Comments on: “There’s no one like Wallace”

By: Linda Davidson

Linda Davidson — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:52:02 +0000

Cynthia:
Thank you for this wonderful tribute to Mr. Baumann. His gracious manner and devotion to our community are treasures that were valued by many and a worthy legacy.

By: Cynthia Moxley

Cynthia Moxley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 01:37:03 +0000

Diana: That is so sweet. It must have been magical to have seen the “before” through his eyes - and then see the reality it became. Thanks for sharing that.

By: Diana Morgan

Diana Morgan — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:11:15 +0000

Wallace gave me a personal tour of the Tennessee Theatre while it was under reconstruction. He talked about what we would eventually see in place of the scaffolding, the empty theatre floor, the denuded stage, the white patches of plaster on the ceiling, the dingy chandeliers in the foyer, the flaking paint on the walls and the great void where people should have been and weren’t.
He created a mental painting for me that became a very real masterpiece.
Wallace loved the Tennessee Theatre and I am happy that he lived to see his dream fully implemented. He will be missed.

By: Cynthia Moxley

Cynthia Moxley — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:51:48 +0000

Lusada: What an interesting point! I never knew that either, but it makes all the sense in the world that Wallace would know. Thanks for adding to the legacy!

By: Lusada Kinsey

Lusada Kinsey — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:51:46 +0000

I didn’t know Mr. Baumann personally, but I do know that he was a gentleman and a pleasure to speak with on the phone. Your wonderful tribute to him reminded me of the last time he called the KSO box office. He wanted to change his Moxley Carmichael Masterworks tickets from Thursday nights to Fridays. It was amazing; he knew the exact amount of leg room in every row of the Tennessee Theatre to the inch or less. I always thought it was the same throughout, but now I know better. Fortunately, I was able to seat him in the aisle seats on that special inch or two widest row. He will always come to mind when seating unknowingly lucky patrons in his row.

By: Jim Allen

Jim Allen — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:03:45 +0000

Cynthia,
Such a moving tribute to Wallace. Unfortunately, I was out of town during his funeral arrangements. I’ve know Wallace since the late 70s. Bought the wrought iron table and chairs from him at Woodruffs — still use on my deck! He personally handled the sale. Then, of course, saw him regularly during the 16 years I did public relations and marketing for the KSO. Then, when the Historic Tennessee Theatre Foundation was my client while I was senior account executive at Moxley Carmichael, Wallace and I spent many hours working on related projects — he was sooooooooo proud!! Knoxville will miss him. I will miss him.

By: Tommy Schmid

Tommy Schmid — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:22:17 +0000

Great article, Cynthia, as well as Jack’s. Wallace Baumann was a true southern gentleman in every sense of the word. He will be a missed treasure for our community.

By: Cynthia Moxley

Cynthia Moxley — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:27:10 +0000

Gosh, Eric. I’m so sorry you never met him. You and he had so many common interests. You would have really liked him. Just like Alan and I did.

By: Rachel Ford

Rachel Ford — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:26:36 +0000

Wallace was a phenomenal long-time supporter of the Symphony. He knew so much about our history it was fascinating to listen to all the stories. Just a few weeks ago he gave me his autographed photo collection of past KSO conductors. They’re going on our history wall here in the office. We will miss Wallace dearly.

By: Eric Smith

Eric Smith — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:14:42 +0000

Excellent piece, Cynthia. Sad to say, I never had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Baumann, to my great regret. Your words here, and Jack Neely’s MP story helped me to further appreciate Mr. Baumann’s benevolence and the void being left by his passing.