By Harriet J. Bolstad
For The Salisbury Post
Elizabeth Darrell would have been thrilled to witness the unique reunion that was held last week at the home of John and Joyce Sloop, at Lake Norman.
Elizabeth died some time ago. Her daughter, Marty Darrell Woods, was at her mother’s home sorting her possessions when she found a picture that had been taken at Marty’s birthday party in 1951,when she was 6 years old. They had just moved to Mount Ulla, and her mother, being a former resident there, invited the children of people she knew, to help her daughter get acquainted with new friends.
Present at the party were: Lynn Brown Dobson, Joe Darrell, Mary Hall Knox Koontz, Sandy Brown, Patsy Wilkinson Sexton, Anita Sherrill Teeter, Pat Knox Weaver, Eddie Sloop and John Sloop.
Marty’s father had been a member of John Philip Sousa’s band. There was no band at that time in Mount Ulla, so Elizabeth, very music conscious, decided to start one, recruiting some of these children, less than 10 years old, as the nucleus of a band.
John Sloop played the slide trombone, and his arms were not long enough to extend the slide to its full length. They continued to play music together, and became a part of the West Rowan High School band. Bob Taylor was the director of the band.
Some time ago, Marty Woods happened to meet John Sloop, and told him about the picture, and said, “John, let’s have a party and get that same group together.”
The invitations were sent, with a copy of the picture.
The response was great. On Jan. 5, 2008, all but one of those in the picture, and their spouses, attended.
Margaret Sloop, John and Eddie’s mother, had worked hard with the beginning band, being a member of the Band Parents’ Association, so she was invited to join the group.
Other members of the band were also invited, along with Bob Taylor, their former director. The members of the band were urged to bring their musical instruments, and they did. During the evening, they played the old school song of West Rowan High School.
Not all of the notes were correct or in tune, but most of the people at the party recognized it as the school song, in spite of some sour notes.
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Harriet Bolstad is a resident of Trinity Oaks Retirement Community.