Neighborhood News Bureau

Category: COMMUNITY

They stress fundamentals on the gridiron and lessons in life

Andrew Caplan | NNB
For eight years, local football standout Louis Murphy Jr. and his 1st Downs 4 Life organization have conducted a one-day camp at Lakewood High School.

BY ANDREW CAPLAN
NNB Student Reporter

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?”

That quotation from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one that Louis Murphy Jr. said he lives by every day.

So when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver stepped back onto Lakewood High School’s football field earlier this month, he had one mission in mind: to give back.

It’s a responsibility that was instilled in him early in life by his father, the Rev. Louis M. Murphy Sr., and mother, Filomena Murphy, who died of breast cancer in 2008.

For eight years, Murphy Jr.’s organization, 1st Downs 4 Life, has conducted a one-day football and cheerleading camp at the high school where he once starred. The wide receiver and his crew spend the day with area youths, teaching both fundamentals and life lessons.

The free camp was filled with youngsters ages 8 to 18. Their mentors were former collegiate and professional athletes like Gerard Warren, a former defensive tackle who was the NFL’s No. 3 overall draft pick in 2001; former USF safety Jerrell Young; Cornell Green, a former offensive tackle who won a Super Bowl with the Bucs in 2002; and Henry Lawrence, a former offensive lineman who has several Pro Bowl honors and three Super Bowl rings.

Andrew Caplan | NNB
Murphy’s father, the Rev. Louis M. Murphy Sr. (in orange shirt), leads some of the high school campers in prayer.

“I think we should always give back and lend a helping hand,” said Murphy, 28.

He believes it’s his job as a professional athlete to be a role model for young people. And they agree.

“It lets us know that there are people out here that still care about the black community and the kids around it,” said Nyquel Alexander, a 2015 Lakewood graduate who plans to play in college. “This camp helped me become a man and make smart choices while I was in high school.”

Indian Rocks Christian running back Theo Anderson said the camp is “very important” to him, too.

“I think, honestly, this camp is about 60 percent life and 40 percent work,” he said.

Anderson, 16, said he is considering attending the University of Wisconsin after he graduates in January. He said he is following the instructions at the camp: Do well in school and dream big.

* * * * * * * *

Murphy started 1st Downs 4 Life in 2008, shortly after his mother passed away. He said he remembers her working with some of the most troubled youths in the area at a juvenile delinquent center. He once asked her why.

Her response was that the kids needed someone to encourage them and be a positive influence, Murphy said. “She had a heart for kids that were troubled.”

Now with the help of volunteers, his goal is to give youngsters the same kind of encouragement.

“We coach character and discipline,” he said. “Being a stand-up guy in the community, your classroom, on your little league football team, high school football team and being a leader. Those are the things we really preach to these kids.”

Andrew Caplan | NNB
Former collegiate and NFL linebacker Juan Long, shown coaching two campers, says Murphy Jr. has proven that “if you work hard and stay committed to your craft, anything is possible.”

Volunteer coach Justin Black, a former cornerback at West Liberty University, said he has been with the camp since year one, when he was in high school. Black, 23, spent his afternoon coaching the defensive backs.

“I learned from my own experiences that putting emphasis on the little things will help you achieve great things on and off the field,” he said. “Just spending time plays a huge impact in a child’s life.”

First-time camp volunteer Juan Long, a former Mississippi State and NFL linebacker, said even though it is a football camp, the goal is to see the attendees become great citizens in the St. Petersburg area.

Although going pro is unlikely for most kids at the camp, Long said, it’s not impossible. Defensive end Dante Fowler, a 1st Downs 4 Life alum, was recently the No. 3 overall selection in the 2015 NFL draft.

“A lot of times kids see people on TV they can’t really relate to it,” Long said. “But by Louis being here, he’s showing them directly that if you work hard and stay committed to your craft, anything is possible.”

The camp ended with a few words of wisdom from those close to Murphy.

Green told the young athletes to make good life decisions. Do your education right, he said. “Invest in you.”

Warren told them to have respect for others as well as themselves.

And Murphy’s father, the senior pastor at Mt. Zion Progressive Missionary Baptist Church, urged them not to let others talk them into anything, but rather follow their own desires.

* * * * * * * *

Andrew Caplan | NNB
Murphy Jr., says his mother, who died in 2008, and his father (left) taught him the importance of giving back. “The success of these kids inspires me and motivates me to keep going,” he says.

Unlike past years, the camp did not host its annual basketball game on the same weekend.

Murphy Jr. said he plans to have future events spread throughout the year to offer more guidance and build stronger relationships with the youngsters.

Before year’s end, he said, he plans to host a backpack giveaway, a toy drive and a charity kickball game and start a mentoring program. He wants to offer guidance to not just football players, but entire communities.

On July 25, 1st Downs 4 Life will host another football camp at Stetson University in DeLand.

“It’s a joy and a blessing to pour into these kids,” Murphy said. “The success of these kids inspires me and motivates me to keep going.”

July 17, 2015
To counter the impact of poverty, they stress early childhood education

Bianca Soler | NNB
Many youngsters enter elementary school already lagging behind children from other neighborhoods, says Angela Merck, who is better known to her students as Ms. Peaches.

BY BIANCA SOLER
NNB Student Reporter

ST. PETERSBURG – Shortly after the doors opened at 6:30 on a recent morning, a 5-year-old girl was playing with plastic figurines of marine wildlife – confident she may be a marine biologist one day. Two other children were trying to fix a frozen computer program. Others worked on puzzles, blocks, and art projects.

School may be out for the summer, but the 112 youngsters in the pre-kindergarten summer camp at the Children’s Center at Mt. Zion Progressive Missionary Baptist Church are being challenged to learn and grow.

“This might be a day care or a summer camp, but we aren’t here to babysit,” said office manager Angela Merck, better known to the children as Ms. Peaches. “We’re here to teach these kids. The younger they learn, the better.”

Experts agree that the pre-kindergarten years are crucial, especially in neighborhoods like those around Mt. Zion, the Midtown church that has the largest black congregation in St. Petersburg.

Generational poverty abounds in Midtown and Childs Park, and adults like Merck and the Rev. Louis M. Murphy Sr., Mt. Zion’s senior pastor, worry that many youngsters enter elementary school already lagging behind their peers from more affluent neighborhoods.

“We want to bring an effective change in these parts, specifically within a two-mile radius of where we are,” Murphy said. “We need to be proactive in preparing our children with alternatives other than the street, and the only way to do that is start at age 0.”

Murphy says early childhood education is at the core of what Mt. Zion is trying to do for the betterment of the community. And he isn’t alone in stressing that.

Lauren Hensley | NNB
“We all pay for the price of poverty, especially the children,” says County Commissioner Ken Welch.

Other leaders in St. Petersburg, such as County Commissioner Ken Welch, also emphasize the need for early childhood education, saying the lack of education figures in the high poverty rate in the area.

“Some people don’t realize the impact that poverty has on our economy and how it affects each of us directly,” Welch said. “Poverty causes people to be sicker (and leads to) higher rates of arrest and lower education outcomes. We all pay for the price of poverty, especially the children.”

Poverty is often generational, Welch said. “If the grandparents are poor, the parents are poor and the kids are poor unless we do something to encourage these young kids to succeed.”

According to reading scores on state tests, five of the state’s worst elementary schools in 2014 were in southern St. Petersburg. Four of them were in Midtown.

The county school district and the state have made changes in the leadership and teaching staffs at those schools and put special emphasis on reading, math, student discipline and parental involvement.

At the Mt. Zion Children’s Center, those objectives were already in place. The goal there is to build a community of learners by giving youngsters an early childhood experience that encourages independence, confidence, social skills, and responsibility.

“We want children to grow up confident, and most importantly respectful not only of other people but of every creature,” Ms. Peaches said. “That’s why the children have two pet guinea pigs and a pet rabbit that they help take care of.”

During the school year, Mt. Zion offers voluntary pre-kindergarten and before- and after-care service for children in grades K-5.

Lauren Hensley | NNB
“We believe instilling the right path and morals begins at age 0, not at 2 years or 5 years,” says senior pastor Louis M. Murphy Sr.

The church’s goal “is to expand the facility so that we can start bringing in infants because we believe that education should start at age 0,” Ms. Peaches said. “That’s part of why we developed the Vision 300 plan because we just don’t have the space to do that right now.”

Vision 300 is a five-year plan initiated by Murphy and church leaders. The goal is to raise $1 million to expand the church and its children’s programs.

“There are so many kids that get off track in their education and in their spiritual path,” said Murphy. “They end up on the streets. It is critical to instill good morals and values at a very early age and not wait until children enter elementary school.”

Murphy and Ms. Peaches realize that some students who attend the summer camp or voluntary pre-K program get little support at home. Some students receive no help with homework.

“We assign homework and the next day a student will come back with it incomplete,” Ms. Peaches said. “That’s not their fault. We motivate them to learn here and they’re excited about it, but that excitement needs to continue on even after they leave here and go home. That’s why we set aside time for homework assistance for those children who don’t get it at home.”

“As teachers and parents we must remember … that a positive self-image is the main ingredient to a child’s success,” said Children’s Center director Shakeyba Greene. “It is our job as parents and teachers to make this a priority.”

July 16, 2015
University strives to be ‘beacon of hope’ for Midtown students

Lauren Hensley | NNB
Some of the youngsters at the camp, shown here with camp leader Lindsey Hosier (in blue T-shirt), have never been to the beach or to downtown St. Petersburg.

BY LAUREN HENSLEY
and SHELBY BOURGEOIS
NNB Student Reporters

ST. PETERSBURG – From atop the new College of Business building going up at the University of South Florida, Fred Bennett says, you will be able to see some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.

They are places where unemployment and crime are high, opportunities and ambition low. And they are home to several of the state’s most challenged elementary schools.

Many of the students in those schools “have never been outside their ZIP code,” said Bennett, a former executive for Lykes Bros. Inc. who is now an adjunct instructor and community liaison in the College of Education. “They live not 20 minutes from the beach and had no idea it was there.”

Since the summer of 2013, students and faculty at the university have had a partnership with one of those schools, Fairmount Park Elementary at 575 41st St. S. They have hosted camps on the university campus, led field trips and volunteered in the struggling school’s classrooms.

It’s been eye-opening.

They have learned, for example, that some of the school’s students had never left their neighborhood. That some had never seen downtown St. Petersburg. That driving over the Howard Frankland Bridge felt like being on a rocket ship.

“I was reading a book about being a kid for a small group and they didn’t know what a roller coaster was,” said Tiffany Lyp, a student volunteer. “It’s just hard for me to know they don’t really know anything outside of their backyards and neighborhoods.”

At the center of the USFSP-Fairmount Park partnership is Bennett, who says the university is in a special position to help Fairmount Park and other struggling schools in the Midtown and Childs Park neighborhoods just south of Central Avenue.

“I always wonder, are we shining like an ivory tower right next to these neighborhoods?” said Bennett. “Our College of Business has this big beautiful building going up, and from the top of that building you’re going to see some of the most impoverished neighborhoods in the area. What kind of irony is that?

He said he prefers to think of the university not as an ivory tower “but a beacon of hope for these students in St. Pete as well as shining the light of knowledge for them to see.”

Fairmount Park is less than 4 miles from the university campus, but it can seem much farther.

Reading scores at the school were so bad that in 2014 state education officials labeled it the second worst elementary in Florida – one of five St. Petersburg elementaries in the bottom 25. The others were Melrose, Campbell Park, Lakewood and Maximo.

In response, the Pinellas School District and the state have made changes in the leadership and teaching staffs at the schools and put new emphasis on math, reading, student discipline and parental involvement.

Nina Pollauf, the principal of Fairmount Park Elementary, said the support her school has received from the university has been a blessing.

“Our relationship with USFSP has extended so many learning and enrichment opportunities for our students,” said Pollauf.

She said the literacy coaches, guidance counselors, field trips and other resources provided by the university have complemented the work of Fairmount’s staff.

“It has truly added so much to what we do that would not be there without Fred and USFSP,” Pollauf said.

To date, the university has had more than 200 student volunteers working with Fairmount Park students and their teachers.

Lauren Hensley | NNB
Once an executive in private business, Fred Bennett now guides the university’s partnership with Fairmount Park Elementary and other struggling schools.

This summer, for the third year in a row, USF is hosting a summer camp for students from Fairmount Park. Some students from Campbell Park are there as well.

In previous years, the summer camp has offered third and fourth graders the opportunity to learn how to sail a boat, kayak and swim, take field trips to Fort De Soto Park and Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, attend a Tampa Bay Rays game and participate in a variety of educational activities.

The camp was designed to operate on a budget of $30,000. That’s enough to hire four teachers from the school district and eight students from the university and pay for field trips and activities.

But only $5,000 is available this year – all of it from the Tampa Bay Rays Foundation – so Bennett says there are only 32 elementary students and four USFSP counselors and fewer activities during the camp, which began June 22 and ends July 24.

“We are going to use this summer to build a better curriculum and some better assessment tools,” he said.
In its partnership with Fairmount Park, “our goal is to engage the elementary students and get them excited about their future,” said Bennett. “We also want to inspire students from the College of Education to go out into the community and make a difference.”

Pinellas County has “over 20 schools that are considered high need, the majority of them right here in St. Pete,” said Bennett. “Maybe we can’t go and fight ISIS, but this is real. This is tangible. This is something we can affect right here in our backyard.”

Want to help?

If you’re interested in volunteering at Fairmount Park or another high-need school in St. Petersburg, contact Fred Bennett at (727) 873-4949 or fjbennet@mail.usf.edu.

July 15, 2015
For St. Petersburg College, a big new building and a challenge

NNB | Lauren Hensley
When it opens in August, the college’s new Midtown Center will have four times its current space.

BY ANDREW CAPLAN
NNB Student Reporter

ST. PETERSBURG – When St. Petersburg College’s sparkling new Midtown Center opens in August, the three-story, $15-million building will have six regular classrooms, three computer labs, two science labs, a career center, and a bookstore.

It will also have a challenge: Convince the people of Midtown that it wants to help revitalize the area, not dominate it.

The college has been on the city’s historic 22nd Street S – called “the Deuces” since it was the main street of the black community during the days of segregation – for more than a decade. But when it moves into its new building on 13th Avenue, it will have four times the space, far more students and a greatly expanded agenda.

The man in charge is the placid, well-spoken provost of the college’s Midtown and downtown campuses, Kevin Gordon.

Gordon, a native of St. Petersburg and graduate of Gibbs High School, is aware that some Midtown residents fear the college will gradually take over the neighborhood, pushing out some of the people and businesses that have called it home for many years.

But Gordon, 51, doesn’t want people to worry. “Our only agenda is community partnership,” he said.

The college will be a place where nearby residents can pursue a traditional two-year associate degree or certification in fields that require schooling for six months to a year, he said.

“I think at the end of the day, we’re really putting our money where our mouth is, in terms of really coming in and being a partner in the community,” he said. “Being able to address the issue of poverty is really important to me.”

In his mind, he said, Midtown “is a perfect place to be because a college degree is within walking distance if you want it. The hope is to be part of the stimulus for revitalization in Midtown.”

Facing uphill battles and changing views is nothing new for Gordon.

He came to the college in November 2011 from Gibbs High School, where in two and a half years he helped bring improvements in academic performance, student conduct and parental involvement.

NNB | Lauren Hensley
The new building will complement the neighborhood’s recent resurgence, says Kevin Gordon, provost for the college’s Midtown and downtown campuses.

When he returned to his alma mater, he inherited the school district’s first F-rated high school. Nearly 1,200 of the school’s 1,900 students were underachievers on the state’s Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, with proficiency scores of Level 1 or 2 out of 5, he said.

In his first year as principal, he said, the school identified and attempted to reverse the downward paths of about 400 students who were “severely off track” for graduation.

By his second year, Gordon said, the school began a “cohort model,” which allowed students to work with a guidance counselor and an assistant principal to address discipline and grade issues. Those who failed a course or needed further help were put in a credit recovery program right away, instead of waiting for their senior year, he said.

By the time he left, Gibbs’ state grade was a B, Gordon said.

“I was pretty satisfied with my performance as a principal,” he said. “But there’s always things that you wish you could’ve done that you didn’t get to.”

As a student at Gibbs years before, Gordon starred in track and basketball. He earned a bachelor’s in economics from Florida State and seemed headed for a future in computers, programming and information systems.

That changed when he volunteered at a Junior Achievement event designed to show high school students how to start a business, he said. He saw the need to help others, left his customer service job at a bank and got into teaching.

He joined the Pinellas County school system in 1987 as a teacher and became assistant principal at Clearwater High from 1996 to 2003. He was principal of John Hopkins Middle School and then High Point Elementary before moving to Gibbs in 2009.

Along the way, he received a master’s in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of South Florida in Tampa.

St. Petersburg College has had a presence in Midtown since 2003, when it moved into a one-story, 10,000-square-foot building at 1048 22nd St. S.

In the years since then, the historic street has seen the stirrings of a comeback. A federal Job Corps training facility serving more than 200 students, a federal credit union and a shopping center have sprung up, and two long-shuttered icons of the segregation era – the Manhattan Casino and Mercy Hospital – have reopened with new entities inside.

On the northern flank of Midtown, meanwhile, an arts district has taken shape.

SPC’s new Midtown Center, on 3.7 acres at 1300 22nd St. S, would seem to complement the neighborhood’s resurgence. It is named for the late Douglas L. Jamerson Jr., a Midtown native who served as a state legislator and state commissioner of education.

NNB | Lauren Hensley
The building, which bears the name of the late Douglas L. Jamerson Jr., a Midtown native and state legislator, will have two science labs.

But some have reservations about an institution that, to outsiders, can sometimes appear to be a bureaucratic behemoth.

A fiery protest erupted last year when the St. Petersburg Housing Authority invited the college to help run the African-American museum at 2240 Ninth Ave. S. The college quickly backed out.

A few months later, there were more misgivings when the college bought an empty gym building at 1201 22nd St. S.

Since then, the college has had meetings to get input from residents and community institutions. There are plans to use the gym as a community outreach center, Gordon said, and the new Midtown Center will have resources for the community on the first floor.

Registration for the fall semester opened in mid-June, and the building’s grand opening – with a ribbon cutting and tours – will be at 11 a.m. Aug. 1.

After that, Gordon said, he hopes to see hundreds of students and Midtown residents in the new building, working their way toward a brighter future.

July 5, 2015
In a once-gritty industrial area, they create art

Courtesy of Five Deuces Galleria

Story and photos BY PHIL LAVERY
NNB Student Reporter

ST. PETERSBURG – Drawn by low rent and abundant space, artists have flocked to the northern flank of Midtown in recent years. In once-empty warehouses, they are painting on canvas, sculpting in copper and blowing hot glass into objets d’art.

One of the converted warehouses is called Five Deuces Galleria, a three-building complex of studios and galleries at 222 22nd St. S that is a production center for art and aspirations.

Meet four of the artists who work there.

* * * * * * * *

Melissa Harasz

She comes from a family of artists and painters and has been painting since she was 9. Now 55, Harasz swims competitively and specializes in underwater scenes.

She pays a little more than $400 for an air-conditioned studio.

She says she likes the vibe of the Warehouse Arts District and its proximity to downtown.

“My process begins with a photograph. Once I study the photo, I’ll allow my imagination to take over.”

This oil-on-canvas painting of a man swimming underwater is typical of Harasz’s work.

This scene is one of her favorites.

* * * * * * * *

Maureen McCarthy

Art was just a hobby for her until her divorce a year ago.

Now she restores furniture full time and paints with oil on canvas.

After looking all over town, McCarthy, 44, decided to rent a studio at Five Deuces.

“There were studios where the rent was cheaper, but they felt cold. I looked for three weeks and settled on this place. My studio has got a warm feeling to it, which is very conducive to my creative process.”

McCarthy likes to paint landscapes, like this scene of a Florida sunset.

This is an old living room table made new, an example of the small tile pieces that McCarthy likes to use in her restorations.

* * * * * * * *

Sean Alton

Alton, 55, works with copper and glass sculpturing. “We get a lot of foot traffic” at Five Deuces, he says. It “has a good draw, being in the Warehouse Arts District. It’s a pretty cool place.”

“I consider myself a surrealist sculptor, incorporating people with animals in a non-sexual way. I started working with metal as a jeweler. In 1995 I left that job and began experimenting with copper sculpting, eventually adding glass to my sculptures.”

In copper sculpting, a mass of copper is melted in a kiln, usually several times. Once the cooper is removed, Alton does the enameling, which is adding class to the surface. Here is a finished copper sculpture with enamel.

In this 2-foot-long piece, an alligator is eating a person alive.

* * * * * * * *

Jim Corp

He has been a woodworker, a fisherman, a real estate developer and a business owner. Now Corp, 68, is an artist who says his work is half digital, half oil-on-canvas.

“The process of creation between digital prints and hand paintings are different, as one requires a computer and the other is by hand. How I find my inspiration, however, is pretty much the same. Even working with digital prints, coming up with an idea and then manifesting that into something tangible, is exactly the same as painting by hand.”

This is one of Corp’s digital prints. Its abstract style is a theme in most of his digital work. The printer he uses is expensive and requires a special ink toner.

This hand painting has the look of Andy Warhol. Notice the Campbell’s Soup cans at the bottom.

June 30, 2015
Up and down the Deuces: new businesses, new hope

Story by REBEKAH DAVILA
Photos by REBEKAH DAVILA, CANDICE RESHEF,
ZACHARY GIPSON-KENDRICK and LAUREN HENSLEY
NNB Student Reporters

ST. PETERSBURG – When Mac Arthur was a teenager, he and his friends liked to gather at Jesse Henderson’s sundries store on 22nd Street S and Ninth Avenue.

It “used to be a soda pop shop,” he said. “It is where we used to bring our girlfriends to hang out and dance.”

Arthur, now 60, said he has lived in the Midtown area for years. “I grew up here. I attended what is now John Hopkins Middle School and Gibbs High School.”

When he turned 18, he said, he left and joined the military “because the biggest issue in Midtown was that there weren’t any opportunities for young black men at the time.”

The soda pop shop is gone now, like virtually all the old businesses. But when Arthur stopped to shop at a small grocery on 22nd Street earlier this month, he noted signs of change up and down the street, which locals still call “the Deuces.”

“There are a lot of businesses opening up around here, and hopefully it will change the area for the better,” said Arthur.

Rebekah Davila | NNB

* * * * * * * *

The newest business is Deuces BBQ at 911 22nd St. S. It opened April 15 in one of four buildings that entrepreneurs Elihu and Carolyn Brayboy are restoring.

Time was when barbecue was a fixture on the Deuces. For years, John “Geech” Black served up barbecue with his special, secret sauce from a stand on 22nd Street and Eighth Avenue.

Geech’s closed in the early 1980s, however, and Deuces BBQ owners Patrick “PT” Collins and Kevin Egulf hope to resume the tradition.

Rebekah Davila | NNB

* * * * * * * *

“One of the really unique things about Deuces BBQ is that we use pecan chips to smoke all of our meat,” said restaurant manager Tim Richardson. “That isn’t typical, and it makes for a great tasting product.”

Deuces BBQ serves barbecue chicken, baby back ribs, spare ribs and pulled pork. It is open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Rebekah Davila | NNB

* * * * * * * *

Two doors north of Deuces BBQ is Chief’s Creole Café, which opened last year in a building that once housed Sidney Harden’s grocery store and the Washington Beer Garden.

Candice Reshef | NNB

Rebekah Davila | NNB

* * * * * * * *

The Brayboys, who grew up in Midtown and remember when 22nd Street was the vibrant main street of the black community, own this building, too. They also run the restaurant, which features the nickname of Elihu Brayboy’s take-charge mother – Chief – and some of her Louisiana recipes.

Candice Reshef | NNB

* * * * * * * *

Diners at Chief’s can choose between the tastefully appointed dining room and the courtyard outside.

Zachary Gipson-Kendrick | NNB

Rebekah Davila | NNB

* * * * * * * *

One of the Brayboys’ first tenants was Carla Bristol, who opened Gallerie 909 at 909 22nd St. S in April 2014. The gallery showcases the work of African-American artists, and the exhibits rotate every few weeks.

Bristol has made her cozy shop more than a gallery. There are impromptu musical sessions, photo shoots, wine tastings and spoken-word performances.

Zachary Gipson-Kendrick | NNB

* * * * * * * *

Up the street, at 642 22nd St., is another restaurant. Sylvia’s Queen of Soul Food, which opened in November 2013, is an affiliate of the famous Sylvia’s in Harlem. Like its namesake, it serves home-style soul food. It is open six days a week, with a jazz brunch on Saturday and a gospel Sunday brunch.

Rebekah Davila | NNB

* * * * * * * *

Above Sylvia’s is the Manhattan Casino, which in its heyday hosted everything from school proms, civic club meetings and society teas to performances by black entertainers like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington who were barred from whites-only venues.

The Manhattan closed in 1968 and for many years stood vacant. The city eventually bought and restored it, and the new Manhattan opened in October 2011. It promises “affordable elegance in the heart of St. Petersburg” for meetings, banquets, special occasion parties and wedding receptions.

Candice Reshef | NNB

* * * * * * * *

For years, residents of Midtown complained that the neighborhood lacked a grocery store. That meant people had to shop at higher-priced convenience stores or find transportation to a full-services grocery outside the neighborhood.

In 2005, Midtown finally got a Sweetbay Supermarket in a shopping center that the city spent $7 million to assemble at 22nd Street S and 18th Avenue. It was named Tangerine Plaza. To the dismay of residents and city officials, Sweetbay abruptly pulled out in early 2013.

But Walmart put a Neighborhood Market in the space in 2014, bringing an estimated 100 jobs. The shopping center is now called Midtown Plaza.

Rebekah Davila | NNB

* * * * * * * *

St. Petersburg College has offered classes at 1048 22nd St. S since 2003. But on Aug. 1 it will cut the ribbon on a new three-story, $15 million Midtown Center at 1300 22nd St. S that will quadruple the space and serve far more students.

The college has also bought a gym and community center across the street. It intends to establish a community outreach center there.

Earlier this month, workers were putting the finishing touches on the building’s exterior and installing desks and furniture in six regular classrooms, three computer labs, two science labs, a career center and a bookstore.

The building is named for the late Douglas L. Jamerson Jr., a Midtown native who served as a state legislator and state commissioner of education.

Rebekah Davila | NNB

Lauren Hensley | NNB

Lauren Hensley | NNB

* * * * * * * *

In recent years, artists have discovered Midtown. Now at least 200 of them are working in studios sprinkled around the northern part of the area.

Long-empty warehouses that offered abundant space and cheap rent were the initial attraction. Now a nonprofit organization of artists in the Warehouse Arts District has bought six old buildings at the intersection of 22nd Street S and Fifth Avenue that it intends to turn into studio space with reasonable rent.

The president of the nonprofit is Mark Aeling, a sculptor who moved his MGA Sculpture Studio from St. Louis to Midtown in 2005. His studio provides distinctive sculpture pieces to clients all over the country.

Here, Charlotte Chieco is working on a sculpture of Benjamin Franklin for an educational exhibit in Discovery Park of America in Union City, Tennessee.

Rebekah Davila | NNB

* * * * * * * *

The northern flank of Midtown is also home to several craft breweries. They are a five-minute drive from downtown and have become favorite haunts for beer enthusiasts.

3 Daughters Brewing at 222 22nd St. S claims to be the largest craft brewery in St. Petersburg. The brew house is open seven days a week. On tap are 14 beers including Beach Blonde Ale and Bimini Twist IPA.

Rebekah Davila | NNB

June 30, 2015
Where freight trains once rumbled, artists fire up clay creations

Candice Reshef | NNB

Photos and story BY KELSEY AL
NNB Student Reporter

ST. PETERSBURG – The last locomotive passed through in 1967, but the 1926 brick depot that once helped connect the city to the rest of America is full of life.

Instead of freight cars and citrus, the old depot on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue S and 22nd Street is home to working artists and art appreciators. The St. Petersburg Clay Co. renovated the freight depot in 2000, and the Morean Arts Center for Clay leases year-long studio spaces to six resident artists. A café is open Monday through Saturday.

In the café, there are old photos, model trains and a mural depicting an active train platform. There is also a poem written by the late Rosalie Peck, who grew up in Midtown, became the first black female student at St. Petersburg Junior College and later co-authored two books on the city’s black history with journalist Jon Wilson.

The poem is titled “Remembering 22nd Street: The Way We Were.” It describes the once-bustling street when it was the heart of the black community during decades of segregation:

“It will never be the same, but before our very eyes, it may breathe life again. It may survive and surprise.”

* * * * * * * *

The depot sits alongside the Pinellas Trail, which follows the abandoned railroad corridor. The structure is unaltered, with high, sloping wooden ceilings and a large façade in the front.

In addition to the six studios, space is available for selling finished pieces to visitors, children’s summer camps, and large gatherings such as weddings and receptions.

* * * * * * * *

Artist Kodi Thompson works on his final installation at the Center for Clay. He says that his time in the studio building his portfolio helped him get into graduate school for fine arts. The freight cars, caution cones, and brick wall piece that Thompson is working on in the photo are all made of ceramics.

All six resident artists teach classes. Non-professionals in the community can rent work space by the month, enjoy the friendly atmosphere, and use the variety of electric and gas kilns. They must supply their own clay.

* * * * * * * *

Three times a year, in January, June, and October, a 21-foot outdoor Anagama kiln is fired up. The partially underground tunnel, built according to ancient Japanese techniques, is filled with burning wood to fire ceramic pieces.

Artists must envision the way that the flames, smoke and heat will move through the kiln and arrange pieces accordingly, with minimal space between works to avoid breakage. Here, artist Tyler Houston finishes glazing a piece he built to be put into the kiln.

* * * * * * * *

Over 1,000 clay artworks are loaded into the kiln, which runs 24 hours a day for 12 days. Location in the kiln affects the finish on the pieces, ranging from ashy to glossy, since each work is touched in a unique way. The results are diverse, with an organic texture that cannot be achieved with modern techniques or duplicated.

* * * * * * * *

Loading the kiln is a meticulous process that takes several hours and requires teamwork and planning. The Anagama kiln is truly a community project.

Kathleen Rumpf (not pictured) is a 63-year-old artist who says she has five felonies stemming from her political activism for peace and justice.

“When the process is finished and the pieces come out of the kiln, it’s like the opening of a tomb,” she says. Members of the center form an assembly line to unload the finished works, carefully passing and admiring each piece one by one.

* * * * * * * *

Temperatures are monitored and recorded regularly. They are expected to peak around 2200 degrees Fahrenheit. The wood that fuels the kiln is donated by tree trimming companies that have no use for their scraps. During breaks, the work crew enjoys smokes, beer and snacks.

* * * * * * * *

Loretta Lamore monitors smoke within the kiln from the rear. When visibility increases, she yells, “In the damper!” That alerts the crew up front to gear up with protective gloves and masks so they can load more wood. Approximately every five minutes, she yells, “Stoke please!” That’s the signal for reloading.

About 45 seconds after wood is added, a flame can briefly be seen rising from the chimney.

One the kiln is done firing, the pieces need to cool down for several days before they can be unloaded and admired. Some will be sold, and some will be kept by the artists for personal use.

June 30, 2015
Childhood cancer shaped his work and outlook on life

Lauren Hensley | NNB
Glass artist Jake Pfeifer spent a month as an artist-in-residence at the Duncan McClellan Gallery in Midtown.

BY LAUREN HENSLEY
NNB Student Reporter

ST. PETERSBURG – When he was 5, Jake Pfeifer got a grim diagnosis. He had a malignant, inoperable tumor behind his left eye.

Doctors told his parents he had a 5 percent chance of surviving the next three years.

“The cancer was a very rare childhood malignancy and the prognosis for that particular cancer was very, very poor,” said his mother, Sonya Pfeifer. “We made funeral arrangements for Jake three times.”

Her son underwent aggressive radiation and chemotherapy treatments and spent much of his childhood in the hospital. But he beat the odds. He was pronounced cancer free when he was 15, although he still has side effects from the treatment.

Now 27, Pfeifer is a glass artist with a keen appreciation of life and a remarkable portfolio. He has studied under several renowned glass masters and his work has appeared in galleries across the country.

He spent May as an artist-in-residence at the Duncan McClellan Gallery at 2342 Emerson Ave. S in St. Petersburg’s Warehouse Arts District. His exhibit will be on display there through July 6 and then become part of the gallery’s general collection.

His childhood illness shaped his outlook on life, Pfeifer said. On his website, he compares himself to the Phoenix, the bird of mythology that arises from the ashes to new life.

“I feel I have emerged from the fire, and I am living the life I love; and as chance would have it, I now find myself working with fire,” he said. “From the fire emerge beautiful things – first, my life and, second, the art that I am able to create.”

Glass blowing is hot, delicate work. The artist shapes a mass of glass, which has been softened by intense heat in a furnace, by blowing air into it through a tube, adding color and then cooling it slowly.

Pfeifer graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2010 with a bachelor’s in fine arts and completed a two-year residency at a glass studio in Louisville, Ky. He has been an intern or apprentice at hot shops and galleries around the country, and he has a business – Hot Glass Alley LLC – at a shop in Reading, Pa.

Pfeifer said cancer taught him the value of commitment and determination, and he compares his work with glass to his cancer treatment.

When he is working on a piece of hot, molten glass, he said, he has to stick with it to the end, “even if the outcome is not what I desired.” The piece “undergoes many changes … (and) can almost be lost” but usually turns into something beautiful.

Pfeifer’s diagnosis was a malignant, stage 3 rhabdomyosarcoma – an inoperable tumor behind his left eye that was penetrating his brain.

He was so ill that his doctors sent him on a “Make-a-Wish” trip with his brothers and sister. By the time he was 10, he had attended the funerals of many children whom he had befriended during his long stays in the hospital.

His mother is a nurse and his father, Michael, is an endocrinologist. Their experience in the medical field affected the way they approached their son’s diagnosis and treatment.

“We decided early on, just from watching other patients and families with this disease, that this could either destroy our family or bring us closer together,” said Sonya Pfeifer. “We circled our wagons and made sure that we grew together as a family.”

Pfeifer’s parents were determined that he would not only survive, but thrive. Despite the intense cancer treatments, their son kept up with his education.

“We never allowed Jake to use his illness as an excuse for anything,” Sonya said. “He was never held back in school even though he was in the hospital.”

The radiation made reading a little more difficult, but Pfeifer excelled in other areas.

Lauren Hensley | NNB
Cancer taught him the value of commitment and determination, Pfeifer says.

“He was a math genius and he was very good with his hands,” his mother said. “He just naturally gravitated towards things that were comfortable to do. Glass has a component of science in math in it. He has to be able to understand the chemistry and the measurements; that was easy for him to grasp.”

Pfeifer says his interest in glass was sparked at the age of 14 when he saw glass artists at work in Bermuda. His mother recalls his creative inclinations beginning much earlier than that.

“He always liked Legos and coloring and building blocks. Most of the things that he liked to do were three dimensional, like glass is,” Sonya said. “He has always been very good with working with his hands. He has a lot of fine motor skills and is very agile.”

Michael Rogers, one of Pfeifer’s professors at RIT, said the faculty is proud of his accomplishments in art.

“I was aware of some health issues, but Jake didn’t talk about it,” Rogers said. “He’s a guy who didn’t want to be defined by an illness” and refused special treatment.

“It’s great to see Jake being successful and doing what he loves,” Rogers said.

During his month at the Duncan McClellan Gallery in St. Petersburg, Pfeifer devoted attention to his latest project, a series inspired by his heritage.

“My grandfather was 25 percent Cherokee. I know I’m only Native American by a small percentage, but it really shaped the way that I grew up,” Pfeifer said. “Mom always had Native American art in the house, and it was something we talked about regularly.”

The vases and bowls in this series feature bright colors and patterns.

“Traditionally, Native American art wouldn’t have all of the bright colors that my pieces do, but that’s my interpretation of my heritage,” said Pfeifer. “I like to think of it as a combination of who I am and where I came from.”

Now that his stint in St. Petersburg is over, Pfeifer said, Florida may well figure in his future. He is considering moving to Florida and opening a studio in Sarasota.

“I love the South,” he said. “I grew up in Kentucky and I’m really looking forward to building my business in an area that I love,” Pfeifer said.

Want to know more?

Jake Pfeifer’s work will be featured through July 6 at the Duncan McClelland Gallery, 2342 Emerson Ave. S in St. Petersburg and then go into the gallery’s general collection. His website is at hotglassalley.com.

June 28, 2015
Bottoms up! Distillery trades on St. Pete’s name, new image

Caitlin Ashworth | NNB
At the Mandarin Hide bar in St. Petersburg, a cocktail called “Florida Lady” is made from St. Petersburg Distillery’s Old St. Pete Tropical Gin and Tippler’s Orange Liqueur.

BY CAITLIN ASHWORTH
NNB Student Reporter

ST. PETERSBURG – For years, national publications taunted St. Petersburg as “God’s waiting room” – a “city of green benches” where hordes of listless seniors shared downtown sidewalks with the pigeons.

“The old people sit, passengers in a motionless streetcar without destination,” Holiday magazine said in 1958.

How things have changed.

Now the city is a hip, trendy destination for millennials and tourists – so hip, in fact, that a family recycling business that relocated from Michigan in 1997 has started a distillery that trades on St. Petersburg’s name and uses iconic city photos of yesteryear in its marketing.

“Welcome to the Sunshine City,” say the labels on the bottles of rum and spice, gin, whiskey, and vodka that St. Petersburg Distillery produces on the gritty western flank of Midtown. The labels also feature a golden winking sun – the face of “Old St. Pete” Spirits.

Brothers Steve and Dominic Iafrate Jr., 33 and 35, and their father, Dominic Iafrate Sr., 65, said they developed a love for St. Petersburg, which they call a “hidden gem.” Since relocating their recycling company, Angelo’s Recycled Materials, they have expanded to Orlando, Lakeland and several locations in the Tampa Bay area.

Caitlin Ashworth | NNB
The distillery’s labels feature a golden winking sun, the face of “Old St. Pete” Spirits.

The Iafrates say they saw success in the local craft beer industry and were interested in the craft and quality of microbreweries. They formed a bond with Henry Kasprow, a fourth-generation distiller, which led to the birth of their distillery company.

The Iafrates predict their distillery will help revitalize the Midtown area. After moving their recycling company here, they said, it was the city’s support for the area that drew them to the distillery’s location.

Between 1999 and 2012, the city says, $207.2 million in private and taxpayer money was invested in Midtown, which has seen stirrings of resurgence.

The 30,000-square-foot distillery at 800 31st St. S is within the boundaries of the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area, a legal designation just approved by the city and county that allows local government to set aside property tax revenue increases in the district and plow them back into targeted improvements there.

Daniel Undhammar, St. Petersburg Distillery’s director of product development, said the distillery uses local ingredients and takes pride in the localism of St. Petersburg.

“Even the barcode is in the shape of Florida,” he said.

Undhammar said the distillery knows the importance of detail. Each bottle is marked with the Iafrate signature and a batch and bottle number. Each box of Old St. Pete Spirits contains a vintage-inspired St. Petersburg postcard “from your friends at St. Petersburg Distillery.”

Undhammar, a London native, said he moved from New York to St. Petersburg in the fall to work for the distillery.

He calls the Old St. Pete Tropical Gin “my baby” and said it is a combination of the old world of London and the new world of America. The style comes from gin’s classic ingredient, juniper, which is paired with Florida citruses to give it a modern and local twist, he said.

Unlike traditional gin, which uses only the peel of citrus fruits, the tropical gin uses the entire fruit, giving the gin more depth and flavor, he said.

When it came to right alcohol percentage to deliver a balanced taste, Undhammar said, they found just the right percentage.

Caitlin Ashworth | NNB
Sweet corn whiskey is made with 1930s copper pot stills.

“At 90 proof it (the gin) began to talk to us,” he said.

St. Petersburg Distillery crafts other spirits along with the Old St. Pete line – American Royal Mead, Tippler’s Orange Liqueur, and the Oak & Palm line of mid-tier rum. By the end of summer, it plans to release its mid-tier vodka, Banyan Reserve.

Its Old St. Pete Spirits are now served locally at Cask and Ale, Mandarin Hide, Station House and Sea Salt. And the company is looking to expand.

“We love our hometown,” it says on its website, “and we want to take the spirit of St. Pete all over the country and the world.”

June 28, 2015
A father’s tribute: gym teaches boxing skills and drug awareness

Jeffrey Zanker | NNB
Raymond Montchal stands in front of a painting of him and his late son, Nicholas, “Everybody in Cornerstone walks into the ring with him,” he says.

BY JEFFREY ZANKER
NNB Student Reporter

ST. PETERSBURG – When Raymond Montchal decided to start a boxing club in 2013, he converted his fence company building into a gym, got a boxing promoter license and lined up a partner – his son Nicholas.

Nicholas had boxed as a youth, played football at St. Pete Catholic and worked in his dad’s construction company.

“He wanted to give back to the community and kids that didn’t have the opportunities he had,” his father said.

But Nicholas was recovering from drug problems. He had become addicted to oxycodone after injuring both shoulders in football. He had been arrested twice on drug possession charges and had participated in a drug treatment program when he died of an accidental overdose in March 2014. He was 23.

Raymond Montchal pushed on, determine to teach boxing skills and drug awareness to youngsters in memory of his son.

He named his new venture the Cornerstone Boxing Club after references to cornerstones in the Bible. “When you build anything, the cornerstone is the foundation,” he said.

The club is a tribute to Nicholas, said Montchal. “Everybody in Cornerstone walks into the ring with him.”

Cornerstone started in April 2014 in a 5,500-square-foot building at 2500 Emerson Ave. S. The remodeling cost about $200,000, he said.

The workout gym has fitness machines, boxing bags and a full-size ring. On the walls are painted portraits of Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and other boxers and quotations from boxers and the Bible.

There is also a portrait of Raymond and Nicholas along with thoughts that Nicholas had written in his Bible.

Boxing classes for men, women and children began this month. Members are trained in self-defense, fitness and stress management. The classes cost $85 a month for members. Twenty-five members have signed up.

“We have been getting good business through word of mouth,” Montchal said.

Jeffrey Zanker | NNB
James Battle (left) trains boxer Danny Rosenberger at Cornerstone.

He has signed two professionals who hope to boost their careers boxing for Cornerstone’s professional team – veteran Darnell “Deezol” Boone, a super middleweight (161-168 pounds), and Danny Rosenberg, an amateur welterweight (140-147 pounds) who just turned pro.

Boone, 35, a pro boxer since 2004, said he has defeated three champions, but in his up-and-down career he has more losses than wins.

“My career has been a roller coaster ride,” he said. “But I have no regrets. I just keep going to become better.”

Rosenberger, 25, the son of a former New Jersey middleweight champion, came to Cornerstone at the recommendation of Boone, his sparring partner in Ohio. In his first professional fight, he and welterweight Julian Sosa fought to a draw in Brooklyn on June 4.

For a time, Boone and Rosenberger were joined at the club by Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy, 37, a St. Petersburg native and super middleweight who was once one of boxing’s biggest names. Lacy is now considering retirement, Montchal said.

Lacy and Boone both fought – and won – for Cornerstone in December at the TradeWinds Island Resort. Boone’s defeat of Colombian middleweight Dionisio Miranda with a one-punch knockout gave him his first world title in the National Boxing Association.

Since then, Boone has had two matches. He defeated rising super middleweight Phillip Jackson Benson, but lost to undefeated Russian middleweight Arif Magomedov.

In his spare time, Boone helps train younger boxers. “My experience in boxing is helping them get the real side,” Boone said. “It’s good to give experience to young amateurs you are starting.”

Cornerstone boxers work with James Battle, a trainer, and Robert Allen, a fitness coach.

Battle, 42, said he has trained boxers for 20 years. The deacon at Mt. Zion Primitive Baptist Church on 3700 22nd Ave. S is training more than 10 boxers at Cornerstone.

Allen, 53, works with different groups at Cornerstone. While conditioning the boxers, he also trains a young girls’ aerobatics team and works as a personal fitness trainer away from the gym.

Allen, a St. Petersburg native, works at a nursing home. He has preached at Rock of Jesus Missionary Baptist Church, he said, and he often provides gospel readings to boxers who seek spiritual guidance.

“It is like no other place that I have trained,” Rosenberger said. “They really care about their boxers, in and out of the ring.”

Jeffrey Zanker | NNB
Veteran Darnell “Deezol” Boone, a professional since 2004, also works with younger boxers.

The club’s senior executive director, Chuck Nelson, 76, helped Montchal start the facility and helps manage the fighters. He is a veteran trainer and promoter and founded the K. O. Drugs High School Boxing Tournament in Ohio 27 years ago.

Cornerstone’s facility is still under development, and Montchal said he has been too busy traveling with his team to hold a proper opening.

“It was growing quicker than I can build the infrastructure,” he said. Construction of a swimming pool and steam rooms are in the works.

Cornerstone is promoting a professional boxing and charity event on Aug. 22 at the TradeWinds Island Resort to raise money for the Hope for the Warriors foundation. The nonprofit says it offers programs for members of the military, veterans and their families.

Montchal, a Brooklyn native, said he learned business and management skills through his stockbroker father. He did some street fighting in his youth, he said, and that helped prompt his interest in boxing.

“I don’t fight anymore. I fight with a pencil now,” he said.

He said he moved to Florida at 19 to train and sell thoroughbred horses. He briefly attended St. Petersburg Junior College and eventually became active in construction and real estate.

He owned RJM Communities, a real estate and construction company, and Hurrican Vinyl Fence, then closed them to start Cornerstone.

He lives in Treasure Island with his wife, Kim, and their three children. Kim, who worked with her husband in accounting and decorating, is one of Cornerstone’s managers.

Montchal said he enjoys his new career and wants to continue. His motto is “Submit, commit and have trust and faith in your team.”

“The sole purpose here is to help others and give back,” he said.

Information from boxrec.com and fightnews.com was used in this report.

June 28, 2015