Don was born in Kansas City and grew up in Springfield, Missouri. After high school he was a bugler in the Navy and then continued his music education at Southwest Missouri State University, receiving his Master's Degree in trumpet performance from Tulsa University.

His innovative approach to instrumental music instruction impacted thousands of students in the Escondito and San Gabriel, California and Phoenix school systems. Don was an inspiration to all who knew him. He devoted his retirement years to crystalizing his ideas and published an engaging new method for beginning band.

He played trumpet in the Springfield Symphony, the Tulsa Philharmonic and the Dan Diego Symphony and was a member of Scottsdale Concert Band for ten years.

Don passed away after a short illness on August 28, 2006.

To Mary Jo, life was a challange, and she never quit. Born in Jefferson City, Mo., she contracted polio at the age of 19 months. Though plagued by operations and braces, she enjoyed participating in sports, and while in high school, took up the French horn and enjoyed playing in the band.

A graduate of St. Mary’s Hospital School of Nursing in Jefferson City, she served one year as as President of the Missouri State Student Nurses Association. In 1957 she became an R.N. and was a delegate to the International Council of Nurses in Rome, Italy. She then worked at St. Mary’s Hospital and taught Pediatrics at the School of Nursing. Later, she worked at the Jefferson Barracks V.A. Hospital.in the St. Louis area .

In 1959 she entered the Religious of the Cenacle Work and in 1965 she completed her Theological Studies at St. Xavier College in Chicago, Ill. In June 1967, Mary Jo left the convent and returned to the Jefferson Barracks Hospital. In 1969 she earned a B.A. from St. Louis University and in 1971 an M.Ed. from University of Missouri, Columbia, specializing in Vocational Rehabilitation.She then worked in Drug & Alcohol Programs at Jefferson Barracks V.A. Hospital. During this time, she spent two years opening the Clinic at Cochran V.A. Hospital, St. Louis. In 1984, a severe injury to her back resulted in a departure from the nursing profession.

In all of life, Mary Jo lived fully. She loved flowers and gardening, was very proficient in the art of stained glass, collected antiques, built fences, watched sports... you name it, she tried it. For over 25 years, she was involved in the breeding and showing of Boston Terriers.

In 1991, seeking warmth to aid her body, she moved to Scottsdale. Here she joined the Scottsdale Concert Band, S.C.C. Orchestra, Mesa Community Band, and the New Horizons Band. It was music that gave her courage to fight the disease which eventually claimed her, and that called her to play not only for her own enjoyment, but the pleasure of those listening.

Mr. Johnson began his music education in Joplin, Missouri where he started playing trombone at age eight. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree (with a minor in music) from the University of Oklahoma in 1952.

Mr. Johnston worked for the IBM Corporation in computer sales from 1952 to 1982 but kept close to the music field, playing in community bands and orchestras in the Chicago area. Through the International Trombone Association he became active in the trombone choir movement, and served on various committees in that organization.

Bill moved to Scottsdale in 1984, joined the Scottsdale Concert Band, and became the section leader for the trombones. He founded the Scottsdale Trombone Choir in late 1985 when he became aware of a desire in the band's low brass players to perform as a group. Having formed and played in trombone choirs earlier, his leadership made the Scottsdale Trombone Choir a natural evolution. He became and remained its leader for 15 years until his death.

Bill was also the Music Librarian for Scottsdale Community College for 15 years. Bill and his wife, Jean, were very involved in community service for the handicapped for 40 years.

After a short illness, Bill passed away on October. 16, 2002.

Wally began playing trombone in elementary school and played in the band during his high school years. He played in various brass groups in Cincinnatii, OH, Barkhamsted, CT; Reno, NV; and Swarthmore, PA. He also sang in community choruses and church choirs. After moving to Mesa in 1988, he became actively involved in the Scottsdale Concert Band, the Scottsdale Trombone Choir, and the Scottsdale Community Orchestra.

Mr. Etzel was a founding member of the Superstition Spacemodeling Society and served the group as president, secretary, and event chair at various times. He was the chair of the education group, and organized model rocket launches for school groups in the area, including the Young Astronaut Program.

Mr. Etzel passed away on January 10, 2002.

In high school he played in the band, orchestra and jazz band. When several of the, jazz band members wanted to continue to play during summer vacation, Al convinced the director to loan him all of the jazz arrangements for them to practice. Al, of course, was the leader. At a community summer festival the jazz group set up at the edge of the carnival and started performing. The band soon realized that most of the crowd had come over to hear them. Again, this was more early musical fame for Al.

Al received his bachelor's degree in music from Newark State College and a Master's degree in music from one of the top music schools in the country, Indiana University at Bloomington, Indiana.

When Al moved to Carefree, Arizona, he worked for some time as a transport manager for Phoenix Transit. He soon decided to go out on his own as a transportation consultant. He traveled extensively in the Western Hemisphere assisting transportation companies with all types of transit problems and new ventures.

Al joined the Scottsdale Concert Band in 1990 in our clarinet section. It was soon realized that Al had another great talent as an announcer. We did not have to talk him into doing the announcing: he relished the idea. The band, the Trombone Choir and the audience all agreed that he was a supurb announcer Al would be performing on the clarinet one moment, and the next, charming the audience with the announcements, and then right back to the clarinet.

In an accident, on Thursday, November 15, 2001, Al received a massive head injury from which he did not recover. Al Fuhr passed away on November 21, 2001

Edward Spack was raised in Yonkers, New York, where he began playing the tuba in the eighth grade. By the ninth grade, he “graduated” to the sousaphone, and had become proficient enough to be chosen soloist for the spring concert on May 8, 1942. He was playing that same solo fifty years later.

Ed continued to play sousaphone throughout his days at Central High School in Yonkers, where he played in both the band and the orchestra. Ed graduated as valedictorian of his class of 170 members. His list of extracurricular activities read like a Who’s Who in America. Ed’s college studies in electrical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute were interrupted by a tour in the U.S. Air Force. He returned to receive his B.E.E. degree from RPI in 1950, where he graduated with many honors.

Mr. Spack joined the Bell Telephone Laboratories in New York City, and also continued his education. He received his Master of Science degree from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J.

When the Spack family moved to Scotch Plains, N. J. in 1963, Ed began to get back into music. He started playing the sousaphone in the Westfield Summer Band. The next year, he joined the Bloomfield Civic Band and performed with that organization until he moved to the southwest. Ed received many honors for his work with the musical organizations in his New Jersey area.

Ed took early retirement from Bell Telephone Labs in 1982 after 32 years of service to move to Carefree, Arizona where he became vice president of Sunbird Development Corporation. He played tuba in the Scottsdale Community Band, was on the advisory board for several years, and served for some time as its president. He was the driving force to help raise funds for the band to purchase the blue blazers which were our first uniforms.

Ed was also instrumental in bringing the Scottsdale Community Band to his Carefree/Cave Creek area for concerts on several occasions. From 1990 until his death, Ed was the executive director of the Foothills Community Foundation, the fine arts and cultural organization for that area.

Ed passed away November 26, 1996.