Kirby Pines Retirement Community | The Pinecone

Congratulations to our EMPLOYEE of the Month CRYSTAL SHOEMAKER CNA - Gallery Manor Crystal Shoemaker always goes above and beyond to make sure things flow smoothly on the unit. She is a team player and is very observant of the residents and immediately notifies the charge nurse if any change is noticed. She is flexible and willing to go to any area she is needed. Crystal is happy to take on a special project to enhance the quality of care she gives her residents. We are so glad to have her as part of our team. - Rhonda Nelson, Director of Nursing • 8 • The Pinecone | August 2021 Describe Your Family: I am a mother of four, grandmother of 10 and great-grandmother of five. Describe yourself in five words: Friendly, helpful, funny, compassionate, spiritual. What is something you are proud of: To have worked at Kirby Pines for 14 years. Do you have a pet: A cat, Pantaliamon (Pan). What are your hobbies or interests: Reading, listening to gospel music, gardening, and collecting angels. What is your favorite thing about your job: The gratitude of our residents, telling me they love me and bringing smiles to their faces. What is your favorite food: Catfish. What is your favorite song: Broken But I'm Healed by Byron Cage. What would you like people to know about you: That I pray for us all each and every day and I try to help anyone I can. Andy Saunders has given much of his life to the local theater community and people are taking notice. The performer, designer, director, and teacher has been part of the scene since coming to the then-Memphis State University as a graduate student in the 1960s. That half-century-plus of devotion will be recognized at the upcoming Memphis Ostrander Awards when he will be given the 2021 Eugart Yerian Award for Lifetime Achievement. The Ostranders primarily recognize a year’s worth of excellence in local theater productions and this year’s winners will be announced on Sunday, August 29th, at the Halloran Centre. The exception to next month’s big reveal is the lifetime achievement honor named for the director of the Memphis Little Theatre (now Theatre Memphis) from 1929 to 1961. The announcement from the Ostranders organization said Saunders has been “an indispensable presence in the Memphis theater community. … Onstage, Saunders is celebrated not only for his nuanced and charismatic acting style but also for his beautiful, operatic singing voice.” Saunders has directed shows around town and was at Memphis University School where he taught science, speech, religion, astronomy, photography, mechanical writing, and theater production. He also produced more than 135 shows at the school during his 38-year career before retiring in 2010. Since his retirement, he’s designed and built dozens of shows at Germantown Community Theatre. GCT executive director Brian Everson says Saunders is the “ultimate volunteer, professional, artist, and friend. GCT, in so many ways, would not be possible without Andy.” - Story courtesy of the Memphis Flyer Andy and his wife, Jean, moved to Kirby Pines in March of 2019. Resident Andy Saunders to Receive Theater Award