First
name: Theodore - but
you can call me Ted. In
which town do you live?
Orland Park - but I was born and raised in Tinley
Park (My wife still makes fun of me because I say that all the time. You gotta
say "born and raised in Tinley Park" with a country twang.) How
do you make your living?
I am an Assistant Vice President at CNA Re (short
for Reinsurance) in the Treaty Reinsurance Underwriting Area - Standard Lines
Plan Unit. Or, you can just say I hold a technical position in the insurance industry
- and I travel around the country quite a bit - which unfortunately means that
my attendance at rehearsals is pretty sporadic. | 
A
chip off the old block: Ted (right) with his Dad (left). |
How
long have you been a member of the Arts Alive Band?
I am a charter member
of the band - for however long we've been together. I remember the days when Mike
Katterjohn started the group at Andrew HS and we would be lucky to get 10 to 12
people to show up. It's been great to see so many new members.
 | <
Ted (second from left)
blowing his own horn.
Ted
performs his own freshness test with a juice advertisement in Germany. > |  | What
instrument(s) do you play?
Horn - that's the F Horn AND the B flat Horn.
I'm also proud of the fact that I was also a member of the Central Junior High
drum line - playing the cymbals. Also my senior year in high school for Homecoming,
Jim Ziska had a football game and couldn't march - so I tried my luck at playing
the snare drum in the parade. (It was a miserable debut) I learned my lesson then
never to touch that damn percussion equipment again. How
long have you been playing it/them?
Since 1972 - so that makes it about
29 years. I have had the pleasure of playing under the baton of Art Beckman, Steve
Platko, Don Kramer, Gary Smith & James Curnow (at the University of Illinois)
among others. [Webmaster's comment: Can Ted go five minutes without mentioning
the U of I? I don't think so.] I also had the awesome experience of playing the
French Horn bugle for two years in a small - but competitive drum & bugle
corps.
 
Ted, Sharon, Peter, Ellen
and Mickey vacationing in Florida.
Are
you involved in any other musical groups, either inside or outside the Arts Alive
system? If so, which ones?
I also am a member or the St. Christopher brass
ensemble in Midlothian - and any other group that has pretty low standards. What
do you like most about this group? The Arts Alive Group is relaxed. People like
to make good music AND have a good time. It's important to have a balance of both.
Describe
your best/favorite band moment.
The most memorable moment was the impromptu
solo cymbal crash at the 2000 Cavalcade concert. It sent shivers down my spine.
I guess the two trips to Büdingen would come next - what fabulous times those
were!! The best Büdingen moment was the 1994 trip - after the combined concert
in the Burgerhaus - we all went to the restaurant/bar. It was about 1:00AM and
we were sitting intermixed with our German friends at the long table - drinking
beer, doing shots - everyone was there (including Steve and Klaus), everyone was
laughing & having a great time! It doesn't get much better than that.
 | <
One of Ted's favorite hobbies -- Peter and Ellen -- help their dad shop for a
riding mower.
Ted
and Sharon on Halloween as Homer and Marge Simpson. Ted wants everyone to know
that the spare tire around his waist isn't really his. > |  | What
are your hobbies?
My kids, following drum & bugle corps, college football
& basketball, golf and of course, beer. Also, the quarterly Berghoff luncheons
rank up there as well. What
is your favorite Jell-O flavor?
The clear, tasteless stuff that they put
on fine pastry tarts that keep them from getting stale.
Is there anything
else you want your band friends to know about you?
Yes, that I'm really
a very sensitive and emotional person and please, stop making fun of the horn
section!! (“How do you make a trombone sound like a horn? Stick you hand in the
bell and miss a lot of notes!” That hurts.) | 
