Philip Spiess

That other tune was quite possibly "Old Rosin the Beau," an 1838 popular song that was reputedly a Lincoln favorite.  Indeed, in 1860 its melody was adapted with transformed lyrics into a Lincoln campaign song, "Lincoln and Liberty."  [Note:  Lincoln won.]

Paul Simons

Glad you like it Ann. Truth is I know nothing about opera but after looking up "bel canto" I kinda get it. People use music for a number of reasons, communicating heartfelt emotions that come with a love relationship is only one, and it would take a cold, cold heart to not be moved by what JB and his friends did, or by what this lady and hers do on this one - the tune "You Send Me."

Ann Shepard (Rueve)

Paul, this is another example of music genres intermingling, a performance by Aretha. She was a last minute replacement at the Emmy Awards for an ailing Pavaratti. No time to have a new song arranged for the orchestra, she performed the song he was to sing. 
https://youtu.be/k33sINjn9o0

Paul Simons

Thanks Ann! Amazing! I didn't know she was into that too! What's next? Pavarotti doing "Mustang Sally" with Booker T and the MGs at a roadhouse on Highway 61 right outside of Memphis?

Ann Shepard (Rueve)

Pavarotti sang duets with many outside of opera, including George Michael, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Celine Dionne, Cheryl Crowe, and others. This is my favorite: https://youtu.be/GaB9F3R9cIY

Philip Spiess

Paul:  What you suggest would be truly amazing -- since Luciano Pavarotti died in 2007 and Aretha Franklin died in 2018!  [But if you want a great story about Southern roadhouse music, look up Eudora Welty's "Powerhouse" from A Curtain of Green (1941).]

Ira Goldberg

Most certainly, Phil. Yet technology surely could integrate strings of Pavarotti, Brown, Aretha, and Jeff Beck among others in their familiar voices or acoustical talents ala the live performance of Dylan, McCartney, and ??? in "My Back Pages." Thanks Paul, et al for sharing these memorable artists! Wow!

Philip Spiess

You're right, Ira.  I should have thought of that, as it's the sort of thing my son, who's an audio engineer, does occasionally.

Gail Weintraub (Stern)

This is becoming too frequent....I have just learned of the passing of our friend and classmate, John Adams. He will be remembered and missed. May John's memory be a blessing.

His obituary:

John Bennett Adams, 77, passed away peacefully on May 7, 2023 surrounded by his loving daughters and dear friends. He was born on February 26, 1946, in San Antonio, TX.  John was preceded in death by his parents, Bennett R. And Frances L. Adams, his sister, Ginger Schaffner, and his dear wife of 43 years, Melinda Adams. He is survived by his daughters, Alison (Mike) and Lindsay, and granddaughters, Ella and Tresa.

John was a man of great intellect and wit, who will be remembered for his mischievous sense of humor and his kind heart.

John attended Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati, OH. He served in the Navy during Vietnam before completing a degree in Management Information Systems from Christopher Newport College and bringing his talents as a computer wizard to companies including IBM, GE, and First Union.  In his free time, John enjoyed flying kites, kayaking, building model trains, and completing crossword puzzles.

A celebration of John's life will be held on June 3, 2023, at Seaside Landing, 7265 Seashell Lane in Ocean Isle Beach, NC at 3 p.m..

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) in John's honor.  While John may no longer be with us, his snark and stubbornness will remain in the hearts and minds of those who loved him.

Richard Winter

I attended graduate student commencement at University of Nebraska yesterday where Ava Winter, the younger of my two kids, was awarded a Ph. D.  This was a big occasion for my family and featured a few profoundly moving moments.

But what did I think of when the band hit the big opening notes of Pomp & Circumstance? You guessed it:

Hail, P.H. McDevitt
Hail, Raymond and Bill.
We never did like you;
Don't think we ever will!

Isn't it remarkable that some parents watch their children graduate without thinking of these lyrics?  I wonder what that's like...

Richard Winter

I should add that I remember these lyrics in part because I found them so funny at the time and because the line "don't think we ever will" goes so perfectly with the music.

Remembering them at the moment of my child's graduation, so many years later, made me smile and feel like a member of a secret society of sorts.

Paul Simons

Just catching up with email and I have to say thanks Ann, Ira, and Phil for the information, all new to me. Many thanks! And sorry to hear that another classmate has passed on. Talk about lyrics - "People get ready, there's a train a-coming..." Yes, it is, I wonder what Gail would write when that damn train stops for me? I'm sure it would be kinder than if I wrote it myself, which would be "Skyline Chili, da bluz, and political outbursts. OK, got it, enough already."

Philip Spiess

Richard:  It seems we somehow immortalized "Ph. McDevitt, Raymond, and Bill" with our little song, doesn't it?

Ann Shepard (Rueve)

Our Pomp and Circumstance is ours and ours alone. It could be a secret code if members of our class had to prove they were really from the class instead of imposters.

I can't quite recall, but I once read something or saw a movie about WWII sailors in the Pacific theater learning  a song to sing as a code to prove they were Americans if they were ever captured. That song is also stuck in my head whenever I hear Stars and Stripes Forever. It goes: 

"Three cheers for our Jones Junior High; It's the best junior high in Toledo..."

https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SPNP19450222.2.40

Philip Spiess

My father was in the South Pacific during World War II, and he and my mother (then newly married to each other) had worked out a secret code before he went overseas.  They had matching world atlases, and he would work page numbers and vertical-horizontal grid numbers into the text of his letters so that my mother could decipher where in the world he was.  

Bonnie Altman (Templeton)

I am with Richard. I just attended a graduation and had the same thoughts. 

Linda Karpen (Nachman)

Hello '64 Friends -- I regret that I won't be coming to our special Reunion due to Fred's illness. Having never had a "miss", I will be toasting you that June weekend. Of all the graduations I've attended over the years, not once did I not hum those revered four lines to myself. Next week when my granddaughter graduates, I'll  also be quietly laughing about our secret society!! Thanks, Ira and Ann, for your comments, so true. Wishing all 64ers good health and lots of fun reminiscences. Ever fondly, Linda                                                           

Philip Spiess

For those who like a little contextual history with their nostalgia and satire, let me remind you that that colorful tune we walked (stumbled?) down the aisle to in 1964 is the Trio of Sir Edward Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance Military March No. 1 in D" (1901).  It is the first of a set of five "Pomp and Circumstance" marches by Elgar (his Op. 39); a sixth march was sketched out but never finished before Elgar died in 1934 (the sketches were published in 1956 and the march was completed from the sketches in 2005-2006 by Anthony Payne).

The title is drawn from Shakespeare's Othello, Act III, Scene 3:  "Farewell . . . Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war!"  The Trio (the famous part we all know) was used in 1902 with the words "Land of Hope and Glory" for a section of the Coronation Ode for the coronation of King Edward VII; it has since become a popular British anthem.  As to its use for high school and college graduations in the United States (and in Canada and the Philippines), this tradition began in 1905 at Yale University, when Samuel Sanford, professor of music, invited his friend Elgar to attend the commencement and receive an honorary doctorate of music.  Elgar accepted, Sanford made sure that Elgar and his music received star status at the event (the New Haven Symphony Orchestra performed), and the rest is history.

Except, of course, for our own modest contribution, which lives in the memory -- if not in the hearts -- of all who were there on that momentous occasion of our being hurled out into the world.

Barbara Kahn (Tepper)

Hello everyone, I won't be there either.  Last week I had heart surgery. I am the proud owner of a new aortic valve.  Just getting used to it all and recuperating at home. I'm feeling good but no traveling now. 

Barbara

Ira Goldberg

Congratulations on your acquisition. May the warranty be an extended one. It is a miracle of life and medicine. 

Laura Reid (Pease)

Barbara and Linda,

We will miss you both at the reunion.  Barbara, congratulations on your new aortic valve!  It seems like many of us are getting replacement parts at this time in our lives and thankfully we can!  And Linda, we are thinking about you as a caregiver.  Many of our classmates are in the same situation.  At this point, we have around 57 attending for the weekend.  We are missing Rick.....his compassion, his wit, his leadership and his love for us all.

We will celebrate the class of '64 and we will miss thosel who cannot be with us.

Sending our best to you all!

Gail Weintraub (Stern)

I'm channeling Rick when I say that I'd love 64 of us to attend our reunion. We are close to that number so if you haven't RSVP'd and/or are still deciding, please let's do it for Rick!

Sandy Steele (Bauman)

Barb and Linda, so sorry we won't be seeing you at our reunion. I will miss seeing you both. Sending good thoughts for continued healing. Linda, I will send a toast your direction that weekend.

Barbara Kahn (Tepper)

Laura, Sandy and everyone - Thank you for the good wishes! I was terrified going in but doing great. I have so much to live for.  I will be home until a short trip to Hilton Head Island in September. Where I live in Long Beach, NY (also an island)  is not that different from it in summer but it's a place we love to visit. 

Nothing will ever be the same without Rick but I know you will have a fabulous reunion.

Paul Simons

Congratulations and good luck Barbara. I happen to enjoy swimming in the ocean myself, at the New Jersey shore and I'm sure others here do too. Because of rising ocean temperatures the animals we encounter in the water are changing and in some cases becoming more of a threat to people.

https://www.inquirer.com/news/jersey-shore-shark-attack-stone-harbor-20230522.html

In addition to sharks there are the sting rays - 

https://catcountry1073.com/you-may-spot-some-stingrays-along-new-jersey-beaches-this-summer/

Have a great reunion and a great summer one and all but be careful!!