Edward J. Bousson, Jr.

Class of 1948

‘Mr. Boo’, as he was known to hundreds of music and theatre students, taught at Tech and Kingsbury High Schools. He often said he knew from the beginning he wanted to sing for a living. Ed earned his undergraduate degree from Memphis State University. After completing his Masters in Music at LSU in Baton Rouge, he auditioned for the Metropolitan Opera. He later landed a spot to sing on the Arthur Godfrey Radio Show. He performed with Memphis Opera Theatre and was lead tenor in shows like La Traviata and Madame Butterfly. A much sought-after vocalist for fundraisers, rallies and special events, he performed for President Richard Nixon and at the dedication of St. Jude, singing ‘Danny Boy’ for founder Danny Thomas. For a number of years, Ed was also a weekly performer on the WREC ‘Good Morning Memphis’ television program. He served in Korea as part of the 304th Signal Battalion with the U.S. Army. Always civic minded, Ed was involved with several non-profit organizations and was elected to two terms in the Tennessee House of Representatives. For 31 years, he served the Memphis School System as a teacher and assistant principal. After retirement, not yet ready to stop, Ed continued his music career and also worked as a billing agent for FedEx for seven more years. He was also a past President of the Memphis Area Retired Teachers Association. At the age of 70, working with one of his students, pianist David Troy Francis, he went to Hollywood to record his first professional CD, titled ‘Splendored Things’, a story of love songs featuring classics, ‘Til There Was You,’ ‘Over the Rainbow’, ‘If Ever I Would Leave You’ and ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’.