Joey and Diversity

One of the most endearing-- and enduring-- memories I have of Joey is that of a 16-year-old male, complexly and loose ends during a summer vacation visit to St. Simons Island, he met a pretty 15-year-old girl at a record shop listening to a Benny Goodman sextet platter and he became very fond of her, met her parents and took 
her to a drugstore soda fountain. They had a lot of  likes and dislikes in common .

At the time he was really in thick with the Ken Harris Orchestra and Joe Denton, the vocalist, had a  summerlong gig at the King and Prince Hotel on the island.

They must've had a spy, because a couple of horn players  started teasing him, "Johwee-Johwee-- got kissed by the hare-lipped girl...Oh My !"

"Shut up stupid!," Was Joey's defensive answer. "She has a small defect in the roof of her mouth, that's all. Besides, she's brilliant  and she's beautiful."

They went on honking at Joey but they couldn't get him angry. She was from Stone Mountain and they corresponded until he went to college.

Many years later, Joey said he made all of his society / fraternity friends angry when he went traipsing off with two Jews and a Greek, to navigate Atlanta's area transportation system (Trolleys !) from Marrieta to Stone Mountain, and he doesn't  remember thinking of her. But he DID !

The Jews were Ike Dreizen  and Jerry Berman. The Greek was Photis Nikkolos. Lasting mutual bonds ensued.

That was the way he was.  He postponed a homage visit to Helen Morgan singing seated on a piano at the  Rrainbow Room to eat his first Lebanese meal at Charlie Maloof's  home.

He just tacked through life's Headwind  pushing aside norms and expectations like crumbs from  his sweater... Always preferring an authentic  EXPERIENCE.

So, Joey DID  "diversity" before it became a "Social Imperative.""