by Betsy Fasbinder | Nov 1, 2023 | Extra Blooms, Podcasts
As a follow up to her memoir Poetic License which came out in 2020, Gretchen Cherington dug deeper into family myth and lore, resulting in her new memoir The Butcher, the Embezzler, and the Fall Guy—A Family Memoir of Scandal and Greed in the Meat Industry.
In the early 1900s, Gretchen’s paternal grandfather was recruited by George A. Hormel to help him build what is now the multi-billion dollar food conglomerate Hormel Foods. As a child, Gretchen listened to riveting stories about these two men from her father. Third in the trio was the company’s comptroller, Ransome J. Thomson, who, over a decade, embezzled $1.2 Million from the Hormel company and nearly brought it to its knees. Rumors suggested Gretchen’s grandfather was “in cahoots” with the embezzler. But was he? Gretchen sent out to investigate this question.
Research led Gretchen to business documents, letters, and historical records that helped her find a few of the missing pieces of the picture that is her family’s history puzzle. Kirkus calls this new book “A dazzling account that deftly combines crime, drama, history, and introspective remembrance…a mesmerizing story filled with drama, suspense, and told with remarkable emotional insights.”
by Betsy Fasbinder | Oct 20, 2021 | Extra Blooms, Podcasts
In this Extra Blooms episode, we catch up with past MGP guest, Damien Posey, an award-winning Bay Area mentor, affectionately known as Uncle Damien to his community. When the coronavirus pandemic hit and other service organizations had to shut down, the most vulnerable took the brunt, and Damien stepped up what they do every day in a big way. Now, through his organization Us4UsBayArea Damien and his team work to provide health clinics, mentorship, food services, and entrepreneur training to help and inspire others to live healthy, happy, productive lives.
There’s not a single term that describes what Damien—known as Uncle Damien, or “Unc” in his community—means to his beloved San Francisco Bay Area community. Perhaps his six-word biography says it best: “Once a monster, now a mentor.” As a low-income young man of color in the inner city, Damien chose an all too familiar path that led him to gunfire, crime, and ultimately incarceration. In jail, he realized he’d gotten there because of choices he’d made and that he could make different ones for himself, his daughter, and his community. Now he works to help others to avoid the path he took.
Working in concert with existing organizations and resources, Damien has worked for decades to serve the young, the old, and the vulnerable in San Francisco. Regarding every young person as his “baby” and every adult as his sister or brother, Damien never stops doing all he can to serve his “family.”
Mayor London Breed awarded Damien the key to the city, and he holds the key to the hearts of many.
by Betsy Fasbinder | Aug 18, 2021 | Extra Blooms, Podcasts
In our first conversation with Amy S. Peele, we focused on her newest role as a newly elected City Council member. But this time we’re chatting about how she’s brought her long career in the fascinating world of organ transplantation into writing medical murder mysteries. “A murder mystery with a mission and a side of humor” is how Amy describes her series. First CUT and now MATCH, the adventure continues. And while there’s always someone murdered in each book, don’t worry; as a conscientious organ transplant professional, Amy always finds a way to use their organs.
