Top Doctors is one of our most popular issues, right behind Best and Worst and Best New Restaurants, but this issue is not just about the list.
This year, we wanted to tap into the experiences patients have with their doctors. We put out the word through an e-newsletter on Feb. 3 for subscribers with great stories to share about their doctors, and, boy, did they come through. Turn to Page 90 to read some of them.
Just as we did last year, we wanted to recognize the people who are part of health-care teams who may not get the limelight as much as the doctors. We asked for nominations in the fields of social work, pastoral care, occupational therapy, nurse midwifery and pharmacy.
My favorite "special honor" story is the one of the Rev. Charles Hunt, who has been the chaplain at Johnston-Willis Hospital for 25 years. Hunt says he hopes that he served as a vessel for God to work through and adds, "I'm not here to preach. I'm just here to help in any way I can."
Also in this issue, don't miss Harry Kollatz Jr.'s story on how Maymont's Japanese Garden went from a shambles to a showpiece during the 1970s, when it was literally saved by hats, chutzpah and a highly inspired redesign. It truly is a little cloud of heaven on earth.
Another makeover is in the works. Our flood wall and former power-plant building will get the once-over by 12 muralists who will participate in RVA's first Street Art Festival April 12 to 15. (Full disclosure: We're sponsors of the event.) Between this and another event earlier in the month called G40 along Broad Street in the arts district, super-sized art will take center stage.
And talking about larger-than-life, Chris Dovi spends some time with VCU's arts-school dean Joe Seipel, who is championing a new project that will transform Broad Street's landscape — the Institute for Contemporary Art. Look for drawings to be unveiled on April 25. Seipel's love for Richmond, its artistic community and its potential is infectious, and we are darn glad to have him back from Savannah.
And as we enter into Final Four Weekend, we want to send a shout-out to the VCU Rams and thank them for the excitement they've infused in the region over the past two years. They may not be playing this weekend, but they certainly left it all on the floor against Indiana.
We had the pleasure of following graduating senior Bradford Burgess and his family last year during the 2011 tournament and immediately afterward.
