Remembering Dean Smith
by Dean McCord photograph by Missy McLamb When I arrived in Chapel Hill in August of 1981, I had no idea of how my life was about to change. This 17-year old Pennsylvanian had never flown on a plane, or been farther…
Category: Arts & Culture
Spotlight: Where the sun always shines
by Jessie Ammons It’s almost an hour-long drive north from Raleigh to Sunshine Lavender Farm in Hurdle Mills, outside of Hillsborough. But arriving to a cheerful red barn atop a hillside teeming with purple blossoms is well worth the drive….
Ron Doggett: Sharing success
by Todd Cohen photographs by Robert Willett In 1970, 35-year-old Ron Doggett was dealt a tough blow. He was the controller for Philadelphia-based Slim Jim, and over his objections, Slim Jim’s CEO had decided to value warehouse inventory as revenue. When Doggett…
Behind the wall: A secret garden blooms in Raleigh
And the secret garden bloomed and bloomed and every morning revealed new miracles. -Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden by Jesma Reynolds photographs by Catherine Nguyen For more than two decades, Greyson and Garland Tucker have been working together to…
WALTER’S author dinner at the Umstead: The debut of WALTER events
An elegant evening of terrific company, conversation, food, and wine came together when four of the area’s best writers and 100 Walter readers gathered at the Umstead Hotel & Spa for the sold-out debut of Walter events. Local novelists Allan…
Spotlight: Locavores
by Jessie Ammons photograph by Chris Seward, The News & Observer If the abundance of farmers’ markets in our area is any indication, it’s safe to say that eating locally is no longer a trend – it’s here to stay. We’ve…
Spotlight: Theater happenings
There’s no shortage of entertainment in Raleigh, especially when it comes to theater. From dreamy, moonlit Shakespearean nights at the Raleigh Rose Garden, to toe-tapping musical numbers belted from Raleigh Memorial Auditorium’s grand stage, to wild tales of booze, love…
Grit and beauty: The evolution of Justin LeBlanc
by Liza Roberts photographs by Tim Lytvinenko “I need to make.” Justin LeBlanc’s fingers fly across a swath of mesh, attaching zip-ties to fabric in careful rows. “I’m a maker. If I don’t make…I go crazy.” Not that there’s any…
Lessons from lessons
by David Crabtree The wind is cold. Biting. A December wind that rushes, howling by the gothic stone of the Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge. Cold December winds have blown over these stones since the 15th century. Even the War…
Overcoming barriers, building leaders
by Lewis Beale photographs by Nick Pironio When Marco Zárate arrived here from Mexico in 1979 to study for his master’s degree in industrial engineering at N.C. State, he discovered that Hispanic culture in the Triangle was basically nonexistent. No Hispanic markets,…
The piano
by Elaine Neil Orr My 32-year-old son wanted the piano, and I told him he could have it. I hadn’t played it for years. But I put off making the arrangements. Finally I got a piano technician to come to…
Rock star: Bailey McNeill’s jewelry for the cure
by Jessie Ammons photographs by Nick Pironio Growing up, Bailey McNeill always looked forward to her family’s annual summer trip, one she still takes with her grandparents, siblings, and cousins to the mountains for a week of hiking and gemstone mining. It…
Dogs at work
photographs by Juli Leonard Bringing your dog to work can have major benefits. Canine companions make for more than good company – they lower stress levels, boost productivity, and increase camaraderie. Studies prove it’s true. At Walter, we know this first…
Blake Simpson Fricks: A good neighbor
by Todd Cohen Raleigh lawyer Blake Simpson Fricks is the kind of volunteer every nonprofit wishes it had: one so dedicated and effective that the agency is compelled to hire her. That happened in early 2012, after Fricks had volunteered…