"Vernon Alley Trio beat it out at the Franciscan rally" from the "1948 Franciscan" yearbook (page 25)

Photograph of the Vernon Alley Trio performing at the Franciscan rally. Vernon Alley (1915-2004) was a prominent jazz bassist who attended San Francisco State in 1940 where he met the Zech family (father William and son Norman) who were big in the local music scene. Norman, just a year older than Alley, was the string teacher and orchestra director of the College's Summer Music Workshop that provided music instruction to San Francisco high school students for nominal fees. Norman Zech taught Alley the fundamentals and fingering techniques of playing the bass that would serve him very well in his career.