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75th Anniversary
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Anniversary Posts 1-15
- 1: Monroe Academy: Henrietta’s First Famous School
- 2: First Schools: Uphill, Barefoot, Both Ways
- 3: 1938: Voters Reject Creation of Rush-Henrietta Central School District
- 4: Schoolhouse Records Give Glimpse of Life 100 Years Ago
- 5: 1946: Given Second Chance, Voters Embrace New District
- 6: A Different Time: When Rush Had More Kids Than Henrietta
- 7: Choosing a Mascot: Why We're Not the Royal Falcons
- 8: Meet the Board: Rush-Henrietta’s Original Fab Five
- 9: Late 1940s: The Beginning of a Population Explosion
- 10: Breaking Ground: Rush-Henrietta’s First New School
- 11: 1952: R-H’s First New School a ‘Splendid Dream’
- 12: First Meeting of the New Board of Education
- 13: 1959 R-H Grad Still Gets on the Bus Every Day
- 14: Humble Beginnings: Two School Buses to Start
- 15: 1954: Sudden Need for a Second New School
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Anniversary Posts 16-30
- 16: 1954-1955: Two Votes for a Second School
- 17: The Story of Gillette Elementary School
- 18: 1950s: Building a New School Each Year
- 19: 1957: Residents Press Pause, Reject Two New Schools
- 20: 1958: Fourth New School Helps District Keep Pace
- 21: 1950s: Curious Visitors Flock to New R-H School
- 22: Bill Farrell: ‘Architect of the R-H Sports Program’
- 23: 1961: Rush-Henrietta Gets a Junior High School
- 24: 1963: A New School Called Wedgewood
- 25: Elmer Gordon: A Rush-Henrietta Trailblazer
- 26: Remembering Jack Gaffney
- 27: Jack Gaffney's Incredible Connections to Our R-H Past
- 28: Remembering Wilma Jean Milhouse
- 29: 1964: West Henrietta Gets Its First New School
- 30: 1965: Fyle Elementary Named to Honor Respected Teacher
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Anniversary Posts 31-45
- 31: R-H Family History Revealed in Historic Records
- 32: Dr. John W. Parker: Devoted to District’s Early Success
- 33: 1966: Amidst Housing Boom, R-H Opens Sherman Elementary
- 34: 1968: Rush-Henrietta Opens Its First High School
- 35: Richard TenHaken: Superintendent Who Looked Controversy in the Eye
- 36: 1970: Vollmer Becomes R-H’s Last New School
- 37: The Dome Arena: R-H and Other Legends
- 38: The Lion in the Room - Senior High School Pride
- 39: Artists in Residence
- 40: Providing an Even Start
- 41: Paul McKee: Humility Meets Great Success
- 42: Raymond Delaney Had ‘Unshakeable Belief’ in Public Education
- 43: Roger Eckers Strikes Up the Band
- 44: 1982: R-H Denies West Brighton Request to Secede
- 45: George DesMarteau: One - Make That Two - of a Kind
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Anniversary Posts 46-60
- 46: Recognizing 75 Years of Music Excellence
- 47: Senior High School Mural Depicts 'Community of School'
- 48: 2006: Rush-Henrietta Alumni Council Established
- 49: A Bird's-Eye View of 1951
- 50: 1945: Preparing for the First Day of School
- 51: R-H is Where ‘The Rock’ Calls Home
- 52: 1974: Rush-Henrietta Takes to the Airwaves
- 53: Glory Years of WRHR: A Student’s Perspective
- 54: 1969: R-H a Trailblazer in Embracing Student Voice
- 55: 1975: Rush-Henrietta’s High School Reaches Capacity
- 56: 1975 to 1986: A Decade of Dual High Schools
- 57: 1987: New High School Name Helps Community Heal
- 58: How We Became the Royal Comets
- 59: Extracurricular Highlights
- 60: Spotlight on Bob Sagan, Act I
- 61: Spotlight on Bob Sagan, Act II
- 62: 1991: R-H Hires First New Superintendent in 20 Years
- 63: Werner Kleemann: More Than a Sports Legend
- 64: 2000: R-H Loses ‘Wonderful Mentor’
- 65: 2000: R-H Legend Returns to Stabilize High School
- 66: A Surprise Boost for Student Athletes and Musicians
- 67: Adventures of Ping: Restoring a One-of-a-Kind Painting
- 68: Dr. Ken Graham: Two Decades of Strong Leadership
- 69: R-H’s History of Putting Safety First
- 70: Girls Basketball Team Becomes Stuff of Legends
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Anniversary Posts 1-15
- Did You Know?
- Distinguished Alumni
- First Administrators
- Norm Miller: Portrait of a Rush-Henrietta Life Well Lived
- School Namesakes
- Superintendents
- Who Was Elmer Gordon?
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75th Anniversary
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- District Overview
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- District Priorities
- District Progress Update
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Roger Eckers Strikes Up the Band
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Music was in Roger Eckers’ bloodlines. Perhaps the Minnesota native had no choice other than to pursue this particular passion. That became good news for Rush-Henrietta, where Eckers spent 33 years teaching high school students how to play, perform, and enjoy music.
Funny thing, the plans we have for our lives. Eckers intended to teach for a single year, then he would travel the world and perform professionally. Those plans changed unexpectedly, though. “I settled in,” he told the Democrat and Chronicle in 1998, as he reminisced about his time at Rush-Henrietta. “I liked the kids. I must have internally quit a dozen times. But I started to really like to teach.”
His mother was a piano teacher and leader of a popular local band called the Eckers Orchestra of Minneapolis. As a child, Eckers himself played several instruments, one day identifying the saxophone as his favorite. He eventually joined the family orchestra and played regularly.
After moving to New York in 1964, Eckers studied at the Eastman School of Music and secured what he presumed would be a a temporary gig as a teacher. Before long, though, he was well-known for his work as high school band director, leading the concert band, jazz band, pit orchestra, competitive marching band, and pep band.
His distinguished R-H teaching career began in 1965 and ended more than three decades later when he retired in 1998. Eckers also provided private lessons for more than 50 years, happily providing guidance and support to musicians too numerous to count. Some of his students went on to become music teachers, college music professors, and even professional musicians.
In the process, Eckers created a template for how to have a successful musical career and life. That is how Scott Mayo, a well-known professional musician and member of the R-H Class of 1980, remembers his mentor. “He always said he saw no reason musicians couldn’t have it all; a good life and a decent income,” says Mayo, a gifted saxophonist, flutist, singer, composer, and Grammy-nominated musician and producer. “He, more than anyone, is the driver that pushed me to do what I do as a musician and I’ll be forever grateful for his example and his friendship.”
Performing with his quartet and big band, Eckers was a staple of the local music scene. He was described by the newspaper as “an easygoing sort with a ready laugh.” He was easy to pick out of the crowd, too; he was the one with a saxophone in his hands.
Eckers died March 23, 2022, at age 78, but his legacy lives forever. He was as passionate about his students as he was about the music he created and played, and that made an indelible impression on so many.
“To see the impact he has made on so many students is something really special,” says Brian Levy, R-H Class of 1979, who played in the concert band under Eckers’ leadership. “The music, theater and art departments in Rush-Henrietta were and are a blessing to so many. Roger was a huge part of what happened over all those years and what was to follow. He is missed and lives on through the impact he has made on so many.”
[Post 43] #75Posts75Years
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