CLARKSVILLE, TN – The Clarksville Arts and Heritage Council will honor two creative forces with Lifetime Achievement in Art and a dedicated preservationist with an award in Heritage at its 20th annual membership gathering on Sunday, December 7.
Paul Binkley and David Alford will receive the Lifetime Achievement in Art award, and Don Sharpe will receive the Lifetime Achievement in Heritage Award.
Lifetime Achievement in Heritage
Don Sharpe has been instrumental in restoring and preserving many of Clarksville’s historic homes and buildings. While he began in construction of new homes, his skills and expertise led him to helping owners lovingly restore their properties to their former beauty and timelessness.
Don Sharpe, who started as a band instructor, retired and then entered new construction. He was so successful in this new chapter that he was sought out by historic homeowners like Evelyn Hunter to assist her in restoring her beloved Oak Top. Mrs. Hunter’s persistence eventually wore him down, and he teamed with her in saving the 1858 Greek Revival house.
This achievement marked the beginning of a new branch of Sharpe’s construction work. He restored the Forbes-Mabry, numerous homes in historic Glenwood, several homes in the Emerald Hill Historic District, including the 1926 Darnell-Drew house. He also did restoration work on the stone Cheatham home, the Barker home built in 1820, Benfolly, Alfred Hall, Cloverlands, and the Quarles and O’Neal houses in Dog Hill.
Sharpe worked on one house at a time, paying meticulous attention to detail and handcrafting the details to match and complement the existing original work.
He is also a history buff and researcher. He spends countless hours studying various aspects of the building’s era, including the style of woodworking, the intricate swirl of glass in the windowpane, the brickwork and its firing and laying techniques.
In addition to his physical work in preserving Clarksville’s architectural heritage, Sharpe sees his most important contribution as an advocate. He served as president of the Montgomery County Historical Society from 1996 to 2000 and helped organized several historic home tours during the 1990s.
He often speaks at Historic Zoning Commission hearings and to the County Commission and City Council on preservation issues and is a founding member of the Montgomery County Preservation Coalition.
Lifetime Achievement in Art
Austin Peay State University alums, David Alford and Paul Binkley, have both achieved successful careers in the performing arts, working solo on important projects, but often teaming up for performances like the one they will give following the awards ceremony on Sunday night. They have worked together on a number of Christmas performances over the years, recreating Truman Capote’s Christmas and Thanksgiving essays, performing with APSU Professor Emeritus David Steinquest’s popular percussion Christmas concerts, and offering several versions of Christmas Samplers of songs and stories for Nashville sudiences.
David Alford was born and raised on his family farm in Adams, Tennessee, where he learned and embraced the value of agrarian life. He attended Jo Byrns High School, Martin Methodist College, and Austin Peay State University before being invited to study at the Juilliard School drama program in New York.
After a few years of acting stints in the northeast and far west, Alford returned to Tennessee to found the Mockingbird Theatre in Nashville. Serving as its artistic director for ten years, he used his dramatic imagination to raise audience interest in and sensitivity to contemporary classics.
In 2004, Alford became the artistic director of the Tennessee Repertory Theatre at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville. He threw his creative energy into works that permitted him to gather and showcase regional and national talent, while continuing to hone his own performance skills.
At this point, television came calling. Relying on his experience in previous television engagements and identifying skills that cut across television and live performance, Alford portrayed the colorful and plucky character of Bucky Dawes in the popular series, “Nashville.”
Following the favorable reception of “Nashville,” Alford appeared in the Broadway revival of “The Little Foxes,” with Laura Linney, Cynthia Nixon, Michael McKean, and Richard Thomas. The production was given rave reviews and hailed as an artistic success, with Cynthia Nixon winning a Tony for her performance as Birdie. Alford’s interpretation of the wealthy Mr. Marshall served well in ensemble acting at its best.
Television and Broadway notwithstanding, Alford finds time to entertain local audiences, often in league with the talented musician Paul Binkley. On numerous occasions, they have performed for audiences in Clarksville and Nashville, usually using material that they have created or adapted for the stage. Their performances are continually met with enthusiasm and gratitude for work well done.
As a writer, Alford is best known for two plays that are part of the annual Bell Witch Fall Festival in Adams, Tennessee: “Spirit: The Authentic Story of the Bell Witch of Tennessee,” and “Smoke: A Ballad of the Night Riders.” Both plays are inspirational to audiences, and they provide continuing opportunities for actors and technicians in the performing arts.
What is it like to tie your talents to many stage personalities and events centers? Paul Binkley knows. He has played the guitar with stars such as Roy Acuff, Lorrie Morgan, Percy Sledge, Alabama, and The 5th Dimension, to name a few. He has played in the Nashville Symphony, Nashville Opera, the Ryman Auditorium, the Astrodome and the Kennedy Center. Add to these accomplishments the fact that he is both proficient and prolific as a guitarist, a composer, a producer, and a music director, and one can begin to see the many hats he has worn and worn well.
Binkley began playing the guitar at the age of nine in Knoxville, Tennessee. Inspired by Jim Whaley, an excellent guitarist in his own right. He continued his interest with Larry Long, his high school teacher, who insisted that he follow the melody in everything he played. His formal studies in guitar continued at Berklee College of Music, Austin Peay State University, and the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt. Armed with an excellent background, Paul’s career as a guitarist took flight, providing him with opportunities such as those previously mentioned.
It would be incorrect to assume that Binkley’s focus is purely on the guitar. As a composer, he has created music for original musical theatre works, music for film and television, incidental scores for plays, as well as orchestral music, and a variety of songs. His music has appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered, CMT, GAC, and public radio stations across the country.
Binkley’s work as a producer and director also deserve mention. His producing and directing talents are most notable in his work with Nashville studios, especially as it pertains to his own music. His work as a producer and director stems primarily from an attempt to ensure that his works are recorded to his satisfaction.
Awards night and Christmas concert
The awards will be presented at “A Southern Christmas Sampler: An Evening of Stories and Songs.”
Sponsored by the Clarksville Arts and Heritage Council, the performance and awards show will take place in the Austin Peay State University Trahern Theatre, starting at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 7. Tickets are $35 for an individual, $65 for two, and $125 for four. They also include an annual membership in AHC. They may be purchased at https://www.artsandheritage.us/get-involved/membership/.