Sunset Stories

When Gary Troxel thinks back on his time at Sunset Elementary, his memories include a little bit of Hollywood magic and the beginnings of a life that would eventually be filled with music.

Gary attended Sunset Elementary in 1954 and 1955 and was a student in Miss Cence's class. Before moving to Carmel, he had lived in Hollywood, where one day, while on his way to the movies on Hollywood Boulevard, he found a Jack Benny script that had been discarded behind a film company.

Gary brought up the script in class one day, and his teacher had an idea: why not turn it into a show? Soon, Gary and his classmates were putting on their own version of the Jack Benny television program for the school, an experience he remembers simply as "a fun time."

Gary's time in Carmel was brief. After his stepfather died in 1956, his family moved to Olympia, Washington, where another important chapter of his life began. It was there that Gary met the two singing partners with whom he would go on to form The Fleetwoods, the vocal group that would become known for hits including "Come Softly to Me" and "Mr. Blue."

Decades later, Gary's memories of Sunset remain tied to a special time in his childhood—a classroom, an unexpected Hollywood script, a school performance and, as he puts it, simply, "great memories of Carmel."