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Contents
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Volume 7, Issue 12
6 Adventure And Exploration Read About Adventure Through Another’s Eyes 10
Traveling In Style: Drs. Neil and Lyanne Riley Travel The World
17 Prime Time Can’t Miss Events For March
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Tinseltown Talks Audrey Dalton Reminisces About Hollywood’s 1953 Re-creation Of The “Titanic”
24 Tell Me About It Get Angel’s Relationship Advice
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Fun & Games Sudoku, Tiger Vision & More
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Nostalgia Knowledge The Story Behind Memorable Vinyls
32 Compassion For Others: Jane Williams Spreads Love Throughout The Community 38
Chocolate Lovers Unite Try These Delicious Dinner Recipes
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Columbia Confidential Publisher Fred Parry Takes On The Issues Columbians Are Talking About
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Welcome
Travel And Exploration In this month’s issue of Inside Columbia’s Prime, we are focusing on travel. There are so many seniors who are sightseeing throughout the world that we had a difficult time deciding who to profile in this issue. However, as soon as I heard about Drs. Neil and Lyanne Riley’s trips, I knew they were the perfect couple this month to highlight. Imagine traveling the world in a motorcycle! In the past 29 years, they have seen the sights in 31 countries. You won’t want to miss their story in this month’s issue where they highlight three of their favorite trips: the Black Sea, southern Africa and the Baltic Sea. We’ve got other travel stories you’ll enjoy in this issue. You will want to read Pam Ingram’s humorous story on travel. While her first trip on an airplane was when she was 17 years old, she has more than made up for her late start. You will love reading her “Unaccompanied Senior” tips for travel. If you have more tips to add for our readers, send us an email and we might include it in an upcoming issue of this magazine. Other travel-related articles include books you won’t want to miss on adventure and pictures from local club trips. If you’re looking to read about someone with compassion, you won’t have to travel far to find that individual. Writer Pam Ingram identified the perfect person to profile this month in social worker Jane Williams. For decades she has helped churches develop effective strategies to reach the poor and broken. Today she works tirelessly with Love INC, an outreach model that helps churches help people in need. Of course, you’ll find much more in this issue of Prime. As always, you can expect to see your favorite recipes, advice column, celebrity column, as well as Fun & Games. I hope you enjoy this issue and we will see you in April!
staff Publisher Fred Parry Associate Publisher & Managing Editor Melody Garnett Parry Chief Executive Officer Cathy Atkins Editorial Assistant Peg Gill Graphic Designer Trever Griswold Joe Waner Photo Editor L.G. Patterson Marketing Representatives Rosemarie Peck Digital Marketing Coordinator Sean Zullo Director Of Customer Retention Gerri Shelton Operations Manager Kalie Clennin Operations Assistant Lilly Smith Finance Manager Brenda Brooks Distribution Manager John Lapsley Contributing Writers Peg Gill, Pam Ingram, Katherine Foran, Angel Donnette Robertson, Rebecca Smith, Nick Thomas
Melody Parry Associate Publisher Email me at prime@insidecolumbia.net Prime Magazine is published by OutFront Communications, 47 E. Broadway, Columbia, MO 65203, 573-442-1430. Copyright OutFront Communications, 2013. The magazine is published 12 times a year on the first day of every month. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of any editorial or graphic content without the express written permission of the publisher is prohibited.
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SERVING THE BOOMER & SENIOR MARKETS
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Bookshelf
Travel Memoirs
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Are you ready to do some traveling but can’t afford it right now? Read about adventure and exploration through another person’s eyes in these travel memoirs. Read how a journey can transform a writer. Some of these reads have turned into major motion pictures.
“The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World” By Eric Weiner Weiner spent a decade as a foreign correspondent reporting from such discontented locales as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Indonesia. Unhappy people living in profoundly unstable states, he notes, inspire pathos and make for good copy, but not for good karma. So Weiner, admitted grump and self-help book aficionado, undertook a year’s research to travel the globe, looking for the “unheralded happy places.” The result is this book, equal parts laughout-loud funny and philosophical, a journey into both the definition of and the destination for true contentment.
“Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy” By Frances Mayes Frances Mayes— widely published poet, gourmet cook, and travel writer—opens the door to a wondrous new world when she buys and restores 6
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an abandoned villa in the spectacular Tuscan countryside. In evocative language, she brings the reader along as she discovers the beauty and simplicity of life in Italy. Mayes also creates dozens of delicious seasonal recipes from her traditional kitchen and simple garden, all of which she includes in the book. Doing for Tuscany what M.F.K. Fisher and Peter Mayle did for Provence, Mayes writes about the tastes and pleasures of a foreign country with gusto and passion.
“The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America” By Bill Bryson ‘I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to.’ And, as soon as Bill Bryson was old enough, he left. Des Moines couldn’t hold him, but it did lure him back. After 10 years in England, he returned to the land of his youth, and drove almost 14,000 miles in search of a mythical small town called Amalgam, the kind of trim and sunny place where the films of his youth were set. Instead, his search led him to Anywhere, USA; a lookalike strip of gas stations, motels and hamburger outlets populated by lookalike people with a penchant for synthetic fibres. Travelling around 38 of the lower states - united only in their mind-numbingly dreary uniformity - he discovered a continent that was doubly lost; lost to itself because blighted by greed, pollution, mobile homes and television; lost to him because he had become a stranger in his own land. v
BOOK CLUB
Visit With The Author Of The Sound of Gravel March 19 The Columbia Public Library, in partnership with Inside Columbia magazine, will present an author’s talk and book-signing event with Ruth Wariner at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 19. Wariner will discuss her book, “The Sound of Gravel,” a gripping account of her childhood growing up in a polygamous family. Barnes & Noble will provide books for purchase following the talk at the library, 100 W. Broadway. Check the library’s website (www. dbrl.org/columbia-public-library) for the time and other details. You’ll also find more information online at www. InsideColumbia.net and on Facebook and Twitter.
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Travel
The Perils Of Traveling As An Unaccompanied Senior
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BY PAMELA INGRAM
Some “Unaccompanied Minors” have become savvy, well-seasoned travelers even before they reach their double-digit age. They are assigned that special designation to make sure they safely arrive at the other end of their journey when traveling alone. I, on the other hand, am not a very savvy traveler, accompanied or not. I often wonder if I might benefit from a similar designation: “Unaccompanied Senior.” Growing up in Kansas City, my trips consisted of long walks to Grandmother’s house every Sunday afternoon. I didn’t set foot on an airplane until my freshman year of college when I went to Baltimore to visit my best friend. I’ve had the travel bug ever since and sometimes experience a few glitches along the way - some so strange that, had I not been the one experiencing them, I’d have trouble believing they actually happened. I’d like to, therefore, offer some well-tested advice for other “Unaccompanied Seniors.”
A Room With A View Because I hate Missouri’s hot, humid summers, I like to escape to the cool Northwest in August. A few years ago, we decided to end our vacation with a few days in downtown Seattle. My husband instructed me to go ahead and book a room so, when I discovered what I thought was a steal, I grabbed it! For just “a little bit more,” we’d get to spend our three-day detour in a room with a view with a complimentary, full breakfast. “Wow! I love bargains,” I thought. We arrived at our hotel looking rather touristy with our sunglasses, cargo shorts, sandals, etc. and couldn’t wait to see our special room. As we slid the key in and opened the door, I found myself repeating, “Wow! All this for a ‘little bit more?’” We propped the door open with one of our bags as the bellman grabbed the 8
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The Smith Sisters’ Getaway on the beach in Isle of Palms, S.C., include (left to right) Janice Smith Hood, Pamela Smith Ingram and Carla Smith Willis. rest. We walked through what looked more like a posh apartment than a simple hotel room. There were two bedrooms with adjoining bathrooms, a corner office and a dining area with a large, oval mahogany table for eight. I simply couldn’t stop saying, “Wow! All this for a little bit more?” As I walked back to the door to tip the bellman, I noticed a tall, welldressed stranger standing just outside in the shadows. I also noticed the spiral cord dangling from his earpiece. He stepped forward and firmly asked, “Who are you?!” to which I responded, “We’re the Ingrams…and who are you?” (Seeing a strange man outside your hotel room who’s staring at you tends to freak you out a little.) His response was prompt. “I’m with the Secret Service and this is not your room!” Within seconds, two or three other well-dressed-earpiece-wearing gentlemen, along with the hotel manager appeared out of nowhere and we were quickly escorted back down to the front desk. We sat in the lobby at a distance watching the manager lean in to the desk clerk, assumedly, explaining the gross error she had just made. We
learned that our room with a view actually belonged to visiting dignitaries from Europe who were also named “Ingram.” We couldn’t hear their conversation, but we watched as she nodded repeatedly as the manager spoke. At one point, her eyes and mouth opened widely and she threw both hands across her face. That must have been the moment she learned that she’d given the important people’s room to a couple of Midwestern tourists. Advice to “Unaccompanied Seniors:” Book a regular room! You don’t really need that “Room with a View” after all.
Get A Paper Boarding Pass Every spring, my sisters and I become three giggly little girls and descend on Charleston, S.C., for our annual “Smith Sisters’ Getaway.” Most years, it’s the only time we get to see each other. A few years ago, I packed way ahead of time and made it to the airport long before my flight’s departure from Lambert Field in St. Louis. “I soooo love technology!” I thought as I scanned my cell phone-boarding pass before walking down the jetway.
And, I was thrilled when a very kind gentleman offered to hoist my heavy, gift-laden carryon up into the overhead bin. I could hardly wait to see my sisters and the beach again! Everything turned strange, though, when I noticed that every single person seated within earshot of me had a strange nasal-sounding accent, and they were all dressed in prim, starched white shirts bearing some sort of company logo. I turned to my seatmate and asked, “So… you guys are on your way to Chicago, right?” “No mam,” he said. “We’re going to Minneapolis.” “Oh no!” I protested! “This is so not my plane! I’m supposed to be on a plane to Chicago!” Seeing my distress, he quickly summoned the flight attendant. I then told her that my connecting flight was in Chicago and, somehow, the guy at the gate had scanned me right through and onto the wrong plane. By now, the cabin door had been closed and the plane was inching away from the gate. The flight attendant appeared again with what she thought was good news. “We can actually get you from Minneapolis to Charleston at 11:30 tonight,” to which I immediately responded, “That just won’t work for me ‘cause my sisters will be waiting for me in Charleston at 1:30 this afternoon!” We always plan some beach and shopping time on day one of our retreat. The flight attendant disappeared again and seconds later I heard that familiar sound of the pilot on the intercom. “Sorry folks…we have to return to the gate to let a lady off this plane.” He apologized for the delay. Oh, my! How embarrassing! I knew everybody on that plane would want to see the lady who was causing their delay. I didn’t have the guts to look anyone in the eye as I made my way forward. Instead of the jetway, they had rolled up an old-fashioned metal staircase for my descent. As I neared the bottom of the stairway, I spotted the man who had, earlier, scanned me onto the wrong plane running toward me on the tarmac. He’d been dispatched to help me make it to the right gate, and miraculously, I did. My happy reunion with the other Smith Sisters happened that afternoon right on schedule. Advice to “Unaccompanied Seniors:” Stick with the old-fashioned, paper boarding passes. v Prime Magazine March 2016
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In the last 29 years, Drs. Neil and Lyanne Riley have sought adventure in 31 countries, on nine trips, on five continents — two people on one motorcycle. They have been detained in Russia, bungee jumped in New Zealand and went on safari in Africa, and when they speak of the trips they have taken, they frame them in terms of the people they met and the culture they experienced before landmarks and history. Neil and Lyanne met on a racquetball court. Both had a passion for cycles — hers with pedals and his with a motor — and when they married in 1986, those passions merged. Now at 71 and 65, respectively, the semi-retired dentist and newly retired speech pathologist are looking for their next trip. “I love to ride motorcycles,” Neil says. Around Columbia, he rides a BMW R1200 GS. “That’s a thrill for me.”
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An artist from Zimbabwe carved this statue “Happy Bride.”
Picking Favorites Of the nine trips they’ve taken, three in particular rise to the top: the Black Sea 2008, southern Africa in 2000 and the Baltic Sea in 2014. The trip through the countries around the Black Sea was one of the first of its kind in that area of the world, while Africa and the Baltic Sea were special for other reasons. On roads through Turkey, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine, Romania and Russia, the Black Sea trip proved more difficult as first trips go. Border crossings and paperwork complicated what is not normally such a challenging process. In fact, it was the paperwork that got them detained when they crossed into Russia — you have to have an international motorcycle drivers’ license. For that trip, on Neil’s license, the American Automobile Association that issued his forgot to stamp the motorcycle section, which the Russians picked up on and then held the group at length in a detention area. “It was a little nerve wracking because we didn’t know what they were going to do,” Neil says. “Basically, they wanted money.” The guide gave the officials $100 and the group was on its way, but on the road, Russian authorities kept stopping them, raising anxiety that they might be held up again. Detention isn’t the only experience that makes that trip memorable, though. “That was the trip we had our one and only wreck,” Lyanne mentions, “after all these years of riding together.” “You had bring that up,” Neil says with a quiet moan. “He’s a very good rider, by the way. He raced motorcycles when he was younger, so he knows how to drive in anything like sand, gravel, dirt, all that mud,” Lyanne explains. “We got into this little town in Turkey, and Neil turns to me and says, ‘Isn’t it nice that we are on pavement again?’” It was about that time they rounded a corner and came upon unavoidable 12
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While they love traveling, the Rileys enjoy being at home with Samson (left) and Beemer.
gravel on the road. His next words were, “We’re going down.” As wrecks go, it could have been worse. Though the bike was totaled, they weren’t hurt too badly, save the torn PCL in Lyanne’s right knee. “The police came out immediately to help and got me into the police station. They served us tea,” Lyanne remembers. “Gave me a breathalyzer test,” Neil adds with a scoff. Detention and wrecks aside, people have made the biggest impression on the Rileys, not only in Turkey but elsewhere. “We’ve been to a lot of poor countries. Chile, Peru, Morocco the same thing,” Neil says. “And those are the ones that have the most meaning. It really humbles you to see that and to see people who are happy with so little. You go to New Zealand, which is very similar to the U.S. as far as standard of living, and Europe, but to go to Third World countries, that’s a much richer experience. To go around the Black Sea to Turkey and Moldova, Ukraine … they’re really struggling. I think it’s almost the poorer the country, the more impact it has on you because you can go to a lot of places where it’s just like being here.” Their Black Sea trip was chronicled in BMW Motorcycle Owners of America’s member magazine, On. Neil’s firsthand account of their unique trip appeared in the May 2010 issue. The magazine is where Neil and Lyanne often come across
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their trip ideas, like their trip through the southern African countries of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. As memorable as the Black Sea trip was, “for me, there’s no contest,” Lyanne says. “It’s Africa.” The wildlife there captured her imagination. “You go along and all of a sudden you see a field of giraffes. I mean a field of them!” she says using her hands to help illustrate the magnitude of it, “like if you’d see a field of deer. We left Francistown in Botswana and they said, ‘Look out for elephants on the road.’” The Africa trip is also the only motorcycling tour on which they have taken one of their three children. Brett Riley was 11 when they went, and although he did not ride a bike (he rode in the support vehicle), the trip impacted him deeply. 14
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“Not too many kids get to experience what I got to experience,” he says. “One of the reasons that I love the outdoors in general is just the people that we met and the simplicity of that sort of lifestyle…I’d only seen that kind of thing on TV growing up, and I think to a certain extent didn’t realize how real that was for so many people.” In Africa, there were obstacles as well. Plans were changed for the Zimbabwe leg due to violence against tourists occurring there at the time, and their guide, a former member of Special Forces, was able to steer them clear of danger. On most of their trips, guides made the difference, from being aware of local laws to speaking the necessary languages. The Rileys haven’t taken a trip without one, except for the trip around the Baltic Sea. The Baltic
Sea was incredible from a historical standpoint, with the old cities, World War II and Holocaust history, Neil says. It was made more special in that it was planned by Austrian friends they met on their trip through the Chile and Peru. “No doubt about it, they seek out those types of trips, those types of experiences where they get to learn about the people there more than anything,” Brett says. “Almost every time they come back from a trip, they have made lifelong friends.”
The Good With The Not-So-Bad While the Rileys talk about these three trips at length, they frequently intertwine experiences from their other trips into the tales. “Once you’re there, it’s hard to say what’s better because
OPPOSITE PAGE TOP LEFT: Enjoying a beautiful site along the road in New Zealand. BOTTOM LEFT: The motorcycle traveling group poses in Yalta, in front of a rare statue of Lenin. RIGHT: The Rileys found this unique piece of artwork from Morocco. TOP LEFT: The couple makes friends by handing out toothbrushes in a small village in Turkey. BOTTOM LEFT: The Rileys pose with their tiger tail in a village in Ukraine. ABOVE: Entering Austria with a good friend and Austrian resident. they all have their own thing,” Neil says. Overall, “there weren’t a lot of negatives on these [trips].” Appreciating the fact they like to experience new places differently has been something the Rileys have done since their honeymoon in Hawaii. Lyanne is the type to go to museums and take tours, where Neil would rather play golf. This has served them well. When the opportunity to bungee jump in New Zealand presented itself, Neil was reluctant, but Lyanne was enthusiastic. In the end, they jumped together. Food is also an area that could be intimidating; however, Neil and Lyanne are both quick to say everything they have tried abroad has been decent. “It’s all a part of
the experience,” she says, “but honestly the food was pretty good most places.” From warthog and emu in Africa to guinea pig in Peru, they are accustomed to eating like a native. “In Africa, they served this bowl of what they called mopane worms, and so I ate some of those,” Lyanne says. As she tries to describe what they were like, she struggles to get it right. “Well, it was just like a … well if you didn’t know what it was…it was crunchy.”
What’s Next? While the next trip has yet to be planned, it is something they are already thinking about. China is
intriguing as well as Cambodia and Vietnam. Neil spent time in Korea serving as an Army dentist during the Vietnam War and would love to go back—if it were not so far away. While they would like the destination to be new to them, there is one aspect of the trip that will be like all of the others. They’ll bring little gifts along for each person they meet, especially children: toothbrushes. “It’s a bit of an icebreaker,” Neil says. “It’s kind of a connection, and it’s easy.” “It’s a fun thing to do to get people to talk and to…” Lyanne says trailing off. Neil finishes her sentence. “Smile.” “Smile, yeah.” v Prime Magazine March 2016
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Prime Time
March 2016 MARCH 1–9 Stop into the Central Bank of Boone County and view the oil paintings of Colleen Smith. Smith is an artist who explores both the figurative and representational world through oil paint, creating narrative, often surreal, images. Her paintings invite the viewer to balance between the internal and external emotions that are central to the human experience. Free; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon Saturday; 573-874-8534; Eighth Street & Broadway; www.boonebank.com
MARCH 3–6 The True/False Film Fest returns. Don’t miss Columbia’s cinematic celebration of documentary films, now in its 13th year. Go “Off The Trail” and explore art, music and film. $10 at box office, $12 at door, $7 students; various venues; 573-442-TRUE (442-8783); www.truefalse.org
MARCH 3–6 The Stephens College Spring Dance Concert in the Macklanburg Playhouse showcases classical ballet, modern and contemporary dance, choreographed by faculty. Additionally, brilliant world dance selections choreographed by visiting guest artists make this a unique and aesthetically beautiful production. $16 adults, $8 students & seniors; 7:30 p.m. with 2 p.m. Sunday matinee; 100 Willis Ave.; 573-8767194; www.stephens.edu /events
MARCH 4 Catch all the rough-and-tumble action at Mizzou Arena when Mizzou gymnastics hosts the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Tigers’ final home meet of the 2015-2016 season. $5 adult, $3 youth & seniors; 7 p.m.; 1 Champions Drive; 800-CAT-PAWS (228-7297); www.mutigers.com
MARCH 11–12 University Concert Series presents Show-Me Opera: Mozart’s “The Marriage Of Figaro” at the Missouri Theatre. In Mozart’s comedic masterpiece, the servant gets the better of his master. Figaro is manservant to Count Almaviva, whose “roving eye” has turned to Susanna, Figaro’s betrothed. Figaro and Susanna join forces with the Countess to concoct a plot that will expose the Count’s philandering and guarantee the newly married couple a chance to live together in happiness. $19 adults, $14 staff/faculty, $9 youth and MU students; 7:30 p.m.; 203 S. Ninth St.; 573-882-3781; www.concertseries.org
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MARCH 4 The first Friday of every month, the North Village Arts District collectively opens its doors for First Fridays in The North Village Arts District, encouraging all to explore Columbia’s ever-growing collections of art and entertainment. The event includes free entertainment and light refreshments. Free; 6 to 9 p.m.; South 10th Street; 573-864-664
MARCH 5 Will it be a case of “See ya later, alligator”? Find out when the Mizzou men’s basketball team takes on the Florida Gators at Mizzou Arena in the final home game of the 2015-2016 season. Tickets vary; 6:30 p.m.; 1 Champions Drive; 800-CATPAWS (228-7297); www.mutigers.com
MARCH 7 Join the Polish Baltic Philharmonic, the largest music institution in northern Poland, as it performs works by Beethoven, Chopin, Tchaikovsky and other composers in a University Concert Series event in Jesse Auditorium. From $32; 7 p.m.; Jesse Hall (MU campus); 573-882-3781; www. concertseries.org
MARCH 12 Grab something green and run in the St. Patrick’s Day 5K through The District and MU campus with the Columbia Track Club. The overall male and female winner will receive a $100 gift certificate toward a pair of New Balance running shoes at Tryathletics. $20 on/before March 9 online, $25 March 10 & 11 at Tryathletics; 8 a.m.; Eighth & Walnut streets; www. runrace.net
MARCH 12–13 University Concert Series brings back Missouri Contemporary Ballet’s musical collaboration with Tom Andes and other Columbia musicians in “Missouri Contemporary Ballet: LIVE Returns!” in Jesse Auditorium. From $26 adults, $13 youth; 7 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; Jesse Hall (MU campus); 573-882-3781; www.concertseries.org
MARCH 13 Don your running duds and get ready to sip some suds in a unique pre-St. Paddy’s Day race! This year’s Beer Mile takes place in conjunction with the ShamRox 5K and 15K. Each Beer Miler will run on a closed course, lapping up a 6-ounce beer before each lap. Fastest time wins. $25; 6 a.m. packet pickup begins, 9:45 a.m. race start; Les Bourgeois Vineyards; 14020 W. Highway BB, Rocheport; 573-445-2664; www.shamroxrun.com 18
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MARCH 13 The “We Always Swing” Jazz Series brings Columbus, Ohio-based pianist Aaron Diehl back to Murry’s. Diehl last performed as part of the series in 2013, after winning the Cole Porter Fellowship Jazz Competition. His newest trio features bassist Paul Sikivie and drummer Lawrence Leathers; the group will perform two shows. $23 to $40; 3:30 &7 p.m.; 3107 Green Meadows Way; 573449-3009, ext. 1; www.wealwaysswing.org
MARCH 14 The Mid-Missouri Restaurant Association hosts its 31st annual Taste of Mid-Missouri at the University of Missouri Reynolds Alumni Center. The event showcases offerings from local restaurants and benefits scholarships for students in the University of Missouri’s Hospitality Management program. $25 in advance at The Heidelberg, Schnucks, Hy-Vee, $30 at the door; 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.; 700 Conley Ave. (MU campus)
MARCH 17 Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Irish eyes will be smiling.
MARCH 18–20 After a three-year absence, the University of Missouri Museum of Art and Archaeology presents the inaugural Art in Bloom event at the museum’s new location at Mizzou North. Approximately one dozen mid-Missouri florists design and create fresh-cut floral arrangements inspired by artworks and artifacts in the museum collection. Attendees then vote for their favorites in four categories in the People’s Choice Awards. Free; 7 to 9 p.m. opening night Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday & Sunday,; 115 Business Loop 70 W.; 573882-3591; www.maa.missouri.edu. Prime Magazine March 2016
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MARCH 18–20
MARCH 21
The Stephens College theatre department presents “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” at Macklanburg Playhouse. Merriment ensues in this Tony Awardwinning play that features three single siblings in the middle of romantic and financial crises. These vibrant characters bring a classic Russian story to life with contemporary humor and exemplify the everlasting strength of family bonds. $14 adults, $7 students & seniors; 7:30 p.m., 2 p.m. Saturday & Sunday matinee; 100 Willis Ave.; 573-876-7199; www.stephens. edu/events
The Blind Boone Piano Concert Series presents Deep Water, A Classic Country Concert featuring Dan Hatfield and a sixperson band at the Montminy Art Gallery. The gallery is home to John William “Blind” Boone’s 9-foot, custom-made grand piano, which plays a starring role in the annual six-concert season. $20 adults, $10 children 13 and younger; 7 p.m.; 3801 Ponderosa St.; 573-443-8936, ext. 310; www.boonehistory.org/concert-series/
MARCH 19 The MU Museum of Art and Archaeology is offering an Art in Bloom for Kids: Children’s Workshop at Mizzou North. Participants will create their own arrangements with real flowers. There is a limit of two children per accompanying adult; preregister by March 14. Drop-ins will be accommodated on a space-available basis. Free; 1 to 3 p.m.; 115 Business Loop 70 W.; 573-882-3591; www.maa.missouri.edu
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MARCH 21–22 MARCH 20 Catch the Grammy-winning group The Mavericks at The Blue Note, playing its unique fusion of traditional country/ traditional rock ’n’ roll. The band features the rich, supple voice of Cuban-American lead singer Raul Malo, considered by many to be second only to Roy Orbison in his ability to convey lonesomeness, desire and vivre. $35 in advance, $38 day of show; 8 p.m.; 17 N. Ninth St.; 573-8741944; www.thebluenote.com
Join MU faculty member Carol Ward — who leads one of the major teams finding fossils in Africa in the search for human origins — for an enlightening conference entitled Our African Origins. The conference is presented by the MU Division of Applied Social Sciences. Monday night’s opening reception will be at the Missouri Theatre; the Tuesday conference takes place in Monsanto Auditorium on the MU campus. $15 lunch registration fee; 6 p.m. Monday, 7 a.m. Tuesday; 203 S. Ninth St. & 1201 Rollins St.; www.dass.missouri.edu
MARCH 24 The University Concert Series is getting the band back together! Be on hand at the Missouri Theatre for 50 Years of Jazz Bands at MU. The MU Concert Jazz Band will celebrate its 50th anniversary by inviting alumni back for a historical performance. $25; 7 p.m.; 203 S. Ninth St.; 573-882-3781; www.concertseries.org
SAVE THE DATE
APRIL 30 Come out and watch the 5th Annual Float Your Boat For The Food Bank, a cardboard boat race at Bass Pro Shop that raises funds for The Food Bank For Central & Northeast Missouri. Teams build themed boats to race and win unique prizes. The entries can get pretty crazy and creative! The race is presented by the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. Free; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; 3101 Bass Pro Drive; 573-864-6641; www.floatforthefoodbank.org ❖
APRIL 2 MARCH 26 Bring your children (ages 12 and younger) out for a free, fun, candy-filled Egg Hunt Eggstravaganza at Douglass Park. Three separate hunts, designated by age, will take place in different areas of the park. Kids will also enjoy other activities such as coloring, face painting and games. Free; noon, hunt begins at 12:45 p.m.; 400 N. Providence Road; 573-874-7460; www.gocolumbiamo.com/ParksandRec
The University Concert Series presents Hal Holbrook in “Mark Twain Tonight” in Jesse Auditorium. Holbrook reprises his magnificent portrayal of legendary American author, humorist and storyteller Mark Twain. Grab this rare opportunity to see the critically acclaimed and longest-running show in American theater history. From $34; 7 p.m.; Jesse Hall (MU campus); 573-8823781; www.concertseries.org
STAY CONNECTED
Submit your event to our online calendar, the comprehensive digital guide to what’s happening in mid-Missouri. Simply visit www.InsideColumbia.net/Calendar and register an account. Fill in the event’s information in a brief form and click Save.
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Tinseltown Talks
Audrey Dalton Survived A Titanic Sinking And A Serpent
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Four decades before James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster “Titanic” made waves at the Academy Awards with 11 wins, Audrey Dalton signed on for Hollywood’s 1953 recreation of the famous 1912 maritime disaster. “Our version only received one Oscar for writing,” Dalton says, who turned 82 in January, from her home in Saddleback Valley, Calif. “But the special effects were pretty good for 60 years ago.” The cast included Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb, who delighted ’40s and ’50s movie audiences with his acerbic, snobbish characters, most notably in three Mr. Belvedere films. “He was a little bit like that and mostly kept to himself,” recalls Dalton. “But he was very funny with a sharp wit. Barbara Stanwyck was a dream – the ultimate pro, always prepared and ready to help.” Dalton recalls the cast welcoming some special guests during shooting. “A man and a woman who were Titanic survivors visited the set,” Dalton says, whose film character also escapes on a lifeboat. “They were children when the ship sank, but had memories of the event. I don’t recall hearing them tell us any specific stories of the sinking other than the general horror of it.” Irish born Dalton was 17 when her family moved to London where she studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and was soon noticed by a film executive. “Paramount brought me over to the U.S. on a seven-year contract beginning with ‘The Girls of Pleasure Island,’” she explains. Set on a South
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PHOTO COURTESY OF MITCH WEISBERG
BY NICK THOMAS
ABOVE: Audrey Dalton at the Willamsburg, Va, Film Festival. BELOW: An early publicity photo of Dalton, who began acting at age 17. Pacific Island towards the end of World War II, the 1953 comedy was actually released while the Korean War was still in progress. “To promote the film, we were sent to Seoul where it premiered for the troops,” Dalton says. “It’s dated now, but the men enjoyed it. We were driven around in army trucks and dressed up in beautiful Edith Head gowns doing skits for the troops.” Dalton appeared in just 16 films, including a small role in 1958s “Separate Tables” with David Niven, Burt Lancaster, Rita Hayworth, Rod Taylor and Deborah Kerr. “We rehearsed for three weeks and shot it in sequence, which was very unusual,” she says. “Niven was a won-
A scene from the ‘Titanic’ with Clifton Webb, Barbra Stanwyck and Audrey Dalton. derful, funny man, a great raconteur. It was great to just sit quietly in a chair and listen to his wicked sense of humor.” Since retiring from acting, Dalton has been a popular guest at film festivals and is scheduled to appear at this year’s
Williamsburg Film Festival in Virginia, to be held March 9-12. “The sci-fi fans always ask about ‘The Monster that Challenged the World,’” laughs Dalton, about the 1957 B-monster movie classic.
“That monster was enormous!” she added, referring to the 12-ft pneumatically controlled creature she eluded which was curiously called a reptile in the original trailer, but was actually a giant mollusk in the film. Dalton’s movie career lasted until 1965 during which time she also raised a family. “I had four children in six years between 1953-1959. What’s interesting is that many websites today have given me a fifth child,” she chuckles. “He even has a birth date and a name – Adrian. Needless to say my children have made great fun of it and ask why I never told them about their lost brother!” As for her actual children, none were drawn to acting. “Just as well,” she says, “it can be a difficult business. I did a few very good films and some mediocre ones. I enjoyed every day on the set.” v Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University in Montgomery, Ala. His features and columns have appeared in more than 600 newspapers and magazines. Follow him on Twitter @TinseltownTalks.
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Prime Advice
Tell Me About It WITH ANGEL DONNETTE ROBERTSON
Every month we have a relationship expert who answers questions from our readers.
Q:
My husband and I were never able to have children. I can’t say we have never struggled with our childlessness, but we have accepted it. Currently, however, I am working with a woman who says careless, hurtful things that insinuate I put my career over children. She has just returned to the workforce after raising three kids, and I am in management while she is not. She obviously does not know my history, and I do not want to share my heartache with her. But how do I make her stop? Or should I just tell her the truth?
A:
You never have to share personal details unless you feel comfortable doing so, especially with anyone who is practically a stranger. Your reasons for remaining childless are yours. And just because you work in the same space does not give her any rights to your privacy. Making her stop the comments, however, is more complicated than just understanding she is crossing boundaries. You can just ask her to stop. You can explain that she gets to live her life and you get to live yours. She may not be intentionally insinuating that you put your career over having children. She could possibly be struggling with the time she lost in promoting her career while now regretting her choice to stay home with her children. She could just really be that arrogant and insensitive. Either way, her comments are all about her and not you at all. However, if the comments continue after your request, you can ignore her, let her words fall into an awkward silence, even walk away from her. She may be entitled to her opinion, but she is not entitled to you as an audience. And her discomfort might act as a deterrent. Unfortunately, though, she has to actually choose to stop. Unless you can (and would choose to) coerce her through her employment, you cannot force her. I’m sorry that you have suffered the heartache of infertility. Please be gentle with yourself and don’t take your co-worker’s comments on yourself. As I said, her insensitivity is about her. You just happen be the innocent bystander.
Q:
A year after my divorce, I started dating a man I met at a local sports bar. I wasn’t necessarily ready for a permanent relationship, but I thought we were good together. Then, after about six months, he started dropping out of contact. At first it was not for long periods, maybe a day, sometimes two. Now he has sometimes gone a week or more without even talking to me. I’ve continued to spend time with him. I wasn’t dating anyone else and I enjoy his company. But I think I am ready now for a relationship with a potential future. Should I work at this one? Or move on?
A:
This man appears to prefer some distance between the two of you. Although the more obvious, and perhaps more likely, conclusion is he is not interested in a stable relationship, he could actually have one of a dozen reasons. Have you asked him why he drops out of contact? If you did, were you comfortable with his answer? Did he understand the uncertainty he created through his actions? Do you feel you can trust him? If you haven’t ever addressed the issue with him, why haven’t you? In the end, if he is unwilling to become a more stable partner, his reasons are irrelevant to your decision. Because you need what you need. And you should not compromise. So, take the time to determine your requirements in a romantic relationship. For example, you sound like you at least need regular contact. I’m sure you have several other basic requirements. Then ask yourself if this man is even interested in knowing your needs, much less meeting them. If you are not satisfied in a relationship with unsteady, random contact but he is, then respect yourself and him, don’t wait or hope for him to change and move on. v Angel Donnette Robertson is not a professional counselor, but she has a lifelong appreciation for the beauty and complications of relationships.
Have a relationship question for Angel? Contact her through her blog at www.angeldonnette.wordpress.com. She will select reader questions to answer, along with questions she finds, in upcoming issues of Inside Columbia’s Prime. 24
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Fun & Games
THEME: WINTER FUN 41. PARTING WORDS
12. HALF DOZEN
43. BOOKIE’S QUOTE
15. GET COZY
44. LIKE DRAFT BEER
20. REMEMBER THIS BATTLE SITE!
46. APIECE 47. 7 DAYS 48. MADE AMENDS 50. CLARIFIED BUTTER 52. LIKE MARTINI OR HUMOR 53. JUSTICE’S GARB 55. A LATE TIME OF LIFE 57. *HE STOLE CHRISTMAS 60. *FROSTY, E.G. 64. ____ PROFUNDO 65. TROPICAL AMERICAN CUCKOO 67. INDEX AND MIDDLE FINGERS EXTENDED 68. FURIOUSLY ANGRY 69. CONTAINER FOR LIQUIDS 70. ISLAND OFF MANHATTAN 71. “LIGHTS OUT” SIGNAL 72. WEARY TRAVELER’S DESTINATION 73. *TOBOGGANS
22. BASEBALL STAT 24. AUTUMN ATTRACTION 25. *POPULAR HOT WINTER BEVERAGE 26. CAN BE HOT OR COLD, ACCORDING TO METEOROLOGISTS 27. ANN PATCHETT’S NOVEL “BEL ____” 29. *DONUT-SHAPED SLED 31. *CHIONOPHOBIA IS FEAR OR DISLIKE OF THIS 32. SUPPLEMENTED 33. COMPUTER PROGRAMMER 34. GLORIFY 36. WITH LITTLE FAT 38. MAKE A SKETCH 42. “TWO AND A HALF MEN” STAR 45. POPULAR ANISEFLAVORED LIQUEUR 49. *HE’S BUSY DURING COLD AND FLU SEASON 51. RUNS OFF
DOWN 1. THE ____, WASHINGTON’S OFFENSIVE LINE, 1980S-90S
ACROSS 1. APPEAR LIKE A CHICK 6. UNIT OF ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE 9. “____ THE WORD” 13. CONVEX MOLDING 14. HONEY MAKER 15. JAPANESE-AMERICAN
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16. RUSSIAN AUTHOR OF “DEAD SOULS”
25. OLDEN-DAY AEROSOL CAN PROPELLANT
17. “C’____ LA VIE!”
28. POST WWII MILITARY ALLIANCE
18. ENGLISH COUNTY 19. *STUDENTS’ WINTER DELIGHT? 21. *APRES-SKI SITE 23. GOOSE EGG 24. *SNOW ____
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57. GREEK PERSONIFICATION OF EARTH
3. A MEAL ORDER FOR TAKEOUT
58. INVITATION REQUEST
4. PIERROT OR HARLEQUIN, E.G. 5. ____ ____, AS IN BREATH 6. BE OBEDIENT 7. “FOR ____ A JOLLY...”
35. WORD OF MOUTH
8. SUBWAY IN PARIS
39. “____ ____ A HIGH NOTE” 40. ORANGE TRAFFIC CONTROLLER
56. INHABIT
2. SHAKESPEARE’S HOMETOWN RIVER
30. LORRAINE’S NEIGHBOR 37. DRUG SMUGGLER
54. INDIAN VEGETABLE FRITTER
9. JAPANESE SOUP 10. BREZHNEV’S COUNTRY
59. A.K.A. THE ISLAMIC STATE 60. *CAPRICORN OR AQUARIUS 61. TOM, NOT TABBY 62. BATTERY FLUID 63. FAMED LOCH 64. CLUB ALTERNATIVE 66. MOTHER TERESA, E.G.
11. TRACK EVENT
PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ON PAGE 39
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Fun & Games Sudoku
Do You Have Tiger Vision? We’ve hidden this tiger face somewhere in the magazine. Find it, and send an email to prime@insidecolumbia.net telling us the page number where the tiger is hiding. Readers with a correct answer by Mar. 31 will be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift card to Smokin’ Chicks BBQ.
WINNER! Congratulations to Ronald Brown, winner of our February Tiger Vision contest and a $25 gift card to Smokin’ Chicks BBQ!
Cryptogram Decipher this quote by unraveling the secret code. Each letter stands for another letter. We’ve given you a few hints to get you started.
PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ON PAGE 39
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Fun & Games
Nostalgia Knowledge Here’s The Story Behind Three Albums In Your Record Cabinet Every month we like to highlight memorable records and give you the story behind three albums you might have in your record cabinet. Submit a photo of you with your favorite vinyl and we’ll highlight it in an upcoming issue of Prime magazine.
“Trace”
“Car Wheels on a Gravel Road”
The Jayhawks (1992)
Son Volt (1995)
Lucinda Williams (1998)
The Jayhawks were always a band that was about its individual members, but were always deeply rooted in their journey. Whether it is early morning departures (“Waiting for The Sun”), long wintry roads (“Clouds”), or reaching their destination (“Martin’s Song”), “Hollywood Town Hall” is The Jayhawks trying to find who they are with great success.
“Trace” is Jay Farrar’s first album after the dissolution of Uncle Tupelo, and it is far superior to Jeff Tweedy’s under the Wilco moniker, “A.M.” Farrar explored the idea of escaping his roots through his music, and conceived an album invariably connected to the Mississippi River and its importance to American history while escaping his own demons simultaneously.
The South has always been a treasure trove for songwriters, and “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road” is her definitive statement. As a Louisiana native, Williams’ roots are blatant (“Lake Charles”), but her love of all of the South is clear as well (“Jackson”). If you ever go to the Gulf Coast, take this album.
“Hollywood Town Hall”
Staff Pick: “1700” Peter, Paul and Mary Staff Member: Rosie Peck Recently my mother-in-law gave my husband and me a large stack of her old vinyl records. There were many gems to be found in this large stack: The Bee Gees, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Earth Wind and Fire, but I have a particular soft spot for Peter, Paul and Mary. John Denver may have written “Leaving on a Jet Plane” but the song really comes to life through the harmonious vocals of the folk trio. The song was released on the group’s seventh studio album, “1700,” and proved to be their one of their biggest and final hits.
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Jane Williams: Touching Lives One At A Time By Pamela Ingram Photos By LG Patterson
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f you watched much television back in the 1970s, you couldn’t miss the television commercial that touted, “When E. F. Hutton talks, people listen.” Back then, E. F. Hutton was one of the most respected brokerage firms in the country. Something similar, on a spiritual plain, could be said of Jane Williams, Love, INC co-founder. When the poor and broken speak, Jane Williams listens and they walk away encouraged with newfound hope for the future. You’ll find her fingerprints on several local organizations dedicated to helping Columbia’s needy because she helped launch them: Center for Women’s Ministries, The Caring People, Granny’s House, FreePrayer and, of course, Love INC. She’s helped dozens of churches develop effective strategies to help the needy. Though she’s a licensed clinical social worker, those who know her best say that what she does is more akin to “soul work” than social work. No matter how desperate the situation, Williams has a unique gift for mining the gold and finding the silver lining in the black clouds she finds hovering over peoples’ lives.
PHOTOS BY LG PATTERSON
On Her “Soul Work” When Tanya Teegarden met Williams in the ‘90s, she simply couldn’t believe the hopeful things Williams was telling her. “I don’t know what motive you have, lady, but I’m not going for it,” she protested. “This kind of love you’re talking about is a bunch of %$#%$#!” God’s love was a foreign language to her. Teegarden had just been released from jail in Kansas City for a drug charge and moved to Columbia to live with her sister, Marilyn Teegarden, whom Williams was already mentoring during her stint at a local drug treatment center. Because the Teegarden sisters grew up in an environment filled with violence and regularly saw people “shooting up,” both women readily admit that they were clueless about how to “live clean and sober without chaos.” Tanya knew she didn’t know how to live without being a drug dealer. The sisters battled addiction for years but Williams never abandoned them. She continued to support Marilyn Teegarden through the pain-
ful process of placing twin babies with adoptive parents. She credits Williams with helping her understand that she was not giving her babies up, but was “giving them more because they deserved to have a two-parent home and things I could not provide,” she says. Those babies are now healthy 14-year-old girls who return to Columbia annually with their adoptive mother for a reunion with their birth mother and Williams. When they talk about Jane Williams, the Teegardens use words like “spiritual mom” or “sister” because she’s been their family’s “backbone.” Some years ago when their mother passed away, they had Jane Williams officiate at the funeral.
On Her Early Years You have to wonder what opened such a huge well of compassion in Jane Williams. Exactly what marked her for a life of pouring hope into those whom most would find it easier to ignore? Williams describes growing up with her identical twin in a rather average, happy family. Their dad, who could never tell his twins’ voices apart, owned a fuel oil business and their mother was a bookkeeper. When they were little girls, they often played make-believe games where Williams played the role of the rescuer. “I was always rescuing somebody in distress,” she recalls. Early on, she began feeling pangs of discouragement over the plight of the poor. “I remember knowing that dad had delivered fuel oil to someone who didn’t have enough money to pay him, and was saddened by the thought that there were people who could not afford to heat their houses,” she recalls. But it was not until she was a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Missouri School of Social Work that her heart broke wide open as she read her very first social welfare textbook and learned the bleak realities of poverty in America. “I grew up in turbulent times and we all wanted to protest and make our lives count for something,” she remembers. But Williams didn’t protest. Instead, she studied and was undone as she learned about life in public housing, inequalities in education, and the discrimination that many experienced. “After that,” she said, “I never thought of doing anything else with my life. I remember crying in my sorority room over that (social
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work) book and, a year later, someone gave me a Bible and I wept over that book too.” In her thinking, opening her heart to the poor and opening her heart to God were different sides of the same coin. Williams’ college days were a confusing season filled with strange juxtapositions. She was exposed to extreme poverty and extreme wealth at the same time. All while learning about the painful consequences of extreme poverty, she was hanging out with wealthy friends. “I remember driving down I-29 in a friend’s Mercedes during my junior year and I began crying out of the blue,” she says. She was troubled by a strange scene that kept parading across her mind. She saw herself working in a welfare office and hanging up a mink coat in that office. “It bothered me that there were those who had so little and we had so much,” she thought. “There’s got to be more to life than this!” Back then, she could never have imagined what “more” would look like decades later. After earning a master’s degree at MU, she did hospital social work at both Ellis Fischel and Boone Hospital Center and was enriched by the faith and courage of the people who had been officially classified as “indigents” – very poor with advanced cancer, often from rural areas. “Early on,” she says, “I could see that there was much more depth to a person who had struggled.” Williams thrived in that atmosphere. She remembers the six to eight bed wards and there were no private rooms back then. She’s never forgotten the patients’ gratitude, their lack of complaining, and their concern for the welfare of other family members, even as they suffered. After leaving Ellis Fischel, she took a job as director of social work at Boone Hospital and remained there until 1998 when she began having children and only wanted to work part-time. She also served as benevolence director at Christian Fellowship Church (CFC). She fielded all the benevolence-related calls to the church and organized teams to serve weekly meals at the downtown soup kitchen. She launched doorto-door prayer outreaches in both Douglass Park and Bear Creek public housing projects and at area hospitals. At CFC, she was overwhelmed by the immensity of the needs and quickly realized that no one church could possibly take care of it all.
TOP: Jane Willams (left) and her identical twin sister Judy Richmond. MIDDLE: Jane’s sorority sisters from college. Judy Richmond (lower left) and Jane Williams (lower right). BOTTOM: Jane’s family at her daughter’s wedding. 34
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When her secretary saw her angst as she fielded benevolence phone messages, she told Williams about an organization she’d heard about in Alaska called “Love INC” (Love In The Name of Christ), that created a central hub of churches to work together to coordinate responses to their community’s needy. She immediately fell in love with the idea but, at the time, there was little interest in creating that kind of structure in Columbia. It wasn’t until Columbia was inundated with evacuees from Hurricane Katrina that people began to see the benefits of churches working together
to help people in need. What began as Columbia’s “Disaster Recovery Center” after Katrina, morphed into Columbia’s Love, INC in 2008, providing a central clearinghouse of churches to compassionately respond to Columbia’s benevolence needs. “At Love INC, we have tried to change the culture of charity from ‘handout’ to ‘hand up,’” Williams explains. “But there are still many people who are stuck in the handout mode, both on the giving and on the receiving end.” Columbia’s Love, INC is one of 150 affiliates located in 30 states.
On Her Compassion For Others Williams is often stretched when seeking to make a difference in people’s lives. She remembers struggling with all kinds of suspicions when she encountered boyfriends who always seemed to lurk in the shadows when she began reaching out to single moms in public housing. “I suspected they were eating up all the food stamp food and not paying child support,” she admits. But all those judgments melted away during a chance encounter with a young man she met when she accompanied a repairman to an apartment in the projects. “While waiting to have someone’s washing machine fixed, an im-
mediate bond was formed when I heard that boyfriend’s story of growing up in a small town and having all of his hopes and dreams dashed by poverty, a lack of opportunity, no family support or resources,” she says. The washing machine wasn’t the only thing repaired as the two listened to gospel music and prayed together before she left the apartment that day. “As I got up to leave, I asked him, ‘What is your name?’ and he said, ‘Emmanual,’ which means ‘God with us.’” To Williams, God was, indeed, right there with them.
had an open room and someone was there on a regular basis,” he says. Sometimes their guest was wearing a house arrest anklet, or it was someone from what Williams calls the “AA/ NA crowd.” Her son says, “I never questioned whether she loved me while she poured herself out for others. Because of the way she loved and cared for us and always made us feel safe in our home.”
Over the years, there have been thousands whom Williams has helped. Some call her “My Angel,” “Granny Jane,” or “Miss Jane,” and she has even been called “The Church Lady” before. But the two who call her mom have always had a front-row seat to the transformation of the woman whose love and compassion have meant so much to so many.
Williams’ daughter, Suzy Plakmeyer, a graphic designer in Chicago adds, “Some people know the poor as a concept, but I grew up knowing the poor as people.” To Plakmeyer, Jane Williams was just “our mom, not the savior of that person on house arrest or the person who had relapsed again,” she says. “She has always lived this life of compassion that she talks about. If she could, she would have every homeless person, people living on house arrest, every needy person living in her basement!”
Her son, Aaron Williams, a recent seminary graduate and now a PhD student at the John Paul II Institute in Washington DC, says, “Growing up, she was always involved in the matters of our hearts and wanted to know what was on our minds. We knew we could always talk to her,” even as she was pouring her life out to what seemed like half the city. He has vivid memories of the hodge-podge of visitors who frequented their home. “We always
Williams has never fit the traditional social worker model. “I regularly give out my cell phone number and take calls in the evenings and on weekends. I invite people into our home. I don’t encourage my Love INC volunteers or staff to do the same, but I do because I CAN’T HELP IT!” she shouts. “I don’t know how to hold people at arm’s length!” She refers to the people she meets as “friends,” not “clients.” She’s grateful for Prime Magazine March 2016
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PHOTOS BY LG PATTERSON
Hurricane Katrina brought together churches to help fill the community’s need. In 2008, the Katrina organization morphed into Columbia’s Love INC.
“When you’re blind, you’re cut off from what others are talking about in this cell phone-photo-world we live in, but I feel so much more fuel to help those who are cut off in other ways.” —Jane Williams
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Jane Williams (left) and her sister Judy Richmond. “guardrails,” though, and the main one is her husband of 38 years, Scott Williams, who is principal of Christian Fellowship School. He says he often has to be her “brakes” to slow her down when her heart tells her to be more involved in a situation than she can. Like their children, Scott Williams gets to see, first-hand, the depths of her compassion. According him, his wife’s method is simple: “When she is troubled about something or someone, she prays, asking how she can effectively help them, and really grieves when she thinks she might have caused trouble or pain for someone else.” From Jane Williams’ perspective, nothing of any real importance ever happens apart from prayer, and sometimes, it’s her own health that’s at the top of her prayer list.
On Her Eye Surgery Williams has had to endure multiple eye surgeries over the years to forestall and sometimes repair retina detachment. She started wearing glasses at the age of four and remembers attending her eighth grade graduation ceremony with a patch over one eye after a surgery. During the past couple of years, she’s had surgeries on both eyes, but neither surgery was successful and the end result was total blindness. Williams and her identical twin, Judy Richmond, have battled the same eye problem throughout their lives. As premature babies, they received extremely high levels of oxygen that damaged their eyes. “I have a similar eye condition and it reminds me that I could be in that same situation at any time,” Richmond muses. “If I ever lose my eyesight, I will handle it better because of the way she’s gone through it. She doesn’t want people to feel sorry for her or to oneup them with her tragedy.” Richmond has
often heard her sister say, “If God wanted me to see, I would see.” Her sister’s blindness is “one of the biggest sadnesses” of her life,” she says. It pains Richmond to know that Williams has never seen her six-monthold grandson’s face. Many people don’t realize that, though blind, Williams can “see.” She says that in her mind’s eye, she always remembers people “at their most beautiful and best.” Her husband explains, “One of her special qualities is recognizing the good and the gifts God has given to people who have only felt like they’ve been failures and never measured up. She can help them see things that will give them hope and encouragement about themselves.” When asked how she keeps her passion for serving others alive and not feel sorry for herself, she responds, “At first, I thought ‘I can’t do this… I just can’t do this!’ I’ve always been claustrophobic.” Groping around was difficult. “When you’re blind, you’re cut off from what others are talking about in this cell phone-photo-world we live in, but I feel so much more fuel to help those who are cut off in other ways.” Learning new ways to have fun has been a challenge. She loves audible books and getting together with the group of close friends she has affectionately named,
“The Cooking With Jane Club.” Six women converge on her kitchen once a month to prepare and enjoy a gourmet meal with her. Another challenge is shopping. “I cannot shop, so my sister and Charlotte Scuauwecker take me shopping because I trust them. People say I’ve never dressed better!” she jokes. “Shopping by committee is definitely better.” The screen readers and other software she received from Rehabilitation Services for the Blind have enabled her to continue her work at Love INC. Because of the friends and volunteers who’ve stepped forward to help her, some say she’s hardly skipped a beat. Her husband didn’t cook or grocery shop before she went blind, but now he does.. “Scott has been incredible!” she brags. Jane Williams’ life has been a contagious one. Many of the strugglers she’s walked alongside now possess that same passion and fire to help disadvantaged people. You’ll find them serving in a plethora of community programs and outreaches. Nelson Mandela once said, “Our human compassion binds us one to the other – not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.” That’s what Jane Williams has done for just about every life she’s ever touched. v Prime Magazine March 2016
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Recipe Box
Sweet Meets Savory Add Chocolate To Your Dinner Tonight
T BY PEG GILL
If you’re planning a wonderful dinner at home, why not think out of the box? Out of the box of chocolates, that is. Here are two delicious recipes that use this delectable ingredient. For your appetizer, there is Baba Ghannouji, a famously smoky Middle Eastern eggplant puree featuring flavors of garlic, lemon, cumin and paprika. It gains sweetness and complexity with the inclusion of white chocolate. Pepper-Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Chocolate-Port Sauce is a decadent entrÊe. Chocolate and rosemary are the surprise flavors in the sinful sauce accompanying seared tenderloins.
Baba Ghannouji
8 cloves garlic, unpeeled 4 medium eggplants, sliced in half lengthwise 1/ 3 cup fresh lemon juice 2/ 3 cup tahini 4 ounces white chocolate, melted and cooled 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika Kosher salt, to taste Freshly ground black pepper, to taste Pomegranate seeds, for garnish Toasted pita bread, for serving
Preheat oven broiler on high. Place garlic and eggplants, skin side up, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil until tender and charred all over, about 20 minutes for garlic and about 40 minutes for eggplant. Peel garlic. Peel and seed eggplants, then scoop out the flesh from the eggplant, transferring flesh to a food processor. Add juice, tahini, chocolate, 1 tablespoon of parsley, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper to eggplant flesh in processor bowl. Puree until smooth. Transfer puree to a serving dish and garnish with remaining parsley and pomegranate seeds. Serve with pita on the side for dipping. 38
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Pepper-Crusted Beef Tenderloin With Chocolate-Port Sauce
2 5-ounce beef tenderloin filets 1 tablespoon olive oil Coarse sea salt, to taste 1 tablespoon cracked white peppercorns 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon minced shallot 1/ cup port wine 4 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1/ cup beef stock 4 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary 1/ square (1 ounce) bittersweet 2 chocolate, chopped
Brush the tenderloin filets on all sides with 1 tablespoon olive oil, then sprinkle
with sea salt and cracked pepper. Heat another tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke. Add the steaks and cook to desired degree of doneness (4 minutes per side for medium-rare). Once done, remove the steaks from the skillet and keep warm. Stir the minced shallot into the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the port and balsamic vinegar. Simmer until the port reduces to the consistency of chocolate syrup (2 to 3 minutes). Add beef stock and rosemary, and return to a simmer. Once the sauce begins to simmer, whisk in the chocolate until it melts and slightly thickens the sauce. Pour sauce over steaks to serve. v
fun & games solved Challenge your brain with this month’s puzzles found on Pages 26-28. Cryptogram Answer Never go on trips with anyone you do not love. - Ernest Hemingway
Crossword Puzzle
Sudoku Puzzle
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Travels And Adventure 2
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Landmark Club’s Fjords & Baltic Capitals Cruise Landmark Club members enjoyed the journey of a lifetime during a combined seven-night cruise of the Norwegian Fjords and a nine-night cruise of northern European cities around the Baltic Sea. Ports included: Alesund, Geiranger, Flam and Bergen, Norway, Copenhagen, Denmark, Warnemunde, Germany, Tallinn, Estonia, Saint Petersburg, Russia, and Helsinki, Finland. Travelers experienced spectacular fjords, quaint fishing villages, welcoming town squares and magnificent palaces along with great food and entertainment. 1. Marvin & Milly Utech, Anita Metzen and Jean Clifford at Rosenborg Castle, Copenhagen, Denmark 2. Stephen Mudrick, Tammy Sprenger and Charlotte George at the Berlin Wall 3. Dr. Joel and Nancy Ray outside The Catherine Palace near Saint Petersburg, Russia 4. Jean Clifford walking under the Steindalsfossen Waterfall near Bergen, Norway 5. Linda Lyle and Norma Fair high above their cruise ship in Norway. 40
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Seniors traveled to a number of destinations through the Columbia Parks & Recreation’s 50+ Tours. The groups recently traveled to destinations in Missouri such as Arrow Rock, Vintage Hill, Kansas City and Hamilton. One tour traveled to Philadelphia, Pa. to take in historic sites. 1. A server at Lidia’s Restaurant in Kansas City dips up green pasta for Loretta Duncan. The group visited the National WWI Museum and dined in Lidia Bastianich’s restaurant. 2. 50+ Tours went to Philadelphia and toured many different buildings, monuments, and historic displays 3. On a “surprise trip” to Hamilton, the group toured the Missouri Star Quilt Shop. Ruthie Cassity (left) and Mary Lou Perkins (right) 4. (Left to right): Sandy Pearson, Mary Fross, Mary Lou Perkins, and Carolyn Steinmetz at Village Hill in Franklin, Mo. 5. At the New Theatre’s live show “Hairspray” are Linda Snider, Rita Allen, June Carpenter, and Debbie Rogers (in right corner of the photo). Prime Magazine March 2016
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2016 Cosmopolitan Club Pancake and Sausage Day The Cosmopolitan Club in Columbia held its 66th annual pancake and sausage day at their community center on January 30th to raise money for the various local charities they support, including Job Point. Keep your eyes open for their annual spaghetti supper coming soon! 1. Robert and Marcella Steinman with Brenda Berstler 2. Glenna Lawson and Cheryl Fadler 3. Elisa Simms and Debbie Morris 4. Shelley Allison and Jill Sigler 5. Alice Wondra and Bill Moyes 6. Ken and Betsy Rall and Jerry Murrell 7. Charlie and Carol Lee 42
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PHOTOS BY NANCY TOALSON AND WALLY PFEFFER, MIZZOUWALLY@COMPUSERVE.COM
“Nobody covers Columbia better”
Mayor McDavid Mayor of Columbia
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veryone who lives in Columbia likes to know what’s going on around town. But being plugged in is especially important when you’re the mayor. That’s why Mayor Bob McDavid has always been a loyal Inside Columbia reader. “Nobody covers Columbia better than Inside Columbia magazine. I know I can count on it every month to keep me informed about the people, events and issues in our community. And I know I can always count on Fred to give me ‘the final word!’”
www.InsideColumbia.net
It’s More Than A Magazine... It’s A City. Prime Magazine March 2016
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Atkins 90th ANNIVERSARY celebration Atkins celebrated its 90th anniversary at the Inside Columbia Culinary Adventures Center in January. To mark the occasion, Atkins Inc., in partnership with Inside Columbia, unveiled a commemorative magazine that chronicles the 90-year history of this Columbia business. 1. Fran and Scott Atkins with Tom and Linda Atkins 2. Louise Beasley, Roger Beasley, Brent Davis and Dori Bedell 3. Skip and Daisy Grossnickle 4. Brittney Meier, Bruno Greco, Tish Quinn, Lee Holt and Heidi Lee 5. Mary Blattner, Doug Pugh, Delton Jacobs and Kyle Middleton
Submit Your Photos
Have photos from events around town? Send your photos with the event description and subject names for captions to design@insidecolumbia.net, or mail to 47 E. Broadway, Columbia, MO 65203. 44
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Prime Magazine March 2016
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Columbia Confidential: Publisher Fred Parry On The Issues Columbia Is Talking About
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Unity In Columbia
For months, our community has been forced to contend with an identity crisis of sorts that has rocked us to our core. Portrayed in the national media as some sort of backwoods haven of racism and hate, we’ve had to scratch our heads as we struggle to reconcile the Columbia we know and love against the community that was cast into the national spotlight during last fall’s protest of #ConcernedStudent1950. The satellite trucks have left and Jonathon Butler and Peyton Head have faded into obscurity as quickly as they emerged, but they left a significant amount of scorched earth in their wake. University of Missouri President Tim Wolfe has resigned. Former MU Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin has been relinquished to a quiet corner of the university where he can come and go as he chooses. Three members of the university system’s Board of Curators have stepped down from this onceprestigious body. Our state Legislature has lost confidence in its flagship campus of higher learning. It’s hard to tell when the scars from this battle will heal. Some estimate five or six years; many more believe we will feel the impact for two decades or longer. This entire ordeal was unfortunate. Columbia has always taken pride in itself as a progressive and open-minded community. I think it would be impossible to find even the slightest trace of racism in the DNA of our city’s collective soul. The Columbia I know is a loving, compassionate and caring place. She has her moments of insanity and naughtiness, but she’s no racist. Does racism exist in our community? I can only assume it does. The same can be said, however, for any city in America. Columbia should not be defined as a racist or bigoted place. Like many of you, I resent how national media outlets characterized our city in that way. I’m even more disappointed that MU faculty, local leaders and media stood silently by, failing to come to her defense. Because of the outrageous claims that were made, we’ve momentarily doubted ourselves and we allowed outsiders to paint a picture that made the most sensational headlines. If someone repeatedly tells you you’re a bad person, you eventually start to buy the lie. I don’t intend to sound like an armchair psychologist here, but I do believe that we have to start the healing process. First, we need to accept the fact that Columbia and the University of Missouri got a raw deal as a residual effect of the #ConcernedStudent1950 protest. Secondly, we need to stand firm in our belief that racism will never be tolerated in
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our community. Lastly, we need to remind ourselves of the many reasons Columbia is one of the best places to live in America. I think the healing process has already started and it started in one of the most unlikely of places. I had the awesome privilege of attending the Community Worship Night at The Crossing in late January. The service was intended to be a night of unity bringing together more than 30 churches that represented both predominantly black and white congregations. More than 1,800 people filled the church’s auditorium and overflow rooms. Pastors from several local churches spoke and served Communion. Through music, prayer and candid conversations, Columbians celebrated the sacred gift that we all have in common. One minister called us out saying, “Don’t hug me in church and walk past me in Walmart!” His message was a gentle reminder that there is still plenty of room for improvement. To my surprise, there were several uniformed officers from the Missouri Highway Patrol, MU campus police and the Columbia Police Department on hand to show their support for the effort. While unfortunate actions by police officers had become the tipping point in Ferguson, Baltimore and other cities, local clergy made it clear that law enforcement in our community is part of the solution and not part of the problem. I left that service with an overwhelming sense of confidence about our future. While there is still much work to do in terms of bridging the racial gap in Columbia, I know that we live in a community where we can enthusiastically embrace our differences and work side by side to make Columbia a better place to live. Rising from the chaos that has dominated so much of these last few months, we have an amazing opportunity before us. I believe that we can show the rest of the world how a united community handles adversity and uses it to rise to the next level. I have no doubt that we will emerge from all of this as a stronger city. v
Fred Parry, fred@insidecolumbia.net
Prime Magazine March 2016
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