some of his work to Sewanee. When his English teacher,
Lydia Cromwell, read the instructions. Mase smiled. He
already knew what the topics would be before Miss Lydia
made the announcement. All students had to submit at
least one poem because the project was considered ten
percent of their final grade. In order to achieve an A at
least two poems had to be submitted, although they didn’t
have to be picked to earn the A. The poems had to be
submitted before spring break and the winners would be
announced the second week of May. Each student had to
include a short bio, a photo, and brief description of each
poem along with three copies of their submissions and a
ten-dollar per poem entry fee. Students could write a total
of four poems, but each poem had to be less than three
hundred words.
Mase wrote his bio a week before the poems had to be
turned in.
My name is Mase Russell. I have Down syndrome,
but I live an active and healthy life. I enjoy biking,
nature, poetry, and art. I live on Perception Farms,
which is a place for homeless people. I live with my
two moms and my grandparents. I donate some of my
time to helping my homeless friends.
Mischa
Mischa Eddington was the only daughter of Thomas and Cassandra Eddington of Belle Meade. Thomas was a retired Army general. His family had arrived in Nashville from London in the early 1800s and bought a cotton plantation just outside of Nashville in the little town called Fairview. Part of the Eddington family was in the textile business in England and another group of Eddingtons were scholars and scientists.
Cassandra Templeton Eddington was a Southern debutante. She was the only daughter of Peter and Sandra Templeton of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Peter was a human growth hormone (HGH) researcher, and Sandra was an artist. Cassie went to Peabody, got her teaching degree, and taught art at HillwoodHigh School for ten years. She met Thomas in May of 1974 at a friend’s wedding.
They dated for about nine years and finally decided to get married in 1983. Mischa was born in 1985. Cassie and Thomas knew about the baby’s condition long before she was born and after some soul searching decided Mischa would live the life of a normal kid, even though the doctors were skeptical. After running several tests the doctor said Mischa had a mild form of DS. The Eddingtons soon discovered that Mischa was much more than normal; she was exceptional.
Mischa’s list of accomplishments was impressive by anyone’s standards. She played the violin and enjoyed swimming, bowling, running, roller skating, hiking, bike riding, and ice skating. She was the Special Olympics Athlete of the Year for Division 1 in 1999, and the Special Olympics Athlete of the Year for the State of Tennessee that same year. She was a guest on the PBS show Tennessee Crossroads, and several local shows interviewed her before she graduated high school. She also participated in a Reba McIntyre video. Her artwork was featured all over the state of Tennessee, and in 2005 her work was featured by a gallery in Soho. She was an Easter Seal adult representative in 2006 and her artwork was used for the 2006 Down syndrome calendar, as well as in a special edition of Young Tennessean Magazine, which highlighted young artists around the state.
Even though Mischa enjoyed the recognition she deserved, she wanted to study more, but didn’t want to leave the Middle Tennessee area to refine her artistic talents. She decided to attend Watkins for art classes because it was close to home and it was small enough for her to focus on her work without a lot of outside interference. When she wasn’t painting, Mischa enjoyed a very active social life. She was still close with some of her high school friends and had a fairly steady DS boyfriend until he began talking about marriage
Warren
Warren Russell, a successful financial investor in Nashville. She grew up
on the two-thousand-acre estate her great-grandfather,
Thomas Hart Benton, had built in 1830 on the land his
father, Jesse Benton, had purchased from Colonel Jesse
Steed in 1801. The colonel had been given a land grant
for his service in the Revolutionary War. Benton kept
most of the land he purchased from Steed, but sold a
parcel that eventually became known as Leipers Fork,
Tennessee. Warren Russell was a powerful man both
physically and mentally. His friends called him the true
southern gentleman. His green-blue eyes and round face
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with a dimple in the center of his chin and his salt and
pepper hair gave him a swashbuckling appearance although
he never grew a moustache to complete the look. At six
feet tall he was formidable man that had the brains to
intimidate as well as compliment. Warren graduated
with honors from Vanderbilt and received his masters in
economics from Princeton. He took pride in his collection
of antique cars, thoroughbred horses, and his stable of
beautiful women who were more of an addiction than he
believed they were.
Claire
Claire, was the daughter of a
Baptist preacher. Claire was beautiful. Her red hair,
green eyes, slightly freckled face, and perfect size-six
body gave her movie star qualities. In fact, Claire was
often mistaken for some starlet when she attended a social
function or when she was having dinner at a restaurant.
Claire was the ideal financially- and socially-connected
wife. She spent her time donating money and volunteering
to serve local causes that fit the family image. Claire was
anything but perfect, but she played the part even though
she felt an emptiness that her marriage, volunteering, and
religion couldn’t fill.
Cindy
Cindy was a tall, vivacious and a beautiful free spirit. She had her mother’s good
looks and her father’s will to succeed. She started
smoking pot when she was twelve, and at fourteen she
had sex in the back of a Mustang with a football player
she met at one of Blake’s games. She didn’t like it. In fact,
it made her sick.
Cindy was in the fast lane. The pot smoking led to
cocaine use and by the time she was a senior, she had
tried every drug she could get her hands on. She had an
aching feeling that never seemed to leave her, especially
when her mom and dad were around. Cindy graduated
with high honors in dope smoking and a general
belligerent attitude. Nonetheless, she was accepted and
entered Vanderbilt in the fall of 1978.
Margie
Margie came to realize that she was attractive in a different sort of way. She had an innate
Irish beauty— she was tall at almost five foot seven and
had dark brown hair, creamy skin, and deep-set crystal
blue eyes—so she was popular with the boys as well as
the girls. However, she didn’t like boys, so she stayed
with the girls at the school dances and social events.
She never had a boyfriend and was happy spending time
with her girlfriends. Dating was frowned upon by the
school, so most meetings between students were done in
a secretive way. Girls had the Catholic moral standard to
adhere to, and the girls who ignored that standard were
judged harshly by the nuns, as well as the kids who got a
thrill out of spreading rumors. Margie never had to worry
about those kinds of rumors; she followed her calling to
serve God. She told God she would enter the convent after
college graduation.
Alan
Alan Sutton, born in Fairfax, Virginia, had always
been an athlete. His father, Thomas, was a diplomat and
his mother, Maria, was an Argentine heiress. Al grew up
with two older brothers and his two younger sisters, so
he was always in the middle of things whether he liked it
not. He had a great childhood; the family traveled through
the Middle East for extended periods of time when his
father was on assignment. His father would stay in a
country for two or three years, depending on the assignment.
Al spent most of his pre-teen years in Iran, Yemen, and
Turkey, where he became enamored with soccer. He loved
the game and played every chance he got. Alan was a
great student, as well as a personable guy who got along
well with everyone. His good looks and muscular frame
made him the envy of most of the boys. The girls found
him attractive and that made some of the boys jealous.
Al was street smart as well as innately connected, so he
knew how to handle the boys as well as the girls. Al was
always involved in some sport activity and was never
without a date for any school event, no matter what school
he attended. He was a sought-after commodity his senior
year—several colleges offered him partial scholastic
scholarships, but St. Louis University offered him a full
ride on a soccer scholarship. His parents were excited
about that offer because it meant Al could continue his
Catholic education at SLU; that was a family priority.
Alfie
ALFIE THE PATRIARCH: Alfie, the daddy Stork, is the patriarch of the family. Alfie stands over six feet four inches tall in Earth terms. His features are a blend of different human races. Alfie’s individual body consciousness as well as his ego consciousness has expanded physically, and the result is a mixture of human characteristics that resemble Earthly humans, but are much more advanced in terms of awareness. His eyes look like crystal blue almonds that can focus night and day without light. Before Alfie manifested physically on Ofu, he existed in Regional Area 4 of consciousness. He chose to have a blend of eastern and western facial features, a Middle Eastern bone structure, and smooth African skin with enzymes that create a translucent but dark glowing epidermis that is soft and difficult to damage. Alfie chose that image to express an integrated approach to teaching.
Portia
PORTIA THE MATRIARCH : Portia is the matriarch Stork; she’s a mama from the Borledium family of consciousness. The Borledium family is rooted in parenthood and care giving. Portia is slightly over five feet tall, and looks like a Polynesian princess with long flowing black hair that feels like silk. Her big, round eyes are hazel with slight specs of blue and yellow in them. In every physical manifestation she uses the name Portia, except when she manifests different focuses on Earth. She connected with Alfie before they manifested physically at an inner consciousness convention in another dimension of Ebis.