When the fall 2014 semester begins at Truman, the Music Department will be without some of its longtime faculty members.

Dan Peterson, director of bands, and Thomas Trimborn, professor of music and music education, retired this summer. Between the two of them they had nearly 60 combined years at Truman.

Dan Peterson

During his 36 years at Truman, Peterson became one of the longest tenured band directors in the University’s history. He also served as the conductor of the Wind Symphony, which he created in 1978. Under Peterson’s leadership, the Wind Symphony gained national recognition through performances at both regional and national music conferences. Peterson served numerous times as a guest conductor and clinician for honor bands and festivals, as well as a show consultant for marching bands. Peterson was inducted into the Missouri Bandmasters Hall of Fame in 2008. As he begins his new phase of his life as a retired Truman faculty member, he looks forward to staying in Kirksville, with extended winter visits to the warmth of Florida.

Thomas Trimborn

Trimborn’s teaching career spanned 45 years, 21 of which took place at Truman. As the director of the Master of Arts in Music Education program he had the privilege of working closely with some 162 MAE music graduates, many of whom are now teaching in Missouri, throughout the country and abroad. He estimates he has driven more than a quarter million miles to observe interns in the region working with wonderful mentor teachers, and has provided artwork for 80 Missouri Music Educators Association magazine covers. In addition to music, he has a life-long interest in Abraham Lincoln that led him to create a series of Lincoln portraits with reproductions, and to publish a book “Encounters With Lincoln: Images and Words.” In his retirement, Trimborn is looking forward to travelling, doing more artwork, walking and dusting off his trombone.

The two conducted a farewell concert in April in Ophelia Parrish Performance Hall, which was live streamed for those not able to attend in person. Although the streaming was interrupted by an electrical surge caused by a thunderstorm, the entire concert was recorded and a professionally-produced DVD is in the works, including multiple camera perspectives and highlights from the post-concert reception. Anyone interested in owning a copy of the DVD can contact music@truman.edu. To view a sample from the concert, visit new.livestream.com/trumanstateuniversity/farewellconcert.