Halloran’s return, positivity propels ‘Positively Memphis’
More than three years after exiting Memphis’ historic Downtown theater, the Orpheum, Pat Halloran is returning to a stage of his own making.
Halloran — who led the early 1980s effort to restore the Orpheum and then essentially managed the theater from 1984 until 2015 — has launched an initiative called “Positively Memphis,” its title a reflection of his upbeat attitude toward his adopted hometown.
“I moved here 50 years ago this summer, and I’ve had a great life,” said Halloran, 75. “My golf game’s not worth crap and I don’t hunt or fish, so I knew I wanted to do something after I retired (from the Orpheum) that would focus on the positive things about Memphis.”
A ‘five-part effort’
Halloran describes “Positively Memphis” as a “five-part effort” that will promote the city not only to out-of-towners but to its own residents, who, for the most part, have yet to discover such “jewels” as the National Ornamental Metal Museum and the Belz Museum of Asian and Judaic Art, to name two attractions that don’t receive the attention of Graceland or the Memphis Zoo.
The first of the five parts in Halloran’s design is the simplest: A monthly “Best of Memphis Luncheon Series” that will showcase speakers involved in such ballyhooed Memphis projects as Crosstown Concourse and the planned Union Row development.
The series begins at noon Wednesday, Feb. 13, at the Crescent Club in the Crescent Center, 6075 Poplar. The speaker will be Dr. Scott Morris, president of Church Health, a nonprofit organization that provides low-cost health care to people with low or absent incomes. Church Health is also an anchor tenant of Crosstown Concourse. Tickets to the luncheon are $35 each and are available in advance at
“I moved here 50 years ago this summer, and I’ve had a great life. My golf game’s not worth crap and I don’t hunt or fish, so I knew I wanted to do something after I retired (from the Orpheum) that would focus on the positive things about Memphis.”
positivelymemphis.com.
Halloran said “Positively Memphis” — funded to this point by himself and his wife, Anne, with assistance from his son, real estate agent Patrick Halloran — hopes to launch a media awareness campaign to promote Memphis as “a great place to live.” The other projects include working with nonprofits to boost their numbers of volunteers; the marketing of Memphis attractions; and the sale of “Positively Memphis” merchandise, with proceeds to be distributed to various nonprofit organizations.
John Beifuss can be reached at john.beifuss@commercialappeal.com