As a teenager, Laticia Williams’ grandmother needed a new pair of shoes. In the basement of Nashville’s FW Woolworth building, one of the original “five and dime” stores in the country, the sales clerk agreed to sell Big Mama the shoes. But, like in other stores of the day, Big Mama wasn’t allowed to try…
Matt Logan – Costume Designer and Builder
Backstage, at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, Matt Logan crossed his fingers and glued his eyes to the tv monitor. He’d dressed the superstar entertainer and rigged all the hooks and ties and snaps in the right spots. All he could do now was watch and listen and hope the act went off without a hitch. Along…
Norma Clippard – Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Vanderbilt
People in their fifties, sixties, seventies, and eighties are different from those a generation ago. Today’s individuals approaching “senior status” are healthier and more active. They are curious and want to continue to learn about the world around them. Four decades ago, Bernard Osher, and his foundation, began to lay the groundwork for a learning…
A Tuba Christmas
It’s a Merry Tuba Christmas! This month, in hundreds of cities across the country, bunches of tuba-toting musicians will gather to play holiday music. What began as a tribute to a tuba performer, who was born on Christmas Day, has become a unique showcase of tubas and their brass relatives – euphoniums and sousaphones and…
Courtney Carver – Simplify the Holidays
It’s that time of year again…Magazines and social media feeds are loaded with stylish and crafty ideas for us to buy and cook and wear and do. We decorate our homes and trees and yards, bake treats for neighbors and teachers and co-workers, and purchase and wrap way too many gifts. We succumb to the…