Music bubbled from U of M-Morris in earliest years

What a full sound this assemblage must have produced! It's quite the historical picture representing UMM. It is from the second academic year here, 1961-62. Edson Auditorium was a hub then. Today Edson is part of a performing arts entity with the Morrison name. Edward and Helen Jane Morrison were very involved in getting the four-year liberal arts campus established. The photo you see above was reproduced in the Morris newspaper at the time of UMM's 40th anniversary. It was in the October 5, 2000, edition, as we all ushered in the new century. In addition to the Morrisons and others, my father Ralph had a vital role seeing the fledgling new venture known as UMM would "fly." And fly it most certainly did.
 
Del Sarlette and I are sharing the photo. It's from my family's collection and Del now has it framed. You might see it at his music store. Or maybe someday at UMM? Del's late father Walt played the bass fiddle and he is at far right.
Let's all remember there was overlap between the cherished old West Central School of Agriculture and UMM. The photo includes the 1961-62 UMM choir, men's chorus, WCSA choir and UMM orchestra. The director was Ralph E. Williams who is standing at left. Ralph was UMM's only music faculty in the institution's maiden voyage of the 1960-61 year. Prior to that he taught at the U of M-St. Paul School of Agriculture. Your blog host was preschool in the St. Paul years.
My family lived for a few months on Lake Minnewaska by Starbuck when first settling in this area. My father was a native of Glenwood and 1934 graduate of Glenwood High School. Not sure why we spent time in Starbuck but that's the way it was. We lived next door to the Samuelsons. Dad drove a white Buick LeSabre station wagon!
Then we settled in Morris permanently and I began kindergarten after the school year had begun. I was scared to go in the door the first day. If you know me, maybe that registers. I had Miss Feigum. She and Sylvia Yarger were the kindergarten teachers and their rooms were at East Elementary. Then for grades 1-3, I shifted to the old Longfellow Elementary School. It was my third grade teacher there who got called into the commons area one day, and when she returned she was grim-faced and informed us that JFK had just been shot.
The Longfellow building still stands in west Morris. I believe it houses offices now. The strongest older boys were able to throw a rubber ball all the way onto the roof! In second grade I learned "penmanship." Hey, that's not taught now, is it? There was a "gym" downstairs, small like the St. Mary's gym, where Mr. Grant taught phy ed.
 
The whole nine yards, yes
My father organized the University choir, band, orchestra, men's chorus and chamber singers. I have some of the old programs as souvenirs. What a dream come true it must have been, for Dad to be completely in charge of such ambitious and important ventures.
The men's chorus was the biggest selling point: it opened the Minnesota Day program at the 1962 Seattle World's Fair. I suspect that within a few years, the idea of a gender-specific group might have become untenable. I hope Dad was able to accept that but I'm not sure. I could have given him a "pep talk" about that because from my viewpoint, things were changing.
Dad was 12 years old the first time he set foot on the campus. The year was 1928, before the onset of the Depression. He received his undergraduate and masters degrees from the University of Minnesota.
The photo with this post shows the great vitality that was bubbling from within UMM at that seminal time. Dad was accustomed to working with a large number of musicians for a performance. I have a press clipping here from the Twin Cities newspapers from the latter part of the 1950s:
 
Ralph E. Williams, University of Minnesota, will direct a massed chorus of 750 voices at the Aquatennial Music on Parade concert in the Metropolitan Sports stadium at 8 p.m. Sunday. Williams was director of the Minneapolis Apollo Club from 1951-55. The singers will share the spotlight with name soloists, including Mahalia Jackson, gospel singer; Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, vocal jazz trio; and Vic Damone, appearing with Woody Herman and his band.
 
"Met" Stadium was well established before the Twins came here to play in 1961. Some of us Morris youth would go hear Woody Herman and his "Thundering Herd" at the St. Paul Prom Ballroom.
Ralph E. Williams RIP. What a tremendous life and career, and what an investment in higher education out here in West Central Minnesota with UMM. "All those years ago," to use the name of a George Harrison song.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com