Memories of Gary Maynard

My earliest memory of Gary was my first day of Band... I remember a sinking feeling when I saw Gary with a trumpet in his hand... I had come from a distinguished career as a Camp Bugler, I knew then that I would be tasked to take Tattoo and Taps and bring in some Big Band sound... I longed to play Chet, or Miles, or anything that required fewer notes...or keys...I survived by skulking back behind the wall of sound provided by the Tubas and Saxes...

Gary approached me at Alumni weekend in recent years... Fearful that he would remind me of my dismal horn playing I was wary... It was his memory of a ski trail-clearing project that stood out in his mind... 

I still pick up a harmonica from time to time- but I'm afraid I lost my lip long ago...

I played trombone in the Band for all of my three years at Eaglebrook, and learning under Gary counts as one of the many things I loved about those years. Playing at the candlelight dinner before Christmas break was always special. It was also in band that I first saw the classic western "The Magnificent Seven" after we had mastered and performed its overture. Gary, like so many other teachers at Eaglebrook, possesses that special gift of being an exceptional teacher of middle school boys.

Benjamin Kulas ’92


Thomas “Jesse” Fox ’75 (passed Jan 2024)

I have many fond memories of playing in the Band at Eaglebrook, but this anecdote is one of my favorites. I had only played the trumpet for a year before I came to Eaglebrook. I was just learning to actually sight read after several years of faking being able to read piano music, but that didn't matter to Gary. He held all of the trumpet players to the same standard regardless of our experience. I sat to the right of John Gundlefinger '08, who sat in the first trumpet seat and was easily three times my size, and to the left of Sean Lee '09, with whom I recently recounted this memory. At this time, the Band was playing a song with especially tricky fingerings for the trumpet, and Sean and I were struggling to keep up with John as he seemed to play all the right notes. Gary liked this particular song, and he would get sweaty and red in the face as a result of the passion he had for conducting. The song crescendoed as Gary flailed his arms, and again my fingers scrambled to find the right keys to press. Sean and I made a mess of the notes, yet we were determined to push on through, but then, out of nowhere, Gary signaled for everyone to cease playing. Immediately he marched over to us from where he stood behind his music stand, and dripping sweat and red as a tomato, he flipped us off--gave us the finger! Like I said, it wasn't unusual for him to be really into the music, but this time I was terrified because it seemed as though we'd personally wronged him by playing the incorrect notes. He waved both fingers in our faces and glared at us for a few seconds before slowly cracking a smile and saying softly, "B natural, boys. B natural!" (For those who aren't familiar with the trumpet, a B natural is played by pressing the middle of the three keys on the instrument with one's middle finger.) Sean and I didn't know what to do except look at each other in disbelief. Gary shook his head and grinned as he walked back to his place and the whole Band started to laugh. "Let's take it again," he said, looking at the trumpet section over his glasses. Needless to say, we all played a B natural. Thank you, Gary, for your years of dedication to the Eaglebrook Band. You furthered my love for music and good humor. 

I first met Gary as an 8th grader with no musical experience. I approached him during 2nd quarter "rat race," the old elective sign-up free-for-all. "I'd like to play the saxophone," I said, and that was all I had to say. He welcomed me to the band room with no reservations, clearly excited to take on a new pupil.

When I walked in for my first lesson, he greeted me with an enthusiastic "Hi Peter!" that can't be imitated in writing. He taught me how to read music and use my fingers for the different notes, but it was the "Hi Peter!" that stuck with me because that's how we began every session. It was as if his mood switch was frozen on delighted.

When I joined the faculty in 2007 it was the same. After a brief reintroduction, Gary always had a rousing "Hi Peter!" waiting for me whenever our paths happened to cross. It was something that I came to cherish. I can remember approaching a door that Gary was coming out of and feeling my hopes jump, waiting for the greeting. He never let me down. Not once.

Many people will remember Gary for his passion for teaching music to generations of students, and I'll remember him for that, too. But I'll mostly remember him for those greetings, and I'll count him among the mere handful of people I've ever met who could completely change the climate of my day for the better with a couple of simple words and a smile.