One of my favorite books as a child

Back in February, my wife and I spent a few days enjoying a getaway to nearby Philadelphia (back when you could do that sort of thing - pre-COVID-19!). We happened into a used bookstore near the Franklin Free Library and I had a blast looking through old children's books.

Then I remembered one that I particularly loved when I was a kid, where the main character, a little boy who looked a lot like me, was shown playing a Sousaphone. I finally remembered the title and, for old time's sake, purchased a copy for myself, that is, uh, for my future grandchildren! It was published in 1963:

The Harvard Tuba article in German

Last year, one of the editors of the Brass Band journal, published out of Switzerland, read my articles on The Harvard Tuba that appeared in British Bandsman, and asked if he could adapt and translate them into German for his readership.

I, of course, said, "Sure!" And just last week I learned that it made the cover of the June/July 2020 edition! My Swiss Amish ancestors would be proud!

The very prodigious Harvard Tuba!

The Harvard Tuba, before and after its restoration in 2019

To learn more about this amazing instrument, from its earliest history to its recent restoration, click on the topic of interest below. Enjoy!

The tuba's earliest history at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris
The tuba's history at Carl Fischer in NYC and Boston (1889-1948)
The tuba's history in connection with Gilmore's Band (1891 or 1892)
My first time to see and play this historic instrument (February 18, 2019)
Photos of the restoration process at Dillon Music, NJ (Feb-June, 2019)
Short feature on the tuba in The Harvard Gazette (March 1, 2019)
Photos of the fully-restored tuba at Dillon Music (June, 2019)

Interview talking about the restored tuba, starting at 9:30 (July 23, 2019)
The new home for the restored tuba in the Harvard Band room
My first article on the tuba in British Bandsman (October 10, 2019)
The first performance on the newly restored tuba (October 11, 2019)
My second article on the tuba in British Bandsman (October 17, 2019)
My third article on the tuba in British Bandsman (October 24, 2019)
Article on its history reprinted in ITEA Journal (November 28, 2019)
Article on its restoration reprinted in ITEA Journal (March 17, 2020)

Article adapted and translated into German for Brass Band (June 2020)

My family visits this historic horn at Harvard (June 28, 2022)

The YouTube version of my ITEA Journal article (July 11, 2022)

The earliest known image (1891 or 92) and one following its recent restoration (2019)

Sousaphones at Goshen High School

Much of my family history is rooted in Goshen, Indiana. Below are a few images from Goshen High School yearbooks back when my Dad's sister, my Aunt Peg, was a senior there (my Dad, who played Sousaphone, finished high school in Tucson Arizona).

Here's the GHS band in 1939, with Peg playing trombone, just below the Sousaphonist on the left:

Even the orchestra featured a Sousaphone that year (Aunt Peg is now in the front row, seated, on the left, playing the viola):

And here's a cartoon that was featured in the yearbook the following year: