The Fort Griffin Fandangle began in 1938 as a play entitled Dr. Shackelford's Paradise and was first performed that spring by the seniors of Albany High School. Penned and directed by Robert E. Nail, Jr., for whom the Archives is named, the play was a dramatic account of the history of Shackelford County.
That first performance was such a success and inspiration that an enthusiastic community requested another performance, as well as the chance to participate themselves. Renamed the Fort Griffin Fandangle, the show became a much anticipated community event, with each show growing bigger than the last. As the work associated with the show increased, key figures became indispensable to its production.
A lifelong resident of Albany, TX, Marge Sedwick Key Bray was born on August 23, 1924 to parents John H. and Marguerite Sedwick, who were one of Shackelford County’s pioneering families. While attending Albany High School as a freshman in the year 1938, she performed in the original production of Dr. Shackelford’s Paradise.
After graduation she attended college at Christian College in Columbia, MO, where she received a two-year degree in ballet theater. Bray would then go on to earn a bachelor’s of arts from the University of Texas.
First married to Albany native Ray E. Key, Bray became a widow after he passed away in the midst of a nationwide polio epidemic in the late 1940s. In order to help support her two young children she opened up a studio in 1950, where she started teaching ballet, tap and jazz dance. Though she later married bank officer John W. Bray, she never gave up her passion for teaching dance. Bray taught hundreds, if not thousands, of children over 40 years of instruction, many starting at age three and continuing through high school age. Her positive impact on generations of Albany children cannot be overstated; her ability to instill confidence and self-esteem while learning were unmatched.
After participating in the original production, Bray continued to dance and preform in the newly renamed Fort Griffin Fandangle after high school and later became choreographer and assistant to original creator and director Robert E. Nail, Jr. After Nail’s death in late 1968 she served as assistant director before being named the show’s director in 1974.
Under Bray’s nurturing hand, the Fandangle grew and flourished. She would continue to serve as the director for 20 years, overseeing not just the summer production, but also leading numerous additional performances, including the annual membership samplers at home, as well as more far-flung samplers at the LBJ Ranch and at the State Fair of Texas.
Molly Sauder
Archivist & Librarian
