ORANGE — The room formerly known as Room 42 at Mahar has been dedicated to Robert and Ann-Marie Ellison, two former longtime educators there.
Ralph C. Mahar Regional School decided to dedicate the room to the two, because Robert Ellison, better known as “Mr. E,” began as music director at the school shortly after the new one replaced Orange High School. He replaced Mal Hall, also known as Mr. Music. He came into the position with intent to build a thriving, inclusive band and choral program with students from Orange, Erving, New Salem, Wendell and Petersham. He would encourage, and sometimes beg students to give band and chorus a try.
One of the goals he set was to recruit instrumental players who could sing. He would teach those who couldn’t. That way, according to what he had to say at the recent dedication, the School Committee “was getting double its money’s worth, as one bus could carry both a band and a chorus.” He also taught music lessons outside of school, always encouraging students to challenge themselves to improve. Within a few years, several busses were needed, as the band heading out over the Mohawk Trail to cheer on the football team had grown to more than 100 musicians. Adding twirlers and including the cheerleaders, and followed by fans, a caravan would follow the team throughout central and western Massachusetts.
The Mahar Band and the Chorus, known as the Swinging, Singing Senators, were well-known for their indoor performances. The band played for school assemblies, presented Christmas and spring concerts and performed at graduation ceremonies and events. Smaller groups entertained at local events and venues, and the annual trek to perform at Children’s Hospital in Boston is still talked about today.
Ann-Marie Ellison, known to all as “Mrs. E,” graduated from Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vt., and taught at Black River High School. She taught biology and English literature and directed one-act plays, among many other activities, and it was there she met her husband. After they moved to Orange, she also worked at Mahar, first teaching English, and then as the music director’s assistant and accompanist. She taught the students in the general music classes to read music, sing and to play guitar. She also taught them to know and understand the classics, which became Broadway musicals. “West Side Story” and “Oliver!” were among those performed at the school. She accompanied the choruses, and was an integral part of the music department, helping to keep it running like a well-oiled machine.
At the dedication, she was referred to as the “wind beneath (Robert Ellison’s) wings.” Together, the couple encouraged and instructed hundreds of young musicians, and they mentioned that more than 70 music teachers came through his programs.
The band, in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, was active in taking trips to regional music festivals. It also marched in numerous parades, and participated in New England Patriot’s halftime shows. It played in exchange concerts across the state and took a three-day trip to the 1965 World’s Fair in New York. That was all made possible by students and the community backing the Ellisons. Many helped by selling candy bars or work at the weekly food sales in the center of Orange.
The new music room at Mahar was to capacity recently as Adam Whitten, president of the Orange Community Band and a former student of the Ellisons, emceed a program of praise and remembrance, including a slide show presented by Theresa Donelan Bergquist and words from Chris Paul of the Mahar School Committee, former state Rep. Denise Andrews and many former students.
Paul Calcari, a trumpet student of Ellison’s and a member of the Mahar Music Department, retired as head of the Greenfield High School Music Department about five years ago. He spoke of the many lessons he learned from the Ellisons. Robert Ellison mentioned Calcari was one of more than 200 music teachers who had gone through his class at Mahar. Among the many guests at the dedication were Robert Ellison’s sisters Caroline Sullivan of Orleans and Ellie and her husband, Jack O’Neill, of Boca Raton, Fla., and their families. Two decorated cakes and an array of fruits, crackers and cheeses and a vegetable tray provided refreshments.
A recording of the tribute will be compiled by several members of the committee. The Ellisons now live at Bentley Commons in Keene, N.H. If you are a former student or colleague and would like to contact them, call 603-499-8286.