Failure Coach XXXIII

Miami                     

Johnny Appleseed was still officially undecided. Undecided but not undeclared. Since he was already planning his course load for his second semester at the University of Miami he told his counselor he was thinking of becoming a Sociology major. So his counselor wrote it down. He was reasonably certain that he would earn 15 credits with a C average or better. He still had some core courses to take. His second semester would likely consist of English composition, American History, Psychology of Drug Abuse (which he heard was pretty much an easy A if he showed up), Photography and Sociology 105. Coach Siena encouraged him to pick a major – any major. The coach told him it didn’t really matter – he should just focus on getting a degree. He wanted Johnny to experience college and experience Miami. Now that the Miami Beach incident was mostly behind him he could go home to Red Bud, Illinois over the Christmas Break with a suntan and impress his home town friends and former Musketeer teammates.

“There’s a party at the apartments at the Villas of Kendall just off campus and since the Hurricanes are away the game will be on. It might be worth checking out. This girl, Sarah, in my contemporary literature class who said she’s help me out with some notes. She’s the one who told me about the party. Anyway, we’re going to have a little pre-game gathering in the dorm. Come to my room around 7:00 or whenever. Go Canes.” The wheels were in motion and a loose plan for the evening was unfolding. There was a frat party they might go to early but the destination was the Villas of Kendall. Beer which was already on ice in a cooler in his room. He knew his suite-mates would have some weed too.”

Meanwhile Daniel Bluestone was back in Miami, staying at his favorite hotel, the Raleigh on Miami Beach. He was sipping a dirty martini by the pool and scrolling through his smart phone for messages, texts and e-mails. He was expecting a friend of his from the Miami Ad School to join him but was not concerned when he did not show up. He was also expecting Martin Margulies, the developer and art collector/impresario. The two became friends during an Art Basel week in Miami quite by happenstance. Daniel was in Miami visiting with friends from Crispin Porter + Bogusky. The Miami Hot Shop principals were invited to an event at the Miami Beach home of the now late fashion designer Gianni Versace. The event was a fundraiser for Best Buddies an organization founded by Anthony Paul Kennedy Shriver for people with disabilities. Sadly the designer was killed in 1997 at age 50. Bluestone and Margulies connected and became friends that night in 1995. The friendship began as they discussed: how art meets commerce in the advertising business; the ideas of conceptual and minimalist art; and the impact of the critic in determining what some collectors buy. They connected, because they were two passionate artists in their own way. So they stayed in touch over the years.

“Marty, so glad you could join me. I would love for you to meet my partner, Jan Abbeshire. She’s taking a shower but will be down in a minute. Jan and I are in a unique position. It seems a client of ours is one step away from being the likely heir to the Victoria Valentine Art Collection. We do some work for the Alan Edgewater Failure First Scholarship Foundation (AEFFSF) which was made possible through a significant charitable gift from a big  lottery winner, Robert Siena of Red Bud, Illinois. Siena is now a retired high school coach with a regional sales contract position in the Midwest. Anyway, Jan and I met through Alan Edgewater and we just decided to join forces.”

“Tell me more about the Valentine collection. Ms. Valentine and I have crossed paths more than once. I have a sense of her collection. As I recall, she was a smart woman. She was, like me, a patron of Contemporary Art. But more importantly, like me, she bought what she liked not what people told her she should like.”   

“That doesn’t surprise me. So it’s our scholarship winner, Andrew Valentine, the grandson of Nana Valentine who stands to inherit the collection. I’m not even sure how this will play out, (or how long it will take to settle this estate), but I’d love your thoughts…”

“Talking shop already…” Jan interjected with a jestful tone. As she joined Dan and Marty at poolside, Jan noted the conversation was already getting deeper into the business of art collections. Marty quickly learned that Jan had a more complete understanding of the Valentine collection than Dan by a long shot. She had done her homework prior to the AEFFSF award and as such was fully conversant in the subtleties of Nana’s love of art and her collection.

“The collection is currently in the hands of Rachel Davis Fine Arts in Cleveland and is currently being cataloged and appraised.” Jan shared, “The initial list I saw was pretty impressive, Marty. Of course your collection is worth ten times the Valentine collection.” This statement was indeed true.

The following day the three went to visit the The Warehouse, a 45,000 square feet of exhibition space established by Marty along with his longtime curator Katherine Hinds established to display Martin Z. Margulies’ growing collection of photography, video, installation works, and sculpture. (In 1999, the first phase of the Margulies Collection at the Warehouse opened to the public with an event to benefit the Lowe Museum at the University of Miami.) Among the artists on permanent display: Doug Aitken, Cory Arcangel, John Chamberlain, Willem de Kooning, Leandro Erlich, Michael Heizer, Donald Judd, Sol LeWitt, Richard Long, Isamu Noguchi, George Segal, Richard Serra, Tony Smith, Franz West. 

Failure Coach XXXII

Fine Arts 101 in Cleveland

Writing Negative Space unexpectedly turned Alan into something of an art fan. The Nana Valentine collection fueled that interest. Alan was surprised to learn that the collection consisted of sculpture, paintings, drawings, plans and even some artist notebooks. The idea of managing such a collection made his head spin. He was happy the collection was principally in the capable hands of the Cleveland auction house and would be until Nana’s estate was sorted out.

On the plane, Alan found himself reading about Oberlin College. He could not help but be impressed by the school Andrew Valentine chose. The Conservatory of Music, founded in 1865 and situated amid the intellectual vitality of Oberlin College since 1867, is renowned as a professional music school of the highest caliber. The college hosts hundreds of free concerts and recitals each year. The conservatory is one of the cornerstones of Oberlin’s cultural life. Alan noted that the campus is just about a 40 minute drive from Cleveland. He was tempted to visit while in town. Oberlin, he noted was founded in 1833 and is one of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges. Another cornerstone is the Allen Memorial Art Museum (AMAM), recognized for its superlative collection and considered one of the finest college or university art museums in the United States.   

Alan was greeted at the auction house by Ivy, of whom he’d only met on the phone; an art specialist, an attractive forty-ish woman wearing mostly black and a banker in a pinstriped suit and starched white shirt and red tie, who specialized in wealth management with respect to art collections. The art specialist had an academic cadence to her speech. Her pale skin was offset by her red lipstick and straight blond hair. Each introduced themselves, but Alan could not recall anyone’s name aside from Ivy.

“We are thrilled to tour some of the highlights of the Valentine private collection. Victoria was a woman of unique and rare taste. The pieces she purchased during her lifetime are important examples of contemporary art,” she stated as she shook her head causing her hair show more of her face. As she began to speak, Ivy quietly left Alan with the banker and the art specialist. Alan and the banker moved into a gallery space to view a handful of painting, two heavy sculptures made of unfinished COR-TEN steel on the floor, and serigraph limited edition prints by Keith Herring and an Andy Warhol. Alan was impressed by the presentation but retained very little of the specialists guided tour remarks.

The specialist suggested Alan peruse the gallery as long as he liked. “When you are ready please  join us in the conference room just around the corner.” Now the private showing seemed a preamble, a gauntlet of which he was uncertain. It was an engagement, he imagined, ideal for art sales. No pressure, relaxed, casual …only not.

When he joined the banker and the specialist in the conference room. The specialist had prepared a PowerPoint slide show which included the pieces he had just seen along with others he hadn’t. Each slide was tastefully labeled. Coffee, tea and ice water were available at a convenient side table. Alan helped himself to black coffee with Sweet N’Low and sat across from the banker who was leafing through an oversized leather portfolio binder which featured the artwork on pages that were similarly labeled.

The banker sipped his coffee. As he placed his cup on the saucer. His hands came together as he pressed the fingertips together as he became to speak softly. “An art collection such as this is a very personal thing. From an estate planning perspective, it is always better to plan for the transfer of assets. Mrs. Valentine, fortunately, has been pretty clear in here wishes.” He paused a moment turned the portfolio catalogue for Alan’s viewing convenience. “You sir are in a unique position to guide the estate toward decisions about this body of work for which Mrs. Valentine has invested considerable time and resources.”

“Wait a minute,” Alan interrupted,”I’m not really likely to influence anyone about this. I’ve never met Nana and have only come to know the Valentine family recently as Andrew was selected as our second Alan Edgewater Failure First Scholarship winner.”

“Precisely, Mr. Edgewater. At the risk of oversimplifying, collectors should be aware that they have three basic options, according to most wealth strategists, with respect to their collection: 1. Sell the collection, 2. give it to a non-charitable beneficiary, such as children or other heirs, or 3. donate it to a charitable beneficiary, such as a museum.” The banker smiled, “It may take some time for the family to sort things out because of valuation and the cost of managing these assets but those are basically the options.”

“So what do you want from me?”

Failure Coach XXXI

Creve Coeur Golf Course

“Hey Bob-O, can you break away for nine at Creve Coeur around 2:15?” Alan was hoping for some quality time from his friend, the good attorney Bob Caster. The call was worth a shot he thought. Since Bob joined the downtown firm he’d been harder to schedule. Alan missed the camaraderie of regular rounds with Bob which in hindsight he didn’t appreciate quite enough. Now that they happened with less frequency they were harder to schedule. Bob had to play the lawyer game with client meetings and mentoring para-legals and young lawyers. He also had a bigger business development nut to crack if he was going to secure his place in the firm. Alan knew this call was a long shot but he also figured there were not many decent golf days left weather-wise this season.

“I’m in.” The response was a surprise to Alan but he was thrilled.

“Great. You know the drill. I’ll see you at the club. I’ve got lot’s to talk to you about, not the least of which is that nasty slice of yours. Ha.”

“Let me wrap up a few things here and I will meet you there.”

The round was indeed overdue. Alan rented a cart so they could ride together. It occurred to Alan that this was one of those times when guys were able to talk about anything or nothing. In the scheme of things, everyone knows that women are more comfortable getting together over lunch or coffee for social time. Men are from Mars. Men seem to like the options of playful and meaningless banter or friendly competition. On this day, Bob was just happy to be making a get-away.

Nine holes at the Creve Coeur Golf Course should only take about an hour and a half but if ill-timed behind a slow group or a league night the round could take 3 and a half hours. Either way he was looking forward to the time on the links with his long time friend.

When Bob arrived, Alan was ready with a cart. “You’re good. You are already paid. Let’s go.”

“Geez, no time to warm up or make a few practice putts?”

“You know how this place can get in the afternoon. We’re wide open with no-one in front of us.”

“You’re right. Tee-it up hot shot.”

Alan was keeping score and driving the cart when he noticed Bob taking a few practice swings on the tee box on number four. He joined him on the elevated landscaped platform. They watched some high school kids walking up to their balls which were well placed in the fairway just about 250 yards out. “Probably kids from the DeSmet High School golf team. I bet you wish you could hit it long and straight like that.” Bob was talking trash to Alan but they both knew the boys from the neighborhood Jesuit run Catholic High School were putting on a clinic. Bob and Alan both wished they had taken the game more seriously when they were teens. Instead they tried to dial it in their forties when business outings a charity events forced them to figure it out as adults. In spite of the frustration, both accepted erratic and inconsistent play and never let stupid lapses in mechanics ruin a round for them. It was clear that the score didn’t matter much to them anyway. “A good walk spoiled,” Alan reminded Bob of Mark Twain’s assessment of the game of golf.

“Hey Bob, what do you know about fine art?”

“I know enough to know you shouldn’t invest in art unless you love it and want to treasure it. Put it this way. It isn’t a liquid asset. I’ve had some cases where families go to war over a piece of art work like it’s a family heirloom and yet at the first opportunity they want to sell it to the highest bidder.”

“I’m going to a private viewing of a private collection in Cleveland that’s valued at like $80 Million. I’m not even sure why. It turns our a capella scholar may be in line to inherit this collection.”

“I hope the kid has a tax attorney. The transfer of assets like that can be challenging, especially if there isn’t a pretty specific will spelling things out. ”      

As with most golf course conversations, the subject was dropped for the time being. While putting on hole number 6, Alan decided to irritate his friend with a lawyer joke: A guy asks a lawyer what his fee is. "I charge $50 for three questions," the lawyer says. "That’s awfully steep, isn’t it?" the guy asks. "Yes," the lawyer replies, "Now what’s your final question?"

“Very funny Alan.”

On number 8, cruising the fairway after two respectable drives Bob asked Alan how things were going with Abbeshire & Bluestone. “How in the world did they keep Coach Siena from talking about Johnny Appleseed and his arrest in Miami? And where in the world did he find that Andrew Valentine kid? He sings a cappella in front of hundreds of people and thanks his rich Nana. That was some show. Even I thought about writing a check to the Alan Edgewater Failure First Scholarship fund that night.”

“That was pretty remarkable, wasn’t it? And it’s his Nana who is going to make our boy Andy Valentine the owner of a pretty unique and priceless collection of art.”

Failure Coach XXX

Abbeshire & Bluestone Offices, St. Louis

Daniel Bluestone convinced Alan Edgewater to debrief at Abbeshire & Bluestone. Dan hoped to brainstorm a little and maybe get some additional business marketing the upcoming book and maybe the online webinar series. Jan wanted to include Coach Siena in a discussion about the best way to market the scholarship fund going forward. Alan agreed to meet with Tony Blank and some staffers from Ambrosia too but since their St. Louis offices weren’t ready to move in, the Abbeshire & Bluestone conference room was booked for the morning. So bagels and coffee from St. Louis Bread Company were waiting for Alan along with a room full of advertising and marketing people.

Ambrosia Project Manager, Julie Chase agreed to take notes and produce a conference report for everyone present. She noted that Tony Blank, Grace and herself from Ambrosia would represent the account team, project management and public relations from Ambrosia. She knew Coach Robert Siena would arrive shortly. Jan Abbeshire and Daniel Bluestone could pull people in and out for support since it was their venue;       

Abbeshire & Bluestone letterhead with an agenda for the meeting was placed at a dozen places around the conference room table. Daniel was trying to control the meeting and he figured that even late arrivals would see the agenda and refrain from breaking in with their own topics. Anyway, the bulk of the meeting was intended to give Alan an opportunity to share with everyone. So the outline included roman numerals and broad subject headings.

I.                   Kansas City Keynote at Nelson-Atkins Museum – Alan Edgewater

II.                Walmart Meeting – Alan Edgewater  

III.             Scholarship Update and Press – Coach Siena/Jan Abbeshire

IV.             Book Sales Update – Alan Edgewater

V.                Webinar/Seminar Schedule – Tony Blank

VI.             Holiday Events/Appearances – Dan Bluestone

Alan walked in and poured himself a cup of black coffee and added some Sweet N’Low. He said hello to everyone as they were filing into the room. He moved to the front of the room and began to address the group somewhat extemporaneously. “Good morning. I just want to thank everyone from Ambrosia for booking our Midwest mini tour.  From Rock & Roll to Hall of Fame to The Sculpture Garden at the Nelson Atkins Museum and all stops in between. It’s been a great ride. We connected with maybe 2,000 people in 30 days. Is that about right Tony?”

Tony Blank nodded and gestured that the number was even higher.

“Cleveland, Canton, Detroit, Columbus, Cincinnati, St. Louis, KC and Bentonville with special appearances and book signings sprinkled in. We’ll be heading to Cleveland again in a week or so but we expect to be mostly in town through the 4^th Quarter. The Walmart meeting was encouraging not only for this year but also potentially for a new book we hope we can have ready for Q3 next year. I guess I’ll need to get to work.”

Grace laughed awkwardly and it caused others to chuckle. Tony felt compelled to comment, “Negative Space comments seemed to resonate in KC. We reviewed video of Alan’s presentation and we really think there are some gems there. Stay tuned. The publisher called us after the Walmart meeting and they are fast tracking book three.” Tony’s impromptu drew applause from the 7 people in the room.

“Thank you. There are plans to offer book three exclusively in a three book in a set along with the first two in a handsomely packaged set of three paperbacks in a sleeve.” Alan loved talking about the special set especially since he planted the idea with the Walmart buyers and the publisher’s rep just a couple of days ago. While the project was still unofficial, Alan was encouraged by the enthusiasm in Bentonville. What he didn’t know was the impact on other channels or if the idea of a set would go over even with one of the three books being the completely new Negative Space book.

The Ambrosia team promised to follow up on the project as Coach Robert Siena entered the room. Dan invited him in, offered him coffee and a place at the conference room table. Alan took this as a cue to turn the floor over to Jan Abbeshire. “Jan, now that the coach is hear, maybe you want to give us an update on the Alan Edgewater Failure First Scholarship program.”

“Thanks Alan. Well, as you all know the awards presentation at the Missouri Athletic Club was a success. We finished comfortably in the black. We also raised nearly $25,000 for the fund from pledges and the silent auction that night. What’s more exciting, perhaps, is the pick-up we got from editors in a variety of business and sports related publications.” Jan reported matter of factly. “The image of our winner signing a tribute to his Nana was everywhere both in print and video via YouTube had more than 450,000 hits. The Andy Valentine a cappella tribute to his Nana was moving and it helped reinforce the power of the scholarship of this type. The unconditional nature of the prize with the visibility and performance of Andrew Valentine is sure to get us a heightened awareness.”

“That song was a show stopper for sure,” shared Coach Siena. “And it turns out Nana was pretty fond of our boy Andrew. He stands to inherit a priceless collection of art.

“Well now coach, let’s keep a lid on that until we know what’s really going to happen with the art collection.”

“I know. Shoot, the kid doesn’t have to worry about money short term anyway. His tuition is covered for him to explore music engineering.”  

Julie Chase noticed that only a couple of the agenda items were covered that morning but the net take-away for Ambrosia were Walmart and developing plans for Negative Space. She also noted that net take-aways for Abbeshire & Bluestone were the scholarship fund, pr for the latest winner and the wildcard Nana art collection. She almost forgot to mention it, but Tony Blank passed her a note suggesting the art collection be included as items for Alan and Coach Siena to follow up on.         

Failure Coach XXIX

On the Road Again

Wandering the gallery space prior to his seminar at the Atkins Auditorium, Alan noticed, perhaps more than he expected the impact negative space has on composition. He noticed it in the sculpture forms of Henry Moore on the grounds of the museum sculpture park. He noticed it in The Italian paintings of by Caravaggio and Titian; The Impressionists and Post-Impressionists Monet, Pissarro, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne and Seurat; English paintings and landscapes by Gainsborough and Turner, and Spanish paintings by El Greco and Goya. The simple concept of negative space allowed him to look at and appreciate fine art in an entirely different way. He knew his Negative Space book premise had legs and he was able to prove it to this audience of 350, comprised of business leaders, developers, real estate professionals and politicians. The museum visit also allowed Alan an opportunity to become a bit more familiar with some American and Contemporary artists included in the Victoria “Nana” Valentine collection. A list was e-mailed to Alan by Ivy from the appraiser/auction house in Cleveland. He didn’t have time to research much but enough to realize that the private showing would be worthwhile and indeed a pretty special opportunity.

“Ladies and Gentleman, isn’t this a remarkable venue? We’ve had a wonderful day and our keynote presenter is likely to be icing on the cake.” The guy who agreed to make this introduction was someone from the KC chapter of the SIOR (Society of Industrial and Office Realtors). “Our SIOR chapter serving Western Missouri and Kansas maintains and promotes a professional designation of the highest quality for our members and clients. The SIOR designation stands unchallenged for excellence in the performance of real estate services, and is universally recognized as the prerequisite in the selection of a commercial real estate broker, agent, or consultant. As many of you know the museum itself has been a showcase for development and renewal. In that spirit we are happy to bring you best selling author Alan Edgewater.”  The audience applauded and it was showtime. Alan was on again.  .”

Alan was pretty happy with himself. The Kansas City audience was engaged. He could tell by the response to his jokes. He was happy with the A/V and his timing. He could tell by audience questions that his failure fans were still interested in his motivational philosophy and ready to buy into another book. He was impressed with the facility and glad he elected to drive to KC. It was going to be a long day but he was riding a wave.  

Prior to his introduction, his stroll around the grounds and through the gallery spaces at the museum was the right amount of time to be fresh and newly inspired. They sold no books at this event but plenty of people had copies they wanted Alan to sign: The first and second books in hard cover, a few paperbacks and even a couple of Abraham Lincoln as if designed by Push Pin Studios posters someone bought on-line. He was happy to sign away. He hadn’t heard from Tony Blank or anyone from Ambrosia, but they must have worked some magic to get this audience and this stunning venue. Alan was pumped. He felt like a rock star. He lingered until only a handful of people remained in the auditorium. His Escalade was ready for his exit. And he was off in an instant.

The 3 hours and 45 minute drive to Bentonville, Arkansas seemed to move by quickly since Alan used the time to listen to a CD recording of the seminar made for him by a local events management firm Ambrosia arranged to capture the event. Too bad Tony Blank did not appear in person. If he had, he might have recognized the evolution of book three was unfolding right there: Negative Space.

Alan thought about what he hoped to discuss with his publisher. He wanted to ask what they thought about offering Walmart a special deal, maybe a three book set: It isn't easy being anybody, You can’t give 110% and Negative Space (which had yet to be written/published). He knew, of course, this couldn’t happen in time for this holiday season but he wanted to plant the idea for next year. He hoped the publisher would think the idea was not only do-able but a great way to serve up a unique product to Walmart at a price point that would preserve the pricing elsewhere (bookstores and online). Alan was so pleased with his success in KC and this product idea he took a break from working in his car and enjoyed channel surfing local radio stations until he reached the Embassy Suites Hotel in Rogers, Arkansas. He checked in and used the couch in the suite to kick back and relax in front of a big screen TV tuned into CNN. He knew the following day, with the run to Bentonville Airport and on to Walmart Corporate Headquarters would be an experience. He did not want to set the agenda but he hoped that it would break down into short term goal to sell the first two books into Walmart (in some combination of hard cover and paperback) for Q4 and longer term a discussion about a three book package in a custom sleeve exclusively available at Walmart for maybe Q3 next year.      

Failure Coach XXVIII

Fine Art and Price/Value

It was a busy day at Rachel Davis Fine Arts, an auctioneer and appraiser of fine and decorative arts in Cleveland. Since 1991, Rachel Davis and Company conducted auctions, appraisals, consignments, and estate liquidations. The Valentine Collection was in safe hands for the moment but once the appraisal was completed it was not certain if they would offer the art at auction or not. Nana Valentine was, some thought, experiencing signs of dementia when the work was consigned to Rachel Davis Fine Arts. The auction house knew the paperwork was in order but also knew that an estate like this could be tied up in probate for months, if not years.

Alan was already making his way to Kansas City in his Cadillac Escalade when the auction house called him. He was not expecting a call from them. “Mr. Edgewater, I’m Ivy from the auction house of Rachel Davis Fine Arts in Cleveland. I’m calling to invite you to a private showing of select pieces from the Valentine Collection.” She went on to say the work was not currently for sale and that the showing was consistent with Victoria “Nana” Valentine’s wishes that the work would be viewed, photographed and catalogued on the anniversary of her 25 years of collecting.

“Why me?” said Alan. “I’m not a close friend really. I love art but I’m not a collector or buyer.”

“Maybe not, Mr. Edgewater, but you are among a short list provided by the most likely heir, Andrew Valentine and he especially indicated that he wanted you to be witness to our Anniversary Celebration in Cleveland. The work will be on view for just 10 days. Rachel Davis Fine Arts will do whatever we can to accommodate you. Your airfare and hotel will be paid for by the a grant made possible by the Valentine Family Arts Foundation.”

“Really? Well that seems too good to pass up.”

“Great. We’ll send you details on the event and travel arrangements via e-mail. Just follow instructions and we’ll see you in a few weeks.”     

Alan shook his head. He put one of his CDs into his player and listened to himself talking about embracing 

failure. He was listening for clues to pattern his next book. Negative Space talked a lot about artists and how artists used negative space. He was preparing in his head for this group in Kansas City who wanted to meet at the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum auditorium. He wanted to test audience reception of some to the Negative Space material. Just a taste, as most of his presentation planned for the museum auditorium was already audience tested and approved. He thought it fortunate that the invitation to the Valentine private collection showing in Cleveland might make him seem even more hip to contemporary art than he might otherwise be able to lay claim.

He wondered if it made sense to hint around about the coming third book to the Walmart buyers in Bentonville. With two successful books under his belt, his publisher might be willing to package a three paperback book set together as a Walmart exclusive. He decided he better not bring it up as the publisher would want to calculate the economics of such a program before serving it up to the shrewd negotiating team in Bentonville. He knew he’d get an earful about pricing strategies and value when he picked up the publisher’s representative at the Bentonville Airport tomorrow afternoon. First things first he thought. Let's make sure this concept resonates with this audience in KC. After all an art museum is a perfect place to test drive Negative Space. 

Failure Coach XXVII

Victoria Valentine Dies

Alan Edgewater, catching up on his reading in his office at home, opened an A-7 envelop he assumed would be a greeting card or a Thank You note. He removed the card and a newspaper clipping obituary column fell to his desk. The card was from Andrew Valentine. Andrew has written in his mostly block print handwriting in ball point pen this short note. “I just wanted to thank you for your part in the award event at the Missouri Athletic Club in Saint Louis. My parents really enjoyed the evening too.” It was signed, “Andy Valentine” and included a post script, “P.S. I know my Nana would have been proud.”

Alan picked up the obit and focused on the picture of Victoria “Nana” Valentine. He read the tiny type. “VALENTINE, Victoria 85, died September 15 at the Arlington Good Samaritan Center. Ms. Valentine was a patron of the arts and supporter of education. She was well known in the Arlington community as an advocate and volunteer. She traveled widely and was a collector of art. Her eclectic collection includes contemporary works of American Art and forms one of the most significant private collections in the Midwest. She was preceded in death (twelve years) by Harold F. Valentine, a retired engineer from Rubbermaid.”

Alan learned more about Nana Valentine a day or so after the banquet in a phone call from Jan Abbeshire. Jan had taken it upon herself to research Ms. Valentine’s art collection. The art was currently in trust and managed by an auction house in Cleveland and included pieces by Andy Warhol, Donald Judd, Sol LeWitt, Keith Harring, Robert Rauschenberg, Louise Nevelson and Georgia O’Keefe. A source close to the family reported the collection was appraised in the neighborhood of $80 Million. It was unclear what Ms. Valentine intended to do with the art but clearly, the move involving the auction house was not directed by Nana. The art, and the management of that property, would soon be in probate court. Nana only had one daughter and that daughter was the mother of the second Alan Edgewater Failure First Scholarship award. It appears that he is a very lucky young man with an irrevocable four year college scholarship and the most likely heir to art worth a fortune.     

Alan could not help but laugh. With Coach Robert Siena’s help he started a fund to award an annual scholarship, the first two winners of which were selected by a committee managed by the coach and the Bluestone & Abbeshire agency. As near as Alan could tell, the agency was doing a first rate job managing the fund, the candidate reviews, the award and all publicity. The first winner was hand-picked by the coach. The second was selected from a small pool of candidates proposed by friends of the coach (mostly coaches themselves). It remained to be seen what Johnny Appleseed and Andrew Valentine would do with their scholarships. So far, it looked like an undeclared/undecided major and a talented would be music engineer were going to set the stage for future funding. Jan and Alan agreed that a fair amount of pressure was going to be on the shoulders of these young men.

Johnny Appleseed’s case was settled and basically dropped in a plea bargain thanks to the maneuvering of the lawyer Coach Siena was able to engage in this bit of business. The story pretty much disappeared, much to Jan Abbeshire and Alan Edgewater’s delight. The only media outlet that pressed at all was the St. Louis Business Journal but they seemed to fold soon after the publisher met with Ambrosia Managing Director Tony Blank and executives at the Omnicom Group prior to Ambrosia’s St. Louis Grand Opening ribbon cutting downtown.

As Alan got up from his desk and started started to make his way through his kitchen hallway to the garage he noticed a full color postcard he must have dropped out of the stack of mail, community news and shopping circulars he transported from the mailbox earlier. It was an invitation to a sampling event at the Jack Buck Grill at the Missouri Athletic Club downtown featuring Sazerac Rye Whisky. “The Coach doesn’t miss a trick,” thought Alan. He posted the notice on his refrigerator with a magnet in the midst of a variety of magnets, photos and a small dry-erase board on which he wrote, “Talk to Coach Siena about Christmas Gifts”.