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.
Buddy S. Ajalat
President of the NJMEA in 1977
President of the MENC, Eastern Division, in 1983
Buddy S. Ajalat, of River Vale, NJ, passed
away on Thursday, November 2, 2017. He was a man of boundless energy, talent and creativ- ity. He was generous, loving and devoted his life to his family, friends and students with equal commitment. He left no one untouched by his spirit and love. As a young child, Buddy already showed amazing musical talent. At 13 years old, demonstrating a beautiful tenor voice, Buddy was a featured vocalist on the “Major Bowes” ra- dio show and later performed with the “USO.” Buddy served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army and was a soloist with the “7th Army Symphony.” He received his B.S. at Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor’s in Music and Music Education from the Peabody Conservatory. Following these, he earned a Master of Music and Music Education at Penn State University. Buddy served as Presi- dent of the NJ Music Educators Association in 1977 and President of the Music Educators Na- tional Conference, Eastern Division, in 1983. In 1985, Buddy received the NJ Governor’s Award in Arts Education. While Buddy’s professional
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accomplishments were important, teaching al- ways remained his first love. He was the quintes- sential educator. He demonstrated untiring de- votion to all of his students, encouraging them to do their best and to reach for excellence; and in return, students loved him, carrying his encour- agement and the love of music with them for the rest of their lives. “Buddy, Buddy, Buddy,” they would chant after every concert he directed, un- til Buddy reluctantly appeared on stage to receive their standing ovation. Buddy produced musi- cals, concerts and recitals that are too numerous to mention. He gave all students an opportunity to perform, including a concert choir goodwill tour behind the “Iron Curtain” in 1972. Long after he had retired, students returned to express their appreciation for what Buddy had done for them. After a few years of teaching at Bogota High School in the beginning of his career, most of Buddy’s teaching career was spent at Northern Highlands Regional High School, where he was supervisor of Fine and Performing Arts. He was proud to be inducted into the “NHRHS Hall of Fame”
in 2016. It wasn’t easy for Buddy to re-
tire, so after he left teaching in the public schools, he promptly resumed teaching at the Academy of Holy Angels. There, Buddy was as commit- ted to excellence as ever. Everyone was capable of achieving their best and he would insist on this. He taught piano to his youngest grandchild until the week he died, and all of his grandchildren depended on his guidance and approval in their
MARCH 2018
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