The North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 68, No. 91, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 28, 1985 Page: 4 of 8
eight pages : ill. ; page 22 x 15 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
By DAVID HOWARD
f ^ » ,T^ TZU&. ‘ZTUOetlT* AR£.
t /' W^«6 r° ™e 6*ou*,t> UK£
pl/es UJ irn me* <*
$pe//j6 F&e*-\'.\
r^b^-i'tocr*’ »Mi«r
Musical return
Alum resurrects stylish sax
ODESSA (AP)—Big Band saxophon-
ist Ray Bass, a music student at NT in
1941 and 1942, talked about resurrect-
ing his career and his neglected brass
saxophone.
Normally a quiet man, the 60-year-
old Bass glows with enthusiasm when
he reminisces about playing music with
the likes of Rosemary Clooney and Sam-
my Davis Jr.
Bass and his wife, 58-year-old Willie,
last week described those experiences and
Bass' plans to resume a stalled musical
career.
Bass, who has lived in Odessa for 26
years, grew up in Fort Worth. He said
he began taking saxophone lessons from
a violin teacher.
His grandmother who "was not partic-
ularly musical” arranged for the lessons
after she noticed the boy’s enjoyment of
a saxophone performance, he said.
His professional career began when he
was 12.
"We played badly,” Bass said with a
chuckle. "We were trying to play what
the 'big boys’ were playing.”
In the late '30s, Big Band sounds by
Benny Goodmann, Guy Lombardo, Artie
Shaw, Count Basie and Duke Ellington
topped the charts.
Bass played the popular music with a
band composed of three trumpets, two
trombones, four saxophones, a piano.
bass, drums and guitar.
His real interest lay in live perfor-
mances and traveling cross country to
appear in clubs like the Las Vegas Fla-
mingo.
He performed as a backup musician
for the headlining act of Rosemary
Clooney and Jack Benny at the Illinois
State Fair.
He remembered Benny “as nice a guy
as you’d ever run into. There were no
airs. Just a nice guy to be around.”
Miss Clooney, at the time, "was pret-
ty close to her peak in popularity,” Bass
said, although he said he noticed begin-
ning signs of a later nervous breakdown.
But the musician's personal favorites
were the Mills Brothers who still appear
in Las Vegas nightclubs, Bass said.
Mrs. Bass described the brothers as
“fun.”
“We used to party with them after
shows,” she said. And Bass recalled.
“They played pinochle all the time.”
Another favorite act was the Dan Row-
an and Dick Martin comedy routine,
traveling the nightclub circuit in the days
before their television stardom.
Along with accompanying major acts.
Bass played background music for vaude-
ville and comedy troupes such as the
“Hell’s a-poppin” show.
“You’d run into some funny acts. One
guy’s act was blowing up an inner tube
until it burst.” the musician said.
In another comedy routine. Bass said
an actor jumped to his feet in the middle
of an audience and screamed, "You rat,
you dirty rat! You've been chasing my
wife around!” Pointing a gun at what
looked at first to be another audience
member, the actor fired several blank
shots, then triumphantly lifted a stuffed
rat by the tail.
In 1957, Bass said, the here-a-week.
there-a-week musician’s life grew monot-
onous and he began concentrating on
playing clubs near Odessa, a town he
was introduced to and liked during a three-
month gig at the Ramblin' Rose club.
Interest in Bass’ big band sound grad-
ually faded, however, and the musician
said he turned to steadier work in sheet
metal layout, as supervisor of an animal
shelter and as an interviewer at the Texas
Employment Commission.
"It’s been 10 or 12 years since he's
played,” Mrs Bass said. “He just gave
it up. At the time they just wasn't buying
his kind of music around here. It had
gone strictly country and rock V roll.”
Laid off from a job at Permian Air
Conditioning last November, Bass said
he decided to return to music.
His wife described how the opening
of facilities such as the Odessa Hilton
and Holiday Inn Centre sparked his deci-
sion.
Although abuse of the elderly has exist-
ed for many years, little is known about
it, said Estella McNabb, caseworker at
the Department of Human Resources.
However, efforts to combat abuse have
gained momentum in recent years.
“More institutions are available now
to help the elderly than ever before,”
McNabb said. “We’re especially fortu-
nate in Denton because there are a lot of
good resources here. The Services Pro-
gram for Aging Needs (SPAN), for ex-
ample, provides transportation for elder-
ly people. If a person feels he is being
abused, he can call SPAN at 387-4341
and use the free transportation to seek
help.”
In his book, “Aging: Concepts and
Social Issues,” John R. Weeks listed four
types of abuse of the elderly: passive
neglect, active neglect, verbal or emo-
tional abuse and physical abuse.
McNabb said another type of abuse
that occurs frequently is financial abuse.
“Many times older people are tricked into
giving up their property or social securi-
ty checks.”
She said many elderly turn their prop-
erty over to guardians who are usually
sincere about helping. However, prob-
lems may arise when the elder person
no longer trusts the guardian and tries to
use power of attorney to regain his prop-
erty.
“One time I worked with a wealthy
elderly woman who signed several hun-
dred acres of land over to her daughter.”
McNabb said. “I explained to them my
job was not to settle their financial matters,
but to find out if abuse was present. Had
there been abuse in that case, I would
have told a county judge. He could exam-
ine the legal papers, and if necessary,
terminate the guardianship.”
Dr. Cora Martin, director of the Cen-
ter for Studies in Aging, said elders can
consult the Better Business Bureau in cas-
es of financial abuse. There are also legal
assistance groups that deal with finan-
cial and physical abuse.
“Than an may widow* who had nev-
er dealt with finances before their hus-
bands died,” she said.
Weeks' book said elderly abuse was
discovered in the hue 1970s by a House
select committee studying the issue. At
the committee's first briefing in 1979 in
Boston, social worker James Bergman
said he had seen a classic case of elder-
ly abuse.
He said a young married couple was
living with their child and the husband's
mother. The couple divorced and the man
left the wife to care for the child and
elderly woman. The wife, suffering from
alcohol problems, beat the elderly wom-
an and cashed her Social Security checks.
She also dumped the woman’s food on
the floor and made her eat it, Bergman
said.
A neighbor called the Visiting Nurse
Association in Boston and a nurse was
sent to the home. The elderly woman
was reluctant to ask for help but changed
her mind when the daughter-in-law re-
ceived an eviction notice. A court ordered
the young woman to move and the mother-
in-law received home care from a local
through a case worker.
In his book, Weeks said abusers are
often female and tend to have problems
with alcoholor drugs. Victims also tend
to be women with low- to middle-income
levels, especially those older than 75. Vic-
tims usually live with their abusers and
often have mental or physical disabilities.
agency.
Unfortunately, most cases of elderly
abuse are never reported, Martin said.
“That's why we know so little about it,”
she said. "We’ve only had a few years
to collect data.”
VICTIMS WHO report abuse are
often reluctant to take the next step and
prosecute.
McNabb said one reason for the reluc-
tance is abuse victims do not want to be
sent to nursing homes. "Many elderly
people are haunted by stories of neglect
about nursing homes. Most don't realize
there are other alternatives, such as con-
gregate homes, where elderly people are
given much more freedom.
“Other alternatives, frequently avail-
able in larger cities, are houses owned
by elderly people willing to share some
of their living space. These homes pro-
vide privacy and a personal atmosphere,”
McNabb said. “Former abuse victims can
meet periodically with former abusers
MARTIN SAID, "Many people are
abused by relatives or others who provide
daily care. They’re often put in stressful
situations and use abuse as an outlet. But
it’s not always physical abuse. Unfor-
tunately, mental abuse is much harder to
prove because there are no tests that can
reveal it.”
McNabb, who has been with the De-
partment of Human Resources since
November 1984, said she has received
reports of 15 abuse cases. “I’ve had
friends, relatives and neighbors of abuse
victims call in. But I haven't had a sin-
gle case of a victim who pressed charges.
“The Human Resources Code, passed
by the State Legislature, gives anyone
the authority to investigate possible abuse
cases. If they find the person is being
abused, they can get a court injunction
to separate the victim and the abuser.
But if there’s a life-threatening situation,
they should contact the police immedi-
ately,” McNabb said.
The Department of Human Resources
has a 24-hour toll-free hotline in Austin,
McNabb said. People who know of cases
of elderly abuse can call 1 -800-252-5400.
"People who ran the hotline relay mes-
sages to the county the victim lives in,"
McNabb said. “Once I’m notified of an
abuse case. I have 24 hours to contact
the victim. After that, the case stays open
for 30 days. I try to make victims aware
of SPAN and other programs that are for
their benefit.”
People who report abuse cases usual-
ly remain anonymous, McNabb said.
“They don’t have to give their name,
just the name and the address of the
victim. But if they do tell me their name,
it will not be divulged. A judge can order
me to tell him the name, but it can't be
on any written records.”
Group to present service awards
By DUJUANA TURNER
Daily Reporter
The Citation for Distinguished Service
to International Education will be pre-
sented for the first time next month.
“The citation is a means of recogniz-
ing the people who help keep interna-
tional education going.” said Dr. Edward
Rice-Maximin. chairman of the committee.
The citation winner must have per-
formed outstanding, distinguished or meri-
torious service to the international educa-
tion process, he said. This will be the
first year the citation has been presented
at NT.
It is intended to be the highest univer-
sity honor related to international educa-
tion, Rice-Maximin said.
A committee of faculty members, ad-
ministrators and students has been appoint-
ed to handle nominations for the Cita-
tion for Distinguished Service to Inter-
national Education.
The committee was appointed by NT
President Al Hurley and reports to Dr.
Robert Toulouse, provost and vice presi-
dent of academic affairs.
A plaque or certificate will be presented
to the citation winner at the Internation-
al Week luncheon April 10.
GET INVOLVED WITH
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Student Association
Elections April 9, 10
Petitions for pres., vice pres, and
representatives available March 26
to April 1 on the 4th floor of the Union,
Student Activities Center.
Piling opens March 26, closes April 1.
Student Association
Involvement Scholarship
$300 Scholarship
Requirements:
• junior standing, 2.75 GPA
• currently involved in two campus organizations
• have been involved in one campus wide or
community project
• provide 500 word essay to express thoughts on
the value of a balanced academic and social
education.
Applications available 4th floor Union,
Student Activities Center
NORTH TEXAS FORTY
STUDENT FOUNDATION
2?
Membership Selection
Open House—Sunday, March 31
7:30 p.m. Advancement Center
Applications may be
picked up in the Union
or from any NT 40 Member.
Apex
Vmon cincE3
WE HAVE PRESCRIPTION
RACKETBALL GOGGLES!
CALL TODAY!
• PRESCRIPTIONS FILLED • FRAMES REPAIRED
• LENSES DUPLICATED
111 WELCH STREET PH. 566-4795
ii
two tjtoctz
1 d(AJ<
Now Leasing
Luxury Apartments
For Summer
and Fall
ws
42S BERNARD 565-1411
4t)
4,1
‘ 4*
t
)
t
l
I
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
The North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 68, No. 91, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 28, 1985, newspaper, March 28, 1985; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth722956/m1/4/: accessed June 12, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.