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St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Home
I was 5 or 6 years old the first time I heard about Memphis. I was sitting on my grandmother’s porch in my original hometown of Asheville, North Carolina, with my cousins. My older cousin, Chuck, was a musician. He was strumming the guitar as he made up blues lyrics to make us younger cousins laugh.
Chuck often talked about moving to Memphis to further his music career.
Years later, I was serving in the United States Navy when I learned that my younger brother, Eugene, had been diagnosed with cancer and was going to St. Jude for treatment. On my first visit to see Eugene, I remember walking around the hospital’s campus, peering through the windows of the energy plant and seeing the same equipment that I was working with in the Navy.
Unfortunately, Eugene passed away from his illness before I came to work at St. Jude. But as it turned out, I wound up in Memphis, married to my wife, Carrie, a native of the city. It wasn’t long before I joined the facilities team at St. Jude in July 2000.
In the 24 years since, I’ve been a maintenance mechanic, power plant operator, night shift supervisor, and a facility manager. Today, I am research facilities manager, and I oversee the operations in all our research buildings.
It’s amazing to see how much St. Jude has grown, and how much it will continue to grow. A wonderful thing about St. Jude is our diversity. I think it’s important for us to celebrate that as much as we can. I’ve been involved with the hospital’s first employee resource group (ERG), the Military Support Resource Group, since its formation. In more recent years, I have been actively involved as an ally for our PRIDE and Black Employees and Allies Resource groups.
People often ask me where I am from, and I don’t hesitate. I say, “I am from Memphis.” I grew up in North Carolina, but I am from Memphis. Memphis has made me one of its own.
Research Facilities Manager
Facilities Operations and Maintenance
Memphis has a certain energy that’s hard for me to describe, but it’s something I feel. This city has a soul and a vibe.
There’s something for everyone here— whether it’s food, music, festivals, or the outdoors. One of my family’s favorite things is attending the free concert series in the summer and fall at the Overton Park Shell in Midtown. My kids grew up running up and down the hill in front of the stage and joining impromptu conga lines. Memories here, you can’t make them fast enough.
I also enjoy the outdoors, whether it’s finding a nearby lake to fish or taking my bicycle for a leisurely ride. One of my favorite memories of Memphis involves serving as a bike marshal for the St. Jude Memphis Marathon in 2017, 2018, and 2019. In 2019, I was assigned to follow the runner who was the overall winner. What an honor it was to be the first person to tell him, “Congratulations.”
Memphis is the type of place that if you embrace it, it will embrace you.
Restaurants in Memphis
Nature
Things to Do
The neighborhoods: