Thursday, June 21 – Saturday, June 23,
2012
Thursday, June 21 (Continued)
Jim: As soon as we left Ann’s house in
Lubbock, we headed toward Portales, New Mexico, the peanut capital of the
southwest, and home to Eastern New Mexico University, where I received a
Bachelor of Music Education degree in 1966.
Every other
year for the past 26 years, members of the bands at Eastern New Mexico
University have returned to the campus in Portales for the biennial Alumni
Reunion Band, where for three days they rehearse and then present a
concert. The purpose of the band is
three-fold; it honors and memorializes Floren Thompson, Jr. long recognized as
the father of the modern band programs at ENMU, it serves as a fundraiser for
band scholarships, and it brings together band members of all ages to, for the
three-day period, become 18-year old college band members again and enjoy the
thrill of making music together.
It’s been at
least 18 years since I participated in the alumni band. I had been to a couple of them during the
early years, but after the family moved to Liberal in 1989, summers became very
busy. When I was a band director, the
month of June was for summer band, and when I moved over to the “dark side” in
administration, June was for summer school and interviewing new teachers.
When we
arrived in Portales, we drove directly to the Super 8 motel on the Roswell
Highway (U.S. 70), checked in for a couple of nights, and went through the
process of moving everything from the car to our room.
I hadn’t been
in the music building since the new Floren Thompson, Jr. Band Hall was
constructed, so Jane asked one of the Kappa Kappa Psi (band fraternity) members
to show me around while Barbara took some photos.
I took
Barbara back to the motel and then returned to the music building at 6:30 to
warm up and get ready for the evening’s two hour rehearsal. The rehearsal went well and I was glad to
know that my chops were in shape enough to keep up with what the music required
of me. It was also fun to sit beside
Raymond Jenkins, a trumpet and violin player who was a couple of years behind
me at Eastern.
+++++++
Friday, June 22
Today was a
full day of rehearsals for the alumni band.
The planned program is the caliber one would expect for a good college
band, so there was lots of concentration (and conversation) throughout the day.
At one point
in the morning rehearsal, I was called out with another band member to be
interviewed for an article in the Portales newspaper. It seems that in doing a piece about the
alumni band, the reporter wanted to speak with someone who returned after being
away from the school for many years...guess that was a fair description of me.
Tonight was
the traditional alumni band banquet at the Campus Union Building Ballroom. It’s been many years since I was last in the
building, but I couldn’t tell that much, if anything, had changed. It was an evening of good food, conversation
among friends, new and old, and a trip down memory lane as a slide show
featuring band pictures from the 1940’s through 2012 was shown, accompanied by
band recordings from those eras.
After the banquet,
we returned to our digs at the Super 8 and visited with Carol until time to
call it quits and get rested up for another busy day.
+++++++
Saturday, June 23
I was up
early this morning to have breakfast and get ready for another full day of
rehearsals prior to this afternoon’s concert.
I visited
with the folks at the front desk to see if we could get a late check-out time
for today, since the concert wouldn’t be until 4:30. The best deal I could get was a 1:30
check-out. I told Barbara and Carol that
we could just move everything into one room when I came back after the morning
rehearsals and they could stay there until 1:30 and then come to the music
building.
I had to be
back at the music building for a 3:00 pm rehearsal, so I finished loading the
car and drove back to the campus.
Barbara and Carol arrived a little after 4:00 and took their seats where
they could get some good photos.
We began the
concert at 4:30...75 dedicated musicians spanning the ENMU graduating classes
from 1951 – 2012, all working for a common purpose and sharing their God-given
talents with each other and the sizable crowd gathered in the new Buchanan
Recital Hall. It was, as I had told the
reporter yesterday, a musical and very spiritual experience as we each carried
with us the memories of fellow band members and good friends who are no longer
with us, but who played a major part in who we are.
I was so glad
to spend the time with fellow students from the 1962 – 1966 years that I was at
Eastern; Jane Henry, Raymond Jenkins, Jim Barnard, Chuck Love, Gerald Tiffin,
and Dick Echols...what a great way to stage a reunion!
“Music is what feelings
sound like” –
Unknown
On the road
to ArtesiaJim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams
