Glendal Laminek

2011- present

Long ago and far away the musical career of Glendal Laminack had its humble beginning in the small Texas town of Wink.  It was at the beginning of his fourth grade year that Professor Dickinson discovered his musical aptitude when the young Glendal could distinguish a cornet from a clarinet.  That same year he took his place in the cornet section of Prof’s high school band.  However, he was so small that people wondered why there was an extra chair in the cornet section.  When he marched with the band he had to take 12 steps to every five yards instead of the customary 6.

From there he relocated to Midland, Texas, where he became a charter member of the first great band of the legendary Buddy Postlethwaite (later of UT Arlington fame). However, people still wondered why there was an extra chair in the cornet section.

He finished his public education at Brazosport High School.  It was here that people, for the first time, ceased to wonder about extra chairs.

After high school, Glendal attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied trumpet with the late J. Frank Elsass and accidentally obtained a Bachelor of Music degree.

His first teaching position was in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.  At his first concert contest he impressed the judges and his fellow directors alike by leaving all of the band’s music at home.

Three years later he returned to the states and taught band in various small Texas towns.  He also earned a Master of Music degree from the University of North Texas where he studied with the master trumpet teacher, John Haynie, and also colluded with him on his research of the epiglottis’ (look it up) function in trumpet playing.

After twenty years of teaching band, Glendal worked eleven years for the Education Service Center, Region 11, in Fort Worth.  During this time he helped train school administrators and teachers in various roles.

He now lives on a farm in Poolville, Texas, that because it has no grass, has no livestock except for 2 cats and 5,324 honey bees (at last count).

He and his wife Carol have two grown children and two young grandsons.

Although some consider Glendal to be the pre-eminent conductor in the Poolville area (it is not easy to tune a cat), he considers his crowning achievement as being selected Director of the Fort Worth Symphonic Band.  To quote him, “Rarely does one see such dedication and musical ability in such a diverse group of amateur musicians.  The 50 year history of this band attests to its great strength as a musical organization.”

Kenneth Javier Iyescas

2009 - 2011

Kenneth Javier Iyescas served as the Music Director and Conductor of the Fort Worth City Band, as well as an Assistant Director for the Crowley High School Mighty Eagle Band in the Crowley Independent School District.  Born in Managua, Nicaragua, Mr. Iyescas immigrated to the United States at the age of two years old to Jersey City, New Jersey, where he lived until his early teens. 

He began his musical studies at the age of nine playing the trumpet following in his father’s foot steps, who was an accomplished trumpeter in their native country.  Music was always present in the home, be it in the form of Spanish dance music or native folk songs sung and accompanied by his father’s guitar, which was an enormous influence. 

Shortly after moving to Red Oak, Texas, Mr. Iyescas began playing the French horn which turned out to be his major instrument.  After graduating from Red Oak High School, he was accepted to Howard Payne Universtiy in Brownwood, Texas.  While at Howard Payne University, Mr. Iyescas received many awards for his French Horn playing, as well as, was the Student Conductor for the Symphonic Band and studied conducting and French Horn with Dr. Robert Tucker.  He also was a member of the National Wind Symphony that performed in Carnegie Hall under the direction of Maestro H. Robert Reynolds. 

Upon completion of  his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Howard Payne University, Mr. Iyescas was accepted into the Master’s degree program at Texas Tech University, where he graduated with a Master’s of Music degree in Horn Performance studying with Anthony Brittin.  While at Texas Tech University, he performed with all of the top ensembles, including the Texas Tech Wind Ensemble and the Texas Tech Symphony Orchestra.  Also, Mr. Iyescas performed with many of the professional orchestras in the area, including New Mexico.   

In 2001, Mr. Iyescas moved back to the DFW area when he was hired by Crowley ISD, where he assists with the high school bands and was the Head Director at H.F. Stevens Middle School.  In Fort Worth, Mr. Iyescas was fortunate to conduct the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in a Conducting Symposium, under the supervision of Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Music Director of the FWSO, and Dr. German Guitierrez, Director of Orchestras TCU.  Former conducting teachers also include Eduardo Browne, former Resident Conductor of the FWSO. 

In his first year at Crowley ISD, he met a beautiful young lady named Maria Angelica Araiza and were married in 2003.  They now reside in Crowley with their lovely daughter Alexandria Grace, who was born in 2006.

Kenneth moved on to the University of Kentucky, in Lexington,  in the Fall of 2011 to pursue and continue his studies in conducting.

Delmar H. Dolbier

1999 - 2009

Emeritus Director

Replacing Charles Hoffman as music director in 1999 was Delmar H. Dobier.

Del was born after the Civil War and before WWII in Oakland, California. In 1946 he and his family moved to Reno, Nevada where he started playing the trumpet at the age of 12, and went on to graduate from the University of Nevada with majors in music, speech and drama.

He entered the federal service in 1966 at the Sacramento Army Depot and later moved to a similar position with the General Services Administration (GSA) in 1970. It is with the GSA that Del found both he and his family in Fort Worth, Texas. After 33 years of service he retire from the federal service in 2000.

Spending four years with the Reno Municipal Band as a professional player (trumpet and  horn), Del went on to teach music in the public schools in Haines, Alaska.

With a life long interest in theatre, Del has participated in over 75 productions as an actor, director, and theatre technician. He has written several plays, three of which were produced. Del has also appeared on TV in the Route 66 series. An avid fan of history he has written and sold several articles of Civil War history. It is with this experience that Del excelled at being a "showman extraordinaire" by bringing his showmanship to the Fort Worth City Band.

On June 1, 1963, he married Sarah Pedersen -- the World's Greatest Band Librarian -- and went on to have a boy and two girls. Continuing in his music career, Del played horn in the Salem Symphony and Marion County Citizens' Band in Oregon. He continued to teach at the high school level for one more year in Oregon before deciding to change careers.

During his musical life, he conducted the Martinez, California Community Band and served as assistant conductor for the Richmond Symphonic and Concord Concert bands in California.

Being multi-talented on several instruments, Del joined the cornet section of the Fort Worth City Band in 1995 and then was selected in 1999 to be the group's musical director.

During his tenure, Del held to the strongest traditions of a true community band. His last performance was held on July 27, 2009 at Lakewood Village, Fort Worth, Texas. In the tradition of both a musician and a showman, he conducted the performance that evening which featured:

Always Leave Them Laughing

I Want to Hear a Yankee Doodle Tune

Ponderosa

Oliver

The Way You Look Tonight

I Can't get Started

Peaches and Cream

People Who Live in Glass Houses

Swanee

Sophisticated Ladies

Granada

Young at Heart

The U.S. Field Artillery

Linger Awhile

Roberta

The Stars and Stripes Forever

Charles R. Hoffman

1962-1999

Charles Hoffman and "Prof" Jacobson both conducted the City Band when this group initially started. When "Prof" Jacobson left because of his commitments to TCU,  it was a natural transition for Charlie to take over as bandmaster and director of the Lion's Club Band for the next 37 years. During his reign, the name of the band changed from the Lion's Club Band to the Lion's Band, the Metro Area Band and, finally, the Fort Worth City Band upon a declaration by the Fort Worth City Council. For many years the FWCB rehearsed at the Seminary before moving to its current location at Riverside Recreational Center.

Charlie obtained his bachelor's and graduate degrees from Texas Christian University by 1948. After teaching for nine years in Mason, Childress, and Lamesa school districts he returned to Fort Worth to serve as band director (Carter-Riverside High School)  for 30 years in the Fort Worth Independent School District. During this time he introduced the teaching of the "dance" or "stage" band style to the music program of the FWISD.

His musical skills were used in the community with several organizations including the directing of the Fort Worth Moslah Shrine band .

Charlie Hoffman  has an endowment scholarship in his name for jazz studies at Texas Christian University. 

James "Prof" Jacobson

(b.1920 - d.2006)

1960-1962

Although serving only a short period of time, James Jacobson started the Fort Worth City Band in 1960, when it was  known as the Lion's Club Band. Both Jacobson and Hoffman would alternate directing the band when the football season would take up too much of Jacobson's time in the fall.

James Alva Jacobsen was born May 8, 1920, in Montrose, Colo., to Arthur Chris Jacobsen and Kathryn Georgia Zunich. Jim graduated study at Vandercook College of Music in Chicago and, in 1955, received an honorary doctor of music from Southern College of Fine Arts in Houston.

Jim was a World War II veteran, having served in the Army Air Corps. He was stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base, Wichita Falls, when he was discharged in 1945. Jim became director of bands at Midwestern University, where he met his wife, Wyneth Berry (d.1999). They were married Dec. 15, 1946, at First Christian Church in Wichita Falls, and celebrated their golden wedding anniversary Dec. 15, 1996.

Jim was director of bands at Midwestern University in Wichita Falls from 1945-1955. He inaugurated both the band and choir programs at this institution. He also introduced the "8 to 5" system of marching.

In 1955, he became director of bands and professor of music at Texas Christian University for the next 27 years. "Prof" Jacobsen is known as the creator of the "Moving Diamond" precision marching band drill technique. The TCU Marching Band performed the first of these drills on national television Jan. 1, 1959, at the 23rd Annual Cotton Bowl (Air Force 0, TCU 0), receiving national recognition for this innovative drill technique. For years after his retirement in 1982, he was in popular demand as a clinician, consultant, guest conductor and judge for band events across the country and in Europe.

In 1975, Jim was elected to membership in the American Bandmasters Association. He was a past national president of Kappa Kappa Psi, national honorary band fraternity, past southwest district president of the College Band Directors National Association and past president and organizer of the Southwest Conference Band Directors Association. He was a member since 1946 of the Texas Bandmasters Association, member of the Texas Music Educators Association, member of Phi Beta Mu national honorary band directors' fraternity, charter member of the National Band Association and member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia national honorary music fraternity.

Jim was listed in Who's Who in the South and Southwest, Who's Who in Music, Who's Who in Education and the International Who's Who in Music. He was named one of the 10 most outstanding educational music directors in the United States in 1972 by the "School Musician" magazine. He was named Texas Bandmaster of the Year 1988 by the Texas Bandmasters Association; named to the Texas Bandmasters Hall of Fame in 1991 by the Alpha Chapter of Phi Beta Mu; and named to the Texas Music Educators Association Region 5 Bandmasters Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1993.

At the time of his death (2006), he was executive secretary of the University Interscholastic League Region 5 and Area B. He was responsible for the supervision and management of all public school band, orchestra and choir contests held in Region 5, which is composed of more than 350 competing units.

"Prof" loved his work, his students and his family. He was an icon for the marching band profession and left a legacy of performing, teaching and mentoring throughout his life.