One of my favorite people is no longer with us.  Maynard Ferguson passed away yesterday.  I grew up with the magnificent big band sounds of Maynard, Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Count Basie, Duke Ellington to name but a few.  Another thing that has disappeared, along with most of the big bands, is the great ballrooms I used to go to, to see them.  I remember dancing and listening to Maynard at the Val-Air ballroom in DesMoines.  At that time Maynard had a full size big band rather than the smaller groups of later years.  To me, both will be greatly missed - but not forgotten.

It occurs to me than quite a few of my favorite musicians and actors are from Canada.  Maynard, The Boss Brass, Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass, Robert Goulet, Oscar Peterson, Glenn Gould, Captain James T. Kirk (alias William Shatner), Hume Cronyn, Glenn Ford and Lorne Greene.  Those are people who come to mind and I know that there are many, many more.  One, whose music was not my cup of tea but without who New Year’s eve wouldn’t have been the same, is Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians.  To me, Guy was as much what New Year’s eve is all about and remembered for as the crystal ball coming down above Times Square.  Of course, there were the movies I enjoyed about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the radio program about the same.  Was it Captain Preston of the RCMP?  I think his dog’s name was King.  If that is not correct credit it to time catching up with me.

Many Canadian companies have good sized operations in Raleigh and the Research Triangle.  An article in the News and Observer said that there are at least 600 Canadians living in the Raleigh area.  I recently had the good fortune to work with a Canadian couple throughout the process of both looking for a home and subsequently building one in Raleigh.  I am now working with another great Canadian couple who will be building a very fine home in North Raleigh. May I just say - “Y’all come!” and welcome! 

John Fish  (919) 696-3474   Email: marvmax@mindspring.com   Web Site: www.JohnFish.com