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please feel free to contact me with thoughts, ideas, comments, or even criticisms….bear in mind only my mom needs to tell me that i’m awesome….
everyone else can tell me the truth.
thanks for playing.
Email: barbieangell@gmail.com
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stumbled across your site as we usually do on the internet–blindly.
Just wanted to share a little about Jerry Dellinger. As you know he was a drama teacher/director at East Aurora High School. Back in 77-78 (yeah, I’m 50 now arrrrrrggggh) I played in the pit bands for the musicals. As teen boys, we always had something to say and Jerry was great about dishing it back. My first memory was sitting around after rehearsal. He asked why I was still there. I informed him I was waiting for my check, so he quickly mimed a large “check mark” in the air. That began a long running banter between my band mates and Jerry. We were huge fans of Monty Python, the Beatles and the Marx brothers. We could hold our own in the “absurd conversation” contests we often engaged in and I think he respected us for that. It felt good to get his approval
Later, I had the fun of being directed by him in the next play. I left the pit band for the stage. I was a lead character and, being rather new, had a lot to learn. The first thing I learned was that he had VISION. He directed. He took us down HIS path and it was so worth the journey.
On the second night of the performance, I was in the hallway chatting up a young lady, waiting for my cue to enter. They gave the cue.. and waited .. and waited…then vamped because I was nowhere in sight. When Jerry came out into the hall, he asked (knowing full well) if I was supposed to be on stage. I said “I didn’t think so” and he said “I’m pretty sure you are.”
The show continued as normal, although my cast mates wanted to strangle me as the fire welled up in their eyes. Later, Jerry laughed and got a huge kick out of the gaffe. I loved how he would walk and talk.. then stop.. then add something completely irrelevant in that peculiar tone of voice that was a cross between both Laurel and Hardy with just a pinch of Yukon Cornelius.
Anyway it was bittersweet to read your fond memories of a very good man.
Peace, Love, and Spaghetti-fish
David
David,
thank you so much for contacting me and relaying your stories. as you can see, i adored Jerry and i miss him a great deal. i had similar, “i think you are” conversations with him over the years….usually about my life or loves. i truly believe that anyone who was fortunate enough to have Jerry take an interest in them, had a greatness inside they had yet to recognize. but he saw everything that a person could be….it was the vision that he had for me which took me from a scared girl in an orphanage safely into the outside world. i’m sure he would tell me i could have done it without him….but i wouldn’t have done it as well. : )
thank you again for making me smile. barbie.