I am so sorry to hear of Terry's passing. He was a good friend and fellow classmate and most importantly a good human being. He will be missed. Gilbert Galle
My thoghts and prayers are with Terry's family and other friends. Terry was a great classmate at Randolph, Boswell and Topeka High. I plan to attend the Celebration of Life being held for him at Heritage Hall on the old Fairgrounds site tomorrow eve, Tues. July 9 th. from 7 til 9. I hope many Trojan's can attend.
I was so surprised to hear about Terry’s passing. We were in school together from Boswell through Washburn. I remember him as a friendly, kind, and talented guy who has gone too soon. My condolences to his family.
The following memorial to Terry Cobb was written by Bob Adamson, THS Class of 1965.
Shortly after waking up this morning, I ran into Tom Lewis' post about the passing of our friend Terry Cobb here in Topeka.
And it really doesn't matter that I had actually run into Terry only twice at the most since he and I were just little boys at Topeka High from roughly '62 through '65. We knew each other through Trojan Band. He was a very good trumpet player, and I banged on the drums, and from it all came one of the myriad pockets of "kid community" within the larger community of THS. (I have to marvel at the contrived high flown labels in the world; we were encouraged to think in terms of "student body" instead of the community of kids who attended by way of compulsory attendance law. In any case and speaking for myself, there probably wasn't even a small Cracker Jack box of genuine students in the entire school if the truth was spoken, and that's the way most of us wanted to keep it. I had one thing anew in mind with each morning: mucho mischief.)
In other words, Terry became a part of my life. It doesn't matter how many times people stand and jabber in each other's presence over a given period of years or how many times they stayed in touch through various correspondence; mutual imprinting of lives, I now understand, is indelible.
I can see Terry's face; I see his trumpet; I clearly hear his voice as if he was with me; I know his mannerisms and his laugh. I remember sitting behind my drums and belly laughing wildly the night Terry's "lip" gave up the ghost on stage at Scranton High School as he and I played in a "throw together" dance band for the school's junior/senior prom. The name of the band was "Squires," and we had only played a few numbers when it was over for the night for his lip and any civil sounds from his trumpet. For the remainder of the evening, he could only play a few measures before his sound would "break" with a runaway squeak and discord, and he would have to stop while the band chugged on with no melody from his trumpet. In other words, the band chugged on with no melody at all - just the accompanying arrangement. (The double exit doors from the stage were right behind me, and I kept them in mind for the rest of the night.)
And looking back, it didn't matter. (In fact, in the inevitable grand reconsideration of relative importance in life, very little along the surface of the past stands the test of time.) I now know that the only thing that mattered that night of a past social tradition for kids was that I was part of Terry Cobb ' s life. (I wouldn't know until years later that his life and mine would come together in yet another way: he and my wife, Kay, were 2nd cousins, supported by their strong local Swedish kinship via what was once the Swedish Baptist Church at 4th and Fillmore Streets.)
I'm 72-years-old, and I now understand the bonds of people, which are quite removed from time and nature of interpersonal experiences about trumpets or drums or schools or biological relationships.
So I'm shocked and saddened about Terry, but it's best said by someone else:
"Any man's [woman's] death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee." - John Donne
Adios, Terry, and to all the others who've graced each of our lives.
As we are saddened by Terry's death, we are very grateful for his life. He was one of my favorite people in school and afterward. We met through music and continued through athletics. My all-time favorite memory is of our chance meeting at the US Open Tennis Championships in New York in the late 1980s. I was taking a break from watching matches and went into the concourse of vendors. Having known some of Terry's tendencies and mannerisms, I recognized him a half block away by his walk and stance. Seeing him from the back I started following him shouting his name. When he stopped and stood, I knew it was him. It had been 20 years since we had seen each other. We laughed about that every time we saw each other. Condolences to Bev and the rest of the family. Thanks, Terry, for sharing your talents.
Gilbert E. Galle
I am so sorry to hear of Terry's passing. He was a good friend and fellow classmate and most importantly a good human being. He will be missed. Gilbert Galle
Benny Gonzalez
I & all former Trojan Band, Orchestra & Pep Band members remenber your Great Talent, Contributions & warm personelaity!
God Bless your Family as we Morn your Passing! RIP
Nan Hawks
I was so saddened to hear that Terry died. My memories of him will remain. My condolences to his family.
Valerie Courter (Keelin)
I remember Terry from the years in orchestra. He was both nice and fun to be around. My condolences to the family.
Chrystal A. (Chrys) Diffenderfer (Brim)
My thoghts and prayers are with Terry's family and other friends. Terry was a great classmate at Randolph, Boswell and Topeka High. I plan to attend the Celebration of Life being held for him at Heritage Hall on the old Fairgrounds site tomorrow eve, Tues. July 9 th. from 7 til 9. I hope many Trojan's can attend.
Cheryl Park (Gregg)
RIP Terry you will be missed.
Jackie McKethen
My condolences to Terry's family, and RIP Terry....
Jan Perney
I was so surprised to hear about Terry’s passing. We were in school together from Boswell through Washburn. I remember him as a friendly, kind, and talented guy who has gone too soon. My condolences to his family.
Donna A. Manieri (Worley -Medford)
The following memorial to Terry Cobb was written by Bob Adamson, THS Class of 1965.
Shortly after waking up this morning, I ran into Tom Lewis' post about the passing of our friend Terry Cobb here in Topeka.
And it really doesn't matter that I had actually run into Terry only twice at the most since he and I were just little boys at Topeka High from roughly '62 through '65. We knew each other through Trojan Band. He was a very good trumpet player, and I banged on the drums, and from it all came one of the myriad pockets of "kid community" within the larger community of THS. (I have to marvel at the contrived high flown labels in the world; we were encouraged to think in terms of "student body" instead of the community of kids who attended by way of compulsory attendance law. In any case and speaking for myself, there probably wasn't even a small Cracker Jack box of genuine students in the entire school if the truth was spoken, and that's the way most of us wanted to keep it. I had one thing anew in mind with each morning: mucho mischief.)
In other words, Terry became a part of my life. It doesn't matter how many times people stand and jabber in each other's presence over a given period of years or how many times they stayed in touch through various correspondence; mutual imprinting of lives, I now understand, is indelible.
I can see Terry's face; I see his trumpet; I clearly hear his voice as if he was with me; I know his mannerisms and his laugh. I remember sitting behind my drums and belly laughing wildly the night Terry's "lip" gave up the ghost on stage at Scranton High School as he and I played in a "throw together" dance band for the school's junior/senior prom. The name of the band was "Squires," and we had only played a few numbers when it was over for the night for his lip and any civil sounds from his trumpet. For the remainder of the evening, he could only play a few measures before his sound would "break" with a runaway squeak and discord, and he would have to stop while the band chugged on with no melody from his trumpet. In other words, the band chugged on with no melody at all - just the accompanying arrangement. (The double exit doors from the stage were right behind me, and I kept them in mind for the rest of the night.)
And looking back, it didn't matter. (In fact, in the inevitable grand reconsideration of relative importance in life, very little along the surface of the past stands the test of time.) I now know that the only thing that mattered that night of a past social tradition for kids was that I was part of Terry Cobb ' s life. (I wouldn't know until years later that his life and mine would come together in yet another way: he and my wife, Kay, were 2nd cousins, supported by their strong local Swedish kinship via what was once the Swedish Baptist Church at 4th and Fillmore Streets.)
I'm 72-years-old, and I now understand the bonds of people, which are quite removed from time and nature of interpersonal experiences about trumpets or drums or schools or biological relationships.
So I'm shocked and saddened about Terry, but it's best said by someone else:
"Any man's [woman's] death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee." - John Donne
Adios, Terry, and to all the others who've graced each of our lives.
Walter R. Hurd
As we are saddened by Terry's death, we are very grateful for his life. He was one of my favorite people in school and afterward. We met through music and continued through athletics. My all-time favorite memory is of our chance meeting at the US Open Tennis Championships in New York in the late 1980s. I was taking a break from watching matches and went into the concourse of vendors. Having known some of Terry's tendencies and mannerisms, I recognized him a half block away by his walk and stance. Seeing him from the back I started following him shouting his name. When he stopped and stood, I knew it was him. It had been 20 years since we had seen each other. We laughed about that every time we saw each other. Condolences to Bev and the rest of the family. Thanks, Terry, for sharing your talents.