The Pickleball craze is spreading like wildfire throughout the area

 (Here is my original, highly-detailed pickleball story for West Newsmagazine.  Unbeknownst to me, it was later combined with a writer who added St. Charles County pickleball venues and it appeared meshed together to run in both West and Mid Rivers Newsmagazines.)

Most casual observers would be shocked to learn that pickleball was invented way back in 1965.

That was when Washington State congressman Joel Pritchard returned home from playing golf with businessman buddy Bill Bell. Surprised to find their families sitting around bored, the two gradually and unknowingly converted an old badminton court on the property into the new game. They used ping pong paddles, traded shuttlecocks for whiffle balls, and reduced the net height from 60 inches to just 36.

The following weekend, joined by friend Barney McCallum, they created rules, and the family-friendly game of pickleball was formed.

Per St. Louis Pickleball Hall of Famer John Callahan, the sport was likely named after the pickle boat in rowing.

While it took exactly 25 years for the game to be played in all 50 states, it was roughly 50 years before the real popularity hit St. Louis County around 2015.

Callahan Pickleball Academy instructors and students at the Chesterfield Valley Athletic Complex. (Photo courtesy of Callahan Pickleball Academy)

How popular is the sport? The Callahan Pickleball Academy has over 300 clinics in the St. Louis area. John also wrote the #1 seller book, Pickleball: Tips Strategies Lessons and Myths, available at Amazon & Racketman and has a podcast: https://pickleballfire.com/podcast-2/017-the-10-myths-of-pickleball-with-1-best-selling-author-john-callahan/

“It is so popular that we teach pickleball clinics five days a week at Chesterfield Valley Athletic Center. Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in U.S. with over 10M (some say 30M) players. And St. Louis is ranked as one of the top ten pickleball cities; not surprising given St. Louis’ history as one of the top tennis cities.”

Callahan also noted that the St. Louis Shock is our Major League Pickleball (MLP) professional team. It’s owned by the Chaifetz family and features four of the best players in the world.

No pun intended, but so many totally relish the sport in 2024 at both the recreational and highly competitive level!

One such player is Manchester resident Martha Roper, soon to turn 76, and primarily a tennis player for 30 years.

“Tennis began to hurt my neck as I did the hard, up-and-over serve. What complicates my pickleball involvement is that my husband (Dr. Peter C. Scales), besides being a psychologist, is a tennis teaching pro and coach at Parkway South High School. I was a teacher there, too, and our lives were all about tennis. Suddenly, I felt like I was sneaking off to do something that wasn’t in line with that when I found out there was pickleball at The Pointe (at Ballwin Commons) just 10 minutes from us.  I didn’t tell him I was going. But I fell in love with it the first week, and he adapted well to me being a pickleball player. It was so joyful and it has an underhanded serve.  So, nothing hurts when I play.”

The Pointe offers daily pickleball activities during the school year. During summer hours, courts are mostly given to kids. New Ballwin Park where she teaches, has three courts. She added that Ballwin just converted the upper tennis court to pickleball at Holloway Park.

“So now, there will be eight pickleball courts there with ample parking, restrooms, water fountains, shade,” Roper said. “Bring your own chair and it’s a party every single morning every day when it’s 50 degrees or above!

Roper’s coach referred her to big name pickleball player Mike Chapin who gave her five years of lessons and mentored her into being a teaching pro. The long-time health teacher is now certified at the highest level in the International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association and the Professional Pickleball Registry.

Meanwhile, Ray Slama, former Twin Oaks Mayor and current District 3 rep for the Municipal Park Grant Commission, has been a long-time avid pickleball player and advocate.

Slama first became aware of area pickleball around 2015 after his retirement from coaching lacrosse at Cor Jesu Academy. Being unsure about the welcoming aspect of the pickleball community, Slama didn’t get involved until a neighbor talked him into it in 2019. Covid hit the area in March 2020. So, Slama didn’t return to the sport until the following year. He has no regrets about that decision.

“I was never a fan of tennis.  I played some when I first retired. I find tennis doubles much too slow. I have been a ping pong player from an early age. Pickleball and ping pong are much more closely related. The speed of the game and the eye-hand coordination are very similar. Pickleball is the perfect sport for people who played handball and racquetball. Strategies are very similar. That said, we have found that tennis players who take up pickleball learn extremely quickly the nuances of pickleball and are very competitive very quickly.

“About the same time I took up pickleball, I was advised by my health care provider to lose 30 pounds. With a change of diet, pickleball and bicycle riding, I accomplished my goal in under a year. Pickleball may have also saved my life when my endurance and recovery time decreased dramatically. After reporting this to my primary doctor, and a follow up stress test (failed), the cardiologist said I would probably have died in two years.  Two years later (and bypass surgery) this month, I am still playing three to four times a week.”

Slama added that pickleball is suitable for all ages and playing ability, and its community of experienced players readily accepts beginners to their games. He added that many courts have open play and the cost of equipment and play is nominal.

He currently administers a pickleball program for high school girls at Nerinx Hall, Ursuline Academy, Notre Dame and St. Joseph’s Academy.  The numbers have grown from 30 to 80 players at the latter school with plans to expand into Parkway and Rockwood high schools, and eventually add pickleball for boys. Slama also hopes it will someday be a MSHSAA sport.

Mac McKeever is another West St. Louis County pickleball enthusiast. He was first introduced to the sport in 2015 at the Kirkwood Community Center, and started getting deeply involved the following year.

“I had retired in 2015 and had taken up bike riding for exercise.  I wanted something different for two reasons: Riding takes up your whole day, and I realized I was eventually going to be seriously injured since I liked going fast.  The Chesterfield newsletter mentioned they had pickleball in the valley and I decided to give it a try.  I was sold immediately.  I help run a local arts organization that produces old-time barn dances.  Socially, the two are very similar, so I felt right at home.

“Socially, pickleball is like no other sport. You show up alone; no need to make arrangements with others. Everyone mixes it up, so each game is with different people.  Everyone is supportive and new players are helped getting started.  The social aspect is as important as the physical.  The growth has been unbelievable.  Also, there’s age diversity as more and more younger players are involved.”

McKeever said he’s had very few injuries, and none serious. He added that the biggest cause of serious injuries is back peddling to catch up with balls high over your head.  The benefit to him is that it keeps him moving, using all his muscle groups without being too demanding.

“By the way, we have several players in their 80s that I have a hard time keeping up with.  Again, health wise, the social aspect is just as important as the physical.  It just makes you feel good.  I can lose all my games and still go home feeling like I had a wonderful morning.” 

All three noted the tremendous growth of pickleball, adamantly opposing any inclination that the sport is a mere fad. The proof is in the number of pickleball courts that exist throughout West St. Louis County with more in the offing.

                                            Pickleball (Source: Adobe Stock)

Per Director of Recreation Jason Valvero, Creve Coeur has two dedicated pickleball courts in Conway Park and two shared tennis/pickleball courts in Lake School Park.  The city will also soon be adding lines to Conway’s tennis courts to be shared with pickleball players.

Manchester Director of Parks and Recreation Kat Schien added that her city has four such highly popular courts free and open to the public near the entrance of Schroeder Park. There is no current plan to expand that number.

Director of Parks, Recreation and Arts T.W. Dieckmann noted that Chesterfield currently has two concrete courts in Logan Park and four asphalt ones at the Chesterfield Valley Athletic Complex. Despite considerable discussion, no additional courts are planned at this time.

Meanwhile, AnnaBeth Batson, who has served as a Chesterfield Recreational Specialist for more than three years, is amazed at how pickleball has caught on!

“Within these three years, I’ve watched our courts only offer 1-2 days’ worth of clinics to now, offering clinics 4-days a week as well as 4 leagues. Due to the continued growth of the sport, we have goals of bringing more leagues to our courts. I believe the sport is growing so rapidly due to the ability for anyone to participate. Pickleball is a sport that encourages individuals of all skill levels to play and easily groups these skill levels together so you grow with others to become more advanced. The sport has had a steady increase in popularity, and I can see this remaining constant for the next few years to come. For the future, I foresee more younger participants learning the sport, and the game transitioning into schools as a competitive sport instead of a physical education section.

“Based on our clinic and league registrations, we have noticed that more females participate in pickleball than males. In terms of the players ages, a large percentage range from 50-65 years old. No matter the age, pickleball is a great way to keep individuals both socially and physically active. Pickleball is played nationwide, and is a great chance to mingle and meet new people when you are traveling or in your hometown. When you play pickleball, you can decide how active you want to be since you can control the pace of the game.”

Ballwin Recreation/Sports Specialist Jacob Briscuso added that his city currently has three courts at New Ballwin Park, eight at Holloway Park and 3-5 inside The Pointe.

Briscuso has also noticed monumental changes in the number of players and the demographics just in the two years he has served in his city.

“What first started out as a retiree game has evolved into something more. Plenty of high school/college-aged kids play on a regular basis now. Our outdoor courts see all ages, while inside are more retirees. I think Covid had a big impact on the game. It was an easy way for people to get outside and play at a distance from each other, but it is easier than tennis to pick up. Most people have grown up playing it in school gym classes at some point as well. Social media and it becoming a professional sport have added to its popularity.”

In addition to the sport becoming more prevalent in city parks and recreational facilities, a good number of community and senior retirement centers have also added a decent number of indoor pickleball courts.

Naturally, the elevated age range of that latter group has led to health questions. But a couple of top EMS personnel haven’t seen much change in their calls since pickleball has expanded.

                                Pickleball equipment (Source: Adobe Stock)

“What’s important for people to remember is the same thing we talk about when shoveling snow,” said Matt Coppin, Captain of External Affairs and Community Health for the Metro West Fire Protection District. “People need to realize their limitations and work inside of those. But a lot of 70-year-olds have a very diverse sense of athletic ability. We have some who still run marathons while others struggle to get the mail at the end of the driveway. It’s kind of a self-assessment of where your abilities lie, and staying inside of those instead of overly stretching your abilities which can be challenging when you’re talking about competitive sports.”

“For older players or those with pre-existing conditions, it’s best to consult with your physician before engaging in any new or rigorous activity,” added Nick Smith, Deputy Chief of EMS for the Monarch Fire Protection District. “If you do choose to play, choose appropriate footwear and be cognizant of your physical limitations. The game can safely be played by most folks as long as we don't get swept up in the competition and forget we aren't 18 anymore. Depending on the venue, be sure to stay hydrated and know when to take a break to avoid leaving yourself vulnerable for heat-related illnesses or unintended falls.” 

Both EMS experts agreed that warming up is vastly important regardless of age, but especially for seniors.  Smith added that players should try to avoid courts that have uneven surfaces or loose gravel that could lead to trips and falls.

Smith also noted that pickleball injuries are similar to other sudden stop and start sports like tennis and racquetball. These include ankle, knee, and shoulder injuries from racing in one direction, stopping abruptly, then racing in another direction, which puts a strain on joints.

“If you’re able to play and have no health restrictions, the benefits to play, being active and those regular cardio activities, are only going to strengthen your heart and make you healthier and more agile,” said Coppin. “The key for older adults is to maintain your mobility to limit the number of falls around the home. Another benefit of pickleball for seniors is to be able to socially interact with many other people. Those interactions are a lot more important to older adults. It’s the ability to have something to look forward to. That’s important to mental health and leads into physical health as well.

“But when it comes to any kind of sport, the primary thing is to know when you need EMS help. If you’re playing and you have a sprain or a strain, or maybe you fall on the court and hurt your arm…knowing that’s in one category, and if you’re having trouble breathing, experience any kind of chest pain, any of the signs of stroke that we talk about, that’s the time to call 911 immediately. Those are the things for which you don’t want to just go home and see what happens in an hour.”

Smith added that pickleball has a low barrier to entry for most active individuals, making it an ideal sport for beginners looking to stay active and not spend a ton of money…or leaving one in a pickle financially!

A Culinary Spectacle: Missouri Lodge Singles Division makes night of it

         (I covered this event and wrote this article in 1987 for a B’Nai B’rith publication.)

Chopsticks and cue sticks were the featured implements at the May 21 Missouri Lodge Singles Division Ethnic Dining Event.

Mike Temkin wasted no time while waiting for dinner to arrive at Yoshi’s Japanese Sushi Restaurant. He gave a detailed demonstration of proper chopstick usage to member Rosanne Abrams. But just how effective was it?

“She’ll try it, get the piece of sushi up, put it toward her mouth, and it will probably go flying!” Temkin said. “I’ve known people who bring pencil sharpeners, and sharpen the edges to use them better!”

Elsewhere, experienced chopstick user Liam Newberg was showing member Rick Pass how to choke up more on the chopsticks like a baseball bat.

Even though the event took place a full month after Passover, B’nai B’rith Director Michelle Gralnick insisted that her seaweed salad and other items be passed around for all to sample.

“Everyone has to try something outside their comfort zone,” Gralnick said.

Two young guests, Sara Zessar and Arianna Haut, were understandably unshaken by any unusual food item, being teachers at two of the most notoriously rough neighborhood high schools—Zessar at Vashon and Haut at Roosevelt.

Zessar was hesitant, but willing to expand her culinary horizons.

“I know it was fish eggs,” she said after a bite of sushi. “I wasn’t thrilled about it, but I wasn’t going to scrape it off.”

Actually, everyone thoroughly enjoyed nearly everything that was served. The Caterpillar Roll was a unique visual delight, cut up into six or seven one-inch segments, and resembling a caterpillar, with a pair of eyes and antennae to boot.

Someone asked what type of glaze covered the Caterpillar Roll.

“Centipede sauce, of course!” joked Todd Binenstock, a dining club first-timer and also a non-native St. Louisan. He sat next to member Mark Bernstein, relieving Bernstein of being the only one who attended high school outside the state.

Meanwhile, member Fred Rosenblum didn’t remember whether he had eaten his antennae. But he was certainly on task during the night’s second event—some friendly, yet competitive games of pool. Rosenblum went undefeated in six games of pool at the Chesterfield Billiards Bar and Grill. The group stayed nearly two hours.

A memorable bad shot was executed by Temkin, who fired a ball off the table, which then crashed into Abrams’ leg and onto her foot.

At the same instant, Temkin and I started to say, “And you thought this wasn’t a contact sport!”

“Great minds think alike,” Temkin said.

“Yeah, and ours do, too!” I said.

For more information, email Michelle Gralnick at bbd2wro@aol.com.

Jeffry Greenberg is a charter member of the Singles Division. A freelance writer for 19 years, he has nearly 3,000 published pieces and has won awards for his sports writing.

Creve Coeur resident Pat Chambers recognized for volunteer legacy at pediatric hospital

 (I totally loved doing this interview and also the one-on-one tour with Kristen Carroll of Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital.)

Seasoned entertainers who leave a memorable impact earn stars on a Walk of Fame. Superstar athletes get inducted into a Hall of Fame for contributions to their respective sports.

Pat Chambers, who volunteers every Tuesday and Friday morning from 9 a.m.-noon at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital, recently received her own special tribute following her 90th birthday.

Having exceeded 18 years of volunteering at the hospital, the long-time Creve Coeur resident was honored with her own “Pat’s Miracle Corner” in the welcoming area of Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital in Maryland Heights.

Pat Chambers, her daughter Kathy Logan and Ranken Jordan President and CEO Shawn Dryden speak with an attendee at Chambers’ birthday celebration. (Photo courtesy of Ranken Jordan)

Why that specific label? Ranken Jordan Leadership Gift Officer, Kristen Carroll offered the explanation.

“My colleague, Nellie LaVigne, who also loves Pat, originally floated the idea to do something special to honor her when we learned Pat had asked for donations to be made to Ranken Jordan in lieu of gifts for her 90th birthday,” Carroll said. “I brought it up to Pat's daughter Kristin. She spoke with the rest of Pat's children about the idea. They loved it. We decided on Pat's Miracle Corner together because of the phrase Pat always uses at Ranken Jordan: ‘Every time I come through those doors, I know I'm going to see a miracle.’”

Pat's four children were onboard from the moment they were told about the idea - so much so that they offered to match the donations from Pat's other friends and family with their own, raising over $10,000 for the hospital.

“Life is a struggle sometimes, certainly for some of these kids and their parents,” Chambers said. “But there is always hope. I have my miracle corner, and in 18 years, I’ve seen so many miracles! It’s amazing. Sometimes it’s tiny steps, and sometimes huge steps. You want to be able to be stimulated in life and to stimulate others.” 

Born an only child in Savannah, Missouri, that attitude is what inspired Chambers to enter the field of early childhood education. 

“My name is Pat, P.A.T. and I was with an organization that is now nationwide and in eight foreign countries called Parents as Teachers,” Chambers said. “I became the coordinator of a local school district called Pattonville! Have you got that down pat now?”

From her experience on the job, Chambers noted many parents needed their parenting skills bolstered. As their first teacher, she would go into homes, sit on the floor and work with parents.

After retiring from Pattonville, Chambers traveled to nearly every state in the U.S. with the Parents as Teachers Association. She helped parents with several aspects of the development of their children. In addition to her background of working with parents and children, Chambers has four children of her own, plus 15 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. 

Fast forward to 2006, and Chambers’ volunteer start at Ranken Jordan, which is a 60-bed pediatric bridge hospital that cares for kids from birth to age 21, who are well enough to leave a traditional hospital but need help before they go home. 

“I knew I still wanted to work with children, and this is in my local area,” Chambers said. “When I started there, it was a place for me to be in the nursery. I got to rock those babies, talk to those babies, and sing to those babies because we know this is critical.” 

“Then I was promoted,” Chambers added, laughing. “Same salary – volunteer – to the therapy department. I got in the pool with the kiddos, and when they were having a sad day, they always laughed at the old lady in the bathing suit. Then I had an amputation of my leg in 2012 after a bout with cancer.”

Even after losing a leg, Chambers kept volunteering at the hospital; she became a greeter. She said that everybody needs a friendly greeting, whether they’re a vendor, a patient or a patient’s loved ones.

Throughout her years, Chambers said she has witnessed dozens upon dozens of miracles.

“I see a little guy in a wheelchair who has a (tracheotomy) and a feeding tube and with no verbalization,” Chambers said of an encounter from October 2023. “But he came over one day, rode his wheelchair my way and asked, ‘What happened to your leg?’ I knew that his brain had come awake, and that little guy walked out of here a month later and it was publicized because it was a miracle. He was an eight-year-old automobile accident victim.”

Another time, Chambers met a grandmother whose 16-year-old granddaughter had a stroke. Once, after they had visited many times, Chambers asked her if the trach was permanent. The grandmother said, “Pat, there’s always hope.” 

“What a lesson that was because some parents are faced with so many challenges,” Chambers said. “I try to tell the parents that they receive the best medical care possible at Ranken Jordan. People don’t realize how important everyone here is to these little ones. Sometimes it’s the small things like a ‘hello’ or a smile. But we need them to communicate and be active in helping others. We all look out for each other and our patients.”

The hospital does more than just greet patients with a friendly face. Activities and special events help make children’s experience at the hospital better. One such activity is a Teddy Bear Clinic, where kids pretend to be doctors for teddy bear patients so the children get more comfortable with medical procedures.

“There’s another activity here I think is wonderful,” Chambers said. “It’s Paint the Docs. The doctors dress up in aprons and so forth, and children fill their hypodermic needles with paint, then they paint the doctors. There’s always activities here to stimulate.”

Ranken Jordan is chock full of several play areas on both floors, in addition to an outdoor area with gardens and even more play facilities. There are tunnels and swings that are wheelchair accessible, plus a ballfield and a golf course.

Chambers’ birthday celebration was packed. A full busload of friends from Brookdale Senior Living, where Chambers lives, was brought over, along with Brookdale staff members.

“They had booked the room for 60 people, but there were 20 more,” Chambers said. “So, we had 80 people here to celebrate this fundraising, my birthday, and my service. There’s nobody at the senior living place I’m involved with who doesn’t know about Ranken now. I’ve sold greeting cards that the kids here have made, and I try to publicize it everywhere I can.”

Carroll said Chambers is the best marketer the hospital could ever ask for.

“Pat’s heart and giving spirit to these families is just incredible,” Carroll said.” She does a fantastic job here, and she’s like our ambassador to the community.”

Relentless positivity is another area in which Chambers excels.

“There’s a saying – ‘Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present,’” Chambers said. “My thoughts are always, ‘I’m going to make the best of this day, and tomorrow may be even better!’ And I try to live that. You have to think this is a perfect day and I’m going to make the best of it. I was recently diagnosed with inoperable cancer, and each day is such a blessing. 

“I’m not going to worry about yesterday, and I hope tomorrow’s an even better day than today.”

Pat Chambers smiles at Ranken Jordan outpatient Lavender Watson at the dedication for “Pat’s Miracle Corner,” a permanent space in the hospital named after Chambers to honor her dedication as a longtime Ranken Jordan volunteer. Lavender is one of Chambers’ biggest fans and even dressed up as Chambers for her 90th birthday in March. (Photo courtesy of Ranken Jordan)

It doesn’t pay to be negative, Chambers said, and she wants to always look on the bright side and consider all the blessings that are easy to overlook.

“When new parents come in, I now say, ‘I have a corner. See that little sign up there? It says Pat’s Miracle Corner, and I’m Pat. I get to see miracles and I hope your child is one of those miracles. Maybe it will be a little one; maybe it will be a giant one,’” Chambers said. “‘So, will you be my miracle?’” 

Ranken Jordan’s annual Beyond Gala is coming soon on Sept. 21, hosted at the Ritz Carlton. For more information, email kristen.carroll@rankenjordan.org.  

The first Creve Coeur Plein Air Arts Festival left a great ‘impression’ on visitors

 (Enjoyed covering this event in person with a piece subsequently published in West Newsmagazine with my photos.)

The Creve Coeur Arts Committee was thrilled to host its initial Plein Air Art event with Impressionist era artist paintings starting July 6.  It culminated in a wonderful ceremony and reception on July 11 at the historic Tappmeyer Homestead in Millennium Park.

But that was not the only first for the event. 

This was the first art judging event for Julie Dunn-Morton, the curator of fine arts at the Mercantile Library. She was assigned to the role through her long-time association with current Creve Coeur Arts Committee president Robert Morrissey, who co-emceed the event with Mayor Robert Hoffman.

How fitting it was for Dunn-Morton to assume this role.  ‘Plein air’ signifies removing oneself from an office and creating in the great outdoors. From the outset, it was primarily related to the Impressionist era. After joining the Mercantile staff in 2002, Dunn-Morton continued her research into primarily 19^th century landscape paintings.

“The Mercantile Library has featured so many regional artists working on outdoor projects while Monet’s (Garden of) Giverny was in vogue,” said Dunn-Morton, who received her B.A. in Art History from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, then a M.A. and Ph.D. in the same field from the University of Delaware.

Yet another first at the event was Elizabeth Moreland Kern nabbing the top spot among paintings from 20 different artists. This was about the fifth such event for the Webster Groves resident, whose previous best finish was Honorable Mention.

This time, she nabbed the blue ribbon for Best in Show for her “In the Woods” painting in Malcolm Terrace Park.  The prize also included $750 winnings, provided by Stephanie Connell STL Homes, who has served for 22 years with Janet McAfee Realty.

“Being a true introvert, I definitely went very deep into the woods to honor Mother Nature. They told me that the park was at the end of a dead-end road.  I love trees, so I walked down a trail to a beautiful tree, waited for the tree to talk to me, then I started painting. It took me about three hours from start to finish.

“I’ve been painting since I was about 10. I’m 41 now, and still give private art lessons and sell my work. But when I saw all the high-quality work, I had no idea I could win.”

First runner-up was awarded to Gary Beazley with “Malcolm Terrace Park.” Its red ribbon came with a $500 prize donated by the Kodner Gallery. 

Honorable Mention with a white ribbon and $250 from Link Auction Galleries went to Katherine Martinez for “Stream Days.”   

Linda Kusmer was one of the most prominent members on hand from the Creve Coeur Arts Committee. The founder and long-time former owner of Total Interior Designs, Kusmer was glowing when speaking of the evening’s proceedings.

“This event was an answer to the question of how Creve Coeur can benefit from art and interact with the community. The idea was to make this an annual event and coordinate music (Jeremiah Johnson Band on this night) with the great visuals of art.”

Kusmer also gave accolades to fellow Committee member Nan Kulkarni, who brought this event idea into reality from her many years serving on the Town & Country staff.

The hundreds of visitors who toured the 140-year-old Tappmeyer Homestead to view the local artwork from 5-8:30 was proof enough that this first event will not be the last.

Doctor Sherman J. Silber: A Great Example of a Purposeful Life

 (This is an article assignment I had for an in-person interview earlier this year with the St. Louis Jewish Light. I took all photos in person during the lengthy interview.)

The official opening ceremony of the Silber Infertility Center on Clayton Road in Frontenac took place on Feb. 15. Just eight days later, infertility pioneer Dr. Sherman Silber revealed countless details of his miraculous life’s work.

He displayed a chart explaining a dramatic improvement in selecting the correct egg match for any specific patient. 

“It used to be very scary. Embryologists would have to look down at tanks, open them up, and liquid nitrogen fumes would come up. They would poke a little straw down there and try to see which label had which patient over it. ‘Oh, no! It’s this one! No, it’s that one!’’  Plus, liquid nitrogen had to be refilled about every two days to make sure it never melted down.” 

Also, when you opened the large incubator, the atmospheric culture system would change as would everyone’s petri dish within the incubator.

Enter the Tomorrow Machine which Silber’s team invented in Belgium. You simply enter a patient’s name and birthday, and a drawer automatically opens with liquid nitrogen and the embryo you want to transfer.

“It’s so safe and flawless! Now it’s just one little micro incubator for every single patient. It’s 22nd century equipment amazing embryologists around the world. They tell me (from photos), ‘These are the best eggs we’ve seen in any IVF center.’ It’s nice to hear that because it correlates with our results. At any age you view, our baby rate for eggs is four to five times higher. Instead of a fertilization rate of 72%, it’s over 90%.”

Soon as the new center opened, his team executed its first egg retrievals there on Jan. 27. Previously, all work was done at his St. Luke’s Hospital office.

Silber’s IVF lab began in 1985. His first In Vitro Fertilization was done at St. Luke’s. Other infertility doctors couldn’t do IVF because they had no understanding of cell culture which he learned in 1973 in Melbourne, Australia.

“All the infertility doctors, including me were very hesitant getting into IVF.  We were hoping it wouldn’t work because it was just a new venture. Sometimes when you don’t want to do something that’s not in your comfort zone, G-d gives you a little nudge. Then you do something you wouldn’t have done otherwise! I realized it wasn’t enough to just treat people conventionally. We really needed IVF.”

On Feb. 23, just two days before this interview, Silber was on Facebook Live with 35-year-old Meaghan Ferneau. Just 35 years previously, Meaghan’s mother was infertile.  Silber’s crew got her pregnant with IVF. That led to her perfectly normal, healthy girl. But Meaghan was also infertile and had been trying to have a baby for seven years.  She had endometriosis, then had several laparoscopic surgeries and multiple rounds of various drugs which did not help.  Meaghan’s doctor informed her she needed to seek reproductive help. Her visits were totally unsatisfying. 

“So, her mother referred her to us, and Meaghan called me the very next day. They were living in Arkansas then, and now in St. Louis. Now, she has a nine-month-old baby girl who is the second generation of babies.” 

‘We love her so much that it would be great to have another!’ Meaghan said on the video holding her baby girl.

More new age results were invented using AI for choosing sperm to inject into an egg. That was a gigantic step for male infertility. Silber noted they don’t care about the sperm count, needing just a few. They’re also not interested in the diagnosis of male infertility because when doing IVF, they just pick the sperm and inject it into the egg.

“As humans, we can find the best sperm, but they move so fast. It’s tricky and you may not get it right. AI chooses the best sperm. It circles it, then when it swims off, it circles another one and you only pick up the sperm with a circle around it. So, we know we’re only getting the best sperm.” 

Meanwhile, Silber’s own life’s journey began strangely. He was born on the south side of Chicago as the neighborhood’s only Jewish kid to parents who were not meant for parenting. Prior to his grade school years, he was dropped off at a Jewish Family Service office that was akin to a wonderful orphanage.

Once he entered school, Silber rode from there to a conservative shul/Hebrew School. He was there until around eight at night. That experience was also uplifting with nurturing people.

A positive from both his parents since age five was the push to be a doctor as a great way to permanently escape his own poor, fight-filled neighborhood.

Silber always wanted to be a creative writer. He’s written 11 books translated into five different languages. But they’re all medical.

He split undergraduate time at the University of Michigan between medicine and the humanities. Later, there was only time for medical studies.

Silber planned on a residency in cardiovascular surgery at Stanford where he did his internship. But during the Vietnam War, he was called up to the Public Health Service and was sent to Alaska. There were no urologists there, so he constantly called to Seattle for help.  After Alaska, he returned to Michigan.

“After I was in urology a little bit, it wasn’t as interesting as when I started. But one thing I really liked was kidney transplantation. I developed all the microsurgery for doing them in rats. My wife’s mother and friends all said, ‘What are you doing? Rats don’t have insurance.  They’re not going to pay you.’” 

It was merely an interest, but it transformed surgical research which used to be done on dogs who would howl endlessly.

Silber met his wife Joan in his senior year of medical school. After years of training together all over the world, they returned to the U.S. After marriage, they settled in Joan’s hometown of St. Louis and Sherman was immediately ‘adopted’ by her parents.

Joan inspired Sherman to do his first vasectomy reversal in 1975 that led to a front- page New York Times article by famous medical writer Jan Brody.

Fast forward to 2004. Silber’s team was the first to perform a successful ovary allotransplant using eggs of a fertile woman transplanted into one with no eggs.

“That was an interesting story.  The St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial page criticized me. They kept saying I was a cowboy.  But a year later, she was pregnant, and the front page read, ‘Revolutionary Fertility Doctor Achieves Success with Ovary Transplant.’” 

His team has successfully done four, utilizing a safe immunosuppression protocol that can be done on life-saving procedures.

One example was a young, Ultra-Orthodox Jewish girl with Turner’s Syndrome who couldn’t have babies. They did the transplant from her sister. She started ovulating and they found a great match for her.  She never thought that would happen, but has been pregnant since late summer!

What was Silber’s attitude toward thinking all the details of his work could be possible? He said it’s all based on curiosity that’s developed in the first three years of life.

“I learned curiosity from how I was taken care of at the Jewish orphanage. It’s the secret to all innovation and progress.”

Regarding the Y chromosome, most thought hormonal issues caused a man to have little or no sperm count. That led to a variety of treatments. But Silber’s control trials showed that none of those treatments worked.  So, it had to be genetic.

Silber said that from an educational point of view, people used to talk about how the world was overpopulated.  He said that’s been debunked by population sociologists and that young people need to support an aging population even if it’s pretty healthy.  Despite being age 82, Silber still swims a mile every other day. He added that it’s crucial that we allow these people to have babies because if you ask any patient what they care about most in life, it’s their children and grandchildren. 

Curiosity keeps Silber up at night.  He always has a scratch pad to write problems of patients or systems to take care of the next day.

“Mozart always had melodies going through his head and he could hardly sleep because he had to write them down. That’s how I am with problems and new ideas.”

Another recent miraculous result involved an Asian billionaire and his 36-year-old wife.  They had been to six different IVF centers with no success.  He had an incredibly low sperm count, was told he had a Y chromosome deletion, and would need donor sperm. But he did a massive Internet search, found Silber’s work on the Y chromosome, hopped on a plane and flew here.

“I said that’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard because with that kind of Y chromosome deletion, you have SOME sperm! That’s all we need because we pick it up by the tail under the microscope and inject it into the egg. He said, ‘But you haven’t even looked at my semen.’ I told him, ‘We’ll look at your semen, but I guarantee that you’ll have some sperm.’ He brought his wife here. We did an ultrasound and found she had a very small number of eggs. So, I said, ‘We’ll have to do mini-IVF because we’ll have a much higher baby rate for eggs, and we’re going to use your sperm.’ He didn’t believe it was possible, but they had healthy twins!”

Still working some 70 hours a week, Silber is currently collaborating with colleagues in Osaka, Japan and at UCLA’s stem cell center. They’re doing skin biopsies on men with zero sperm and women over age 50 with no eggs. They’re taking skin cells, fibro blasting them into stem cells, then turning those into completely normal eggs. They are being funded by that same billionaire with the fertility success story!

Silber’s new IVF center offers a patient-friendly experience in an ultra-modern lab.  While he is the big name because of his innovations, he insists far more credit should go to his coordination staff of 20-25 years and his seasoned embryologists.

Dozens of awards have poured into Silber’s hands over the years. Regarding one that stands out most, he grabbed a plaque from 2010.

“Four months before the Arab spring, things were looking good in Syria. Assad was trying to move more toward the West. That would have been very important because he would have been a counterfoil toward Iran. I was on Al Jazeera as a real hero, and I gave a speech after being named the only Jewish member of the Middle East Infertility Center in Damascus.

“It was so joyful as the only Jew there with so many Iranians, Palestinians, and other Arabs.  There we were, my wife and I. My speech was broadcast all over the Arab world. What I said was, ‘This is amazing!  Here I am, Jewish, you’re inviting me as a lifetime member, I’ve got a son and grandchildren who live in Israel, and it’s here in Damascus that I’m talking right now. Syria has always been a center of communication and trade for the world. It always brought diverse people together.  It’s appropriate that I’m the first Jew to come here to be honored by you. I hope this is a symbol that we’re all going to live together in a diverse society, in the Middle East, and Israel, Syria and Jordan will all be happy together.’ “

Silber added that everyone rushed in with their little cameras to pose with he and Joan who have been married for 57 years after a one-year engagement.

Having enjoyed countless TV appearances, Silber’s most recent one was with Megyn Kelly on The Today Show. He brought a patient who was 17 when he first froze her ovary.  She required two bone marrow transplants to survive Hodgkin’s disease, and then chemotherapy.  They transplanted the frozen ovary back to her and she ended up having four babies. She’s now 40 years old and an oncology nurse at Children’s Hospital.

Regarding Silber’s own family, Joan’s on the national board of the American Jewish Committee (AJC).  She was chairman of the Boys and Girls Club of St. Louis, and Aish HaTorah for about 10 years.

Eldest son David is an Orthodox rabbi in Israel with eight children and three grandchildren.  He is also a prominent Mergers and Acquisition lawyer. Two of the three lawyers representing Israel at The Hague are from his firm, Horowitz and Company, the oldest in Israel, dating back to 1908.

Middle son Steve was a U.S. Marine anti-terrorist who became an outdoors wilderness guide. He nearly made the Olympics in snow skiing.  His present goal is a Master’s Degree to practice psychology.

Youngest son Joe is Chief Engineer at Lawrence-Berkeley National Laboratory in northern California with a major interest in dark energy. He directs his staff to build machinery, and he’s also written four novels.

Long ago a chess master in high school in Chicago, winning the Illinois state title, Silber still loves making videos of wildlife in Africa and Alaska. Recreational loves are fly fishing and snow skiing. He said that if he had a tag line, it would be ‘Keep Your Nuclei Rotating’ 

“We have stem cells for everything in our body, and there are resting follicles in the ovary. It’s well-known by some bio engineers that myogenic tension, or tissue pressure, causes the nuclei of the stem cells to rotate. When they do, they slow down their metabolism and last longer. It’s from the pressure that’s caused by any form of exercise.

Regarding life itself, the good doctor added, “When you’re young, everything can be fun. As you get older, you think more about your mortality and what’s really important. The most important thing is to be happy when you die. That happens if you feel you’ve had a purpose in life and have done something useful. If you don’t have a purpose or purposes, you can get depressed and die unhappy. So, it’s really important to have a purpose.”

Regarding life’s purposes, on which he has excelled, Silber concluded by citing “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl. 

Parkway Central junior Andrew Rubin is living his dream with State Street Spices

 (Here is my more in-depth and detailed version of a story I recently had published in West Newsmagazine. All photos were sent to me, courtesy of Andrew Rubin.)

According to 18^th century British poet William Cowper, “Variety’s the very spice of life that gives it all its flavour.”

That’s precisely what Andrew Rubin has experienced this school year. The Parkway Central junior has enjoyed an all-encompassing journey involving travel, some of the highest levels of school classes and true entrepreneurship.

But that old poem is even more fitting considering that on September 6, 2023, Rubin started his own business known as State Street Spices. It now boasts bottles of spice covering eight different flavors, each named after cities where he’s traveled thus far except for one.

Rubin would be considered an inspiration to many even without his business prowess. After all, that success followed closely on the heels of a wide variety of physical ailments throughout his young life.

“When I was younger, I had a bunch of stomach issues which I still have,” Rubin said. “I’ve had eye problems my whole life, too. When I was in (Shenandoah Valley) elementary school, I had to wear a patch over one eye for a few years because the vision was so little compared to the other eye.  I almost went blind in fifth grade and had to have a procedure to save my vision. I was about 11 years old then, the youngest in St. Louis to have that operation. I also had really bad headaches from it (a corneal disease known as keratoconus that former baseball Cardinal Tommy Pham had). That led me to being in the hospital; mostly in St. Louis Children’s downtown. I was also in a wheelchair for a couple years in middle school.”

 

Despite all those ailments, Rubin has persisted in so many ways, taking all the difficult steps leading up to his business venture.

The lifelong Chesterfield resident is not only involved in speech and debate, but belongs to three different Honor societies.  He spent the first two years of high school on Central’s Student Council. At the end of his sophomore year, Rubin won the Hugh O’Brian Leadership Award.  This year, he is the school’s president of DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America), a high school and college program for students interested in business and future entrepreneurship.

Through his schooling, Rubin acknowledged a few outstanding mentors who have helped on his business journey. One is Erin Fluchel, the Spark director who works with about 30 students in the Spark incubator program to help students grow their businesses. He also mentioned Parkway Central business teachers Sarah Hale and Julie Weindel through DECA and National Business Honor Society who Rubin deems ‘equally amazing and influential.’

“I grew up watching every episode of Shark Tank as often as possible because I love watching it, and I actually just saw it at dinner about an hour ago,” Rubin said of this May 19 interview. “A couple years ago, I participated in a summer program at SLU that was an entrepreneurship program and from there I knew I wanted to start my own business.

“I first started to think of State Street Spices around March of last year. But I didn’t start it then because you sometimes push back before starting a business because you think of all the risks involved. But when I started my junior year, I joined the Spark Incubator Program which is offered through Parkway and Rockwood. It gives you half the day on Wednesdays and Fridays to work on your business, grow your networking and work with a group of people who are also starting a new business.  That’s been a neat experience this year and I’ll also be joining it next school year. It’s been an amazing program not only to start my business, but also to learn all these important skills in the business world.”

His parents, Sarah and Phillip offered the initial few hundred dollars to get things started. From there, Andrew combined his loves of travel, cooking for his family nearly every night, and entrepreneurship.

Rubin’s been on several float trips, but that was nothing compared to many of the places he’s been over the past year or so. Included in that was the first time he had ever left the country with a mid-March trip to Calgary, Alberta Canada that included actual hiking at Banff National Park.

Regarding that trip, Jennifer Rubin Evans declared in a Facebook post, “So proud of my baby brother! As most of you know, he was literally in a wheelchair a few short years ago and we never knew if he was going to walk again. Now, he just crushed two difficult hikes on the side of a mountain in ice, snow, and mud.”

Rubin has also flown three times to Washington, DC, his favorite city.  While there, he not only toured a pair of universities, but also visited a good deal of the historical landmarks and a variety of cultural and fun tourist sites of our Nation’s Capital.

But it was his 2023 trip to Madison, WI where Rubin came up with his State Street Spices idea and the company name because he was riding down State Street at the time.

“My thought was that I wished I could try the famous foods of different cities in the comfort of my own home, without having to pay to travel. So, I thought of the idea of a spice blend company with the focus on the authenticity of each spice.  There are a lot of spices right now such as our Nashville Hot, but other major spice companies don’t necessarily focus on the quality and authenticity of what they put out with a lot of additives (such as salt) and cheap fillers.  I wanted to start a company that focuses on authenticity.  Each of our eight spice blends took roughly 40-80 hours of research for which I have a research formula. I also looked into a bunch of recipes and restaurants in each city to really narrow down the most authentic cases for each of the blends. My research looks deep into the cities to see what the other spice markets have lacked.”

Rubin added that the idea is to bring authentic flavors from throughout cities and states in this country. So, it was fitting being on a street named State Street to use that name. The only city of his eight spices he hasn’t visited is Buffalo, NY.

Since Rubin has spent so much time in hospitals, some 10% of the funds from his sales automatically go directly to buying games for the staying time of youths at local children’s hospitals. He added that playing games would have been a great distraction for him in helping take the constant focus off the gloom of being in a hospital and on the medical issues he had.

In addition to the initial funding of his business, Rubin credits his parents for their support of helping mix spices and in being beside him in the handful of events he has attended to support his business. That began with the Parkway West craft fair late last October.

A couple weeks later, Andrew’s mom added a Facebook post congratulating him on the business and noting that his then seven spices can also be added to meat, chicken, vegetables and even popcorn!!!

“Since then, I’ve invested everything and put in my own money to really grow this business,” Rubin said.  “Before I got into this, last summer I was working about 60 hours a week through two different jobs in the daycare industry. I really worked hard because I knew I wanted to start a business and they can cost a lot of money. I’ve reinvested everything I’ve made to grow my business.”

Another financial highlight along the way was winning a $500 Parkway-Spark! And Waterway Car Wash business grant.

“I’ve done five different events and I’ve sold about 500 spice jars just at those events.  On average, I sell a spice jar about every four minutes which is super neat.  I also offer samples of items like dips in which you can add the spices.  It’s been a really good experience going to those events.  However, about two months ago, I also started my online store.  So, I’ve been excited about getting some online orders to grow that part of the business. For four different weeks in the summer, I will be at West County Mall to sell some of my spices at a kiosk. I’m really excited about that being another opportunity to help grow my business. But my goal in the next few months is to get into a grocery store.  Getting into retail is a really big dream of mine. So, I would not only be going to all these events, but also have my spices in these shops.”

The State Street Spice details for the West County Mall appearance will be on the lower level near Nordstrom from June 10-16, June 24-30, July 15-21, and July 29-Aug. 4.  Prior to that, Rubin will have a June 1-2 booth at the Kimmswick Strawberry Festival.

Rubin is also thankful for some extra special free publicity he has received as of late. He reached out to St. Louis Bucket List through its Instagram page.  They featured a story on Rubin and also helped him create some helpful videos which he is set to post on his business page www.statestreetspices.com in the coming weeks.

He also sent a letter to KSDK’s Rene Knott about his business. Knott really liked the letter and responded to Rubin by email. They stayed in contact, Knott filmed an interview in which they mixed up some spices, and on May 15, Rubin was featured on the ‘My Lou’ segment.

“I’ve also actually gotten some interest from some pretty large companies both from the St. Louis area and Nashville companies,” Rubin added. “But I just want to focus on distribution and some of the other challenges of starting a business.  Being able to grow my business but not grow it too quickly has been something I’ve had challenges with. So, I’m willing to find a good balance for that. But this has all been a great experience starting my own business, to see it grow, and I’m very excited about this summer at West County Mall…not just to sell my spices, but to grow my brand and get it more out there.”

Rubin noted that, in the meanwhile, he’s looking to add one or two more spices in the coming months to add to the most recent one, L.A. Taco. The others are in alphabetical order: Buffalo Buffalo, Cincinnati Chili, Kansas City Barbecue, Memphis Barbecue, Nashville Hot, New York Steak and St. Louis Barbecue.

“There are so many cities with lots of different flavors to focus on. So, I’m looking to add more flavors, then later down the line, I would love to add some other things like dips and sauces. But that comes with a lot more legal corridors because they would be more perishable items.  So, that would be more years down the line.  Right now, I’m just focusing on adding more spice blends and continue to grow that segment of the business.”