Tapestry

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November 2010...

• Postcards from the Gulf
• Need a rap on any topic? Just call the Press Play Hotline...
• Meet Ethel Hall the first African-American to head the state board of education...
• Alabama native and musician Kristy White
• Three to See: What's going on around town
• Don Stewart's history of the Marine Corps...
• An historic Quran at the University of Alabama...
• The forgotten music of Piano Red...
• How to cook a Tofurky for Thanksgiving..

You probably felt a host of emotions as you saw oil wash up on the Gulf Coast-anger at BP, sadness at the environmental damage, fear of what was to come. You probably also felt the urge to help make things better, to do something positive in the wake of an environmental crisis. WBHM's Bradley George has the story of a woman who used vintage postcards and social networking to bring together artists from around the world who share a concern about the Gulf coast.

Interview with Val Webb...

What kind of cellphone do you have? Is it a smartphone with a lot of bells and whistles, or maybe it's something a little more quaint? Birmingham hip hop artist Drizzy Dro (known to his mother as Derek Davis) doesn't have a smartphone, but what he does with his phone is pretty clever. We sent intern Collin Kurre to find out the story behind the Press Play Hotline.

Dial-a-rap with Drizzy Dro...

This January brings to a close the 24 year tenure of Dr. Ethel Hall, the first African American to head the Alabama State Board of Education. In addition to six terms on the Board, she's also been an associate professor at both the University of Alabama and the University of Montevallo - accomplishments from a woman who was educated in segregated schools in North Birmingham. Dr. Hall's own love of learning was fostered by her sharecropper parents who farmed near Huntsville. Hall got an undergraduate degree at Alabama A&M, and then Masters degrees in Chicago and Atlanta before returning home to get her doctorate at the University of Alabama. She was teaching at the University when a friend approached her about the possibility of running for the State School Board.

Ethel Hall interview...

Dr. Ethel Hall's memoir is My Journey: A Memoir of the First African American To Preside Over the Alabama Board of Education.

Birmingham audiences mostly know Kristy White as a musical theatre actress. She appears this month in Birmingham Children's Theatre's production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and has been on stage with Red Mountain Theatre Company, CenterStage Productions and others. But White's first love is music and her new CD is getting rave reviews for its mix of jazz standards and original tunes - including this one, which isn't quite jazz or gospel. It's something else. This is Song from the Rubble.... about the true story of the miraculous rescue of a woman who was buried for a week under the rubble of a cathedral after the Haiti earthquake. (AUDIO MONTAGE)

Farmers, music and nature make up this month's Three to See. Here's WBHM's Michael Krall with three events you shouldn't miss...

Two-hundred and thirty-five years ago the U.S. Marine Corps was born in a tavern in Philadelphia. That tavern is the starting point of a new work from Birmingham artist Don Stewart. Stewart is known for using his ballpoint pen to draw a bunch of small pictures that eventually combine into a bigger picture. His latest work, Uncommon Valor is a visual history of the Marine Corps - in the shape of the flag raising at Iwo Jima.

The picture took more than 600 hours to draw and features small images representing events in Marine Corps history - from the founding in that Philadelphia tavern, through the worlds wars and up to the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. WBHM's Tanya Ott spent some time with Stewart in his studio - dissecting the images.

Don Stewart and this history of the U.S. Marine Corps...

Don Stewart's Uncommon Valor will be unveiled next week at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Half of the profits from sales of the print will go to the Marine Corps' Wounded Warriors program.

Pundits' pronouncements and public opinion caught fire this fall when a Florida pastor announced he would burn copies of the Quran. The minister ultimately decided not to go through with his protest. But the incident reminded us of a bit of Alabama history you may not know. Almost 150 years ago, in the final months of the Civil War, Union troops were ready to burn the University of Alabama campus. Only one book was specifically saved before the library's destruction - a copy of the Quran. University archivist Clark Center tells WBHM's Andrew Yeager how the book avoided a fiery finish.

The Quran at the University of Alabama...

University of Alabama archivist Clark Center speaking with WBHM's Andrew Yeager. Center says the Quran is still in decent shape although the spine is gone. It's available for public view, but only by request.

If you were in Atlanta in the 1960s or 70s, you probably remember Piano Red. His rollicking piano was heard all over town. But 25 years after his death, Piano Red's music is almost forgotten. A new CD may introduce a new generation of Southerners to Piano Red's barrelhouse blues. Philip Graitcer has this story.

The music of Piano Red...

With Thanksgiving coming up, a lot of us are thinking about prepping the big turkey. Some people will be eating Tofurky instead. It's a meat substitute made out of tofu. Rebecca Williams got a cooking lesson from a devoted Tofurky fan and her meat-eating boyfriend.

Thanksgiving vegetarian style...

Tapestry is produced by Bradley George and Michael Krall. This month we had help from Philip Graitcer, Collin Kurre, Tanya Ott, Rebecca Williams, and Andrew Yeager. We always welcome your feedback on the show. Send an e-mail to tapestry@wbhm.org . We're also on Facebook and Twitter. I'm Greg Bass. Have a great November and we'll see you next month.