As most folks may have heard, last week there was a terrible construction accident in New York. A 146–ton crane fell in midtown Manhattan, crushing a townhouse and searing several adjacent buildings.
Many folks have been temporarily homeless since. According to the New York Times today, one of those people: Jane Jarvis.
Jarvis (pictured here with friend and Jazz trombonist Benny Powell) was, of course, the Mets organist at Shea Stadium from 1964–1979. Her apartment is apparently OK but the building has neither water nor elevator service, so she has been staying at a hotel for a week.
The Times writes:
It was her role as the Pied Piper of Shea that secured her reputation from 1964 to 1979.
Ms. Ruckert, her friend, said in a telephone interview that “I was there on her last day — and she had her name up on the board, and they gave her a plaque.” Ms. Ruckert sighed. “She was replaced by a machine.”
After her tour of duty with the Mets and Muzak, Ms. Jarvis seriously pursued a career as a jazz pianist, playing with musicians like Lionel Hampton, Clark Terry and Roy Eldridge. For nearly a decade she has taken the stage with Mr. Powell, the trombonist, who is now 78. They made a CD together, “Two of a Kind,” and performed last December at St. Peter’s Church, where “I often played,” she recalled.
Jarvis may get back into her place tomorrow.
Wouldn’t it be nice of the Mets to do something for Jarvis this last year of Shea Stadium, especially given what she is currently going through? If you think so, send a note to the Mets from this form. Tell ‘em Loge13 sent ya.
And click on Jane Jarvis’ picture to hear why she is one of the greatest treasures of Shea Stadium history.
Comments
Thanks for the audio link, it really brought back memories. Hard to believe it's been almost 30 years since Jane Jarvis played at Shea. She used to play this little tune when the Mets took the field at the start of the game, the Mexican hat dance during the seventh inning stretch (SO much better than God Bless America - jeez, can we outlaw that?), and another little tune when a Met hit a home run. Today the blare of recorded noise at ballparks is almost constant, and organ music would be a nice change. A ceremony honoring her at Shea is a great idea, it will let her know that there are millions of Mets fans who remember her.