Reelfoot Forward

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...

High school juniors Austin Alexander and Alex Carpenter pull the curtain back and share behind-the-scenes details about their successful podcast, “RebelCast,” that focuses on the teachers and students of Obion County Central High School. Along with a team of friends who help with all aspects of production, they’ve taken their idea from “what if” to a podcast that features interviews with teachers,...

In this episode, Dr. Ahmad Tootoonchi shares his inspirational journey from his childhood in the northern region of Iran on the coast of the Caspian Sea to his current role as dean of the College of Business and Global Affairs at the University of Tennessee at Martin. Passionate about the subject of leadership, Dr. Tootoonchi also provides insight on some of the principles that he believes can gui...

After a successful career rising through the ranks of the FedEx Corporation in Memphis and then Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway in Fort Worth, Texas, Jeff Campbell returned to his hometown of Fulton, Kentucky. After discovering a need for some TLC, Campbell was inspired to contribute to his community through projects like "Let's Paint the Town" that inspired renovation and painting of more th...

In the early 1900s, the Nailling building in Union City, Tenn. was one of the most modern office buildings in the region. While the outside was brick and stone, the interior featured imported tile, beamed ceilings and elaborate fresco flooring. The owner of the building, Dr. W. A. Nailling, operated his office in three rooms of the first floor that was also occupied by Oliver’s Red Cross Drug Stor...

Dr. Karen Bowyer has been inspiring students at Dyersburg State Community College for 37 years. Bowyer's passion for STEM and teaching was ignited at a young age by watching the women in her family teach and by witnessing the monumental launch of Sputnik in 1957. After spending time teaching in Cali, Colombia and Mexico City, she settled in Tennessee to continue her journey in promoting STEM educa...

For the 100th episode of “Reelfoot Forward,” host Scott Williams welcomes two special guests who were part of the creation of Discovery Park from the beginning. Senior director of education, Polly Brasher, and senior director of exhibits, Jennifer Wildes, recently celebrated ten years with the museum and heritage park. They were there even before the doors were first opened on Nov. 1, 2013 and hav...

Jonathan Lodge is a hunter, conservationist, amateur mycologist and brewer whose love of the great outdoors began as a young boy when he discovered the magic that could be found in the woods around his home in Paris, Tenn. Today, he is still passionate about what we can learn about ourselves and the world around us if we turn off our phones and head outside. He is also co-owner of Perrylodgic Brew...

This special episode features a panel hosted by author Cindy Kent during Discovery Park’s recent Military History and Armed Forces Symposium. Kent is the editor of the book “Better Men: Alpha Upsilon in Vietnam” released in 2020. The panel included some of the men who are highlighted in her compilation of stories from 14 Vietnam veterans who, before they became brothers of war, were already brothe...

As manager of McWherter Farms, Patterson Freeman is passionate about the growth and development of a large Angus cattle operation first envisioned by the late Tennessee Gov. Ned Ray McWherter. McWherter was a strong advocate for agriculture, but his dedication to a life of public service and business kept him from seeing his plans for a large cattle operation in his hometown come to life. Today, P...

This special episode was recorded during the celebration of David Crockett's 235th birthday at Discovery Park of America in Union City, Tenn. Podcast host Scott Williams is Discovery Park’s president and CEO and recently published “The Accidental Fame and Lack of Fortune of West Tennessee’s David Crockett.” In this program that took place in front of an audience at the museum that day, he explored...

In this episode, Sherry Freeman shares her lifelong passion for education and her journey from the rural community of Bradford, Tenn. to her current position as executive director of the Jackson Symphony. Freeman’s passion for the arts was born from her desire to enrich the quality of life for those who call West Tennessee home. Learn more about the Jackson Symphony at https://www.thejacksonsympho...

In addition to his work as director of education and community engagement at the new Tennessee State Museum, Jeff Sellers is one of a group of Tennesseans who have been searching for the grave of John Haywood. Although today Haywood has been forgotten by most, he has been called “the father of Tennessee history,” “a fascinating eccentric,” “an overlooked Tennessee historian” and “the author of the...

LeEllen Smith created OUTsideIN after she saw a need in her community in 2013 when Obion County, Tenn.'s largest employer left town. Smith worked to create a nonprofit that empowers marginalized women through the creation of whimsical products and meaningful employment. In this episode, Smith dives into the details of running a nonprofit like OUTsideIN and the importance of community support. Chec...

Broadway performer Bart Shatto is currently at work with a team in New York on a new play about Tennessean David Crockett. The folk hero, frontiersman, politician and Tennessee settler made his home in Northwest Tennessee from 1822 until he departed for the Alamo in 1835. In this episode, Shatto shares the inspiration behind his exciting career and a few of the details of his upcoming play about C...

John Perez's passion for healthy living and anti-bullying lead him to the fascinating world of jiu jitsu, a self defense based martial arts. Perez and his wife Riss are the owners of Dogwood Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Self Defense in Dyersburg, Tenn. From Texas to Tennessee, Perez has spread his knowledge of jiu jitsu to children and adults alike, teaching them self defense and the benefits of living...