About Boyd....

A gentleman by the name of Boyd Vance passed away last night. He was the executive director of ProArts Collective - one of the few organizations focused on producing and encouraging the arts among people of color and certainly the main producer and facilitator of Black theater in Austin, TX.

Probably without really realizing it, Boyd helped me believe that I could be a professional actor. Before meeting him, I'd never been in a Black play. Before meeting him, I'd never paid my rent by performing on stage. Through an associate introduced to me by him, I received the opportunity to join Actor's Equity (and again get paid for performing on stage).

Boyd helped me have fun, helped me make a living, introduced me to people who touched me, helped me grow as a performer and was the object of what, I think, is still the greatest one-liner I'll ever deliver (I wonder if anybody from Jitney remembers it).

Yet, I'm only one of a rather large group of people who can say Boyd did the same for them.
The measure of Boyd as a singer, actor, entertainer, director, producer, etc. is not what I feel he should considered by - and there are plenty who rate him fairly high in those. That measure should be of his impact as a catalyst. Boyd created and gave people chances. And I can now only hope that he hears me when I give thanks in my prayers tonight for all that God, through him, gave me.

I believe that is how we will continue to know Boyd Vance, as a catalyst.

Well, that and being a certified, absolutely unrelenting nut....

Thanks for the cookies and punch, bruh.

Peace: C. Walker, Jr
aka "Shealy"


(after 11 years and the advent of  Wikipedia, someone had done this.

it makes me happy to know someone did.