A NIGHT OF GLORY

              In the musical, Music Man, Professor Harold Hill promised the residents of River City that they were going to have a boys band.  Well, in our little city's public high school's Music Department, we have a boys (and girls) band and MUCH more. And, last evening they "strutted their stuff" in grand style and quality.

    
     In addition to the playbill announced in the above program, there were also several solo performances by vocalists and musicians.  Throughout the two hour program, the students and faculty performed with energy, enthusiasm and excellence.  The Band's part was followed by Beginning Guitar, then the Combined Chorus, and concluded with the Jazz Band. The last group in their Blues Brothers hats and 'shades concluded the evening  with several stirring numbers.

Maestro Matt Fry and Chorus

From the School's Twitter Site with appreciation.
Band Director J.C. Harper is 3d from left rear, playing trombone and the trumpeter on far left is actually a "Blues Sister"

         With only 840 students in grades 9-12, the high school's Music Department has a long tradition of performance excellence.  Matt Fry, Choral Director for several years, has consistently had many of his students selected for state and regional groups.  Band Director, J.C. Harper, displayed his own musical virtuosity with hot licks as part of a guitar ensemble then as trombonist with the Jazz Band.  Both these men were quick to offer kudos for individual student performances.

    Last fall's performance of Fiddler on the Roof was an elaborate and highly acclaimed sensation with over 200 persons involved in the production. And last night, Mrs. Rose Pate, who coordinates the non-profit jmarts.org, announced that next year's production will be  In The Heights by
 Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of Hamilton.  

    She further announced that twelve students have been named JMArts Scholars by the Jordan-Matthews Arts Foundation, each receiving a scholarship to attend a university fine arts camp this summer.  According to their FaceBook site, "scholarships are funded through  individual contributions to the foundation and income from ticket sales for the annual fall musical and some major concerts during the academic year." (In an non-requested endorsement, if you are inclined to support the program, visit the website, jmarts.org or send gifts directly to PO Box 395, Siler City, NC 27344)

     While enjoying the program, I remembered that there are persons who advocate eliminating funding for arts programs in pubic schools. I seriously doubt that anyone at last night's program would be among that short-sighted group.

     Satchel

      

CAPS, GOWNS AND SPEECHES . . .

                                                               

Courtesy of Clipart

                'tis  the Season. . .
                 for Caps and Gowns, Graduation exercises,
proud pictures, looonnnnggggg  forgettable speeches, diplomas, handshakes and hugs.

      Recently, seeing LOTS  of  pictures of smiling graduates, I decided to look in my family 'archives'.   Well, I found some and couldn't locate others.  Seems that it has not been so very long ago that I saw snapshots taken in our backyard at the time of my high school graduation.  There was one with mom, another with dad and my paternal grand-father.  My wife, her class Valedictorian, does not remember an individual picture. Perhaps when I cease looking, they will reappear.

    I did locate those made with my parents at my graduations from undergrad and grad school, another of my daughter with  her grand-parents and me  when she completed high school; another of a son's high school cap and gown; a brother's med school graduation; one of a nephew's college graduation and one of my wife and me with her niece's daughter.

With my parents at college graduation

Graduate School, Seventeen years later.  Guess I was a 'slow learner'  

     If 'commencement' means beginning, then why are these ceremonies at the end of an academic stage . . . whether from kindergarten all through doctoral level?  Probably to signify that the graduate is about to begin  the next stage of their journey of life and, it is hoped, to recognize the acquisition of 'wisdom'.

With my brothers at Den's Med School Graduation 1967

With my boys at Mike's High School Graduation 1975.
Chris graduated in 1977

My daughter's high school graduation.  Can't locate the college version.

    And, why the 'costumes' , as someone has termed the academic regalia of mortarboards, gowns , tassels, and hoods?  By now,  custom and tradition seem to mandate these.  But in the early medieval academic institutions, it seems they were a necessity for heat in often chilly buildings and they seem often to have been worn throughout the term.
Once when I borrowed a colleague's Master's gown, I commented about the cuff inside the sleeve and was told that it originated as a place for aspiring scholars to keep their libations.

    And, about those speeches . . . if your graduation (at any level) was more than ten years ago, do you remember the speaker, or his/her topic?  In the mid-1990's, I was speaker at a Junior High School commencement.  My 'profundities' are long since forgotten . . . by the students, the audience and the speaker.

     And, now, commencements have become  'politicized' with at least one prominent political person having received a hostile reception by the graduates.  Tomorrow's address by the Vice-President at Notre Dame will , it has been reported, be met by exiting Seniors.

    During the years that I taught at a nearby college, I learned that Dr. Hartsock, Chair of the English Department, annually drew an outline of the United States on her program and proceeded to fill in the contours of the states during the proceedings.  Then in the year of her retirement, the graduates requested her to give the Commencement address.  I actually remember a segment of her  speech and I doubt that maps were drawn that afternoon.

     As for the 'utility' of my degree, I often remember the hot Summer of 1962 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, when several of us who had already had our turns at the rifle range were catching a rare few minutes of rest.  Suddenly, Sergeant Newton emerged in full voice telling anyone who was a "College Grad-ju-ate" to report to him.  Turns out, he needed help tallying the target scores of the company.  No 'Pomp and Circumstance' that day !

      Satchel

COUSINS OR 'CUZZINS'

                                                 Two gatherings

       

April 30, 2017

August 9,  2008

 "I'm having all the nieces and nephews and spouses who can to come for dinner on Sunday night, April 30," Aunt Rachel told me in our telephone conversation.  Just an ordinary family gathering ? Hardly.  For starters, there  are twenty living cousins . . . five having died.  Then, there is the incidental fact that Rachel will be 90 on her next birthday in September.

    "What can we bring?" was the first question.  Initially she said "Nothing". Then she said that anyone who wanted to do so could bring a "side dish"; otherwise, she and her two children and their spouses would be preparing all the food and beverage.  In earlier posts, I have lauded her cooking skills --- especially her chicken and dumplings.  But the magnitude of this . . . well.

    Rachel is sole survivor of twelve siblings, ten of whom reached adulthood.  Two of those had no children, although Aunt Ruth suffered a stillbirth.  Of twenty, fourteen gathered at my cousin and husband's house across the street from Rachel.

   Perhaps like other families in our mobile society, we gather these days primarily for Rites of Passage, notably funerals. Since the older of the above pictures was made (at Uncle Ken's funeral),  mom and Rachel's last sister has died, as have three of the cousins in that picture.  In comparing the photos, I realized that three living cousins in the earlier picture missed last Sunday's gathering. Added were two, including my brother from New Hampshire and a cousin from New York City, who had been unable to attend the earlier gathering.  And three had missed both events.

    So, what did we do?  We  ate, and then ate more.  There was also
an array of sweet delicacies from which to choose, including authentic New York cheesecake that Cousin Carolyn had brought. For my part, I skipped the sweets and had a second serving of Rachel's signature chicken and dumplings.

Rachel welcomes everyone before Brother Bob (far right) returns Thanks

    Then, there were the 'Stories' - - - many 'oldie goldies' from the older cohort of cousins.  Five of us were born prior to World War  II or just as it was starting.  Several were born soon after the war and in the following two decades.   My cousin, Pat, wrote on her Facebook site: "my mom cooked most of the food and everyone enjoyed it and especially enjoyed hearing some of the old stories from the 'older' cousins who actually knew and remembered our grandparents. A lot of us never got to meet them."  Well, Pat, there  were a lot of colorful karakters in our group.

I enjoyed passing on some of the 'family lore'. Pat's husband, Carl, may have been wondering what he had married into.

They started it all . . .  Our grand-parents soon after their marriage.

      Maybe we should do this more often . . .

               Satchel