Tom Parker

Tom Parker wanted to learn to play the trombone while in bed. At eleven years old, his hip was in a cast and he had to stay in bed for a year. His grandmother took care of him. John Fogle, the band director of Parker's school in Walterboro brought him a clarinet, but he refused it and insisted he wanted to play a trombone. While bedridden, Parker was taught the basics. When he recovered, he played the trombone in the high school band which helped him win a scholarship to the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.

After graduating from the conservatory, he continued his education at the Curtiss Institute of Music while working in the summers in Atlantic City playing trombone.

One of his favorite pastimes has been cutting out pictures of trombones from the Sears catalog, and since childhood, putting them on the walls of his room.

He remembers the era when Glenn Miller was famous as a band leader and when Miller went into the service he directed the Army Airforce Band. In 1972, Miller went on a trip to France. His plane was lost and Miller was never heard from again. In 1955, the movie The Glenn Miller Story stirred up a lot of interest again in the life of the band leader.

In 1956 Mrs. Helen Miller and the Glenn Miller Estate reformed the orchestra. Ray Mckinley, the singer with Glenn's orchestra led the group and Parker joined them as a trombonist. The orchestra traveled extensively and once during the Cold War in Yugoslavia the group's train car was side lined, and the band members were told they couldn't get off. They only had a few oranges with them. Tom had cheese he always carried, and they had to make do with this until some American authorities had the train car released after they had waited two days.The band traveled to Europe three times.

After leaving the band, Parker lived in California for 30 years. He went back to school on a scholarship at UCLA and got a masters degree in math. He was about to receive his Ph.D in math but ended up having to have two hips replaced as a result of arthritis he has had all his life.

Parker is now back in his home state of South Carolina. He has resumed practicing his trombone and "getting back his chops." Today he enjoys his music with friends in Columbia.