Richard “Dick” Nash
KH Class of 1942
“Richard is not as promising as I thought he would be when he came to Kurn Hattin,” said Miss Barber in her 1939 assessment of young Richard Taylor Nash upon his arrival at Kurn Hattin Homes.
Sometimes it takes a little time to get adjusted, find your way, and hit your stride. That’s exactly what happened for Dick Nash at Kurn Hattin so many years ago.
Dick came to Kurn Hattin Homes when he was 10 years old. He had been living in Somerville, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston, with his father and siblings. His mother, Hatty Mae, had passed away in 1934 and his father, George, had been struggling to raise his three children alone for four years.
Working long hours as a salesman to make ends meet, George wrote in the Kurn Hattin application, “I have tried to keep the home together, with three funeral bills paid (no insurance on wife or parents) I have to work late and the children have to fend for themselves too much and are not receiving the training to make them efficient and good adults. They have no mother, nor near women relatives.
I desire them to have the training in systematic, efficient, disciplined living including spiritual and moral that your homes provide.”
Indeed —Kurn Hattin provided all these things and so much more for the Nash children, especially Dick.
During his four years at Kurn Hattin, Dick excelled in his academic studies, was elected president of his graduating class of 1942, and was a star athlete. In fact, his ambition at the time was to become a baseball player for the Boston Red Sox.
That was until he discovered the trombone. The rest, as they say, is history. In fact, if you search Dick’s name on the internet, you’ll see and hear the impact that his talent has had on the music scene over the years.
It all began when Dick picked up his first trombone in the Kurn Hattin band and, upon graduating, returned to Boston to study under the legendary John Coffey of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and to finish his degree at Berklee School of Music. He eventually went on to become one of the most recorded trombonists in history. His unmistakable, smooth trombone sound is featured on all of Henry Mancini’s albums, as well as more than 2,200 movie and television soundtracks, including Breakfast at Tiffany’s. In 2012, Dick was interviewed by Hip-Bone Music (hipbonemusic.com). The article credited Dick with setting the standard of exceptional trombone playing for decades; they wrote, “Dick Nash is the epitome of a top call studio musician. He can play any style of music at the highest level, anytime, anywhere.” In addition to shining the spotlight on Dick’s long and storied musical career, the piece included a heartwarming reference to his older brother Ted:
Question: “I believe you made two albums with your brother Ted as the Brothers Nash. An exceptionally talented saxophonist and woodwind player, Ted seemed to enjoy a similar path to musical success that you did. Sadly, he passed away last year. Can you share with us some of your favorite musical and personal memories of your brother?”
Dick’s Answer: “As far as Ted doing a similar thing to what I did musically, it was the other way around. From early on, long before music was in the picture, I looked up to him and always wanted to be in his presence. My parents called me Taylor, my middle name, and Ted used to call me ‘Taylor the Trailer.’ And I trailed him all the way to L.A.! His success in the studios was something I aspired to. He even bought me my first pro horn, a Conn 4H. Big brother comes to the rescue again! Beyond the Brothers Nash was the togetherness we shared on so many recording sessions: Henry Mancini, Billy May, Jack Elliot, Elmer Bernstein and well, too many to mention. I feel so fortunate that it all came about. His recent passing hit me very hard, as you can well imagine.”
In 2014, Dick made the trip to Vermont from his home in Los Angeles to accept the Kurn Hattin Homes Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award at a special centennial celebration ceremony. The award honors a Kurn Hattin graduate who has gone on to make significant, positive contributions to the community and to the world. Jackie LaDue Mallory, Class of 1954, participated in the award presentation. She said, “Dick Nash is a wonderful personification of the values and principles that are the cornerstones of Kurn Hattins’ mission—resilience, hard work, dedication, self-reliance, humility, and generosity, to name a few.”
Upon accepting the award, Dick said, “This award means more than all the others because this is where it all began. Without my time here, my life would have been totally different.”
Actually, it all began with George Nash’s decision to entrust Kurn Hattin with the care of his young children. In 1940, when Dick’s father passed away, Miss Barber reported that pride in his work waned, “which proves that every one of these boys need parental affection and interest.” That has been the mission of Kurn Hattin for Children since 1894, and it remains so today.