“There’s no tick tock on your electric clock,
But still your life runs down.”
from “Halfway to Heaven”
— composed and sung by Harry Chapin
Prologue
Among many conspicuous factoids that jump out at me as I observe the world in all its splendor is the astounding number of people who have achieved extraordinarily at young ages.
Usually I come across these individuals while doing research for some other thread. The Internet has made such research endeavors almost unbelievably easy, especially for one who grew up seeking information with only one option: going to the library and fumbling through frayed catalog cards and struggling with the Dewey Decimal system. And, the internet has also made it easy to drift off onto tangents.
Book Cover: Chernow’s excellent and thorough biography on Hamilton
Examples are many. Alexander Hamilton and the young Lafayette of America’s birthing years. Isaac Newton, at age 22 and on leave from university during the plague, whiled away his time musing about sundry things, like gravity, light, and fascinating aspects of mathematics. This led him to the theory of gravity, and a whole new class of mathematics, integral calculus, to prove it. And the nature of light. And a method to compute Pi to many digits quite quickly. Then the plague ended. He returned to school.
Even a partial list is imposing. Alexander the Great pretty much conquered and ruled the world in his 20s; his accomplishments even intimidated Julius Caesar. Joan of Arc was in her teens when she led the French to victory over the English. Nadia Comaneci, at age 14, was the first to score a perfect 10 in Olympics gymnastics. The Beatles were 20-24 years old when they rode the wave of Beatlemania to #1 … in the world.
Speaking of music. This realm is not without more than a few other names, particularly those of the “27 Club”; great musical artists who perished at that age, including Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix. They all passed on from drug abuse complications. Clean living is no guarantee however — JP Richardson, The Big Bopper, made it to 28, only to go down in a Beech Bonanza, in a foggy snowstorm in a field in Iowa, “the day the music died.”
Following are three short bios of individuals who lived and played with elan, achieved greatly — and left the scene — relatively young. The Comet, The Sweet Georgian, and The Paderewski of Rag.
The Comet
My dad was born and raised in Chicago; I was born there. Although we moved to near Milwaukee when I was but an innocent lad of 6 years old, we remained loyal to “Da Bears” and the Cubs for decades, despite all my new friends’ allegiance to the Braves (who dumped Milwaukee for Atlanta in 1966), later the Brewers, and of course, “the Pack.”
50s and 60s style rabbit ears, with aluminum foil
I remember trying to watch televised games from Chicago, some 90 miles away. We’d string wire through the trees in the back yard, or sometimes I’d stand beside the TV, holding the rabbit-ear antennae just right, usually with aluminum foil wrapped around them in odd shapes (most called it “tin foil”).
“Got it! Don’t move Joe!”
Usually we failed, or the blurry images were barely visible through the “snow”; then we’d give up and listen to a Chicago radio station – that would be WGN, at 720 kHz on AM. As a historic Clear Channel, and at 50 kilowatts, a good reception was a high likelihood.
Gale Sayers, looks like rookie or sophomore pic
In 1965 a rookie arrived on the scene for our beloved Bears: Gale Sayers. An exciting running back — fast, shifty and elusive — who could also return kicks. Raised in Omaha, Nebraska, he attended and played football for Kansas University. There he was a two time All-American, picking up the nickname “Kansas Comet.” Of course, as a youngster I didn’t know any of that; I learned that years later by reading his autobiography.
But I did know he was very, very exciting… and annoying to Packers’ fans. I was into my teens — cleaning zit ejecta from the bathroom mirror — before I stopped drawing his number (“40”) on my shirts to wear during pick-up football games.
During a game against San Francisco, in his rookie season of 1965, my dad and I followed probably the most remarkable game a rookie ever had, or ever will have. Sayers scored six touchdowns, 4 by rushing, 1 on a pass (80 yards), and another on a punt return (85 yards). It was a late season game, so Sayers’ skills were now well-known, and the 49ers had redesigned their defense and kick coverage specifically to stop Sayers. To no avail. [video highlights here]
We were of course aware the mighty Packers were playing an important game across the country, in Baltimore, that same day. Their most glamorous player, Paul Hornung, had been struggling for quite some time with injuries; most notably a neck injury that caused a pinched nerve, accompanied by numbness and “stingers” running down his arms. He was having a mediocre season and had been forced to sit out a few games. That he was playing at all is testament to his mental and physical toughness … and to the stupidity of American Football.
Paul Hornung scored five touchdowns that day, a Packer single-game record that still stands. The next few days all my excited Milwaukee friends wanted to tell me about those five touchdowns. In a voice that probably failed to conceal my satisfaction, despite its soft tone (I had a bad stammer, and it was not cool to be a Bears fan in Wisconsin, even way back then) I replied: you know, Sayers scored six.
In 1965, Sayers set the NFL single season record of 22 touchdowns, coincidently at age 22. It’s been surpassed eleven times now, but he did that in only 14 games. The rest, except OJ Simpson in 1975, had the benefit of 16 game seasons. (Last year, ridiculously, and inviting further brain damage to players, they expanded to 17 games).
The next season Sayers led the league in rushing. Then disaster. He suffered repeated knee injuries, the first while playing against, ironically, the same San Francisco 49ers against whom he set the touchdown record. He gamely came back after each knee injury and surgery (remember, this is way before arthroscopic surgery … the rehab was just brutal) and an ankle injury as well. He still showed flashes of brilliance, but he’d never be the same Gale Sayers, again.
Comets light up our skies and provide us with something to marvel at, but they come and go quickly. The same with Gale Sayers, the Kansas Comet. He retired at age 28, leaving fans with great memories from a career that spanned just a few years.
So phenomenal were those few years, that Sayers was named to 4 Pro Bowl games (the NFL All-Star game), twice earning Game MVP [link]. Remarkable: he only played four full seasons. In a fifth partial season, he was limited to only 9 games after two more knee injures — he still rushed for 856 yards with an astounding average of 6.2 yards per carry. He was inducted into the NFL Football Hall of Fame at the age of just 34 years old, the youngest ever to be so honored.
Sayers used his injury down time to get additional education, eventually earning a Masters Degree, as well as rehab. After retirement he first moved into sports management, picking up duties as Athletic Director at alma mater Kansas University and then AD over at Southern Illinois University. Thereafter, he started his own very successful computer company, which he then ran until retirement.
Brian Piccolo — gone too soon
We can’t talk about Sayers without at least briefly mentioning Brian Piccolo, and the friendship they shared. Piccolo and Sayers came up together, both finishing their college football careers in 1964. Piccolo, playing for Wake Forest, led the NCAA in rushing that year; he actually nudged out Sayers in the Heisman Trophy voting. (10th and 11th).
A tough hard running back, Piccolo was not as speedy or flashy as Sayers. He went undrafted. Signing a free agent deal with the Bears, Piccolo eventually worked his way up from the Practice Squad to regular roster player, often teamed up alongside Sayers in the backfield.
Coach George Halas decided it was a good idea to have teammates who played similar positions room together when the team traveled. A budding friendship further bloomed: the black Gale Sayers roomed with the lily-white Brian Piccolo. The first such roommate pairing in the NFL. They even had sequential numbers: Sayers #40, Piccolo #41.
As anyone who’s seen the gut-wrenching movie “Brian’s Song” knows, Piccolo soon contracted a rare form of cancer and passed away, aged only 26.
Final link: Sayers and Hornung. Probably not coincidentally, except perhaps the timing, these stars passed away recently, within a few weeks of each other, in the autumn of 2020. Both struggled mightily with cognitive decline, then dementia, in their later years. Although no investigations were performed, it’s highly likely each suffered from CTE – chronic traumatic encephalopathy – the worst curse of American football.
Sweet Georgian: Bobby
I enjoy the sport of golf. It can be relaxing and wonderfully distracting. The exercise and fresh air one gets from playing are healthy, and so are the companionships that develop. I’ve made a study of the game, including the physics and the history. I may not play well, but I can understand physics and history. One name all golf historians recognize is Bobby Jones.
Born in 1902 in Atlanta, Jones was blessed in many ways: coordinated, intelligent, self-driven and well-reared in a well-off family. But as a youth he had severe health problems. For example, he was unable to eat solid food until age 5, which probably stunted his growth in these important years.
Doctors prescribed golf to young Bobby. He lived across the street from a golf course (now the famous East Lake) which provided plenty of opportunity to play and learn. He took well to the game, and by age 14 was playing – and doing well – in national tournaments.
While playing golf competitively at the highest levels, Jones attended nearby Georgia Tech, earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Then, he went off to Harvard University, earning another degree, this in English Literature. [during his most competitive golf years, Jones would relax in the clubhouse before matches by reading Milton, Shakespeare and Chaucer]. Then, back home to Atlanta-based Emory University to study law. Jones never fully completed his law studies at Emory, as he passed the Georgia Bar exam after his third semester, aged only 25. He immediately began practicing law.
Along the way, he married his high school sweetheart and became a head of household: they had three children.
One can only marvel that through all this Bobby Jones compiled one of the most extraordinary golf careers in all of history, and certainly by far the greatest of any amateur golfer.
At age 21, Jones won the US Open. Over the next 7 years he’d win another 12 major tournaments, culminating with the Grand Slam – all four majors – in 1930.
After the Grand Slam (also called “The Impregnable Quadrilateral” at the time) Jones promptly retired, without warning — shocking the sports world. Like Sayers, he was only 28 years old. He had proved what he needed to. He reached heights fans and historians still marvel at.
Robert “Bobby” Tyre Jones — in his prime
Was he the greatest, the so-called GOAT? It’s so hard to compare eras. For example, Jones accomplished all this with hickory shafted clubs and golf balls that couldn’t be trusted to behave the same from one to another – even from the same box of balls! Greens weren’t smooth. He did all this while studying Engineering, Literature and then Law – and then practicing Law and raising a family. [It is said that during an exhibition match at San Francisco’s Olympic Lake course, Jones reached the green of the 600 yard 16th hole in two shots — a prodigious feat by any era’s standards; he did it with hickory shafted clubs. His reaction? A sheepish smile.] If Jones isn’t the GOAT, he’s near the top.
Although his career as golf competitor was over after 1930, Jones’ involvement with golf continued. Working with the Spalding Company he helped design and promote the first steel-shafted matched clubs. He founded the Augusta Golf Club, which hosted the tournament he founded, now called The Masters. He made a series of golf instructional videos – lost for decades; recently found – which are probably the most famous ever, using high speed cameras and special lighting. Ironic, but it was for these instructional and technical ventures that Jones gave up his golf amateur status; he never accepted a dime for any of his many achievements playing golf.
In the 1940s Jones was still a vibrant and intellectual man. But soon something was wrong. He was weakening too fast, and in pain. In 1948 he was diagnosed with a rare condition called Syringomyelia, in which cysts form and grow in the spinal cord, impinging the nerve channels. It had been developing for decades, perhaps since birth.
President Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower’s painting of Bobby Jones
Jones’ life on earth lasted until 1971. Those final decades were marked by extreme pain and progressing paralysis. Starting in the ‘40s he became acquaintances with a man who would become President: Dwight D “Ike” Eisenhower. Theirs would grow to a great friendship of mutual admiration. Ike was like many other world leaders, from Churchill, to Prince Charles, to Franco and even George W Bush — he enjoyed painting . Ike, also like many of us, really enjoyed golf. He fell in love with Jones’ Augusta Golf Club and course. In 1953 Ike presented Jones with a painting of his good friend: a younger and healthier Bobby Jones. [1]
Paderewski of Ragtime [2]
This final tale of Ticks and Tocks is the story that started the germination of this entire essay. I learned about it in a recent newsletter of the 1904 World’s Fair Society, of which my wife and I are members.
For the threads of many gleaned tidbits, I must give credit to newsletter regular contributor Jim Wiemers, the society’s Music Collector.
Ragtime music is certainly a historic throwback; its golden era was around the last turn of the century, from the 1890s to the mid-1910s. But it’s certainly still enjoyed today. It’s cheery. It’s jaunty. Its syncopated rhythms are catchy. Personally, I’ve enjoyed it since watching the 1973 film “The Sting,” which featured Scott Joplin’s ragtime classic The Entertainer throughout the movie. [Confession: The Entertainer is the only specific Rag tune I can confidently identify].
Rag was not considered respectable music from its beginning, not for at least 10-15 years. No doubt that’s because its roots lie in the African-American communities of that era, most notably in Saint Louis.
In 1904, the leadership of the Saint Louis World’s Fair (officially “The Louisiana Purchase Exposition”) denigrated the music form and wouldn’t permit it to be played on the main Fair Grounds. Some Rag was played along The Pike, which, in many ways, was sort of a “side show” to the Fair. {Pike description}
This was a great loss to anyone seeking a combination of contemporary culture and art. And it was most unfortunate, since the acclaimed all-time king of Rag and Rag Composition, Scott Joplin, lived in Saint Louis at the time. [You can still visit the house he lived in, on the edge of downtown Saint Louis, just a few miles from Forrest Park, site of the Fair.]
Although most of us today are hard-pressed to name Rag stars of that era besides Joplin, there certainly were many.
According to Fair and music historians, at least three contemporary stars of Rag played on the Fair’s Pike: Louis Chauvin, Sam Patterson, and Arthur Marshall.
Marshall played at the Spanish Café, in the Streets of Seville exhibit, for $12/week (he could’ve made $25 over at the Rosebud Bar, but not on the Fairgrounds). The job lasted less than a month, as his music was too often drowned out by the bands playing at Hagenbeck’s Animal Show (well, the Pike was sort of a collection of sideshows and odd exhibits, displays and experiences). Marshall was replaced by an Iberian Orchestra. [3] He outlived most the era’s Ragtimers, and was able to provide firsthand testimony on many of the personalities and events to historians decades later.
Sam Patterson and Louis Chauvin played two-piano Rag at the Old St Louis Restaurant and Bar on the Pike [for a great map of the Pike at the 1904 World’s Fair, go to bottom of this page: click here. For a great interactive zoomable map of the entire Fair, here]. [4]
Patterson and Chauvin grew up together in Saint Louis, which was rather a Rag hotbed. They dropped out of school at 15 and 13, respectively, formed a musical touring group, and traveled the country. Later, they returned to Saint Louis, studying and performing – including at the 1904 Fair – before setting off again.
Louis Chauvin (1881-1908) — just not any good photos of him on the internet
Patterson held various musical jobs and even joined Joplin in New York City for a while, helping him complete the ragtime opera “Treemonisha” before Joplin’s untimely death in 1917, aged 58.
And then there was the prodigy, Louis Chauvin, often called “Paderewski of Ragtime.” [2] A true superstar of the original Ragtime era. He was a regular performer at Tom Turpin’s Ruby Bar in Saint Louis, a nexus for Ragtime talent. [Quick aside: we note that Turpin himself was an early Ragtime leader, not only through his bar as a Rag performance venue, but through his talent: his works include the very first published Ragtime piece: Harlem Rag.]
Chauvin played only by ear and could re-create any piece he heard; if it wasn’t Rag, he put his own Rag-spin on it. He could adapt any melody to Rag, including a Sousa march. Contemporaries pretty much agreed: Chauvin was the best. They were all in awe. But none of his creations were ever written down. His only published work was a team effort with Scott Joplin: Heliotrope Bouquet.
Sadly for him and the music world, Chauvin’s lifestyle was terrible for his health. According to Patterson “He stayed up, drank, and made lots of love … he only seemed to be living when he was at the piano. It’s authentic that he smoked opium at the last.” Chauvin passed away at age 27. Various causes were listed, but modern assessments would largely pin it on neurosyphilis … that’s a long term case of the STD syphilis, resulting in coma and, ultimately, starvation.
Epilogue
Sayer’s career was over at 28. Injuries. Jones also at 28, by choice; other things to do. Piccolo gone at 26.
Chauvin, perhaps the first member of the great “27 Club.”
Tick Tock, tick tock. Our clocks are running, always running, always ticking.
I really wanted this to be upbeat. To be a tribute to so many who accomplished so much, and so young. Alexander Hamilton setting up a new nation’s finances and banking system at age 32. Leading a charge at the battle that cinched American independence at 24. Dead in a duel at 47.
Sorry that this took a bit of a dour turn. That’s why it took me so long to finish and publish. I was looking for a cheery way out.
Hey, it’s never too late to do something! Harland Sanders founded Kentucky Fried Chicken at age 62, after already (1) having made and lost a fortune, (2) bounced around the country losing jobs as varied and crazy as kaleidoscope patterns, and (3) also having survived a genuine shoot out. [5]
Father William Treacy, the priest who married us, turns 103 this week. He still says Sunday Mass, preaching inspirationally as he’s done for 80 years, on love, humanity, brotherhood, peace, compassion and acceptance. [6]
Me? I’ll just keep observing and writing.
Peace
Joe Girard © 2022
Thanks for reading. As always, you can add yourself to the notification list for newly published material by clicking here. Or emailing joe@girardmeister.com
[1] This famous painting hangs on the wall of the Chairman’s office at Augusta National. Reprints are available, but good ones are not cheap. Ike presented it to Jones shortly after taking the oath of office, 1953. He had been working on it for some time, including through the presidential campaign season.
[2] Ignacy Pedrewski, a Pole, was widely regarded as the best pianist in Europe at the time. As his name shows up in Saint Louis, obviously he was world renowned. An animated performer, he largely played classical music from the likes of Bach, Beethoven, & Chopin (of course) to large audiences. Known for reworking pieces to his own style (as did Chauvin), he went on to become Poland’s Prime Minister when it won its Independence as a favorable outcome of WWI.
[3] They All Played Ragtime, by Rudi Bush
[4] At nearly two square miles (1,270 acres) the 1904 LPE Saint Louis Fair was the world’s largest until the 2010 Shanghai Fair, which nudged ahead at 1,292 acres. Close behind are the Chicago Fair of 1939, at 1,202 acres and the current 2020-22 Dubai World’s Fair, which has been cursed by Covid, at 1,100 acres.
[5] The Harland Sanders Shoot-out story, https://gizmodo.com/no-colonel-sanders-never-killed-a-man-in-a-shootout-1651797965; and in the book, “Colonel Sanders and The American Dream”, by Josh Ozersky.
[6] Father William Treacy. We often watch his masses by Zoom, or on recording when we’re busy.
Biographic sources for Louis Chauvin:
[a] https://www.allmusic.com/artist/louis-chauvin-mn0002233120/biography
[b] https://www.stlmag.com/The-Best-St-Louis-Ragtime-Musicians-of-All-Time/
[c] https://aaregistry.org/story/louis-chauvin-pianist-born/
[d] And Jim Wiemer’s column on Chauvin the 1904WF newsletter.
