AREA MUSIC PIONEER DOWNS DEAD AT 78.Byline: Daily News Robert K. Downs, a retired College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. administrator and Hart High School Hart High School may refer to:
Downs was credited by friends and family members Wednesday with influencing thousands of young musicians and entertaining faithful fans who gathered for his own band's weekly performances at a Saugus pizza parlor. ``He influenced thousands upon thousands of people, not only as an instructor, but also as a performer,'' said longtime long·time adj. Having existed or persisted for a long time: a longtime friend; a longtime resident of Detroit. longtime Adjective friend Bruce Fortine, vice president of the College of the Canyons board. Downs, who played the saxophone saxophone, musical instrument invented in the 1840s by Adolphe Sax. Although it uses the single reed of the clarinet family, it has a conical tube and is made of metal. and clarinet clarinet, musical wind instrument of cylindrical bore employing a single reed. The clarinet family comprises all single-reed instruments, including the saxophone. The predecessor of the modern clarinet was the simpler chalumeau, which J. C. , joined a group of friends each Friday night until last month to belt out jazz tunes at Shakey's Pizza Shakey's Pizza is a pizza restaurant chain based in the United States. The chain currently has about 400 stores, 63 in the United States and the rest in Asia. History . Hart district administrator Lew White is a member of the Good Time Jazz Band. ``He was absolutely a wonderfully talented musician and arranger,'' White said. ``It was awfully special to play with Bob because he was so musically astute. He did arrangements for our band and kept it fun and interesting. He turned out to be one of the very special friends I've ever had. He'll be missed.'' Downs was born in a small central Ohio town and reared by his grandparents grandparents npl → abuelos mpl grandparents grand npl → grands-parents mpl grandparents grand npl , his son, David Downs, said Wednesday. He learned to love music at an early age, performing in high school, college and in a World War II Army-Air Force band that played in China, Burma and India. He taught high school in Ohio, then moved the family West in 1961 when he took a job at Hart High teaching music and band. ``He was the father of the Hart High music program,'' said Hart Principal Laurence Strauss. ``He's the person who really was responsible for what we have today, a program we're very proud of. He was a great motivator of young people.'' In early November, in declining health, Downs attended Hart High's annual Rampage, a battle of the Southland's high school bands. In 1969, Downs moved to College of the Canyons in Valencia, where he headed the music department, worked as a public information officer and directed the Office of Community Services as an assistant dean. He left Hart in hopes of working with advanced music students, his son said. He retired in 1984. A memorial service is tentatively scheduled for Friday, but details are pending. Downs is survived by his wife, Lois; sons David, Andy and Gary; daughter Cindy Abernethy; six grandchildren GRANDCHILDREN, domestic relations. The children of one's children. Sometimes these may claim bequests given in a will to children, though in general they can make no such claim. 6 Co. 16. ; and one great-grandchild. |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion