PHOTO MEMORIES

(Originally run 1/9/04 on our old site)

Dan E. Randle

When you’re talking about pictures, I ran across a couple that will have you guessing. The first one must have been taken in 1955, since Glenn Jones and Billy Barger are in the picture: they should have graduated in 1955.

The other picture is of a recital in 1953, my third year in piano. You will notice a young Bobby Scott in the background with me.

The next year was my last year with the piano. One of the things I always prided myself on was never using sheet music on a recital. I always memorized the music I was to play. At the 1954 recital, Mrs. Ward decided that she and I should play a duet. She was a very accomplished pianist and ad-libbed her part. The night of the recital she put some different runs on her part and totally stumped me. I stopped in the middle of my piece, which I had never done before (I was so embarrassed I didn't know what to do). What I finally did was to skip over three pages and rushed to the end of the music. I got up from the piano, walked out of the church and vowed I would never play in public again.

I remember having a very hard time playing solo parts in the band, always afraid that I would mess up again. I never felt that I was up to par with you guys -- Larry, Frank, Ernest -- since you all had so much more experience than I did. I will have to say that the time I spent in the band and swing band were some of the best memories I have today.

EDITOR’S NOTES: Among the people I saw in the DeMolay photo are Elmer Dale Yancey and Marvin Lee Sowell. Dan is second from the right in the front row.

In the Ward photo, the Usual Suspects: Mary Katharine Van Patten, Dan in the middle with Bobby Scott Fuller, Billy Anderson, and Ann Shannon.

Can you name everyone in one or the other of these photos?

Incidentally, if you want to enlarge the photos for a better look (or to save), just tap on the picture -- or go to http://groups.msn.com/searcymemories . -tlp-