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FEATURES - SUMMER 2008 Memphis Women Go Green There are many of women in the Memphis area making contributions for conservation, recycling, the environment and many more “green” issues. Whether they are exposing toxic air and water, or struggling to hold on to sustainable agriculture, women are often the hardest hit by harmful environmental practices. This feature celebrates ten powerful women who are upfront and fighting back for change. Thanks to Barbara Standing’s “green” passion and hard work for making this feature possible. Photography by Maggie Brown and Barbara Standing Laura Adams Former Interim Director of Development, Public Engagement and Master Plan, Shelby Farms Park Conservancy Laura Adams is an avid supporter of Shelby Farms Park, the largest park of its kind in the nation.  Her current role in the newly created Shelby Farms Park Conservancy, which manages the park, is to help create strategy, foster awareness and unite supporters to ensure the park reaches its potential as a valuable public asset with development focused on park users' diverse interests.  She also brings an important eco-consciousness to the park, with her mind always turned toward environmental sustainability and making the most of our natural resources.  Part of making a city greener is conserving what's already green and making sure people have a place to come and experience nature.  Most recently, her focus has been on the park's master plan project, which promises to help Shelby Farms Park become the next great 21st century park.  Laura has always supported the principles of sustainability for all park projects that are a reflection of her own lifestyle choices.  Laura can be seen driving around the park in her little green beetle that runs on Biodiesel.  She envisions the park as a teaching tool where kids and families can come see the latest in green energy and design while spending time in the great outdoors. Laura is also the impetus behind the park's annual GreenShoe Gala, GreenTeen Gala and Down to Earth events to celebrate Earth Day and is a founding member of Greening Greater Memphis. “My ‘green’ passion is Shelby Farms Park.  Shelby Farms is a unique asset that is truly like no other.  It is the largest metropolitan park in North America and, brought to its full potential, it will play a vital role in improving our community health, attracting and retaining talent to the Memphis region, teaching the next generations of the Earth’s stewards and stabilizing and improving property values in the area.  The master plan will provide us with the roadmap to achieve these goals.” Tracy Adkisson Associate Director of Physical Plant, Rhodes College Tracy is chair of the Rhodes College Environmental Planning Cooperative, a cross-campus collaboration of faculty, staff and students committed to creating a sustainable campus.  The EPC is currently guiding the college’s efforts to implement the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, of which Rhodes is a charter signatory.  Last summer, Tracy organized a Green Power Switch enrollment campaign among staff and faculty, resulting in 32 new participants sponsoring a combined 75 blocks of green power through the MLGW/TVA renewable energy program—enough power to meet the annual electric needs of 9 average Memphis households.  Of the 748 individual Green Power Switch subscribers in Shelby County, Tracy is responsible for 4% of them! “My ‘green passion’ is to bring about the kinds of change that can become culturally pervasive, and that will in turn effect other changes—not just changes in practice, but changes in perspective.  Imagine if recycling, and conservation, and environmentally-responsible purchasing became our society’s norm and not a deliberate choice?”   Mary Carroll University of Memphis Architecture Student. Focus~ Greywater Systems A passion for architecture and a love of nature coalesced when Mary was invited to participate as a founding member of Professor Jim Lutz’s Sustainable Studio and Center for Sustainable Design at The University of Memphis. Her interest in greywater systems evolved out of her work on TERRA, the LEED Certified home currently planned in Uptown Memphis. The safe harvest and reuse of household greywater for toilet flushing purposes alone offers an immediate decrease in household water consumption by an average of 30% to 40%. Modern technology has produced greywater systems that are completely safe and reliable while remaining virtually maintenance-free. Having secured permission for an extensive greywater system for her own property in Fayette County, she is currently involved in the research and submittal of a proposal to the Memphis Shelby County building officials that would allow the installation, monitoring and study of potential water reuse on a larger scale. According to Mary, greywater isn’t just for hippies anymore; in fact, it may be the most immediate solution for dramatic reductions in municipal water demands. “I believe that in order to prepare our children for the sustainable challenges of the future, we must return to and instill in them the belief in the power of the individual. In the words of Gandhi, they must be the change they long to see in the world. They must believe, even as little children, that they have the ability to change their world.” Rebecca Conrad LEED Certified Architect, Askew Nixon Ferguson As a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accredited architect at Askew Nixon Ferguson. Rebecca Conrad became an early leader of the movement for sustainable and environmentally conscious design in Memphis. She was instrumental in opening a local chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (U.S.G.B.C) that serves as a “green” forum for people in a variety of building related industries. Along with certifying businesses, homes and schools that meet LEED standards for construction and design, the U.S.G.B.C also serves as a local resource and governing agency.   As a proponent of green design, Rebecca strives to educate her clients on the long-term benefits of sustainability in the form of energy savings, conservation of natural resources, environmental protection, and health benefits for the building’s occupants, and the total life cycle cost savings for the building. Rosalynn Gatewood City of Memphis Recycling Coordinator As Recycling Representative of Memphis Rosalynn Gatewood’s job is to educate and inform the Residents of the City of Memphis about the benefits of recycling. In an ongoing effort to reduce the amount of solid waste that is currently disposed in Memphis area landfills, Solid Waste Management has developed and implemented a variety of recycling programs and initiatives. Programs include curbside recycling, yard waste composting, household appliance recycling and drop-off centers. The 2006 total recycled Solid Waste for Tennessee, (which includes residential, commercial, industrial, yard type wastes) totaled 892,835 tons. Rosalyn also fields questions such as, “Why Recycle”? Recycling keeps prices down. Recycling cuts down on the amount of garbage we throw away and bury. By recycling we reduce air pollution. Recycling creates jobs. “We only have one planet to live on. If we do not take care of Earth then it cannot take care of us.  If we all do our part with the planet at heart we will have cleaner air, water and earth in which to live. Everything that we used can and should be recycled.  From the old clothes that you out grow to the old toys that you never play with anymore. Everything can be recycled.” Professor Cheryl Goudie Program Coordinator, Ecological Research Center The University of Memphis As the University of Memphis Urban Ecology Program Coordinator, Cheryl Goudie contributes to the environmental movement through education and quantitative scientific study. By starting a program designed to collect biological specimens from local plants and animals in our urban environment, Cheryl and her colleagues are creating a baseline record of biodiversity in the region that can be used to measure future shifts in the ecological landscape. This record will also aid in land use planning for the region. By engaging children in the critical process of data collection and analysis, she hopes they will become more involved in conservation. Cheryl believes that a “green” revolution is taking hold in Memphis, and that these efforts will help us understand how our ecosystem functions, and help create the “green workforce” of tomorrow. “In real estate, the mantra is ‘Location, Location, Location.’  I believe the mantra for ecological sustainability, for us to leave the earth to our children in no worse condition and hopefully better than when we got it from our parents, is ‘Education, Education, Education.’  We must all accept responsibility and be good stewards of our natural environment.” Rita Harris Environmental Justice, Sierra Club As a long-time social justice activist/advocate Rita Harris has worked with communities and church groups on issues related to air toxins and environmental justice for the past 17 years. She educates interested citizens concerned about the health impacts of toxic air & water pollution, effective emergency planning for neighborhoods near large chemical plants, and the cleanup of contaminated properties. To assist in raising awareness, she offers Toxic Tours and designs easy-to-read community education fliers and brochures, such as the recently published 4th edition of the Shelby County Terrible Ten Report. In addition, an air pollution video she conceived and produced with the help of a Memphis filmmaker, is added to her toolbox of items she uses to do outreach to community groups and individuals who desire to become activists. She believes that average citizens, regardless to their race or class, must be empowered to speak for themselves and be included in decision-making that impacts their lives and their communities. Rita promotes effective citizen participation in all areas of decision-making, sustainable business practices, safer chemical substitutes, and collaborations to ensure a greener cleaner environment. ““I am passionate about my work that I view as an obligation to the community!  It is vitally important that someone sounds the alarm, and works with communities and government agencies to press for stricter health protection and demand clean air and water for future generations.” Melissa Petersen Editor Edible Memphis Magazine Melissa Peterson is the editor and publisher of Edible Memphis, a quarterly magazine with a focus on local, seasonal food grown in the Mid-South area. As a supporter of sustainable agricultural practices, Melissa believes that eating locally produced food is one of the first and easiest steps towards creating a “greener” lifestyle. For many people, learning to cook can be the next crucial step for incorporating local produce into their diet. By teaching free monthly cooking classes at Wild Oats and organizing Taste of the Garden classes at the Memphis Botanic garden, Melissa introduces novice cooks to new techniques and the use of healthy ingredients, while also promoting cooking as a fun and rewarding activity. For Melissa, a “green” Memphis means a population that not only eats tastier food picked at its ripest, but also one that supports the local economy and greatly reduces the environmental impact of imported food that is transported from thousands of miles away. “An Important ‘green’ tip to begin teaching children is to teach kids to cook. Let them pick things out, stir, grate, season. Ask their opinion—does this have enough salt? Should we add a little lemon juice? You’d be surprised how much ownership a child will take when they are the chefs. Farmers can grow incredible produce, but if no one cooks, it’s all a waste.” Barbara Standing Client for Sustainable Energy Demonstration House Barbara Standing is an environmental activist who believes that small steps can make a big difference.  Whether it’s daily recycling, planting a tree or biking short distances instead of driving, everyone can easily reduce his or her personal footprint on our environment.  As clients for the first sustainable energy residential house to be built in Memphis, Barbara and her husband have found a way to take their sustainable commitment to the next level.   Designed by students at The University of Memphis Architecture and Design department, the house will meet strict Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria and set a new standard for sustainability in Memphis.   “I believe that personal responsibility and individual leadership also lies in the hands of the next generation.  By empowering today's children with a message of individual responsibility and teaching them the power of "one," we can create an effective leadership of tomorrow.”  Becky Williamson Manager, MLGW Eco Build Program. Becky Williamson manages a variety of customer programs for MLGW, including its green services that include EcoBUILD, a green building program for residential construction.  Started in 2003 in response to developer interests in green construction, EcoBUILD utilizes a set of building standards that yield homes using 30% less energy than houses built just to local code and typical practices.  EcoBUILD has certified more than 400 homes to date, ranging from Habitat homes to a $900,000 custom home--proving that energy efficiency and environmental benefits can be obtained, cost effectively, in any price point.  Becky also manages MLGW customer participation in TVA's Green Power Switch and Generation Partners renewable energy programs, as well as a new eBilling service which allows customers to "go paperless" by viewing and paying their utility bills online. “I have two nephews and a niece with whom I spend a great deal of time.  Through ‘Aunt Becky’ they have learned kid-friendly ways to make a difference.  Together, we compost kitchen scraps, recycle packaging and paper, find new uses for non-recyclable items, plant gardens to attract butterflies and rake leaves (for jumping into, and then mulching).  The secret:  when you make earth-friendly activities a family event, no one views them as a chore!” Rebecca Webb Wilson Little Girl from Jackson Makes Big Mark on Memphis The road from Jackson, Tennessee to Memphis is pretty short. But for Rebecca Webb Wilson, the journey from her childhood home to the Bluff City up the road took her around the globe numerous times. And it’s that traveler’s world-view that was a key to her founding Bridge Builders ®, a groundbreaking youth leadership program that celebrates its 20th year this year. But at the core, what mostly drove her to form the program was a mother’s desire to help kids – both her own and all those living in Memphis. “It came out of a personal need,” Wilson says, “to give my children an experience that I didn’t have.” Following her childhood in Jackson, Wilson’s journey took her to Vanderbilt University, where she was a language major, studying Spanish, French, Portuguese and Russian. After college, she worked as an international flight attendant for Pan American for three years. Her wanderlust has stayed with her into adulthood. "I keep a bag packed at all times now,” she says. “I never get enough travel." But early on, travel was much more than jet setting for Wilson. The summer before her senior year, she took part in the American Field Service Program, living for three months in Zamboanga on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. The experience changed her life. "I was the only white teenager in what was geographically one of the largest cities in the world,” she said. “I was a minority. For a little girl from the segregated South, it was eye opening. It gave me a feeling for people - for what being a minority would feel like." Her travel and her time overseas, she says, "opened my eyes to the fact that this is not the center of the universe - there are lots of ways of doing life." Doing life for her meant marrying Spence Wilson, son of Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson, and settling in Memphis. While raising four children with her husband, she managed to succeed in multiple careers. She worked in real estate and completed a law degree at the University of Memphis. Her third child was born two weeks after her first-year final exams. She served for a time as an Assistant U.S. attorney in Memphis. But her journey was far from over. The seeds of the Bridge Builders program were planted when she attended a luncheon hosted by Shelby County Mayor Bill Morris, who was trying to make Memphians aware of the problems many Mid-South children face. "It was the first time I realized there was a third-world culture within the confines of Shelby County,” she said. “My children were growing up just as segregated as I did. I didn't want them to suffer the same disconnect." She told Morris her idea for a program that would seek to approach problems in Memphis by teaching diversity and leadership to high school students from different backgrounds that were already leaders. Morris sent her to the Rev. Don Mowery and Youth Service of Memphis, who liked what he heard. The first Bridge Builders camp took place in July of 1988 with kids from Northside and Briarcrest, held at the Navy base in Millington. Over the years the program grew and changed and so did Youth Service. Wilson figured whoever replaced Father Don might not see Bridge Builders the same way so she planned on ending her involvement after a new leader for the organization came on board. What she didn’t count on was Jim Boyd, who replaced Mowery in 1996. Boyd brought a new vision to the agency, one based on an entrepreneurial approach to social services that lessened the organization's reliance on rapidly diminishing government subsidies. In 1996, to more accurately reflect the work the agency was doing, the name was changed to BRIDGES. Boyd saw the value of the program Wilson had helped create and made sure its influence spread to other BRIDGES programs. Today, BRIDGES serves more than 10,000 individuals each year, through a variety of programs focused on training youth and adults to be leaders in fighting racism, poverty and educational challenges. Bridge Builders served 40 youth its first year and today serves roughly 1,500 high school students annually from more than 50 public, private and parochial high schools. The program is now being replicated in Montgomery, Ala. When she looks back at what she was doing in 1988 and 1989 – serving on the board of Belmont College and the Memphis Zoo, involvement with Vanderbilt, carpool AND starting Bridge Builders - Wilson marvels. “I don’t think I have that much energy now,” she says. Still, she’s got quite a bit. Becky, as she’s known to friends, currently serves on the BRIDGES Board of Trustees and is instrumental in planning a special series of events marking the 20th anniversary for Bridge Builders. It all culminates in a Red Carpet Celebration Event, featuring guest speaker Herman Boone (the high school football coach depicted in the film "Remember the Titans") followed by the premier of "20 Years of Building Bridges," a documentary film about the Bridge Builders program. In addition, she travels far and wide pursuing her 25-year passion for nature photography. She published her first book of photos in 2001 and she’s working on her second. She spends as much time as possible with her six grandchildren. If that wasn’t enough she’s planning at trip with friends to Africa to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. She says she had no clue Bridge Builders would grow to the extent that it has. But then again she wasn’t sure it would last after Jim Boyd took the helm at BRIDGES. “Lo and behold, God sent the person who saw it needed to keep going,” she said. Bridge Builders and BRIDGES kept going and so did Becky. And Memphis is better off because of it. For more information on the Red Carpet Celebration Event marking Bridge Builders 20th year, call 901.260.3754 or log on to www.bridgesusa.org. FEATURES - APRIL 2008 See Outstanding Young Women of Memphis page - Click Here COVER STORY - MARCH 2008 Michelle Robinson McKissack Still Newsworthy After TV News By Ginger Porter A Memphis reporter and anchor from 1995-2002, Michelle Robinson McKissack was about to make a move Chicago in early 2003 to take a reporting job she had accepted after a reorganization at a local ABC affiliate had left her jobless. “God had other plans for me,” she said. “I stayed here to help my Mom with Dad.” Her father, Charles, had been battling health problems for a year. He died later in 2003. “Family is everything. Nothing is more important. It is the same thread for me and my husband John,” she said. The McKissacks have been married 13 years and have John John, 9, James, 5, and Peter, 4. They met when they were both studying at Northwestern University. It was on to graduate school, a wedding and then her first job in Peoria, Illinois. McKissack, a hometown girl, later became a constant fixture in Memphis news, reporting at WREG News Channel 3 (CBS) and then anchoring at WPTY 24/WLMT 30, the ABC affiliate. She and her four siblings all graduated from White Station High School. Their family life was stable and comforting, she said. “If all was not right with the world, we didn’t know about it,” said McKissack. “My friends would tease me that we were the real life Cosby family. We just learned to count the little blessings and celebrate the everyday.” All of the brothers and sisters are successful professionals including a journalist, a doctor, a minister, a computer specialist and president of the Chicago Urban League. McKissack said that not getting along with each other was not an option. “It was always ‘all for one and one for all’ with our family,” she said. McKissack counts her mother, Earnestine Rodgers Robinson, 70, as her best role model. “Without question, in my book, my mom did it all right. She proved you can have it all—just maybe not all at the same time. I grew up with her at home and then her career began budding in music,” she said. For McKissack, “having it all” meant a conscious decision to leave full time reporting and begin a freelance career she could more easily manage with her family. “Our generation is redefining what ‘stay at home’ means. The most important thing I have ever done is making the choice to stay at home with my children,” she said. “I don’t miss TV news. It’s [being at home] so rewarding. I try to soak up every little day. I went walking hand in hand with my four-year-old to the store the other day, thinking I won’t have this when he is in Kindergarten.” Remaining busy with freelance assignments, McKissack works through a local talent agency doing voiceovers, infomercials, corporate training films, commercials and some acting. It was her first foray into acting several years ago that started her freelance work. Part of the film The People vs. Larry Flynt was being shot in town when director Michael Housman spotted McKissack anchoring the news. He went through Colors Talent Agency and contacted her about a spot in the film as a news anchor. “They flew me first class to Washington, D.C. with a 6 a.m. call time the next morning. My trailer was two trailers down from Woody Harrelson’s. I went through makeup, hair and wardrobe and then they gave me my lines,” she said. “I had no time to learn them. I asked for a reporter’s notebook to put in front of me and I wrote my lines in the notebook.” McKissack must have done a good job, as she was also chosen to play a news anchor in the movie Cast Away with Tom Hanks. Her talents also extend behind the camera. She has produced two independent films: Hidden Treasure(1 hour) and Sounds of a Miracle (24 minutes), both about her mother’s unique talent as a composer of classical music. Not formally trained in music, for the last 30 years, she has been creating oratorios through her own methodology. Others score the music for her. Both films have been screened at film festivals, such as the Hoboken International Film Festival, Rhode Island International Film Festival and L.A. Shorts Fest. Sounds of a Miracle has been designated an official selection in the Palm Beach International Film Festival this April. McKissack also hosted and co-produced a PBS-broadcast documentary on her mother called A Woman and Her Music. She has also done dramatic narrations as part of her mother’s oratorios, performed at Carnegie Hall and in Prague with the Czech National Symphony. One of her most recent assignments is a correspondent’s job in Chicago, working on a pre-taped lifestyle and business program called NEXTTV, scheduled to launch next year. She commutes every few weeks to shoot segments for the show. She also was selected Mrs. West Tennessee and went on to compete in Mrs. Tennessee. McKissack made it to the top ten. “I did it on a whim. I had never done a pageant before. I was a little cynical going in, but it was a wonderful experience,” she said. The post dearest to McKissack is her involvement in the Downtown School, where she serves as PTA president. Personal involvement in public education was her platform for Mrs. West Tennessee. Her other civic involvement includes board membership at the Brooks Museum of Art, ArtsMemphis (formerly Memphis Arts Council), Grace-St. Luke’s PDO Advisory Board, and Memphis City Schools Telecommunications Advisory Board. Her volunteer life, her freelance life and her family life keep McKissack sharp. “My future is to keep an open mind and be receptive to new challenges,” she said. “I never would have seen myself doing what I do now—being a correspondent or producing a film. I go where opportunity leads me.” FEATURE STORY March 2008 Network of Memphis Celebrates 30 Years By Linda Marks Imagine that it is 1977. You are a hard-working and successful stockbroker, and you are committed to playing an active role as Memphis moves beyond the turbulence of the ‘60’s to become a vital, progressive Southern city. There are numerous organizations where members of the business and professional community gather to socialize and strategize, but they are not open to women. From the vantage point of 2008, when a woman is running for President, it may be odd to remember that there was a time when women could be barred from anything in which they wished to participate. But during this Women’s History Month the founding and sustaining sisters of Network of Memphis are being honored. At a time when women could still be legally excluded from the networking mainstream, these women met exclusion with creativity, passion, and joie de vivre. Sally Ordway and Mary Robinson, stockbrokers, and Betsey King, a banker, were the prime movers in the formation of this group, whose purpose was to celebrate the struggles and opportunities in their lives, and to do it with flair. Meeting for the first time on December 8, 1977, at the Petroleum Club, these early members were clear about their desire in getting together: to be a “good ole girls club,” as Mary Robinson put it. Though the term “glass ceiling” was not coined until a few years later, these women were experiencing the invisible, but still very powerful, barriers to recognition of their full potential in the business and professional community. They wanted to support each other in these struggles, but they wanted to do it in their own way, and they wanted to have fun. The fact that Network was “one of the first and only” such organizations, according to Donna Sue Shannon, a founding sister, created energy, synergy, and creativity in its early years. The women of Network were making history as they rose to prominence in business, finance, politics, medicine, and other professional fields.  However, between the pressures of work and the demands, for many, of home and family, they responded avidly to the opportunity to kick back and celebrate, discuss issues, and support each other. Because Network was meeting such a strong and specific need for these women, its numbers swelled to 200 in the late 70s and early 80s. Shannon says that all the women in politics, even those running against each other, flocked to the monthly Network dinner meetings. Happy Jones, another founder, recounts that a newspaper reporter called to ask her if Network was a political organization. When she said no, he asked, “Well, then, why do all the women in politics come to these meetings?” “I suppose it’s because they all want to be where all the other exciting women are,” Jones replied. From the beginning, the spirit of Network was feisty, in the positive sense of rejoicing in the individual talents and personalities of the members. The first issue of their newsletter, Network Doings, came out in March of 1978 and began with these words: “For this edition of the newsletter, at least, we are to be known as the ‘Network.’ Our erstwhile attempts at naming the group have included the words ‘professional women.’ That somehow brings to mind massive clubwomen in navy blue serge or ladies of the evening! Whosoever feels creative is welcome to christen us.” Just as the group resisted a conventional name, it also resisted a traditional organizational structure. In their professional lives these women had demonstrated their mastery of organization, and they reveled in the opportunity to enjoy each other’s company without a scaffolding of rules. Happy Jones gleefully describes the organization at this time as “a smoothly functioning anarchy.” Sally Ordway’s picture is similar: “a coalition of people with rare and special talents who need no structure or organizational plan to express what we feel or get what we have to do done,” Likewise, there was no need for lofty mission statements, and founding sister Helen Denton said, “We were our own cause: supporting ourselves and each other was our only cause.” In 1984, Network took a bold step that has contributed to the recognition of women’s accomplishments ever since. “Men of the Year” were routinely honored in prominent venues and in the media, but women were still honored quietly by the organizations they served. At the request of Network member Deborah Clubb, the organization provided $1000 in seed money to support a major program to recognize and honor outstanding Memphis women. This was the birth of Women of Achievement, which continues annually to pay tribute to 7 women exemplifying Initiative, Determination, Courage, Heroism, Vision, Steadfastness, and Heritage, and which Network continues to support. As Network’s membership and treasury grew, its preference for eschewing structure was challenged by the need to avoid tax liabilities on the money that supported its non-profit activities. When it finally became a 501C (3) corporation, 10 years after its birth, Happy Jones, despite her preference for “anarchy,” became the first President. This paradox in itself suggests one of Network’s strengths: the transcendence of stereotypes and the ability of members to use their unique talents for the good of all. It was a point of honor for the founding sisters not to take themselves too seriously. Possibly echoing the sentiments of women’s historian and Harvard Professor Laurel Thatcher Ulrich---“Well-behaved women seldom make history”---they insisted on being themselves. But because of who they were, they were, indeed destined to make history, individually and as a group. Besides having officers since 1987, the organization has perpetuated other traditions: donating money to charities which benefit women, providing stimulating and educational programs at the monthly dinner meetings, informing women of opportunities for involvement in the community, publishing a monthly newsletter, and maintaining a website. Like all organizations, Network has had rhythms of waxing and waning in numbers. In a 1991 newsletter, President Dottie Jones wrote an article called “Is Network Dying?” But the energy that has kept Network going for more than 30 years is reflected in a program the year after President Jones’ message of concern. In that program Network celebrated Women’s History Month by inviting its members to tell their own stories of barriers, victories, mentors, and turning points in their lives and careers. As the efforts of the trailblazing professional women of the 70s led the way to shattering the “glass ceiling,” Network women were able to tell more and more stories of success. But succeeding years have brought new challenges, and increasingly Network has become a valuable support for women who, after establishing a place for themselves, face transition. Network is committed to attracting an increasingly diverse group of women, and dues have always been affordable. Many newcomers to the Memphis area have found that Network sets the tone for a positive and hopeful view of the City and of their potential roles in the community. As Network celebrated its 30th anniversary with a gala party in December of last year, the Board identified new directions for the future: continually challenging members to reassess who they are and who they need to be; celebrating their uniqueness among women’s organizations: increasing membership; enhancing support for those in job transition, while maintaining the interest of those who are not in transition; inviting other women’s groups to join Network from time to time for meetings and programs; honoring Network's roots and mentors while being open to innovation; providing more social opportunities together; and engaging women of all ages. Imagine that it is 1977, and it will be 10 years before Women’s History Month is a reality. You don't need to imagine that Network has blossomed, for it continues to bloom over 30 years later. Imagine yourself a part of it! Network meets the second Monday of every month at a variety of locations at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner and a program. Dinner is $28 for members and $30 for guests.  Reservations need to be made by the preceding Friday at noon by e-mailing Lucy Barnhart, at Lucy7606@aol.com or online at www.networkmemphis.org. Linda Marks is publicity chair for Network of Memphis where she has been a member for 3 years. She works in the long-term care Ombudsman Program at MIFA. FEATURE STORY February 2008 Memphis Woman Magazine First Annual Bachelors of Memphis Memphis Woman magazine readers were asked for some suggestions for this special bachelor section of the magazine this month. This is our fist time to do this and thought it would be a fun addition for Valentine’s Day. There are a variety of men shown here with a variety of ages and careers. Don’t call us to get these gentlemen’s phone numbers – we won’t give them out. Maybe in the future, we can work with a charity fundraiser on a bachelor auction. Reinaldo Alfonso, 28 Years Young Chef de Cuisine at Chez Philippe at The Peabody Memphis Favorite Activity: Fishing and Scuba Diving. Born & Raised: I’m of Cuban descent, but was born in San Jose, Costa Rica, and raised in Miami. Inspiration: When you bite into something that is unbelievably good, all it does is make me want to do it and make it even better. Trying to achieve perfection in every aspect, but knowing that it is never reached. There is always a way to make it better. Goals: Just to be able to continue having fun in the kitchen and making people happy. Eventually, I’d like to retire in the Florida Keys and buy a boat so I could go scuba diving every day. Qualities in a Relationship: Fun, easy going, as stress free as possible outside of work, going out for good dinners, and someone who loves cheese. Community Service: I give what I know best, which is food and cooking, so I participate in various charity events through my role in Chez Philippe. We do annual events at the Ronald McDonald House and with the National Kidney Foundation. I’m also doing an event with our other Peabody Chefs for the James Beard Foundation, which is dedicated to preserving America’s culinary heritage. Favorite Quote: “No matter how bad some things may get, remember to always have good friends and family to be around, send everything to hell, and enjoy a good drink with them.” Reinaldo Alfonso, Sr. Dave Cera, 35 Years Young Sports Anchor/Reporter at WMC TV-5 Favorite Activity: Golf Born & Raised: Naperville, Illinois Person Who Inspires: Jesus Christ Goals In Life: To raise a happy family and help others who are less fortunate. Qualities in a Relationship: Honesty, trustworthiness, consistency, humor Community Service: MC and participate in various charity events such as: Diocese of Memphis, National Reading Day, Little League Banquet, YMCA, Walton Payton Memorial Weekend, St. Mary's Service Group. (I'm planning a charity golf tournament this summer. Please email me if you are interested in participating - dcera@wmctv.com.) Favorite Quote:  "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."  -Henry David Thoreau Omari Fleming, 34 Years Young Anchor/Reporter WREG News Channel 3 Favorite Activity: Snowboarding  & Trading Stocks Born & Raised: Los Angeles, CA Inspiration: Personal Growth and the late Peter Jennings (ABC News Anchor) Goals: To leave the world better informed. Qualities in a Relationship? Someone who's cerebral, compassionate, open to new adventures and enjoys being spontaneous. And of course, what every man wants... a woman with a big heart and a big trust fund. Community Service: I have a soft spot for kids and donate time to area schools. Favorite Quote: "To whom much is given, much is expected" George Hampton, 45 Years Young President and Co-Owner of (3) Construction/Manufacturing Companies: Standard Builders, Inc., Standard Maintenance Company, LLC & Standard Sheet Metal Works, LLC Favorite Activity: Avid duck hunter & golfer. Enjoying flying as well. Born & Raised: Born outside of Chicago in Gary, Indiana; raised in Dyersburg, Tennessee; and been in Memphis since the mid 80’s. Inspiration: My parents. We didn’t always have what we wanted but they made sure we got what we needed. They always wanted us kids to have a better life than they had. Their sacrifices for my sisters and myself drives me today. Goals: Hopefully retire early, but foremost to make sure my family (Mom & 2 Sisters) is taken care of. I would like to be remembered for my integrity. I would also like to have a family of my own, certainly a son to carry on my name. Qualities in a Relationship: Honesty # 1. I would like to find the woman that can finish my sentences and answer a question before I even ask it. I have always been responsible and focused… it would be nice to find someone that appreciates it. A good snuggler is a plus. Community Service: Our companies donate to numerous charities and charitable events. Honestly haven’t had much time to participate on a personal level. I am very touched by “Make-A-Wish” and hope to grant a wish sometime soon. Favorite Quote: Not really a quote but I do believe in it: “Two Eyes, Two Ears, One Mouth”…Look And Listen Twice As Much As You Talk. Anthony McVay, 30 Years Young Assistant Manager at Pat O’Brien’s, Memphis Favorite Activity: Hang out and take care of my 4-year-old daughter. Born & Raised: Memphis Inspiration: I would have to say my father. He’s my biggest role model. I hope to be the man he is one day. Goals: To see my children grow and become good people, without them, I wouldn’t be here doing the things I love today. Qualities in a Relationship: Honesty and loyalty Community Service: No organizations, but I help out where I can, when asked. Favorite Quote: Live life 100%, it is too short. CJ Passmore, 23 Years Young Manager for Midas Auto Service Favorite Activity: Cooking, Entertaining Friends, Golf, & Weight Lifting Born & Raised: Born in Omaha, Nebraska; Raised in Denver, CO and Collierville, TN Inspiration: My parents who taught me good work ethics and the value of family and friendship. Goals: To own my own automotive shop and have a family Qualities in a Relationship: Honesty, loyalty & fun Community Service: Dream Factory of Memphis & Make A Wish Foundation Favorite Quote: “The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” By E.E. Cummins J. Seth Waddell, 30 Years Young Attorney, Waddell Law Firm/Covenant Escrow Services handling real estate and business transactions Favorite Activity: I enjoy spending my free time with my two Great Danes, Elvis and Mercy. Born & Raised: I was born in Covington, KY, but raised in Memphis. Inspiration: Freedom and the sacrifices people have made to obtain and protect it. Goals: To continue a successful law practice helping clients achieve their goals. Qualities in a Relationship: Someone who is confident, intelligent and independent. Favorite Quote: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Paul D. Winter, 49 Years Young Senior Vice President, CB Richard Ellis- Commercial Real Estate Civil Engineer by Education Favorite Activity: Attending Sports Events, Exercise, Travel, Reading, and Social activities. Born & Rasied: Houston, Texas Inspiration: My Grandfather- who served as County and District Engineer for Galveston, Texas, and Chairman and Commissioner of the Galveston County Port Authority and  Navigation District.  While he was still living the Galveston Island Causeway Bridge was renamed after him in his honor. He was a very inspirational and motivating role model in my life. Goals: To enjoy God’s incredible gift of life and good health, and to help others along the way. Qualities in a Relationship: Honesty, sincerity, and a fun, outgoing personality. Community Service: Leadership Memphis Alumni/Board of Directors; Past Board Chairman-Memphis Partners, Inc.; Past President- Memphis Area Chapter of Building Owners and Managers Association; Memphi/Carnival Member, Dixon Member; Silver Chapter Member Pi Kappa Alpha Alumni Association MIFA, Make-a-Wish and Boy Scouts of America volunteer  Favorite Quote: “Have Passion for the things you do in Life” and “The Purpose of Life is a Life of Purpose.”   FEATURE STORY February 2008 Minister on a Mission By Kathy K. Martin “I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, other centered men can build up.” - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Rev. Birgitte T. French, affectionately called Pastor Bee, shares the audacity that Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke about in these quotes. As an ordained Methodist minister and the executive director of FirstWorks, Inc. in downtown Memphis, she feeds, clothes and educates about 2,600 hungry, homeless and displaced children in need and their families. At the conclusion of every children’s program on Tuesday and Thursday evening, these quotes are spoken in unison by everyone who attends, followed by singing the song, “I Believe I Can Fly.” “By taking these words to heart, I believe that children can look beyond their present situations and see that the bigger their dreams, the higher they fly. This is what drives us at FirstWorks.” The 501 C3 nonprofit organization, which was previously known as Final Net, was housed at First United Methodist Church in order to offer a clothes closet, food pantry and programs for children. Even the recent fire that destroyed their space at First United Methodist couldn’t deter French and her mission. Calvary Street Ministries opened their doors for the clothes closet and food pantry and with the help of friends and supporters; French was able to set up the ministries in just one month. The children’s programs resumed the week after the fire at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. These children’s programs for first through twelfth graders, which run from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, are now offered at Union Avenue United Methodist Church at 2117 Union Avenue, where the Rev. Linda Gabriel serves as pastor. Various church groups serve as volunteers and cook and serve the meals to the children. After eating together, four teachers, three from the Office of Homeless Education at Memphis City Schools and another hired by FirstWorks, help the children with homework and focus on reading, writing and math. Motivational speakers also talk with the middle and high school students to help them envision possibilities beyond their present conditions. “We help give them dreams and then help them reach them,” explains French, who remains involved in all aspects of the program from eating with the children to riding the bus with them. Born and raised in Denmark, French still has a faint Danish accent that colors her words as she passionately and candidly shares her mission to serve others. She grew up in a family of Methodist ministers with both of her parents serving as outreach ministers. Of the 30 Methodist pastors in Denmark, eight were her family members. “I kept running from it and basically made a deal with God that I would have nothing to do with the Methodist church or even marry a Methodist minister.” She and her sister ate most of their hot meals at the soup kitchen where her parents served as they were growing up every October through May, so she says that those fond memories have flavored both of them into adulthood mission work. Naturally, when she became a Christian at age 20 and had her degree in pharmacy, she headed to the Congo in 1983. While running a 102-bed hospital with no electricity or running water, she traveled in the bush and ministered to villagers. She met her husband, Niels, who had lived in Africa his whole life, and they married in 1987. “I discovered how much I really needed all of my Girl Scout training while we were living there,” she remarks with a chuckle. Her teenage children, Fletcher, 18, and Hanna, 14, both students at White Station High School, were born during their missionary work there. During her work as a missionary, French found that she couldn’t deny her calling to ministry any longer. “I finally had to accept my call, which I probably had all along,” she recalls. The family moved to Atlanta, Ga., where she received her master’s of divinity degree from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University while serving a church and working in inner-city missions that included managing a food pantry and clothes closet, much like her work at FirstWorks today. When she refers to graduating from seminary, she says “we” instead of “me.” She explains, “English is my second language, so my husband really helped me by reading through my papers and helping me with my grammar and spelling.” She recalled that during her time in Africa with the Hutu and Tutu refugees it became extremely clear to her that evil and hate is such a powerful force in the world. “I realized that for change to take place for the poor and less fortunate in the world, the change had to be in people’s hearts. I found that in Scripture through Jesus’ words that we are to love God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind and all our strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves.” She also recognized that often the only possible way to love some people was with the love of God and dying to self. “We are all created in the image of God and it is that image we must look for in each other,” explains French. After graduating from seminary, the bishop of the Methodist church appointed French to an Atlanta suburban church in the wealthiest zip code in the Southeast. She said that the appointment was a big change and a challenge from her mission experience serving the poorest of the poor. “In some ways it’s easier to hand someone a sandwich than to try to minister to someone who has no material needs. Yet, I’m called to serve the least and the lost and even those who are wealthy can be spiritually lost.” About two and half years ago, her husband was transferred to Methodist Hospital in Memphis to continue work through the Inter Faith Health Program started by Gary Gunderson at the Carter Center in Atlanta. This time she was placed as associate pastor at First United Methodist while serving as chaplain for the University of Tennessee Medical Center and as executive director of FirstWorks. French hopes that one day the children’s programs through FirstWorks can be offered five days a week with pick up right after school to help get children off the streets and out of trouble. She also hopes to recruit more volunteers and donors for FirstWorks, which she calls the final stop for many families on the fringes of society. She says that it’s a plus that’s she’s a woman in this role in the community. “Sometimes I feel like I’m a mom for a bunch of people and my job is to make sure they have food and clothes and do their homework.” Better yet, she gives children and their families hope that they can dream big dreams like Martin Luther King Jr. Although the family situations often look very hopeless, she has a passion for the work since it’s totally anchored by God. “All people can do great work, but as Christians we succeed because we do the work to serve God.” COVER STORY
January 2008 Molly Mednikow       From Memphis to the Amazon    By Devin Greaney After ten days she seems to be fighting a lost cause. Molly Mednikow’s dog, Mo, ran from the veterinarian’s office and has not been seen since. We climb over a bent cyclone fence behind a house into a field just north of Memorial Park Cemetery. A woman told her the field is popular for dogs so we check. She calls; I whistle. Neither of us have any luck.        Mednikow’s voice cracks as she talks about Mo. Some of it is from emotion and some from hoarseness due to calling out the dog’s name that by this time had been missing for ten days.  An insatiable passion for helping animals has saved the lives of countless canines, but you can see the passion is hurting her as she cries out calling for him. It is a passion she has been putting to use since June of 2004 living in the jungles of Peru and opening the first animal rescue center in the area. Mo is one of those rescued dogs and she brought him up to live with her parents and their other dog, Annie.  One quickly notices a stick-to-it-ness about her that she is not one to surrender when others sense hopelessness.  Another thing you quickly notice is her appearance does not fit with her life. She looks more like the type who would be living in a condo on the Mississippi rather than a house on the Amazon.   She speaks with clear diction and a sense of class that you would expect from someone at a jewelry store showing off a two-carat engagement ring to a business executive or an emerald bracelet to a woman from River Oaks.  A visit to her childhood home near Yates and Walnut Grove in East Memphis looks like the place where someone like Mednikow would grow up. It is a beautiful Frank Lloyd Wright-ish home that molds into the hilly (by Memphis standards) surroundings. It is certainly a far cry from her current home. “I am living in poverty by American standards,” Mednikow says. But she is quite happy with her life. After graduating from St. Mary’s High School in 1986 she went to Atlanta then received her Bachelors degree at the University of Georgia.  After graduation it was off to Washington DC, then back to Georgia for her MBA at Georgia State. Mednikow opened the Atlanta version of Mednikow Jewelers that was founded in Memphis by her great uncle in 1891. But she loved traveling and the forests and waters of the Amazon area of Peru drew her to this hidden part of the world. She first visited Iquitos in 1995, the largest Peruvian Amazon city with a population of about 430,000. It is accessible only by boat and plane due to its remote jungle location so cars are rare. Here a peddle rickshaw is a preferred for transportation. “It is hard to visualize being in a rickshaw heading down a bumpy street, your teeth chattering as you hold on for dear life!” Mednikow says. The weather is in two seasons - wet and dry-   “There is about a 95% of humidity but you get used to it,” she says. “Every year I would take my vacation in the Amazon. Soon I began organizing volunteer trips.”  “I have swum in the Amazon,” she says and no, there were no piranha attacks, but she has seen an anaconda and a jaguar in the wild! “I came back on a natural high appreciating all the blessings we have as Americans.” Places she visited like Cabo Lopez – a 45 minute drive from Iquitos during the dry season or a 30 minute boat ride at other times - had no indoor plumbing, electricity or clean water. “The poor in the US do not experience the poverty of these people,” she adds.  But they did have dogs. Yes, the people loved their pets but it was different from the way pets were treated in Memphis or Atlanta.  Very few were vaccinated. There were no veterinarians so if a pet became sick it was often abandoned.   She had grown up around dogs and such a scene was depressing.  She also saw the joy pets brought into the lives of children even when they had very little else in terms of possessions.  It was frustrating to her to see the sick and malnourished dogs roaming the streets but there were so many, what could one do? She learned much about the people of the area during her visits. “They are protective of toilet paper. They believe foreigners use too much,” she says. Many people do not have air conditioning because they fear it will cause colds. But they like cold showers and warm showers are hard to find. “They think all gringos are rich and by gringos they mean anyone who is not Peruvian be they white, black, Chinese or whatever,” she says. Petty theft is common and while in the U.S. people think little about things like laying down a ballpoint pen. There you do not take it for granted because another pen will be hard to find. She sees few Americans there “except for a few retirees smoking cigars at the Yellow Rose of Texas bar while their much younger Peruvian wives are at home,” she says.    One trip changed everything and in June 2004. She was staying in a hotel in Iquitos when two dogs followed her and slept out in front of her door. She snuck them into her room to sleep inside which was against the rules. That was her turning point. She saw a need to help these stray, hungry and sick dogs so the “trip” turned into something more. “Before I knew it I was renting space for an animal rescue,” she says. She sold her store and at that time she became “a corporate dropout,” Mednikow says. But she did not turn into a slacker. She founded her group, Amazon Cares, to help the dogs and dog owners of the area. “So much goes into working in a shelter. I am working harder now then I ever have before,” she says. She spent “18-20 hour days,” she says during a recent trip to Memphis getting mailers out for the shelter.  Peruvian law forbids people who work at or run charities from being paid so the sale of her store is the source of her personal income and the shelter is funded by contributions and assisted by volunteers from across the globe. She bought a house in Iquitos and turned it into a veterinary clinic and recruited veterinarians from outside the city. The rescue facility in Cabo Lopez is where she spends most of her time. Electricity comes from a generator to run electronics, but here Internet and satellite TV can be unreliable.    Someone in Iquitos gave up on one lost cause, she remembers, but Mednikow and her group did not. “The dog had no fur; it was covered in sores and had long nails. It had been left on the street to die,” she remembers. “After a couple months of love and attention it turned into a beautiful dog now with full white fur,” she says. After all that the dog is now ready for adoption.  There are special needs dogs too, that are cared for life at the rescue shelter. She says euthanasia of the dogs is “always depressing but extremely rare.” She focuses on the animals that have been helped and can be helped rather than these cases.    “I am so animated and so passionate about what we do,” Mednikow says. Photos on her website of rescued dogs look like creatures many would be afraid to touch. Most people seeing these animals in the street may look away and say a little prayer that death may come soon and end their suffering, but Mednikow does not give up that easily. The “after” photos show that a hopeless case from a few weeks earlier is now ready for adoption. It is hard for her to say how many dogs her group has helped. “It is still a drop in the bucket,” she says compared the dogs roaming the streets of the South American city. Some are rescued from the streets. Some are spayed and neutered and others had their lives saved from a parvo or distemper vaccine. Last August the volunteers had to head even further south. An August 15 earthquake hit just off the coast of Peru some 800 miles from Iquitos. Government sources say 519 people were killed and 1844 injured. Amazon Cares came to help the four-legged victims with veterinary assistance.   Amazon Cares takes donations and provides photos of rescued dogs at its website, www.amazoncares.org.  $25 will feed a dog in the shelter from one to two months and $45 is enough to spay or neuter a stray in the city that has many stray dogs roaming the streets. Her stick-to-it–ness, has made the shelter successful, saved countless dogs and it can make other things happen too. After plastering the Poplar/Yates area with lost dog posters, starting a website and even making a TV appearance, Mo was found alive and well at Memorial Park Cemetery. Don’t try to tell Molly Mednikow about lost causes. FEATURE STORY
January 2008 Dr. Valerie Arnold Wears Many Hats, Juggles Many Jobs By Kathy K. Martin Is it possible to graduate from medical school and complete a residency and fellowship while having three children? Ask Dr. Valerie Arnold, the interim chief of psychiatry at the University of Tennessee, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, a principal investigator for CNS Healthcare of Memphis and the president of the Memphis Medical Society. She did it and became the first female medical student who had a baby and still graduated on time. Dr. Arnold admits that this seemingly impossible feat wasn’t void of hard work and compromise. Yet, she says that what seemed impossible was possible when she changed her attitude. “I’m not Superwoman; no one is. I just believe in doing the best I can.” She prefers to look for solutions to problems instead of focusing on the problems. That’s ultimately how she managed to study while changing diapers and handling midnight feedings. She also packed away perfectionist problems and determined that making Bs was acceptable in her situation and that she could survive without manicured fingernails. Born and raised in Memphis, Dr. Arnold earned her undergraduate degree at Tulane University in New Orleans, La., and her medical degree from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, Ala. Her love of children propelled her toward pediatrics or psychiatry. “I found that I liked talking to children better than sticking them with a needle,” she explains, adding that whatever guilt she might have had about being a working mother was resolved when she had her first two children during medical school. She completed her residency in psychiatry and her fellowship in child psychiatry at the University of Tennessee in Memphis. Her constant support during all of her decisions, she says, was her husband, Dr. Thomas Arnold, a neurologist, who still helps her with carpool and scheduling family activities and their children’s ballet and violin lessons. “I believe in letting some things go and staying on the same page as my husband. We’ve had to make some cutbacks with the children’s lessons because they seem to have a lot of demand placed on them and we believe that they also need to have a break and have some fun too.” Board certified in psychiatry and child psychiatry, Dr. Arnold has many published articles to her credit which focus on schizophrenia, pediatric depression and anxiety and ADHD. Research is one of her favorite aspects of work as she has led and assisted on more than 70 clinical trials. For the past seven years, she has participated in trials and gathered data that includes the large African American community. “African Americans are underrepresented in research, so we’re able to help and see how medicine might affect them differently.” As if all of these distinctions and credentials weren’t enough, Dr. Arnold also plans to oversee a new in-patient unit for adolescent sex offenders at St. Francis Hospital, a continuation of her five years working with adolescent sex offenders at Parkwood Hospital, as well as to serve as child psychiatrist for a new telemedicine program through the University of Tennessee. She has also been nominated to serve on the Tennessee Medical Association and has been involved in re-establishing the child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at the University of Tennessee. One of her personal goals, she says, is to meet with state legislators in January to offer support from the medical community. She believes that more preventative care for patients can help address and treat depression and other major problems before becoming crisis situations. ”More than 20% of people in the country suffer from depression and many don’t recognize that their aches and pains may be from stress and depression. In my dream world, everyone will take a mental health day to prevent health problems from escalating.” In order to juggle all of these varied responsibilities, she relies on her cell phone to move smoothly from one job to another at various locations around the city and she maintains a master schedule in her home that also schedules in fun activities with family and regular visits with her friends from high school. When she isn’t working, Dr. Arnold, who is also a certified master gardener, spends time in her garden and enjoys sharing shady perennials with her friends. She is also training her dog, Lolly, to be a pet therapy dog that visits nursing homes and psychiatric hospitals, helping improve the mental health of patients. Whether at work or play, Dr. Arnold sees the world through solutions, not problems.http://www.bridgesusa.orgOutstanding%20Young%20Women.htmlmailto:Lucy7606@aol.comhttp://www.networkmemphis.org/mailto:dcera@wmctv.comhttp://www.amazoncares.org/shapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1shapeimage_3_link_2shapeimage_3_link_3shapeimage_3_link_4shapeimage_3_link_5
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