Episode Details

A few nights ago I was sitting in a theater with my wife watching the movie, Yesterday, starring Himesh Patel and Lily James.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I do want to say I was completely affected by the nostalgia and its focus on the legacy of Beatles music. In fact, it brought back some vivid memories of two great men I admire and whose love of music influenced me – both who died prematurely. One was my oldest brother, Harvey, and the second was a veteran teacher colleague, Brooks Walton. I’d like to share some reflections and memories from their stories that may influence how you think about your own story:

Memory #1 : Learning Guitar

There is a scene in the movie where the main character, Jack Barth (played by Himesh Patel), is given a guitar as a gift after his was destroyed in a bus accident that almost killed him. When Jack opens the guitar case and pulls out his gift, he begins playing the iconic single, “Yesterday.”  It’s a poignant moment in the movie, but it also brought reminded me of my first guitar lessons.

When we were boys, my oldest brother, Harvey, found a guitar that had been gifted to another sibling who had never used it. He tuned it without knowing how and taught himself make-shift chords. One day a friend of his heard Harvey playing and taught him how to correctly tune it, and he learned chording all over again.

Later my brother taught me to play, and music has been one of the most important constants in my life. Even in junior high, I remember thinking if I had to lose a limb, I’d prefer not walking to the loss of my hands because of how much I enjoy playing piano and guitar.

In 2009, my oldest brother died of a heart attack. He was only 46-years old. The morning after his death, I was sitting at the old piano in my parents’ living room. I tried to pick out a melody but the sound of the notes reminded me of all the music we had played together: the long nights of jamming with friends, sitting around with family for sing-alongs, listening to one another share songs we had written. It was the moment when I cried the most bitterly that he was gone – not because I didn’t believe I’d never see him again in eternity – but because the world still seems lonelier and less spectacular in his absence.

Memory #2 : Using Music to Teach History

The second memory that came to me was of a teaching colleague, Brooks Walton, who passed away shortly after his retirement while I was principal at Skiatook High School. Mr. Walton was a legend among students and the entire community. He taught U.S. History, and for several years, he taught an elective on the 1960’s that was one of the most popular classes in the school.

Brooks Walton taught students that history has meaning, and he introduced many of them to that meaning through the songs of the Beatles. Each year he took students on a field trip to Dallas, Texas, where they toured the 6^th Floor, a museum located on the very corner of the place where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

At his retirement party, Mr. Walton hired a live band. I’ll never forget seeing him in his T-shirt and jeans, hands in the air, leading the entire room in “Hey, Jude.” When he died two years later, our school board changed the name of our newest building to the Brooks Walton Activity Center. His funeral was a standing-room-only event with friends and