Music educator honored for his inspiration

Scores of his former students, colleagues, administrators, politicians and friends lined up to shed some tears and sing their praises of the teacher and school board trustee. Dana Eaton, the superintendent of the Brentwood Union School District, hailed Geddes for his foresight and drive to ensure that all three middle schools had their own theaters. “Thank you, Mr. Geddes,” Eaton said.

The superintendent added Friday,“It was a wonderful celebration of a great human being who has positively impacted so many lives. Emil has been a champion for arts education for over 50 years. It is fitting that his legacy will benefit our students and community for the next 50 years.”

Geddes said Friday, “The event was overwhelmingly humbling. Definitely it was the highlight of my life.”

At the start of the ceremonies, Mark Morello, the Bristow Band Director, led the Bristow Middle School Jazz Band in welcoming the audience. Bristow Principal Anna Perales told the crowd that her eighth day on the job gave her the joy of honoring Geddes. 

Guest speakers Lill Pierce, Mary Ann Ochoa Sallinger, Chris Calabrese, Meredith Bristow and J. Douglas Adams came to the podium to regale the audience with anecdotes of their experiences being taught and inspired by the music educator. 

Much was made of the impact that this “free spirit” from Utah had on the staid community he moved to back in the 1960s. His long hair, his John Lennon glasses and dress prompted the comment, “He’s from Berkeley,”  Salinger said. “He was not just dedicated but he was passionate.”

Geddes has been a member of the Board of Education for nearly 25 years. He started as a music teacher in 1967 and was named Teacher of the Year in 1974. As the district’s biography reported, he taught music in a double-wide portable building in the early 1970s and helped Superintendent Bill Bristow move the original Bristow Community Theater to Edna Hill School. He continued to serve as a teacher and counselor through 1984. He left to start Geddes Music Store on Oak Street, which he owned and operated for many years.

The program notes for the event stated, “Geddes has been a huge proponent of prioritizing music, art and drama education in the Brentwood Union School District. He helped to develop a school board mantra that the district is committed to every child having the opportunity to participate in arts education. He was on the board that advocated for a high-quality, performing arts theater at every district middle school through Measure B and saw that goal come to fruition with the completion of the Emil J. Geddes Theater in January 2023.”

For more, see: https://www.brentwood.k12.ca.us/