Touching lives for 25 years

• By Anne Jones

  annej@clemson.edu

  July 4th will not only be Independence Day this year; in Georgetown, it will be Kathy Ray Cain Day.

  Mayor Lynn Wood Wilson will proclaim this tomorrow at the Kaminski House lawn at 7 p.m. as a part of a Fourth of July concert.

  Cain will also receive the Indigo Choral Society's 2008-2009 Distinguished Artist Award at the concert.

  Cain, who has taught music in Georgetown for over 25 years, deserves the award, according to Ruth Reames, the organist at First Baptist Church, where Cain is a pianist.

  "Our community is so fortunate to have her - not just at the church but in the whole community," Reames said. "Not only is she a great musician, she's a great person to work with."

  The Indigo Choral Society established the award to recognize persons in Georgetown County who have significantly contributed to the arts in the community, especially in music, according to artistic director Thomas Martin.

  Previous recipients of the award include: Josephine Howard and Elsie Pollock (co-recipients 2005-06), Olivia Huggins (2006-07), and Rita Fogel (2007-08).

  "I am nowhere near the caliber of (these women)," Cain said. I am very humble about all of this, but it's nice to feel appreciated this year."

  In her evaluation of why Cain deserves the award, Reames tried to list everything Cain has contributed to Georgetown in the music area, but finally said, 'What has she not done?'"

  Cain's musical contributions to Georgetown include: providing piano, Kindermusik, violin, cello, flute, Appalachian mountain music, drama and voice lessons at her studio; teaching music at several pre-schools and the YMCA; playing piano at First Baptist Church; and playing music for some of the Strand Theater's productions.

  She said her two greatest passions in performing and teaching music are in worship and working with special needs children.

  At First Baptist, she can combine the two at a special needs service called Grace Church.

  The most touching experience she has had involves a student, Gerald, whom she taught music to in special needs class at McDonald Elementary in the mid-1990s.

  "Every day when I came in, Gerald would always say 'Old Gray Cat,' and we had to sing that song every day I was there," she said

  A couple of weeks ago and about 15 years after she taught Gerald in elementary school, she saw him at Grace Church.

  Cain couldn't fight her tears when she said, "He looked up in my eyes and said 'Old Gray Cat.' It touched me so that he would remember that song and he would remember 'Miss Kathy' after so many years. To me, that's what it's all about."

  The 13th Annual Fourth of July Concert, which is free and open to the public, will feature the Indigo Choral Society Community Chorus and the Pawleys Island Community Band. Fireworks will follow the concert.