The following is an online extra from our February 2019 Complete Sourcebook issue, headed to newsstands soon.
L. Douglas Wilder
The first African-American governor of Virginia (1990) and first elected African-American governor in the nation since Reconstruction, Wilder became a senior statesman — and a talk show host — and in 2004, he became Richmond’s first elected mayor in 50 years. A grandson of slaves and a Bronze Star-decorated Korean War veteran, his outspoken nature and controversial decisions have endeared and enraged. Then there was the suit of denim he wore to a Council meeting, and the other sharp tailored ones, and the cowboy boots. He is the one, and the only.
Kelli Lemon at Urban Hang Suite RVA (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
Kelli Lemon
A face of the New Richmond, seeking to bring us together by talking to us about ourselves, Lemon, whose background includes sports and restaurant management, graduated from the University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University and demonstrates her passion for the city by hosting a get-acquainted podcast/YouTube chat show, “Coffee With Strangers RVA.” She describes herself as a “social entrepreneur,” often seen on stages as a host/presenter and at her new cafe on Broad, Urban Hang Suite RVA.
Jim Andelin (Photo courtesy Metro Richmond Zoo)
Jim Andelin
Andelin’s life is a zoo. He and his wife, Sherry, have a fondness for animals, becoming zookeepers gradually and then all at once. The monkeys were what did it, followed by lions, tigers and giraffes. In 1995, following zoning hurdles, they opened the Metro Richmond Zoo in southern Chesterfield County. The zoo is home to more than 2,000 creatures great and small from 180 species, including the popular cheetah cubs and African penguins.
Andrew Freiden (Photo courtesy NBC 12)
Andrew Freiden
The renowned NBC12/WRLH 35 morning meteorologist is in the pantheon of familiar regional television personalities. He earned his environmental sciences bona fides from the University of Virginia and joined the established NBC12 team in July 2000. He takes the weather seriously — tailoring his forecast to your softball game or that hike you want to take. Possessing a keen wit, he also presents a sense of dignity and a dose of humor to whatever proceedings he’s involved with, often emceeing local charity events. But don’t him started about Alexa and its weather forecasting.
Ashley Hawkins at home (Photo by Sarah Walor)
Ashley E. Hawkins
An artist and the executive director of nonprofit community arts center Studio Two Three, Hawkins started the venture with friends in a small Plant Zero studio, moved to West Main and then came to Scott’s Addition, bigger, stronger and as a work/exhibition space. Whether operating an asphalt paver to create huge print maps of Richmond, organizing activities at the center or “momming” with her family, Hawkins always brings her vitality and perspective. “The people here are fundamentally interested in making things happen,” she said in 2015, when speaking of Studio Two Three’s new digs.