sunset hills
Marilu Knode, pictured above, has stepped down as executive director of Laumeier Sculpture Park “to pursue other projects,” the park announced in a news release. She had quite a remarkable tenure, despite having been at Laumeier for only seven years. Knode was at the helm during the park’s most vigorous period of growth, notably completion of Laumeier’s $10 million Sculpting the Future capital campaign, which included construction of the Adam Aronson Fine Arts Center and transformation of the estate house. Laumeier is on the hunt for Knode’s replacement; meanwhile, Stephanie Riven of the Riven Group will act as a consultant. Knode, who started in 2009, also served as the Aronson Endowed Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art History at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where she will complete her final class this month. In the release, board chair Ramsey Maune applauds Knode’s efforts to stabilize the organization after the national economic upheaval that began in 2008, and to establish new levels of professional practice in Laumeier’s programming and governance. Knode expresses pride at having been able to rebuild one of the nation’s great “legacy” sculpture parks, and in setting standards for future success. We wish her well in her next endeavors.
Elitists on both coasts, and maybe Chicago Cubs fans in the middle, have more than once condescendingly called St. Louis (and maybe the Midwest at large) The Great Flyover. How rude. Well, a new volume on our fine international airport from the Missouri History Museum Press gives that insult a smack down. Why, we’re the crossroads of America’s airspace. The Aerial Crossroads of America: St. Louis’s Lambert Airport by Daniel L. Rust tells the story of our airport at something like supersonic speed, starting with the patch of farmland Albert Bond Lambert leased for an airfield to the sprawling, architecturally stunning complex of today. Just about anything that happened in American aviation took place within Lambert’s footprint, from propeller-driven biplanes to jet aircraft … and space travel. The text is peppered with historical images, anecdotes and bits of historical ephemera that brings us from way back when all the way to now. Rust argues that, although airports in NYC, L.A. and Chi-town may have eclipsed Lambert in sheer size, they lack the longevity of Lambert and its historical importance. Charles Lindbergh got his start here as an airmail pilot. Air traffic control, essential to safety and schedule, got a foothold here. And the big airplane factory formerly known as McDonnell Douglas built spacecraft here. All is not good news, of course. The book details the airport’s decline as a major hub following the demise of TWA, and the changes 9/11 wrought on the passenger experience. The clothbound book, available at the museum and on its website for $35, features 178 photos throughout its 336 pages.
Little kids don’t only read to adoptable dogs over the ‘howlidays,’ they do it all year long at select Humane Society of Missouri (HSMO) locations, including Kuehner Center in Chesterfield. It can improve their reading skills … those of the kids, of course; research indicates the dogs can’t read any better at all. Anyhow, to get started, all the kids have to do is attend a 90-minute training session with a parent or guardian. Dubbed ‘Deck the Howls’ or the holidays, its official name is the Shelter Buddies Reading Program, which was designed to acclimate shelter dogs to people, perhaps their soon-to-be owners. Reading to the dogs comforts them and reduces their anxiety, and it nurtures empathy in children. Participants sit outside of the dog’s kennel and read to them, which helps shy dogs learn to relax around people and teaches high-energy dogs that calm behavior is a good thing. Recently, after one little girl finished reading, she continued flipping the pages because, doggone it, she wanted her new four-legged friend to see the pictures, too. Readers may bring their own books or select from the many animal-related titles available at the shelter. The next training session in Chesterfield is from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Jan. 22 at 17357 Edison Ave. The cost is $5 per child. Sessions also are available at other HSMO locations. And what do the dogs prefer—Tolstoy or Dr. Seuss? Maybe it depends on the breed.
st. louis
In the last few weeks, you may have received a mailing including a brochure that purports to tell you ‘What You Should Know About Your Gas Line Responsibility.’ It’s not from Laclede Gas, or any gas company, for that matter. Still, the cover image is of a natural gas meter, which is not your problem; it’s the as company’s. Your responsibility, apparently, is for the lines once they enter your home and connect to various appliances. A rep for Laclede Gas, with a chuckle, says they’ve received numerous calls about the mailing, which is actually an insurance pitch from a company called HomeServe—they offer an ‘optional service plan as an authorized representative of the service contract provider, North American Warranty Inc.’ in Chicago (italics ours). A friend who’s been in the insurance brokerage business his entire career said it’s akin to independent car warranty companies telemarketing superfluous warranties that none of us need: It’s throwing good money after bad. He doesn’t remember a claim related to failure of a building owner’s interior lines. But since it’s about natural gas, some people fear impending disaster. The fee is nominal ($65.88 a year … but WAIT! Now only $32.88!) and covers the lines and connections only. The appliances? Nope. The house? Oh, please. The fine print tells you more about what’s not covered than what is—it covers only wear and tear but excludes all accidents and negligence. In short, we may need this policy like a horse needs roller skates.
kirkwood
After nearly 40 years of being run as part of the County Parks system, the Museum of Transportation in southwest Kirkwood is reverting back to its founding association for control of the attraction, which got the steel wheels clicking on the rails back in 1944. The Transport Museum Association has run the museum in partnership with the county since it hit a rough patch in 1984, and stepped up last spring to say it could again do it on its own. County officials call it a winwin, in that they will no longer have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for upkeep, instead shifting those funds to other county parks. And come Jan. 1, the museum will be free to add programs and hours of operation, if it so chooses, as it will again operate as a nonprofit. The change should be mostly transparent to visitors; the park welcomes upward of 330,000 a year. Kids and folks who used to be kids will enjoy the vintage model train setup at the park; for years, it ran in a corner display window of the downtown Famous-Barr (later Macy’s) store at Christmastime. The museum buildings and grounds are a railroad buff’s paradise: With more than 70 locomotives, half of them one-of-a- kind or ‘sole survivors’ of their type, this is one of the most complete collections of American rail muscle, and the assemblages of automobiles, buses, streetcars,aircraft, horse-drawn vehicles and riverboat materials are constantly expanding to reflect the ever-changing nature of transportation. Rail and transit have grown to encompass more than 190 major exhibits, including the Union Pacific ‘Big Boy,’ the largest successful steam locomotive ever built. It’s sort of like a blue whale on wheels.