Chandler: A scar that's forever deep

Watching the arts in Amarillo so closely over the past 15 years has almost always been a joy.

That's especially true of watching our youngest actors, musicians and dancers mature into talented adults.

Sometimes, they fly the nest and end up chasing their dreams elsewhere, like Patrick Andrews, the Amarillo Little Theatre phenom who's now a bright star in the Chicago theater world.

Sometimes, they're only here for a brief time, spending time at West Texas A&M University or Amarillo College or one of the arts companies before continuing their education or career elsewhere.

Quite often, though, they stay here, holding down real jobs while continuing to make time to take the stage.

There's no telling what path the five young dancers and actors from "Texas" who died following a Monday-night car accident would have taken.

That's what breaks my heart the most: The snuffing out of such potential at such tragically young ages, when, if life were fair, they would have had years more to give of themselves while pursuing their artistic dreams.

Of the five who died, the only one I wasn't acquainted with was dancer Amanda Starz, 20, of Timonium, Md. At this writing, I haven't seen "Texas" this season, but I did watch part of an early rehearsal and saw the cast perform at High Noon on the Square, so I know Amanda was part of an extremely talented group of female dancers in this year's cast. I wish I knew more of her work. I regret that I don't.

Eric Harrison, 21, of Fort Worth was working in the "Texas" box office, but I knew him as an actor at WT, where I greatly enjoyed his performances in "Urinetown," "Legally Blonde the Musical" and "The Children's Hour." I didn't know Eric well at all, but I found him to be a thoughtful interview subject and an actor capable of both great gravity on stage and great silliness.

Clint Diaz, 20, of Amarillo was featured in a photo on our May 31 Get Out! cover as we previewed this 48th season of "Texas," and I've thought often since Tuesday about the beaming smile that photographer Sean Steffen captured in that shot. I only knew him personally in passing, but I was highly impressed with what I saw of him on stage. I keep thinking back to seeing him rehearse for "Legally Blonde," working his butt off to perfect a monstrously tricky dance sequence with a jump rope. He had the kind of stage presence that you can't teach, and I hate knowing that I won't see that again.

I met Andrew Duncan, 20, of Wichita Falls socially after seeing his work with Lone Star Ballet's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and we became Facebook friends. I remember seeing his posts pop up occasionally, and he seemed to be nearly as much of a pop-culture junkie as I am. He was a gifted dancer, too, but green, and I mourn that he won't be able to develop that talent any more.

Of the five who perished, I knew Julian Arredondo IV, 24, of Haltom City the best. We became friends during his stint with LSB's professional company in the 2011-12 season, kept in touch somewhat after he returned to the Dallas-Fort Worth area for a year and reconnected when he returned to town this summer for "Texas." I didn't realize he was back until I heard someone yell my name - my full name, like he always did, because I was never just "Chip" - from across the backstage holding area at "Texas" when I went down for a photo shoot and interviews in May. I recognized his voice and that enormous smile immediately. I'm going to miss that smile immensely. I'm going to miss seeing his impossibly long arms and legs navigating through his choreography. I'm going to miss the movie buddy who worshipped Emma Watson.

I'm going to miss them all, even the ones I didn't know well.

We all are. We were robbed of seeing them mature as performers. "Texas" was robbed of five gifted artists and of a sixth, Timothy Johnson, 30, of Portland, Ore., who sustained life-threatening injuries in the accident.

Their families and friends were robbed of the young men and women whom they loved so deeply.

"Texas forever," as the song goes, but this is a scar that feels forever deep.

Features Editor Chip Chandler can be reached at 806-345-3320 or chip.chandler@amarillo.com. His blog appears at amarillo.com. Find him on Facebook: facebook.com/chipchandleragn. Follow him on Twitter: @chipchandler1.