Sam’s 50th High School Reunion Concert
The weekend of Sept. 28 Sam attended his 50th reunion from Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio, Texas. Fifty year earlier on May 24, 1968 Sam joined approximately 1000 classmates in the graduation ceremony. Sam performed a work by Chopin at the event.
Thomas Jefferson is quite renown not only in the state of Texas but in the US. It was the first high school to cost over one million dollars when it was constructed in 1930.It was featured on the cover of Life Magazine and was the setting for several Hollywood films because of its striking beauty. It’s graduates have include a Nobel Prize winner, a Major General in the U.S Army, a Chief Justice of the 4th Court of Appeals, a Medal of Honor Recipient as well as the Director of the Johnson Space Center. It presently is an International Baccalaureate World School. The school had a significant impact on Sam not only academically but even more so musically with its exceptional choral and orchestral programs directed by then faculty member Mr. Raymond Moses.
During his years at Jefferson Sam performed countless times as pianist for the choirs, the orchestra, various musical presentations as well as featured soloist with the San Antonio Symphony, performing the Mozart Piano Concerto in D minor, K.466.
Two weeks before the reunion Sam received a call from Mr. Ralf Halderman, the current principal at Jefferson. He was invited to return to the stage and perform a concert for the entire student body, sponsored by the Jefferson Alumni Association. Sam said that he would be most honored to perform and to give a short speech to remind the students of the great importance of education and to take advantage of the opportunity afforded them at such a wonderful school as Jefferson.
On Friday Sept.28 Sam spoke and performed works by Beethoven, Debussy, and Rachmaninoff for the entire 1700 student body. As it turned out a number of fellow graduates from 1968 attended.
Following is a pictorial narrative of the event.
Sam before the concert.
Sam in from of the main school entrance.
The spectacular school auditorium with the capacity of over 2000.
Sam with Principal Ralf Halderman.
Principal Halderman introducing Sam.
Sam addressing the students and fellow classmates.
Sam sharing the importance that Jefferson had on his life by holding up as a framed picture of the school which hangs in his piano studio as a reminder of its significance.
Sam performing on the same Baldwin Concert Grand that he played while a student 50 years ago. The piano has kept up very well.
Sam with some of the fellow classmates of 1968 who attended the concert.
Sam with his wife Deborah along the famous San Antonio River Walk before the reunion dinner.
Deborah by the river walk cascading stairway.