[Dixielandjazz] Dixieland Jazz Giant Don Gumpert's death. Funeral arrangements announced

[Norman Vickers]

Beloved Jazz Cornetist Don Gumpert died Thursday March 17 at his home in Ft.
Walton Beach, FL.  He was under Hospice care and died peacefully with his
family at his bedside.

Funeral arrangements are as follows:

Visitation is from 6 to 8 pm Tuesday, the 22nd, at Little Chapel Funeral
Home at the intersection of Beal and Racetrack in Fort Walton Beach.

Funeral 11 am Wednesday, the 23rd, at Trinity United Methodist Church on
Racetrack Rd.  Gathering at Staff's restaurant following the service.

According to his bandmates, Don wanted a Jazz Funeral.  I understand that
they are planning something in accordance with his wishes.

Don's wife Sandy's address is:
312 Seminole St.
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547
e-mail DonGumpert at cox.net

Sandy and family indicated that appropriate memorials would be contribution
to:
Don Gumpert Music Scholarship Fund
Pensacola Junior College Foundation
1000 College Blvd.
Pensacola, FL 32504

I posted a little background information on the Dixieland Jazz Mailing
List-- a worldwide list of early jazz enthusiasts. Here it is, for those of
you who haven't seen it before.  Don's image was on the Pensacola JazzFest
poster in 2004.
( The artist who did the poster from a photo on the Jazz Society's website.
Since we'd had a "farewell" concert at which he played in September of 2003,
the artist thought Don had already gone to the Big Band in the Sky.  That
image won the poster contest.  We called Don to explain and get his
permission to use the image.  He and Sandy were thrilled!  They had posters
and the poster image on T-shirts sent to friends world-wide. You can see all
those images on the Jazz Society of Pensacola website www.jazzpensacola.com.
Alternatively, go to Google, click images, then type in Don Gumpert and see
how many photos come up.)



Don, a native of St. Louis, came to Pensacola in the mid-1960s to perform
regularly with a tight Dixieland group at Rosie O'Grady's in Seville Quarter
Entertainment Complex.  Original members of that band included clarinetist
Sammy Gardner and trombonist Tommy Harrison.  They all came down from St.
Louis, hired by enterpreneur Bob Snow.


In recent years, Don lived in nearby Fort Walton Beach and performed locally
as well as at jazz festivals  all over the country.  He died of cancer of
the kidney which was widespread at the time of diagnosis.  Seville Quarter,
the Jazz Society of Pensacola and other friends had a concert in his honor,
at which Don himself played, in September 2003.  Obviously, he lived longer
than the original predictions.  Don's last gig was about a month ago-- he
was on oxygen at the time, according to the reports.

He will be missed!
					----end--

 F. Norman Vickers
Volunteer Executive Director
Jazz Society of Pensacola, Inc.
PO Box 18337
Pensacola, FL 32523-8337
JSOP Phone- 850-433-8382
JSOP FAX 850-433-7383
Home Phone 850-432-9743
Cell 850-324-5022
nvickers1 at cox.net (That's ONE not L)
www.jazzpensacola.com
www.americanfederationofjazzsocieties.com