Sept. 14
Some of the very best lines came toward the
end of the September Mark Medoff tribute, “Far From Finished” at New Mexico State University’s
Center for the Arts.
One was from the man of the hour himself.
“Now, you don’t have to come to my funeral,”
Mark quipped, after a gala dinner and some fast-paced hours that included a
full Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra with conductor Lonnie Klein in white tie and
tails, Debra Knapp’s NMSU dancers, a 60-member chorus and lots of celebrity
appearances and film clips that reminded us just how impressive Medoff career
has been. Performers included Mark’s daughter, Jessica Medoff Bunchman and her
childhood amigo Don Groves (both grew up to be professional touring opera
singers.)
If the tears glistening from center stage
were any indication, Mark’s personal fave performance of the evening might have
come from granddaughter Grace Marks, who delivered a brave and moving rendition
of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
There was a lot of family in the show, which
featured tributes to Medoff’s wife and “love of my life” Stephanie and their
three daughters Debra, Rachel and Jessica, sons-in-law and grandchildren, including
the newest, little Hope Elizabeth, born with major challenges, but clearly
gifted when it comes to giving and receiving love.
In fact, conversations at the gala
after-party indicated that the Medoffs greatest achievement over a long and
stellar career may well have been nurturing a close, loving and amazingly
functional family while navigating life in a notoriously dysfunctional
business.
Their decision to remain in Las Cruces was
lauded and was cited by many at the benefit (which featured a lot more toasting
than roasting) as a factor in the Medoff’s extraordinary relationship with
immediate and extended family. And that family seems to include much of Southern New Mexico and points north, south, east and
west.
Which brings us to one of the other greatest
lines of the evening, from superachiever writer-producer Don Foster (his
credits include “Roseanne,” “Big Bang Theory,” “Two and a Half Men,” “Dharma
& Greg” and “Mike and Molly.”)
Foster described himself as “a scruffy
under-achiever from Alamogordo”
when he became a theater major at NMSU and studied with Medoff.
He said Mark inspired his students to “walk
the walk and talk the talk,” and led by his own example.
Foster noted that Mark always maintains he
gets as much back as he gives when it comes to teaching and mentoring students.
“I have to tell you, that’s mathematically
impossible. There are thousands of us,” Foster said.
Lately, I’ve been celebrating two decades
here myself and reflecting on what makes Las Cruces my quenencia, that special
hard-to-translate concept that, as I have come to understand it, is a
person-place bond that is comparable to a soulmate relationship.
There’s something about the land, the
climate, the history, our unique blend of art, agriculture and academia, alma y corazon that
attracts, retains and nurtures some of the most remarkable souls I’ve
encountered on this planet. And those extraordinary souls have made
outstanding, world-class contributions in an amazing variety of fields. Many
have considerably lower profiles than the Medoffs, but all seem to have some
interesting characteristics in common, including a desire to share their
knowledge and talents to teach, mentor and nurture others.
We’ve all heard cynical comments about big
frogs in small ponds.
The Medoffs and their world-class ilk are
something different: examples of what happens when big frogs make the big time,
and instead of moving on to settle permanently in the Big Apple or Hollywood,
decide to stay and live in smaller ponds and help inspire generations of
pollywogs to grow and develop their own talents.
S.
Derrickson Moore may be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news, @DerricksonMoore on
Twitter and Tout, or call 575-541-5450.
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