photograph by justin fox burks
It’s a mild October evening, perfect weather for celebrating National Night Out, a community-building event that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. I’m attending one of several outdoor gatherings in Cooper-Young, this one hosted by Terry Lawrence, an avid cyclist and past president of the Cooper-Young Neighborhood Association (CYNA), and his wife, Cynthia. Terry is turning out heavenly sliders and dogs on his wood-burning grill for the hungry horde who’ve gathered tonight.
“Hot dogs are just coming off the grill,” he calls out, making sure he’s heard over Annie, the dog next door who voices her displeasure at not being invited.
Neighbors chat over plates of food. It’s a delightful mix of ages: preschoolers, thirty-somethings, Boomers. There’s even a six-month-old being passed around between doting grandmas.
“Are you going to try a piece of my pumpkin pie?” a friend asks Doris Porter, who at 95, is the most senior member of the street. Doris has been a regular at events like these for years; such meetups help her stay connected. She knows most of the folks here by name and gives me the skinny as we mingle. Graciously dipping into the pie, she murmurs, “It’s delicious.”
Three police officers soon stop by to introduce themselves to the group. Who was their contact? “We were told to ask for Doris,” they say. Everyone laughs.
photograph by justin fox burks
Standing, L-R: Friends and neighbors Jared Hogan, Terry Lawrence, Jim Wilson, and Tyrina Browning. Seated, L-R: Amy Claire Hogan, Doris Porter with baby Faye Hogan, and Cynthia Lawrence with her grandson, Blake Chapman.
A Cooper-Young Supporter
Doris is something of a neighborhood institution. Tyrina Browning, CYNA’s treasurer, refers to her as the matriarch of Cooper-Young. Porter has lived in her tidy, three-bedroom home on Evelyn for 50 years, keeping a watchful eye on the street from her front porch, often perched on an antique glider.
“If someone moves into the neighborhood and they aren’t social, we laugh and say they’re probably in the witness protection program,” Doris says with a twinkle in her eye.
photograph by justin fox burks
Neighbor Terry Lawrence, a top fundraiser for the annual Go Jim Go bike ride, helps Porter with chores and yard work.
Despite her age, she remains sharp and current. Today’s topic is the upcoming meeting with MLGW to learn how they plan to address the neighborhood’s frequent power outages. Porter’s long been a spokesperson and supporter of CYNA; in fact, that’s how she and Browning became friends 30 years ago.
“I got to know her through her community involvement,” says Browning. “When I later moved my mother into the neighborhood, she’d stop by and visit or take her out for lunch. She made her feel welcome.” That was a huge gift to Tyrina, who at the time was a banker with Union Planters and often worked 10-hour days. Doris’ presence gave her peace of mind.
Cynthia Lawrence, a nurse who lives a few doors down, tells a similar story. When she first moved to the neighborhood 24 years ago, Terry often traveled for his job with AutoZone. So Doris would invite her out for a meal with her long-time friend, Betty Slack. She kept Cynthia from feeling alone and knitted her into the neighborhood, because that’s what a good neighbor does.
“Doris was always doing for others,” says Cynthia.
Her acts of community service go back many years, so perhaps it’s fitting that her neighbors are returning the favor. Tyrina and Cynthia are among a host of friends who contribute to help Doris live independently. Tyrina visits every afternoon at four to chat and help around the house. Cynthia stops by with food and often runs errands. Last Christmas, Terry gave Doris a gift certificate good for several hours of handyman chores.
“When a limb comes down in the backyard, Terry comes down and cuts it up and brings it to the curb. Cynthia has a key, and she comes down all the time, too,” says Doris. “I’m surprised I have all the friends that I do.”
photograph by justin fox burks
Porter in her backyard, which doubles as the neighborhood dog park. She briefly considered moving to a retirement home but couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her community.
Life in Midtown
Doris Porter grew up just a few miles west of Cooper-Young. She was raised by her teenage mother and her aunt in a house on Monroe Avenue, which in her day was a mix of residential and commercial properties. Her backyard was effectively Forrest Park (now Health Sciences Park); after school, she played there with friends. She graduated from Memphis Technical High School, married at 19, and took a job. While her professional life was fulfilling, married life fell short.
After three years, Doris divorced and never looked back. She bought her home in Cooper-Young in 1972 and lived with her mother until she passed away at age 88. She found many activities to enjoy: camping, horseback riding, trips with girlfriends. After working several secretarial jobs, Betty let her know about an opening at the Chrysler dealership at Second and Jefferson. Doris landed the position and worked there for 42 years.
“I guess today I’d be considered an executive assistant but back then I was simply a secretary,” she says. “It was a good place to work. It was dignified. People had to dress appropriately and it was family-oriented.”
She still meets once a quarter with some of those Chrysler managers, “although I’m the only woman left,” she says. They gather at the Cupboard on Union and one of the managers still cares for her car, running it to the mechanic whenever it needs work.
photograph by justin fox burks
Young neighbor 4-year-old Blake in a joyful moment.
Her back neighbor, Jim Wilson, bought his house from friends of Doris years ago, so it didn’t take long for him to become woven into her social network. The two share a love of Memphis history. Jim, who does interior landscape design for Foliage Design Systems and serves on the Cooper-Young Garden Club, found himself talking about early eateries in Memphis. That’s when he learned of Doris’ fondness for chicken and dumplings, a meal she often enjoyed at the Ritz Cafe.
“So when I make chicken and dumplings, I’ll take a plate over,” says Wilson. His cat, Roxy, even adopted her. Which brings us to Doris’ love of animals.
Years ago, with a shady fenced-in backyard “not much good for growing flowers,” Doris added a back gate and declared it the neighborhood dog park. Dog owners on the block would bring their pets to romp while Doris got the latest gossip on family and friends. Given her fondness of animals, pet-sitting became a logical extension of her kindness.
“I was taking care of the neighbor’s dog on the next block, for Tommy and Jimmy,” she says. “I would house-sit for them while they were on vacation. I was devoted to their dogs. I also tended their chickens. I love animals.”
What’s more, she always made herself available to neighbors who needed a ride to medical appointments or to the grocery. Browning’s mother was among those who benefitted.
“I’d often take people who couldn’t get there on their own,” Doris says. “I’m patient; I don’t mind waiting. People who are working can’t do that. I was still helping folks until I broke my hip.”
photograph by justin fox burks
Porter volunteered her time and talents to others for many years. Now, neighbors are giving back.
Did I mention Porter is 95? And about the hip; she didn’t fall in the bathroom one night. No, Porter was at Memphis Made Brewing Co. for the annual Cooper-Young Chili Cook-Off last March, a fundraiser she supports for Peabody Elementary School.
“I got my beer and was starting to sit down on a bench when the darn thing just went out from under me,” she says somewhat incredulously.
She landed squarely on the brewery’s concrete floor. The fall led to a partial hip replacement, followed by several weeks of therapy at a local rehab facility. When word spread of her surgery, neighbors were quick to help the helper. Nancy Beard created an online meal train that kept Doris’ fridge full to overflowing once she returned home. Cynthia monitored her rehab. And Doris began receiving help from Vernita Starks, a caregiver who comes in five mornings a week.
“She really helps keep the house tidy. I notice when it’s messy,” Doris admits, “but I just don’t have the stamina to do anything about it.”
Porter rebounded and today is walking with a cane.
Though longtime friends have passed on, Doris isn’t shy about making new ones. Her latest, Faye, is the baby of neighbors Jared and Amy Claire Hogan. They share dinners on occasion, bringing their dog, Camp, and Faye, so Doris can hold her and coo.
“I’m so attached,” she says.
As for her life in Cooper-Young, “God picked the right place for me to live. He chose the right life for me,” she says. Porter has lived by giving of herself — and that devotion is flowing back.
Says Browning, “I hope Doris knows how well she is loved.”
