- [Jim] It's a new chapter of an old, ongoing story, new arrivals from far away coming to America, coming to St. Louis.

And it's a story of those who are ready to help.

- How we can kind of like, combine all the resources to make sure that when they come in, we're ready for them.

- We want to give the things that they need, but we also want to connect with the people.

- [Jim] He left Potosi, Missouri, and 900 miles later returned, reenacting the arduous journey of Henry Schoolcraft and being greeted by other Henry Schoolcraft reenactors, because this is a story they want us to know.

- Actually the history of the Ozarks begins with Schoolcraft subscription.

Before then, there was nobody through here that was writing anything down.

- [Jim] And this St. Louisan played and recorded with some of the biggest names in jazz.

But at some point he felt a calling to teach, to pass it on.

- Then I thought, you know, I just, I can't go to that big band on the sky, I hope, without at least doing this, I just, something told me that this had to be done.

- [Jim] We remember jazz man and Jazz mentor, Jim Widner.

It's all next on living St. Louis.

(upbeat music) I'm Jim Kirchherr, and we're gonna start with a story that is current, but one that's going to be with us for quite some time.

In fact, it's a continuation of a story that's been around a very long time.

Story of settlers, of immigrants, of refugees, the reactions they get, the challenges they face.

And in the case of Kara Vaninger story, the help they receive.

- [Kara] There are a lot of words to describe what it's like when you step into Oasis International for the first time.

Busy, noisy, maybe even a little chaotic, but it's also friendly, joyful, and deeply hopeful, which goes a long way in transcending the linguistic and cultural barriers faced by newly arrived, foreign refugees.

Many of whom recently escaped Afghanistan with little more than the clothes they were wearing.

- Since we've been here in this building, we have helped people from 50 different countries, right here in St. Louis.

- [Kara] In 2021, Oasis International celebrated 15 years of welcoming and supporting refugees who settled in St. Louis.

Founders Mark and Joani Akers, are former pastors who felt called to leave St. Louis and spent years serving the needs of people, all over the world.

- I think when you leave your country, you go to another culture.

It just opens your eyes, the culture's different, but we're all so much the same.

And it also makes you appreciate what you have here in the United States.

- [Kara] But after serving all over the globe, it was a tsunami cleanup mission in Sumatra that led them to an unexpected place; home.

- I came back with dengue fever and so, it's called bone breaker fever.

It's not a good thing.

- [Kara] Incredibly painful, dengue fever has no vaccine and is much worse the second time around.

So the Akers began to look for ways they could serve closer to home.

And that's when they began to realize just how enormous the refugee community was in St. Louis.

- We know what it's like to be in a foreign country and be scared.

- Right.

- And need help.

One day I went and visited an Ethiopian family here in St. Louis and I walked in the door and it was just bare hardwood floor.

There was no furniture.

So I called Joani on the way home, I think.

And I said, we got to stop traveling.

And we got to start taking care of these refugee people when they come.

- [Kara] So mark bought a U Haul, convinced his friends to donate their gently used furniture to this family, and so began Oasis International.

Collaborating with the International Institute to identify new refugee families and assess their needs, Oasis not only provides a house full of furniture and other necessities like clothing and cleaning supplies, but it also provides community.

Free events like baby showers and monthly barbecues.

- They are at their most vulnerable time.

You know, they don't know what's going on exactly.

They're learning.

They are lonely.

Especially the young moms.

They don't have their support system here.

They don't have their moms here, their aunts.

Sometimes the men go off and get a job, which is great.

The older kids go to school and if they don't get out and learn English, they can't even help their children with homework.

And then they feel like the outsider in their family.

When we do have English class here, we watched the kids, you know, we pick them up.

And so they begin to build friendships with each other.

And then with the Americans.

- [Kara] The very foundation of Oasis International is the Christian faith.

So how do they build connections with the many refugees who hold very different beliefs?

- We're not ashamed of the gospel and we are who we are, but we accept them and validate them, love them, right where they are and what they believe.

And then it's wonderful to have conversations about it.

Find that bridge, find those things that are the same.

That was freedom for all of us.

- But then it's not a religious thing.

It's a relational thing.

- [Kara] In addition to English, Oasis also offers citizenship classes, both of which are vital to longterm success.

- We have been to so many naturalization ceremonies.

It is so wonderful.

Yes, everybody should go to one.

You know, these people are so brave and resilient and they want a new life.

They want their children to have a new life.

- [Kara] Oasis also hires many of their clients, providing an important stepping stone as they develop job and language skills, in a familiar environment.

Himat, whose identity has been withheld to protect family still in Afghanistan, delivered furniture for Oasis until he felt ready to apply for more skilled, better paying job.

- Actually today will be my last day in Oasis.

This is life.

Everybody should bring changes in his life.

You know?

And so that's why I work here.

I got a lot of experience.

- [Kara] But he still plans to continue to help fellow Afghans navigate the challenges of resettlement.

- Families from Afghanistan, I help them.

I'm happy for them because they are safe.

Their life is safe here.

And as much as I can, I will help them.

- This (indistinct) is volunteer.

- [Kara] Arabic coordinator, Hady Matta, was also in the same position as the people he now serves.

- I am from Egypt.

Because of that, I feel what they feel.

- [Kara] One of his duties is to help coordinate the fresh produce giveaway.

When COVID struck, Oasis developed a delivery system.

- Through the pandemic, we give the food boxes every other week.

It's delivered.

Our volunteers take it from here and deliver it to their home.

- [Kara] And this turned into a chance for refugee families to form relationships with American volunteers.

- We've delivered to the same six families like, throughout the last two years.

And so we'd become friends with them and they've many of them have invite us in for tea.

And it's really fun.

(laughs) - [Kara] With the recent influx of Afghan refugees, it was vital for organizations like Oasis International and the International Institute to collaborate.

- So we're working together to make sure that we're not duplicating.

We're working together for the refugee family.

- And so we can serve them.

- Yeah.

- [Kara] Another valuable partner has been Community Carry Out, which recently gave Sameem Afghan Restaurant a grant to provide Oasis clients and staff with hot meals.

- We have some coconut curry chicken, some beef kebab, and the Afghan traditional rice, which is called kabli pulao.

They were such an amazing organization.

They're helping the refugees and in particular, they are helping Afghans whom are expected like about a thousand of them.

- [Kara] Sameem co-owner, Qayum Mohammed, remembers all too well, how rough the start can be.

- When I first came in 30 years ago, it was really difficult, if you don't know anybody, just try to find your way and acclimated.

It takes some time.

So we want to make sure that process is really convenient and easy for them.

Oasis International and International Institute and also the Pakistani physician, this is like a unilateral effort, how we can like, combine all the resources to make sure that when they come in, we're ready for them.

- [Kara] But for Oasis, that doesn't just mean providing the physical necessities.

- We want to give the things that they need, but we also want to connect with the people.

We want to hear your story.

This is, this is history.

- [Kara] Many of Afgans have special immigrant visa or SIV status, which means they helped the US military in the war against the Taliban.

- We want to honor them the same as we honor our own veterans, they laid down their lives for their country and for us, too.

- [Joani] Our US military really couldn't accomplish what they needed to do without them.

- [Mark] Right.

American Marine that we're working with sponsored 73 Afghan soldiers that he worked with.

So this is personal for these American soldiers that served in Afghanistan.

These are people that they actually know.

For the city of St. Louis to be welcoming, that's really healing.

They've been through checkpoint after checkpoint, people, intimidating, they're worn out.

- Love the neighbor around you because there's, everybody needs it.

- Missouri's bicentennial has given us the opportunity to explore our region's history, including this story about a modern day explorer.

Actually somebody who reenacted a long, arduous journey that had taken place a few years before Missouri statehood.

Well, 200 years later, we went to Potosi for the modern day homecoming.

You knew something was going on when you pulled into the parking lot at the Washington County Public Library in Potosi.

Guys in buckskin, pulling out their guns and knives and powder horns.

They were here to honor an important historical figure Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, that they think Missourians should be more aware of.

And there are people out there telling his story.

- [Woman] Ready?

1, 2, 3.

- These are all Schoolcraft reenactors up here and we're here because Mr. Mansfield has just completed this morning, on schedule, just completed that 900 mile journey.

(audience clapping) - I do historical reenactments.

And Dave was the one that asked me three years ago if I would consider doing Henry Schoolcraft.

And I said, yes, and I did.

- [Jim] Henry Rowe Schoolcraft is best known today as the man who established Lake Itasca as the source of the Mississippi river.

But years before that in 1818, when he was 25 and probably looked a lot more like this guy, then this guy, he came to Potosi, Missouri, and set out on a three-month exploration of the Ozarks with another young man, Levi Pettibone.

He was particularly interested in the lead mining in the region.

On his return, he published the first written account of this region, it's geography, it's geology.

Although the state historical society says is unflattering accounts of the settlers, left enduring, negative stereotypes of the Ozarks.

And yet, without the help of those settlers, he might not have survived the trip.

Rick Mansfield is about 40 years older than Schoolcraft was.

His legs held up, but at the end his eyesight was giving him problems.

Still though, he managed to re-enact the entire trip, following the dates and the routes Schoolcraft described and left his own journal entries in the form of periodic Facebook posts.

- I'm gonna step off this, hopefully this goes well.

But this, 200 years ago is where Henry Schoolcraft crossed on his way back to Missouri.

But if it's easy, everybody does it.

And if we didn't have some times like this, well, this wouldn't be an epic journey.

- [Jim] Mansfield was better equipped.

He was able to use roads and occasionally a power boat instead of a dugout canoe.

He could stop at gas station convenience stores and use GPS to stay on Schoolcrafts exact track, but he did sleep out of doors and said he ate a lot of steel cut oats.

- [Rick] Standing here, part of history.

Oh, this is just fantastic.

(leaves crunching) - [Jim] After the library presentation, Mansfield and the others took a short walk to the spot where Schoolcraft was welcomed back to Potosi at three o'clock in the afternoon of February 4th, 1819, they timed this to be exactly 200 years later.

The cabin he came to is still there, but it's inside the bigger house that was built around it.

So they use the Casey cabin, which had been relocated and rebuilt in this city park.

- [Man] (indistinct) to see you.

- Good to see you!

- I didn't think you was gonna make that journey.

- Well, there was a time or two, but no, I'm proud to be back, proud to be back.

- Look here fellas, look who's back.

(men talking at once) - Hey, I still got the hat.

- [Jim] I've been reading a little bit about Schoolcraft, thanks to you.

I'm guessing he was not Daniel Boone when he left, maybe a little more Daniel Boone when he came back.

- I think that's a first statement that he left, a very intelligent man, but with very few woods skills.

In 90 days, 900 miles later, he had acquired several.

I think he was a person of his time and there was a little bit of an arrogance that he maybe could have even learned more.

So great to see y'all, great to see y'all.

- Yep, glad to see you.

Glad to see you back.

- Actually the history of the Ozarks begins with Schoolcraft subscription.

Before then there was nobody through here that was writing anything down.

- Springfield Dr. Robert Kipfer got interested in all of this after he found out that Schoolcraft's journey had crossed land he owns.

Now, he's something of an expert and one of the Schoolcraft portrayers.

He was looking for something to do, a new position and he was hoping to become a mining expert and be the head of mines in Missouri.

That didn't happen.

But that led to a government appointment to be on several travels up in Michigan, which is where he ended up writing, actually wrote a six volume encyclopedia of Native Americans.

- [Jim] I was wondering, is he better known and recognized in Michigan than he is in Missouri?

- Absolutely, if you go down, Springfield has Schoolcraft Boulevard, which is 65 bypass.

No one knows what that means.

- But 90 days I've been gone and I believe I've traveled roughly 900 miles.

- [Jim] Have you come back a changed man?

- I've definitely, I consider myself a spiritual person.

In fact, during this event, I performed, spoke at two funerals and married one couple.

I read the Bible pretty much daily.

But 90 days out in his creation with Les Berger, 900 miles plus, 63 nights of sleeping on the ground, I feel much closer to God.

And I hope that makes me not only a better person, but I hope somehow it translates through my writing and speaking to be even more inspiring.

- [Jim] Well, congratulations, it's been-- - Well, thank you very much.

- [Jim] And you know what, I've learned a lot.

- Well, that's our hope.

I've had numerous people tell me that, hey, I'd never even heard of Schoolcraft.

And now I know much more.

That makes me feel very good.

(crowd cheers) (upbeat music) - Finally, we mark the passing of a man who left us a lot.

You just have to listen.

Jim Widner was a jazz musician, he made a lot of recordings, but just as important and maybe more important, he was a teacher, sharing his knowledge with a new generation of jazz musicians.

From our archives, this profile, by Ruth Ezell.

- [Ruth] That's him on bass.

Jim Widner, director of jazz studies and artist in residence at the University of Missouri, St. Louis.

(upbeat music) This was one of Widner's gigs with the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, which he directs.

The concert took place at the Two Hill Performing Arts Center in February of 2013.

Widner also leads the Jim Widner Big Band, a group he started in conjunction with his summer jazz camps.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's look at Jim Widner's life in music from the top.

(jazz music) - [Jim] I grew up in Southwest, Missouri, Lebanon, Missouri, which it wasn't exactly the jazz and Mecca of the world.

I was raised by a single mom, which, you know, before it was fashionable.

- [Ruth] Widner was desperate to play in the school band, but his mother couldn't afford the instrument rental fee.

The orchestra, however, was another story.

Those instruments were loaned to students free of charge.

So he joined the orchestra in the eighth grade.

- They started me out on cello and probably wasn't a real wise decision.

I wasn't that good on it, but it kept me in the program.

And then we had a change of directors and he saw that, well, I've got enough technique there that maybe you'd make a pretty good bass player.

'Cause he need a bass players.

And once I started bass, the love affair started.

- [Ruth] That love affair intensified the first time Widner saw the high school jazz band.

- And the director was, he was the Cecil B. DeMille of his time, you know?

And he had the jazz band and the white tux coats and had stage and lighting and all that.

And this was in a small gymnasium.

And when the lights went out and they hit those flood lights on the band and they started out playing that thumping theme for Peter Gunn, and that was it, that's all.

And I said, next year, I'm going to be in that jazz band.

And I was.

(upbeat music) - [Ruth] Widner didn't have the money for college so he was preparing to enlist in the air force and pursue his other dream, becoming a jet pilot.

But at the last minute, his music teacher arranged for an audition at the University of Missouri, Columbia.

It led to a scholarship and allowed Widner to get his bachelor's degree.

He spent summers doing what thousands of other students of jazz did, he studied at one of the music camps established by the late, legendary band leader, Stan Kenton.

That's Kenton at the piano and Widner on bass.

The faculty consisted of professional musicians.

Many of them from the Stan Kenton Orchestra.

- And the bass player on Stan's band at that time, John Wooster, had kind of taken me under his wing and really took care of me.

And he was my first, I guess, professional teacher and out of that came a lifelong friendship.

And after I started ascending and working harder and practicing more and getting my "chops" together, a couple of years, when he left the band, he actually had recommended me to come on the band.

Well, talk about a scary proposition, when your first professional big band is the Stan Kenton Orchestra is like, can it possibly get any better than this?

- [Ruth] It did.

After postgraduate work, Widner went on to have his own combos and perform in the Woody Herman and Glenn Miller big bands.

And he taught in the Stan Kenton clinics for 10 years.

But when Kenton died in 1979, his band and his music camps died too.

- It was expressly written in his will, there would be no Kenton ghost band, and everyone understood that.

But after a while, I thought, you know, why does the concept of the summer big band camps have to die?

And so I, frankly, I waited about nine years for someone to step forward that was probably more qualified than I, to maybe put that back together, but no one did.

And I thought, you know, I just, I can't go to that big band in the sky, I hope, without at least doing this.

I just, something told me that this had to be done.

- [Ruth] Widner rounded up some Kenton big band alums and started the first Jim Widner Jazz Camp in 1987.

It moved to the University of Missouri St. Louis when he joined the faculty.

- So if you have a C7, right, the basic is C E G B flat, correct?

- [Ruth] We stopped by a couple of sessions from the clinic back in 2011.

Widner feels it's important to meet the needs of students in a variety of skill levels, teach them the joys of swing and then experience it by listening to their instructors in the Jim Widner Big Band.

(upbeat music) This particular number features saxophonist, Matt Schultz, who was an UMSL senior at the time.

- [Matt] I've gone to this camp five or six years in a row.

- [Ruth] And he appreciated the advantages being in Widner's camp afforded.

- Without him, I would never have gotten to play with like, Clark Terry and Tom Scott and Buddy DeFranco and just list of 20, 30 professional musicians that have come through town.

(upbeat music) - Clean 1, 1, 2, 1, 2, 3.

(upbeat music) - [Ruth] During the regular school year, Widner directs his student big band, the UMSL Jazz Ensemble.

Here, they're rehearsing tunes performed as the opening act for The 2013 Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, another brain child of Widener's.

(upbeat music) The spring festival is organized in conjunction with Jazz St. Louis and if anyone can appreciate Jim Widner's contributions, it's Jazz St. Louis executive director, Gene Dobbs Bradford.

- He's one of the most passionate and eloquent spokespeople for the big bands that he has.

He really takes great pride in the students and their accomplishments.

And we'll take any opportunity that you can get or create one to make sure that they're showcased.

- [Jim] As Stan Kenton said, you got to pass the torch, you've got to and in essence, that's what we're doing to the next generation.

And like I said, if we don't pass it on, one of these days, it's gonna be gone.

We're not going to let that happen.

(upbeat music) - And that's living St. Louis.

Thanks for joining us, I'm Jim Kirchherr and we'll see you next time.

- [Ruth] Living St. Louis is made possible by the support of the Betsy and Thomas Patterson Foundation, the Mary Ranken Jordan and Ettie A. Jordan Charitable Trust, and by the members of Nine PBS.

(upbeat music)