Charles Duke
October 2, 2000

Former Castleberry Choir Director Speaks to Historical Society

Mr. Duke was greeted with much applause, to which he responded by singing and playing "Memories" and worked the words "River Oaks" into the song. He said that since retiring in 1993, he had not been back to River Oaks much, but he was a part of the 100th anniversary of Castleberry Schools in 1998, when 242 of his former students took the stage at Castleberry High to present a program of several of their favorite and often-performed songs from earlier years. He stated it was a wonderful weekend of celebrating. Many of us were there for that celebration and remembered how great the huge choir sounded. The Battle Hymn of the Republic" had always been one of their standards and it was a stirring rendition they gave during that day's performance.

He shared with us that along with his 40-year career of teaching at Castleberry, he had also been involved in church music for 53 years, having started when he was a teenager. He has been the organist/choir director at First Christian Church in downtown Fort Worth for 32 years and many of his former students are now members of his choir. Prior to that, one of his church positions was organist choir director for several years at River Oaks Methodist Church before it was called River Oaks United Methodist. Following retirement, he became the organist at Greenwood Funeral Chapel, which he says is a ministry of comfort to the bereaved which he finds rewarding.

Charles told us about growing up in the Riverside area, graduating from Carter Riverside High and receiving a music scholarship to Texas Wesleyan, where he graduated in 1953. His plan was to go to the seminary or to go to TCU and get his Master's degree. However, the Dean of the School of Fine Arts at Texas Wesleyan University asked him to go to River Oaks and have an interview with a lady named Irma Marsh who wanted to speak to him about a teaching position. Charles told him he was not interested in teaching and did not want to go. The Dean candidly reminded him that he HAD given him a full scholarship to TWU. (This brought one of the many good laughs of the evening.) So... he reluctantly visited Mrs. Irma Marsh in her little office, which was at that time in Castleberry Elementary School. He said he knew immediately that he was in the presence of someone special. She told him she needed a young man to teach choir and band at what was then Irma Marsh Junior High and to help bring boys into the music program, which seemed at that time to target only girls.
In spite of realizing what a unique person she was, he told her he was not interested in teaching and had other plans. However, the conversation continued and Mrs. Marsh offered him a starting salary of $5,700, which he said sounded the same as a million dollars. The offer was accepted in August of 1953, and the history of one of the most fantastic music programs in the State of Texas was begun. Little did Mrs. Marsh, Castleberry Schools or the City of River Oaks realize that their choir would sing for presidents, governors, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, international conventions such as Kiwanis and Lions, visit Mexico, Canada and 43 states, including Hawaii, and sing in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, which he called "a life-changing experience." The choir sang at the White House and from New York City to San Francisco .

Mrs. Marsh had special plans for the junior high, which included three bands, playing for pep rallies and marching at football games, and two choirs. In 1957, Charles approached Mrs. Marsh with the request that the choir go on an overnight trip to sing for a certain event and this was approved by the School Board. This may have been one small step for Castleberry Schools, but it was a giant step for the future music programs, for 11 years later... Well, I'm getting ahead of myself.  In 1959, Castleberry High School opened and Charles Duke moved to the high school. Mrs. Marsh gave him the choice of heading up the choir program or band and he chose the choir, another milestone in the school's musical history. Very quickly, they felt they needed a fight song for the high school football team. The students were asked by Mr. Duke to help in the writing of it. It took them a week to fmalize the words and music and we are still singing the same fight song today. Then Mrs. Marsh wanted an Alma Mater written and it was written in the same manner and received the blessing of the School Board and the City Council. The beautiful song is sung at football games, graduation and other school functions.

Charles and his choirs did many programs for schools, churches and community events and they began to take tours throughout the United States   . As I said earlier, a lot happened between that first overnight trip the junior high took in 1957 and 1968, for it was then that Mrs. Marsh found herself in Hawaii with the choir. She took a number of trips with them before her retirement and was always extremely proud of them. She had every reason to feel such pride because Charles said the students always acted like ladies and gentlemen. They respected one another and believed in what they were doing. They took over 30 tours through the years.

The high school choirs gave a number of operettas, but in 1967, they gave their first Broadway musical, the popular Rodgers and Hammerstein "Oklahoma." Jeanne Adkison was in the first musical, as was Teresa Murphy, who came to the Historical Society meeting that night, also, to hear Charles Duke speak. Before Charles retired, his choirs had produced 36 musicals, ending his retirement year once again with "Oklahoma," which had been one of their favorites. They sometimes did two musicals a year. Charles said the kids did it all themselves, learning how to order the musical scores, paint scenery and how to beg and borrow props. The first night of their first musical, the production started quite late because so many people were attending and could not find enough parking around the high school. Through the years, they played to packed auditoriums all of the time.

Charles told many stories about the choir's performances. One interesting and amusing one involved a visit to Fort Worth by the Baroness Marie von Trapp, who married the Austrian widower, Baron Georg von Trapp, in 1927, and took over raising his nine children, whom she adored. She brought a great amount of musical education into a family that was already musically gifted. Soon they became the singing von Trapp Family. When German forces took over Austria, the von Trapps made the sad decision to leave their native land and move to America. They settled in Vermont, bought a lodge and went into the hotel business while touring and singing all across the country. One of the children still runs the lodge today. Of course, the musical, "The Sound of Music" was based on their lives. After the death of her husband and the children being out on their own, the Baroness became a missionary and traveled a lot. She was being honored at a banquet at Green Oaks Inn and the choir was to sing. Charles described their beautiful costumes and the girls were wearing very high-heeled pointed-toe shoes. They had been standing for quite a while before the program, gave a nice lengthy musical presentation and then the Baroness, who was to speak for 10 minutes, spoke for one hour and 12 minutes -- while the choir was still standing. He said she was so charming that they were mesmerized in spite of having to stand so long and it was one of their special memories.

Another very special memory was their invitation to Salt Lake City to visit one of the rehearsals of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir prior to a European tour they had scheduled. The choir got to sit in on the rehearsal and the MTC asked them to sing. After the Castleberry Choir sang, they were invited to come and stand in the center of the MTC and they all sang together, which was a very moving experience.
In 1975, they recorded the first Christmas album and it sold as a fundraiser for the choir. I am sure I still have one of those packed away, no longer able to play it because of our more sophisticated tape and CD players, but I remember it and others that followed as being truly first class.

Charles taught many second generation students whose parents had been in his choir. He laughed and said he decided not to teach the third generation. At some points, he had 275 kids in five choirs each day and often came to the school seven days a week taking care of rehearsals and meetings. He said he had fun every day and loved every one of his students. He stated he would be eternally grateful for the support and sacrifice of the parents and the community and that he will never forget that their support was not just for choir or band or athletics, but for education. Charles Duke closed the program by saying he is the man he is today because of his Christian parents and because of what this community did for him. He paid special tribute to three women in his life who shaped his character and his thinking and these were his mother, his high school choir director and Irma Marsh. In closing, he played "You'll Never Walk Alone," a favorite of all of his choirs and certainly a favorite of those present. We left that evening knowing we had been privileged to walk down memory lane with a very special gentleman.