group on the nationally televised weekly Mitch Miller tv show . Vernon had stories about that including the producers wanting the band to wear blue shirts rather than the traditional white shirts with uniform since blue shirts would show up better on the new invention … color tv .
When I was a youngster growing up in western Massachusetts , I watched him from a distance on the few occasions our family went to New York for big Army events and I listened to the NYSB recordings . In those days I knew the names of the players in the staff band as well as I knew the New York Yankees line up .
My first up close connection with Vernon came when he was a special guest at my corps in Springfield and introduced the corps band to a new book of music for smaller bands called the Unity Series . The corps band had about 25 players in those days but I remember having fun with smaller groups of the band playing “ Nicely Saved .”
I played in his band at Star Lake Musicamp 1963 . He was a stickler for detail and never gave up in pursuit of our very best . I think I had parts of “ Prelude and Fugue , Arise My Soul , Arise ” memorized by the end of that week . His style was gentlemanly but he loved to keep repeating those phrases until they were correct to his satisfaction . Early in his tenure as Territorial Music Secretary , he engaged Emil Soderstrom to be the editor of the American Band Journal . Emil ’ s influence was important . Some of Emil ’ s music began appearing in the journal and some beautiful Soderstrom pieces like “ Elegy ‘ Low in the Grave ’” appeared on Staff Band programs . I believe it was Emil Soderstrom that encouraged Vernon to invite Bruce Broughton to be the guest at Star Lake Musicamp when Bruce was still only in his 20s .
In 1972 , life changed for Vernon . He left officership and his position as Territorial Music Secretary and Staff Bandmaster and moved to Summit , New Jersey to begin a teaching career in the public schools of that beautiful town . Shortly after that time my wife Carolee and I moved to New Jersey . We were privileged to see Vernon in a new light as he was now a high school music teacher . We enjoyed attending a number of his high school Broadway musicals that were produced to a very high standard with a full pit orchestra . We enjoyed being able to spend some time with him and particularly with his family . In that time Vernon had a Biblical “ Job ” -like experience as both his wife and daughter passed away . Vernon never seemed to complain and always seemed to move forward with his life . When he remarried he and his new wife , Dorothy , became soldiers at Montclair Citadel . This became a special time for me . I enjoyed being able to spend time with Vernon regularly . When I became New York Staff Bandmaster , it was particularly gratifying to compare notes on leading people and the responsibilities that came along with leading a Salvation Army Staff Band .
Vernon ’ s wife Dorothy led a writer ’ s group at the corps - a disparate group of people that got together to share and learn more about various forms of the written word . We had assignments at each meeting and often given ten minutes to write something on a general idea . Vernon ’ s writing was always academically sound and exceedingly interesting . He liked to write about history , music , baseball and family ; always so well written and so well read .
On Sundays during his nonagenarian years , Charlie Baker , Dave Hulteen and myself along with a few others would sit at a table with Vernon during coffee fellowship after the morning worship service . Vernon was full of wisdom and wit right up to the very end . He is missing from the table these days … but not forgotten .
— RONALD WAIKSNORIS
“ Vernon was full of wisdom and wit right up to the very end . He is missing from the table these days … but not forgotten .“
— RON WAIKSNORIS
THE SALVATION ARMY USA EAST
SUMMER 2023 NYSB BULLETIN 11