In Memory of Ralph Earl Readout (March 12, 1931 – February 12, 2014)

Ralph Earl Readout, age 82, was born on March 12, 1931 and passed away on February 12, 2014.  Preceded in death by sister, Dorothy (John) Morris, and brother Clarence Readout.  Survived by loving wife of 63 years, Dorothy Ann (Dottie) Readout; brother, Edward (Mackye) Readout; sister-in-law, Janice Readout; brother-in-law, Howard (Barbara) Cassady; and many wonderful family members, nieces, nephews, and special nephew David Cassady.  At Ralph's request, there will be no services.  Private burial will be held at later date.  In lieu of flowers, friends may contribute to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or to a charity of your choice.  Arrangements by the Moreland Funeral Home, Westerville, Ohio.

Summer Job 1966

As an undergraduate at Ohio State, I worked during the summer months on the maintenance crew for the Westerville (Ohio) Board of Education.  Most often I was a painter, at one point even being put in charge of my own paint crew(!).  The photo below was cut out of the local weekly newspaper, the Westerville Public Opinion.  That's my mother's handwriting identifying me (top) and the publication date (bottom).  The photo shows Westerville (South) High biology teacher (and my former basketball coach), Dale Starr (left), and me (center) painting a goal post at the high school football stadium.  Luckily, there are no photos of our next job, which was to paint the rusting chain link fence around the field using long-nap rollers.  Both Dale and I went home at the end of each day caked with aluminum paint, thanks to a strong breeze that blew silvery mist all over us as we rolled our way around the field.

WHS Class of '62 Reunion

Group photo of those members of the Westerville (Ohio) High School Class of 1962 who attended the 50th anniversary reunion September 7-8, 2012.  Sorry I wasn't able to join them.

My thanks to Karen Sue Meyer (Class of '64 and sister of Patti Meyer, Class of '62) for forwarding this photo from George Fred Meredith's Facebook page.

Remembering Drew’s Crew

After watching a story about a group of senior citizens, all of whom were retired professional musicians who still get together to play dance music from the "Big Band" era, I began reflecting on my own encounter with this music when I was in high school in central Ohio.  (I guess reflecting on one's high school years is inevitable when classmates are preparing for our fiftieth class reunion, in this case the Westerville [South] High School Class of 1962.)

Remember Drew's Crew?  "Drew" was Phil Pearson, a friend and classmate given the nickname by our high school math teacher, Bob Short, who named him after muckraking newspaper columnist and radio personality, Drew Pearson (1897-1969).  Phil was a clarinetist and conductor of this small dance band comprised mostly of members of the Class of '62.  I was one of its trombonists.  We played for high school dances and proms in the central Ohio area during the 1961–62 school year.

Westerville High had had an official dance band led by our high school instrumental music teacher, Forrest Becker.  I played trombone in this high school band alongside fellow trombonist J. B. Armstrong, who went on to become a professional musician.  (Needless to say, I did not!)  For whatever reason, Mr. Becker disbanded the WHS dance band after the 1960–61 school year.  Some of us, led by Phil Pearson, approached Becker about continuing on our own, and he was kind enough to turn over to us the school band's complete library of sheet music.  Drew's Crew was born, so-named, as I recall, by Richard Lauer, lead trumpet player.

Two memories from my short-lived "career" as a member of Drew's Crew stand out.  One was the Friday night that we played for our own high school's winter homecoming in 1962.  We had been explicitly told by our high school principal, John Mowder, that dancers would not be permitted to do the twist, a rock-and-roll-inspired dance craze in the early 1960s (remember Chubby Checker?).  About halfway through the evening's playing and without telling anyone in advance, Dick Lauer rose from his seat and, carrying his trumpet, walked to the microphone.  He leaned forward and, in a low voice (as if the dance's chaperones would be unable to hear him!), asked if anyone wanted to do the twist.  There followed a resounding "Yes!" from the dancers.   Smiling sheepishly, Dick took his seat, and Phil lead us in played the only song in our repertoire that was suitable for doing the twist, Glenn Miller's famous "In the Mood."  (As far as I can recall, no one in the band ever got into trouble over this.)

The other outstanding memory was the night we played a senior prom somewhere in southern Delaware County (I don't remember the name of the high school), and once again Dick Lauer was at the center of things.  As the evening wore on and dancing couples began disappearing to do who knows what (!), Dick became increasingly worried that we would not be paid.  Between numbers he kept whispering to Pearson to "Get the check!," "Get the check!"   We finished the performance, were handed our check without incident, and drove back to Westerville in the early morning pleased to lead the life of professional musicians, if only for a few fleeting months.

Twelfth Grade Report Card

Okay, okay!  So I wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Memories for the W.H.S. Class of ’62 Reunion

Teacher memories (in no particular order):

How intimidating Mrs. Clary was in freshman and sophomore Latin, up there in her little third floor classroom at the "old" high school on State Street, when she spoke those three dreaded words, "Rise and translate!";

Ralph Readout being such a presence in the classroom, despite the fact that we spent most of our time answering the questions that filled his blackboards everyday;

Bob Short's innovative teaching methods and his introduction of trigonometry into the curriculum, all of which paid off in advanced placement in college;

Forrest Becker's patience as band director;

Guidance counselor Fred [?] Hanny, who seemed more like an older brother than a school administrator;

Cornelia (Connie) Nicholson, junior English teacher fresh from the University of Connecticut, who seemed to take a personal interest in each one of us and who even read my short stories and provided feedback and encouragement;

After-school help from Mrs. Ray that made it possible for me to pass freshman algebra (barely) and keep my eligibility for freshman basketball.

Equally memorable were visits that I made, often accompanied by Phil Pearson, to the homes of teachers long after we had graduated, including:

Dalton Lotz, who introduced French 1 and 2 into our curriculum, who was so gracious at his home in Linden near arch rival McKinley High;

Joe Ralston, chemistry and physics teacher and survivor of the infamous Bataan death march, at his ranch home set way back on Route 161 [?] where he confided that he thought I showed promise as a future scientist in eleventh grade chemistry but realized that he had been mistaken after my poor performance in twelfth grade physics (were we drinking beer as we talked???);

Bill Sadler and his wife at their duplex on West Lincoln Street near the Otterbein University football stadium;

Visiting Bob Short at his home on East Walnut Street and being happy to tell him how well his teaching had prepared me for college math at Ohio State;

Even Principal John Mowder, never one of my favorites (Tom Bancroft was a hard act to follow!), received me warmly at his home on County Line Road.

* * * * *

We were lucky to have had them and many others as our teachers and administrators, even though it took me years, and in some cases decades, to realize it.