“A GRAVE SITUATION”
BY: NEAL MURPHY

The summer of 1956 was an interesting one for me. Charlie Lawrence hired me to
work at Wyman Roberts Funeral Home in San Augustine as a general flunky. I did
whatever needed to be done at the time. It was a great summer job between
semesters at college. It was here that I met an unusual and talented man.
Bobby Selden was the band director at Hemphill High School from 1954 through
1958. He was an in-law of Charlie and occasionally helped out at the funeral home
in the summer.
One summer morning Bobby and I were dispatched to the cemetery at Liberty Hill
Baptist church to erect a grave tent for a funeral that afternoon. This was not a
regular task for us, so we must have been very busy.
The grave had already been dug, so we began working on the erection of the tent
which was a two-man job. One of the first things to be done was to drive into the
ground large metal corner stakes on which to anchor the canvas tent.
Bobby retrieved a large sledge hammer and four stakes and began hammering
away at a strategically placed stake. I was busy unloading the panel truck. The
sound of metal striking metal reminded me of the old song, I’ve Been Working On
the Railroad”. I was interrupted by a loud “OUCH” from Bobby. I turned to see
him throw down the hammer and grab his left forearm. I rushed over to him
asking “What happened, Bobby?” He was obviously in pain and I noted blood
running down his hand.
“I’m not sure, but it feels like I’ve been shot”, he grimaced an answer. I noted
blood seeping from a wound about half-way up his left forearm. “You better drive
me to the emergency room”, he instructed as he wrapped a handkerchief around
the wound.
On the way to the hospital in the panel truck we discussed what might have caused
his injury and concluded that a sliver of metal from either the stake or the hammer
flew off and punctured his arm. Our diagnosis was later confirmed by x-ray. The

doctor said that a sliver of metal was resting on the bone in his arm but removing it
was not necessary. He said that the wound should heal without any problems. So
his wound was dressed and he was given a tetanus shot.
I figured Bobby would take the rest of the day off, however such was not the case.
We drove back to the cemetery and completed our job. Bobby was dedicated to the
task at hand and a puncture wound did not hinder him. Such was the case with his
professional life.
Bobby Selden was born in Palestine, Texas. He was interested in music and
became a drummer. He married Claudine Sparks in 1949 after he graduated from
Stephen F. Austin University in 1948. Bobby was hired as the band director at
Kennedy, Texas high school the same year.
Over the next years Bobby worked at several other Texas schools as band director,
including Joaquin, DeSoto, and West Sabine. All these school bands were
transformed into “award winners” under his tutelage. He was hired as the band
director at Hemphill in 1954. My future wife, Clara, was a member of his band
during these years. I was impressed with his turning the Hemphill band into the
Tri-State champion marching band of 1957 in Enid, Oklahoma.
During Bobby’s musical career he played drums for several “big time” bands. He
was in the Marine Corps Band, which was only a “warm up”. He played drums in
the Clyde McCoy Orchestra. Clyde was a jazz trumpeter who made famous his
rendition of the song “Sugar Blues”.
Later he played with the Gene Krupa Band which entertained America from 1920
to 1960. Krupa was a famous drummer himself, but as he aged he needed relief on
the drums, so Bobby filled in for him on many occasions. Bobby wrote most of his
drum routines himself.
In September of 1956 I returned to college. Bobby continued his music teaching in
Hemphill. I lost contact with him for many years. It was my pleasure to have
known him for even a short time. I assume the metal remained in his arm for the
rest of his life, and did not hinder his drum playing - a wound sustained under a
grave situation.

“A GRAVE SITUATION”
BY: NEAL MURPHY
PO Box 511
259 CR 214
San Augustine, Texas 75972
936-275-9033
Cell: 936-275-6986

Email: humptydumpty1940@gmail.com

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