In 1985, I was assigned to write a series of articles for The Knoxville Journal about women in power in Knoxville. The conclusion of the series, which was called “Silent Majority: A Woman’s Voice in Knoxville,” was that women were not at all powerful in Knoxville.
There had never been a woman mayor, UT President or [...]

Filed under: Events, Journalism, Knoxville, Media, Politics | No Comments »

I’ve been to Asheville about a dozen times over the years and it is a place I really like. I’ve always been impressed by its creative restaurants, compact downtown and generally cool vibe.
Alan and I just got back from a long weekend there for a public relations conference that attracted the top PR agency leaders [...]

Filed under: Knoxville, Public Relations | 8 Comments »

The best thing about taking a cooking class from Barbara Tenney is the food, of course. But a close second is the chance to interact with the dynamic Knoxville personality who has taught more than 1,400 classes in the last few years. She offers her regular classes through Williams-Sonoma and Gourmet’s Market, but she also frequently [...]

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In 1988, Knoxville auctioneer-car dealer Sam Furrow was awakened by a call from a banker. “Mr. Furrow, your dealership is out of trust to us for about $2 million,” the man said. Furrow sat up and shouted, “It can’t be!”
How could that happen to a car dealership that made more than $700,000 in nine months of that year, Furrow wondered.
“The [...]

Filed under: Downtown, Events | 5 Comments »

Because once a year, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra hosts a very special evening for those who do! Here are some sights from last night’s Lucas Richman Society Dinner, which honors those donors. Come along!
This year’s event went like this: cocktails and appetizers in the beautiful lobby of the Tennessee Theatre. The KSO was rehearsing on stage [...]

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I knew the Knox Heritage Patrons’ Luncheon at the Lyons View Pike home of Kreis and Sandy Beall on Saturday would be lovely. But I didn’t know it would be quite so interesting! Here’s what I heard in the hour-and-a-half I was there:

Dorothy Stair’s vision is that East Tennessee become known as “the Tuscany of [...]

Filed under: Events, Historic preservation, Knoxville, Politics | 1 Comment »

Take a breathtakingly beautiful day.
Add a fantastic house on the water and charming hosts.
Stir in a little good music and a heaping helping of fabulous food. 
Top with an articulate, affable candidate and a very SHORT speech.

And voila! At more than 300 people at $125 each, you’ve raised yourself some money! And you’ve shown everyone a good time in [...]

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With those words Naomi Tutu, during a visit to Knoxville last month, started a conversation that lasted deep into the night for some of us who attended her luncheon speech. And nearly a month later, those conversations continue when we see one another in meetings, at drinks or over meals.
Naomi Tutu is the middle child of [...]

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Am I the only person who’s never heard of this? As a cradle Catholic who attended Catholic schools for 12 years, how did this escape me?

Filed under: Knoxville, Uncategorized | 6 Comments »