Western Heritage Awards Part 1 - Cocktail Party
by April
“You’ve never FLOWN? You’re kidding?” Says Morgan during one of our phone conversations.
“Nope. But I’ve always been interested in planes and aviation in general…”
“You’ve really never flown before?”
“No Morgan, never.”
I couldn’t help but smile listening to him chat away about airplanes yet still not believing I’ve never braved the skies.
“I guess you’re the one to get me on a plane. I’ll see you Thursday.”
“See you Thursday, April.”
That Wednesday night, Julie wrapped up our conversation.
“This is something I’ve always wanted to say, see you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow.”
Tomorrow came after a fitful night sleep. Sarah and I made it without incident to the airport, got through all the lines, which weren’t as bad as we thought they’d be, then walked through the corrugated metal ramp to the plane. As we took our seats, I could tell she was a little nervous and closed her eyes as the plane began to roll down the runway. I wasn’t scared at all. No really, I wasn’t. I kept looking upwards knowing where we’d be and whom we would be meeting in a few very short hours. I ended up with the window seat, as Sarah didn’t want to open her eyes just yet.
Flying was better than any video I’ve watched or flight simulator I’ve tried to master. No comparison. There really is something very peaceful and well, romantic, about flying through the clouds. I can only imagine the feeling a pilot has but to a novice passenger, seeing the world from this perspective was nothing short of breathtaking. The serene beauty from the small window calmed Sarah. We smile before her eyes closed again, my attention turning back to the heavenly view, wondering how everything came so far so fast.
Our flight was 20 minutes early so after getting the all clear to turn on cell phones, I called Julie who was waiting to pick us up. Julie and I have been friends for nearly 5 years yet we’ve never met in person. (Morgan couldn’t believe this either. ‘You mean you talk on the internet?’ Sigh….)
We recognize each other immediately and hug. It’s so great to finally meet face to face. The three of us wander to the baggage carousel watching confused passengers jumping up then back as they mistake their luggage for others. I did manage to remember a great idea I’d read about making yours distinctive so tied bright red Christmas ribbons to our luggage which made easy pickings in the sea of all black suitcases. After loading Julie’s Supervan, we head to our hotel. We’re all so excited over everything but realize we only have a short time to get ready for the party. I had a dream beautification ritual cooked up in my head for this occasion as lofty as those clouds. A long relaxing bath, slathering on a lovely scented cream, but as we all know nothing ever goes as planned.
Julie’s phone rang, and after a few moments the call was over but her face was stricken.
“Morgan’s plane had trouble and it had to go back to the airport.”
I remember turning around not knowing what to think. I guess when you’re confronted with something so unexpected; your initial reaction of course is one of shock. Sometimes something inside you overrides it all and you know everything will be ok. Fortunately, all was ok. Unfortunately, for Morgan, who was a seasoned pilot, the plane he was on had some sort of problem midair and had to return to the airport. We are informed he’d be arriving much later and be coming straight from the airport to the party.
We were running late too, but arrived reasonably unscathed at the beautiful posh home of Morgan’s niece Valerie and Brad Naifeh and their daughter Leigh. The entire Woodward family and their friends greeted us warmly. The three of us never made it out of the entryway and hadn’t been there more than ten minutes when in walked Morgan.
When I saw Morgan walk in I had a million things cross my mind. Questions I always wanted to ask, to see all of his scars up close, what his touch would feel like when our hands met, if he wore aftershave. But at the same time, praying to God it wouldn’t turn into that Lucy episode with me splattering his shirt with ketchup or somehow unleashing a plague of locusts or some such. We embraced and finally, the man I’ve loved since I was a little girl was literally inches from my heart. I guess dreaming of something is one thing, but when it really happens you don’t expect it to be better than your dream. I stand corrected.
At the party, we met all of Morgan’s surviving brothers, (brother Stanley died several years ago) their families, extended family, and friends. The house was brimming with Woodward goodness. I met Morgan’s beautiful daughter Enid and was very pleased and relieved to hear she loves the website. We hear a great deal of positive feedback about the site, which pleasantly surprised me, as well as so many having seen the site.
Lee Woodward, some of you recall was a weatherman and had a ‘helper’ I will call him named King Lionel. During the party, I asked Lee where Lionel was. Lee being a gracious gentleman responded that Lionel had retired early. I felt stupid afterwards asking him about Lionel, kind of along the same lines of going up to a woman and asking her when her baby is due only to find out she is not expecting. That kind of stupid.
As the evening wore on, I wanted to meet as many people as I could. I got a big kick out of actor/singer Dale Berry, who has been a friend of Morgan’s for many years. Everyone was lovely, the house was lovely, and for once, I actually felt lovely. Julie, sad to say, wasn’t feeling lovely in her tummy so we made our goodbyes. Back at the hotel, we were so excited we stayed up talking. I didn’t get much sleep anyway as whoever was staying above us decided to have a stomping contest until 3 am. I doubt Cinderella got much sleep and for a moment this is what I felt like.
I’d like to thank the Woodward family for inviting us into their home and hopefully into their hearts. Thank you Morgan, for braving a horrible flight, yet arriving with a smile on your face and open arms to greet us all. Thank you Julie for getting us all there in one piece.
Julie's Thursday Story:
The first time I visited the Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, it was still called the Cowboy Hall of Fame. I was 15 years old, a high school sophomore on a band trip to Dallas to march in the Cotton Bowl parade on New Year’s Day 1976. I vividly remember taking photos of the fountain area and how beautiful I thought the whole museum was. Then, as now, the centerpiece of the entry area was the statue sculpture, “The End of the Trail.” I had no idea then, or even when I visited the museum again with my family in 1992 while in town for an event involving my brother, that my future would bring me back here for an induction, let alone as an honoree’s guest.
Morgan actually told me about his pending induction during the August ’08 interview that ended up on the BBQ page. I already knew it was one of the last major honors he had not received, so when he told me, I immediately answered, “I’m THERE!” No way was I going to pass this up. During the next couple of months, April and I hatched a plan to get her, and her daughter, to Oklahoma City for the induction, fulfilling April’s lifelong wish to meet Morgan.
We had originally planned to spend our first night in Dallas, where we would visit Morgan’s childhood home in Arlington. Our plans were changed when we were invited to a cocktail party being thrown by Morgan’s niece. We quickly switched our plans so we would all arrive in Oklahoma City on Thursday, April 16.
Now, our plans hinged on something else entirely: my ability to recover from eye surgery I had at the end of March. I would only have two weeks until I needed to make the seven-hour drive from my home in Texas. The good Lord put me in the hands of a wonderful doctor and nurses, and I healed well enough to be cleared to drive with just a week to spare. With that out of the way, we charged full steam ahead with our plans.
I’m terrible the night before trips, this one was no exception, and I nearly overslept. I had to be out by 6 AM to make sure I had enough time to get to Oklahoma City before April and Sarah were due to arrive. Honestly, I was a wreck when I got there. My stomach was giving me fits from all the nerves, both of meeting April, and then meeting Morgan that evening.
Well, I rested a little when I got to the hotel, so I didn’t feel too bad when I went to the airport to pick them up. I was so worried I’d miss them when they got off the plane! But we recognized each other. After three and a half years of talking online, it was great to reach out and finally give my friend a great big hug. So off we went to my vehicle, unofficially dubbed “Supervan” for the weekend, and headed back to the hotel.
We got a brief worrisome moment when I received a call from Morgan’s niece that she had just heard from Morgan. His plane had to be diverted back to LAX when engine trouble developed in the air not long after takeoff. He was going to be late getting in and would be coming straight to the party. We breathed two sighs of relief: one, that Morgan was okay after a scare like this; and two, we would have a little more time to get ready.
We STILL ran late, and it was almost 8 PM by the time we arrived at the absolutely BEAUTIFUL home of our hosts, Brad and Valerie Naifeh, and their daughter, Leigh. I got out of the van, and I thought, “I am out of my league.” We walked to the door, and were greeted by one of the guests, followed soon after by Valerie herself. We introduced ourselves to Valerie, who welcomed us very warmly. Shortly after we stepped down into the living room from the entryway, a woman looking like an older version of Valerie stepped forward. “Hello, I’m Amelia Woodward.” It was, indeed, Valerie’s mother, the wife of Morgan’s younger brother, Lee. She told us Morgan had not yet arrived, but was expected any minute. As if it were on cue, the door opened, and there he was.
Now, I don’t know about April, but I took a really deep breath. He looked exactly the way I expected he would, right down to clothes. He first hugged Valerie, and then announced as he hugged another lady, “This is my beautiful daughter!” And she really was. We watched as he made his way into the living room, where the three of us were standing.
He walked up, looked me directly in the eye, and asked, “And you are….?”
“I’m Julie.” I put my hand out then, I think.
He smiled broadly. “I’m pleased to meet you…” He shook my hand, then looked at me again for a moment. “Oh, give me a hug.” I am sure I was blushing as I complied. I never thought he’d actually ask me for one.
He moved to April, and I swore he stood up a little straighter when he smiled at her. “You’re April?” She nodded and got a big hug also. The smile on her face at having finally met the actor she’d admired since childhood made all the planning worthwhile.
He then turned to Sarah, who began blushing almost immediately. Morgan looked her up and down and exclaimed, “You could be a model! My God, you’re beautiful!” She blushed even more furiously, giggled and replied, “Thank you,” as April, beaming, looked on.
At this point, someone, maybe Valerie, came up to him and asked if he’d like anything. “I want a drink!” This brought a round of laughter from everyone, as we all knew what he had been through. He told his story about the flight…it was so dicey at one point the passengers were told to assume crash position, but fortunately that was not needed. So, some two and a half hours after he was supposed to have landed in Oklahoma City, he finally arrived.
The rest of the evening was sort of blurry for me, as the long drive after a short night caught up with me. I stayed in the living room for the most part, but spoke with several people. At some point, I felt a hand on my left shoulder. I looked up and to my left, and sitting on the arm of the chair next to me was Morgan. I bet anything I blushed again. I had never seen such blue eyes in my whole life, and they were twinkling down at me, coupled with a smile that just, well, melted me. “How are you?” he asked me rather softly. “How are your eyes?” I will never forget him asking me that as long as I live. I told him the truth, they were pretty tired after the long drive. He chatted with me a couple of minutes more, then someone else came up, but I couldn’t tell you what either one of us said. I just remember the look on his face.
The lady providing the piano entertainment for the evening was gracious enough to accompany me singing at one point, which was nice, and I enjoyed getting to sing for the folks.
We decided to end our evening early; neither of us had really slept much the night before, and I was still feeling a little under the weather. I wanted to make sure I thanked Valerie for the lovely party, and it was. I never imagined I would ever be at a party like this. Morgan was sitting in a chair near the food table at this point, and I approached him, with Sarah just behind me; I think April was speaking to Valerie or someone at that point. He looked up at me and smiled that smile again. “Now, I’ll be seeing you tomorrow sometime, right?”
“Yessir,” I told him. “We’ll see you then.” At that point, I mustered up every bit of moxie I had, bent down and kissed his cheek. “Good night.” Sarah followed with a hug of her own, and Morgan seemed particularly pleased by this gesture on the part of such a young girl.
We got back to our motel, and were wound to the max, staying up until after midnight talking. After all, this was our first time in person, too. I finally just dropped, knowing we had two more days of excitement to come.
"I Knew I Loved You (Before I Met You)" - Savage Garden
Photos courtesy Valerie Naifeh
To Page 2 - Friday