Calkins: The Memphis Art Museum will be the next great place in the city — because of Barbara and Pitt Hyde.
“We’re interested in anything that will improve the lives of our fellow Memphians,” Pitt Hyde said about him and his wife Barbara. “We have supported things all over town, especially education, which is more important to us than anything else.” (Courtesy Hyde Family Foundation)
Geoff Calkins
Geoff Calkins has been chronicling Memphis and Memphis sports for more than two decades. Calkins has been named the best sports columnist in the country five times by the Associated Press sports editors, but still figures his best columns are about the people who make Memphis what it is.
Related content: Q&A: More from the Hydes on Downtown, the Grizzlies and the future of Memphis
Pitt and Barbara Hyde didn’t want the Memphis Art Museum named after themselves.
But Mayor Paul Young wasn’t about to let Wednesday’s press conference go past without highlighting the impact the Hydes have had on this town.
He ticked off a list of other great Memphis places that would not exist without the couple’s determined work.
Shelby Farms Park.
Tom Lee Park.
FedExForum.
The National Civil Rights Museum.
AutoZone Park.
“For a generation you have led with generosity and vision,” Young said. “And your mark on the city — on Downtown in particular — is everywhere.”
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