Britany was just over a year old and there was no way I coul

Britany was just over a year old and there was no way I could support Kathy and Britany on an enlisted man’s wages. So, I was pursuing other alternatives, but in the mean time, I had to go to downtown Houston to submit to the degrading process of a cattle call physical.

The potential draftees gathered in a big room for some initial paperwork and a briefing on the process. To my surprise Nelson Hatt was there. I had met Nelson almost six years earlier on a visit to Charlie Helpinstill (Ezra Charles) as I evaluated Rice as a potential place to further my education. Nelson was two years older than I. He played trumpet in the Rice Owl Band. And did he play!!! His playing was astounding to me, a mediocre trumpet player. [Readers’ Digest of a longer tale: Nelson ended up as a professional musician playing studio calls in Hollywood.]

During our overlap time a Rice, he and became fast friends. He helped me with my trumpet technique. He got me a job at the Houston Speech and Hearing Center, replacing him as he left for grad school in Pittsburgh. We were roommates off and on. He got me my trumpet gig with Eloy Perez y su Latinos - a Mexican band playing in the Houston area. He was a great guy and a wonderful friend.