Singing Sundays - Happy birthday Richard!

It comes as no surprise that my first post for Singing Sundays goes to my friend Richard Turner.   

Richard and I have an interesting "how did you two meet" story.  We lived in the same apartment complex while studying at Temple University but didn't know it for months.  I used to pass him on campus almost every day (personally, I thought he was the most handsome guy at Temple & was looking for an opportunity to get to know him).  One evening, as fate would have it, I realized that we lived in the same building: we struck up a conversation, exchanged contact information, and became friends.

For most of the time that I studied at Temple University, I worked for the office of Development and Alumni Affairs for Temple University's College of Education (I studied classical voice & opera).  About 3-4 times a year, my office hosted an event called Fireside Chats where Dr. Bill Cosby would discuss various facets of urban education to College of Education students.  In time, I learned that Richard was a teacher at a neighborhood school: he had a passion for urban education, so I invited him to attend one of the events as my guest. 

Richard with Bill Cosby

The event was more like a round-table discussion on Urban Education with Dr. Cosby as the mediator.  For about 2 hours, we sat and listed to these surburbanites discuss their methods of reaching children in the classroom - seriously, we both wanted to poke our eyes out with a rusty fork.  I could sense Richard's restlessness, so when the moment came, Richard stood up and proceeded to give a REAL account of what teaching in an urban setting is like.

The moment Bill Cosby fell in love with Richard!

Me in the background - I was so proud of him!

Richard was a hit!  Everyone with some sort of title in the College of Education was interested in getting to know him!  My boss received numerous requests from schools, departments, organizations, etc. about Richard Turner, but he turned down almost all of the opportunities because of his educational responsibilities.  One evening, my boss informed me that Dr. Cosby had invited myself and Richard to a business dinner where we met Dr. Arlene C. Ackerman, superintendent of The School District of Philadelphia, her assistant, my boss and her Assistant Director Tiffany Tavarez, and others.  

We left from dinner and had a drink on South St. All in all, we had a great time, not only with each other, but with notable educators in Philadelphia.

So, in the spirit of great memories, I'm dedicating my first "Singing Sundays" blog to my old friend Richard Turner.  As the saying goes, there are people that come into your life for a reason, season, or a lifetime....you, my friend, are a dear that holds an incredibly special and a lifetime place in my heart.  Happy birthday to you and as always, I wish for you success, love, light, and happiness!

Here's something special just for you :-)