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George Andrews Obituary
Composer, musician, and music teacher, died on August 9, 2004, after a long struggle with Parkinson's disease. Born in Winnipeg, Canada in 1927, he came to this country in his early twenties, later becoming a citizen. He studied music at Boston University and the Berklee College of Music. After moving to California, he attended California State College, Fullerton, obtaining a B.A. degree, majoring in Music and History. He did graduate work at the University of Southern California, where he worked with Halsey Stevens. He also studied at both Long Beach City College and at Long Beach State University, where he obtained a Masters Degree. An active musician all of his life, he played jazz trumpet and piano, but concentrated on composition. He taught music for nineteen years at South High School in Torrance until illness forced his retirement. He was an active member of the South Bay Chamber Music Society, where he served a term as President. He is survived by his daughter, Paula Iorio of Los Olivos, CA and his two granddaughters Christina and Sirena. Please call 310-374-2141 for information about a memorial gathering. In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation is suggested. Cremation Society of the South Bay (310)370-1075
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Memories and Condolences
for George Andrews
1 Entry
Arnie Stanton
July 23, 2025
Mr. Andrews was the director of our South High School (Torrance, CA) wind ensemble, marching band, and jazz band, in which I played first trombone for all four years of high school. Because he was so good at composing, I took two music theory classes on how to write 4-part traditional (hymn) music and do jazz music arrangement.
Of the four Torrance high schools, our bands blew the others away musically, and we proved that at a combined four high school band concert held at El Camino College, also in Torrance, CA. We were not famous for marching, and on the football field, we typically did not play while marching. But when we stood still, EVERYONE took notice of how great we sounded.
Mr. Andrews was an "old school" director and was tough, and many students thought he was mean. I greatly appreciated his toughness and zeal, and that was what drove us to being so amazing. Many professional musicians such as myself credit Mr. Andrews on giving us a lot of good foundational training and inspiration to continue our musical learning and experience.
Many in the South High Band have recently had our own band "reunions," and shared many great memories of our experiences, so many that had to do with Mr. Andrews. He will always be remembered by those he taught to perform music at their very best. Thank you, Mr. Andrews!
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