Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 1952)
Will Play for "Island Interlude" . . . Jurgens' Band Career Began with a Firing By Gretchen Grondahl One way to start a dance or chestra is to get fired from the high school band. That’s how Dick Jurgens, whose orchestra plays Saturday night; for the annual Senior Ball, happened to organize his first dance band. Theme for the formal ball, scheduled for 9 p.m. in the Student Union ballroom, is “Island Inter lude.” Decorations, programs and promotion will carry out the South Seas-Hawaiian motif-- . ~ Secret Band Formed The high school band ? It was on our own West Coast—Sacramento high school in California—and Jur gens and several other members occasionally doubled in a secret dance orchestra. When the classi cally-minded school bandleader ac cidentally walked in on a rehearsal of a “jazz” number one day, he fired all the players, Jurgens among them. The rebuffed Jurgens immedi ately organized his own dance band and the following summer played at a Lake Tahoe summer resort. There the manager of San Francisco’s St. Francis hotel heard Jurgens and his boys, offered them a job, and they were on their way. Jurgens Starred as Trumpeter But Jurgens didn’t start out as leader; it took another weird acci dent to put him in that spot. He was working as a sideman trump eter when he was involved in an auto accident. Result: a smashed lip that took over two years to heal, and the end of trumpet-play ing for awhile. Undaunted, Jur gens exchanged his trumpet for a baton. “There was nothing intentional in my method," says Jurgens. “I’m not grateful for having been in that accident. But it was respon sible for my taking the leap, so I’m not sorry it happened.” Family Formed Orchestra Jurgens’ interest in music dates way back to the days when he, his I brother and sisters had their own family orchestra. Reminiscing Sac ramento residents claim they could hear the Jurgens kids two blocks away—and Jurgens admits today that their first musical organiza tion made up in volume what it lacked in virtuosity. In those days, some 25 years ago, Dick played trumpet, his 1 brother Will doubled on saxophone and clarinet, his sister Ruth played violin and sister Elsa was at the piano. Marriage, Job Break-up Group Will has long since ^Iven up the saxophone to take over the full time job of managing Dick’s band; Ruth and Elsa, still in Sacramento, gave up music to marry an under taker and a florist, which they con sider a much more satisfactory ar rangement. Music wasn’t the only interest in the bandleader's life, however; football and radio engineering gave it a close race. Jurgens had been a star at Sacramento’ Junior r College for two years, and was about to enter the University of California (primarily to play foot ball, he confesses) when he was of fered the band job at the St. Fran cis. Music won out. Broken Skylight, Retired * Radioman The radio idea suffered an early setback in Jurgens' junior high school days. As a part-time work er in a radio store, he was instal ling an aerial in a customer's home while precariously balanced on a shaky ladder. The ladder gave way and Jurgens fell through the skylight into a clothes closet on the floor below. The closet was locked from the outside and young Jurgens was a prisoner until the tenant of the apartment returned several hours later and released him. Radio Technician in Marines At the instigation of his mother, Jurgens temporarily retired from the radio business. He never got over his liking for radio, however; and his knowledge of it came in handy during the war, when he served in the Marines as a radio technician. When he got out, he constructed his own recorder and public ad dress system, valued at $7,000, which he uses on the road, for auditioning new talent and to test new recording arrangements. Tickets for the ball are now on sale in men's living organizations through the social chairmen and will go on sale in 'the Co-op and Student Union Wednesday. CLASSIFIED Place your ad at the Student Union, main desk or at the Shack, in person or phone ext. 219, between 2 and 4 p.m. Monday to Friday. Rates: First insertion 4c per word; subsequent insertions 2c per word. • FOR SALE 1941 BUICK 5-pass, Special. Ex cellent rubber. Newly rebuilt front end. Good clean condition throughout. $350. 2155 Kincaid, evenings. Call 5-9809. 83 • MISCELLANEOUS TYPING—Thesis typed at reason able prices. Richards Secretarial Service, 1396 Willamette. Phone 5-0845. tf • LOST SWITCHED GREY topcoat about 3 weeks ago at S.U. Faye Brock man tag inside. See Jim Jolly. Stan Ray Hall. 83 NIGHT STAFF Editor: Paul Keefe. Staff: Norma Hamilton, Bobbet te Gilmore. i Tasty and Inexpensive LUNCHEONS From 40c up DINNERS 95c SOUP, SALAD, MEAT, VEGETABLE, DESERT, COFFEE FRESH DAILY — EXCELLENT PASTRY AND CAKES FOR YOUR COFFEE HOURS AND TO TAKE OUT OUR MOTTO: GOOD FOOD AT REASONABLE PRICES COLLEGE SIDE INN 889 E. 13th Ave. Honor Committee Finds Students Favor Totality (Continued from pa, e jnt) basis of a conversation with three friends at Stanford, that the sys tem wasn't working there, in that (It students were still cheating, (2) the code was violated in “take home" tests, (3l students wouldn't report on each other and (4) stu dents weren't admitting that the system didn't work because they didn't want to lose their opportu nity to cheat under It. Stanford Survey Due Committee members thought the opinion of three HtudcntH an Inade quate sampling of the Stanford student body. A survey on cheating is being taken at Stanford at the present time and results of that survey will be mailed to the committee iih noon n.i possible. The long-awaited final report of the honor code committee will be in the hands of the senate for ap proval or disapproval at Its next meeting, l‘'eb. 28. The committee was appointed late last fall term to investigate the possibility of in stalling an honor system at Ore gon. COMPARE FATIMA with any other KING-SIZE cigarette 1 FATIMA filters the smoke 85 millimeters for your protection. 2 FATIMA’S length cools the smoke for your protection. 3 FATIMA’S length gives you those extra puffs — 21% longer. AND you get an extra-mild and soothing smoke-plus the protection of UAL1TY Compare Fatima with any ether King-Size cigarette. If you're not convinced Fatima is better, return pack and unsmoked Fatimas by Aug. 1, ’52 for money back plus postage. Fatima, Box 37, New York 1, N.Y. "f Copyright 1932, Liggett & Mvtns Tobacco Co.