Les Jones

East Tennessee > Stan Brock in Metro Pulse

This week's Metro Pulse has an article about Stan Brock, the original animal wrangler on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, one-time B-movie star, and founder of Remote Area Medical.

Brock founded Remote Area Medical here in Knoxville to provide volunteer medical, dental and veterinary services to remote areas in the United States and South America. The medical personnel all donate their time.

I met Stan a few years ago when I did some work on the Remote Area Medical web site. (The site has since had some design changes that I uh, don't approve of, so it's out of my portfolio.)

When I was editing some of his pictures for the site, he asked me if I could crop out part of one picture (a water buffalo head or some such, as I recall). I said sure. "In fact, if there's anything else you need edited, just let me know. I can make your eyes bluer or give you the big breasts you've always wanted." That got a laugh.

There are two things everyone notices about Brock. One is his physique, which is still impressive. I hope to look that good in my sixties. The other thing is the British accent. Somehow it just takes you by surprise.

Two more Knoxville tie-ins: Brock was in a film produced by Art Lavidge, of local advertising firm Lavidge and Associates (another of my old clients). When the movie premiered in Knoxville at the old Capri Cinema, Brock put his footprints (or was it handprints?) in the cement there. You can see it next to the now-defunct Terrace Tap House.