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NESBIT—
Her whimsical porcine character “Sqedunk”—pronounced squee-dunk— has
been entertaining children in DeSoto County and across the Mid-South for a
little less than half a decade, but
already the character’s creator and alter ego
Lori Reeves is being ”discovered” by no less than the Discovery Channel.
“They called this week and asked if I was still shopping
the character around,” said Reeves of the Santa Monica,
California-based educational network. A graduate of the University of
Northern Colorado, Reeves said she’s
always loved entertaining children. As a former nanny in Washington D.C.,
Reeves said making children laugh
comes naturally.
“It was a vision from the Lord,” said Reeves, who has received the
coveted Dove Award for her production. Reeves is also an author and the
producer of a clothing
line patterned after the Sqedunk character.
Reeves, who has been an early childhood educator for
the past 25 years, is being compared to famed puppeteer
Sherri Lewis and Captain Kangaroo for her innovative
and imaginative childhood productions.
The unusual nickname comes from a moniker that her grandfather gave her when
Reeves was growing up in Colorado.
Reeves mother died when she was six and she was
raised by her beloved grandparents Ruth and Glen Clark.
“My grandfather never met a stranger,” said Reeves.
“He was always walking around town whistling and
smiling. I get my personality from him and my values from my grandmother.”
Reeves, who formerly operated the day care at Getwell Road United Methodist
Church, said she believes children should be as happy as possible.
In fact, Reeves motto is “be happy.”
“I also think that children need to use their imaginations,” Reeves
said. “I think it enhances their memory. It helps
their self-esteem
Most recently, Reeves and her finger plays were featured during performances
at the DeSoto Civic Center Theatre
and Circuit Playhouse in Memphis. Reeves has also
produced a video through her own production company, Sqedunk Children
Productions, created by Reeves and her husband Sean. Her son Clark Richard
Reeves, in addition to his roles with the DeSoto Family Theatre, portrays
the characters Wee Willie Winkle and “Little Bear.”
She is the former parent educator at the DeSoto Family Resource Center which
lost its grant this year. As part of her job description, Reeves had 30
families under her wing which she visited once a month. She showed parents
how to spark and encourage their children’s imaginations.
There have been some pitfalls in her career. At one time, Reeves had a
commitment for her own television show in Dallas. A 14-show script was
written and was “in the can.”
A producer for “CSI: Miami” had signed on to prepare the show’s
budget. At the last minute, the television station scrapped the show. Reeves
said she didn’t give up. Her
faith and persistence has paid off.
In addition to interest from the Discovery Channel, Reeves has big plans in
the spring of 2005. Reeves will bring her production featuring Sqedunk,
“Miss Lori,” and “Miss Anna” into the DeSoto County Schools.
“The DeSoto Family Theatre has totally stood behind me
and help sponsor all my activities at the Civic Center,” said Reeves. “I
have followed my vision and not given up. each time a door closed, another
door would open. I always
leave it up to the Lord.”
“A child deserves to be a child for as long as they can and enjoy the many
wonders that childhood can bring,” Reeves said. “In today’s world, our
children are growing up too fast.”
Robert Lee Long can be contacted at DesTimes@aol.com or at (662) 429-6397
Name:
Lori Reeves
Age:
38
Occupation:
co-owner of children’s production company
Hometown:
Born in Abilene, Texas; grew up in Colorado. Lived in DeSoto County for the
past 11 years
Family:
Husband Sean; son Clark Richard. 12.
Special
interests:
entertaining children; volunteering for the DeSoto family Theatre
Best
career decision:
Getting into early children’s education
Habit you would like to break: I forget to eat and get migraines
Favorite
color:
green
Least
favorite color:
white
The
most important person in your life:
Grandmother Ruth who recently passed away.
Most
interesting place you would like to vacation:
Amsterdam
If
you could give someone something really special, what would it be and who
would it be for?
“I
would give my dad Larry Herbert Clark a country club membership, a nice RV
and a new house.”
Robert Lee Long/Times Community Editor
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