Page 4 - Memories of the Maestro 9.11.21

Former Fort Vancouver High

CD of session from

Ray Johnson has been trying to find members of

Retired music teacher Ray Johnson has a goal he’d like to
meet by the new year.

During the pandemic, Johnson, 81, has sleuthed around to
find his former students in the Fort Vancouver High
School 1977 jazz band.

“I’ve located 11 of them so far, and I have 11 more to go,”
Johnson said.
The former band director wants to give them a recording
of their very last session together on June 6, 1977. It was
Johnson’s last day teaching there too.

“That one is special because it’s the very last day of the

very last class, and the very last minute I got to see my kids. That’s special,” Johnson said. “There were so many
seniors in the band; I would not have that much talent to work with for years to come. It was time for me to move
on.”

It turned out, Johnson had made a reel-to-reel recording on a Wollensak tape recorder in the back of the band room.
After rediscovering the recording, Johnson spent time putting the sounds onto a cassette, then on a CD.

“This is the thing that makes history come alive for me,” he said. “I’m so anxious to let them know, here’s a blast
from the past. They may think it’s important too.”
Those he has found so far are scattered all over the United States. Some of them continued playing music while
others didn’t. Regardless, several students had one thing in common to say about Johnson: He had a big impact on
their life.
“This helps…”

Though his hearing isn’t as great now, Johnson’s memory of all things musical is still fresh. Johnson recalled coming
from a musical family: His mother played piano and sang; his father played banjo, guitar and harmonica.

“My brother had a cornet. I found it in the closet; he had already gone to war. He lost his life in a German death
march,” Johnson said. “I found that old cornet and got into the fifth-grade band in Aberdeen School District.
Eventually I got a better instrument.”

He took music lessons and performed all over town. Johnson then got scholarships to attend college at the former
Central Washington State College (now Central Washington University). Then, Johnson went on to teach music.

After teaching at Fort Vancouver High School, he taught at Hudson’s Bay in the vocal department and also taught
elementary school-level music. He ended his teaching career in 1992.

Though his career ended, he still finds time to play music. It has kept him busy during the pandemic. He has even
recorded videos of himself singing and playing piano and uploaded them to his YouTube channel. Most recently
Johnson played for his family on a Zoom video call for Thanksgiving. “I was like OK, this helps, because we’re
trapped,” he said. Finding his students has given him more to focus on during the pandemic, too,” he said.