Renowned opera singer and Gas native David Holloway offered a loving tribute to his mother, Elta May, and the value of a college education as he delivered the keynote address at the Allen Community College Endowment’s Annual Scholarship Gala.
Elta May was born in 1904 but had to quit high school as a teen.
“My mother lamented her whole life about not being able to finish high school and go to college,” Holloway recalled. “She quit lamenting in 1952 when she finally took the GED and enrolled at Iola Junior College.”
Elta May was 49 then, with seven children (David is the second-youngest). She would earn a teaching certificate from the college, which later became ACC. She taught at a small country school near LaHarpe for several years while continuing her education at Emporia, where she changed her major and earned a degree in special education. She taught special education until she retired at age 70.
Meanwhile, David grew up with an affinity for music. He started singing when he was 3, and playing the piano at age 5 “and nobody would ever let me quit.” He’d eventually forge a career from it, making his debut with the New York City Opera in 1972. He sang seven seasons with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and was the leading baritone at the Deutsche Oper am Rehin in Düsseldorf. He served as Head of Voice at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts, director of the Apprentice Singer’s Program at the Santa Fe Opera and as the artistic director of El Paso Opera.
As he explained, the road from Gas to the Metropolitan Opera in New York City is 952 miles.
“The trip there is a little longer,” he said. “I guarantee you it takes a lot of time, effort and study to make a trip like that. But I had help, right here in Iola.”
During his visit this weekend, Holloway and his wife visited the Allen County Historical Society museum where and he looked up an ACC yearbook from 1953-54.
“There were pictures of my mother and my sister and all kinds of people I knew at that time.” He also found a photo from the play, “Outward Bound,” performed that year. His mother, much older than other students, was part of the cast. Holloway was just 11 back then, and helped her with lines. The director asked him to sit stage left and prompt actors who forgot their lines.
“So I did that throughout the whole run of the performance. I think that’s the start of my career. That’s how I got the fever, you know.”
His family’s relationship with ACC extended far beyond that. His parents rented apartments to international students, and numerous family members graduated from ACC.
He talked about the value of scholarships provided by ACC, and what a difference that can make, especially for non-traditional students like his mother. And though he did not attend ACC, Holloway has stayed connected to the college and its scholarship programs for more than 20 years.
“Those connections are so important,” he said. “It’s really important to me to stay connected to my roots.”
Many of his family members still live in Allen County, and he jokes that anyone in the world can reach him simply by addressing a letter to “David Holloway in Gas, Kansas.” His brother owns the building where the post office is located and lives next door, so he’ll make sure the message is delivered.
During his visit, Holloway stopped at his alma mater, KU, to give lessons on audition techniques and more. Six students showed up the first day and another eight the second, even though it was spring break.
He’s also been busy recording an audiobook for a friend, Allan Jones, an Episcopalian minister who officiated at Holloway’s wedding, his children’s baptisms and the weddings of three of his children. Recording a book has been a learning experience, Holloway said. It’s taken about two years but the book, “The Scandal of God: It’s a Metaphor, Stupid,” is now in its final stages and should be released at some point in the near future.
