The other thing I want to
mention is that the Curry boys introduced me to swimming in the Missouri
River. One time we swam all the way across and back. Of course, we
had to walk quite a way upstream on the opposite side before we started back so
that we would end up at about the original starting point. We stopped
swimming in the Missouri when another boy who swam in the river drowned.
He dived in and never came back up. I don't remember what his name was and
I wasn't there when it happened. My mother and dad never knew about my
swimming in the river until I told them years later after I had grown up and
left home.
Both Curry boys were one or
two years older than I and I'm pretty sure that they both graduated from
Lexington High School, but ahead of me.
In TLC#60 you asked for
input regarding Carl Stalling. Well, I never met the gentleman, but in
grade school for a few years, I took piano lessons from Miss Carrie Loomis who
gave piano lessons in her home located on the corner of 12th Street and Franklin
Avenue. She told me that she had had Carl as a pupil and that he was the
best pupil she ever had. Specifically, she told me that he had
such an ear for music that she could send him into another room where he
could not see the piano. She would strike any key on the
piano and he could tell her correctly what each note was.
You can find biographies of
Carl Stalling on the internet. One of the shorter ones reads as
follows:
Carl S. Stalling
(1888-1974) was born in Lexington, Missouri. As a kid, he started to play
music on a broken toy piano. In 1903, he saw "The Great Train Robbery" and
decided that, in some way, he wanted to work with movies. Seven years
later, he was working as a pianist during the silent movies at the local
theater.
In the early 1920's,
Stalling was in Kansas City, conducting his own orchestra and playing the organ
during projections at the Isis Theater. There, he met Walt Disney, who
asked him to compose the score for two short animated movies starring a new
character, Mickey Mouse (Mickey had only appeared in one cartoon at that
time). Stalling also composed Skeleton Dance, the first of the Silly
Symphonies. He even did the voice for Mickey in one
cartoon.
In 1930, Stalling left
Disney and scored Ub werks's Flip the Frog cartoons. In 1936, he arrived
at Warner Bros, and stayed there for 22 years. Stalling's unique vision,
along with the help of assistant, arranger, orchestrator and conductor Milt
Franklyn, shaped the Warner Bros. cartoon sound. But Stalling's sound
would never have been the same without Mel Blanc's vocalizing and Treg Brown's
sound effects. When Stalling retired, Franklyn replaced him, and the
difference was noticeable. Although very well-done, the new musical
director's scores were more musically conventional. The Golden Age of
American Animation was coming to an end. In 1969, Stalling
declared: "One problem with cartoons today is they have so much dialogue
the music doesn't mean much."
Getting back to Miss
Loomis, she was a very kind and gentle person and she taught in this
manner. She would never think of striking a pupil's hand with a ruler if
he hit a wrong note as I understand some other teacher did. I don't
remember who all of her pupils were when I took lessons from her, but I do
remember the Kehrees children, Katina, Sophie (now Mrs. Norman Vialle), and
George. We had piano recitals periodically and she also periodically gave
taffy pull parties where we made taffy candy. All of this took place in
her home.
Keep the TLC's
coming. I enjoy reading them.
Don LeJeune answers a
question:
Susan: I know the
person that they called Catfish and, yes, he did drive a cab in Lex. He was my
Mother's brother. His name was Walter Phillips. He grew up in Lex. and was well
known as Catfish the cabbie. I can't remember the man's name he worked for but
Red something comes to mind. It might have been Kukendall but can't remember
- sorry.
My mother's name was Elsie
LeJeune as a lot of people do remember her. My dad was Pierre. He and his
brothers ran a garage in Lex. for about 50 years and the last 40 years or so,
it was on 9th St. next to Dunhill Shirt Co.
They started out in the old
Wilcox building on Franklin St. In the Photo of the new bridge, if you go toward
the south, I once owned the property known as the Stone farm which is
located to the left of the S curve. Does anyone remember the Mill Fire that
destroyed the Lex. Mill ? It was located on the same street as the old MFA. Also
does anyone remember the old Pickle Factory that was located down
the railroad tracks from 20th St.?
Also, are you aware of the
fact that Central School was at one time Lexington High School? My late
mother Florence Stephenson, once showed me a copy of her high school
yearbook, and I recall that it showed the Central School building. I think
the year was 1922. I don't know where the yearbook went, but I'm going to
check with my brother Meredith Stephenson or my niece Shari Kaullen to see
if it is still in someone's possession in the family.
The other thing that I
recall is that my mother told me that Miss Lena Meierer started
teaching when she was still in high school and that she had a class under
her. So Miss Lena evidently taught both my mother and
me.
I really do enjoy reading
about Lex. I have sent TLC to several people and they also enjoy reading
about Lex. I have a lot of memories that I left there, and now you are bringing
them back . Thanks.
You will
recall a few issues back there was information about a Civil War history being
written by a friend of Jack Gueguen. This from him:
Hello John:
Well, publication of the HHJ
materials seems to be getting closer. The University of Arkansas Press has
indicated interest, and if that falls through, I will go ahead and do it using a
publish on demand service.
A good number of changes have been
made since sending you the manuscript
which, I hope, are for the better. I
would like to add a basis battle plan drawing for several of the battles
mentioned. Simple battle maps for The Battle of Prairie Grove Ark on 12-7-62,
Battle of Little Rock Ark on 9-10-63, Battle of Independence Mo on 8-11-62 and
Battle of Lexington Mo on 9-18-20-61 would be useful.
If you or your connections
have access to any such drawings that I could use and you could connect me to
these sources, it would be much appreciated. If you are unable to do this, I
certainly understand.
Tom E Jewett
708 Hill Ave
Spirit Lake, IA
51360
Ph 712 336-6531 Fax 360 285-2254
Jack forwarded the above letter
and added the following:
I recall seeing several old books
in the Lex. Public Library which would have the kinds of battlefield maps our
author is requesting. Herewith, his latest update. Any idea who
might be willing to find a nice map and send it up to him in Iowa? Maybe
the Librarian?