Bill Sumner:  

Following my graduation from Hilltop High School I earned a B.A. in Music and a secondary teaching credential from San Diego State University in 1966. My first teaching job, at the tender age of 22, was as the first band director at Bonita Vista High School from September 1966 to June 1969. In addition, I also taught some choir, family living, and driver education and training. I was a high school band director for another 16 years in several different school districts in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orange Counties. My proudest moment as a high school band director was the selection my San Pasqual HS Band in Escondido to represent San Diego County in the 1976 Rose Parade. In 1979 I received my M.A. degree in School Administration from Azusa Pacific University and became the Dean of Students and Band Director at Valencia High School in Placentia, CA. During the 1982 school year I was selected as the Assistant Principal of Arlington HS in Riverside Unified School District where I spent the next 20 years in administration and retired as the Director of Personnel in 2002. My wife, Ginger, and I retired together on May 1, 2002, and moved from our home in Fullerton/Yorba Linda to our retirement home on two acres in southeast Escondido the next day. I became a gentleman farmer growing 5 varieties of sweet onions during the winter and over 20 varieties of heirloom tomatoes during the summer. We managed to keep ourselves and neighbors supplied with lots of care packages. In addition, I also grew avocados, peaches, tangerines, oranges, lemons, limes, tangelos, apricots, plums, and nectarines. Following a 20-year absence of music in my life I began playing trumpet again at the urging of one of my former students. It was pretty grim at first (sounds only a mother could love!). I now play in a wonderful community band and have formed a terrific trumpet choir (Trumpets R Us) of 15 musicians including a rhythm section. We performed our first concert to an SRO audience at the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad in October 2007. As a result of that performance we were asked to perform for an audience of 1200 at the National Association of Music Merchants National Convention in Anaheim. We use conventional trumpets, cornets, flugel horns, and piccolo trumpets to perform jazz, swing, Latin, and classical selections. In May 2011 Ginger and I decided to downsize and sold our home to move into a gated community about three miles away in southwest Escondido. Our other passion in retirement is travel. We have managed to take three-to-four major trips and/or cruises each year. ...Expand for more