The Gallatin News

By PATRICK HALL
The Gallatin News

Best Picture nominee “Silver Linings Playbook” is a genuine and emotional look into the lives of two individuals, mostly described as “crazy,” but the truth is, the film succeeds in pulling back the curtain on all our lives and the truth that we all have flaws and depend on those around us to love, forgive and accept our particular brand of “crazy.”

Pat (Bradley Cooper) is bipolar, and in a psychiatric hospital thanks to him nearly beating a man to death when he found his wife having an affair. But really, what’s the big deal? After all, his father, Pat, Sr. (Robert De Niro) is banned from Philadelphia Eagles football games for fighting too many people in the stands.

But at home, Pat struggles to accept his condition and overcome it, with the help of his family and an unlikely companion, Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence). She’s not without her own emotional baggage. Tiffany’s husband, a police officer, was killed, and she was fired from her job for sleeping with “everyone in the office.”

Pat has no filter when speaking. Tiffany is angry, lonely and struggling to cope with her life. Together, Cooper and Lawrence are fascinating and mix together in a beautiful play of emotional tension, hilarious outbursts and heartbreaking struggles.

Obsessed with getting back together with his wife, Pat agrees to help Tiffany compete in a dance competition, in exchange for her delivering a letter to his wife. As they prepare for the competition, it’s obvious both of them are slowly drawn from their problems and learn to accept life and work through it together.

 “There are people in the world so hungry that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.”

-- Mahatma Gandhi, political and spiritual leader of India (1869-1948)

Most Americans have enough to eat, yet many adults – and even more children – are “food insecure.”  This term came into use about 6 years ago when a 2006 U.S.D.A. executive summary explained that the term “hunger” was “politically sensitive” and scientifically difficult to measure.

Some current proposals to slash federal spending would include cutting funding for food stamps. The nation’s food stamp program is presently still intact along with its ongoing goal to alleviate hunger and malnutrition.

Q. What does “food insecure” mean?

According to the U.S.D.A., food insecure persons don’t have adequate food to meet basic needs at all times due to lack of financial resources. Food insecurity means that a family does not have access at all times to adequate food for an active, healthy life.

James 4:14 - Whereas you know not what shall be tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.

Once again, life has proven the truth of this scripture to me. My family and I have suffered a great loss this past weekend with the sudden passing of my uncle, Del Newman. While 74 may seem an old man to young folks, it doesn’t seem very old at all to me. Sunday a week ago, my uncle led singing at our church. This past Sunday, he lay in rest at nearly the exact spot he sang from a week earlier. Our lives Friday morning were about the same as they had been for a while. Saturday morning, our lives had changed forever.

I’ve been following the selection process for the next president of Volunteer State Community College rather closely.  Not just because it’s a newsworthy process, which it is, and not just because of my curiosity. It’s far more important than either of those things.

The people charged with putting forth the candidates, and the people who will actually make the final decision, have a strong obligation to the people of not just Sumner County, but to this entire region, to do a good job.  They are obligated to all of us to do the proper homework, ask all the hard questions, and come to the right decision.

I suppose it’s taken me a couple of weeks to get use to the idea of Robert Lassiter not being the head coach of the Green Wave football team. On one hand, it doesn’t seem possible that he’s been in that role for fifteen years. On the other hand, it sort of seems like he’s been there even longer.

I first met Coach Lassiter in the early 1990s when he returned to White House High as an assistant coach under Head Coach Jeff Porter, another Gallatin man. Just a few years earlier, Lassiter had been the head coach of the Blue Devils and Porter was one of his assistants. Once he returned, and ever since, Porter referred to Lassiter as his head coach.

Prior to Lassiter’s arrival, the Blue Devils had fallen on hard times and wins were hard to find. Lassiter is credited with getting the White House football program back on track and set the course for many years of football success.

I immediately liked Coach Lassiter, of course he wasn’t making me run sprints or do belly flops. After a while, I realized our paths had kind-of crossed several years earlier.

It finally happened. Honestly, I’m surprised it took four and a half months.  I knew as soon as I started working in Gallatin again it would happen, but I just didn’t know when. As I left the office late Friday afternoon, I eased past the Gallatin Police Department and saw him standing on the corner with his arms full of newspapers. It was Buzz.

When I was a kid I loved to go work with my dad. He worked at an envelope factory in Nashville which stood on the property now home to the Bicentennial Mall. The smell of ink and freshly printed items still takes me back to those visits. I was amazed by the fast-paced machines that turned enormous rolls of paper into boxes of freshly printed envelopes. Checking out the barrels of glue and the assortment of bugs that would land there and never leave was when I decided it was best not to lick my envelope before sealing. It’s a sight you don’t easily forget.

Adapt and adjust. That is the daily mantra of Fred Bailey. Adapt and adjust.

As one of fifteen children of black sharecroppers from Gallatin, Bailey was born without the gift of full sight. Despite this, he received a Bachelor’s degree from Tennessee State University, worked at General Electric in Hendersonville and served as a middle school and high school wrestling coach. Knowing the influence adult mentors had in his life, Fred founded Children Are People, Inc. in 2001 to provide these same advantages to youth in Sumner County.

I suppose if the last week of the year was a good time to look back, then the first week of the year must be a good time to look forward.

I’ve never been one to make a lot of New Year’s resolutions. Nothing against those who do; it just seems to me that if you’ve determined that something in your life needs to change or improve, that is the day you should make those changes rather than waiting until the turning of a new calendar year.

Nevertheless, many people have new resolves this week to change and improve; lose weight, save more money, exercise more, quit smoking, quit drinking, and get organized usually rank near the top of the most popular resolution lists each year. Research shows that the vast majority of New Year resolutions will be ditched by Valentine’s Day.

One of my favorite sports talk shows on the radio ends each broadcast with the crew answering the question, “What did we learn today?” I suppose the last week of 2011 is a good time to ask myself, “What did I learn this year?”

I learned there is a lot of truth in the saying, “If you want to make God smile, tell Him what you are going to do tomorrow.”  None of us know what is going to happen to us from day to day and none of us know what all we will face in the coming year. This time last year, I certainly didn’t have a clue what was in store for me in 2011.

As I visited the Sumner County tourism office for their open house last week, I couldn’t help but think about how much the effort to promote tourism in Sumner County has grown in the last 30 years. I had to chuckle as I looked around at the grandeur of the Comer House as I tried to imagine holding a similar event in the 20’ x 35’ space I used for an office during my nine years as the county’s first full-time tourism director.

Gallatin artist Ralph J. McDonald must have been a very nice boy because Santa has been very good to him.

McDonald, who describes his background as an East Nashville boy who liked to draw, developed his interest in art and became an accomplished wildlife artist. While enjoying a successful career painting remarkable outdoor scenes including his trademark deer and duck portraits, McDonald accidently discovered an entirely different theme and market for his paintings.

About 19 years ago, McDonald came up with an idea to include Santa Claus in an outdoor snow scene with a group of animals gathering around. He shared the painting at a show and it drew great interest. Orders for prints kept coming and it didn’t take long for him to decide he had tapped into a new market for his paintings. His started a Christmas tradition of his own and has painted a different Santa scene every year since.

A few years into his new tradition, a lady mentioned to him that she loved his Santa paintings but felt they needed to include something about the birth of the Messiah. Ever since, McDonald has been including elements such as a nativity scene or the three wise men in each Santa painting. But they are not out in plain sight; he has “hidden” the elements within the painting, like in the branches of a tree or in a snow-covered rooftop. Fans of his work closely examine each new Santa painting to find the hidden message.

Paul Warren, third from left

Along with the rest of the county, I mourned the events of last Thursday morning when fog and ice combined as a deadly duo resulting in most assuredly the most massive highway accident in our history. After getting staffers lined up to gather information on the tragedy, I made my way to a scheduled meeting of the Sumner County Joint Economic Council.Officials from the county and most every city were in attendance, but economic development matters took a back seat to the tragedy as several leaders shared information about all that had happened.

It was there that I learned the name of man who lost his life: Paul Warren. Hendersonville Mayor Scott Foster confirmed that emergency personnel had made the information public and told the group he was 28-years-old, a member of the Hendersonville Rotary Club, an employee of Volunteer State Bank and a newlywed. County Commissioner Paul Goode said, “It is a sad day. Paul was a fine man.”

I never had the pleasure of meeting Paul Warren but many of my friends knew him well. From all that I’ve learned, it appears that perhaps calling him a fine man isn’t quite enough. Personal friends have called him nice, quiet, talented, funny, and humble.

One of my friends posted a link on Facebook of a blog entry titled, “Paul Warren: A Tribute to a Friend and a Brother.” While the writer wasn’t comfortable using social media to express his feelings, it seemed to be the best place to share his thoughts and memories with others and for others to share their memories as well.

From his childhood friends I learned about birthday parties, driveway basketball games where he taught the game to neighborhood kids, his dry sense of humor, and his ability to always make the people he was with feel important to him. I learned his friends will remember him for his smile, his sincerity, his faith in God, his humility, his textbook jump shot, his positive attitude, never losing his cool and never badmouthing others.

From his college friends I learned that he was an excellent golfer playing for the University of Lipscomb team and even though he was the best, he never wanted people to think of him as the best. I learned that he handled the ordeal of pledging a social fraternity with a good nature to the point the older guys didn’t really want to give him a hard time. I learned he was as good a guitarist as he was a golfer. Several friends recalled him playing the long solo from “Freebird.”

I learned about his family, which includes Molly, his wife of six weeks; his mother Kathy and father Johnny, a golf instructor at Fairvue Plantation. To these and the rest of the Paul’s family and friends, I offer this as a prayerful wish for peace as you deal with you loss. It’s a loss for all of us because Paul Warren’s life is a Sumner County life worthy of celebration.

by Randy Cline

I’ve stated before in this column that I like people who see something that needs to be done and gets to work rather than wait for someone else to do it. That description fits my friend Homer Bradley quite well.

Mr. Bradley learned the Sumner County Food Bank needed some help in raising some funds to help meet the need of struggling families. He didn’t just sit around and say “someone ought to do something about that.”  No, the 83-year-old organized the Scenic Sumner County Ride, lined-up a good number of sponsors, filled the Gallatin square with motorcycles and riders on a bright Saturday morning, and raised more than $5,000 for the food bank.

I wasn’t surprised to learn of his involvement in the project. I first met him in 1995 when his late wife, Lucy, was heavily involved in the Daughters of the American Revolution and Trousdale Place. Miss Lucy was the picture-perfect Lady of the South. Her soft southern drawl was unmistakable, and her determination in getting the best for her causes was unshakeable.

For the past five months, I’ve been sharing stories of the special people, places and events of Sumner County each week here in my column, Celebrate Sumner County. I jumped on the opportunity to write this column because I knew there were many great stories that I wanted to share.

I’ve written about unique businesses, special events, and amazing people. I’ve written about impressive accomplishments and brave acts of valor. And there are many more stories I want to tell.

I’m not a native of Sumner County but I’m about as close as you can get. I was born a few miles east of the county line in Hartsville and spent all of my school years a few miles south of the county line in Madison. I married a girl from White House and we have lived on the Sumner County side of the city since 1982. I tease that my folks didn’t understand how special Sumner County is but I did and moved here as soon as I could.

I began meeting people and learning about the county as a news reporter in 1989. In 1995, I had the good fortune of being the county’s first full-time tourism director and I learned much about our rich history. I also learned much about the people who make this place special.

Despite the things that happen that cause us to scratch our heads, and despite the bad news that we have to report,  Sumner County is a special place.

Sumner County is full of talented people. Nearly every week I hear stories about someone in the county that really stands out. It seems like I’d get use to finding these hidden treasures but it always impresses me and usually makes me smile.

Gallatin resident Cissy Crutcher may be a hidden treasure to most of us but if recent success is any indication, she will not be “hidden” for long.

Cissy is an 8^th grade English teacher at Ellis Middle School in Hendersonville and she has mad vocal skills. She has been performing blues, jazz, and a variety of music for several years all around the country with her own band and as part of the Pat Patrick Band in Nashville. She performs at the B.B. King Blues Club in Nashville, headlines the Franklin jazz Festival, and has even lit it up at Gallatin’s Whippoorwill’s.

But her most recent accomplishment greatly increased her audience and music connections. A few months ago, she submitted a 30 second clip of her singing to Avon Voices, an online singing talent search for women sponsored by the Avon cosmetics company.

Her clip was one of 6,000 submitted by women all around the globe. Crutcher said her performance “must have caught someone’s eye” and she was included in a group of 175 to be presented for online voting, which narrowed the group to 25 semi-finalists. She joined the other 24 women in Hollywood, Ca for the Hollywood treatment, a photo shoot, a video shoot, interviews and recording time.

She continued to find fans and favor among a celebrity panel of judges and was chosen to be included in the Top 10 finalists, which came from nine different countries from around the world. Crutcher, one of only two finalists from the US, joined the others in New York City for a make-over by Avon and a recording session working with some of the judges including six-time Grammy award winner Fergie, American pop star Shelia E., legendary song-writer Diane Warren and several other international music personalities. The school teacher from Ellis even got to perform on the stage of the Hard Rock Café in New York City.

“This was a wonderful opportunity for me,” Crutcher said. “I got to meet some talented women from all around the world and work with some amazingly talented people.”

For now, she plans to keep singing and teaching and seeing where life may lead. You can find out more about her at her website, www.cissycrutcher.com.

From my view, I think our other favorite singing neighbor, Kimberly Locke, needs to make a little room at the top because Cissy is on her way.

See you next week.

The importance of Veterans Day has grown over the past decade, or perhaps it’s my older eyes that are looking more appreciatively at the day and its significance.

I recall many years ago marching with my fellow Boy Scouts in the big parade in Nashville a few times on what always seemed to be a cold and rainy Veterans Day. I was always impressed with the veterans who proudly wore their uniforms as they marched.

I’ve always counted it an honor to sit and visit with veterans of our armed forces and I’ve had that honor twice in the last couple of weeks.

I met with a trio of veterans at the VFW Hall in Hendersonville to get all the details for Friday’s celebration at the Sumner County Veterans Park.

I shared a cup of coffee and visited with Barry Rice, Fred See, and Bob Bentrem. These men didn’t talk about themselves or tell war stories; they are far more interested in what they can do today to help other veterans and getting the word out about the Veterans Day celebration.

I later learned that Mr. See was a Colonel in the Army with 33 years of service, including both active and reserves. He’s a veteran of both Vietnam and Operation Desert Storm and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for bravery, two times. Mr. Rice was a Captain in the Army and an Infantry Company Commander in Vietnam. Mr. Bentrem, a Brooklyn, NY native, served in the Navy.

You may have read my previous column about the Veteran’s honor wall in the Graball Market, a few miles north of Gallatin. I kept thinking about those who still gather at the market each morning to share coffee, stories and a game of cards. I decided to join them early last Friday morning.

Several of the men whose military picture hangs on the wall around an American flag were there Friday morning. I got to visit with Steve Lancaster, a Graball native who went to Bush’s Chapel elementary school and later spent a few years in the jungles of Vietnam. Sitting around the card table that morning were three veterans; Johnny Hamilton, Gary Votter and Pete Gammon.

Mr. Hamilton is a native of the South Tunnel community who spent a few years in Germany performing encryption work for a communications division. Mr. Votter was an Army Lieutenant teaching young men to operate artillery during the Vietnam years. Mr. Gammon, a retiree from the former General Electric plant in Hendersonville, was an E4 Specialist in Vietnam. He was awarded two Bronze Star Medals for bravery and earned to Purple hearts the hard way.

These men are just the ones I’ve had the pleasure of meeting recently but they represent many more men and women who, like them, answered the call of their country and sacrificed for all of us.

I’ve said before in this column that we all pass heroes on the street every day but we just don’t know it. To me, our veterans are heroes and I thank them all for what they’ve done to preserves the freedoms we all enjoy today.

See you next week.

I got to see some of Sumner County’s finest fire fighters in action last week. Their movements were well rehearsed as they quickly took care of business. They commanded the attention of those gathered around and made precise decisions to assure their mission was accomplished.

Fortunately, the brave men of the Gallatin Fire Department that I was watching weren’t putting out a fire. In fact, they were “clowning” around. They were dancing, singing and, in general, goofing off in front of a few hundred K-5 students at Benny Bills Elementary as part of their efforts to promote Fire Prevention Month.

“Clowning” is the operative term here. The skit the department has performed for elementary schools all over the county throughout the month of October feature three clowns named Flame (Firefighter P.J. Bradford), Smoke (Captain Mickey Summers), and Steamer (Engineer Ricky Donnelly). Working with their straight man, Matt Robison, they had the kids laughing, singing, dancing and all revved up by 8:15 in the morning.

The group and a support team of other fire fighters have taken their props, sound system and fire engine to visit children at various schools including Station Camp, Union, Howard, Guild, Vena Stuart, Sumner Academy, St. John Vianney, North Sumner, Portland, Westmoreland and others.

The message shared while having fun is basic safety measures: call 911 for emergencies, don’t play with matches and lighters, Stop, Drop, Cover and Roll, have family fire drills with two ways out, and don’t leave candles burning. It appeared the message was getting across to the youngsters as they screamed out responses to questions posed and sang along with “Get below the smoke.”

The department will give out over 5,000 bracelets to kids this year with a “Protect your family from fire” message.

I enjoyed watching the fire fighters interact with the students and thought of the important role they, and all of our emergency personnel, play in our lives.

Since it is November, I suppose I can start counting my blessings a bit early.

It takes a special kind of person to put themselves in harm’s way when others are trying to get to safety. Some have chosen that role for their life’s work. Firemen, law enforcement of all types, and emergency first responders are just a few in this category who come to mind.

Across Sumner County we have another large group of people who volunteer their time to work for others including several units of volunteer fire fighters. I think of individuals who give of their time to bring help to others after disaster hits. Volunteers with the American Red Cross and other organizations who step up in times of need are people worthy of our thanks.

All of these people dedicate many hours training and preparing to help others while asking very little in return. Perhaps we can slow down a bit and take the time to express our gratitude to those who go above and beyond.

See you next week.