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THURSDAY MARCH 12, 2015 H
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IN SYMMETRY
Darlene Denstorff
LASM class recreates ancient art of mandalas
BY C. J. FUTCH
AROUND MID CITY
— a piece of artwork, usually circular, that includes perfectly symmetrical elements in each of four quadrants. “The word mandala in Sanskrit means Tammy Frazier wouldn’t argue that she’s got among the cooler job titles as art unity and represents balance,� Frazier education curator at the Louisiana Art and said. The art form has been around for thouScience Museum in downtown. “I absolutely love my job,� she said, sands of years, she said, and is easy to stopping occasionally at each table Satur- teach because it’s so well-represented in day in the art classroom to answer ques- nature. A slice of an orange, or banana, a horizontally sliced apple, snowflakes, tions about the day’s project. On Saturday, Frazier taught a group of starfish, cells or heads of kale can, with about 20 children and parents a little about the right perspective, be a mandala. Once you start looking for them, you the history and purpose behind mandalas
cfutch@theadvocate.com
DDENSTORFF@ THEADVOCATE.COM
Thanks for feedback, suggestions, readers Thanks to our readers who called to compliment and make suggestions for the inaugural issue of The Mid City Advocate. We appreciate the comments and well-wishes. This community news section can’t happen each week without the contributions of our readers. Give us a call if you have any suggestions about events in your neighborhoods.
Science Bowl winners
Baton Rouge Magnet High School’s science bowl team has won the regional leg of the 2015 National Science Bowl. The win qualifies the team to compete at the national competition in Washington, D.C. The NSB brings together thousands of middle and high school students from across the country to compete in a fast-paced question-and-answer format where they solve technical problems and answer questions on a range of science disciplines, including biology, chemistry, Earth and space science, physics and math. A series of 118 regional middle school and high school tournaments are being held across the country from January through March. Winners will advance to represent their areas at the National Science Bowl held April 30 to May 4 in Washington, D.C., for the final middle school and high school competitions. The top 16 high school teams and the top eight middle school teams in the National Finals will win $1,000 for their schools’ science departments.
äSee MANDALAS, page 2G Photo provided by DOUGLAS KENNEDY
Breast cancer survivor Kimberly Williams, left, of Baton Rouge, takes a selfie with friends including Deborah Paul.
SEEING PINK
Advocate staff photos by TRAVIS SPRADLING
From left, Baton Rouge’s Kim Coob, a one-year breast cancer survivor, wears a flashy pair of pink sunglasses just before the start of the survivors’ walk on Saturday while chatting with new survivors’ walk friends Tedral Harris, of Baton Rouge; Deb Eiermann, of Prairieville; and Gladys McCaleb, of Zachary. They paraded before the start of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Saturday on the LSU Old Front Nine. All four are breast cancer survivors. Diamond Dixon, 12, left, her grandmother Audrey Joseph, right, a 22-year breast cancer survivor from Baton Rouge, and behind them, from left, Audrey’s daughter Jaqueline Dixon and friends Cheryl Quiett and Cynthia Johnson pose for a picture before the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on Saturday. Joseph’s aunt, sister and two nieces have passed away after battling breast cancer, and a niece is fighting it now.
YMCA activities
Baton Rouge-area YMCAs are planning several activities this month. Here are a few scheduled events: n Girls can pick up prom dresses Sunday at the Cinderella Project held at A.C. Lewis YMCA. The dresses will be given out from noon to 5 p.m. äSee MID CITY, page 2G
find them everywhere, she said. But sparking that creative connection to the beauty of symmetry is not only a way to reliably produce a piece of art — no matter how artistic one considers themselves to be — it’s also a handy way to teach radial symmetry, or the quality of having two symmetric halves. “We try to make learning about science fun,� she said.
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Gerry Lane family donates to YMCA BY C.J. FUTCH
cfutch@theadvocate.com While Baton Rouge knew the late Gerry Lane as a businessman and owner of Gerry Lane Cadillac, members and staff of the YMCA of the Capital Area knew him as a loyal patron. And for just about every child participating in the Y’s youth sports programs, he was the name written on their jerseys. Lane’s son, Eric, now CEO of Gerry Lane Enterprises, said he remembers the first time his wife, Lisa, asked the dealership to buy T-shirts for YMCA programs. “We bought 2,100 shirts at $6 each. And that has grown to I don’t know how many thousands of T-shirts over the years,� Eric Lane said at Gerry Lane Cadillac on Feb. 28, where he presented the first installment of a $300,000 donation to the YMCA in memory of his father, who died in 2013. “When dad was alive, he thought of this as the best thing we do,� he said. In addition to supporting YMCA programs financially, Gerry Lane also exercised there. “He went to the Y every day, though anybody who stood beside him on the treadmill probably knows he didn’t get a lot of working out done because he was probably talking,� Eric Lane said, prompting knowing nods and laughs from everyone at the celebration, from Faye, Eric Lane’s mother and Gerry Lane’s widow, and granddaughter Ashton, to the administration and patrons of the YMCA in the audience. Part of the donation will fund a memorial walkway for Gerry Lane at the youth sports complex located on the campus of the Paula G. Manship YMCA. The memorial will be dedicated March 28 in conjunction with the opening of the baseball season, YMCA CEO Bob Jacobs said. For information on the Y and its programming, visit any branch, or the Y’s website, www.ymcabatonrouge.org.