Ron Gephart is an artist's artist with a big heart and a blue-collar work ethic. I'll be writing more about him before he's honored on August 28 at the annual Ostrander Awards. In the meantime, three questions.
Intermission Impossible: Why are you so awesome?
Ron Gephart: [My wife] Karen is awesome, not me. She married a roofer, encouraged me to find the thing I excelled at and was passionate about, supported me through college and moved to Memphis with me while still meticulously building her own career. She’s amazing.
Intermission Impossible: You really do seem to be working constantly. What drives you?
Ron Gephart: The fear of ending up on a roofing crew in Memphis summers. I just thought I was tough in Ohio; I wouldn’t mess with these Memphis cats.
Intermission Impossible: So now what? Do you intend to keep up the pace or do you intend to retire and show people your medal?
Ron Gephart: It is a new era at Southwest. As my late friend Rufus Thomas, jr. was fond of saying, “just because I’m leaving that don’t mean I’m gone.” Although I’ll only be working part time, I plan to work closely with Patsy Fancher (our new department head) who is already a dynamo in cultivating more community involvement within our theatre.
Always independent, always free (never a paywall),
the Memphis Flyer is your source for the best in local news and information.
Now we want to expand and enhance our work.
That's why we're asking you to join us as a Frequent Flyer member.
You'll get membership perks (find out more about those here) and help us continue to deliver the independent journalism you've come to expect.
Showing 1-6 of 6