Portfolio

Wedding Photos

RAISE YOUR VOICE:

Open Mic event turns into a ‘battle’ for blues festival’s opening spot

While much of downtown Jackson is preparing for the upcoming 18th Annual Shannon Street Blues & Heritage Festival, local musicians at the Downtown Tavern are preparing in their own way — a way that epitomizes what the festival is all about.

More than four years ago, Matt Meyer launched an Open Mic Night at the Downtown Tavern on Liberty Street as a way to promote downtown activity, draw more interest to the Tavern and, primarily, serve as a way to boost networking and recognition for local musicians.

Each Tuesday night since then, local bands have gathered at the Tavern showing off their talent. In April, Justin Wright took over the Open Mic Night responsibilities from Meyer.

“The idea was to give people a place to play at a nice venue on an off night,” said Meyer. “It kind of comes with a built-in audience because most of the band members bring their friends, but it also gives talented musicians a chance to network with one another. Bands and friendships form, and that’s the main reason I wanted to get this started: to get musicians together and give them an opportunity.”

Last year, the Tavern partnered with the Shannon Street Blues & Heritage Festival, establishing an open mic competition. Encouraging bands to compete each Tuesday night in the month of May, the competition’s winner earns a 30-minute opening act on June 5 at the festival.

To Meyer, a musician himself, linking the Open Mic Night with Bluesfest was a natural progression.

“The Tavern is one of several good music venues downtown right now, and the Downtown Development Corporation recognizes that. We decided to partner up with them in any way we could,” Meyer said.

“We have a wonderful volunteer committee here,” said Lori Nunnery, the project director at the Downtown Development Corporation. “They decided last year that they wanted to add a different element to the Blues Festival, and since there’s so much great local talent in Jackson, they thought Open Mic Night would be a great way to plug a downtown venue into the festival.”

“We have every intention to let Open Mic Night be an annual tradition for the Blues Festival,” Wright added. “We bring in local judges to decide who would be the best opening act, and it gives the winner more exposure and opportunities to play more gigs all over town.”

The competition, which has been ongoing in May, will culminate with the finals on Tuesday.

“The idea is really all about promoting local music and the talent we have here,” Meyer said. “The Downtown Development Corporation brings in great musicians from around the country that weekend, but the Open Mic winners still give the Blues Festival a local feel.”

The act that wins doesn’t have to be over the age of 21 nor do they have to be from Jackson. For interested competitors who happen to be under 21, a chance to audition will be held this Saturday at Miss Ollie’s Piano Bar on Lafayette Street.

Also, Wright said they’ve had bands from Mississippi and Dyersburg compete this year. That’s in addition to the local musicians the Tavern has had in attendance.

“Ultimately, it is a blues festival,” Wright said, regarding the judging process. “So we’re looking for a touch of blues, and it’s nice to have local bands, but we don’t exclude people from outside of Jackson.”

The New Class

Nine new freshmen share their stories of their arrival and experiences so far at FHU and how they want to make a difference

They come from 26 different states and six countries. Some prefer to sing while others prefer to wreak havoc upon one another playing on FHU’s new student-organized rugby team. Some are business majors, some are pre-med majors and some have no idea what they want to do with their lives. They have earrings and holes in their jeans and know that it doesn’t matter because that doesn’t define who they are. Some speak Shona, some are learning Spanish and some know sign language. Some knew they wanted to be at FHU this year when they were five years old, and some only decided a week before classes began. They’re in every social club or no social club at all. They’re as different as the number of miles they have traveled to be here, yet they are all completely normal college freshmen. Or are they?

It seems as if the world is in a state of flux. The U.S. president was elected under the mantra of “change.” Gas prices are $4 one day and $1.50 the next. The economy seesaws on the verge of depression while messages of hope continue to stream in from Washington. The world is definitely changing, and Freed-Hardeman University is no different. Change can be seen in every corner of the university. Last year, FHU welcomed a new president. His first initiative put a computer and iPhone or iPod in the hands of every new student. But what else is changing? If you spend time on campus, in chapel, in the new student center, you will notice a change in the landscape, but more importantly, in the faces of our students, specifically the 405 students that make up the 2008 freshman class.

The Seasons staff recruited nine freshmen from this “New Class” to teach us a little bit more about who they really are, to share with us their goals, personalities, interests and dreams. As part of the continuation of this story, we hope to follow these students through their time at Freed-Hardeman—to examine their accomplishments, to see who they become as they get ready to leave four years from now.

“It’s cool to know that there are so many people that are choosing vocations and careers that are wanting to be nurses, teachers, preachers, social workers and are wanting to make an impact on the world for Christ,” said Broderick Greer, a freshman social work major. “Whether it’s two or three people helping someone in the emergency room one night or leading a congregation of 300 people, it’s really cool to think that that is forming right here and now. It’s exciting to be a part of that.”

The New Class comes from all over the United States and beyond, each one with a different story as to how he or she landed at FHU. Simbarashe Zvaita, who just finished his first season on FHU’s soccer team, comes to Freed-Hardeman from Harare, Zimbabwe. As he neared the end of his high school career, Zvaita expressed an interest in playing collegiate soccer in the United States. His high school coach, committed to helping his team members reach their educational and athletic goals, then spoke to Coach Jason Elliott at FHU, and after a few conversations, Zvaita was eagerly on his way to America, ready to achieve his dreams.

“I wasn’t aware that Freed-Hardeman was a Christian university, but when I found that out, that’s when I really made the choice. I knew I needed something serious, something spiritual, so when [Coach Elliott] told me this was a Christian college, I knew I really wanted to be here,” Zvaita said.

Transitioning to the American lifestyle hasn’t been the easiest for Zvaita. “Back home,” he says, “I was raised by a Christian family, but I didn’t know anything about the Church of Christ. It was totally new for me. But I like the exposure. I really like the way the Church of Christ does things. It’s totally different from my background, but I’m really enjoying being around the Church of Christ.”

While adjusting to his new life in America has brought its own set of challenges, Zvaita is recognized and admired all over campus by his peers for his friendliness and genuineness. And the mesmerizing African accent doesn’t hurt. He also excelled on the soccer field in this first collegiate season, leading the Lions in goals scored while only playing in 15 of 18 games.

Deondra Bender hasn’t travelled thousands of miles to be at Freed-Hardeman, but she hasn’t exactly come to FHU by the typical means, either. When it came to choosing a college, Deondra knew she wanted to attend a private, Christian university but didn’t feel like she had found the one for her yet. From her hometown of Nashville, she researched several schools and eventually found FHU. Intrigued by her research, she decided to attend Jumpstart and knew from that day on that Freed-Hardeman is where she wanted to be.

“When I came to Jumpstart, I fell in love,” said Bender. “It was already like my own little family.”

Deondra already shared FHU’s family feeling that so many recall as their fondest memories of FHU. Also not familiar with the Church of Christ before arriving in Henderson, Deondra was a little intimidated at first with all the changes presenting themselves to her all at once. Moving away from her home, her family, her church and her support system in Nashville could make anyone homesick, but Deondra adjusted well to the changes and made FHU her second home, her second family and a strong support system.

“I’m only the second person in my family to graduate from high school,” she said. “My parents didn’t. Nobody in my family and no one I even know is Church of Christ, but coming here, I have learned so much. It was hard at first because I thought everybody was judging me, but I have learned so much about the Church of Christ. And,” she added with a grin and a nod, “I’m accepting it pretty well.”

Deondra was baptized just days later.

Not everyone was so convinced that Freed-Hardeman was the place for them, though. Sydney Rice has attended MidSouth Youth Camp since she was eight years old but had signed to play volleyball at another university. Late in the summer after she graduated high school, she went on a mission trip to Nicaragua, and several FHU alumni were also on that trip. Determined that Sydney should attend Freed-Hardeman, they began pitching the sale to her.

“They kept bugging me about why I wasn’t going to Freed-Hardeman,” Rice said. “I guess that got me thinking about it, then I went to MidSouth at the end of the summer, and that really got the ball rolling in changing my mind.”

And change her mind it did. Just three weeks before classes began, Rice enrolled at FHU and signed to play volleyball. During her freshman season, FHU’s volleyball team went undefeated in the conference, winning the regular-season conference title for the second consecutive year. She was also named to the TranSouth first-team all-conference as a freshman.

Steven Anchondo didn’t decide to come to FHU until it was almost too late. Intending to go to a state school near his hometown of Woodland, Cal., Anchondo changed his mind at the last minute, and after contemplating his options, concluded that FHU was the right decision.

“Some stuff came up in my life and I realized that I really needed to come to Freed and be around all these great people,” Anchondo said. “I realized that I needed to get away from certain influences and be in a Christian environment and focus more on my spiritual life.”

A week before classes began, Anchondo got on the phone with admissions counselors and arrived at Freed-Hardeman right after Interface, ready to embrace the FHU experience and the FHU family.

There are several stories of students like Simba, Deondra, Sydney and Steven, but others of this class had planned to be here from the beginning and never doubted that decision. For some students, attending Freed-Hardeman was as simple as deciding which way to go out of their driveway.

“I’ve wanted to be at Freed-Hardeman since I knew what college was,” said Brooke Wiley from Thompson, Ga. “Most of my family attended FHU, and after I visited a few times, I fell in love with it.”

Brennen Williams agreed. He first started thinking about FHU when his sister attended in 2001. “When I visited campus with her, I really enjoyed it. I knew then that this is where I wanted to be.”

Whether they decided to come to FHU years ago or weeks before classes began, they are here for a reason, and they want to make a difference by impacting their own lives, influencing campus and touching the lives of their peers.

The first few weeks after this class arrived on campus, there was a buzz about how this class was different, but no one could quite put his finger on what made them so unique. While that answer is yet to be discovered, these students realize their differences—and potential. They also recognize they do not fit the mold of what some might describe as “typical” FHU students.

“When I think of the ‘typical FHU student’, I always see a guy who’s clean-cut and kind of sticks to the norm. In people’s styles, while I think you have to still be modest, I feel like there are different styles now that aren’t the norm, and those are being accepted here,” said Luke Harless, a graphic design student from Decorah, Iowa.

Harless received encouragement from his uncles, both of whom attended FHU, to come to Henderson. Harless took some time off following his high school graduation two years ago, taking time to decide what he wanted to do next. During that time, he worked as a supervisor in a coffee shop, initiating his coffee addiction that is typical of most college students. He then began working at a tattoo parlor and got his tattoo license in Iowa, which inspired him to become an art major at Freed-Hardeman.

“Once I decided I wanted to take my Christian life seriously,” Harless said, “and not just take it seriously, but to genuinely put my Christian life above everything else, then you look at Freed, and you wonder how you could go anywhere else.” While it may have taken Harless some extra time to decide what path would be best for him, he couldn’t imagine being anywhere else, and he’s not alone in that decision.

Broderick Greer never did want to go anywhere else, either. “My parents didn’t go to college, so they always had this determination that my brother and I are going to graduate from college no matter what it takes,” he said. “I was blessed enough to attend a congregation that encouraged me to be here and introduced me to Freed-Hardeman.”

Greer believes that his upbringing also sets him apart on Freed-Hardeman’s campus. “I didn’t grow up in the church, and for so many students here, their dad is a deacon or an elder or a preacher or their uncle speaks at lectureships, and all that is wonderful, but that’s not my identity. And that’s fine because Freed is a place where differences are OK and your pedigree and upbringing are not extremely important.”

Greer is the oldest of two sons in his family and a native of Fort Worth, Texas, and he is proud to say that “life is good” for him at his home in Henderson and his home in Texas. “My mom obeyed the Gospel in 2006 and my dad in 2007, so we’re a fairly new Christian family, adjusting to living for God now. Life is good.”

These nine freshmen have successfully survived their first semester on their own as college students and are finishing up their freshman year and a spring semester that has undoubtedly presented them with new opportunities, challenges and experiences. They’ve attended their first lectureship, sipped coffee at the new KC’s Coffeeshop, and some have dressed up in costumes and make-up as they dedicated countless hours to their first Makin’ Music. Some officially declared their major this semester, while others will still be undecided.

Regardless of where they are in three years when we speak with them again, one thing is certain: They will have grown, because that’s what Freed-Hardeman does to its students, and these freshmen have set no boundaries for themselves.

“I like Freed’s business program a lot,” said Williams. “I did a lot of research on it before I came here, and I really feel like this was the best place for me to be. It’s a great program and a great atmosphere.”

“But my favorite thing about Freed-Hardeman,” continued Bender, “is the people. It’s not every man for himself. Everybody reaches out to each other. Everyone has flaws, and here, people want to improve themselves, but they also want to make everyone around them better, too.”

“There are just a lot of different types of people here,” added Alex Craig, from Fairfax, Va. “You walk around campus and you see people that are the same as you and you see a lot of people that are different than you, but we’re all here under one common goal: to get an education and come to a Christian university.”

“I definitely think things are going to be different,” Craig decided. “We have a lot of new people here that are ready to make a difference. I think FHU, like any university, has room for improvement, and I believe that can begin with our class. I think sometimes that kind of change is good. I think this class can portray a new generation, and things are going to be good.”

As our nine freshmen stood on the hill by the soccer field for their photo shoot, facing the new Highway 100 bypass, it was easy to see that, in more ways than one, they weren’t at Freed-Hardeman College or even the Freed-Hardeman of 10 years ago. It seemed as if they were standing there, gazing out at the blinding sun, that they were staring into the future, and it was easy to see in their eyes that these students have goals—a purpose—and they’re going somewhere.

Yes, Alex, things are going to be good.

A Man, A Myth, A Legend

One of FHU’s most storied pranks, unveiled

The story you are about to read is true. Well, mostly true. We think. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. And the guilty.

One of Freed-Hardeman’s most popular students in the late 1940s isn’t in the yearbook. He wasn’t a class clown, per se, but the overwhelming majority of the student body adored him. Girls swooned at the mere mention of his name, hoping he would acknowledge their presence, but he never did. He simply went to chapel, went to class, took his tests and then disappeared for the day.

Since he’s not in the yearbook, there isn’t much of a description of what he looked like, but we do know he attended class every day. There isn’t a record of what he planned to majored in, but he made good grades. Despite his grades and his quiet-but-perfect manners, in the spring in 1948, this ostensible model student was expelled from Freed-Hardeman College.

The final straw for his expulsion occurred on April Fools’ Day of 1948. FHC president N.B. Hardeman, who taught spelling at the time in addition to his presidential duties, always read the announcements to the student body at the end of the school’s daily chapel service. This student had purportedly lost his spelling book. Hoping someone had found it, he submitted a chapel announcement to Hardeman before chapel requesting it be returned. Unfortunately for this student, the announcement contained four spelling errors that Hardeman didn’t discover until he was reading the announcement to the student body. Those four spelling errors proved to be a costly mistake for this student, known only as Ollie Dodd, as they ultimately led to his legendary expulsion.

According to some of our sources, most of whom requested to remain nameless, Ollie Dodd was registered for one Bible class that school year. No one could imagine Ollie Dodd doing anything wrong, so many students were perplexed at the reasoning behind his fateful dismissal from Freed-Hardeman.

“Even though Ollie Dodd attended his classes, took all of the tests with high grades and answered the roll call, he was expelled,” explained one of Ollie Dodd’s classmates. “The reason, though, was because he was non-existent.”

In the Bible class Ollie Dodd registered for, attendance was taken by card, so Ollie Dodd’s creators were always sure to fill out an extra card for him, hence his perfect attendance. The final grade for the class was only comprised of a midterm and a final exam, so the two students joined efforts again on test days. One student took Ollie Dodd’s midterm and the other took his final. Strangely, according to some sources, Ollie Dodd completed the course with higher grades than either of his masterminded test-takers.

After Ollie Dodd’s phony chapel announcement, Brother Hardeman decided to investigate who this bad-spelling student was. Realizing that there was no documentation of an Ollie Dodd in Freed-Hardeman’s records, Hardeman opted to play along by expelling the pseudo student rather than attempting to reprimand the students behind his creation.

“One day in chapel, Brother Hardeman made a very long introduction expressing the great regret of having to expel one of the students. Of course the student body already knew that Ollie Dodd wasn’t real, so we were all laughing,” recalls another source. “I guess he was expelled for having people take his own tests for him. And for being a bad speller.”

Ollie Dodd’s legend didn’t end at Freed-Hardeman, though. He later “transferred” to Lipscomb University, where it was a full quarter before they discovered that he didn’t pay any dues for his classes. Ollie Dodd’s story did eventually have to come to an end. Decades after his expulsion from Freed-Hardeman and David Lipscomb, a Freed-Hardeman alumnus discovered Dodd’s obituary in an Arkansas newspaper.

Pinpointing Ollie Dodd’s past is not an easy task. Some claim he only existed on Freed-Hardeman’s campus for a day, while others maintain he was around for a year or more before his expulsion. Perhaps Ollie Dodd’s story has turned into one of those big-fish stories over the years, but his tale is one that has served nearly a lifetime of entertainment for the class of 1948. His creators speak very little about him, only recently conceding to being behind Ollie Dodd’s existence (or lack thereof) at all. When they do talk about their 60-year-old prank, they’re hesitant to relinquish names, determined to keep Ollie Dodd’s fabricated lineage under wraps.

Regardless of the time he spent at Freed-Hardeman, Ollie Dodd’s legend is forever carved on the campus, though many students and faculty walk over it on a daily basis and never realize it. There is a brick sidewalk laid outside of the Loden-Daniel Library with a name engraved on each brick, serving as a timeless memory or honor of a loved one of the university. There is also one dedicated to Ollie Dodd, undoubtedly purchased by Ollie Dodd’s creators, as a tribute to the greatest Freed-Hardeman student to never live.

FHU Social Work Students Raise Awareness for the Homeless

FHU Social Work students spend a night in their shoes

On November 3, Freed-Hardeman University’s Populations at Risk class, a required class for social work majors, gathered in the university’s commons to increase awareness of homelessness in West Tennessee by simulating a group of homeless people themselves.

Joy Weimer, whose role for the 24-hour simulation was that of a 25-year old mother who was abandoned by a boyfriend leaving her and her seven-year-old daughter with no income and no shelter, is actually a junior social work major at Freed-Hardeman who is taking the Populations at Risk class.

The simulation also served as a way to encourage the faculty, staff and students of Freed-Hardeman to bring non-perishable food, clothing and financial donations for the class to donate to the homeless population through RIFA.

Each of the 14 students participating was given a profile to portray during the simulation. There was a table set up for individuals to read the profiles to better understand each person’s role. The roles ranged from physical or mental handicaps, people with medical bills that consumed their incomes, veterans, single women escaping domestic abuse and alcohol and drug dependencies.

“These roles aren’t intended to be pretty,” said Nita Mehr, who teaches the Populations at Risk class. “They speak to what constitutes homelessness on the streets, and that is never a feel-good situation. We just want to be sure to help people better understand that these people aren’t all there by poor-decision-making. So many times it’s beyond their control and we want to help them in whatever way we can.”

The students were confined to the commons area of Freed-Hardeman during the project to assure their safety, but they did not attend classes on Monday and had to ‘beg’ for boxes and blankets for shelter and for any food they received. Most students were able to find boxes to serve as their shelter for the night — Monday night’s low temperature was 43 degrees — while others sat closer to buildings surrounding the commons hoping for some added warmth.

The project was three-fold for the class: to heighten awareness of homelessness, raise money, clothing and food for the homeless and to get through the 24-hour simulation with a better understanding of what homeless individuals have suffered.

Peachtree Ridge shuts down Norcross

SUWANEE, Ga. — While most of the media (and most of Atlanta, really) expected the Norcross-Peachtree Ridge matchup to be a showcase for the Norcross offense, the Peachtree Ridge Lions’ defense had other plans, as they upset the Norcross Blue Devils 26-14 in a key Class AAAAA battle.

Going into the game, Norcross was ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 32 nationally in the Rivals.com Fab 50. The 26-14 win, the Lions’ first-ever defeat of Norcross in their school’s four-year existence, was the result of a stifling Lions defense and a porous Blue Devils line, proving that the Lions are a serious contender to defend their 2006 state championship.

After Norcross defeated Peachtree Ridge last year in the regular season, the Lions went on to claim a co-state championship with Roswell in Class AAAAA. The Lions were unranked coming into Friday’s game, but that will almost certainly change in next week’s polls.

Norcross brought a plethora of playmakers to Suwanee — most notably Rivals.com four-star prospects Brice Butler and Devonta Bolton — but Peachtree Ridge’s defensive backs kept them at bay and gave the Lions’ offense plenty of chances to make big plays.

Peachtree Ridge jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter before Norcross’s Alex Nappers scored on a 99-yard kickoff return to close the gap to 10-7 — the closest Norcross came to the lead for the remainder of the night. In the first half, Peachtree Ridge gained 214 yards on offense to Norcross’ 12.

Norcross’ star wide receivers were expected to be the difference in the game. But with Butler, who has committed to USC, and Bolton, an Alabama commit, held to minimal yardage by Peachtree’s defensive backs, Lions quarterback Asher Clark took center stage as the game’s top offensive player, throwing for 159 yards and rushing for 86.

The game was essentially decided in a span near the end of the first half and the beginning of the second. Following a Norcross punt, Peachtree Ridge drove for a TD with only 32 seconds left to extend the lead to 19-7. Then Norcross fumbled on the second half’s first possession on its own 24-yard line. Just over a minute later, Peachtree Ridge’s Brandon Davis ran 13 yards for a touchdown, increasing the lead to 26-7. Norcross was able to answer that score with just under six minutes left in the quarter, tallying the final points of the game.

The Lions’ offense gained more than 450 yards, led by Asher (who completed 11 of 18 pass attempts), fullback Ronnie Smith (79 rushing yards) and Davis (50 rushing yards). Derrick Bryant also gained 81 yards on receptions.

“They played great, and we didn’t play that well,” said Norcross head coach Keith Maloof. “When you don’t give your quarterback time to throw, you’re not going to get [the ball] to your big guys.”

Sorel threw three interceptions in the game and saw plenty of Peachtree Ridge DL Chris Carroll in the backfield. Through Week 4, Norcross had outscored its opponents 150-22 and Sorel had only thrown one interception.

Peachtree Ridge’s stadium signage proudly displays that the Lions were last season’s state champions, but that “2006” has a comma after it. Tonight, the Lions proved that they are a strong contender to add a “2007” to that sign.