What year(s) did you march in the Blue Knights?
I started in the 88′ corps on Euph, and moved to Contra for 91′ and 92′.
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Where did you attend high school?
Montezuma Cortez H.S. in Cortez CO.
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Education beyond high school?
BM/BME from the University of Northern Colorado
Masters in Music Tuba Performance from Northwestern University
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What is your current occupation? I’m a real estate broker with @properties in Chicago and still a very active musician. I play with The Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, Mucca Pazza, The Big Shoulders Brass Band, The Sanctified Grumblers, and The New Trad Octet
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Why did you choose to march with the Blue Knights?
Living in a small town and becoming interested in music, was a great way to get out and explore the possibilities music could bring. The travel, the freedom… I was definitely up for it as a bored 15-year-old.
What is your favorite drum corps memory? Not a fair question! Too many great people and great moments. I remember leaving the field after a magical show in Vanderbilt’s Stadium in Nashville, Moonlight walks to a secret grove in Milwaukee, Lake Mills, singing songs with Kenny on guitar, so many George Z moments, the lightning storm on the gulf, the all-star parade for the fiesta bowl…many, many more.
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How have the Blue Knights impacted your life? Got me thinking, got me curious, and got me to embrace and crave change. Showed me that if I want something, I can get to work and go do it.
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What are some of the Blue Knights’ core values/principles that have resonated with you in life? Huh… well I don’t claim to speak for the organization nor could I say what today’s BK would list as their core values, but there were certainly bad times as well as good, and I learned from them both. It was through those experiences that I realized I have many choices in how I live my life. We can even at times choose how we feel about a situation, or at least how to react to that feeling. It has given me intention and purpose to move forward with my choices and own them good or bad.
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What advice would you tell someone considering trying out for the Blue Knights? If you are open to experience, if you are open to change, if you like a challenge then this is for you. It’s not about where you are, it’s about where you are going.
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How would you like to see other Blue Knight alumni get involved in the organization? I love seeing when people get together on the social. Keep those photos coming. Hope to get back for a few of those opportunities myself.
