This column salutes the lives and careers of recently departed colleagues. It is the way NJMEA and NJRMEA can express appreciation for the work that they have done and the lives that they have touched. We mourn their passing and salute their contributions, which are the basis for music education in the state of New Jersey.
John P. Clare John P. Clare passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 21,
2017. He was 91. John was born and raised in Utica, New York. He lived in Totowa and Wayne before moving to Whippany in 2001. John served in the United States Army Air Force during World War from 1944 until before being honorably discharged in 1946. He graduated from Syracuse University and went on to receive his Mas- ter’s Degree from Columbia University. John was a Music Teacher for the Wayne School System for almost 40 years before retiring.
ters Degree at Teachers’ College, Columbia University. On Janu- ary 10, 1954, Morty married Renee Perlman. They were happily married for more than 63 years. Morty was a professional musician and a teacher. He toured with several big bands and played locally throughout the New York area. Morty was a teacher and the Supervi- sor of Performing Arts for the Township of Union Public Schools.
Alyn Joseph Heim NJMEA Past-President 1979-1981 Loren D. Donley Louis J. Sutera, 96, of Cedar Grove, N.J., passed away Wednes-
day, Nov. 23, 2016. Louis J. Sutera was a music instructor at East Side High in Newark, conductor of Bloomfield Symphony Orches- tra, and a professional trumpet player until age 93. Sutera served in the United States Army Engineers Unit during World War II. He was a music instructor for 25 years at East Side High School in Newark, retiring in 1986. He played the trumpet professionally for many years until the age of 93. He played during the Big Band Era with Fred Waring and his “Pennsylvanians,” and many other Union bands and orchestras in the Catskills and Las Vegas. He was 1st Trumpet with the United States Army USO Band. He served as conductor of the Bloomfield Symphony Orchestra and assistant conductor of the Newark Symphony Orchestra.
Solomon Mortimer Geist
Solomon Mortimer (Morty) Geist of Springfield, New Jersey, passed away on October 21, 2017. Morty was born at home in the Bronx, New York on January 4, 1928, to Harry and Sadie (Scher) Geist. Morty graduated from The Juillard School and earned a Mas-
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Alyn Joseph Heim, age 88, of Ocean Grove, New Jersey, passed away peacefully in his home on the evening of Sunday, November 26th. Heim was born in Maplewood, New Jersey to Alois and Cath- erine Heim on January 16, 1929. He married Sally Ann Bartkowski in 1951, and their 66-year union is an impeccable model to their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Together, they had traveled the world, visiting all 7 continents; owned and operated two bed-and-breakfasts in Ocean Grove, NJ; and raised 4 children, 12 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren. After graduating from Columbia High School in 1947, he studied under Saul Goodman at The Juilliard School of Music in New York City, NY, receiving a Bachelors’ of Music in 1952. He spent a year with the Houston Symphony as a percussionist before returning to New York City to pursue a Masters’ of Arts from Teachers College, Columbia Univer- sity. In 1974 he received a Ed.D. from New York University. A mem- ber of the American Federation of Musicians Local 16-248 from the 1950s – 2000, he was a highly sought-after percussionist for numerous local concert bands and orchestras, including The North Jersey Philharmonic, The New Jersey Symphony, and the Garden State Arts Center from its opening in 1967 to 1976. In this capacity, he performed with top national acts including: Judy Garland, Diana Ross, Glen Campbell, Jack Benny, and Tony Bennett. According to family lore, he once cleverly responded to Jack Benny’s request to “play that cymbal like you’ve been waiting for it your whole life” with an enthusiastic “I have!” Alyn’s enthusiasm touched the lives of many aspiring musicians during his 30+ year career as a music educa- tor in several New Jersey public school districts; notably building the music program from scratch at the brand-new Manchester Region-
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