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Winter 2006
The Importance of Feet
One of a Kind
Classic Favorites
Wedding Guide - What to do before "I do"
Charleston and the Chocolate Factory
Better in the End
Dream Kitchens - What it takes and where to find it
Turn Winter Chill into Romantic Thrill
Who Knew?
Fall 2006
Are you what you drive?
Hidden history: An exclusive look at West Virginia's
"buried treasures"
Geocaching: Uncover a secret
Five Arrive: The Ryan Kennedy Quintet
The Contenders
Restaurant Review: Lola's
Fall Calling
Travel: Revive Yourself
Who Knew?
Summer 2007
The beauty of empowerment
Helping others never goes out of style. Neither does a bargain on fabulous clothing. On these pages, see where to find great styles for pennies, and see how the volunteer helpers and the fab threads came together in an amazing display of generosity for the YWCA of Charleston.
Our models are wearing incredible finds that have been donated to the YWCA’s Past & Present store at 1598 Lee Street East. All the proceeds of re-sold clothing and accessories from Past & Present benefit the Alicia McCormick Homes for Battered and Homeless Women and Children, ten apartments maintained by the YWCA as transitional housing for women and their kids before making the final leap to independence, self-sufficiency…and empowerment. 
Anyone can help simply by shopping. Find your own high-style duds at Past & Present Monday through Friday from 7am to 6pm and Saturday from 10am to 5pm. 340-3646.
The models in this fashion spread donated their time and beauty; Mike and Rose Winland of Mike Winland Studios offered the location, the photography and the skillful handling of the final prints. Shannon Larwa of Visions Day Spa and Cheri Bishop, Sharon Lambert and Haleigh Grimmett of the Charleston School of Beauty Culture volunteered their time, artistry, makeup and hairspray for two separate photo shoots. And the concept and creative direction came from Alex Morgado of The Manahan Group, the Charleston-based advertising agency which owns and produces Charleston Magazine.
The debut of an advertising campaign
The YWCA’s newest advertising campaign to promote the Past & Present Gently Used Clothing Store features runway-ready models wearing amazing finds from the store.
And the YWCA won’t have to spend anything for the campaign. The concept was developed by The Manahan Group, the Charleston advertising and public relations firm which owns and operates Charleston Magazine. Everyone who participated donated their time and efforts.
Past & Present’s sales help formerly homeless and abused women transition to completely independent and empowered lifestyles—the hallmark and mission of the YWCA of Charleston.
Today’s Charleston YWCA
The 95-year-old organization’s mission states that “…strengthened by diversity, the Association draws together members who strive to create opportunities for women’s growth, leadership and power…”
Freedom from abuse, from homelessness or from an overwhelming lack of resources, without regard to race or creed—these are the ways that the YWCA of Charleston eliminates racism and empowers women through its programs and supporting stores:
• Sojourner’s Shelter for Homeless Women and Families: serves about 1,200 homeless individuals, including 400 children, annually. 340-3562 
• Resolve Family Abuse Program (RFAP): provides emergency shelter services to more than 2,000 individuals per year in Kanawha, Clay and Boone counties. Crisis lines:
340-3549 or statewide @ 1-800-681-8663
• Shanklin Center for Senior Enrichment: supportive services and permanent residency within eight handicap-accessible apartments for disabled female victims of elder abuse.
415-2682
• Alicia McCormick Homes: ten apartments providing up to 18 months of housing and supportive services to assist battered/homeless women in transition to self-sufficiency.
415-2682
• Child Enrichment Center (CEC): serving a diverse population of more than 200 children annually. 340-3560
• Health Promotion Services (HPS): managed by Nautilus, the YWCA’s fitness program provides workouts for all ages in many forms. 340-3550
Retail operations helping to fund YWCA programs:
• Past & Present Gently Used Clothing and YWCA Perkin’ Up Gourmet Coffee Shop. Corner of Elizabeth and Lee. 340-3646
• 2nd Seating Gently Used Furniture. 412 Elizabeth Street. 344-1348
The last frontier
By Bill Lynch
Much like the city’s East End, the West Side of Charleston has been, in recent years, grappling with the issues of urban decay. Businesses have struggled, crime has been a problem, and there just hasn’t been much of a reason to visit that part of town. There was a time when families made it a point to go to the West Side for hot dogs, movies and shopping. Now, there are several West Siders who are working to see that those days return. 
“We want to bring back that warm, fuzzy feeling,” West Side Main Street Director Jennifer Jordan says. “We want to get the families back and spending their dollars here.”
And Jordan is trying to make that happen.
Aside from setting up an office on Washington Street, Jordan helped the Main Street program round up volunteers, form committees and get involved with the community. They helped give several small businesses a makeover, encouraged other businesses to open and took part in city festivals.
“The West Side is kind of the last frontier for economic development in Charleston,” Jordan says.
The West Side area is known for the charm of the Edgewood neighborhood, the beauty of local landmarks like Edgewood Country Club and the historic Bream Memorial Presbyterian Church, and an overall sense of community.
But the West Side Main Street program is aimed at revitalizing areas along Washington Street that have suffered economic and social neglect over the years.
The program is part of the Main Street West Virginia Program, and other Main Street programs across the U.S.
But Jordan says the West Side group is unique because of its ties to a university.
West Side Main Street came about as West Virginia State University was considering adding an outreach to Charleston’s West Side.
Historically a black college, West Virginia State took an interest in rebuilding the West Side community, which is right in its own back yard and has a significant minority population.
“It was really a good fit,” Jordan says.
But there have been some aches and pains in getting the program up and running, including a sense of apathy in the area, the need for more volunteers and the desire to move quickly.
“Is it going fast enough for most people? No,” she says. “But we have been successful. We did a lot.”
That includes renovating several businesses and historic buildings. West Side Main Street has also been involved with several community events, including an ice cream social, a songfest, an arts and crafts fair and a bake sale, she says. 
And new businesses have opened, including Hebrews coffee shop and the West Mane Hair Salon.
Jordan says she’d like to see her program grow over the next couple of years and draw more community involvement.
“I’d like to see us with 200 volunteers,” she says. “I’d like to see another 10 businesses and another 15 of our current businesses let us help them update their storefronts.”
Reviving the West Side is an ambitious dream, and Jordan is paying attention to Charleston’s other Main Street program for the East End, which is now about 5 years old under the leadership of Mary Alice Hodgson.
We’re a little sister to their program,” Jordan says. “Mary Alice and I travel to conferences together.”
The two groups have coordinated some of their improvement efforts, including a recent cleanup of Washington Street.
“Hopefully, we can learn from their victories and their failures,” Jordan says. “We really want this to be a win-win for everyone.”
The legend of the Red Thread
By Michelle Saxton
Chinese legend has it that an invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break.
The legend of the red thread is shared by many adoptive parents, including Crystal and John Stump of Charleston. 
The thread that ties the Stumps to dozens of other West Virginia families is that they’ve all adopted children from Guatemala.
Crystal and John adopted their sons, Luke and Wells, after the birth of their daughter, Lawson.
Later, Crystal, who is a lawyer, founded the Guatemala Adoptive Family Association (GAFA) of West Virginia, which meets for social events and provides a mentoring network for families who want to adopt.
“I wanted my boys and my daughter to see families that looked like ours,” she says of the group. “I want them to be proud of their heritage, and I want them to see other blended families like ours.”
Families connected
Crystal’s group, which also sponsors charitable projects to help children in Guatemala, started in early 2003 with 12 families in West Virginia and bordering states.
There are now about 76 families who have adopted or are in the process of adopting children from Guatemala, she says.
The growth of the group is a testament to Crystal’s passion for her family and helping others.
“I love to talk to (people) about building their families through international adoption or domestic adoption,” she says. “Not many people can say they truly love their job.”
Crystal and John had considered adoption early on. After some complications with Lawson’s delivery they decided to move forward with adoption.
Lawson accompanied her parents to Guatemala to bring Luke home in 2000.
“She sat down on the couch and held her baby brother, and he woke up and just looked in her eyes,” Crystal recalls.
The trip also included a chance to meet Luke’s birth mother.
“She just made such an impression on my heart,” Crystal says. “Once we accepted the referral of him, she was a part of it.”
Some time later, Crystal got a call from her agency saying Luke’s birth mother was expecting again. Crystal went back to Guatemala to adopt Wells.
After returning to West Virginia, she started GAFA and began helping families connect through their children and adoption experiences.
Choosing adoption
Some parents say they chose international adoption because there can be longer or more uncertain waits during domestic adoptions. Many domestic adoptions are open – where the birth mother chooses the adoptive parents – and some single or older parents feel their chances of adopting might not be as good as those of younger couples. 
Less restrictive adoption requirements, a foster care system for babies awaiting adoption, and a close proximity to the U.S. are among reasons why parents have chosen to adopt from Guatemala.
Other families in Crystal’s network include Jill and Jim Harlan of South Charleston, who adopted their son Paul from Guatemala last year, and Madonna and Dossen Estep of Cross Lanes, who adopted their children, Jeremias and Jeymilin.
The Harlans were able to bond with Paul early on, partly through Guatemala’s policy that allows adoptive parents to foster their child while finalizing the adoption.
That was important to Jill, as Paul’s adoption took about 10 months.
“I really just wanted to go down there and be with him,” says Jill, who lived with Paul for about 12 weeks in Guatemala while finalizing his adoption. Jill and Paul lived in an apartment in Antigua, rooming with another new mom from Connecticut.
“It was a challenge,” she says. “But it was really nice to be able to experience some of the culture of his country.”
Cultural Connection
Maintaining a bond with Guatemala is important to the parents whose love for their children also includes a sense of responsibility for teaching them about their birth country.
While happy to bring her children home, Madonna Estep worried about them losing their biological families and birth cultures. She liked their birth names and chose not to change them.
“This is one thing that they don’t have to lose,” she recalls thinking.
Madonna is also trying to learn Spanish, and wants her children to learn to speak the language. She met Jeremias’ and Jeymilin’s biological mother and has kept in contact with her.
“It’s important for them to know where they came from, who they came from,” Madonna says.
Her family enjoys the ties with other families in GAFA, but Madonna says while her children know they’re from Guatemala, they’re too young to really notice their cultural connections.
“To them, (they’re) just kids like any other kids,” she says. “Wherever there are kids, they have fun.”
The legacies we built
The Kanawha Valley’s many strengths seem tied to two main ideas – a focus on community and an enthusiasm for making a brighter future.
Those ideas are reflected in the work of many past local leaders who laid the groundwork for various community mainstays we depend on or treasure today – attributes that help make the Kanawha Valley a first-rate place to live.
Three of those establishments are marking significant milestones this year – Capitol Market, The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation and Yeager Airport.
Capitol Market - 10 years
Back in the 1980s, Charleston Renaissance officials discussed the idea of an indoor/outdoor farmer’s market as the northern anchor of a four-part plan to reinvent the city’s downtown. Other plans included Haddad Riverfront Park, Capitol Street’s redevelopment and the Clay Center.
The nonprofit Capitol Market opened in 1997 with just a few tenants.
It now has eight specialty shops and Soho’s Italian Restaurant, promoting local business owners and offering a homegrown taste of West Virginia year-round.
At least 35 vendors help make the market’s outdoor area popular from April through December – with fresh flowers, produce, pumpkins and holiday trees, says the Capitol Market’s executive director Tammy Borstnar.
The Capitol Market isn’t just a place to shop for fresh goods, Borstnar says. It’s a place where people can bring their families for fun or set up business meetings, as well as a tourism destination.
“We used to hear, ‘Oh, I didn’t know this was here,’ and today we watch our customers bringing in their out-of-town visitors, and they’re the tour guide – they’re showing off the market,” she says.
Capitol Market’s success has also helped set the pace for continued growth in the area, including Appalachian Power Park and several new restaurants.
As it celebrates its decennial, Capitol Market continues to be a work in progress. Borstnar says they would like to add another vendor, possibly a bakery, sushi place or juice bar.
www.capitolmarket.net
The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation – 45 years
The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation was organized in 1962 using about $45,000 left over from the North-South football game.
Over the next 45 years, that $45,000 helped the foundation grow into an organization overseeing about 500 philanthropic funds with more than $137 million, says the foundation’s president and CEO, Becky Ceperley.
Each fund has its own donor and unique purpose, she says.
And since the donations are part of a perpetual trust, they can grow over time and help the community on an ongoing basis.
The foundation’s first fund was $1,000 for the nursing school at Morris Harvey College (now the University of Charleston) in 1965. The fund, named for former Charleston Gazette managing editor Frank Knight, has continued giving over the years (about $128,000 total) and is now worth approximately $104,000.
Funded projects vary in size and scope – from less than $500 for a senior center’s recreation room television set to a multi-year $2.5 million contribution to the Clay Center, Ceperley says.
Foundation grants have provided support to major organizations and businesses, including hospitals and health centers, churches and synagogues, the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, FestivALL, Fund for the Arts, the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross.
Contributions have also been made for playground equipment for local parks, various after-school programs, higher education scholarships and a mentoring program for homeless children.
“The mission is to promote philanthropy, give back to the community,” Ceperley says.
www.tgkvf.org
Yeager Airport – 60 years
Yeager Airport’s original construction in the 1940s was reported to be the second-largest earth-moving project of its time after the Panama Canal, as more than 9 million cubic yards of dirt and rock were moved to make way for the airport. 
City officials began planning for a new airport at Coonskin Ridge in the 1940s. The site was chosen because it had favorable wind coverage and was close to Charleston, says Yeager Airport Director Rick Atkinson.
The city’s airport at the time was Wertz Field in Institute, but it was unable to accommodate larger planes. Wertz Field closed in 1942.
Groundbreaking for Yeager Airport occurred in 1944 with help from a
$3 million bond issue. Yeager Airport – originally called Kanawha Airport – was dedicated on Nov. 3, 1947, and opened for daily flight service a month later.
That same year, Charles “Chuck” Yeager broke the sound barrier. Kanawha Airport was renamed Yeager Airport in 1985.
Some big changes over the years include the end of federally-regulated air fares and routes in 1978 and the start of more competitive passenger air service.
The airport lost some passenger service then, but numbers began to climb again, and in 2005, broke records with about 318,000 air travelers, Atkinson says.
Other challenges included two unsuccessful attempts to build a new regional airport in the 1960s and 1990s.
The airport has addressed airfield upgrade needs and safety issues over the years, including several additions to the terminal and runway, Atkinson says.
Future plans include extending the runway by another 500 feet to reach 6,802 feet and adding more customer conveniences. Passengers may soon see a covered walkway from the parking garage to the terminal and covered parking for rental cars.
Yeager Airport has also added community events information on its display screens, interspersed with flight information.
“It gives a real warm West Virginia welcome,” Atkinson says.
www.yeagerairport.com
(Sources include Kanawha Airport’s publication Moving Mountains to Build Kanawha Airport and Yeager Airport’s 50th Anniversary Commemorative Edition newspaper supplement.)
Cilantros tex-mex grill
By Steven Keith
Charleston now has its very own Chipotle-style Southwest café in Virgil Sadorra’s exciting new Cilantros, located at the same McFarland Street storefront that once housed Sadorra’s popular restaurant Delish.
Although there are technically only three menu items (tacos, burritos and bowls) there are so many flavor combinations, you could eat something different here every day for months.
Walk past a small dining area to a counter in the back to place your order in five steps:
• Format: Three tacos, one large burrito or a “shirtless” rice bowl.
• Main attraction: fish, chicken, beef, pork, grilled veggies or tofu.
• Fillings: rice, black beans, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions and/or jalapenos.
• Gourmet salsa: mango, peach, corn, pineapple or red pepper.
• Sauce: fiesta green chile, chipotle, chipotle barbecue, bourbon glaze, raspberry chipotle or cucumber sour cream.
You can watch from across the counter while your food is prepared in minutes.
So far, the combos I’ve enjoyed are crispy fish tacos with mango salsa and cucumber sour cream, a plump beef burrito with a zesty sweet-sour-spicy combo of pineapple salsa and chipotle barbecue sauce and – this last one may be my favorite – a “shirtless” bowl of pulled pork and all the trimmings topped with corn salsa and green chile sauce.
A few other recommended pairings: pork with peach salsa and bourbon glaze, or fish with pineapple salsa and chipotle.
For those who want to avoid the lunchtime line that can snake out the door, the restaurant also offers fax order forms that you can take back to the office. Just send in your order by 10:30 a.m. and your food will be ready for pickup when you get there.
The Green House
By Jennifer Ginsberg
Much has been said lately about living green. Now, Charleston is on the map with one of the first environmentally friendly homes in the region. 
The Charleston Area Alliance joined with members of the construction, housing and banking industries and other partners to build the house on the East End.
It’s called EcoDwell, and project officials hope it will become a model for developing more energy-efficient homes.
The three bedroom, two bathroom, 1,352-square-foot house is made of many materials that are recycled, are created without emitting harmful gases into the atmosphere or that come from renewable resources.
Construction began last year, and an open house was held early this year.
The Religious Coalition for Community Renewal, which owns the property, was marketing the house to potential buyers at press time.
However, those involved with EcoDwell’s design and construction say the future owners will see several benefits, including:
-A major reduction in utility use for heating and air conditioning that could save homeowners 30 to 50 percent in utility bills (due partly to a panel system that maximizes insulation) 
-No cold floors, as the ground floor will be kept at the same temperature as the room (thanks to a conditioned crawl space)
-Better, fresher indoor air quality (because less amounts of volatile organic compounds were used in the finished materials)
Groups and businesses involved with EcoDwell include N Visions Architects, building contractor L.R. Dorsey Inc. and project manager Solutions by Fischer.
“By pulling research and products together, we have an actual improved piece of property that has enlivened the neighborhood,” says Charleston Area Alliance Senior Vice President Susie Salisbury.
Those interested in learning more about building green can talk with local architects or visit EcoDwell’s website at http://www.ecodwell.info/.
Who Knew?
The first of the famous Tuskegee Airmen learned to fly here.
George Spencer “Spanky” Roberts (pictured here in 1943 with his wife Edith) was one of the first Tuskegee Airmen. Roberts was a 1938 graduate of West Virginia State College where he was enrolled in the country’s first civilian pilot training course for African Americans. Roberts went on to become one of two State graduates accepted in the first African American cadet class for the Army Air Corps at Tuskegee, Ala. Of the 13 cadets, only 5 earned their wings; Roberts was among them.
After earning his wings, Roberts fought with and later was made Commander of the 99th Fighter Squadron. He was given a heroes welcome home by the state and the nation upon his return from World War II.
Spring 2007
Big League Beginnings
By Kevin Manahan
“Pssst!” Dave Augustine was killing time in center field, waiting out another game-halting pitching change when he thought he heard something from the other side of the fence. He looked around, but saw nothing.
“Pssst!” There it was again. Where was it coming from? He must be imagining it, he thought. Fans didn’t hang out here, more than 400 feet from home plate. Not even the drunk ones.
“Hey, Augie!” This time he located the source. He wasn’t going crazy after all. Two baseball caps and four eyes were peeking over the top of the fence.
“Augie, you’re not going to try to catch us if we streak, are you?”
Augustine chuckled. Catch them? Heck, the Charleston Charlies were getting pelted again, and Augustine was having enough trouble catching the line drives, which were leaving vapor trails on their way into the gaps. Besides, this was going to be a lot more entertaining than watching the guys in the other uniforms scoot around the bases. With a wide grin, he shook his head: Permission granted.
“So, the next inning, those two guys came over the fence and all they had on were high-top Converse sneakers,” Augustine recalls. “I was howling. The cops chased these guys all over the field and couldn’t catch them. The place was going nuts. But then one of them landed on his crotch as he went back over the fence. Man, that had to hurt. Just like that, the laughing stopped.”
And Augustine thought: Just another day at Watt Powell Park.
Each spring, when winter begrudgingly leaves town and the baseball season draws near, Augustine’s thoughts occasionally drift back to his glory days. He drives past the old grounds, but only if they happen to be on his way. Now 56 and a sporting goods salesman, he fondly visits the past but refuses to live there.
And for him, the past lies in a neglected lot shoehorned between the fast-food joints on MacCorkle Avenue, a few miles from downtown. Little remains of Watt Powell Park – a cinderblock outfield wall, a semicircle of light stanchions, and traces of the warning track and infield cutout that weeds are trying hard to erase. Here, Augustine, a longtime minor-leaguer, piled up more career hits than any other member of the Triple-A Charleston Charlies. Now, only pallets pile up. The stadium was razed in 2005.
“There’s a lot of history over there,” Augustine says. “Guys who played there, they all have stories. A lot of big-name players came through here … a lot of characters, too.”
Oh, there’s a new ballpark in town – Appalachian Power Park – the shiny home of the Milwaukee Brewers’ Class-A affiliate. It has everything fans could want: immaculate grounds, comfy seats, great sightlines, terrific food, a restaurant with a patio along the right-field line. But when Charleston decided it wanted to divorce the past and marry itself to the future of minor-league baseball, Watt Powell invoked the prenup and kept the history.
In the 1970’s, Augustine – or just “Augie” – was the young and handsome, hard-playing and harder-partying face of the Charlies, his long hair caressing his shoulders as he glided under fly balls in the outfield. Fans loved him, particularly women, and he remains a local cult hero. As a career minor-leaguer who played only 29 games in the majors, he had hundreds of minor-league teammates. He seems to remember them all.
Willie Randolph, former second baseman for the Yankees and the current Mets manager, played in Charleston back then. So did the guy he managed against in the National League Championship Series last fall – Tony LaRussa, who beat the Mets, then guided the St. Louis Cardinals past the Detroit Tigers to win the world championship.
In fact, Charleston somehow became a birthplace of managers, particularly Mets managers. Five men who played for the Charlies in 1974 and 1975 eventually became big-league pilots: Randolph, LaRussa, Bobby Valentine, Ken Macha and Art Howe. Three of them – Valentine, Howe and Randolph – played on the ’75 team, then managed the Mets in order.
Willie Stargell, Roberto Clemente and Manny Sanguillen played in exhibitions at Watt Powell as members of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Charlies’ parent club. So did Mickey Mantle and Jim Bunning, the only Hall of Famer to play for the Charleston franchise.
Watt Powell, for all of its future stars, had its quirks. A chicken-wire backstop. Sparse but vocal crowds. A modest upslope in right field. An inner fence that allowed the city to store equipment -- goal posts, for instance -- in the center-field void. Richie Zisk once hit a 500-foot field goal.
And of course, there were the long coal trains that would blow their horns and crawl across the railroad tracks behind the right-field wall. Legend says Dave Parker hit a ball into one of those trains. If true, the longest home run in Charlies history traveled 175 miles to Cincinnati.
“Saw it happen,” pitcher Kent Tekulve insists.
Augustine isn’t sure, but he doesn’t sweat it. “Who cares?” he says. “It makes a great story.”
And Augie has a million of them, just not many about Randolph – “He was so clean it was pathetic,” he says – or LaRussa. When LaRussa, a major-league infielder, fell to Charleston, the end was near, and he knew it. He already had started working on his legal degree.
“We would get on a bus, and three or four guys would be drinking, and the Latin players would play their music so loud you couldn’t stand it,” Augustine says. “And Tony would sit in his seat with the light on and four or five law books in front of him. I’d say, ‘Tony, how in the heck can you even concentrate?’ And he’d say, ‘I just read it over and over.’”
Watt Powell’s most famous fan was Bill Dunn, a homeless man nicknamed “Aqualung” because he resembled a shadowy creature on the cover of the Jethro Tull album of that name. Dunn, who still roams Charleston’s streets, would hang around the ballpark before each home game, hoping to get a batting-practice ball, which could be redeemed for free admittance. Often, Augustine would flip a ball to Aqualung when no one was looking.
“One season we were playing so badly, I tossed him a ball and he threw it back,” Augustine says.
Augustine made it out of Charleston for a brief major league career, but it didn’t come easily. Joe Morgan, later manager of the Red Sox, benched him to try to cure the kid of his so-what attitude. When the baseball-starved Augustine finally got back into the lineup, he raised his batting average from .220 to .280 in a month. Morgan summoned him to the manager’s office.
“Think you can play in the majors?” he asked.
“Damn right I do,” Augustine said.
“Good,” came the reply. “Because you’re going up tomorrow.”
His career eventually ended with a minor-league team in Hawaii before he came home to jobs in jewelry and sporting goods. Eventually, Watt Powell fell into disrepair, and the city decided to level it. Gone would be the childhood hangout of hundreds, including Charleston Mayor Danny Jones, who, decades later, would help build Appalachian Power Park. Gone would be Augustine’s yesteryear stage.
“They’re tearing down the old stadium Monday,” his wife said one day.
“Yeah, I already knew that,” Augustine replied.
“But, Augie,” she said, “that’s your birthday.”
Cindy Says: Resisting Gravity
By Cindy Boggs
I realized it long ago. My fitness consistency is dependent upon challenge.
I’m not a daredevil—I’m attracted to reasonable physical risk. So I tried climbing – or rock clinging, which more aptly describes my current level of expertise.
My adventure began at Hard Rock Climbing Services in Fayetteville, with climbing guide Kenton Althiser, who is as accomplished as he is lean. (Experienced climbers also have remarkably developed backs and shoulders from resisting gravity regularly.) 
I learned a commonly-used method of climbing called top-roping, which involves suspending a rope from an anchor located at the top of the climb. I was fitted into a harness and secured by Kenton, who controlled my rope at the base of the climb.
In a beginner’s climb like this, the most serious injuries are typically scraped knees or knuckles, as missing a hold merely leaves you dangling in your harness.
However, if dangling isn’t your idea of fun, prepare yourself for the climb with these training tips:
• Cross train to acquire a good base of cardiovascular and muscular endurance. Mix activities like jogging, swimming and cycling at least two days a week. You will usually hike in or out of a climb, so general fitness is important.
• While rock climbing uses muscles you may have never felt before, much of the strength for hanging on is generated from your forearms. Incorporate weighted wrist curls into your routine.
Choose a weight that fatigues muscles after 15 repetitions. Hold your arms straight down at your sides, curl your wrists in one direction (only move your wrist joints) and hold briefly. After 15 reps curl your wrists in the other direction.
• Build hand and finger strength. Squeeze a hand spring/grip strengthener or tennis ball to the point of fatigue every other day.
• Strengthen biceps, triceps, shoulders and back with exercises such as push ups, pull ups and tricep dips.
• Strengthen abdominal muscles by imitating climbing motions such as a hanging leg raise, or use a large exercise ball for abdominal crunches and back extensions. For the hanging leg raise, hang from a pull-up bar with your legs straight down. Raise your legs by slowly bringing your knees in a bent position up until they are even with your waist.
• Those who are serious about this sport may want to invest in a fingerboard made specifically for climbers to practice pull-ups. Fingerboards have a variety of finger and hand holds for a climber to hang from and can be mounted to sturdy walls or doorways.
If you avoid conventional exercise because you find it boring, I urge you to try the exhilarating sport of rock climbing.
In addition to being an incredible muscular workout, it will also challenge your mind. Each mountain presents you with a puzzle. Every step and hold is a calculated choice.
And until you try, you will never know how high you can reach or how gracefully you can conquer a mountain.
An Orchestra for the Community
By Bill Lynch
Though it’s been around for nearly 70 years, the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra is really more like a teenager than a senior citizen.
It doesn’t look old, it certainly doesn’t sound old, and it goes out a lot, performing away from its Clay Center home at events around the region.
The symphony has grown – and grown up.
“One of the greatest changes is that the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra has gone from being an orchestra from the community to an orchestra for the community,” conductor Grant Cooper says.
One fundamental change has been the move to the Clay Center from the Charleston Municipal Auditorium, which had been home to the orchestra since its first concert in 1939.
“The size of the room and the acoustics make for a much more intimate setting. It’s changed the way the music is received by the public,” Cooper says. “The room itself is like a fine instrument.”
The Clay Center location also reflects the refined character of the 75-member orchestra that has evolved over the years.
The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra began as the Charleston Civic Orchestra, a community-staffed orchestra mostly made up of amateur musicians.
The orchestra later emerged into a semi-pro organization, eventually maturing into a completely professional symphony, says Paul Helfrich, the orchestra’s executive director.
Currently, about one in four musicians in the orchestra are West Virginia natives or residents, Helfrich says, while the others live in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky.
“It’s like pro baseball,” Helfrich says. “In order for you to have an orchestra of this quality, you have to import talent. People have come to expect a flawless performance, very clean presentations. The WVSO gives them a richer musical experience than ever.”
Cooper, who was born in Wellington, New Zealand, was named conductor of the West Virginia Symphony in 2001.
His career in music seems to have been predestined; by age four, when many children are mastering nursery rhymes, Cooper was singing opera. His studies and career have taken him all over the world, playing trumpet, conducting orchestras, and directing music festivals.
Cooper, who is married with two daughters, also devotes part of his career to composing, including musical pieces designed for younger audiences.
He’s helped change the orchestra’s overall mission, with increased productions of youth concerts and Saturday family concerts and more outreach to local schools. 
That includes developing interactive CD-ROMs that are sent to schools before Young People’s Concerts, to provide a fun source of musical education and help students better appreciate the concert experience. The materials also show connections between music and other subjects, such as language, history and mythology.
The musicians’ outreach extends beyond the united efforts of the orchestra, Helfrich says.
“We have members who are conductors for the various youth symphonies. They teach lessons. Some of them hire out to perform at weddings,” he says. “They bring the music out of the concert hall and into the community.”
One shining example of the orchestra’s outreach is through the Montclaire String Quartet, which plays up to 70 school shows in a given year throughout the state.
“It keeps us busy, but it’s very rewarding,” violist and Montclaire member Sandra Groce says.
The orchestra is also showcasing local talent, like pint-sized guest vocalist Alexandra Ayoob, who has performed with the orchestra on several occasions, most recently at age 9.
“It was really an honor getting to sing with them,” she says. “The maestro was so serious when I auditioned for them, but he really listens.”
Meanwhile, Cooper would like to see the orchestra go farther with their outreach and increase touring to locations outside the state.
“I think we’re poised to become incredible ambassadors for West Virginia,” he says. “The WVSO is something that the state can really be proud of, that shows the country that there are many things of quality here in West Virginia.”
Cazon Southwest Deli
By Stephen Keith
Charleston’s postcard-pretty, brick and tree-lined Capitol Street boasts a fun new place to enjoy a casual dinner and drink.
Cazon Southwest Deli has already become one of the downtown area’s hottest lunch spots since opening late last summer in the renovated first floor of 222 Capitol Street, featuring a vivid and colorful décor, wood and metal accents, bustling open kitchen and great tunes.
Now the fun continues at night with an expanded menu and full bar – all in a comfortably subdued atmosphere equally suitable for a lively gathering of friends or a cozy dinner for two.
Although you’ll be tempted to try any number of items, make your first selection the Fajita Burrito – “our runaway best-seller,” a waiter confided – a cheddar-jalapeno tortilla stuffed with beef, chicken, shrimp or hearty portabella mushrooms, along with plenty of sautéed onions, roasted peppers, pico de gallo and lettuce. I usually get the beef and add enough of the sour cream, guacamole and salsa served on the side to create a deliciously overstuffed wrap.
I’ve also enjoyed the Nawlin’s Chef Salad (fresh greens topped with shrimp, smoked turkey, bacon, Roma tomatoes, avocado, olives, feta and jicama with tomato-basil dressing), Shrimp Diablo Tacos (shrimp and bacon tacos with red pepper jack cheese, jalapenos, lettuce, tomato and grilled peppers drizzled with smoked butter sauce) and Mahi Tacos (grilled fish tacos with sautéed onions, bacon, lettuce, tomato and a side of sour cream).
You get two tacos per dish, with an option of crispy, soft or blue corn shells, or any mix-and-match combo of your choice.
For an appetizer or snack, I’ve enjoyed nice cups of roasted corn chowder and creamy red potato salad bursting with fresh dill. But it’s the Veggie Chili Con Queso (fresh vegetarian chili in a bowl with creamy white cheese and served with warm tortilla chips) you won’t want to miss.
Cazon’s lunch menu also includes four varieties of Texas Spuds – larger-than-life baked potatoes smothered with all manner of toppings.
The dinner menu includes many holdover favorites from lunch, a few new appetizers (namely Toasted Crab Bruschetta and Garlic Jumbo Gulf Shrimp wrapped in jalapeno bacon and sprinkled with Pepper Jack cheese) and several dinner entrees. Dishes like Mahi Steak with Shrimp and Crab  Butter Sauce, Mesquite Chicken with Chili Pepper Penne in a Louisiana-style red sauce and Herb-Crusted Escolar, a fish seasoned with Australian pepperberry spices and topped with mild lemon butter.
On a recent night out, my wife and I enjoyed a nice crab cake appetizer, an evening special featuring two slightly spicy cakes sitting atop a pool of roasted red pepper puree. Another starter, the shrimp mentioned before, was a good dish that would have been great had it not been quite so salty.
I thoroughly enjoyed my Mahi Fajitas, artfully displayed on a single plate. A chunk of seasoned mahi on a mound of sautéed peppers and onions took center stage, with piles of crumbled bacon, cheese, garden-fresh salsa and such all around. The refried beans I chose as one of my sides were also really good – not whole black beans and not completely mush, but a mixture that blended both and had a nice, smoky flavor.
We also liked the dense and meaty escolar – which tasted like a cross between mahi and swordfish – and the blend of buttery steamed broccoli, peppers and green beans that came with it.
And Cazon’s frosty margaritas? Muy bueno!
As for the service, it has always been top-notch.
Charleston's Top Docs: Making a Difference in Medicine
There are many reasons Charleston is an outstanding city; access to quality health care is one of them. On the following pages, Charleston Magazine profiles ten local physicians who improve the health and lives of many through new treatments, therapies and research.
Our selections are among nominees gathered from Charleston Area Medical Center, St. Francis Hospital, Thomas Memorial Hospital and the Family Medicine Foundation of West Virginia.
PAUL BOWN
Paul Bown has been in Charleston for nearly two years as a general and vascular surgeon. Bown offers a surgical procedure that saves more skin during a mastectomy and immediately reconstructs the breast.
Patients experience less scarring, and more importantly, “They can wake up and still have a breast,” Bown says.
Bown, who practices at CAMC, says many surgeons are now doing skin-saving mastectomies, in which a smaller incision is made and nearly all the skin is left.
He is also working on advances in radiation oncology so that radiation is limited to areas of the body where breast cancer is being treated, rather than to a patient’s entire chest.
Before coming to Charleston, Bown served in the U.S. Navy as a surgeon and lieutenant commander. He was deployed on the USS John F. Kennedy Battle Group to the Persian Gulf with Operation Enduring Freedom and was deployed with the Fleet Hospital 8 to Spain with Operation Iraqi Freedom.
TIM DEER
Early on in his medical career, Tim Deer found that two things he enjoyed most were helping cancer patients and keeping up with technological advances.
The pain management doctor and anesthesiologist now serves as CEO of the Center for Pain Relief near St. Francis, providing various medical and therapeutic treatments for patients suffering from cancer, back pain, nerve damage, shingles and other conditions.
Treatment includes implanting devices in a patient’s spine or peripheral nerve to change the way pain fibers transmit signals to the brain so that patients feel less painful sensations.
Deer has invented several implantable devices and is awaiting evaluation by the Food and Drug Administration on some new treatments.
Deer has also taught and lectured throughout the nation and internationally, and has written chapters for text books on pain management.
In his personal life, Deer still manages to find time to run marathons and coach his children’s sports teams.
MARK STEINVURZEL
Mark Steinvurzel fills a need in Charleston as one of the state’s only oculoplastic surgeons, treating patients with eyelid and eye socket tumors and eye trauma and correcting congenital conditions like droopy eyelids.
He also performs laser skin resurfacing and facial rejuvenation procedures. Steinvurzel’s practice is among about 200 testing centers nationwide conducting presale clinical trials of a new skin smoother, Juvéderm®. Steinvurzel, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, also works with Botox ® maker Allergan in training other physicians on how to properly administer such gel injections.
“I’m actually the training center for West Virginia,” he says.
Steinvurzel and his wife, Dr. Deborah Klimek, were recruited by Thomas Memorial about four years ago. His South Charleston practice is right across the hall from Klimek’s, and in certain pediatric cases Steinvurzel may find himself working alongside his wife during surgery, which he enjoys.
“It’s something we get to do together,” he says.
STEVEN ARTZ
His medical care extends beyond Charleston and the United States as Steven Artz volunteers his services each summer by examining children visiting from Belarus through an American Belarussian Relief Organization program. The children live in areas contaminated by radiation from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, and Artz says some have thyroid problems. Annual visits are fun for the children and allow them time away from the contamination. Meanwhile, Artz’ diagnoses are sent back to Belarus to help with the children’s ongoing care.
In addition to his work in endocrinology and nuclear medicine, Artz teaches at the WVU School of Medicine-Charleston Division.
“When I was a medical student I worked for a doctor in New York for a summer job,” he says. “He sort of told me what medicine was all about. The obligation was that I had to pass it on. He lit a fire for me.”
MARK BATES
Low tolerance for failure is part of what drives Mark Bates to devote much of his career to researching newer and better technology. With a background in cardiology and vascular disease, Bates helped start the Vascular Center of Excellence at CAMC several years ago and invented several stent devices. He recently worked with close friend Ralph Ballard to found Paragon Intellectual Properties in Charleston. The company’s engineering team, located in California, will be in clinical trials with a new stent this year, he says.
Throughout all his progress, Bates credits his family for their inspiration and support over the years.
“I have been taking things apart and putting them back together since I was 6 years old,” he says of his earliest ventures. “My poor father replaced more fuses and found more electrical things dismantled than you could imagine.”
BRUCE HORSWELL
In medicine, restoring hope is often a priority along with improving health. CAMC’s First Appalachian Craniofacial Deformity Specialists (FACES) is committed to helping children with facial deformities such as cleft lips/palates that can lead to speech and breathing problems.
Bruce Horswell, a facial surgeon and FACES’ medical director, believes it’s important to sit down with the parents to talk about their child’s condition and to assure them that experts will be there every step of the way. Horswell’s team surgically treats the children to help them grow up as normally as possible.
“That’s a big comfort for a lot of families,” he says.
“That’s satisfying for me to know that we can offer that service to them here and see those kids grow,” adds Horswell. “It’s really a kick to see them when they’re 4, 5, 6 and 7.”
DAN DICKMAN
Diabetes is a challenge on many levels, but for Dan Dickman, it gives him a deeper insight into what many of his patients are going through. Health care providers must tell their diabetic patients to make four major lifestyle changes: lose weight, change their diet, exercise and quit smoking, he says.
“That doesn’t even include starting medication and insulin,” Dickman says. “Just the very basics of diabetes management—it’s pervasive from every aspect of your life.
“I let them know right up front that I’m a diabetic, too.”
Besides his own family practice in Charleston, Dickman also helps train residents at the WVU medical school in Charleston, serves as vice chair of the school’s Department of Family Medicine, and volunteers as a board director of the state Family Medicine Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the West Virginia Academy of Family Physicians. Those who know Dickman have also commented on his ability to maintain a good sense of humor.
DEBORAH KLIMEK
Among only a few certified pediatric ophthalmologists in West Virginia, Deborah Klimek provides complete eyecare for children in West Virginia and nearby states at her South  Charleston practice. She also helps adult patients with eye misalignments and double vision.
Klimek’s dedication is evident—she was even working the day she was scheduled to be induced for labor.
As a member of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus’ vision screening committee, Klimek’s work includes trying to establish requirements for children to be screened at a preschool age so families can find out if they need glasses sooner.
She is also a member of the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group, which researches ways to improve treatment of lazy eyes, crossed eyes and tear duct blockage in children.
“It’s really rewarding to change a child’s life just by giving them glasses or straightening their eyes,” she says. “It opens up a whole new world for them.”
STEVEN JUBELIRER
CAMC staffers have referred to Steven Jubelirer as a “legend,” and acknowledged that the term causes him to blush. Jubelirer has been at CAMC for nearly 27 years, working as a hematologist/oncologist.
He teaches at WVU’s medical school in Charleston and remains principal investigator of cancer research trials at CAMC – more than 20 years since helping start CAMC’s Cancer Research Center. His recent work includes studying which chemotherapy regimens are best in terms of prolonging survival and decreasing the chance of recurrence, as well as comparing certain treatments aimed at reducing the chances of women developing breast cancer if they are at high risk.
Jubelirer was also involved with a recent local study on how the removal of lymph nodes affects the survival of patients undergoing surgery for colon cancer.
SASIDHARAN TARAVATH
Sasidharan Taravath came to Charleston about 10 years ago believing it was a good area in which to practice and make a difference as a pediatric neurologist and sleep medicine specialist. Since then he’s become medical director of Thomas Memorial Hospital’s Sleep Disorders Center and helped start a chapter of the Epilepsy Foundation in West Virginia. The group provides support to families with children who have seizure disorders.
Taravath says there is still ignorance about epilepsy, which can make it a challenge for those with the disorder to find employment.
“They have difficulty in finding access to care,” he adds. “It’s a social disease also.”
Taravath also works with patients suffering from sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, restless legs, narcolepsy and insomnia. Lack of sleep over time can deteriorate one’s health and quality of life, he says.
Fantasy Camps for Grownups
For some, it’s the opportunity to experience a childhood dream. Or it’s a chance to discover more about the world and themselves by taking on a new and exciting challenge.
Others may simply find it a refreshing change from traditional beach or mountain vacations.
Whatever their reasons, more and more adults are planning fantasy camp vacations.
From playing baseball or guitar with the stars to guest piloting a combat aircraft, here’s a look at some of the many possibilities:
Adventure
At Air Combat USA people can fly with an experienced pilot in an SIAI Marchetti aircraft, take over the controls and engage in aerial dogfights with others in the class—all while pulling 4 to 5 Gs.
“This becomes very interactive, very dynamic. You could be right side up, upside down, whatever it takes,” says Air Combat USA’s marketing director, Denise Jennings.
The combat air course, which lasts from 2 hours to a day, is available in about 30 different cities across the U.S.
High speed adventure can also be found much closer to the ground at the Richard Petty Driving Experience.
You can ride shotgun in an authentic 600 horsepower NASCAR- style stock car with an instructor, or take the wheel yourself at speeds of up to 160 mph. You can do eight laps in one session (up to a half day) or 80 laps in eight sessions (up to a day and a half).
The racecar driving experience is offered at more than 20 tracks across the country.
Cowgirl University and the Sankey Rodeo School are two unique vacation opportunities centered around the American Old West.
You can ride horses, rope dummy cows and learn about leather tooling and chuck wagon cooking at Cowgirl University, which is part of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas. Courses range from two-hour classes to three-day women’s retreats.
Men can participate in many of the Cowgirl University events, but they’ll probably find more fun at the Sankey Rodeo School riding horses bareback and saddle bronc or bull riding. The program runs about three to four days and is offered across the nation.
Entertainment/Sports
Baseball fans can play alongside some famous names at the National Baseball Hall of Fame Fantasy Camp in October.
Campers spend about a week in Cooperstown, New York, playing baseball at Doubleday Field with Hall of Famers such as George Brett, Fergie Jenkins, Phil Niekro and Ozzie Smith. The experience also includes a golf tournament, gourmet meals, four-star resort accommodations and baseball-related gifts, says Darci Harrington, the Baseball Hall of Fame’s fantasy camp coordinator.
Another baseball fantasy opportunity is Baseball Training Camp in Sarasota, Florida.
For those who are more rock than jock, Camp Jam in Atlanta may be the perfect trip.
The 2 1/2-day program is for people with some musical experience who want a chance to play in a band with real rock musicians. Some of the professionals include drummer Liberty DeVitto (who’s performed with Billy Joel and others) and guitarist Peter Stroud (who’s performed with Sheryl Crow).
Camp Jam winds up with a chance to perform in a concert, with family and friends in attendance.
No experience is necessary for those whose dreams include soaring through the air on a flying trapeze.
The Trapeze School New York also has chapters in Baltimore and Boston, where you can take one or several 2-hour classes. Student acrobats can swing off of platforms 23 feet up in the air (with safety harnesses and nets) and get a chance to perform a trick with a catcher.
“It allows people a certain freedom they never realized they could have,” says Brian McVicker, president of the school’s Baltimore chapter.
Student-based performances are sometimes held for family, friends and the general public, McVicker says.
Science
The U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, has a Space Academy for Adults with weekend or weeklong programs.
Training activities simulate liftoff, G-forces and disorientation from space travel, and the sensation of walking on the moon. There’s also a simulated shuttle mission, such as rescuing a crippled satellite or docking with an international space station.
Fans of Indiana Jones have probably thought at least once about becoming an archaeologist. Programs such as the Museum Expedition Archaeology Camp give you a chance to do real field research/excavation work with scientists in uncovering historical mysteries. The camp, which is divided into half-week and full-week sessions over the summer, is run by the Alabama Museum of Natural History in Tuscaloosa. There’s also time for more traditional camp activities, such as hiking, fishing, canoeing and volleyball.
Wannabe crime sleuths and CSI fans may find the perfect mind challenge at Hellscenes in Ashtabula, Ohio—a crime scene fantasy camp.
During their 2 1/2 days at Hellscenes, campers must solve a mock crime complete with a crime scene setup, witnesses, suspects and victims.
“It’s as real as it gets without calling the coroner,” says Emelia Lindberg, Hellscenes’ vice president of media relationships. “They even get doughnuts.”
For more help finding your perfect fantasy camp, check out these websites:
www.incredible-adventures.com
www.grownupcamps.com
www.iwishicould.net
In it for the Long Haul
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