There was no strain as the helicopter carrying 1200 Nashvillians took off and flew us into the future. Most of us were mesmerized as the then-mayor, Phil Bredesen, piloted the virtual helicopter six years into the future.  We looked out in amazement to see a new Nashville arena, and, wait, across the street a new downtown hotel…and, wait, can you

“Thank God for unnecessary things!” That was my conclusion to an NBC reporter, who had asked me (as president of the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville) “Are world’s fairs necessary?” I replied: “Absolutely not.  Neither are symphonies, great works of art and football games, but, thank God for unnecessary things.  It’s the unnecessary things in life that make living so

Who can forget their first kiss in a relationship? I never could, and never wanted to. I feel nearly that same situation every time I come in contact with a wonderful piece of art. I had 95 first kisses last year when I first saw the Rau Collection,,: Six Centuries with the European Master. This led to our bringing it

It was the most unlikely of places and of circumstances when I experienced the kind of cold chill that comes unexpectedly from a special moment. Standing for the national anthem with friends at the first-ever sporting event held at the new Nashville arena (boxing matches promoted by none other than the wild-haired impresario Don King), the chills came as country

Some of my fondest memories as a kid were when my father took me to major league baseball games.  Though a family of modest means, I was privileged watch and to develop memories of my early heroes: Stan Musial, Jackie Robinson, Bob Feller, Ted Williams and so many more. I knew how to compute a batting average and earned run

Two stories in Wednesday’s Tennessean highlighted just what a contrast there can be in the lives of  celebrities. The first was a local story about Nashville joining Tennessee’s Dolly Parton book program which will furnish books for the first five years of a child’s life.  The program received front page local section coverage, with a photo, focusing on young children,