WT Band Alumni Spotlight: Dick Lowry

What years were you in the WT Band? When did you graduate?

1960 -1964 Graduated May 1964

What was your degree in?

Music Education

Where are you living now and what are you doing?

My wife (Nancy) and I live in a senior residence community in San Jose, CA. I am retired.

Tell us about your family.

Nancy and I have been married for 59 years. We have five grandchildren and one step granddaughter.

What instrument did you play?

Clarinet

What ensembles and student groups were you involved in while you were at WT?

I was in the marching band, concert band, and tour band all four years

Share with us what you miss most about your time at WT.

I miss the camaraderie of the great group of people.

Do you have a favorite memory or highlight that has happened for you since graduation?

I have enjoyed a fantastic life. A few months after graduation, I went into the Army having been commissioned through ROTC. Unlike so many young men at that time, I did not go to Vietnam. I was assigned as the staff band officer for the US Sixth Army headquartered at the Presidio of San Francisco. It was there that I met Nancy who was a civilian secretary across the hall. We were married a few months later. I was then reassigned as the Director of Training for the Army Element of the Armed Forces School of Music in Virginia. After a couple of years, I left the Army and we returned to Texas. I became the junior high band director in Denver City. We had one daughter while in Virginia, in Texas we had a second daughter. We moved back to California where I became the high school band director in Hollister. The students, the school district, the parents, and the community were extraordinarily supportive and the band enjoyed much success. We had a third child (a son). I attended night and weekend classes earning a masters in counseling psychology from the University of Santa Clara, a masters in educational administration from San Jose State University. I retired from the band and became a counselor and then an administrator. I continued school and earned doctorate from Saint Ignatius University in San Francisco and then became the superintendent of the county and school district. At age sixty, I retired. Nancy and I purchased a home in Yosemite National Park where we lived for ten years. We spent the next ten years traveling heather world. My eyes continued to develop one after another. After fourteen surgeries over the years, I have basically no perifial vision in my left eye and limited depth perception, but I have seen most of the world. I also have Parkinson’s disease which creates balance and mobility problems. This I am keeping under control with a rigorous physical exercise program. As I stated at the beginning of this rather lengthy episole, I have enjoyed a wonderful life.

What did you learn from your time at WT?

At WT, I learned to be positive, appreciate cooperative efforts, and to focus on the desired outcomes.

Why did you come to WT?

At the time, WT was a relatively small college with a personal atmosphere, and the Fine Arts Building (FAB) was new.

What else would you like for us to know? (Career or family highlights, awesome memories, people who inspired you at WT etc.)

Best wishes to all band members from 1960 to 1964!