My sister Mary.

Where do I start. My mother was giving about
40 piano lessons a week while she was pregnant with
my sister Mary. She was born with perfect pitch.

When she was very young one of my uncles was playing the
piano in a different room. Mary began to name some of
the notes he was playing without being able to see them.

He did not beleive she was doing it at first, and decided
to test her. He had been hitting only white keys individually
for awhile. He hit one of the black keys to throw her off.
He was satisfied that he had thrown her for a loop, when she said
she did not know what it was. She went on to say "it is one of
those wierd black keys". She did not yet know the names of the
sharps and flats.

She grew up to be an amazing violinist, soloing with the Oklahoma
City Symphony when she was in high school, and would in a few years
solo with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops. My other sister Carol also
soloed with the OKC symphony a few years later.

Mary then attended both Boston University and Julliard as a Violin major.
She graduated from Julliard, and went back to BU as a teacher.

She was as kind as she was talented. She sometimes glowed.

She passed away in 1980, at the age of 29. We all miss her dearly.

I am so proud to be called her brother.