 Brighten the Corner Where You Are
Rainer Klauss Class of '64
Now that our Lee High has been razed,
and a new version has been resurrected on the site of the former Woody’s
Drive-in, and the statute of limitations has surely run out on my crime, I come
forward to confess a sin, a case of petty thievery: I kept a sheet of music
from the band’s library and have it to this day. After the football season of 1962
was over—coming to a feel-good conclusion with three victories—and the band’s
half-time performances had thus ended, we applied ourselves to another aspect
of our reason for being. We had demonstrated a facet of that larger purpose
with our music-making in the stands during the games, entertaining and firing
up the Lee crowd with spirited renditions of such tunes as “Rebel Rouser,”
“Alabama Bound,” and the regional anthem of that time, “Dixie.” But once the
season of ballyhoo and football clashes had passed, the band buckled down to
the serious work of improving as a musical organization. Mr. Foley distributed
the new music, and we began preparing for the state band competition in
Tuscaloosa and, following that, our community showpiece, the spring concert. Since the Alabama High School Band
Competition Festival came in early April, we first concentrated on mastering
the compositions that Mr. Foley had chosen from a list provided by the
competition’s administrators and judges. Just as in athletic competitions,
schools were rated according to the population of their student body. Lee proved
to be a special case, however. We were only a quasi-high school for 1962-63,
topping-out at the eleventh grade—a work in progress. But this status brought
no penalty; it merely ranked us in the company of schools like Hanceville High
School, Lanett High School, and Andalusia High School, schools from cities far
smaller than Huntsville. In any case,
the format for on-stage performances was the same: each band began with a
march, and two short concert pieces followed. April 4, 1963: Alabama-bound, indeed!
We had competed in Tuscaloosa the year before, so this wasn’t our first rodeo,
but our spirits soared again for several reasons. Hey, we were taking a bus
trip and getting out of town! We were headed for the big time, the
demonstration and judging of our musical skills amongst our peers. Once we arrived on campus or after the
performance (my memory is muddled about the timing), some of the band members,
accompanied by chaperons, explored the campus, knocking off the tension of the
affair, having fun, and getting an early look at college life. I found pleasure by staying in the auditorium,
listening to as much of the music as I could. The procession of performances
created alternating moods of tension and release. The panoply of differing
uniforms was impressive and brought an air of festivity to the occasion. A
feeling of solidarity reigned. We were all
in this together: the sweet pursuit of musical beauty. The pieces we played that Thursday afternoon
were “Manhattan Beach,” one of the well-known marches of John Philip Sousa;
“Tamerlane,” a contemporary portrait of a 14th century despot who
hoped to rule the Mongol Empire and the Moslem world. If you conjure up the dramatic opening
overture of a 1950s cinematic epic, you’ll have an idea of what the music
sounded like; and “Mexican Overture,” a medley of traditional melodies. As we played these disparate compositions,
the strengths and weaknesses of our musical skills were revealed. (Our interpretations
of the three compositions were later included in the record the band sold to
finance its trip to the Orange Bowl Parade late that year). Mr. Foley shared the rating the judges
gave us later that afternoon. We hadn’t won top honors, but we had acquitted
ourselves well. Mission accomplished. There followed the joyful bus ride home. In addition to polishing the numbers
for the state competition during our sixth period band class, we also began
readying the pieces that Mr. Foley had selected for our spring concert. Among
them was a medley called “’Billy’ Sunday’s Successful Songs.” I didn’t know it
at the time, but Billy Sunday was America’s foremost revivalist during the
years 1910-1920, renowned for the exuberant, athletic, and colloquial style of
his preaching. The “Successful Songs” consisted of seven hymns that had roused
Sunday’s audiences, raising the pitch of piety, religious fervor, and
fellowship. The hymns were “Since Jesus Came Into My Heart,” “If Your Heart
Keeps Right,” “My Wonderful Dream,” ”What A Day of Victory,” “I Walk With the
King,” “Brighten the Corner Where You Are,” and “I’m Coming Home.” I’m
guessing, but the last hymn was probably sung as some of the attendees made
their way to the altar, “hitting the sawdust trail” in their hope for
salvation. Henry Fillmore, a famous musician, composer,
and bandmaster of the time, gathered the hymns into a suite, preserving the
wonderful sounds of the small wind band (with piano?) that would probably have
accompanied the impassioned singers throughout the service. The medley was pure
Americana, simple, compelling, and heartfelt—a musical reminder of earlier
times. I was raised as a staid Lutheran and was never anywhere near a revival
meeting, so this music hit me as a fairly-new experience (even though I had
heard my share of turn-of-the-century music before then). Adding to the music’s
strong call to me was the fact that the baritone, the instrument I played in
the band, had a prominent part in the melodies. Of all the music the band
played in the four years I was a member, this was my favorite piece. To my
thinking, Mr. Foley made an inspired choice. Now for the rest of the story: the
particularities of my misdemeanor and the ensuing events. When the concert
season had ended and school was winding down, it was customary to return all
the music sheets to Mr. Foley. That year I handed everything back to him or his
assistants except “’Billy’ Sunday’s Successful Songs.” It’s impossible to
defend my skewed motives. I can only say that I loved the music and wanted a
tangible reminder. I knew that my baritone-playing days would end with
graduation the next year. I probably told myself that if Mr. Foley inquired
about the missing sheet, I could always claim that I had taken it home and then
give it back to him a few days later. He never asked, but with an avalanche of
music to deal with, no wonder he never discovered there was one piece
un-accounted for. At the end of the year, the music ended up in my stash of
school memorabilia, joining report cards, football programs, copies of The Traveller, newspaper reports of
sports events, and my letter “L” for being in the band. My senior year
souvenirs would bury the tell-tale sheet even deeper. And there it remained for many years, forgotten.
It was probably shortly after the Internet resurrection of Lee’s Traveller that I examined the old school mementos, connecting
with the past and using some of the documents as memory aids for the articles I
began contributing. And there I found the treasured music again, but I no longer
remembered the melodies. Using the early Internet search
engines then in vogue such as Altavista, Webcrawler, and Hotbot, I looked for
any mention of Fillmore’s suite, but there was no trace. Last year, fifty years
after playing the piece, I did a search on Google, digging down through several
pages of links and there discovered that I had not been alone in my affection
for the obscure medley. It had been admired enough by others to be included in
a little-known CD of Fillmore’s music. I was able to download a copy of the CD
entitled Memories of Uncle Henry for
$10; it included a version of “’ Billy’ Sunday’s Successful Songs.” Man, sheet
music, and music were re-united. The music is still as sweet as it ever was. I am aware that this is not the kind of revelation one normally makes near the 50th anniversary of one’s high school graduation. But, on the other hand, why not come clean now and illuminate a dark secret? I am aware, too, of the irony of having absconded with a collection of religious music. Mea culpa.
 Memphis, TN - I owe a little apology to the members of the classes of 1965 and 1966 for an omission because of a small editing mistake I made in last week's issue. The notice for the class of '64's 50th Anniversary Reunion was a two page document and I thought page one contained all the announcement text and page two only contained the registration form. I was made aware this week that part of page two was actually part of the page one announcement, so this week I need to share with you the correction of that mistake. The following text was obmitted from last week's announcement. WELCOME ALL 1965, 1966, AND OTHERS TO JOIN US IN THIS SPECIAL 50th CELEBRATION!! It is a Fami-Lee Party and would not be the same without you!!! Though the event will focus on the 50th Anniversary, please understand that all of you are invited to join in for the fun and memories and we of the Class of '64 hope that we will all be invited to celebrate the 50th reunions of the other classes as well. LEE HIGH SCHOOL FIRST GRADUATING CLASS 1964 50 year Reunion
We will be celebrating the First Graduating Class of one of Huntsville’s Historic High Schools on September 26-27, 2014 WELCOME ALL 1965, 1966, AND OTHERS ACOMMODATIONS AVAILABLE: Blocked Rooms at the Embassy Suites: 20 suites blocked; 1964 1ST priority; $119.00/night, must reserve early; rooms will not be held until Sept; specify LHS 50th Reunion Code#636 Need Email Addresses and Contact Info on these 1964 Classmates As of 1/29/14
Lost: NO Email NO Address/NO INFO Scott L. Anderson Atkinson, Pat (Frazer) Shirlene Benton Dolores Asbill Lundgren Joe Ronnie Bishop Blanchette, Vernon Gene Sharon Bland Judy Bracey Davis Beverly Bradley Gary Broadway Ronald Brooks Carl H. Buckstad Eliz. Sharon Ann Burch Thompson Brenda Crabbe Roland Marcia Crowl Hemphill Terry Davis Cynthia Jane Day James Bruce Duncan Rita Suzanne Fletcher Strawn Patricia Fonnegra Phillip Pete Freeman Betty Jean Green Byrom Alan Michael Hammick Pat Hartsell Maples Rex Edward Howard Merle Huff Helms* Martha Hyde Nicki Lynn Judge Judith Ellen Keel Donna L. Kerr Dudley Carol Lee Kinney Connie Rebecca Kirk Mildred Millie” Elizabeth Kirk Dickson Robin Gail Kitson Phillip Wayne Lankford Linda Lewis Margaret Diane Mason Brown Lynda Matthews Alvin L. McCartt Annette Lee McCraney Helen Rebecca McCurdy Ellen Meekins Evelyn Evie” Jo Moore Conrad Marilyn Marie Moore Boster Morris, Jack John Robert Nelson Jimmy Norman Glynda Sharon Pendley Rudy Platz Warren Price John F Ridgeway Linda Carol Sandlin Linda Sewell Kathryn Inez Seymour Black Diana Smart Paul Smith Virginia Ginny” Smith Yeager Ann Still Dorothy Thomas Brenda Sharon Thompson Jimmy Wayne Upton Sandra Westfoul John Williamson
Please send updates and corrections to: Linda Taylor THANKS FOR THE HELP…..
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