Making a Difference Generations 20 <strong>Nevada</strong> <strong>Silver</strong> & <strong>Blue</strong> • March/April 2004
Correspondence from a soldier, dying young, to his <strong>Nevada</strong>-born velyn English’s voice is one <strong>of</strong> the most distinctive things about a very distinctive woman. Hers is a reassuring voice, a graceful voice, a teacher’s voice. It is also a gentle voice, a voice not <strong>of</strong> limitation but <strong>of</strong> possibility. It is a voice that says, “I have a story too, if you’d like to hear about it.” Most <strong>of</strong> all, though, at age 88, her voice is that <strong>of</strong> a woman who has loved <strong>and</strong> who continues to love all that there is to life. She has seen her share <strong>of</strong> triumph ... <strong>and</strong>, unfortunately, her share <strong>of</strong> tragedy. She is the last <strong>of</strong> a group <strong>of</strong> six remarkable children from John <strong>and</strong> Louise Semenza still living, <strong>and</strong> each day she remembers the faces <strong>of</strong> her beloved brothers <strong>and</strong> sisters, their memory as delicate as an old, yellowing newspaper clipping. Throughout her life, she has retained a rare nobility, an ability to see good in the most unlikely places. Though she is alone, she is never alone. She is an unrepentant keeper <strong>of</strong> letters <strong>and</strong> records, duty-bound in her love for her family to make sure her family is never forgotten. Cover Story bride still resonates more than 60 years later Love letters for the ages Story by John Trent E In Roots, Alex Hailey’s classic tale <strong>of</strong> the triumph <strong>of</strong> an American family, he writes <strong>of</strong> the tribes <strong>of</strong> his ancestors, <strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> the most esteemed <strong>of</strong> all tribal positions, that <strong>of</strong> “Greot,” or storyteller. The “Greot” holds all stories related to the tribe, <strong>and</strong> passes the stories on to the next generation through story. In many ways, English is a wizened practitioner <strong>of</strong> the “Greot” tradition. The stories flow forward from her with a tender thrill. Hardly any <strong>of</strong> us know the significant events in our lives as they are actually happening, but through the prism <strong>of</strong> time <strong>and</strong> underst<strong>and</strong>ing, she weaves her stories in a s<strong>of</strong>t-spoken, understated manner. Of all the memories she has retained, though, one related to a beautiful, yet tragic time in her life, has stood out. One evening, composer Alan Smith, a music pr<strong>of</strong>essor at USC, was talking with English, who lives in Pasadena, Calif., about a project he was having difficulty completing. Smith was to compose a song cycle for the Tanglewood Music Center in Massachusetts in celebration <strong>of</strong> Continues next page <strong>Nevada</strong> <strong>Silver</strong> & <strong>Blue</strong> • March/April March/April 2004 21