"The Nicest Thing You Can Do for Someone Is to Remember Them"

My great-grandfather would have loved knowing that he was the subject of Curt Brown's Minnesota History column in last Sunday's (April 12) Star Tribune, Riggs struck up band like few others. It was a boost to me, as well, to see G. Oliver Riggs and my book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters, mentioned in the state's largest daily newspaper (and the country's seventh-largest, in terms of circulation).

Curt is a marvelous storyteller, and if you don't already follow his column every week, you should!

G. Oliver Riggs returns to the Minneapolis (Star) Tribune!

Before the column appeared, I'd been feeling discouraged. Several book events I'd lined up for the spring were canceled because of the pandemic, and it's unclear when I'll be able to resume meeting people face to face and connecting with them over shared interests in music and history. 

Fortunately, the pandemic did not prevent Curt from writing his column, and it attracted the notice of a reader in South Dakota who recognized the last name of Riggs.

Bob Andrews grew up in Mobridge, S.D., where his high school music teacher/choral director was P. H. "Pete" Riggs — also known as Percy Riggs, my great-uncle (and second son of G. Oliver and his wife, Islea). 

The 1956 Mobridge High School yearbook was dedicated to Percy

"In the chorus and glee clubs, he had a particular talent to promote his students' best performances. This was evidenced by Mobridge groups always earning top honors at the music contests," Bob wrote to me. "On occasions when we had a concert to perform, he'd always dress in a tux and tails to fit with the quality he'd exacted. To this day, when I think of him, I can picture his smile at us when he felt we were sounding particularly fine."

Percy moved to Mobridge in 1946, after G. Oliver's death. He taught music there for 11 years. He served as president of the South Dakota Music Association and as general chairman of the state curriculum committee, which in 1953 published the new music course of study for South Dakota high schools. He also served as the state chairman of the American School Band Directors association. He left Mobridge in the fall of 1957 to take a job as the high school band director in Chisholm, Minnesota. He died Nov. 30, 1959, at age 55, following heart surgery at Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.

Bob and most of his seven siblings had Percy as a teacher during his stint in Mobridge. In addition to directing the high school glee clubs and the mixed chorus, the high school band and pep band, and the city band, Percy also taught music appreciation, special music, and 8th grade music.

Bob's oldest sister, Phyllis, started in band on the cornet but transitioned to the French horn. She described Percy as a fine instructor and a kind gentleman. "She said that he was a great inspiration to her music interests, and she thinks of him often. She also agreed with me in the fact that his musical groups, be they bands, choral groups, etc., always received superior ratings in various music competitions," Bob wrote.

He added, "Phyllis also said that he wasn't one to hand out meaningless praise so when he did, 'you knew you earned it.'"

After reading the Star Tribune column and communicating with me via email, Bob also solicited some memories from his older brother David, who sang in the glee club and mixed chorus and took music appreciation from Percy.

"I always liked to sing, but in 8th grade and high school I had a bad inferiority complex. Mr. Riggs' attitude, 'if you want to be in the glee club or chorus, then you can be' was perfect for me. No tryouts. That was a really big deal," David wrote.

Bob included David's comments in a letter he mailed to me, along with a photocopy of the 1956 yearbook dedication to Percy. Toward the end of the letter, Bob wrote, "One of my favorite beliefs is that, 'the nicest thing you can do for someone is to remember them.'"

I love that sentiment. I know my second cousins will appreciate hearing about the positive impression their grandfather made on his students, and I will definitely remember Bob and his kindness in sharing these memories of P. H. "Percy" Riggs.