Shady Lane - Bill's in the Hospital

These two posts from Facebook:

We're so sorry we weren't open tonight. Bill is in the hospital. He was rushed there from the restaurant. Please say a little prayer for him.


Bill is in the hospital for most of this week, but were keeping Shady Lane going as much as possible in his absence. We really need your support, so please spread the word. We're open Monday for lunch from 11 am to 3 pm. We will NOT open Tuesday. I'm still not sure about Wednesday, but I'll let everyone know as soon...

Thoughts and prayers with Bill please.

Stevie P

[Robin Garr]

Thanks for posting, Steve. Best wishes and good thoughts for Bill and Susi and the whole Shady Lane family.

i do not know Bill or his family, but i will pray for them and have him in my thoughts.

I called Shady Lane and was nosey....Bill has had a heart attack, and from what I'm told he will have surgery on Wednesday (non life threatening), and to add insult to injury, his mother was admitted this morning with a stroke. They are both at Baptist East. From what I was relayed, Susi is being Susi----for those of us who know and love her, we do understand this!

I had the pleasure of meeting Bill just a few weeks ago. He told me numerous stories of the English dept. at UofL and his own writing history. I wish him a speedy recovery.

[Robin Garr]

He told me numerous stories of the English dept. at UofL and his own writing history.

When was he there? Student or faculty? I put in some serious English major time at U of L back in the old Baby Boomer days when Gardiner Hall housed the entire English department, with some room left over for Humanities.

I wish him a speedy recovery.

As do we all!

He told me numerous stories of the English dept. at UofL and his own writing history.

When was he there? Student or faculty? I put in some serious English major time at U of L back in the old Baby Boomer days when Gardiner Hall housed the entire English department, with some room left over for Humanities.

I think this was much more recently Robin...

From the SL website: "The Shady Lane Cafe is owned by Bill Smith. Bill is widely known across Louisville and literary circles as the poet W. Loran Smith. He has published two collections of poetry, "Night Train " and "Walking Upright " and was named "Best Poet " by Louisville Magazine in the magazine's "Best of Louisville Awards 2005."

He was a creative writing instructor at UofL. I want to say in the late 90s and early this decade, but I don't remember the exact details of our conversation. I brought up UofL with him because that specific Best of Louisville issue is framed on the wall. I've been meaning to search out his work. Put it on the summer reading list.

Hope he doesn't mind me posting this, but I found it on Youtube and thought I would share: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1qrMc91eR8

I wonder if we were there at the same time Robin? Leon Driskell was a big influence on me and the entire theater dept.

Bill and family are in my thoughts this week.
.

Add mine to the gorowing list of 'get well soons...' Wonderfull people!

Alan and I went by to check in with the Smith's last evening. Bill's spirits are wonderful. We were cutting up and had a grand time. Oh, and yes, I was given some false info, it is Susi's mother that is in at the same time.

Susi asked me to relay her thanks for all the support from the forum. She said that there was even one kind soul who showed up to pitch in at the cafe who read about it online.

They will not open today, but they are planning on being open as normal tomorrow.

Hope you have a speedy recovery, Bill.

He told me numerous stories of the English dept. at UofL and his own writing history.

When was he there? Student or faculty? I put in some serious English major time at U of L back in the old Baby Boomer days when Gardiner Hall housed the entire English department, with some room left over for Humanities.

I wish him a speedy recovery.

As do we all!

Robin - I too am a Boomer (A&S 1970, math major) and had several classes in Gardiner Hall. Leon Driskell and Carl Weick were two profs that I had. When were you there?

[Robin Garr]

Robin - I too am a Boomer (A&S 1970, math major) and had several classes in Gardiner Hall. Leon Driskell and Carl Weick were two profs that I had. When were you there?

Whoa, A&S 1968, English major. Bill Ekstrom was my faculty advisor. Driskell came in just as I was leaving. We overlapped, but I didn't have any classes from him. So many profs, names from the past, can't even remember them all ... Dr. Maurer, Dr. Piper, Morris Bein, Harvey Webster ... those were the days when I thought I might grow up to be John Updike. What ever happened to THAT idea?

i was the one who showed up, to volunteer to help.

i was the one who showed up, to volunteer to help.

/highfive