This is a picture of my Uncle Alpheus Cary Koon,Jr.'s (1918-1969) High School Diploma, 1936. What a find! His graduation photograph is also on this site. He went on to pre-med at the University of Tennessee before joinin the St. Louis Municipal Opera Ballet ("Muny Opera") in 1939. In 1941, he joined Ballet Theatre, now American Ballet Theatre, due to the McCarthy events in the 1950's. He late joined the Original Ballet Russe (not to be confused with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo) under the aegis of Sal Hurok, of whom Jacqueline Kennedy had as a guest at the White House. He also danced for television and Radio City Music Hall. He then came back to his native Florida and formed the Tampa Ballet of which his mother, and my beloved Grandmother, Jennie Carlyle Powers Koon (1891-2001) made all the costumes for performances. I have one of the part of the costume he danced in "Giselle". He was truly a great man. I am very proud to have been his nephew. He is the son of Alpheus Cary Koon, MD, (1890-1953) and Jennie Carlyle Powers Koon (1898-2001). He was the brother of my father Wiley Emmett Koon, MD (1928-present). |