Grady in the news!

Charlotte Observer

On a recent weekday afternoon, people passing from one mega store to another at the Stonecrest Shopping Center couldn't help but notice Grady, perched happily on his good friend's knee.

Grady's friend is Derek "Doc" Worley,, a Charlotte business consultant who used to be a podiatric physician. He's also a self-taught ventriloquist who's been making people laugh with Grady for a decade. "How you doin' today?" Grady, short for "Great Day Everette Gustauffo," shouted to children and their parents passing by. "It's a very fine day!"

Doc spent eight months practicing and perfecting Grady's unique voice and a big personality before his partner arrived in Clinton in 1997 from Fort Bridge, Wash.

"At that time, my wife and I had a medical practice in Clinton," Doc said. He and his wife, Barbara, met at Des Moines University and are both podiatric physicians by training. He moved to Charlotte in 2001 and has three children. He says Grady gets some hand-me-downs from his two boys.

His reason for getting Grady and bringing him to work? To make patients feel happy, of course.

"Most people really don't want to go to the doctor. I had the idea to bring Grady to the office to help patients to feel more at home." At work, Grady would visit with patients, bring them water and calm children.

"People are so serious - but laughter cures a lot of things. Feeling better starts from the inside. If we laughed more, we'd probably get sick a lot less," says Doc.

Doc has been interested in ventriloquism since childhood, when he first saw Willie Tyler and Lester on television. "I thought it was cool," says Doc. "I have always been attracted to things that aren't commonplace."

When he ordered Grady from Craig Lovitt, the master puppeteer who made Lester of Willie Tyler and Lester, he chose all of Grady's "special features" - his ethnicity as well as eyes that can cross, eyebrows that can raise and ears that can move. Grady, operated by a series of strings, cost about $@#$%&

Nowadays, Doc runs Barnabas Speaks Communications, a consulting, business coaching and negotiations service that helps businesses save money. But he and Grady stay busy in their work together.

For years,, Doc and Grady went to all CMS after-school programs to talk to kids about peer pressure, drugs, personal hygiene and nutrition. They also perform at Central Church of God on Sardis Road, where Doc teaches Sunday school to sixth-graders.

Grady is the rare combination of public health advocate, teacher and flirt.

And although he sports a patriotic tie, he doesn't affiliate with any party. "I'm a Republicrat!" he says with customary gusto.

Grady loves to talk with people from all walks of life; e-mail him at ugogrady@yahoo.com.

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