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By Bob Dyer
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 07:12 p.m. EDT, Oct 28, 2009
Because the people directly involved aren't talking, we still don't know exactly who was responsible for the blunder in which painters working for AutoZone slapped bands of gray, white and orange paint over top of an enormous mural painted by Akron schoolchildren.
But we do know that AutoZone has stepped up and claimed responsibility.
The national auto-parts chain has sent the city a $2,500 check to try to ease what turned into a PR disaster for AutoZone and a huge disappointment for the children at Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts who designed and painted the 114-foot-long mural only two years ago. The money will go toward next year's Lock 3 Summer Arts program.
AutoZone, which is taking over a building Blockbuster previously occupied in the city's Wallhaven district, says the mural would not have been covered if the company had been aware of its significance.
Says Akron Deputy Mayor Dave Lieberth: ''We will use the gift to assist us in completing a public work of art — a mural or sculpture — to be created by high school students, and we will select an appropriate, permanent location for it.''
Half full
As you might have guessed, when SELF magazine ranked the nation's 100 ''healthiest places for women,'' Northeast Ohio was not bobbing along near the top of the list. We're rarely near the top of the good lists.
This time, we were a dismal 72nd. But the study did manage to find some positives about life in our area. Among them:
''Residents get relatively few sunburns and have low rates of death from skin cancer.''
Can't burn if you never get sun. Hip, hip, hooray.
Mascot duel
Neither of these fine educational institutions could ever compete with the nationally known and revered Zippy, of course, but the College of Wooster and archrival Wittenberg University, in Springfield (near Dayton), have put together a cool online mascot competition that can be viewed at http://www.mascotfaceoff.com.
As you might guess, Wittenberg is outgunned in our five-county area, with 700 alumni living here compared with 2,800 from Wooster.
With a diploma from Wooster and offspring at Wittenberg, your favorite columnist would be well advised to remain neutral.
Learn 'em good
In the Oct. 22 issue of the free regional publication Mimi Vanderhaven, there's an infomercial for a facility that helps students ''improve their ability to learn.''
The caption under the main photo reads, ''Training sessions at LearningRX help students improve to their grades [sic] — and the side benefit is an improvement in self-esteem.''
Maybe they can grow up to be proofreaders.
Bob Dyer can be reached at 330-996-3580 or bdyer@thebeaconjournal.com.
Because the people directly involved aren't talking, we still don't know exactly who was responsible for the blunder in which painters working for AutoZone slapped bands of gray, white and orange paint over top of an enormous mural painted by Akron schoolchildren.
But we do know that AutoZone has stepped up and claimed responsibility.
The national auto-parts chain has sent the city a $2,500 check to try to ease what turned into a PR disaster for AutoZone and a huge disappointment for the children at Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts who designed and painted the 114-foot-long mural only two years ago. The money will go toward next year's Lock 3 Summer Arts program.
AutoZone, which is taking over a building Blockbuster previously occupied in the city's Wallhaven district, says the mural would not have been covered if the company had been aware of its significance.
Says Akron Deputy Mayor Dave Lieberth: ''We will use the gift to assist us in completing a public work of art — a mural or sculpture — to be created by high school students, and we will select an appropriate, permanent location for it.''
Half full
As you might have guessed, when SELF magazine ranked the nation's 100 ''healthiest places for women,'' Northeast Ohio was not bobbing along near the top of the list. We're rarely near the top of the good lists.
This time, we were a dismal 72nd. But the study did manage to find some positives about life in our area. Among them:
''Residents get relatively few sunburns and have low rates of death from skin cancer.''
Can't burn if you never get sun. Hip, hip, hooray.
Mascot duel
Neither of these fine educational institutions could ever compete with the nationally known and revered Zippy, of course, but the College of Wooster and archrival Wittenberg University, in Springfield (near Dayton), have put together a cool online mascot competition that can be viewed at http://www.mascotfaceoff.com.
As you might guess, Wittenberg is outgunned in our five-county area, with 700 alumni living here compared with 2,800 from Wooster.
With a diploma from Wooster and offspring at Wittenberg, your favorite columnist would be well advised to remain neutral.
Learn 'em good
In the Oct. 22 issue of the free regional publication Mimi Vanderhaven, there's an infomercial for a facility that helps students ''improve their ability to learn.''
The caption under the main photo reads, ''Training sessions at LearningRX help students improve to their grades [sic] — and the side benefit is an improvement in self-esteem.''
Maybe they can grow up to be proofreaders.
Bob Dyer can be reached at 330-996-3580 or bdyer@thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Norton, Oh
Posted 07:18 PM, 10/28/2009
Why was the CITY paid? Why was the "gift" (PR Bribe) not given to the school that painted the mural??? Why didn't they just pay for the paint and time for the children to repaint another mural? Somehow, the children lose again, and the City now has the money and the decisions.
Akron, Oh
Posted 09:24 PM, 10/28/2009
Zapdog.... how can spin this negative. They did the right thing. Good for Autozone. They did not have to do anything.
Akron, Oh
Posted 09:51 PM, 10/28/2009
Im with you dynamic. Good job Auto-zone!! No one said dont paint over the mural. Im usre the city aka Don wil find another suitable spot to paint another mural. Kids are flexible, parents are not.
Kent, OH
Posted 01:15 AM, 10/29/2009
"Your favorite columnist."
I had no idea that Lisa from Food had gone to Wooster!
Posted 03:16 AM, 10/29/2009
The gift from AutoZone should be used to replace the mural and be painted by Miller South School students and the students that painted the first one. Akron should fine a place for them to paint. Thanks AutoZone.
Akron, Oh
Posted 08:22 AM, 10/29/2009
This is a non-issue. Kids will have to learn that things don't last forever; autozone can do whatever it wants with its own property; nothing is indespensible; being a child does not bestow sainthood.
The adults need to stop sending the message that these kids are sacrosanct. It's not good to lead children to believe that they are entitled to special treatment just because of their age.
Now, everyone stop the wailing and nashing of teeth over nothing and get back to real issues of day-to-day living and let this contrived hand wringing go...bunch of wuses!
Akron, OH
Posted 08:33 AM, 10/29/2009
@Jason12 - I agree. Miscommunication is more common that people want to believe. Even with cell phones. Autozone had every right to paint over the mural, they acknowledge it was a bad mistake and made (in my opinion) the best effort to resolve that mistake. Autozone went above what they needed to do and more than most companies would do and I applaud them for it.
medina, oh
Posted 08:58 AM, 10/29/2009
Great job, Autozone...above and beyond.
You just made me a new customer!
Mogadore, OH
Posted 09:22 AM, 10/29/2009
I agree with many posters that AutoZone did a very nice thing with the money that they did not need to do. I think they could have used a little more common sense (just from a PR perspective, if nothing else) before covering over a piece of art (whether or not it was painted by children should have no bearing). But, move on. There are a lot of plain blank facades on buildings around Akron that could be painted with murals.
Posted 09:38 AM, 10/29/2009
I drive past this at least three times a day. I didn't even notice it was gone (nor did I even know what it was) until it hit the paper
akron, oh
Posted 09:38 AM, 10/29/2009
A nice gesture by Autozone. Let's hope the city follows through and does what they say they will with the money.
Posted 10:33 AM, 10/29/2009
Nothing bunch of ignorant people going crazy over something that was a waste of time to begin with. How about this, Autozone closes the store and razes it....how many barren lots does Akron need.
akron, oh
Posted 10:47 AM, 10/29/2009
@j: Well aren't you a huge pile of positivity!
Akron, OH
Posted 11:03 AM, 10/29/2009
I look forward to the AutoZone. I just hope they have better customer service than the one down at Wooster-Hawkins. After standing around watching the employees joke with one another and ignore me, when they finally told me they don't have the computer to look up the code on my check engine light, I went across the street to the other auto parts store. (Napa?) Don't they have a big commercial about "come in and check your light?"
Why wouldn't they have the computer? They just didn't want to work. People in Fairlawn won't put up with that kind of service (or lack of)
Norton, Oh
Posted 11:53 AM, 10/29/2009
@akronis - I didnt try to put a negative spin on anything (reading comprehension is important). I questioned why Autozone gave the money to a city who's leadership has proven they can't handle money. They should have made the "gift" directly to the Miller South Art Department.
Who wants to wager a fresh made donut, that this issue quietly dies, and the city never forwards that money to the kids, as it was meant to? (that's negative spin)
As for all who laud AZ for the "gift" - it was merely a PR bribe to the community, and as noted in some of the posts, has worked on some.
akron, oh
Posted 11:53 AM, 10/29/2009
This is just another Stoopid story created by stoopid people like Dyer and cry babies at the school. The building is AutoZones to do as they wish. You people need to get over yourselves. So, they painted a wall on a building. It was nice while it lasted.
Posted 12:29 PM, 10/29/2009
If one cannot attend college, one can always go to Wooster..........
Canal Fulton, Oh
Posted 01:09 PM, 10/29/2009
Most of these posts just proves one thing,,some people are never happy with anything..Whine whine whine and whine somemore...Autozone didnt have to do one thing about it,but they did.How awesome of them!Butttttttt still not happy with it.Geez people get a life already!Count your blessings and chill the heck out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
akron, oh
Posted 01:14 PM, 10/29/2009
Perhaps the students at Miller South, should have painted the mural on their school, and not a place of business. AutoZone has very right to paint over the mural. They sent the check, to fight off losing business!!!!
Akron, Oh
Posted 03:24 PM, 10/29/2009
I think the wall looks better now. Thanks Autozone.
Akron, OH
Posted 05:54 PM, 10/29/2009
Let's see...
The mural was painted by Middle School students, in a neighborhood near their school.
Leave it to the Plusquellic administration to 'take the money and run' to create replacement art to now be made by High School students in a DOWNTOWN area as part of the Lock 3 Summer Arts program.
When it comes to Plusquellic & Co., nothing is more important than Downtown.
Akron, OH
Posted 07:13 PM, 10/29/2009
Jason12 - First post had a lot of merit. Second was was cold......and hilarious.
akron, oh
Posted 08:08 PM, 10/29/2009
The parents at Miller South needed this lesson. Your kids are not as all that as you imagine. It will be much easier on them to learn that NOW rather than later.
Akron created that silly school because the intellectually gifted kids flee, and there aren't enough left to have a real school for the gifted. They also needed to put a half-way decent school in a really bad neighborhood as appeasement to certain leftist individuals and organizations.
Obviously, the powers-that-be at Auto Zone, and many of us who drove by the mural, failed to find any intrinsic artistic value in the mural, and it has now been removed by the rightful owner.
Just like all those papers your kids brought home from kindergarten, the ones that stayed on the fridge til the corners curled up... of COURSE you love it and think it's wonderful. Doesn't mean your neighbors want to put it on THEIR fridge.
Akron, OH
Posted 04:22 PM, 11/10/2009
Thank you for all your support, Bob Dyer. As a current Wooster student, your comments on the mascot face-off page are rude and childish. See for yourself, ABJ readers:
mascotfaceoff.com
In the Witt video, Dyer bashes his own alma mater, along with putting down one of the highest ranked liberal arts schools in the country, along with the 3rd best in Ohio. Wooster is also nationally recognized as being on US News and World Report's 10 best schools for undergraduate education in the country. Clearly Wooster made an error in admitting Bob Dyer. Witt can have him, as far as I'm concerned.
I've been an ABJ reader for my whole life. No longer. Bob Dyer, you are the straw that broke the camel's back for me. Do me a favor, fellow Dyer-haters. Vote for Wooster!
