Reelfoot Forward

Lane Walker is an award-winning educator, writer and outdoorsman. For 25 years, he has dedicated his life to inspiring children to get out of the house and explore the world around them. This devotion, paired with a passion for storytelling, resulted in him becoming the author of award-winning chapter books on topics including hunting, fishing and sports. In this episode, Walker shares more about...

After his wife’s diagnosis with schizophrenia, Jason Pate began learning to process his own grief through the lens of history by diving into the forgotten stories of those who have already passed. ... In this episode, Pate details his discovery of what it takes to write a biography, his passion for sharing history with his community and the impact and freedom of self-publishing his own book, “The...

Zac Elliott is the founder of Mad Cow Defenses, a firearm customization shop in Union City, Tennessee. In this episode, Elliott discusses his unconventional journey of joining the military and ultimately finding himself inspired to return from California to his hometown and beginning a new venture. He also provides listeners a unique insight into the role that word of mouth advertising can have on...

EP 127 Tim Brady, Terri Brady, & Randy Stark: Write Up The Road by Reelfoot Forward

Kevin Adelsberger is the founder and managing partner of Adelsberger Marketing in Jackson Tennessee. In 2019, Adelsberger Marketing sold partial ownership of Alexander, Thompson, and Arnold, CPAs. Kevin lives in Jackson with his wife and business partner Renae and their three children. They are involved members of First Baptist Church, Jackson. They are also some of the few to cheer on the Minneso...

The Freedom Forum, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a mission of fostering First Amendment freedoms for all, will be at Discovery Park on Sept. 23 and 24, 2022, for a festival celebrating the First Amendment rights that make our country unique. In this episode, the Freedom Forum’s Cathy Trost, chief engagement officer and senior vice president, and Patty Rhule, chief content officer and...

Sam Thompson first met Elvis Presley in 1972 when his sister Linda began dating the wildly popular entertainer. In this special Elvis Week 2022 episode, Sam shares details of that first meeting at Graceland and how the two went from friends to Sam working full time for the king of rock ‘n’ roll. Sam was already an officer with the Shelby County Sheriff's Department when the two met, and he eventua...

Self-taught sculptor, Hattie Marshall-Duncan of Jackson, Tenn., turns common household items and found objects that are often overlooked into distinguished masterpieces. Her work is reflective of her African American community and family. At the reception for an exhibit of her work at Discovery Park, Marshall-Duncan shared what inspires her work and the unusual technique that results in these uniq...

As the son of James Winchester, a wealthy Tennessee pioneer, entrepreneur and business partner of Andrew Jackson, Marcus B. Winchester had a front row seat to the birth of the volunteer state. In this episode, one of his descendants, Ginger Hadley, shares some of her research that brings to light more about Winchester’s fascinating life, successful career and sad ending. Winchester grew up at Crag...

Lt. Mark Cancia, Corps Officer for The Salvation Army of Jackson, Tenn. is passionate about serving others. Cancia's parents migrated from Haiti looking for new life opportunities and quickly found The Salvation Army. In this episode, Cancia discusses how the different programs and services offered by The Salvation Army allow him to use his abilities to address needs in the community around him. T...

From a young age, Connor Rinker spent countless hours among the clouds. His love for aviation was passed down from his father, Mike Rinker, a commercial pilot and renowned aerobatic pilot. In this episode, Connor shares how he applies his passion at the flight training school, Full Stop Aviation, at the Everett-Stewart Regional Airport in Union City, Tenn. Conner’s goal is to inspire others to pur...

Preston Powell, co-owner of Yukon Outfitters, has been in the sport and outdoor industry for over 20 years. After his gear failed him on a fly fishing trip to the Yukon Territory in Canada, he decided to create a company that would provide great quality outdoor gear at a fair price. Powell spoke with a friend and took the calculated risk to sell his company's product on Amazon. The company took of...

Taylor Wilson’s 18-year-old son, Landon, was hit by a truck while out training for his senior year of baseball. He lost an arm and his leg was severely injured in the accident. There were doubts that he would ever play baseball again. In this episode Taylor recounts his son's inspirational journey back to the pitcher's mound. Through a series of letters documented in his book, "Glove Letters: A Fa...

This special episode featuring Kevin Rumley was recorded live at Discovery Park’s recent Military History and Armed Forces Symposium. Rumley has a master’s degree in social work, performs in numerous bands as a drummer and runs the Buncombe County Veterans Treatment Court, a program that helps divert veteran offenders from prison to community service and recovery. In this episode he shares more ab...

Bill Allen was just 18 years old when he began serving in the Navy as a medic during World War II. He was there on D-Day, June 6, 1944, where his ship joined the biggest armada in history carrying soldiers and equipment to storm the beach at Omaha in Normandy, France to liberate Europe from the Nazis. On June 19, 1944, Allen’s ship hit a German mine and exploded leaving less than 30 survivors out...

Tanya and Scott Melton, owners of Miso Hongry, have been serving southern comfort food in West Tennessee for almost a decade. In this episode, Tanya shares how cooking with her grandmother inspired her to open her own restaurant using the knowledge and skills that were passed down to her. After creating a successful catering business, the Meltons decided it was time to take their restaurant on the...

Merry Brown is a writer, speaker, mediator, philosopher and small business owner. After teaching philosophy for over two decades, Brown felt led to focus on conflict restoration and mediation. In this episode, she shares how she hopes to empower employees and businesses to resolve conflicts swiftly and equitably through her business, Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services. Brown's bac...

Dr. Shawn Pitts, founder of Arts in McNairy, is a chiropractor, cultural planner and community arts advocate. Arts in McNairy was founded in 2001 on the principle that participation in the arts is a cornerstone for the development of a healthy community. In this episode, Dr. Pitts shares how his community’s passion for the arts resulted in McNairy County becoming one of the most active and diverse...

Roger Sorkin, founder of the American Resilience Project, is an award-winning producer, writer, editor and director. In this episode, Sorkin shares how he uses storytelling to address threats to the future of our planet. In his new film "Farm Free or Die," he is making the issue of climate change more accessible and relatable to everyone with the goal of improving the livelihoods of those living a...

Terrence Martin, a University of Tennessee at Martin graduate, is no stranger to the importance of both style and substance. As a part of his personal image, he became known for wearing bow ties to work every day as a school teacher and administrator. After seeing the impact his bow ties had on his students, he decided to begin his own bow tie company he named Impeccable Knots. Through his company...

Storytelling has always been a big part of Dr. Frank McMeen’s life. As a child, he paid special attention to the stories his grandparents shared. Today, McMeen, president of the West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation, has compiled many of these stories and others in his book, "Let Me Tell You A Story: Finding Hope in a Hopeless World." Through these stories, he also shares examples of God's love and...

Environmental justice and creation care are passion points for Martha Lyle Ford, the director of the Center of Faith and Imagination at Memphis Theological Seminary. She works with a team who helps faith leaders thrive applying disciplines from Sabbath-keeping, personal finances and mental and physical health to conflict transformation, justice and community building. Ford also shares with others...

Gary Foreman is the owner of Native Sun Productions and an EMMY-nominated producer of around 40 historical documentaries and cultural programming. The story of David Crockett gripped Foreman at a young age, launching him on a journey to documentary production. From the dangerous wilderness in the unexplored Wild West to pirates who roamed the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, Foreman hopes that his doc...

Dixie Locke Emmons enjoyed the unique experience of being the first girlfriend of Elvis Presley. The two met in the youth group of First Assembly of God, Memphis. They were dating in 1954 when the unknown singer stepped in Sun Studio and recorded “That's All Right Mama," now known as “ground zero” of rock ‘n’ roll. Emmons’s daughter, Kristi Emmons Jones, worked closely with her mother on the recen...

Did you know that the Tennessee River Pearl is Tennessee's state gem and Camden, Tenn. is home to the only freshwater pearl culturing farm in North America? Bob Keast, owner of the Birdsong Resort and Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Museum, Farm, Tour and Jewelry Showroom, joined us to discuss the fascinating history of the freshwater pearl and how Tennessee began to produce this gem. For more in...