Cherish our dedicated teachers

Bill Zlatos wrote a wonderful story about Carl McVicker, known as “Mr. Mac,” the Westinghouse High School music teacher in the 1940s and 1950s, whose students included Billy Strayhorn, Erroll Garner and Mary Lou Williams (The Next Page, “Remembering Mr. Mac,” June 17). Reading it reminded me of my own high school band instructor, Marshall Brown.

He was able to whip a group of fairly talented kids into a professionally sounding high school dance band. I played clarinet and saxophone. We played on the “Today” show, we cut some records and we were invited to play at the Newport Jazz Festival. (I muffed the solo I had, much to my chagrin.)

We even were scheduled to go on a three-week playing tour of Europe. But first he had to secure permission from the local school board of Farmingdale, N.Y. They said no. He said, “I’ll resign if you don’t allow these teenagers this great opportunity.” They didn’t and he did. That was the end of the Daler Dance Band.

That school board myopia long ago was part of the reason I ran for school board (unsuccessfully) years ago. But lost opportunity or not, what Mr. Mac and Mr. Brown epitomize is the power of a good teacher in helping to shape young lives.

At a band reunion, everyone but me was either professionally music playing, music teaching, music selling, music arranging, music fixing, music something. We need to value our dedicated teachers more. They are true heroes. BARBARA BURSTIN

Squirrel Hill