We Saw You: AutoZone Liberty Bowl President's Gala

Michael Donahue captures the mood at a gala where the Four Tops received an Outstanding Achievement Award.

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The Four Tops received the Outstanding Achievement Award at the AutoZone Liberty Bowl President’s Gala, which was held December 30th at The Peabody.

The group also performed the following day at halftime at the Liberty Bowl game, which celebrated its 60th anniversary.

The achievement award is given each year to someone who has “exhibited excellence in the field of entertainment as well as service to the community,” says AutoZone Liberty Bowl executive director Steve Ehrhart.

The late entertainer Danny Thomas had a lot to do with their selection process, said Ehrhart, who moved to Memphis in 1985 to become president of the Memphis Showboats. He became friends with Thomas, founder of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “Danny was a huge football guy. He attended a couple of Memphis Showboats games with me. That’s when he said there’s two ways to reach the general public: through sports and entertainment. Everybody can speak the same language, and it cuts across race and age and ethnicity.”

Ehrhart took that to heart after he became Liberty Bowl executive director in the mid-’90s.

More than 900 people attended this year’s President’s Gala. Bill Kinkade, who attended with his wife, Debbie, is this year’s AutoZone Liberty Bowl president.