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GregStevens,Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor EDITORIALBOARD How to have your say: Letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and no more than two double-spaced pages or 500words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section will be published. Email: editor@ redbluffdailynews.com Fax: 530-527-9251 Mail to: P.O. Box 220, 545 Diamond Ave., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @REDBLUFFNEWS About18monthsago,the wife and I were quietly enjoy- ing a wonderful Friday eve- ning dinner at the delightful New Asian res- taurant. It was no special event, just something we often do when the Social Security check comes in. Any- way, about the time I was fin- ishing the last bite of my egg roll, friend Lou Bosetti walked up to the table and suggested that if we were to maximize its artistic potential, the State Theatre needed to acquire a suitable piano. To be honest, I was more in- terested in what my fortune cookie had to say than what Lou had to say. Until I heard out of the corner of my ear Lou saying that he, along with sev- eral friends, might be willing to foot the bill for a piano if we could find one suitable for the State Theatre. After wiping off the last traces of sweet and sour sauce from my chin, I swallowed hard and suggested to Lou that such a piano might cost as much as $10,000. Lou, swal- lowing even harder, suggested we find a suitable piano and get back to him with the cost. Theater board member and musician Andre Shuetz was given the task to not only de- termine what size piano was needed for the theater, but how much we might expect to pay for said piano. Imagine my surprise when Andre reported back that for an auditorium such as ours we would need at least a seven- foot grand piano costing as much as $75,000, if purchased brand new. Imagine my surprise when a few days later Andre reported that he had located a "better than new" seven-foot $85,000 Schimmel grand piano sitting in a Wisconsin music store, with a surprisingly reasonable ship to Red Bluff price. Imagine my surprise when upon sharing this news with Lou Bosetti I heard him say, "Get it out here. We'll get the money somewhere." Imagine my surprise when within 60 days the follow- ing folks collectively contrib- uted the entire amount for the very best piano north of San Francisco: Lou Bosetti, Harry Dudley, Mark Garstang, Janis Knight, Mel Oldham, Carmel Growney, Bill Cornelius, Frank Spanfelner, Red Bluff Kiwanis Club, Harlan Warwick, David Spanfelner, Gary Napier, Jane Flynn, Dennis Murray, Rich- ard Forward daughters, Larry Champion, Gretchen Sher- man, Fred Ehrensvard, Tom Wulfert, Mike Growney, Ron Clark, Debra Franseth, An- dre Schuetz, Bill Ellison, John Growney and Bev Zumalt. We thank you one and all. Lou Bosetti was correct. Ev- ery performing arts venue needs a suitable piano. Tomor- row evening, Sept. 17, at 7:30 the State Theatre will host world-famous classical pianist Soheil Nasseri. Nasseri has performed in many of the world's most pres- tigious concert halls in Ber- lin, London, Tokyo and Flor- ence, not to mention almost all major cities throughout the United States. A special musi- cian on a special piano. What more can you ask for? Tickets available at the door. •••• A couple Thursdays back, I joined long time Tehama Con- cert Series member Lois Neely and its treasurer Everett Mc- Donough for lunch in order to discuss the rich history of the series. What a rich history it is. Other than during three years during World War II (1941-1944), this association has been bringing fine musical arts to Tehama County since 1938. During this 78-year run, nearly 300 high quality concerts have come to Tehama County cour- tesy of the series. It is interesting that for the first 60 years of its existence, the association operated un- der the umbrella of Columbia Pictures, Inc., with that orga- nization being responsible for selecting and routing concert performers to Tehama County. It was not until calendar year 2000 that the local associa- tion declared its independence and seceded from Columbia's sphere of influence. In concert with Columbia's participation, members of the Tehama County community have always governed the as- sociation. The first president of the organization in 1937 was a gentleman by the name of G. R. Milford, manager of the PG&E Shasta Division. Other mem- bers of that initial board of di- rectors included Carl Coleman, Mrs. T.F. Robinson, Mrs. George Hoag, Mrs. C.D. Conway, Mrs. Arthur Hearn, W.E. McClure, Mrs. Fred Godbolt, C.C. Berke- ley and Mrs. W.F Hale. As with most successful op- erations, the series has been blessed to have exceptional leadership during its long and rich history. Organization pres- idents over the past eight de- cades include: G.R. Milford, Carl Coleman, Robert Minch, Leigh Smith, William Dalby, Ed Dietz, Les Bodine, Howard Par- sons, Marvin Locke and cur- rent president Micah Stetson. For the first 25 years of its existence, the performing arts auditorium in the stately old Red Bluff High School multi- story building served as home to series concerts. When it burned to the ground in 1963, the sense of loss felt by the en- tire community was signifi- cant. Having grown up across the street from the school and having been a member of the very last graduating class edu- cated in that building, my own sense of loss was strong. In the aftermath of this dev- astating fire, the series began to hold performances in the high school gymnasium and in area churches, principally the First Church of God, while hop- ing to find a more permanent venue within the community. When the new Performing Arts Center was completed on the Red Bluff High campus in 1990, it was hoped that it might serve as the new home for se- ries concerts. Unfortunately, scheduling, parking issues and other outside influences kept that from materializing. Fortunately, the State The- atre reopened its doors as a per- forming arts venue shortly after the turn of this century. With very few exceptions, the State Theatre has been the home of the series for the past decade. The 2015-2016 Tehama Con- cert season begins this Sunday evening, Sept. 20, at the State Theatre with the appearance of the Guy Mendilow Ensemble. This is an award-winning quin- tet with members hailing from Israel, Palestine, Argentina, Ja- pan and the UK. While individual tickets for this special evening can be pur- chased at the door for $30, I would suggest folks consider becoming a member of the Te- hama Concert Series for the ri- diculously low cost of $60. Be- ing a member will not only al- low complimentary entrance to this initial concert, but to a total of six quality concerts in the current season, an av- erage of just $10 per concert. For more information, call 727- 8727 or visit www.TehamaCon- certSeries.Org. BillCorneliusisalifelong resident of Red Bluff. He can be reached at bill.cornelius@ sbcglobal.net. William Tells Enjoyagrand evening at the State Theatre Cartoonist's take Boy, are people staying single in huge numbers these days. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the pro- portion of one- person house- holds increased from 17 percent in 1970 to 27 per- cent in 2012. In 1990, there were roughly 23 mil- lion one-person households. That number jumped to 32 million in 2011. In 1960, only one in 10 adults had never been married. By 2012, that number jumped to one in five. And, as a still-single per- son, I'm not sure the increase in single households is such a grand thing. I feel guilty about it sometimes. My mother was only 19 when she married — my parents are heading into their 60th year of marriage — and she and my father believed that raising a family was what their life was about. To date, they have been blessed with six children, 17 grandchildren and nine great- grandchildren. Heck, when my father was my age, he was working ev- ery hour of overtime he could to put kids through college and pay for weddings, while Mom did everything she could to minimize household expenses. They never did much for themselves; their kids always came first. But fewer of us live this way today. No, we stay single — or get divorced and become sin- gle again. We are free to con- sume ourselves with meaning- less details: Should we go ski- ing or should we buy a new car? Should we sleep in or wake early and go to the gym? Should we get a new job or quit and move to Bermuda? We worry so much about ful- fillment that we are frequently unfulfilled. And there is a sim- ple reason for this: Focusing on oneself is the natural course the single life takes, unless you are Mother Theresa. Selflessness and sacrifice was the natural course for my father and mother, and though they never got to experience much comfort and peace, they expe- rienced a meaningful existence and the special happiness that comes with it. Besides, studies have shown that marriage is good for most of us. Married men are physi- cally, emotionally and finan- cially healthier than their sin- gle counterparts. Married men live longer than single men — though their wives may tell you it only seems longer. That's because married men avoid risky behavior and are much less likely to wake up in a pile of dirty laundry, still clutching the tequila bottle they began drinking from just be- fore the party broke up. Married people generally produce happier, healthier chil- dren than single parents. Mar- riage produces stable, thriving communities. Happily married people enjoy more gratifying sex lives, too, according to stud- ies. The years go by awfully fast when you have a family and growing children, my married friends tell me, but I'm shocked how fast they've gone by with- out being married and hav- ing a family. It weighs on me at times. I don't feel like I am contrib- uting enough to my fellow cit- izens. I feel guilty that my life lacks stress. I don't wake in the middle of the night to tend to sick children who puke on my feet, the way my married friends do. And I don't worry that I can't sleep nights be- cause of the mounting bills. A stressful day for me is when the FedEx person and the mail carrier show up at the same time. In any event, I feel guilty for contributing to statistics that suggest America is becoming a giant singles bar full of self-fo- cused people. I am trying to do more charity work and be more useful to society. I'll get right on it after I look at a new set of skis, which I'll be needing for weekend get- aways this winter. Tom Purcell, author of "Misadventures of a 1970s Childhood" and "Comical Sense: A Lone Humorist Takes on a World Gone Nutty!" is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist. Send comments to Tom at Tom@ TomPurcell.com. Tom Purcell Reflections on the single life Tom Purcell Bill Cornelius President Barack Obama: The White House 1600Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, D.C. 20500 Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 Fax: 202-456-2461 president@whitehouse.gov U.S. Senate Dianne Feinstein: Hart Senate Office Building Room 331 Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-3841 Fax: 202-228-3954 One Post St., Suite 2450 San Francisco, CA 94104 415-393-0707 Fax: 415-393-0710 Website: feinstein.senate.gov Barbara Boxer: Hart Senate Office Building Room 112 Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-3553 Fax: 202-228-3865 501I St., Suite 7-600 Sacramento, CA 95814 916-448-2787 Website: boxer.senate.gov U.S. Representative Jared Huffman: 1630Longworth House Office Building Washington D.C. 20515 Phone: 202-225-5161 Fax: 202-225-5163 3173rd St., Suite 1 Eureka, CA 95501 Eureka phone: 707-407-3585 Fax: 707-407-3559 Website: huffman.house.gov Governor Jerry Brown: State Capitol Building, Suite 1173 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-445-2841 Fax: 916-558-3160 State Senate Mike McGuire: 130310th Street Sacramento, CA 95814Phone: 916-651-4002 Fax: 916-651-4902 710E Street Suite #150 Eureka, CA 95501 Eureka phone: 707-445-6508 Eureka fax: 707-445-6511 To email, visit http://sd02.senate. ca.gov/contact/email Local Tehama County Supervisors, 527-4655 District 1 Steve Chamblin, Ext. 3015 District 2 Candy Carlson, Ext. 3014 District 3 Dennis Garton, Ext. 3017 District 4 Bob Williams, Ext. 3018 District 5 Burt Bundy, Ext. 3016 Red Bluff City Manager Richard Crabtree, 527-2605, Ext. 3061 Corning City Manager John Brewer, 824-7033 Let them know How to contact public officials from Washington, D.C. and local communities. OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, September 16, 2015 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6