Greetings everyone! First of all, I apologize for not having a June band member of the month segment. Just so you know, I have not been slacking, but I've been working on a special segment for July. This segment has been difficult to complete because it is difficult to express something that I still have a hard time dealing with myself. I just hope the extra time has been well-spent. In place of my July Band Member of the Month segment, I wish to present a tribute to my friend and fellow band member, Tom 'Loopy' Liska, who suddenly passed away on May 10th. For those of us that loved him, this will be a place to recapture fond memories. For those that didn't know him, it will be a chance to get to know a little bit about a wonderful and kind person.

< Tom leading the 'bones in a 1990 Arts Alive! Band rehearsal... can you guess who is sitting right next to him? Tom and his tuba. The instrument was built in the 19th century in what is now the Czech Republic and had been completely rebuilt into playing condition by Tom. >

Since this is a band website, I would be remiss if I didn't initially mention that Tom was an excellent musician. I know he played trombone, tuba, baritone, and trumpet. He probably knew how to play more instruments, but the ones I listed are the ones I'm sure about. Tom was very passionate about his playing. I had the privilege of playing in a brass ensemble with Tom for a few years and his playing ability 'blew me away.' As an example, I think everyone knows the renowned Sousa march "Stars and Stripes Forever" (a signature piece for our band). Tom could flawlessly and effortlessly play the famous piccolo part on his TUBA, complete with trills.

He may have spent a long time practicing on his own before allowing us to hear it, but it didn't show at all. I don't know if I would believe it if I hadn't heard it for myself, but it was phenomenal. I recently heard from one of our tuba guys that he and another one of the tuba players in our band are trying to learn this piccolo part on their tubas currently. This made me very hopeful that Tom's memory will not be forgotten. (Thanks guys, you know who you are! : ))

	Tom and Andy take on Germany < Enjoying the Rhine River in '94 Taking in the Munich night life, 2000 > < With Craig McCarthy at Armstrong Barracks, Büdingen, 1994

My husband, Andy (trombone player) has fond memories of Tom. During band rehearsals, he and Tom would compete to see who could hit the lowest pedal note on their trombones. Andy says that because Tom had more tubing in his horn, he always won, but this didn't stop them from doing this though. It was just one of those things that two friends enjoyed sharing.

Switching to his life outside of the band, Tom comes from a loving family that enjoys family vacations. Growing up, Tom went through the Boy Scout program, making it all the way to earning the prestigious Eagle Scout award. Before his death, Tom was just getting to taste the fruits of his academic labors. After earning both a bachelor's and a master's degree in computer science at Governors State University, he landed a job at Abercrombie & Kent as a computer analyst. Abercrombie & Kent “is the top-rated tour operator known for unique travel experiences.” Tom recently purchased a condo for himself and his cat in Palos Hills and seemed to be settling into a comfortable adult life.

< Tom, in his condo, with his cat. Tom, on Euphonium, leads the brass section during the exciting conclusion to “The Stars & Stripes Forever” >

In addition to playing with the Arts Alive band, Tom also played in the Southwest Suburban Concert Band in Palos Heights. He was blessed to have parents that always encouraged him (and his brothers) to be a part of community bands, starting at high school age.

I've only known Tommy for about nine or ten years. I don't want to paint the picture that Tom was a saint because he was not. Tom had his idiosyncrasies just like everyone else. I seem to recall a couple of times when we had to call him at home from brass rehearsal to remind him that we had rehearsal right at that moment and he was late. I don't think he did this on purpose, he just wasn't very organized as far as keeping his dates straight, especially being a part of various groups. Nevertheless, Tom would show up at brass rehearsal fifteen minutes later ready to play.

The infamous “Free Willy 7” > Messr. Cirus' business card. v

Since we played in various music groups together and shared portions of our two tours to Germany together (1994 and 2000), I feel that the essence of Tom's philosophy when dealing with others was kindness and patience. I want to share a story where Tom exhibited both of these qualities. During our band's 1994 Germany tour, seven of us got invited into a tavern by the tavern owner, Wilfried Cirus, as we walked down a street in Büdingen. Wilfried (or "Free Willy" as we eventually settled into calling him) was very friendly. I seem to remember "Free Willy" bought us a round of drinks after hearing that we were visiting from the States. One round of drinks lead us to another round of drinks (at our expense this time) and possibly another and so on. (Give me a break, it happened in 1994 and details have gotten a little "foggy") The events that followed happened very quickly. We danced as a group, someone fell down, a table overturned and a lamp broke, all in a matter of seconds. "Free Willy" stopped being friendly at this point and suggested that we leave his tavern immediately, after paying him 50 deutsche marks ($25) for the broken lamp, of course. Tom willingly paid for the lamp from his own pocket and escorted our rowdy butts out of the tavern.

Since five of us were staying with two separate host families 14 kilometers outside of Büdingen (just over 8.5 miles through thick forest), we needed to get a cab to drive us to our 'homes.' Tom and Craig (another band member in our group) were staying with a family that lived just blocks from where we were at this point in the story. Tom somehow got us to a pool hall where American soldiers (from the US Army base in town) went to play pool and hang out. This was after trying to get a call through on a broken pay phone outside of a school while everyone in our group laughed very loudly. From the pool hall, Tom was able to place the call for a cab. Once the cab arrived (a VW Polo), he positioned the five of us into the car (not an easy feat to say the least) with the driver and made sure we were on our way toward our destinations. To bring an already long story to an end, 'Loopy' was that main reason that all of us arrived at our 'homes' safely that night. He definitely exhibited kindness to us, but probably more patience, for sure. I will never forget him for that and I will tell this story many more times to come.

	Spending time with Tom in Büdingen < Clockwise from left: Hollywood Cafe (2000) Rusticana (2000) Schlossmühle (1994)

I will greatly miss Tom and regret that I didn't get to spend more time with him. I know that there are many more band members/friends/family that feel the same way. He was a laid-back person who knew how to work hard when needed. He truly was an all-around good guy, no doubt about it. There's a song that states 'only the good die young' and I never truly believed those lyrics…..until now. Rest in peace, Loopy. Give 'em hell in the grand band in the sky.

Regretfully mitted,

Linda Riha
BMOTM Editor

P.S. A big thank you to Jim Liska & family and many others for contributing the use of their pictures for this tribute. I tried to use every picture that was mitted in this segment so that Tom's memory will continue to live on.

MORE MEMORIES OF TOM

Tom doing a nice Amish look.
“Yes, I shot that round...”	Tom and friends at a fountain in Germany. He awarded Linda temporary custody of the hat after she told some American tourists “I don't know, I don't work here!”
Tom, Kevin, Barb and Lisa Z. ham it up before the Musikzug's 50th anniversary concert.	Later, Tom and Kevin keep the girls from falling off of the Lorelei over the Rhine River
Tom, with Lisa H. and Barb leads a toast for Julie and Lynn who were with us in spirit, and on that photo.	Eric admires Tom while he takes full advantage of a “Rest Stop”
Tom was always quick with a smile, like when posing with a giddy Barb.	Tom (second from right) has found the camera while waiting for our tour operator to find a bus.
Tom and Jill and Madeline and apfelwin.	The webmaster wanna-be (left) stands next to the professional.