Page 6 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, July 25, 2025 RIGHT NOTE | FROM PAGE 1 By Joe McConnell E ugene O’Brien has been a fi xture in the Everett Public School system for three decades as the high school’s Music Department Head (Coordinator of Music) and Marching Band Director. Starting out at the Parlin for one year, O’Brien quickly moved on to the high school, and has been there ever since. He will be beginning his 30th year on the Elm Street campus in September, and has already been inducted into the Massachusetts Music Educators Drum Corps and the American Buglers Hall of Fames. But during the EHS graduation ceremony in June, O’Brien was honored for his love of the military by the U.S. Army. “I was very surprised by the honor, but have always been a big advocate for all of our Armed Services and the men and women who serve in them to protect our freedoms. I have a great deal of respect for all of them, because of what they do is extremely important to all of us.” O’Brien said. “My wife, Carol, in particular, was the fi rst female to break the all-male barrier to serve in the United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corps in Washington, D.C.” If We Happen To Meet By Accident ... You’ll Be Glad You Found Us! There is a difference between the rest and the BEST! Celebrating 46 Years In Business! TONY’S AUTO BODY Call or Visit 781-321-0032 34 Sharon Street Malden, MA 02148 TONYSAUTOBODYLLC.COM COME VISIT OUR STATE OF THE ART BODY SHOP • Computerized Paint Matching (State of the Art Spray Booth) • Computerized Frame Machines • P.P.G. Refinishing System • R134 + 1234yf A/C Machines Fully Insured -RS2415 Insurance Company Approval ALL OUR WORK IS GUARANTEED! TONY BARTOLO Owner 46 Years Let Us Handle Your Next Insurance Claim. Go With the BEST It Doesn’t Get BETTER! RENTAL CARS Available O’Brien’s appreciation for the military goes back to his high school days in Waltham, when he joined the Marine ROTC in 1981. He stayed in it for four years, completing the stint after his sophomore year in college. While on duty, and taking advantage of his musical abilities, he was the designated company bugler. O’Brien’s love for music started early on in his life as a fi rst grader in Waltham. He fi rst took up the drums, and then the violin in the fourth grade. He then learned the trumpet the following year, and remembered going to Everett Memorial Stadium to watch the CYO competitions. Little did he realize at the time that the city was going to be a major part of his life as an adult. “The only thing that I can remember about Everett Stadium in those days was all the dust and dirt from the infi eld that made up the baseball diamond,” O’Brien said. “I didn’t know at the time that I’d actually have a career in Everett many years later. But the passion for what I’m doing now started right here, while attending those competitions.” O’Brien says that he’s capable of playing 14 diff erent instruments to varying degrees, something that was considered to be a prerequisite if somebody wanted to become a music teacher back then. O’Brien was a member of or an instructor of the Waltham High School and UMass Minuteman Marching Bands, Greater Boston Alliance Drum & Bugle Corps, Rhode Island Matadors Drum & Bugle Corps, Fitchburg Kingsmen Drum Corps, Connecticut Hurricanes, Syracuse Brigadiers, New York Rochester Crusaders, Fusion Core New Jersey, Long Island Sunrisers, Sandwich Marching Band, Leominster Marching Band, Norwood High Marching Band, Biddeford Maine Marching Band, North Stokes Marching Band of North Carolina, Phoenix Drum & Bugle Corps out of Waltham, Boston Crusaders and Nashua Spartans. In 1983, his senior year at Waltham High, O’Brien was a proud participant of the Waltham Marching and Jazz Concert Orchestra Choir after it survived Prop 2 ½. “The Show Choir was a new concept back then, and we had a young vibrant teacher to make it work,” he said. O’Brien went to UMass Amherst, where he majored in engineering with a minor in music. He also belonged to its 259-member Minuteman Marching Band. In Everett, O’Brien has been the music director and teacher of the high school’s marching band for 20 years, while being an assistant for 10 years, when Charlie Poole and Eric Holmes were in charge on separate occasions. He became the director once again after Poole stepped down in 2018. He has also been the school’s department head in music (Marching Arts) throughout the past 29 years, and has taught piano lab, rock band and concert band courses, but with a staff of 18 up from the original seven he can now solely oversee the department to go along with his responsibilities as the school band mentor. O’Brien is looking forward to directing 75 outstanding and dedicated band members this coming school year after they utilized the summer months practicing in the band room, with the 202526 student band leaders Ashley Pineda Ramos and Allison Alarcon Acosta leading the way. Coming up next month, there will be a two-week, eight-hour per day camp to get more youngsters interested in becoming future band members. The EHS Marching Band is going to be busy pretty much every day during the school year. They will be practicing Mondays and Wednesdays in the fall from 3:30-7:30 p.m. in the Rivergreen Park Parking Lot, plus on Saturdays for eight hours followed by competitions or diff erent events like the St. Cosmos Festival in Cambridge, presided over by State Senator Sal DiDomenico, a former band dad. They are also scheduled to perform at eight Crimson Tide football games, seven competitions, four parades – including the Plymouth Veterans Day Parade – and the Everett Christmas Tree Lighting Show. RIGHT NOTE | SEE PAGE 7
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