A collection of story submissions from current and former students, colleagues, bandmates, friends and family, and anyone else who has connected with Mr. O over the years. Submit your story!
Isla Brownlow
“We came in 2nd place at the Berkelee Jazz Festival... I just remember we were ...
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Rich Johnston
"Mr. O. helped me (and undoubtedly thousands of kids over the years) through tough times ...
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James Hildebrand
"He is an educator and mentor of incomparable passion. He always made me want to ...
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Samantha (Stanko) Jones
"Music woke me up. It opened my life to art of all kinds, deeper thought, ...
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Darby Fleming
"His dismay at thinking he had disappointed the kids and their tremendous outpouring of affection ...
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Elizabeth Jones
"Mr. O saw something in me that I never saw in myself. He saw potential, ...
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Jay McKenney
"My connection to Mr O starts waaaaay back in 1974... he came to Ft. Fairfield ...
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Kara van Emmerik
"Through Mr. O's faith in my voice, I built up the courage to audition for ...
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Ramsay Williamson
"Four years of jazz band, countless nights from the bleachers at basketball games and many ...
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Jackson Billings
"As we stepped on stage for our last performance we were all nervous but Mr ...
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Christine Howe Black
"It was his approach that earned him respect of all students, despite ability or interest, ...
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Katie Goodwin (Stafford)
"He was just always so hyped for music even at 8am in the morning and ...
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Mary Danielson (Prescott)
"Mr. O is the kind of person that always brightens your day. There's no way ...
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Rowan Waring
"Name a more iconic duo than Mr. O and instilling love for music, I'll wait." ...
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Hannah Billings
"He was trying to mimic how happy we made his heart and the how quickly ...
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Matty Harris
"I remember one day talking with him in his office. We were chatting about John ...
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Kate Durost
"During the district jazz festival at Ellsworth High School one year... we were playing and ...
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Joey Mitchell
"Music has allowed me to meet so many new and amazing people, and has inspired ...
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Sam Hodgkin
"Some of our percussion section were goofing off...Mr. O finally had enough and...snapped his baton ...
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Yvonne Rogers
"Being a musician requires that you believe in yourself and take care of yourself. These ...
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