About the Director
I was raised in Licking County, Ohio and started in the school band program when I was in the 4th grade playing the cornet. I decide to become a band director during my senior year of high school. I couldn't afford to go on campus of Ohio University, so I attended a branch of in Lancaster, Ohio for a year. After working a summer job and being given a "Board Job" ( working in the kitchen of a women's dorm ) position on campus, I was able to attend the School of Music in Athens. While there I met Carol Day who played flute in the marching band.
We were married in 1968 while she was still a student. Times were tough financially, but we were happy. I became the Assistant Director for Co, Schools and worked with David Bowen who taught me a lot about being a band director. I was with him for a year and then was offered a position with Oak Hill Union Schools in Jackson Co. I taught there for six years and then then became the band director at the OSS & O Home in Xenia, Ohio. After 6 long years, I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Ray Foster and Xenia City Schools. I spent the last 16 years of my teaching career as an assistant to Ray at the high school and teaching in 6 of the 8 . The last 5 years were spent as the director at Warner Jr. Hi. I retired in 1997.
I have been the assistant director under 4 different directors of the , the most recent being Dave.
A few years after I retired, I realized that I missed playing my cornet. I asked Ray Foster about joining the Greene County Adult Concert Band with the stipulation that I would play 3rd part. That was in 2003. I had the idea of creating a separate band to play Christmas music and that I could possibly use players from the for that purpose. Thus, the Community Christmas Concert Band was "born". I average about 65 players each year and I use former students and other players who are friends or friends of players etc. One of my greatest joys is to have my son, Brian, play with us. As a band teacher in Xenia Schools, I was fortunate enough to start both of my sons on their instruments in school.