Yes, that’s me! Sophomore year, Eldon High School Marching Mustangs, Flag Corps member. I have the most fabulous memories of that time in my life!! I would have to say a lot of that was due to the man that brought us all together. John Howser has been dear to me since that time and has continued to be a mainstay in my life over the years.

This week one of my high school friends started a page on Facebook for all of Howser’s band kids to reconnect with Howser and with one another! It’s really been a lot of fun going through old pictures and swaping stories with other band members. Howser’s band career spanned 30 years and 3 different schools….. and his bands weren’t small bands…so you can imagine the number of people out there that were in one of Howser’s bands!!

In my title I used the term “Howser-isms”, John was great at using little tidbits of wisdom to motivate us and they were unique to him. My favorite, hands down….”success comes in cans”. I have carried that little piece of advice around my entire life. One of the reasons I think Howser was so successful in his career is that he treated us like family and that’s what we felt about one another….we were and are still family!

I have the unique perspective of being one of two people that crossed over both the Eldon High School Band and the Fredericktown High School Band. My husband being the other person with that same perspective. FHS band was like our younger brother band, I used to kid Howser when I first came to FHS that he let those kids get away with way too much!! All joking aside, one thing I remember from both experiences – Howser ran a tight ship and he didn’t put up with excuses! I had the distinct pleasure of being able to work with John as his Flag Sponsor when I first came to Fred-mo! It was a great ride and over way too soon as John retired in 2001 and went off to chase his love of traveling!!

I have absolutely no trouble understanding why John impacted so many young lives. He never judged us or treated us like kids. He helped us face big problems….I’ll never forget that he was there for me during one of the most stressful times in my life. He treated me with respect, he never judged me and he always offered a shoulder to cry on. He’s inspired a lot of people to carry on his legacy. There’s lots of band directors and teachers out there today that do what they do because of John’s influence in their lives. My husband being one of them. Michael will tell you that John is one of the most important people in his life.

The last time I was a member of John’s band was 1987, the last time I got to work with him was 2001, but I know I’ve made a friend for a lifetime! I also know I’m not alone there are a lot of us out there that love and respect this man for the legacy he’s left for us.

I probably don’t say this enough to the people that are important to me……

John Howser – you dedicated your entire career to all of us and for that I am truly grateful! You are a man of integrity, you say what you mean and you are one of the most authentic people I have ever met. Authenticity to me is the #1 trait a person must have to impact lives like you have! You taught us discipline and respect for authority. You helped us over the hurdles of our teen years and you always had time for any hurt we were feeling. No problem was ever too small for you to listen to….thank you for that. You taught us what “family” was all about, we were a community….because of you we built strong bonds. Over the years you became more than my band teacher, you became my friend and for that I am grateful. Thank you!! I realize now after being married to a “music guy” what a sacrifice your family made. You couldn’t have done what you did without their love and support. I remember how important Marsha and the kids were to you, that didn’t go unnoticed. Thanks for the life lessons and all the amazing memories. You had a great impact on me and I believe helped make me the person I am today.

I hope you think I turned out okay!!