William R. "Bill" Pape Jr.

BURLINGTON - William R. "Bill" Pape Jr. passed away peacefully at Alamance Regional Medical Center at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 30, 2015, after several months of declining health.
Bill was born in Wilmington, NC, Nov. 13, 1933, to William R. Pape and Annie R. Taylor Pape, both deceased.
Bill began playing trombone in the 5th grade. Music soon became his life-long passion and profession. Bill's father insisted that he study a profession that would support him so he enrolled at Duke University in Structural Engineering but with a full music scholarship. While at Duke, Bill was active in the Duke Ambassadors Jazz Ensemble as both a musician and arranger. He was leader of that group his final two years at Duke. He wrote football half-time shows for both the Duke and NC State marching bands during his tenure at Duke.
After graduating from Duke in 1957, Bill began playing with the Glenn Miller Orchestra under the direction of Ray McKinley. Three months later he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served as first trombonist in the 3rd Infantry Division Band in West Germany. Later, he transferred to the Special Services Big Band and performed in all 18 NATO countries. After military service, Bill returned to Duke University in Engineering Maintenance for a year and-a-half until Ray McKinley called him to re-join the Glenn Miller Orchestra for a live 10-week national television show called "Glenn Miller Time" from New York on Monday nights. Bill played lead trombone. He remained with the GMO for four more years including a tour of 19 cities in Japan. He cites a special thrill of playing with the GMO for one of the Inaugural Balls for President John F. Kennedy.
While in New York City, Bill studied composing and arranging with the world renowned Marian Evans.
Bill also played lead trombone on a national USA tour and on television specials with Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians. Bill played with and wrote more than 70 arrangements for the Si Zentner Big Band. Bill was contracted to write arrangements for the Count Basie Orchestra. He wrote seven original custom arrangements for the CBO.
Bill performed on all the major television networks (CBS, NBC, ABC, and PBS) and appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, the Ed Sullivan Show, The Mike Douglas Show and the Jackie Gleason Show to name a few. He played with many singers and other show business personalities such as Julie Andrews, Henry Mancini, Andy Griffin, Liberace, Mel Torme, Merv Griffin and the "Who's Who in Entertainment" list goes on and on. Bill performed in every state of the continental US, 18 European countries, Iceland, Canada, Mexico Hawaii, Bermuda, the Azores and several major cities in Central and South America.
When Walt Disney World opened in October 1971, Bill had been selected as a trombone player in the original Walt Disney World Band. After three months, he was asked to serve as a Walt Disney Production Staff Music Composer/Arranger. For six years Bill supplied a vast amount of music for almost every conceivable combination of Western music instrumentation including small ragtime and Dixieland bands, polka bands, marching bands, drum and fife corps, huge mass bands, special concert music, musicals, convention shows, symphony orchestras (including the BBC and Boston Pops) and others. Bill left Disney in 1976 to care for his aging parents in Jacksonville, Fla.
Bill was given an award as "The most versatile musical arranger in the United States." There are many other professional credits and famous associates too numerous to mention.
About nine years ago, Bill returned to his home state of North Carolina to attend a high school reunion in Wilmington where he re-connected with long-time friend and classmate Beverly Arthurs. Subsequently, Bill moved to Graham and became a friend of the Alamance Jazz Band. He wrote a number of arrangements and original compositions for the AJB which they have performed in many venues.
Bill desired not to have a funeral service but there is the possibility of a memorial service later in the fall to honor this incredibly talented musician, composer, and arranger and feature some of his work.
Memorials may be made to the charity of your choice c/o Rod Fox, P.O. Box 367, Elon, NC 27244.
Condolences may be offered at www.richandthompson.com