continued
Christmas, so Slaton waited until
the last possible moment to enroll in
school. But on Jan. 12, Slaton re
ceived notice that his unit had been
activated.
"It was almost a feeling of relief,"
he says. "I thought to myself, 'Al
right, now that I know what’s going
on, let’s get it done and over with.’
“I’ve got a job to do. I just want to
get over there, do it and get on with
my life.”
This attitude of courage and de
termination is shared by Slaton and
his friends. For many, it’s not only
an obligation but an opportunity to
serve their country.
Todd Champney, a sophomore
speech communications major,
says he wouldn’t hesitate to go ei
ther.
“When you’re a Marine, you give
your life to your country," he says.
“I know Gordon loves his country,
and that’s what he wants to do."
Michael Zanger, a junior political
science major, is disappointed to
see Slaton leave, but being a re
servist himself, he understands the
risks involved with the job.
"When you sign up for the re
serves, you know what you’re get
ting yourself into," Zanger says. "I
don’t think Gordon has any re
grets."
Maintaining his cool demeanor,
Slaton has no regrets of joining the
reserves and no second thoughts
about going to war. He joined the
reserves for several reasons, one of
which was camaraderie.
“I joined the Marine Corps be
cause I knew if anything ever hap-
_ pened like this situation in the Per-
* sian Gulf, I’d want to be with people
I know," says Slaton.
For Slaton, having confidence
and trust in his infantry Marine unit
is easy.
“The better the people, the better
the chance you have of coming
through,” says Slaton. “We may just
be in the reserves and working part
time, but we're not amateurs.”
Yet before Slaton, an English ma
jor, can get on with his life, he must
finish “taking care of business.”
Business that includes last-minute
shopping, finalizing his withdrawal
papers from the University and writ
ing his will.
“Wills are a big deal,” says Sla
ton, “for anyone who has anything.”.
And as if it weren’t a big deal, he
says “wills are just normal procedu
re.”
The normality of such a process
brings tears to the eyes of his
friends, family and fiancee. They,
like Slaton, try to remain strong and
supportive. But just as it is difficult
to hide in the desert, it is difficult for
them to conceal their feelings.
“I don't want him to go,” says
Tania Fauquet, his fiancee. She
thinks back around Christmas time
when he proposed marriage, and
her fears of never seeing him again
surfaced.
"When we left for Christmas
break, I resigned to myself that I
probably wouldn’t see him again,”
Fauquet says.
In the past few days, she’s been
spending a lot of time with Slaton ,
cherishing every moment together
and trying not to worry.
“You reach a time when there’s
nothing left to say to one another.
You want to say something, but just
don’t know what.”
Top: Gordon Slaton sorts and packs his belongings after be
ing called up to serve in the Persian Gulf War. Above: Sla
ton's Corps of Cadets uniform hangs side-by-side with his
U.S. Marine Corps uniform in his closet
Fauquet joined Slaton on his trip
to Houston Tuesday. But before he
left, his friends took the opportunity
to shake his hand and wish him
good luck.
As he loaded the last bags into
his car, Gordon Slaton turned to
them and in an optimistic voice
said, "See you guys next year.”
page 10
January 24,1991
sSutypvou
w
Festival Hill:
secluded getaway
for music lovers
By John Mabry
Phelan M. Ebenhack
The grand concert hall at Festival Hill stands amongst the well-manicured grounds.
Imagine herds of cattle
grazing on green, rolling hills as
strains of Mozart and Beethoven fill
the air. Although it sounds like a
scene right out of an 18th century
painting, the sights and sounds of
one of America’s premier classical
music institutes beckons from, sur
prisingly, only an hour drive away.
Known as Festival Hill, the insti
tute is located in the tiny town of
Round Top (population 87), and
was founded 20 years ago by the
internationally recognized concert
pianist James Dick.
In 1971, when Dick began to
build his vision of an aesthetically
pleasing, tranquil and inspiring
place of musical study, Festival Hill
was little more than a few acres that
served as, of all things, the town
garbage dump.
With the aid of talented Round
Top craftsmen and designers, the
site is now a place of such out
standing natural and architectural
beauty that it is difficult to imagine
its humble beginnings.
The most outstanding architec
tural attraction of the festival peeks
out over the countryside from miles
away —the large European-
inspired, cupola-crowned concert
hall. Designed by area architects
under the supervision of Dick, the
presently uncompleted hall will
someday be a richly detailed work
of art, capable of seating 1,200
people.
Other architectural gems on the
site include the Clayton House,
now a permanent residence for
Dick and his staff, and the Menke
House, which serves as guest
quarters and as a dining facility.
Both homes are exquisitely re
stored area residences whose lav
ishly detailed exteriors and interiors
are a rich offering of German-Texan
and Gothic architecture.
A portion of the Menke House,
for example, serves as a study of
the wood-inlaid ceilings, candela-
bras and Gothic arches that are
planned for the concert hall.
The interior of the Clayton House
typifies the festival's eclectic ap
proach to design, one of its trade
marks. The woodwork on the ceil
ing of the parlor, for example, was
inspired by th'e geometric design
on a glass plate.
A large collection of antique fur
nishings, another passion of Dick’s,
fills both homes.
Other structures added to the
site over the years include a Rus
sian gazebo and a swimming pool,
as well as an abundance of intrica
tely designed landscaping.
Although the physical structures
of Festival Hill are an attraction in
themselves, they enhance an envi
ronment seriously and primarily de
voted to the art of musical study
and performance.
Each summer, Festival Hill offers
advanced training to a limited num
ber of approximately 80 accom
plished musicians worldwide. Par
ticipants undergo intensive study
under Dick and a host of other dis
tinguished faculty and also perform
for the public.
“I feel Festival Hill was meant for
a number of reasons,” Dick said.
“The most important being that it
becomes a significant factor in a
talented person’s music educa
tion.”
The chamber, vocal and orches
tral repertoire includes, classical
music or “continuing music” from
Early Music to works by 20th Cen
tury composers.
Many internationally famous
classical musicians have taught
and performed at the institute since
its inception, including conductor
Heiichiro Ohyama, principal violist
of the Los Angeles Philharmonic;
Martin Lovett, founding member of
the Amadeus Quartet; and cele
brated cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who made
his Texas debut at Festival Hill.
The festival has, in fact, been
critically acclaimed as the place to
hear “not just the top orchestral
players of the next decade, but the
first-rank soloists.”
Richard Royall, information di
rector for the institute, said its ac
cessibility to musicians of this qual
ity is one of the unique attributes of
Festival Hill.
"On an evening when we feature
three different performers, our ad
mission price is $7.50,” he said.
"Any place else, such as New York,
you would have to pay at least $20
to hear just one of the performan
ces.”
In addition to accessibility, Texas
hospitality is another strong attrac
tion of the festival. Rather than “art
ists” removing themselves from the
public, Kansas-born Dick and his
staff warmly greet old friends and
newcomers as welcome guests in
the distinctly casual atmosphere
they call home.
But the public certainly is.not the
only beneficiary of the offerings of
Festival Hill.
Pianist Sid Norris was one of the
original artists to study in Round
Top in 1971, and he recently paid a
return visit to the site he visited dur
ing his college summers.
"Although it has been 20 years, I
still have such fond memories of
this place,” he said. “Part of it was
the setting, the pastoral beauty
away from the grind and the rat
race. So many creative urges
spring from being closer to nature,
and I personally found the bucolic
setting a great inspiration to my
work as a musician. And, being
back after so long, I can see every
thing that has been created is in
harmony with what was here befo
re.”
In addition to the summer train
ing and performance program,
Festival Hill also features an Early
Music festival in May; in August, a
music education program for Texas
school teachers is held.
The next Festival Hill perfor
mance is part of the institute's Au-
gust-to-April series, which features
one concert and evening classic
film each month.
James Dick will perform piano
works by Beethoven, Chopin and
Schubert at 3 p.m. Saturday. The
cost of admission is $7.50 per per
son.
A $30 optional gourmet dinner
will be served in the Menke House
following the concert.
An overnight accommodations
package also is featured, which in
cludes lodgings, a concert ticket,
the evening film and breakfast. The
price is $50 per person for a studio
room and $60 for accommodations
in the Menke house.
For more information or reserva
tions, which are required for the
concert, call the institute at (512)
249-3129 or write Festival-Institute,
P.O. Box 89, Round Top, Texas,
78954.
page/
Life Style magazine