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Ellis Island
From Sidewalk Radio | Part of the Sidewalk Radio with Gene Kansas series | 15:09
Standing proudly in Upper New York Bay, the Statue of Liberty is an American icon and a symbol of freedom known the world over. While grand and symbolic, the statue is just but one part of a much bigger picture that makes up the National Monument and our National psyche. What often gets forgotten is the foundation that Liberty aligns herself with, Ellis Island. Despite sub par conditions, its history, legacy and lore represent more than a processing station for new arrivals. It is a beacon of hope, of opportunity, and of promise in a land of new beginnings. To understand where we are today we take a look back at the past and pay tribute to the history, architecture, ancestry, and practices of a little place with big impact.
- Playing
- Ellis Island
- From
- Sidewalk Radio
No names were changed at Ellis Island - that is a myth. In fact no legal documents were used at all. It was a place to inspect, scrutinize, to push forward, and in some cases to send back. Hardly the dream you’d hope for when you first caught glimpse of Bartholdi’s beautiful green goddess on neighboring Liberty Island. However, from the 1890’s through the mid 1950’s, this rocky, immigration outpost received 75% of all people arriving in America. Immigration expert, professor, and author of American Passage: The History of Ellis Island, Vincent Cannato, joins us to deliver some fascinating historical highlights about coming to America.
An architect who understands the significance of the back-story is of the utmost importance to any project. Lee Ann Gamble is co-founder and partner of Gamble + Gamble Architects with husband Michael. The firm’s reputation for intelligence in design and approach are renowned. But her architectural acumen alone is not what brings her to our studio. A penchant for tedious research, a love of storytelling, and an inquisitive father lead Lee Ann to open an account at Ancestry.com, and has grown into a near daily journey into understanding not only where her family came from but what we’re all made of. In 2012, she took a trip to Ellis Island and, today, true to her architectural talent, she audibly paints a portrait of immigration’s stock in trade while sharing a personal and profound story of pride.
Through our conversations, we rediscover Ellis Island and in doing so celebrate its bounty of hope, of opportunity, of promise and of new beginnings. And, of course, we do all this Sidewalk Radio style. Please enjoy.
City In A Forest
From Sidewalk Radio | Part of the Sidewalk Radio with Gene Kansas series | 28:55
If you’ve ever flown into Atlanta, and that’s about 100,000,000 passengers per year, you’ve certainly noticed one thing as you soar over the city: the trees. Atlanta’s urban canopy gives it an enduring nickname – City in a Forest, and towering pride if not a-plenty of pollen. These green guardians beautify our neighborhoods, clean our air, and cool our homes, but it takes a community to ensure they’re around for all to enjoy. In honor of Earth Day, Arbor Day and Springtime in the Peach State, we thought it’d be fun to celebrate the season with a look back at our roots and the shade they provide. This month we take a look at trees with a few friends who help keep Atlanta green, the conversation colorful.
- Playing
- City In A Forest
- From
- Sidewalk Radio
As a growing metropolis it can be difficult to ensure our developmental haste doesn’t destroy the abundance of green space that makes Atlanta so special. That’s where Greg Levine, Co-Executive Director and Chief Program Officer of Trees Atlanta, plants a strong foot forward. Greg lives, eats (well, not really), and breathes trees, having planted his first tree, a purple leafed Japanese maple, when he was just five years of age. Gene and Greg talk special projects like The BeltLine Arboretum, the purpose and prodigy of planting, public art, and a good bit about the people populating the tree community.
In the 1970′s Jennie Richardson got a notice that a freeway was going to transplant her home and pave over the historic Olmsted Linear Park, so she got her hands dirty for peace of mind. Frederick Law Olmsted, the “Father of Landscape Architecture” designed the Olmsted Linear Park in the 1890’s as place for residents of the city to enjoy the outdoors. For forty years Jennie has fought to preserve and protect one of the city’s oldest parks, her efforts now turned toward perpetuation. Jennie stops by to discuss the history and heritage of Olmsted, the important responsibility we all share to preserve the forest, plus what you can do to support the Olmsted Linear Park Alliance.
The Tree Cowboy, aka Wayne Shannon, is an ISA Certified Arborist/urban forest conservation manager. A soon to be Masters graduate from Georgia Tech, this Tree Cowboy, is full of deep thoughts and practical information. Wayne joins Gene to explore life in the tree tops and to talk about the many sides of timber. From counting rings to common sense safety issues, from helping a homeowner to providing notable chefs with hardwood for their grills, there is much more to the life – and death – of a tree than we see from 30,000 feet.
Artist Daniel Blignaut sees trees like he sees life, in colorful shades of seasonality and cycle. Calling upon sapling memories from his own upbringing, Blignaut paints the canvas with a childlike innocence meets Masters in Architecture style, creating his own language for discourse about human emotion, philosophy, primal patterns, aesthetic beauty, and psychology through physicality. Through Blignaut’s stunning exhibition, “A Conversation with Trees”, Atlantans have the ability to create their own dialogue by visiting the Bill Lowe Gallery for an Opening Night Reception with the artist on April 26th, coincidentally both Arbor Day and Frederick Law Olmsted’s birthday.
We’ve got quite the show, so take a quick break from reveling in the great outdoors and please enjoy.
Special thanks to Nicholas Cooper-Kedrick for his help in producing this episode of Sidewalk Radio and for writing our web post for this month.
The Gift of Giving
From Sidewalk Radio | Part of the Sidewalk Radio with Gene Kansas series | 25:31
Why do we give back? Many reasons. To help the community. To help others. To feel good about ourselves. If you ask 100 people why they give, the majority of them would answer similarly. If you ask those same people what they give to, the answers start to vary. There are many worthwhile causes out there. This month we discuss the importance of giving, the act in itself a true gift.
- Playing
- The Gift of Giving
- From
- Sidewalk Radio
Bernie Marcus, co-founder of The Home Depot, is a billionaire. And, lucky for us all, an extremely philanthropic one. Mr. Marcus supports many causes, but the two for which he is best known are The Georgia Aquarium and the Marcus Autism Center. So, why these two most prominently? Don Mueller, Executive Director of the Marcus Autism Center, joins us to share that story, and also discuss the progress made in autism awareness. It’s an effort that’s paying off. In the case of MAC, hard work and generosity have propelled the center from its humble beginnings in 2 office trailers to the top autism research center in the United States, giving care to families and to those in need.
GIVE BACK TO MARCUS AUTISM CENTER.
It’s hard to argue that giving back to causes that support kids in our community is not vitally important. Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta has been doing that very thing for the past 51 years, and doing it very well. In fact, BBBS of Metro Atlanta was named Large Agency of the Year in 2012, the top honor for this esteemed national organization. And, for the past 21 years, the BBBS of Metro Atlanta charge has been lead by CEO Janice McKenzie-Crayton. Janice joins Gene, a mentor and volunteer in the program for the past 14 years and a current Board Member, to talk about the gift of giving back, the difference real estate can make to a non-profit, and the March 16th fundraiser called Bowl For Kids Sake that allows teams to give back while having fun.
GIVE BACK TO BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS.
For a model agency, David Axford represents a model individual, and a mega success story for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta. David, a 17-year-old high school student, has been matched with 2012 “Big Brother of the Year” Don Freer for 6 years. At the age of 10, David suddenly and tragically lost his father. With the help of Don, a loving and supportive family, and through his own inner strength, confidence and determination, David not only picked himself up, but became the young man his father knew he would be. David joins Gene to share his thoughts about what it’s like to be the one who receives the gift of another’s giving. Not surprising, the conversation quickly turns from David to how he plans to give back. You’ll be amazed by the poise and character of David, and feel inspired by the benefits gained as a result of Don’s mentorship.
Lisa Moore is principal of The Moore Firm, LLC, an entertainment and intellectual property law practice she founded, is an expert in First Amendment Law, has taught at UGA and Emory University, and is the immediate past Executive Director of Georgia Lawyers for the Arts, a non-profit organization that gives free legal advice to creative talents across the state. In the spirit of giving back, we thought it would be fun to tap into Lisa’s expertise and have her give some free
legal advice to the artists in our listening audience. So, if you’re a songwriter, a singer, a painter or a poet, you have to listen to this part of our show…well, you don’t have to, but we think you’d enjoy it.
GIVE BACK TO GEORGIA LAWYERS FOR THE ARTS.
A FEW OTHER GREAT CAUSES THAT NEED YOUR SUPPORT: TEAM GLEASON, ONE LOVE GENERATION, AND MANY OTHERS AT GEORGIA CENTER FOR NON PROFITS.
This show is dedicated to the memory of Ellen Stich Newell, a loving wife, sister, aunt and friend. Her greatest gift was giving of herself to others through her steadfast support and genuine interest in their lives. Everyone was Ellen’s best friend. She was greatly loved, she will be dearly missed.