Page 12 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2020- Lubbock Online Magazine

The Rose of the
West

Shelley Furr Hall Nelson

by Katherine Hall

ose Shelley Furr was born when she played in a Beethoven
the middle child between piano contest in Austin against
Rtwo brothers to Lela and Van Cliburn. After coming in
Roy Furr, who ran the grocery second to Van Cliburn, she was
store, Furr’s, and from whom asked to play with the Lubbock
she received her entrepreneurial Symphony. She has since set up Bert and Shelley Nelson
spirit. Growing up, she had a trust to benefit all industrious
trouble pronouncing “R,” so her orchestra players who play with
name was Wose Shelley Fuw. the symphony, for the sheer
Early on, her indomitable spirit love of music, while supporting
surfaced. She decided to go by themselves with other jobs.
Shelley; with great effort, she
learned to pronounce her “R’s” Shelley went to college at
and began her journey as the Randolph Macon with Lucy
ultimate renaissance woman, Locke. Homesick for Texas,
the essence of love and light. In she returned to the Lone Star
each endeavor, Shelley excelled, State to major in music at the
capturing all she met with her University of Texas. After
deep kindness and love of life, a meeting Jack Hall, she brought
true pillar of West Texas. him to Lubbock so she could
become a Red Raider! She
Her wit and delight in life was decided to keep music as a
evident with an early interest hobby and love, changing her
in piano. After getting home major to foreign languages.
from Dupre Elementary School, Shelley continued to be asked
she would put on records and to play for groups, Sunday
pretend to play the piano. Her schools, and with young piano
parents had her begin piano players who needed a partner
lessons with Mary Dunn. She in contests. All the students she
practiced for hours so she would played with in competitions
not get her knuckles whacked at won!
lessons. Her music career started
“Diane”

12 Lubbock Senior Link