I’m a kid from Harlem who went to a Special Progress (SP) class at JHS 115, combining 7th and 8th grades into one year. In 9th grade, I was encouraged to take the entrance tests for Bronx Science, Stuyvesant, and Tech. I took all three exams but Tech won out because it had a fabulous pipe organ. I had taken pipe organ lessons since age 10 on a relatively small organ in an old Harlem church. Tech’s was the largest I had ever seen and I was hooked! So, I came to Tech and met Mr. Clifford Troxell in the Music department, who was in charge of the organ and also played it. He immediately became a mentor when he found I had been taking lessons. I also played the piano for the school glee club, which Mr. Troxell directed.
Besides music at Tech, I discovered a love for technical drawing/drafting courses with all their mechanical instruments. I thought about going out for track or basketball but couldn’t do everything and music was my first love.