The NAMM Foundation's Museum of Making Music
Jerry Bongard has enjoyed playing music since he was a kid. Along the way he has become eloquent in his explanation of the benefits of music making and the passion music can add to your life. Jerry has taken part in the early development of the New Horizon's Band, which rehearses at the NAMM...
Wanda Pugh has always enjoyed singing. As a child she sang in church and later formed several vocal groups and ran several chapters of the Sweet Adalines. Her love of music led her to the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music where she was trained as a docent and has been active as a tour guide...
Curtis Smith grew up loving the music of the 1950s and remembers the first 45 record he ever bought was "Cry" by Johnny Ray. While working in the aerospace industry Curtis continued collecting records and attending concerts of his favorite performers including Little Richard. When he and his wife...
Leon Pascucci grew up in the music industry as his father was the president of Leblanc in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Leon remembers well the times he spent with Mr. Leblanc in France and the many company workers he felt were part of his family. Leon’s father Vito slowly exposed Leon to all areas of the...
Dorothy Demmers was proud of the volunteer work she and her husband Bill provided the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music. For over a decade she gave her time and talents by providing tours of the museum to all ages of visitors. Dottie also helped run the museum store, created and managed the...
William Demmers volunteered for the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music for over ten years. During that time he provided tours as a trained docent to guests of all ages. His own background in music was fascinating. As a teenager Bill played trumpet in a traveling big band in the Mid West,...
Paul Murphy has served his industry well, just as did his father, his grandfather and his great-grandfather. Paul was elected to the NAMM Board of Directors where he served for over a decade including a term as chairman. Two of his relatives also served as president of the NAMM Board, as well as...
Ruth Charles and her husband Dick opened a music store in Glendale, California, called Charles Music. They enjoyed a long life together as music makers and teachers and retailers of musical products. The couple pioneered many products in the southern California area including those of Yamaha and...
Brian Kehew played a big role in the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music’s 2009-2010 Waves of Inspiration: The Legacy of Bob Moog exhibit, which provided the NAMM Resource Center a chance to interview him for this Oral History program. Brian discussed his personal background in music and the...
Bunny Kacher began volunteering at the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music in 2002 as part of the second docent training class (the museum opened in 2000). Her love of music is easy to detect when taking one of her tours at the museum and, in fact, that love of music goes back to her days as a...