Dick Spigner Johnson : Home team troubadour

BY STEPHEN CALDWELL SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

SELF PORTRAIT Date and place of birth: Dec. 31, 1948, Ashdown Family: Julie and daughters Molly and Sara People say I remind them of Wilford Brimley. When I’m nervous I obsess over details. My most valued pieces of memorabilia are a hotel room key from North Dallas, the River City albums and our daughters’ baby shoes. My trademark expression is “Quality opportunities.” I’m most comfortable with people who have the confidence to be themselves. Favorite historical character: Will Rogers I want my children to remember not to let the “bed bugs bite.” I knew I was grown up when I started playing music for something other than fun. The book I’ve been recommending lately is Invisible Prey by John Sanford. No bookshelf is complete without John Sanford and Kurt Vonnegut. My all-time favorite movie is The Big Chill. My most embarrassing moment was a holiday party refreshment mishap. One word to sum me up: committed FAYETTEVILLE — Meet Forrest, Forrest Gump. - Sunday, May 4, 2008

SPOTLIGHT Show House of Design : Country French by 12 designers

BY MICHELLE PARKS

ROGERS — When a dozen designers converge on a house in the upscale gated community of Pinnacle, the result is truly a show house. - Sunday, May 4, 2008

NOTABLE NEIGHBOR : Brother’s keeper

BY BOBBY AMPEZZAN

FAYETTEVILLE — David Erstine understands that part of being the state’s Big Brother of the Year means looking ahead to a day his little brother gets his kicks elsewhere. - Sunday, May 4, 2008

Wine, cash flow at benefit for cancer support house

— Ashley Batchelor

FORT SMITH — Wine and Roses gala chairmen Joyce and J. Lee Didier put their money where their mouths were during the April 26 event at the Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House. The pair were high bidders on a “vertical” of Harlan Estate Cabernet, paying $10,000 for 10 bottles produced in consecutive years, from 1992-2001. - Sunday, May 4, 2008

MALE CALL : It’s not your imagination — logo sizes are growing

LOIS FENTON

Q. I’ve been noticing that those little chest logos on polo shirts are not so little anymore. Some of them have recently become much closer to huge. - Sunday, May 4, 2008

Hands who help others get hand for their deeds

— Ashley Batchelor

BELLA VISTA — Volunteers for Helping Hands Inc. - Sunday, May 4, 2008

Chamber’s garden party hosts magazine delegate

— Cyd King

FAYETTEVILLE — With its flower gardens and foliage coming into bloom, the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks was as good a place as any for a visit from Cindy Schwalb, a representative with Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine and Web site. - Sunday, May 4, 2008

Datebook

May 16-17 — The Adult Development Center Legacy Foundation will conduct its annual golf tournament, poker run and luau to raise money for the Adult Development Center of Benton County Inc. The poker run and luau will be held at the Bentonville Clarion Hotel and Conference Center. The golf tournament will be at Shadow Valley Golf Course in Rogers. More information is available at (479) 636-5082. - Sunday, May 4, 2008

Women of Distinction get more than a cookie

— Cyd King

SPRINGDALE — Sandy Edwards’ roots in Girl Scouts can be traced back to Troop 556 in Fisherville, Va., a spot between two mountain ranges where she and fellow scout Judy Klein learned to be “green” way before it was cool. - Sunday, May 4, 2008

LIFELONG HEALTH : Drugs that cure one problem can cause even more concerns

DAVID LIPSCHITZ

When it comes to managing medications, it is paramount that you understand every drug you use, whether prescribed, over the counter, or “natural.” Negative drug interactions are a common cause for hospital admission. With age, taking multiple medications is more and more common. Understanding your own medications can be difficult enough, but for the caregiver of a dependent loved one, the whole process can be explosive. - Sunday, May 4, 2008

DEAR ABBY : Teens need to live a bit, delay vows

DEAR ABBY: For the last three years I have been dating this girl, “Annie,” whom I love very much. We’re both 18, and I am starting college in the fall and plan to go into the military. - Sunday, May 4, 2008

ELIZABETH BRAGG RUSSELL MARSHALL THOMAS SAVIERS

— Ashley Batchelor

LITTLE ROCK — Elizabeth Bragg Russell and Marshall Thomas Saviers were united in marriage at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at Second Presbyterian Church with the Rev. James Belvin Miller offi ciating. - Sunday, May 4, 2008

Many doctors in the house for ballgame fundraiser

— Ashley Batchelor

the clouds eventually cleared so guests could enjoy a pleasant evening at the Bud Pavilion. Invitees included doctors with MANA (Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas) and members of the MANA Charitable Foundation board, although it was open to the public. - Sunday, May 4, 2008

RIGHT TIME RIGHT PLACE : Chess was not her game but she played for a mate

BY ASHLEY BATCHELOR

FAYETTEVILLE — Suzanne McCray and Bob Cochran met while hanging around in the mail room at the University of Arkansas’ Kimpel Hall. She was a graduate assistant in the English department and he was an English professor when a colleague introduced them in 1979. - Sunday, May 4, 2008

School-enrichment group awards $126,000 in grants

— Bobby Ampezzan

FAYETTEVILLE — From heart monitors to digital books, the Fayetteville Public Education Foundation Inc. celebrated new technology investments and a banner year of grant awards at its annual “Celebration of Excellence” banquet Monday night. - Sunday, May 4, 2008

Two honored whose service to university is labor of love

— Phyllis D. Brandon

LITTLE ROCK — Two Arkansans were honored at a dinner at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion on April 25 hosted by the University of Arkansas board of advisors. The board, meeting for the first time in Little Rock, is successor to the National Development Council and the Campaign for the 21st Century Steering Committee. - Sunday, May 4, 2008

Donors to UA athletics get grand view of stadium

— Cyd King

FAYETTEVILLE — With the Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium’s 3,210-square-foot video board in front of him and the rolling Ozark hills behind him, University of Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long invited athletics donors to behold “the Razorback miracle” — what he deemed some of the best athletic facilities in the country. - Sunday, May 4, 2008