A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona is back again after a pause and re-direction of priorities. I had hoped to finish up this present blog earlier but I was called upon to teach a trumpet class for Cochise College as they were needing an instructor this semester. So, I accepted and after meetings and everything else that is needed prior to a new teaching situation, I was finally able to set things up so that I could work on other projects. In addition, I have been invited to play with several groups and events. I will explain more below but just like baseball players, musicians are always looking for a game somewhere.
As always, teachers are encouraged to use any portions of A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona for their classroom lessons be it music, history, Culture of the Southwest, or any other topic that fits their need. Phillip Hirales
The main mission of A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona is to honor and provide recognition for those individuals that I believe made a difference in lives, especially through their talents and/or passion for the arts, specifically the music arena, and also, to spotlight musical organizations that have faded into the past that these may be recognized for their contribution to our history so that today's generation and future generations may have a better understanding of life today from studying life yesterday.
First of all, A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona would like to honor and recognize an individual who I believe made a difference through his talents and passion for his trade. So, with profound sadness in our hearts we will do so now for our friend, our neighbor and our fellow human being that recently passed away, Eddie Oliver.
Eddie Oliver
Eddie was born in the Bronx, NY in 1927 of Italian descent and the youngest of three children. He was a Boy Scout and loved to ride the elevated trains in NYC called the "L". He joined the army when he was just 18 and was stationed in Idaho at a German officer POW camp where he met his wife to be, Mary, who was a telephone operator at the base. After they were married they moved back to the Bronx, NY where he started to work for the Winter Piano Company. His first job while there was to polish piano benches. Eddie was able to work himself up to an executive in the company before receiving a letter from Norman Dart of The Music Box located on Main Street in Bisbee, Arizona. The Darts, Norman and Mary Dart, well-known business leaders in Bisbee were in need of a piano tuner and piano craftsman who would service the pianos The Music Box would sell not only in Bisbee but all of Southern Arizona and even Sonora, a northern state of Mexico. So Eddie and Mary relocated to Bisbee where Eddie would go to work for The Music Box, and Mary went to work as a dental assistant for Dr. Tuell. Later, as the Bisbee mines started to shut down, so did the sales of The Music Box started to slow down as well, and Eddie left the store to tune pianos for the customers he had come to know when he worked for Norman and Mary Dart. In addition, he had now started to tune pianos for churches, schools, and Fort Huachuca nearby so he became a well-known and respected piano tuner and craftsman.
Eddie Oliver
Master Piano Tuner
Eddie Oliver
Master Piano Craftsman
(Photos Courtesy of Bisbee Review)
As I recall, the first time I saw Eddie was at The Music Box where I had just starting working there. What I remember about Eddie is white pants and a 1965 white and blue Thunderbird he was driving, and he was from New York. My first thoughts were "cool". Shortly thereafter, I went into the Army, and didn't see Eddie until I got out three years later when I started working for the Bisbee Schools as a band teacher. As a band teacher, I was always in and out of The Music Box for supplies and one day, in a conversation, I mentioned to Eddie that my wife and I were looking for a house. Eddie then related to me in that New York style , "Heeey, my next door neighbor is selling his house." "I'll tell him you're interested". "Heeey, we can be neighbors." Sure enough, everything fell into place and we moved next to Eddie and Mary. We couldn't have had better neighbors than Eddie and Mary. Later, our 2 boys always needed their bikes or something to be worked on, and Eddie was always there. The boys never forgot that. Later, Mary passed on and Eddie continued working on pianos. This is what kept Eddie going for all of his final years because he had a passion for his work. One other comment on Eddie that should be shared with the local community. I taught elementary, junior high and high school band in Bisbee when I started my teaching career in 1969, but years later, after teaching at several other area schools, I came back to teach Band at Bisbee High School for a second time as they were having difficulty finding a band teacher and now the Band was struggling to stay alive. There was no feeder program from the junior high for band kids. There was no beginning elementary band program for beginners. There was no budget for Band like prior years and donations were the primary source of funds to buy what Band needed. In short, the Band did with what it had, and often times, instruments would need repair work just so kids could continue performing.
Eddie Oliver was a piano tuner and technician by trade but unknown to many, he also was a talented instrument repair person. There were many times when I would bring a saxophone or a trumpet or a flute and would ask Eddie for help
because the Band had a football game to play for, and Eddie was always there for us. Eddie would never ask for any compensation for his instrument repair and so I would always thank him for his help because it was a big deal to have a Band student play for a performance. Thank you, Eddie Oliver.
Besides, as he often would comment on his phone response--"Eddie Oliver, the master craftsman of his trade", Eddie was always sharing the things he had. And share he did, like the figs from his beautiful fig tree in his backyard. We could always count on Eddie putting some figs in a bag and hanging the bag on the fence between our yards for our enjoyment. The figs were delicious but he always cautioned us to wash the figs before eating them. The fig tree again has fruit this summer, and I have been pausing every now and then to look over and see any bags of figs that might be hanging on the fence. Both my wife and I miss our neighbor and good friend, Eddie. Thanks Eddie for everything and thanks for being a great neighbor, and a wonderful human being, and thanks for the figs you gave us. They were always and still are delicious. And like Eddie's message at the end of the call to his phone service stated--"Heeey, and don't forget to stay in tune".
My thoughts often go back to a moment in time for me that has become more significant in my lifetime especially as my two sons were growing up, and now, given the fact that they both have small boys.
I remember my father and I walking from our house at the bottom of Young Blood Hill and going to main street, and then walking over to the drugstore which was halfway up the street from the bank and I believe it was the Central Pharmacy at that time. The drugstore had many things that anyone would want and a small cap pistol would be special for a small boy who wanted to be part of the Fourth of July excitement, and that is what my father bought for me. I remember that moment quite vividly because we went to the second floor of the Copper Queen Library and we sat on one of the benches on the veranda and looked down onto Main Street as people were scampering in preparation for the Fourth of July parade in Bisbee. And everyone knew that a parade usually meant colorful floats, and horses with cowboys, and bands and marching units that would be playing music for everyone.
Bisbee Post Office
Second Floor Veranda
And then, I started shooting my cap pistol when a policeman pointed to me and signaled for me to stop which I did. It wasn't very loud but as I look back at this moment, I believe that the policeman was trying to stop anyone from startling the horses in the parade. So when I go by the library on any given day, I look up to that 2nd floor library porch, and memories of my father and me come back just for a moment but it is always there. That's the way it was in the late '40s.
Drum and Bugle Corps, Bands, and Marching Units in Bisbee Parades
There have always been bands and musical groups that have made the Bisbee Fourth of July parade, other parades and events memorable. Frankly, would a parade be a parade without music? So, at these parades, the community would come together to enjoy that day proudly as they showed their patriotic spirit. Some of the outstanding musical organizations that have provided music for parades in the Bisbee area include the following although this list still may be incomplete: 10th Cavalry Band and the 10th Cavalry Drum Corps (Ft. Huachuca) and other military bands stationed there which will be researched and presented in a later blog, Bisbee High School Band, Shriners Band (Tucson), 36th U.S. Army Band (Ft. Huachuca), Calumet and Arizona Band, Copper Queen Band, Italian Band, Bisbee American Legion Band, Douglas Drum and Bugle Corps, Fort Grant Industrial School Band, YMCA Boys Band, Bisbee Boys & Girls' Club Band. Here, we would like to share some of the groups mentioned above but with the understanding that as we continue to research these areas, we continue to find threads of information not explored before, and often times we need to re-write the topic.
Bands from Years Ago
Calumet and Arizona Band (C & A)
(Photo courtesy of the Bisbee Historical Mining Museum)
On July 2, 1916, the Calumet and Arizona (C & A) Band led the first division of the Fourth of July parade in Bisbee, Arizona in Bisbee's Independence Day celebration. This band was very active in the community celebrations that required music typical of those years and is one of the most memorable music group to perform in the Bisbee area. In the picture above, the band is in front of the C & A mining company office that is today Bisbee city hall. During this time period, bands often gave concerts in the Warren area for the area residents and the C & A Band played its share of concerts for Bisbee residents. The uniforms worn by the band members are similar to the style worn by bands of the era, and were Sousa-like in appearance. Other items of significance for this band is the notable absence of saxophones, and the use of the cornet rather than the trumpet as seen in bands today. The trumpet became popular in jazz bands but the cornet was the prime musical instrument for concert bands as well as marching bands. Also, the bass horn is different than the Sousaphones as used in marching bands and other popular bands today. One other point that should be mentioned, at least for this musical organization, is that most if not all of the band members worked for the C & A mining company, either as miners or other employees. The C & A Band also played on the Vista Park in Warren for dances especially during the Summer.
(Bisbee Daily Review)
Ft Grant Industrial School Band
(photo from Arizona State Library archives)
During the Apache Wars of the 1880's in Arizona the federal government decided to establish a military fort at the base of Mt. Graham in what is now known as Graham County. The cavalry stationed there were tasked primarily to deal with issues relating to the Apache Indians in the area although they were also commanded to help in civil matters when needed. After Arizona became a state on Feb. 14, 1912, the U.S. government turned over the Ft. Grant facilities to the State of Arizona. Then, the State converted the site into the Arizona Industrial School for boys and girls having problems at home and school and the community. As part of the school's mission to help young people find structure in their lives, the school provided activities to help, and thus, the Ft. Grant Industrial School Band was formed. They became a band much in demand all over the State and they performed in Bisbee as well, many times in parades and other musical events including U.S. Naturalization ceremonies. In the picture below, we see the Ft. Grant Industrial School Band playing in the Lowell area sometime in the late '40s in front of what we know today as the Bisbee Breakfast Club. The sign in front of the building indicates a hardware and appliance store, and later it would house a bakery which baked delicious sweet bread for those with a sweet tooth. That building does not exist and in its place, there is now a parking area for businesses currently in Lowell.
Ft. Grant Industrial School Band
playing in Lowell, Arizona about 1947 or 1948
(photo courtesy of Anna Garcia)
Recent Notable Events
With the sounds coming from a single bagpiper, a disciplined unit from one of the local Tucson-area fire departments posted the colors in Tucson, Arizona on a beautiful Sunday morning September 17, 2017 at the annual memorial honoring firefighters and first responders who gave the ultimate price during 9/11 in New York on that infamous and tragic day in 2001. Firefighters along with family members from throughout Arizona paused to pay homage to those that made the ultimate sacrifice and then firefighters proceeded to climb the stairs at the Broadway building high-rise to symbolize the stairs at the World Trade Center that these heroes had scaled on that day. A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona honors these individuals past and present, those that gave their all, and those who are prepared to give their all each day to make us safe, and to make our communities safe.
Firefighters at the Tucson 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb
(photo courtesy of Tucson-area firefighters)
A Bisbee Historical Moment
For many of our blog readers, this Bisbee Historical Moment will have come and gone, however, it is always worth noting that a milestone like this one only comes every 100 years. And that is what the celebration is about--the 100th year celebration of St. Patrick Church in Bisbee, Arizona. This memorable event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017 at a 4:00 pm mass with the Bishop from Tucson as the celebrant. The next day, Sunday, will have St. Patrick's Church continue their centennial celebration by holding a Mariachi Mass at 10:00 am.
St. Patrick's Church
Bisbee, Arizona
St. Parick Church Stained Window
Memories
My mother used to say in Spanish, "Uno vive con sus recuerdos", which means "You live with your memories", and she would usually tell me in some manner how she felt about those moments that were so important to her as she was raising a family years ago in a mining town named Bisbee.
So, as A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona recalls the memories of yesterday, the one memory that comes to my mind almost immediately was that in that moment in 1969 when I was leaving the Army. As previously stated in an earlier blog, I was called to fill in the band teacher position at the elementary grades for a situation that resulted in the dismissal of the high school band teacher. So, I remember vividly, like it was yesterday, when Mr. Russ Andaloro, who was promoted to become the high school band teacher, called me to have a meeting with him at the Hillcrest Apartments located in the Bakerville area which is still Bisbee. Mr. Andaloro, an old Army bandsman (my mentor when I started teaching), pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniels, placed it on the kitchen table, and then he laid out a schedule which had band sections, and so he started to map out my schedule that he had taught up to that time during the school year. He said, you have a a couple of beginning saxophones on Monday in the morning at Greenway, and later, also a section of beginning trumpet players--5th graders. Later, you have some drummers and some beginning flute players--5th graders in the afternoon. On the next day, you will go to Lowell School and you have a section of clarinet players, some flute players, and a trombone player. You will be there most of the day, and then, the next morning you will go to Central School, and you have some beginning trumpet and saxophone players--5th graders in the morning. After lunch, you will go to Lincoln School and there, you have some beginning flute and clarinet players. On Thursday, you will go to St. Patrick's School (the building next to the church) and there, you have a trombone player, and a couple of trumpets. You then go to Horace Mann School that afternoon and meet with some of the advanced band students, and on Friday morning, you will meet with the advanced group and later the all the beginning band students. After that year, I taught the following year at the high school, but I always remember Mr. Andaloro, and my first band schedule that included St. Patrick School. I hope to feature Mr. Andoloro in one of my future blogs because of his impact on my life.
And there were other memories of St. Patrick Church--the masses, the baptisms, the funerals, the weddings, the celebrations below in the hall especially those where I had the opportunity to play, the mananitas every Dec. 12 for Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe and the singers, and the musicians and those dedicated to La Virgen.
But for me, many of my memories come from the Sacred Heart Church by Central School---I remember the offerings in May by young boys and girls wearing white, the girls carrying flowers for the Virgen.
I remember the nuns who taught in a building right next to Central School where they taught many subjects to their young charges, I remember the celebrations in the same building on the second floor where there would be receptions for newly-weds and I remember a Mexican band from Tombstone playing and everyone dancing for hours, I remember the mothers of first-communion children prepare chocolate caliente y pan de huevo (hot chocolate and Mexican sweet bread) after receiving their first holy communion and festive celebrations in the hall, I remember my mother and other ladies from the Sacred Heart Church prepare burros de chili con carne as they participated in a fund-raiser at the City Park, and hear my mother say, "Vamos a vender muchos burritos a los borrachitos que salen de las cantinas" or that is, "We are going to sell many burritos to the little drunks that come out of the bars." I remember the demolition of the old Sacred Heart Church, and men from the church who did so manually on a given day. I remember the day my father was brought into the new Sacred Heart Church for his final mass, and the sermon that the priest gave for him when he said, "Men who worked in the mines toiled hard and labored like mules everyday like this man". "And he was a good man".
And so we celebrate 100 years of memories for the church and its parishoners in Bisbee, Arizona. "Uno vive con sus recuerdos". "You live with your memories".
Final Trumpet Call
A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona would like to encourage anyone who feels that they were inspired by a former Band or Music Teacher when they were in school, especially in Arizona, to come forward and provide us with the information and pictures in a guest article in order to recognize them for the impact they gave to students and the community in which they resided. This recognition will be provided in our blog, A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona. In these times, it is important to recognize the good of individuals so that our younger generation can be inspired to do good and positive things in their lives and set the examples for those who will follow.
"A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona"
Phillip Hirales
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