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49 °F 5 Day Forecast Saturday, November 29, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend November 10, 2003 Retired Ashland doctor and veteran Chris Hald plays his tuba at his home. He�s a member of the Southern Oregon Concert Band, which plans a concert to honor veterans on Tuesday. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven He can put out one heck of an ... Oompahpah Veteran plans to give back to his comrades as part of a Southern Oregon Concert Band performance at the Medford armory By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune ASHLAND — The sound of a tuba could be described by the musically challenged as a bullfrog on steroids. But not in front of longtime tuba player Chris Hald, particularly when he is wielding the instrument. "Without the beat and the background provided by the tuba, the rest of the band isn’t worth poop," he’ll tell you. Lest his fellow members of the 60-piece Southern Oregon Concert Band charge after him with raised French horns, clarinets, trombones and violins, Hald, who turns 83 next month, is just joking. Advertisement Hald, who joined the band in the mid-1950s, loves making music with the rich variety of instruments in the big band. His tuba will be "brrrmphing" in the background when the band performs Tuesday evening at the National Guard Armory in Medford. There is no admission fee but donations will be accepted. The annual Veterans Day bash begins at 6:30 p.m. with the Swing Kings, led by Harry Kannasto and featuring vocalist Leona Mitchell. They will perform favorites from the ’40s and ’50s. The concert band will begin playing at 7:30 p.m. with a legion of patriotic tunes, including John Philip Sousa’s "Semper Fidelis" and "Stars and Stripes Forever." Hald, who was awarded the Silver and Bronze stars while serving in the Army infantry during World War II, will drop his tuba long enough to give a presentation on the history of taps. "Chris has exhibited a lot of leadership over the years," said John Drysdale, band conductor since 1990. "The tubas are the foundation of the band, along with the percussion instruments," he added. "You have to have that foundation. And we’ve got a very good tuba section this year." A retired medical doctor who practiced in Ashland from 1952 until retiring in 1988, Hald began playing the tuba shortly after starting high school in Owatonna, Minn., in the late 1930s. His music teacher, a fellow named Harry Wenger, determined he was the only student in the school band large enough to carry the big horn in the wind. The tuba player had just graduated. "And I’ve enjoyed it ever since," said the 1940 high school graduate. Wenger went on to make musical history by inventing the Wenger Risers that choirs use and the black metal stands that hold their sheet music. After high school, Hald, who had served in the Minnesota National Guard, joined the Army. He was sent to the Army base at Camp White early in 1944. While attending a local dance, he met a young lady named Jean McCandliss. The two have been married nearly 60 years. They have four children, all grown. He was a rifle company commander with the 361st Infantry Regiment when it was sent to North Africa and Italy. "The regiment was commanded by a fine gentleman we of lesser rank called ‘Ruthless Rudolf,’ " he said, referring to a Col. Rudolph Broedlow. Yet Hald will tell you that the discipline instilled by Broedlow helped save lives during combat. After the war, he went to medical school at the University of Minnesota. Returning to the Rogue Valley, he joined the Oregon Army National Guard, serving first as a medical officer then transferring to the infantry. He retired from the Guard as a full colonel in 1975. But he never retired from playing tuba, performing in several local bands over the decades, including the Hillah Temple Shrine Band, the Firehouse Five, Desperation Seven Dixieland Band and the Swing Kings. He purchased his English-made Besson tuba in Vancouver, B.C., years ago. "It weighs 16 pounds instead of God knows what," he said, noting that many tubas weigh in much heavier. When it comes to playing the tuba when one gets on in years, he offered this advice. "Try to arrange not to have upper and lower dentures," he quipped. And the most difficult part of playing a tuba? "Carrying the damned thing," he said, then added, "It’s actually not that difficult to play ... It’s great fun." For more information on the band, check out www.socband.org Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Parade, ceremony, music will honor Veterans Day on Tusday Local Veterans Day ceremonies begin Tuesday morning with a breakfast and conclude with a patriotic concert in the evening. A full breakfast will be served from 7 to 11 a.m. at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1833 hall at 42 N. Front St., Medford. Open to the public, the breakfast will cost $4 per person. The annual Veterans Day Parade steps out at 11 a.m. in Medford, traveling west from Hawthorne Boulevard along Main Street to Vogel Plaza, where an announcer will be present. The parade will continue to Laurel Street, where it will end. Parade participants should muster at 10 a.m. on Hawthorne Boulevard. This year’s parade marshal is Kathy Tacchini, the Jackson County veterans service officer. A wreath-laying ceremony will begin at 2:15 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Park in Medford. Guest speaker Col. David G. Dotterrer of the U.S. Marine Corps will begin his remarks at 3:05 p.m. The park is at the corner of South Pacific Highway and Stewart Avenue. The concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Medford National Guard Armory. It will feature the Swing Kings Dance Band, followed by the Southern Oregon Concert Band. Admission is free, although donations will be accepted. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! 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