| December, 2007 - Lots of good memories, but the weird one that comes to mind is when I went to Google and entered "Les Mills + Denton, TX". The first (and only really relevant) article that pops up is a page from the November, 2007, Machine's Pump by Carl Finch. If you haven't read it, go there ASAP by clicking here: Carl Finch on Les Mills . He describes the man, the studio, and the music with such accuracy and so much humor that you will almost feel that you have been there and done that. I worked for Les Mills in the seventies, probably not too long after the "4:00 pm organ concerts" had become history. He was a self-made man who had come to Denton after high school with only the shirt on his back. He earned a degree in music from what was then North Texas State Teachers College by working for local funeral homes, who also provided him housing (on site). I find it not unusual that, when he was one day able to design and build his own place, it became very much like a funeral home. Les established himself as a good business man by organizing a studio of local piano and organ teachers. For several years they were at the forefront of private music instruction in Denton. Their students included children of many local professors and Denton's two Miss America's. He established himself as a salesman by outfitting both universities with Baldwin pianos - in the days when the Baldwin name was still well-respected in musical circles. He purchased the fine old home at the southwest corner of College and North Locust, and his studios were located there and in a home just to the west. In the seventies he had two homes, cash in the bank, and inherited property in Mesquite that was estimated to be worth two million dollars. On the basis of this success local banks had no problem loaning him money to build his dream studio on the site of the second home. Les had developed a taste for nice things, so he hired the best architect to oversee the new project. He dreamed of owning a facility that would bring big city elegance to Denton - a place where the rich and famous would have weddings, receptions, and even organ concerts. The budget for decorating was unlimited, the old home south of his was torn down to create a parking lot, and when it was all done, the banks had loaned him much more than he was worth. At first this new venture met with some limited success. While I was there the facility hosted a wedding reception for Doc Severinsen's daughter and another reception for Bob Hope when he performed in Denton. In the meantime Les had given up his teaching studio, and Baldwin sales plummeted when the company changed hands and quality became an afterthought. He was faced with overwhelming debt and limited cash flow. Too proud to declare bankruptcy, he was eventually forced to leave his properties when the banks and creditors foreclosed. He sold organs and pianos in Ft. Worth for awhile and then moved to California. And now you know - the rest of the story. |