Stories From an Old Man: Tales of Love, War, and Music

Eddie Melin was born in California, Missouri and raised in Alma, Missouri, population about 350. He attended Central Missouri State University during the depression and taught for a couple of years. He then moved to New York City where he received his master’s degree in music from Columbia University, taught in a private school, and attended every concert he could work into his schedule. In 1941, he moved to Texas-Amarillo, to be exact-on a whim, and met Olive Cooper, who became his wife for over fifty years. He did his part in World War II and returned to Amarillo, where they reared their two children. In 2010, the Amarillo Globe News honored Eddie as their Man of the Year, and in 2012, The Amarillo Symphony, along with family and friends, threw him a birthday bash. At 102, he is still attending concerts and cheering for the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Rangers.