Rudolf Hix:  

After High School I went to Cal State LA for two years, and then enlisted in the US Army after auditioning for the 72nd Army Band, in San Pedro, CA. I had continued taking trumpet lessons from James Stamp in Hollywood, CA. After basic training in Ft. Bliss, TX, I played trumpet with the 72nd US Army Band, while living at home with my parents in Bell, CA. After my 18 months tour in San Pedro, I was sent to the 61st US Army Band in Boeblingen, Germany (near Stuttgart). There I ended up as first chair trumpet and manager for all the public relations performances (I made all the travel and accommodations arrangements, and was announcer for the performances for German audiences - and played trumpet, of course). At the end of my three-year enlistment, I went back to Cal State LA (now called the California State University at Los Angeles). I married Cheryl Chidester in 1970, got my BS in Engineering in 1971, and started working for General Dynamics in Pomona, CA. We bought a home in Diamond Bar two years later. My son Erik was born in 1979, and daughter Emily in 1984. The General Dynamics missile business was acquired by Hughes, who moved us to Tucson Arizona in 1994. The Hughes missile business was acquired by Raytheon, from where I retired in October of 2009. After 40 years of not playing trumpet, I got started aga...Expand for more