With this entry, I'm going to wrap up special recollections of some departed friends who were big parts of my first ten years at Singing News. Naturally, I have to include George Younce who passed away in April of this year.
Words are not adequate to express what George Younce meant to the world of Southern Gospel Music. His laughter, his talent and his personal witness were great examples of what a Christian can be if one allows the Lord to take control of his or her life.
I'll always recall the day (and I'm sure that George had no recollection of this) that, as a nervous small-town DJ in Georgia, I was sent to a concert to interview the Cathedrals. This was my first interview with a major group and I had no idea of what to expect. I had grown up listening to George's singing, but I had never seen the group perform live, much less met any of the members.
I remember waiting for George to come into the building, my anxiety building by the minute. I had worried myself silly when George came over, introduced himself and he proceeded to lead me through an hour-long interview. It had to be the worst interview of my radio career. Not once did George try to shrug me off or end the interview. In fact, he'd say things intentionally to prompt questions. In other words, he was the one who actually conducted the interview.
In 1998 (I think), I went to Stow, OH, and did "At Home" interview and photo session with George and his wife. Just like the showman he was on stage, he was "on stage" during the day at his house. He was witty, full of life and fun (and as Clara said, full of himself!) and went out of his way to be the perfect host.
Until we got to his Coke machine.
George liked to collect anything related to Coca-Cola. And, in the corner of his kitchen, he had a geniune Coke machine, fully working and stocked with bottles of Coke. Ten cents for each bottle.
When I questioned him about the practice of charging guests for a drink, he - just as serious as he could - looked at me and said, "How do you think we paid for that bus out there? Besides, I am selling it at a discounted price."
Naturally, he would approve of Gerald Wolfe charging me 78 cents for a bottle of water from his bus refrigerator last week.
George let me off the hook by producing a roll of dimes from a kitchen drawer. He kept them handy for his grandkids and all visitors alike.
I had to send Gerald a check.
Anyway, George had a knack for making everyone feel important and welcome, regardless of their status, their occupation, anything at all. As we all know, George will probably be remembered as the greatest Southern Gospel stage general of all-time.
That says a lot when you consider the fact there have been several great ones. But, at least the most recent era of Southern Gospel, George was right up there at top.
Just like many of the others I've written about during this series, there will never be another George Younce. But his influence will be long felt -and Southern Gospel Music has been made much better by his involvement.
