The 2009 Season was dedicated to the memory of Debra Silver and Dan Tedlie

Both Debra and Dan were very kind and giving people.  Debra especially donated significant amounts of time to making our little band grow from an unknown operation to an 80-piece machine.

Deb had been the manager of Columbia Summer Winds since 2002.  Even when she was too busy to join us in the trombone section, she always took care of the band's affairs.  She was responsible for getting our name out to just about all of the several venues we've played in recent years, and always took the initiative in getting our concerts planned.  She brought energy, a love of music, a fierce loyalty, and a much-needed attention to detail to the band.  She reached out to new members, making them feel welcome from the first moment.  Her impact on the band was huge, and her absence leaves a gaping hole in our ranks.

Dan was always by Deb's side: he often picked her up at rehearsal, and at her request he sometimes drove our trucks full of percussion stuff to concerts.  He also played percussion when we were short on players, and took several beautiful photos of us at concerts.  His photos from Washington Square Park in 2005 dominated our website for a long time.  He was a generous man whose contributions to the band were deeply appreciated.

Both Deb and Dan will be sorely missed for years to come.  The Columbia Summer Winds 2009 season is dedicated to their memory.

A group of lawyers from Debra's ERISA luncheon group have given a substantial sum to Columbia Summer Winds in her memory.  Their donation will help CSW pay adequate tribute ot Debra and start us down the road towards her goal of obtaining non-profit tax-exempt status for the band.  The individual donors are:

Michael Boro
Bob Raymond
Patricia Farell
Mary Crotty
Julia Penick Garry
Judith Kurzweil
Patricia Spraguer-Roberts
Steven Friedman

Jordan Backman
Stewart Borrow
Mary Harrison
Pauline Ellis
Benedicta McGrath
Paul Porretta
Andy Varady
Pamela Kaplan

Columbia Summer Winds sincerely thanks these donors for their generous gift in honor of someone so important to all of us.