LEADING BY EXAMPLE BILLY ORGEL WORKS FOR GREATER GOOD - MUS Today
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MUS TODAY THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF MEMPHIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL l SUMMER 2019
FOR GREATER GOOD
BILLY ORGEL WORKS
EXAMPLE
LEADING BY
1
2 l MUS TODAY SUMMER 2019
The courtyard of the Tennessee Brewery has been transformed since Billy Orgel ’81 walked
through it at a pop-up event five years ago. The then-abandoned building – graffiti-covered
and slated for demolition – was the locale in 2014 for Tennessee Brewery Untapped, an
initiative by a group that included two other Owls, communications professional Doug
Carpenter ’82 and entrepreneur Michael Tauer ’95, who saw the potential in the building
and hoped to spark interest in its revival. They did. Orgel bought the Brewery and turned it
into modern urban residences. The expansive river views, spacious floor plans, and a wide-
open, renovated courtyard are now delighting a new generation of Downtown dwellers.
1
MUS TODAY THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF MEMPHIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL l SUMMER 2019
F E AT U R E D T H I S I S S U E
12
5 23
5 Billy Orgel enhances community with historic redevelopments
11 Considering 125 Years: Robert Gordon reflects on changes at MUS
12 Rounding the Bases: Coach John Jarnagin’s journey
17 Lower School offers steady ground during adolescence
23 96 in the 125th: Class of 2019 celebrates commencement
(Pictured – Lukas Jakstas, Warren Turner, and Ev Nichol)
2 l MUS TODAY SUMMER 2019
musowls.org/media
IN EVERY ISSUE ON THE COVER HEADMASTER
Peter D. Sanders
30 Student Lauds With a keen appreciation for the
value in the city’s most historic BOARD OF TRUSTEES
32 Faculty News buildings, Billy Orgel ’81 is steadily Samuel N. Graham II ’80, Chairman
46 Class News & Milestones transforming the landscape Glenn A. Crosby II ’77, Vice Chairman
of Downtown Memphis. His James F. Burnett ’83, Secretary
48 We Saw You most recent renovation is the
D. Stephen Morrow ’71, Treasurer
James H. Barton, Jr. ’85
68 Gifts in Memory and Honor Tennessee Brewery, but he has R. Earl Blankenship
also helped redevelop buildings Suki S. Carson
off Main Street and south of Andrew F. Cates ’89
Downtown and is turning his attention to Uptown and the Edward J. Dobbs ’89
Snuff District. As impressive as his development legacy William B. Dunavant III ’78
looks to become, he is equally invested in family, faith, and Robert M. Fockler ’77
P. Trowbridge Gillespie, Jr. ’65
community. Photo by Alan Howell
J. Brett Grinder ’91
Mark J. Halperin ’67
Robert J. Hussey III ’81
Director of Advancement Managing Editor Jeffrey B. Meskin
Perry Dement Marci Woodmansee Johnny B. Moore, Jr.
perry.dement@musowls.org marci.woodmansee@musowls.org Richard C. Moore III ’98
Joseph M. Morrison ’78
Director of Alumni and Inside MUS Managing Editor William E. Orgel ’81
Parent Programs Wiley T. Robinson ’75
Rebecca Greer
Chris R. Sanders
Ann Laughlin
Frederick C. Schaeffer, Jr. ’88
ann.laughlin@musowls.org Creative Director William V. Thompson III ’95
LeeAnn Christopherson Philip S. Wunderlich ’90
Editor
Liz Copeland ALUMNI ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE BOARD
liz.copeland@musowls.org Jason J. Fair ’89, President
Andrew A. McArtor, Sr. ’86, President-Elect
Christopher P. Beard ’84
Jeffrey Block ’94
Contributors
Horace L. Carter ’89
Daniel Black ’18, Communications Department Intern and rising sophomore, Derek M. Clenin ’03
Mississippi State University John T. Crews, Jr. ’84
Grant Burke, Acting Arts Department Chair Donald D. Drinkard, Jr. ’98
J. Elliot Embry ’04
Alan Howell, freelance photographer based in Memphis Emmel B. Golden ’97
Karen Pulfer Focht, freelance photographer based in Memphis J. Wesley Grace ’86
J. Walker Hays IV ’84
Robert Gordon ’79, Emmy- and Grammy-winning author and filmmaker based in Memphis
W. Brigham Klyce ’66
Kathy Daniel Patterson, freelance photographer based in Memphis W. Neely Mallory IV ’07
Jane Schneider, freelance writer based in Memphis M. Garrott McClintock, Jr. ’06
William M. McDonald, Jr. ’97
Gregory P. McGowan ’86
Kelly L. McGuire ’70
J. Worth Morgan ’05
Michael N. Murphy, Jr. ’03
Robert B. Preston ’78
Founded 1893 M. Shannon Rhodes ’90
Matthew J. Saenger ’98
MISSION STATEMENT Gideon L. Scoggin ’95
Memphis University School is a college-preparatory school dedicated to academic excellence, cultivation of Edward L. Simpson ’85
service and leadership, and the development of well-rounded young men of strong moral character, consistent Joseph L. Steffner, Jr. ’09
with the school’s Christian tradition. George J. Sousoulas ’78
Charles W. Summers III ’94
© 2019 Memphis University School. All rights reserved. The name, seal, and logos of Memphis University School, as well as MUS Today, Alexander W. Wellford III ’89
Inside MUS, The MUSe, The Owl’s Hoot, The Owl, and Beg To Differ, are registered marks of Memphis University School and use in any Reid W. Wesson ’06
manner is prohibited unless prior written approval is obtained from Memphis University School.
Brandon L. Westbrook ’92
Andrew D. Wright ’86
3
FROM THE HEADMASTER
The Gift That Keeps Giving
“To whom much is given, much is expected.” This with each passing week, month, and now two years, I have
familiar adage drawn from Luke 12:48 and 1 Corinthians encountered so many people who live up to this ideal, so
4:2 was on my mind as I prepared the Baccalaureate many who embody our mission statement’s “cultivation of
address to the Class of 2019. Over the course of my 34-year service and leadership.”
career in independent schools, I have heard those same Billy Orgel ’81, the subject of this issue’s cover story,
passages, often delivered by a guest speaker as a reminder is a case in point. Billy has made his mark in both business
to students about the importance of giving back. It seems and philanthropy. He has served on many nonprofit
to me – as I have witnessed how our students, alumni, and boards, including the Shelby County Board of Education
faculty give of themselves in a big way – that this commu- and our own Board of Trustees. His projects renovating
nity has taken the lesson to heart. historic buildings in Downtown Memphis are examples
The inspiration for the Baccalaureate address came of his keen business sense, but they also contribute to
during a trip to Square Books in Oxford, MS – which has the public good by creating new job opportunities while
become one of my favorite weekend spots. As a professor’s adding to the exciting renaissance of the urban center. His
son having grown up in college towns, I find Oxford to be devotion of time and resources speaks volumes about his
a pleasant escape. Last June I went to hear historian Jon commitment to others and to a better Memphis.
Meacham speak about his 2018 book, The Soul of America: I have seen his kind of commitment-in-the-making
The Battle for Our Better Angels, but he covered a range of among our students, played out in the classrooms and
topics, including service and seeking the best in ourselves, hallways, on the stages and athletic fields. I also have wit-
in our society, and in our country. nessed students volunteering and raising funds for worthy
causes through our Civic Service Organization – tutoring
elementary students, delivering food, collecting coats. In
From everyone who has been given much, much February 117 boys, teachers, and family members turned
will be demanded; and from the one who has been our Dining Hall into a meal-packing factory, preparing
entrusted with much, much more will be asked. 21,000 meals for Rise Against Hunger. Lower School boys
– Luke 12:48 (NIV) undertook a similar project alongside Hutchison girls in
May, packing 5,000 meals.
Now it is required that those who have been given a And so, the legacy of generosity continues. MUS
trust must prove faithful. – 1 Corinthians 4:2 (NIV) graduates do well, achieve, and contribute to the common
good. As I have encountered philanthropic endeavors in
Then last December I heard Meacham mention the this city, I invariably learn that MUS alumni have a hand in
“much is given” maxim in his eulogy for President George supporting them. And, as I have discovered in out-of-town
H.W. Bush during the televised funeral. The tribute visits, they are doing the same in their communities across
motivated me to read Meacham’s biography of the 41st the country.
president. In an early chapter describing Bush’s family As I see it, Owls to whom much is given – especially
life, the author cites those scriptures, describing their an outstanding liberal arts education that emphasizes
relevance to the late president’s personal ethos. Frequently character and service – give back much more.
referenced in the Bush household, the passages encapsu-
late a defining characteristic of that family. They were in
a position of privilege, but with that advantage, they were
taught, came an obligation to give back. No matter what PETER D. SANDERS
your politics, there is no denying the family has lived up to HEADMASTER
that precept in practice. PETE.SANDERS@MUSOWLS.ORG
As I have come to know the MUS community more
4 l MUS TODAY SUMMER 2019
Photos by Alan Howell
Leading by Example:
Billy Orgel
BY JANE SCHNEIDER
5
If
you follow the news of out to see this diamond in the rough. The with The Memphis Flyer. “Architecture
Downtown Memphis hope was that someone would recognize was art [when the brewery was built], so
redevelopment, then the building’s potential. Orgel was you’re trying to preserve a piece of art.”
you’ve likely noticed that among the attendees. When it comes to preservation,
William E. “Billy” “I was out walking with some friends the devil is in the details. And Orgel is
Orgel ’81 is often when we came to the beer garden, and I all about details. Walking through the
in the mix. Billy Orgel has long been saw [project organizer] Doug Carpenter courtyard, he scoops up a discarded
knitted into the fabric of the city. As a and [restaurateur] Taylor Berger. They coffee cup while noting the massive
developer, entrepreneur, civic leader, showed me the building, and I fell in love water fountain. “I like the sound of
and benefactor, Orgel – it’s fair to say – is with it,” he says. “We had to walk over running water,” he says. “It’s peaceful.” In
bullish on his hometown. And in the last stuff as we went through, but I thought it the community exercise room, he points
decade, he’s become an agent for change. was really cool.” out a whimsical piece of graffiti that was
Tower Ventures, Orgel’s cell tower After careful consideration, Orgel salvaged from elsewhere in the building.
development and site-acquisition decided to take the plunge. His company “Invest in Good Times” it advises,
company, is housed in the old Tennessee purchased the building for $825,000 and adding to the gym’s hip, postmodern
Brewery building, Orgel’s latest began a multimillion-dollar restoration, feel. The Tennessee Brewery Apartments
transformational masterpiece. The ushering the old brewery into a new are stylish, too, with lofty ceilings and
office is bright and stylishly industrial. era. The renovation was completed in open floor plans, some with balconies
The foyer centerpiece, an abstract neon December 2017, and today, residents overlooking the Mississippi.
sculpture built by local artist Greely enjoy expansive riverfront views. With From here, residents are within
Myatt, draws the eye skyward to the 14,000 square feet of commercial space, walking distance of restaurants, office
handsome wrought-iron stairway space, and recreational destinations,
that circles several stories above. including the Bluffwalk and Big River
Incorporating much of the building’s Crossing.
original brick and iron work, the “Billy has a great eye for detail and
space is a far cry from what Orgel first the ability to understand the market,”
encountered five years ago. says Mark Fogelman ’88, president
The fortress-like brewery was built of Fogelman Multifamily Investments
on the bluff of the Mississippi River in and Management, the company that
1890. For more than half a century, the manages the property. “He recognizes
air at the south end of Tennessee Street what today’s millennials are looking
was pungent with the yeasty aroma of for in terms of working and living
the company’s popular draft, Goldcrest Downtown.”
beer. But as national beer brands grew “I am driven to complete things,”
to dominate the marketplace, local Orgel stops for a campaign photo outside the 55-year-old Orgel admits. “I have a
makers couldn’t compete. The Tennessee the polls last August. vision, and I want to see it through. If
Brewery finally ceased operation in 1954, I see something I like, I push to see it
and the huge building was shuttered, completed. And I’m passionate about
sitting derelict for decades. 152 apartments, and a 330-space parking Memphis.”
In an effort to save the historic garage, the Brewery is delighting a new While the Brewery is notably
building from impending demolition, generation of urban dwellers. his most iconic building, it is not his
a group of investors, including Doug “Historic renovations are tough. first. Orgel has been steadily investing
Carpenter ’82 and Michael Tauer ’95, That’s why the government gives you in Downtown’s resurgence since the
launched a series of special events in some incentives [with tax credits]. It’s early 2000s. His first real estate deal
the spring of 2014. During Tennessee easier to go out to Collierville or East Downtown was with Jason Wexler,
Brewery Untapped, visitors discovered Memphis and build something new, but now general manager of the Memphis
a trendy pop-up beer garden in the you don’t have the same character in Grizzlies, and real estate broker Adam
building’s courtyard. Thousands turned those cases,” Orgel said in an interview Slovis. “We took a leap of faith on Main
6 l MUS TODAY SUMMER 2019
Street and redid one historic building,
then eventually five more. My father-
in-law, Sammy Salky, owned most of the
buildings and ran his iconic men’s shop,
Sammy’s, out of them. But as Main Street
evolved, his customer base moved east,
and he relocated and sold our group the
buildings.”
Orgel later teamed with Henry Turley
’59 to do Barbaro Flats and Van Vleet
Flats. “Henry is a true visionary!” he says.
Orgel has also been a development partner
in other apartment buildings south of
Downtown, including South Junction and
South Line. His development knowledge
helped him serve as a board member
of New Memphis Arena Public Building
Authority, the organization that oversaw
construction of the FedEx Forum. And in
2013 he became a member of the Memphis
Grizzlies ownership group.
But more recently, he and his 26-year-
old son, Benjamin, asset manager at Tower
Ventures and commercial real estate
broker, have begun more multifaceted
projects. In 2016 they purchased a 55-acre
plot of land on Wolf River Harbor, the
American Snuff manufacturing plant. A
nine-building complex at the north end of
Main and Front Streets, it will eventually
feature single and multifamily homes, retail
space and entertainment outlets. Given its
new historic district designation, the Snuff
District will help complete Uptown.
“Because when you’re on Main Street,
you just sort of stop,” notes Orgel. “This will
provide amenities like a riverwalk along the
The Tennessee Brewery, a part of the
Memphis landscape since 1890, retained its
Romanesque Revival style details in its new
incarnation as residential (the Tap Room,
Wash House, and Bottle Shop apartments),
commercial, and office space. An abstract
neon sculpture created by local artist Greely
Myatt draws the eye upward to the wrought-
iron stairway winding above.
7
Wolf, giving access to the river that his faith through his actions.”
currently doesn’t exist.” It will also tie Fogelman agrees, “He really sets
the district into the redevelopment an example for his generation. He
being done at Tom Lee Park. continues to provide guidance and
There’s also a Downtown support for Temple Israel and others
Memphis skyline addition in the in the Jewish community. No job is
works with The Clipper project – a beneath him; he’s a good role model
planned eight-story office building for our community.”
and boutique hotel – that recently Orgel and his wife, Robin, married
cleared the Memphis and Shelby now for 28 years, have passed that
County Land Use Control Board. lesson on to Benjamin and their
daughters, Megan, 24, and Hannah,
GIVING BACK TO 20. During his teen years, Benjamin
THE COMMUNITY collected donations to help fund
Orgel’s professional life is and build two houses for Habitat
balanced by his community of faith. for Humanity of Greater Memphis.
The Orgels are members of Temple “It’s just the way I’ve been raised
Israel, where four generations of his and everything I’ve learned from
family have worshipped and where my parents and my rabbi,” the then
the seed for servant leadership was 17-year-old told the Memphis Daily
planted. “My parents instilled in me News in a September 2009 article.
the importance of being involved in Orgel’s civic duties are diverse,
civic life,” he says. having taken him from the executive
Orgel remembers selling radios boardroom of the National Civil Rights
in the late 1980s to the principal of Museum and Methodist Hospital, to
Booker T. Washington High School. St. Mary’s Episcopal School (where
There he learned of the financial Hannah attended) and MUS, which he
challenges some students faced has served since 2014.
when preparing for college. Touched Orgel’s involvement with the
by what he heard, he created a Shelby County Board of Education
scholarship enabling two students to was an outgrowth of a conversation he
receive a full ride to the University of and Robin had about how fortunate
Memphis. they had been to attend good schools.
His philanthropy has steadily As Memphis began to merge its
grown. Orgel followed in his county and city education systems,
father’s footsteps by serving as Orgel recognized the need for strong
temple president. Senior Rabbi leadership.
Micah Greenstein says the Gift of “If we don’t educate people
Generations fundraising campaign properly, then we create a permanent
Orgel chaired was the most successful underclass, and businesses have
in the synagogue’s history, with more trouble finding good employees,” he
than 1,000 members pledging $28 says. Orgel was appointed in 2011 to
million. the 23-member consolidated board
“The Orgels are among the that was a combination of board
most generous people I know,” says members from the legacy Memphis
Greenstein. “They give quietly. Billy’s City Schools and the legacy Shelby
faith matters a great deal to him, but County Schools, plus seven appointed
you are what you do, and Billy shows citizens. He would later become its
8 l MUS TODAY SUMMER 2019A Piece
of the Past
N
ot all of Billy Orgel’s buildings are
bought out of practicality. Some
purchases come about because of
a more personal connection, especially if
it relates to family. Although Orgel and his
future wife, Robin Salky, lived just blocks
away from each other as young people,
they did not meet until a mutual friend’s
wedding – when they were paired going
down the aisle. He would eventually propose
over dinner at the city’s famed Justine’s
Restaurant in 1990.
That beloved fine dining establishment
closed in 1996. But some 20 years later, the
historic building that housed the restaurant
went up for sale. On a whim, Orgel bought it,
though his son, Benjamin, teasingly noted,
From left, Benjamin, Megan, Hannah, Robin, and Billy Orgel “You’re wasting my inheritance!”
After sizing up the building, Orgel
admitted, “I should have let someone else be
first chairman, offering guidance at MUS, Orgel admits he wasn’t
sentimental.”
through the tumultuous restructuring academically driven. “But in spite
His son is now working with clients who
phase. “I wanted to help spark of [that], I learned how to study. I
might yet breathe new life into the old jewel.
change,” he says of his involvement. learned how to be a good student.
His work would earn him the 2015 You weren’t just passed through the
Billy Dunavant Public Servant Award. ranks, you learned from the books The former Justine’s restaurant;
Eight years and several re-elections you read and from the teachers you photo by Houston Cofield,
since his original appointment, he worked with,” he says. courtesy of High Ground News
continues as a board member for “Mr. Skip Daniel, who taught
Shelby County Schools, representing economics, was an outstanding
District 8. teacher, and explained the business
As a board member for MUS, world. I was also a fan of history,
Orgel works alongside longtime and Mr. Mike Deaderick was a good
friend Mark Halperin ’67. Though educator; he was knowledgeable. The
Halperin is 15 years older than Orgel, faculty cared, and they challenged
the two are close, and Orgel considers you.” His extracurricular activities
him a mentor. included yearbook, the Civic Service
“Billy’s a unique guy,” says Club, and peer counseling.
Halperin. “He’s a great networker and After graduating from MUS
can instantly befriend people. And in 1981, Orgel received his BBA in
he’s genuinely authentic. He’s Billy – real estate and finance from the
it’s not an act.” University of Texas at Austin
Reflecting on his school years in 1985. He thenreturned to join the family business, and building to selling and leasing cell As for his personal legacy, Orgel says
Majestic Communications. tower space around the country. what matters most is his commitment
In 1995 he sold the two-way radio to family. “Imparting good values to
GROWING A BUSINESS business and created Tower Ventures, our children so they can take those and
His father, Richard Orgel, founded which focused solely on wireless carriers. be successful in their lives, that’s what
Majestic Communications to sell and “In 1996 the business really took off. We matters most … For our kids to be givers,
service two-way, ham, and CB radios. started with seven towers and by 1999, not takers, to remember there’s someone
His dad, who passed away in 2018, was we had 25. It’s like a shopping center else out there besides you.”
an engineer, intimately familiar with the in the sky, and at that time, everyone And the experience of working
amplifiers and radios he serviced but needed space, which we would build and alongside his son, Orgel describes as
not as sales-minded. His mother ran the sell,” says Orgel. immeasurable.
business side of Majestic. The go-go ’90s slowed to a trickle in “I’m doing everything I can to let
“My dad was a character,” says Orgel. the 2000s, but by then, Orgel had created him stretch his wings and try out his
“He was sweet, and crusty, and loyal.” enough capital to begin branching out own ideas. I’d rather talk to his friends
Loyalty seems to run in the family – two into other development and banking about their ideas than older folks like
employees who had worked for his ventures. Today, the company remains me. They’ll be around to enjoy what we’re
parents remain with his company 40 dynamic, with 15 employees and 430 building, so it’s important we listen to
years later. towers in 35 states. His success led to their voices.”
Billy’s gregarious personality was Orgel’s induction into the Memphis
well-suited to selling, and in two years’ chapter of the Society of Entrepreneurs
time, he had doubled company sales. in 2010. Jane Schneider is a freelance writer based
Majestic became the largest retailer of “Billy seems to thrive on chaos. If in Memphis.
Motorola two-way radio equipment in there isn’t any, he’ll create it,” Halperin
the Mid-South. “I didn’t work much with says with a laugh. “But everything
my dad for the first 10 years. Since he he’s done, he’s done with integrity,
was an engineer, we only crossed over in intelligence, and honor. That’s very
accounting,” Orgel says. important to him, and it works.”
Both men understood FCC licensing Those traits will come to the fore
and the radio tower business, another again as Orgel begins to draft a plan for
facet of the company. Over time, Orgel the Snuff District, the next big thing
grew that, too. As interest in CB’s waned, on his “to-do” list. The huge mixed-use
he recognized the growth potential project will have him working closely
coming in the wireless communication alongside his son. Orgel is poised to
realm, gradually morphing their radio transform a neglected part of the city
towers to cell tower services. He learned into a more vibrant and desirable
all facets of the business, from buying destination.
A corner of Orgel’s Tower Ventures offices is devoted to history,
with a video screen display highlighting the evolution of the
Tennessee Brewery, and framed maps and radio equipment
from his father’s business, Majestic Communications.
10 l MUS TODAY SUMMER 2019Retrospective at 125 Years
Reflecting on school changes highlights importance of a constant –
truth and honor B Y R O B E R T G O R D O N ’ 7 9
Editor’s note: Emmy- and Grammy-winning world – was everywhere fulfilled. High of difference,
author and filmmaker Robert Gordon ’79 is school hierarchies and harassments surely where one’s
writing a historic overview of the school. In honor persist, but we used to have to go on field presumptions
of our quasquicentennial (125th anniversary) trips to experience the “Model UN,” and about the world
this past school year, we asked him to share
now the campus has representatives from – and one’s own
his personal perspective of MUS.
all the world’s major religions and many place in it – can
I
minor ones, from myriad nations, and be fundamentally
blew into the Upper School with the from a wide degree of socioeconomic challenged, maintaining
winds of change. In 1975 I was the circumstance. that web requires compassion, respect,
thing not like the others, the person Working on the 125th anniversary and integrity. In a disparate society, honor
who did not look like the rest. A history project has given me the becomes a good citizen’s passport.
wanna-be hippie coming from the public opportunity for many return trips to the The school’s credo calls out: Truth
schools, a Jew in a vastly Christian milieu, hallowed halls. Decades after graduation, and Honor. And the reply is found in the
I got beat up by an un-honorable football I see change everywhere. Even if the porch expanded fabric of the evolved campus,
player that first week. where bluesman Furry Lewis played is in the mandate for civic service, in the
Three years later, I was elected to gone (and so is the stain where I dropped insistence on a broad liberal arts education
the Student Council. I was also editor of my Salisbury steak on the Clack Dining that includes a Christian element (and not
the literary magazine and a newspaper Hall carpet – wait – the Clack is gone too!), the other way around).
columnist. By that point MUS had its first the progress is exciting. College prep? It A life of honor means being aware
African-American student, a post-Shah feels like college! always of Mr. Boelte’s eye, of behaving as
Iranian, two of us wearing yarmulkes, and Beyond the physical grounds, I if every private action is performed for a
visited the old school inside my head, the sold-out audience in Hyde Chapel. We’ve
transport like a text from Mr. Jim Russell’s learned that the reward is not in the
Utopia and Satire class. I was brought back financial compensation, the certificate,
to Mr. Bill Hatchett’s demand for specifics or the trophy (despite our collection of
in our writing (small details create a large them), the reward is in knowing that at
space), to the smell of butane and tobacco each opportunity, we were truthful and
from behind our desks whenever he’d honorable. It’s how MUS echoes in our
start a movie, and to his immense filing lives: Veritas Honorque.
cabinets, cross-referenced – a personal
proto-internet. Robert Gordon’s first book, It Came From Memphis
And also to Mr. Bob Boelte’s room, (Simon & Schuster, 1995), is an affectionate tribute
specifically to the 3-foot wide eye that to the weird and wonderful characters slightly on the
edge and outside of the more well-known Memphis
hung from the ceiling, always open, always
music pantheon. His latest, Memphis Rent Party: The
staring, black and white on cardboard. And
Blues, Rock & Soul in Music’s Hometown (Bloomsbury
Boelte’s hushed warning, mysterious and USA, 2018), is a celebration of uncommon music and
true: “The eye sees all, Gordon.” musicians from Memphis and environs.
These trips back – physical and mental
– brought me always to the heart of the
school. Col. Ross Lynn once said, “In the
end it doesn’t matter what you know about
Commissioner of Student Activities Gordon math if you don’t have honor.” Much more
moderates a lunch forum in Hyde Chapel. than not giving or receiving aid on each
test, the Honor Code instills a
a barometric reading forecasting continued sense of both responsibility and
climactic shifts. community, a self-generated
When I recently returned to campus, web with each student a
the diversity in the student body signaled touchstone. On a campus
that the promise of a new day – tolerance, where class, religion, and
diversity, a truer reflection of the real race create a mosaic
Photos by Grant BurkeThe
and
of a Baseball Coach’s Career
BY DANIEL BLACK ’18
12Photos by Alan Howell
13to win the game. He didn’t mention any
THORN FIELD - APRIL 2, 2018
of that.
he scoreboard in left centerfield Rather, he called out the lack of
glowed with the final score: sportsmanship displayed by his team’s
OWLS 4 - GUEST 3. opponents.
In the home dugout, shouts, high “We are ALWAYS going to win
fives, fist bumps, and chest thumps rang with class,” he said, voice rising,
out as the players began their climb “REMEMBER THAT!”
from the benches toward the playing
field to exchange handshakes and FROM PLAYER TO COACH
murmurs of “good game.” Baseball was seemingly handed to
None of the Owls noticed – not John Jarnagin on a silver platter.
for a few minutes, anyway – that the John Jarnagin, center, advises catcher Dylan
He grew up in San Diego, hometown
opposing players were making their way Lomax ’19 and pitcher Jesse Homan ’18 during
of Hall of Famer Ted Williams. He lived
not onto the turf but out the back gates a game against Tipton-Rosemark Academy on
just a bike ride away from a local field,
and toward their team bus. April 21, 2018.
where he took up the game as a 7-year-
Head Coach John Jarnagin did, old. It rarely rained in San Diego, and it
though. And he was furious. never got cold. watched preacher Jerry Falwell inter-
His young team had just won an As Jarnagin puts it, with an infec- viewing Al Worthington, a 16-year big
extra-innings game against the defend- tious smile, “It’s always perfect.” leaguer and the head coach at Liberty
ing region champs – the team to whom Playing on that local field, he rose University in Lynchburg, VA.
they had lost their best opportunity through the stages of the game – tee-ball Jarnagin took it as a sign. Craig,
to go to the state tournament the year and coach pitch, leading up to his high who knew Worthington from the big
before, the team that had whipped them school days as an outfielder for the sec- leagues, made some calls. Then Jarnagin
in every way imaginable since he had ond-largest school in San Diego County, contacted the Liberty coach, on the
joined MUS in 2014. But with every de- James Madison High School. off-chance he needed a ballplayer. As
feat the Owls had stood up, walked onto At that time Jarnagin worked at the it happened, he did. Eight months
the field, and exchanged handshakes, San Diego School of Baseball, alongside later, Jarnagin landed in Lynchburg
nods, and murmurs of “good game.” four Major League assistant coaches. He as the newest member of the Liberty
From the depth of the dugout, got paid $25 a day and, as he laughs now, Flames. His tuition was covered by a
he called to the boys who stood yet “worked for about 45 minutes.” The rest Basic Educational Opportunity Grant
amazed, bewildered, on the field, of the time, he’d just stay in the batting (precursor to the Pell Grant).
watching as the last of the players cage and hit. “I was not very good. But, I didn’t
receded from view. There he met Roger Craig, the have to pay!”
“EVERYBODY UP!” pitching coach for the San Diego Padres. Jarnagin realized that to continue
As the players clattered down “He was like a dad to me,” says Jarnagin, being involved in the game he loved, he
the steps, Jarnagin stood and waited – who was raised, along with his younger would have to turn to coaching. After
hands behind his back, his head down sister, by a single mom. college he landed a job as a graduate
– before looking up to eye each of his Also working at the camp was assistant at Middle Tennessee State
players in turn. Brent Strom, a graduate of San Diego University in Murfreesboro.
“Listen up, guys,” he began, quiet City Community College who would In his three seasons at MTSU,
at first. He didn’t mention the team’s eventually become the Houston Astros’ the Blue Raiders won two Ohio Valley
hitting, or pitching, or fielding; he didn’t pitching coach. Impressed by Jarnagin’s Conference titles and went to Oklahoma
mention the bases-loaded strikeout his passion for the game, Strom put in a State for the Stillwater NCAA regional.
pitcher threw in the top of the sixth to good word for him at San Diego City There Jarnagin earned his master’s
strand three runners, didn’t mention Community College, where he played in health, physical education, and
the three runs his team scored in the for one year. recreation. After a brief assistant stint
bottom of the sixth to tie the game, One day toward the end of his at Trevecca Nazarene University in
nor the walk-off single his shortstop junior college career, Jarnagin’s mother Nashville, he was hired as the head
delivered to score his star centerfielder called him over to the television as she coach at Shelby State Community
14 l MUS TODAY SUMMER 2019College in Memphis (now Southwest
Tennessee Community College).
“It was learning on the job. But,
it was an opportunity.”
By the end of year three at Shelby
State, he had done what it takes for any
coach who wants to rise in the ranks
at the collegiate level: win. In 1988
SSCC won their division championship,
and Jarnagin was named Tennessee
Junior and Community College Athletic
Association Coach of the Year.
He did it again in 1992: another
championship, another Coach of the
Year Award.
Jarnagin became a fixture at Shelby
State. It was a tiny junior college in a city Jarnagin debriefs the team in the dugout after a win.
that, up to that point, had little baseball
tradition. But the tide was turning for
He would call prospects’ coaches If a coach visits the mound twice in
Memphis baseball. Fairley, Sheffield, and
and ask a few simple questions: an inning, the pitcher is removed from
Whitehaven high schools, to name a few,
Is he a good student? What do the game. But what Jarnagin did was
were building solid programs. Jarnagin
his mom and dad do? Can he get a Pell legal because the opposing coach had
took advantage of it.
Grant? called time. The umps were wrong. And
He got the guys who weren’t
Oh, and one more: Can he run? the coach knew it.
wanted by major schools yet were tal-
If the answer to the last one was “YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.
ented enough to play NCAA Division I.
no, Jarnagin didn’t want him. IT IS LEGAL. LET ME SHOW YOU
The guys that the University of Memphis,
It worked. THE RULE BOOK.”
in particular, didn’t want. Players who
In 10 seasons at Shelby State, The pitcher was not removed, but
were ready to prove themselves.
Jarnagin led his players to division titles the coach was. He yelled one last thing
twice. He coached 15 all-conference to his team as he made his way through
players, eight professional players, and the dugout door to the batting cages,
ended his career as the winningest where he watched the rest of the game.
coach in program history with 253 wins. “FINISH THE JOB. COMPETE!”
He then got the call to become
the head coach at Morehead State, a EAGLES TO EAGLES TO OWLS
Division I school. He was on his way. The reality of his new tenure as
THORN FIELD - APRIL 10, 2018
head coach of the Division I Morehead
State Eagles was anything but glorious.
The umps were wrong. When he arrived in 1996, the roster
Blatantly, ridiculously wrong. was miserably bad. He was told he had
Wrong to an unfathomable extent. a good catcher, and everyone else was
The Owls led, 5-3, over Christian terrible. He was given one bit of advice
Brothers High School – the powerhouse, by the athletic director: “Good luck.” It
13-time state champion program. But was going to be a complete rebuild with
the umpires were about to force the a staff of exactly one: himself. He had no
Owls’ pitcher out of the game. assistant coach, no recruiting budget. In
2017-18 Team Manager Daniel Black ’18 Jarnagin had visited his pitcher a town of 5,000 people.
wrote this article for English Instructor when the opposing coach called time, Jarnagin had some success – lead-
Jonas Holdeman’s Studies in and he returned to the mound later in ing the nation in home runs in 2002 and
Sportswriting class. the same inning for another chat. boasting winning seasons in 2002 and
15Interviewing for an opening at BRIARCREST FIELD - MAY 5, 2018
Evangelical Christian School in Cordova,
he was told that he was overqualified. 1-2 count. Two outs. MUS had a 12-1
He filed for unemployment. He had lead over the Brothers. Top of the fifth.
nothing. The dugout was going bananas.
Then, another opportunity arose. One strike, and it’s done. One strike, and
Two weeks after his interview they’re region champions.
at ECS, in July 2014, Johnny Beard The coach made the call. Fastball
retired as the head coach at MUS. outside.
Jarnagin didn’t know what MUS was, The players started jumping. The
but he contacted his friend Basketball players started chanting.
Coach Matt Bakke, who forwarded “WHEN THIS PITCH IS THROWN,
his resume to Athletic Director Bobby WIN WITH CLASS. SHAKE THEIR
Happy about the hardware: Coach Jarnagin
Alston. Intrigued, Alston sent him HANDS.”
proudly displays the team’s 2018 state
to Headmaster Ellis Haguewood. The windup, the delivery, the pitch.
runners-up trophy.
Jarnagin became the new head coach Strikeout swinging. They had just
for a program coming off its best stretch run-ruled the 13-time state champions
2005 – but he was fired in 2007. He in recent history: They had made it to in five innings to win the region.
went on to become the head coach at five consecutive region championship The players trotted to the mound to
the University of Montevallo, a Division series, winning four, and finished state greet the pitcher. They exchanged high
II school outside of Birmingham for a runners-up in four of the previous five fives.
couple years. Then he joined the compli- seasons. They shook their opponents’ hands.
ance office at University of Alabama at Jarnagin’s philosophy was simple. The team ended the 2018 season as
Birmingham. But he yearned to coach Players had a responsibility to the team. state runner-up with a record of 26-11 –
again. They needed to take care of business in one of the best in program history.
Then Daron Schoenrock, the the classroom, and if they didn’t like it,
head coach at University of Memphis, they didn’t have to be here. CHARACTER IN COMPETITION
contacted Jarnagin about an opening “It scared the life out of a bunch of “To be honest, I wasn’t a very good
at a Memphis school called Victory them,” he says. player. I was never as good as many of
University, which was starting a new His first two years were a struggle. the players I got to coach,” Jarnagin says.
program. It was another opportunity to The team went 18-15 his first season “Coaching was different – that has been
start a program his way. and 17-14 his second. In his third year, my life.”
His 2013 roster was patchwork; he 2017, the Owls struggled again during As a head baseball coach for 32
primarily recruited locally, in addition to the regular season, ending with a 12-13 years, Jarnagin says there’s one thing he
players from Venezuela and Bakersfield, record. As the last seed in the region wants to see in all his teams.
CA. But amazingly, these guys who “just tournament, they strung together a “I want them to compete.”
wanted to play” turned out to be pretty couple of wins, including a 4-1 victory He loves to win. But whether his
darn good. His first season they went over CBHS in 11 innings. They finished teams win or lose, he insists that their
31-15. The next year it was 31-24. region runners-up and made it to the competitive spirit be accompanied by
Jarnagin’s career was back on track state quarterfinals. character.
… until the school went bankrupt. The 2018 team included six seniors “That’s what it’s all about. You
It would close in May 2014. Jarnagin and a covey of talented underclassmen, cannot control a lot of things in baseball.
started a foundation so the Victory many of whom had starting time in After you’ve thrown the ball, you can’t
Eagles baseball team could finish the previous years. control what happens after that. But
season. Supporters funded the team’s This was their opportunity, and they you can control your attitude. You can
trip to the Small College World Series. made the most of it, heading into the control your approach. I want to see a
They finished fourth. region tournament as the No.1 seed in guy that will get after it and compete all
“It was the best job I had ever had,” the region. They were playing Christian the time, regardless of the score.”
he says. Brothers again. “That’s what I want. I see that, and I
But he was back to square one. go, ‘Wow. That’s really good.’”
16 l MUS TODAY SUMMER 2019LOWER
WHERE
SCHOOL
OCEAN
MEETS
SHORE
Lower School provides safe haven for learning during turbulence of adolescence
BY MARCI WOODMANSEE
17LOWER
SCHOOL
W
hile many adults reflect with nostalgia on their high school
days, ask them whether they would revisit 7th and 8th grade,
and the answer is typically an emphatic “Never!” The reasons
are easy to recall: Bad skin. Braces. Social awkwardness.
Surging hormones. Total self-consciousness.
Remembering that time all too well, Loyal Murphy ’86 watched
some 200 boys experience it firsthand this past year, his first as Lower
School principal. He likens the turmoil and instability of this stage to the
constant breaking of waves in the surf. “It’s the best analogy I’ve heard,”
he says. “You have the stable shore on the one hand, and then there’s the
ocean in the distance where the water calms again. But it’s the shoreline
– where the waves constantly break – that’s adolescence, where boys
experience the greatest change.”
NAVIGATING THE WAVES the new MUS – when Headmaster “He was omnipresent,” says
When Murphy, a Math Ross M. Lynn and his administrative Murphy, himself one of those boys
Department faculty member since team realized the school would be guided by Principal Springfield as a
1990, became principal of Lower well-served by developing separate seventh grader in 1980. “He joked that
School in the summer facilities for the lower grades, a place one day he’d write a book titled Here
of 2018, he continued a where younger students could receive He Comes! because he heard that a lot
100-year MUS tradition the dedicated attention they need as he walked the halls.”
of educating middle- to grow and learn. Plans were made, Lower School was partly open-
school boys. There teachers were selected, and in 1970 concept design in the ’80s – meaning,
is a distinct sense of Hull Lower School opened under the
history about the steady hand of Principal John Murry Previous page: Oliver Doughtie ’24 looks
Lower School space, Springfield. A mathematician and sharp in coat and tie in the colonnade.
which will mark its musician who joined the faculty in This page, from left: Noah Davis ’24
50th anniversary 1958, Springfield guided the Lower ponders a question in Dunavant Lecture
in 2020. It was the School – and the hundreds of boys Hall; Gumby, Penny Hardaway, and
late-’60s – some who passed through – with integrity, Spiderman appear on Halloween; boys
10 years after the selflessness, and honor for almost 20 get warmed up in P.E.; John McAllister
establishment of years, until his death in 1989. ’24 on doughnut duty
18 l MUS TODAY SUMMER 2019LOWER
SCHOOL
no doors to classrooms. While by education, Murphy – sporting FACULTY ON THE FRONT LINES
that learning blueprint didn’t last, his trademark cowboy boots and In putting his own imprint on
the ultimate goal never changed: ready smile – knew all four of his Lower School going forward, Murphy
providing a strong foundation in core predecessors as principal: Springfield, sees the primary challenge as leveling
studies to prepare students for Upper current Assistant Headmaster Barry the playing field for the more than
School. The “pit” – better known as Ray, former Lower School Principal 100 boys who join the community
Dunavant Lecture Hall – is still there. and Academic Dean Rick Broer, and from more than 25 schools to become
A bell mounted on the podium still current Instructor in Religion Clay Owls in seventh grade. “We have boys
rings to commence assemblies, and Smythe ’85. With their legacies in coming in with a variety of different
locker hallways are ever messy at the mind, he spent most of the past year backgrounds and foundations – all of
end of the day. (“We’re working on observing, a clipboard at the ready to which are valuable and well-crafted,”
that!” Murphy says.) help him note and remember all he he says. “The trick is to make sure we
And yet … other things have learned. get everyone’s new foundation set in
changed. Cell phone cubbies “Each of the four previous preparation for the move into eighth
safeguard the technology devices gentlemen had tricks and strengths grade, when they take that next step
that no one – teachers nor students and skills that lent themselves to this toward Upper School. That’s one of the
alike – can do without nowadays; job,” he says. “Mr. Springfield was very biggest jumps, from seventh to eighth;
it would have been impossible for patient, very old school, by the book. we want to move them forward with a
Springfield to conceive of those back He was a stoic, Spartan man – but he minimum of angst.”
in 1970. The first principal also might had the respect of all the students. Murphy’s secret weapon in this
have wondered at weekly Doughnut Barry Ray was my principal when I endeavor? The caring expertise of
Days or the new “Aglu” weekends. returned to MUS as a Lower School the faculty and staff. As was the case
Named after the breathing holes seals math teacher; he’d sit outside the in the school’s earliest days, that
make in the ice, Lower School Aglus classroom and listen to me as a new engagement remains an essential
provide students a few homework-free teacher, so he really helped train me. in safeguarding boys through a
breaks throughout the year. Students Rick Broer was equally adept, and challenging passage.
today can also participate in new an especially good communicator. “Not everyone enjoys standing
extracurricular activities – drumline, And of course, Clay Smythe, who was where the waves are constantly
orchestra, the Trigon Tournament principal when my own son [Patrick breaking,” Murphy notes. “But our
– along with traditional standards ’16] went through Lower School – his folks do. We have teachers herding,
such as intramural basketball and energy and creativity are second to wheedling, cajoling, prodding,
interscholastic sports. none.” begging, doing everything they can to
As Murphy matter-of-factly
notes, “The only constant in the Referee, scorekeepers, and toga-clad competitors at the 7th Annual Roman Trigon
universe is change.” So Lower School Tournament this spring – from left, Class of 2023 participants Thomas Preston, Ian
adapts and evolves, much as the boys McGehee, Trigon Champion Alyaan Salman, Ahad Farooq, Phoenix Hernandez, and
themselves do during their time here. Griffin Marshall; Honor Council candidates Everett Sego ‘24, Bennett Owen ‘24, and
A third-generation civil engineer Griffin Brown ’24; Ihsan Omer ’24 reviews homework before class
19LOWER
SCHOOL
ensure academic progress for this age temperament and his way of doing “In our day we didn’t have
– 13 and 14 – when we are teaching things.” so many extra activities,” he says.
foundational algebra, life and earth In adapting to evolving student “Society has shifted so much, now
science, Latin, history, and English – needs each year, with the ever-present kids at 10 are being told to pick the
all those building blocks of classes to goal of smoothing the transition sport in which to specialize. Some
come. And then one group moves on, into high school, Murphy expects students come to us doing club
and our incredible faculty have to do to continue to tweak processes. soccer, Scouts, travel baseball, music
it all over again! It takes a special soul During his first year as principal, this lessons – already involved in activities
and strength to teach this age group. included testing a number of faculty that eat a lot of time. And they don’t
Our faculty make our program special. and staff recommendations, including get the same amount of down time
The best part of my day is when I’m setting assigned lunch tables during we got as kids; they don’t have time to
roaming and I see them working the first two weeks of school, and get bored. If somehow they do, they
with our students, in groups and moving away from demerits to have that electronic device. So, while
one-on-one.” consequences that fit the misbehavior academically here it’s much the same
Murphy is quick to credit (i.e., inappropriate dress is corrected as in the past, outside the classroom,
the supporting members of the with assignment of a coat and tie day, today’s students’ lives are more
cast in Lower School, including as is done in Upper School). complicated than ours were. It’s hard
longtime Administrative Assistant being a middle-school boy.”
Julia DeBardeleben, known by ACHIEVING GREAT THINGS Aware that juggling all these
students simply as Mrs. DeBar. “Her While courses have stayed the activities along with academic
institutional knowledge is amazing, same, for the most part, Murphy requirements can cause parents
and she knows every student on says pressure on kids has increased frustration, Murphy offers a
sight,” he says. “Counselor Amy Poag’s exponentially due to social media and thoughtful, long-view perspective.
tireless willingness to help our boys increasing extracurriculars. “Everyone here – faculty, staff,
succeed and Assistant Principal Joe
Tyler’s long-term vision and wisdom
are also critical to the mission – in
fact, Joe is as close to John Springfield
as anyone I know in terms of
20 l MUS TODAY SUMMER 2019LOWER
SCHOOL
students, administration, parents – assembly about how the challenges he waves of adolescence.
wants the same thing: for our students faced in Lower School helped get him “In a sense,” Murphy says, “I could
to be successful,” he says. “And great where he is today, which is overseeing say to the boys, ‘This is not your dad’s
things that are worthwhile usually are intercontinental ballistic missiles as MUS.’ But as far as the time-honored
difficult. When you work at something a first lieutenant and senior systems traditions – the core – it is.”
and come out on the other side operator for the U.S. Air Force. [See
stronger for it, that’s how true self- story in MUS Today, Winter 2019.]
esteem develops. By the time these That’s what challenge can do for you.
boys are adults out in the real world, It’s not going to break you … putting in This spread, from far left: Principal
having them become good fathers, the time and effort is the key. We work Loyal Murphy pauses to answer a
great husbands, and productive to convince the kids that challenge is student question before the first bell
citizens is what we all want. necessary!” rings; Jackson Ransom ’24 and Will
“Getting there is just a process,” Murphy sees MUS continuing Klepper ’24 enjoy a good laugh during a
he adds. “The boys we enroll are to evolve in certain respects to little last-minute cramming for exams this
all very capable – otherwise they accommodate college expectations spring; Lower School boys return to home
wouldn’t be here.” and societal changes. At the same base after chapel; from left, Van Abbay
In simple terms, Murphy says it time, the principles that have helped ’23, Max Painter ’23, DeWitt Shy ’23, and
boils down to overcoming inertia. define the school since its founding Morgan Temme ’23 get focused before
“I didn’t want to do all that work – the pursuit of academic excellence class begins; Worrick Uhlhorn ’24 and
when I was in Lower School, either!” guided by dedicated faculty in an Mac Anderson ’24 check measurements
he admits with a smile. “Alumnus environment bounded by truth and on a science experiment; Math Instructor
Terrence Cole ’11 visited us last honor – will remain steadfast, strong Caroline Hollis reviews some advanced
year and talked to the boys in enough to withstand the crashing algebra equations with Parth Mishra ’23.
Photos by Brandon Dill and Alan Howell
21Where Tradition
Surrounds U
For more than 125 years, Memphis University
School has educated young men to become the
future leaders of our community, our nation,
and the world.
Our legacy of scholarship and leadership is
perpetuated by caring individuals who name
the school as a beneficiary in their estate plans.
There are generations of students yet to enroll,
all deserving the best education possible in
order to become future leaders.
Leave your legacy of scholarship and leadership.
For more information and estate planning tools,
visit plannedgiving.musowls.org.
22 l MUS TODAY SUMMER 2019Accepted to
Class of
96 in the 125th
Celebrating Owls 20 118
taking flight in an
anniversary year 19 colleges and universities
in 32 states and the
District of Columbia.
Photos by Kathy Daniel Patterson 23Seniors led the way:
Class of
20 30
12th Straight Average ACT and
State Latin 2 perfect scores
Championship (58% scored 30 or higher)
19 3rd Straight
State Fencing
Championship
1332
90%
Average SAT
Scored 3, 4, or 5
on AP exams
T
he young men in the Class of 2019
capped their MUS experience as the
school capped a year celebrating the
125th anniversary of its founding in 1893.
In a Commencement ceremony steeped in
tradition – with two Ethan’s at the top of
the class – students, faculty, and
families celebrated the
passage from Upper
School to college
and life on the other
side of the diploma.
Class President
John Mann led
trustees, faculty,
and the candidates From left, Smith McWaters, Hudson Miller, Sloan Miles, Kayhan Mirza, Lee Linkous,
down the center Sam Nelson, Eston Pahlow
aisle to the strains
of Pomp and amazing class as we embark on a new to do everything in their power (of course,
Circumstance, and chapter in our lives. … May we always within reason) to help us excel. … They
Student Council remember that we are a part of the MUS even lent us their offices and broke the
Chaplain Philip family.” monotony of day-to-day life at school.
Wunderlich After fulfilling his role as salutatorian Some of us ranted about life. Some of us
set the tone by greeting attendees, Ethan Lam spoke discussed literature. … Some of us (more
with a of the “amazing people” who supported like just me) discussed math, asking
prayer: the Class of 2019, including parents and questions like: ‘Does there exist a sequence
“Lord, we fellow Owls – even his friend and academic of row operations with no conditional
ask that competitor, Valedictorian Ethan Hurst. branching on an arbitrary nonsingular 2x2
you “We struggled through classes together, we matrix leading to its inverse?’ Dr. [Steve]
watch helped each other out with homework, and Gadbois, I still need to know if my proof is
over we motivated each other to do better. There valid! The teachers here are phenomenal
this may have been some friendly competition human beings, who guided us through our
between us for valedictorian,” he said with academic careers.”
a smile. “Looks like I lost!” After Beg To Differ’s moving rendition
Lam praised the instructors sitting in of Billy Joel’s And So It Goes, Hurst delivered
the chancel behind him. “They are willing his valedictory address. He began by
Portrait of a graduate: Reagan Griffin
24 l MUS TODAY SUMMER 2019You can also read
