December 28, 2016

Just Saying…

By Q.C. Jones

Great Examples. Bad Examples and Everything in Between

Hip, hip, hurray, it’s 2017. I still remember back in third grade when we learned about the calendar, the years and all the rest, I sat in the back of the room and thought about the long distant year of 2000. It seemed eons away. Until the next recess, I devoted my considerable pre-pubescent brainpower to living in the future. For a few moments, my daydreams took me to being a grownup.

Based on my perception of the future, by 2000 I would own every toy known to a 1962 vintage kid. I would have a fancy car, actually back then I thought big Lincolns with power windows were modern day perfect. My playroom would be filled with electric trains, battery powered robots, model planes and slot car tracks. My bedroom would have hooks for holding my (still present) cowboy hats. And, my collection of Red Ryder BB guns would attest to my marksmanship. I would be the envy of my friends. Such are the dreams of a red-blooded ten year old growing up in the
heartland of America.

I moved on, went to school, got a job, found a lovely wife, had kids and somehow lost touch with my ten year old vision of the future. When the new millennial washed over us 17 years ago, I discovered Millennial’s of the generation variety calling me dad. My dreams had changed from toys and playing to career, building financial security and family.

Somewhere along the line, I followed a more serious bend in the road. I came to realize, it was our duty to help others, to serve as role models for new generations and to touch the community we call home. With these ideals in mind, I observed the world around me and discovered a new set of heroes. Skipping over my usual attempts at silliness, humor and my propensity for historical oddities, I would like to devote this piece at the passing of one such person. He would not have approved this title because he was a humble man, but he touched my heart and left a legacy which requires attention.

My Hero – Ellis Kell

Ellis Kell

On December 16th, the Quad-Cities own Ellis Kell passed from this world to the next. Ellis was one of my heroes. I first met Ellis at a Bix Street Festival back in the 1990s. It was blazing hot, and I was looking for a shady place to sit and have a beer. A friend or two joined me and we watched an amazing musician bring an otherwise wornout crowd to life. His musicianship blew me away and after the show, one of my friends introduced us. Ellis left an impression as a person, too. One couldn’t help but notice his attention to greeting not only fans, but the dozens of friends who had come out to watch him play.

I continued to catch him playing various events, fund raisers and an occasional pub. Little did I know, but life was about to throw us together again. Just into the new century (actually 2004), The River Music Experience (RME) opened its doors. I got involved, and Ellis was part of the team. Ellis saw the RME as a vehicle to touch people. Recalling those times just a dozen years or so ago, Downtown Davenport hardly resembled the bustling area it has turned into. The RME was designed to serve as an outpost of civilization in a world mostly deserted a few minutes after business hours. Ellis had a vision for more.

Like many young men of our generation, the power of Rock and Roll music impacted the young Rock Island youngster. Somewhere in his early teens he got his hands on a guitar, learned to play and started up a garage band. The only difference was Ellis had the talent, drive and passion to push onward. My guess is he could have been a nationally known musician, but he also had a passion for his home town. Over the years, Ellis shared his philosophy that music was a connector. Music served to connect folks from diverse backgrounds, cultures and socio-economic conditions. He also saw it as the cement required to build inter-generational understanding.

He worked tirelessly to introduce kids to music. Toting a guitar and a car load of equipment, he reached out to hundreds of the most disadvantaged kids in our community. He was instrumental in forming everything from impromptu jam sessions with beginning players to setting up formal programs like Rock Camp USA – a program for getting teenagers together into performing bands and KidsStock – a program for youngsters from 8-18. If everyone who ever played music with his assistance were to get in a line, it would reach from Downtown Davenport to East Moline and back.

Many years ago, my grandfather used to tell me, “They judge a boy by his friends…” and Ellis had friends everywhere. Since this is a publication designed for folks 50 and forward, allow me one last story. Last month, just after his passing, I visited a musical event originally designed to be a fund raiser for Ellis’ bout with cancer. It turned into a place for friends to support one another. The bar was filled with young people, not a dry eye in the house as they shared their experiences with this great man. He passed on as a wealthy man,
perhaps not financially but certainly in his impact on our community.

Ellis Kell was a perfect example of a Great Example… with that I can’t bring myself to talk about any other examples. Just saying….

 

 

Filed Under: Community, Personal Growth

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