Darrell teaching at the Roanoke Regional writers Conference

Darrell Laurant, a Writer's Writer, Dies

My longtime dear friend Darrell Laurant, who retired from journalism after 40 years of sports writing, reporting news and writing a superb column for the Lynchburg News-Advance, has died. 

I'm not sure exactly how old Darrell was, but he and I were close in age and I'm 78.

He was a native of New York, and in retirement moved back home.

He not only worked as a daily newspaper journalist, but he wrote at least seven books, all centered on Lynchburg. The best of them was Inspiration Street, which shined a light on a couple of blocks in downtown Lynchburg that spawned some of the most important African-Americans of the 20th Century. 

His writing was rarely about Darrell Laurent the superb, award-winning journalist and it ranged from fall-down funny humor to deadly serious court cases or sudden deaths. His writing was always near-perfect, always fair, always error-free.

About 16 years ago, Darrell invited me to teach a writers conference class at a small, remote elementary school in Bedford County, which had been built for Black children  years before and was finally abandoned when integration finally took hold.

I was stunned to see the number of writers in attendance, including some who were famous and others would become so. I was so inspired, in fact, that I brought the idea for a conference back to Roanoke--and its much larger population--with me. It kicked off almost immediately at the Jefferson Center and after that first one, Hollins invited us to hold the conference on its campus. Darrell was a teacher at several of the first few and he was a good one.

The conference is now mature and has sold out just about every year. You can tie it all back to Darrell, who always wanted to help writers.

In retirement, he started a group that helped get writers jobs. Always the writer, the writer's writer.

MMT's 'Mockingbird' Outstanding

Because Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" is the perfect novel (and my favorite American work), it is with considerable caution that I approach a new version of it. Mill Mountain Theatre in Roanoke opened its latest version of the classic this week and I am delighted with the result.

The basic story is there, but there are nuances that fit nicely. This is a play that has been a movie that cannot be equaled and has had some nice revivals on stage, so MMT was not tackling the impossible.

When you have characters like Atticus Finch (the guy every lawyer in America wants to be), the reptilian redneck racist Bob Ewell and Scout, the little girl we all want to take home, you have started on third base and all you need is a single to score. MMT has a hit

My grandgirl Mac and I at last night's performance. 

with this version and it begins and ends with the performance of Ginger Poole as the adult Scout, the narrator of the story.

Poole, who has been the creative director for MMT for years, but is leaving that post, ties everything together as she wanders throughout the production, commenting and weaving it all together.

This production is noteworthy, as well, because it is Roanoke-centric. Many of the actors (who are competently directed by N.C. Seibel) are either Roanoke natives, people who have relocated here or MMT veterans. They include Virginia Tech graduate and professional actor Timothy Booth, the judge Larry Kufel, who moved to Roanoke in 2000, MMT Apprentice Keeley Morgan (as Mayella), Patrick Henry High student Anders Plunkett as Jem, the wonderful Calpurnia played by Akilah Ramsey, Scout played by Hidden valley Middle School student Amelia Raring, MMT vet Mary Jean Levin, Roanoke Valley theater veteran Chris Shepard and Jacob Wadstrom who plays Walter Cunningham.

Scenic Designer Jimmy Ray Ward, as always, excels and he is aided quite well by stage managers Peppy Biddy and Erin Markham with complex maneuvers.

This production will delight you. There is not a dead spot in the entire 2 1/2 hours of the play. Go see it and take your kids. They need the message (especially important these days when the book is being banned by nutjobs throughout the country) and they can learn to appreciate good theatre.

 

Dan Wooldridge Lived a Memorable Life

 I noted this morning the death of Dan Wooldridge, a man I knew pretty well as one closely tied with athletics on several levels. Mostly, he was known as a top-notch nationally-recognized basketball and football official. He played several sports--notably baseball where he was a pro--but it was officiating that set him apart.

He once related to me the story of his involvement with women's college basketball at the Final Four level. Women's basketball was so new as a college sport some years ago that the powers that be wanted to be certain its most visible games be officiated well and they asked Dan to be one of the officials for the first Final Four. He immediately said "no," reasoning (correctly) that women should officiate and learn. The NCAA begged and he finally, reluctantly agreed to officiate the games.

Dan and I talked seriously some years ago about putting together a ghost-written (by me) autobiography, but he finally noted that he didn't want to tell his complete story until his mother--in her 90s at the time--died because she had given him up for adoption and didn't want that known. We missed the opportunity to tell a hell of a story, I'm afraid.

I worked with Dan's daughter, Sarah, for a couple of years at the Vinton Messenger and she was a good ad sales person, but she moved to California and put her talent as an artist to work for her. I always liked Sarah a lot. I called her "Granny," because she was so measured in getting things done. She truly adored her dad.

I suggest you read the obit in today's Roanoke Times for a more complete picture of Dan and his accomplishments. I will say that he was a widely admired man, who earned that admiration.

Nancy Agee (center) with Patrice Weiss and Steve Arner a few years ago. Arner was being groomed to replace Nancy.

Here's Nancy Agee in a Nutshell

Several years ago, I was contracted by Carilion to write its history and the following is from that book-length effort. It gives you a good idea of who Nancy is, though much of what she has accomplished recently is missing. 

Nancy Agee: Carilion Lifer

Nancy Howell Agee, President/CEO Carilion Clinic, was described by one healthcare executive as “a Carilion lifer,” and indeed she is. Quite literally. She was born in April of 1952 at Crippled Children’s Hospital, which later became Roanoke Memorial and now houses her Carilion office on the first floor. Her son was born at a Carilion facility and her father died in one. She earned a nursing diploma at Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Over the years, Agee has risen to the top echelons of healthcare administration in the United States, recognized widely as one of the most influential women in the field. By all accounts, she has earned every accolade, every promotion. She is the CEO many admire for her humanity, her humility, her honesty, her quick mind, her ability to rapidly evaluate the most complex challenges, and for her fearless decisiveness.  Carilion employees adore her; competitors admire her; colleagues seek her counsel.

As a child who had frequent contact with health care professionals because of knee surgeries (she spent nearly two years in a wheelchair or on crutches), “I saw mostly the good in nurses and doctors who cared so much.” But there was a flip side, especially “with the lack of transparency, the lack of communication with a teen [her], fear of certain types of cancer. I wanted to fix that.”

Her early years were spent in a four-room house in the working-class Virginia Heights section of Roanoke with her mother and father (JoAnn and Billy Howell) and two siblings. Billy worked at the grocery store Mick or Mack, as did Nancy Agee’s beloved grandmother, Reyna Howell. The family later moved to the more upscale Cave Spring area.

Agee’s grandmother, Reyna Howell, was her touchstone. “She worked all her life [as a manager at Mick or Mack grocery stores], but she was always doing something fun. When I look back on it, it was a series of small adventures: getting milkshakes at 10 p.m., chewing ice …” Reyna Howell was the only female manager at Mick or Mack and she owned her own home, which was unusual for a woman at the time. Nancy Agee lived with her grandmother for a while as a child. “We were very close,” she says. “She was my go-to person.”

***

Her career with Carilion began when she was a teen, working as a candy striper. About 40 years ago, Agee was hired as a nurse at Roanoke Memorial and advanced through administration. She was named VP of medical education in 1996 and Chief Operating Officer in 2001, reporting to CEO/President Ed Murphy, who would groom her for his position. In 1985, the Jaycees of Roanoke saw her as a bright light and named her Outstanding Young Woman of the Year. Most recently, recognition for her work has been impressive: beckershospitalreview.com selected her among the 24 leading women in the health care world. She was included among Virginia Business magazine’s Big Book Most Influential Virginians. Virginia Lawyers Weekly selected her one of the 40 Most Influential Women of Virginia, 2015.

She has degrees from the University of Virginia and Emory University; postgraduate studies at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and she went to nursing school at Carilion. She was “first in my family to graduate high school,” not to mention college, she says.

Husband Steve Agee, was a Republican Virginia State Delegate from Salem. He now sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit in Richmond. Son Zach is a clerk for an appellate judge in Virginia Beach. The family is close, despite physical distances of their jobs. “We love each other and we like each other. The family is a priority,” she says. Zach and Steve “respect that I have my own thing. Each of us has our own interest. At home, we don’t always talk about work.”

Agee is a healthy eater and works out regularly, but she drinks Diet Dr. Pepper throughout the day. It is a drink that is something of a family tradition. “We used to stop on the way to the beach—on those few trips we made to the beach—or to see our family in Tennessee, and get Dr. Peppers.”

***

Her profession, she says, “is a passion. It started a long time ago. All my life, I’ve wanted to make a difference in health care.”

“I never did” aspire to high management, Agee insists. “I moved into it out of a sense of frustration, getting things done for patients that needed to be done. I gravitated to it more than planned for it.”

Replacing Ed Murphy, an MD and PhD with clinical experience, as president/CEO “was a bit of a surprise. I was flattered and grateful, but I anticipated being an interim CEO until a search was completed.” When Agee was selected by the board of directors, “I said, ‘Are you sure?’”

Murphy says he moved Agee into the COO position when he took over the reins from Tom Robertson at Carilion because she had “the skills to run a complex organization.” He saw “a three-legged stool” in her skill set: the “ability to handle and manage a [large, complicated] health care organization; the ability to manage people and keep the trains running on time; and a good dose of strategic vision. She was a very good fit.”

It wasn’t difficult to convince the board to slide Agee into the boss’ chair upon Murphy’s resignation, he says. “You look at the people all over the country [in that position] and Nancy has elements of all of the [successful ones]. She is a rare individual with an equally strong set of skills [across the spectrum]. She is a rare find.”

Board member Warner Dalhouse, a retired banker who has been on the boards of Carilion and Community Hospital before the merger with Roanoke Memorial, says he and a few others pushed hard for Agee when the vacancy at the top occurred.

Says Dalhouse, “When Ed let it be known he was leaving for New York [to join TowerBrook Capital Partners LP], I was one pushing hard for us not to do a search, to just go ahead and hire Nancy. It was a gusty thing for the board of a large enterprise to do. We had a fiduciary responsibility.”

The vote was lopsided. “I was at a funeral with [former Carilion CEO Tom Robertson] a few days after we appointed Nancy and we were talking about it. I said, ‘Can she run it?’ and he said, ‘She’s been running it for a long time.’”

Robertson says Agee “has a lot of credibility, a clinical background and excellent interpersonal skills. She understands the culture [at Carilion].” It was a matter, he says, “of the right time, right place, right person.”

Murphy, says Dalhouse, “was a visionary, but Nancy ran [the corporation] on a day to day basis. Boy did she ever! We had been losing a good bit of money for several years when Nancy took over and it took her four years [to push Carilion into the black]. Now [in 2015] we are making money.”

***

As Chief Operating Officer, “I followed [Murphy’s direction] and made it work,” says Agee. “The COO can disagree,” she says, “but you have to believe. The CEO has to be vigilant and understand what’s going on. You work differently in a $1.7 billion company.”

Murphy was a difficult act to follow, even though finances were in a bind when he left. In 2010, shortly before Agee took over, Carilion reported an operating loss of $45.9 million on revenues of $1.24 billion. The loss continued for a while before Agee righted the ship (the net having fallen 40 percent in the previous two fiscal years). During that difficult financial period, charity care increased by 31 percent at the region’s non-profit health care center, the one that was described by Valley Business FRONT magazine as “the health care organization with big shoulders.”

Murphy began a long transition from a hospital to a patient-focused clinic during his tenure; helped institute a partnership with Virginia Tech and also founded a med school and research institute. Agee calls Murphy “a visionary,” “a wonderful mentor,” “a good teacher” and a man who “dreams big dreams.” She told Virginia Business, “His footprint will be different than mine ...” shortly after she was elevated to CEO.

***

Carilion met strong, loud and persistent resistance to its conversion from a hospital-based operation—which is traditional—to the newer clinic system. That system focuses on outpatient care. Murphy instituted the change but Agee has been all-in. Those opposed to the change—primarily physicians—say it creates a monopoly and drives up costs.

For a period during the change, Carilion was losing physicians in trauma care specialties at such a rate that it had to alert the Commonwealth that it wasn’t meeting its requirements as a Level I center. The change in leadership seemed to ease that conflict. Vista Eye Center managing partner John Brisley, M.D., was quoted in The Roanoke Times at the time as saying, "Our sense is with Nancy Agee heading things up now, there really is a new tone and it's a new approach." She moved quickly upon appointment to fill the trauma leadership void, promoting Paul Davenport to VP of Emergency Services.

Dalhouse says, “When she took over, Carilion was in terrible shape regarding the area’s independent physicians [because of the move to the clinic model] and there were a lot of sharp feelings. Ed didn’t really tend to that. She smoothed it over and now some of the physicians who opposed [the clinic change] have joined in. Ed made no real effort to do that.”

The sheer size of the company obviates some of what Agee would like to do. “People say, ‘I wish you would make rounds every day like Mr. [ex-CEO Ham Flanagan] did.’ I do, but we have seven hospitals and 1,000 physicians. Every day I am somewhere, but we have a bigger footprint.”

Early in her tenure, says Agee, she received some valuable advice from a close friend: “Make this your own. You’re not following anybody else’s footsteps.”

The board wanted immediately to “refresh and review our mission. First, how do we get out of the hole? We were deep in the red at the time. I got permission with expectation.” She did not “have a traditional honeymoon. It was time to roll up my sleeves and get to work.” She says Carilion has “a very engaged board,” and has had for a long time.”

The challenge was impressive, but, says Agee, “I love to work and I work hard.” Her days are often 12 to 15 hours long.

***

Education has always been at the center of Agee’s interest. “Jefferson College is an enormous asset. It has, what, 1,100, 1,200 students with masters and baccalaureate degrees.” PhDs are on the horizon and that will “be a huge asset.”

She was instrumental in bringing the new doctorate of physical therapy program from Radford University to Roanoke. She established the research-based Innovation Center at Carilion, as well.

Education and health care “are a dual passion” of hers. Centering STEM(H) education in Roanoke is a goal. She directs a nonprofit organization that includes Jefferson College of Health Sciences and the Virginia Tech/Carilion Medical School. She stresses that “we have educated a lot of people who work at the other hospitals.”

The vigorous relationship with Virginia Tech, which accelerated during Ed Murphy’s tenure, presents “the opportunity to do exciting things. You’re just seeing the beginnings.” What Carilion has accomplished, Agee says, “is extraordinary for a region our size. You can get anything here except transplants. That’s a WOW!”

Her work with the Joint Commission board and the American Hospital Association have put her smack in the middle of the conversation on health care reform with the people who can make it happen. Cost and quality are her laser-focus issues. She is especially interested in how cuts would affect Medicare and Medicaid.

Agee stresses that “60-90 percent of our payer source [the government] doesn’t pay the cost” of treatment. “We need a vibrant business community to support the kind of health care we want. We need to grow this community better, to grow services. I’m really serious about that.”

As big as Carilion is, “We’re small compared to others. We’re a big fish in a small pond. I wish the pond was much larger.”

***

Colleagues and business leaders have been consistently impressed with Agee.

John Williamson, former CEO of RGC Resources in Roanoke, served on the Foundation for Roanoke Valley, Roanoke Economic Development Partnership and RGC Resources Boards with her. He says, “I always found her to be well prepared, incisive in her questions, thoughtful and poised in her comments, and deliberate and prompt in her decisions. She tends to inspire confidence. " 

Laurens Sartoris, former President/CEO of the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, has been quoted as saying Agee’s strong relationships make it “a more comfortable exercise in communication when people get along." Sartoris’ successor, Sean Connaughton, calls Agee a “nationally recognized leader and trailblazer who has helped build Carilion Clinic into a renowned provider of exceptional healthcare services.

“She is a Carilion Clinic lifer … overseeing one of Virginia's largest non-profit integrated health care organizations. … Nancy is a tireless advocate for Carilion Clinic, for health care, and for patients. I consider myself fortunate to have ... a chance to know her and work with her.”

 Warner Dalhouse says Agee “is an excellent administrator. She is good with the board. Nancy decides the strategy, gets approval and delegates. The people who work with her love that. … Carilion runs like a well-oiled machine. She doesn’t even have to be there.”

Agee, says Dalhouse with emphasis, “tends to the store.”

In a magazine story, Becker’s Hospital Review quoted Agee as saying, “At the end of the day, it's about paying attention. The most important thing is taking care of patients, followed by making sure our staff has a great environment.”

 

In brief

Nancy Howell Agee

Born: Roanoke Children’s Hospital, April, 1952

Married To: G. Steven Agee, judge U.S. Court of Appeals, 4^th Circuit. Son, Zachary S. Agee, court clerk.  

Education: Northwestern University (Kellogg School of Management); Emory University, magna cum laude; University of Virginia, with honors; Roanoke Memorial Hospital, nursing diploma.

Title: President and CEO, Carilion Clinic since 2011.  Has been COO/Executive VP; senior VP Carilion Health System/Carilion Medical Center and VP medical education. Various management positions at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Professional Affiliations: American Hospital Association board of trustees, board of directors, committees; Coalition to Protect America’s Healthcare Association board; Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association board member and chairwoman; The Joint Commission board; Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine board; Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, board; Virginia Tech Foundation board; Virginia Business Council, vice chairwoman; Virginia Business Higher Education Council; Virginia Western Community College Education Foundation board; RGC Resources board; Hometown Bank & Hometown Bankshares Corporation board; Governor’s Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates; Center for Medical Interoperability board;  Rockingham Group board; Association of Community Cancer Centers board; Hospice Association of America board; American Cancer Society—National advisory group; ACS Virginia Division board; ACS Roanoke Valley Unit honorary board.

Community Involvement: Taubman Museum of Fine Arts board; Western Virginia Foundation for the Arts and Sciences board; Radford University board of visitors; Foundation for the Roanoke Valley, board; Mill Mountain Theatre board; Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce board.

Awards (selected):  University of Virginia Outstanding Alumni; Roanoke College – Doctor of Humane Letters; The Taubman Museum of Art – Ann Fralin Award (Community leadership and support of the arts); Palladium Award (Carilion’s highest award for quality);  March of Dimes Hall of Fame; Silver Hope Award – Multiple Sclerosis Society, Blue Ridge Chapter; Meritorious Service, American Cancer Society, Virginia Division’s Highest Award;  Outstanding Young Woman of the Year, Jaycees of Roanoke Valley; Outstanding Nurse, Virginia Nurses’ Association, District 2; Miss Hope of Virginia, American Cancer Society. 

 

Overnight Sensations 2024

Overnight Sensations 2024-Another Smash

Yet another Overnight Sensations is in the books and this one was my 10th (or so) and the first with my grandgirl, Mac. I've been waiting on it for about eight or nine years, but Mac was always out of the state or the country, so our dual appearance was impossible.

We were part of a six-person cast in Wendy-Marie Martin's "Mr. Chuckles, Please," in which, the owner of a children's theatre (MaryJean Levin) was in the process of burning down the theatre so she could cash in on the insurance. Mac played a ventriloquist and I was MaryJean's character's thuggish brother. It was great fun, but oh, so tiring. 

This old body was dragging at the end and as I came off the stage to take my seat in the audience, I took a thunderous fall. The biggest damage from the fall (old men fall) was my embarrassment of it. Fortunately, the house lights were down, so not many people saw me in my most ridiculous pose of the evening. 

 For the uninitiated, Overnight Sensations is a gathering of writers, directors (ours was Marci Duncan, who performed marvelously) and actors (some of us pretending to be actors) who gather on Friday for assignments and work all day Saturday in staging and rehearsing, then putting on a play in the evening. We had a nearly full house and the crowd was rowdy and appreciative. 

 This is a fun gig, which is why I've done so many, even though my acting skills will not ever be featured in a blockbuster movie. Herewith are some photos of what the day looked like, from gathering to performance. Photos by my friend Susan.

 

This is a rendering (by Bob Alexander) of The Roanoke Times sports department in 1972. Bill Cochran is at the top left. The rest of us are (from top right, clockwise): Mark Meng, Bill Cate, me, Bob Adams, Newton Spencer and Jimmy Wilder. Sports Editor Bill Cate is in the middle.

Bill Cochran Was the Best of Us, in Every Way

I've had a lot of blessings in my professional life as a journalist, none better than to have worked for 10 years with Bill Cochran, the legendary outdoor writer. Bill was not only the best sports writer I ever knew, he was one of the two or three best writers of any kind. His prose simply sang.

Bill died Sunday at 86 of bladder cancer, diagnosed two weeks ago, according to published reports. He had a long life, a good life, a productive life. He was a spiritual man who never pushed his beliefs on anybody, but who lived them about as well as a person can. 

I was never an avid hunter or fisherman, which he was, but I learned from him. I've been anti-gun for as long as I can remember, so Bill taught me to hunt with bow and arrow. I went fishing with him occasionally and always found him to be quiet, reflective, and a man who lived by the rules of the outdoors. He put most of his fish catch of the day back; he only shot the deer and turkey he was allowed to shoot and he was a humane man.

I won't say a lot more about Bill because people like Mark Taylor at Cardinal News can say it better, but I wanted to state without reservation that Bill Cochran knew how to live a good, wholesome, full life, one where he influenced a lot of people. Me included.

 

MMT's 'Cabaret' Provokes, Entertains

Mill Mountain Theatre's "Fringe" series of plays was established a few years ago to challenge audiences. Its works break away from the normal commercial fare to present theatre that provokes with its relevance. "Cabaret," certainly fits the mold here, set in the early 1930s as the Nazis are coming into power in Germany.

The play debuted on Broadway in 1966 and won eight Tony Awards. The 1972 movie pulled in eight Oscars, including Best Actress for Liza Minelli as Sally Bowles and Best Supporting Actor for Joel Grey, who played the provocative Emcee. The current production owes much to the 1987 revival, produced by Prince, which is more direct in its depiction of Sally Bowles' lover, as being bi-sexual. Sexual preference is on considerable display here from the opening number to the final gasp.

Aaron T. Castle shines as Emcee

The pervasive sexuality (if you can imagine it, it's portrayed) gives this production a hard PG rating, but that is at the heart of the story in a swinging pre-war Berlin that gave rise to Hitler and his party of monsters. As Emcee, Aaron T. Castle guides the story from sexual frivolity to Nazi horror, embodied by Kenan Starnes as the Nazi. Emma Caroline Smith plays the difficult part of Sally Bowles (lookin' for love in all the wrong places) and Ashlinn Blevins nearly steals the show as the prostitute Fraulein Kost.

Roanokers AnnElese Galleo and Jeffrey McGullion are prominent in a solid cast.

Director/choreographer Hector Flores serves up this often jaw-dropping bit of theater with gusto, characters powerfully drawn, thoroughly entertaining dance numbers and songs that are sung with authority by a professional cast. As is usual, two of the stars of the production, are the set design of Jimmy Ray Ward and the costuming of Jessica Gaffney, which basically outline and help define the entire production.

Let me caution those of you who are offended by sexuality in its many forms and occasional strong language, that you might think hard before attending "Cabaret." It tells a hard story with difficult truths, impossible for some to swallow, and it is especially relevant in today's supercharged political arena.

I will also mention that you need to be ready for the play's ending. It is uniquely powerful and, as the director might say, "Wait for it ... wait for it ..."

Kudos to MMT for this offering. Theatre is meant to entertain and to challenge and "Cabaret," on this stage at this time, delivers a strong and necessary message.

 

Mom arriving at Woodrum Field on her first airplane flight in the early 1970s.

(The following is from my memoir, "Burning the Furniture," written about 20 years ago. Happy Mother's Day, Mom.)

Laughing with Mom

The last time I saw my mother, she was resting in a wheelchair, breathing with a great deal of difficulty, mostly wheezing, attached to a respirator, tears streaming down her face from the joke she’d just cracked.

The last few years of Mom’s life, she was umbilically connected to a tank of oxygen, dragging it after her as she slowly glided from room to room muttering in past tense, reliving lost moments, whistling long-gone tunes in that oddly cheerful way she had, looking for a cigarette.

Mom was never more than a tick from heartbreak, despair, serious clinical depression. It was so devastating that she’d submitted to Electro Convulsive Therapy—“shock treatment”—in the 1950s (her shrink was a guy named Thigpen, who wrote The Three Faces of Eve; I never knew how she paid for his work), searching for a good day. Nor was she ever more than the slightest one-line setup removed from a joke, a quick comeback, an outrageous pun.

If ever God put a walking contradiction on earth, it was Mom. Her life had been hard: childhood filled with rural poverty and a tyrannical mother; bearer of eight unplanned and I suspect that given her choice at the time, unwanted children. She was the wife of an alcoholic who died in middle age, leaving her with nothing except hungry kids to raise, loneliness and desperation. I’d hide when I knew she was having one of her spells. The other kids would disappear, too.

She had agoraphobia before anybody knew what it was, fainting in public rather than facing the terror other people represented. Fainting became a common escape mechanism for her. It became so frequent at one point, that we’d just leave her where she fell until she woke up, providing she hadn’t hit anything on the way down. Why disturb her?

But always, there was a laugh at the edge of the disaster or a song in the midst of it. From the time I could walk and remember anything at all, I heard mom sing, hum, whistle, dance and do her version of karaoke to the radio, which was always on—when we had electricity. I have a deep appreciation for 1950s jazz because of that early exposure, a gift she could not have imagined giving me.

Mom had been a small and dazzlingly pretty young woman—one who simply slew my well-to-do dad, a college grad from Johnson City residential construction money who was smitten by her. She’d once had a date with my dad and another guy at the same time and the boys showed up in front of her house bumper-to-bumper, dad driving his roadster with the rumble seat, the other guy in an expensive Cord. “I was going with the one who got there first,” she later mused, grinning wide, “but they got there together and I was afraid to go outside, so I didn’t go with either of them. I told my sister Mabel to tell them I was sick and she said, ‘Little girl you got yourself into this; now get yourself out.’” Dad forgave her. The other guy didn’t. She got a good story out of it, one she told often.

She’d gotten into the car with another suitor at one point, heading toward the church to get married. My would-be gold-digging mom got cold feet. “He had an airplane,” she said one day when she was in a storytelling mood. “Rich guy. But dull! Boring. I couldn’t stand him. I never saw him laugh once. On the way to get married, I looked over at him, studied him for a minute and said, ‘Take me home!’ And I didn’t say it quiet.”

Because Dad couldn’t find good-paying jobs, we never had any money and we were always a paycheck away from the street. Our homes were rentals, usually too small, never affording Mom any privacy (me, neither for that matter; I slept on the screened porch of one house winter and summer, so I wouldn’t have to share a bed with my bed-wetting brother). Mom’d dress for bed in her closet. I never knew what Dad thought about that.

All of this led to monumental stress in Mom. Dad didn’t seem especially troubled by our poverty, tight living conditions, old drafty houses or much of anything else, even during his seven-year sober period. Dad worked seven days a week, three hundred sixty-four days a year and he usually slept or read through Christmas after the morning festivities. When he got home from work in the afternoons, he’d read a western novel, sometimes two: one before dinner and one after. Zane Gray usually. I always thought that was something admirable.

It seemed odd to me that Mom had more difficulty adjusting to our poverty than Dad had, given their backgrounds. It was wearisome for her even when she was cracking the dark jokes and I suppose the cumulative effect was just too much sometimes.

“We get to camp tonight,” she’d say as we arrived from school to a dark house with no heat because there was no money to pay the bills. Or if we came home from school hungry—as we always did—complaining that there was nothing to eat, she’d quickly retort, “We got bread, we got lard, make a sandwich.” Then she’d go to the cupboard and create a snack from nothing. Nothing at all. After Dad died in 1960 and the poverty intensified, I thought she was magic.

Magic. Now there’s a concept. Maybe Mom knew the magic was in the jokes, in the music. Maybe that’s why she died, wheezing out one final often-spoken line through the respirator. “If I ever have to move again,” she rasped, “I think I’ll burn the furniture.”

 

 

New Kentucky Women's basketball coach Kenny Brooks.

KENNY BROOKS TO KENTUCKY; Will Georgia Amoore Stay?

According to the trusted Louisville Courier Journal a few minutes ago:

"Kentucky went just across the state line to find its newest women's basketball coach.

"UK on Tuesday tabbed Kenny Brooks to guide the program. Brooks spent the past eight seasons in the same capacity at Virginia Tech, going 180-82 (.687), including a 76-70 mark in ACC play.

"But Brooks and the Hokies took their play to another level the past three seasons, winning 75.9% (41-13) of their league games and 25 of their last 27 conference contests at home.

Brooks replaces Kyra Elzy as Kentucky's coach. UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart dismissed Elzy on March 11." He signed a six-year, $6.4 million contract extension with Tech in 2023. The buyout is about $700,000.

Virginia Tech's Georgia Amoore could turn pro. Will she?

The next important question: Does Georgia Amoore decide to turn pro, since Brooks--a father figure to her--will be gone?

Athletic Director Whit Babcock said today in a news release today,

"We hired Kenny in 2016 with the intent of revitalizing our women's basketball program.

"Needless to say, Kenny, his staff and student-athletes created a culture of excellence on and off the court. He was an incredible mentor to the young women in our women's basketball program and a terrific representative of our department and university. We wish Kenny and his family well in this next chapter of his career.

"I remain confident in the trajectory of our women's basketball program and when combined with our resources, specifically NIL, that the future of our women's basketball program is bright."

Kim Caldwell of Marshall University should get strong look by Virginia Tech.

THE NEXT TECH COACH? (Oh, Please, Please)

Kenny Brooks is gone from Virginia Tech as women's basketball coach. What next?

Kim Caldwell (pictured) of Marshall University, which lost to Tech in the NCAA a few days ago, would be a superb replacement. She is young, dynamic, intensely successful and from a basketball family. She also only makes about $90,000 a year.

Brooks' most recent Tech contract (2023) is worth $6.4 million over six years. His new salary at Kentucky hasn't been announced, but it will be a good bit more than that. There is about a $700,000 buyout.

 

A Celebration of Jimmy Buffett at MMT

Those of us who saw a distinct shadow lurking just offstage last night at Mill Mountain Theatre would swear it was the ghost of Jimmy Buffett, singing, dancing, laughing and thoroughly enjoying this theatrical homage to a man who knew how to enjoy life.

On stage was "Escape to Margaritaville," a thoroughly entertaining look at life through Buffett's eyes, though he died six months ago. The full house, I would estimate, had an average age in the 60s (Buffet and I were born two months apart in 1946), but the level of enthusiasm was more reminiscent of teenagers enjoying their favorite music, Parrot Heads or not. 

As you might expect "Margaritaville" is a show about allowing life to be more than stress and work. It's about having fun and feeling thoroughly good about it. At play here are an uptight scientist (played and sung well by Felicia Martis, a New York actress) and a Buffett-like signer who hasn't "made it," nor who cares. "Brick," the Buffett character, is played by Elliot Smith. They are supported by a solid ensemble, headed by Ariana Valdes and Michael Walker.

Not surprisingly, the audience was as much a headliner as anybody on stage. The members sang out loud to "Let's Get Drunk (and Screw)," "Margaritaville,"  and a dozen other Buffett standards. They wore Hawaiian flower-dy shirts and huge smiles throughout the evening. 

Hector Flores, who has made a solid impression during the past year or so at MMT, was director and choreographer in a production where the dancing was as important as the signing. It would be especially difficult to come away from this production without smiling. And I didn't see anybody who even tried.

The play continues through March 31. You may order tickets ($20-$42) at 540-342-5740. 

 

Virginia Tech basketball stars Liz Kitley (left) and Georgia Amoore (NYTimes photo)

A (Not So) Modest Proposal for Virginia Tech Women's Basketball

I have an idea that could well be irresistible for Virginia Tech and its followers: Hire the marvelous Blacksburg sculptor Larry Bechtel to forge a sculpture representing the Tech women's basketball team and its two All-Americans.

These two and the culture they represent are well worth the investment and Bechtel, who has done some terrific work in this region, would be a natural.

I don't need to go into how appropriate this sculpture would be, standing outside Cassell Coliseum where Liz Kitley and Georgia Amoore have re-defined not only women's basketball, but Tech sports in general. The most famous athlete in Tech history is Michael Vick--without a question. But his involvement with dog fighting--and serious jail time--obviates any mention of him among the role models, which Amoore and Kitley slide into naturally and with huge smiles. 

ODU's Nancy Lieberman and her statue

Tech has a statue of Frank Beamer, its legendary football coach. The University of South Carolina plans to construct a statue of Dawn Staley, the UVa All-American player and USC national champion coach. UVa does not have statues of football coach George Welsh or basketball coach Terry Holland, both of whom are deserving. There is no statue of Wendy Larry, Old Dominion's outstanding coach with 600 wins, but it does have one of ODU basketball player Nancy Lieberman (an All-American and two-time Division II national champ).

These young Tech women--one from Greensboro, the other from Australia--have brought huge crowds to a venue where a few hundred people at a game has most often been the reality, regardless of how good the teams and players have been. Kitley and Amoore (or Kitmoore) have been leaders in a new age of attention and that attention has been good for Tech, Blacksburg and this region overall.

Kitley (6'6") and Amoore (5'6") have helped create an atmosphere of the possible at Tech, taking a program to the final four last year and hoping to repeat. The team is good enough, but basketball is a game of streaks and anything can happen in a single game or set of games, especially tournament games. Tech won the ACC tournament last year and has already clinched at least a tie for the regular season title this year. Neither of those had happened before. Kitley's list of school and conference  records speak for themselves. She's been the ACC player of the year the past two years and appears to be a shoo-in for a third. Amoore set a league record for assists last night in beating North Carolina. At guard, she is the team's leader and with that smile, its most attractive and outgoing personality.

Does that deserve a statue in front of the Queens' Cassell? Yes, it does. Coach Kenny Brooks, who has built the program and recruited its stars, deserves his own notice, if not his own statue. But his career is young and there is plenty of time for that.

Amoore and Kitley not only set a standard on the basketball court, but also in the classroom, where they shine. And don't ever believe that playing basketball at a high level and getting a graduate degree (which Kitley is pursuing) at the same instant is easy. But these women don't do easy. 

Their efforts have helped Tech's image nationally and that eventually could lead to more and better students and well-funded programs. A few years ago, I was sitting in the press box for a football game between Tech and South Carolina. The game was close and near the end, Tech driving driving for the lead. It fumbled and eventually lost. "That fumble cost us $1 million," said Tech's top PR guy, emphasizing the overall benefit of a good program. 

If that fumble was worth $1 million, imagine what a dynamic assist from Amoore or that beautiful fall-away jump shot from Kitley could mean in the short and long runs.

And that deserves a bronze statue.

Let me suggest that some of you wealthy, die-hard Hokies get together, talk to Bechtel and pump in about $25,000 or so for a statue that would gain national attention for Tech in a wildly positive way. You could also pass the hat at Tech's regional home games coming soon. My bet is you'd almost get the money necessary with the hat.