, whichis sponsored by the Go Red forWomen division of the AmericanHeart Association, is designed forattendees to visit informative sta-tions set up by area vendors tolearn how to stop the disease andalso hear heart disease survivors’stories. Jenna Bush-Hager servedas the guest speaker this year,while Valerie Morris and Dr. TinaJones chaired the benefit.
Story by Leah FitzpatrickPhotos by Chris Pugh
Salvation Army Annual Dinner
From former NFL star to moti-vational speaker, HerschelWalker proved his diverse rangeof talents during the SalvationArmy Annual Dinner, presentedby Lipscomb & Pitts Insuranceat Hilton Memphis. Touching ona theme of “Breaking Free,”Walker chronicled how he brokefree from early hardships andhow he later dealt with his diag-nosis of dissociative identity dis-order (DID). Echoing the senti-ment, Renewal Place graduateTonya Eubanks shared her heart-felt story of how she broke freefrom secrets, shame and addic-tion, and other graduates toldtheir stories as well through avideo that aired. At the event’sclose, chairs Kim and JohnnyPitts took the stage, whereJohnny exclaimed, “We’ve raiseda record amount of moneytonight for the ministry theSalvation Army does!”
Story and Photos by Leah Fitzpatrick
RS
VP
49
JULY
20
12
ONSITE
Pearl of the Orient International GalaThe Memphis in May InternationalFestival presented the Pearl of theOrient International Gala at ThePeabody. This elegant gathering hon-ored the 7,107 islands of the Republic ofthe Philippines, His Excellency,Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia Jr., and TheHonorable Ramon R. Jimenez Jr. of thePhilippine Department of Tourism. Inthe Grand Ballroom, amid toweringwhite lily centerpieces, guests dined onFilipino-inspired cuisine like pork cro-quettes on green papaya salad with jica-ma, carrot and cabbage slaw in sugarcane vinegar; shrimp cakes with peanutcoconut sauce and mung beans; andchorizo-stuffed Cornish hens with soy,lemon and garlic, long beans and jas-mine rice.
Story and Photos by Kelly Cox
Dr. Sandra Dee, Justice Janice Holder and Dr. Josefina Go
Dishes for WishesWhen a cuisine schedule ispassed out, you know you’rein foodie paradise, as was thecase at Dishes for Wishes,benefiting the Make-A-WishFoundation® of the Mid-South. Hosted again byFelicia Willett at FeliciaSuzanne’s, the event sold outwith 300-plus guests, whocontributed more than$187,000 for children withlife-threatening medical con-ditions. From lamb slidersand tempura fried pimentocheese to hot wing rolls andcrawfish pies, there was defi-nitely something for every-one, and the live auctionitems, auctioned off by SteveConley and Karen Perrin of94.1 KQK, were also tempt-ing with items like a privatedinner party in McEwen’scellar and a beach retreat upfor grabs. Capping off thefestivities was a touchingspeech given by Wish kidJustin, who spoke about hisWalt Disney World Resorttrip made possible by Make-A-Wish.
Story and Photos by Leah Fitzpatrick
Karen Perrin, Felicia Willett and Steve Conley
Steve and Golden Bearman
Martha and Mike Hess
LCDR Manny and Dinah Arcelona
Ted and Kathy Ferguson
Onsite IV
Yvonne Acey, Vanessa Luellen, Carolyn Hardy, Dr. Beverly Bond, Summer Owens and Dr. Lisa Jennings
Holly PetraeusLisa Cook, Terica Lamb, Linda
Williams and Stephanie ScurlockJennifer Watson, Robin Rasmussen and Frank Watson III
Women of Achievement AwardsThe Women of Achievement Awards honoredthe community’s female “changemakers”during a presentation at the U of M HolidayInn. During the ceremony, organized byWomen of Achievement Inc., honorees werepresented plates crafted by Memphis potterKatie Dann. Those receiving awards includedthe following: Yvonne Acey—Steadfastness;Vanessa Luellen—Courage; Carolyn Hardy—Determination; Dr. Beverly Bond—Vision;Summer Owens—Heroism; Dr. Lisa Jennings—Initiative; and Dr. Georgia Patton—Heritage.
Story by Maggie GiffinPhoto by Andrea Zucker Photography
Planned Parenthood Patrons PartyJennifer and Frank Watson III hosted aPatrons Party at their home to thank the sus-taining patrons of Planned ParenthoodGreater Memphis Region. Around 75 peopleattended the annual event honoring thereproductive health service provider’sdonors, whose generous gifts have ensuredthat Planned Parenthood will continue toprovide contraception and related health careto women and teens who could not afford itotherwise. A number of PPGMR’s boardmembers were in attendance, as well as statesenator Beverly Marrero and musician LilyAfshar.
Story and Photo Submitted
RISE Foundation LuncheonThe RISE Foundation hosted two leadingexperts from the Consumer FinancialProtection Bureau (CFPB) in WashingtonD.C. to help raise awareness about con-sumer rights for two of the nation’s mostvulnerable populations: men and women ofthe military and older citizens. HollyPetraeus, assistant director of the CFPB’sOffice of Servicemember Affairs, andHubert “Skip” Humphrey III, assistantdirector of the Bureau’s Office of OlderAmericans, served as the speakers forthe luncheon, themed “Servicemembers andOlder Americans: Facing Financial Pitfalls,”that was held at the Memphis CookConvention Center.
Story and Photos Submitted
RS
VP
50
JULY
20
12
GPAC Gala“Viva La GPAC”E
V E N T
Porter and Alexa Robinson Dan and Amanda Bureau
Deni Hirsh and Ron South Patricia Bradshaw and Emily Robbins
Bob and Nora Caporale Rhonda and David Porter
GPAC
GAL
A
Susan and Jim Myers, Ginger and Bill Haynes, Connie Tichy, Rick Estep and Susan and Scott JacksonShannon and Beryl Brown Pat and Anne Halloran
See all the party photos atrsvpmagazine.com Password: RSVP
With a Gold Cadillac parked in front and a replica of the gates toGraceland marking the entrance, it wasn’t hard to guess thetheme of the 2012 GPAC Gala. Viva La GPAC’s guests were wel-
comed by an Elvis impersonator to the affair that has gained a reputa-tion for its originality and panache.
It was difficult to determine whether the grand lobby heldmore guests or silent auction items. From dance lessons to dinners,pet portraits to tool sets, there was something that would appeal toalmost everyone, according to the bid sheets. There was also a jewelrycase filled with baubles provided by Mednikow Jewelers, which offeredguests a chance to win a $500 gift certificate if they bought a glass ofChampagne. As the lights flickered, the Elvis look-alike (Corey Klein)encouraged guests to take a seat in the theater, where the event’smany sponsors were acknowledged, as were the gala chairs, Sandraand John Paul Jones. The partygoers then took their places on stage,which had tables boasting golden tablecloths adorned with toweringglass centerpieces filled with orchids and greenery. “Swag bags,”brimming with party favors, flickered with attached blue and whitelights and awaited diners at each place setting.
GPAC executive director Tania Castroverde Moskalenko tookcenter stage and presented the 2012 Patron of the Arts Award to Dr.Neal and Joey Beckford. New York City-based musician Caroline Jonesprovided entertainment during dinner. She began by playing a preludeto “Amazing Grace” on the harmonica and then sang the hymn acapella. The young songstress, who also played the guitar and thebanjo, continued to entertain with a variety of tunes, which naturallyincluded an Elvis song, “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.” A din-ner that began with a salad of butter leaf lettuce with onion jam, friedgreen tomatoes and mustard vinaigrette, was followed by an entrée ofchicken breasts stuffed with goat cheese, rosemary and sherry sautéedbrussels sprouts with shallots and wild mushroom and chive pilaf.
A dessert, consisting of a miniature banana crème brûlée anda flourless chocolate torte with crème fraîche was served as auctioneerJeff Morris began taking bids for items befitting “The King,” includ-ing a baby grand piano, jewelry and trip packages, which finished offthe evening.
Story by Suzanne ThompsonPhotos by Baxter Buck
RS
VP
52
JULY
20
12
E V E N T
GPAC
GAL
A
Arnold and Joan Weiss
Bron Eaton and Kayla Flora Valerie and Jeff Morris Chris and Tina Reisedge
Denise Burnett and Gary Hoeffler Maury Ballenger and Sharon Bicks Adrienne Pakis-Gillon and Bill Gillon
Bob Willis and Amanda Giffin
Roy and Donna Cohen
Micki Martin and Whitney Pitts
Lynn and Dr. George Galzada
RS
VP
53
JULY
20
12
E V E N T
GPAC
GAL
A
Charles and Allegra Inzer with Frank Jackson
Judith and John Weber Webb
Genie and Ralph Braden with Barbara and Jeff Michael
Kendra Wooten and Sandra Patterson
Susan and Greg Gilluly
Dr. Neal Beckford with Drs. Susan and Mike Lacy
John and Janet Golen
Martha Bernal and Cesar Ceballos
Dr. Esmond and Pamela Arrinde with Lillian and Judge George H. Brown Jr.
Jeff and Karen Weesner
Sebastian Gonzalez, Corey Klein and Laura Orozco
RS
VP
54
JULY
20
12
VIN-
A-QU
EE V E N T Vin-A-Que
“The Art of Wine and Swine”
Val Hall, Ashley Britt and Whitten Jordan
Andrew and Audrea Liles
Daniel and Debra Sledd
Hemant and Mary Gupta
Courtenay Adams and Amanda Dent
Howe Sipes and Angela Hammond
Kayla and Jonathan Pence
Kim and Ben Williams
Austin and Jenna Lowry
The Memphis Wine and Food Series reached the 20-year mark thisspring, but that hasn’t stopped the Memphis Brooks Museum ofArt from keeping the series deliciously innovative. For instance,
take Vin-A-Que—the series’ newest addition. The event, which fitting-ly took place in May (deemed by some as the month of barbecue),offered 350 foodies and art supporters snout-to-tail pork barbecuedishes paired alongside specialty cocktails and premiere wines. Wineand swine, why not?
Compared to other stops in the Wine and Food Series, Vin-A-Que exuded a more casual vibe and had a bit of country thrown in,from live music on the terrace by Papa Top’s West Coast Turn-around to whiskey drinks served in mason jars. Another down-hometouch came from the sod positioned underneath roasting boxes,which made the whole area feel like you were in the middle of abackyard cookout. Even better, from the roasting boxes came thewonderful smell of smoked whole hogs being prepared by Wally Joeand Andrew Adams of the Brushmark and Acre and by AndrewMichael’s Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman. GermantownCommissary played to the slider craze with its pulled pork sliders,while the Brushmark had cooked up vegan options with its portabel-la sliders, mixed grilled vegetables, barbecue-pulled King Trumpetmushrooms and a grilled romaine salad. Other delectables includedThe Bar-B-Q Shop’s pulled pork sandwiches with slaw andGaribaldi’s barbecue pizza, but there were even more selections asnoted by guest Austin Lowry.
He grinned, “The smoked pork jowl [with pickled ramps andrhubarb] from Interim was unique and interesting, but Central BBQbrought down the house with their ribs.”
In addition to all the yummy food, patrons bid on outdoor-themed silent auction items and sipped on wines provided by fea-tured winemaker Martinelli Winery, along with upcoming 2013 fea-tured vintners, Elk Cove Vineyards and Argyle Winery. AthensDistributing, Buster’s Liqours & Wines, Ghost River Brewing,Glazer’s Robilio, Southwestern Distributing, Star Distributing andUnited Liquors Corporation also supplied libations, as did newCooper-Young restaurant Alchemy with its “Gin and Sin” and“Dancin’ Jimmy’s Secret.”
For a first-time fund-raiser, the turnout was solid and sowere the top-notch wine and swine pairings. Brooks Museum publicrelations and public programs manager Andria Lisle added that Vin-A-Que was a “huge success,” and sees it as part of the MemphisWine and Food Series from here on out.
Story by Leah FitzpatrickPhotos by Don PerrySee all the party photos at rsvpmagazine.com
Password: RSVP
RS
VP
56
JULY
20
12
VIN-
A-QU
EE V E N T
Andrea and Matt Lum
Lauren Edmonds and Jenny Brindell
Grant and Kim Gillum
Cheryl and Kevin SlaneElisha and John Vego
Cindy Kramer and Judy Strong
Lisa Smith and Lindsey Hammond
Cathy and Andy Perkins
Christina Vranich and Jessica Toliuszis
Rebecca White and Jerry Hensley
Andy and Mary Katherine Dempster
RS
VP
58
JULY
20
12
E V E N T
VIN-
A-QU
E
Katie Wallace, Melissa Purcell and Allison Jacob
Dudley and Jessie FlandersStephen Kuehl and Lana Ortcutter
Doris and Walter BattleMarene and George Roberts
Mike and Beni DragutskyTina Bradley and Valerie Morris
Buddy Gaynor, Kate Pera and Brian Dickerson
Zach Beaver, Lyndsey Williams, Connelly Caughey and Jared Zeringwe
Melissa Tate and Suzana LightmanSally and John Presnell
Diane Jalfon and Kelli MitchellHeather Wilson and Joe Santiago
RS
VP
60
JULY
20
12
E V E N T
VIN-
A-QU
E
Jake Miller and Shawn Mitchell
Steve West and Pamela HauberC. Frederick and Lisa Mosby
Dana and Kent FarmerRoger and Kathy Sapp
Mel and Betsy ParkJennifer Baker and Zac Williams
RS
VP
61
JULY
20
12
E V E N T
VIN-
A-QU
E
Katherine and Jeff Graham with Kay and Jim Durrett
Peter Habicht, Cameron Kitchin, Regina Martinelli and Jeff Kitterman
Matt Brown, Anna and Lee Grehan and Jonathan Frazer
Fiona and Lance Binder, Kelly Robinson and Michael Hughes
RS
VP
63
JULY
20
12
AFTE
R HO
URS After Hours
A photo collage of the latestbusiness happenings
“Rendezvous on the Range”BBQ at the FedEx St. Jude Classic
Pinot’s PaletteGrand Opening
Bella Vita Artist Trunk ShowBenefiting The MED
Reggie White Medical Cardio-Pulmonary Rehab Ribbon Cutting
Nick Vergos of Rendezvous and Scott Hennessy of True Temper Sports
Michael Camp, Shea Randall and Derek Denman
Greg Fortune and Marnie Denman
Jennie Binkley, Cindy Fowler, Loretta Harrell and Neely Easter
Ken and Kristi Bauer
Carrington Walthall and George Davis
Rick and Mary Gruber
Marsha Brown and B.J. Johnson
Laurie Losorwith, Phil Shannon and Stephanie Singley
Sonya Edwards and Sarah Robertson
Cari Hale and Tammy Biggs
Emily Ozier and Cecel Allee
RS
VP
64
JULY
20
12
� � � � � a z z !
wumr.memphis.edu
� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � � �
or underwriting information, call 90or underwriting information, call 90isit us online at
Fisit us online at V
�c l a s s y
or underwriting information, call 90
c l a s s yor underwriting information, call 90
c l a s s y.memphis.edu
c l a s s y.memphis.edu
c l a s s yisit us online at wumrwumr.memphis.eduisit us online at
c l a s s y
�c l a s s yor underwriting information, call 90
c l a s s yor underwriting information, call 90
c l a s s y.memphis.edu.memphis.edu
c l a s s y � � � � �c l a s s y � � � � �� � � � �� � � � �c l a s s y1 6058-27-6
c l a s s y.memphis.edu.memphis.edu
c l a s s yc l a s s y
�60
� �
ACROSS1 Former Memphis Mayorwith "Boss"6 Clothing stitch10 Veer14 Capital of Vietnam15 Opera solo16 Male aristocrat17 Constellation18 County Mayor Luttrell19 Move carefully20 Cat21 Takes23 Ice deliverer25 Rocket builders26 Second to last mo.27 Adorn30 Bodkins34 Lengthwise35 Fades36 Extremely high frequency (abbr.)38 Metric unit of volume39 Root vegetable40 Stomach sore42 Eastern Standard Time43 Comedian Jay44 Australian bear45 Agony48 Issue49 Term of affection
50 Donkey51 Washington city54 Ancient German character55 United States58 Imitated59 Rigid61 Legal63 African river64 Loaf65 Widely known66 Guys' dates
67 Dorm dweller68 Unpleasant
DOWN1 Break up wood2 Unusual3 Section4 Cow sound5 Airline headquartered inDowntown Memphis6 Do a dance7 Extremely long time periods8 Sky9 Potentiality10 Part of a coat11 Rich dirt12 __ Major (Big Dipper)13 Eve's garden22 Question24 Wheel tooth25 Come close to27 Bundle28 Live29 Me too30 Waitress on "Cheers"31 Ammunition32 Review33 The Levitt ____35 Tinter37 Affray
40 Luau guitars41 Run43 Madman46 College located on North Parkway47 Hero Lee for whom a riversidepark is named48 Studio where Elvis first recorded50 Silenced51 Zest52 Capital of Western Samoa53 Jail room54 Statute55 Ca. University56 Asian nation57 Lawyer (abbr.)60 Hubbub62 Sorbet
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
Solution: C R U M P S E A M S L U E H A N O I A R I A L O R D O R I O N M A R K E A S E P E T N A B S I C E M A N
N A S A N O V B E D E C K D A G G E R S A X I A L D I M S E H F L I T R E Y A M U L C E R E S T L E N O K O A L A
T O R T U R E S U P P L Y H O N M U L E
T A C O M A R U N E U S A A P E D T A U T L I C I T N I L E I D L E E C L A T G A L S C O E D S E A M Y
RSVP Crossword | Edited by Ruth Cassin
RS
VP
65
JULY
20
12
By Dennis Phillippi RSVP
HILL
IPPI
A LOOK BACK AT BAD LOOKSLike many people
in my genera-tion, I was hesi-
tant to sign on forthe whole social net-working thing for alot of reasons: theprospect of havingto answer to oldgirlfriends forancient transgres-sions, the possibili-
ty of being pestered by the very people I’dbeen avoiding for years and the thought ofhaving to pretend to maintain yet anotherline of communication to the world whilenot actually doing so. What never dawnedon me was the very real issue of old hair-cuts.
My family never went in for a lotof photo taking. There were so many of usthat documenting every event would’vebeen impossible, so we never really madethe attempt. Unlike my wife, I don’t haveboxes of old pictures and photo albumsfrom senior cruises and other people’sweddings. Hence, I never thought aboutthe zillions of old photos that other peoplemight have. To be more specific, I neverthought about the zillions of old photosother people might have of me. This wasquite an oversight.
You see, I’ve been in show businessmy entire life. More pictures have beentaken of me throughout the course of mylifetime than your average average-lookingbaby. All those community theater produc-tions, old television appearances, and yes,the Mime Years, were pretty thoroughlycaptured for posterity. Had I ever reallythought about all those pictures that hadbeen taken, I would’ve assumed they wereall moldering in the bottom drawer ofdressers or file cabinets, or crumpled inattics. Never would I have imagined theidea of them being posted on Facebook.And yet, that is exactly what has hap-pened. There for all the world to see areall of those old pictures, which would bebad enough, but worse still, most of themwere taken in the ’70s and ’80s. Just thinkof the haircuts you had during those mis-erable decades. Now imagine what a youngshow business egomaniac was carryingaround on his head.
In the ’70s—my teen years—guys
wore their hair long. In my case, it waslong and big. My hair, when left to its owndiscretion, has the consistency of fusillipasta—wild corkscrews that sprout in everydirection. In order to wear it long whenthat was de rigueur, the use of a hair dryerand inverted brushing produced the kindof mane worn by the likes of Gino Vannelliand Leo Sayer. As it happens, they wereboth attractive rock or pop stars and notan underweight adolescent whose nose andAdam’s apple were duking it out forprominence. It was a good look for them,and not at all an unusual look for a guymy age at that time, but now, on Face-book, it is a bad, bad haircut. Match itwith floppy hats, tinted glasses and a but-terfly collar, and you have a deep lode of
photos I would just as soon not have sit-ting around on the Internet.
It would be great to be able to saythat the next phase of my tonsorial historywas an improvement, but anyone who hasthe slightest memory of the timeline inquestion knows that next up were the ’80s.It got worse. Immeasurably worse. Oneword friends: mullet. Yes, I, like virtuallyevery man in my generation, sported theKentucky waterfall in those anti-halcyondays. For those of you young enough, oldenough or just plain lucky enough to beunfamiliar with the haircut from hairbands, the mullet was shortly cropped inthe front and the top, with a cascade ofquestionable judgment in the back. Therewere many variations on the look, butthat’s the basic template. My friends Jeffand Brandon both sported straight blondmullets, reminiscent of a young SteffiGraf. I wore the modified curly uber-Sagetcut, which you can see to this day inreruns of “Full House.” The top was styledto resemble a standard poodle, while theback was similar in appearance and tex-
ture to an enormous steel wool scrubber.Throw in huge shoulder pads, a neck thesize of a bendy straw and glasses SallyJessy Raphael would’ve considered tooflashy, and you have a look best forgottenby everyone. Wouldn’t that be nice? Sadly,that is not the case. Make the effort, andyou can find the pictures yourself. Iwouldn’t advise it, but you can.
Men are obviously not the onlyones who have been unwisely swayed byfashion trends, but it doesn’t seem tobother women. My wife, and all the otherwomen who run my life, see these old highschool pictures of themselves with massivecliffs of hair towering over their overlymade-up faces and declare themselves“cute.” They find the blue eye shadow andacid washed denim overalls adorable. Mendo not ever look back at earlier incarna-tions of themselves and think of the words“cute” or “adorable.” Those are wordsassociated with baby tigers and talkingbabies on commercials. We see our disas-trous decisions and think “idiot” and“sucker.”
It doesn’t matter that we all lookedlike morons in those decades. Just becauseall of my friends also wore painter’s pantsand neon ties does not mean I want to seemyself, or be seen by others, in them. Justbecause Rick Springfield and DavidCopperfield also wore short-waisted, dou-ble-breasted suits doesn’t make them cool—it just means those guys were dummies,too.
These days my wife cuts my hairwith clippers. Maybe someday I’ll lookback and wonder why I wore my hair veryshort and well kempt, but it’s hard toimagine. The look is timeless and, as aside benefit, very cheap to have. It takesjust a few minutes, and for a few seconds,I also get to see what it would’ve been liketo have hairy shoulders. Boy, I dodged abullet on that one. Dodged a bullet, butnot a mullet—there must be a tee shirt inthere somewhere.
Dennis Phillippi, oh how we wanted tochange out your picture in this columnwith one from the uber-Saget days! Tomake this story truly believable, it definite-ly needed a picture from your past, butwe’ll leave it to our readers to scanFacebook for mullet proof.
Yes, I, like virtually every
man in my generation, sport-
ed the Kentucky waterfall in
those anti-halcyon days.
RS
VP
66
JULY
20
12
Carnival MemoriesRSVP
AST
1979
In 1979, Carnival Memphis was still known as “Cotton Carnival,” and a duchess in the organi-zation was referred to as a “Lady in Waiting,” according to Suzanne Thompson, a “Lady in
Waiting” herself. Pictured above in a blue dress, Thompson also says that the court then traveledin chartered buses throughout the city attending parties together and was officially presented tothe public as its members disembarked on the cobblestones downtown following a big party onthe royal barge. The Carnival king and queen in 1979 were Robert Smithwick Jr. and MaryLouise Self, both pictured with Thompson above, as are some of the royal pages.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SUZANNE THOMPSON
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.
