Press Release
Celebrate/Commemorate
Waterloo Remembers
Co-chairs: Jane Shaffer, 315-539-3353
Dave Duprey, Village Trustee 315-539-9010
WATERLOO - Almost every holiday has its song - "White Christmas" and
"Easter Parade" are classics. But somehow a song for Memorial Day has
been missing. Until now.
Visitors to Celebrate/Commemorate in Waterloo had an
opportunity to hear the world premiere of "Memorial Day," and meet the
composer, Tony Mullins of Sarepta, Louisiana. The song pays tribute to
the "men who stood tall with pride", who met the call when duty beckoned
and "all gave some, some gave all."
Mullins' song was be performed at the opening event of
Celebrate/Commemorate, "Remembering Memorial Day" in Fatzinger Hall of the Waterloo Library on East Williams St.
Mullins also will talk about the Civil War from the Southern
perspective. Admission is free, but donations are graciously accepted.
It also was featured at the Veterans concert in the Main Street
School auditorium following the parade on Saturday.
Mullins, 45, is a history teacher at the Sarepta K-12 school. He coaches
girls' basketball and softball, and works with the quiz bowl team. He
has served as an alderman - like a village trustee - in his town for the
past 10 years. He tends his 37.5-acre spread with a large pond stocked
with 3,000 Louisiana catfish which local kids like to try to catch. He
attends the local Baptist church. And he writes songs.
About a year and a half ago, Mullins started composing songs, mostly for
his church. His minister often asks for a song for a special occasion.
Last year, the minister asked if Mullins had a song for Memorial Day.
Mullins had never heard of a Memorial Day song, so he set out to fill
the void. Riding around on his tractor where, Mullins said, he gets his
ideas, the words just came to him.He wrote them down and showed them to
his wife, Carol.
"It was easy, really, " Mullins recalled. "The whole thing took about 15
minutes." This song pays tribute to the "men who stood tall with pride"
and met the call when duty beckoned and "all gave some, some gave alll.
Mullins took the song to the leader of the church choir, who immediately
had the melody down. The men's gospel quartet performed the song in
church last year. And that could have been the end of the story.
Except that Mullins sent a copy of the song to the Waterloo village
office, where Trustee Dave Duprey heard it. Duprey is co-chair of the
annual Memorial Day observance, Celebrate/Commemorate, in the village
that is the Birthplace of Memorial Day. The words, "We remember those
departed on this Memorial Day" were the musical version of this year's
Celebrate/Commemorate theme, "Waterloo remembers." The chorus, "all gave
some…some gave all" is part of the guidelines for the student essay
contest.
"It gave me goosebumps," Duprey confessed. He was already picturing a
video with scenes of local veterans and Memorial Day events that
illustrated the words to the song. He contacted Mullins to ask if the
song could be used for Celebrate/Commemorate. Mullins agreed.
A series of e-mail messages followed, and soon Mullins had agreed to
come to Waterloo with his family - wife, Carol; daughter Beth, 19 and in
college; and son Adam, 16, a high school sophomore - to participate in
the annual festivities.
"We are honored and delighted to have Tony Mullins and his family as our
special guests," Duprey said. "And we are very excited about introducing
the Memorial Day song and video to the world in the Birthplace of Memorial Day."
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