March/April 2014 Omaha Magazine by Omaha Magazine

MARCH/APRIL • 2014

Jeremy Caniglia Omaha’s Most Notable Artist? (That You’ve Never Heard Of)

Omaha’s Best Lawyers in America® The Reality of the American Dream A Refugee Story

$2,800,000

Spectacular 1.5 story backing to trees and common area. 3 story spiral staircase, radiant heat flrs in kit. & mstr bath. Control 4 throughout, infrared air purifier, new pool and waterfall. 2 covered decks, sec. cameras, lrg patio with fireplace. Wine cellar, wet bar, office, 2nd kit. for outdoor entertaining. Double oven, cabinets w/pullouts, expresso maker.

The Lichter Team • 402.680.2875

13808 Burt Street

$950,000

Fabulous Linden Estates gem. Builder’s own custom built 1 1/2 story, sun room and 4 season’s porch. Upstairs game room with fireplace and wet bar. Great location, easy access to anywhere.

$799,000

Over 33 acres with a beautiful ranch home overlooking the Loess Hills - comes with a barn with stalls for your horses - This home has a beautiful kitchen, family room, formal dining room, fireplace, 22 x 17 master bedroom with cedar closets, oak ceiling & walls in living room, sauna, underground sprinklers plus a 3 car garage.

Jerre Hunter • 402.981.1342

12980 Pioneer Lane, Louisville

$675,000

The Good Life Group • 402.612.3833 march/april • 2011

The Rensch Group • 402.391.5333

23408 Cheyenne Circle, Gretna

$875,000

Wooded, executive estate in Gretna on 6.89 acres w/ nature trails, wildlife, stocked pond, large pool w/stamped deck, outdoor FP & hot tub. Pool house w/kitchen, FP & theater/game room. Country style 1.5 story home w/ WA porch & covered deck. 5BR, 5BA, 2FP, cathedral ceilings, built-in antiques & quality finishes. 6+ car gar & more. Your oasis awaits!

244 N Lakeview Way, Ashland

$699,950

Live at a Resort all year long! Deck overlooks lake, golf course, & trees. Open! Tall ceilings! Fabulous kitchen! Master BR has private Laundry room plus sittng area w/fireplace looking out to breathtaking views. Exquisite master bath with 2 person shower & tub, wet bar! All bedrooms have private bathroom & walk in closet. Security & Elan Media systems.

21422 Pine Circle

$600,000

Incredible 1 acre lot backing to trees. Near respected Elkhorn schools including Elkhorn South High. Easy access to shopping, dining & entertainment. Quality built by Quest. Hearth room kitchen w/stainless, gas range, built in refrigerator, granite, bonus office, drop zone. Fantastic lower level w/ game space, theater, kitchenette, fireplace & lots of architectural detail. Wonderful outside views. Compares well to new constructon!

John Kramer • 402.689.2233

1862 County Road 5, Yutan

$1,300,000

This 1.5 story, 5 bedroom, 5 bath home, (all beds are in suite), geothermal heating, high tech surround sound and security including camera, custom stamped concrete heated floor through main level, high end finishes, huge new out building, pool, nice large stocked ponds, beautiful views and private. Just a 15 minute drive to Omaha.

Susan Hancock • 402.215.7700

19010 Hamilton Street

$825,000

Lovely custom Ted Grace Walk-Out Ranch built in 2006 featuring over 5100 sq ft with 4 large BR and 3 1/2 BA. Built with high-‐end quality materials & maintains some of the original warranties. This home in Silverleaf Estates is close to Dodge Expressway, Shopping and Methodist Hospital. Comparable home would cost over $1,000,000 plus lot to build.

Jayne Smith • 402.203.5847

Denice Coenen • 402.677.7538

Stunning 1 1/2 story custom blt home on 5 acres. Spacious kit includes a butlers panty, cherry cabinets, granite countertops, breakfast bar & Fle floor. Enclosed sunroom w/frplc. MBR suite. Curved staircase to 2nd flr features 3 bdrms, 2 BA plus lrg bonus room. All BR have WI closets. Walk out LL isframed & just needs finished. Geothermal. Amazing 6 car garage w/adddtnl 900 Sq Ft. heated wrkshp. Loa above garage.

$1,690,000

Designed by master designers and craftsmen. Dazzling Christopher Peacock custom gourmet kitchen. Too many amenities to mention here. Amazing in every detail. Timeless combination of elegance and functionality are here for you. Super convenient location. This is the home of a lifetime!

Matt Rasmussen • 402.657.1969

John Greguska • 402.612.0594

20244 Hanna Ave, Pacific Junction, IA

617 Fairacres Road

I.F.C

22814 Hascall Street

5410 N 279 Street, Valley

$699,900

Archistructure’s one of a kind lake home. Enjoy the beauty and serenity of this private lake. This home includes a 5+ garage, two 4 seasons rooms with 10’ retractable glass walls for the ultimate indoor/outdoor living space. 3 private bedroom suites, 500 sq ft covered concrete deck for expansive lake views, elevator & barrier free home. Universal design!

Mike Jenkins • 402.707.6453

23083 Old Lincoln, Crescent IA

$525,000

A wonderfully large OPEN CONCEPT home with wrap around decks all setting on top of almost 17 acre’s of pristine and pure Loess Hills. Just south of Crescent with a long driveway. A huge 40x60 outbuilding to go along with this over 6,100 sq ft updated home. A glorious master bedroom. Lots of open space and windows. Great views in all directions. Private,rare and filled with nature.

Realtor Rob • 402.598.3335

V I R T U A L TO U R S A N D M O R E AT NPDODGE.COM

www.OmahaPublications.com

ONE MOMENT Can Change All Others

At Horseshoe, your moment is waiting. The moment that pumps you with adrenaline and takes you for a ride. And with the best odds and biggest jackpots, you experience it every time you walk in our doors.

Must be 21 years or older to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start.ÂŽ Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-BETS-OFF (Iowa) or 1-800-522-4700 (National). ÂŠ2013, Caesars License Company, LLC.

TOC

features volume 31 • issue 1

table of contents

130 Jeremy Caniglia

Omaha’s Most Notable Artist? (That You’ve Never Heard Of)

features

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

Gridiron Gals of the Nebraska Stampede

The Reality of the American Dream: A Refugee Story

124

History is Made in Dehner Boots

TOC

departments & special sections volume 31 • issue 1

departments

OmahaHome 57

8 Editor’s Letter 10 Between the Lines

gala

march/april 2014

WhyArts: Artists for Inclusion

12 For Starters 14 Calendar of Events

117 VODEC

21 Greater Nebraska

118 The Links

Happenings

24 Faces

Melissa Stephens leads the chocolate life.

chris wolfgang

editorial interns

josie bungert

john gawley

137

dining

director of photography

48 Gen O

162 Restaurant Review

Dixie Quicks’ René Orduña Searching for the best BBQ pork sandwiches

interactive media

bill sitzmann

senior graphic designer

kristen hoffman

production artist

166 Dining Guide 36 Omaha’s Best Lawyers

anna hensel

cr e at i v e di r e ctor

47 Faces

special section

•

molly mahannah

Association Heart Ball

159 Chef Profile

Sam Mangiameli: The Iceman Cometh

editor

123 American Heart

60PLUS In Omaha

Rudy Smith: Freedom Fighter Still

david williams

120 Gala Calendar

The Moving Company’s Jorge Ambriz Former Mrs. Nebraska Kim Daniels

om a h a pu bl i cat ion s e di tor

Cotillion Ball

28 Faces

32 Style Shot

EDITORIAL & CREATIVE STAFF

109 Cover Story

177 Omaha Happy Hours

in America

marti latka

contributing writers

margaret a . badura

• kim carpenter • judy horan jennifer litton • susan meyers robert nelson • mary anne vaccaro molly garriott

sarah wengert

Omaha Magazine visitorsedition Pages 27-154 do not appear in the Omaha Magazine visitors edition. To read these articles online, visit OmahaMagazine.com. To receive a full edition of Omaha Magazine by mail, purchase a subscription at OmahaMagazine.com/subscribe. Owned and managed by Omaha Magazine, LTD

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

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FROM THE EDITOR

david williams

Six Degrees of Separation

HE VA-VA-VOOM DRESS WORN

by the woman in the more than 60-year-old photograph seemed an almost racy choice for a mom, especially so because the mom in question was my own. But she wasn’t a mom yet. And she wasn’t alone in the photograph. The beautiful young lady was pictured on her very first date with a dashing young man with big ears (see the photo above for an object lesson in genetics and big ears) who would one day be my father. The scene was a romantic summer’s eve of dancing at Peony Park’s Royal Grove band shell. A roaming cigarette girl plying her trade of smokes, stems, and snapshots captured the frozen-in-time moment in glorious black and white. Fate would have it that Peony Park would also play an important role in the lore of my wife’s family. Her parents were first introduced at the swimming pool of the amusement park that is now nothing but a memory. It all began, family legend has it, when my now mother-in-law asked one of her friends if

the story behind our cover

EREMY CANIGLIA HAS EXECUTED exactly two self-portraits in

his illustrious career. The first was what he now describes as a very rough, unfinished treatment many years ago. Omaha Magazine is proud that the artist—perhaps the most acclaimed local talent that you have never heard of—returned to the genre with a work specially commissioned for our cover. OMAG 8

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

she knew “that idiot making a fool of himself on the diving board.” The unknown ‘idiot’ was, of course, my future father-in-law. I thought about that old photograph and the swimming pool recently when compiling this issue’s story on the resurgent 100 Block of Council Bluffs. It was there on West Broadway that my newlywed parents took their first apartment, one above an automobile dealership in a building that is now home to Dixie Quicks and the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce. The experience gave me pause to reflect on the connectedness of our community. This is a town where the notion of six degrees of separation can be divided by a factor of even two or three. And isn’t that also the role of any good city magazine—to reduce the number of degrees separating any of us? To reveal how we are all, at least in some small way, connected? I like to think that the stories told on these pages make the community smaller for our readers by weaving a social fabric that brings us closer together. My father passed away in 2002, my fatherin-law four years later. The 100 Block is as new and fresh as the love that once bloomed there in my parents’ tiny apartment. The

amusement park wasn’t so lucky. A wrecking ball took down The Royal Grove. The swimming pool was filled in with the remembrances of generations past. Peony Park is now a Hy-Vee grocery store. The Royal Grove was, based on my very rough calculations, situated about where the store’s deli section is today. If you happen to be a Peony Park aficionado and believe that my mapping is in error—even if I am way, way off—please don’t correct me with letters to the editor. Be so kind as to allow me the indulgence of remembering things my way. Memories are stubborn things, and mine don’t care to be disturbed.

SPRING FASHION in our backyard.

FONTENELLE100.ORG photo credit: Allen Kurth

SpringFashion.indd 1

1/30/14 1:01 PM

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

BETWEEN THE LINES

omaha magazine • photos by bill sitzmann

between

THE LINES

A look at three Omaha Magazine team members

Although she suffers from chronic wanderlust,

Kristen always seems to return to her

hometown of Omaha. After swooping up a husband while living in Dallas for the past few years, she has moved back to be near family and their church, Glad Tidings. As they are both artists, their home is filled with musical instruments, paints, canvases, music albums, loads of antiques, and interesting objects they have found while traveling around the globe. Kristen loves to find inspiration outdoors, on Pinterest, or through artists she follows on Instagram. On the weekends, you can usually find her on a road trip, in a coffee shop with a friend, roughhousing

Kristen Hoffman

Senior Graphic Designer

with her yellow lab, or laughing with her parents in their driveway while watching her siblings play basketball until the sun goes down.

George has called Omaha home since 1991. The Chicago native and his wife, Jill, will soon celebrate their 23rd wedding anniversary with their two sons, Justin and Brandon. George is no stranger to the Omaha sales community and has held sales and management positions with ITI Marketing Services, Ecolab, and, most recently, Valpak of Omaha. He joined the Omaha Publications family with a diverse selling background and a passion for building loyal customers. When George isn’t focused on creating great opportunities for his clients, you can find him with his family enjoying a wide range of activities and sporting events. You might

George Idelman Brand Specialist

even find George hitting a few rounds at one of the many area golf courses. In addition, George is a faithful Chicago Cubs fan…but we won’t hold that against him! A senior at Creighton University, Josie has spent the last four years studying English and journalism at Creighton University. Originally from suburban Minneapolis, Josie has grown to call Omaha her second home (and greatly appreciates its gentler winters). Upon graduation in May, she hopes to get a job as a reporter and eventually work her way up to an editor of a newspaper or magazine [Editor’s note: We’re saving a spot]. Prior to interning at Omaha Magazine, she spent three semesters as Editor in Chief of Creighton’s student newspaper, The

Josie Bungert Editorial Intern

Creightonian, where she fell more in love with journalism than ever before. Josie spends most of her free time—when she finds some—baking cookies, blogging, and running. She is an avid cat, coffee, and chocolate lover who can’t wait to see what the “real world” will bring.

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

APRIL 18–MAY 11

FEB. 28–MARCH 30

volume 31, issue 1

BOEING

ACCOUNTS & OPERATIONS STAFF publisher

BOEING

todd lemke p u b l i s h e r ’s a s s i sta n t

omaha home

contributing editor

sandy besch-matson

The life and music of Ella Fitzgerald

vice president

greg bruns

A 1960 doorslamming farce

executive vice president sales

marketing

gil cohen

senior sales executive

60plus in

omaha contributing editor

gwen lemke

6915 CASS STREET | (402) 553-0800 | WWW.OMAHAPLAYHOUSE.ORG sponsor:

orchestra sponsor:

media sponsor:

sponsors:

media sponsor:

e x e cu t i v e s a l e s as so ci at e

vicki voet

branding specialist

george idelman

s a l e s as so ci at e s

dawn dennis alicia smith hollins jessica linhart sydney stander

Poseidon and the Sea

Myth, cult, and daily life

Through May 11, 2014

v i ce pr e s i de n t of ope r at ion s

tyler lemke

accou n ta n t

jim heitz

distribution manager

mike brewer

Organized by the Tampa Museum of Art This exhibition has a $10 ticket fee. Free for members, youth ages 17 and younger, and college students with ID.

for advertising & subscription information:

402.884.2000 Comments? Send your letter to the editor to: david@omahamagazine.com All versions of Omaha Magazine are published bimonthly by Omaha Magazine, LTD, P.O. Box 461208, Omaha NE 68046-1208. Telephone: (402) 884-2000; fax (402) 884-2001. Subscription rates: $19.95 for 6 issues (one year), $24.95 for 12 issues (two years). No whole or part of the contents herein may be reproduced without prior written permission of Omaha Magazine, excepting individually copyrighted articles and photographs. Unsolicited manuscripts are accepted, however no responsibility will be assumed for such solicitations. Best of Omaha®™ is a registered tradename of Omaha Magazine.

Statue of Poseidon/Neptune alongside dolphin (detail), Roman, 1st century AD, marble, Collection Tampa Museum of Art, Joseph Veach Noble Collection, 1986.135

The realm of Poseidon encompassed virtually every aspect of life in the ancient Mediterranean world, from mythology and religious cult to daily activities. The exhibition centers around an imposing marble statue of the god from the first century AD that sets the stage for more than 100 works of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman art produced over more than a millennium. Major SponSor: Douglas County; Contributing SponSor: Peter Kiewit Sons’, Inc., Valmont Industries, Inc.; Supporting SponSor: Mutual of Omaha; Additional Support provided by: Nebraska Arts Council and Nebraska Cultural Endowment.

2200 Dodge St. | Omaha, NE | (402) 342-3300 | joslyn.org omaha magazine • march/april 2014

this is omaha for starters

THIS IS OMAHA

Photo by Colin Conces Photography

Photo by Brinkhoff/Moegenburg

OMAHA FASHION WEEK OMAR BAKING BUILDING MARCH 4-9

WAR HORSE ORPHEUM THEATER APRIL 8-13

Omaha Fashion Week is the Midwest’s premier fashion event. Both talent incubator and glamorous professional showcase, OFW seamlessly connects industry professionals to a large and engaged audience. OFW provides a professional platform to showcase the work of regional independent fashion designers on a bi-annual basis. Now entering its seventh year, it has become the Midwest’s largest fashion event, surpassing Minneapolis, Denver, Kansas City, and St. Louis in terms of audience size and the number of independent designers served. This year’s OFW Spring event has a new home at the Omar Baking Building, which will be the site of stunning catwalk action surrounded by chic pop-up shopping and a host of related fashion-forward happenings. Featured designers showing fall/winter looks at the spring event include, Elda Doamekpo, Kate Walz, Angela Balderston, Terri Buckner, Hannah Olson, Buf Reynolds, Stacey Sipp, Aubrey Sookram, Fella Vaughn, Jessica Collins, Bryan Frost and Erica Cardenas, Crystal Hobson, Katie Thomspon, and Margie Trembley.

A heart-warming tale of loyalty and friendship, and winner of five 2011 Tony Awards®, War Horse is the story of young Albert and his beloved horse, Joey. When Joey is sold to the British cavalry in World War I, he is caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary journey serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home. Omaha Performing Arts presents the National Theatre of Great Britain production of this powerfully moving drama based on the beloved novel by Michael Morpurgo. This imaginative drama is a show of phenomenal inventiveness that is currently playing to packed houses around the world. At its heart are astonishing life-sized puppets created by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company that bring to life breathing, galloping, charging horses strong enough for men to ride.

4383 Nicholas St. Tickets $15 to $80 omahafashionweek.com

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

409 S. 16th St. Tickets from $35 to $80 402-345-0606 ticketomaha.com

this is omaha for starters

FOR STARTERS

Photo provided by The Internatnional Omaha

EARTH DAY OMAHA ELMWOOD PARK APRIL 19

THE INTERNATIONAL OMAHA CENTURYLINK CENTER OMAHA APRIL 11-12

The 24th Annual Earth Day Omaha, Nebraska’s largest ecologically focused event, will return to Elmwood Park on April 19th. Every year nearly 10,000 people converge on Omaha’s Earth Day event to learn more about people, organizations, and businesses that are making a positive impact on the environment. The free event features exhibit booths, children’s activities, and demonstrations by local green organizations, plus live music from top local bands and food from area vendors. All activities are designed to educate and inspire attendees to live green and healthy at home and at work. Earth Day Omaha is also looking for the public to nominate their green heroes for the Friend of the Environment Award, this year sponsored by Whole Foods. Each year the Earth Day Omaha Coalition recognizes one individual and one organization that are making an extraordinary effort to protect the environment. These Friends of the Environment have dedicated a significant amount of time and energy to protecting the environment or pursuing an environmental issue. Do you know someone who is showing us all up in taking on an environmental issue? Put them in the greenest of spotlights! Nominations are due by Sunday, April 13 at midnight.

The International Omaha is a world-class equestrian show-jumping experience, combining high-level, intense competition with educational activities designed to engage and entertain the whole family. Debuting in Omaha at the CenturyLink Center in 2012, it was ranked as the 14th best competition in all of North America by North American Riders Group. Omaha will host this internationally sanctioned competition again in April featuring riders representing different countries and states who have competed in the Olympics, World Cup Championships, and Pan Am games. It is all about speed, execution, and the competitive spirit of both rider and horse. Explore the International U expo and experience a host of family friendly, interactive educational displays for all ages. Daytime competitions require no ticket. Each night, cheer on the riders in the ticketed competitions. Friday night is the Mutual of Omaha Bank Battle in the Saddle, which crowns the fastest horse. Saturday evening features the International Grand Prix. The International Omaha is vying against London, Hong Kong, and a Dutch city called ‘s-Hertogenbosch to host the sport’s most prestigious event, the Fédération Equestre Internationale’s 2017 World Cup Finals.

Elmwood Park Free 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. earthdayomaha.com

455 N. 10th St. Tickets $21 to $42 ticketmaster.com

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

CALENDAR

march/april 2014

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

ART AND MUSEUM EXHIBITS Mitchell Squire: We’re gonna have to do more than talk Through March 15, Carver Bank–724 S. 12th St. Omaha has recently had a great deal of media attention surrounding crime, gun violence, and the legislation that intersects it. Mitchell Squire’s exhibition at the Bemis Center’s Carver Bank venue, We’re gonna have to do more than talk, explores how and if visual art can contribute to a better understanding and redress for the complex issues surrounding gun violence, particularly as it relates to the black community. M-F/11am-2:30pm. Free. 402-341-7130 – bemiscenter.org

iROZEALb Through May 11, Joslyn Art Museum–2200 Dodge St. Fusing imagery and techniques from widely varied sources—including American hip hop culture, traditional Japanese woodcut prints, comic books, and Byzantine icons—iROZEALb’s paintings, drawings, and mixed media collages examine the ways personal identity is shaped when cultural forces collide. 10:30am. Free. 402-661-3862 – joslyn.org

No Strangers: Ancient Wisdom in a Modern World Through April 19, KANEKO–1111 Jones St. This exhibition is the first offering in an ongoing partnership with the Annenberg Space for Photography, based in Los Angeles, that will bring a sampling of the best work in photography to KANEKO in the years to come. No Strangers consists of over 100 images from 24 photographers and an original documentary. M-W/9am5pm; Sat/1-5pm. Free. 402-341-3800 – thekaneko.org Photographers and the Plains Indians Through April 19, KANEKO–1111 Jones St. This exhibition is drawn from an archive of historical photographs. It looks at the dynamic relationship between photographer, subject, and consumer, while raising issues about what it means to “capture” a people through a visual medium such as photography. M-W/9am-5pm; Sat/1-5pm. Free. 402-341-3800 – thekaneko.org

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

The 1968 Exhibit Through May 4, The Durham Museum–801 S. 10 St. The 1968 Exhibit is an ambitious, state-of-the-art, multimedia exhibit that looks at how the experiences of the year fueled a persistent, if often contradictory, sense of identity for the people who were there. It is the unsettled nature of the debate about damage done or victories won that makes an exhibit on this subject so compelling and urgent. $9 adults, $7 seniors, $6 ages 3-12, members and children 2 and under free. Sun/1-5pm; Tu/10am-8pm; W-Sat/10am-5pm. 402-444-5071 – durhammuseum.org

Photo by Colin Conces Photography Sum of Us Through June 28, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts–724 S. 12th St. Sum of Us features six Kansas City artists whose multimedia work explores the relationship of the part to the whole. Although markedly different in approach and process, they provide a meditation on our simultaneously whole and fragmentary states, specifically our relationships to time, space, place, and self. Tu-Sat/11am-5pm. Free. 402-341-7130 – bemiscenter.org

CONCERTS All Tchaikovsky–Omaha Symphony March 7-8, Holland Performing Arts Center– 1200 Douglas St. Marcelo Lehninger (conductor) and Vadym Kholodenko (2013 Van Cliburn Competition Medalist and pianist) perform Tchaikovsky’s impassioned piano concerto and lush portraits of two timeless love stories ignite the senses. $27-$80. F-Sat/8pm. 402-345-0606 – omahasymphony.org

Simple Pleasures

calendar march/april 2014 Photo by Bill Sitzmann

Safari Cigars & Lounge is the ideal location for brunches, luncheons, dinner parties, corporate meetings, photo shoots and other special events.

The Plymouth Brass March 9, UNO Strauss Performing Arts Center – 6001 Dodge St. Don’t miss one of Nebraska’s finest brass ensembles presenting an array of music that spans the ages. Join the Plymouth Brass and organist Tom Trenney for a program showcasing melodies sacred and secular. $15 adults, $5 seniors and students. 7:30pm. 402-345-0606 – ticketomaha.com

We provide attentive service, an extensive selection of wine, spirits and cordials and a choice of more than 100 of the ﬁnest cigars. To inquire about hosting a private event, call today!

Christopher O’Riley March 15, Holland Performing Arts Center– 1200 Douglas St. Pianist Christopher O’Riley is revered for bridging the gap between pop and classical music. He will perform selections from Out Of My Hands, which features the music of R.E.M., Portishead, Pink Floyd, Nirvana, The Smiths, and Tears for Fears, as well as songs from Radiohead and Elliott Smith. $30. 8pm. 402-345-0606–ticketomaha.com

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The Best of Omaha™ series continues in July/August with Demi Lovato: Neon Lights Tour March 16, CenturyLink Center Omaha–455 N. 10 St. Demi Lovato is bringing her Neon Lights Tour to Omaha along with Little Mix, Fifth Harmony, and Cher Lloyd. Lovato, former Disney star and current judge of The X Factor, has had albums debuting at No. 1 on the iTunes Chart in over 25 countries, including the U.S. 8pm. $27.50-$63 plus fees. 402-341-1500 – centurylinkcenteromaha.com

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Jim Gaffigan March 18, Holland Performing Arts Center– 1200 Douglas St. Jim Gaffigan has proven himself a major talent beloved to a wide range of audiences, achieving accolades and awards for his stand-up comedy, acting, and writing. His clever, quiet style has made him one of the top five most successful touring comedians in the country today, and his CDs and DVDs have reached platinum sales. Gaffigan has had an unprecedented number of late-night appearances with Letterman and Conan. $44.75-$49.75. 7pm. 402-345-0606 – ticketomaha.com

10666 Sapp Bros. Drive Omaha, NE 68138 402-896-9140 Between Exits 439 & 440 on I-80

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

CALENDAR

march/april 2014

Omaha Storm Chasers Through September 1, Werner Park–12356 Ballpark Way The Triple-A champion Omaha Storm Chasers begin a defense of their title with an eight-game home stand against the Nashville Sounds (March 3-6) and the Memphis Redbirds (March 7-10). Batter up! Children’s Wear Showcase March 6, Omar Bakery Building–4383 Nicholas St. This event is great for little fashionistas and their parents. Check out what will be hot in Fall/Winter 2014 in Children’s Wear from designers Cute N Sassy Designz, Beloved, Gweedo & Geeps, and Markoos Modern Design. $30-$80. 6pm. ticketleap.com

Lady Antebellum with Kip Moore and Kacey Musgraves March 27, CenturyLink Center Omaha–455 N. 10 St. The six-time Grammy-winning trio blends contemporary country with soulful ’60s R&B into an infectious modern brew. Hear their hit songs, including “Need You Now” and “Just a Kiss.” $51.95-$108.85 plus fees. 7pm. 402-341-1500 – centurylinkcenteromaha.com Soweto Gospel Choir March 27, Holland Performing Arts Center– 1200 Douglas St. The Grammy-winning Soweto Gospel Choir celebrates the unique and inspirational power of African gospel music. The 52 members of the choir come from the churches in and around Soweto, an urban area in Johannesburg, South Africa. Formed in 2002, the choir has shared the stage with Peter Gabriel, Bono, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and others on the world’s most prestigious stages, from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House. $20-$50. 7:30pm. 402-3450606 – ticketomaha.com FAMILY & MORE 60 Days of Science Through April 30, Strategic Air & Space Museum–28210 West Park Hwy. Sixty Days of Science is an extended opportunity for the public to explore, discover, and try science on many levels at the Strategic Air & Space Museum. Conduct experiments, make observations, and try physical tests that will allow visitors to experience an idea—not just read about it. $12 adults, $6 kids, and free for all members. 10am-5pm. 402-944-3100 – sasmuseum.com

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

Heat the Streets Run and Walk for Warmth March 1, Midtown Crossing–31-33 and Farnam-Dodge Sts. The Heat the Streets Run and Walk for Warmth Campaign is supported by a community coalition of metro area nonprofit organizations, corporations, government representatives, and concerned citizens. The mission of the campaign is to raise funds to help metro area residents heat their homes in the bitter cold winter months and cool their homes during the hot and humid summer months. $35 for the run, $25 for the walk. 10am. 402-598-7804 – heartlandwalkforwarmth.org Golf Consumer Show March 1-2, CenturyLink Center Omaha–455 N. 10 St. The all-new Nebraska Golf Show will help golfers get a jump-start on the 2014 season with great deals, fun games, and the largest gathering of golf manufacturers and exhibitors under one roof in the entire state. Play fun skills contests with unbelievable prizes. Receive free lessons from top pros. Enjoy a fully stocked 19th Hole Lounge. Special areas for kids, golf fitness, and other exciting activities. $11 adults, $9 seniors, free for ages 12 and under.Sat/10am-6pm; Sun 10am-5pm. 402-341-1500–nebraskagolfshow.com Tangier Shrine Circus March 1-2, Omaha Civic Auditorium–1804 Capital Ave. A super-sized Circus Fun Fair will cover both lower levels of the Omaha Civic Auditorium. Games, elephant and camel rides, face painting, and a petting zoo offer hours of fun for circus goers of all ages. $12-$30. Sat/12, 4 & 7 pm; Sun/1 & 4:30pm. 402-444-3353 – omahashrinecircus.com

American Girl Fashion Show March 7-9, Happy Hollow Country Club, 1701 S. 105 St. The American Girl Fashion Show is a fun-filled event for girls and their families, friends, and favorite dolls. Celebrate the experience of being a girl, yesterday and today, through a colorful presentation of historical and contemporary fashions. Participating models will walk the runway in genuine American Girl clothing while carrying a matching doll from the American Girl collection. During each of eight shows presented by the Junior League of Omaha, attendees will enjoy elegant refreshments, enter to win door prizes, and discover how clothing has changed over the years to reflect history, culture, and girls’ individual styles. F/7pm; Sat/10am, 1pm, 4pm, & 7pm; Sun/10am, 1pm, & 4pm. 402-493-5823 – jlomaha.org Omaha Bridal Showcase March 8, CenturyLink Center Omaha–455 N. 10 St. Plan the wedding of your dreams and check out the amazing runway fashion shows. Chat with local wedding professionals and get practical advice from experts. $12 online. 11am-4pm. $15 at the door, 402-213-1246 – omahabridalnetwork.com

calendar march/april 2014

Leprechaun Chase March 8, Strategic Air & Space Museum– 28210 West Park Hwy. The lasses and lads run through a scenic and varied 10k course complete with water stations, enthusiastic crowd support, and kilt-wearing bagpipers. If a lass crosses the finish line first, all of the ladies get a free drink. If a lad wins, all of the guys get a free drink at the after party. $30-$40. 4pm. 402944-3100– sasmuseum.com Jillian Michaels’ Maximize Your Life Tour March 12, Holland Performing Arts Center– 1200 Douglas St. The Biggest Loser star takes the stage in this intimate and uniquely personal experience that provides audience members with the tools and motivation to harness their potential, kick-start goals, and live the exceptional life that they’ve always wanted but thought wasn’t possible. $25-$150. 7:30pm. 402-345-0606 – ticketomaha.com

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Triumph of Agriculture Exposition March 12-13, CenturyLink Center Omaha– 455 N. 10 St. The 48th Annual Triumph of Agriculture Exposition will be held with over 200,000 square feet of clear-span exhibit space on one level. This annual farm event, regarded as one of the largest indoor short line Farm Machinery Shows in the Midwest, is a diversified presentation of agricultural products and services. W/9am-4pm; Th/9am-3pm. Free. 402-346-8003 – showofficeonline.com

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CALENDAR

march/april 2014 PERFORMING ARTS Borodin’s Prince Igor – The Met: Live in HD March 1, Film Streams at the Ruth Sokolof Theater, 1340 Mike Fahey St. Join in the wonder of this live telecast. Borodin’s defining Russian epic is famous for its Polovtsian Dances and comes to the Met for the first time in nearly 100 years. Star bass-baritone Ildar Abdrazakov takes on the monumental title role, with Gianandrea Noseda conducting. 11am. $20 for Film Streams Members & Opera Omaha Subscribers, $24 general admission, $10 students with school ID. 402-933-0259–filmstreams.org. Ronald K. Brown/Evidence March 1, Orpheum Theater– 409 S. 16 St. Founded by Ronald K. Brown in 1985, Evidence Dance Company blends traditional African dance with contemporary choreography and the spoken word. Drawing inspiration from the history, traditions, and dance forms of Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa, Brown’s work is kinetic storytelling. Theater, text, and music—from classical to hip-hop—also weave through Brown’s culturally significant and emotionally rich works. $20-$50 plus fees. 8pm. 402-345-0606 – ticketomaha.com

President Bill Clinton March 20, Ralston Arena – 7300 Q St. President Bill Clinton will deliver a keynote address at the Ralston Arena. After leaving the White House, President Clinton established the Clinton Foundation with the mission to improve global health, strengthen economies, promote health and wellness, and protect the environment. $79$500. 10am – homepridetix.com Dinosaur Zoo March 21-22, Holland Performing Arts Center–1200 Douglas St. Take a journey through prehistoric ages with Dinosaur Zoo. In this fun, educational, and imaginative performance, ancient dinosaurs come to life through the use of giant puppetry, stilt-walkers, inflatable environments, and more. Visitors will have the opportunity to feed, water, and care for these prehistoric marvels in a petting zoo like no other. $20-$25. F/2pm & 7pm; Sat/11am, 1pm & 3pm. 402-345-0606 – ticketomaha.com The Dinosaur Hunter March 25, Holland Performing Arts Center– 1200 Douglas St. Having discovered more than two dozen new species of dinosaurs on five continents, paleontologist Paul Sereno has been called a modern-day Indiana Jones. Thanks to his breakthrough discoveries, we now have the most complete picture yet of the dawn of the dinosaur era, some 225 million years ago. Join Sereno as he shares thrilling tales from his life as a dinosaur hunter. $20-$40. 7:30pm. 402-345-0606–ticketomaha.com

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

Greater Omaha Orchid Society Orchid Show March 29-30, Lauritzen Gardens-100 Bancroft St. The event will feature orchid displays from local, regional, and national vendors and growers. Visitors will get the opportunity to see prime specimens of these exotic plants up close. Prize-winning orchids are juried by experienced orchid judges sanctioned by the American Orchid Society. $7 adults, $3 ages 6-12, free for children under 6 and garden members. 10am-4pm. 402-346-4002 – lauritzengardens.org

Shen Yun Performing Arts March 8-9, Orpheum Theater–409 S. 16th St. Shen Yun presents colorful and exhilarating performances of classical Chinese dance and music. A performance by Shen Yun is a presentation of traditional Chinese culture as it once was: a study in grace, wisdom, and the virtues distilled from the five millennia of Chinese civilization. $91-$267. Sat/7:30pm; Sun/2:30pm. 800-430-8903 – ticketomaha.com

calendar march/april 2014

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HAVANA GARAGE Massenet’s Werther – The Met: Live in HD March 15, Film Streams at the Ruth Sokolof Theater – 1340 Mike Fahey St. This is a live telecast of one of opera’s greatest artists, tenor Jonas Kaufmann. French mezzo-soprano Sophie Koch makes her Met debut. They appear together for the first time at the Met in Massenet’s sublime adaptation of Goethe’s revolutionary and tragic romance. $20 for Film Streams members and Opera Omaha Subscribers; $24 general admission, $10 students with school ID. 11:55am. 402-933-0259 – filmstreams.org Sister Act March 18, Orpheum Theater– 409 S. 16 St. Sister Act is Broadway’s feel-amazing musical comedy smash. Featuring original music by eight-time Oscar-winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Little Shop of Horrors), this musical tells the story of Deloris Van Cartier, a wannabe diva whose life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a crime and the cops hide her in the last place anyone would think to look—a convent. Under the suspicious watch of Mother Superior, Deloris helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own. $30-$80. Tu-Th/7:30pm; F/8pm; Sat/2pm & 8pm; Sun/1:30pm & 7pm. 402-345-0606 – ticketomaha.com Leo Lionni’s Frederick Through April 13, The Rose Theater–2001 Farnam St. Frederick is not like the other field mice in his family. While they spend their summer preparing for the harsh winter ahead, Frederick seems to dream away his days. Will he be able to help his family survive the snowy season? In this gentle musical based on Leo Lionni’s award-winning book, a family discovers the unique value of each of its members. F/7pm, Sat/2pm & 5pm, Sun/2pm. $18 non-members, free for members. 402-345-0147 – rosetheater.org

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YEAR ROUND Carhenge. Year-round i n A l liance, Neb. Kitschy Carhenge is formed from vintage American automobiles, painted gray to replicate Stonehenge. The site also features a Car Art Preserve with sculptures made from cars and parts of cars. Free. 308-762-3876 – carhenge.com

Baseball season is fast approaching and Bob Gibson—at least the bronze version of him—awaits at Werner Park, home of the defending PCL and Triple-A Champion Omaha Storm Chasers. Unveiled in March 2013, the tribute to the Omaha native and Hall of Fame pitcher depicts “Gibby” and his signature follow-through to the plate. Gibson spent 17 years in the bigs as a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. Known for his fierce competitive nature and ability to intimidate batters, Gibson’s accomplishments include two World Series Championships, two Cy Young awards, a no-hitter in 1971, and multiple All-Star appearances. His career boasts 251 wins and over 3,100 strikeouts. His staggering 1968 ERA of 1.12 is a modern-era record that stands to his day.

Photo provided by Ole’s Big Game Steakhouse and Lounge Ole’s Big Game Steakhouse and Lounge. Year-round in Paxton, Neb. More than 200 big game trophies and countless mementos of big game hunter Ole’s worldwide safaris make this spot an adventurous treat for the whole family. Ole’s Big Game Steakhouse and Lounge in downtown Paxton has been known for six decades as a place where good friends gather, enjoy each other’s company, grab a bite to eat, play KENO, and spin a yarn or two. 308-239-4500 – olesgiggame.com MARCH Arctic Wings. Through March 23 at Hastings Museum in Hastings, Neb. The exhibit of 25 large-format color photographs explores the phenomenon of bird migration to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a region that is environmentally crucial to the survival of more than 190 bird species. Sun/12-6pm; Tu-Th/9am-5pm; F-Sat/9am8pm. $7 adult, $6 senior, $5 child. 402-461-4629 – hastingsmuseum.org

Playful Paper Theater. March 1 at Museum of Nebraska Art in Kearney, Neb. “Papiertheatre” is a three-dimensional tabletop copy of a real stage that first appeared in Europe in the early 19th century in which paper silhouettes were used to portray Gothic tales of bandits, pirates, and medieval knights with humor and wit. This class invites an adult and child to work together to construct a small-scale paper theater. Images and supplies are provided; feel free to bring your own pictures. 2-4pm. $18 one child & one adult. 308-865-8559 – mona.unk.edu Marsh Madness. March 1-30 at Ponca State Park in Ponca, NE. Celebrate the park’s abundant natural areas and view spring migration of waterfowl. Interpretive programs, guided tours, observation blinds, and more. Free. Open on weekends. 402-755-2284 – outdoornebraska.gov See the Cranes at Fort Kearny. March 1-April 7 at Fort Kearney State Historical Park. The crane migration will be on, and the fort will be a great place to stop and view the cranes. Staff will be on hand to provide crane information and history. Contact the center for more information. Daily, 9am-5pm. 308-865-5305 – outdoornebraska.ne.gov.

Lodgepole Depot Museum. March 1 – April 30 in Lodgepole, Neb. This train depot and railroad museum displays horse buggies, antique furniture, and historical clothing inside an old train depot. Open by appointment. 308-483-5620 – westnebraska.com

Photo provided by Lied Center I Love Lucy Live on Stage. March 7-9 at Lied Center for the Performing Arts in Lincoln, Neb. It’s 1952 and you are a member of the Desilu Playhouse studio audience where you experience firsthand the filming of two hilarious I Love Lucy® episodes, complete with charming host, ’50s style harmonies from the Crystaltone Singers, and the sidesplitting antics of America’s favorite foursome – Lucy, Ricky, Fred, and Ethel. F/7:30pm; Sat/2pm & 7:30pm; Sun/2pm. $30$58. 402-472-4747 – liedcenter.org omaha magazine • march/april 2014

GREATER GREATERNEBRASKA NEBRASKAHAPPENINGS HAPPENINGS

calendar march/april 2014

Celtic Fiddle/Music Camp. March 12-14 at The Old Avoca Schoolhouse. The Schoolhouse Celtic Fiddling Camp is for fiddlers, violists, mandolinists, guitarists, harpists, and ukulele players. Music from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales will be featured. The sessions will be led by championship fiddler and author, Deborah Greenblatt. One day, $60; Two days, $110; Three days, $150.00. 402-275-3221- greenblattandseay.com Oliver! March 14-30 at Minden Opera House in Minden, Neb. A Minden Community Players production for the whole family. F/7:30 pm; Sat & Sun/2:30pm. $15. 308-832-0588 – mindenoperahouse.com Spirit: A Celebration of Art in the Heartland. March 15-April 6 at Museum of Nebraska Art in Kearney, Neb. A variety of media, styles, and themes by Nebraska’s gifted artists. Tu-Sat/11am-5pm; Sun/1-5pm. Free. 308-865-8559 – monet.unk.edu

Beers of Nebraska. March 22 at Milligan Auditorium in Milligan, Neb. Sample Nebraska microbrews and sit back and enjoy live music and food. 4pm. 402-629-4446 – milliganne.org Lancaster Antique Show & Sale. March 22-23 at Lancaster Event Center in Lincoln, Neb. More than 30 years and going strong. Quality antiques including furniture, books, glassware, jewelry, and collectables. Sat/9am-5pm; Sun/10am-4pm. $4. 402-432-1451 – lancastereventcenter.com Children’s Theatre: Stuart Little. March 25 at Norfolk Arts Center in Norfolk, Neb. Children’s Theatre: Stuart Little, produced by Dallas Children’s Theater Company of Dallas. 10am, 1pm, and 6:30pm. 10am & 1pm, $3; 6:30pm, $5. 402-371-7199 – norfolkartscenter.org On the Frontier and in the Factory. March 30 at Sarpy County Historical Museum in Bellevue, Neb. On the Frontier and in the Factory: Nebraska Women 1854-1945. 2pm. Free. 402-292-1880 – sarpycountymuseum.org APRIL

Photo provided by Stuhr Museum Wings Over the Platte Exhibit. Through April 6 at Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer in Grand Island, Neb. The region’s largest art exhibit dedicated to life on the Platte River and its tributaries returns for a 26th year. The exhibit will be located at Bartenbach’s Venue in Grand Island. 9am-5pm daily. $4 adults; $3 seniors; $2 ages 6-12; free ages 5 & under. 308-385-5316 – stuhrmuseum.org Photo provided by Shrine Circus Shrine Circus. March 19-23 at Pershing Center in Lincoln, Neb. The Shrine Circus will be at the Pershing Center for 9 shows. W/7pm; Th/12:30pm & 7pm; F/12:30pm & 7pm; Sat/12:30pm & 7pm; Sun/12:30pm & 5pm. $15-$17. 402-441-8744 – pershingcenter.com

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

7th Annual Juried Exhibition. Beginning April 3 at Norfolk Arts Center in Norfolk, Neb. Steve Elliott creates large-scale sculptures and mixed-media works that have been included in more than 60 exhibitions and collaborations in 23 states nationwide. Elliott is currently serving as the Arts & Humanities Interim Dean at Wayne State College in Nebraska. T/10am-8pm; W-F/10am-6pm; Sat/10am-4pm. Free. 402-371-7199 – norfolkartscenter.org

“With the Grain.” April 1-30 at Prairie Winds Art Center in Grand Island, Neb. Renowned artists, Harry Adams (wood turner) and Cynthia Duff (painter) join their creative talents for this unusual show. Their collaborative pieces are designs inspired by the grain of the wood. M-Sat/10am-5:30pm. Free. 308-381-4001 – prairiewindsart.com

Photo provided by Catalyst String Quartet The Catalyst String Quartet. April 11 at the Sheldon Museum of Art. Sheldon Friends of Chamber Music present the Catalyst String Quartet comprised of top laureates of the Sphinx Foundation, which identifies and develops African American and Latino classical musicians. The Quartet will perform works by Gabriela Frank, George Walker, traditional Latin songs, Haydn, and Schumann. 8pm. $25/adults, $5/students. 402-472-2462 – sheldonartmuseum.org Rural Route Rust – A Vintage Vendor Market. April 12 at Bloom Where You’re Planted Farm in Avoca, NE. Shop the farmyard for vintage treasures, antiques, and handcrafted items from more than a dozen vendors. Homemade lunch at the Schoolhouse Café. 10am-5pm. Free. 402-267-4104 – bloompumpkinpatch.com Country Bluegrass Show. April 24-26 at Lincoln County Fairgrounds in North Platte, NE. Enjoy bands and entertainers from across the United States, including Wilson and Fairchild, Feller & Hill, Larry Stephenson, and more. Food, camping, and workshops available. Noon-11pm. $50/3day pass. 308-532-1465 – countrybluegrassshow.homestead.com

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Cherry, has hit a nerve in the sweet tooth of Omaha’s choosiest chocolate fiends. What began eight years ago as a way to pay for graduate school has evolved into national acclaim and a busy holiday season that kept her and her team of family elves making chocolates around the clock. It didn’t hurt that a little old icon from Chicago named Oprah listed Stephen’s nativity scene of chocolate-covered cordial cherries as one of her favorite things of 2013. Her boutique on 180th and Pacific is like a “chocolate jewelry box.” Chandeliers twinkle like diamonds amid the smell of warm chocolate. Little glass boxes neatly >

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

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< display mouth-melting morsels, and shiny cake domes of treats tempt at every turn. Upside-down lamps hang whimsically among repurposed furniture for a French country feel. In the center of it all stands a beautiful and petite Stephens, whose perfectly coiffed mane and flawless makeup belie the fact that she was running on a not atypical three hours of sleep. “My vision was to have a beautiful place where people could take their time and really appreciate the experience,” says the detail-oriented mother of four. “I always have this tendency to doll things up and decorate them. It’s very therapeutic for me.” Even the presentation of her delicious box of confections is schemingly “just so.” Each box is carefully bound in twine by her sons and topped with a sprig of evergreen and an adorable custom-made tag. She learned how to make the chocolate-covered cordial cherries from her Grandma Jacque, whose picture hangs prominently in the shop, almost as if to cast an approving gaze over the wonder her granddaughter created. Stephens says that while her grandfather was away serving in the military, her grandma would occupy her time by taking cooking classes. “Every Christmas her kitchen table would be covered with these cordial cherries. We would be walking by and would have to snag a couple. So the table would dwindle and dwindle. By the time we would go, they were all gone,” she says. But life hasn’t always been a box of chocolates for Stephens. She used to be almost embarrassed of her chocolate business. “I started out in a career of science and research, and I thought I was going to change the world by curing diseases.” Stephens instead struck culinary gold by following her heart. “When I embrace the talent that I’ve been blessed with, and I share that with those around me, that’s when I see the real power in our talents.” Urging women to discover their talents is important to this entrepreneur, so Stephens launched Stories Coffeehouse in the same shopping plaza last fall as a tool to help other women succeed in business. But with the sweet often comes the bittersweet, she recalls in relating the story of a man who was only given a few days to live. His sister was sent to the store so that he could enjoy Stephen’s cordial cherries one last time. “They’re just chocolates,” she says, “but they make people happy.” OMAG

Keep your heart racing at VisitRapidCity.com or call 800-487-3223. omaha magazine • march/april 2014

ARTS + CULTURE

story by kim carpenter • photos by bill sitzmann and provided by the moving company

ORGE AMBRIZ HAS BEEN moving

his whole life—as a dancer, that is. The 36-year-old HR Manager of Omaha Steel Castings trained as a child in Mexican folkloric dance. No matter where he has lived, he always found a dance company so he could keep in motion. For the past seven years it’s been with University of Nebraska-Omaha’s The Moving Company, perhaps the area’s leading practitioners of 20th-century and contemporary dance. But Ambriz isn’t affiliated with the university. A common misperception is that The Moving Company is for students only. The troupe, which was established in 1935 and is one of the oldest university dance companies in continuous existence in the world, draws people of all ages from all walks of life. “People usually think it’s for UNO,” remarks Ambriz. “That’s not the case. Out of 30-plus members, less than 10 are probably students.” The company’s director, Josie MetalCorbin, elaborates, “We are not a student organization. UNL has a dance major, UNK a dance minor. But what we have is a dance company. We are under the auspices of the College of Education and the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. We’re very grateful that the College values what we do. We’ve been in existence off the blood, sweat, and tears of a lot of people.”

Perpetual Motion A Modern Dance Troupe for Contemporary Audiences Dancers range in age from 18-50, and all members audition for a limited number of spaces. While some dancers are professional and maintain their own studios, others have included an ornithologist from the Henry Doorly Zoo and a CEO of a cement company. “The Moving Company welcomes all backgrounds of dance,” Ambriz explains. “It’s very diverse and has all ethnicities, all ages, and all levels of dance.” Even though the company is dedicated to modern dance, choreographers incorporate other styles, such as swing and salsa. “One of the beautiful things about The Moving 28

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

arts + culture perpetual motion

Company,” Ambriz says, “is that it opens the door to different dance.” Performances take place at UNO, but the troupe also does site-specific choreography through its community outreach and partners with numerous area organizations. Over the years, performances have taken place at such venues as the Omaha Community Playhouse, the Durham Museum, Harrah’s Casino, area high schools, St. Cecilia’s Cathedral, and even in the Joslyn Art Museum’s fountain court. “We love to collaborate and do partnerships,” remarks Metal-Corbin. “It’s very fulfilling. Dancers move out into the world and people interact.” This spring The Moving Company will notably take to the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge to celebrate National Water Dance Day. “The movements deal with water,” says Metal-Corbin. “Our theme is drought, and we will move across 3,000 feet [of the bridge] with musicians and dancers.” For Ambriz, these kinds of experiences are enriching. “The Moving Company,” he says, “allows us to use our full potential.” OMAG

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FEATURE

story by sarah wengert • photo by bill sitzmann

Gridiron Gals

N APPROACHING STAMPEDE CAN be seen, heard,

and felt. The blur of feet and thunderous vibration of an approaching herd almost reaches out to touch you on any given Saturday as the Nebraska Stampede practices in preparation for a new season. But the women of the Stampede wouldn’t call it a touch. They’d call it a hit—and a bone-crushing one at that. “Get out there and get aggressive, okay?” yells a linebacker whose ponytail peeks out from her helmet. “This isn’t dance class,” she adds, as the team huddles up for quarterback Jenny “Flip” Filipowicz to call the next play. On the sideline stands Dave Dawson, the coach of Omaha’s team in the Women’s Football Alliance. He’s been with the Stampede for four years, and it’s his first as head coach, a baton he took from team co-owner Rex Johnson. 30

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

“I think people would be surprised at the level of talent on this team and how hard they play,” he says as a four-player pile-up comes crashing down just inches from his feet. “It’s exciting for me to help someone who’s passionate about the game and otherwise might not get the opportunity to play at a competitive level.” Co-owner Julie Johnson says they are known among other teams as being great sports—which she takes pride in—but talent and competitive drive is what wins games for the squad that produced five All-Americans last season, the second-most in the division. Julie and her husband, Rex, started the team in 2009 in order to give their football-playing daughters an outlet. She says the Stampede is a good mix of experience levels. Some players have Pee Wees experience while others are picking up the pigskin for the first time.

Nebraska Stampede women’s football team gains momentum.

Depth charts can be rather one-dimensional, and versatility is a prized asset. “We call this ironman football…ironwoman football,” says Julie, pointing to how most of the roster plays both sides. Julie herself played for the Nebraska Stampede in its first year. “It was something I wanted but also felt like I needed to do it so I knew firsthand what we were asking them to do,” she says. Rounding out the family affair, daughters Bethany and Tina Johnson also play. But even non-Johnsons are a part of the Stampede family. “They are a unified team, and they have become a very close family,” says Julie. Rachal Pender says her involvement in the Stampede family has been an essential part of her life. “I genuinely believe the Stampede saved my life,” says Pender, acknowledging past difficulties with alcohol abuse. “This is the

feature gridiron gals

first thing in my life that was more important to me than that.” Pender had a very insular upbringing. Although she always loved football, joining the Stampede was her first foray into playing sports. “My parents didn’t allow me to play any organized sports,” she said. “I grew up in a very religious home; never wore pants or cut my hair until I was 20. I’ve always been [like this inside]—crazy, aggressive, loud. I’ve never had a place that I fit in quite like I do here because my aggressiveness is celebrated and loved.” With the Stampede she not only gets to play football, she also gets to be herself. “I don’t mean to brag,” she adds, “but I am the lungs of the Stampede. I yell the entire game whether I’m playing or not.” Pender has played in every Stampede game since the team’s inception, but her streak will end when the clock runs out on the team’s first game in April. And it will end in a way that could never be reported during an NFL pregame summary. She is pregnant. Pender adds she’s not the only player for whom the Stampede was life-changing. “Julie and Rex accept us all as we are,” she says. “They came here and created this huge thing that so many people could come be a part of. They just embrace everyone.” Bethany Johnson, a hard-hitting vet on the Stampede team and Julie and Rex’s daughter, has been playing football since age 9. “Too much in society, women are dictated by their bodies,” she says. “In this league it doesn’t matter because we need every body shape. [Playing] gives you lots of confidence. Not just for me, but for so many of us.” Bethany sports long, manicured nails—a sight that seems to contradict her tough gridiron persona. “That’s how I know I’m doing my job,” she says. “If my nails aren’t broken then I did my job: I hit them before they hit me.” Though she has nothing against them, she clarified that the Stampede is not the Lingerie Football League — a common confusion. “LFL gets a lot of attention, so it’s nice that we’re getting some momentum,” she says. “Kudos to them, but we like to know that girls can play this sport without having to take their clothes off.” As for advice for any aspiring Stampeders? “Come out and give it a shot,” says Bethany. “The girls here have awesome, positive attitudes. They’ll make you feel at home on day one.” OMAG

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STYLE SHOT

story by david williams • photos by bill sitzmann

Former Mrs. Nebraska Kim Daniels channels her inner June Cleaver

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

style shot former mrs. nebraska kim daniels

NORMALLY

WE AR

tiara only on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays,” quips Kim Daniels, tongue planted firmly in cheek. “And, of course, whenever I go shopping. Or to a game. Or down to the park.” >

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

STYLE SHOT

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

style shot former mrs. nebraska kim daniels

Working with Heartland Family Service has been one the most personally and professionally enriching things I’ve ever done.

< Daniels was Mrs. Nebraska 2012 and is The Scoular Company’s community relations and office manager who also serves on the board of Heartland Family Service, the nonprofit that supports people of all incomes and ages to strengthen the lives of individuals and families through education, counseling, and other services. “Working with Heartland Family Service has been one the most personally and professionally enriching things I’ve ever done,” says the woman who channels her inner June Cleaver in this lampooning of an Eisenhowerera, picture-of-domesticity take on the bygone

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role of women in America. “But what it really means is that our friends and neighbors— every member of our community—has a chance to better their lives and the lives of those around them…kids who are removed from unsafe homes, teens who made the wrong decisions about alcohol, drugs or crime, low-income families—mostly women and children—who fall into homelessness,

and so many more who just need a helping hand to get back on track.” Poking gentle fun at the sequined, scepter-toting world of pageants is something of a national pastime, but Daniels understands the true power of a title. “The Mrs. Nebraska stage is an excellent vehicle for social advocacy, and volunteerism is foremost in their mission,” she says. “Each and every Mrs. Nebraska contestant is passionate about their community. This tiara gave me a high-visibility platform that amplified my voice when talking about the vitally important work of Heartland Family Service.” OMAG

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2014 OMAHA’S BEST LAWYERS

special section

Omaha's BEST LAWYERS from

The Best Lawyers in America® 2014 MAHA MAGAZINE IS PROUD to bring you the

These lists are excerpted from The Best Lawyers in America® 2014, which includes listings for more than 50,000 lawyers in 128 specialties, in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Best Lawyers in America® is published by Woodward/White, Inc., Aiken, South Carolina and can be ordered directly from the publisher. For information call 803-648-0300; write 237 Park Ave., SW, Aiken, SC 29801; email info@bestlawyers.com; or visit www. bestlawyers.com. Online subscriptions to Best Lawyers® databases are available at www.bestlawyers.com

Woodward/White Inc. has used its best efforts in assembling material for this list but does not warrant that the information contained herein is complete or accurate, and does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions herein whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. All listed attorneys have been verified as being members in good standing with their respective state bar associations as of July 1, 2013, where that information is publicly available. Consumers should contact their state bar for verification and additional information prior to securing legal services of any attorney. Copyright 2013 by Woodward/White Inc., Aiken, S.C. All rights reserved. This list, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission. No commercial use of this list may be made without permission of Woodward/White, Inc. No fees may be charged, directly or indirectly, for the use of this list without permission. “The Best Lawyers in America” and “Best Lawyers” are registered trademarks of Woodward/White, Inc.

These lists are excerpted from The Best Lawyers in America® 2014, which includes listings for more than 50,000 lawyers in 134 specialties, in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The The Best Lawyers in America® is published by Woodward/White Inc., Aiken, S.C., and can be ordered directly from the publisher. For information call (803) 648-0300; write 237 Park Ave, SW, First Floor, Aiken, SC 29801; email info@bestlawyers.com; or visit www. bestlawyers.com. Online subscriptions to Best Lawyers databases are available at www.bestlawyers.com.

This list is excerpted from the 2014 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America®, the pre-eminent referral guide to the legal profession in the United States. Published since 1983, Best Lawyers lists attorneys in 134 specialties, representing all 50 states, who have been chosen through an exhaustive survey in which thousands of the nation’s top lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The 2014 Edition of Best Lawyers is based on more than 4.9 million evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers. > continued on page 44

Omaha results of The Best Lawyers in America® , widely regarded as the preeminent referral guide to the legal profession in the United States. What makes this list the “go-to” guide? Two reasons: one, lawyers are not required to pay a fee for a basic listing in the guide; two, inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® is based entirely on confidential peer review. Credit

Disclaimer and Copyright

Methodology for Best Lawyers®

Photo by Patrick Drickey, Stonehouse Publishing Co.

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

Slowiaczek, Albers & Astley, P.C., L.L.O. is pleased to announce that three of our lawyers are included in The Best Lawyers in America© 2014 (Copyright 2014 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, SC). John S. Slowiaczek and Virginia A. Albers are listed by Best Lawyers in the field of Family Law. T. Geoffrey Lieben is listed in the fields of Tax Law, Trusts and Estates, and Employee Benefits Law (ERISA). Selection in Best Lawyers is based on peer review. Each year, one Omaha lawyer is selected as the “Lawyer of the Year” for each specific practice area. Mr. Slowiaczek was selected as the “Lawyer of the Year” for Family Law in 2009 and Ms. Albers was selected for that honor in 2011 and 2014. Mr. Lieben was selected as the “Lawyer of the Year” for Tax Law in 2012 and for Employee Benefits Law in 2014. Slowiaczek, Albers & Astley concentrates on the delivery of family law services to Nebraska residents. Mr. Lieben advises the firm on tax and estate matters. Our team of lawyers includes Adam E. Astley, Jesse S. Krause and Hannah C. Wooldridge.

100 Scoular Building | 2027 Dodge Street | Omaha, NE 68102 | 402-930-1000

2014 OMAHA’S BEST LAWYERS

special section

Antitrust Law David H. Roe McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Appellate Practice Steven Grasz Husch Blackwell LLP

Arbitration James M. Bausch Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather, L.L.P. John C. Brownrigg Erickson Sederstrom

Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law Robert J. Bothe McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Robert V. Ginn Stinson Leonard Street LLP Richard D. Myers McGill, Gotsdiner, Workman & Lepp, P.C., L.L.O. Douglas E. Quinn McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law Nicholas K. Niemann McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

William F. Hargens McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

James D. Wegner McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Edward D. Hotz Hotz, Weaver, Flood, Breitkreutz & Grant

Commercial Litigation Steven E. Achelpohl Gross & Welch, P.C., L.L.O. Jill Robb Ackerman Baird Holm LLP

D. Nick Caporale Baird Holm LLP

Charles L. Smith Telpner, Peterson, Smith, Ruesch, Thomas & Simpson, LLP

James M. Bausch Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather, L.L.P.

Michael F. Kinney Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas

Jerrold L. Strasheim Jerrold L. Strasheim

Trenten P. Bausch Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather, L.L.P.

Matthew G. Miller Matthew G. Miller, P.C., L.L.O. David M. Woodke Woodke & Gibbons, P.C., L.L.O.

Aviation Law Terrence D. O’Hare McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Banking and Finance Law Thomas F. Ackley Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. Richard L. Anderson Croker, Huck, Kasher, DeWitt, Anderson & Gonderinger, L.L.C.

Donald L. Swanson Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. Steven C. Turner Baird Holm LLP Michael J. Whaley Gross & Welch, P.C., L.L.O. T. Randall Wright Baird Holm LLP

Bet-the-Company Litigation James M. Bausch Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather, L.L.P. Thomas J. Culhane Erickson Sederstrom

Max J. Burbach Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O.

John R. Douglas Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas

Thomas H. DeLay Stratton, DeLay, Doele, Carlson & Buettner, P.C., L.L.O.

James P. Fitzgerald McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Joyce A. Dixon Kutak Rock LLP H. Dale Dixon III Kutak Rock LLP Thomas F. Flaherty Fraser Stryker PC LLO Lawrence E. Kritenbrink Baird Holm LLP Marlon M. Lofgren Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. David H. Roe McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Steven C. Turner Baird Holm LLP John S. Zeilinger Baird Holm LLP

Charles F. Gotch Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas William F. Hargens McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Kirk S. Blecha Baird Holm LLP

Joseph E. Jones Fraser Stryker PC LLO Michael F. Kinney Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas William M. Lamson, Jr. Lamson, Dugan and Murray, LLP Gerald P. Laughlin Baird Holm LLP

Michael F. Coyle Fraser Stryker PC LLO

Bartholomew L. McLeay Kutak Rock LLP

Thomas J. Culhane Erickson Sederstrom

Joseph K. Meusey Fraser Stryker PC LLO

Kelly R. Dahl Baird Holm LLP

Robert D. Mullin, Jr. McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Thomas H. Dahlk Kutak Rock LLP Steven D. Davidson Baird Holm LLP Michael S. Degan Husch Blackwell LLP William G. Dittrick Baird Holm LLP David A. Domina Domina Law Group P.C., L.L.O. John R. Douglas Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas

Michael F. Kinney Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas

James P. Fitzgerald McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

William M. Lamson, Jr. Lamson, Dugan and Murray, LLP

Gerald L. Friedrichsen Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan, P.C., L.L.O.

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

Thomas E. Johnson Baird Holm LLP

Wayne J. Mark Fraser Stryker PC LLO

Mark F. Enenbach McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

John P. Passarelli Kutak Rock LLP

David S. Houghton Houghton, Whitted & Weaver, PC, LLO

Patrick E. Brookhouser, Jr. McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Thomas E. Johnson Baird Holm LLP

Joseph K. Meusey Fraser Stryker PC LLO

Patrick B. Griffin Kutak Rock LLP

James J. Frost McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Charles F. Gotch Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas

James G. Powers McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Robert M. Slovek Kutak Rock LLP Patrick G. Vipond Lamson, Dugan and Murray, LLP Edward G. Warin Kutak Rock LLP

Commercial Transactions / UCC Law Ronald L. Eggers Gross & Welch, P.C., L.L.O.

Construction Law P. Scott Dye Baird Holm LLP Lee H. Hamann McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Lawrence E. Kritenbrink Baird Holm LLP Wayne J. Mark Fraser Stryker PC LLO Todd W. Weidemann Woods & Aitken, LLP

Vacanti Shattuck, Attorneys congratulates Christopher A. Vacanti for being included in the 2014 edition of The Best Lawyers in America for the practice area of Family Law. The Best Lawyers in America is the oldest and most respected peer-reviewed publication in the legal profession. Vacanti Shattuck is expanding its practice into a second location at 2057 Harney Street, which is directly next door to its current location at 2051 Harney Street. The additional space, lawyers and staff will enable Vacanti Shattuck to further assist those in need of counsel regarding divorce, child custody and other family law matters. Stop by to see our exciting new project and let us introduce you to Lawyers Dedicated to Helping Families in Transition.

www.vsfamilylaw.com 2051 and 2057 Harney Street | Omaha, Nebraska | (402) 345-7600

2014 OMAHA’S BEST LAWYERS

Copyright Law Jill Robb Ackerman Baird Holm LLP Denise C. Mazour McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. James E. O’Connor Baird Holm LLP Bruce D. Vosburg Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan, P.C., L.L.O.

Corporate Governance Law Dennis J. Fogland Baird Holm LLP

Corporate Law

special section M. Shaun McGaughey Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. Thomas C. McGowan McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Gregory B. Minter Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan, P.C., L.L.O.

Elizabeth Eynon-Kokrda Baird Holm LLP

Daniel C. Pape McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Richard E. Putnam Baird Holm LLP

T. Parker Schenken Baird Holm LLP

Joyce A. Dixon Kutak Rock LLP

Michael C. Schilken Baird Holm LLP

Donald L. Erftmier, Jr. Erftmier Law, LLC

Travis S. Tyler Fraser Stryker PC LLO

R. Craig Fry Abrahams Kaslow & Cassman LLP

Bruce D. Vosburg Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan, P.C., L.L.O. James P. Waldron Gross & Welch, P.C., L.L.O. Roger W. Wells McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

David E. Gardels Husch Blackwell LLP

R. Thomas Workman McGill, Gotsdiner, Workman & Lepp, P.C., L.L.O.

Stephen E. Gehring Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather, L.L.P.

John S. Zeilinger Baird Holm LLP

Gary M. Gotsdiner McGill, Gotsdiner, Workman & Lepp, P.C., L.L.O. Deryl F. Hamann Baird Holm LLP David L. Hefflinger McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. John W. Herdzina Abrahams Kaslow & Cassman LLP Michael M. Hupp Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O.

Criminal Defense: Non-White-Collar Steven E. Achelpohl Gross & Welch, P.C., L.L.O. Stuart J. Dornan Dornan, Lustgarten & Troia, P.C., L.L.O. J. William Gallup J. William Gallup Alan G. Stoler Alan G. Stoler, P.C., L.L.O.

Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Virgil K. Johnson Erickson Sederstrom Howard J. Kaslow Abrahams Kaslow & Cassman LLP John S. Katelman Stinson Leonard Street LLP Marlon M. Lofgren Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O.

Education Law

Robert J. Murray Lamson, Dugan and Murray, LLP

Mark L. Brasee Fraser Stryker PC LLO

Robert L. Freeman Fraser Stryker PC LLO

James E. Schaefer Schaefer Shapiro, LLP

Robert T. Cannella Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan, P.C., L.L.O.

Todd A. Richardson Husch Blackwell LLP

Dennis J. Fogland Baird Holm LLP

DUI/DWI Defense

Douglas D. Murray Baird Holm LLP

Teresa A. Beaufait Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O.

Thomas F. Flaherty Fraser Stryker PC LLO

Edward G. Warin Kutak Rock LLP

Elder Law Margaret A. Badura Margaret A. Badura Daniel J. Wintz Fraser Stryker PC LLO

Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law Joan M. Cannon Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. Gary N. Clatterbuck Baird Holm LLP T. Geoffrey Lieben Slowiaczek, Albers & Astley P.C., L.L.O. Randal M. Limbeck Jackson Lewis P.C.

Mark McQueen Baird Holm LLP Roger J. Miller McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Scott S. Moore Baird Holm LLP Scott P. Moore Baird Holm LLP Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. Fraser Stryker PC LLO R. J. Stevenson Baird Holm LLP

Energy Law Randall C. Hanson Abrahams Kaslow & Cassman LLP

Environmental Law John A. Andreasen McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Stephen M. Bruckner Fraser Stryker PC LLO Steven P. Case McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Gary W. Radil Baird Holm LLP

Thomas C. McGowan McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

John E. Schembari Kutak Rock LLP

Michael S. Mostek Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O.

Daniel J. Wintz Fraser Stryker PC LLO

Nancy A. Roberts McGill, Gotsdiner, Workman & Lepp, P.C., L.L.O.

Employment Law - Individuals Margaret C. Hershiser Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. Thomas F. Hoarty, Jr. Byam & Hoarty

Employment Law - Management Patrick J. Barrett Fraser Stryker PC LLO A. Stevenson Bogue McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Robert T. Cannella Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan, P.C., L.L.O.

Steven E. Achelpohl Gross & Welch, P.C., L.L.O.

Joseph S. Dreesen Jackson Lewis P.C.

J. William Gallup J. William Gallup

Christopher R. Hedican Baird Holm LLP

Alan G. Stoler Alan G. Stoler, P.C., L.L.O.

Dean G. Kratz McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

Timothy D. Loudon Jackson Lewis P.C.

Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law J. Scott Paul McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Family Law Virginia A. Albers Slowiaczek, Albers & Astley P.C., L.L.O. Patrick A. Campagna Lustgarten & Roberts, P.C., L.L.O. Michael B. Lustgarten Lustgarten & Roberts, P.C., L.L.O. Donald A. Roberts Lustgarten & Roberts, P.C., L.L.O. J. C. Salvo Salvo, Deren, Schenck & Lauterbach, P.C. John S. Slowiaczek Slowiaczek, Albers & Astley P.C., L.L.O. Christopher A. Vacanti Vacanti Shattuck

special section

Financial Services Regulation Law David H. Roe McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Steven C. Turner Baird Holm LLP John S. Zeilinger Baird Holm LLP

Franchise Law Gary R. Batenhorst Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather, L.L.P. Trenten P. Bausch Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather, L.L.P. John W. Herdzina Abrahams Kaslow & Cassman LLP John P. Passarelli Kutak Rock LLP Michael L. Sullivan Baird Holm LLP

Government Relations Practice David J. Kramer Baird Holm LLP

Health Care Law Vickie Brady Ahlers Baird Holm LLP Alex M. Clarke Baird Holm LLP Robert L. Cohen Kutak Rock LLP

Wayne B. Henry Stinson Leonard Street LLP John R. Holdenried Baird Holm LLP Julie A. Knutson Baird Holm LLP Amy L. Longo Ellick, Jones, Buelt, Blazek & Longo Thomas R. Pansing, Jr. Pansing Hogan Ernst & Bachman LLP Barbara E. Person Baird Holm LLP James L. Quinlan Fraser Stryker PC LLO

Amy L. Peck Jackson Lewis P.C.

Information Technology Law

Joseph S. Dreesen Jackson Lewis P.C.

James E. O’Connor Baird Holm LLP

Christopher R. Hedican Baird Holm LLP

Insurance Law Steven D. Davidson Baird Holm LLP Thomas A. Grennan Gross & Welch, P.C., L.L.O.

Charles V. Sederstrom Erickson Sederstrom Karen M. Shuler Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O.

Michael G. Mullin Kutak Rock LLP

Patricia A. Zieg Stinson Leonard Street LLP

Robert D. Mullin, Jr. McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

A. Stevenson Bogue McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Amy L. Erlbacher-Anderson Baird Holm LLP M. Angela Krieger Jackson Lewis P.C. Stanley A. Krieger Jackson Lewis P.C.

Robert T. Cannella Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan, P.C., L.L.O.

Terrence P. Maher Baird Holm LLP

Edward D. Hotz Hotz, Weaver, Flood, Breitkreutz & Grant

Immigration Law

2014 OMAHA’S BEST LAWYERS

Terrence D. O’Hare McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Rex A. Rezac Fraser Stryker PC LLO

International Trade and Finance Law

John C. Hewitt Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather, L.L.P. Soren S. Jensen Berkshire & Burmeister Dean G. Kratz McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Timothy D. Loudon Jackson Lewis P.C. Roger J. Miller McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Scott S. Moore Baird Holm LLP Scott P. Moore Baird Holm LLP Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. Fraser Stryker PC LLO R. J. Stevenson Baird Holm LLP

David E. Gardels Husch Blackwell LLP

Labor Law - Management

Gregory B. Minter Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan, P.C., L.L.O.

Patrick J. Barrett Fraser Stryker PC LLO

Scott S. Moore Baird Holm LLP

A. Stevenson Bogue McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Labor Law - Union Soren S. Jensen Berkshire & Burmeister

Omaha native Robert E. O’Connor, Jr. has been a trial lawyer since his graduation from the Creighton University School of Law in 1974. A second generation trial lawyer, he has tried cases at every level in the State and Federal Court systems. He is active in the American Association for Justice, the Lawyer Pilots Bar Association and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. His experience as a pilot has lead to a specialty representing pilots, mechanics, Fixed Base Operators, Repair Stations and Specialized Freight Carriers with extensive experience in enforcement actions before the FAA and TSA. He is a Past President of the Nebraska Bar Association and has taught, as an adjunct professor, employment law courses at Creighton University School of Law for over 20 years.

Phone 402-330-5906 • Fax 402-330-9763 2433 South 130th Circle, Omaha, NE 68144 • www.robertoconnorlaw.com omaha magazine • march/april 2014

2014 OMAHA’S BEST LAWYERS

Land Use and Zoning Law Robert G. Dailey McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Robert J. Huck Croker, Huck, Kasher, DeWitt, Anderson & Gonderinger, L.L.C. Steven D. Johnson Steven D. Johnson David C. Levy Baird Holm LLP

Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants

special section Charles F. Gotch Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas Joseph E. Jones Fraser Stryker PC LLO Wayne J. Mark Fraser Stryker PC LLO James G. Powers McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Litigation - Environmental John A. Andreasen McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

John R. Douglas Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas

Stephen M. Bruckner Fraser Stryker PC LLO

Joseph K. Meusey Fraser Stryker PC LLO

Steven P. Case McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Legal Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs John R. Douglas Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas

Litigation - Antitrust Mark F. Enenbach McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. John P. Passarelli Kutak Rock LLP

Litigation - Banking and Finance Thomas H. DeLay Stratton, DeLay, Doele, Carlson & Buettner, P.C., L.L.O. William F. Hargens McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Litigation - Bankruptcy Douglas E. Quinn McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Charles L. Smith Telpner, Peterson, Smith, Ruesch, Thomas & Simpson, LLP

Kelly R. Dahl Baird Holm LLP Mark F. Enenbach McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. William F. Hargens McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. John P. Heil Baird Holm LLP Thomas C. McGowan McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Michael S. Mostek Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O.

Litigation - ERISA Steven D. Davidson Baird Holm LLP John E. Schembari Kutak Rock LLP Daniel J. Wintz Fraser Stryker PC LLO

Litigation - First Amendment Michael C. Cox Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O.

Litigation - Intellectual Property

Jerrold L. Strasheim Jerrold L. Strasheim

Litigation - Labor and Employment

Frank J. Mihulka Woods & Aitken, LLP

Patrick J. Barrett Fraser Stryker PC LLO

Scott P. Moore Baird Holm LLP

Kirk S. Blecha Baird Holm LLP

Jerry M. Slusky Smith, Gardner, Slusky, Lazer, Pohren & Rogers, LLP

A. Stevenson Bogue McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Robert T. Cannella Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan, P.C., L.L.O. Aaron A. Clark McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Dean G. Kratz McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Roger J. Miller McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Scott P. Moore Baird Holm LLP Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. Fraser Stryker PC LLO

Litigation - Land Use and Zoning Scott P. Moore Baird Holm LLP James G. Powers McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions Thomas H. Dahlk Kutak Rock LLP William F. Hargens McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Litigation - Patent John P. Passarelli Kutak Rock LLP Dennis L. Thomte Thomte Patent Law Office LLC

Litigation - Real Estate

Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy) Thomas H. Dahlk Kutak Rock LLP Mark F. Enenbach McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. William M. Lamson, Jr. Lamson, Dugan and Murray, LLP

Litigation - Securities James M. Bausch Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather, L.L.P. Patrick E. Brookhouser, Jr. McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Thomas H. Dahlk Kutak Rock LLP Patrick B. Griffin Kutak Rock LLP

Litigation - Trusts and Estates Dennis W. Collins Jewell & Collins Sharon R. Kresha Baird Holm LLP Susan J. Spahn Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan, P.C., L.L.O. Nick R. Taylor Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan, P.C., L.L.O.

Litigation and Controversy - Tax Howard N. Kaplan Law Offices of Howard N. Kaplan Vicki L. Meadors McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Donald L. Swanson Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O.

Jill Robb Ackerman Baird Holm LLP

Richard L. Anderson Croker, Huck, Kasher, DeWitt, Anderson & Gonderinger, L.L.C.

T. Randall Wright Baird Holm LLP

James M. Bausch Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather, L.L.P.

John P. Passarelli Kutak Rock LLP

Steven D. Davidson Baird Holm LLP

Bruce D. Vosburg Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan, P.C., L.L.O.

Dennis P. Hogan III Pansing Hogan Ernst & Bachman LLP

John C. Brownrigg Erickson Sederstrom

Michael D. Matejka Woods & Aitken, LLP

D. Nick Caporale Baird Holm LLP

Litigation - Construction Thomas J. Culhane Erickson Sederstrom

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

Nicholas K. Niemann McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Jeffrey J. Pirruccello McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Mediation

special section Michael F. Kinney Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas J. Terry Macnamara McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. John J. McCauley John J. McCauley Arbitration Matthew G. Miller Matthew G. Miller, P.C., L.L.O. Michael G. Mullin Kutak Rock LLP David M. Woodke Woodke & Gibbons, P.C., L.L.O.

Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants John R. Douglas Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas Charles F. Gotch Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas Michael F. Kinney Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas William M. Lamson, Jr. Lamson, Dugan and Murray, LLP

Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs

Todd A. Richardson Husch Blackwell LLP

Nick R. Taylor Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan, P.C., L.L.O.

Roger W. Wells McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. John S. Zeilinger Baird Holm LLP

Municipal Law

2014 OMAHA’S BEST LAWYERS Joseph K. Meusey Fraser Stryker PC LLO

Patent Law

Michael J. Mooney Gross & Welch, P.C., L.L.O.

Dennis L. Thomte Thomte Patent Law Office LLC

Michael G. Mullin Kutak Rock LLP

Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants

Jerald L. Rauterkus Erickson Sederstrom

Timothy M. Kenny Abrahams Kaslow & Cassman LLP

Michael F. Coyle Fraser Stryker PC LLO

Brien M. Welch Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas

Thomas G. McKeon Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan, P.C., L.L.O.

Charles F. Gotch Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas

Philip J. Willson Willson & Pechacek, P.L.C.

Native American Law Patricia A. Zieg Stinson Leonard Street LLP

Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs

Dennis M. Gray Peters Law Firm, P.C. Thomas A. Grennan Gross & Welch, P.C., L.L.O.

Michael F. Coyle Fraser Stryker PC LLO

Howard Fredrick Hahn Kutak Rock LLP

Michael F. Kinney Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas

John M. French John M. French

David L. Hefflinger McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Ronald F. Krause Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas

Wayne B. Henry Stinson Leonard Street LLP

William M. Lamson, Jr. Lamson, Dugan and Murray, LLP

Gary W. Radil Baird Holm LLP

Kristopher K. Madsen Stuart Tinley Law Firm, L.L.P.

Non-Profit / Charities Law

Dennis M. Gray Peters Law Firm, P.C. Thomas A. Grennan Gross & Welch, P.C., L.L.O. Michael F. Kinney Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas

John R. Douglas Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas John M. French John M. French

Mergers and Acquisitions Law Teresa A. Beaufait Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. Dennis J. Fogland Baird Holm LLP Robert L. Freeman Fraser Stryker PC LLO Gary M. Gotsdiner McGill, Gotsdiner, Workman & Lepp, P.C., L.L.O. Keith A. Green McGill, Gotsdiner, Workman & Lepp, P.C., L.L.O. David L. Hefflinger McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Michael M. Hupp Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. M. Shaun McGaughey Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. Wm. Lee Merritt Woods & Aitken, LLP

The Firm would like to congratulate Donald L. Erftmier, Jr., for being listed among the Best Lawyers in America for 2014 in the practice areas of Corporate Law and Trusts and Estates. We are also proud that the Firm was once again recognized as one of the Best Law Firms for its Corporate Law and Trusts and Estates practices. Business Counseling | Mergers, Acquisitions & Divestitures | Estate Planning Estate, Gift and Generation-Skipping Tax Planning | Charitable and Philanthropic Planning Business Succession Planning | Asset Protection Planning | Fiduciary Representation

11808 West Center Road, Ste 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68144-4434

(402) 504-1600 | erftmierlaw.com omaha magazine • march/april 2014

2014 OMAHA’S BEST LAWYERS Michael J. Mooney Gross & Welch, P.C., L.L.O. Robert D. Mullin, Jr. McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

special section Michael F. Kinney Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas Rex A. Rezac Fraser Stryker PC LLO

Robert E. O’Connor, Jr. O’Connor Law Office, LLC Scott H. Peters Peters Law Firm, P.C. J. C. Salvo Salvo, Deren, Schenck & Lauterbach, P.C. E. Terry Sibbernsen Sibbernsen Strigenz & Sibbernsen P.C. John F. Thomas McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Privacy and Data Security Law Ronald L. Eggers Gross & Welch, P.C., L.L.O.

Product Liability Litigation - Defendants Gerald L. Friedrichsen Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan, P.C., L.L.O. Charles F. Gotch Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas

Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs Michael F. Kinney Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas

Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants Patrick G. Vipond Lamson, Dugan and Murray, LLP

Project Finance Law T. Parker Schenken Baird Holm LLP

Public Finance Law

Michael F. Kivett Walentine, O’Toole, McQuillan & Gordon, LLP

Jon E. Blumenthal Baird Holm LLP

Lawrence E. Kritenbrink Baird Holm LLP

Max J. Burbach Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. James D. Buser Pansing Hogan Ernst & Bachman LLP Robert G. Dailey McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Robert W. Rieke Fraser Stryker PC LLO

P. Scott Dye Baird Holm LLP

T. Parker Schenken Baird Holm LLP

John H. Fullenkamp Fullenkamp, Doyle & Jobeun

Jerry M. Slusky Smith, Gardner, Slusky, Lazer, Pohren & Rogers, LLP

Lee H. Hamann McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Richard J. Pedersen Baird Holm LLP

Robert J. Huck Croker, Huck, Kasher, DeWitt, Anderson & Gonderinger, L.L.C.

Real Estate Law John Q. Bachman Pansing Hogan Ernst & Bachman LLP

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

Michael D. Matejka Woods & Aitken, LLP

Joyce A. Dixon Kutak Rock LLP

Dennis P. Hogan III Pansing Hogan Ernst & Bachman LLP

Patricia Schuett Peterson Kutak Rock LLP

Steven H. Krohn Smith Peterson Law Firm, LLP

Frank J. Mihulka Woods & Aitken, LLP

Charles J. Addy Baird Holm LLP

continued from page 36 < The method used to compile Best Lawyers remains unchanged since the first edition was compiled more than 30 years ago. Lawyers are chosen for inclusion based solely on the vote of their peers. Listings cannot be bought, and no purchase is required to be included. In this regard, Best Lawyers remains the gold standard of reliability and integrity in lawyer ratings. The nomination pool for the 2014 Edition consisted of all lawyers whose names appeared in the previous edition of Best Lawyers, lawyers who were nominated since the previous survey, and new nominees solicited from listed attorneys. In general, lawyers were asked to vote only on nominees in their own specialty in their own jurisdiction. Lawyers in closely related specialties were asked to vote across specialties, as were lawyers in smaller jurisdictions. Where specialties are national or international in nature, lawyers were asked 44

Jude J. Beller Baird Holm LLP

Larry A. Jobeun Fullenkamp, Doyle & Jobeun Steven D. Johnson Steven D. Johnson John S. Katelman Stinson Leonard Street LLP

to vote nationally as well as locally. Voting lawyers were also given an opportunity to offer more detailed comments on nominees. Each year, half of the voting pool receives fax or email ballots; the other half is polled by phone. Voting lawyers were provided this general guideline for determining if a nominee should be listed among “the best”: “If you had a close friend or relative who needed a real estate lawyer (for example), and you could not handle the case yourself, to whom would you refer them?” All votes and comments were solicited with a guarantee of confidentiality-a critical factor in the viability and validity of Best Lawyers surveys. To ensure the rigor of the selection process, lawyers were urged to use only their highest standards when voting, and to evaluate each nominee based only on his or her individual merits. The additional comments were used to make more accurate comparisons between voting patterns and

H. Daniel Smith Smith, Gardner, Slusky, Lazer, Pohren & Rogers, LLP James P. Waldron Gross & Welch, P.C., L.L.O.

Securities / Capital Markets Law David L. Hefflinger McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Guy Lawson McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

weight votes accordingly. Best Lawyers uses various methodological tools to identify and correct for anomalies in both the nomination and voting process. Ultimately, of course, a lawyer’s inclusion is based on the subjective judgments of his or her fellow attorneys. While it is true that the lists may at times disproportionately reward visibility or popularity, the breadth of the survey, the candor of the respondents, and the sophistication of the polling methodology largely correct for any biases. For all these reasons, Best Lawyers lists continue to represent the most reliable, accurate and useful guide to the best lawyers in the United States available anywhere. Best Lawyers lists are available at www. bestlawyers.com. “Best Lawyers” and “The Best Lawyers in America” are registered trademarks of Woodward/White Inc. OMAG

special section

Securities Regulation Dennis J. Fogland Baird Holm LLP Guy Lawson McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Tax Law

Technology Law Roberta L. Christensen Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O.

Trademark Law Jill Robb Ackerman Baird Holm LLP

David W. Chase Cambridge Law Firm, PLC

Denise C. Mazour McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Howard Fredrick Hahn Kutak Rock LLP

James E. O’Connor Baird Holm LLP

Deryl F. Hamann Baird Holm LLP

Bruce D. Vosburg Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan, P.C., L.L.O.

David L. Hefflinger McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Howard N. Kaplan Law Offices of Howard N. Kaplan Thomas J. Kelley McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. T. Geoffrey Lieben Slowiaczek, Albers & Astley P.C., L.L.O.

Transportation Law Robert E. O’Connor, Jr. O’Connor Law Office, LLC

Trusts and Estates

Donald L. Erftmier, Jr. Erftmier Law, LLC

Susan J. Spahn Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan, P.C., L.L.O.

Deryl F. Hamann Baird Holm LLP

Michael L. Sullivan Baird Holm LLP

David L. Hefflinger McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

Nick R. Taylor Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan, P.C., L.L.O.

Ronald C. Jensen Baird Holm LLP Michael D. Jones Ellick, Jones, Buelt, Blazek & Longo Sharon R. Kresha Baird Holm LLP T. Geoffrey Lieben Slowiaczek, Albers & Astley P.C., L.L.O. William J. Lindsay, Jr. Gross & Welch, P.C., L.L.O. Thomas J. Malicki Abrahams Kaslow & Cassman LLP

David W. Chase Cambridge Law Firm, PLC

Gary W. Radil Baird Holm LLP

Dennis W. Collins Jewell & Collins

Michael C. Schilken Baird Holm LLP

2014 OMAHA’S BEST LAWYERS

Kurt F. Tjaden Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. Daniel J. Wintz Fraser Stryker PC LLO

Workers’ Compensation Law - Claimants Jacob J. Peters Peters Law Firm, P.C. Dennis R. Riekenberg Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas

Workers’ Compensation Law - Employers John W. Iliff Gross & Welch, P.C., L.L.O.

William J. Lindsay, Jr. Gross & Welch, P.C., L.L.O. Vicki L. Meadors McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Robert J. Murray Lamson, Dugan and Murray, LLP Nicholas K. Niemann McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Thomas R. Pansing, Jr. Pansing Hogan Ernst & Bachman LLP Daniel C. Pape McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Jeffrey J. Pirruccello McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O. Gary W. Radil Baird Holm LLP Kurt F. Tjaden Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. James D. Wegner McGrath North Mullin & Kratz, P.C., L.L.O.

FS® Attorneys at law, since 1898

Congratulations to our attorneys recognized in Best Lawyers in America, 2014 edition. Patrick J. Barrett Robert L. Freeman Rex A. Rezac Mark L. Brasee Joseph E. Jones Robert W. Rieke Stephen M. Bruckner Wayne J. Mark Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. Michael F. Coyle Joseph K. Meusey Travis S. Tyler Thomas F. Flaherty James L. Quinlan Daniel J. Wintz In addition, we congratulate the following attorneys named Lawyer of the Year: Mr. Barrett, Employment Law - Management; Mr. Bruckner, Environmental Law; Mr. Mark, Litigation - Construction; and Mr. Meusey, Bet-the-Company Litigation. 500 Energy Plaza • Omaha, Nebraska • 402.341.6000 • www.FraserStryker.com omaha magazine • march/april 2014

Best Lawyers would like to congratulate the

235

attorneys listed in

the 2014 Edition of

The Best Lawyers in America from the metropolitan area of Omaha!

Publishing for over 30 years, Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession. A listing in Best Lawyers is widely regarded by both clients and legal professionals as a significant honor, conferred on a lawyer by his or her peers. For more than three decades, Best Lawyers lists have earned the respect of the profession, the media, and the public, as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals anywhere.

For more information, visit BestLawyers.com or contact us at info@bestlawyers.com.

LINKING LAWYERS AND CLIENTS WORLDWIDE

faces story by molly garriott • photo by bill sitzmann

FACES

Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. rev. martin luther king, jr

Rudy Smith

Freedom Fighter Still

NE OF V I C K I YOUNG’S

happiest childhood memories is a day at Peony Park, the reward for a year of safety patrol service at Mount View Elementary. But if Young, now president of the NAACP’s Omaha branch, had been a child of the ’60s instead of just one decade later, the gates of the popular amusement park would have been closed to her. > continued on page 56

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

GEN O

story by david williams • photos by bill sitzmann

Sam Mangiameli The Iceman Cometh

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

OST COLLEGE GUYS HAVE a nickname. Some are

even fit for print in a family publication. Sam Mangiameli, a University of Nebraska-Omaha junior, has two distinct but interrelated identities. Many on campus know him simply as Ricky Bobby, a nod to Will Ferrell’s goofy character in Talladega Nights. But on the track, the 22-year-old motorsports enthusiast who is studying business management with >

gen o sam mangiameli

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GEN O

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omaha magazine • march/april 2014

< an emphasis on entrepreneurship has a more ominous moniker—The Iceman. Marked by a fixed, cold glare, Mangiameli’s game face led other drivers to size him up as a serious, don’t-mess-with-me competitor. The Iceman. “The funny thing about it,” Mangiameli says with a chuckle, “is that the nickname is pretty much on target. I don’t mind the Ricky Bobby thing, but it’s the other nickname that I like.” Mangiameli has had a need for speed for as long as he can remember. “Some of my earliest memories are of me as a little kid playing with my Hot Wheels cars when my dad [Creative Hair Design owner John Mangiameli] and I watched the Indy 500, Formula 1, and other races on TV,” he says. “I’d play with my cars imagining that it

was me up there on the screen. That’s where it all began. The roar of the engines. The sights and sounds of the track. I knew right then what I wanted to do.” His Hot Wheels collection gave way to karting at age 6, and Mangiameli was soon trading paint on tracks far and wide. “Now that I was actually behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle,” he continues, “I was totally hooked. Finished in fourth place in my very first event.” A mere 10 years later Mangiameli took the checkered flag at the Grand Nationals of the International Karting Federation. The young man who aspires to the grandest of motorsports stages—the grueling Rolex 24 at Daytona—now competes on the National Auto Sport Association circuit in the high-powered Super Touring 1 class. Mangiameli’s Diasio

gen o sam mangiameli

Dr. Marsha Kubica | Dr. Corey Langford D962R mirrors the motif of his racing garb, where man and machine merge to become a sleek, midnight blue assemblage of catch-meif-you-can bravado. The family established Creative Hair Design Motorsports last year as a means of surrounding this one-man team with the infrastructure and support required for one who aims to rise through the national ranks on courses from coast to coast. In the meantime, Mangiameli yearns to be on the track. Donning his helmet is an act of transformative regeneration. Just like in a superhero changeling sequence, one persona melts away as another creeps in to possess its host. The sharp click of a safety harness completes the metamorphosis. The amiable, book-toting Ricky Bobby is no more. The Iceman cometh. OMAG

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Or visit us at: OmahaEyeCare.com Like us on Facebook omaha magazine • march/april 2014

FEATURE

story by chris wolfgang • photos by bill sitzmann

The Reality of the American Dream Resilience in the Face of Hardship 52

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

feature the reality of the american dream

Elham (left) and Suzan (right) embrace their mother Zinab in her Omaha apartment.

HE APARTMENT’S LIVING ROOM is warm. Blankets are

on the couches, an old TV is playing cartoons, and 5-year-old Hana is mimicking the enthusiastic English of the monkey onscreen. Her grandmother, Zinab Abdelmote, watches from the couch, quiet and smiling. Amna Hussein tells her daughter to lower the sound. “Zuza!” she calls her by nickname. Amna sets down a silver tray with one glass of juice. “From Egypt,” she says, gesturing to the delicate tray. Dinner, she says, is cooking. She’s experiencing her first full winter in Omaha. She arrived in February 2013, after a circuitous route from her home country of Sudan that spans several years. Six of those were spent in a refugee camp in Egypt. Though Amna lives in a small apartment with Hana, her mother, Zinab, and her younger sister Elham, three of her siblings are still in Egypt. Two sisters, Najwa and Suzan, live close by in Omaha. Two other siblings are in Libya, two are missing in Darfur, and the eldest is living in the U.K. There were 16 of them once upon a time. Amna laughs at the shock the number incites. “How did she do it?” she asks, gesturing at Zinab. Amna is obviously proud of her mother. She, Najwa, and Elham take turns watching out for Zinab throughout the day. Her heart is bad, she has kidney problems, and high blood pressure. Her current dream, Amna translates, is to learn English. “Her willingness to study has stayed with her to this moment.” Zinab’s daughters living in Omaha are already deep into studies at Metro Community College: a few hours a day of ESL, per the requirement to receive temporary aid for needy families (TANF). Their knowledge quickly outgrew the English classes provided by Southern Sudan Community Association, where they still receive some case management. “We’re comparable to Lutheran Family Services,” says Marni Newell, SSCA program coordinator. “Just a lot smaller.” Newell explains that as a federal resettlement facility, they have 90 days to offer in-depth information on a wide variety of complex topics: Medicaid, food stamps, banking, job searching, English classes, cultural orientation, and driver’s ed. Other assistance includes helping to apply for relatives’ resettlement, applying > omaha magazine • march/april 2014

FEATURE

< for citizenship, and demonstrating how to ride the bus. Amna reflects on how much she’s learned just in the year she’s been in Omaha. She and Elham entered the U.S. through Miami. The use of Spanish everywhere in the airport threw her off. “I asked a caseworker, are we really in America?” Amna recalls. She can laugh about it now. After a stop in Washington, D.C., the sisters arrived in Omaha. “I was thinking…I have been to small villages before but…” She chuckles again. But she says, “Omaha’s like a land of knowledge. A land of peace. It’s a friend to all refugees to find a right beginning for their life. To resettle correctly, this is the right beginning. Leave the dreams for a while. Then later on, you can go.” Elham sets down a plate of beans with 54

omaha magazine • march/april 2014

tomato paste and spices, some thin bread, and two slices of American cheese. Amna excuses herself to get Hana her dinner. Elham’s English is only slightly less fluent than Amna’s, but the confidence is there. “Refugees see America as a dream,” Elham says. “But when they start their life, they face real problems. Many become, like, lost. Because their families back in the refugee camp think they will send money. And people in refugee camps think life in America is very easy. You can find money and jobs anywhere. But since February [2013], I haven’t got a job. I’ve interviewed many, many places.” It’s a difficult life—going to school, finding work. “Najwa,” Elham says, referring to her elder sister who lives with three grade-school children, “is father, mother…everything. Here, you have friends to help you with these

things.” But if you’re new to the country, she says, who do you have? She shrugs. “You can’t get a car without a job. And you can’t have a job without a car.” Amna returns, saying it’s time to have tea. Her conversation is gentler than Elham’s as she stands over the stove, but she mirrors her younger sister’s opinions. For example, she’s learning how to drive, but money has a lot of other places to go first. “At the beginning when we came,” Amna explains, “the organization does it for us. But three months is not enough. After three months, they require us to find a job. Some people can’t start school for two years because they’re running here and there to support the family. Even now, for me to go to a job and to school, it’s a problem.” Still, she says she hopes to start work at

feature the reality of the american dream

Back row, from left to right: Mohamed Adel, Amna, Hana, Zinab, Elham, Suzan, Najwa, and Nosa. Children in the front, from left to right: Ramah, Hana, Mohamed Elhag, and Aisha. Walmart soon as a cashier. The goal is to study at Metro and work at the same time. Of course, daycare is a problem. Due to Hana’s September birthday, she missed the cut-off date for kindergarten. Transportation, as always, is a headache. But studying is important. “Here, there is no limit to education,” Amna says. “No matter your age, we can study what we like. We’re greedy to learn as much as we can.” She and her sisters hold college degrees in a variety of fields, but “the technology that America has reached, we feel that we are behind. In technology, development, education…” Amna, for example, has a bachelor’s in English and sociology from India, as well as a diploma in health and social care from the U.K. She’s thinking of eventually taking up nursing studies.

“We will study according to what the market needs,” Elham chimes in. “If I studied geography, maybe I’ll do nothing. You must start with what the market needs. That is first.” Amna sets down a glass of hot tea with a single clove for fragrance. “You can take it with you,” she says, nudging the mug. “You will come back. It’s fine.” Another winter day, another trip to the small apartment. A variety of pastas and glasses of nonalcoholic liqueur cover the dining room table. The atmosphere is intimate. The headscarves have come off, and the talk becomes frank. “I lost my job,” Amna confides. Her voice is still gentle but frustrated. The buses, she explains, can’t reliably get her to Walmart on time and home again.

“I must work,” she says. “Someplace where I can walk to.” She mentions a few places she’s thought of and is unfazed when told it would take an hour to get there. “It’s good exercise for me.” But here, in the small, warm apartment, frustrations are put aside for a moment. Elham brings tea to the living room, and Amna produces a small bottle of homemade perfume. “For after dinner,” she explains. “To cover the scent.” Arabic and English swirl around the room as six women chatter about anything and everything and nothing in Omaha, Nebraska. OMAG Editor’s note: As of late January, both Amna and Elham have found employment. omaha magazine • march/april 2014

FACES

rudy smith

continued from page 47 < “If not for his work, we would not have been able to go to Peony Park,” says Young of the long-term effects of Rudy Smith’s civil rights activism of the 1960s and beyond. Today “Whites Only” signs are found only in museums, and the notion of a seat on a bus being governed by convoluted, Plessy vs. Ferguson “separate but equal” thinking seems archaic, backward, unconscionable. But just 40 years ago Omaha was a segregated city, and amenities like Peony Park were off-limits to African Americans. This didn’t sit well with Smith, who worked to desegregate the popular amusement park. For this and countless other civil rights accomplishments, Smith was awarded the NAACP’s Freedom Fighter Service Award this past December. Smith attributes his activism to a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speech. His Omaha church group attended a Baptist convention in Denver, and his pastor encouraged Smith, then 13, to hear King speak. “King was riveting, mesmerizing,” Smith recalls. “I had never heard anything like that before in my life.”

The experience was a seminal one for Smith. It forced him to look around at his environment and to first see things as they actually existed and then as they should be. “It changed my whole value system. I saw two worlds: one white and one black, one affluent and one oppressed.” So he set to work. Smith joined the NAACP’s Youth Council, eventually becoming president of a seven-state region. He participated in sit-ins, protests, and marches. One of these protests resulted in life-long employment with the Omaha World-Herald. When Smith and his group gathered to protest the paper’s dearth of African American employees, the production manager invited Smith and his minister in to talk. He told them he couldn’t control union hiring practices, but he could offer non-union jobs. Did Smith know anyone looking for a job? Smith replied, yes, he was. Smith’s first position with the paper was in the basement as a paper sorter. He continued his employment with the newspaper after graduating from Omaha Central High School

in 1963 and during his UNO years, working 40 hours a week while attending classes. He was pivotal in introducing black studies to the university’s curriculum and initiated the hiring of more black professors. When he completed college in 1969 as the first black graduate of the School of Communication, he continued on with the paper, this time as a photographer. In his youth Smith lent his voice to the civil rights cause. Now he would turn his eye—and the lens of his camera—to chronicle the struggle. He was there when Robert Kennedy was campaigning in North Omaha two weeks before he was assassinated. And he covered the riots that burned North 24th Street in the summer of ’69. “I knew that the people were frustrated and tired of being boxed in with no opportunities. The ’60s were volatile. Civil rights opened the door of change in Omaha. It’s up to us to step through that door still,” says Smith, now 69 years old. “The struggle isn’t over.” OMAG

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Omaha Home: contents

march/april 2014

features H14 At Home With John Prouty

H28 Cover Feature

The Persistence of Memory: The Clarke Family Retreat

H34 Feature

Drive-By Delight: The About Schmidt Home

H40 Feature

Birds in Pop Culture

march/april • 2014 H5

Your Complete Design Specialist...

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H42 New on the Block

New Home Businesses Around the Corner

H44 Transformations

Smart Design Stands the Test of Time

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Omaha Home: from the editor

OU KNOW THE EXPRESSION. It’s “the early bird catches the worm,”

and success comes to those who prepare well and put in the effort. Among the many great stories you will read in this issue is one on some of our favorite local birds and their roles in pop culture. So why not use my Home Décor Makeover space (pg. H38) to continue that avian theme, this time taking it outdoors with a very simple yet clever DIY project? Spring is commonly the time to spruce up and ruffle your nest by cultivating fresh looks with fresher ideas. My home is no different, and I decided to get busy with an electric fireplace we could use year-round. I found several looks I liked in surfing the web, but—as is so often the case—found all the products and materials I needed locally at Lumbermen's Hearth & Home. That’s where I snagged both the perfect Dimplex electric fireplace and the smart, man-made cultured stone to surround my newest project. Because this one was maybe a step beyond my normal comfort zone, I employed a handyman for much of the work. In no time at all I had a sleek, contemporary addition that will crackle across the years, in adding a new level of “cozy” to my home. So what do you have on your list of warm-weather dreams? Have fun this spring in sprucing up, adding some splashes of color, and opening the toolbox—and your creative energies—for your best DIY projects! Bring on Spring!

Sandy

Sandy Besch-Matson Contributing Editor OmahaHome

About the Cover

Cover photography provided by Andrew Joseph Johnston. See story on page H28.

march/april • 2014 H9

OmahaHome: room story by jennifer litton • photos by bill sitzmann

Minimal Living

The Tiny House Experience

H10

march/april • 2014

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RTIST JAMISON HINER HANDCRAFTED a sign on the wall of his

artistic Omaha home that reads “Work hard, Love hard.” It’s a motto that he takes pretty seriously. He raises chickens; tinkers on cars, including a 1962 Corvair Van; runs an Etsy shop where he sells hand-painted vintage bus scrolls; and he built a tiny house that sits in his backyard. The attention his project received has even caused strangers to approach him and say, “Hey, I know you. You’re that tiny house guy!” A web designer at Turnpost Creative Group, Hiner is a graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design. He has two daughters and a loving wife. How does he fit it all in? “I guess I learn to stop time,” he says. “My wife is very good about letting me work on things.” He is part of a social movement called “Tiny House,” where people downsize their living space, to dramatic effect. While a typical house is 2,600 square feet, most tiny houses range from 100 to 400 square feet. His vacation house is an economical 128 square feet and is adorably named “Thistle Dew Too,” inspired by a sign hanging at his wife’s relatives’ house in Missouri. He began building it in the summer of 2012. Wanting to keep costs to a minimum, he cobbled together recycled materials from various sources. He used reclaimed materials from a farmhouse for the flooring, and he picked up the windows at Habitat for > march/april • 2014 H11

OmahaHome: room

H12

march/april • 2014

Photos by Bill Sitzmann

< Humanity’s ReStore. Hiner built it to code with one exception—the walls are constructed of beadboard instead of drywall so it wouldn’t break apart on the trailer in its travels. The cabin consists of a main space with a library, which he calls the “Great Room” because of its 10-foot ceiling. There’s also a roomy queen-sized loft bed, a kitchen with a mini-fridge, and a bathroom. He used energyefficient LED lighting and set it up so it can run on solar power and batteries should he

decide to bug out anytime soon. He constructed the shower walls with leftover corrugated metal that he got from his talented, interior designer mother. The composting toilet uses peat moss and wood chips to create a completely odorless environment. To decorate the cozy space, he ordered artistic prints from Etsy depicting various woodland animals to give it a cabin feel, as if one just returned from a nature hike. A trippy fox with butterfly wings hovers over a picture

of a bear and wolf curled up dreamily in a sea of stars. A whimsical white faux deer trophy hangs high above. The overall effect springs to mind nights around a campfire. Hiner has fond childhood memories of camping, and he wanted that same experience for his family—but on the cheap and only steps from the back door. The family’s alternative to owning an RV, he says, “is way cooler. We can just take our cabin with us.” OmahaHome march/april • 2014 H13

OmahaHome: at home with john prouty story by david williams • photos by bill sitzmann

Curatorial Precision The Art and Science of One-Room Living

H14

march/april • 2014

HE HOT TREND OF one-room

living is often driven by necessity and the need to make the most of smallish spaces. The phenomenon is especially prominent in such sky-high housing markets as New York, L.A., and San Francisco. John Prouty had no such constraints when planning his sprawling 4,000 square foot space, but he still employed a keen touch when it came to curatorial precision. > march/april • 2014 H15

OmahaHome: at home with john prouty

The artist’s scorched welding gloves are here turned into sculpture.

H16

march/april • 2014

< “My new rule for the year is that for every one new thing I bring in,” says Prouty, “two old things need to go.” It’s a doubly vital part of his thinking, considering that his home features thousands of works of art, books, and other elements of décor, yet it bears no hint of appearing in any way cluttered. One of the keys to Prouty’s sleight-of-hand feat is that each area of his one-room dwelling is set up to define its own distinct space within a space. The home is delineated into about a dozen distinct zones with identities and functions of their own. The result is a pronounced sense of "roomness". It is the opposite of what might be expected of an otherwise wide-open expanse beneath 19-foot ceilings. The floor plan is interrupted only by a slightly elevated but still open bedroom nook. “I use every square inch of my space every single day,” he adds. “Not a lot of people can say that about their homes.” Prouty and his brother, Jim, own the three contiguous buildings that they merged into one along South 25th Street in the heart of historic South Omaha. Now dubbed Prouty Place, the structures—one of them 120 years old—are almost entirely a family affair. Jim’s daughters, Jami and Juli, own the Salon at Prouty Place. Next door is home to the family’s 110-year-old business, Wessco Graphics. Prouty lives on the second floor, and the basement is rented to a Pentecostal Church whose congregation is largely Guatemalan. Prouty is also a sculptor, photographer, and mixed >

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OmahaHome: at home with john prouty

Prouty demonstrates the benefits of his kitchen’s “double-butted” design.

< media artist who maintains his studio as part of the site’s street-level art venue called The Gallery at Prouty Place. The project began seven years ago when hundreds of dumpsters were filled with the flotsam and jetsam of the former occupant, a uniform business. One year of what Prouty calls “deconstruction” yielded to a full year of construction before he moved in five years ago. No detail was too small to escape Prouty’s systematic method when it came to the art and science of one-room living. The design process for the floating kitchen islands, for example, was governed by what the homeowner calls a “double-butted” approach. And he’s not talking here about how the kitchen’s plumbing was joined. “My brother and I stood in while kitchen measurements were done,” he says, “and the idea was that people had to be able to easily pass between us as we stood back to back at the H18

march/april • 2014

opposing counters preparing food or mixing drinks. Our butts were a bit smaller back then,” he quips, “but it still works just fine.” Another striking feature of the home is the very intentional use of black paint on the walls. “People think I’m crazy,” Prouty says, “but I’ve done this in each of my last five homes. That dark background creates the illusion that the art literally floats” in a field of nothingness. The effect is particularly pronounced at night when the man who describes himself as a compulsive entertainer hosts everything from intimate soirées to fundraising events attended by a cast of thousands—make that more like 200-plus. His global village art and artifact collection—including a staggering 93 of his own works—has been accumulated during world travels that have had him flashing a visa in 83 different countries. Acquisitions have been made everywhere from the mountaintops of

Peru to the sidewalks of Paris. Also included are a number of works by local artists, perhaps most notably Terry Rosenberg. One of his six Rosenbergs was executed on an M’s Pub napkin. Prouty himself was the subject in another. The artist’s collecting philosophy is a simple one. “Do I like it? Yes or no. Can I afford it? Yes or no,” he says. “That’s all there is to it. I never regret buying anything, and I never go back to look at something a second time. Never.” Community involvement has always been a part of Prouty family life, says the man who serves on the City of Omaha Public Art Commission and also volunteers at Omaha South High School. His counseling role at the school has included several group art projects, and the Westside High School graduate is now proud to count himself as an honorary South High student. “Integrating into the neighborhood is

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important to us,” says Prouty, who is also a member of the South Omaha Business Association. Brother Jim, who is learning Spanish, works with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. “Downtown was more of a café society vibe,” Prouty says of his previous home, “but South Omaha is much more natural and organic. This is still a very urban, colorful, and bustling neighborhood— just like Downtown—but it is much more family oriented here. And much, much quieter.” That prevailing mood of serenity sets the tone for Prouty’s contemplative, almost Zenlike approach to making his space work. “It’s all in the editing process,” he adds. “Hey, you magazine guys must know that better than I do. It’s all about the editing.” OmahaHome

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Pat i o Fu r n i t u re • G r i l l s & G r i l l Pa r t s • Fi re Pi t s • B a r s • o u td o o r K i tc h e n s march/april • 2014 H19

OmahaHome: neighborhood profile story by david williams • photos by keith binder

The 100 Block

History blends with redevelopment in Council Bluffs.

OB SCHLAUTMAN HAS AN

enviable commute—a mere 18-step descent down a staircase, to be exact. The manager of Lidgett Music in Council Bluffs has lived above the store for 12 years. His balcony overlooking the once stagnant thoroughfare has been the perfect perch for him to witness the dramatic changes all along the historic 100 Block of West Broadway. “We see a lot more people from Omaha now,” Schlautman says of the neighborhood that now rivals Benson and Dundee as a trending cultural, dining, and entertainment hotspot. “The 100 Block has gone a long way in battling the misplaced stereotype of Council Bluffs being the wrong side of the tracks. There are beautiful old homes here, great public art all over the city, and all kinds of amazing things happening here, especially up and down this street right here.” Most of the block’s buildings date to the period between 1850 and 1928. Magnificently restored examples of Italianate, Romanesque Revival, Neoclassical, and Mission styles of architecture line the street that in pioneer days boasted such wild west enterprises as a land office, saddle maker, general store, and saloon. A partnership between the Iowa West Foundation, the City of Council Bluffs, the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Council Bluffs (now known as Bluffs Downtown), and a host of investors and stakeholders has been the driving force in making the old new again in the city originally known as Kanesville. “The beautiful thing about the OmahaCouncil Bluffs metro,” says Joshua Barbee, executive director of Bluffs Downtown, > march/april • 2014 H21

OmahaHome: neighborhood profile

< “is that it is a globalized city known for its creative class, young professionals, and strong economy. That’s the sort of mix that leads to growth, and the 100 Block is now a great destination in a metro full of great destinations. Neighborhood by neighborhood, the metro is becoming a more vibrant place, and we’re excited to be part of that.” The redevelopment of the Hughes Iron Building, Barbee says, was the catalyst that accelerated the rebirth of the 100 Block. That building is now home to the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce and Dixie Quicks, the Southern-style eatery that has been featured on the Food Network’s Diners, Driveins & Dives. “Dixie Quicks was an important anchor,” he adds, “and so was Barley’s.” “There aren’t a lot of turn-of-the-century Downtown areas left,” says Matt Johnson, a H22

march/april • 2014

Council Bluffs native and owner of Barleys. He also owns the building built in 1889 whose many incarnations have included life as a boot company and a shooting gallery. “We do our best to preserve history here in Council Bluffs, and excitement is growing with each new development. For most of my life here it seems that the city suffered from a bit of an identity crisis. Now pride in our city is soaring. The 100 Block, I think, is a big part of that.” Sean Lidgett, owner of Lidgett Music, sees the 100 Block from a perhaps unique perspective, one that can be traced along the branches of his family tree. Lidgett’s ancestors came from England and first settled here in 1850, two years before Kanesville became Council Bluffs. Kanesville was already known as the starting point for the Mormon Trail,

but Conestoga wagons would soon yield to the iron horse in the decades to come as the city began a railroading legacy that made its switchyard the fourth busiest in the nation. “Our family has owned several businesses over the generations on the 100 Block,” says Lidgett, whose store—opened in 1988—now has the distinction of being the longest tenured of any of the entities operating on the city’s new street of dreams. “It’s important to me to be here,” he continues. “This town means a lot to me. This street’s story is, in many ways, the story of my family history.” On that theme of family, calendar-watching has begun as the 100 Block gears up for another season of family-friendly, crowdpleasing events, including a weekly farmers market and a series of street dances. “There was a time when people began their

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nights in Omaha and ended them in Council Bluffs,” Johnson says of an earlier era when Nebraska bars closed an hour earlier than those in Iowa. “Now we have almost everything you, could want in order to begin and end your evenings not only in Council Bluffs, but right here on the 100 Block.” In the meantime, Schlautman awaits the arrival of new neighbors—the 24/7 kind who yearn for an urban, “no car, no problem” sensibility. “Living here means that we’re talking about being only steps away—a few doors down— from a lot of my favorite things,” he says. “There’s tons of prime space down here for apartments, and there will soon be all kinds of great places to live. If you haven’t checked out the 100 Block lately, you’re in for a nice surprise.” OmahaHome march/april • 2014 H23

OmahaHome: d . i .y story by jennifer litton • photos by bill sitzmann

Dumpster Dive Desk Just build it!

F SUDDENLY OURS WAS a world

without trees, 28-year-old Kyle Petersen would still thrive as a woodworker. Credit his keen instincts for finding lost treasure in other people’s junk. As a favor to a friend in need of a bigger desk, Petersen channeled his MacGyver-like creative energies to make her a completely unique piece. He collected scraps of wood, including discarded shipping pallets and bits of Douglas fir he pulled from the walls of his parents’ home. No worries, his parents were remodeling their kitchen. He has an affinity for the hot trend of repurposing found items to fill a home. Using found and discarded materials, he has also built a headboard out of pallets, and cubbies out of a piece of plywood. “It’s not so focused on perfection and how beautiful it is,” he says. “What’s beautiful behind it is the purpose of it.” > H24

march/april • 2014

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OmahaHome: d . i .y

< Although he grew up tinkering in the shop with his carpenter father, Petersen dreamed of a career in audio recording after graduating from Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Neb. But now Petersen is blossoming as a cabinetmaker with a yen for recycling refuse. He works by day at Eurowood Cabinets and finds himself making furniture for friends and family in his spare time. “It’s taking my desire to create and combining it with the knowledge I have in this area and growing it from there,” he says. First, he collected different species of hardwood material for the desktop. ”They’re not ideal pieces. It is waste essentially,” Petersen H26

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says. He squared and planed each piece, and then assembled the desktop in a butcherblock fashion with clamps and wood glue. He then sanded it down before finishing with an espresso brown stain and a few coats of lacquer. “It’s cool using a bunch of different pieces of wood," he says. “It will take the stain differently which is kind of a neat effect.” For the drawers, he disassembled a pallet, squared and planed the boards to make the front, back, and side panels. He then stained the drawers with the same espresso shade and lacquer. For the drawer box frame, he used a sheet of maple plywood he bought for $50. He cut a rectangle out of the center of the two sides

of the wood to make the box “see through” and mitered the whole box together. For the drawer rails, he used oak. Then he sanded and finished everything. Finally, he tapered the legs with a band saw. The drawer box and legs both come off the desktop, making it easy to disassemble for transport. The legs are fastened with bolts counter-sunk into the desktop. Total time? About 30 hours. The hardest part? Staying patient. “I learned when to walk away from it for the day,” he says. He says anyone can do it, especially with found materials. All they need to do is try. “There’s a lot of wood out there. Build something.” OmahaHome

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OmahaHome: cover feature story by david williams • photos by bill sitzmann, cover photo by andrew joseph johnston

The Persistence of Memory The Clarke Family Retreat H28

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Kelsie Hollingshead (left) with mother, Heather, father, Todd, and sister, Mimi Clarke.

BRILLIANT BAND OF WILDFLOWERS will soon bloom in

Kelsie Hollingshead’s garden. Forget about the fact that she’s an apartmentdweller with no plot of land to call her own. And never mind that the fresh tendrils of her vibrant harbingers of spring will push through the soil of a garden that is a full 20 miles from where she lays her head at night. > march/april • 2014 H29

OmahaHome: cover feature

Brooks Clarke in his grandfather’s favorite chair.

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OmahaHome: cover feature

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< “My grandfather planted those wildflowers,” she says, wiping a tear from her cheek. “He planted them the year before as we planned our wedding so that they would be beautiful for the reception,” she says, reflecting on her August 2013 nuptials to Sean Hollingshead. “Those flowers remind me—reminded all of us that night of the reception—that a little part of him was still with us.” Her grandfather, Patrick Clarke, founder of NorthStar Financial Group, had perished in a plane crash along with one of his sons, Dr. Scott Clarke of Springfield, Mo., nine months before the wedding. Clarke’s wildflowers still thrive on a majestic hilltop near Schramm Park State Recreation Area. The site offers a panoramic view of the Platte River far below, and the 50-acre country retreat is known to the Clarke clan simply as The Farm. Its main structure, The Barn, is home to family gatherings most every Sunday. The rustic, 4,600-square-foot lodge was built in 2009 by Curt Hofer & Associates. Downhill from The Barn is the sleeping quarters known as The Bunkhouse. The subtext of any story on these pages is a testament to how our homes reveal who

we are, how we live, and what we value. Such stories are usually accompanied by wordswords-words on architecture, landscaping, appointments, and interior design. There will be none of that here. The accompanying photos will have to suffice as a substitute for the customary narrative dedicated to descriptors of the floor-to-ceiling variety. Instead this home story will keep the focus where it should be—on one family and how the persistence of memory creates a legacy. “My dad didn’t built this for himself,” says Todd Clarke, Kelsie’s father. “He didn’t even build it for his kids. He built it for the grandkids, and one day, for their kids and generations to come. Each and every member of the family has a different way of remembering him. His presence is always particularly powerful when we are here at The Farm.” Memories can sometimes be triggered in unexpected ways. What kind of 14-yearold boy would list a common household chore, for example, as one of his favorite weekend activities? That would be Todd’s son, Brooks. “I don’t get to see my cousins much during the week,” Brooks says. “Out here we get to play foosball, ride ATVs, and play indoor

football. Those are all fun things to do, but cleaning out the shed is my favorite.” A raised eyebrow is the only signal Brooks needs to realize that he has just introduced something of a disconnect. “Oh, you don’t understand,” he continues. “Those are grandpa’s things out there. That’s where he kept all his tools. Playing with all the stuff in the shed reminds me of him and how we used to…” his voice trails off as a pensive expression creeps across his face, eyes averted. “Patrick and I were blessed with a terrific family—beautiful kids and beautiful grandchildren,” says family matriarch Lana Clarke. “This was his dream. It’s our place where memories are made. I count my blessings every day we gather here. I know he’s looking down on us, smiling.” Each of the coming days will grow longer as the eagerly anticipated progression to spring breaks into a trot and then a gallop. Gardens slowly thaw and bide their time awaiting attention. The flowerbeds on a certain windswept hill overlooking a ribbon of water are no exception. That’s where you’ll find Kelsie Hollingshead tending to her wildflowers. OmahaHome march/april • 2014 H33

OmahaHome: feature story by leo adam biga • photos by bill sitzmann

Drive-By Delight

House forever tied to movie is just “home” to its residents

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Nebraska is stirring the pot in his home state the way his last film made here, About Schmidt, did in 2002. That earlier project's superstar lead, Jack Nicholson, naturally dominated media coverage. Nicholson’s character, the dour Warren Schmidt, lived in the Dundee home at 5402 Izard St. Bess Ogborn owned the house during filming, but the Jill and Mike Bydalek family moved into the home in mid-2003. "Even years after the movie people would drive by really slow," says Jill. "Tour buses would pull up. There were people getting out and taking pictures." "Every time Payne has a successful movie there'll be people that show an interest in the house," says Mike, who practices technology law for Kutak Rock. "The guy has a following. Random people visiting Omaha will, on their way to the airport, detour and drive by." The couple, whose children Grace and Jack grew up there, fully expects the same to happen should Nebraska fare well come Oscar time. "And it's not just here, it's a half dozen other places around town," Mike says, referring to the favorite Midtown spots the filmmaker made part of his Omaha trilogy (Citizen Ruth, Election, About Schmidt). In a city with few degrees of separation, the Bydaleks claim a connection to another Omaha Payne house. Grace attended a nearby home daycare that served as the residence of the family friend Matthew Broderick's character hits on in Election. But because it's so closely associated with Nicholson's potent cinema legacy, few other Omaha movie locations have the iconic pull as does the Izard Street house. To capitalize on this intrigue the Omaha YWCA (now the Women’s Center for Advancement) held a Home for the Holidays fundraiser at the three-story, red brick Colonial constructed in 1923. A largely untouched interior made it the right fit when the filmmaker, location manager John Latenser V, and production designer Jane Stewart scouted it. >

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OmahaHome: feature Jill and Mike Bydalek in their About Schmidt home.

< "We'd searched for the 'Schmidt House' for quite some time," says Latenser, who comes from a long line of architects that designed enduring Omaha public structures. "We knew we wanted Warren Schmidt to live in the Dundee neighborhood. We had scouted nearly 50 houses there, but nearly every one had updated-upgraded interiors. We were looking for a house that had not been updated." He says as soon as the team entered the home and saw its vintage wallpaper and original kitchen they knew they'd found the one. "It was that perfect." Bess Ogborn's daughter, Susan Ogborn, president and CEO of the Food Bank of the Heartland, was there for much of the shoot. She says her family "thoroughly enjoyed the experience" of their house becoming a movie artifact. Her folks moved there in 1964. After the death of her father in 1967, her widowed H36

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mother hung onto the place. "Mother redecorated it in 1971, and other than basic maintenance, that was the way the filmmakers found it. But she would want you to know they moved her furniture out and used set furniture, and that her house was never that dirty or gloomy as it was in the movie. I don't think she regretted letting them use her home at all. Seeing the house in the film didn't seem strange, but walking through that set was very odd." The Bydaleks removed the wallpaper, redid the kitchen, and made many more renovations while retaining the five-bedroom home's original integrity. "It's a great house," says Mike. "It's just as simple as can be, and that's kind of nice." "They don't make these houses anymore," says Julie. The Bydaleks know it will always link them to a slice of pop culture.

"It's kind of fun to say we live in the About Schmidt house," says Mike. As things worked out, the Bydaleks' daughter, Grace, 18, became the family's own resident movie star. Acting on stage since childhood, she's done voice-over work for animated television series, and she portrayed the title role in the Omaha-made film For Love of Amy (2009). During a Carnegie Mellon (Pittsburgh) theater camp, she says she used the Schmidt tie "as my fun fact during my dorm floor ice-breaker," adding, "People were impressed a girl from Omaha would have a connection with the movies." As for Jack, 15, he says "it's cool as a movie buff to live in a house made famous" by a popular film and its legendary star. OmahaHome

Leo Adam Biga is the author of "Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film." Read more of his work at leoadambiga.wordpress.com.

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a rest? The simplest of materials blend seamlessly in this easiest of funky projects. Any type of cup and saucer will work here. I chose to go with new, store-bought selections, but you may elect to raid the cupboards or make a dash to your favorite antique or thrift shop. I started with a garden ornament as the base, but you can use any kind of pole or rod for your interpretation of this fun project. A little heavy-duty glue, a few decals, and just a couple of minutes of assembly were all it took for this one. Now, where shall I put this? In my garden? As an accent in a potted plant? Decisions, decisions! OmahaHome

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Decals or other embellishments are best applied before assembly. Be sure to select a metal or other allseason material for the base part of this project. Rustic wood stakes are cool, but they will inevitably rot after only a summer or two in the ground. The cup and saucer can be replaced by any number of household containers or other fun objects. Get creative!

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OmahaHome: story by david williams • photographs by phil swanson, vice president – fontenelle forest bird club & getty images

Birds in Pop Culture

Feathering a Nest of Notable Characters in Film, Literature, and Beyond

ARMER TEMPERATURES WILL SOON send fair-weather

birders scrambling for their binoculars. Let’s take a look at some of our local favorites and the roles they’ve played in pop culture.

American Coot Howard the Duck (1986) Trickeration alert! The American Coot is not directly related to the titular character of this box office bomb. The coot does not have webbed feet, but uses its large-lobed toes to rather comically scramble across the surface of the water to gain the momentum needed to take flight.

American Robin Blue Velvet (1986) David Lynch is known for finding beauty in the banal. The idealized, Rockwellian, white-picket-fence scene with the robin at the end of this harrowing story belies the film’s twisted plot.

American Crow The Crow (1994) Legend tells us that crows have the power to reanimate human corpses. Such was the case when Brandon Lee’s character joined the undead to seek revenge in this dark and brooding tale. H40

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Cedar Waxwing Pale Fire (1962) This postmodern novel by Vladimir Nabokov—No. 53 on the Modern Library list of Top 100 Novels of the 20th century—has a poem embedded within that begins with the words, “I was the shadow of the waxwing slain by the false azure of the windowpane.”

Photos by Bill Sitzmann

American Cardinal Angry Birds We were tempted to go with fire-balling St. Louis Cardinal Hall-of-Famer and Omaha native Bob Gibson on this one, but Red, the leader of a gaggle of Angry Birds, is more active these days—especially on any device with an “i” before its name.

Getty Images

Red-Headed Woodpecker The Woody Woodpecker Show (1957) What baby boomer could forget the staccato laugh of Walter Lantz’s hyperactive cartoon bird? Or his trademark intro of “Guess Who?” uttered just before he carves the show’s title card into a tree? Great Horned Owl Blade Runner (1982) Owls were the first species to go extinct in the noir-ish, replicant-hunting world of tough-guy Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford). Remember the animatronic version of an owl swooping through the dystopian darkness? Yeah, me too. Creepy.

Turkey Vulture The Jungle Book (1967) Check out the quartet of mop-topped vultures in this animated Disney classic. That’s right, the physical appearance and even temperaments of these goofy, nothing-but-trouble galoots were modeled after the Beatles.

"Creighton" Blue Jay Big-Time Hoops A welcome visitor to any backyard, the Blue Jay’s natural habitat includes the CenturyLink Center Omaha. Did you know that the specie’s Latin name of Cyanocitta cristata translates roughly to “Three-point Bomber?” Just trust us on this one. march/april • 2014 H41

OmahaHome: new on the block The Vintage Chandelier

PL A S H E S OF VIBRANT COLOR

are everywhere to be found at The Vintage Chandelier in Benson. The business operated by Laci Mulick and Angie Von Dollen specializes in refinished, repurposed, and restyled furniture with an emphasis on quality, vintage pieces at price points accessible to all. The pair have already tweaked their business plan so that customers may now bring their own treasures (or trash) into the store to be custom-refinished by this duo of design whizzes. A series of furniture restoration and refinishing workshops will soon be introduced. These roll-upyour-sleeves learning opportunities also promise to be fun and engaging “night out” social events. 6914 Maple St. 402-991-7780 thevintagechandelier.com

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Ambassador Real Estate

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now officially Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Ambassador Real Estate, making them the first Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices affiliate in Warren Buffet’s own backyard to unveil its transition to the new brand. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, based in Irvine, Calif., is a new real estate brokerage network built for a new era in residential real estate. The network, among the few organizations entrusted to use the world-renowned Berkshire Hathaway name, brings to the real estate market a definitive mark of trust, integrity, stability, and longevity. 13340 California St. Suite 101 402-493-4663 bhhsamb.com

Play+Rooms by LeWonderment Creating Learning Spaces for Curious Minds

EGGY PAWLOSKI HAS ANNOUNCED plans for the opening of Play+Rooms by

LeWonderment – Creating Learning Spaces for Curious Minds. The entrepreneur with an M.A. as a learning spaces specialist also owns the specialty gift shop for children and dog lovers in the Old Market, LeWonderment –Amazing Gifts for Children and Dogs. The expansion business will open in late March in Rockbrook Village. Pawloski researched the famed Reggio Emilio-inspired play-based thinking approach to learning and developed a visionary partnership with Play+Soft and the Italian architecture firm of ZPZ Partners. She and the architects designed the first home playroom concept of its kind in the United States, and the home atelier (workshop) in Rockbrook Village will be the first showroom of its kind anywhere. Look for unique merchandise sourced from Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and beyond. Rockbrook Village 402-206-9928 lewonderment.com

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Omaha Home: transformations story by michele hybner allied asid, d3 interiors • photos by amoura productions

Smart Design Stands the Test of Time Color Builds Character

HILE ATTENDING THE HIGH

Point International Furniture Market with Shawn Falcone of Falcone Homes this past spring, it was inspiring to find bold, saturated, color in nearly every showroom. Also timely and fitting that, just as Shawn and I set out to develop the design plan for our 2013 Street of Dreams home (built by Falcone Homes), the home sold to a family who was excited about the idea of incorporating a strong color story into their décor. > continued on page 49

meet the designers Michele Hybner, Allied ASID, D3 Interiors Shawn Falcone, Allied ASID, Falcone Homes

Transformations is a regular feature of Omaha Home that spotlights a recent project by a local ASID interior designer. The copy and photos are provided by the designer. Homeowners’ names may be withheld for privacy. H44

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Omaha Home: transformations

A Zen-like vibe is evoked by blending line, form, and texture in tile selections for the steam shower.

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OmahaHome: transformations

A bold ikat rug inspired the great room’s color palette.

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continued from page 44 < Our goal became to give this show home a unique and colorful personality. “We specified top-of-the-line finishes, pro appliances, custom cabinetry, custom furnishings and window treatments, original artwork, fresh paint colors, noteworthy light fixtures, and leaded glass double-entry doors,” says Falcone. “The moment you step into this home you begin to appreciate its character, quality, and charm.” We took a thoughtful approach to design, one that embraces “on trend” in smart measure so that this work will stand the test of time. Those items which are easy and affordable to replace—think throw pillows, paint, and accessories—are the best areas in which to embrace trends. And where you should consider a splurge? Original fine art never goes out of style. Area rugs can be passed on for generations when you buy heirloom-quality pieces. Approach tile as an opportunity to set your

home apart from your neighbors. Think of lighting as the icing on the cake. Investing in fine furniture and custom window treatments will add polish and staying power to your décor. Consider furnishing your home as you would in assembling a wardrobe. Not every item hanging in your closet can be trendy and colorful, and not every item can be timeless and neutral. Some items you find may stretch the budget while others are more easily affordable. The key is to strike a balance by mixing and matching low- and high-end items according to your style and budget. Good design is not about how much our clients are able to spend. It is about creating spaces that they want to spend time in. The most important thing about the interior design of your home would be for it to become an extension of who you are, what you value, your interests, and your lifestyle. In a word, it must be you. OmahaHome

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OmahaHome: home happenings

Spring has sprung

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Omaha Home Show

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F YOU’RE BUILDING, REMODELING, or just dreaming, the 57th Annual

Omaha Home Show offers more of what you’re looking for at this fun family event. Grillologists Mad Dog and Merrill, the nationally recognized (and hilarious) duo who travel the country performing before live audiences when not writing cookbooks and producing videos, will show you their secrets to amazing backyard entertaining. Other crowd-pleasers will include a walkthrough butterfly house and landscape design challenge. Hundreds of top-notch displays will show off the latest concepts in design, materials, construction, and more than a few surprises for every corner of your property. Talk to all the pros at this dream factory that is sure to inspire your most creative ideas for better living. OmahaHome March 20-23 CenturyLink Center Omaha Tickets $10 adults, $5 students 18 and under, free for children 5 and under omahahomeshow.com

Remodeled Home Tour

EE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN

once tired or dated spaces are transformed by some of the very best in the remodeling industry at the 7th Annual Remodeled Home Tour in April. The event is presented by the Greater Omaha Chapter of NARI, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. This year’s tour spotlights the work of NARI contractors G & J Remodeling, Oldenhuis Contracting Inc., Sanwick Remodeling Contractors, and T. Hurt Construction. Each home acts as a top-to-bottom showcase boasting the freshest trends from plumbing to pillows and everything in between when it comes to all of the elements that make a home beautiful. NARI is a nonprofit association committed to serving the nation's homeowners by enhancing the professionalism of the remodeling industry, educating the public, and providing quality services and products. OmahaHome

April 5-6 Various Locations Tickets $8 omahanari.org

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story by david williams • photos by bill sitzmann

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Bryan Allison works on his tropical paradise.

Artists for Inclusion

WhyArts makes creativity accessible to all.

GGY SUMNIK IS A noted artist. Bryan

Allison is a young man with intellectual disabilities. Their worlds may seem galaxies apart, but the two have more in common than one might suspect. Both share a love of art, and both would appear to live by the same simple philosophy. “I like to approach each new day as if I were going for a walk,” says Sumnik, a ceramic artist who worked for three years as a studio > omaha magazine • march/april 2014

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I didn’t come in with any particular project in mind for you. I’m just here to be an extra set of hands, so I want to see your creativity today—your ideas, not mine. iggy sumnik

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< assistant under the internationally acclaimed Jun Kaneko. “I sense that Bryan and I might be a little alike in that regard. We keep our eyes and ears open during our walk through the day, and maybe we stumble onto something that is a little bit different. Maybe we even learn something new. I expect to learn something from Bryan today. I hope he feels the same way.” Sumnik was introduced to Allison through a collaboration between local nonprofit organizations WhyArts and VODEC. WhyArts works to ensure that visual and performing arts experiences are open to people of all ages and abilities throughout the metro area. VODEC (see the related story on page 117) provides vocational, residential, and day services for persons with intellectual disabilities in Nebraska and Iowa. Sumnik unpacks the tools of his profession—a massive block of malleable “potential” and a jumble of clay-working implements—as he explains to Allison and nine of his VODEC friends what would unfold over the next hour or so. “I didn’t come in with any particular project in mind for you,” he explains. “I’m just 112

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here to be an extra set of hands, so I want to see your creativity today—your ideas, not mine.” “Our ideas,” the perpetually smiling Allison replies. “I’m going to make an island. Hawaii. I’m going to be an artist!” From senior centers and middle schools to the Completely KIDS campus and vocational facilities like VODEC, WhyArts offers a broad slate of programs backed by a small army of talented artists from the arenas of the visual arts, theater, dance, music, poetry, storytelling, and beyond. The roster of WhyArts artists reads something like a Who’s Who of the creative community. Jill Anderson is the popular chanteuse, recording artist, and Actors’ Equity performer. Roxanne Nielsen makes magic as a frequent choreographer of Omaha Community Playhouse productions. Ballet legend Robin Welch was featured in the last issue of Omaha Magazine. Add spoken word impresario Felicia Webster and Circle Theater co-founder Doug Marr, to name but a few, and it’s a line-up that represents the very best—and most caring—of a city’s imagination pool. >

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The underserved populations we reach generally do not have access to the arts, but creativity is innate in us all, regardless of age or ability. carolyn anderson, WhyArts director

< “These are more than just talented professionals with long resumes who happen to do workshops,” says WhyArts director Carolyn Anderson. “They are advocates of the arts, but they are also passionate advocates for inclusion.” Originally known as Very Special Arts Nebraska when the group formed in 1990, the WhyArts model is one that recognizes the simplest of ideas—that creative expression is a foundational attribute of the human condition. “The underserved populations we reach generally do not have access to the arts,” Anderson continues, “but creativity is innate in us all, regardless of age or ability. What we do is to help people discover that creativity. We don’t try to ‘teach’ art. We experience it right along with them—and on their terms, just like you see Iggy doing here today. Everything we do is carefully tailored to the needs and abilities of the people we serve, but we do it in a way that respects the individual and encourages the artistic expression that is waiting to be released in each and every one of us.” It’s a formula that also works well for organizations like VODEC. “The WhyArts mission of inclusion mirrors our own in a perfect way,” says Daryn Richardson, VODEC’s services development >

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WhyArts

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story by david williams • photo provided by VODEC

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Employment Training Assistant Pam Wyzykowski works with VODEC consumer Greg Foster.

Taking the “Special” Out of Special Needs VODEC’s Mission of Inclusion

< director. “Both of our organizations build bridges to the community with as many organizations and with as many people as we can. That’s the goal of every program we develop.” Making art in a group, Sumnik adds, is a two-way street. “I try to be nothing more than an enabler for their imaginations,” he says, “but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found inspiration for my own work through people like Bryan.” Sumnik’s artists have now completed a menagerie of clay creations that will be fired by WhyArts before being returned to their makers. Allison’s fanciful island paradise features a larger-than-life giraffe towering over a lava-spewing volcano. “We’re getting ready to photograph my art for a magazine!” says Allison, now the center of attention throughout VODEC’s humming-with-activity work floor. “I’m going to be an artist!” “Going to be?” Sumnik replies. “You’re already there, my man. You’re already there.” GALA

VODEC began in 1968 when a group of parents, educators, and others sought to implement a paradigm shift in how people with disabilities are perceived and, more vitally, how they interact with society. Loved ones with disabilities were too commonly all but invisible throughout the larger community. Many went to special schools. Some lived in special housing arrangements. The emphasis, it seemed, invariably centered on the concept of “special.” “We serve people first and foremost as members of society,” says Daryn Richardson, the local nonprofit’s services development director. “Only secondarily do we see them as persons with disabilities, as persons with special needs.” VODEC provides day programs, employment programs, and residential programs that are designed to meet most every need in helping individuals and communities reach their full potential through inclusion. Originally known as the Vocational Development Center, VODEC today serves over 500 individuals with intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities. “The core of our mission is to recognize each and every person’s full potential as just that—a person with unlimited potential,” says Richardson. “It’s the most basic of starting points in our thinking, and we want the community to think the same way. After all, these are our sons, our daughters, our neighbors, our friends.” The nonprofit offers a robust slate of programs. The business services unit offers packaging, assembly, shrink-wrapping, and other services staffed by VODEC’s people. Activities programs include dining out and trips to parks, museums, and other places of interest. Additional initiatives are aimed squarely at the idea that we are all social beings. Such topics as how to meet new friends, strategic thinking and problem solving skills, stranger danger, and understanding boundaries help open doors to a broader, richer world for all. Creativity was the buzzword the day Omaha Magazine visited VODEC. “WhyArts is here today (see related story on page 111) so they encountered a room full of artists,” says Richardson. “Sure, they also happen to be persons with disabilities, but today they are artists. We want to give them every opportunity to be themselves and experience life in new and rewarding ways. Tomorrow and next week and next month they will be something else, but today they are artists.” GALA Visit vodec.org for additional information. omaha magazine • march/april 2014

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De’Ja Theresa Diane Combs, Miss Cotillion 2013

“I

Antici…pation The 55th Annual Cotillion Ball 118

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CAN’T REMEMBER THE LAST time

I was that nervous,” says De’Ja Theresa Diane Combs in recalling her lifechanging moment last spring. Sure, the then Omaha North High School senior had just been crowned Miss Cotillion 2013, but her case of the jitters had more to do with what was to follow. “One of the great things about being involved in Cotillion is how it stresses fatherdaughter bonds,” she says before explaining that her first tiara-topped responsibility was that of the time-honored Father-Daughter Dance. “I’ve been dancing since I was 4. I took ballet. I was a cheerleader in high school. I’ve been with the Shouts of Praise [dance ministry at Salem Baptist Church]. But I’ve never been that nervous about a dance. Getting to dance with my dad that night was…special.” Combs, the daughter of Jewell KirkseySmith and Billie Smith, will see the same tender tableau unfold once again on April

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27 when she returns to help crown a successor at the 55th Annual Cotillion Ball of the Omaha Chapter of The Links, Incorporated. The event is a fundraiser for the nonprofit women’s service organization with 267 chapters in the United States and Europe. The Links’ mission centers on quality-of-life issues for African Americans and people of African descent worldwide. The Omaha Chapter has provided over $1,000,000 in scholarship assistance to high school seniors since its inception in 1959. Recent projects have included an anti-bullying initiative in partnership with Girls Inc. The next Miss Cotillion, Combs says, will walk away empowered about who she is and what she can expect to do in life. “If she had any doubts about herself before, Cotillion will teach her that she can make a difference, that she can contribute to the community.” Combs is now studying special education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her plan to contribute begins with a goal to become a kindergarten teacher in the Omaha Public Schools system, perhaps even at her alma mater, Hartman Elementary School. Combs’ extended family is no stranger to the ball and boasts a long lineage of Cotillion women. Her mother participated in 1992 and her grandmother, Theresa Kirksey, donned a gown in 1973. “I don’t know if you’re ever really fully prepared until your time comes at Cotillion,” Kirksey-Smith says. “It can be overwhelming, but it’s an awesome experience for any highschool senior girl.” “The older ladies of Cotillion,” Combs adds, “are great about the traditional aspects of an event like this. Poise and etiquette are valuable things to learn for any young adult, but Cotillion is really more about family, service, and building better communities.” The sometimes-intricate customs of Cotillion culture may be a bit puzzling to the uninitiated, perhaps especially for men, but Billie Smith will always cherish a certain memory of his daughter’s special night—a visceral one that requires no additional explanation as to its deeper meaning. “To be able to dance with De’Ja that night was unforgettable,” he says. “There were a lot of teary eyes in that room. Unforgettable.” GALA Visit omahachapterlinksinc.org for more on The Links and the 55th Annual Cotillion Ball.

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calendar of events march/april • 2014

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The Jet Award Stanford Cardinal Ty Montgomery will be named college football’s premier kick return specialist at the third annual Jet Award Gala on April 10 at the Ralston Arena. The honor is named after Husker legend Johnny “The Jet” Rodgers, the man College Football News called “the greatest kick returner in college football history.” Previous Jet Award winners are Tavon Austin (2012, West Virginia Mountaineers) and Joe Adams (2011, University of Arkansas Razorbacks). ESPN anchor Jay Harris will be the keynote speaker. thejetaward.com

Omaha Gala March 1 2014 Annual Masquerade Ball and Auction Metro Omaha Women’s Business Center Marriott Regency mowbcf.org March 1 Heat the Streets Run and Walk for Warmth Benefits energy assistance programs Midtown Crossing heatthestreetsomaha.org

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Calendar of Events

March 1 Irish Fest Catholic Charities CenturyLink Center Omaha ccomaha.org

March 4-9 Omaha Fashion Week Fashion Institute Midwest Omar Baking Building omahafashionweek.com

March 5-6 Table Art 2014 Omaha Symphony Guild Champions Run omahasymphonyguild.org

March 2 10th Annual Walk & Roll for Disabilities Meyer Foundation for Disabilities Oakview Mall omahadisabilities.org

March 5 Speaking of Children Project Harmony CenturyLink Center Omaha projectharmony.com

March 6 Celebrity Chef Featuring Michael Symon Food Bank for the Heartland Embassy Suites La Vista Conference Center foodbankheartland.org

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calendar of events march/april • 2014

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Greater Omaha Leadership Prayer Breakfast Mark Whitacre, the inspiration behind Matt Damon’s title character in the film, The Informant, will tell his story at the 49th annual Greater Omaha Leadership Prayer Breakfast on April 18 at the Embassy Suites La Vista Conference Center. The event is sponsored by CBMC Heartland, a nonprofit ministry serving business and professional leaders. The former Archer Daniels Midland executive became an FBI informant in 1992 to blow the lid off of that company’s price-fixing crimes. heartland.cbmc.com

March 7-8 Iowa Miss Amazing Pageant Miss Amazing Inc. Iowa Western Community College missamazingpageant.com

March 8 CASA Blanca Nebraska CASA Scott Conference Center nebraskacasa.org

March 7-9 American Girl Fashion Show Junior League of Omaha Happy Hollow Country Club jlomaha.org

March 12 Heroes in the Heartland American Red Cross Embassy Suites La Vista Conference Center redcross.org

March 14 Fourth Annual Women on a Mission for Change Conference The Salvation Army College of St. Mary womenonamissionomaha.org

March 22 Heritage Awards Dinner Alegent Creighton Health Mercy Hospital Mid-America Center alegentcreighton.com

March 19 Midlands Mentoring Partnership 5th Annual Mentoring Summit & Awards Luncheon Midlands Mentoring Partnership CenturyLink Center Omaha mmpomaha.org

March 27 artVenture Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska Mammel Hall, University of Nebraska-Omaha girlscoutsnebraska.org

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March 29 VinNEBRASKA Spring Wine Event 2014 Partnership 4 Kids Downtown Double Tree by Hilton vinnebraska.com

April 5 Cathedral Comedy and Cuisine 2014 Saint Cecilia Cathedral Saint Cecilia Cathedral campus stceciliacathedral.org

March 29 2014 Blue Jean Ball: The Magic of a Wish Make-A-Wish Nebraska Mutual of Omaha Dome nebraska.wish.org

April 5 Big Basketball Bash Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands Champions Run bbbsomaha.org

March 29 The Gathering Christian Urban Education Service Embassy Suites La Vista Conference Center cuesschools.org March 29 March Madnezz Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands Stillway Bar bgcomaha.org April 2 Author Luncheon Rosalind Wiseman Completely KIDS Hilton Omaha completelykids.org April 5 Omaha Symphony Gala Omaha Symphony Holland Performing Arts Center omahasymphony.org

April 6 Celebration of Spirit Dinner Notre Dame Sisters Roncalli Catholic High School notredamesisters.org April 9 2014 ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference ICAN CenturyLink Center Omaha icanglobal.net April 10 4th Annual: Toast to Fair Housing Family Housing Advisory Services Metropolitan Community College Swanson Conference Center fhasinc.org April 10 Spring Fling Omaha Creative Institute Tip Top Building omahacreativeinstitute.org

April 5 Blue Jeans and Dreams HETRA Five Star Stables omahastables.com

April 11 9th Annual Kicks for a Cure Dinner Kicks for a Cure, Inc. Downtown DoubleTree by Hilton kicksforacure.org

April 5 NSBA Barristers’ Ball Nebraska Lawyers Foundation Embassy Suites La Vista Conference Center nebar.com

April 11 Wine, Women & Shoes Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Foundation Happy Hollow Club winewomenandshoes.com

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April 11 Tastes & Treasures The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary Georgetowne Club givesalvationarmy.org

April 27 Senior Prom Heartland Family Service Omaha Field Club heartlandfamilyservice.org

April 12 9th Annual Kicks for a Cure Soccer Event Kicks for a Cure, Inc. and First National Bank Morrison Stadium, Creighton University kicksforacure.org

April 27 Rock the Nest Trivia Night Central High School Foundation Scoular Ballroom chsfomaha.org

April 12 2014 Kidney Cruise, A USO Salute to America Nebraska Kidney Association Champion’s Run kidneyne.org April 25 Feather Our Nest Fontenelle Forest Livestock Exchange Building Ballroom fontenelleforest.org April 25-26 Bowl for Kids’ Sake Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands Maplewood Lanes bbbsomaha.org April 26 March for Babies March of Dimes Northeast Division Lewis and Clark Landing marchofdimes.com April 26 Black Tie and Tails Nebraska Humane Society Ramada Plaza Omaha nehumanesociety.org April 26 BASH Creighton Preparatory School Creighton Preparatory School creightonprep.creighton.edu

April 27 ALS in the Heartland Community Walk ALS in the Heartand Stinson Park at Aksarben Village alsintheheartland.org April 28 The Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures Tribute Luncheon The Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures Happy Hollow Club nebraskacures.com April 29 Lauritzen Gardens Spring Luncheon Lauritzen Gardens Guild Lauritzen Gardens lauritzengardens.orgw

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story by david williams photo by Bradley Fine Portraits

Jake Alexander

Heart Hero OCTORS WORKED FEVERISHLY TO save Jake Alexander’s

life in 2011 when he went into cardiac arrest during surgery that was to treat his heart arrhythmia. Less than three years later the now 9-year-old took the stage before a sold-out audience of 750 people to utter the simple words of “Thank you.” The son of Kelley and Damian Alexander, Jake was honored last month when the American Association named him Heart Child 2014 at the Wild About Heart 2014 Heart Ball. A record-breaking crowd of generous supporters ran up the bids on scores of auction items and experience packages at the Embassy Suites La Vista Conference Center event that raised over $540,000 for the American Heart Association. Lexus of Omaha was the ball’s presenting sponsor. Longtime American Heart Association advocate John Knicely of WOWT returned to his customary role of emcee. Celebrity auctioneers included Philadelphia Eagles kicker (and former Husker hero) Alex Henery, Omaha Fashion Week co-founders Brook and Nick Hudson, and former Mrs. Nebraska Kim Daniels, who is featured in this issue’s Style Shot on pg. 30. “We have amazing leadership in Trev and Angela Alberts [2014 Chairpersons] and David and Lori Scott [2014 Honorary Chairpersons],” says Jennifer Redman, director of the local chapter of the national organization that has funded $3.3 billion in research since 1949. “Tonight,” she continues, “is a celebration with all our great volunteers, friends, and supporters who join us in the mission of saving lives.” GALA

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story by robert nelson • photos by bill sitzmann and provided by the dehner boot company

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feature the dehner boot company

History Is Made in These Boots The Dehner Boot Company

LTHOUGH THEIR PROFESSIONS AND proclivities may

differ a bit, astronauts, bikers, cops, movie stars, presidents, fighter pilots, polo aficionados, members of San Francisco’s leather subculture, tank commanders, and Teutonic toughs all seem to agree on one thing—The Dehner Boot Company of Omaha makes one fine custom leather boot. On a walk through the factory near 36th and Martha St. with company president Jeff Ketzler, the Dehner ethic is quickly apparent. Artisans cut and shape leathers with hand tools smoothed and patinaed from decades of use. Leather uppers are sewn to soles with antiquated, belt-driven, black-enameled machines. Indeed, the factory floor could just as easily be a living-history museum of the cordwainer’s art circa 1930. But Dehner continues to exist precisely because most of the world has passed the company by. > omaha magazine • march/april 2014

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FEATURE President Ronald Reagan’s 1981 order for a pair of Dehner Boots, according to the note on this work ticket, deserved the “Rush” treatment. Opposite page: Reagan in a pair of Dehner Boots.

< “We refuse to change how we do things,” Ketzler says. “We are known for craftsmanship and quality. I would close this factory before I allow us to become just another company that cranks out junk.” Little has changed during Dehner’s 130 years of existence. The tech revolution never happened here. The equation is simple: Determine exactly what the footwear needs to do. Take exact measurements of the feet the footwear needs to service. Once you know these details, find strong, supple leather and have men and women, most with decades of experience, use heavy-duty materials and mostly centuries-old techniques to craft the 126

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final product. If it’s a Dehner, you will be comfortable in this timeless piece of footwear long after your other shoes have turned to scraps. Using this formula, Ketzler and his father and grandfather before him have built a resume unmatched among American shoe manufacturers. NASA turned to the company to build some of the first boots to go into space. General Curtis LeMay looked to Dehner to design and build the perfect boot for the quick-strike flight crews of the Strategic Air Command. Horse buff Ronald Reagan often talked up his Dehner riding boots. James Dean wore Dehner boots.

Leaders throughout World War II, including Gen. George Patton, wore Dehners. The Thunderbirds. The Blue Angels. Ketzler just shipped off a pair of military-style boots for Brad Pitt to wear in an upcoming movie. In time, you realize an impressive chunk of 20th century American history was made in Dehner boots. Ken Hedrick, owner of Stompers Boots in San Francisco, one of the largest retailers of Dehner Boots in the world, explains why Dehners are sought when the best is needed. “There are really only two makers of very serious custom boots left in this country— Wesco and Dehner,” he says. “With the >

feature the dehner boot company

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FEATURE

Jeff Ketzler of The Dehner Boot Company

< Dehners, what you come to realize—and what a lot of people have come to realize—is that nobody anywhere makes anything as good. They have some secret sauce or something. People have tried to copy them, but nobody can pull it off.” Dehner once hovered around 40 employees in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The company has tended to employ closer to 20 in recent years, but they are doing much better than many other small custom shoe companies. “We are doing pretty well while so many other companies like us around the world have gone out of business,” Ketzler says. Still, Ketzler does have plans to explore new 128

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markets. His latest idea came to him last year after his father passed away. “It got me looking back, thinking how much he had been involved in, how much the U.S. had been involved in through that time,” he says. “It seemed like a history that should be celebrated.” So Dehner boots now has a “Reenactment Line.” If you or a group wants the exact boots worn by any number of historic figures, Dehner can make them for you for somewhere between $500 and $1,000 a pair. “We still have all the designs in our files, and we still use all the same equipment and all the same leathers,” he says. “You get the

exact same boot.” In the front office of the Dehner building sits the lineup of Dehner products past and present. Here, longtime company everywoman Mary Rushing provides the tour. In her 18 years here, she has run done everything from finishing boots to running the shipping department and front office. Today she gives a detailed, inside-the-craft, foots-on tour of a dozen or so of Dehner’s most historic artifacts. The black and white NASA boots worn in space by astronauts such as John Glenn are, back here on earth, just about the coolest things ever. “I’m pretty proud to be a part of all this,”

feature the dehner boot company

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Rushing says. “It’s a unique company with a great history that stands for quality. You can feel like you’re doing something pretty cool here.” The trick moving forward, Ketzler says, will be to stay true to the company’s history while trying to grow—carefully—in a world that “may not appreciate what we do as much as in the past. “This company has a 130-year history of making a superb product,” he adds. “I’m just not going to be the guy who destroys that kind of legacy.” OMAG

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COVER FEATURE

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story by chris wolfgang • photos by bill sitzmann • artwork by jeremy caniglia

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cover feature jeremy caniglia

Jeremy Caniglia brings Old World to the New World.

E WALKS INTO THE comic

shop, and he looks like he belongs. Internationally recognized Omaha artist Jeremy Caniglia is wearing a hoodie, jeans, and sneakers. He’s buried under an armload of books. The one thing all the titles have in common is original artwork by Caniglia. “This is being optioned for a film…the director loved this concept,” he says of one book cover. “They wanted something bleak, simple. That’s one of my earlier works.” His Wikipedia page is a Who’s Who of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror authors. Max Brooks (World War Z), Stephen King, Peter Straub, and Ray Bradbury (The Devil’s Wine), William Peter Blatty (40th editions of The Exorcist and Legion), and most recently, Charles Dickens (A Christmas Carol, 170th > omaha magazine • march/april 2014

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< anniversary edition) have all produced books that now proudly carry a Caniglia illustration. Anne Rice’s 38th anniversary edition of Interview with a Vampire will also be getting one of his custom covers. “I guess people labeled me early on. Oh, he’s a horror artist,” Caniglia says. Well, he is nominated for a Hugo award this year. “I mean, my work’s about the human condition, so that’s everything. That’s love and death. I love the idea of redemption. Life throws everything it 132

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can at you. That perseverance that individuals have, I’ve just fallen in love with it.” To convey the multiple facets of humanity, Caniglia exercises multiple facets of artistry. He works in oils, screen-printing, sculpture, and bronze, to name a few. The self-portrait he painted for this cover of Omaha Magazine, however, is something relatively new to his body of work. “I never do self-portraits!” he says with a laugh.

His projects extend to film concept art (season one of Showtime’s Masters of Horror, 2005) to theater (Benson Theatre’s stage adaptation this March of Stephen King’s The Shining), and of course, over 100 book covers. “I try to be a renaissance man in a way.” By the way, he owns a bakery, La Charlotte, with his wife, Jacqui, an accomplished pastry chef. And he gardens and cooks with their two children, Caravaggio, 16, and Vivian, 14. He writes poetry no one will ever read.

cover feature jeremy caniglia

Caniglia’s Dead Souls

And he codes. While still earning his master’s in fine art at Maryland Institute College, he built his first website in ’94, complete with rotating skulls. That’s how author Doug Clegg found him to ask Caniglia to paint his first cover. “One thing leads to another to another,” Caniglia says. Inquiries came in on his site early on, largely from Europe. “I have this Old World sense that the United States wasn’t really into.”

“I love his dedication to the Old Masters,” says Brigitte McQueen, director of The Union for Contemporary Art. “The way he works is so unlike how any other artist in Omaha is working. The palette, the processes. I remember seeing it and knowing it was different than anything else I was ever going to see.” Caniglia’s ability to capture light, McQueen says, is itself captivating. “There’s like a luminescence that comes off the canvas,” she says. “The pieces just seem to glow.” > omaha magazine • march/april 2014

133

COVER FEATURE

From sketch to painting to book cover, Caniglia’s process is revealed with the 170th anniversary edition of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

From Bad Flesh evokes echoes of Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945), who Caniglia says is a major influence on his work.

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omaha magazine • march/april 2014

cover feature jeremy caniglia

< Caniglia tips his hat to Caravaggio as his biggest influence in painting light. If you’re paying attention, yes, he named his son after the Italian artist. Caravaggio popularized the high-contrast light technique chiaroscuro; it’s mimicked in every artistic media today. “You see The Godfather, you see chiaroscuro,” Caniglia says. The technique highly impacted religious art, which is what Caniglia saw as a child growing up in the Catholic Church. To this day, he says it’s important that even his darkest works have an element of reverence. The artist who produces exhibits like “I Before E Except After Death” is equally passionate about creating the Stations of the Cross for the Omaha parish of Saint Gerald. Perhaps being surrounded by such sacred art from a young age was what drew him to artists like Käthe Kollwitz who tackled the subject of human suffering. “Best line work, best drawing,” Caniglia

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says of the painter who ran the Berlin Art Institute. “Actually, I think she’s the best artist of all time.” Kollwitz turned to printmaking in order to produce anti-Nazi art quickly and discreetly. “You could pull like 100 and put them all over Berlin. Her line work…it looks like Mike Mignola.” That’s Hellboy’s artist, to you. “Or Frank Frazetta.” Conan the Barbarian, King Kong, Tarzan, et cetera. “Understanding form, motion, human condition all in one—wow. If she didn’t have these harsh conditions, I think she would have been the greatest artist.” That investment in humanity, that passion for the work, is what Caniglia hopes to instill in the young artists he teaches in Omaha. He’s a mentor with Kent Bellows Program and occasionally adjunct teaches painting and drawing at Creighton Prep, where he’s a board member. “For people to write you off as a highschool student, thinking your art isn’t

important…” He shakes his head. “They’re wrong. If you care about something, and you want to develop it, develop it! If I can influence that—if you have passion, and you care, you can do it. Don’t let anybody get in the way of that. And if they do, go around it.” “A lot of our teenage artists have some selfconfidence issues,” says Weston Thomson, community outreach manager at the Joslyn Art Museum Kent Bellows Mentoring Program. “They devalue their work a lot. I remember Jeremy had a student, and he was describing that their work as an artist will be the most important work for their life. And he meant it.” “I get so excited when I talk art,” Caniglia says. It’s true that enthusiasm is never far removed from a Caniglia conversation. “It is life. I’m excited that I’m doing my work because that’s all I want to do, is my work. I have to do stuff,” he says. “I have to get in the way.” OMAG

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“Doc” Simmons is not the retiring type.

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HE TEMPERATURE ROSE TO zero at noon today, deadline day for when we send the magazine off to print. Warmer weather has surely arrived by the time you’re reading this, right? If it’s still a bit nippy out there as winter flirts with spring, enjoy some of the heartwarming stories found on the pages that follow—like the one about an octogenarian champion weight lifter. Or the one about the man whose “retirement” is still a globetrotting adventure. And the retired ladies who are building strong neighborhoods in North Omaha. Now back to my hot cocoa. Ta ta!

Gwen Gwen Lemke Contributing Editor, 60PLUS In Omaha Comments? Send your letter to the editor to: david@omahamagazine.com All versions of Omaha Magazine are published bimonthly by Omaha Magazine, LTD, P.O. Box 461208, Omaha NE 68046-1208. Telephone: (402) 884-2000; fax (402) 884-2001. Subscription rates: $19.95 for 6 issues (one year), $24.95 for 12 issues (two years). No whole or part of the contents herein may be reproduced without prior written permission of Omaha Magazine, excepting individually copyrighted articles and photographs. Unsolicited manuscripts are accepted, however no responsibility will be assumed for such solicitations. Best of Omaha®™ is a registered tradename of Omaha Magazine.

march/april • 2014

60PLUS S3

60PLUS feature Story by David Williams • Photo by Bill Sitzmann

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The Minne Lusa Ladies

Sharon Olson (left) and Beth Richards are “The Minne Lusa Ladies.”

Coffee, Cookies, and Canning at the Epicenter of a Resurgent Neighborhood E STARTED THIS WITH no

idea of what it would become,” says Sharon Olson of the home at 2737 Mary St. that later became The Minne Lusa House. “We mostly wanted a way for neighbors to get to know one another again,” adds Beth Richards, the other half of the duo now known colloquially as The Minne Lusa Ladies. They bought the repossessed property in 2010 for a mere $20,000, and the tan stucco home built in 1918 is now the epicenter of a resurgent Minne Lusa neighborhood, which is located just north of Miller Park. Canning marathons, fried green tomatoes, and cookies may have been the inspiration behind the earliest Minne Lusa House events, but the cozy place has since grown to host nonprofit and other events. It hums with activity whenever Santa makes a visit and is one of the main bases for Halloween activity when the annual Trick-or-Treat on the Boolevard fright-fest sends goblins scurrying up and down Minne Lusa Boulevard one block to the east. Police chiefs and precinct captains have listened to neighborhood voices here, as has Ben Gray, the area’s representative on the City Council. Their weekly Saturday Morning Coffee started local and small, but word of the meet-ups quickly spread. Now Saturday’s draw people from all over the metro area. One Minne Lusa native who now lives in Florida stumbled upon the home’s Facebook page during a nostalgic bout of Minne Lusathemed web surfing. Struck by the happenings there, she had custom Minne Lusa House coffee mugs made and presented them to the home.

“Sometimes it’s so crowded here on a Saturday morning that there’s no wiggle room,” says Richards. “When things first started to take off,” adds Olson, “I remember thinking, ‘Who are all these people?’” Richards, a retired telephone company employee, has lived five houses down from The Minne Lusa House for the last eight years and has been in the neighborhood for 15. Olson, a retired mail carrier, lives around the corner in the house in which she grew up. It was at that moment that Rosalind Moore, president of the Miller Park Minne Lusa Neighborhood Association just happened to pop in—as is the wont of many neighbors—to discuss an effort to start a neighborhood newsletter. The women are also part of an effort to have the neighborhood, whose name is Siouxian for “clear water,” listed on the National Register of Historic Places. “We want people to know that this is a great neighborhood,” Moore says. Too many people, she says, know the area and other parts of North Omaha only from crime reports. “The neighborhood association, The Minne Lusa Ladies, and so many others here work to make sure that people know that our neighborhood makes a positive impact on the community.” Community, The Minne Lusa Ladies believe, is built on conversations. “Neighborhoods are destroyed from within,” says Olson. “It begins when people stop talking. We aim to do something about that.” Visit The Minne Lisa House on Facebook and the neighborhood association at millerparkminnelusa.org. march/april • 2014

60PLUS S5

60PLUS health Story by Susan Meyers • Photogrpah by Bill Sitzmann

Keeping Mind and Body Active Essential in Controlling Parkinson’s Disease S6 60PLUS

march/april • 2014

IKE EGGER, 66, HAS always

enjoyed tinkering around the garage, maintaining his cars and lawn equipment and doing just about anything mechanical. Since he developed Parkinson’s disease some 20 years ago, these are some of the things he still enjoys most in life, but they also serve another purpose. They help keep his body and mind active— essentials in helping control the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that advances slowly and affects movement, muscle control, and balance. It is the second most common nervous system disorder after Alzheimer’s disease. It is estimated that as many as 3 to 4 percent of the population will develop Parkinson’s symptoms during their lifetime and the risk is even higher in Nebraska. “While we don’t have a cure for Parkinson’s, we continue to make progress in diagnosis and treatment,” says John Bertoni, M.D., Ph.D., neurologist and director of the Parkinson’s Clinic at The Nebraska Medical Center. “We are continually learning more about the disease and there are many new treatments coming down the pipeline.” People may have Parkinson’s for many years before it becomes apparent, notes Dr. Bertoni. Some of the more subtle early-stage symptoms include: loss of sense of smell, thrashing in sleep, depression, loss of facial expression, excessive sleepiness during the day, constipation, shortening of one’s steps, and a diminishing arm swing when walking. Other symptoms include slowness, rigidity, and tremors at rest. Mike and his wife, Mary, believe that Mike probably had Parkinson’s disease for about 10 years before he was actually diagnosed. “I had noticed a change in his gait, one of his arms wasn’t swinging much anymore, and he had developed a slight tremor in one of his hands,” she says. The signs were so slight, however, that she attributed them to an old injury caused by falling off a horse. As the symptoms became more pronounced, Mike saw a doctor and was diagnosed at age 50 with Parkinson’s. “The disease progressed so slowly at first that I barely noticed it, or maybe I was in denial,” he says. Initially, Mike took medications to help control his symptoms. Most people with Parkinson’s can get significant control of

“We have also found that those who take an active role in their own care, who exercise regularly, stay engaged, and participate in support groups, do the best in managing the disease and living a relatively healthy, active, and quality life.” -John Bertoni, M.D., Ph.D., neurologist and director of the Parkinson’s Clinic at The Nebraska Medical Center

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medications for many years. When Parkinson’s disease patients stop responding to medications, a surgical procedure called deep brain stimulation may be considered. Deep brain stimulation involves implanting an insulated wire into a target area of the brain. The lead is connected to a small pulse generator implanted beneath the skin, which generates mild electric pulses to the brain to reduce Parkinson’s symptoms, including tremors. Mike had the procedure performed nearly two years ago and says it has essentially eliminated his tremors. His biggest challenges include trying to walk steadily and maintaining his balance. Aside from that, Mark says, “I still do everything now that I’ve always done, but I don’t do them quite as well and not as fast.” While a definitive cause for Parkinson’s has not been found, a combination of factors may play a role, notes Dr. Bertoni. These include aging, having an inherited gene, and exposure to environmental triggers. Some speculate that the relatively higher incidence of the disease in Nebraska may be due to exposure to farm chemicals. Despite some of the daily challenges of dealing with Parkinson’s disease, Mike continues to maintain a positive attitude. “I figure there are many people who have worse things than me,” he says. “I just try to roll with it and stay positive.” The APDA assists people throughout the state. Visit parkinsonsne.org or call 402-393-2732 for additional information.

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their symptoms with medications and a combination of other therapies including occupational therapy, speech therapy, nutrition counseling, support groups, and regular exercise. Medications can help alleviate problems with walking, movement, and tremors by increasing the brain’s supply of dopamine. In Parkinson’s disease, certain nerve cells (neurons) in the brain gradually become sick. These neurons are responsible for producing the chemical messenger dopamine. A reduction of dopamine levels causes abnormal brain activity, which can lead to the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. “Recent studies have revealed that people who are not over-treated with medications do the best in the long run,” says Dr. Bertoni. “We have also found that those who take an active role in their own care, who exercise regularly, stay engaged, and participate in support groups, do the best in managing the disease and living a relatively healthy, active, and quality life.” Mary, who is the president of the Nebraska chapter of the American Parkinson’s Disease Association (APDA), says that the organization offers more than 20 support groups throughout the state for both Parkinson’s patients and their caregivers. As Mike’s disease continued to progress, he eventually had to quit work. The medications also became less effective, and the side effects of the drugs grew to become worse than the symptoms themselves, a common problem among people who have been taking

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60PLUS feature Story by Margaret A. Badura

She Didn’t Know M What She Didn’t Know“ Elder Law Pitfalls to Avoid

S8 60PLUS

march/april • 2014

OM WOULD HAVE NEVER

wanted that!” the woman shouted as she slammed her hand down on the conference table. Across from her sat her brother with a scowl on his face. So began one of the saddest representations I’ve encountered over more than 20 years as an elder law and estate planning attorney. It turned out that their mother had recently suffered a massive stroke, one that had left her comatose and, according to her neurologist, brain dead. She and her husband had Health Care Powers of Attorney (HCPOA) prepared by the family’s general attorney many years ago. Her husband later died, and she had not updated the HCPOA, which designated her two children as successor Co-Attorneys-in-Fact for health care decisions in the event that her husband was unable to perform those duties. Unfortunately, she had never prepared an Advance Directive (Living Will) to make her wishes known if something like this were to happen to her. Also, she had not signed a

HIPAA release authorizing her children to obtain medical information from her physicians. She had not discussed her wishes with her primary physician, her children, or anyone else. And now it was, sadly, too late to ask her. The daughter was sure that her mother would not have wanted to be maintained alive artificially with a ventilator, feeding tube, and “all kind of hoses and wires stuck into her.” The son was just as adamant that everything medically possible needed to be done to keep her alive, “because miracles do happen.” I later learned that the mother and he had been estranged for a number of years, and he desperately “hoped to make peace with her.” He also suspected, I was told, that medical personnel were sharing information with his sister and not with him. The children were hopelessly deadlocked. The mother’s physicians couldn’t change anything without both of them agreeing. We ended up having to go to court. After several laborious, expensive, and time-consuming hearings at a time when the family was already dealing with the heartbreak of their mother’s medical condition, the judge appointed an independent party—in this case a lawyer—as Mom’s guardian. This ended up tearing the family apart. The children and their children may never have a good relationship again. I recount this story because this was all unnecessary in terms of her care, having her wishes followed, the expenses of it all, and family disruption. Shared decision-making for health care has great potential for disaster. She should have updated her HCPOA, probably in this case naming her daughter as Attorney-in-Fact. Conversely, she should have named both of her children in a HIPAA release so both had equal access to medical information, and so there would be no thought that doctors were being selective in the sharing of important information. She should have also prepared a Living Will giving end-of-life directions to her physicians and, to the extent possible, discussed those directions with either or both of her children. Unfortunately, Mom didn’t know what she didn’t know. But now you do. Don’t let this happen to you or your family. Guest contributor Margaret A. Badura is an elder law and estate planning attorney.

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60PLUS feature Story by Judy Horan • Photo by Bill Sitzmann

“Doc” Simmons

Omaha’s former zoo director is not the retiring type.

S12 60PLUS

march/april • 2014

R. LEE SIMMONS RETIRED

as director of the Henry Doorly Zoo at age 71 in 2009. But apparently he didn’t get the memo about taking it easy. Simmons—called “Doc” by those who know him—still shows up for work daily at Omaha’s zoo. But not as director. Dennis Pate now holds that position. After 43 years at the zoo, Simmons was named chairman of the Omaha Zoo Foundation. Instead of lions and tigers, he nurtures dollars and cents, raising funds for projects, capital investment, and the zoo’s endowment. Simmons—who led Henry Doorly Zoo to become one of the top zoos in the country— did back off from his 60- to 70-hour work weeks to what he calls “banker’s hours.” The more relaxed schedule is a reluctant concession to his open-heart surgery in 2008. Simmons, who has created and developed projects ranging from the Lied Jungle to the Desert Dome, is now wrestling with funding projects that are part of the zoo’s master plan. Right now, he wants to buy elephants that would be part of a new African grasslands exhibit. Price tag for the exhibit: around $40 million. Also high on the zoo’s wish list is a magnet high school. Imagine 350-400 high school students with a yen to study biology, zoology, veterinary medicine, science, and nutrition, among other disciplines, going to school every day in a new building on the zoo grounds. The zoo has hosted a high school for 18 years. Two years ago, students began attending full time. Although carried out through the Papillion/La Vista School District,

the zoo hopes to attract students from the entire metro area. “We would like to cross the river to Council Bluffs,” Simmons says. Price tag for the school: An estimated $20 million. No tax money is involved. He also continues conducting tours for the zoo’s “Zoofari.” Trips are auctioned at the zoo’s biannual fundraiser. In 2012, he took a group to Tanzania. In May 2014, he and his wife of 55 years, Marie, will escort a group to Botswana. Africa is a favorite destination for the adventurous Simmons. His active involvement with five professional organizations, including as past president of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, also keeps him on the road. Recent trips have been to Prague and Cologne, Germany. Simmons figures he has visited 49 countries plus the Antarctic during his long career. In 2013, he was selected as the international recipient of the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group’s Ulysses S. Seal Award. The honor is given to “people who exemplify innovation in applying science to conservation.” The group noted areas of invention and research where he excelled and his role in conservation projects worldwide. His work doesn’t end when he leaves his office in Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Pavilion. He and Marie run a home-based medical equipment business, manufacturing devices for treating and immobilizing animals. They sell to zoos and wildlife biologists around the world. His time also is spent organizing the transferral of 50,000 slides to digital files, mostly of animals, that he has taken over the years.

For those asking if Simmons is enjoying his “retirement,” the answer is “yes, he is.” After office hours, Simmons is writing his memoirs. And he’s had a life well worth writing about. The boy who spent his early youth in Arizona catching snakes went on to pay for his first year of veterinary school by deodorizing skunks. “They make sweet pets,” claims Marie. Most likely he’ll write about the time he got lost in Vietnam from midnight to dawn. Or working in Russia when the temperature was 28 degrees below zero. Maybe he’ll reveal how he lost the tip of one finger thanks to an orangutan named Ichabod. “Ichabod went after a new zoo keeper,” says Simmons. “I went over to help and he chewed me from the knee up.” Blood was flying, and zookeepers were yelling, but some bystanders were still less than sympathetic. “Two women complained I used profanity and wrote to the mayor demanding I be fired.” He doesn’t remember using the profanity. He was focused on pain and his missing fingertip but admits that maybe it wasn’t exactly a G-rated moment. Dr. Jane Potter, the University of Nebraska Medical Center chief of geriatrics and gerontology, says Simmons has made a wise choice in continuing to work. “The key to aging happily and successfully is staying engaged.” People actively engaged are healthier, feel better, and function better, she says. They have better brain function and mental acuity, better physical function, and fewer sick days. “We need to do this not only for zoo directors, but provide reduced work schedules for people who do enjoy their jobs and make important contributions.” march/april • 2014

60PLUS S13

60PLUS active living Story by David Williams •

Photo by Bill Sitzmann

World champion weightlifter Dan Goodwin

SnipBuzz-Clank Pumping Iron at the Barber Shop

S14 60PLUS

march/april • 2014

HE RAPID-FIRE CLICK OF scis-

sor snips and the droning hum of electric razors form the soundtrack at most any barber shop. The percussion section of the orchestra over at Goodwin’s Spencer Street Barber Shop adds yet a third instrument to the mix, thus rendering a symphony of “snip-buzz-clank-snip-buzz-clank.” Owner Dan Goodwin’s bench press and its metal-on-metal clinks and clanks may seem out of place amid the barbering tools marinating in jars of blue disinfectant, but it is just one way that the champion weightlifter keeps up his iron-pumping regimen. Oh, did we mention that Goodwin is 82 years old? Taking up the sport at the tender age of 68, Goodwin has since gone on to capture 13 national titles to go along with three world records. He has competed on four continents

and is the bench press, squat, and total points world record holder in the 80-and-older age group called Master’s 4. Goodwin works to encourage good fitness habits among people of all ages. He’s been cutting hair in the same space for more than half a century, meaning that he now has four generations of clients as a captive audience to hear his message of wellness. “I gave this young man his first haircut,” Goodwin says with a nod to the occupant of chair No. 3. The boy is Damon, a 5th grader at nearby Sacred Heart School. “And I’ll keep on him as he grows to make sure he knows to get plenty of exercise to live a long and healthy life.” The three-chair barber shop is also steeped in the city’s history of civil rights. It was prominently featured in the 1966 film, A Time for Burning. Nominated for an

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Academy Award as best documentary, the film chronicled attempts by the pastor of Augustana Lutheran Church to integrate his then all-white congregation. Both Goodwin and one of his employees, a young barber named Ernie, were prominently featured in the documentary. Ernie, of course, is now State Sen. Ernie Chambers, the implacable civil rights advocate and longest-serving member in Nebraska Unicameral history. “I like being healthy,” Goodwin says. “I like to exercise. It makes me feel young. I don’t think about my age very much and am usually reminded about it most when people say they can’t believe it when they learn how ancient I am.” Judging by the chiseled figure in the photograph above, it’s an experience Goodwin must encounter about a bazillion times each and every day. march/april • 2014

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60PLUS the grandpa chronicles Story by David WIlliams •

Photo provided by the Ralston Arena

Fantasy vs. Reality Plumbing the Depths of a 4-Year-Old Mind

OOK AT THOSE SQUEAKYCLEAN faces in the photo. If

you are the grandparent or parent of pre-teen children, you will no doubt recognize Shout (keyboards), Marina, (drums), Kiki (guitar), and Twist (turntable). They are The Fresh Beat Band, whose Nick Jr. TV show of the same name is a bedbouncing favorite whenever I babysit my grandsons, 4-year-old Easton and 3-year-old Barrett. The quartet’s January performance at the sparkling Ralston Arena was to be Easton’s first concert experience. It was probably a dirty trick, but I had decided that he would learn for the first time the purpose of our outing only when the band bounded onto the stage. Easton cannot yet read, but I was sure he would instantly recognize the band’s logo plastered across the towering video display. He didn’t. And I was equally sure that my deception would be exposed when he noticed all the Fresh Beat Band T-shirts and other regalia throughout the auditorium slowly filling with a horde of soon-to-be screaming tots and tykes. Again, he didn’t. My ruse had worked. When the wildly popular combo finally bopped onto the stage and tore through a truncated version of their theme song, his face froze and a glassy look came to his eyes. Every parent and grandparent yearns to be able to read the minds of children too young to effectively communicate abstract ideas, and I would have given anything to be able to read his mind at that very moment.

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Easton’s hypnotic stare gave me the sense that an inner battle was being waged. He knew what he was seeing and hearing, but the visage was one that had to date existed only in the flat-screen, fantasy world of television. Now the characters of his fave TV show had a very in-your-face, corporeal existence, one entirely independent of their digital imprint. I could almost hear the cogs turning as he puzzled through the apparition before him. Did he understand the difference between TV and reality? Easton continued to think about it for what seemed an eternity while I did the same in terms of trying to divine any hint of what must be racing through his noggin. He snapped out of his trance moments later when the band ripped into a raucous cover of The Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat.” It

wasn’t half way through that number that he dropped from his aisle seat and was dancing frenetically in that spasmodic, herky-jerky style peculiar to small children. If there had been any existential warfare raging in his little head it had now been erased by sheer reckless abandon as he whirled through such showstoppers as “A Friend Like You,” “Freeze Dance,” and “Just Like a Rock Star.” Easton will soon be old enough to relate on a more complex level. In the meantime, I wonder if all will be lost to the dusty recesses of memory. Will he remember the high five he got from Twist, the band’s main purveyor of comic relief? Will he a year from now even be able to recall anything at all from this day? Anything? His grandpa sure will.