Download - No’Ala Huntsville, March/April 2016
TENNESSEE’S ELEPHANT SANCTUARY | A 40-YEAR PUBLIC AFFAIR | IT TAKES A VILLAGE
noalastudios.com
MARCH/APRIL $4.95
Dr. Juanita Harris, one of 28 people,
chosen by our readers, who is helping to make
a diff erence in the Valley and beyond.
| noalastudios.com | march/april
march/april | noalastudios.com |
| noalastudios.com | march/april
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march/april | noalastudios.com |
Join us for
9:00am—4:30pm Guillot University Center, University of North Alabama
6:00pm—9:00pm McFarland Park - under tent
•Rain location: Norton Auditorium, UNA Campus
Wednesday, May 187:00pm, GUC
Performance Center
AN EVENING WITH
DONALD DAVIS
SEPARATE TICKET REQUIRED: $10 • May be
purchased prior to the event or on location.
Thursday, May 199:00am and 1:00pm
$25.00
SHOALSHISTORICAL
TOURThis tour will include Ivy Green– the birthplace of Helen Keller, the Rosen-
baum House— designed by Frank Lloyd Wright,
and Tom’s Wall– a Native American memorial,
noted as one of the top 10 environmental arts in the
United States.
10:00amGUC Performance Center$5.00 (Cost included for
Tour Ticket holders)
The MUSCLE SHOALS
DOCUMENTARYA private showing of the
award winning film about
the music history of the
Shoals area.
1:30pm, $25.00
The SHOALS MUSIC TOUR
Visit the W.C. Handy home & museum and
the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, along with
such landmarks as FAME Studios and the Muscle
Shoals Sound Studio. With tour guide Walt Aldridge,
singer/songwriter.
2:00pmGUC Performance Center,
$5.00 (Cost included for Tour
Ticket holders)
Kathryn: The Story of a TellerA private showing of a
documentary about world renowned Kathryn Tucker
Windham.
Thursday, May 197:30pm, GUC Perfor-
mance Center — FREEFeaturing Walt Aldridge,
Kate Campbell, Donny Lowery and Mark Nar-
more
SINGING RIVER SONGWRITERS’
ROUNDHave you ever wondered what meaning lies within
the lyrics of your favor-ite songs? Join us for a
songwriters’ round to hear some amazing music and stories of the inspiration
behind them!
Friday, May 20 9:00-12:30, GUC/Loft
Morning Session
Lunch - PREPAID ONLYGUC Performance Center, ONLY $12 PER PERSON!
COUNTRY FRIED CHICKEN WITH
ALL THE FIXIN’S Served on site as lunch
on Friday, May 20. Meal tickets must be purchased by Friday,
May 13. Tickets may be purchased via mail-in
registration or online at www.una.edu/storytelling.
NOT AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE THE DAY OF
EVENT.
1:30-4:30, GUC/Loft
Afternoon Session
6:00-9:00pm
BACK BY POPULAR
DEMAND:
THREE ON ASTRING
threeonastring.com
Saturday, May 21 7:00pm
THE DILLPICKERSthedillpickers.com
This year, we are kick-ing the festivities off
early with exciting pre-festival events—so sit
back in your rocker, sip on some sweet tea,
and stay awhile!
On the University of North
Alabama campus
Florence, Alabama
www.una.edu/
storytelling
1-800-TALK UNA
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, MAY 20 and 21 STORIES, SONGS, AND THE SINGING RIVER
www.una.edu/storytelling
16WLRH in Huntsville: A 40-Year Public Aff air
WLRH: A peek inside the studio, as Alabama’s oldest public radio station celebrates the big 4-0.
by roy hallphotos by patrick hood
6 » March/April
50
features
Portrait of Anna Chilton by Lauren Tomasella Carney
Th e Heart & Soul of the Valley
Twenty-eight Valley residents whose lives and works inspire us every day.
produced by sara wright covingtonportraits by sarah brewer, lauren tomasella carney, carole forêt, olivia reed, and jan renegar
90Th e Golden Girls
Th e Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee off ers solace to nature’s grande-est dames.
by jennifer crossley howard
42It Takes aVillage
A mighty vision to rescue Huntsville’s most vulnerable young people from the devastating eff ects of poverty.
by sara wright covingtonphotos by patrick hood, kenya epps, and carole forêt
34Old School
Th e fi rst in a regular feature revisiting some of the Valley’s most memorable people, places, and things. We begin our journey with Athens landmark, and downtown Huntsville new-comer, U.G. White.
by john kvach and chris paysingerphotos by guy mcclure, jr. and john kvach
Cover photo of Dr. Juanita Harris
by Jan Renegar
7 » editor’s letter « Allen Tomlinson
no’ala huntsvilleadvisory board
Osie Adelfang
ARC Design-Build, Inc.
Lynne Berry
HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
Sarah Brewer
Click Photo Designs by Sarah Brewer
Kimberly Casey
Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment
Donna Castellano
Historic Huntsville Foundation
Aissa Castillo
aislerchic.com
Dan Halcomb
Huntsville Symphony Orchestra
Lauren McCaul
deptofagraculture.com
Guy McClure, Jr.
Athens State University
Tom Patterson
knowhuntsville.com
Dr. Holly Powe
Calhoun Community College
Olivia Reed
Olivia Reed Photography
Patrick Robbins
Huntsville Hospital
Jennifer Swoboda
Hagerman & Company
Junior League of Huntsville
Lauren Tomasella Carney
Lauren Tomasella Photography
Ashley Vaughn
White Rabbit Studios/Vertical House Records
Charles Vaughn
Vaughn Lumber Company
Andrew Wilmon
Broadway Theatre League
In every community, there are people who quietly work in the background to make things better. This issue, we’re going to introduce you to 28 of them.
Th is year, we asked our readers to tell us about the people
in the community who work tirelessly behind the scenes
to make this a better place. Th ere were only two rules,
really: the person had to be living at the time of nomina-
tion, and the person could not be a politician. We wanted
the people in the shadows, the unrecognized heroes who
roll up their sleeves and volunteer or do extraordinary
things with their careers to help other people, to help the
community, or to help make this a better place.
You responded. We carefully vetted your suggestions, divided them amongst
some extraordinary photographers, and put together our second Heart and Soul
issue. David, Matt, and the rest of the staff here at No’Ala had nothing to do with
the nomination or selection of these people—but we could not be happier with
the group. If you see them in the grocery store, at church, or downtown, stop them
and thank them for all the things they do. And as you look around and consider
the wonderful people who make up this community, jot down a name or two for
our next Heart and Soul issue—we’ll do it again in a couple of years!
We take a look at some other varied topics in this issue, as well. John Kvach and
Chris Paysinger have written a marvelous piece about the history of U.G. White,
a downtown staple in Athens and a new resident of downtown Huntsville. We’ll
introduce you to an elephant sanctuary in nearby Hohenwald, Tennessee—you
read that right, an elephant sanctuary!—and we’ll show you some really wonderful
things you can fi nd when you shop locally. It’s a varied issue—but fun!
Th e groundhog didn’t see his shadow this year, which means we are supposed to have
an early spring—and we are ready. As this issue goes to press, we’re hard at work on
the Entertainment issue, which always signals the beginning of warmer weather. Shop
the Valley, y’all, and thank our advertisers for their support. Happy spring!
g g
support. Happy spring!
8 » contents
MARCH/APRIL 2016
Volume 5: Issue 2
• • •
Editor-in-Chief C. Allen Tomlinson
Chief Operating Offi cer Matthew Liles
Creative Director David Sims
Advertising Director Jamie Noles
Advertising Sales/Distribution Duell Aldridge
Features Manager Roy Hall
Graphic Designer Rowan Finnegan
Web Designer Justin Hall
Shopgirls Aissa Castillo, Lauren McCaul
Proofreader Carole Maynard
• • •
Contributing Writers
Sara Wright Covington, Sarah Gaede,
Roy Hall, Jennifer Crossley Howard, John Kvach,
Guy McClure, Jr., Chris Paysinger
• • •
Contributing Photographers
Sarah Brewer, Lauren Tomasella Carney,
Kenya Epps, Carole Forêt, Patrick Hood,
John Kvach, Guy McClure, Jr., Danny Mitchell,
Olivia Reed, Jan Renegar
• • •
No’Ala Huntsville is published six times annuallyby No’Ala Studios
PO Box 2530, Florence, AL 35630 Phone: (800) 779-4222 | Fax: (256) 766-4106
Web: noalastudios.com
Standard postage paid at Huntsville, AL.A one-year subscription is $19.95for delivery in the United States.
Signed articles refl ect only the views of the authors and do not necessarily refl ect the views of the editors.
Advertisers are solely responsible forthe content of their advertisements.
© 2008-2016 No’Ala Studios, All rights reserved.
Send all correspondence toAllen Tomlinson, Editor, at the postal address above,
or by e-mail to [email protected] may be edited for space and style.
To advertise, contact us at(256) 766-4222, or [email protected].
The editor will provide writer’s guidelines upon request.Prospective authors should not submit unsolicited
manuscripts; please query the editor fi rst.
No’Ala Huntsville is printed with vegetable-based inks.Please recycle.
Connect with us on Facebook: No’Ala MagInstagram: noalastudios, Pinterest: NoAlaStudios,
and Twitter: @NoAla_Magazine
everything else
3410 Calendar Selected Events for March/April 2016
12 Cryin’ Out Loud “Th at Which Does Not Kill Us…” by sara wright covington
34 Old School by john kvach and
chris paysinger
80 ShopGirls by aissa castillo, lauren mccaul
photos by lauren
tomasella carney
98 Bless Th eir Hearts“Mike the Protector”
by guy mcclure, jr.
100 Food for Th oughtPuttanesca on the Ritz
by sarah gaede
102 Parting Shot by lauren tomasella carney
© Guy McClure, Jr.
Steps in the right direction
We apologize!
When we put together the last wedding issue, we made a mistake and listed Brooks Photography three diff erent ways. As you take a look at that issue—and we know it’s one you tend to keep—please note that Brooks Photography, David Brooks Photography, and Kerry Brooks Photography are all one and the same. The two ten-page features have credited him correctly; we apologize!
march/april | noalastudios.com |
Now – Sunday, May, 15Celestial Dreams: Th e Art of Space Jewelry
Using precious gems, minerals, and metals, artist Kathy Chan interprets the genuine awe of the cosmos and its vibrant oasis, Earth. A self-taught jewelry artisan, Huntsville-based Chan’s instincts and talents have earned her numerous accolades, in-cluding 14 international awards. Sun-Mon 9:00am-5:00pm; Admission Charged; US Space and Rocket, One Tranquility Base; (256) 837-3400; rocketcenter.com
Tuesday, March 1 – Friday, April 29Th e Visitors Center presents Th e #IHeartHSV Collection
Th e Convention & Visitors Bureau, in partnership with Th e Arts Council, presents a brand new collection of locally made and curated items celebrating Huntsville and Madison County, to celebrate the Year of Alabama Makers. Sun Noon-5:00pm, Mon-Sat 9:00am-5:00pm; Free; Visitors Center, 500 Church St; (256) 533-5723
Friday, March 4 – Friday April 29 (Fridays Only)Friday Night Artist Market
Th e market features art vendors, open artist studios, independent shops, hallway demonstrations, performances, relaxed open houses, and a strong sense of community and connectedness. Patrons are invited to come early for shows in the theatre and peruse art of all kinds in this comfortable indoor setting. 5:00pm-8:00pm; Free; Lowe Mill, 2211 Seminole Dr; (256) 489-7000; fl yingmonkeyarts.org
Saturday, March 5 – Saturday, April 30 (Saturdays Only)Downtown Huntsville Food Tour
Th is guided walking tour winds through Huntsville’s historic downtown, visiting six unique food tasting locations. Stops include Huntsville’s premier gastro-pub, a delectable European inspired eatery, and the coff eehouse that introduced the city to the delights of gourmet roasting over 30 years ago. 11:00am-1:30pm; Admission charged; Location provided with ticket purchase; (800) 656-0713; huntsvillefoodtours.com
Saturday, March 12Th e Americas: Canadian Brass
“Th e world’s most famous brass group,” the engaging and dynamic Canadian Brass, delight with a broad repertoire including trademark Baroque and Dixieland tunes, along with new compositions and arrangements created especially for them. 7:30pm; Admission charged; VBC Mark Smith Concert Hall, 700 Monroe St; (256) 539-4818; hso.org
Saturday, March 19EarlyWorks Society’s Bunny Brunch and Egg Hunt
Th e EarlyWorks Society hosts their third annual Bunny Brunch and Egg Hunt at the Children’s Museum, with two reserved seatings. Th e Easter Bunny will be available for photo opportunities during each brunch. 9:00am and 11:00am; $15, Free for children under one; EarlyWorks Children’s Museum, 404 Madison St; earlyworks.com
Friday, April 8 – Sunday, April 10Alabama Youth Ballet Th eatre presents Cinderella
Witness this enchanting story told through dance in Alabama Youth Ballet Th eatre’s annual Fairy Tale ballet. Fri 7:00pm, Sat 2:00pm and 7:00pm, Sun 2:00pm; Admission charged; VBC Playhouse, 700 Monroe St; (256) 881-5930; alabamayouthballet.org
10 » calendar
march/april | noalastudios.com |
Saturday, April 9 – Sunday, April 10Huntsville Ballet Company’s Peter Pan
Th e Huntsville Ballet’s season closes with the world premiere of Peter Pan, featuring original choreography by Artistic Director Phillip Otto. Th e Huntsville Ballet Com-pany is excited to interpret J.M. Barrie’s enchanting story through the beauty of ballet. Sat 2:30pm and 7:00pm and Sun 2:30pm; Admission charged; VBC Mark Smith Concert Hall, 700 Monroe St; huntsvilleballetcompany.org
Wednesday, April 13Night of a Th ousand Flowers
Th is highly anticipated event includes live music, a spirited live auction, and a less hectic, but sometimes more com-petitive, silent version. Both auctions feature unique plants rarely seen at public off erings, and large container ar-rangements designed and planted by local plant suppliers. Experts will be available to answer questions and provide a shopping partner to make your experience more enjoy-able. 5:30pm-7:30pm; $45; Huntsville Botanical Gardens, 4747 Bob Wallace Ave; (256) 830-4447; hsvbg.org
Th ursday, April 21An Evening with Glenn Lowry, Director, Th e Museum of Modern Art
Lowry lectures and writes in support of contemporary art, on the role of museums in society, and on other topics related to his research interests. He is a member of the An-drew W. Mellon Foundation’s Board of Trustees, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a member of the steering committee for the Aga Khan Award for Archi-tecture, and a resident member of the American Philosoph-ical Society. He also serves on the advisory council of the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University. In 2004, the French government honored Glenn with the title of Offi cer dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. 7:00pm; Admission charged; Huntsville Museum of Art, 300 Church St; (256) 535-4350; hsvmuseum.org
Friday, April 29 – Sunday, May 1Th e Illusionists
Praised as “a high-tech magic extravaganza” by Th e New York Times, this mind-blowing production has shattered box offi ce records across the globe, dazzling audiences of all ages with its powerful mix of the most outrageous and astonishing acts ever to be seen on stage. Fri 8:00pm, Sat 2:00pm and 8:00pm, Sun 2:00pm and 7:30pm; Admission charged; Von Braun Center, 700 Monroe St; (256) 518-6155; broadwaytheatreleague.org
Friday, April 29 – Sunday, May 1Panoply
Th e Southeast’s premier arts festival, featuring art, music, and more, in downtown’s Big Spring Park. Fri 5:00pm-9:00pm, Sat 10:00am-9:00pm, Sun Noon-7:00pm; $10 day passes, Free 12 and under; Big Spring Park; (256) 519-2787; artshuntsville.org
One of my favorite guides to writing, a book by William Zinsser titled On Writing Well, advocates letting someone else’s brilliance tell your story in their own voice, using their direct quota-tions. Zinsser writes, “His own words will always be better than your words, even if you are the most elegant stylist in the land.” I’m going to do exactly this, as some brilliance I’ve recently come across is of
greeting card writer Emily McDowell, whose biting wit more eloquently illustrates the point of this essay far better than I ever could: “Together, we can fi nd a cure for the phrase ‘what doesn’t kill us
makes us stronger.’” Very simply put, McDowell is marketing to the masses the universal truth that people say really, really ridiculous things when they are at a loss for words. My youngest
daughter was diagnosed with cancer last summer, and I began following McDowell on so-cial media when my friend Stephanie and I were marveling over how it seems that when
people simply don’t know what to say, they often say the fi rst thing that comes into their brain. McDowell is also a cancer survivor, and her sass and snark have mani-
fested throughout her illness. Her version of dark sarcasm peppered with non-fl oral hints of hope have resonated deeply with me, as I found myself fl ailing to cope in a sea of everything happens for a reason-esque phrases thrown at me everywhere from doctor’s offi ce kitten posters to cashiers at Publix. I’ve never met Emily McDowell, but if we did meet, I would be tempted, in a very non-stalker-like way of course, to throw my arms around her and declare us soul mates.
Th ree days after my daughter’s diagnosis, we were sent to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and told to pack bags for two weeks, but to be prepared to stay for a month. In that excruciating three-day waiting period, I quickly realized how many times I have been guilty of using those very same cliché comfort phrases I now found echoing in my ears. In the past, I’ve often prid-ed myself on always thinking before I speak. I’m rarely the person who puts her foot in her mouth, and on the rare occasion when I do spew off the fi rst thought that enters my brain, I’m regretful almost immediately and will lie awake for days turning it over in my head. But again, people, myself included,
sometimes say really, really ridiculous things when they don’t know what else to say. Lucky for me, very rarely were these people close to me, but usually just ac-
quaintances or, in a couple of cases, complete strangers who were just scrambling for something to say when they somehow caught wind of the situation. A few of
my favorites:
Your daughter is going to be fi ne! I read all about her type of cancer on the internet. It has, like, a 95% survival rate.
I know how hard this must be. My little one just had his tubes out and it was awful.
Do they think there is something that causes this type of childhood cancer? Do your kids take vitamins? Maybe they should start taking vitamins.
Were these things said will ill-intentions? Of course not. Was I hypersensitive to any phrase I saw as even a remote insinuation, however silly that might seem, that this was my fault in some way? Yes, defi -nitely. As a mother, I’ve learned that “mommy guilt” ranges from neglecting to hand make your child’s valentines for the class party to skipping a night or two of the recommended 20-minute reading at
12 » cryin’ out loud » Sara Wright Covington
THAT WHICH DOES NOT KILL US…
I’ve realized that a crisis can bring out the crazy in us all, and we fi nd ourselves saying things completely outside of who we are.
advocates letting someontions. Zinsser writes, “Helegant stylist in the land
greeting card writer Eessay far better tha
makes us strongthat people sa
daughter wacial media
people stheir b
festedhinta sefroMw
ta
sosay
quafor s
my fa
Your daIt has, like
I know how ha
Do they think there vitamins? Maybe the
Were these things said weven a remote insinuationitely As a mother I’ve l
march/april | noalastudios.com |
bedtime to make sure they get into an Ivy League college to, yes, them getting a cold because you weren’t making them wash their hands enough. And even though I could mostly let these things slide, they still made me want to grab a roll of duct tape and start taping people’s mouths shut.
My youngest daughter had cancer—I think this phrase rolls through my head at least a couple of times an hour every day, and I imagine it will forever. And even though it mostly just stays in my head, it’s defi nitely escaped my lips a time or two over the months as well. I’ve used it as an excuse: I’m sorry I can’t keep the church nursery. My daughter can’t come to church because she had cancer and is immunocompromised from chemotherapy. I’ve used it as a warning: I’m sorry that your dog died. My daughter had cancer last year. And some-times even as a verbal retort: (to a cab driver when he picked me up at the front gates of St. Jude and asked me if I was enjoying my stay in Memphis) Yes. Cancer research hospitals are just like Disney World. My child may have cancer, but I’m having a fl ipping phenomenal time. (I cried in the next breath and apologized to him profusely.)
So, yes. I’ve realized that a crisis can bring out the crazy in us all, and we fi nd ourselves saying things completely outside of who we are. But, through everything we have gone through over these months, I’ve also learned that we have friends whose blood runs as thick as that of our own families. And for all of the thoughtless things that were said, the people who mattered the most just showed up. And didn’t say stupid things. Th e days after our daughter’s diagnosis are mostly a blurry vision of dinners brought to my doorstep, care pack-ages for our Memphis stay assembled, and friends shielding phone calls from people for which I didn’t have the energy for making conversation. I even have a vague memory of walk-ing in to fi nd one friend scrubbing the dirty fl oor of my laun-dry room on her hands and knees, while two others washed and put away dishes in my kitchen. Another thoughtful friend brought us a notebook and organizational folder fi lled with maps of Memphis and driving instructions to various plac-es, as well as a list of things to remember to bring (insurance cards, driver’s license, etc.) because she knew I would be too frazzled to think of these things. Friends brought sweaters and blankets to ward off the chill of the hospital, toys and games for the baby, and even books and magazines to keep us occu-pied. I didn’t ask them to do any of this. Like I said, they just showed up. And didn’t say stupid things.
So my advice when faced with comforting a friend having a diffi cult time is to try and keep your Google searches, home remedies, and Chicken Soup for the Soul quotes to yourself. Sometimes there is so much solace in admitting we don’t have the words for someone, but that we are there for them none-theless. If you do fi nd yourself without the words, do as I often do and steal someone else’s, provided they aren’t cliché. And when all else fails, there really isn’t a wrong occasion of crisis to say the following: “I’m so sorry you have been dealt this hand. I love you. Now here’s a casserole and a bottle of vodka for you to enjoy while I do a load of your laundry.”
* Names for photos are provided by the organization or business featured.
14 » scene
Annette Birchfi eld and Jeannie Galloway
Cathey Carney and Tricia Williams
Bob Gibbs and Dave Davidson
Emily Watkins, Christy Hall, Gary Huckaby, Jr., Zac Daniel, and Michelle Price
Cheryl Maddox and Michelle Price
© Xx
Xx
Above: Th e Historic Lowry House
Preservation Fundraiserjanuary , · the wine cellar, huntsville
Below: Arts Huntsville’s Art Tour of Homesjanuary , · private residences
Jane Tippett, Brandon Hunt, and Cynthia Tippett Masucci
Anne and George Lewis and Patricia Woolfork
Dr. Gary Huckaby
Katrina Weber, Peggy Bilbro, and Phoebe Graham
Carri Walters, Evan King, and Alicia Revelle
Steve and Sue Johnson
Jani Brill and Eric Osborne
Sheri Belmont and Nona Carson
Cathy Van Valkenburgh and Cindy Hallman
Patricia, Mark, Lynn, and Bryan McCarter
Lara Isbell and Ken Chojnacki
march/april | noalastudios.com |
| noalastudios.com | march/april
march/april | noalastudios.com |
by roy hall » photos by patrick hood
| noalastudios.com | march/april
ALABAMA’S OLDEST PUBLIC RADIO STATION is easier to locate on a radio dial than on the
campus of UAH. Tucked quietly away in an unassuming single-story offi ce building, the studios of
WLRH fade away among the university’s glass and concrete mid-rise buildings, human-made lakes, and
sudden streets that spring out of nowhere faster than digital cartographers can plot them on your GPS.
On the day we visit, Morning Blend host Ginny Kennedy’s voice travels from her microphone to the
station tower on Monte Sano, ricochets off a satellite, and
arrives in our speakers before her location ever appears
on our newfangled digital display. We are lost.
Nearby, and in a similar predicament, is violinist William
Harvey, Morning Blend’s live guest for the day.
We manage to locate the studio before the GPS or the
violinist and are greeted at the door by none other than
Ginny Kennedy herself, who takes a quick break from
her live mike to serve as receptionist. Eager to begin the
interview, Kennedy ushers us toward her studio. A mo-
ment of uncertainty ensues.
And then, in quick succession, one lost violinist is found,
identities are sorted, and no beats are missed.
Th e show goes on.
It goes on the same way it has at WLRH for 40 years:
thanks to the wits, resourcefulness, and dedication of the
six employees who constitute the on-air talent, research,
news, programming departments, IT support, grant-
writers, and, yes, receptionists, for a 24-hour-per-day,
seven-day-a-week, 100,000-watt radio station dedicated to the public interest.
And while the number of permanent employees has held mostly steady for the past 40 years, the one
constant throughout four decades of broadcasting excellence and creative mayhem is Morning Blend
co-host Judy Watters, whose arrival at WLRH was just as circuitous as both our own and Harvey’s.
As the violinist plays the Star-Spangled Banner live on-air, Watters tells us her story and WLRH’s, be-
ginning where the two converge, on a mountaintop, in America’s Bicentennial year, 1976, with a music
teacher’s modest proposal .
A MODEST PROPOSALPublic television beat public radio to Huntsville by a few years, so when Judy Watters took her idea for
a music education children’s program to a public broadcast station in the spring of 1976, she visited the
unassuming home of WEBT, on Monte Sano mountain.
WLRH IN HUNTSVILLE: A 40-YEAR PUBLIC AFFAIR
march/april | noalastudios.com |
“I HAD TAUGHT HUNDREDS OF KIDS.BUT A MICROPHONE, ME, AND THAT’S IT? IT WAS TERRIFYING.”
—JUDY WATTERS
| noalastudios.com | march/april
WLRH IN HUNTSVILLE: A 40-YEAR PUBLIC AFFAIR
JUDY WATTERS
“Th ere was a block building with an antenna, and inside, one
engineer running the whole show.”
Watters’ young sons were big fans of WEBT’s children’s
show Grunches and Grins, and Watters, a music educa-
tion major and former teacher, thought Huntsville children
might benefi t from another show, one featuring musical
edifi cation as entertainment.
Showbiz can be tough, even when it’s in the public inter-
est, and the engineer informed Watters that WEBT wasn’t
currently in the market for new programming, musical or
otherwise. In fact, Grunches was the station’s only original
show. But if Watters was really serious about her idea, she
might want to introduce herself to a gentleman by the name
of George Dickerson.
A former commercial TV newsman, Dickerson’s interests had
shifted, according to the engineer, and now he had a mind to
bring public radio to Huntsville. In fact, Dickerson was in the
process of converting a fi rst fl oor room at the Huntsville Times
into a radio studio, if Watters wanted to drop by.
“So, I gave George my spiel,” Watters says matter-of-factly of
her second stop that day, and her unscheduled appointment
with destiny.
Exactly what Judy Watters said to George Dickerson in 1976
is anybody’s best guess. Whatever she said, and however she
said it, the meeting led to a career beyond anything she’d
imagined. Watters has all the charm and generosity of a nat-
ural born storyteller, as congenial in person as her voice is
assuring over the airwaves. She knows music inside and out,
too, and the sheer joy she exudes when she talks about it and
the station she loves is palpable.
But before Watters could even be considered for a job at a
radio station, much less begin transmitting her love of music
to the Tennessee Valley, she had to clear some bureaucratic
hurdles that seem unnecessarily byzantine in hindsight.
“In those days, to be a broadcaster, you had to have a third
class radio license,” Watters relays. To get the license, you
had to take a test. “It was diffi cult stuff ; Ohms and watts,”
among other technical not-so-niceties, according to Watters’
recollection. So, off she went to the library to study, every
day for seven weeks, and then to Atlanta, where she sat for
the three-part test.
Th e test results were foregone, written into her DNA, in a
way so neat and convenient they would elicit eye-rolls if one
of Watters’ Sundial Writer’s Corner author’s wrote it down
in a book.
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“My dad had a radio and TV store and played in a Glen Miller-type big band. I’ve been in the symphony,
taught public school, private horn, private music lessons, been a church choir director.” Her and hus-
band Harry’s sons, Ken and Harry, are both professional musicians.
Even so, she says, “Much to my surprise, I passed all three parts.”
George Dickerson looked surprised, too, when Watters reappeared in his still-unfi nished Times building
studio and informed her future boss that he was looking at the proud holder of an Alabama Th ird Class
Radio License, and that she was still interested in hosting a kids’ music show, if he was still interested.
He was still interested all right: he hired Watters on the spot, but not to host a children’s music show.
He hired her as a full-time public radio announcer.
“I was almost 40.”
And they say there are no second acts in American lives.
LIBRARY RADIOWatters recalls that Dickerson and his freshman class of broadcasters, managers, and grant writers—
around 20 employees total—completed the transformation of Times studios, and on the morning of Octo-
ber 13, 1976, Library Radio Huntsville (the station’s fi rst license was held by the Huntsville Public Library)
went on the air.
Th e early days: WLRH employees and volunteer producers, 1976.
WLRH IN HUNTSVILLE: A 40-YEAR PUBLIC AFFAIR
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Left to right: Huntsville Library board members Eleanor Murphyand Jane Roberts, and Huntsville Library board president, Elbert Watson,
beneath the original WLRH tower on Green Mountain
Judy Watters, with her Morning Blend crew, circa 1987
Press coverage of WLRH’s launch, October 13, 1976. Left to right: George Dickerson with special guest and old-time radio star
Chester Lauck, of the Lum and Abner radio show
Morning Blend co-hosts, Judy and Harry Watters
| noalastudios.com | march/april
Watters refers to that fi rst day fondly as “one of the scariest of my life.”
“I had taught hundreds of kids. But a microphone, me, and that’s it? It was terrifying. I used to have to
read the news at the top of the hour. I tried to put the most important things fi rst, because my voice
would start shaking.”
About that familiar voice, Watters says she was never aware of it or its potential radio appeal. “I just want-
ed to be surrounded by music. As it turns out, I have a low-pitched voice, and that seems to work well.”
Indeed. An encyclopedic knowledge of music helps, too, of course, and Watters makes use of hers, along
with WLRH’s impressive music library, to plan her shows. “I go by the classical—and classic—calendar:
Beethoven, Bach, Willie Nelson. I take home the CDs I plan to use for the next show, and I sit at the kitch-
en table with my boom box and a legal pad, and ask myself, ‘What would follow in a graceful manner?’”
Th at fi rst year at WLRH didn’t proceed quite as gracefully as an episode of Morning Blend. Funding prob-
lems and growing pains marred those early days, and nine months in, WLRH’s signal almost went silent,
and for good. Th ere was no blueprint for a fi rst-time public radio station; the hiccups and hurdles of bal-
ancing a large staff with a limited budget proved almost insurmountable. Th e staff began to drift away—
some were let go; others, Watters included, sensed the end was nigh and left of their own volition.
“Only George was left in the studio, ultimately, pressing buttons,” Watters says.
At the last minute, the Alabama Educational Television Commission (AETC) stepped in and off ered to
take over WLRH’s license and to pay a limited staff . But not until the new fi scal year began in October
of ’77; it was still the end of May. In a last-ditch eff ort, Dickerson went before the Huntsville City Coun-
“I’D LIKE PEOPLE TO REALIZE WE’RE NOT AN ARMY; JUST A HANDFUL OF FOLKS KEEPS THIS GOING.”
—BRETT TANNEHILL
WLRH IN HUNTSVILLE: A 40-YEAR PUBLIC AFFAIR
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BRETT TANNEHILL
cil and made the case that a city with
a reputation grounded in technological
progressiveness needed a public radio
station. Th e Council agreed, ponying
up $100,000 to keep WLRH afl oat until
the AETC could take over in the fall.
“Th ey saved the day,” Watters says.
“IF YOU LISTEN TO THIS STA-TION AND DON’T GIVE MONEY, IT’S JUST PLUMB TACKY.”—KATHRYN TUCKER WINDHAMToday, WLRH is still funded by the
AETC and the Corporation for Public
Broadcasting.
And by listeners like you—and Kathryn
Tucker Windham.
Th e Jeff rey author’s honorary aristo-
cratic stature as one of Alabama’s most
beloved writers aff orded her the luxury
of speaking the plain truth during her
frequent appearances on Writers Cor-
ner. And while WLRH would never be
so bold, they do appreciate any support
their listeners can off er. Th ey depend
on it, in fact, even when that support
isn’t necessarily monetary.
“I’d like people to realize we’re not an
army; just a handful of folks keeps this
going,” says WLRH General Manager
Brett Tannehill, who, in his college days,
interviewed Ms. Wyndham for APR on
many occasions. “Pitching in 50 bucks
makes a huge diff erence.” If you can’t
aff ord a donation, “send us a comment.
Let us know how we’re doing.”
In return, the WLRH family sees part of their role as reciprocating their listeners’ appreciation.
“We want people to feel like this is a community radio resource, in all areas,” says Tannehill. One of the
ways they do that is their creative use of Public Service Announcements.
NPR provides its affi liate stations with time blocks in the mornings and afternoons for local content,
and WLRH uses those time slots to publicize local non-profi ts. “We’re giving away time for free. Some
stations prefer to give that time to themselves or too their underwriters.” Rather than burying their
FCC-mandated PSAs in the middle of the night when nobody’s listening, WLRH places theirs front and
center, devoting prime air time to 60 or 70 non-profi ts.
| noalastudios.com | march/april
WLRH IN HUNTSVILLE: A 40-YEAR PUBLIC AFFAIR
SHANE SCOTT
“Driving up from Tuscaloosa, I wondered why they were doing all those PSAs,” Tannehill recalls of his
trip up I-65, radio on, headed for his job interview in Huntsville. “But the more I wrapped my head
around it, I realized how important the PSAs are to the community.” As WLRH’s new General Manager,
Tannehill maintained the station tradition. Instead of a burden, WLRH sees PSAs as a rich opportunity
for community-focused programming.
And the way they produce PSAs is diff erent, too.
“You don’t hear PSAs anywhere else the way we do it here,” Tannehill says. “Th ey’re a big part of our
on-air sound.” Unlike almost every other station, the voices we hear in a WLRH PSA are not voice
over actors. “Th ose are the voices of the
people who work to improve our qual-
ity of life.”
Th is generosity is a product of empathy:
“We don’t have a marketing budget and
neither do the non-profi ts we feature.
Th ey should be spending their money
on their mission, not on promotion.”
“We have a wonderful arts communi-
ty, and they don’t get the recognition
they deserve.” Th at’s Ginny Kennedy’s
take, and the reason she incorpo-
rates interviews with local artists into
Morning Blend.
Kennedy grew up listening to WLRH.
A master’s in communication took her
to Atlanta, before motherhood brought
her back to a more manageable lifestyle
in north Alabama.
“I wanted to be a stay at home mom,”
she says.
Kennedy returned to 89.3 on the FM
dial, too, and one afternoon, she had a
question about one of their infamous
PSAs, so she rang up the station. Judy
Watters answered the phone. Th e kin-
dred spirits instantly recognized one
another, and after Kennedy mentioned
her work at Atlanta’s public radio sta-
tion, WABE, Watters interrupted: “Let
me transfer you to a manager.”
Kennedy’s innocent phone call led to
a two day-a-week hosting gig, and an-
other familiar verse in an established
refrain at WLRH, where smarts, moxie,
and resourcefulness trump more tradi-
tional job requirements.
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GINNY KENNEDY
“I had to work really hard at it,” Ken-
nedy says of her early days as a classi-
cal music producer and host. Atlanta’s
WABE pre-programmed everything.
Not so at WLRH. “I wrote everything
down, timed it, had binders full of play
lists to keep myself on track. It’s like
knowing your way around the forest.”
Or, in the case of Morning Blend’s Fri-
day request show, a game of Jenga.
Ginny Kennedy isn’t Dr. Frasier Crane;
she has no Roz on the other side of a
glass window, fi elding calls and feeding
information into an ear piece. Kenne-
dy pulls music in advance of each live
request show, and answers her own
phone. If a caller requests, say, Rhap-
sody in Blue, “I think, ‘Okay, I’ll pull the
18-minute piece I had scheduled, and
stick that in its place.’”
And no fl eet-footed production assis-
tants dart between the studio and the
CD library, either. It’s just Kennedy
“running back-and-forth from the mu-
sic library and answering the phone.”
Callers are sometimes a little fl um-
moxed by that last bit. Kennedy hears
diff erent versions of this almost every
week: “You’re Ginny! Why are you an-
swering the phone?”
“Because it rang!”
Kennedy’s Morning Blend co-host and Lowe Mill-based artist, Beth Norwood, rang the station years back, too, off ering her ser-
vices as a former University of Alabama radio announcer. Six part-time years later, her playful sense of adventure and a stalwart
commitment to her station’s mission have made her a WLRH fi xture.
“You don’t remember all the shows you do,” Norwood says of her years at WLRH, “or the schedules.” What you do remem-
ber? Th e musicians, artists, and community leaders who’ve told their stories—and ours—over the course of 40 years. “You
remember the people.”
“YOU DON’T REMEMBER ALL THE SHOWS YOU DO, OR THE SCHEDULES. YOU REMEMBER THE PEOPLE.”
—BETH NORWOOD
BETH NORWOOD
| noalastudios.com | march/april
WLRH IN HUNTSVILLE: A 40-YEAR PUBLIC AFFAIR
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You remember the small WLRH team, too; the ones still here and the ones who have gone. And they
do seem like a family—supportive and complimentary of one another, even when out of earshot, the
WLRH staff feels more like a family than a family, sometimes.
Kennedy. Norwood. Tannehill. Th en there’s Chief Operator Joe Cook, and All Th ings Considered host
Shane Scott. Scott’s commitment to WLRH’s proud legacy of journalistic integrity guides him as he choos-
es what stories to cover, and how he covers them, avoiding the sensational in favor of the meaningful.
And Bob Labbe, “Microwave” Dave Gallaher, and Brad Posey, who donate their time, allowing WLRH
to serve as broad an audience spectrum as possible, seven days a week.
Come to think of it, the concept of family is more than a metaphor at WLRH. Judy Watters and her
husband, NASA engineer Harry Watters, co-hosted Morning Blend and Sundial for years. Family com-
mitments led Watters original co-host, Wayne Blackwell, to leave the show. After a series of temporary
fi ll-ins, Harry Watters, always “very proud of the station and also very musical,” stepped in. Watters and
her husband negotiated their professional partnership with the same ingenuity and inventiveness the
staff brings to bear on all their challenges.
It was Harry’s idea to get a jar and some black marbles. “If either of us is ever unhappy, we’ll drop a
black marble in the jar. We won’t discuss it,” she remembers. Harry and Judy worked together until three
weeks before his death from cancer in 2000.
“Th ere was never a black marble.”
One of the things that holds families together is a sense of shared tradition. Th is is as important to the
WLRH family as any other. But the successful operation of a public radio station requires more than just
tradition; namely, it requires keeping up with the technological times. Even if GPS technology hasn’t
kept up with WLRH, WLRH intends to keep up with sweeping trends in media delivery, in order to
continue reaching the “family” of listeners it serves.
But whether that future content is delivered through podcasts, streaming video, the Internet, or tradi-
tional radio is ultimately not the point. Th e medium is not WLRH’s message; serving the community
is. And as WLRH looks toward its 40th anniversary in October 2016, they invite their listeners to travel
with them on their journey into the future, wherever, and via whatever medium, that journey leads.
In the meantime, keep an ear out for one heckuva birthday party, as WLRH prepares to celebrate the
start of its fi fth decade later this year. Exciting details to follow.
Stay tuned.
| noalastudios.com | march/april
WLRH IN HUNTSVILLE: A 40-YEAR PUBLIC AFFAIR
WLRH’S LOCALLY-PRODUCED CONTENT, COURTESY OF THE FOLKS YOU’VE JUST READ ABOUT, IS LISTED BELOW. For a full program guide, including information about WLRH’S all-news and all-music HD channels,
streaming audio of previously-aired WLRH programs, or to listen online, visit wlrh.org.
Morning Blend, Mon-Fri 9:00am-NoonSundial Writers Corner, Mon-Fri 9:30am and 6:44pm
Brass, Reeds and Percussion, Sat 1:00pmTh e Arts Underground, Sat 2:00pm
Th e Invisible City, Fri 7:00pm and Sat 10:00pmTalkin’ the Blues, Sat 8:00pm
Really Good Music Show, Sat 9:00pmReelin’ in the Years, Fri 9:00pm
Radio Reading Service, Mon-Fri 7:00pm on 89.3 HD3
march/april | noalastudios.com |
| noalastudios.com | march/april
STEM Teaching Toolsnow available at Free 2 Teach!
Free 2 Teach is known for providing free classroom resources to public school teachers in Madison County. Now, we’re excited to launch the Free 2 Teach STEM Lending Library! The first building block of this innovative program is a series of high-quality, reusable, 3-D biology models.
These models can be borrowed by high school life science educators from the Free 2 Teach store.
Each kit features 3-D plaster models of the four classes of macromolecules that are found in living cells: proteins, DNA, carbohydrates and cell membranes.
The Molecules of Life Kits will help our public school teachers provide enhanced classroom instruction for our community’s high school students for many years to come.
Free 2 Teach, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has been serving teachers in Huntsville City, Madison City and Madison County public school systems since 2013. Free 2 Teach operates a free resource store stocked with teaching materials and classroom supplies, funded and donated by the community. These resources are available for free to more than 3,800 public school teachers and their 52,000 students, improving the educational experience of our children and strengthening our community’s future workforce.
To find out more about the STEM Lending Library or to support Free 2 Teach, please visit www.free-2-teach.org.
march/april | noalastudios.com |
88.7 FM Muscle Shoals • 100.7 FM Huntsvillewww.apr.org
News, classicalmusic and more
34 » old school » John Kvach and Chris Paysinger
So, a scientist, his son, an airline pilot, and some city government employees walk into a bar…
photos by guy mcclure, jr. and john kvach
| noalastudios.com | march/april
march/april | noalastudios.com |
As a kid who loved history, I felt pretty
cheated. Just over the horizon, beyond my
grandfather’s cottonfi eld, there stood a rocket.
It was plunked there at some point to welcome
people from the North to Alabama as they
zipped down I-65 with cars full of rambunctious kids bound
for our sugar-white sands along the panhandle of the Gulf. I
suppose that it was to translate our state’s achievements and
progressiveness to those outsiders who still remembered our
fi rehoses and police dogs from their grainy black and white
TV sets.
My distance from history didn’t just end with my rocket. I
lived in a 1970s brick rancher, built by my grandfather for
my parents. I grew up in Elkmont, only a few miles from the
Tennessee state line. It was a “town” in only the loosest sense
of the word. It was really just a community, with a small kin-
dergarten through high school, with roads spoking out from
what was then a dilapidated downtown.
Now, 30 years later, I fi nd myself a history teacher. And I also
realize that I am no less frustrated with my experiences with
the past than those days from my childhood. In the interven-
ing years I received a teaching degree at Auburn University
and have taught American history in Alabama public schools
for 18 years. It would be very simple to blame my frustrations
with history on the condition of education in this state or
nation. Or, perhaps, students are apathetic about school in
general and history in particular. And, of course, the subject
has increasingly been marginalized in the curriculum ever
since Sputnik was launched into the ozone. But the truth is
that I have had, for 40 years, an historical itch that I just can’t
seem to scratch, no matter how hard I try.
I think that I am attuned to what is going on in the world of
history. I care about the content. I read history books. I at-
tend meetings of my local historical society in Athens, where
I live. My wife and I have renovated two historic homes in 13
© Guy McClure, Jr.
years of marriage. I collect old junk. I have been on the board
of directors for an antebellum home/museum. I have toured
far too many Civil War battlefi elds. I have spoken at state
historical conferences. I have a master’s degree in history
from the University of Alabama, Huntsville. I watch, every
Monday night, Antiques Roadshow.
In reality, my experiences with the past probably closely re-
fl ect those of the average person who considers himself a
“history buff .” Even though I have the ability to experience
history on my own terms now, until recently I might as well
have been eight again, trapped in my brick rancher, staring
at that damn rocket.
And, maybe for years, I blamed the proximity to Huntsville
on my woes. I’ve never looked in the Yellow Pages, but I am
very sure there are more than a few businesses employing
“rocket” in their brand.
But thankfully, something is happening in the Rocket City
that is changing the town for the better. And even perhaps,
changing the way I look at the past.
In the fall of 2014, I was talking to my buddy John Kvach, a
history professor at UAH. He was rambling on about some-
thing and mentioned that he and Chad Emerson, the CEO
of Downtown Huntsville Inc, had talked about reaching out
to a large outfi tter as a destination retail store in Huntsville.
It just so happened that I was leaning on the Case Knives
display at U.G. White in downtown Athens. It would be easy
here to say that the rest is history. But that would be a little
too simple. And it would wash out the better part of the story,
which brought together a fairly unlikely cast of characters.
Derrick Young has owned U.G. White for the last eight years.
He also fl ies airplanes for American. But he is a guy couched
in the past. He stepped in to keep U.G. White going when it
seemed it would shutter, after having anchored downtown
Athens retail since 1917. He even remembers at age seven,
standing at the Case Knives counter, leering at the sharp
glint of the blades, until his dad broke down like so many
others and bought one for his son.
Soon enough, Emerson, and a cadre of Huntsville people,
trekked to Athens, to try and make sense of whether U.G.
White Mercantile would be the right fi t for the Rocket City. I
watched this part as an interested bystander, a friend of Der-
rick’s, and a fan of U.G., but having no skin in the game. But,
looking back now, what I saw was the beginning of a change.
The potential problem was that few downtown Hunts-
ville buildings really reflected what a 100 year old mer-
cantile needed. And it was at this point where the inter-
section of past, present, and future began to get a little
more than cloudy.
If, in this tale, Derrick Young refl ects the past, and Chad
Emerson the present, it only stands to reason that someone
working toward things that don’t really even exist be the
future. Enter the Hudson family, co-founders of HudsonAl-
pha Institute for Biotechnology, a Huntsville based genetics
company, mapping, literally, our better future. Th ey owned
an available building downtown, most formerly known as
Crossroad’s Music Hall. So now, Young had to make his way
over to survey what Huntsville had to off er.
Downtown Huntsville has spent the past 200 years molding
itself to a world bent on change. Plans to improve the town
sprung up almost as soon as the fi rst houses and storefronts
emerged around Big Spring. Twickenham mansions, new
church spires, and smoke from busy factories replaced the
old-growth trees along the cotton frontier. Paths gave way to
dirt roads, dirt roads became paved avenues, and paved av-
enues yielded suburbs that stretched beyond the shadow of
Monte Sano. If the defi nition of history is change over time,
then it is easy to see that Huntsville has succeeded more than
it’s failed.
Each successive generation has built, rebuilt, and improved
upon what others had done before them. Yet, in more re-
cent years, downtown Huntsville has struggled to remain
relevant as bedroom communities, research parks, and con-
trived shopping malls pulled people away from the city’s
core. Empty storefronts sat as silent reminders of past fail-
ures memorialized in granite, concrete, and glass. Ameri-
cans became tethered to cars, making close, accessible park-
ing a natural right rather than a mere convenience in many
minds. For these reasons, and many more, it seemed as if the
American downtown was going the way of telegraph wires,
railroad stations, and daily newspapers.
| noalastudios.com | march/april
Clockwise, from top, left: Taken soon after the removal of the stage and wall that blocked the front windows, which created a decidedly cave-like eff ect; During the installation of vintage oak fl ooring (sourced from Evolutia in Decatur) over the existing concrete; Stained fl oors and paint in progress—softening the interior of the space with wood and details was key in bringing the Mercantile back to life; Vintage beadboard, painstakingly installed in small sections overhead, makes the space soar and draws the eye upward.
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© Photos by John Kvach
| noalastudios.com | march/april
In Huntsville as of late, however, the opposite has happened
as the forces of urban and suburban have come together in
a way that highlights the strengths of both. In early spring
2015, those forces aligned at a building appropriately named
“Th e Crossroads” in downtown Huntsville.
Th e Crossroads Building, or Mason Building, as it was origi-
nally named, was built in 1927, with a fl air and style that re-
fl ected the Roaring Twenties. Good times and better profi ts
allowed James Mason and John Manning to hire an architect
rather than just a draftsman for their commercial furniture
store. Yellow terra-cotta tiles, large plate glass windows, and
Art Deco embellishments stood out in a downtown marked
mostly by brick and mortar. Although the growing skyline
of Huntsville became a symbol of agricultural, commercial,
and industrial dominance in North Alabama, looming behind
these exciting days was personal and professional loss, collec-
tive failure, and intense suff ering. Th e Great Depression hit
hard, snuffi ng out the spirit of a generation that would not
be relit until the end of World War II. Th e Mason Building
survived economic panic, war, and changes in ownership
but failed to make it beyond the shifting demographics of the
1970s. Urban renewal proved to be too much for Mason’s Fur-
niture, and in 1977 they closed the building and the business.
For the next 40 years the building became home to various
night clubs, bars, and restaurants. Its elaborate facade stood
as a reminder of what had been and, perhaps, what could be
in downtown Huntsville.
Th e third act of this story, however, starts with the same sense
of optimism that marked the fi rst two. Like the founding of
Huntsville and the construction of a modern skyline, the re-
emergence of downtown Huntsville and of U.G. White Mer-
cantile in the old Mason Building relied heavily on individu-
als with a vision to improve the city. Th ree entities crossed
paths at the right moment with the same vision. It would take
the combined eff orts of a scientist and his son, an airline pilot
turned small business owner, and forward-thinking city gov-
ernment employees to rescue the old building and contribute
to the reemergence of downtown Huntsville.
Th rough all of this, these objects,the idea of place and context, all of the things
normally associated with history,somehow took on a new life.
© Guy McClure, Jr.
march/april | noalastudios.com |
When Derrick told me the building on which he had settled
for the new U.G. White Mercantile, I was doubtful. When I
went in it with him, I was downright incredulous. I had spent
years in the Athens store, in which crossing the threshold
was something akin to teleportation to sometime simpler,
much like what your grandparents tried to conjure when
they insisted you listen to old stories.
My memories of the Crossroads building involved late nights
listening to my hometown favorites, the Alabama Shakes.
Or, watching Jason Isbell reunite for one night with former
bandmates, the Drive-By Truckers. Or the night I found a 20
spot lying on the ground, and bought rounds of cold PBRs
for my buddies. Th ose were my memories of the building,
however cloudy.
But, in the brightness of day, and without the eff ect of cheap
beer, the building seemed worse than I remembered. At least,
it didn’t remind me of my Athens U.G. White. It was black
from the ceiling to the concrete fl oor, with red “accents” that
most closely resembled the color of blood. It still reeked of
stale booze, with no natural light piercing the black abyss
within. “How long do tetanus shots last?” I asked Derrick.
But Derrick wouldn’t be swayed. He almost ran laps inside
the building, painting a picture of what could be. “Case
Knives will go here,” he said, and the need for an extra long
table to keep the taff y. He envisioned light, and color, and the
re-creation of time, place, and meaning, all from what I saw
as thinnest air.
And according to Emerson, the Hudson family had seen the
potential in the building too when they renovated, upgraded,
and rescued it after years of neglect. “Th e initial visionary
leadership of Jim Hudson for Downtown Huntsville contin-
ues to result in exciting growth for our city center. Buildings
like the former Crossroads location, now known as the Mer-
cantile Building, continue to be transformed into destina-
tion retail, like the U.G. White fl agship store.” So, what was I
missing in all of this?
© Guy McClure, Jr.
| noalastudios.com | march/april
Perhaps I was only looking at what had been, rather than
what could be. Derrick saw that potential. He recognized the
upgraded electrical, the sleek new kitchen upstairs, the new
sprinkler system, all of which had been added by the Hud-
son’s. Emerson looked to a beautiful downtown that needed
a few more options to cause people to linger, rather than use
Clinton Avenue as a shortcut home from Redstone Arsenal.
And Emerson wanted something real, and authentic not a
plastic version of a downtown experience. Th e Hudson’s per-
haps saw it sooner than most, investing early in what today
Emerson sees as “just the beginning of a massive re-position-
ing of Downtown Huntsville as a major live, work, and play
asset for the city and the region as a whole. “
Huntsville has been blessed with minds that see the past as
a foundation for the present, and the present as a spring-
board for the future. In the early 19th century Th omas Fearn,
a physician and planter, invested his time and treasure into
the Indian Creek Navigation Company, Huntsville Water
Works, Planters’ and Merchants’ Bank, and the fi rst city li-
brary. He saw these assets as a way of pushing a small cot-
ton town beyond its mark. Today we are more familiar with
his accomplishments as being the beautiful canal that links
both sides of Big Spring Park, and his bank, now called the
First National Bank building, silently sits on the southwest
corner of Huntsville square, a photographic oasis for bridal
and prom pictures.
A century later another forward thinker moved to Huntsville
and changed the complexion of the city. Tracy W. Pratt, like
Fearn before him and Emerson after him, moved to North
Alabama and began to make changes at a time when Hunts-
ville was at a crossroads. Pratt built the West Huntsville Cot-
ton Mill and enticed the Merrimack Manufacturing Com-
pany to set up shop in town. Pratt brought thousands of jobs
to his adopted community, helped get trolleys to new mill
villages, and started a Chamber of Commerce to represent a
new way of thinking in Huntsville. Like Fearn’s accomplish-
ments before him, Pratt’s legacy still is a part of our commu-
nity. Pratt’s mill would eventually be bought and renovated
by Jim Hudson and turned into Lowe Mill. Th e visions of
past and present stand as testaments to why a new genera-
tion of downtown stakeholders, among them Derrick Young,
are willing to look to downtown Huntsville as a new place to
reinvent and grow, for the better of many.
And so Derrick set off to renovate what is now the Mer-
cantile Building on Clinton Avenue. Th is might sound a bit
too easy, unless you know Derrick. He has a penchant for
authenticity and a disdain for cutting corners. Th e renova-
tion became an exercise in measuring, scraping 100 year old
beadboard to get the right fi nish, fi nding just the right vin-
tage oak fl oor treads from Evolutia in Decatur, mixing and
dobbing paint—the list is inexhaustable.
As the project began in earnest, I had the unique opportuni-
ty to spend a great deal of the summer of 2015 searching out
vintage goods for the new U.G. White. Derrick was tied up
with the decisions of a massive renovation, lighting, fl oors,
installation, and, always, budget. Because I am a teacher, I
had the time to explore and fi nd just the right things for a
“new” old mercantile. (My daughter Avery is nine, and every
day we would climb into my truck and set off .) We crawled
through basements, attics, junk stores, and backyards, and
we almost suff ocated in a stifl ing hot barn in Tennessee. We
drank Coca-Cola out of glass bottles, ate barbecue at tumble-
down roadside shacks, and talked over the impending world
of fourth grade. And found some awesome stuff for the store.
I helped Derrick load 20-foot-long heart pine counters
from general stores, disassemble, and then reassemble, 80
feet of shelving from an old hardware store in Tennessee.
He stepped on more rusty nails than I could count, dancing
and kicking until the off ending board became dislodged. We
sweated buckets through humid August days. We hauled,
moved, and cleaned 40 years of dust and fi lth from glass dis-
play cases. Th rough it all, he couldn’t have been happier. We
would walk into an abandoned hardware store, and the dark-
Yet during the process of standing aside,watching U.G. White take shape through the
eff orts of three people, with very diff erent expectations for what defi nes a place like
Huntsville, I fi nally began to see beyond that rocket. And, it seems Huntsville has too.
march/april | noalastudios.com |
ness would fade until the veiled silhouette of history took
form, and his crooked grin would break into a laugh, only
because he could already see it in place, and that it would
make people happy in downtown Huntsville.
Th rough all of this, these objects, the idea of place and con-
text, all of the things normally associated with history, some-
how took on a new life. Previously for me, and assuredly for
the typical high school or college student, history was the
dusty stuff of textbooks. It sat fl at, on paper, immutable and
static, and then manifested itself on a test as an essay, which,
admittedly, sounds amazingly miserable.
Yet during the process of standing aside, watching U.G.
White take shape through the eff orts of three people, with
very diff erent expectations for what defi nes a place like
Huntsville, I fi nally began to see beyond that rocket. And, it
seems Huntsville has too.
During the process of U.G. White coming to fruition, I began
to realize that history and the future aren’t necessarily mutu-
ally exclusive of one another. And to my amazement, Hunts-
ville was already proving that downtown, right under the
noses of many of us. In 2013 Charlie and Sasha Sealy opened
Belk Hudson Lofts, taking the time and eff ort to integrate
vintage brick and save old murals in the design of a “new”
living space. Soon, another of their projects, Th e Avenue, ris-
ing on the corner of Holmes and Jeff erson, will reimagine in
new form a previous model of downtown Huntsville archi-
tecture, loft living above, retail below. Th e guys at Old Town
Beer Exchange wanted a bottle shop, supplying downtown
with a steady stream of suds that seem to have sprung from
the mind of a boozy scientist. Yet they sourced brick from
the Coca-Cola factory, tracked down a thick slab of ancient
wood for a bartop from a tumbledown local barn, slicking it
with inches of glistening lacquer, and keep the wine selection
stacked in vintage shotgun shell crates.
Perhaps the most ironic twist in the new life of the Mercantile
Building is that U.G. White will occupy the bottom two fl oors,
while Pints and Pixels will be opening soon on the third. Th ey
will be off ering up cold local beer and serving Anaheim Chili.
Th ey have a full stable of vintage video and pinball games,
with walls covered in futuristic murals, another blending of
past, present, and future for the Mercantile Building.
Now, I fi nd myself wanting to linger in downtown Hunts-
ville, increasingly looking for an excuse to come over. I will
end up at OTBX, sitting next to a row of locals, comparing
the saison to the porter to the Hefeweizen, all agreeing on
the virtues of each. Or I will crave the charcuterie at Th e Bot-
tle, or the cozy atmosphere at Church Street Wine Shoppe,
or the faire at the food truck rallies. And I look forward to
what hasn’t happened yet, which gives me a better reason to
explore downtown Huntsville, in the future.
Sh l k H l eesSh l k H l es
by William Gillette and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle April 14 - 16 at 7:30pm April 17 at 2pm April 21-23 at 7:30pm
McCandless Hall Athens State University Tickets at the door
The Athenian Players of Athens State University present
www.athens.edu/athenianplayers
A four-act play written by William Gillette and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, based on Conan Doyle's character Sherlock Holmes. Directed by Dr. Hugh K. Long
by sara wright covington » photos by patrick hood, kenya epps and carole forêtccccovovovov kekek nn cacacaroooorr lelelel fffooorêtêtbbbybyby sssaaarrrrrraaa wrwrrigigighththt vvininingtgtgtononn »» phoph tos by patriiccccccccccccci k kkk k k hhhhhhhhhhhhhhoooododod,,, kkk nynynyaa a epepe psps anand c
| noalastudios.com | march/april
© Carole Forêt
march/april | noalastudios.com |
© Patrick Hood
It Takes a Village
| noalastudios.com | march/april
Dr. Kreslyn Kelley-Ellis and Bobby Bradley
march/april | noalastudios.com |
As they embrace for pictures, it’s apparent that Village of
Promise leading ladies Bobby Bradley and Dr. Kreslyn Kelley-
Ellis have the sort of relationship that goes beyond just con-
versations at board meetings and exchanges through emails. “I
knew this girl before she was even born,” says Bradley smiling
fondly. “Her mother and I grew up in the same neighborhood.”
Th at very same self-described neighborhood of poverty
would become the motivation for both of these women to
move mountains in order to make certain that a childhood of
poverty did not defi ne them, but pushed them to prosper—
both dedicating their lives to helping create a vision, and a
defi nitive path of action, for children to break the cycle of
generational poverty.
Th at vision has taken on form in non-profi t organization Vil-
lage of Promise, a group born from co-creators Bradley and
Gloria Batts, who made it the group’s mission to eradicate
generational poverty one neighborhood at a time.
“Poverty is a cycle,” says Executive Director Kelley-Ellis, “and
we model what we see. So until we can provide a diff erent ex-
perience, children will end up in the same place.” Th is diff erent
experience they are setting out to create involves a model of
educational and social support programs, positive reinforce-
ment, bountiful resources, and, most importantly, family.
From its very inception, Village of Promise has made it a
duty to not only provide a diff erent experience for children
of poverty, but to continue to provide that experience from
cradle to college, a model of sustainability that sets it apart
from other nonprofi ts. Co-founders Bobby Bradley and Glo-
ria Batts fi rst identifi ed the need for an organization like
Village of Promise while working within the Lincoln Village
community here in Huntsville. “Gloria and I became aware
through our independent experiences that poverty was at a
level in the city that we didn’t even fully see,” says Bradley. “I
think the whole idea was to help move children from their
current circumstance of poverty into sustainability.”
After further research, Bradley and Batts organized a group
of local leaders and educators to travel to Harlem, New York,
to study the Harlem Children’s Zone, a 24-block area of Har-
lem, where President Geoff rey Canada focused his eff orts on
creating a village of educational, emotional, and social sup-
port for children of the impoverished areas of Harlem. From
their time in Harlem, they were able to conclude that although
Huntsville had poverty, its circumference was much smaller
than Harlem’s and Huntsville neighborhoods didn’t face many
of the obstacles present in the Harlem neighborhoods. “We
decided then that we knew if they could do it there, we could
do it here,” says Bradley. “Our community is not as large and
we don’t have as many varied problems. We have poverty, but
it’s a smaller community and we felt that the population in
general is very philanthropic here in Huntsville.”
Kreslyn Kelley-Ellis was one of the educators summoned
for the focus study in Harlem, and was involved as a vol-
unteer from Village of Promise’s early beginnings. Her own
impoverished background, combined with her experiences
as a multi-faceted educator, gave her essential insight for the
program’s initial vision. “I have a background in business and
education,” says Kelley-Ellis. “I’ve been a special education
teacher, a school curriculum specialist, and a school princi-
pal all at Title One schools, which are high poverty schools.
I grew up in poverty and my mother grew up in the same
neighborhood as Bobby and Gloria.”
In her new role as Executive Director, Kelley-Ellis focuses on
ensuring children the surroundings she didn’t have as a child.
She says the most common obstacles they see for the kids are
general environment, lack of access to medical care, diet and
nutrition, and even transportation—major stumbling blocks
for a child to overcome in order to succeed. “A lot of these
kids are from single parent homes and have young mothers
who aren’t emotionally mature,” she says. “Th ere are just so
many issues there and we just try to fi ll the gap. We don’t
want to just plant the seeds, we want to nurture them and
watch them grow. I was the only one of my mother’s four
kids to graduate from high school and I left home at the age
of 19. I wanted to live in a community that refl ected what the
real world was.”
After over two years of planning and research, Village of
Promise was offi cially born in January of 2011. Bradley says
the group focused on four well-defi ned goals to get them
off the ground, modeled closely after the Harlem Children’s
Home. “First, we picked a neighborhood where we would
focus,” says Bradley. “Th e Harlem Children’s Home is very
place-based. You select a neighborhood to focus on because you can’t focus on everyone. So we picked
the neighborhood where our building now stands, as it had the highest level of poverty. Based on the
2010 census data from our original research, we found there were about 1,770 kids at the age of 17 and
below in this neighborhood with a 48 percent poverty level. We had a willing principal at the school and
that launched us. We have been working there since then.” Once a geography was established, Bradley
said they worked to identify a series of best-practiced programs—programs with proven track records
of success they could begin implementing with the kids. Along with establishing solid programs, Village
of Promise also sought to establish solid relationships within their community. “We wanted to not only
be in the community, but to establish community partners,” says Bradley. “We want to work with the
other organizations.” Village of Promise has formed partnerships with Huntsville Housing Authority,
Manna House (Bradley says food is key), Huntsville City Schools, UAH, Randolph, and Cornerstone
Initiative, just to name a few. “One of our goals is to make sure the organization has relationships with
other organizations that can meet all of their needs even if they fall outside of a program,” she says.
Lastly, the group set out to have a system of accountability to make certain their programs are eff ective
in their implementation. When a child signs up, the parents sign release forms giving Village of Promise
access to school records, medical issues, and other statistical data about each child. Th e data they col-
lect depends on where the child is in the program. “We wanted to initially focus on data to make sure
we could track the kids from the moment we pick them up in the program to the moment when they
leave,” says Bradley.
In addition to forming strong relationships within their neighborhoods and community, Village of
Promise builds its model on forming relationships and trust with the families. “Parents across the board
are involved. Th ey love their children, and they want the very best for them,” says Bradley. “Th e whole
idea here is to guide the support system for these children from cradle to college, so that at the end of
that process, they are in a career that will sustain them and their families.”
| noalastudios.com | march/april
“THE WHOLE IDEA HERE IS TO GUIDE THE SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR THESE CHILDREN FROM CRADLE TO COLLEGE, SO THAT AT
THE END OF THAT PROCESS, THEY ARE IN A CAREER THAT WILL SUSTAIN THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES.” BOBBY BRADLEY
© Kenya Epps
It Takes a Village
march/april | noalastudios.com |
Building that support system begins as early as before babies are even born with the program’s Infant
University program, a nine-week course off ered to expectant parents and parents with infants and
children up to four years of age. “Th ey start off with a healthy breakfast,” says Kelley-Ellis. “Th ey have
a workout class, and then we have diff erent presenters. We have someone who comes in who provides
assessment for the kids to identify any early speech issues. Th e parents are in class also and they are
learning about brain development, healthy discipline versus punishment, and even how to use art with
their kids. We even have an interpreter for our many Hispanic and Latino families.”
After a child reaches the age of three, Village of Promise off ers multiple educational, spiritual, and social
programs for elementary age children all the way through high school. Kelley-Ellis says the long-term
vision will be for children and families to begin with the Infant University Program and then to transi-
tion seamlessly into successive programs with no gaps, fulfi lling their “cradle to college” mission. “So
after Infant University, they can go to Family Connections, which is focused on family and child time,
family mentoring, and family service learning,” she says. “A lot of that programming is creating that time
for families to spend time with their peers, other families, and for them to think about how they want
to change their community.” Beyond Family Connections, children have the option to move onto the
Freedom School, a six-week summer reading program designed to instill a love of reading at an early
age. “I envision we will eventually have a seamless pipeline, where there will be no gaps,” says Kelley-
Ellis. “Every time they fi nish one program, they can start another. We are slowly fi lling that pipeline up
so the kids can be involved at all times.”
Now entering its sixth year in the Huntsville community, family continues to be the focus for Village of
Promise, and after years of sharing offi ce space at Genesis II, Inc., their monumental growth has led to
the organization transitioning their space into what was formerly the Center for Development Learning
School—a facility much more able to house their growing family. With the new location in the neigh-
“POVERTY IS A CYCLE AND WE MODEL WHAT WE SEE. SO UNTIL WE CAN PROVIDE A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE, CHILDREN WILL
END UP IN THE SAME PLACE.” DR. KRESLYN KELLEY-ELLIS
© Kenya Epps
borhood where they operate, Village of Promise is now able to bring kids to their own location, versus
conducting all of their programs out in the schools. “At the beginning of the program, we started with
about 12 or 15 students at Butler High School, and of the group we were working with, six of those kids
are in college now,” says Bradley. “Th ere are others who are starting to work in jobs. So those are early
successes. It changes the course of the legacy.”
With six successful programs in place, Village of Promise now has a board of 15 people, an advisory
council of 22, and over 150 volunteers in their organization. Co-founder Gloria Batts remains the Pro-
gram Director while Bradley has recently transitioned from Executive Director to a position on the
board. Kelley-Ellis has moved easily into Bradley’s former role, and both women couldn’t be more ex-
cited about the growth of the Village of Promise family. “We have built momentum so quickly,” says
Kelley-Ellis. “I envision in the next fi ve years we will have 1,000 kids in our pipeline, and that we will
be able to prove just how eff ective our programs are by how well our kids are performing. I envision
that our kids will exceed in terms of their academics. I see them having entrepreneurial pursuits with
us helping them tap into their inner hopes and dreams, and I see Village of Promise continuing to make
sure we are steering them in the right direction to fulfi ll those hopes and dreams. I think we will become
an organization that other communities fl ow to, to learn how to eradicate generational poverty in their
own communities.”
It’s a big goal—one that Kelley-Ellis says she often likens to her experience of viewing the massive
expanse of the Grand Canyon for the fi rst time. “Our tour guide said ‘just a little bit of water at a time
created the Grand Canyon,’” she says. “Any little bit of growth we see is worth celebrating, and just that
little bit of celebrating can put a child into the next ste p. I love to see our families smiling and saying
‘thank-you’ and ‘gracias’. I love knowing that when I go to sleep tonight that I am part of an organization
that is really making people’s lives better.”
© Kenya Epps
| noalastudios.com | march/april
It Takes a Village
march/april | noalastudios.com |
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produced by sara wright covington
portraits by
sarah brewer, click photo designs by sarah brewer
lauren tomasella carney, lauren tomasella photography
carole forêt, carole forêt fine art
olivia reed, olivia reed photography
jan renegar, green tree photography
march/april | noalastudios.com |
Ever notice how the voices that pass through the media’s
megaphone aren’t always the ones that ought to be amplifi ed?
Over the course of the next several pages, it’s our pleasure
to buck that trend by introducing you to 28 people who
really have something worth saying.
Educators, volunteers, activists, caregivers,
community-minded businesspeople, each of whom,
in big ways and small, make life in the Valley
a little bit sweeter for all of us.
It’s our way of saying thank-you.
Th e next time you run into one of them at the bank,
or the post offi ce, or the grocery store, you may want
to say thank-you, too.
We’d also like to say a very special thank-you to the
fi ve local photographers who lent their talent to this feature.
We’re never at a loss for inspiration or beauty in the Valley,
and that’s something else to be thankful for.
| noalastudios.com | march/april
Th
e Heart &
So
ul o
f the V
alley
Karen Th omas, Creator of Casa Grande Farmers Market to benefi t Th e Princess Th eater, Decatur
What or who is the biggest motivator in your life?
Service, community, and love have been tremendous motivators. I’ve learned from others how important it is to be present in life and participate in a meaningful way. When we allow ourselves to truly know each other, it presents a wonderful opportunity for authentic connection, where it then becomes possible to use our similarities and even diff erences to create a brighter set of futures.
© Jan
Ren
egar, G
reen T
ree Ph
oto
grap
hy
march/april | noalastudios.com |
Dr. Alexander Ly, CMD, Lac, Founder, Dr. Ly Natural Health
What are you most passionate about?
I come from a family of Chinese medicine practitioners—my grandfather and father were skilled acupuncturists and teachers of Chinese medicine in China and Tai-wan. I learned from my father, and I have been practicing Chinese medicine and acupuncture for almost 50 years now. I think integrative medicine is the future of healthcare. My daughters, Drs. Helen and Amy Ly, are both neurologists and medi-cal acupuncturists. By blending the best of Chinese and Western medicine, we can provide healthcare that is at once safe, eff ective, and accessible.
© S
arah B
rew
er, Click
Ph
oto
Desig
ns b
y Sarah
Bre
wer
| noalastudios.com | march/april
Th
e Heart &
So
ul o
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alleyHeather Bookout, Photographer
What are you most passionate about?
My greatest passion is to photograph a woman in such a way that she is able to look at her portraits and really see herself. Th at always involves a revelation about her beauty. It gives her proof that her beauty exists and is real. Th at proof is life-changing for some and encouraging for all that experience it.
© C
arole F
orêt, C
arole F
orêt F
ine A
rt
march/april | noalastudios.com |
William Hampton, Huntsville Revisited
What are you most passionate about?
I love Abraham Lincoln’s quote, “I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.”
My passion is to share the rich, diverse history of Huntsville-Madison County and to encourage young people to interview older family members in order to collect and archive their family history. I am on a lifelong mission to collect stories and photos to share with future generations.
© L
auren
To
masella C
arney, L
auren
To
masella P
ho
tog
raph
y
Th
e Heart &
So
ul o
f the V
alley
| noalastudios.com | march/april
march/april | noalastudios.com | marmarmarmarmarmarmarmarmarararrrrarch/ch/ch/ch/ch/ch/ch/ch/ch///ch/ch///ch/ch/ch/ch/c apraprapraprapraprapraprprpaprapraprapraprraprppraprprapraprapra rril il il il il il ilil lil il ilil il liliill | | || | | nnnonononoon alaalaalalastustustutus diodiodiodioiodios.cs.cs.ccs.cs omom om om ommmom | | | | | | | | |
Marshall T. Schreeder, M.D., MPH, Co-Founder of Clearview Cancer Institute and Board Member of Russel Hill Cancer Foundation
Who is the most inspirational person you have ever met?
My patients. At the time that is their valley of fear, they inspire and motivate me constantly by their courage, their love for one another, and their faith. Every day they show me new insights into the purpose and meaning of life.
© L
auren
To
masella C
arney, L
auren
To
masella P
ho
tog
raph
y
| noalastudios.com | march/april
Th
e Heart &
So
ul o
f the V
alley
Anna Hubble Chilton, Senior at Grissom High School
Is there any cause or nonprofi t important to you?
Merrimack Hall, and the Johnny Stallings Art Program, because I can dance there, take some classes there, hang out with my friends, and things like that. If I couldn’t go to Merrimack Hall I wouldn’t be learning all these things, and that dancing is like art. I love to perform, and dancing there makes me happy and all the classes like yoga, art, choir, Project Up, general fi tness, and creative writing are fun.
© L
auren
To
masella C
arney, L
auren
To
masella P
ho
tog
raph
y
march/april | noalastudios.com |
Chaundra Weston Jones, Johnson High School Parent Coordinator
What are you most passionate about?
I am passionate about advocating for youth. Th e greatest limitations on a child’s potential are opportunity and support. So many of our kids could be great, but they never get the chance. Opportunity without resources is not opportunity at all. I make it my life purpose to see that more kids get chances, so each child has the opportunity and the resources to be great.
© L
auren
To
masella C
arney, L
auren
To
masella P
ho
tog
raph
y
| noalastudios.com | march/april
Th
e Heart &
So
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alley
Kevin Wieseman, Director of Athletics and Extra-Curricular Activities for Huntsville City Schools
What or who is the biggest motivator in your life?
My father, Bill Wieseman, spent nearly 40 years as a teacher and coach. I would sit on the living room fl oor as his former students and players would come by the house and introduce their new bride or baby. It was as if they were saying thank you without actually saying thank you. Th is also occurred in grocery stores and community events all over North Alabama. I knew at an early age I wanted to be a teacher and a coach one day simply because of the appreciation people had for my dad.
© O
livia R
eed, O
livia R
eed P
ho
tog
raph
y
march/april | noalastudios.com |
Cheryl Carlson, Owner of Karma Rags at Lowe Mills Arts & Entertainment
Is there any cause or nonprofi t important to you?
I love small-scale local projects; how people put their heart into a project they believe in. Th at’s why my shop, Karma Rags, off ers two micro grants every year, one each for a local artist and a project organizer. It’s $250 unconditional dollars to create an artwork or organize a project that in some way makes a diff erence! In 2015 our micro grant artist recipient created 52 artworks and then gave them away. Our 2015 community project micro grant allowed the residents of a local veteran’s living group to landscape their house.
© Jan
Ren
egar, G
reen T
ree Ph
oto
grap
hy
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Josh Williams, Veteran Consultant, Turning Point Consultants
Is there any cause or nonprofi t important to you?
I am passionate about the emergence of a noble warrior class of leaders from our nation’s veterans, so that through their wisdom our young men and women will be given the tools they need to transform our society from a state of fear to a reclaimed state of hope.
Reverend Kerry Holder Joff rion, President and CEO of Turning Point Consultants
What are some of your hobbies and interests?
I have a special passion for empowering people, and my greatest joy comes from working with veterans and military personnel in the area of healing, particularly with challenging treatment of PTSD. Th e servicemen and women in our country are honor-worthy, but fi rst we have to truly see them.
Zara Renander, Consultant, Turning Point Consultants
Is there a cause or nonprofi t that is important to you?
My extensive travels have given me the ability to bridge gaps between cultures. As Director of a Center for Pilgrimage and Reconciliation in Huntsville, I expanded my understanding of confl icted situations, as well as my awareness of the many opportunities for healing. I am particularly interested in the ways we may welcome our service men and women coming back from war.
Th
e Heart &
So
ul o
f the V
alley
© O
livia R
eed, O
livia R
eed P
ho
tog
raph
y
From left to right:
Josh Williams
Kerry Holder Joff rion
Zara Renander
march/april | noalastudios.com |
| noalastudios.com | march/april
Th
e Heart &
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Bill Roark, Cofounder and CEO of Torch Technologies
What are you most passionate about?
Over the past few years, my passion has been to build Torch into a great place to work, as well as a trusted community partner. With the help of my Torch colleagues, we continue to make that happen. More recently, I have begun to engage more personally with the community in other areas. Currently, I serve as Chair of the Community Foundation, where I am committed to ensuring that the resources and organizational structures necessary to aide North Alabama nonprofi ts are present, well into the future.
© S
arah B
rew
er, Click
Ph
oto
Desig
ns b
y Sarah
Bre
wer
march/april | noalastudios.com |
Gay Hinds Money, Retired Logistics Analyst, Redstone Arsenal
What are you most passionate about?
I am very passionate about Maria Howard Weeden and the Weeden House Museum and Garden. As a member of the Board of Directors, I am proud of the work we have done to restore this historical home to its past glory, and for the creation of a gallery to showcase Maria Weeden’s fabulous paintings. Huntsville is so fortunate to have this restored 1819 home showcasing the work of a renowned, nationally-recognized artist and Alabama Poet Laureate.
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Ranae Bartlett, Executive Director of Madison City Chess League and Vice-President of Madison City Board of Education
What are you most passionate about?
I am an advocate for public education, and its promise that every child receive equal educational opportunities. I am also passionate about introducing chess education to our students. I serve on a State Department of Education task force that has initiated a Chess in Schools program throughout Alabama. Some think smart people play chess, but it’s actually the other way around—chess makes you smarter. It’s a confi dence builder, too. It also helps students exercise a part of the brain necessary for pattern recognition and understanding consequences.
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Kristina Hendrix, Athens-Limestone Community Association
Is there any cause or nonprofi t important to you?
I really enjoy learning about causes that bridge people together. I think it’s important to fi nd causes and organizations that make history relevant to our everyday lives and to help us not repeat the past. I joined the Athens-Limestone Community Association because their purpose is to create a connection between the history and future of Athens and Limestone County. Th rough their eff orts, more people understand a part of our history that was not taught in our schools and are eager to learn more.
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Dr. John Dunkel, Retired Physician
What are some of your hobbies and interests?
I still maintain an interest and passion for the profession of medicine, Th rive Alabama (previously, Th e Davis Clinic and AIDS Action Coalition), and the lives of those infected with HIV.
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John and Carol Dunkel
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alleyErin Owens, President of Th e Women’sGuild of Huntsville Ballet
Is there any cause or nonprofi t important to you?
My two favorite nonprofi ts seem quite diff erent, but they do have at least one thing in common. Th e fi rst is the Huntsville Ballet. As Huntsville’s only professional ballet company, they bring artistic excellence, educational opportunities, and community outreach to North Alabama. Th e second nonprofi t is Bags of Blessings, a weekend food backpack program that works with the CARE Center and the New Hope Children’s Clinic to address the problems of rural poverty. One supplies food for the body and the other food for the soul, and we need both!
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Antonio Leon McGinnis, Executive Director of Harris Home for Children
What or who is the biggest motivator in your life?
I come from very humble beginnings. I grew up in Public Housing and had to overcome a lot of obstacles just to be able to make it out. Th is has been my biggest motivator in life, because I feel it is important for those who make it out to come back and inspire others to know that they can do the same. Young people need role models, and I choose to be that role model for those who are often forgotten.
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Jerry and Amanda Lee, Co-foundersof the Rise School of Huntsville
What or who is the biggest motivator in your life?
Jerry: Our greatest motivators are our faith, family, and ensuring barriers to a fully inclusive life are removed for people with special needs.
Who is the most inspirational person you have ever met?
Amanda: Who inspires me are all the parents who also fi ght for inclusion for their child, especially in the public schools. It’s a tough fi ght with not a lot of support. We are a small group peppered across the state and United States.
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James Duke, Th rive Alabama
What are you most passionate about?
Helping others, giving back, and making a diff erence in someone else’s life while remaining humble.
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Lyla & Woody Peebles, Sixth Generation Mooresville Residents and Founders of Th e Dance Hall
Woody and I love creating life out of old things. We created a lovely dance hall for our daughter’s wedding out of an equipment shed. Eight thousand bricks, overhead lights and fans, and country counters were added to make magic for brides and grooms in a common farm setting. But the most important thing about our area is the land—the fertile red soil is the breath and soul of every living thing. We attribute everything we have learned to our parents and their experiences in life.
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Th
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alleyKathleen Paul, Director of Happy Trails Th erapeutic Riding Center, Inc.
What or who is the biggest motivator in your life?
Th e motivators in my life are the children we serve. In 2014, a three-year-old girl spoke her fi rst word (“GO!”) on the back of our pony, Snowball. One of our little ones, who struggles with autism, made eye contact and gave me a big smile during a recent session, and three-year-old triplets will soon take their fi rst steps. I’m also motivated by the courageous parents who advocate for their little ones every day. Th eir struggles are legion, but so are their rewards!
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Noel King, Vice President King Insurance Agency
What are some of your hobbies and interests?
Other than traveling when I can, I also love being neck-deep in community service. I volunteer my time and skills for many nonprofi ts and serve on various boards. I am jokingly referred to by my Facebook friends as “Mr. Decatur” because I love being in the know about new businesses coming to town and fun activities to participate in, and I love sharing that news with others. I am a vocal advocate for our city and love helping friends and acquaintances remember that Decatur is a great place to be.
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Eula Battle, Executive Director, Free 2 Teach
Is there any cause or nonprofi t important to you?
I taught school for 31 years. Teachers spend a lot of their own money to compensate for dwindling funds allocated by the state. While volunteering at a holiday gift drive in December 2009, a friend and I noticed a collection bin for school supplies. Th e seed for Free 2 Teach was planted. We talked to businesses about collecting supplies to be donated to teachers at no cost. Initially, those supplies were stored in my garage. Today, Free 2 Teach operates a 10,000 square foot retail and warehouse space, providing free supplies to all full-time classroom teachers in Madison County’s three public school systems.
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Dr. Juanita Harris, Director of Weapons Development and Integration at Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center
Who is the most inspirational person you have ever met?
Th e most inspirational person I have ever met would have to be Mrs. Lynne M. Jackson, great-great granddaughter of Dred and Harriet Scott and President of the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation. I recently met her when I became a recipient of the Dred Scott Freedom Award. What inspires me most about Mrs. Jackson is that she took a negative historical event and refocused it to aff ect positive change in the community. It was amazing to be in the presence of a descendant of someone who fought for the freedoms I am now aff orded.
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* Names for photos are provided by the organization or business featured.
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A busy schedule shouldn’t get in the way of a plan for your future.
| noalastudios.com | march/april
by jennifer crossley howard » photos courtesy of the elephant sanctuary in tennessee
march/april | noalastudios.com |
| noalastudios.com | march/april
Seeing an elephant cavort in the snow looks unnatural, yet
Asian species fare better in cold weather than their African
sisters. Hohenwald, which means “high forest” in German,
accurately describes the elephants’ playground and “forever
home,” as DeYoung calls the sanctuary. Popular elephant pas-
times include pushing down tall, skinny trees and sleeping in
the woods.
In its 21 years, 27 elephants have lived at the sanctuary, and
retiring an elephant to Hohenwald can take months or years.
Histories of dangerous encounters with their keepers send
some animals here, while private owners of some animals
decide to remove them from public life for their wellbeing.
Others retire after a life of performing that can lead to health
problems. Elephants can live 70 or 80 years, DeYoung says,
and many come to the sanctuary at midlife or younger.
“We take in elephants of any age,” she added. “It’s not just a
bunch of old ladies who come here.”
Hohenwald is the only other elephant sanctuary accred-
ited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries in the
United States besides one in Galt, California. Th e sanctuary
In the small town of Hohenwald—population 3,700—Th e
Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee provides a place for ele-
phants that have lived in captivity to thrive, shielded from
the public.
In midwinter, with its skeletal trees, gray sky, and one front
yard full of clawfoot bath tubs, Hohenwald looks more like
the setting for a Southern gothic fairy tale than the home to
14 elephants.
Th e sanctuary’s elephants are veterans of zoos and circuses,
often both, and all of them are female because they tend to
cooperate better in performance environments than bulls.
Th e public watch African and Asian elephants online through
EleCams, which fi lm behavior ranging from the mundane to
spirited rumbles, trumpeting and trunks beating against the
ground. On a recent 20-degree day, the elephants stayed in
their barns. If the sun is out and it is below freezing, they are
usually allowed outside briefl y.
“From sunup to sundown we’re checking on them, throwing
them hay,” said Stephanie DeYoung, the sanctuary’s director
of elephant husbandry. “Every day is diff erent.”
In the rural outskirts of Southern Tennessee, some 80 miles from Nashville, lies the path to the Volunteer State’s lesser known destina-tion for stars. Here, on more than 2,700 acres of loblolly pine, bamboo, and lakes, former en-tertainers retire to run wild.
march/april | noalastudios.com |
survives on total private funding from 30,000 donors around
the world, and it employs 44 people on a $2 million payroll.
Th e sanctuary’s 2015 budget was $3.5 million, and fundrais-
ing yielded more than $4 million. Donors stretch from as far
as Fiji to down the road.
“Our mission is focused on providing them a natural habitat
and giving them as much of a natural habitat as possible in
captivity,” said Janice Zeitlin, CEO of the sanctuary.
Often cramped living conditions in zoos and circus stalls can
lead to chronic arthritis and foot disease.
“Elephants need vast amounts of space and the ability to
move, and a lifetime of performing in the circus has very
limited opportunity to do that,” DeYoung said.
Newfound freedom provides amusement and education
to staff . When Hadari, an elephant from the Nashville Zoo
came to Hohenwald in September, she didn’t know what to
do. Most elephants at zoos are on a schedule so they are vis-
ible to visitors as much as possible.
“She would kind of stand out by the barn like ‘am I okay to
walk around and do what I want?’” DeYoung said.
At night, Hadari split her sleeping between the barn and out-
side just because she could.
Asian elephants roam a 1,700 acre habitat, and African ele-
phants occupy 70 acres, with 230 acres to be added for them.
Elephants that retired together from a circus dwell on 200
acres. Th e sanctuary began leasing 200 acres from Interna-
tional Paper in 1995 and purchased land in 2003, expanding
to 2,700 acres.
Th e sanctuary’s eldest elephant is Shirley, whose life at 68
years old rivals Hemingway’s legendary adventures. She was
captured in Asia when she was fi ve years old. In the 1950s,
while she was traveling with a circus in Cuba, Fidel Castro
took power, and his forces held the circus captive. Shirley
then survived a shipwreck off the coast of Nova Scotia that
killed two other elephants. In 1975 while in another circus,
an elephant broke Shirley’s right hind leg, which left a per-
manent bend, but she’s still standing. She came to the sanc-
tuary in 1999.
Misty enjoys a morning stroll.
| noalastudios.com | march/april
“Th e stories these elephants have are almost as if someone
made them up,” DeYoung said. “Th at’s the reality of captive
elephants.”
Th e sanctuary’s brick welcome center in downtown Hohen-
wald—nestled between a market and a print shop—will trans-
form this year. Th e expanded, renamed Elephant Discovery
Center will open in early 2017. Additions are projected to
cost $1 million for the purpose of teaching visitors about the
sanctuary’s mission and its residents. An outdoor breezeway
area is set to open this fall, and a 40-seat theater, expanded gift
area, and multimedia exhibits will open next year.
“It’s going to be really busy, noisy, and exciting in a very short
amount of time,” said Todd Montgomery, education man-
ager at the sanctuary. “I know we will have people from all
over the world.”
Howard+Revis, a Washington, D.C.-based design fi rm that
has worked with the Museum of Natural History and the
Smithsonian Institution, is heading the project.
“We know that educating the public is what will provide a
better life for captive and wild elephants for generations to
come,” Montgomery said.
He visits area schools and leads distance learning programs
online, connecting to 19 states, Canada, and the United
Kingdom in 2015. He has also connected virtually to librar-
ies, a birthday party, and a hospital in chats akin to Skype.
During such chats, children, perhaps craving their own free-
dom, usually understand the plight of elephants in captivity.
“Th ey get it, like yeah an elephant should have time to push
over a tree if they want to,” DeYoung said.
She is not surprised by intrigue of elephants.
“Th ere’s something about elephants that people just love to
learn bout,” she said. “In general, people think elephants are
really fascinating animals. Very rarely do you have someone
who says, ‘Uh, I’m not into elephants.’”
Th e Elephant Discovery Center will add three jobs at most
and will rely heavily on volunteers. Besides the discovery
center and school visits, the sanctuary maintains a public
face through national ambassadors, and a YouTube channel,
and by providing college scholarships to Lewis High School
seniors.
“Something we work on and are really proud of is how we
do a lot of work and show people we are a part of this com-
munity,” Montgomery said.
His classroom visits earned him fame with local school kids.
“He’s got his own little fan club here, it’s great,” DeYoung said.
Leaving the elephants off display garners a mystique and oppor-
tunity for education that can be lost at the zoo, DeYoung said.
Asian elephants roam a 1,700 acre habitat, and African elephants occupy 70 acres, with 230 acres to be added for them. Elephants that re-tired together from a circus dwell on 200 acres. Th e sanctuary began leasing 200 acres from International Paper in 1995 and purchased land in 2003, expanding to 2,700 acres.
march/april | noalastudios.com |
“Our ability in being really creative in teaching people about
elephants, you lose a lot of that if you’re standing there star-
ing at an elephant,” DeYoung said. “You’re not reading the
graphics and really taking in the educational experience.”
Zeitlin and DeYoung attribute some of that growing interest
to Th e Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus decision
to retire all of its performing elephants by this May. Th ose
elephants will reside at the circus’s Center for Elephant Con-
servation in Florida, a facility that has attracted controversy.
“[Th at decision] has boosted a lot of interest in this facility
because people Google ‘elephant’ or ‘where do elephants go
when they retire’ and that sends them here,” Montgomery
said. “At a micro level, we are getting a lot of phone calls and
a lot of emails asking what does retirement mean, what hap-
pens with your elephants? So It’s moving the public conver-
sation about that forward.”
Th ough the public is not allowed inside the sanctuary, VIP
donors may tour the sanctuary’s infrastructure but have no
interaction with elephants or guarantee to see them, accord-
ing to Montgomery.
Th e Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries guidelines
recommend limited public access at sanctuaries, including
tours strictly for educational value, and no direct interac-
tion with elephants. Researchers occasionally study there,
but they do not interrupt the solitude of the elephants. Last
fall, Duke University tested night drones to be used in the
African country of Gabon to count forest elephants. And
when elephants die, necropsies precede on-site burials.
Veterinary staff from the University of Georgia and Univer-
sity of Tennessee perform necropsies. Th e sanctuary shares
fi ndings with organizations to learn more about caring for
geriatric elephants.
Elephants are encouraged to bond, but they aren’t expected
to get along, DeYoung says.
But time has eased bad blood.
“We have elephants who have been here 10 years and could
not get along and had playdates, and for some reason about
six months ago during one of their playdates they didn’t want
to separate and have been together ever since,” Zeitlin said.
Th ose three elephants—Minnie, Ronnie, and Debbie—
moved to Hohenwald after residing in Illinois with the
Hawthorn Corporation. Th e United States Department of
Agriculture prosecuted the corporation, which trained and
leased elephants to circuses, for violating the Animal Wel-
fare Act.
“You see one, you see all three,” DeYoung said. “I can’t help
but think it’s because they’ve been allowed to build their re-
lationship in their own time in their own way.”
Sukari and Rosie followed Hadari in November from the
Nashville Zoo. Together, they make up the “Nashville trio,”
as DeYoung aff ectionately calls them. She speaks of the el-
ephants the way a bemused but no-nonsense mother might
talk about her children.
Sanctuary caregivers use no dominance with the elephants,
practicing Protected Contact Management. Th ey use a bar-
rier, usually a 10-foot wall, between them and the elephant as
well as physical distance and fences. During a medical exam,
vets use bamboo rods with masking tape on the ends to guide
the animals to place their body parts into wall compartments.
Th ey receive positive reinforcement if they comply.
Shirley, the sanctuary’s oldest resident, snacks on pumpkin in the late afternoon.
| noalastudios.com | march/april
“Th ey have the choice to participate,” DeYoung said. “If they
show a fear of something, we build up that confi dence, they
can walk away.”
“We have a saying around here,” she added. “We go by El-
ephant Standard Time. If the elephants today aren’t feeling
it, we will try another day. Th at’s where not having visitors
really makes a big impact on how we manage our day.”
Th e decision to adopt Protected Contact Management fol-
lowed the death in 2006 of caregiver Joanna Burke, accord-
ing to Zeitlin. She was killed by Winkie, an Asian elephant
from Burma, who still lives at the sanctuary. Burke was
standing close to Winkie assisting during an eye exam when
the animal knocked her down and stomped on her. During
that time, the sanctuary followed Free Contact where barri-
ers are rarely, if ever, used.
Discriminating elephants with dangerous pasts or being lax
around more docile animals is not an option, DeYoung stressed.
“Th at’s how accidents happen,” she said.
Anxiety is far from DeYoung’s thoughts when she’s with the
elephants.
“It’s not a fear,” she said. “It’s a healthy respect. Th ere’s a big
diff erence…Th e fear would be if you worked with people you
didn’t trust.”
To build confi dence among caregivers and other staff , a full-
time safety manager audits safety practices and equipment.
Almost three years ago, the sanctuary introduced training
levels for working with elephants that includes months of
reading, tests, and mentoring.
“People underestimate all the hard work that goes into it,”
DeYoung said. “Th ey are dangerous animals, and we don’t
take that for granted at any point in our day.”
Following Burke’s death, the sanctuary received more na-
tional attention when a co-founder sued after she was fi red.
Ronnie, Minnie, and Debbie take in the sanctuary’s 2,700 plus acres.
march/april | noalastudios.com |
Th e sanctuary is still involved in a lawsuit with Carol Buckley
over the ownership of an elephant. In 2010, the sanctuary
board fi red her. She was also president and chief executive.
“Th ere were no answers,” Buckley said, by phone from Ne-
pal. “Th e board completely surprised me with their action to
remove me.”
She was barred from the sanctuary, where she lived, and
left behind Tarra, a now 42-year-old Asian elephant she had
raised since Tarra was two years old. Th e pair had not been
separated for 35 years, and before settling in Tennessee, they
traveled for 10 years with circuses and for 10 years worked
in zoos. Buckley realized that zoo life left Tarra with little
stimulation and space to roam.
“As time went on, Tarra grew larger, and I was not satisfi ed
with the lifestyle,” she said.
After 10 years of dreaming and studying about a place for
captive elephants to reside, Buckley found a piece of land in
Tennessee, which she calls “special and holy.” She and Scott
Blais, then a former elephant keeper, opened the sanctuary
in 1995.
“It was glorious,” Buckley said. “It was culture changing
in America.”
She generally supports non-dominant free contact when
taking care of elephants. Buckley says caregiver Joanna
Burke was under strict instructions not to be around Winkie
without a barrier. She did not disclose this fact after Burke
died, she said, because she did not want to appear like she
was blaming Burke for her own death.
In collaboration with the National Trust for Nature Con-
servation in Nepal, Buckley’s Elephant Aid International or-
ganization began providing training for elephant handlers,
trainers, and riders and elephant foot care in 2010.
Buckley said the sanctuary has not allowed her to see Tarra
in fi ve years but, “I do know how she’s doing,” she said.
Montgomery, in an email, said the sanctuary has allowed
Buckley to see Tarra. Regarding Buckley’s surprise at her
dismissal, he wrote, “I believe that those many people and
board members that were involved in addressing the events
that were presented to the board because of Ms. Buck-
ley’s actions and complaints from others about her would
strongly disagree.”
Blais departed from the sanctuary in 2011, and is building an
elephant sanctuary in Brazil, for which he recently received a
grant from the Hohenwald sanctuary.
Zeitlin commends Blais’s and Buckley’s work.
“It’s great that they’ve taken their experiences here and
are building them to help elephants around the world,”
Zeitlin said.
She declined to comment on Buckley and her relationship
with Tarra, but said the lawsuit “is down to one issue and it is
on the ownership of Tarra.”
Buckley is optimistic that she will see Tarra again soon.
Despite their diff erences, Buckley and the sanctuary share
one common goal. She applauds Th e Elephant Discovery
Center and its purpose to inform the public.
“Any time you educate, I think that’s a fabulous thing,” Buck-
ley said. “Education is the key to change.”
In its 21 years, 27 elephants have lived at the sanctuary, and retiring an elephant to Hohen-wald can take months or years. Elephants can live 70 or 80 years, DeYoung says, and many come to the sanctuary at midlife or younger.
This is a story about fear and trust, and the unspoken connection between two beings who
share a morning ritual along a wooded path.
Whether or not you believe it is up to you.
About four years ago, I experienced the joy of the Swan Creek nature trail, in my hometown of Athens,
for the fi rst time. Th e Swan Creek trail was developed years ago by the city as a recreational respite for
those needing a bit of exercise, or those wanting to marvel in a fairly untouched part of the town. I’m an
early riser and usually make it to the trail as day breaks. Th e early hour means that most of my walks are
in solitude, allowing me to witness all types of animal life just starting their day as well. As I approach
the creatures, they scamper into the thick vegetation that line the path opposite the creek shore. Rab-
bits, squirrels, foxes, and deer; I’ve seen them all.
And on lucky days, I see Mike.
Given his name by a friend’s son, the majestic Great Blue Heron stands in the rushing water about half
way down the path. Often I miss him—Mike always sees me before I see him. But about once a week,
in a silent moment of discovery, I happen upon him. Every time, I’m so shocked by his beauty, I can
only stop and stare, awestruck by the sheer breadth of his span, the richness of his blue feathers, and
the grace of his propulsion. Mike tolerates my gaze for about 30 seconds before spreading his wings. He
does not fl y away in fear or out of aggression; I feel he just wants me to witness his power and ability.
Yes, it is always a lucky day when I see Mike.
I won’t know how lucky until early one winter morning.
Frost had stripped the foliage from the brambles and saplings that fl oor the woods on the west side of
the path, leaving only a mass of limbs and vines to serve as a hiding place for animals. Th e cold and
absence of early morning light had stripped the path of all but one of its visitors, too.
I notice fi rst an eerie quiet in the path, the woods, and the creek. Something is diff erent, and the
diff erence is unsettling. Next, I realize I haven’t seen any of the small animals that usually
dart away, bounding into the dry thickets as I turn a corner and come into view. As I prog-
ress further along the trail, I begin to notice small bits of fur and feathers scattered about.
Th en small bones, scoured and snapped into sharp points.
And fi nally blood—drops and streaks of it—as if a fi erce battle had been fought here overnight. A feel-
ing of uneasiness overcomes me. Halfway down the path I turn to make my way out of the woods and
leave the trail. Th at’s when I hear it, a guttural growl, low and monotone, coming from the thicket just
off the path alongside me. I quicken my pace, careful to deny the source of the sound the attention it
craves. Nevertheless, the growl keeps time with my steps, always just a couple of yards from my feet,
98 » bless their hearts » Guy C. McClure
“MIKE THE PROTECTOR”
Tension fi lls the air. It intensifi es, and now it is just a few inches from me, an unseen animal, possibly hungry. I am its prey.
unseen in the foliage. Tension fi lls the air. It intensifi es, and
now it is just a few inches from me, an unseen animal, pos-
sibly hungry. I am its prey.
Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, steam rises from the
nostrils of the still-unseen creature. I know in my bones the
animal is rising on its haunches, preparing to strike. As I
brace myself for the inevitable attack, a shadow crosses my
face. I close my eyes and curl into a ball. My blood and bones
will join the others that should have served as a warning.
Th en, joining the growl, a new noise—like a crow’s caw—
intense, but not malicious. I look up in time to see a blur of
blue cross the sky, and I know the shadow crossing my face
belongs to Mike. Th e Great Blue Heron hurls himself toward
the thicket, talons outstretched, striking the creature with
a thundering force. Mike’s enormous wings stabilize him,
grasping the undergrowth, freeing his instruments of attack
to do their damage. His beak pierces the animal’s skin, elicit-
ing screams of pain.
After what seems like an eternity, I hear the creature’s
wounded cries as it retreats deeper into the thicket. I sit
on the crushed gravel path as Mike straightens himself and
comes to a full stance. He doesn’t look at me. Th ere is no
acknowledgement of what he’s done. I hear myself saying
Th ank you, Mike, as he turns and fl ies away. Th e wind from
his wings as he fl ies over my head is the sweetest I’ve ever
experienced.
Months passed before I fi nally gathered the courage to re-
turn to the path. I saw the rabbits and squirrels and the other
early morning creatures. And I saw Mike. I came upon him
in his usual spot. I stopped and stared for 30 seconds, and
then he fl ew away.
march/april | noalastudios.com |
I love to try new recipes, but once in awhile it’s good to have something to fall
back on, something requiring little thought that I can whip up at the last minute
without going to the grocery store. It recently occurred to me that I return to the
same ingredients over and over again—canned tomatoes, Kalamata olives, capers,
garlic, and, of course, olive oil. It also dawned on me that I often use these same
ingredients in variations on a common theme—puttanesca.
Pasta puttanesca, which literally means “in the style of a prostitute”, or, as I like to
call it, “Naughty Girl Pasta,” is believed to date from the mid-twentieth century.
A 2005 article from Il Golfo, a daily newspaper serving the Italian island of Ischia,
claimed that sugo (sauce) alla puttanesca was invented in the 1950s by Sandro
Petti, owner of an Ischian restaurant and nightspot. According to the article, Petti’s
moment of inspiration came at closing time one evening. A group of customers
wanted something to eat, but he was low on ingredients. Th ey instructed him:
“Facci una puttanata qualsiasi” or “make any kind of garbage. All Petti had on hand
was pasta (of course!), four tomatoes, two olives, and some capers, with which he
made a pasta sauce that was an instant hit. He later included it on his menu as
spaghetti alla puttanesca.
Recipes for pasta puttanesca vary according to preference. Th e Neapolitan version
is made without anchovies. Chili peppers are sometimes added. With the salty,
fl avorful capers, olives, and anchovies,
and the fragrant garlic, it’s a real umami
bomb. Traditionally the sauce is served
with spaghetti, although it also goes
well with penne, bucatini, linguini, and
vermicelli.
I have provided three diff erent recipes
alla puttanesca: one the classic pasta,
one a pizza, and one a super-healthy
fi sh version I came up with recently
while I was experimenting with baking
in foil. All are easy to make, and just
enough diff erent from
each other to add
all three to your
repertoire.
PUTTANESCA ON THE RITZ
100 » food for thought » Sarah Gaede
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil• 4 large garlic cloves, fi nely chopped• 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes in purée, preferably San Marzano, squished through your fi ngers• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved• 3 anchovy fi llets, chopped, or 1 tablespoon anchovy paste (optional)• 1 1/2 tablespoons drained capers• 1 teaspoon dried oregano• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper fl akes• Salt and black pepper to taste• 12 ounces spaghetti or other pasta• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley• Freshly grated Parmesan, optional
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, olives, anchovies or paste, capers, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Simmer sauce over medium-low heat until thickened, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain pasta; return to pot. Add sauce and parsley. Toss over low heat until sauce coats pasta, about 3 minutes. Serve with Parmesan if desired (I like mine without). Serves 4. I cut this recipe in half for 2 people, and refrigerate the extra tomatoes (not in the can!) for another day.
march/april | noalastudios.com |
Puttanesca Pizza
I make pizza at least twice a month. Th is is one of my absolute favorites. I make my own dough, and bake it on a pizza stone that has been preheated in the oven for an hour at 500 degrees. You can buy prepared dough at Publix in the bakery, press it into a metal pizza pan, and bake at 450 degrees until browned and bubbling.
• Prepared pizza dough, enough for a 12-inch pizza• Cornmeal• 1 tablespoon olive oil• 1 teaspoon dried oregano• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Italian cheese blend (NOT the kind with cream cheese)• 2 large garlic cloves, fi nely chopped• 20 or so Kalamata or other Greek olives, pitted and coarsely chopped• 3 tablespoons capers, drained• 3 thin slices red onion, separated into rings• 1 large ripe tomato (8 ounces) seeded, diced, lightly salted, drained, and squeezed dry• Freshly ground black pepper• Dried red pepper fl akes to taste
While dough is rising or coming to room temperature, preheat oven and stone, if using. Combine the shredded cheese with the garlic, and prepare the other toppings. When ready to bake, place a sheet of parchment paper on the peel, sprinkle lightly with cornmeal, and stretch the dough out into a large circle (or press it into the pan). Pour the olive oil on the dough to help smooth it and make it easier to stretch. Sprinkle the oregano on the crust, followed by the cheese, olives, capers , onions, and tomato. Add a few grinds of pepper. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges of crust are golden. Serve with red pepper fl akes on the side, if desired.
Snapper Puttanesca
• 2 6-ounce red snapper, grouper, or tilapia fi lets• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil• Salt and pepper to taste• Dried oregano to taste• 1 large garlic clove, very thinly sliced• 1/2 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes, tossed with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper• 1/2 cup Kalamata or other Greek olives, pitted and coarsely chopped (I like to mix black and green) • 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed• 1 1/4-inch thick slice red onion, separated into rings
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Tear off a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil, twice as long as it is wide (18x36 inches.) Fold crosswise across the middle, then unfold. Dry fi sh with paper towels, rub on both sides with the 2 tablespoons olive oil, and place next to each other left of the fold line. Sprinkle fi sh with salt, pepper, olives, and oregano to taste. Scatter garlic, tomatoes, capers, and onion rings over fi sh—it doesn’t really matter in what order. Fold the right half of the foil over the fi sh, and seal on all three open sides with double folds. Make sure the folds are tight. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and let sit unopened for about 3 minutes before serving. I use my kitchen shears to cut the package open from the middle, being careful of steam.
I like to serve this with couscous, orzo, or rice to soak up the juice. To double, make 2 packets with 2 fi lets each.
102 » parting shot » Lauren Tomasella Carney
MAKING A SPRING BREAK FOR IT
Saturday, April 16, 2016, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 17, 2016, 3:30 p.m.
Mark C. Smith Concert Hall, Von Braun CenterHuntsville, Alabama
Tickets: 256-539-4818 or www.hso.org
Join the
for a
Brahms Festival
| noalastudios.com | march/april
M O R E T H A N 7 0 S H O P S A N D R E S TA U R A N T S , I N C L U D I N G : B J ’ S R E S T A U R A N T & B R E W H O U S E S T E E L C I T Y P O P S
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N O W O P E N : D I C K ’ S S P O R T I N G G O O D S
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