The Santa Monica (Calif.) Daily Press has a profile of native Memphian, children's book author, Oscar-nominated filmmaker, photographer and sustainable-lifestyle advocate Margaret Hyde, in which she speaks of continuing the legacy of service and established by her prominent philanthropic family:
"It's being of service, and completing the circle of mindfulness and sustainability," Hyde explained, staring out at the ocean from the lounge of the Oceana Hotel.
It's a maxim that has been instilled in Hyde since her earliest days.
Hyde grew up in Memphis, Tenn., and a trace of accent still hangs on the ends of her elongated words.
Her family started a charitable foundation that supports healthy neighborhoods and education. The Hyde family was also deeply connected to the National Civil Rights Museum, where the prestigious Freedom Award is granted at an annual ceremony.The piece also touches on the genesis of Hyde's short documentary "The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306," which chronicled the final hours of Dr. Martin Luther King's life through the remembrances of civil rights leader Rev. Samuel Billy Kyles.
Hyde knew Kyles through her family's philanthropic organization, the Hyde Family Foundation, and had heard his story of King's life and death at annual gatherings throughout her childhood.
"I was 18 years old and just blown away," Hyde said. "I thought, 'He needs to write a book, something!'"
The result was a film, shot quickly but with powerful material and a crack production staff, that was released on the 40th anniversary of King's death.
"It had a life of its own," Hyde said. "We set out to preserve the story, because we were starting to lose the voices of that generation."These days, Hyde, the oldest child of AutoZone founder J.R. "Pitt" Hyde III, has become something of a local celebrity in Southern California due to her efforts at promoting green home remodeling. The Daily Press calls her family's 1910 Craftsman-style home an "LEED-certified marvel of efficiency."
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