Shelby Railroad Raises Over $10K for Stuttering

Kirk and John Tarver and their Memphis-based Shelby Railroad Services Inc. raised more than $10,000 for the Stuttering Foundation. Shelby Railroad held their annual fund-raising golf outing and dinner on Sept. 18 at Wedgewood Golf Club, in Olive Branch, Miss.

“The generosity and kindness of the Tarver family, Shelby Railroad, and all of their loyal friends and customers is simply overwhelming,” said Donna White of the Stuttering Foundation.

Jane Fraser added, “Their continuous support, this year totaling $10,295, allows us to affect real change throughout the stuttering community right here in Memphis where our Foundation was born, as well as around the world.”

After trophies and prize money were handed out to the golfers, many donated their prize money directly to the Stuttering Foundation.

While the Tarvers support nearly 40 different organizations, they said the Stuttering Foundation is very near and dear to their hearts.

The golf outing honors Ruth McGuiness Tarver — the late mother of company president and founder John Tarver. Ruth stuttered from the time she was a young child.

“She was a wonderful lady,” Shelby Railroad Vice President Kirk Tarver said of his grandmother. “Her stuttering never mattered much to us, but for her it was a source of great embarrassment. She felt shame, humiliation and defeat her whole life. Eighty years ago, there wasn’t any real help for people with speech issues.”

Participants received DVDs of the award-winning movie The King’s Speech.

From the 2015 Winter Newsletter

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Alan Rabinowitz

Alan Rabinowitz, Ph.D., who passed away in 2018, was an explorer, wildlife conservationist, and author. He established the Hukawng Valley Tiger Reserve in northern Myanmar, which is about the size of the state of Vermont.

His love for animals began when he was very young.

Winston Churchill

Seeking to "remove Winston Churchill's stutter by second guessing the diagnosis" indicates neither a truthful retelling of history nor an informed opinion about a complex speech disorder, say experts in the field of speech-language pathology.

Recent news reports that quote Dr. John Mather, a Washington physician, as saying that Churchill's stutter "is a lie" brought adamant critical response from specialists in the field of stuttering and fluency disorders.

Mel Tillis

Mel Tillis, born Lonnie Melvin Tillis, was an influential figure in country music, both as a songwriter and a performer. His journey to fame was marked by overcoming personal challenges, including a stutter that he turned into a defining part of his public persona.

James Earl Jones

Actor James Earl Jones, a Broadway, television and movie star, is well-known for his voice as Darth Vader in Star Wars and his book Voices and Silences. Jones has spoken some of the most memorable lines in the history of American film, but the man known for his voice was once afflicted with a severe stutter.

Ken Venturi

As much of the nation watches the U.S. Open Golf Championship, it is impossible not to think about our late friend Ken Venturi. Ken overcame many challenges to win the Open at Congressional in 1964 and go on to become the voice of golf for more than three decades.

However, Ken faced no bigger obstacle than stuttering. Ken Venturi was a champion to those who stutter, going out of his way to share his personal experience when consulted by a colleague, friend, or child who stutters.