St. Louisans Gail Velten and Marla Drewel-Lynch are the only Missourians participating in a 3,000-mile bike ride across the country. The 45-day journey, which began March 7, takes them from San Diego to St. Augustine, Florida, with 42 other bikers from around the world. The two women, now retired, met as teachers in the Kirkwood School District and have been biking or running marathons together since 1997. All money raised will be donated to their chosen charities, Camp Rainbow Foundation and the Humane Society of Missouri.
In April, the Loop’s Walk of Fame will have three new stars: soprano Christine Brewer, celebrated lawyer Frankie Muse Freeman, and the late writer and cartoonist Lee Falk. Brewer began her career singing with the St. Louis Symphony and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and has performed with top orchestras around the world; Freeman, a noted civil rights attorney, opened her private practice here in 1969 and is a member of the National Bar Association’s Hall of Fame; and Falk was an author, playwright and theater director/producer, as well as creator of the comic strip Mandrake the Magician.
Dr. Marcus Raichle has been named an inaugural Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine. Raichle joined the faculty in 1971 and is a professor of radiology, psychology, biomedical engineering, neurobiology and neurology. His research uncovered key insights about brain activity when the mind is not consciously doing anything, which created a new field of science.
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>> Slow Food St. Louis, which is awarding more than $6,000 in Small Farm Biodiversity Microgrants to 11 local food producers for projects that preserve and expand heirloom plant and heritage animal varieties. Grant sponsors include Niche and Perennial Artisan Ales.
> > Mayor Francis Slay, who accepted the Mayor’s Challenge for Safer People, Safer Streets, an initiative of U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to create pedestrian-friendly options for biking and walking in cities across America. It is a collaborative effort with Trailnet, a local organization that encourages biking and walking as a way of life.
>> The Boys & Girls Club of Greater St. Louis, for its plans to open a new club in Ferguson to serve youth ages 6 to 18. The new facility will provide a safe, structured environment for Ferguson area youth, who currently have limited options for after-school activities.
