Dr. Charles DeWitt Dunn (67) died May 5, 2013 at his home in Arkadelphia, AR of complications from his battle with pancreatic cancer. Born on December 2, 1945 to Charles E. and Lucille (Bailey) Dunn in Magnolia, AR, he graduated from McNeil High School in 1963, earned his BA as a first generation college student from Southern Arkansas University in 1967, an MA from the University of North Texas in 1970, and his Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University in 1973, each in political science.

An educator for 43 years, he began and ended his career teaching political science to college students, a role he dearly loved. He began his career in 1969 at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, teaching in the political science department before moving in 1975 to the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, AR. There, he served as a professor of political science before becoming chair of the department and being named the university’s Director of Governmental Relations. It was this experience with the Arkansas State Legislature that sparked his interest in university administration, and in February of 1986 he was named the 14thPresident of Henderson
State University in Arkadelphia, AR. He retired from the presidency in 2008 and at twenty-two years in the position, was the longest serving president in the university’s history. He ended his career at Henderson as President Emeritus and Distinguished Professor of Political Science, teaching courses in the American Presidency, Political Behavior, and State & Local Government. In each of his roles in higher education, he was focused on the needs of students and was particularly proud to serve the needs of students from Arkansas.

Throughout his career he served on numerous boards and commissions at the state, national, and local levels. In 1986 he was selected by his peers to chair the Arkansas Presidents and Chancellors Association; Governor Bill Clinton appointed him to chair the Commission on Arkansas’s Future from 1989-1993; and he was a member of the Arkansas Community Foundation Board of Directors from 1996-2006, chairing the board from 2002-2003. After leading Henderson into the NCAA in 1992, he served as vice president and then president of the Gulf South Conference from 1996-2000. From 2000-2001, he served as president of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. He was also committed to serving his local community, and among his many service organizations were the HSU Wesley Foundation Board, the Executive Board of the United Way of Arkadelphia, and the Arkansas Methodist Children’s Home Board of Directors. He was a member of the Rotary Club between 1982 and 2008, and was selected as a Paul Harris Fellow.

A loving husband, father, and grandfather, Charles played an active role in the life of his family, whether traveling to Japan, organizing family trips to Orlando, or simply teaching his grandchildren and daughter-in-law to drive a four-wheeler or shoot a pistol in the Ozarks. He is survived by his best friend and wife of 47 years, Dr. Donna Jane (Parsons) Dunn of Arkadelphia and four children: Dr. Aimee M. Shouse (Robert) of Macomb, Illinois, James D. Dunn (Haruno) of Kawasaki, Japan, Joseph C. Dunn (Rachel), of Little Rock, and Mary E. Dunn of Little Rock; five grandchildren: Emma Shouse, Meghan Shouse, Ethan Dunn, Isabelle Dunn, and Emily Dunn; his father, Charles Edward Dunn of Arkadelphia; his brother, Michael E. Dunn (Mary) of Leesburg, Virginia; his niece, Meredith Ortiz (Jose) of Silver Springs, Maryland; his aunt, Dorothy Cook of Magnolia, and seven loving first cousins who live in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. He was preceded in death by his mother.

Memorials may be made to the Charles D. Dunn and Jane Parsons Dunn Scholarship in care of the Henderson State University Foundation, HSU Box 7550, Arkadelphia, 71999-0001. Sign the online guest book at www.ruggleswilcox.com

Chad Michael Pierce, 38 of Madill, Oklahoma, passed away Friday, January 4, 2013, at the Texoma Medical Center in Denison, Texas. He was born on February 2, 1974, in Arlington, Texas, to John Michael Pierce and Linda Dell Talley Pierce.

Chad was raised in the Dallas, Texas, area until the age of 6 when he moved to Atlanta, Georgia. At age 8 he moved back to Dallas and in 1985, he moved to Madill where he graduated high school in 1993. While in high school Chad received numerous awards for performance on the trombone. He went to All District and All State competition yearly and received the “John Phillip Sousa’ Award. Chad attended East Central University on a Band Scholarship and received the “Saied Award” as a senior. Chad participated in the marching, jazz and concert bands and graduated with a music performance degree in 2000. While at East Central he was a very active member of the Kappa Kappa Psi Band Fraternity and became a lifetime member after graduation.

Chad worked for the last six years at Winstar Casino in many roles. During his free time he enjoyed playing and listening to music and cheering for his favorite sport’s teams; the Madill Wildcats, ECU Tigers and OU Sooners. He also enjoyed and collected science fiction movies.

He is survived by parents, Mike and Linda Pierce, Madill, Oklahoma; brother, Marcus Pierce and wife, Alexis, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; two nieces, Avery and Whitney Pierce, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; aunts, uncles and cousins.

Chad preceded in death by his grandparents; John and Wanda Pierce and Delia Talley.
Visitation will be Monday at Watts Funeral Home, Madill from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Services will be Tuesday, January 8, 2013, at 11 a.m. at the Watts Memorial Chapel, Madill, Oklahoma. John Tidwell, Doug Hansen, Adam Mewhorter and Kent House will officiate the services. Interment will be at the Oaklawn Cemetery, Sulphur, Oklahoma.

Condolences may be sent to wattsfuneralhome.com.

Services will be under the direction of Watts Funeral Home, Madill, Oklahoma

Bruce Edward Bashford, 84 of Cocoa Beach, FL, passed away on Friday, January 4, 2013. He was born in Wray, Colorado in 1928, grew up in Wray, and attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he met Barbara Lines, who would become his wife of 56 years.

Bruce and Barbara came to Cocoa Beach in 1959, where he worked as an engineer at the Space Center. He was active in community organizations including Friends of the Cocoa Beach Library and several barbershop quartet groups. His job took Bruce and Barbara away from Cocoa Beach for a number of years, but they returned upon his retirement to the home that they built here.

Bruce is survived by his children, Don and June; and grandchildren, Steven, David and Bert.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to UNICEF or to Cocoa Beach Community Church.

Funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 2, 2013 at Cocoa Beach Community Church. You may sign Bruce’s guestbook at www.beckman-williamson.com.

Thomas Gaspar, age 72 of Rock Rapids, IA died Friday, December 7, 2012 at Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 AM, Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at Holy Name Catholic Church in Rock Rapids, IA, with Father Jeff Schleisman as celebrant.

Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery in Rock Rapids.

Visitation will be Monday, December 10, 2012 from 4:00 to 8:00 PM, with the family present from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Jurrens Funeral Home of Rock Rapids.

There will be a Vigil service at 7:00 PM at the funeral home.

Tom grew up in Bridgewater, SD and attended SDSU. After serving in the military, Tom’s teaching career began in 1965 in Volga, SD. In 1970, Tom moved to Rock Rapids to become the band director at Central Lyon High School where his love for musical education continued though his retirement in 2002.

As the theater director at Central Lyon and as one of the founders of the River Valley Players, Tom directed and performed in over 150 musicals and plays, and countless concerts, parades, and football halftime shows. While teaching was his vocation, the musical theater was truly Tom’s passion and he continued to bring music to the community for more than 40 years, including his instrumental role in ensuring the development of the Forster Auditorium. However, Tom was always thought of as more than just the band director or musical director.

With a Masters degree in Guidance Counseling, he became a confidante to many students looking for direction and a listening ear during difficult times. Even with the delight that Tom received from music, helping and educating kids will always be of special importance to his teaching legacy.

Tom will forever be remembered as a wonderful husband and father but his true joy could be found when he became a grandfather. His grandchildren were always sitting with him in “Grandpa’s chair” and they were the voices that would lift his spirits with their laughter.

Tom is survived by his wife of 49 1/2 years, Judy; two children: Patrick Gaspar and his wife Jennifer of Waltham, MA, Kirsten Colt and her husband Brad of Elk Point, SD; one brother, Jerry (Olimpia) Gaspar of Punta Gorda, FL, two sisters Beverly (Tom) O’Connor of Lenexa, KS and Phyllis (Greg) Heineman of Sioux Falls, SD; and five grandchildren: Dylan, Jennica and Alicen Colt, and Owen and Emma Gaspar.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

SWANICK, ANTHONY JOSEPH, 52, of Orlando, FL, beloved son of the late Joseph A. and the late Catherine M. Swanick (nee McCall), passed away unexpectedly on Nov. 11, 2012. Anthony (Tony) Swanick was a Founding Father of the Eta Rho chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, and was an Active Brother until he left WCU in 1982. Tony was born August 29, 1960 and raised in Abington, PA. He served as the Communications Director for Congresssman Jon Fox from 1995-1999, working in the Philadelphia, PA area. Tony relocated to Orlando, FL, and was the Communications Director for Power Place Tours in the early 2000s.

Tony is survived by his brother, Patrick J. Swanick (Diana L.) of Austin, TX. Contributions in his memory, made to the Humane Society of the United States, www.HumaneSociety.org, will be gratefully accepted. A private Memorial Service and interment will be held at a later date.

When Neil Armstrong passed earlier this month, the world lost a hero and a legend. What many people did not know, was that Brother Armstrong was an avid musician and made an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi at Purdue University. The following was printed in the Podium in 1969 and tells about Brother Armstrong’s musical roots and his affiliation with Kappa Kappa Psi.

First Man on the Moon
Reprinted from the November 1969 edition of the Podium

When Neil Armstrong stepped out on the moon’s surface, the world thrilled at mankind’s greatest adventure. And musicians said: “He’s one of us.”

Musicians form a close brotherhood, but they also believe in music for everyone, including men who explore space. So does Neil Armstrong. Though flying has been his lifelong passion, Armstrong is also devoted to music. As a teenager, he worked and saved to pay for flying lessons and still eked out enough extra money to buy a Conn baritone horn. He earned his pilot’s license at 16, even before he had his driver’s license; and he was the leader of a musical combo as well as a faithful member of the school band.

Armstrong’s love for music began when he was a small child. He joined the Upper Sandusky, Ohio, school band when he was an eighth grader, and chose to play baritone horn.

“I asked him why he chose such a big horn,” his mother recalls. “He was such a little fellow and it seemed to be more than he could carry. But he said he liked the tone. So, of course, we didn’t discourage him. And perhaps the school band needed a baritone player.

I never had to remind him to practice. He just naturally set aside time for that.”

The family had moved to Wapakoneta, Ohio, by the time Armstrong entered high school. He played in the school band, of course, but also for Boy Scout and church events. For sheer fu , he formed the “Mississippi Moonshiners,” a jazz band that performed at school dances and assembly intermissions.

“Neil was a very good musician,” says Jerre Maxon, the trombonist of the group. “He had a strong driving afterbeat, you know, and really kept us going. He sure loved music. He said music contributed to ‘thought control,’ and he always tried to improve his playing.

There were only six boys in the Wapakoneta 45-piece band and we had a lot of fun. After the football game, when we went downtown to parade, Neil would turn his cap around and march backwards, just for laughs. Sometimes we would trade off instruments. I suppose we drove the band director crazy-but those were good times.”

But with the exception of these episodes with the band and the “Moonshiners,” Maxon remembers Armstrong as a quiet, reserved young man, who said little. “I think one of the hardest parts of the moon mission for Neil will be the public speaking,” Maxon comments.

“He wanted his own instrument,” reports Neil’s father, Stephen. “In those days, our family had few luxuries. Neil worked at Neumeister’s Bakery cleaning the bread mixer until he had raised enough money to buy a Conn baritone horn.

Neil got his love of music from his mother. She played piano and assisted Neil to play piano, too. Sometimes, in the evening, Neil with his baritone, his brother Dean and his cornet, and his sister June with her violin would gather around Viola at the piano, and they would play. What a good time they had.” B. S. Porter Music Company in Lima, Ohio, has proudly framed the guarantee card of Dean’s Conn cornet, serial No. 163721.

After high school graduation, Armstrong won a Navy scholarship, and in the fall of 1947, went to Purdue University. His Conn baritone went along, and he performed with the Purdue “All American” Marching Band and Concert Band, under the direction of Paul Emrick.

Maxine LeFevre, assistant to AI Wright, Purdue’s current director of bands, serves as band historian. She says Neil Armstrong is remembered by his classmates as a likeable boy with a bashful smile.
“His band colleagues recall the pride he took in his horn,” Miss leFevre says. “No one dreamed at the time that by 1962 we would hear Neil was chosen to be an astronaut. The Purdue Marching Band did a half-time show in his honor that fall. Oddly enough, we titled the show ‘First Bandsman on the Moon’ and it came true!”

In 1966, Armstrong visited the Purdue campus and appeared in the variety show which the band was presenting for visiting alumni during Gala Week . The band presented him with a Purdue band blazer and Honorary Membership in the Gamma Pi Chapter of KKY, national band fraternity. Along with the pledge board and pledge cap, Armstrong was given his KKY pin. This year, when he learned he would be the first man to set foot on the moon, he wrote AI Wright that he hoped to carry the pin along on his flight.

Neil Armstrong never lost his love for music. “Every time Neil came home in these past years,” says his father, “one of the first things he would do was sit down at the piano and play.”

“That seemed to be part of coming home,” his mother adds. “After he had played three or four things, he was ready to sit down and tell us what he had been doing.”

But there never was another chance for the “Mississippi Moonshiners” to get together for a session. Maxon stayed in Wapakoneta where he became a successful contractor. Jim Mougey, the clarinetist, is now a band director in Norwalk, Ohio. Bob Gustafson, second trombonist, is a teacher in Springfield, Ohio.

At home in Houston, during his free time, Armstrong still enjoys playing his musical instrument. Occasionally, he and his wife, Janet, entertain friends with a duet. Twelve-year-old Ricky Armstrong is taking music lessons. Mark, six, without any doubt will be taking music lessons soon-perhaps as the boy behind the Conn baritone in band.

On July 22, 2012 Kappa Kappa Psi and the South Carolina State University Band program lost a great advocate and teacher. Mr. Ronald J. Sarjeant, received his Bachelor’s degree from Florida A&M University in 1970 and was initiated into the Delta Iota Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi in the fall of 1969. From that time, he worked to live the values of our organization and was committed to the college movement.

Mr. Sarjeant went on to serve as the Assistant Director of Band at Tuskegee University and later became the Director of Bands. In 1976 he left Tuskegee to serve as the Director of Band at South Carolina State University. He served the band program and mentored hundreds of students until his retirement in 2004. For his work with the South Carolina State Band and community, he was recently inducted into the South Carolina State University Hall of Fame.

The current SCSU Director of Bands, Mr. Ed Ellis, has this to say on the bands website, “Concert clarinetist, arranger, composer, teacher, mentor are but a few words to describe Ronald J. Sarjeant. He has left a mark at South Carolina State University that will never be forgotten. His many musical arrangements will continue to be played by the “101.” Although short in stature he was a giant in the field of music and music education. All who have enjoyed his music whether student, football fan, or music lover should remember him for all the good that he did. Sarge you and your legacy will never be forgotten!”

Mr. Sarjeant was an active member of Kappa Kappa Psi since his initiation. He was the advisor to the Zeta Eta Chapter at SCSU and advised the Epsilon Chi Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma. From 1993 to 2000, he served the fraternity as Southeast District Governor. Countless brothers had the opportunity to learn from Mr. Sarjeant, and his legacy will continue to thrive in our fraternity through the members he mentored. We are a better fraternity due to his service to the brotherhood.

Our most sincere condolences are with the family and the South Carolina State Community.

Robert R. Gross, III, 54, of Bethlehem Township, died Wednesday, May 30, 2012, in St. Lukes Hospice House. He was the husband of Maryann (Salamone) Gross. They celebrated their 29th anniversary last June 19. Mr. Gross has been Superintendent of Schools in the Salisbury Township School District since 2010, and has been a member of the Adjunct Faculty at Wilkes University since 2006. After receiving both a B.S. and M.M. from West Chester University, he began his teaching career in 1980 as Band Director and Music Teacher at Garnet Valley High School. He later became Band Director and Music Teacher at Emmaus High School, and was appointed chairperson of the East Penn School District Music Department. In 1991 he moved to the West Shore School District in Lewisberry, where he served in various positions leading to Assistant Superintendent. He was Associate Superintendent of the Bethlehem Area School District from 2005 – 2008. He served as Superintendent of Schools in the Kutztown Area School District for two years until accepting his current position of Superintendent of Schools in Salisbury Township. Since receiving his Superintendent Letter of Eligibility Certification from Lehigh University in 1996, he has been pursuing a Doctorate Degree from Walden University. Mr. Gross held memberships in American Association of School Administrators, American Association of School Personnel Administrators, National Association of Secondary School Principals, Pennsylvania School Boards Association, National Staff Development Council, Pennsylvania Association of School Personnel Administrators, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, North American Educational Negotiators, and the Society for Human Resource Management. He also belonged to the Lehigh Valley Society of the Arts, Historic Bethlehem Partnership, and Friends of Music in Bethlehem. He was a member of Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Bethlehem Township, and the Knights of Columbus. Born in Fountain Hill, he was the son of the late Robert R., Jr. and Louise (Scott) Gross.

Published in Morning Call on June 1, 2012