Anderson Poetry Reading on Thursday

Poet Daniel Anderson will read from his new collection, “The Night Guard at the Wilberforce Hotel” (Johns Hopkins University Press) at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, March 6, in Gailor Auditorium. He will also sign copies during a reception following the reading. The event is presented by the Sewanee Writers’ Conference and the department of English.

Anderson’s work has appeared in the Kenyon Review, New England Review, the Yale Review, the Hudson Review, Harper’s, the New Republic, the Southern Review, the Sewanee Review, the Best American Poetry, Poetry and Southwest Review, among other places. In addition to his new collection from Johns Hopkins University Press, Anderson is the author of two other books of poetry, “Drunk in Sunlight” (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006) and “January Rain” (Story Line Press, 1997). Anderson also edited “The Selected Poems of Howard Nemerov” (Swallow Press/Ohio University Press, 2003). 

His honors include a Pushcart Prize, as well as fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Bogliasco Foundation. He currently teaches in the creative writing program at the University of Oregon and is a regular faculty member of the Sewanee Writers’ Conference and the Sewanee School of Letters. He holds degrees in English and creative writing from the University of Cincinnati and Johns Hopkins University.

This fall, Anderson will be a senior Tennessee Williams fellow and teach a workshop in poetry at the University.

Symphony & Classic Guitar Festival

The music department at University of the South will host the Sewanee Guitar Festival, Thursday–Saturday, March 6–8. The festival will feature performances from world-renowned classical guitarists Guido Sanchez and Stanley Yates. 

In conjunction with the festival, Maestro César Leal and the Sewanee Symphony Orchestra will present “Steppin’ Out: An Evening of Soloists with the Sewanee Symphony Orchestra” at 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 7, in Guerry Auditorium. All events are free and open to the public.

Sanchez will present a concert at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, March 6, at St. Luke’s Chapel. He is currently an adjunct lecturer at the Jacobs School of Music in Indiana University, where he teaches courses in Latin American music history and techniques for arranging in Latin styles. 

At 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 8, Stanley Yates will perform in St. Luke’s Chapel. Described as “one of an elite breed of guitarists,” Yates is professor of music and director of guitar studies at Austin Peay State University.

Soloists on Friday night will be Sewanee faculty members Lucas Finney (guitar) and Abi Coffer (flute), and Sewanee students Carolyn Ramseur (voice) and Huiqi Xu (piano).

The Guitar Festival has been made possible in part by presenting series sponsors KK’s Music and Support Local Independent Music. For more information about the festival go to <www.sewaneeguitar.com>.

SUD Elects Officers; Reviews Meter Replacement Progress

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

Newly elected commissioners were sworn in, and officers for the coming year appointed at the Feb. 24 meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the Sewanee Utility District of Franklin and Marion Counties. Much of the meeting was devoted to assessing the meter replacement program.

Commissioners Randall Henley and Karen Singer were sworn in at the outset of the meeting. Both Henley and Singer were re-elected in January to serve another four-year term.

The board voted to continue with the same slate of officers for 2014: Cliff Huffman, president; Karen Singer, vice president; Ken Smith, secretary.

SUD is in the process of replacing all its meters to move them to automated meter reading (AMR) technology. With AMR meters, SUD will retrieve customer meter data via a radio transmitter system. SUD manager Ben Beavers said almost one-quarter of SUD’s meters were replaced as of Jan. 31. Aging meters typically give false low readings. By replacing aging meters, SUD hopes to see an increase in water sales and a decrease in unaccounted-for water loss (the difference between water produced at the plant and water registering in metered sales).

To date, SUD has not seen an increase in sales, but Beavers said most of the aging meters and largest meters are located in Sewanee, and the meters there had not yet been replaced. Similarly, unaccounted-for water loss has not decreased. Another possible source of unaccounted-for water loss is supply line leaks. To aid in detecting supply line leaks, SUD is in the process of calibrating its zone meters for AMR to more accurately register the amount of water delivered to the various zones of the district.

AMR also aids in detecting leaks on the customer side of the meter. The technology reports hourly consumption for the past 40 days, immediately alerting SUD meter readers to an irregularity. Also, a meter that has not stopped running for 24 hours alerts the system that a leak is likely. For a $100 setup cost and $10 per month fee, customers can monitor their usage via computer and check their water use remotely, such as during vacation.

A customer who receives an unusually high bill due to a water leak may apply for an adjustment. If the adjustment is approved, SUD will reduce the customer’s water bill for the month in which the leak occurred by 50 percent. For leaked water that did not enter the sewer system, SUD will reduce the customer’s sewer bill for the month in which the leak occurred to a level equal to the previous 12-month average of the customer’s sewer bill. At the customer’s request, SUD will test the customer’s meter for inaccuracy. If the meter tests accurate, the customer is charged a $50 fee.

Beavers said the February month-end reports would reflect numerous customer adjustments resulting from frozen pipe leaks in January. The next meeting of the SUD board is March 25.

Mainzer Earns Gold Medal

St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School sophomore Abby Mainzer won the gold medal at the state wrestling tournament on Feb. 14–15. Zaferah Fortune, a freshman, placed fourth.

Seth Horton and Hannah Dempsey also represented the Mountain Lions. Both were eliminated after Friday’s matches.

Abby had been dominant for most of the season, winning her first tournament and sweeping her competition at the Mountain Top Invitational. In addition to pinning her way through the finals, she had to overcome two competitors who had already beaten her earlier this season. She finished the season with an 11-4 record.

Zaferah, who started the year with back-to-back losses, turned things around, winning her first match at the Mountain Top Invitational. She recorded two pins on her way to the state medal rounds. McLain Still coaches the team.

Chief Green Fulfills Lifelong Dream of Playing with Allman Brothers

by Kevin Cummings, Messenger Staff Writer 

“In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” was the background music for writing the first lines of this article. The Allman Brothers legendary instrumental is one of David Green’s favorite songs and “At Fillmore East” is his go-to album. “I’ve run through two vinyl copies of it and a couple of CD copies. I just have it in my head,” he said.

Sewanee’s fire chief was happy to reminisce about a recent gig that was a dream come true for him. During the interview at his office in University Print Services, we sat in a hallway next to an offset printer. Deep black ink splotches dotted the floor as he talked about getting to play drums with Butch Trucks, one of the founding members of the Allman Brothers Band.

“If I could do anything musically, it would be to jam a little bit with the Allman Brothers,” he said.

Green, 57, picked up a pair of drumsticks when he was 13 and began a lifelong love for the Allman Brothers Band, whose complex blend of music features two drummers: Trucks, a straightforward rocker, and Jaimoe, whose style is more jazz fusion.

In January Green took a Caribbean cruise, part of which was a “Music Masters Camp at Sea.” It featured jam sessions and seminars with six music professionals, including Trucks. 

During the trip Green got to play drums alongside this man who was such an inspiration to him. At the end of the cruise, Trucks presented Green with the “Butch Trucks Award” for best drummer at the camp. “I thought I would never be able to do anything like that,” Green said. “And then at the end when he said a few nice things about me and handed me that award — that was — that was pretty cool,” he said smiling proudly.

Joe Canary, a dentist in Decherd by day and musician by night, first met Green in 1980 when he got a call to help out a band in need of a bass player at the NCO Club in Decherd.

“I walked in and the band was just horrible, but the drummer was awesome. That drummer was David,” Canary said recently. Canary and Green have played together many times since then; their most recent collaboration was in the band Fillmore South, which covered plenty of Allman Brothers songs.

“David is an extraordinary a and one of the best people I have ever met, too, which is rare in the music business,” Canary said.

Besides the most recent jams with Trucks, Green noted that his other big musical moment came in March of 1976. He was part of the band Up In The Air, which along with a chorus and orchestra, performed the entire rock opera “Tommy” at Guerry Hall. Both performances sold out in the effort to raise money for the University’s theatre department.

In addition to drumming, Green also builds and flies model helicopters. He is the vice president of Coffee Airfoilers in Tullahoma. He has worked at Print Services since 1981 and has spent 44 years with the Sewanee Fire Department, 39 of those as chief. Green’s father was also fire chief.

Barry Steps Down After 45 Years

After 45 years of service, Sewanee athletic department staff member Bill Barry has announced he will retire from the University at the end of the school year.

“I have enjoyed working for the University and the athletic department during my time on the mountain,” said Barry. “The coaches, athletic directors and support staff, along with the administration during this time, have been a pleasure to work with throughout my career.”

The athletic department will recognize Barry prior to tonight’s (Friday, Feb. 21) men’s home basketball game at 8 p.m. in Juhan Gymnasium.

Barry will step away as one of the most highly regarded staff members of the department of athletics. In 2011, Barry was inducted into the Sewanee Athletics Hall of Fame. 

Barry was hired as the head athletic trainer at Sewanee in 1969. Barry served for 25 years in the training room before taking the role of facilities and business manager when the Robert Dobbs Fowler Center opened in 1994.

“The Sewanee faithful regularly beat a path to Bill’s office to reminisce about Tiger athletics from years ago,” said Mark Webb, athletic director. “His many contributions to the athletics department over the past four-and-a-half decades are immeasurable, and I know our entire athletics staff offers him our heartfelt gratitude and very best wishes in his well-deserved retirement.”

Barry has been recognized as one of the nation’s top athletic trainers. After 41 years of serving on various national, state, and district committees, Barry was inducted into the Tennessee Athletic Trainers Hall of Fame in 2001.

“The most important part of my experience at Sewanee was the chance to work with our outstanding student-athletes,” said Barry. “All the student-athletes I have treated and then watched during the years made my work not a job, but a joy.”

Upon retirement, Barry plans on spending time with his wife of 42 years, Gail.

“I want to thank Gail for all her support throughout my career,” he said. “I want to thank everyone with whom I’ve worked with over the years. Even though this phase of my life is coming to an end, my blood will always be purple. Sewanee has been and always will be ‘right’.”

DuBose Center Appoints New Director

The board of directors of DuBose Conference Center has named Chattanooga businessman and civic leader David R. Ramsey as its new executive director. Ramsey brings experience in executive leadership, day-to-day business management, nonprofit development and fund-raising, as well as a lifelong history with DuBose. 

Ramsey also has deep connections to DuBose, including as a camper at Camp Gailor-Maxon and serving meals at Episcopal Laymen’s Conferences. He has served two terms on the DuBose board, and was the board president 1996–97. 

“In many ways, it feels like my whole life has been a preparation for this job: from my days here as a camper and a layman, to serving on the DuBose board, to running and growing construction-related businesses, and doing development work for nonprofits,” Ramsey said. “Every aspect of that experience leads me here.”

“David’s executive and development experience will be critical as DuBose begins a new strategic plan and a fully integrated development plan to support DuBose’s mission into the future,” said Brad Almquist, chairman of the DuBose board. “He has a deep love for the place and respects its rich history, its role in the church and on the Mountain. And he also has the skills to be a great steward and leader for DuBose.”

Ramsey’s first action was the hiring of Christy Mitchell as associate director for guest services; her hospitality industry experience includes events management for the Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg.

“Christy is a great addition to the DuBose staff, and will enhance our ability to develop new programs, attract more guest groups, and retain the same warm DuBose hospitality everyone loves,” said Ramsey. 

Ramsey is the former CEO of Ramsey Electric Supply Co. and led it from a small family-owned company to a large distributor with more than 40 employees. He ran an environmental firm, Earthscapes, and a business consultancy. His former civic involvement includes Chattanooga Rotary Club, United Way and UT Chattanooga Chancellor’s Roundtable. Most recently, Ramsey served as development director for the Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti.

Ramsey succeeds Ernest Walker IV, who decided to return to Atlanta to resume his business career. 

“The board is grateful to Ernest for his hard work and his dedication to DuBose in what has turned out to be an interim position,” said Almquist. “Ernest has helped us assure a smooth and positive transition for David and the staff.” 

DuBose Conference Center in Monteagle is a nonprofit conference center serving the Episcopal Church in Tennessee and an expanding roster of educational, arts, community and church groups. For more information go to < www.duboseconferencecenter.org>.

SCCF Announces Next Grant Round

The South Cumberland Community Fund (SCCF) welcomes grant requests from nonprofit organizations for projects that strengthen community and improve lives in the South Cumberland region. The deadline for applications is May 1; final selection of grant recipients will be made by Aug. 1.

“The Community Fund has given $225,000 to 20 different groups over the last two years. We’re proud to be part of this community, and we hope to make a lasting impact with our grant program,” said Scott Parrish, SCCF board chairman.

Several changes have been made to the fund’s grants program this year. The fund will not make grants of less than $1,000 or more than $10,000. 

In addition, applicants in 2014 must attend an information session designed to ensure they understand what is required in an application. 

There will be two opportunities to attend this required meeting: 10 a.m., Saturday, March 29, and 5 p.m., Tuesday, April 8; both will be at the Coalmont Community Center.

SCCF has established seven priority areas for funding: building our sense of community, strengthening our economy, developing the potential of our youth, tapping the potential of our elders, conserving the past, enlarging the vision of the future, and meeting basic needs.

For more information go to <www.southcumberlandcommunityfund.org/grants> or call (931) 383-9044.

New Collaborative Theology Program: “Be the Change”

The diocese of Alabama has received a grant for a new initiative, “Be the Change Alabama,” a partnership between the diocese of Alabama, the School of Theology, and the Leadership Development Initiative (LDI). 

The grant was awarded by the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Episcopal Church. LDI is a hands-on, six-month learning lab based in Boston that aims to develop spiritual leaders for the church.

“This initiative demonstrates how a lay training center located in a seminary can forge the partnerships necessary at the church-wide, diocesan and parish levels for our church to ‘be the change,’” said the Rt. Rev. J. Neil Alexander, dean of the School of Theology.

The purpose of the grant is to shape faith into action by training faith-based leadership teams for local community action in upper Alabama, creating mission enterprise zones. 

“We’re excited about this expansion of ministry in the ‘Northern Kingdom,’ as we lovingly refer to the northern part of the Diocese of Alabama,” said the Rt. Rev. Kee Sloan, bishop of the Diocese of Alabama, “and excited to set off on a cooperative venture between the diocese, the School of Theology and the larger church. All of these parishes have identified the needs, and it is energizing to be looking for how we can address them together on a deeper level.”

The emphasis of the initiative is leadership education and development. While an outcome of the ministry will be projects that improve the lives of people who are economically disadvantaged, the goal is to prepare seminarians as well as lay leaders to be leaders of social change in ways that are effective and sustainable.

“It is rewarding to see how much energy and enthusiasm the seminarians are bringing to this new initiative,” said the Rev. Kammy Young, director of contextual education and lecturer in contextual theology. “It represents another dimension to their formation that more clearly connects with their sense of calling to be leaders that help change the world.”

As a parish team (consisting of one to three lay leaders, a clergy member and a seminarian “coach”) goes out into the community, it will listen and discern the parish’s role in local mission and development.

“The partnership with Alabama is phase one of a pilot the programs center plans to extend to other dioceses, much in the same way that Education for Ministry (EfM) was launched in Alabama and then spread,” said Courtney Cowart, associate dean and director of the School of Theology’s programs center. “I encourage interested clergy and bishops to come to Sewanee April 8–11, when the programs center will offer a preview of this training to those interested in joining phase two.” 

“The diocese of Massachusetts has been doing this type of training with Episcopal Service Corps interns as coaches in congregations,” said Ella Auchincloss, executive director of LDI. “Now we are adapting this model for seminarians and asking ‘Will what worked in Boston work in Alabama and beyond?’”

Decoding the Mountain Goat Trail

by Taylor Ballard,  Messenger Intern

This Mountain is always finding new and interesting ways to connect with nature. One new innovative project, a series of QR codes on posts along the Mountain Goat Trail, was conceived and carried out by Forrest Pilkington as his Eagle Scout project. Pilkington is a senior at Franklin County High School and is the son of Rhonda Pilkington and Scott Pilkington of Monteagle.

QR codes, shorthand for Quick Response codes, are square-shaped matrix barcodes. When scanned with a smartphone or tablet, QR codes link the user to an online source of information.

“The codes are easily updated and can evolve and expand over time,” Pilkington said. “Once the QR signs were put up, it was just the beginning of their message. Their potential for change gives them a lasting meaningfulness.” 

The five posts cover five topics: fauna, history, geology, flora and conservation. Each post was strategically placed in an area that the topic best represented. For example, the history QR code was placed near a railroad mile marker, a tangible piece of history along the Mountain Goat Trail.

Unlike a traditional sign with limited data about one tree or plant species, the new QR codes allow for in-depth and interactive information to be accessed at the push of a button. Also, unlike a standard text marker, the information can be saved and shared.

“The Internet is an incredible, flexible resource and can be used to teach more than any sign mounted to a post,” Pilkington said.

All the information could have been condensed into a single QR code, but Pilkington said he thought that dividing it into topics would enable trail users to obtain an optimal amount of information in a leisurely and effective way.

The Mountain Goat Trail Alliance, which oversees the trail, supported Pilkington’s project. 

“Finding modern technology on a nature trail is a pleasant surprise. It works so well because Forrest took such care to blend it into the natural environment, while at the same time providing new users of the trail a way to better understand its history, flora and fauna,” said Janice Thomas, board president of the MGTA.

Thomas also noted the historical symmetry of the project’s involving an Eagle Scout.

“As many know, the original Mountain Goat initiative began as the Eagle project of Sewanee’s Ian Prunty,” Thomas said. “I know Ian will be pleased to see his work echoed by this new effort.”

The Mountain Goat Trail is projected to extend almost forty miles from Cowan to Palmer across Franklin, Marion and Grundy counties. The multiuse recreational trail will use the former Mountain Goat Railroad bed wherever possible. More information about the trail can be found at <moun​taingoattrail.org>.

Sewanee Haiku Contest

Haiku seems easy

limitless, even, ’til you 

run out of sylla

The University library is having a Haiku Contest in honor of National Haiku month. All faculty, students, staff and community members are welcome to participate, regardless of age. Entries will be accepted Feb. 14–28. 

Haikus can focus any aspect of life in Sewanee: “Just keep it clean and Sewanee-centric, please,” said Cari Reynolds. The top 10 haikus (chosen by library staff) will be printed as messages in custom fortune cookies. Writers of the top two haikus will win gift certificates to Crossroads Cafe or Yamato in Decherd.

While haiku traditionally follows the 7–5–7 syllable format, due to space restrictions, entries must be less than 70 characters (including spaces) to be eligible to be printed as fortunes. All entries will be displayed in the lobby of duPont Library. More information, rules and online entry are available at <sites.google.com/site/sewaneehaiku>. For more information contact Reynolds at <cshepher@sewanee.edu>.

Sherrell Kicks Off Campaign For Congress

Lenda Sherrell of Monteagle announced her decision to run for U.S. Congress in Tennessee’s fourth congressional district on Feb. 11 in Grundy and Rutherford counties. Sherrell told rooms packed full of enthusiastic supporters that she is running for Congress because “we can do better.” 

“Now more than ever, our families need representatives in Washington that reflect their values and that can get things done,” Sherrell said. “There’s plenty of fighting going on in Washington, but rarely is it a battle on behalf of Tennessee families.” 

Sherrell’s first campaign event took place in her home county of Grundy at the Grundy County Historical Society. The second event was at Pa Bunk’s, a locally owned organic market on the square in Murfreesboro. Speakers at the events included Roger Layne of Grundy County; Lenda’s husband, Jim Sherrell; Bedford County resident and farmer Jane Tucker; MTSU student Zach LeBlanc; and campaign treasurer Ted LaRoche.

In her kick-off speech, Sherrell said, “ My mom was a Republican, my dad a Democrat—but in my family we could have conversations around the kitchen table, disagree, and still get along because at the end of the day we were still family. Our communities are like a family, too—we can find solutions together if we decide to stop blaming others and focus on results.”

Sherrell was born, educated and has raised a family in middle Tennessee. The daughter of a rural letter carrier and a school teacher, she grew up in Pleasant Hills. She graduated from Middle Tennessee State University. A certified public accountant, Sherrell has helped major hospitals and educational institutions with plans and budgets to serve their communities in a fiscally responsible and sustainable way. 

She has been married to her high school sweetheart, Jim, a retired physician, for 46 years. She is the mother of two children who reside in Franklin and Chattanooga, and has four grandchildren.

Seeking Band for Fourth Street Dance

The Fourth of July Street Dance planning committee is starting to look for a band to play at the 2014 event. 

Interested bands should be able to play a variety of music, have played at other venues before and have their own equipment, according to Valerie Parker, chair of the street dance.

To submit a band for consideration, send a music sample via email (with a link to see or hear the band, such as on YouTube) or send a CD (with the band name clearly marked on it and type of music). 

March 15 is the deadline to be considered for this year’s street dance.

Parker can be reached by email to <vennyleal_21@hotmail.com> or 10092 Scenic Highway, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750.

University Launches Competition for Green Projects

The University’s Office of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability is launching a Green Revolving Fund (GRF) competition to finance energy and water efficiency, renewable energy and other sustainability projects that generate cost savings. Proposals for GRF projects are now being accepted from across the community.

Cost savings from the projects will be tracked and used to replenish the fund for subsequent rounds of green investments, establishing a sustainable funding cycle while cutting operating costs and reducing environmental impact. Sewanee’s initial GRF is seeded by a $50,000 grant from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, and matched by $100,000 from other gifts to the University. GRF projects include lighting upgrades, mechanical replacements, automatic controls, insulation, low-flow fixtures and building envelope upgrades.

The GRF program is taking applications from the campus community (faculty, staff, students and community members). Deadline for this round of funding is March 11. The first phase of this program is limited to University facilities and campus. Projects should be submitted by completing an online GRF project submission form. 

Those projects that appear most competitive in each funding round will be more fully evaluated, engineered and described as GRF Project Proposals, a joint effort by the applicant and the Office of Sustainability. The criteria that will be used to evaluate projects include:

• Payback duration (projects with a payback of six years or less)

• Capital cost (projects that cost $15,000 or less)

• Specific environmental benefits, such as resource conservation or greenhouse gas reduction

• Potential for community engagement and collaboration

• Educational benefits

The Green Revolving Fund is an important component of the University’s Sustainability Master Plan’s commitment to reach carbon neutrality as an institution. This program will be the basis for substantial conservation investments over the coming decades. Energy conservation is one of the three key cornerstones of the plan, along with renewable energy and carbon offsets. For more information, including the submission form, go to <http://about.sewanee.edu/sustain>. 

Civic Association Learns About Drug Court

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

Civic Association members and guests at the Feb. 5 meeting heard Steve Blount, assistant district attorney for the 12th Judicial District, who presented an overview of the Franklin County Drug Court and drug treatment program. Prior to the program in the business portion of the meeting, there was a review of the Sewanee Elementary School desegregation program on Jan. 19 and an update on the Community Chest fund drive.

Offering background on the origins of the Franklin County Drug Court and drug treatment program that serves the 12th Judicial District, Blount cited statistics showing that since the War on Drugs began in the 1960s, “we’ve arrested a lot of people, but we still have the problem, and it may even be worse.” 

Since 1980, the U.S. prison population has quadrupled, and drug convictions have increased tenfold. In Franklin County, 75 percent of all incarcerations are drug-related. It costs between $20,000 and $30,000 annually to incarcerate an individual, Blount said. If the children of that individual end up in state custody, each child costs the state $31,000 a year. 

An individual diverted from the prison pipeline to the Drug Court Program, however, costs the state only $4,000.

Unlike probation, those admitted into the Drug Court Program receive counseling, addiction treatment and intensive drug screening. More than 50 percent successfully complete the program and recidivism is low, 10 percent in the 12th Judicial District for those who complete the program compared to a state average of 51 percent for those sent to prison.

The Drug Court program “saves money and saves lives,” Blount said, by bringing families back together and turning addicts into productive, employed citizens.

During the business meeting, Kiki Beavers reported the Community Chest fund drive is $8,000 short of reaching its $108,000 goal. This year, 90 new donors have made contributions to the fund drive, but 69 individuals who donated in 2013 have not yet responded to the request for contributions. If those past donors would make a contribution at last year’s level, totaling $13,000, the fund drive would surpass the current goal.

Association president Susan Holmes posed a question to the group, “What kinds of projects should the Civic Association be considering in the future?” Holmes invited community members to send ideas to <sewaneecommuni​tychest@gmail.com>.

On Jan. 19, the Civic Association sponsored a commemorative ceremony in honor of the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of SES and the Franklin County Public Schools. A video recording of the speakers at the ceremony can be viewed at <sewaneecivic.wordpress.com>. In conjunction with the event, the Civic Association arranged for University of the South media archivists and students to video record the experiences of individuals who were enrolled in the Franklin County Public Schools in 1963 and 1964. The Civic Association is looking for opportunities to expand the oral history project to include the voices of other former students from that era. 

The next meeting of the Civic Association is scheduled for March 5.

Sister Lucy Shetters at St. Mary's Convent

Sister Lucy Shetters, sister-in-charge for 38 years at St. Mary’s Convent in Sewanee, preached the sermon on the Feast of the Presentation on Feb. 2. On this date in 1865, the Community of St. Mary was founded; it is the oldest indigenous Anglican order in the U.S. Congratulations to the Community of St. Mary for 149 years of service. Photo by Laura Ellen Truelove

Monteagle Chamber Hosts Fog Festival

Monteagle Mountain Chamber of Commerce will host its annual Fog Festival, Friday–Sunday, Feb. 14–16. During the Valentine’s Day weekend, there will be three days of activities, learning opportunities and open houses. Fog Fest signs will be outside participating businesses, and a complete list of activities will be available at each business location. Many activities are free, others are specials or at a discount. This is a partial list of events, so look for signs with pink and red hearts across the Cumberland Plateau.

Some of the weekend activities include: “Throw your own pot” at Hallelujah Pottery; SAS Players will present “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”; story time, cookies and punch at May Justus Memorial Library; Louvin Brother Country Music Museum and Hamper McBee moonshine artifacts at the Smoke House; and bakery tours at Dutch Maid Bakery, Tennessee’s oldest bakery. Jim Oliver’s Smoke House will feature music by Travis Bowlin and Laurel Taylor with no cover charge.

Special displays include arts and crafts vendors in area banks (Citizens Tri-County Bank, Monteagle, and Citizens State Bank, Monteagle), antique tea serving pieces and place settings at Tea on the Mountain and an art exhibit at Christ Church. There will be special discounts and activities at the Monteagle Trading Post and Mooney’s Market and Emporium.

Many restaurants are offering special dinners, wine tastings and food discounts: Monteagle Inn & Retreat Center, Tea on the Mountain, Dutch Maid Bakery, Dunkin’ Doughnuts, and Harry and Ollie’s located in Pelham. Jim Oliver’s Smoke House will offer free samples of fudge and smoked meats.

For more information, contact the Monteagle Mountain Chamber of Commerce at (931) 924-5353 or email <mmtnchamber@blomand.net>. 

The list of activities keeps growing; watch for updates on the <www.monteaglechamber.com> webpage.

Presidents’ Day Talk by Meacham on Feb. 17

Distinguished visiting professor of history and Pulitzer-Prize winning author Jon Meacham, C’91, H’10, will give a Presidents’ Day talk at noon in Guerry Auditorium on Monday, Feb. 17. “The Presidents on the Presidents: How They Judge One Another” will examine how presidents have spoken of those who came before. The event is free and open to the public.

When incumbent presidents invoke their predecessors, they are often seeing them as they wish to be seen, seeking sanction for present endeavors from the past. The talk promises an interesting look at how presidents have spoken of those who came before, from Jefferson’s deep ambivalence (verging on hostility) toward Washington, to Bill Clinton’s discovery during his impeachment scandal of Gerald Ford’s virtues of forgiveness.

Meacham is teaching a course at Sewanee this semester, “Hours of Crisis in U.S. History” which examines key moments of crisis in American political, military and cultural history, from the Second Continental Congress’s decision to declare independence in 1776 to the wars with Iraq in 1991 and 2003.

Executive editor and executive vice president of Random House, Meacham is a contributing editor to Time magazine, a former editor of Newsweek, and has written for the New York Times, the New York Times Book Review, and the Washington Post. He received the Pulitzer Prize for “American Lion,” his 2008 biography of Andrew Jackson.

Gioia to Receive Aiken Taylor Award Feb. 19

The Sewanee Review is proud to announce that Dana Gioia is the recipient of this year’s Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry. 

Gioia, known for his poetry, criticism and arts advocacy, holds the newly created Judge Widney Chair in Poetry and Public Culture at the University of Southern California.

The Aiken Taylor Award presentation will be 8:15 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 19, in Convocation Hall. Vice-Chancellor John McCardell will present the award to Gioia, followed by a reading by Gioia and a reception. 

Poet David Mason of Colorado College will give a lecture on Gioia’s career at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 18, in the McGriff Alumni House, also followed by a reception. There will be opportunities to purchase books at both events.

Gioia’s poetry, criticism and arts advocacy have earned him a swath of formal affirmations. He has been the recipient of 11 honorary degrees and numerous awards, including the Laetare Medal from Notre Dame. His widely praised third collection of poems, “Interrogations at Noon,” won the American Book Award. Gioia’s critical collection, “Can Poetry Matter? Essays on Poetry and American Culture,” was chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of the “Best Books of 1992.”

This volume also became a finalist for the 1992 National Book Critics Award in Criticism. 

In 1995 Gioia cofounded with Michael Peich the West Chester University summer conference on “Exploring Form and Narrative,” which is now the largest annual poetry-writing conference in the United States.

To learn more about Gioia, go to the Sewanee Review’s website, <www.sewanee.edu/sewanee_review/​aiken_taylor>.

Through the generosity of Dr. K.P.A. Taylor, the Sewanee Review established an annual award 28 years ago honoring a distinguished American poet for the work of a career. Howard Nemerov was the first poet honored and was followed by Richard Wilbur, Anthony Hecht and W. S. Merwin. 

The other recipients of this prize (which cannot be applied for) include Gwendolyn Brooks, Wendell Berry, Donald Hall, Louise Glück, Billy Collins, William Logan and Debora Greger.