.
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This is a difficult goodbye to write. It ends 14 years of reporting on Bexley and the eastside communities through print and radio, 14 years of friendships and memorable moments with countless numbers of people.
I came to Columbus from Athens, Ohio, to work for Associated Press, and after that nine-month assignment ended, I was hired as the managing editor and eastside editor for the Columbus Messenger. Because of the reputation of the schools, the attractive location, the library, the Drexel, Capital University, Johnson's ice cream, and everything else Bexley has to offer, my wife and I decided to buy a house and raise our daughter here.
At the paper I immediately started meeting the remarkable people who call this area home. One of my first encounters was with David Bott, a local musician who regaled me with the tale of the vacation he and his wife, Cathy, had taken to California. Through a friend, they romped, unescorted, through a Hollywood backlot and were hired as extras for "Mr. Wrong," a movie starring Ellen D.G.neres. It mad a great feature story (although on the front page I mistakenly placed a photo of the Botts dressed as Mexican bandits next to a story about renovations to the Whitehall jail).
Later, on a trip to New Orleans, the Botts drove through the tiny burg of Bexley, Miss., the only town in the U.S. to share a name with the suburb. Our paper ended up bringing the unofficial mayor of Bexley, Miss., Carolyn Nicholson, to meet the official Mayor David Madison during the Fourth of July festivities. She even rode in the parade and won a trophy.
This is to give you an idea of how much fun this job has been, meeting the artists, activists, elected officials, educators and others who contribute to their communities and the world. There have been so many of those "Wow, I get paid for doing this" moments, from meeting Ralph Charles, at 99 the world's oldest licensed pilot (two months before David Letterman interviewed him, to riding in a 1927 biplane with Amelia Earhart's cousin.
I was able to sound off in columns as "The Gas Man's Son," sometimes indulging my alleged sense of humor.
I got to know author and Bexley native Bob Greene, his talented sister and mother, D.G. Fulford and Phyllis Greene. There were my friends at the JCC and Gallery Players, Cassandra Tellier at Capital's Schumacher Gallery, the people at the Far East Pride Center - the list is endless.
Of course there were the "I get paid for doing this?" times during long meetings as part of the Blue Butt Brigade. But it has always been a privilege to bring the news to residents.
After my stint with the Messenger ended, I can't express enough gratitude to Kurt Weiland for allowing me to continue to report and stay in touch through Bexley Public Radio, to write for the blog and to indulge my latent interest in broadcasting. I think Bexley Public Radio is a tremendous asset and it will only get better and continue to grow - with community support.
I will be writing and editing for the Herald-Palladium in St. Joseph, Mich.. It is a vibrant community and popular summer lakeside resort in the southwest corner of the state, 90 miles from Chicago and 30 miles from South Bend, Ind. You may see occasional dispatches from me on the cultural scene.
There is a young man in the H-P newsroom who worked for the Dispatch a few years ago. He fondly recalls attending screenings at the Drexel, lamenting that St. Joseph doesn't have an art cinema.
I am looking forward to my move, but I am reminded even there that Bexley truly is a special place to live. It needs all of you to keep it special.
John Matuszak
Showing posts with label Cassandra Tellier. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cassandra Tellier. Show all posts
Monday, February 8, 2010
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
John Matuszak: American legends meet again at Schumacher Gallery
One was a poor boy from Ohio who suffered numerous personal failures before answering Abraham Lincoln's call to arms, a decision that would propel him to national fame and the White House.
The other was a wealthy Virginian from one of America's first families, his father a Revolutionary War hero and his uncle a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
They were destined to meet on the battefields of the Civil War, the struggle that ultimately determined the fate of the nation, freedom for African Americans and the future of government "of the people, by the people, for the people."
Capital University's Schumacher Gallery has mounted "Grant and Lee," a traveling exhibit illustrating the lives of these legendary military figures. The gallery has also partnered with the Motts Military Museum to display additional historical artifacts related to the leaders and the war.
Cassandra Tellier, director of the Schumacher Gallery, has been impressed that these two men could stand on opposite sides of the irrepressible conflict and still be regarded as American heroes.
Motts, who has operated his museum in Groveport for 10 years, also noted that this was a unique aspect of the Civil War, that bitter enemies could feel deep respect for each other once the shooting stopped.
But they both acknowledged that issues that sparked the war - from states' rights to racial equality - still smolder in American life.
"The Civil War is still being fought," Tellier said.
The exhibit originated through the Virginia Historical Society, but Tellier thinks that a stop in Ohio is fitting considering the state's leading role during the war. Ohio sent 300,000 troops to the Union ranks, and provided key generals, five of whom later became U.S. presidents.
Brother Against Brother
While the personal backgrounds of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee were poles apart, they did have some things in common.
They both attended West Point, with Lee achieving a stellar record while Grant excelled only in horsemanship. They both fought in the Mexican War.
They both owned slaves, inherited from family members. The Motts Museum has provided actual slave shackles, a reminder of the reality of human bondage.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Lee was offered command of the Union armies, but could not consider raising his sword against his native Virginia, calling it "my country."
Grant, after lonely tours on the western frontier, had left the army and was working in his father's tannery, struggling to support his family. He returned to military service at the urging of his friend William T. Sherman.
After some early setbacks, Lee took over the Army of Northern Virginia and built a near-legendary reputation as he confounded a series of Union generals.
Grant made his mark in the west, earning the nickname "Unconditional Surrender" Grant.
While Lee's forces were locked in mortal combat at Gettysburg, Grant's men were besieging Vicksburg, the last stronghold on the Mississippi River.
The Schumacher displays a newspaper printed on the back of a piece of wallpaper, illustrating the privations suffered by the city's residents.The vagaries of combat are demonstrated by a Union and a Confederate belt buckle, both with a bullet that stuck in the plate rather that striking the wearer.
On July 4, 1863, the same day that Lee's defeated troops retreated from Gettysburg, Grant received the surrender of Vicksburg. This set the stage for the showdown between Grant and Lee, as Lincoln brought his fighting general east to command the entire Union army. Grant devised a strategy to use his superior forces to drive Lee out into the open and wear down his ranks. At the same time, he sent Sherman into Georgia to strike at the heartland of the South.
The strategy paid off on April 9, 1865, as Lee was compelled to surrender his starving and decimated army. The generals met in the living room of Wilmer McLean, who had hoped to escape the war after a cannon ball tore off his porch during the first battle of Bull Run. Lee, who initiated the meeting, was resplendent in his dress uniform. Grant, caught unprepared, wore his typical dirt-stained private's tunic with minimal insignia.
Grant dictated generous terms to his defeated foe, and when the beaten rebels filed away, they were saluted by the men in blue.
Lee went on to head Wahington University. He died in 1870. Grant was elected president in 1868 and served two scandal-plagued terms. But he did champion progressive policies, including fair treatment for Native Americans and the outlawing of the Ku Klux Klan.
After leaving the White House, Grant again found himself broke, and was dying from throat cancer. With the support of Mark Twain, he completed his memoirs shortly before his death, leaving his family with financial support and the nation with a literary treasure.
The Schumacher and the Motts Museum have brought to life an important part of American history. A children's section allows young people to discover this remarkable era on their own.
"Grant and Lee," made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, will be open through Oct. 17. An opening reception, with historical re-enactors and the firing of the Statehouse cannon, will tak place Sept. 11 from 5-7 p.m.
The event is part of the Bexley Art Walk, with other area galleries open to patrons.
The Schumacher Gallery is located on the fourth floor of the Blackmore Library and is open from 1-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
Bexley Public Radio Foundation broadcasting as
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
2700 E. Main St., Suite 208
Columbus, OH 43209
Voice (614) 235 2929
Fax (614) 235 3008
Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com
Blog http://agentofcurrency.blogspot.com
Bexley Public Radio Foundation is exempt from federal taxes under IRC Section 501(c)(3). Donations are deductible from federal income taxes for individuals who itemize. Checks may identify the payee as Bexley Public Radio Foundation or WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM.
Design is copyright 2009. All rights reserved. Bexley Public Radio Foundation. Text is copyright 2009. All rights reserved. John Matuszak.
The other was a wealthy Virginian from one of America's first families, his father a Revolutionary War hero and his uncle a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
They were destined to meet on the battefields of the Civil War, the struggle that ultimately determined the fate of the nation, freedom for African Americans and the future of government "of the people, by the people, for the people."
Capital University's Schumacher Gallery has mounted "Grant and Lee," a traveling exhibit illustrating the lives of these legendary military figures. The gallery has also partnered with the Motts Military Museum to display additional historical artifacts related to the leaders and the war.
Cassandra Tellier, director of the Schumacher Gallery, has been impressed that these two men could stand on opposite sides of the irrepressible conflict and still be regarded as American heroes.
Motts, who has operated his museum in Groveport for 10 years, also noted that this was a unique aspect of the Civil War, that bitter enemies could feel deep respect for each other once the shooting stopped.
But they both acknowledged that issues that sparked the war - from states' rights to racial equality - still smolder in American life.
"The Civil War is still being fought," Tellier said.
The exhibit originated through the Virginia Historical Society, but Tellier thinks that a stop in Ohio is fitting considering the state's leading role during the war. Ohio sent 300,000 troops to the Union ranks, and provided key generals, five of whom later became U.S. presidents.
Brother Against Brother
While the personal backgrounds of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee were poles apart, they did have some things in common.
They both attended West Point, with Lee achieving a stellar record while Grant excelled only in horsemanship. They both fought in the Mexican War.
They both owned slaves, inherited from family members. The Motts Museum has provided actual slave shackles, a reminder of the reality of human bondage.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Lee was offered command of the Union armies, but could not consider raising his sword against his native Virginia, calling it "my country."
Grant, after lonely tours on the western frontier, had left the army and was working in his father's tannery, struggling to support his family. He returned to military service at the urging of his friend William T. Sherman.
After some early setbacks, Lee took over the Army of Northern Virginia and built a near-legendary reputation as he confounded a series of Union generals.
Grant made his mark in the west, earning the nickname "Unconditional Surrender" Grant.
While Lee's forces were locked in mortal combat at Gettysburg, Grant's men were besieging Vicksburg, the last stronghold on the Mississippi River.
The Schumacher displays a newspaper printed on the back of a piece of wallpaper, illustrating the privations suffered by the city's residents.The vagaries of combat are demonstrated by a Union and a Confederate belt buckle, both with a bullet that stuck in the plate rather that striking the wearer.
On July 4, 1863, the same day that Lee's defeated troops retreated from Gettysburg, Grant received the surrender of Vicksburg. This set the stage for the showdown between Grant and Lee, as Lincoln brought his fighting general east to command the entire Union army. Grant devised a strategy to use his superior forces to drive Lee out into the open and wear down his ranks. At the same time, he sent Sherman into Georgia to strike at the heartland of the South.
The strategy paid off on April 9, 1865, as Lee was compelled to surrender his starving and decimated army. The generals met in the living room of Wilmer McLean, who had hoped to escape the war after a cannon ball tore off his porch during the first battle of Bull Run. Lee, who initiated the meeting, was resplendent in his dress uniform. Grant, caught unprepared, wore his typical dirt-stained private's tunic with minimal insignia.
Grant dictated generous terms to his defeated foe, and when the beaten rebels filed away, they were saluted by the men in blue.
Lee went on to head Wahington University. He died in 1870. Grant was elected president in 1868 and served two scandal-plagued terms. But he did champion progressive policies, including fair treatment for Native Americans and the outlawing of the Ku Klux Klan.
After leaving the White House, Grant again found himself broke, and was dying from throat cancer. With the support of Mark Twain, he completed his memoirs shortly before his death, leaving his family with financial support and the nation with a literary treasure.
The Schumacher and the Motts Museum have brought to life an important part of American history. A children's section allows young people to discover this remarkable era on their own.
"Grant and Lee," made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, will be open through Oct. 17. An opening reception, with historical re-enactors and the firing of the Statehouse cannon, will tak place Sept. 11 from 5-7 p.m.
The event is part of the Bexley Art Walk, with other area galleries open to patrons.
The Schumacher Gallery is located on the fourth floor of the Blackmore Library and is open from 1-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
Bexley Public Radio Foundation broadcasting as
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
2700 E. Main St., Suite 208
Columbus, OH 43209
Voice (614) 235 2929
Fax (614) 235 3008
Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com
Blog http://agentofcurrency.blogspot.com
Bexley Public Radio Foundation is exempt from federal taxes under IRC Section 501(c)(3). Donations are deductible from federal income taxes for individuals who itemize. Checks may identify the payee as Bexley Public Radio Foundation or WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM.
Design is copyright 2009. All rights reserved. Bexley Public Radio Foundation. Text is copyright 2009. All rights reserved. John Matuszak.
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