Stories from the Center of the Universe

Chris Freemott joins the podcast from Chicagoland. They discussed Chris’ favorite sports teams and that led to a discussion about Chicago politics and why Chicago became important. Paul and Chris then starting discussing his passion which is wine glasses. Chris stated how he likes fine dining, fine wine and he hopes to turn his passion into a “job” in the next few years. Chris gave Paul some wine...

Carrie Allen was born in Louisville and moved to Richmond when she was ten. She attended a Catholic private high school that doesn’t exist anymore and went to a college that has since changed its name. A double major in two very different disciplines led to several interesting career paths. Her husband Krister (who knew Paul at UVA) served as an unofficial co-host of this episode. Paul and Carrie...

George Dunston and Paul were in the same class at St. Christopher’s and met at StC to record this episode. George is a lawyer, lives in New Jersey and works in New York. They talked about George losing his Dad at an early age and the influence his mom and grandmother had on him. They discussed weight lifting, being in NY during 9/11 and why he is visiting Richmond.

Colin is from the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. Paul and Colin served in the National Guard together, mostly out of Fredericksburg. Colin talked about growing up, playing sports and attending and graduating from The Ohio State University. Colin started with the National Guard while he was in high school and served proudly for well over 3 decades. They finished by Colin talking about fishing, what he’...

Tom Baker says he was born a “Gator Born, Wahoo Bred”. Born in Florida, his family moved to Richmond, Va. when he was young. He attended St. Christopher’s and then the University of Virginia. Paul and Tom talked about his time as a manager for the UVA Basketball program and the lifelong relationships it fostered. Tom told Paul about his career path which took him for a time back to both his alma m...

Renowned artist Jocelyn Russell joins Paul and Rob because she was in Ashland to take her latest sculpture on a tour. This sculpture is of what many people consider the greatest race horse of all time, Secretariat. Paul and Jocelyn discussed her growing up in southern Colorado and her career as an artist. They finished by talking about what the next two months will hold as she takes Secretariat on...

Tommy Dew is from Richmond, Va. and went to the College of Charleston and he never left. Paul and Tommy talked about his experience at CofC and his music career from college and beyond. They then discussed his career as a tour guide where he walks his guests through historic downtown Charleston. [tommydewswalkingtour.com](http://tommydewswalkingtour.com "‌")

Vern Inge spent a lot of time growing up in Ashland, Virginia. He attended the University of Richmond and then UVA for law school. He also told Paul and Rob his secret for academic success. Paul asked Vern about his law career and he said the type of law you practice finds you more than you find it. He finished by talking about his three boys, Trey, Bailey and Cal.

BBQ Gives Back KCBS master and backyard contests were held in Urbanna, VA at the Bethpage Camp Resort March 24th-26th. We were fortunate enough to chat with four professional teams through their pit masters thanks to Bill Jones. Check it out!

Helen Emerson is the co-owner of Rosie Connolly’s Pub in Richmond, Virginia. Born in England, Helen moved to the United States when she was 8 years old. She talked to Paul about leaving a big family, the move itself and the culture shock once they got to the U.S.A. They discussed the Pub, horses and her families … her actual family and her Pub family.

Lily Cameron was born in Iran, but moved to the U.S. when she was very young. Paul and Lily talked about her family’s emergency exit from Iran during some tumultuous times. They discussed her education, career path and the amazing volunteer work she does in the community.

Bill Jones, aka BBQ Bill, joins Paul and Kevin on the podcast and they covered a variety of subjects. Bill grew up on a farm in Shortpump “before it was Shortpump”. They talked about Bill’s childhood, softball, his career and being a BBQ cook and judge. He finished by talking about his wife Mary and their son Lee.

Virgil Gray and Paul served together in the Virginia Army National Guard. They talked about how Virgil grew up in two very different places, various experiences they had in the Guard and jobs he had after he retired from the National Guard. Virgil finished by telling Paul about being really retired, his wife Becky, their kids and their five grandchildren.

Theron Potter Bell IV, aka T Bell, and Paul have known each other since 8th grade when Paul started at St. Christopher’s. They talked a lot about baseball and about two tragedies in T Bell’s life and how he made it through them. They also talked about his family and some changes he has made in his life over the last few months.

Mary Crutchfield has led a “varied” life. Mary is from Trenton, New Jersey, but from about age eight until twenty-one, she was living all over the world. Her parents were missionaries and Mary and her family lived in Kenya, Tanzania and the Philippines. Paul and Mary discussed her life abroad including her education and the fact that she had Malaria seventeen times! Mary moved back to the United S...

The podcast went on the road (with a special guest) to Charlottesville, Va. this week to talk to Margie Howell. Margie grew up on a dairy and beef farm in Bedford County, Va. near the area that is now best known for Smith Mountain Lake. She had typhoid fever when she was 10 and admittedly said was lucky to have survived. She attended Mary Washington and UVA and received a Bachelor of Science in Nu...

Rob Owens has known the occasional cohost Kevin Flippen for 30 years and also knows Paul from working together. Rob and Kevin met playing pick up basketball and now share a passion for the game of golf. Rob grew up in northern Virginia and played the three major sports. They discussed the positions he played in high school and how he almost tried out for the Hampton University basketball team. The...

Skyler Allen joins the podcast via a connection with Kenny Wingle (Episode 79). Skyler grew up in Hanover County and said his Mom’s side of the family has deep roots in Hanover. He played lots of sports growing up, but he knew at an early age that football was his passion, his best sport and that he wanted to play in college. He went to Atlee his freshman year and then went to Fork Union Military...

Paul and Kevin welcome back George Monroe to the podcast. George (Episode 170) joined the first time to tell his story and returns to tell the story of his family history. Paul started with a question of when George started to understand and question his family’s history. George said he was young, but that the subject was not discussed very often amongst the adults. Over time, George has become th...

Tim Lilly is a veteran, has a strong faith, loves his family and is in the first phase of retirement. Tim grew up in rural southern West Virginia and then moved to the Huntington area for junior high and high school. He had a great and adventurous time as a kid leaving the house in the morning and coming home when it got dark. Tim told Paul that he decided to walk into a recruiters office one day....

This is Al Lester’s second time on the podcast. He was on Episode #32 with his friend and the Occasional Co-Host, Kevin Flippen. Al was born in Miami and grew up in a military household in Georgia. He had a unique experience through 8th grade while living on the base and then his family moved into town when his dad left the military. Al was a stand out athlete in all three sports, but football bec...

U.S. Marine, Author, FBI Agent, Podcaster and Father … a few of the roles Robin Dreeke has had in his life. Robin grew up as an only child in Carmel, NY. He told Paul that it was a home with low economic status and some addiction, but one that had a lot of love. Robin said he became self-reliant when he started working the summer before middle school. He had fun growing up and told Paul that he en...

Matt Green has done a little bit of walking in his life … Matt Green grew up just outside Ashland, VA and had fun growing up exploring, collecting baseball cards, putting lego sets together and playing wiffle ball. After graduating high school, Matt attended the University of Virginia and earned an engineering degree. Matt worked in northern Virginia and then moved to New York. Matt enjoyed walkin...

Erik Kleinsmith is a former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer and private contractor who has testified in front of Congress. Erik knows Pete A. Turner (Episode 185) and he and Paul started by talking about his career in the United States Army and serving overseas. Erik grew up in Plymouth, Michigan and said it was an idyllic setting for him and his two brothers to grow up in. He told Paul about his m...

Guy Crittenden is a nationally known artist and professional photographer who lives in Richmond, Virginia. Guy grew up in Gloucester, VA on the Ware River. Growing up, the Ware River was the playground for Guy, his family and his friends. Guy said his grandfather was part of the folklore of Gloucester and taught him everything he ever learned about hunting and fishing. When Guy wasn’t in the outdo...