A true genius

When Sherrie and Nelson Rich of University City received an early morning call last week from their 42-year-old son Damon, who lives in Newark, N.J., their first reaction was concern.

“He never calls early in the morning, so of course, being a mom, you think something is wrong,” said Sherrie, a retired teacher. “I said, ‘Oh my goodness, what’s going on?’ He said, ‘Nothing. But you’re not going to believe this.’ Then he starts to giggle and he never giggles. He then says, ‘I’ve been awarded this grant and they are going to give me $125,000 each year for the next five years.’ I asked him what he has to do. He said, ‘Nothing. No strings attached.’”

Last Wednesday (Oct. 11), Damon Rich was among 24 innovators living in the United States, from all fields and professions, to receive a 2017 MacArthur “Genius” Grant. According to the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, which awards these grants annually, “each of the recipients has been selected for having ‘shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction’ — and each will receive a $625,000 award from the foundation ‘as an investment in their potential,’ paid out over five years with no strings attached.”

Damon graduated from Parkway Central High School in 1993 where he was valedictorian of his class. He celebrated his bar mitzvah at B’nai El Congregation. Today he works at Hector, an urban planning firm he co-founded with his longtime collaborator, Jae Shin. He was awarded the grant, according to the foundation, for “creating vivid and witty strategies to design and build places that are more democratic and accountable to their residents.” (You can read more about his work at macfound.org.)

Both the nomination and selection process are kept secret; an independent committee identified for their expertise and familiarity with exceptionally creative people in their respective areas of focus decide whom to nominate. Applications or unsolicited nominations are not accepted.

The selection committee consists of approximately 12 people who serve confidentially and are chosen for their “breadth of experience, excellent judgment, and curiosity.” Because the committee works as a group, the decision on each nomination represents a collective judgment drawn from a wide range of perspectives.

Like his wife, Nelson Rich couldn’t be more delighted for his son. “My first thought was that he deserves this because he is passionate about his work and he’s dedicated to helping humanity — that is his primary motivation,” said Nelson, who explained Damon was recruited by U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, when Booker was mayor of Newark, to be an urban designer and director of planning for the city.

“(Damon) was doing a great job and he got some type of promotion and I said, ‘Well I assume that involves more money.’” 

His son said he was conflicted about accepting the position and more money because the city was financially strapped.

Nelson Rich, an attorney, related several wonderful anecdotes about his son’s curiosity and love of learning at a very early age. He recalled how at age 5, when the family was driving to Six Flags and passed the old Chrysler plant in Fenton, Damon pointed to a tower above the plant and asked what it was. 

“I told him it was a water tower,” said Nelson. “Then he asked what the buildings were underneath it. I told him that was the Chrysler plant. 

“He thought for a minute and said, ‘I see. They use the water tower to help make the plant grow.’

“So him being able to make that association, and I don’t know if he was kidding or serious, but I thought this kid is really thinking.”

Sherrie and Nelson said there is no ceremony attached to the award, though they plan to celebrate over Thanksgiving when they travel to New Jersey, where both Damon and their daughter, Brooke, and her family live.  

A gallant book

Five years ago, I wrote an article in Oy! Magazine Generations about the “Globetrotting Gallants,” as in Paul and Diane Gallant, and the numerous trips they took over the years with their grandsons, Richie and Tommy. 

It started in 1998, when the boys were 9 and 6 years old, with a holiday vacation to Cancun, Mexico. Over the next 10 years, Paul and Diane spent the holidays with their grandsons visiting six continents. Trips included London and Paris (Europe); Costa Rica (North America); Ecuador and Peru (South America); Australia; Israel (Asia) and a safari in Africa.

As the Gallants, who are congregants of B’nai Amoona, shared pictures and memories of each of their trips, I asked, “What about Antarctica?”  Of course I was only joking but later that year, in 2012, they took the boys there and became part of a rarefied group who could say they have visited all seven continents.

Recently, the couple published a book detailing all of their adventures with the boys called “The Grand Journey: The Unexpected Story of the Gallant Family” as told to Richard H. Weiss. 

The book also includes the perspective of their granddaughter, Melissa, who had a challenging childhood and rocky adolescence, which tested Paul and Diane’s grandparenting skills in a variety of ways. Despite the trouble, grandpa and grandma never gave up on their granddaughter; she graduated cum laude from college and has forged a new and better path for herself.

The Gallants’ book is filled with recollections of their travels from both the grandparents and grandkids. It includes photos of them visiting some of the world’s most famous landmarks, as they discuss love and lessons learned through traveling. 

Now Paul is promoting the book with various meet-and-greets throughout the St. Louis area. Next up are two:

• Saturday Oct. 21, Half Price Books University City, 630 N McKnight Road, from noon to 3 p.m.

• Saturday, Nov. 4, Dunaway Books, 3111 S. Grand Blvd., from 1 to 3 p.m. 

“The Grand Journey” is on sale at select local bookstores; to find out where and learn more about the book, visit grandjourneybook.com.  

Power of women in the arts

The 2018 St. Louis Visionary Awards, which honor women who have made exceptional contributions to the St. Louis arts landscape, are calling for nominations of artists, educators, administrators and major contributors to the arts.  

An independent review panel comprising artists, arts educators and arts advocates will select the 2018 honorees, who will be announced in November. The women selected as winners will be celebrated at an awards ceremony at 6 p.m. April 23 at the Sun Theater in Grand Center, co-hosted by Susan Sherman and Marcella Manjarrez Hawn.

Award categories include Outstanding Working Artist, Emerging Artist, Community Impact Artist, Outstanding Arts Professional, OutstandingTeaching Artist, Major Contributor to the Arts, Outstanding Arts Volunteer and Lifetime Achievement Award. Details explaining the criteria for each category, along with nomination forms, are available online at vizawards.org. Nominations are due by Monday, Nov. 6.