Klarinet Archive - Posting 000343.txt from 2004/07

From: "DWH" <dwh46@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Memoriam
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 2004 10:07:25 -0400

For those on the list who may know the man, the family or even just the
name, Charles "Charlie" Gorby passed away this weekend, at the age of 94. I
was employed with Gorby's Music in South Charleston, WV for about 10 years.

Charlie worked for H.N. White in the thirties, selling instruments and
starting school bands literally from scratch, including finding directors
for the groups. According to his recollection (always excellent) he was
responsible for the startup of at leas 150 such school bands, mostly high
school, some junior high. After serving in the navy in WWII, Charlie came
home to start his music store in 1946, and was one of the first store owners
to sign up with his old friend Vito Pascucci.

He was a pillar in the movement, a great friend, tremendous husband and
father, and a pillar in our local community as well. He built a collection
of instruments that rivals any museum collection anywhere today. But most
important and memorable to me, he loved taking a young aspiring student and
teaching them from the beginning on a band instrument, up the the point in
his late eighties that his health prevented him from continuing. I only hope
the family made an effort to record his countless memorable stories of
roaming the roads of WV, Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and the Carolinas and
selling band instruments.

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