Catching Up

 It has been quite a while since I got to chat much, and feel the need to catch up a few things.  A lot has been happening so my life has been busier recently.  But I need to definitely sit out on the proverbial front porch, have a cup of coffee, and enjoy the birds singing and the sunrise once in a while, and that is what I wanted to do today. 

I suppose the first thing in order is to talk a little about what has been happening.  As some already may know, on March 28 I lost my mother - she had a fatal heart attack after a long convalescence due to a fall back in December, and it finally did her in.  It has been a rough few months in many respects too - after COVID, a divorce, the loss of both parents, and so much else happening, I am still trying to adjust to it all.  But, it will come together, and this is a new chapter.  And, that being said, I want to talk about a little something today that has been on my mind. 

I am not much into science fiction, but apparently there is a book series called Heroes of Olympus that has gained tremendous following in recent years, so much so that fans themselves have started creating their own artwork, and some of it is quite good.  Recently, due to something else I will share later when the time is appropriate to do so, I came across a piece of this fan art that really got my attention, and to be honest I absolutely fell in love with the picture.  It is of two characters in this series - one a White boy and the other an American Indian girl - and whoever drew it really poured some feeling into it.  We are taught as Catholics to see truth, beauty, and goodness in creation, and sometimes that takes a unique form.  This picture is one of those things.  Anyway, let me share it if I could.

I don't know what it is, but there is just something about this picture that really speaks to my soul.  It represents true love, and it also represents something else that our society really needs to hear today - love knows no color.  I have always been a very big supporter of interracial dating and marriage for a number of reasons.  But, there are three things I think are necessary for a beautiful relationship, and here they are:

1.  They must be a monogamous couple - one man and one woman

2.  They must really love each other - they need to have the right chemistry as any romantic relationship should

3. The romance must be allowed to cultivate and grow, and the intimate physical part - sex - is for marriage only. 

If those three things are in place, then the relationship that blossoms from them will be one of the most beautiful and meaningful things.  But, having been in a marriage myself with another person of my own race, there are things you learn about any relationship.  I am going to now address some of that quickly here.

For one, it is important that when a couple have met and are beginning to get serious about one another, that they do not allow outside pressure to force them into something they are not ready for.  Let me tell a little of my and my former wife's story.  We started out as the best of friends, and to be honest looking back on that we should have stayed that way for a while.  But, at the time we were involved with this rather cultish-like Pentecostal church in Alabama that was hung up on demons and marrying off every single person in their congregation to people of their choosing.  Through a supposed "word of prophecy" one night in December 1990 from a church member we were having coffee with at a local eatery, we were told that "God put us together" and that we were destined to be.  It was quite a shock for both of us, and only being 21 at the time, I was just excited to have a girlfriend.  But, both my now ex-wife and I were younger and not as wise, and we fell into a trap - less than a year and a half later, we would be forced into a circumstance that made us marry before we were ready, and that created issues on the honeymoon and everything else.  Then, some of my new in-laws more or less were determined to hate me before they even knew anything about me, and they caused problems. So, on one hand we had a bunch of Pentecostal nuts pushing us into a marriage, and on the other a bunch of judgmental in-laws trying to pull us apart.  That created trust issues for us, and it would eventually lead to a divorce.  My ex-wife and I do not blame each other for any of this - we were both victims of circumstance.  However, I believe that we were robbed of so much and that to this day chafes me a little, and I feel that for both of us.  My ex-wife and I are actually still good friends - she is a wonderful person honestly, and I love her still like a big sister and we are fairly close.  But, we will never be a couple again romantically because it more than likely either was not supposed to happen in the first place or we went about it wrong.  What was perhaps more galling about it though was that one of those crazy church people - the pastor's daughter of all individuals - decided to stick her nose in where it didn't belong after the divorce.  I want to address that a moment now. 

This woman, mind you, has not talked to us in many years.  Yes, we are "friends" on social media and all, but she never really says two words about anything, not even a "howdy."  But, somehow she learned that Barbara and I were divorced, and then I get these messages from her with the 500 questions which I refused to answer because it is none of her damned business frankly.  And, it wasn't out of legitimate concern either - this woman is a notorious gossip, and often like so many she uses "prayer chains" as gossip networks, and this is a serious issue in many types of congregations that identify as part of the Pentecostal tradition.  I have frankly moved beyond that nonsense, as I am no longer part of that denomination and I have no accountability to this woman or anyone else - as a matter of fact, she can honestly take a short dive into a shallow puddle as far as I am concerned.  Negative people like that have no place in my life.  Nor should they in yours.  Anyway, just wanted to share that. 

A second issue involves my own family.  My step-grandmother is in her 90s now, and she is a different sort of Pentecostal than the crazy nuts in the former church in Alabama.  While generally pretty normal in basic beliefs, it is attitude in this case that is her problem.  Being about as judgmental and gossipy as the pastor's daughter from Alabama, my step-grandmother has other issues - she is self-righteous, somewhat bigoted, and she also tends to have an inflated sense of her own self-importance.  On many occasions she actually said that the Bible condemns interracial relationships.  She is VERY wrong of course, but you can't tell her that because she is very stubborn and set in her ways.  The Bible itself does not even address the issue, and if you really want to believe what it actually says, you look at Genesis and when God created the first man and woman - every human being on the earth is descended from Adam and Eve.  They are not descended from monkeys as racist evolutionists have proposed, nor are there some who are "cursed" by their skin color like some misguided and stupid religious people have said.  No - every human being on the planet comes from the same two parents, and so it means we are the same as a people regardless of color of skin or language differences.  That means then any man and any woman can freely fall in love and be married to each other, and race is not a factor.  As long as it is actually a man and a woman, the love is natural and it is beautiful.  So, it is not the interracial couples who need to repent of anything - rather, it is ignorant people like my step-grandmother; and at her age I would be starting to think about that and maybe do some soul searching. And that leads to another issue to address

In our society today, racism is a hot topic, but honestly it loses relevance in the way it is appropriated and politicized.  For instance, if you eat a peanut butter sandwich and drink a glass of milk, you are "racist" for being to ethnocentric.  But, if you enjoy a taco from a food truck or a plate of chicken chow mein from the local Chinese buffet, then you are "racist" for exploiting other cultures.  So, I ask the idiots who came up with this one question - if anything we eat is "racist," then are we supposed to starve?   Like that "brilliant" Congresswoman AOC says in all her great universal wisdom, maybe we should throw out cauliflower then and all eat yucca, but the flaw there is if all White people eat yucca, it is cultural appropriation.  The insanity never stops with these people, seriously.  In reality, most accusations of "racism" today are so baseless that they lose their meaning and are rightfully mocked.  I mean, to some of these people, if you fart crossways you are "racist" (maybe eating too much beef - AOC may be onto something!).  So, when you hear such terms as "White privilege" or "the patriarchy," laugh them off because they are nothing more than stupid buzzwords of radicals who want to destroy civilization.

Whether in food or in love, there is a constant we need to remember - you love who you are destined to be with, and you eat whatever it is you enjoy.  So, if you are a White guy and you fall in love with a Black girl, then may you have the greatest blessings on your relationship.  Likewise, if you happen to like tacos, go enjoy them then - it's OK.  For those who have issues with these things, you people need a real life because you have too much time on your hands - that goes for meddling relatives, gossipy Pentecostal nuts, or off-the-wall radical politicians.  The majority of us  - all races, ethnicities, etc. - just want to live our lives productively and in peace without other people intruding into them.  That being said, I now want to add a couple of closing thoughts to this.

This is an issue that has really impacted me personally recently due to a good thing that has happened in my life in the past couple of months.  I am not at liberty to say what that is, but it is something that I really wanted for a long time and it has really been a boost to me.  So, in closing, the bottom line to everything is that there is actually only one race - it is the human race.  We come in two different sexes and a variety of shades, but we are still human beings regardless.  So yes, the well-worn cliche that "Black Lives Matter" is true - but so do all other lives as well.  So, I unashamedly say that "All Lives Matter" and that "True Love Knows No Colors."  Have a good day, and thank you for letting me share. 

___________________________________________________________________________________

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Year-End Perspectives

 It is almost the end of another year.  2021 has been a ride to be simple about it.  With the wider issues of the nation - a combination of an ineffective senile old codger and his bad polices leading the nation, and this whole pandemic mess (which I believe has been taken way out of both context and control) have made things more challenging for everyone) - I have had a number of specific things that I have experienced that marked this past year.  So, I wanted to share and retrospect a bit on that, and thus give my end-of-year analysis.

First, the constants - my doctoral studies wrapped up their first year, and I am currently ending the fourth semester of those.  Also, a lot of transformation has been happening around the house - new furniture, a lot of readjusting, and several other new developments.  On the more specific aspects, as you know Barbara and I separated last year, and our divorce was finalized in June.  It was something neither of us would have expected to happen, but things do happen.  We still remain close as friends though, and actually have a better relationship as friends than we did as spouses.  And, Barbara has also proven to be a great support for a couple of other things that have happened this year which will be discussed momentarily.  Although the legal/civil divorce has happened, I am currently in the process of being granted an annulment by the Church, which would allow both of us to eventually remarry if that should be something God allows for either of us.  That whole process has definitely opened up a whole new chapter, and the subsequent adjustments are still something I am acclimating to.  

Due to COVID and all the hoo-hah associated with that, church has become a challenge.  For a significant number of Sundays this year, many Sunday Masses have been participated via television, and I am very thankful for both St. Elias Maronite Church in Birmingham, AL, as well as Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life, for making available televised Masses.  I also have switched parishes this year as well, as now I am attending St. Mary Church in downtown Hagerstown rather than St. Joseph, although the latter is closer to home.  The problem with St. Joseph is that despite having a very compassionate priest, Fr. John Jicha, there are theological/political liberals in parish leadership there who unfortunately exert more influence than they should (not to mention the Mass music, which has been supplied by a wannabe rock musician who utilizes secular tunes as Communion hymns, a BIG no-no).  St. Mary's on the other hand is an older (it is almost 250 years old) and is more solidly conservative and in line with Magisterial teaching of the Church as traditionally understood. They also offer the Extraordinary Form (Traditional Latin Mass) as well as a much more reverent Ordinary Form Mass.  I do miss teaching the kids though, and look forward to eventually getting back into that at St. Mary's, something both my new parish priest, Fr. Cibelli, as well as the Faith Formation Director there are on-board with.  The big challenge at this point is transportation, which I will address at this point.

Although I definitely can drive a car obviously, I don't have one - an extended period of unemployment aside from some contract paralegal work has made finances a bit challenging but workable, yet I still need to invest in a vehicle once I am able to do so.  I am praying this year we can make that happen, as it is a real handicap not to have one's own transportation. 

The other issue I have faced has been over the past couple of weeks.  My elderly mother, who is hitting her 75th birthday at the end of the month, had a nasty fall on December 3rd that resulted in a dislocated shoulder.  After being hospitalized for a time, it was also discovered that she had a fractured bone in her right knee, and as a result she has been having difficulty getting around.  Even as I am writing this today, she has physical and occupational therapists in her room assisting with her.  However, the big issue is the Veterans Administration (VA).  My mother, as those who know me are aware, is a Vietnam veteran - she and my dad actually met while they were in the Army together on Okinawa.  That being said, she gets most of her care from the VA, but due to the governmental aspect of it, the VA is a confusing mess of apathetic bureaucrats who are all talk and no action, and I have had my share of run-ins over the past week with both nurses and social workers who lack empathy and understanding, and their attitudes have left a lot to be desired.  To be honest, at this point my mother needs to be in a rehab facility where she can get more comprehensive care, but she is having issues with that - although a very dedicated patient advocate at the VA has been working her tail off trying to get Mom into one of those facilities, this whole pandemic BS is causing issues as many facilities won't take in patients unless they have had the six dozen "Fauci Ouchies," which are no guarantee anyway.  This is why the words "COVID" and "Fauci" are both cusswords to me at this point, as those two factors - in addition to the current President and his ineptitude - are really having an adverse effect on so many.  It is my hope that we are almost at the end of this madness and that life can begin to be normal again.

On a lighter note, I have given my music update a couple of months back, and my developments continue there.  At the present, I am approaching around 3000 total recordings - LPs, CDs, and DVDs - and there are still new acquisitions on the way in the mail.  I was able to incorporate that interest into a class project for an American Entrepreneurship course I had which wrapped up this week.  Some of the previous blog articles also reflected that study as well.  In addition, I have also purchased both a pocket trumpet and a curved soprano saxophone, the latter I already know how to play and the former I want to learn once my doctoral work is finished.  Additionally, I have also gotten back into collecting miniatures too, and managed to find some pretty unique stuff.  Having these side hobbies and interests have been therapeutic as there is much going on and a diversion becomes a necessity.

At any rate, that is my year thus far, and as I close out, I hope everyone has a blessed and joyful holiday season - for Christmas, may we always remember the reason we celebrate also - and it is my hope we all have a much better 2022.  As this will also be my last blog post for the year, I will be back to visit again in 2022 as well. 

Rudy Wiedoeft and the Popularity of the Saxophone

 

When one thinks of jazz, the instrument that readily comes to mind for most people is the saxophone.  The iconic silhouette of the soulful saxophonist is practically synonymous with jazz, and from Charlie Parker to faux-jazz artists like Kenny G, the saxophone has impacted popular music in a significant way.  The question here is how did the saxophone become the prominent instrument in jazz?  The answer is one individual – Rudy Wiedoeft.  As will be seen in studying his legacy, Wiedoeft single-handedly brought the popularity of the saxophone to American popular music, and therefore he is worth further examination including from an economic dimension. 

Rudy Wiedoeft (1893 – 1940)

As Ted Hegvik wrote in 1989, Wiedoeft is all but forgotten in the modern age as most who are “Baby Boomers” or younger know little about his legacy if anything at all, but he is an important figure in the history of modern jazz nonetheless[1].   The saxophone, which was invented and patented in 1846 by Belgian musical instrument designer Adolphe Sax (after whom it was named), was not widely known prior to at least 1920, but it did make occasional appearances on earlier recordings by Sigurd Rascher as well as early popular performers (and early dance band pioneers) such as the Six Brown Brothers, who made prolific recordings in the 1910s, and the first uses by minstrel troupes began in the 1890s with ensembles such as Gorten’s Golden Band Minstrels, but at that stage it was largely still a novelty[2].  Many early dance bands of the 1910s, however (James Reese Europe’s Society Orchestra and others) did not incorporate saxophones.  It truly was not until Rudy Wiedoeft popularized the instrument that it took off, and the height of that new craze was during the “Jazz Age” of the early 1920s.  

The question however was how this impacted the economic situation of the time?  Along with the phonograph, which was invented by Thomas Edison in 1878, the accessibility of entertainment began to be a luxury that many average homes could afford, and the availability of records – first in cylinder form and later in disc form – created a whole new entertainment industry.  Later still, motion pictures and radio would capitalize on this as well.  However, in Wiedoeft’s case, these were means to an end, as his real asset was marketing the saxophone.  The saxophone at the time came in several pitches, from sopranino to subcontrabass, but a special type of saxophone was the choice of Wiedoeft in his recordings, that being the C-melody saxophone, which was in pitch somewhere between an alto and a tenor with a distinct sound of its own.  However, Wiedoeft’s popularizing of the saxophone extended to all members of the instrument family, and young musicians in the 1920s began switching from clarinets, which they had normally played to this point, to the new saxophones.  And, with the popularity of recordings readily available, a musical craze was created that facilitated a brisk sales trade of the instrument that would burgeon further in time.  While the Six Brown Brothers and other such groups had been using the saxophone as more of a novelty instrument to this point, in 1917 Wiedoeft began to record, and many of these early recordings were his own compositions which led to a capitalization on the new jazz market that had been instigated by a New Orleans-based group, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, who had recorded what many believed to be the first official jazz recording, “Livery Stable Blues,” in the same year[3].  This instant success brought to Wiedoeft financial success as well, which he invested wisely.

While many of Wiedoeft’s ventures – investments in building and mining – did not pan out quite like he wanted them to, he did have success at marketing, including the endorsement of a saxophone named after him that was manufactured by the Holton Company[4].  This special Wiedoeft model was marketed to a wider audience, and the successful marketing campaign of the Holton Company led to Wiedoeft achieving wider fame, at least until the 1930s when the Depression hit and he began to decline in health and prestige due to a flood of newer players of the instrument.  Wiedoeft would eventually fall ill to complications brought on by his heavy drinking habit, and he would die of cirrhosis in 1940.

An ad from the 1920s promoting the Wiedoeft model of saxophone manufactured by the Holton Company

Beginning in the 1920s however, a new generation of saxophonists would themselves become legends, many tracing their influences to Wiedoeft.  Among them was a young Yale alumnus named Hubert Pryor Vallee, who in the late 1920s achieved fame as a bandleader and singer better known as Rudy Vallee – Vallee took Wiedoeft’s first name as his stage name due to his early idolization of Wiedoeft.  Others who benefitted from Wiedoeft’s legacy included Frankie Trumbauer, who was one of the premiere jazz saxophonists of the 1920s, as well as Jimmy Dorsey, who would later become a successful big bandleader in his own right along with his trombonist younger brother Tommy.  The popularity of the saxophone continued well into the rock and roll era, and its place in jazz was immortalized later by such artists as Charlie Parker and Stan Getz, among many others.  A combination of masterful talent and effective corporate marketing made Rudy Wiedoeft the catalyst for the later success of many other saxophonists in successive generations.

Wiedoeft’s recordings should be briefly discussed.  He had a body of recorded music that was of two types.  The first were his jazz recordings, which he made with his own group called the Californians.  It was with this group that his most famous recordings, “Saxophobia” and “Sheikh of Araby,” were made.  He also had a body of more serious work he recorded with a concert trio, many of which were his own compositions – one of particular note was made in 1921 entitled “Valse Erica.”  In recent years, some of this material has been reissued on LP and CD, but the vast majority of original Wiedoeft recordings are of his concert group, as no current reissued collection exists of his jazz band.  His jazz band was later taken over by his brother Herb, and was renamed the Cinderella Roof Orchestra – this group does have an extensive number of reissued works, many featuring trombonist Jess Stafford. 

Much more could be said of Wiedoeft’s personal legacy, but he has been immortalized as the man who brought the saxophone into popularity, and a formula made up of successful marketing campaigns on the part of musical instrument manufacturers as well as the proliferation of recorded sound via the invention of the phonograph is what makes his legacy significant.

Early sheet music publication of Wiedoeft’s saxophone compositions

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[1] Ted Hegvik, “How Rudy Wiedoeft’s Saxophobia Launched the Saxual Revolution,” Essays of an Information Scientist 12, no. 10 (1989): 68. 

[2] Bruce Vermazen, That Moaning Saxophone: The Six Brown Brothers and the Dawning of a Musical Craze.  New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. 7.

[3] Vermazen, 120.

[4] Jaap Kastelein, ed. Rudy Wiedoeft: Spirit of the Saxophone. Heerenveen, Netherlands: de Haske, 2012. 4. 

The Eccentric Substitute Teacher of My Middle School Years

 

Thomas Engleman (1945-2021)

I haven't done a tribute page to an admired individual in my life for a while, but today warrants one.  In doing my weekly obituary searches, I came across one for a man who I really thought highly of years ago. This guy was at one time a substitute teacher during the time I was in 7th and 8th grades at Romney Junior High School in Romney, WV, and he was truly one in a million.  So I wanted to just remember him here as my own tribute to his wonderful legacy.

Tom Engleman was not your typical substitute teacher - when I was in middle school back in the mid-1980s, he was a towering figure of over 6 feet, and he wore a characteristic long ponytail that made him stick out in a crowd.  When I first met him, I was a bit intimidated by him too, but I soon found out there was no warrant for such concern - Mr. Engleman was a true educator who had a heart of gold, and he took his teaching vocation seriously.  Middle school was not the best time in my life, to be honest - I was a poor kid with a single mother, and often I was the target of ridicule and harassment in school by both the "cool kids" and the "freaks" because I dressed differently (I have never worn jeans or tennis shoes since I was a young kid, and always dressed conservatively), listened to different music (I had started collecting vintage big band records just a couple of years earlier, and had little to do with the music that was popular at the time), and I had a high-pitched squeaky voice then.  I was looked at as a "geek" and an outcast, despite the fact I actually did do rather well in my classes.  As Mr. Engleman also stood out, he took an interest in me, and one day when he was subbing for our regular English teacher, he noticed me drawing, and came over and started a conversation about it - he later paid me fifty cents for two of those pictures, and I found out he had sent one to a radio host I listened to then, Henry Boggan.  Mr. Engleman was interested in my fascination with big band records, and he actually later pulled a few strings with the music teacher, Mr. Foster, for me to take saxophone lessons.  That was how invested he was in the lives of his students, and I am sure others would also have fond memories of his teaching them too.  That explains the type of man Mr. Engleman was, and now let me talk a little about some facts of his life I pulled from his obituary in the local  paper.

Tom Engleman was originally born in Miami, FL, in 1945, and I remember him telling me that he was part Seminole Indian and part German - the Seminole part explained the pony tail.  Upon his graduation from high school, he attended the Virginia Military Academy, and I was amused at how he handled the extracurricular activities requirement - he became a male cheerleader! For those of us who knew him, that comes really as no surprise, as Mr. Engleman was his own man and was in many aspects the quintessential eccentric, which could explain why another eccentric like myself clicked with him.  He then worked with a non-profit service organization called VISTA (Volunteers in Service for America) which is how he eventually ended up in West Virginia, where he would meet his wife and settle.  I always was curious about that honestly - how did a part-Seminole guy from Florida end up being a substitute teacher in a small West Virginia town?  Thankfully, his well-written obituary (which is actually a very touching tribute to his legacy) filled in those gaps for me.  He ended up making teaching his primary career then, and I am not sure how many years he taught in the Hampshire County School system, but he must have been there for some time before I first met him in my English class at RJHS in 1983.  In time, he later transitioned from substitute teacher to being a full-time science instructor at the West Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind, which is also in Romney.  Another personal note about his teaching tenure when I was in 8th grade had to do with a stupid controversy that erupted among some jerks in the county then who had issues with his appearance - some of the jerks, ironically, were parents of the kids in school that gave me and others a rough time.  They didn't like the fact that Mr. Engleman wore a pony tail, and they made (almost anyway) a Federal case out of it.  Fortunately, common sense prevailed, and Mr. Engleman remained a teacher for some time afterward.  I remember giving him a lot of support, and Mom, knowing how highly I felt about him, actually was stirred from her own apathy and lack of involvement to rally behind him as well.  To this day, I am betting that those jerks who gave him a rough time are probably eating some proverbial crow, and if not, they should be.  Anyway, this gives you an idea of who Mr. Engleman was. 

I was able to have the privilege of talking with Mr. Engleman several years back, around 1997 or so.  He was still the same good-hearted soul he always was, and it was a nice conversation.  A couple of weeks later, I received a large envelope in the mail from him, and in it was that picture of a jazz band he bought from me years ago with a note telling me that it was the best fifty cents he ever invested.  That was the type of man he was though - a goofy pencil drawing of one-dimensional orchestra figures with weird-shaped instruments was seen as something significant by him, as he never took the small things for granted.  I still have both that picture and his note, and it is something I will always fondly treasure. 

It was a huge shock to hear that Mr. Engleman had passed away, as it would have been nice to chat with him again.  Ironically too it was only a couple of days before his 76th birthday.  However, I know that he was a man of quiet yet strong faith (he actually told me he was a Christian when I talked to him back in 1997, and he talked a lot about how blessed he was from God) and that his eternal reward will be nice due to the fact that as a mentor and teacher, he served those he was charged with, possessed with a humility and compassion that only someone who sees what they are doing as a vocation would.  He will be greatly missed not only by myself, but I am sure by many who had the privilege of his teaching.  May God be with his widow Jean and his daughter Amelia, and rest eternal, Mr. Engleman.  

A Tale of Two Coal Communities

 

This is a comparison study of two coal/railroad towns on the upper Potomac River, one in Maryland and one in West Virginia.  While for the most part they saw their “glory days” in the early 1900s, they came into existence in part due to a change in economic development that happened in the region in the post-Civil War period.   Both towns were pivotal to three major business sectors – coal, lumber, and the railroads.  And, both towns depended on the success of those businesses for their growth and survival.  The first town is a small community in the far west of Maryland called Kempton, while the second town is about 15 miles to the east, Bayard, WV.  Since I grew up in this region, the presence of these towns was an integral part of my own life, as I actually had relatives who lived in both during the towns’ heyday.  That being said, I will begin the story.

Beginning in the 1880s, the logging industry in particular became something that characterized this region.  Many towns sprang up where the logging camps were in close proximity, as many workers had to have places to shop and conduct personal business.  Although originally the logs that were harvested were trekked to the nearest mills, the burgeoning railroad industry came into play as the logs were later transported to the mills by train, as well as the trains bringing food to the logging camps[1].   Although railroads served an important purpose during the Civil War, it wasn’t until the 1880s when the railroads began to be constructed to serve the mining communities in the region.  Many lumber companies, however, had their own railroad lines, and these were often more limited in location although they would eventually be incorporated into the Baltimore and Ohio (B & O) system as time progressed[2].  Both Kempton and Bayard were the beneficiaries of this development.

Although Kempton was not officially incorporated until 1913 as a community by the Davis Coal and Coke Company[3], it was the site of lumber and coal camps for many years prior, as a mine operated there from at least the year 1886[4].  It was part of a mine complex that connected 6 other mining communities in the region, and much of the administrative aspects of the mining operations were maintained from an office in the nearby community of Thomas, WV.  At its peak, Kempton had a population of 650, but as the economic climate began to change after World War II, many of the original residents had moved elsewhere and the town essentially declined after 1950, when the mine was closed.  Kempton is also significant as it is only two miles from the headwaters of the Potomac River, which is delineated by the nearby Fairfax Stone Monument.  On a personal note, my late step-grandfather, Alonzo Lipscomb, was born in and grew up in this community.  Today, a couple of houses remain, and it is considered an “Upper Potomac Ghost Town” now by local historians. 

The main street in Kempton, MD, during its heyday in 1939

 

The nearby community of Bayard, in Grant County, WV, has a similar history.   Bayard is located approximately 15 miles northeast of Kempton.  It was incorporated in 1893 and took its name from a Delaware state Senator of the time, Thomas F. Bayard.  Unlike Kempton, which was almost solely based on the mining industry, Bayard also had a tannery, and as a stop on the West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh Railroad, it also benefitted from the coal industry as well as local logging.  Today, Bayard still boasts a population of approximately 250 people, and although much business in recent years has been diverted to the nearby community of Gormania, WV, Bayard still has a bank and stores[5].

 

Downtown Bayard, WV, today, with SR 93 serving as the main street.

There are a number of factors to contrast the current status of both Bayard and Kempton which takes into consideration why one is still a somewhat vibrant community while the other is more or less a settlement of a couple of houses.  As mentioned, in Bayard’s case, the diversification of business aided in the town’s survival when many of the coal mines shut down in the mid-20^th century.  Utilizing local tourism, a tannery, banking, and some other businesses, Bayard has kept a stable population while at the same time maintaining the economic base to sustain the population.  Another factor to be considered is location.  While both Bayard and Kempton are located on the Potomac River, Bayard has one advantage Kempton does not have – access to major highways.  The main entry into Kempton is a small county road that intersects US 219 to the west approximately 5 miles from the town itself, and few people other than the local population know of it.  And, despite the fact that nearby communities such as Thomas and Davis do sport local attractions (notably Blackwater Falls and the Canaan Valley Ski Resort), Kempton is still too far from the proverbial “beaten path” to be impacted positively.  In contrast, Bayard is on a major highway – SR 93 – which connects two major routes: US 50 to the north, and US 219 to the southwest.  Bayard is only 3 miles from US 50, and approximately 12 miles from US 219, and thus it also serves as a convenient connector town between the main thoroughfare that connects Washington, DC, to Ohio, and the tourist center of nearby Tucker County, WV to the south.  Added to this is Bayard’s closer proximity to the recently-constructed Corridor H, which is a freeway system built by the state of West Virginia connecting the major interstate routes, 81 and 79, and also has boosted the economy for the region.  The negative aspect of both communities though is an aging population, as many younger people from the region are seeking employment and education elsewhere (WVU in Morgantown, and the state college in nearby Frostburg, MD, as well as job markets in Cumberland, MD, and in the approximate locations of West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle and the Baltimore and DC Metro areas).  This could eventually have a catastrophic impact on Bayard’s fairly consistent population in particular, and in time for Kempton it could mean a total exodus of whatever population is left.  Both communities though have the option of tapping into the revenue of adjacent communities, such as Gormania, Thomas, Davis, and further away, Oakland, MD.  With the changing economic landscape of the area though, it remains to be seen as to how these and other communities survive.

Thank you for allowing me to introduce you to some fascinating communities in the region I am originally from, and I look forward to sharing again in the future. 

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[1] Roy B. Clarkson, “Timbering and Logging,” The West Virginia Encyclopedia, Ed. Ken Sullivan (Charleston, WV:  The West Virginia Humanities Council, 2006): 706-707.

[2] Thomas W. Dixon Jr., “Railroads,” The West Virginia Encyclopedia, 597.

[3] Garrett County Historical Society, Ghost Towns of the Upper Potomac (Parsons, WV: McClain Printing, 1998): 3.

[4] Tamara Davis and Constance Lyons, “The Characterization of the Kempton Mine Complex, Maryland and West Virginia, Using GIS Technology,” https://fs.ogm.utah.gov/pub/MINES/AMR_Related/NAAMLP/GIS1/DvsLyons.pdf (Accessed November 2, 2021).

[5] https://www.riverexplorer.com/details.php?id=965 (Accessed November 3, 2021).

Redrawing Boundaries

 I recently came across a couple of articles that alluded to an effort on the part of some counties in the states of Maryland and Virginia to leave those states and become part of West Virginia.   West Virginia is my home state, and I currently live in one of the Maryland counties in question, and thus this was news that captured my interest.  I wanted to spend a little time reflecting upon that now. 

West Virginia was a bi-product of the Civil War - it separated from Virginia on June 30, 1863, largely over the issue of slavery.  Many people on both sides of the spectrum as to whether or not this should have happened have stuck to the same story line - West Virginia was formed in opposition to the established institution of slavery in Virginia at the time.  Pro-Southern people often say that West Virginia exists illegally (which I find both insulting and disagreeable) while pro-Northern people seem to think West Virginia is a legitimate protest against Southern racism (which also is not the case).  However, what both sides fail to mention is what we West Virginians ourselves think, and quite honestly, when you talk to us we have always been a little different than our neighbors to the east.  

West Virginia is not western Virginia, a well-meaning but stupid mistake that people in other parts of the country commonly assume.  I am amazed at how ignorant so many people are about West Virginia as a state - when I lived in Florida for 27 years, the ignorance could be actually nauseating to me sometimes, and for those who knew my home state existed, they were so caught up in stupid stereotypes about our people that honestly I wanted to physically harm them for even suggesting it (some of these were New Yorkers too - you know, the same morons that elected Bill De Blasio and Andrew Cuomo to public office; who's stupid now??).  This ignorance on the part of ill-informed people did chafe my chaps a bit, but after a while, you learn to just grate your teeth and take that nonsense with a grain of salt; many of them were products of their own faulty secularized education systems anyway, so they could not be totally faulted.  I know that sounded a bit harsh, and if you can look past that and get over your hurt feelings (for those guilty of what I just described that is) you might just learn something, so read on. 

Now, let us talk about the counties in other states who now want to be part of West Virginia.  Yesterday, I came across an article on my Yahoo News feed talking about this, and that is where I wanted to weigh in first.  The three counties in question are all three in western Maryland - Washington, Allegheny, and Garrett.   Maryland is a small state, but it is not monolithic by any means.  Outside of the Baltimore-Washington Beltway, there are two other distinct regions of Maryland that are very different.  The first is the Eastern Shore, on the Delmarva Peninsula that borders Delaware.  That part of Maryland is very much identified with the South in its thinking and mindset - it is heavily Republican, very conservative, but it is also one of the most lucrative tourist areas of the state due to Ocean City.   The second part of Maryland that this discussion centers on is the western section of the state, comprising the three counties of Washington, Allegany, and Garrett.   These three counties are part of the Appalachian region, and they frankly have more in common with neighboring West Virginia than they do with suburban Baltimore.  And, although not as populous, the region does include two large population centers - Hagerstown in Washington County, where I live, and Cumberland in Allegany County.  The two cities and their outlying areas have a combined population of around 100,000.  Washington County also has historical significance, as Antietam National Battlefield and the C & O Canal Trail are both in the county.  Garrett County, the most mountainous region of the state, has its own attributes, especially with recreational tourism - Deep Creek Lake Ski Resort, for instance.  In other words, both western Maryland and the Eastern Shore are lucrative areas, but despite that they are often overshadowed by Baltimore and the larger communities of the Beltway and don't get much representation in the state's affairs.  This may prove costly for Annapolis, as the exodus of those areas may have economic consequences for the state and the bureaucrats in Annapolis know that.  That means the two regions would probably have a dogfight on their hands if they wanted to break from Maryland.  However, the union of the western counties with nearby West Virginia would be a boost to the latter's economy, as it would add both revenue and population to West Virginia.   And, the appeal of being part of West Virginia is not limited to these Maryland counties either - it seems to also be a thing in Virginia.  

A few months back, I remember reading an article about Winchester and some other areas of Virginia talking about joining West Virginia as well, given at the time the racist Democrat Governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, was exercising authoritarian measures in regard to COVID-19 as well as gun ownership on his state, and the western part of the state was not too happy about that at all.  Western Virginia, much like West Virginia, is largely rural, Appalachian, and also politically conservative, as compared with the more elitist liberal leadership in Richmond and the eastern part of the state.  Many western Virginia counties are also culturally indistinguishable from their West Virginia neighbors, and there are even families who share members on both sides of the state line in the area.  If this were to happen in Virginia, it would essentially mean the northern Shenandoah Valley, roughly from Winchester to Harrisonburg, would also become part of West Virginia.   This area has a stable population, as well as a rich agricultural economy, and thus it would enhance West Virginia - the Shenandoah Valley is one of the richest agricultural regions in the country, and if this plan succeeded, West Virginia's borders would actually extend eastward to the Shenandoah.  A combination of the western Maryland counties and these western Virginia regions would expand West Virginia's boundaries by 25%, and it would also reshape the economic picture in the region too.  Sure, eastern Virginia and the Baltimore/Washington Beltway would still be prosperous and expensive like it is now, but it would be an advantage for them as well in that both of those areas could elect all of the progressive elitist Democrats they wanted and no one would care in those areas - the conservative regions would not be part of it anymore, and the liberals would be able to exercise their agendas to their little hearts' content.  Bottom line, this would be a good proposal for all concerned then.

So, what would an expanded West Virginia look like?  To be honest, I think it would be a good thing for both the state as well as for the regions that want to join it, and it would be mutually beneficial to all.  People in the western Maryland counties and the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia would be afforded more freedom, less taxation, and also would have a more effective participatory voice in state affairs, unlike now where they are often overlooked and ignored by Virginia and Maryland with their liberal Democrat-led governments.  Economically, West Virginia would benefit from a larger tourist base, as well as the economic benefits these areas could bring - Winchester, Cumberland, and Hagerstown would all provide a business base to enhance the economic stability of the state, and given there would be little change in the infrastructure of those areas, they would probably be very cooperative with doing so.  And, it would also change the political map - West Virginia would become more staunchly a red state with the addition of more red counties, and it would also balance things as far as Annapolis and Richmond are concerned - a little less leverage may actually humble both Annapolis and Richmond to be less aggressive, and in time perhaps seeing how their western neighbor operates would lead to positive changes there too.  These are just some of my thoughts.

Conclusively, there is a growing discontent with Establishmentarian politics, particularly in recent years.  People are sick of seeing progressive liberals dismantling institutions, and as with any pressure cooker, there is a boiling point, and it is about to be reached.  The counties of western Maryland and the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia are the fruits of that, and the statement they are making should make career bureaucrats in DC, Annapolis, and Richmond take notice - people want change, but not what the "woke" establishment is proposing.  The change the average person in these counties being discussed is restorative - the people want their fundamental freedom, and they are sick of mandates and bad public policy, both on a state and national level.  And, it may take an alteration in the maps to get the point across.  Let's hope it succeeds - after all, the title "Hagerstown, West Virginia" doesn't sound too bad.  Thank you for allowing me to share, and will see you next time. 

The Music Library - Year 39

 Hello to all! It has been a while since I have been able to write much, and to be honest it has been extremely busy with my doctoral studies and all.  However, with October 1st around the corner, those of you who have followed me for many years or know me otherwise will know the significance of that date.  For the new people reading this, it is the 39th anniversary of my vintage big band record collection, something I commemorate every year as this music is a passion of mine.  Therefore, it is time to bring up to speed what has happened this year.

Despite COVID-19, a divorce, and some other life adjustments I have made this past year, my music collection has had one of its best years of growth in probably 10 years.  A lot of good stuff has been added to the collection this year, and that alone is worth note.  So, as of the end of September, my collection is at 1644 CDs, 1128 LP records, and 190 DVDs of concerts, motion pictures, "Soundies," documentaries, and other vintage footage.  The goal for Year 40 will be 3000 total of all category of items, and we are working on that even now.  Therefore, with the stats out of the way, let me bring things up to date as to acquisition highlights.

                                                The CD collection as of the end of September.

As of this year, I have focused on a lot less vinyl and more CD and DVD acquisitions.  One of the biggest ones this year was a monumental 168-disc set of classic pre-1955 jazz recordings, as well as large collections of individual pioneering bandleaders such as Sam Lanin, Ben Selvin, and Prince's Band.  I also acquired full collections of vintage big band and other musical TV shows, such as Lawrence Welk's program (38-disc set), the old "Sing Along With Mitch" programs, and Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey's "Stage Show" programs as well as Ray Anthony and some other items.  My collection of "Soundies" has also increased, as I have pretty much all of the available "Swingtime Video Meet the Bandleaders" volumes (of which 11 out of the 100 are available), and some good documentary DVDs of the Mills Brothers and other such groups.  My focus has also shifted somewhat as well, as I am also beginning to incorporate vocalists and vocal groups I like - this year brought full collections of Guy Mitchell, Pat Boone, Frankie Laine, Mel Torme, and Julie London, among others.  And, I finished acquiring many collections of vocal groups I like - for this year those included the Lettermen, the Chordettes, the Ames Brothers, the MacGuire Sisters, the Lennon Sisters, and a couple of similar groups.  Those, and some vintage jazz records - post-1950 jazz, which I have a peripheral interest in and gained a few new items, mostly of pianists Ray Bryant and Vince Guaraldi, and of organist Bill Doggett.  For many years I have kept those particular recordings in their own collection, but as of late I have made some decisions to more aptly organize the collection, and wanted to share some of that now.

Although I have kept the vintage jazz recordings as a separate collection from my big band library, I have decided to integrate the 35 or so CD recordings I have of post-1950 jazz into the main collection. I need to delineate what I consider "post-1950 classic jazz," as that can lead to some confusion, but I am doing this according to my designation.  Essentially, that genre would include artists such as Theolonius Monk, Dave Brubeck, Vince Guaraldi, Erroll Garner, John Coltrane, Stan Getz, and George Shearing, among others.  Roughly, my small collection would start with Miles Davis's 1949 "Birth of the Cool" recording sessions and proceed up to Wynton Marsalis in the early 1980's, although the style itself produced recordings after those years - one notable one in that collection I have would be Johnny Costa's piano solos (Costa, as some may know, was the pianist you hear on the old Mr. Rogers Neighborhood programs - he is a fine pianist), but I would also incorporate John Patitucci (an electric bassist who is probably the only person I listen to that plays that instrument) as well as more unique individuals such as Scott Robinson (he is included because of his mastery of the contrabass saxophone), all of whom produced albums from the 1990s onward.  I include them because they are the true successors of the genre, unlike a lot of modern stuff that is called "jazz" in the past 30 years but really is not (one that comes to mind there is Kenny G - he is about as much a jazz artist as Jack Chick is a Catholic priest).  I have come to realize that the line is really blurred - particularly in recordings from the 1950's - between jazz and the big band genre, so it only makes sense to incorporate them into the main collection.  So, as a sort of winter weekend project in the next few months, I will be logging and adding the small jazz collection I have into the main collection.  I am technically already doing this with LP records, so it is only logical that CDs be included in the integration as well.

Another issue I successfully tackled this year was shelving.  My CD's have exceeded the shelving I had, so I added a shelving unit to house the remainder temporarily until I get the second cabinet assembled and positioned this winter.  At over 1600 now, the CD collection needs to be streamlined more and I have about 5 years' worth of new stuff that needs to be alphabetized with the rest of the collection.  Therefore, that will be the focus of organization this year. I am not anticipating much more growth beyond what I have now, as at this point the collection has reached what I expected it to, but housing is important for it and must be maintained.  

As for this year's focus coming up, I am going to be investing in less LPs this year due to the fact that there are really not too many more to find.  I may pick up a couple of rarities here and there, but do not anticipate a lot of vinyl acquisitions this year.  Also, there will be less CD purchases as well, as I will be focusing on some unique collections featuring important instruments in dance band and jazz performance - collections of jazz violin, accordion, Hammond organ, theatre organ, and vibraphone are in the market now, and I plan on acquiring some good collections of those.  Also, I am going to focus on some ideal vocalists of the 1940s and 1950s I really appreciate - collections of some such as Ray Charles for instance.  If I reach the 3000 goal this year, that will be satisfactory.  However, the more direct pursuit of items will not be as intense as it has been, and primarily I will be on the lookout for new stuff that is released as well as tying up a couple of loose ends in the collection.  I am at a point now where perhaps I should start making the collection work for me, and will also be exploring ways to do that as a historian and teacher myself.  These recordings are excellent, and I love the sound of them, but I also appreciate the historical significance behind them too.  In this crazy culture we live in where certain people want to just "cancel" anyone they disagree with, it is important to preserve the good things that these kooks want to destroy.  "Cancel Culture" and political-correctness are the sworn enemies of the historian, and they have no place in interests such as mine.  Having good taste and appreciating good music and such is not something to cancel, and those who try to are in reality miserable unhappy people who just want to bring everyone down with them.  I cannot allow that to happen, and thus it's my small contribution to preservation of the greatness of the past which will ultimately prevail against the nay-sayers and political hacks that want to "cancel" everything they don't like.  To those types, I politely say "screw you" and go find something better to do with your time.  That is my political statement - of you agree, great; if you don't then you are welcome to bug off. Thank you.

In conclusion, the past year for my collection has been a good one, and am looking forward to the year to come.  As Year 40 is coming up, I suppose I should plan something special like maybe a podcast featuring the significant recordings that inspired me to collect this great music.  That is something I will consider for next year, and will keep you posted as to if it will transpire or not.  Thank you for allowing me to share my insights with you, and happy listening to whatever sounds you have a passion for hearing.