Calkins: Why one man has walked all over Memphis — and will do it again Thursday
Every March 21, Josh Greer walks all over Memphis from daybreak to dusk. Here’s why he does it and what we can learn from his annual trek.
Topic: Geoff Calkins
RSSThere are 448 article(s) tagged Geoff Calkins:
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March 2024
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February 2024
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Calkins: Pat Halloran believed in a better Memphis. Then he made it come true.
Pat Halloran’s life was celebrated in grand style Monday. There was music! There was laughter! There were stories about a larger-than-life character who fell in love with Memphis — and then made it a better place.
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Calkins: The Fowler brothers both have new hearts. So how about showing them yours?
Randy Fowler got a new heart in 1997. Wesley Fowler got a new heart in 1999 and another in 2000. Thanks to the generosity of donors, they’re both still singing, parachuting and otherwise living their lives. So on National Donor Day — also known as Valentine’s Day — how about becoming a donor yourself?
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January 2024
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Calkins: Jerome Wright knew Memphis better than anyone. He loved it better, too
Journalist Jerome Wright, 74, died Monday evening. He covered Memphis for more than five decades. He knew the place better than anyone else. But he became a beloved figure in the city because he treated everyone with kindness and respect.
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Calkins: Skiing in Memphis — and other scenes from coldest MLK Day in history
The guy who was skiing through Downtown Monday? We found him. Here’s his story and more scenes from the coldest MLK Day in Memphis since it became a federal holiday.
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Calkins: Veatch on the stadium, the realignment — and the Smiths’ gift
Laird Veatch, the University of Memphis athletic director, is finally getting his hands on a football stadium and $120 million. Now all he has to do is raise another $50 million and figure out how to rebuild his new stadium on the fly.
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Calkins: Morant is done for the season — and all of Memphis is blue
Ja Morant is out for the season and Grizzlies fans are mourning a year that just keeps getting worse. As one Memphian put it, succinctly: “I give up.”
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Calkins: The new mayor offers ‘hope.’ And, yes, that’s a start.
Memphis Mayor Paul Young offered fresh “hope” at his swearing-in ceremony. And while that won’t solve the city’s many problems, it is at least a good start.
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December 2023
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Calkins: A story about best friends, marching bands, W.C. Handy — and the Liberty Bowl
Will Plenk and Christian Carichner were once college roommates. Friday, they’ll be directing the Memphis and Iowa State marching bands at the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. It’s a story about life, about friendship — and about tubas.
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Calkins: Ja Morant is back — and the Grizzlies are, too
Ja Morant was back at FedExForum Thursday. But you know what else was back? Fun! It suddenly seems like a whole new season for the Grizzlies. And in this season, the Grizzlies are a perfect 2-0.
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Calkins: Morant says he’s been ‘counting the days’ — just like the rest of us
Ja Morant spoke to the media Friday. It wasn’t some raw apology press conference. But he said all the right things. He said he is learning to “protect his peace.” If the man can do that, good things will surely follow.
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Calkins: Mike Norvell got shafted by the system? Memphis knows how he feels.
“Mike Norvell and Florida State got left out? Memphis fans understand how that feels. The entire system of college sports is based on leaving universities out, no matter how deserving. Fairness has nothing to do with it.”
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November 2023
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Calkins: Wait, why all the fuss about streamers? On a strangely wonderful night for the Grizz.
The Grizzlies won a home game for the first time in 218 days Wednesday. So when the streamers fell, people scrambled to collect them as if they had never seen them before. On a night of joy and relief at FedExForum. Which will just have to do, for now.
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How a young doctor came to love Memphis and St. Jude. And, along the way, changed the world.
Dr. Justin Baker never intended to stay nearly 20 years in Memphis. But he came to love both the city and his work at St. Jude Children’s Research hospital. Now he’s is leaving for Stanford — but not before sharing some lessons he learned along the way.
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October 2023
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Calkins: She’s 107. She still lives alone. The secret? It’s not what you think.
Martha McAnespie celebrated her 107th birthday over the weekend. Yes, her 107th. And she still lives alone. The Daily Memphian got her story and her secret, too. It’s not what you might think.
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Calkins: Yep, the Grizzlies lost another opener. But you should have seen the happy tears.
Sure, the home team lost another opener. But there were actual happy tears at the game. Why? Because the Memphis Grizzlies are back for their 23rd year.
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Calkins: He was held up at gunpoint — and he can’t imagine working anywhere else.
“There is a lot of negative press about this city. But there’s good stuff happening, every day,” says Cody Behles, director of innovation and research support at the University of Memphis.
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Calkins: A new mayor and a new dog, too? Things are looking up!
Paul Young will be the new mayor of Memphis. And you should feel optimistic about that. Yes, optimistic. It may have gone out of fashion. But Young just might bring it back.
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September 2023
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Calkins: Hey, look! The Daily Memphian is 5! (But it wasn’t a piece of cake).
“Who starts up a newspaper these days? What a preposterous thing to do. But in just five years, The Daily Memphian has become one of the things that binds this city together. That’s worth pausing to celebrate.”
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Calkins: Once again — this time on 901 Day — Memphians will Finish Liza’s Run
“In a perfect world, we would have a Memphis where we didn’t have to run scared. But I don’t think that day is here yet. And I don’t think we will get there if we quit.”
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August 2023
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Calkins: Jennifer Biggs was a friend to all Memphis — whether you had met her or not
Jennifer Biggs wrote about food and people and angels and whiskey. When she died Wednesday of complications from cancer, Memphis lost one of its best friends.
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Calkins: Say a prayer for MLGW. Or maybe for those who depend on it?
When Lexie Johnston checked her “Ceaseless Prayer” app Tuesday, she laughed out loud. It suggested she pray for MLGW. Yes, MLGW. It’s been that kind of week in Memphis. Or that kind of week, again.
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Calkins: Meet the most interesting woman in Memphis. (She’s 94 years old and has 19 kids.)
Annie Ruth Taylor, 94, has 19 kids, 54 grandkids and 124 great-grandkids. OK, that’s just a rough count. But take a moment to meet the most interesting woman in Memphis — who lives in a most interesting house.
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July 2023
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Calkins: Is there enough cash for the Grizzlies and the football stadium? Turns out, maybe not.
It could be that there isn’t enough for money both FedExForum and Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. And that is — at the very least — worrisome.
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Calkins: I never met Roy Herron. He inspires me, just the same.
I never met Roy Herron. But I’m one of the thousands he touched. Herron — who died Sunday from injuries suffered in a Jet Ski accident earlier this month — left a legacy even more meaningful than his 26 years in public office. It’s a legacy of kindness, of showing up.
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