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William F. "Buddy" Postlethwaite
1930 - 2016
BORN
1930
DIED
2016
William Postlethwaite Obituary
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Memories and Condolences
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Edward Cosgrove
July 24, 2023
I attended Arlington State College's Drum Camp for many years, beginning in 1957. I remember what an excellent teacher Buddy was. Jack Mahan would use a bass drum beater on the back of a metal chair to teach us to keep the beat! Because of what I learned there, I went on to play drums with some of the best bands in Texas, including Willie Nelson. I continue to play today. I wanted to contact Buddy today, to thank him. But he knows. Thank you Buddy for your kindness and leadership.
January 10, 2016
Mr Postlethwaite was our band director in Ballinger, TX. I was under his direction for four years. The entire band loved him. I still think of him occasionally. Things were never the same after he left.
C.Wilton Simmons, MD
Houston
Jeff Dalton
January 8, 2016
A sweet and kind man. My father died when I was 15 and Buddy played a huge role in teaching me to always try to be a decent man. I remember his advice and try to emulate the way he lived his life. Godspeed, my good friend.
Jeff Dalton
Johnnie Carr
January 8, 2016
I first met Mr. P when I was a junior at L. D. Bell High school where he was the judge for the drum major auditions. He selected me as the winner and asked if and where I was planning on going to college. I attended his drum major school at Arlington State that summer and upon graduating high school two years later, I pursued my technical studies in engineering at Arlington State. Mr. P was there during my registration process looking for me and said that I was to be his drum major for both the University band and the ROTC band. I was his drum major for the next five years and he helped me put the British Mace out in front of one of the best bands in the country, the University of Texas at Arlington Rebel Band. He even hired me to serve as one of the instructors during the summer drum major camps. The time was during the tumultuous years of the Viet Nam war and I really didn't have the time for band or ROTC with my tough curriculum, classmates failing every day, and the constant threat of being drafted every semester. Add to that the racial tensions surrounding the Rebel theme of the University. But without Mr. P and his myriad of band activities, I would have never graduated as an aerospace engineer. He kept me grounded, focused, and taught me to always keep my head up, no matter what. Over the years he became my friend and my confidant. We would share stories of children and grandchildren and how today's bands perform and how we longed for the days of simplicity and structure. You have left a hole in many of our hearts, but know that you inspired and influenced incalculable numbers of musicians and professionals on this earth.
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James W. Rogers
January 6, 2016
So sorry to hear of the home going of my fellow bandsman and lifelong friend, having its genesis under the influence of Jack Mahan, Band Master Extraordinaire. Always so pleased that Buddy was one of Jack's protégés as evidenced by all of the accomplishments in Buddy's life story. Truly well done- now enter into glory!!
Arla Jo Gideon
January 6, 2016
To Shelia and Martha, Marti just called and told me of your father's passing. My thoughts turn to the two of you as little girls. So, to those two little girls and to the women you now are, I send my most sincere condolences. May God be with you as you celebrate the memories of his life and as you work through your own grief.
Melinda Mason
January 6, 2016
I am so saddened by the passing of Mr. Postelthwaite, my band director at Ballinger High in the late 50s and 60s. He taught me to play the clarinet in the sixth grade and went on to lead the band to its highest wins ever, 4s I think at marching and concert competitions. He was so handsome with a great smile. I, like many young girls had a crush on him. He taught us so many things but I always remembered the encouragement we wore as ribbons on our shoulders: "Where there's a will, there's a way" and "It's all in your state of mind." Those thoughts served me well through the years. He touched so many lives and now he will be blessing others with his winning ways and that beaming smile1
Keith Masters
January 6, 2016
My brother Terry and myself were students of Mr Postlethwaite in Ballinger Texas. A talented man he was.
God Bless.
Keith and Terry Masters
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