Dante and family friends wait for dedication ceremony to begin.
RE-DEDICATION OF THE AUGUSTA HIGH SCHOOL CARILLON BELL
WITH ROSEMARY CLOONEY MUSICAL CHIPS
Sunday, September 29, 2002 - 2:00 p.m. - Augusta, KY
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In the days after Rosemary's passing, Augusta residents banded together to try and pay fitting tribute to their friend and neighbor Rosemary. Because of her gift of music, they decided to honor her by purchasing new chips for the bell that sounds everyday at 4 and 7. These new chips, however, would have to be specially made for the Augusta High School Carillon, as they would play Rosemary songs. With in a very short time, 89 families had raised enough money to purchase 40 different Rosemary songs, each song costing $105. The songs include: Come On-A My House, Our Love is Here to Stay, Sisters and many others. Augusta residents, representatives of the Verdin Clock Company out of Cincinnati, and members of Rosemary's family gathered to re-dedicate the bell and the new musical chips in Memory of Rosemary. |
Dante and family friends wait for dedication ceremony to begin.
Dante visits with Ada, George and others.
Dante and a friend before before the ceremony begins.
George cleans his sun glasses and talks with one of his buddies.
Nick arrives for the ceremony.
The singing of our national anthem.
The crowd is lead in the opening prayer by one of the pastor's of
Augusta's churches.
Nina, Nick and Dante listen as Suzanne Sizer from the
Verdin Clock Company shares some background about the new chips.
Dante is awed as he listens to the details of how the 40 chips for
the carillon bell
were quickly paid for by 89 local families in the days after
Rosemary's passing.
Dante, Nick and Nina are presented with the commemorative plaque
"In Memory of Rosemary Clooney."
Nick thanks his neighbors and says that theirs is a family,
that because of where life has taken them,
they get accolades and get their names on plaques,
but that each time they accept these, they do it for everyone,
whose jobs don't take them to places that garner people's attention.
Dante listens to Nick speak on behalf of the family.
Nina joins Dante on the bench as they listen to Nick.
Nick recounts of how after he and Nina had lived in Augusta a
short time, Rosemary decided she wanted a home there too and Nina
made it happen. He recalled the joke played on Rosemary and Dante on
their first trip to town to their new home.
Spags wants to be included too, so he joins Nina and the man from
whom his name originated.
George listens to his dad speak.
Dante thanks everyone, and says that this is his new hometown.
If there were a board out, he'd do a little hoofin for them,
but next year for sure he'll dance.
He says that Augusta folks are just so friendly and are always
waving to each other,
he thinks he may developed a case of tennis elbow.
He says when Rosemary and he would come back to Augusta
from wherever they'd been, it was like therapy for them.
She's say, "this is it Dante," and he had to agree,
it's a wonderful place to live.
Nina listens to Dante.
He thinks that in these 40 chips, what they've got is
"Rosemary's Hit Parade."
The close the ceremony by singing "My Old Kentucky Home."