I am a longtime member of the Retail Print Music Dealers Association (RPMDA) and served on their board of directors for several years. Today I received a copy of their newsletter – the RPMDA Measure. This issue was a recap of the annual convention held this past May in Portland, OR.
One of the highlights was a reprint of an introductory speech that my friend Don Eubanks delivered at the Saturday evening banquet. Don is a founding member of the association – some 30 years ago – and I have known him for most of those years. Last year Don was the recipient of “The Dorothy Award” – the highest honor awarded to members of the RPMDA for a lifetime of service.
Not long before, Don had tragically lost his wife and partner Judy to cancer. But he had his other family – his peers and friends in the print music industry – with him that evening in Biloxi, MS (just a few months before Hurricane Katrina devasted the town).
To say that Don was overwhelmed by the emotion of that evening is an understatement. He was much more composed this year when he presented the Dorothy Award to Geoff Lorenz of Lorenz Industries. I suspect that he gained confidence and strength because he asked all of the past recipients of the award to join him on stage.
My point is – None of us ever knows what fate has in store for us. The people that we have worked closely with, our friends, family members can be suddenly whisked away in a flash. What we do have is this moment – and the history and memories that led us to this moment. What we do, who we help, whom we seek help from – that is all that matters. Our friends, colleagues and mentors may have passed, but we can enjoy the moment – if we choose to become involved; if we choose to share; if we value good fellowship.
Receiving the newsletter today – and remembering this photo from 1997 – brought bak a flood of memories – of my thirty years in the printed music business and what I learned from the people that I met and became involved with – those footsteps in the sands of time.
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