Firmly Rooted: Family Greenery Planted Runner’s Interest in Botany

(Here’s a story I did long ago that I thought of after last Monday night’s terrific Donald Danforth Plant Science Center tour)

     Running has become almost as natural to Donna Ford’s environment as caring for plants.  It’s just that her interest in running has taken a bit longer to germinate.

     For more than two years, Ford has attended Washington University while performing post graduate work through the Missouri Botanical Gardens.  The Central West End resident recently began a five-month hiatus of plants studies in Chile and Argentina.

     Ford disliked grade school science classes, but her outlook abruptly changed after her family became members of their hometown Cincinnati Zoo.  Donna not only took summer education courses there, but she assumed the title of junior zoologist.

     “Between my junior and senior years of high school, I went on an African safari with about 16 other teenage zoologists,” Ford said.  “The purpose was to collect insects for our insectarium, but I was more into botany.

     “I think I got more into plants because my family always had plants in the home and gardens, and there were always a lot of plant barks.  Plants are easy to carry around and identify, and they can’t run away from you.”

     About the same time that Ford became certain of her preference for the comparatively immobile tendencies of plants, she got caught up in the running craze at her high school.

     “When I got to tenth grade, I said, ‘I can’t do sprints,’ so they said, ‘Why don’t you do distance events?’  After they saw me the first day, they said, ‘Yeah.  You’re a distance runner’ because I could already run with the ones who went out the year before.  They thought I’d do three laps and stop, but I did all eight just like everyone else.”

     Ford’s Colerain High School track coach was so impressed by her stamina and natural ability that he recommended that she and another girl run with the boys’ cross-country team. 

     That turned out to be outstanding training experience for Ford’s future 5K and 10K runs, although she admitted that winning was virtually impossible in that atmosphere.

    “Sometimes, it was like a no-win situation for me,” Ford said.  “One day, the coach really rapped on some guys because I was close to them in a practice run.  He told them, ‘You’re barely beating the girls.’ I thought that was a sexist comment.  But the only time I beat one of the guys was when he dropped out of a race.  I didn’t know any of the guys’ faces, but knew all of their backs.”

     Shortly thereafter, Ford helped organize the local running club of Oxford, Ohio while earning Bachelors’ degrees in botany and mathematics from nearby Miami University. 

     From there, Ford kept her studies at a maximum and her running at a minimum.  In 1985, she received a Masters degree in plant biology from the University of Michigan, specializing in plant systematics and evolution.  She worked at a biological station in northern Michigan and at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago before arriving in St. Louis.

     Ford got back into running several years ago and experienced most of her greatest successes during the 1987 season.  Not only did she finish second overall in the Ballwin Days’ 5-mile run, but Ford also helped her Washington University team to first place in the St. Louis Corporate Challenge 10K race.

     Considering Ford’s outlook on running, it’s not surprising that she was the top female in the April 1987 Cystic Fibrosis 5K Run for Breath, and in the August Westport Plaza 5K Run Against Cancer.

 “When there’s a good cause, I run my heart out,” Ford said.  “But personal health is one of the main reasons I stuck with running.  I feel good about myself and what I can do.  I’m not really into it for competitiveness, but I do it for fellowship and for physical and mental health.

     “Maybe my love for running is similar to my love for plants.  It’s a good sport for me because I enjoy the outdoors.  If I didn’t run, I’d probably be into biking.  They’re both appropriate for my personality because they’re individual things.  Studying plants requires attention to detail, patience and persistence.”

Howard Baer’s Influence Evident in All Facets of St. Louis Living

(Here is a story I had published in the West End Word back in 1989.  If you are familiar with Howard F. Baer Plaza, Forest Park Forever or the Zoo-Museum District, which is why our zoo, art museum and science center all still have free admission, you know a little bit about Baer. He was born in 1902, I interviewed him when he was 87, and he didn’t pass away until 1998.)

     It has often been said that a person is a product of his environment.

     Howard F. Baer’s early surroundings were indeed a major factor for his huge success in helping improve the St. Louis cultural scene.

     Most men (and women) fritter away much of their lives by not actively pursuing their dreams.  But Baer learned at an early age that few things are more personally satisfying than following one’s visions and acting upon them.

     “Maybe I’ve been involved in so many things because I went to schools where that kind of stuff was advocated,” said Baer, who in 1924 received a (general) Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University.  Prior to that, Baer spent five years at a tough New England boarding school.

     The Central West End resident, who turned 87 this past June, boasts a lengthy resume of accomplishments.

     Most recently, Baer spearheaded a fund-raising drive through the Jewish Federation of St. Louis to help renovate the Jewish First American Settlement Tercentenary Monument near Kingshighway and Lindell boulevards.

It was only fitting that Baer be active in the renovation.  He played a major role in its original dedication on Thanksgiving Day of 1956—exactly 300 years after the first Jews arrived in what was then known as New Amsterdam. When Rabbi Ferdinand Isserman expressed interest in having a commemorative monument constructed in St. Louis, he turned to Baer.

     “He asked me, ‘Why not St. Louis?’” Baer said.  “So, I asked him what I could do.  I recommended a sculptor, Carl Mose, for the 300^th anniversary of the landing in New York City.  But it’s more than just a Jewish event because it laid the ground for all religions and people.

     “Unfortunately, over the years it had deteriorated.  An organization called Forest Park Forever came to me because they had seen my name affiliated with it.  So I went to a few people I thought would be interested in raising money.”

     Almost immediately, longtime civic leaders Stanley and Lucy Lopata contributed a large amount of money that Baer referred to as a challenge gift. 

     After renovation, the 80-inch-tall sculpture is being mounted on a granite base and placed between two existing reflecting pools.  It is scheduled for October completion.

     Although she has only assumed the position of Forest Park Manager since February, Anabeth Calkins has enjoyed working with Baer on the project.

     “He’s marvelous—a real talent,” Calkins said.  “He’s very knowledgeable about history, curious about St. Louis and he’s been the force behind some of the most positive things in the St. Louis area.”

     Nowhere has Baer’s civic accomplishments been more widely felt than within Forest Park itself.  Besides serving as the St. Louis Zoological Subdistrict Commission, Baer was longtime president of the Zoo’s board of control and vice-president of the Zoological Park Commission.

     One of Baer’s major victories occurred in the late 1980s, when he won support of shared city-county funding for the Zoo-Museum District, which encompasses the Zoo, Art Museum and Museum of Science and Natural History.

     “The Zoo belongs to the city and the tax rate did, too,” Baer said.  “But the city’s population was going down and we needed the county and its wealth.  My wife (Isabel) is fond of the Art Museum and the arts.  She persuaded me that the Museum should be included, and I agreed.”

     Baer is also credited with the creation of the Arts and Education Council of St. Louis and was an early backer of wooden directional signs in Forest Park.

     A couple of Baer’s more recent honors include the 1982 dedication of Baer Plaza, a circular plaza’s south end, and the 1983 Mayor’s Award for the Arts for Baer’s longtime investment in St. Louis cultural programs.

  “I’ve been a really lucky guy,” Baer said.  “Of course I’ve had failures, but I’ve been lucky in my public and private lives.  I don’t like to think about what-ifs.”

     Shortly after marrying the daughter of Louis P. Aloe, the Charleston, WV native moved to St. Louis in 1927 to work for the Aloe Company, which handled hospital supplies and surgical instruments.  Baer retired in 1962 as president of the firm.  Prior to that, he was the chief of specifications in the Army and Air Force medical departments during World War II.

     Baer’s other achievements include his late ‘60s work to gain passage of the $200 million bond issue for the improvement of Lambert Field.  His book, “St. Louis to Me,” offers an interesting behind-the-scenes account of the St. Louis political scene.  It has sold some 3,000 copies since it was published in 1979.

     So, what’s next on Baer’s agenda?

     “One guy said, ‘What are you going to do now?’” Baer said.  “Are you kidding?  At my age?  I told him that I’m not going to buy any green bananas!”

It’s a Wonderful Life for Butch Wax Singer Liz Henderson

        (This is the full, unedited version I wrote & sent to Liz after a shortened version made its way into West Newsmagazine in late 2019.)

        On December 20, 1946, Frank Capra’s classic tale, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” was released for play in America’s movie theaters. The film’s theme was the connectivity of our lives, centering on George Bailey, played by motion picture superstar James Stewart. 

        As he constantly put the happiness of others first, George’s own life seemed to be on the verge of total destruction because of Mr. Potter, the powerful and greedy banker of Bedford Falls.  Facing what he thought was a good deal of jail time due to the carelessness of his Uncle Billy, George said he wished he was never born, then jumped off a bridge outside of town.

     That’s when guardian angel Clarence jumped in to save George, and to show him all the horrible things that would have happened negatively in the lives of so many if George had indeed never been born.

     One of Clarence’s famous lines to George at that point of the movie’s happy resolution was, “Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?”

    

      For the purpose of this story of Elizabeth Exarhou Henderson and countless others, the word ‘he’ can just as often be changed to ‘she.’  Here’s the background for Liz’s story. It also shows how terrific people reaching out and touching the lives of others in positive and selfless ways can lead to incredible outcomes.

     Let’s go back in time well before the movie’s release.  Elizabeth’s father, Klark Exarhou, was born in 1933 in Kavala, a city currently inhabited by 125,000 people in northeast Greece.  He immigrated here in the 1950s with the dream of becoming a doctor. 

      “My mother (Paula) was sick and one of the doctors said she was going to remove her appendix,” Liz said. “But my dad came in and stopped her.  At that time, my mom told her own mom that she was going to marry him.  That happened six months later!”

         Liz was born in the St. Louis area. Her family lived in Brentwood Forest, then far West St. Louis County before moving to the Ladue School District in the middle of Liz’s 5th grade year.  That’s when she had her first solo at Conway Elementary.

 

     “Not until I moved to Ladue did I have opportunities,” Liz said.  “That’s when teachers recognized I had talent and I started getting singing opportunities.   Mrs. (Jo Anne) Smiley (who spent 30 years as director of choral music in the Ladue School District), came into my life in junior high. She was then transferred to Ladue High School where she continued to be my choir teacher and musical director.  She was such an amazing person in my life when I was growing up!”

     In musicals, Liz got the lead almost every year of high school; even as a freshman playing Rosemary in “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying.”  Ironically, her daughter Sarah recently played that lead role, too!

     Liz also mentioned Smiley helping a boy named Tommy Gallop earn the lead role in the performance of “The Music Man” at Ladue High School.

     “He was a junior and I was in 8th grade,” Liz recalled.  “To me, seeing a young man a few years older than me in that role….I was blown away!  I was stunned and fell head over heels in love with him.  We dated when he was a senior and I was a freshman.  He took me to his senior prom.   Tommy went on to have roles in "The Bourne Identity" series of movies, "Will and Grace," "X Files,” "Seinfeld" and many, many more. He now owns a chocolate shop in Beverly Hills.”

     Smiley was not only a terrific help in launching musicians’ careers, but has also touched the lives of thousands in various walks of life.  She’s been mayor of Clarksville, MO for nearly 15 years.  Smiley earned the Congressional Medal of Merit award for her leadership in combating the major 2008 flood and her town’s subsequent recovery.

      At the end of summer 2018, Smiley received the President's Volunteer Service Award. She was given the President's Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes U.S. citizens who have contributed more than 4,000 hours of volunteer service. The President's Volunteer Service Award is administered through Points of Light, the world's largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. For that achievement, Smiley was given a personalized certificate, an official lapel pin and a framed congratulatory letter from President Donald Trump.

     After graduating from Ladue High in 1986, Liz attended University of Missouri-Kansas City.  Smiley suggested Liz go there to spend a good deal of time with Kirby Shaw, (who does a wide variety of musical projects throughout the world) to sing in his show and choir. But Shaw left the next year, leaving Liz uncertain about her future.

     She then heard about Berklee School of Music in Boston.  Liz liked the music part but not other things like writing music.  She just wanted to perform.

     “I heard they were holding auditions in the city for Nashville shows,” Liz said.  “They had auditions for Opryland.  I asked my mom, ‘Can I move to Nashville in two weeks?’ She helped me pack up and make the move.  I was there for several years doing five shows a day at the theme park and on the General Jackson showboat.  I even got to perform with Brenda Lee and Porter Waggoner on the Grand Ole Opry stage!

      “Then I met my husband (Jon Henderson) while I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar.  He came in, I ate lunch with him, and a year later we were engaged, then married and then had children. For 10 years, I didn’t sing! But at some point, we really wanted to move back to St. Louis. We had two little kids and both my mom and sister (Laura) lived here, and could help watch the kids.”     

     Liz had done some recordings for Lee Greenwood Studios.  As she stated, “It was like my toe was in again, but far from all of me.”  Meanwhile, Jon heard his company was closing, so the Hendersons packed it all up and moved from Nashville to St. Louis. They had heard of the great reputation of Rockwood schools, so they moved in with Liz’s parents.

     Their daughter was two and son (Jonathan) was five.  The Hendersons were looking for a house, but back then (2005), there was such a shortage in the market that houses sold immediately. Since Paula was in real estate, she sent out flyers, and the Hendersons found a house in Clarkson Woods.  It was in bad shape, but they loved the area.  They bought it and spent a year on renovations before moving in.

     “Some time after that, my sister said, ‘Hey!  Michael Schaerer is playing at Truffles.’  We knew him through family.  His dad was a brain surgeon and our dad was a general surgeon.  Michael was in musicals and performing arts.  Laura said we should see him.  He was with another girl.  He said, ‘Why don’t you sing a song with me?’ I told him I hadn’t sung in about 10 years.  But I sang and he asked if I’d sing another, then he said, ‘Why don’t you get us some gigs?’ He asked what songs I like to sing, so I made a list.  I sang several songs with him at private parties.”

     Some of Liz’s favorite artists that helped fill that list included the likes of Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Rait, Dolly Parton and Patsy Cline.

     Laura’s husband is Nick Cowlen.  An interesting sidelight is that Nick's dad owned Top of the Sevens Restaurant. Meanwhile, Liz’s mom owned The Greek Gourmet. Now, the Cowlens are getting ready to open a restaurant in Creve Coeur called Orzo Mediterranean. They just sold their very successful food truck, Go Gyro Go to another Ladue musician, Kenny Hirsch.

       Shortly thereafter, Liz’s friend Gigi recommended they go to Villa Farotto in Chesterfield.  Gigi never heard Liz sing, but went up to Gus Buehner and said, ‘She’s a hell of a singer!  You got to let her sing.  She’s from Nashville.’  So, Liz sang a couple of songs. 

     “At the end of the evening,” Liz said, “he told me, ‘What you and Michael do won’t fit in because Villa Farotto had a lot of dancing. But he said, ‘Learn these 100 songs.’ Little by little, he called me, saying things like, ‘My singer didn’t show up.  Can you be here in 30 minutes?’ Before you knew it, I was singing 10 times a month! I did 100 gigs a year with Gus for six years and with Leonardo Price for Encore Band for six years.”

     After that, Liz started seeking other musical connections. Sometime in 2016, Butch Wax asked Liz to fill in, then again on New Year’s Eve, and at that point, she went full-time with them. 

          “I had seen Liz singing in another group, and we had a vacancy in Butch Wax,” group founder Gene Ackmann said.  “I called her up because I was impressed with her, and asked her if she had any interest.  She said she did.  I met Liz and her husband for dinner. 

  What’s interesting is we had a show coming up in Iowa with the famous country singer Darius Rucker. One of the gals couldn’t go, and we would be playing in an arena with 10,000 people watching. Liz wanted to go, but couldn’t because she had another job already.  I was impressed because she would forego this because of a commitment she made.”    

 

     But Liz wondered how she could go from 100 gigs with Encore to just 45 for Butch Wax?  So, Ackmann asked her if she wanted to sing with Garden Party, too. So, she also went part-time with them.

     Liz said Garden Party was a leap of faith.  Then one of its band members fell ill, so she was more of a regular member.  It was she, Gene, Richie (Daniels) and sometimes Sonny (McGraw) and Ed (Callison) for the last full year.

     “She does a great job with country, country rock and is so easy to work with!” Ackmann said of Liz’s Garden Party inclusion. “We do a lot of Vince Gill, Linda Ronstadt, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton and music from so many others.  Besides the fact that she’s a great singer and great band mate, Liz is a wonderful friend with fantastic stage presence. Liz is so personable and has made friends with so many folks.”

     “It’s such a joy and passion for me!” Liz said.  “This past weekend (October 18-20), we played four gigs in 36 hours, with 12 hours of singing!  Some of our fans went to every gig. They follow us around.  Now, I’m helping both bands do 120 gigs this year!  We had two shows with Johnny Rivers—one at Chicago’s Ravinia outdoor theater, and in July at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Center where their symphony orchestra plays.  I’ve gotten to travel a lot with those two bands. It’s amazing to me! I’m so lucky and blessed!”

     Liz is also real estate partners with her mom with the Paula Exarhou Team. Their office is in the Chesterfield/Wildwood area. By the time Liz and Jon moved back to St. Louis from Nashville, Paula was one of the top agents at Coldwell Banker Gundaker.  Liz has been helping show properties here for some 13 1/2 years.  She loves working with first time home buyers to share her expertise in helping them make all the best buying decisions.

     Lately, Liz has had terrific success with sales in the Picardy Villas at Clayton and Kehrs Mill with Larry Wilson in their new home division with McBride.  So, on weekends, Liz is a singer; during the week, she’s real estate. 

     Jon Henderson is with Worldwide Technology at the Advanced Technology Center. Daughter Sarah, soon to be 16, is acting, singing, dancing and playing guitar.  Jon takes her around to so many events on the weekends. 

     “My son is a sophomore at (University of) Science and Technology in Rolla.  Jonathan is big into computer science like his father.  He is his father’s son.  Sarah is her mother’s daughter, but she’s so much more talented.  She’s been dancing since she was three, has a beautiful voice and her acting is out of this world! She has a beautiful future in music and theater, and dreams to be on Broadway.  I have no doubts at all that she’ll make it!”

     Meanwhile, Butch Wax and the Hollywoods will be celebrating its 35^th anniversary sometime in 2020.  Both the band’s name and the brand of music changed in the early years, but both have been consistent over recent decades.

     “I was always a big fan of oldies music,” Ackmann said. “Chaser was the name of our group at the start.  We did one-half Top 40 and one-half oldies.  People would say, ‘Hey!  We want to hire you, but want you to play all oldies.’  So, we needed to come up with a retro band name.  I thought of Butch Wax after the hair dressing from the 1950s.  My original thought was Butch Wax and the Cadillacs.  But one of my members at the time said, ‘How about Hollywoods?’

     “One time, I was going though the airport in San Francisco wearing the band’s sweatshirt.  Someone came up to me, saw the shirt and asked, ‘Are you in that band?’  It was like, Wow!  We’re known by people that far away? But he thought I was in Butch Wax and the Glass Packs.  Holy cow!  I thought we were so unique!”

     Through those nearly 35 years, Butch Wax has opened up for and/or played with so many notable people like Chuck Berry, Johnnie Johnson, Tammy Wynette, Bonnie Raitt and Bruce Hornsby. 

     “It’s been a fantastic thing!” Ackmann said.  “We’re so grateful for all our fans and also for people who sign up for our private shows. I’m also thrilled that I’ve been friends with Johnny Rivers for about 15 years.  Earlier this year, he called me up and got us a show in Chicago.  Liz and Tandra (Williams) really showed him how talented they are!  Then, this past July, we played at a sold out show in Nashville plus after parties!  

    “I think the thing I’m most proud of is playing these 35 years non-stop, and true to playing oldies.  We’ve been to so many places and have met so many great people we wouldn’t have met otherwise.  I’m also proud of our reputation!  We are known to always give good, professional shows, and ones where you can take your entire family to.”

  

     But just like George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” both Butch Wax and Garden Party have gone out of their way to initiate the most selfless acts of kindness. There have been so many throughout the Butch Wax existence, but two highly notable ones over the past two years.

     The most moving story from the past several years occurred in the summer of 2018.  It involved Bill Asher, one of the area’s top oldies music fans who did a lot for veterans and was a DJ for a lot of benefits. 

     “I really got to know Bill about five years ago,” Ackmann said.  “When we did the 4^th of July show (in 2018 at Manchester’s Schroeder Park), Bill made an oldies clock out of 45 records and presented it to me. He told me he only did that for his special friends.  I was really moved by it.   

Bill later called me and said he wasn’t going to our (upcoming) Des Peres Park concert because he and (girlfriend) Rose were going to Branson or Nashville.  I told him be sure to go visit these places and to eat at these other places.  He chose Branson. The last thing I said to Bill was, ‘Have fun and safe travels.’"

     Shortly thereafter, much of the St. Louis music community was in shock to learn that Asher and Rose Heupel Haman were among 17 who drowned in that accident on Table Rock Lake when theor tourist boat went down in high winds associated with an impending storm.

      “When they pulled Bill out of the lake, he was wearing a Butch Wax shirt,” Liz said.  “Gene gave the eulogy at his funeral. It was one of the most beautiful eulogies. Right after that, at a concert, Bill’s family all wanted us to sign that same shirt he was wearing, and they put it in a frame.”

     “Bill was such a big fan of Sh-Boom, Bob Kuban Band, Billy Peek and also Butch Wax,” Ackmann said.  “People from all those groups were at the funeral.  Butch Wax bass player Rob Miller also performed.  He was also one of the founders of Sh Boom.  They were together for 35 years and reunited at the funeral to sing one of Bill's favorite songs, ‘Just My Imagination.’ After time had passed, I came up with a song about him (“DJ to the Stars”).  Many of his family members and closest friends were there when we performed at Rickman Auditorium in Arnold.  Listening to the song was very emotional for them. But we’re so grateful for the ones like Bill who’ve been to so many shows.” 

     Earlier this year, John Scott, a close friend of Gene, had a massive stroke.  He was on a hospital gurney and was given a very low chance of survival. He could talk and move just a little.  He recognized his wife, but didn’t remember her name.

     “I visited him there and brought an acoustic guitar,” Ackmann said.  “I’ve known him a long time but he didn’t recognize me. I told him, ‘Take a look at this guitar. Why don’t you play it in the key of G?’ I had him play one of his favorite songs, ‘Hello Mary Lou.’ We all sang along and his family videotaped it.  His family was in tears.  He didn’t know the names of any of his own family members. I visited him there three or four more times. “

     This past July, Garden Party threw a benefit for Scott and raised $10,000 to help pay for groceries and bills. One of the auction items was playing golf with Theo Peoples, formerly of the Temptations and Four Tops.  Danny Liston (formerly of Mama’s Pride) agreed to do a house concert and raised $1,700.  According to Ackmann, John is kind of back on his feet and recovering.    

     “Just a few other thoughts...,” Liz began. “I think one of the things I appreciate most about Butch Wax and the Hollywoods and Garden Party is the generosity that exists among the members. We often perform in benefits to raise money for different causes...Foodstock in Washington every year, Faust Park, and Veterans Benefits. It's nice to be part of a group that is so generous not just with their time, but with their talents. I feel very blessed to know and perform with these amazing musicians and people!” 

    That’s precisely what can happen when the lives of so many people touch one another.  It’s indeed a wonderful life for Liz, all her Butch Wax and Garden Party members, and fans alike!

39° North Seeks to Become Creve Coeur’s District of Dreams

(Here it is!  My first article for West Newsmagazine! It was published around 9/23/19)

A map of St. Louis City’s and County’s innovation centers. [St. Louis Economic Partnership graphic]

The phrase “if you build it, they will come” often extends well beyond the motion picture fantasy plot of creating a baseball diamond in the middle of a cornfield. The ongoing 600-acre development project in eastern Creve Coeur and extreme western Olivette is a real-life testament to that fact.

A corny comparison? Maybe, but there’s more. The area’s dream revolves around the agriculture and biotech yields of ag-tech superstars Bayer and the Danforth Plant Science Center. And Creve Coeur has its diamond scheduled for completion in the near future – a folded diamond configuration for the Olive and Lindbergh interchange.

More details and artist renderings on all phases of 39º North were revealed at an Open House held at the Creve Coeur Government Center on Tuesday, Sept. 17.

Enhancing transportation

Creating the folded diamond is a major step for 39° North, but it was well needed, anyway, considering the Olive/Lindbergh interchanges were built by MoDOT way back in 1957. Mike Brown, of Access Engineering, explained that the design-build team will be removing unneeded and dangerous weave lanes on the existing bridges and adding others to make them more pedestrian friendly.

“The main road and highway construction will begin around April or May of next year,” Brown said. “The majority of that project will be totally completed in 2020. The idea is to divert more traffic from Old Olive and to remove the barriers so [commuters] can travel in all directions from Old Olive onto Lindbergh.”

In the short-term, commuters may experience increased congestion. 

“There will be some added traffic time for lane closures in the short-term but the benefits will definitely outweigh the brief periods of congestion and aggravation,” Jim Heines, Creve Coeur’s director of public works, said.

Another important construction phase that will soon follow is transforming Old Olive Road into a “Great Street.” That term seems confusing for people who grew up in the area or have had businesses in this general region for decades. After all, Old Olive Road has always been considered a mere side street that curved around from Olive Boulevard to Lindbergh Road, and a connector with Guelbreth Lane to the Jewish Community Center’s Millstone Campus. 

But Jonathan Ryan, a landscape artist with Clayton-based Christner Inc., offered a clarification of the term.

“[The term] ‘Great Street’ refers to conveyance for many modes of travel, not just cars,” Ryan explained.  “Regarding the Old Olive project phase, we’re kind of thinking it’s 2 to 5 years out.”

He added that Great Streets projects usually have a really good return on investment for citizens.

Brown added that Great Streets typically means streets with “great connections.” 

In this case, improving sidewalks on Old Olive and removing lanes will qualify Old Olive for the distinction.

A rendering of the proposed 39º North bio-tech Innovation district. [St. Louis Economic Partnership graphic]

“The new folded diamond will include two new signals, and all traffic will go through more smoothly,” Brown said. “Overall, it will be good use of the space without changing any of the development. The first project is for a guarded, safer pedestrian route. [There will] be a 6-foot sidewalk from Warson to Old Olive …on the south side for now and just a small part on the north side.”

According to Heines, there are two potential sources of funding for the Old Olive improvements: MoDOT’s Cost-Share Program and the Governor’s Transportation Cost-Share Program. Both have different timelines. 

Attracting new business 

There have been several key players in 39º North from the outset. Most have centered around expanding upon what corporations like Bayer and the Danforth Plant Science Center bring to the area’s playing field.

Some of the 39º North’s current businesses are: 

• Forrest Innovations, Ltd., which works to develop eco-friendly solutions for mosquito vector-control 

• KWS Saat, a global seed company 

• Evogene, a computational biotechnology company that uses computational predictive biology to develop life science products 

• Kalima Bio Agritech Inc., an Israel-based genetics and breeding technology company aimed at improving plant productivity  

Brazil’s Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira, which claims to be the world’s largest sugarcane tech company, chose BRDG [Bio Research & Development Growth] Park at the Danforth Plant Science Center as the home of its North American research headquarters. 

BRDG Park and the Helix Center, which is owned and operated by the St. Louis Development Partnership [SLEDP], are biotech incubators that provide companies with wet labs, dry labs, office space, workforce training and more. 

“The idea for 39º North was to build an innovative district around the agriculture and technology industries,” said Janet Wilding, the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership’s vice president of major projects. “But it’s also to make it a plant science academic incubator, like the Helix Center and BRDG at the Danforth Plant Science Center. Hopefully, with the changes we plan to implement, when [companies] graduate from there, they’ll want to stay and work here. The idea is to stage companies to come in [and] help them find capital to stay and grow.”

Wilding noted that agriculture is Missouri’s biggest industry at $88 billion in annual revenue. 

Catering to new residents

In addition to work space, people need to find comfortable living space within an environment which they feel like they fit in. An earlier 10-year plan for 39º North anticipated the construction of 400 residential units, 540,000 square feet of office and laboratory space as well as 86,000 square feet of retail space. That initial part has been quite a few years in the making.

“We’ve had a lot of development lately in that area,” said Jason Jaggi, Creve Coeur’s director of community development. “Two new residential projects are The Vue and Vanguard Heights, [the latter of] which was formerly the long-standing Hamilton [Christian] Church.

Meanwhile, Wilding was excited to mention an added plus to the 39º North dream. She said Olivette recently finished its master plan to revamp its parks. Warson Park is near the northeastern boundary of 39º North while Stacy Park is less than half a mile to the east of the development area and ready to be connected to the Centennial Greenway, a project of the Great Rivers Greenway.

“It will travel through Olivette and Creve Coeur all the way past the area by the Maryland Heights Aquatic Center to link to Creve Coeur Park,” said Julie Padberg-White, leader of the women-owned FPA Group, which helps communities and organizations plan and program for their futures.

“It’s about quality of life by linking the trails and offering different ways of using green areas.”

The Olivette area connections are being funded by Great Rivers Greenway after being finalized through SLEDP and Reitz & Jens, Inc., a St. Louis-based engineering firm. Those walking and biking trails are also a major plus in attracting and keeping so many new workers in the area after arriving from countries on every continent. 

“The younger generation won’t accept just getting in the car all the time,” Paul Reitz, principal of the Consulting Engineers firm, said. “They want to be able to walk out of their apartment and walk or bike anywhere. We try to create those paths.

“The ultimate goal is having just dedicated walking trails. The greenways are like a relay – take the baton from Forest Park to U.City, then pass it off to Stacy Park, then the next leg around the Aquaport, then to Creve Coeur Park.”

Reitz knows that the dream of 39º North won’t just snowball on its own and that it’s important to keep the momentum going.

“We’re like Cortex was 10 years ago” he said, referencing St. Louis City’s 200-acre innovation, and technology incubator. “The hardest thing is to keep the excitement about it.”

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

     My life has been chock full of highlights!  How many Americans can boast travel in all 50 states and all but three Canadian provinces and territories?  Then there are the endless highlights from following all four major sports religiously since 1963!  I also home schooled for six years, have had some incredible workplace experiences and hundreds more in friendships, relationships and family life!  What more could I want?

     For me, Wednesday, August 28, 2019 could be another Red Letter Date!  I left my full-time job right at my 3 p.m. end time and motored south, then west to a previously obscure address near Spirit of St. Louis Airport.

     I ended up going into a room with a couple dozen article clips from a previous life.  They were of a variety of subject areas and types from back in the 1980s and ‘90s. I met with the managing editor and the associate editor who loved my resume from the online application, and my published clips and enthusiasm even more.

     So, after having more than 3,500 articles published from 1979-1999 for the West County Journals, West End Word, Limelight, St. Louis Sun, Chicago Tribune, Cincinnati Enquirer, Buffalo (NY) Courier-Express, Des Moines Register, Washington (DC) Star, Baton Rouge (LA) Advocate, St. Louis Small Business Monthly, Maryland Heights Community News and Issues, Sports St. Louis, The Sports Journal of Calgary, Alberta and several more publications, plus the online Yahoo Contributor’s Network….I became a freelance reporter for West and Mid Rivers Newsmagazines.  

     The immediate requirement was that I have to cover the twice monthly municipality meetings.  I chose the city of Ballwin, and have already covered one of its Board of Aldermen meetings.  This week, it’s a Creve Coeur Open House for a follow up piece on a huge, ongoing project.

     I am excited about most freelance writing projects.  So, if you live in a municipality in the western half of St. Louis County or the eastern half of St. Charles County, you may see several pieces from me online or in issues delivered to your home.

     Also, turning this into somewhat of a begging blog, please keep your eyes and ears open for other freelance writing ideas.  I am quite adept at people features; event coverage, including ones involving charitable organizations; plus content writing and many areas of technical writing and White Papers.  I also did editorial work for four different publications.

     So, if you have any good St. Louis area freelance leads, please ONLY email me at JiffyJeffy55@aol.com.  I promise to still see you at social and networking events! Thanks!

Reliving the Past at the Du Quoin State Fair

     Back in the early 1960s, our family of five drove the 100 miles southeast from our Olivette home through and to an off-and-on rain.  Our destination was the Du Quoin (IL) State Fair.

     I still remember walking through those closed off streets, going on fun kiddie rides, playing games and eating on the go.  So, when my girlfriend Pam mentioned she wanted to spend just one day away this Labor Day weekend, the choice was a simple one for me.

     This past September 1 got off to a comparable start as the skies alternated mist, drizzle and moderate rain on the first half of our drive.  Luckily, it cleared up for the remainder of the day, including the 7-hour and 15-minute visit back to my early childhood days! But due to motion sickness and eventual direct, intense sunlight, I traded rides and games for memorable entertainment in this true, small town feel event.
                                   

     Entering the main gate at 11 a.m. sharp, we first perused the food booths of Main Street and Grandstand Avenue.  We were immediately concerned with the overabundance of corn dogs, but settled into a picnic table inside an R. Buckminster Fuller designed geodesic dome to eat chili cheese fries and pizza.

     About the pizza…That latter booth offered cricket pizza, mealworm pizza and scorpion pizza.  Yes, they were real dead pieces of those critters.  Nevertheless, Pam opted for the traditional thin crust, non-authentic, fake cheese variety. 

     We then explored the map I had printed out and the schedule Pam printed, then walked back to the Bairds Petting Zoo tent.  The schedule showed it as a 4 p.m. event, but it’s a petting zoo!  Surely, we could enter at any time!  We did and had a blast!

     Although the fair’s people food was definitely overpriced, not so for us actually hand-feeding the animals!  Soooooo much food poured out for every quarter that each hand held enough food for two animals!  With palms up, we were thrilled to feed several goats, donkeys and cows, including the Scottish Highland variety!  
                       

     Our only disappointment for the day was an absolute positive for the fair.  The purpose of the Duck Derby Parade was to sell ducks with money going to the Special Olympics, and to be raced in the Duck Derby Dash just two hours later.  Well, the ducks were completely sold out before the day’s parade even started!  There was still a very short parade featuring a huge yellow duck!
                                                                  
                                                               

     We spent equal time in the Democrat and Republican Party tents and explored a few gift shops. The day’s entertainment also featured four different bands playing a fairly wide gamut of music, but we saved the three best forms of entertainment for the very end! 

     First was the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show.  Of course, there were three lumberjacks dressed in red and black checked shirts.  I can’t even remember the man’s name, but his narration was extremely comical as the audience sat in two long bleachers with several dozen others overflowing onto the sides and well behind the bleachers on a slightly shaded hill.

     Perhaps his name was Paul as in Paul Bunyan or Jack as in LumberJACK.  There was no ox named Babe, but two young babes named Gretchen and Anastasia, who for the most part, were locked in competition against one another. There was axe throwing, log rolling, log sawing and log splitting competitions in this “Land of Lincoln” event.
        

     In fact, for the latter, they asked three men from the crowd how long it would take Anastasia to split entirely through a log of about 7-8 inches in diameter.  The first guy guessed two minutes.  I guessed 40 seconds, thinking those people were pretty experienced in this kind of show.  The final guy guessed 90 seconds.  It took Anastasia 55 seconds.  So, I went up there, was interviewed and claimed my large wood chip prize!
            
                                

     Although it appeared to be a rabbit-eared wood item, another parting gift, when turned upside down, was a chair given to a lower grade school girl.  It was chopped by Lumber Jack. Still, the best gift was the silly commentary and play on words from all three performers!

    The next event on our itinerary was experiencing some of the thrills and chills of the world famous Nerveless Nocks.  Created in Switzerland back in 1840, the group is known to have performed death-defying acts in far too many places to note.

     On this afternoon, we observed a version of the Extreme Motorcycle High Wire Aerial Thrill Show with a lady daredevil hanging from a trapeze below a la the famous Flying Wallenda family!  The motorcyclist even turned sideways with the daredevil following suit.  For this and their other acts, they made sure to note, “Don’t try this at home!”
                                                          

     Next, a man in the group stacked up 10 chairs atop one another and stood at the top displaying sensational balance!  Their final act of the day was a lady doing all types of scary balances from a swing below an extremely high parallel bar.  OK. That’s my description of this ‘You Have to See it To Believe It” event!   Visit their web site, https://nervelessnocks.com/, for some more accurate details of their incredible history and all they do!                                          

     We closed out the day with a walk to the extreme northeast section of the fair site for the Whippoorwill Rodeo.  This was quite a thrill for me since the only other rodeo I had ever seen was when I took my son to the Professional Bull Riders event at the St. Charles Family Arena well over 15 years ago.

     Prior to the event, they had a special ceremony that started with a Native or Indigenous American riding out in full headdress.  That was a serious moment, but also brought to mind a t-shirt at one of the fair’s gift shops.  It had labeled photos of Wolf Robe, Red Cloud, Geronimo, Chief Joseph and Sitting Bull under large words that read, “Homeland Security” and atop the words, “Fighting Terrorism Since 1492.”

     Sure enough, the rodeo Indian was followed by a cowboy riding in.  Moments later, there was a lengthy prayer followed by an encouraged sing-a-long of “The National Anthem.”

     The actual radio’s narration was handled by a serious announcer and his comedic but corny sidekick.  They were very descriptive in explaining the rules and scoring details while also poking fun at several of the male and female performers alike.

        
                                                      

     We loved the calf roping, bronco bull riding, barrel races, the overall fast action and even the slapstick humor of the microphoned clown who roamed the infield.  The rodeo itself and the entire 2019 Du Quoin State Fair certainly took me back to earlier, more simple days—WAY back to when I was a very young grade school child!