I lived in a little town in Northern California (Willits) in the late 1950's. Our choral director was a huge fan of Jester Hairston's, and we sang everything he wrote/arranged. In San Jose, in 1959, we were privileged to be the only choir he invited to attend a choral gathering with students from that city.

I remember sitting there, in a gym, and he said to all of us,"the only way you are going to learn to get along with each other is if you sit together." Then he asked us all to sit black/white/ around the gym, and we sang to him there, from the heart, maybe not even knowing what he was doing for us in terms of tolerance.

25 years later, he directed a choir concert in Medford, Oregon, and I sang in it....those same wonderful songs I had learned before. He stayed with a friend, Marybelle Frohnmeyer, and she had heard my story about him from the past. He called me on the telephone and we talked about it. When I met him the next day, I could not contain the tears of joy I had for meeting him again. I have a wonderful picture that was taken of Jester and myself the night of the concert. His songs and stories have helped to shape my life.