E. Thayne Tolle
E. Thayne Tolle was a founding member and past president of the Texas Private School Music Educators Association, past president of the Kansas Music Educators Association, and had been active in Texas Music Educators Association and Texas Bandmasters Association.
Mr. Tolle was born and raised in Roxbury, Kansas. After serving with the U.S. Navy, as a Communications Officer, he attended Betheny College (A.B. in Business and Economics, Bachelor of Music Education), Wichita State Univ. (Master of Music Education), and Kansas University. His teaching assignments included Langdon Rural HS, Lindsborg Rural HS, Wichita Southeast HS, National Field Director of the MENC/Ford Foundation Music Project, Southern Methodist University, and Jesuit College Preparatory School.
___________________________________________
Kathy Hargis Blair
Kathy Lynn Blair of Austin, born in Burbank, CA on May 31, 1961 departed to be with the Lord on Dec. 6, 2014. She was a beloved mother, daughter, and sister, in addition to her legacy as a teacher, mentor, encourager, and friend. For twenty years Kathy served as the Director of the Christian Choral Society of Austin and impacted hundreds of lives throughout the greater Austin area. In addition, she shared her musical gifts by serving as the Music Coordinator for Redeemer Presbyterian Church’s Cedar Park site and singing in the Redeemer Choir. The outpouring of grief and loss at her death is a testimony to her impact on the lives of hundreds of people, including her family, friends, and her students and their families. Kathy’s life was an example of perseverance in the faith and hope in God’s sovereign mercy; she fulfilled well her calling to sing his praises and teach and inspire others to do the same.
A new choir in Austin was founded in her honor. “We will be trying to follow Kathy’s plan. In fact, she already had it planned out and scheduled and the dates on it. We’re going to try to follow that as closely as we can. It includes of course the concert in the spring, but there’s also the choir festival,” said Dan Martin, a parent volunteer. The choir’s interim director, Lora Maeurer had two girls taught by Blair. She says the goal now is to carry forward the original vision and tradition of excellence.
The Texas Private School Music Educators Association commissioned Daniel Gawthrop to compose and original choral work in her honor. “Think on These Things” by Daniel Gawthrop was premiered by the TPSMEA All-State Choir in 2017.
___________________________________________
Tim Hicks
Tim Hicks graduated from Jesuit College Preparatory School in Dallas in 1981 and received his Bachelor of Music degree from SMU. He taught in Westwood ISD, Hillsboro ISD and Ferris ISD prior to being selected as the Director of Bands at St Mark’s School of Dallas. Over the next two decades, St. Mark’s band and jazz programs flourished under Tim’s direction. Many of his students have represented St. Mark’s as part of the Texas Private Music School Educators Association All-State Band and Jazz Band.
Tim’s colleagues at St Mark’s said, “Tim’s greatest passion was teaching Band and inspiring students to find the magic moments in a song, to listen to each other, and to play with joy,” “Note by note, line by line, Tim taught students to enjoy the gift of making music together.”
In addition to teaching music in both the Middle and Upper Schools at St Mark’s, Tim also served as a sixth-grade advisor and sponsored the Jazz Club. An avid musician and performer, he played a variety of brass instruments and could often be found sitting in with different ensembles, free-lance performing around the metroplex, playing in Tuba Christmas, performing with the SMU alumni band, Dallas Czech Orchestra, and Celebration Jazz Orchestra, and playing the tuba in the Richardson Community Band.
In 2010, Tim lobbied for the creation of the TPSMEA All-State Jazz Band and was its first coordinator. He oversaw the creation of the first TPSMEA All-State Jazz Band in 2011 and was later elected TPSMEA Vice President for Jazz and Contemporary Ensembles. Tim guided the Jazz Band from creation in 2011 through the January 2022 concert, just weeks before his untimely passing.