Like many others, JE took me under his wing. In short order, he took me from a drop-in singer at the weekly Red Fox get together to a solo gig at the (I think it was third) Washington Folk Festival. Then a gig was in the offing when the Tall Ships visited Washington, a small group of us formed to take the gig and crystalized round JE to become the Boarding Party. He led us musically, with his perfectionist approach and his drive - when he said rehearse, we rehearsed - time for chat later at the Ethiopian or Japanese restaurant (yes, he and the rest of the BP inroduced me to sushi too. He led us, too, in his attitude. We were wonderfully positive - curmudgeon or not, I felt encouraged into singing better every time - I don't remember a discouraging word in those rehearsals (though he once sighed soulfully when a difficult harmony was escaping us, and said "I wish Andy were here!").

A couple of stories - JE encouraging my 10 year old twins to sing "My teacher's got a bunion, and a face like a pickled onion" at the getaway.