aroundkent Magazine Vol 3 2014

Al Flogge

Renaissance Man from Kent

NEOMED

Celebrating 40 Years

Group Ten Gallery Local Veteran Artists

WKSU

Kent’s Own Radio Station!

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n e p O Now

T N E K IN

www.aroundkent.net

photographer/editor Matt Keffer 330.221.1274 info@aroundkent.net

art director

content volume 3 2014 6 Northeast Ohio Medical University 12 L ocal Book Shelf 15 A l Flogge From Kent

Susan Mackle contributing writers Ben Bassham Heather Griesbach Mark Keffer Dr. Patrick O’Connor Karen Shaw Diane Stresing Dan Stroble Cheryl Townsend Ann VerWiebe Katie Welles

19 2 5th Anniversary of the Borowitz Collection

22 N Y2C

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24 D -Stresing 26 T ree City’s Healthy Aging “Go-To” Place

Copyright 2014. All rights reserved.

Reproduction or use of editorial or pictorial content of any manner is prohibited without written permission. aroundkent accepts no responsibility for solicited materials.

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31 M ake Me One With Nature 36 V isual Art Showcase 42 G roup Ten Gallery

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46 A rt Sparks 51 L ocal Music Scene Al Flogge

Renaissance Man from Kent

52 W KSU

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56 A Cut Above 60 B ar 145

On the Cover: Al Flogge photo by Gary Harwood courtesy of Kent State University Special Collection

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Northeast Ohio Medical University celebrating 40 years of education, research and service Heather Griesbach

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or the past three years, motorists driving east from Kent on I-76 may have noticed an evolving skyline in Rootstown, Ohio. The changes taking place at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), one of Portage County’s two public universities, are not just physical — they are a visual representation of the growth, transformation and success the

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university has experienced during its 40 year history.

the community, and make a strong economic impact in Northeast Ohio and beyond.

Throughout its 40 years, NEOMED has been changing the lives of individuals in the region by working in collaboration with its educational, clinical and research partners to successfully educate and train health professionals and medical researchers, improve the quality of health care and services available to

Dedicated to its mission of education, research and service, Northeast Ohio Medical University has transformed from a humble “college in the cornfield,” to a dynamic public university, serving the region as an academic health center, maintaining its commitment to its rural roots and welcoming the community to its evolving campus.

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Proud of its Past: From NEOUCOM to NEOMED In 1972, multiple constituents, including three state-supported universities in Northeast Ohio (The University of Akron, Kent State University and Youngstown State University), responded to a challenge offered by the Ohio General Assembly to develop a plan for medical education for the region. The plan was to address the need for primary care physicians and use existing facilities of the three universities and of the area community hospitals to the greatest extent possible.

On Nov. 23, 1973, the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM) was established and the farm and property of Bryan and Dorothy Jones became the future home of the college. In fall 1977 the college welcomed its first class of students, and since spring 1981 it has graduated thousands of successful physicians, more than half of whom live and practice in Ohio.

As the landscape for health professions education, research and service in Northeast Ohio changed so did the college. In 2005 NEOUCOM added a College of Pharmacy, in 2009 it added a College of Graduate Studies, and it continuously expanded its regional academic, clinical and research partnerships.

New collaborative opportunities to train health professions students in an innovative, team-based environment gained the institution national recognition, and it became a model for interprofessional education.

Programmatic growth, research success and dedication to training health professionals who stay and serve their communities all contributed to Governor John Kasich publicly signing House Bill 139 in spring 2011. This bill officially changed the name of the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine to Northeast Ohio Medical University and positioned NEOMED as a free standing four-year public university, one of 14 public universities in Ohio.

With a new name, new partnerships and programs, and a bold new future, the university’s internal growth set the stage for the physical manifestation of its success – $160 million in campus expansion and an emphasis on educational and health care outreach to the surrounding community.

Connecting to the Community: Expansion to Engage The university’s capital expansion efforts include three phases of construction, all enhancing aspects of the university’s mission of education, research and service and doubling the size of campus.

The first phase, the Research and Graduate Education Building, opened in fall 2013. This four-story, 88,000-square-foot facility serves as home to students in the university’s growing C ollege of Graduate Studies as well as more than 40 of the university’s basic sciences researchers and their teams. The state-ofthe-art facility promotes

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shared resources and technology, customizable and collaborative work, and opens into the university’s renovated public-private partnership zone, or REDIzoneSM. In addition to graduate students enrolled in degree programs at NEOMED, students enrolled in the Kent State University School of Biomedical Sciences conduct research in the new facility under the direction of NEOMED researchers in the areas of auditory neuroscience, skeletal biology, cardiovascular disease and wound healing, and more.

The second phase of construction, The Village at NEOMED, also opened in fall 2013 and serves as the university’s first-ever on-campus student housing. The 270,000-squarefoot Village comprises three, four-story buildings with nearly 350 single and double, fully furnished rooms in addition to study rooms and community recreation spaces. The Village is a result of a public-private partnership between the university and Akron-based Signet Development and is independently managed by Signet Management. These facilities have transformed the look of the campus as well as the university experience for students.

Construction is currently underway for the third phase of the university’s capital Continued on Page 8

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Continued from Page 7 expansion, a Health, Wellness and Medical Education Complex that is set to open in fall 2014. The 177,338-square-foot structure will house numerous community-facing services such as fitness and pool facilities, physical therapy and warm water therapy services, primary care offices and a retail pharmacy, conference and catering services, retail entities and more.

It will also serve as additional academic space for the university with classrooms, a lecture hall and study and lounge areas, and it will become the home of Bio-Med Science Academy, the rural public science, technology, engineering, math and medicine (STEM+M) high school located on the university’s campus.

the Cleveland cohort of NEOMED’s College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy and College of Graduate Studies programs and serve as the home of the NEOMED-CSU Partnership for Urban Health, a partnership dedicated to training physicians and other health professionals that deliver primary care services to address the unique health care needs of metropolitan communities. Set to open in June 2015, the 100,000-square-foot facility will foster interprofessional teaching, learning and research in community-centered health care.

The university is engaged in program expansion as well. In addition to offering a Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Pharmacy degree, the university offers master’s degree and doctoral degrees in the areas of integrated pharmaceutical medicine, public health and health-system pharmacy administration, as well as a certificate program in bioethics. Having celebrated the graduation of its first class, the College of Graduate Studies is poised to offer additional degree programs in health sciences research and related fields.

Physical expansion is also occurring outside the university’s Rootstown footprint. In December 2013, Cleveland State University (CSU) broke ground for a health sciences building where health professions students will learn to work together at the forefront of collaborative health-care education and research. NEOMED will enter a 25-year lease to occupy about 20 percent of the new building, which will house

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Pipeline programs have also grown at the university, encouraging local middle school and high school students to learn more about careers in the health professions and how to create positive change in their communities. In addition to partnering with Bio-Med Science Academy, the university is the headquarters for Health Professions Affinity Communities (HPAC), which is a nationally recognized organization designed to support and guide high school

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students who have an interest in a career as a health care professional. HPAC offer a host of academic and community-based experiences with the aim of empowering students to take charge of their academic and career development and make a difference in the health of their communities. Students have the opportunity to identify a health disparity within their local community and implement a solution to improve that disparity by utilizing existing assets within their community.

NEOMED is also home to short-term programs for local students. HealthSuccess is a highly selective enrichment program for ninth through eleventh grade students who are from groups underrepresented in medicine and pharmacy. Students gain college readiness skills as well as medical and pharmacy school preparation through their participation in various activities and workshops. Pathways to Pharmacy is a pharmacy workforce development program open to high school sophomores and juniors. Sponsored by Walgreens, this program encourages students to consider a career in pharmacy through mentorship, enrichment programs and industry exposure. MEDCAMP is a three-day, intensive experience designed to stimulate students’ interests in the basic sciences and medicine and to expose them to career opportunities in those fields. The program is designed to provide “hands on” experiences in biomedical

science workshops involving research, clinical problem-solving and an introduction to the field of clinical medicine.

Professional students, faculty and staff at NEOMED volunteer and assist with pipeline programs, serving as mentors to youth who are interested in attending a medical university in the future. This commitment to the future of the profession is at the core of the university’s success and is apparent in its dedication to preparing students for the practice setting and evolving landscape of the health care industry.

40 Years and Still Burning Bright Northeast Ohio Medical University continues to excel at the innovative teaching of tomorrow’s physicians, pharmacists, public health officials and health care researchers, and its facilities, programs and service outreach are keeping

pace. In addition to creating opportunities for its employees and students to touch the surrounding community, new buildings and initiatives invite community members to campus where they can have a personal impact on the future of health care.

Standardized patients—community members who are trained to role-play or portray a patient with a medical condition or a patient seeking medication counseling—interact with students

through the university’s William G. Wasson Center, M.D., Center for Clinical Skills Training, Assessment and Scholarship, allowing them to practice skills such as medical interviewing, physical exams, medication review and counseling, health assessment, diagnosis and management. Community Educators – active, older adults who live independently in the community and are willing to share their health experiences with our pharmacy students – meet with the students and provide them with feedback on their professionalism, communication skills and counseling skills.

Diversity and cultural events, many of which are free and open to the public, are jointly sponsored by diversity affairs at the university as well as community organizations that educate the campus community about issues affecting health care outcomes, such as working with patients from different socioeconomic standings, religious affiliations, ethnicities or sexual orientations.

This interaction with and commitment to community results in NEOMED alumni living and working in Northeast Ohio, generating an undeniable economic impact and improving the quality of health care in the region. Building on 40 years of excellence and emphasizing the tenets of education, research and service, Northeast Ohio Medical University is igniting the future of health care and its legacy burns bright.

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Transforming the Health Professions, Impacting the Community

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Local Book Shelf

Last Exit Books

Tom Beckett Publisher, Editor, Poet And Interviewer

Maggie Anderson

Dipstick(Diptych) - Marsh Hawk Press In 2014 Unprotected Texts: Selected Poems, 1978-2006, Meritage Press In 2006.

E-X-C-H-A-N-G-E-V-A-L-U-E-S, Otoliths Interviews Curated By Beckett, And A Collection Of 4 Long Poems Called Parts And Other Pieces

In 1989, Maggie Anderson began teaching creative writing at Kent State University and was appointed coordinator of the Wick Poetry Program in 1992. In 2004, when the Wick Poetry Program celebrated its 20th anniversary, she was named director.

Maggie Anderson was on the founding committee of the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and served as Kent State University’s Campus Coordinator for the NEOMFA from 2003–2006 and as Director of the Northeast Ohio MFA Consortium from 2006-2009. Upon her retirement from KSU in 2009, the Maggie Anderson Endowment Fund was established in her honor. The Fund aims to assist talented writing students at the university with writing-related travel expenses.

Windfall: New and Selected Poems. (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2000) A Space Filled with Moving. (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1992) Cold Comfort. (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1986) Years That Answer. (New York: Harper and Row Publishers, Inc., 1980) Greatest Hits: 1984-2004. (Columbus: Pudding House Publications, 2004) The Great Horned Owl. (Riderwood: Icarus Press, 1979)

Available At Last Exit Books

Available At Last Exit Books

volume 3 | 2014 • www.aroundkent.net

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Meet Me at Rays

by Dr. Patrick J. O’Connor

Katharine Hepburn Rebel Chic

by Jean Druesedow, Contribution by Kohle Yohannan, Barbara Cohen-Stratyner, Nancy MacDonell and Judy Samelsony

Enhancing Cognitive Fitness in Adults: A Guide to the Use and Development of Community-Based Programs

by Dr. Paula Hartman-Stein

Dumb Things We Say To Dogs

by Diane Stresing

The Tower of Babel

by G. T. Anders

60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Cleveland: Including Akron and Canton

by Diane Stresing

Available At Last Exit Books

Think You Know America?

by Dr. Patrick J. O’Connor

The Last Word

by Merle Mollenkopt

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Last Exit Books 124 E Main Street, Kent, OH 44240 (330) 677-4499

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Dr. Patrick O’Connor

An Original: Al Fl o gge From Ke nt

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ow many people do you know who became personal friends with movie stars such as Gene Autry the singing cowboy? Know many who had parts on television shows such as Friends, ER, and Frazier? How about someone who was in the Army with Elvis Presley? Maybe a family member or friend hobnobbing with Hollywood A-listers such as John Wayne, Angela Lansbury, Kelsey Grammar, Lena Horne and dozens more? Someone who was friends with major league sports figures or is referred to as “Uncle Al” by Sarah Jessica Parker? And, knew President Gerald and First Lady Betty Ford personally? And someone who is even an honorary Kentucky Colonel!

To top it off, someone who has amassed thousands of pieces of motion picture and Broadway memorabilia and world-class literary classics … enough to donate rare items to three university libraries? Well, Al Flogge has done all this and more! Wow! Read on.

Al from Kent A renaissance man is described as someone who has a wide range of accomplishments and intellectual interests especially in the arts. That’s Al with Elvis Albert J. “Al” Flogge … Kent’s original renaissance man.

Al grew up in Kent during the 1940s and 50s in a large Italian-American family as the youngest of nine children. His family was very active in the civic, church and business communities of the area for many years. He still has quite a few relatives and a number of friends living in the Kent area.

He began collecting memorabilia of movie and television stars starting with Gene Autry in the late 1940s.

Al as a boy on Mother Mary’s lap with Flogge He says his family members – 1935 interest was sparked because of his early experiences in the theatre; as spectator, employee and participant.

These experiences led to a lifetime collecting memorabilia of literature and the performing arts. And, he is still collecting and chronicling his materials … as you read this.

Al’s brothers, Andy and Rocky, were business partners who lead the whole Flogge family in operating Ray’s Al with Gene Autry Place in Kent from the mid-1940s to the mid-70s. After attending St. Patrick’s school in Kent, he graduated in 1952 from Roosevelt High school and is in the Hall of Fame (class of 2002). Al then went on to major in business at Kent State University graduating in 1956 after studying with renowned professor Paul Pfeiffer. Of course, the family had the graduation celebration at Ray’s Place.

He worked at Ray’s while in college and reports his brother Rocky told him Dr. Lou Holtz (KSU class of ’59) proposed to his wife at Ray’s. His high school counselor/advisor was Bill Bertka who went on to a successful college basketball career at KSU. He later coached in college and the NBA including the Los Angeles Lakers.

Al was also good friends with major league umpire Bill McKinley who used to show films of World Series baseball games at Ray’s Place Continued on Page 16

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Continued from Page 15 in the 1960s. It seems that wide, welcoming, winning smile started many wonderful relationships and experiences for Al over the years.

Al the Business Leader Al began his business career in 1960 as a department store buyer after completing his KSU business education and serving time in the Army. No, actually, if you think about it, he began his business career as a paper carrier for the Kent Courier-Tribune (now Record-Courier) in the 1940s where he took a customer list of 100 and grew it to 200. He also worked at Schine’s Theater (current Kent Stage) where his passion for stage and screen blossomed. He initially worked as an usher and eventually as the assistant manager. He also refined his business talent while working at Ray’s Place.

It was at this time he began collecting autographs and photos of Gene Autry. It was also about this time that he started performing in community theatre which he has done most of his life. His favorite role to perform, which he has done many times, is the part of Herr Schultz in Cabaret.

His keen retail mind, energy and leadership ability carried him to various retail management positions Al with Paul Henry at Schine’s Theater including managing the Herpolshimers stores in Michigan. In fact, in the movie Polar Express, a child looks out the train window and exclaims, ”Look, look its Herpolshimers”. Polar Express author Chris Van Ellsberg included this in the movie because he’s from Grand Rapids, Michigan and shopped at the store as a boy with his family.

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Another interesting Herpolshimers’ tidbit is Betty Bloomer worked with Al as the fashion coordinator for the stores. Miss Bloomer later became better known as First Lady Betty Ford.

Eventually, Al retired as president and CEO of seven Allied/Federated Department Stores completing a 35-year career in retail management.

His business and civic success resulted in him being recognized as the KSU Distinguished Alumnus in Al with President Gerald Ford 1983. He was also Homecoming Grand Marshall that year.

This gives Ray’s Place the unique distinction of having two employees recognized as KSU Grand Marshall – 30 years apart. Charlie Thomas, current owner was Grand Marshall in 2013. During all this time, he maintained his devotion to collecting Al as KSU Grand Marshall memorabilia. It was also at this time that he began donating to the special collections library of KSU establishing the Albert J. Flogge Performing Arts collection (www.library.kent.edu/specialcollections)

Al the Community Leader and Benefactor Al has spent a lifetime devoted to the communities where he has lived receiving recognition on many occasions. In particular, he has donated countless hours to serving on various boards and committees of local

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theatres, hospitals, libraries, colleges and churches. Among his many accomplishments though, and perhaps his most lasting, are his donations to libraries at three universities.

Much of his dedication has been focused on the performing arts. Flogge’s passion for movies, Shakespeare, theater, opera and music is evident in his valuable and extensive collection of thousands of celebrity autographs, photographs, books, posters and memorabilia assembled over a lifetime. His gifts are archived at the libraries of Kent State University, Aquinas College and the Abbey of Gethsemani.

His performing arts collection at KSU began with a major gift in 1994. Some of the highlights from the collection include Shakespearean plays, hundreds of photographs and memorabilia of classic stars of the stage and screen (especially western films) and film industry marketing materials such as lobby cards, movie posters, and publicity booklets.

He is in the process of expanding that gift with a major addition in 2014.

An extremely rare television script is in the collection.

Al has donated an autographed copy of a script from the Copy of Star Trek script first television episode (Return to Tomorrow) of Star Trek which starred David Brian.

Cara Gilgenbach, director of the Special Collections section of the KSU library, commented the donations to the collection are very rare and comprehensive. She further commented it is becoming more unusual for people to donate to special collections of libraries. It seems many people are more interested in just

auctioning off their collections. Al is different for two main reasons. He wants his collection to stay intact.

And, he wants it to be available for people to enjoy and/or study it.

Donating to the special collections of a public Al and Cara Gilgenbach and university enables this Karen Hillman to happen. Al Flogge wants to make a difference.

The Albert J. Flogge Performing Arts collection can be viewed at the Special Collections library on the 12th floor of the KSU main library. The library is usually open to the public daily from 1–5 pm. Check the website to confirm time schedule. Admission is complimentary … it’s on Al Flogge.

In addition to the performing arts, Al will be donating extremely rare copies of books to Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Al served on the board of trustees at this college for many years. His donation will include autographed first edition copies of books by Ernest Hemingway, Margaret Mitchell, George Bernard Shaw, John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, Eugene O’Neill, Mark Twain, W. Somerset Maugham, C. S. Lewis, T. S. Eliot, Rudyard Kipling, Thornton Wilder, Virginia Wolfe, Flannery O’Connor, Edith Wharton, Gertrude Stein, Charles Dickens, Norman Douglas, Siegfried Sassoon, Thomas Merton, Robert Anderson and Luigi Pirandello.

One book is even signed by President Theodore Roosevelt from the 1890s. Many pieces in this collection are considered priceless. And, Al gave his permission that this donation is being announced for the very first time in this article!

And, a third gift continues to grow at the Abbey of Gethsemani. While in high school Al began to read the books of Fr. Thomas Merton; mystic, poet and author of the bestselling book The Seven Storey Mountain. He was so inspired by the writer that he began collecting material related to his life and work. Over the years he collected an extensive assortment of rare letters, books, drawings, manuscripts, signatures and photographs of the Catholic priest and Trappist Monk.

The collection is on permanent loan to the International Thomas Merton One of Al’s collections Library at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky which is the official archive of materials on the famous writer.

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”

— Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island There’s a good chance Al is working on more gifts for all of us to enjoy … so we can continue to find and lose ourselves in the arts. Drop him an e-mail when you get a chance (ajflacika@ msn.com). He’d love to hear from you. He will respond though he fields many e-mails and requests for information on his life, interests and collections. He takes great pride and care in his collections and refers to them as “my children”. You’ll have a rare opportunity to interact with a true Renaissance man … an original.

Thank you Al and best wishes from your many friends.

Al Today Al currently resides in North Muskegon, Michigan where he continues to collect and chronicle memorabilia. It appears the many life lessons he learned as a boy in Kent continue to this day. And, all those lessons seem so closely intertwined and have served Al, his family and friends, and all of us, quite well over the years.

His love of family, community, church, commerce and the arts continues to thrive. A quote from Thomas Merton could very well have been the motivation that has guided Al most of his life.

Al’s many treasures

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Kent State University Special Collections & Archives is celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Borowitz True Crime Collection. This extensive collection, donated by Albert Borowitz and Helen Osterman Borowitz, includes both primary and secondary sources on crime as well as works of literature based on true crime incidents. The collection documents the history of crime, with primary emphasis on the United States, England, France, and Germany from ancient times to the present day. It includes groups of materials on specific criminal cases which have had notable impacts on art, literature, and social attitudes.

Each year, Kent State University Libraries hosts a True Crime lecture. Dr. Thomas Doherty of Brandeis University is our 2014 Borowitz Lecturer. He will present on media coverage of the 1932 Lindbergh baby kidnapping case.

In concert with our anniversary celebration and on exhibit now is: From Crime to Culture: The 25th Anniversary of the Borowitz Collection at Kent State University. The exhibit showcases popular fact-based crime publications dating from the seventeenth through the twentieth century. Included in this chronological exploration of the literature are cautionary pamphlets, sensationalistic “penny dreadfuls,” popular true crime series, and classics of twentieth century and contemporary true crime works.

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Mark your calendars for both events: April 17, 2014 • 4:00 Lecture: Little Lindy Is Kidnapped: The Media Coverage of the Crime of the 20th Century by Dr. Thomas Doherty Now through June 13, 2014 Exhibit: From Crime to Culture: The 25th Anniversary of the Borowitz Collection at Kent State University For more information: http://www.library.kent.edu/scevents

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Traditions

New York 2 Chicago Pizzeria

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he smell of tomato sauce and pizza dough all over their clothes is what the owners of New York 2 Chicago Pizzeria call “life.” Also known as NY2C, the pizzeria has undergone many changes since it first opened in 2010, but one thing has remained the same: the family who owns it.

I started working at NY2C as a waitress when they first opened up their new location in September of 2013. If you go to the Kent Plaza Theater on Monday nights to take advantage of the five-dollar movies, you might know exactly where NY2C is. Recently, the pizzeria started running pizza specials on Mondays to try to expand the Monday night tradition that a lot of Kent residents partake in, and you might see me handing out pizza coupons at the theater on Monday nights.

Katie Welles

I already knew the family that owns NY2C but working for them has helped me get to know them really well, above all else. I feel like a part of the family.

For a small business owner like Johnny Calanni, owning and running a restaurant with his family is a lot of hard work, but it is rewarding for him to see people coming in to eat at a place that was once just “an empty square thing” that nobody cared about, he said.

Running the restaurant with his sister, brotherin-law, nephew, and his nephew’s friends has given him stories and experiences he would have otherwise never had.

A lot of work went into finding a location, meeting regulations and safety codes, and building and designing the interior of the restaurant – twice. NY2C first opened in 2010 in a building shared with an Applebee’s in Stow, Ohio. “The location was just a drive-by,” Johnny said. The pizzeria is now in University Plaza, five doors down from the movie theater.

Johnny has always been interested in business, and in success stories about people like Steve Jobs, Ray Kroc, and Charles Goodyear. When he was young, he said, he wanted to invest in Coca-Cola stocks because he knew the corporation was going to “get big.”

“I think the greatest thing that revolutionized this whole restaurant thing was a guy named Ray Kroc. I read his book one time … he just turned the whole world around and started McDonald’s,” Johnny said.

Before Ray Kroc started the McDonald’s franchise, he sold paper cups and milkshake makers, according to his book Grinding it Out: The Making of McDonald’s. “That motivated me.

I love people who make something from nothing,” Johnny said.

Seeing people eating in his restaurant, happy, admiring the food and the work he put into it all is Johnny’s motivation. “That’s kinda rewarding. Actually, it’s really rewarding. If I didn’t get that, I probably wouldn’t be doing this.” That’s the difference between doing this, and caring,

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than doing it just to make money,” he said. “I created something from scratch.”

Johnny was working with his cousin at a pizza shop at Oberlin College when he realized he should start his own to make some quick money, using a piece of property that he couldn’t get rid of. He didn’t know it was going to be all this hard work, but he said he still “got hooked on it.”

After running that restaurant for a while, Johnny’s father got really sick and he had to take care of him. When his father passed away, Johnny sold his restaurant and “just wanted to get away from everything.”

Customers at his restaurant were always telling him about Hilton Head Island, and how he should go there and play golf with them. He “decided to just check it out.” He fell in love with it, and opened a pizzeria there back in 2005. He stayed there four years.

Nancy Long, Johnny’s sister, and Ethan Long, his nephew, helped out at the pizzeria in Hilton Head and are still a part of the team now. “I went down to Hilton Head every break I had from school. When I was really young, I think I enjoyed it more ‘cause I didn’t work. I had my PlayStation in the back, and I played that most of the time. But I guess I still do the same thing now,” Ethan said.

Nancy said she and her brother have always been really close. They grew up in Ravenna with Italian roots. Johnny said he was the first to leave. Nancy left when Kenny, her husband, started playing football, but she “always wanted to come home. Johnny couldn’t wait to leave,” she said. Ken Long played professional football for the Detroit Lions in 1976, and coowns NY2C now, with his wife’s brother.

At NY2C, you can feel like you’re in New York, Chicago, or even Italy. There’s a unique atmosphere that you get there from all the

decorations, the smell of the pizza, the Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra constantly playing in the background, the warmth from the stone oven, or the family’s conversation behind the counter. They’re always working together whether they’re arguing, running around like mad men, or tossing pizza dough.

The hardest thing about running a business, Johnny said, is “always worrying about money, supplies, insurance” and paying the bills on time. “The money takes the fun out of it. It makes you worry.” Even if the money is not there, the family has to make time for themselves.

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At the end of the day, I count my tips, set the dishes out to dry, the oven is turned off, and the lights go out. Sometimes the family piles up into one car and goes to Denny’s after closing up the pizza shop, for pancakes and poached eggs at midnight. Sometimes I go with them.

It’s great to see such a long day wind down into a fun moment with the family.

“You have to get out still, because if you don’t, everyone can get kinda grouchy. Life’s too short,” Johnny said. “There’s so many hours we put in, so you might as well see your family.”

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D-Stresing

Diane Stresing

An Exercise in Change

Change, of course, is constant. Yet try

as I might to welcome, accept, embrace, and manage it, I have to admit I meet more changes with resistance than I do enthusiasm.

It’s a knee-jerk reaction, I think. I know lots of changes are good. So why is my reaction to change – any change – so often so negative?

Is it fear of the unknown? The realization that, even when the change is positive, I’ll have to suffer through a period of discomfort? Can I blame my genes?

Don’t laugh; maybe I can.

In Top Dog, the new book by the authors of the bestselling NurtureShock, Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman explain that the COMT gene determines how we respond to stressful situations. Specifically, the study applied findings to academic tests, but the COMT gene affects our response to many stressors. And apparently it comes in two flavors: warrior and worrier.

world wearing fewer layers and a bigger grin.

It’s all good, right?

In a change popularity contest, spring would win, hands down. First of all, it’s wellaccessorized. Decked out in pastel colors, accompanied by singing birds and spritzed with sweetness, spring’s got more charm than Taylor Swift.

But spring brings monumental change.

Whether it’s good, bad, unexpected, or overplanned for, change is stressful.

So why do we welcome spring’s changes when resisting change is almost inarguably part of our nature? Is it because spring fools us into exercising, sucking in fresh air and soaking up sunshine?

I think that’s a fair assumption.

No need to map my DNA to see what my COMT says about me – I’m a mom. (Look it up; it’s a synonym for worrier.)

Exercise is widely believed to be the best remedy for coping with stress, including change. Ironically, it works by producing changes in our bodies. Don’t push the well-duh button just yet. The changes brought on by exercise probably go a little deeper than you realize.

Warming Up to Change

Change to Cope with Change

One change I never worry about is spring. The season that brings warmer weather and extra daylight to our lives begs us to bounce into the

Health gurus tell us that as little as 10 minutes of exercise produces changes in metabolic rate that last up to 12 hours, that exercise lowers

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blood pressure and reduces cholesterol levels, that it stimulates the release of “feel-good” endorphins and produces changes in brain activity that has been shown to reduce anxiety levels.

But at least one study has indicated that exercise actually changes our DNA. Muscle biopsies conducted on occasional exercisers in Sweden found that changes occur at the cellular level as soon as 20 minutes after exercising.

Men who exercised an average of twice a week showed changes in about 7,000 of their 25,000 (or so) genes – including, not surprisingly, those linked with obesity and diabetes. Whether the worrier/warrior gene was tamped down, they didn’t say.

You probably know where I’m going with this.

Exercise is good for you, inside and out. In addition to helping you (hope to) look more like Tatum Channing, working out spurs changes in your body that can help you deal with the external changes – welcome or not – that life continuously drops in your lap.

Change Channels If you’ve lived in Kent for the past few years, you’ve had plenty of practice in dealing with change. In addition to new bridges and buildings and traffic patterns all over town, our

recreational options have also changed pretty dramatically. Activities are available for folks of all ages and fitness stages. Bodies that can’t Zumba like they once did (or in my case, never did) can ease into new Yoga classes in at least three different studios. Hikers who need a place to rest along the trail will find plenty: Portage Park District has installed a bunch of benches on its properties in the past six months. Even if you sit more than you sprint, you’ll find the seats are perfectly situated to allow you to enjoy a change of scenery.

Which brings up another good point about change. You don’t have to hurry to appreciate it. In a somewhat reassuring way, it’s always there.

For months, my screensaver has featured a photo of a rose hovering between bud and bloom. The accompanying quote, attributed to Socrates, tells “the secret of change.”

I looked up the quote when I started this article and found the speaker was Socrates, all right.

Not the Greek philosopher, but a fictional

character named for the famous sage. The character appeared in a book that was published in 1980.

Lesson learned? I guess sometimes the “change” that’s hard to accept isn’t a change at all, but a correction of a perception – or misconception. Ouch.

Diane Stresing’s new book, Dumb Things We Say to Dogs, is a collection of essays inspired by some of the changes that life lays on us.

The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.

S O C R AT E S

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Dan Stroble

For Baby Boomers seeking strategies about “aging well” or for adult children seeking advice about frail parents, Dr. Paula Hartman-Stein’s Center for Healthy Aging is the “go to” place.

For 30 years Dr. Paula, as her patients call her, has offered clinical and consultation services to enhance the physical and mental well-being of adults age 40 to 100. Family caregivers who want their parents to live independently as long as possible benefit from her consultations. And she has taught professionals from

Published in 2011, Dr. Paula's edited book highlights the research foundations behind brain fitness, and emphasizes the nuts and bolts of setting up and utilizing cognitive health programs in the community.

Dr. Paula is far from the traditional psychologist who only sees individuals in the office.

Primary care doctors as far away as Wooster send her patients for memory evaluations and

The Tree City’s Healthy Aging “Go-To” Place California to Sweden to Australia and through online courses at Arizona State University and Massachusetts General Hospital.

A Kent resident with a doctoral degree from the clinical psychology program at Kent State and a master’s degree from West Virginia University, Dr. Paula specializes in promoting health and wellbeing in middle age and late life. “The power of belief is a strong factor in how well or how fast we age,” she said, “there is much we can do to lead meaningful lives well into advanced years.”

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Twenty years ago she founded the Center for Healthy Aging, located since 2005 at 265 West Main Street, Suite 102 in Kent. Her center was previously located in Brimfield and Fairlawn.

Jeanette Biermann, Ph.D., a psychologist who graduated from the University of Akron, conducts memory evaluations and Krystal Culler, M.A., is a research associate at the Center.

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family consultations, but she does a lot of work in small groups. After the publication of her second edited book, Enhancing Cognitive Fitness in Adults: A Guide to the Use and Development of Community-Based Programs, she took what she learned from large research programs across the country to create several “clubs” for the Kent community.

“One of our most popular programs is the MEMO Club™ short for memory and mood, that is geared for individuals with mild memory loss or who are recovering from chronic illnesses,” she said. “During the twice monthly two-hour

long meetings, we do emotional, cognitive, and gentle ‘energy psychology’ exercises accompanied by a lot of laughing and a strong dose of camaraderie.” In good weather the club takes walks along the river park in Kent.

In a recent survey the members, who range in age from 65 to 87, said the meetings “help me to handle problems of aging,” “give me confidence,” “help me to be organized,” and “feel like family.” Dr. Paula encourages members to implement what they learn, such as engaging in meaningful hobbies, completing tasks they procrastinate, and walk, walk, walk.

reviewed in her book by Dr. John Dunlosky, cognitive psychologist at Kent State University.

The Medicare correspondent for The National Psychologist for 15 years and creative writer for the past 7 years, Dr. Hartman-Stein loves to write. In her clinical work she promotes the concept, “The pen is more powerful than the pill.” A chapter in her book, “Creative Writing Groups: A Promising Avenue for Enhancing Working Memory and Emotional Well-Being,” describes her writing workshops that include guided autobiography.

Literacy Coalition Spelling Bee. Afterward she wanted to create a year round cognitive fitness program for older adults in Kent. She obtained funding from the Coleman Foundation and Laurel Lake Retirement Community for a five year series of senior adult spelling competitions whose winners competed in the National AARP Senior Bee. After the grants ended, Dr. Paula brought KAOS to Kent! She founded the Kent Area Orthography Society (KAOS), a club of word nerds like herself who study the origin of English in a fun, supportive atmosphere, meeting on a monthly basis at the Kent Free Library. Anyone can join free of charge. Incidentally, KAOS, whose members are mostly in their 70s and 80s, has won the Literacy Coalition Bee numerous times!

Dr. Hartman-Stein conducts workshops on healthy aging and coping with caregiving. She and her husband, labor mediator, Rob Stein, work together to offer stress management programs for teachers, union representatives, and business managers.

Dr. Paula honors the members of the "30 and Above Club," participants who have attended 30 or more sessions of the MEMO ClubTM.

The Center also offers a monthly meditation club, open to the community, for a nominal fee to promote mental concentration and reduce stress based on the newest research findings.

Participants practice two types of meditation in the group and discuss ways to make meditation fit into their lives.

In her memory enhancement workshops, Dr. Paula utilizes techniques based on research

Several times a year Dr. Hartman-Stein leads a nature-writing workshop in Kent’s Plum Creek Park to help connect adults with the healing power of nature and to decrease “nature deficit disorder,” a concept introduced in The Nature Principle: Reconnecting with Life in a Virtual Age. To support local literacy efforts, Dr. Paula and staff from the Center for Healthy Aging participated for four years in the Portage County

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In 2013 she had the privilege of presenting in Australia at the University of Queensland in Brisbane. One psychologist described the day long workshop as “‘up there’ with the best I have ever experienced … it was a wonderful, educative and stimulating day. The experiential writing exercise was a revelation.”

The Center for Healthy Aging has ventured into the world of virtual teaching, producing professional training webinars on practice issues such as the Physician Quality Reporting System for psychology and social work.

Dedicated to teaching future practitioners, Dr. Hartman-Stein is an Associate Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at Northeast Ohio Continued on Page 28

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Continued from Page 27 Medical University in Rootstown, Senior Fellow, Institute for Life-Span Development and Gerontology, University of Akron, and

Faculty Associate for the Nicholas Cummings Behavioral Health Program, Arizona State University, where she is teaching an online course on integrated geriatric healthcare.

Additional staff members at the Center for Healthy Aging are Carolyn Smith, administrative assistant for 16 years and newest staff, Dan Stroble, media manager, who produces t raining videos and other instructional technology projects.

I nformation about the Center for Healthy Aging is available at www.centerforhealthyaging.com, or by calling 330-678-9210. Follow DrPaulaStein on Twitter.

Dr. Paula is about to play a Himalayan Singing Bowl at the Meditation Club.

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M A K E

I

With

M E

Cheryl Townsend

,

O N E

n 2008, Reverend Rebekah Benner and a group of like-minded women brought Green Burial Advocate and Certified Death Midwife, Nora Cedarwood Young to Ohio for an intensive training session in the art of green burials and home funerals. After the training and seeing a need to “reclaim the old traditions with dignity, love and peace,” Rebekah created A Home Funeral, a home-directed, family funeral consultation service. I’ve known Rebekah for several years and can attest to the gentleness of her soul, which is why I personally wish to have her services used when my own need comes to play.

Rebekah, an independent interfaith minister, is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Fairlawn, Pastoral Care Chaplain with the Veteran’s Administration and Akron area hospitals, and Certified Grief Recovery Specialist. She is also the host for drummings, chantings, meditations and she creates her own unique jewelry designs

from reclaimed materials at her Terra Amma Design studio in the Merriman Valley. She also takes time, here and there, to meet me for lunch and give me a spiritual charge. I wanted to share this pertinent information with the local masses, who most likely are totally unaware it even existed. Via e-mail, the following came forth. cat First, I think we need an explanation … just what is a death midwife?

R-RB A death midwife is the person whose main job/concern is in directing the family of the dearly departed after the death. She/he directs the care of the particular needs of the body of the deceased in the procedures of cleaning and preserving the body until disposition, in a dignified and loving manner.

As a death midwife, I generally do not do the paperwork for the death certificate or that of the disposition of the body, unless they have contracted with me for these services. I offer the information and share forms pertinent to the disposition of the body, which include the paperwork that needs to go to the Bureau of Vital Statistics. I will, however, help the family ahead of time find information on crematoriums, burial sites or even funeral homes to

complete the journey. My job is generally finished at the home, with the family, in preparing the body for burial/cremation. cat Other than inducing morphine, how does your work differ from say, hospice?

R-RB Hospice care is a type and philosophy of care that focuses on easing the pain of the terminally ill or seriously ill patient and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs up to, and at the time of death. A death midwife is generally not with the client during the last stages of death. I am not medically trained, nor am I certified to prescribe or administer any drugs. I am called in after the death of the client and work hand in hand with the family or friends of the deceased. cat OK, that out of the way, let’s get into the what’s what of a “home-directed, family funeral” – explain, in layman terms, just what this is and why someone should want one.

R-RB The home-directed funeral is not specifically a way to save money or take business from the local funeral home. It is a way to bring back the intimate caring of your loved one after they have moved on to their new destination.

Continued on Page 32

Reverend Rebekah Benner

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Continued from Page 31 Some people have expressed that, though they are pretty sure they won’t know what’s going on after death, they do not want to be ‘processed’ or cared for by strangers.

The home-directed funeral allows the family to prepare the body at home in their personal, intimate setting; cleanse, dress, or wrap the body in preparation for burial or cremation and even have a viewing, wake, or funeral services at home. cat Do they have to go to a funeral parlor?

R-RB There is no need for a body to be transported to a funeral home/parlor unless the burial/cremation will not take place within a reasonable length of time. The Summit County Health Department has a form titled “Disposition of a body without the use of a funeral director.” The family may want to have a funeral home transport the body to the gravesite or crematorium, or even to the funeral home for a memorial. cat Must we be embalmed?

R-RB Unless a body needs to be transported by air, there is no need for embalming. This is an amazingly informative website on these topics: http://www.funerals.org/frequently-askedquestions/48-what-you-should-know-aboutembalming cat What about being plastered with cakey make-up?

R-RB That depends upon the prior wishes of the deceased. Personally, plaster me with my makeup! You do have to check with the green cemeteries as to whether a body may have makeup or not. They have restrictions as to the type of casket, material/fabric that is on the body, etc. It must be eco-friendly, decomposable and such.

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cat What about a showing?

R-RB A showing is possible without any cosmetic enhancement at all. There are some procedures, all natural, used to keep the head, body and face in a natural position once the body starts to atrophy. cat What if someone wanted something like an Irish wake or a green burial?

R-RB Then I say, get a case of Guinness and a good Irish whiskey and enjoy yourselves! Irish or not, wakes can be a beautiful family and friends event.

I offer information about the alternatives to burial in a standard cemetery. A green burial is the disposition of the body in an area set aside specifically for a return of the body to the earth. cat Do you also arrange for a casket or an urn?

R-RB I will offer the family information about their choices, but it is up to the family to choose and buy the casket/urn. cat What about a funeral procession to the gravesite? Do you arrange for police escort and the black flags so we can all be let through the red lights/stop signs in a continuous queue?

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R-RB No, that is handled by the family. I don’t know what it entails in getting a police escort, but for the queue, evidently you just need the flags. (http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/4511.451 – (A) As used in this section, “funeral procession” means two or more vehicles accompanying the cremated remains or the body of a deceased person in the daytime when each of the vehicles has its headlights lighted and is displaying a purple and white or an orange and white pennant attached to each vehicle in such a manner as to be clearly visible to traffic approaching from any direction.) cat Do you also officiate the burial?

R-RB If needed, I am available to officiate at a memorial at the home, church, funeral parlor, gravesite, backyard, or wherever the family chooses. cat On your webpage, you state that the burials are offered at “Ohio’s first Green Cemetery, The Wilderness Center, Foxfield Preserves”.

R-RB Jennifer Quinn was the first steward of Foxfield Preserves. When I began my training, I looked into green burials and all I could find was Foxfield. I was not then a death midwife, but I got a lot of help and information from

Jennifer and she also introduced me to a couple who needed my services. cat What if someone wanted the initial services, but a traditional burial, would you also assist with that?

R-RB Absolutely. Whatever is contracted by the family. I’ve also done many traditional funeral services in conjunction with a funeral home. cat I love my garden and have often said I would love to die working in it … can I be buried in it? I’d like the idea of being compost for my peony tree.

R-RB Each case is different. Every city/county/ state has different rules for burial on your own land.

In a way, this kinda puts the “fun” in funeral.

Rebekah previously gave all the needed forms and her personal notes to further delve into her occupation, including a list of necessities for her “black bag,” which are so very different from a doctors and much, much less scary. She also loaned me her copy of Going Out Green by Bob Butz, a hilariously informative “how to” on nearly every step/ option of green burials. Butz, curious to the whole process himself, delves into every aspect for his research. Leaving, quite literally, no stone unturned. Some interesting tidbits; • Relating to day one to 6 months of the process of putrefaction the body takes after death.

“A body left to decompose in a coffin eventually turns into fetid, putrefied slop and prevents the deceased from giving anything good of themselves back to the plant that sustains us.”

So, basically, you become a sealed, useless compost bin. Ponder that one while eating those bland GMO veggies. You could, instead, be giving nutrients to real, organic food for you or the surrounding fauna and flora.

Butz mentions several green casket options, including building your own, sighting various outlets that offer the plans for such. He also includes a plethora of appetizing facts which were compiled by Mary Woodsen, VP PrePosthumous Society of Ithaca, NY, and a science writer at Cornell University: • The misnomer of a required “six feet under” – 4’ suffices for the “carcass decay zone,” decomposing within 4-6 months in warm weather.

• “That the EPA estimates anywhere from 6 hundred pounds of mercury come out of crematories in the US every year from dental fillings,” yet crematory emissions are not regulated. They use “about 2,000 cubic feet of energy to incinerate one cadaver, producing as much CO2 – about 250 lbs – as a home produces in a week” (Not to mention the expulsion of formaldehyde, synthetic clothing materials and dyes, cosmetics, hair dye and shoe glue).

• As of the 1994 printing, America’s 22,500 cemeteries annually bury approximately; • 827,060 gallons of embalming fluid, containing formaldehyde • 180,544 million pounds of copper and bronze in caskets • 30 million board feet of hardwoods, including exotic woods, in caskets • 3 billion, 272 million pounds of reinforced concrete vaults • 28 million pounds of steel in vaults And that the US of A buries enough metal to build and rebuild the golden gate, enough

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embalming fluid to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool and enough concrete to make a 2-lane road from New York to Detroit every year!

Now for a little information on Foxfield Preserve – A Nature Preserve Cemetery.

Foxfield Preserve was the first green, nonprofit cemetery in Ohio. (Calvary Cemetery in Dayton and Preble Memory Gardens Cemetery in West Alexandria now also offer green burials.) It is the first preserve cemetery in the U.S. to be operated by a conservation organization; The Wilderness Center, a nonprofit nature center and land conservancy. Bordered by Amish farmland and overlooking the woods of Sugar Creek Valley, it’s truly a final resting place.

Gordon Maupin, conservationist, biologist and Executive Director of The Wilderness Center wanted to preserve the area surrounding The Wilderness Center, but land conservation was not that high on most donation lists. So when Maupin heard about Ramsey Creek Preserve, a natural cemetery in Westminster, South Carolina, a win-win endeavor ensued.

Foxfield is all about nature, from the soil aeration when graves are dug, to the native plants or trees that top them off. There will be no cramming of the masses, only 100 to 200 burials per acre will fill the cemetery, as opposed to the 1,000 per acre in traditional cemeteries. (Kinda like in my development.

“Hey neighbor, I see you’re having spaghetti again.”)

Standard cemeteries also bury six feet down and use concrete vaults, (from limestone mining), so puddles won’t form over you once the casket breaks down. Foxfield mounds their soil over their graves, which are only 3.5 feet deep, allowing for a faster decomposition.

Continued on Page 34

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Continued from Page 33 The gravesite is usually level again within a year.

Plus, with Foxfield’s organic setting, there is no need for mowing, hence no mower fumes, no possible gas spillage, no annoying noise. How spiffy is that? Pretty dang, methinks.

A 2009 study by the National Cancer Institute showed that funeral directors have higher rates of myeloid leukemia. Their use of carcinogenic formaldehyde infused embalming fluid is an unnecessary step in the burial regimen. It is not required by law for burials, and bodies that have undergone such cannot be accepted at Foxfield Preserve. Foxfield Preserve Steward, Sara Brink informed me that, “We will accept a body embalmed with a natural embalming cocktail. There are some states that require embalming for a body to be shipped across state lines and there are funeral directors who will not permit a public viewing of an unembalmed body. The Green Burial Council has approved a product made of allnatural ingredients, which can be accepted in these cases.” There are funeral homes that offer alkaline hydrolysis, a non-flame alternative, officially named resomation, that uses lye and hot water to liquefy you and then dump you down the drain. (“I’m melting, … melting … Oh what a world.”) Though it does “use less energy and releases no carbon or particulate matter into the atmosphere,” do we really need more caustic substances in our drinking water?

Then again, we’re so drugged by all the flushed medicines, who would know?

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The charge at Foxfield is $3,200 for a 10 by 20 foot plot, allowing for two sets of remains, and given the savings incurred by not having a $1,500 to $2,500 concrete vault, a minimally $4,000 metal casket, embalming fees and all the other traditional burial necessities, you can save more than the environment by going out green. All of the proceeds of plot sales benefit The Wilderness Center, half being a tax-deductible donation to fund The Wilderness Center, “contributing to the ongoing biodiversity education of approximately 11,000 school children

Stipulations are: the deceased be dressed in natural fibers (or none), only organic embalming, no metal or plastic caskets, and that a “modest native glacial erratic headstone, such as granite or sandstone, that serves an ecological function that can be engraved, but not be polished” may mark your plot. I web-searched and found there are several eco-embalmers in Ohio, as well as compostable/eco-casket and urn options. I personally liked the look of the wicker casket on the Newcomer Funeral Home & Crematory website.

“Your final act will conserve nature, expand wildlife habitat, provide clean air and a cleaner watershed, and establish walking trails, connecting our community with nature, educating people of all ages, conserving natural resources and practicing land stewardship.” And you thought once you were dead you could do no more?

I had a few questions of my own, since this is my intended destination, so I e-mailed Sara Brink for a few answers.

annually and the conservation of nearly 3,500 acres of forest, streams, prairies, and farmland statewide.” How’s that for a memorial?

They offer two burial sections. One is open prairie overlooking Sugar Creek Valley, the other will be forest. You may select either a native plant or a native tree for the appropriate section. You may even plant your tree at the point of purchase, so that it might be grown by the time you actually utilize your plot. The land is surveyed (per Ohio laws), so the use of a GPS might be useful for future visits, unless you planted a tree as your marker.

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cat Can I have a bluebird house posted above my grave or a perpetual salt lick?

SB We don’t allow the placement of any additional markers, beyond simple stones or native plants. However, we are part of the National Bluebird Society’s monitoring program and there are many bluebird homes located throughout the Preserve. You can certainly choose a plot near one of these existing homes! cat Can native fruit bushes (blueberry/raspberry/blackberry, etc) be planted on one’s plot?

SB We do have a selection of native shrubs approved for planting that bear fruit to feed

wildlife – winterberry, nannyberry, spicebush, pawpaw, smooth blackhaw, dogwood. Though we don’t plant blackberries and black raspberries, the birds are busily adding them to our landscape!

I was going to list the green burial locations nationwide, suggested resource books, and eco-casket & urn sellers, but opted to save some paper & give you websites that list them:

cat Can one’s pet be added to their plot?

“It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here.”

SB Unfortunately, it is illegal in the state of Ohio for pet remains to be buried in a human cemetery. cat I have yet to get my mercury fillings swapped out, do they need to be removed?

What about implants, pace makers, metals/ plastics used for joint/bone replacements or hair dye?

SB No, we do not ask that these items be removed for burials. Hair dye is not an issue for us. cat Is there a list of those composting there for the general public to access?

SB We do not make a list available to the public, but burial locations are public record through the Health Department. We do keep genealogical information on file, which will be available for ancestral searches in years to come. cat How many plots are filled and how many still available?

SB We have buried approximately 50 individuals and have sold approximately 200 plots. We have approximately 2,500 plots remaining in inventory. cat What needs to be done to secure one’s future spot in the landscape?

SB Anyone who would want to make arrangements would just need to contact me and make an appointment. I also offer monthly informational sessions and tours of the Preserve.

These are very casual, and offer an opportunity to have your questions answered in a small group setting.

— Edward Abbey

• The Natural End Map | naturalend.com/whereto-go/ • The Green Burial Council | greenburialcouncil. org/ Here are a few related local locations: • Calvary Cemetery| 1625 Calvary Drive | Dayton, OH 45409 | 937.293.1221 | calvarycemeterydayton.org/ • Preble Memory Gardens Cemetery | 3377 US Route 35 East | West Alexandria, Ohio 45381 | 937.839.4476 | preblememorygardens.com

330-780-7476 | rebekahbenner@hotmail.com | ahomefuneral.com/index.html • Going Out Green by Bob Butz | Spirituality & Health Books | ISBN 976-0-9818708-1-6 • Sara Brink | Foxfield Preserve Steward/The Wilderness Center | 330.359.5235 | http://www. foxfieldpreserve.org/ Novelist/Essayist/Environmental advocate/ Seasonal park ranger/Fire lookout, Edward Abbey was a neo-eco-burial pioneer. His novel, The Monkeywrench Gang, is believed to have inspired the creation of Earth First!, a radical environmental advocacy group. Per his request, his body was wrapped up in his blue sleeping bag, packed with dry ice, and loaded into a friend’s Chevy pickup, and then buried in the Cabeza Prieta Desert in Arizona. He requested that his body “help fertilize the growth of a cactus or cliff rose or sagebrush or tree.” A simple carved stone near the site reads: EDWARD PAUL ABBEY 1927—1989 No Comment

• Springboro and Franklin Ohio Funeral Home/ Anderson Funeral and Cremation Services | 1357 East Second Street | Franklin, OH 45005 | 937.746.6455 | anderson-funeral.com/services/ green-burial/ • Toland-Herzig Funeral Homes & Crematory | 803 N. Wooster Avenue | Dover, OH 44622 | 330.343.6132 | info@tolandherzig.com | tolandherzig.com/_mgxroot/page_10814.php And to contact the above participants: • Rev. Rebekah S. Benner, Grief Recovery Specialist/Pastoral Care Chaplain/HomeBased Funeral Consultant/Death Midwife |

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Visual Art

S H O W C A S E

Tradition and innovation are alive in the work of the artists of our area. These two realms aren’t mutually exclusive, of course, and often occur simultaneously. It is exciting to see art that utilizes media of traditional precedent and, through a genuine sense of exploration, creates first-hand statements. The results can be both timely and timeless.

Three such artists here employ various media – including painting, sculpture, printmaking and modes of photography – to present contemporary visions of permanent subjects.

J E N

O M A I T Z

Jennifer Omaitz received her BFA in Painting from the Cleveland Institute of Art and her MFA in Painting from Kent State University. Omaitz has been exhibiting her work in Cleveland and Denver since 2002. She continues to blend practices of painting, drawing and sculpture in her installations. Her work confronts ideas of interior and exterior, construction and destruction, physical and psychological landscapes. Her most recent exhibition roster includes a site-specific installation commissioned for the 2010 Biennial of the Americas in Denver, Colorado, a solo show with the Sculpture Center in Cleveland, Ohio and was recently invited into the exhibition “Everything All At Once,” at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland.

FraK•ture acrylic latex paint (solid paint) and plexi glass, variable around H: 7’ W: 14’ D: 20”, 2013

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Mark Keffer KSU Class of ‘88

She states: “Over the past five years I have explored site-specific installation. The installations I have built encompass threedimensional landscapes frozen in the midst of a chaotic event. I incorporate drawing and painting with objects, igniting play between the structure of the gallery and the theatrics of the painterly gesture. This sense of theater is a formal extension of the shadows cast by gallery lights, the configuration of the wall, ceiling, and the intrinsic architectural nature of the given space.

Overall, my work explores space; both physical and psychological. This refers to “Space” as it is applied to a two dimensional surface, or a three dimensional location.”

Tectonic Limit mixed media H: 110” W: 130” D: 58”, 2013 Created onsite in the Museum for the show “Everything All at Once” at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland, OH

Regarding FraK•ture at the KSU Downtown Gallery: “In this installation, I merge the surface of paint (as an actual object) into a state that is morphing from liquid to solid and then separating. The paint is transformed from a general brushstroke to an idealized landscape displacing our sense of mark. The medium (paint) is left as an object; remnant of its former state. Paint is then torn from its usual connotations, being on canvas or construct, thereby allowing the media to discover its current environment and viewer to engage in the same experience.” www.omaitz.com

Tectonic Limit (detail)

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Visual Art C L A U D I A

S H O W C A S E

B E R L I N S K I

February 11, 2013 am vertical stretch Digital collage from camera phone photographs 30” x 35”, 2013

Until recently, Claudia Berlinski was a longtime Kent local. A resident for sixteen years, she has now relocated a bit further east to Cortland, Ohio (a closer commute to her teaching position at Youngstown State University). She creates art in several different media including drawing, printmaking, collage, photography, and artists books, often in combination. In recent work she has been exploring a method of capturing, via cell phone camera, images of common outdoor scenes and recombining them into distinct and expressive

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December 5, 2012 pm.2 Digital collage from camera phone photographs 18” x 16”, 2013

compositions. The results are new and disorienting views of subjects that would otherwise remain ‘well-worn’ with familiarity.

She explains: “…the cloudscapes are fraught with centuries old meanings: heaven, hope, new beginnings, and happy endings. They speak of all manner of emotion from tranquility to turbulence, and all varieties of hue emitting both warmth and coolness.

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This body of work is steeped in my personal, and a global, obsession to record things visually. With the availability of camera phones every person can… is… wants to be… a photographer. And, although I have studied photography formally, I find great value in the limitations and the loss of control that accompanies a point-and-shoot camera.

Often I intend to use my snapshots as references for other artwork, but sometimes I just like to capture the sensation of a moment.

The process of recording is as important as the final images. Over the last year I have developed a habit of photographing the sky during my morning and evening commute (and any other time I find myself in the car), using my cell phone. It is during these commutes that I am most preoccupied by the splendor of the ever-changing atmosphere above us.

The images often contain an intrusion of road signs, business signs, lights and towers. I enjoy the contrast of this against the sky – in part it defines the impetus to look skyward.

It serves as a reminder of the relationship between the natural and manmade halves of our existence – sometimes symbiotic, sometimes at odds with one another.

I create grids that encompass a period of time, like a journal. Some show a morning or evening of a particular day, or even several weeks of time passed. Some of the grids include absolutely every shot I’ve taken during that commute – others high-light a smaller selection from a single period of shooting that complement one another in sequence or continuity. Still others show a skyscape distorted through elongation or overlapping as they suggest other worlds to me.”

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Berlinski received her MFA degree from Ohio State University (Summa Cum Laude) and BFA from Buffalo State College (Magna Cum Laude). In addition to her current position at Youngstown State, she taught at the University of Akron for twelve years. She has shown her work steadily throughout our region and in a number of other states from Minnesota to Florida. She was included in the exhibition The Madonna Suite, shown in Chicago, Guatemala City, San Salvador and Veracruz. www.flickr.com/photos/claudia_berlinski February 11, 2013 pm vertical Digital collage from camera phone photographs 14” x 28”, 2013

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Visual Art B R U C E “There are thousands of hours that go into the set up and filming of just one short shot of a movie. The art director, the lighting designer, hair and makeup, costume, director of photography, all have an integral part to play in the movie product. It is with great admiration for

S H O W C A S E

E D W A R D S

the craft of film-making that I choose to use motion pictures as a source for my images.

When watching a film the artistry can get lost in the blur of the narrative action as we get caught up in the characters and plot. Taking still images not only allows one to see and

pay attention to the aspects of the shot, but also begin to see the relative similarities of all motion picture filming: the long shot, the pan, a love scene, the close up, etc. This is the language of film, but also the language of image.

Images allow us to explore our own conceptual narratives. It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words; this is because in our human quest to order our world we are prone to seeking explanations for all the things we see. We endeavor to categorize and correlate what we see against our already understood memories and conventions. In this way we extrapolate from our internal knowledge to assign meaning and order. These prints are meant to initiate an understanding and discovery of personal memory and narrative. They are also intended to expose the nature of screen-printing which employs a value scale with limited pallet. Each of these images is produced with only four colors, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black, a technique developed in the mid 20th century for mass production of the printed media, and still used today in desktop printers across the world. Whereas the printed image once ruled the mass media world, TV took over which is now being eclipsed by the small screen, computer and hand held devices.

This work is nostalgic in many ways, the images come from a mid century movie shot on film, a disappearing media. The still is captured by camera directly from the television not through sampling of a video. The digital

The Exit serigraph, 8” x 8”

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Saving the Girl serigraph, 8” x 8”

photo is translated with a computer into a form that can be printed by hand.”

– Bruce Edwards Bruce Edwards received a BFA from Kent State University in 1991. He has shown extensively in Cleveland, most notably at SPACES, Zygote Press, The Center for Contemporary Art (now MOCA Cleveland), and Brandt Gallery. Edwards has been featured in the Performance art festival, and is held in several collections

Love Scene serigraph, 8” x 8”

including the Progressive Collection. He maintains a studio practice that includes photography, sculpture, and printmaking, in the Tremont district of Cleveland. He has been a faculty member of CIA, CCC, and UA, and currently serves on the Board of Zygote Press, a fine art print cooperative serving local, national, and international artists, and is the residency coordinator for SPACES.

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Edwards will be showing at the Brandt Gallery in Tremont during the May Art Walk – www.brandtgallery.org – and in Coming Together: Laila Voss and Bruce Edwards at Maria Neil Art Project in Collinwood, June 28 through August 17. www.marianeilartproject.com

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Ben Bassham

In the spring of 2013, after Ron Burbick had rebuilt a major portion of Main Street, created Acorn Alley, and purchased and refurbished the old Kent Hotel, the Kent developer and philanthropist turned his attention to another project he’d long contemplated: he added an art gallery to the mix of new office buildings, restaurants, apartments, and shops that has transformed the look of the city. Avid art collectors themselves, Burbick and his wife, Joan, felt that adding an art gallery would be the “icing on the cake” of Kent’s resurgence.

The Group Ten Gallery, located at 138 Burbick Way, the brick-paved alley next to Woodsy’s Music and just a half-block south of Main Street, opened in July of last year. Its Grand Opening on a Friday evening in September drew more than 500 people, and subsequent exhibitions have attracted a steady stream of visitors to the gallery. A Kent State student recently took a look at the pictures on display and remarked: “Gee, I didn’t know Kent had an art museum!”

Group Ten is a cooperative gallery in which the artists display their own work, hang the exhibitions, staff the office and manage sales, plan new shows, and host receptions. Prices range widely with many small paintings and works on paper available at modest costs. The gallery is open from noon until 5:00 Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, with extended hours during the holiday season.

Sales of art works thus far have been going very well.

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Members of the co-op are local, veteran artists with graduate degrees in art and years of experience in exhibiting their art both regionally and nationally. Many have taught art for decades either in area high schools or at the university level. Almost all have websites, and are available to do work on commission.

The group includes, in alphabetical order: Ben Bassham After studying painting and printmaking at the University of Arkansas, Ben chose to pursue a career in art history, but he returned to his “first love”—painting—in the early 1990s and has devoted himself to his art since his retirement from Kent State in 1999.

His traditionally representational landscapes often depict the variety of his travels to Italy, Ireland, Germany and Spain. And, because his family spends part of each year in the old art colony of Taos, New Mexico, the deserts and mountains of the southwest also figure prominently in his work.

Debrah Butler Growing up on a farm in Stow, Deb developed a close attachment to the land and a fondness for animals, which often figure prominently in her graphite drawings and pastels. She works in a meticulously realistic style reminiscent of such “old masters” as Albrecht Durer. Deb studied with the wellknown area artist Jack Richards and then earned her B.F.A. degree at the Cleveland Institute of Art. In addition to her drawings of horses, dogs, and other animals, she has long worked on handsome renderings of gloves in combination with bird’s eggs and nests. Deb often creates portraits of pets on commission.

In addition to being an accomplished artist, she has been a professional conservator of oil paintings since her graduation from C.I.A. Jeff Fauser Over his forty-year career Jeff has worked in a variety of media, and, as the only sculptor among the Group Ten artists, he frequently exhibits small-scale pieces of metal

From left to Right: Jeff Fauser, Judy Gaiser, John Smolko, Jan Hatch, Ben Bassham, Debrah Butler, Geoff Mowery, Linda Hutchinson.

sculptures at the gallery. In the main, however, he shows small, brightly-colored collages comprised of scrap paper, foil, and paint chips.

He is the only artist at the gallery who works in a non-representational style. Jeff studied art at the University of Dallas-Irving and Washington University in St. Louis. He has lived in Kent since 1976.

before retiring and devoting herself full time to oil painting. She is a prolific painter whose canvases have been shown at the Butler Art Museum, the Canton Museum of Art, and at C.W.R.U. She says she “thinks of her paintings as poetic expressions of her mental state.” A witty and imaginative painter, her work has charmed collectors for many years.

well as her deep attachment to her own garden in Sugar Bush Knolls. A graduate of Kent State University, Jance is known for her lavishly colorful, plein air—painted outdoors, before the subject—landscapes inspired by Monet and other nineteenth-century French artists.

Jance was instrumental in originating the Group Ten gallery and serves as its leader.

Judy Gaiser As a child Judy studied art in special youth classes at the Cleveland Museum of Art and then received her B.A. from Capital University and a master’s degree from Case Western Reserve and the Cleveland Institute of art. She taught in public schools for many years

Jance Lentz Hatch A well-known Kent artist, Jance has had numerous, national solo shows and has long been represented by the Bonfoey Gallery in Cleveland. Her work, which she describes as “Neo-Impressionism,” reflects her far-ranging travels to France and England as

Linda Hutchinson The name of this multitalented Brimfield artist is familiar to the many students of her courses at the Cuyahoga Valley Art Center or in the continuing education program in the Kent City Schools. Linda is a

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Continued from Page 43 multi-faceted artist in oils, graphite, and watercolors. She discovered a passion for painting after working for a time in the field of commercial art and learning the craft of calligraphy. More of an expressionist than a traditional artist, she characterizes herself as a “lover of novelty which leads to much experimentation and risk taking.” She is equally at home in depicting the human figure, still life, and both landscapes and cityscapes. Linda has emerged as one of the most popular artists of the G10 group.

Geoff Mowery A master of that branch of art known as “wildlife art” and “sporting art,” Geoff, an avid fisherman himself, works in one of art’s oldest mediums, egg tempera. Dating from the 14th century, egg tempera is a mixture of pigments with the yolk of an egg, a kind of paint perfect for creating fine detail and a long-lasting, durable surface. Geoff exploits

this medium to create the illusion of feathers and fur in his wildlife “portraits” as well as the close grain of wood and the texture of stone.

Often his pictures have a narrative or anecdotal character about them; he rather likes his paintings to tell a story. He attended the Choinard Art Institute, the school where many of Disney’s artists studied.

John Smolko The signature feature of John’s work is the abundance of what he calls “scribbles,” the hundreds of marks that seemingly cover every square inch of his large format portraits or figure studies. A master of the colored pencil, John sets his subject’s pose, adjusts the lights and shadows of forms, then photographs the model to use the resulting image to render in color on paper. The results are striking: bold, vividly colored, accurate portraits of people he has asked to pose. John taught with great success for many years in Tallmadge Middle School, Tallmadge High

School, and at Aurora High School. He is proud to have helped several generations of students prepare for study of art at the college level. He holds an M.F.A. degree from Kent State.

The Group Ten ensemble has developed an interesting and ambitious plan for exhibitions in 2014. In March the gallery will display a small show of portraits by both its own members as well as other well-known area portraitists.

Concurrently, in the main rooms a special show of works by area artists called “Artists and Friends” will be on display. This exhibition will be made up of paintings and drawings by friends of Group Ten members. Judy Gaiser will present a solo show in April, and in May two separate solo exhibitions will highlight the work of Jan Lentz Hatch and Jeff Fauser.

A juried, competitive exhibition will be on display in June. Additional solo exhibitions in 2014 will feature paintings by Debrah Butler and Ben Bassham.

Group 10 Gallery is proud to announce two new members, Whit Brachna and Dan Lindner. Their work is now being shown in the gallery.

Whit Brachna was born in Akron. He studied art at the Savannah College of Art and Design, the University of Akron and the Safe House Atelier in San Francisco. After years of studying the foundational ideas of painting and drawing the figure from life and imagination he has simultaneously developed a sense for abstraction that isn’t often seen. He currently lives and works in a studio with his bengal cat, Seville.

Dan LIndner is an Oil Painter whose work gravitates toward strong geometric shapes found in everyday subject matter. His goal, using light, shadow and color is to make the viewer aware of beauty in subject matter that most people would just walk by unnoticed.

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ART SPARKS D ance, Music, J oy (A nd A W hole Lot More!)

“Work Hard! Do Your Best! Never Give Up! Be Fit!” These words, chanted with great enthusiasm in each and every classroom, comprise the “Core Four” principles of Art Sparks, an educational outreach program that reinforces core academic curriculum through the art of dance. “It’s a mantra we hope our students will repeat throughout their lives to remind themselves to strive for personal best in all they endeavor,” says co-founder Jordan Petersen-Fitts.

Art Sparks teaches the fundamentals of dance AND reinforces academic subject matter.

Equally as important, the program teaches that teamwork, tenacity, discipline and joyful effort can equal success. The program’s founders, Kara Stewart, Petersen-Fitts, and Ron Hazelett established the non-profit organization on the belief that instilling values for hard work and an uncompromising standard of excellence can result in a genuine sense of achievement and

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self-respect that can positively affect the life of any student.

Art Sparks is based on the award winning National Dance Institute pedagogy which was created in 1976 by New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Jacques d’Ambois. A hallmark of the NDI pedagogy is that students hone their critical and creative thinking skills as their dance skills develop. Each class is carefully sequenced so that students gradually build upon their knowledge and physical abilities.

Art Sparks draws on the tried and true teaching methods of NDI and adds an intense layer of core curriculum to the mix.

Petersen-Fitts states, “Our students, many of whom have never danced before, undergo an amazing transformation through the magic of the teaching techniques which are based on this incredible pedagogy.” Artistic Director Kara Stewart adds, “Art Sparks employs the

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NDI method and provides students with a structured, disciplined environment in which to thrive.”

Through in-school partnerships, residencies and workshops, Art Sparks brings joyful dance programming to K-8 public school children, non-traditional arts participants and students with exceptionalities. Art Sparks 2014 programming includes posts in several Summit, Cuyahoga, and Portage County school systems and at two Summit County Developmental Disabilities board locations.

Inclusion is fundamental to the program. All students in a selected grade or grade level regardless of cognitive or physical abilities participate in the program. “Regardless of age group and ability, each moment of an Art Sparks class is filled with energetic, rigorous, educational learning,” states Stewart. “Students are continually challenged to reach their personal best.”

Program Structure The program provides school communities with a number of ways to experience their intensive educational arts immersion programs. Art Sparks offers full-year 30 week programs, 15-week residencies, and 2-10 day intensive workshops. Classroom teachers are encouraged to be actively engaged in the residency, and many choose to dance with their classes.

Classes typically run 45–55 minutes, or one class period and all Art Sparks programs culminate in a final lecture demonstration or full performance for the entire school community. Art Sparks classes are most often taught during the school day, however, the program also provides after school and summer camp programming.

Each Art Sparks class is led by a Master Teacher/Choreographer, a Musician/ Accompanist, and an Assistant Teacher, all of whom have been professionals in the fields of dance or music and have completed rigorous training in the NDI pedagogy.

Reinforcing Academic Subjects Through Dance So, how does core curriculum fit in?

How does one reinforce math, science, or language arts concepts through dance?

“First and foremost, dance is beneficial in and of itself in a myriad of ways,” Says Stewart.

“It promotes good health through vigorous physical activity, improves self-confidence and behavior, and has been proven to improve grades and standardized test scores.” Uniquely, dance lends itself to cross-disciplinary learning and the Art Sparks program strives to capitalize

on this special circumstance. For example, in a particularly popular program entitled Shake, Rattle, and Roll; The Earth’s Ever Changing Surface, students learn about the layers in the soil horizon in the following way: Students learn about the four layers of the soil horizon: bedrock, subsoil, topsoil, and the organic layer.

Students learn to execute four dance steps at progressively higher levels off the ground.

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These levels of steps correspond to the layers of soil in the soil horizon and in some way embody the characteristics of each particular soil layer.

Students remember the sequence of steps and consequently remember the order of the soil horizon.

As a full-time faculty member at the University of Akron, Stewart, who teaches dance Continued on Page 48

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For more information on Art Sparks please contact Artistic Director/ Administrator Kara Stewart at 330-524-6697 or kara@artsparks.co

Continued from Page 47 education classes such as Learning Theory and Instructional Strategies, continually challenges her college students to be champions for the art they love and to find creative ways to design curriculum to be cross-disciplinary. Via her work with Arts Sparks, Stewart practices what she preaches. “We want to continue to advocate for the art of dance to be accepted as an important core subject for all students but also see the unique opportunity to link our dance curriculum with core academics as a way to support the needs of our partners, the classroom teachers.”

“When we go into a school, teach students who may not otherwise have had the opportunity to experience dance to dance, and support the efforts of classroom teachers by fortifying their efforts, we know we have made a real difference,” Says Petersen-Fitts. “It’s the most satisfying work.” Ron Hazelett, Musical director

ART SPARKS for the program adds, “This is the true beauty of Art Sparks programming and what makes us so unique. We are able to teach dance while reinforcing nearly any topic that the classroom teachers are teaching.” In fact, the list of curriculum that Art Sparks provides is quite extensive and includes (by subject area): Health Hip Hopping Heart Health, Fabulous Flexibility, Beautiful Balancing Bones, High Five Fitness History Outrageous Ohio History Literature Leaping through Literature, Powerful Poetry Mathematics Mad about Math, Grooving Geometry

Science Science Is Spectacular, Shake, Rattle, and Roll: The Earth’s Ever Changing Surface.

Dance and Music Dance 101, Creative Choreography, Energy Express But the curriculum doesn’t end there: Art Sparks has tailored several programs to meet individual classroom teachers’ needs and welcomes the opportunity to develop residency programs in conjunction with classroom teachers to enhance their classroom curriculum.

The Art Sparks tag line reads “Dance. Music.

Joy.” Add in the social, behavioral, and academic benefits of this unique program and it becomes clear that it truly is “a whole lot more!”

Photos courtesy of Dan Swain www.VisionsPhotographyBySwain.com

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Ann VerWiebe WKSU Marketing & Public Relations

L

ast year, WKSU celebrated its 63rd birthday by reinventing itself. The membersupported public radio station took a bold step and streamlined its lineup by expanding news and information programming during the day and filling evenings with classical music. These exciting changes help listeners connect with the quality broadcasts that they have come to expect from WKSU during its six decades of award-winning radio.

Now, news and classical music fans know exactly when to find their favorite programs without turning on the radio to an unpredictable mix.

Beginning at 5 a.m. and Download the free WKSU app running through 8 p.m., at the App Store or Google Play listeners will find the best in intelligent news and information. NPR’s flagship news magazines handle drive-time duties. Morning Edition with local host Amanda Rabinowitz and All Things Considered anchored

by Vivian Goodman offer just the right combination of up-to-the-minute national news with in-depth and breaking reports from the WKSU newsroom.

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The weekday schedule takes off with John Hockenberry leading America’s conversation with The Takeaway at 9 a.m., followed by the lively two-hour discussion On Point at 10 a.m.

NPR’s newly-expanded Here & Now takes over the lunch break leading into Fresh Air with Terry Gross at 2 p.m. The World puts Northeast Ohio in touch with a global perspective at 3 p.m.

After All Things Considered and Marketplace (which creates a business-centric breather from 6–6:30 p.m.), Q with Jian Ghomeshi shines a spotlight on politics and popular culture from 7–8 p.m.

With studios in Akron, Kent, Cleveland and Canton, the WKSU reporters are able to quickly stay in touch with the station’s 22-county broadcast area. Towers in Copley, Wooster, New Philadelphia, Norwalk and Thompson – along with a translator in Ashland – assure that Northeast Ohio has the access it needs to keep communities informed.

When work is done, WKSU classical music is perfect for winding down after a long day.

From 8 p.m.–5 a.m. throughout the week, the WKSU music hosts assemble the perfect blend of symphonic sound and chamber ensembles, featuring compositions that have stood the test of time.

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On weekends, the daytime mix includes NPR news tailored for Saturdays and Sundays along with public radio entertainment and informational favorites like Car Talk, Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!, A Prairie Home Companion, This American Life, The Splendid Table, On Being with Krista Tippett, On the Media, Living on Earth, Travel with Rick Steves and The Whad’Ya Know?

Hour with Michael Feldman. Newcomers are welcome to the line-up as well with Radiolab, To the Best of Our Knowledge, Snap Judgment and the TED Radio Hour making their WKSU debut. See the WKSU program schedule in this issue for exact times.

As technology has expanded, so has WKSU’s reach around the world.

Since 2003, FolkAlley.com has celebrated folk, Americana and roots music with a 24-hour music stream, a blog, exclusive concert recordings and performance videos, a virtual Open Mic, music downloads and more. For the past decade, Folk Alley has been the stop for nationally-known musicians and the international fans that love their work. NPR recognizes Folk Alley’s contribution to authentic music by adding the team to the recording crew at the historic Newport Folk Festival. Register for free at FolkAlley.com to post on the blog, comment on songs or download new music. Donating at the member level earns you additional benefits, including a fund drive-free stream and special thank you gifts.

HD Radio With all of this quality programming to offer, WKSU is looking for new ways to connect with an audience hungry for the best. HD Radio allows multiple program streams to be

broadcast from a single radio signal. Now people with a tabletop or car HD Radio can hear what they want, when they want it. Each of WKSU’s primary towers offers four distinct blends: HD 1 – WKSU On-Air, HD 2 – Folk Alley, HD 3 – the Classical Channel and HD 4 – All News. HD Radio uses the same digitalization that allows multiple TV signals from a single channel and once the radio is purchased, there is no extra cost for the additional programming.

For listeners on the go, all of WKSU’s HD channels are available as online streams from WKSU.org/listen and streaming from WKSU’s iPhone, iPad and Android apps. Each of the apps can be downloaded for free and has instant access to WKSU news, music and reports from the WKSU staff. Plug your phone into your car’s MP3 outlet or attach minispeakers and turn your mobile device into a portable stereo – be connected even if you’re outside of the station’s broadcast area!

If you’re a fan of social media, stay in touch with WKSU by liking WKSU.FM on Facebook and following @WKSU on Twitter and find the latest news and images, as well as details on station and WKSU-sponsored events. Vivian Goodman gets social with fans of Quick Bites on Facebook with recipes, contests and exclusive pictures from each week’s story. Folk fans follow Folk Alley on Facebook and @FolkAlley on Twitter for the latest Sessions video and international music news.

Listener-Supported by the Community WKSU is listener-supported, meaning that the station relies on donations from the public to keep the lights on. A valued service of Kent State University, the station blankets the region with vital information and evenhanded

national and international news. As a non-profit organization, gifts to WKSU are tax deductible in the United States. Money raised during the station’s two annual fund drives goes toward the general operating budget. Donations to the News and Information Fund helps assure that the newsroom can continue its important mission.

Earn a tax deduction and rid yourself of unwanted metal by donating your vehicle to the station. Your company can reach out to WKSU listeners while you support the programming when it becomes a station underwriter.

Find out more about supporting excellence in public radio and making your voice heard with a gift to WKSU at WKSU.org/support.

Amanda Rabinowitz WKSU Radio Host & Reporter

WKSU.org Everything you need to know about WKSU can be found on the station’s website. The multiaward winner features news on the front page (along with station event notices), hosts the audio streams, offers schedules for each of the HD Radio channels, link details on joining WKSU as a member or underwriter and gives visitors the full list of member benefits – like discounts at area arts and cultural organizations. Reporters add images and transcripts to their stories, giving newshounds a reason to dig deeper online.

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Karen Shaw Owner

A CUT ABOVE

TRANSFORMATION SPECIALISTS

Reality TV shows often feature makeovers. Apparently, quick and dramatic changes make for good ratings. But “transformation” is a better way to describe what happens at A Cut Above Hair and Nail Salon. And we’re not just talking about how customers look.

In 1976, Karen Shaw – fresh from Theodore Roosevelt High School’s cosmetology program – went to work for DiMauro. Just two days post-graduation, Shaw began to get to know the “shampoo set ” crowd. Artificial nails were a new thing.

While the business has evolved and changed tremendously over more than three decades, the same can be said for its staff, clientele, the interior design, and the community it serves.

She learned about nails, and every other part of the business. Fast forward six years, and DiMauro was giving the staff notice that he’d be moving to Texas.

Transforming a Business

“I had about a week to decide if I was going to go look for a job, or buy the place.” She bought it and never looked back.

In the 1970s, the family hair care salon on SR 43 just across from the Crain Avenue Bridge was owned by Pat DiMauro and was known as DiMauro’s Kut and Kurl.

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Shaw celebrated 30 years as a Kent business owner last year, with many of the same clients

and staff she worked with in ’82, and even more of their children and families.

Stylist Marie Hendrix came from a salon in Streetsboro in 2000.

Over the years, hairstyles aren’t the only things she’s changed.

Shaw claims she doesn’t have the magic potion for a perfect salon management style, but her work/life philosophy is one that many human resources gurus would label ideal.

“I don’t sit still, and the shop hasn’t either. Inside, it’s just continually changing. Most people are retiring after 30 years to do something they love. After many years of doing hair, I am more excited about what I do. So I remodeled the salon and started to do something I have a passion for - HAIR! It just happens to be the same thing I have been doing the past 37 years.

I’m lucky to do what I love with great people!”

Shaw said.

Today A Cut Above offers a wide variety of spa services, including three different kinds of artificial nails, manicures, pedicures, waxing, and every advance in cutting, styling, perming, coloring, hair extensions, and special occasion hair and makeup.

“We’ve been offering massages since 2011, when Michelle Gibbner, LMT, opened Custom Massage in A Cut Above,” Shaw said.

Compatible Work Styles Stylist Carrie Shanley, who, like Shaw, graduated from Roosevelt’s cosmetology program, has worked at the salon since 1984.

“I like that Karen works behind the chair just like us. She is always available when we need her.”

Stylists Tina Sample and Laura Marlow joined Shaw in 1995 and 2006, respectively. In fact, Sample and Marlow might describe their move to A Cut Above as something of a transformation. Previously, Sample and Marlow had both owned their own hair salons in Kent before coming to A Cut Above.

“I think it is important that your job transitions with you as your life changes. Happy stylist, happy clients,” she said.

The stylists at A Cut Above all agree that it’s a great place to work. Apparently, that does make customers happy: a steady stream of good reviews keeps rolling in, from clients of all ages.

Clients Growing, Changing, Too The stylists at A Cut Above have watched – and helped – dozens of their clients grow through a variety of transformations.

“A lot of my clients brought in their kids for baby’s first hair cut, then I did the first up-do for a dance recital, and next thing you know, it’s prom and then a wedding!” Shaw said. “I have one client whom I gave her first haircut years ago. When her son needed his first haircut, she waited until she came home from Indiana for a visit so I could do it for him.”

Looks Like New, Feels Like Family Jessica Berry, who joined A Cut Above last fall, says the combination of the salon’s stability and cutting-edge style is exactly what attracted her to the job.

Berry – who is actually younger than the salon itself – said that her clients like coming to A Cut Above because of the great atmosphere and high quality of the services they receive.

Although she’s still “new” at A Cut Above, Berry is an experienced stylist. But being a working

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Are the stylists quick-change artists or transformation specialists?

Maybe the answer is a little bit of both.

Weaves and extensions can dramatically change your look in just a few hours. Bangs and updos can seriously shift your style almost instantly. Moms bringing in baby for a first haircut and through all the stages, right up to the wedding walk down the aisle? Well, that takes a little more time. But A Cut Above is right there with its clients, through every age and stage. Let us make YOU center-stage!

Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest so you can share your way.

(Tell us what you think of OUR evolving style!)

New website coming in 2014 A Cut Above 820 North Mantua Street Kent, Ohio 44240 (330) 673-9222 www.acutabovekent.com mom with young children requires a delicate balance that can be almost impossible to find in a service profession. She feels like she’s found it in A Cut Above, and says she loves that Shaw and the rest of the staff understand the importance of flexible scheduling and a kid-friendly work atmosphere.

“We all brought our kids in here at some point,” Shaw said, adding with a laugh, “ I mean, the sign says family hare care, right?”

Diane Stresing

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Bar 145 Gastropub SPECIALIZING IN BURGERS, BANDS, AND BOURBON

Welcome to Bar 145, Kent's first and only Gastropub. What is a Gastropub you ask?? It is a British term for a pub that specializes in food a step above the traditional grub pub. Gastropubs have relaxed atmospheres and focus on offering high-quality cuisine in keeping with the very best restaurants. Staying true to the format, Bar 145 offers a menu that complements our wide assortment or beers, wines, and particularly in our case, bourbon.

Bar 145 is unique, specializing in "Burgers, Bands, and Bourbon." Our tag line: "Red Chucks, White China" emphasizes our cultural clash between food served on white china and employees sporting casual red Chuck Taylor tennis shoes. Bar 145 offers a spacious patio with high rise tables, a 50-seat indoor-outdoor

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oval bar split by dual garage doors, and flat screen televisions strategically placed for easy viewing.

Partnering with local farmers and vendors, all of our vegetables, beef, seafood, breads, and cheeses are all delivered to us daily and are never frozen. Bar 145's kitchen is completely scratch, which means every meal is madeto-order. We are proud of our food and make every effort to ensure that you are served the very best quality food that your hard earned money can buy.

The most popular question asked to our staff is how we came up with the name Bar 145, wondering if it is the address or if there is 145 different ways to stack your own burger. The

answer? It is actually the temperature of a perfectly cooked medium-rare burger. The warm pink center and slightly crispy outside provide an amazing contrast that we can't resist, and you won't be able to either. With the option to “Stack Your Own,” customers can create their own burger or sandwich choosing from 10 artisan cheeses, 14 house-made sauces, and over 23 toppings ranging from roasted red peppers to peach habanero chutney to roasted duck and so much more!

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Continued from Page 61 Bar 145 brings only the best live music to our stage. We scour the Midwest for high quality bands so that our stage features the very best acts our customers deserve. We offer live entertainment 4-6 nights per week ranging from acoustic to jazz groups to full bands (Thursday, Friday, Saturday). Our entertainment includes

local bands such as Pop Rocks, Tricky Dick & The Cover Ups, That 80's Band, and Tropidelic, as well as bands from Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Florida. Bar 145 also features many of Put-In-Bay's most popular bands: Your Villain My Hero, Hot Sauce Committee, The Personnel, Lieutenant Dan's New Legs, Swagg and many more!

Bar 145 100 E. Erie Street Suite 130 Kent, OH 44240 (330) 968-6201 Open Daily Until 2:30am

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Next time you're in Kent, be sure to stop in and enjoy one of the best burgers around, talk with our friendly staff, or enjoy a drink while listening to one of our talented bands.

Dan Edmondson, General Manager dan@bar145kent.com