Melvin Robert "Bucky" Harsh

Melvin Robert "Bucky" Harsh

Melvin Robert "Bucky" Harsh, 73, passed away of cancer Sunday morning, October 8, 2017. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, and raised in Waldwick, New Jersey, Mel grew up with his loving parents Edris and Robert and his younger sister Bonnie. At age eight, his parents gave him his first trumpet for Christmas which started a lifelong passion for performance and classical music.

After a year at Rutgers University majoring in engineering, he transferred to the State University of New York at Fredonia as a music education major. Upon graduation, Mel earned his master's and then a doctorate in trumpet performance from the University of Michigan. While at Michigan he studied with the renowned trumpet professor, Clifford P. Lillya, under whom he served as a teaching assistant and later as an adjunct instructor. He taught for one year at Baruch College in New York City, but found he disliked large cities and returned to the Ann Arbor area.

In the late 1970s, he played at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in New York, with The Chicago Ballet, The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and the Philadelphia Orchestra. In 1974, he joined the Toledo Symphony Orchestra as their second trumpet where he played for 38 years. For many years he played with the Des Moines Opera for their summer season and in the "zoo band" in Toledo (Music under the Stars) from 1971 until 2016.

Mel is perhaps most known for his talks before the Peristyle and Mozart and More series concerts, helping the audience find greater joy and understanding of great classical works. He wrote the TSO program notes for decades, visited schools and other venues with the popular TSO Brass Quintet (which he coordinated), and recorded educational materials

Mel had other passions outside of music; he earned a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. A mutual friend suggested he meet Lisa Blake (his future wife) due to a shared interest in martial arts and wilderness trips. Mel and Lisa also shared a love of books, science fiction, as well as camping and hiking.

He traveled to the Galapagos Islands, the Northwest Territories in Canada, and took wilderness canoeing trips to Quetico, including a three-week solo trip, and a three-week trip with his (later) wife Lisa, exploring the upper boundaries.

Mel and Lisa had two children, the younger of whom follows in his father's footsteps pursuing a career in music education. His daughter inherited Mel's love of books and nature.

He is survived by wife, Lisa Blake; daughter, Morgan Blake; son, Colin Harsh; mother, Edris Sallette and sister, Bonnie Astuto (Louis). The memorial service will be held November 19, at 2 p.m. at First Unitarian Church of Toledo, 3205 Glendale, Toledo, Ohio.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Black Swamp Conservancy (419-833-1025) (www.blackswamp.org/main/donate-now/ or the Black Swamp Bird Observatory (www.bsbo.org/donate/html) (419-898-4070)in memory of Mel's love of birding.



View the online memorial for Melvin Robert "Bucky" Harsh