My favorite teacher was Mr. Clinkscales at Duncan High School from 1958-1960. I was into vocal and choral music and still am, at least as a spectator and listener, but not as a performer. Mr. Clinkscales was very caring. Sometimes he would "blow his top" but not often. He often was frustrated if we were not "trying" our best.
As a result of his training, I went to All-State Chorus my junior and senior years as a soprano at OU. We stayed out at the "old north barracks". Our choir also participated in solo and ensemble competition at the district and state level, and most of the students sang in trios or quartets. One year several choir students went to the neighboring elementary schools and taught music to the younger students.
Our choir also went to the OSU Fall High School Festival at the Gallagher Hall. One year was the fateful event where the buses backed up to the building, filling it with noxious fumes. Many students had to go to the hospital from the thousands who were there. Perhaps someone from our school can recall the details of that incident. I believe we finally returned to Duncan about sunrise the next morning.
The highlight of our trips was singing at OU's old Holmberg Hall. I believe we may have performed Mozart's Requiem (or I don't really know--I bet Mr. Clinkscales knows!). Probably our dearly departed Emma Lee Tucker accompanied us on whatever it was we sang there.
I got to see Mr. Clinkscales at Saied Music Company in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the 80s at their summer music reading session for music teachers when I taught public school music in Oklahoma for 19 years. It was an honor to sit next to him and sing through the new choral music for the year.
As I learned since joining the 50th DHS reunion groups, Mr. Clinkscales was famous in World War II, as a survivor of Pearl Harbor Day. See this article that lists his name on the left:
Oklahomans recall Pearl Harbor horrors WWII Dec. 7, 1941, sneak attack by Japan lives on in survivors’ memories as their numbers shrink.
http://newsok.com/article/3423182
Here is Mr. Clinkscales' web page with his memories of WWII (great pictures):
http://pearlharborsurvivors.homestead.com/ClinkscalesAllen.html
I would love to see Mr. Clinkscales again when we have our 50th DHS Reunion. Can anyone arrange for that to happen?
