RIP Herschel White

Today, my Uncle Herschel passed away at the age of 86.

In many ways, Uncle Herschel was my inspiration in life. He grew up in Arkansas, and was a smart kid. He was also extremely musically talented, playing French horn in band, piano, and later learning string bass and recorder.

He got a Bachelor of Music in horn performance from East Texas State College in Commerce, TX (now East Texas A&M University), and a Masters in Music Theory from the Eastman School of Music.

He and Aunt Barbara started a family while he was at Eastman, and then he took a job as a junior high band director in Amarillo, TX. 

When Barbara got pregnant with their third child, Herschel decided that he both hated being a band director and that they were not making enough. The story he told me is that right about that time, IBM took out a full page ad in the Amarillo paper for a job fair. Herschel went to the library, and checked out every book on computers they had, read them from cover-to-cover, and went to the job fair.

He took a placement test there, and got a job offer from IBM in Dallas. They moved there, and he had a long career at IBM as a computer programmer.

So, he started in music, and then quit to become a programmer. Sounds familiar, except that I stopped studying music formally after only one year in college.

But, like me, he never stopped messing around with music. He played his piano almost every night, played string bass in local jazz groups, and bought a valve trombone as well. Later in life, when he had physical problems preventing playing instruments, he sang in his church choir.

As far as musical talent, he was ridiculous.

• He was first chair French horn most of his high school years.
• He taught himself jazz on bass.
• He taught himself jazz piano.
• Once he learned a tune on piano, he could play that song in any key on the spot.
• His music notation was absolutely beautiful.
• And one time, when his family came and stayed with us, he brought his alto recorder, and he played an amazing jazz solo on All the Things You Are on it. (Just thinking about the cross-fingerings make my brain hurt)

His oldest son just retired as the Clarinet professor at Central Michigan University, and watching them make music together was a blast.

But I want to talk about a gift he gave me. Christmas, 1974, he gave me a book called "Harmony for Beginners", by Preston Ware Orem. I had no idea what to do with it, and I did not play piano very well, but I went through it, following all of the exercises in four-part harmonization and voice leading.

I detailed the rest of this story in another post in 2018 called Miami Story. TL;DR It was a serious boost to my interest in music, and jumpstarted my music career. I call it that, even though I quit studying music in college, and have been a full-time software engineer the last 39 years. I just never stopped playing or arranging or teaching. Or listening.

I want to highlight a wonderful musical memory I have. Herschel and Mom would disappear to wherever the piano was one evening every time our families got together for Thanksgiving. Mom would sing, and Herschel would play piano. Mom would start a standard in whatever key, and Herschel would find it. Sometimes, Mom would realize it was too high (mostly; she had a deep voice and almost never started too low), and she would adjust it down a step or two, and Herschel would go right with her. The man was a jazz computer.

I got to watch this in 1977, in Herschel's bedroom, where he kept his piano. Mom sat in the easy chair, and they jammed, while I sprawled on the bed.

One of the songs Mom kicked off was "They Can't Take That Away from Me", and she kicked it off at a pretty peppy tempo. They got done with that, and Herschel was getting ready to play something else and started talking about it, when Mom started "They Can't Take That Away from Me" again, but this time, at a slow, sultry, torch tempo, and Herschel started improvising a bass line to go with it. I enclosed that recording, along with pictures of the both of them, right here.

RIP Uncle Herschel. Mom passed away 10 years ago. If there is an afterlife, I hope that they spend it singing, playing, and laughing.

Sigma Phi Epsilon

I originally posted this on Facebook in 2018. The incident in question happened in 2010. In light of the news about the Cornell 7, I felt it important to re-broadcast this.

2025 Death Roll

 In 2025, we lost a lot of people. The following have had some influence or impact on me personally.

Family

Curtis Mack Polk, Jr. 

Friends

Ernie Campos

Richard Fenno

Greg Wilson

Athletics

Octavio Dotel

Bob Eucker

George Foreman

Dave Parker

Ryne Sandberg

Fay Vincent

Hollywood

Loni Anderson

Richard Chamberlain

Gene Hackman

Diane Keaton

Val Kilmer

Rob Reiner

Loretta Swit

Media

Bill Moyers

Music

Jack DeJohnette

Gordon Goodwin

Horace Grigsby

Tom Lehrer

Chuck Mangione

Eddie Palmieri

Lalo Schifrin

Sly Stone

Brian Wilson

Space

James Lovell

Tango

Oscar Mandagaran

Tech

Bill Atkinson

The time I think I saw Gordon Goodwin at Disneyland

I separated from my first wife in December of 1996. We owned a house that had an in-law unit, and I moved into the in-law unit. It wasn’t great living on the same property as she did (nor was it great sharing a laundry room), but in the Bay Area housing market, half of the mortgage on the property was much cheaper than rent elsewhere, and while we were getting things sorted out, it was mostly tolerable.

However, of course, my emotional state was not great, as you would expect of somebody going through a divorce. My best friend, Paul, decided to setup a road trip down to Disneyland, and hang out with his other best friend, Richard, whom I had met a few times, and another mutual friend of theirs, named George.

So, I took a Friday in August off from work, and we piled into the car and drove down to Richard’s house in Santa Barbara. Just getting away from the South Bay was already relaxing. And being with a sympathetic friend in the car for a few hours also helped.

Richard turned out to be the perfect friend I needed at the time. He had been through a much rougher divorce than I was going through, and he listened to me, but was realistic when he told me I was full of it. He also painted my soon-to-be ex in the most negative light possible. His support through this entire trip was amazing. When I thanked him for it later, he said:

“Syd, every divorcing person needs a friend on his side who has been through a divorce before. There are things only divorced people understand.”

Wise words.

On Saturday, we drove down to Anaheim and met up with George. And we proceeded to play in Disneyland like teenagers. At one point, as we were going through the New Orleans area, some music came on, and we all started dancing. Paul, Richard, and George all had experience teaching some form of ballroom dance, and I had taken some lessons (still somewhat hopeless), but we had a good time. We rode rides, danced around, and talked about life, work, and romance.

We got hungry. We decided to go to the Blue Bayou to get food. The young woman showed us to our table, and asked if there was anything else she could get for us. I piped up:

“Dance partners.”

She said, “Excuse me?”

Richard, taking the cue, said,

“Yes, three of us are ballroom instructors, and Syd, over there, is an aspiring student. After a day at the park, we would love to go out dancing, but we don’t have partners, nor a good venue.”

The young woman said:

“Oh! I love swing dancing! At 8:00, there is a band here in the park at the Carnation Plaza, and there is lots of dancing. I can try to see if I can get some friends to tag along.”

Thus, our friendship with Elizabeth began. We knew lots of Elizabeths, and her last name started with M, and she also has a lot of friends named Elizabeth, and she just said, “Call me Em”.

After a full day of frolicking and eating and laughing, we made our way to the Carnation Plaza.

And this amazing big band was playing. They swang hard. The solos were great. The band was tight. And the writing was incredible.

I think it was Gordon Goodwin’s band. Certainly many of the players in the band ended up in Goodwin's band. Was not yet the Big PHAT Band, but the seeds were there.

We had a wonderful evening there.

At the end of the night, I introduced myself to the bari sax player, and we talked shop a little bit. At this point in my life, I was open to just about anything, and if there had been a job in the LA area, I would have moved down. This guy might have given me a line to places to play. That did not happen, but still…

And I remembered them, and when their debut album, Swingin’ for the Fences,  appeared on the scene a couple of years later, I immediately bought it, and devoured it. I have since played many, many Gordon Goodwin charts.

RIP, Gordon Goodwin. You helped me get back on my feet in a difficult time, if only in a small way. Even if I did not see you live, your first album came out while I was still getting back on my feet, and I absolutely loved it.

Advice about work-personal data separation

Never never never store any personal data in your corporate email/google drive/password managers. Never put personal projects on your work computers. Always download all paychecks, benefits docs, policy docs, HR communications, PDFs of performance reviews, offer letters, promotion announcements, pay adjustment announcements, RSU documents, etc, to your personal drives as soon as they become available. You never know when your access to the corporate VPN or your corporate email will disappear. This will also help in case you have any litigation with your employer; you will have the docs. This is true for ALL EMPLOYERS. Also, you never know when your badge no longer works, so don't leave anything personally important in an office. Never store personal files on a work computer as usually the IT department can see them, steal them or wipe them remotely without your knowledge.

I or people I have known have been burned by every one of these pieces of advice over the past 38 years of my career.

Including yesterday, when my employer laid off 1300 people.

RIP Val Kilmer

 RIP Val Kilmer

Many news articles are listing his appearances in more mainstream movies, like "Top Gun", "Batman Forever", "Tombstone", etc., but I would like to talk about his appearance in one of my favorites, "Real Genius".

This 1985 movie is about a bunch of smart kids at an academically rigorous college.

This movie resonates with me on several levels. I went to one of those colleges, Rice University, in the mid-80s. These characters are my classmates.

Val Kilmer's character, Chris Knight, is a wacky, irreverent fellow, with a severe case of senioritis, and he is the foil to our 15-year old main character.

Of all of the characters I have ever seen in movies, Chris Knight is the one that I identify with the most. He is bright, cocky, quirky, and can be quite fun, but there is a hint of self-loathing, and he is arrogant as can be, and has severe problems with authority.

I am all of those things.

Of course, Knight is smarter and sexier that I was or will ever be, and Val Kilmer's looks have a lot to do with that. But his performance showed that subtle, soft underbelly of doubt extremely well.

This movie, and Wayne's World, captured my generation of white people in the USA extremely well. They are two of the classic Generation Jones/Generation X movies. I can watch this thing over and over again.

Anyway, RIP, Chris Knight/Val Kilmer. I hope you are wearing your styrofoam antenna balls in heaven right now.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/02/entertainment/val-kilmer-death/index.html

Black History Month 2025 - February 17th - Barack Obama

This year, as a 60-turning-61 white man, I am going to highlight African Americans that have had some kind of influence in my life. Some are famous, some are friends, and others are just people. #blackhistorymonth

February 17th - Barack Obama

In 2012, I was laid off of my job. I got a job consulting for a few weeks. The pay was amazing, but the job stability was much less than working a tech job as a full-time employee. I also thought about starting my own company.

The only thing stopping me from doing either of these things long term was health insurance. After I was let go, I was paying my previous company COBRA to keep health insurance for me and my family. COBRA only lasts for 18 months, so I wanted to get private insurance to cover me and my family past that deadline.

When I called around, I was told that I could not buy individual health insurance for myself, because I was overweight, and that was a pre-existing condition that disqualified me. So I asked that if I lost weight to get under the threshold, could I get a policy. They said I could not apply again for the next two years. When I said that I would call other companies, they told me that they shared this with all of the other companies, and I would not be able to use them either. I asked them what my alternatives were. They told me I could get a job where the employer paid for the insurance, or I could get the Texas high-risk plan for over $10000/month.

I got a job where the insurance was covered soon after that, but I would have probably started a business if I had been able to get insurance.

Barack Obama, during his second term, worked with a Democratic congress to pass the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. I could get an insurance policy for myself now. For that alone, he is one of my favorite presidents.

But it’s not just that. The man is obviously off-the-charts smart, having been president of the Harvard Law Review, and a teacher of constitutional law at the University of Chicago. 

But this man was compassionate and relatable as well.

At the funeral of State Senator Reverend Clementa Pinckney, a victim of a mass shooting in South Carolina at an historically black church, he delivered the eulogy, and during that he sang Amazing Grace. He had the rhythm and the cadence of a preacher. His voice was strong. His eulogy was moving.

I also love the picture of the little black boy staring unbelievingly at Obama in the White House, and the picture of the same little boy feeling Obama’s hair.

I love the fact that he loved to play basketball, and would play with anybody who would play with him. He neither gave anybody quarter, nor had patience with those who would not play hard.

But my favorite thing about his presidency is that were no scandals, and no allegations of corruption. From all indications, he was an honest man, who surrounded himself with honest people.

I miss this President.

Black History Month 2025 - February 25th - Roberta Flack

This year, as a 60-turning-61 white man, I am going to highlight African Americans that have had some kind of influence in my life. Some are famous, some are friends, and others are just people. #blackhistorymonth

February 25th - RIP Roberta Flack

RIP Roberta Flack

In late 1995, the San Francisco Symphony went on strike. They had a contract to play for a tour called the “Colors of Christmas” that they could not fulfill.

The American Fedration of Musicians reached an agreement with the tiur that if they could fill the orchestra with musicians in the AFM but NOT the San Francisco local, they could perform the concert.

So, one Monday morning in December, I got a call from Terry Summa, retired faculty from Foothill College and San Jose AFM Board Member, asking if i could rehearse that afternoon and play that evening plus the next two in Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco. He also told me that I was literally the last name on his list that could handle the multiple instruments in the book, and if I couldn’t do it, the SF concerts for the tour would be cancelled. Of course I said yes! Took the day off of work and played.

The headliners were Peabo Bryson, Aaron Neville, Melissa Manchester, and Roberta Flack. Obviously, they were all talented.

But Roberta Flack stole the show. She had so much soul. She sang hits from her heydey in the 1970’s, but hearing them live was a special experience. And she did a duet with Manchester that left the latter in tears. 

What an honor.

Black History Month 2025 - February 16th - Lovie Smith

This year, as a 60-turning-61 white man, I am going to highlight African Americans that have had some kind of influence in my life. Some are famous, some are friends, and others are just people. #blackhistorymonth

February 16th - Lovie Smith

Ms. Smith was a percussion instructor at HSPVA, and a backup conductor for the classical groups, like the Symphony, and the Wind Ensembles. She was an amazing player. As a teacher, she did not take any guff from the students, whether they were percussionists or not. Unfortunately, I was an arrogant, immature clown at times, and I treated her poorly.

One time, we were moving stuff around, I accidentally knocked a snare drum on a stand over, and it fell to the ground. She said, “Watch what you are doing!” I responded, “Well, it’s paid for!”

What an asshole I was.

She came over to me and looked up at me, and said, “You need to respect all the instruments in this building, from the cheapest cowbell, to the most expensive bassoon or string bass or piano. Every instrument deserves care and respect. You don’t seem to have any,” and turned and walked away.

My last semester senior year, I found myself playing bassoon in symphony. I was not a bassoonist. I also was a cutup, and was talking and joking with the people around me while she rehearsed with the violins. At one point, she stopped, and said, “Hey! Shape up! If I were you, I would worry about those passages where you still need to look up what the fingerings are instead of wasting everybody’s time.”

Looking back now at my childhood, I can see my own racism and misogyny. I always had problems dealing with authority, but a lot of my worst behavior was towards black women, Ms. Smith included. Now, I am as careful as I know how to be when interacting with women professionally, especially Black women. I hope I am better now.

And, Lovie Smith, I know you will probably never read this, and you probably did not let a smart-aleck kid in high school get under your skin, but I would like to say: I’m sorry.

Black History Month 2025 - February 15 - Walt

This year, as a 60-turning-61 white man, I am going to highlight African Americans that have had some kind of influence in my life. Some are famous, some are friends, and others are just people. #blackhistorymonth

February 15th - Walt

When I was at University of Miami, the floor I lived on in the now-destroyed 360 Tower complex was designated a music floor, which meant that you could practice or play music until 11:00 every night. The floor was mostly music majors, and I felt sorry for those students who were not. I don’t remember how I met Walt, but I remembered on of the very first times I hung out in his room.

Walt was a full scholarship tuba sophomore. He was about 6’4”, and built like an athlete, but his main interests were music, and science fiction. He was incredibly well-read, and he had an eclectic music library.

His favorite genre was progressive rock, but he called in “Fusion”. I guess they were pretty similar, but, looking at them now, progressive rock starts with rock-and-roll and gets more jazzy, and fusion starts with jazz and gravitates towards more electronics and rock beats.

Walt introduced me to Yes, Bill Bruford, King Crimson, Dixie Dregs, etc. We would sit in his room and play music for each other all of the time. I miss that! I would point out little things I heard in what he was playing for me, and about half the time, he hadn’t heard them! And he did the same for me.

He also loved orchestral music, which is good, since that was the career path of a tuba major if you did not want to be a professor. I got to hear him play Symphonie Fantastique, and 1812 Overture. He was an amazing player.

I borrowed my sister’s Marantz Superscope cassette recorder second semester. It was unique, in that it had the ability to play tapes at half-speed, which made whatever you were listening to play twice as slow, but down an octave. All of the jazz majors used those to transcribe solos. One day, I played my favorite recording of Rite Of Spring for Walt, and there is one place where the tuba plays an emphatic low C to start the weird rhythm pattern. I replayed that note for him at half speed, and it was amazing. Those Chicago Symphony brass players…

He started dating a woman named Pam. Pam looked black, she had the biggest ‘fro you can imagine. But she was actually Egyptian, and her parents did not want her dating a black man. The two of them went through a lot of emotional turmoil the last few weeks of the school year, and Walt’s grades fell, and I think he lost his scholarship.

I don’t know what happened to him after I left Miami. The one time I wrote him a letter to his parents’ house, he never wrote back. And I have never found him on social media. He was incredibly smart, well-spoken, well-read, and musically talented. I hope he ended up OK.