WORLD FOOTPRINTS

As the world remembers Nelson Mandela on the anniversary of his death, Tonya and Ian travel full circle from their law careers to South Africa, a destination they hold close to their hearts.  (Hint:  they honeymooned there).  World Footprints shares the lasting legacy of Mandela as it showcases other sides of South Africa, including an extraordinary student exchange program between the University of Missouri and the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town, South Africa. Then you’ll hear about the legacy of animal conservation that stretches across the globe as World Footprints introduces Nandi, a rescued South African manta ray who Tonya got to scuba dive (one of her great passions) with at the Georgia Aquarium.  You'll hear about the intregal role that the Aquarium plays in sea life conservation.

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World Footprints visits Havre, Malta and Glasgow today  (Montana Journey #2).  No, we’re not going to Europe, but we’ll be taking you through these towns in Montana for the final leg of our first great Montana journey.  Our stops on this trip also included Fort Peck and Fort Benton – the birthplace of Montana.  We will be sharing everything from Dinosaur digging in Malta to fisheries in Ft. Peck, the 2,000 year old buffalo jump in Havre, the fur trading post in Ft. Benton, various museum collections and lots of history in between. Montana is a state of great eco-diversity, natural resources, cultural heritage and rich history and we are pleased to share with you one of our favorite destinations.

World Footprints is pleased to share an hour of two very popular Book Club shows.  We'll travel through the lives of two celebrities and live vicariously through their pens.  Actress Gloria Loring (Days of our Lives) shares her tumulous life journey and where she drew the inspiration to keep moving forward in her new book "Coincidence is God's Way of Remaining Anonymous."   Gloria will also share the trials of parenting two teenage boys, including popular R&B star Robin Thicke. British songwriter Billy Franks puts his whole life on display in his book "A Far Cry from Sunset" and he'll take us on an emotional journey as we explore his personal journey (which also includes his introduction and growing friendship with Prince Harry).

World Footprints is excited to share one of our new favorite cities --Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (despite our football rivalries).  When most people who have never visited Pittsburgh think of the city, they may envision an industrial city filled with tall smoke stakes.  In reality, Pittsburgh is a vibrant, colorful, modern and pristine city that is very welcoming. The three rivers that meet at a point creates a flowing calming energy and provided the inspiration for Dutch artist Florentjn Hofman to select the city as her North American debut of his giant rubber duck.  Today, we will give you a glimpse into this remarkable city as we explore Pittsburgh's rich history through attractions like the Senator John Heinz History Center, we'll walk through the streets of The Hill Districk and we'll relive Pittsburgh's industrial past as we tour the Carrie Blast Furnaces.

World Footprints hosts Tonya and Ian will reintroduce you to two of their favorite guests: Pauline Frommer and Patricia Schultz. Pauline and her dad, the famous Arthur Frommer opened the doors of affordable travel to many Americans with his travel guide books, and Pauline joins World Footprints to talk about her family’s travel legacy and her efforts to create her own legacy in the travel space. Then Patricia Schultz, author of the New York Times #1 Bestseller, 1,000 Places To See Before You Die, joins World Footprints for an interesting pair of conversations about her books, travels and her transformative experiences.

Birmingham, Alabama - the Magic City - saw events and courageous people who played a central role in the Civil Rights struggle.  World Footprints goes on a walking tour through history along the Civil Rights Heritage Trail as we step onto the grounds where African Americans confronted Jim Crow era voilence with non-voilent civil disobedience.  We will also explore Kelly Ingram Park and Birmingham's 4th Avenue Business District and discuss the time when segregation made this the city's "Little Harlem".

Brimingham is also known for it's rich musicial traditions and we'll pay homage to two iconic musical figures:  Henry "Gip" Gipson whose 'juke joint' is the last standing music venue of it's kind in Alabama.  Gip's Place has welcomed musicians from all over the world and every Saturday music lovers travel miles for an all-night music tailgate party on a "Sanford and Son" style lot.  We will also introduce Dr. Frank Adams, Sr., a charter member of the Alabama Hall of Fame, who regaled us with stories of his life, a musical set and his time playing with greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington.  Sadly, Doc Adams passed away only one month after our meeting with him.  We are honored to showcase  his music throughout today's show.

As a side note, our trip to Birmingham was a very pleasant surprise.   We highly recommend a visit to Birmingham, Alabama.  There's a lot waiting for visitors to discover in the city "where freedom lives".

Join World Footprints as we take you on a journey through a national treasure—the State of Montana.  We covered just a small section of this wonderful state—Glacier Country--but as you’ll discover from Part I of this series, there’s a reason why many celebrities (Ted Turner, David Letterman, among others) call Montana a “home away from home.”   Our first stop through Glacier country begins in the town of Whitefish, an enchanting art and cultural center, and you’ll meet the proprietors of the Good Medicine Lodge. (One of the most extraordinary places we have ever stayed.) Whitefish is also the gateway to our second stop—Glacier National Park.  We will take you deep inside Glacier National Park to share some of its charm with the help of Mike Davies of Glacier Guides. Then we’ll travel by rail on the Amtrak Empire Builder to Havre, Montana, where we’ll experience the Havre Underground, a town beneath the town.  Finally, we’ll end the first part of this journey with a stop that takes us on safari (yes, a safari) on the Great Plains with Jacob Dusek of Sage Safaris.

World Footprints revisits South Africa to explore the country that Nelson Mandela built. Our journey will take us through the world of fine art and will focus on the transformative power of art with Martin Britz, President and Founder of Soweto Fine Art, will join us from Johannesburg to talk about his personal journey from an Afrikaner military officer to a champion for black South African artists. Martin will share some unique insights into the people, culture, and South African society today; and he’ll talk about his quest to promote and empower the diverse people on the African continent and expose its art treasures to the world. Then we’ll travel back to Maryland for a visit to Galerie Myrtis to chat with several prominent art collectors who gathered to discuss the topics of cultural preservation through art collecting, connoisseurship and philanthropy. Based in Baltimore, Galerie Myrtis features works by African, African-American and emerging artists with a mission to utilize the visual arts to raise awareness for artists who deserve recognition for their contributions in artistically portraying our historic and cultural landscape; and recognize art movements that paved the way for freedom of artistic expression.

To celebrate Veteran's Day on Nov. 11th, World Footprints introduces the fillmaker behind "Gold Star Children:  Two Generations Sharing Loss and Healing" which will premiere on the Pentagon Channel.  Filmmaker Mitty Mirrer, a gold star child herself, focuses on the sharing, loss and mentoring of the Iraq/Afghanistan generation by the Vietnam generation gold star children and how they heal together.

November 22nd marks the anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  The shot that took the 35th President of the United States was heard throughout the nation and the world.  Saturday Evening Post historian Jeff Nilsson opens the Post's archival vaults and shares some historical perspectives.

Finally,  World Footprints will be joined by Ret. Col. Gail Halverson, a former American Pilot of C-47S and C-54S during the WWII Berlin Airlift (Operation Vittles) 1948-49. Col. Halverson, aka, Uncle Wiggly Wings is best known as the Candy Bomber during the Berlin Airlift.

Have you ever descended into the depths of a mine, or panned for gold in Alaska? Its all in a days work for Kirsten Gum, former host of the Travel Channel’s Treasure Hunter and World Footprints will explore the treasures of the world on today’s “Best Of…” show. Then World Footprints will be joined by Hollywood actress Stefanie Powers who is keeping alive the African legacy of the late film star William Holden, who established a well known game ranch and sanctuary in Kenya. Stefanie will talk about her Hart for animals and her conservation work.