Category Archives: Features
Mike Miller- NBA Rookie of the Year
In March of 2000, University of Florida Sophomore forward Mike Miller sank the final shot in the 69-68 buzzer beater against Butler to take the Gator Basketball Team from the Final Four to the National Championship game. The dramatic win led to a celebratory pile-up on the basketball court. The Gators lost to Michigan State in the championship game. Despite the loss the city of Gainesville held a celebration for the team in the Odome. Despite the pleas from Gator fans to play one more year at UF, Mike Miller went pro with the Orlando Magic. He was the 5th overall pick in the first round of the NBA draft in 2000. As Donna Green-Townsend reports, after another successful year on the hard court, Miller became the NBA rookie of the year. From my audio archives from the summer of 2001
Miller currently plays for the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA. He has also played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Washington Wizards, and Miami Heat. Not only was he named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2001, but also the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2006. Miller won back to back NBA titles with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013.
Harvest of Hope
Congress continues to grapple with the difficult issue of immigration. Meanwhile, states like Florida continue to depend on the workers who are vital to Florida’s agriculture industry. Since 1997, Harvest of Hope has distributed more than $1 million dollars in emergency and educational financial aid to migrant farmworkers and families throughout the United States. The Director of the Harvest of Hope Foundation, Phil Kellerman, talks with Donna Green-Townsend about the economic and health struggles of migrant workers.
Since the airing of this special, Kellerman has announced he will be closing the Harvest of Hope Foundation. In an email posted on August 7, 2013 he wrote:
Dear Friends:
This is the final communication concerning the closing of the Harvest of Hope Foundation (HOH). The total amount of emergency and educational financial aid provided to migrant farmworkers and families by HOH was $1,092,591.00.
If you wish to continue to support migrant farmworkers and families, I highly recommend financial donations be made to the following three great migrant-service organizations providing health, legal and educational assistance.
1) National Center for Farmworker Health. www.ncfh.org. Click on “Call for Health – Your Donations.”
In addition, I am using proceeds from my private eBay sales to pay for the shipping of donated footwear to migrant families. If you have gently used and/or new shoes, sneakers and boots to donate, please contact me at my new email address which is philkellerman77@gmail.com or call me at 352-262-5421.
Last, in the spirit of HOH, the company “Book iT” (bookit.com.bz) will donate 50% of the sales of donated books to the children of migrant farm workers in textbook scholarships and school supplies at the beginning of each school year. If you have books to donate please contact Todd Williams or Edward Ray by phone at 352-371-9970. You can also email them at todd@bookit.com.bz and edward@bookit.com.bz.
Thank you for all the support given to HOH over the years. And please stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Philip Kellerman
On his webpage he writes: “In my “retirement” I will focus my attention advocating for needed immigration reform and fund-raising for the National Center for Farmworker Health, the Migrant Legal Action Project and the BOCES Geneseo Migrant Scholarship Funds.” If you have further questions, email him at phil@harvdestofhope.net or call 352-262-5421.
Re-Release of the Apalachicola Doin’ Time Documentary on Across the Prairie
On the WUFT program, “Across the Prairie,” on January 21, 2007 host Cathy DeWitt interviewed Donna Green-Townsend and Dale Crider on the re-release of the 2000 Edward R. Murrow Award-winning documentary, Apalachicola Doin’ Time.
Seeking Peace
In December, 2006 Heart Phoenix, the Chair of the Peace Alliance organization in Gainesville served as host to members of the National Peace Alliance, the group pushing Congress to establish a National Department of Peace. While in the Gainesville area, the members sat down with WUFT’s Donna Green-Townsend to talk about their personal and professional effort to teach non-violent solutions to domestic and international conflicts. Guests included Phoenix as well as the Executive Director of the National Peace Alliance, Dot Maver; the group’s campaign coordinator, Lynn McMullen as well as the Founder of the National Peace Alliance and best-selling author, Marianne Williamson. The following audio segment is a special broadcast that aired in December of 2006 on WUFT from the various interviews with the women listed above.
Upsala
Upsala
Shana “Banana” Smith
Tom Shed
Tom Shed
Gainesville singer songwriter Tom Shed loves to write and sing about Florida. He was influenced by the late Don Grooms, a Florida Heritage Award Winner, when he was one of Grooms’ student in the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida. Shed says he likes to write and sing about, “history, humor and the human condition.” He talked with WUFT’s Donna Green-Townsend about the 60th Annual Florida Folk Festival in 2012.
Singer songwriter and musician Tom Shed played a pivotal role in helping Don Grooms produce his CD “Walk Proud.” In this special, which aired in the late 90s, Shed talks about why this project was so special. You’ll also hear many of Don Grooms’ best songs.
Roadside Revue
Environmental Troubadour Dale Crider
Retired wildlife biologist with the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission Dale Crider has been penning songs about the environment since the 1970s. He’s written songs about everything from the dam on the Ocklawaha River and the status of the Everglades to manatees, alligators and panthers.
Here’s Dale singing one of his most famous songs, “Apalachicola Doin’ Time,” on the main stage of the Will McLean Folk Festival in April (2014). Joining him is Red Henry on fiddle and mandolin, Barbara Johnson on bass and John Hedgecoth on banjo.
Watch and listen to one of his newest songs about sinkholes below:
Dale Crider has been writing songs about Florida’s environment for more than 40 years. Much of his time with the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission was spent in South Florida. It was there that Dale felt compelled to do an educational CD for motorists crossing the Florida Everglades. Hear about this special project in this report from Donna Green-Townsend which aired nationally on the public radio program Marketplace.
Dale’s Everglades CD project on Florida Public Radio
Dale with Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen remembering their friend Gamble Rogers
Crider is also the singer songwriter who wrote the song “Apalachicola Doin’ Time” which inspired an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning documentary.
Dale was a special guest on the longtime Sunday afternoon program on WUFT, Across the Prairie, to talk about the re-release of the Apalachicola Doin’ Time Documentary with host Cathy DeWitt and documentary co-producer, Donna Green-Townsend.
Dale says he was inspired to write about Florida after hearing Will McLean, the Father of Florida Folk, perform at the Florida Folk Festival in the 1970s. He talked about that songwriting inspiration in a feature produced by Donna Green-Townsend that aired on WUFT-FM in April of 1987.
1998 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in 1988
Dale Crider, Lis Williamson and Barbara Johnson performing at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1998
Sec. of State Sandra Mortham presenting Gamble’s wife Nancy with the Artists Hall of Fame Award
In 1998 Dale along with musicians Lis Williamson (guitar and vocals) and Barbara Johnson (bass) performed the song, “I Remember Gamble Rogers” on the main stage of the Florida Folk Festival. It was part of the official state ceremony inducting Gamble Rogers into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. (the song was written by Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen).
One of Dale’s more entertaining wildlife songs is called, “Gospel Snakes.” Here’s his performance of the song at the 2014 Will McLean Folk Festival. He’s joined by Red Henry on fiddle and mandolin, Barbara Johnson on bass and John Hedgecoth on banjo:
In recent years Dale has focused his songwriting on the importance of utilizing energy that doesn’t come from fossil fuel….in other words, solar energy. Here’s his song about that issue performed at the Will McLean Folk Festival in March, 2014. He’s accompanied by Red Henry on mandolin, Barbara Johnson on bass and John Hedgecoth on banjo.