It’s getting to be a bad habit of people with whom I am acquainted to die.  I hope it’s not personal!

Charles W. Burden, Sr. passed away on Saturday, August 29th, 2009.  He was 82.  His family and ours attended church together for many years.  He was always friendly, and he had a habit of throwing his voice (with a high-pitched falsetto tone) to make you look around to see who had called your name.  This, of course, brought a huge grin to his face, when he would let you see it.

His son “Junior” (I do not mean that in a teasing or sarcastic manner -  we all called him “Billy”) was the closest thing I had to a friend in high school.  We goofed around together, and we sang in the church choir beside one another.  He played his trumpet and I my baritone horn with 2 others to form a small brass quartet at church for which I began arranging a few songs.

Along that line, Bill came up with a noise that involved “buzzing” lips (as in playing a brass instrument) using the side of his fist instead of a mouthpiece.  Changing the pressure against the lips or tightening the lips would vary the pitch from something like the sound of a duck to a squeal, and many assorted sounds in between. I picked up on it, and we had a fun time tormenting classmates and teachers (including the late Mrs. Gay) with our noises.  He coined a silly name for the noise.  He called it a “tweezle”.

Now you know the rest of the story about the website name.

Bill, Anita (sorry about the bad times babysitting us!), Kathy, Becky, and Mrs. Burden:  I truly am sorry for the loss.  But there is still comfort that we will hear him throw his voice again, and laugh, and maybe even try to sell insurance to an angel.  He awaits in heaven with other of our loved ones and friends.  We will all see each other again someday.

Mrs. Ruth Nunn Gay passed away last Thursday, August 6th.  She was my high school math and science teacher in the 11th and 12th grades.  She was probably my favorite teacher.  I (and a couple of others) tormented her, but I do not really recall seeing her get very angry.  She was very interesting, but fairly demanding.  She also knew when to let me go off on my own pace, which is probably why I enjoyed her classes.  I even learned a lot!

Her brother told me at the funeral home that she had been the 2nd woman admitted to the engineering program at the University of Alabama.  That was in 1947.  I guess she was “Women’s Lib” before the “Lib’s” got hold of it!  Her daughter told me that when she did get upset, she would calm down by working algebra problems in her head.

You know, they don’t make them like her any more.  At least, I don’t know of any like her.

Rest in peace.  At least until some advanced math problem arises in heaven!

We spent the Memorial Day weekend in Panama City, Florida.  Our good friend Karl Silva was ordained as a Baptist minister on Sunday, and Lori and I wanted to attend.  So we packed up the boys and drove down there.

Now, the “Rev” has his “official” papers declaring him to be qualified as a preacher.  He is already lined up to fill the pulpit of a local church for the next several weeks.

May God bless your ministry, Karl.

Last week I went to The Wilds Christian Camp and Conference Center in Brevard, NC, for their annual music conference.  It was fantastic.

The main speaker was Dr. David Innes, pastor of the Hamilton Square Baptist Church in San Francisco.  his messages were very timely and effective.  I found out that he and my uncle Ralph were roommates at Bob Jones!  What a small world!  I also saw a former pastor and his wife, Larry and Linda Curtis, who have moved from Panama City, FL, to NC to work with their son who is pastoring a church there now.

The other sessions were great as well.  The workshops were very informative.  As usual I went to the “Composition and Arranging” specialty class with Mrs. Joan Pinkston of the BJU faculty.  I had 3 new hymn tunes that the class reviewed (and bled red ink upon) and a solo that she and I polished up in a private lesson.  There were three in the class that expressed an interest in one (or more) of the new works.  I hope they can use them and that God can use them for His glory.

Probably the best part of the whole week (and that includes the wonderful food!) was the fellowship with others and the friendliness of everyone around.  It is so different from the “real world”.  I was flattered to discover that there were some who expressed that they missed me last year when I did not attend.  Mrs. Pinkston also told me that she missed having me in her class, and she referred to me as the “life of the party”.  Hoo boy.  Where’s my lampshade?

Of course the week ended too soon.  I hope to return next year.

I learned last week of the passing of another friend.

Ken Bartholomew 1959-2008

I met Ken Bartholomew while I was a student at BJU. I was impressed with his beautiful tenor voice enclosed in a huge bear-like body. His stature belied his personality. He was (for want of a better term) sweet-spirited and friendly. My wife and I invited the Bartholomews to a Christmas dinner at our house with another couple with whom we were friends. That began a good friendship with him and his wife Ruth.  We lost touch after we moved away from Greenville in 1985.

It was a shock when I noted his name in the BJ alumni publication. Searching the Greenville News website I located his obituary from back in May. He was only 49.

I had not heard from him in a number of years. Now I will only see him again in heaven.

Still, I wish I could have said a temporary goodbye.

Rejoice and sing well to your Lord, Ken.

I got an e-mail from my friend Karl informing me that he got to shake hands with former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore.

I hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but “so what?”

Don’t misunderstand – I respect Judge Moore, his postions on issues, and the stand that he took over the Ten Commandments monument here in Alabama.  I just think that he took things a bit too far once the ridiculous and unconstitutional judgment was rendered by the Federal Court.  Yes, he called some much needed attention to a matter, but my opinion is that it was not all the right type of attention, thus harming the cause as much as helping it.

Agree or disagree, that’s my take.  FWIW.

In high school at Grace Baptist in the early 1970’s, I hung around with a guy one grade below me. He and I had fun together at school. We fancied ourselves to be cartoonists, and some of the nonsensical things that we drew and shared with each other were quite juvenile in their “humor”. I still possess a multi-page “epic” that we never completed.

Tom Garrett died last week of cancer. The funeral was yesterday. He was 49. Like his father he was a cotton farmer in Belle Mina, Alabama, for years.

I haven’t seen him since high school, but knowing he’s gone brings back many memories and reinforces the notion of my own mortality.