DON POH HONORED AS DISTINGUISHED
ALUMNUS
Green Bay musicman given
Dana College's highest alumni award, Oct. 1
Don Poh was honored with Dana College’s highest alumni honor
Oct. 1 in Blair, Neb., when the college bestowed upon him the title
of “Distinguished Alumnus,” at a special ceremony held
as part of Homecoming festivities.
Honorees are chosen for their achievements after leaving Dana College.
In Poh’s case, hisdedication to filling the world with music
was a deciding factor.
Don Poh has been gone from the hill at Dana for more than 50 years
now.
But a piece of him has found its way back and will serve as a legacy
to the man and his music, in the form of a nine-foot Baldwin concert
grand piano (vintage 1953) that today brings joy to musicians on
the campus.
Poh arrived on the campus in the fall of 1946, just getting his
"land legs" back after serving in the Navy as anti-submarine
technician in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets. He had entered
the military right after his 1944 graduation from Green Bay, Wis.,
West High School. The GI bill gave him the funding he needed to
pursue a dream of becoming a music educator.
While on the Dana campus, he participated in the student newspaper,
leading the Men’s Glee Club and as a member of the chorus
and quartet. He studied piano as part of his music education major.
He was Dana’s nominee into "Who’s Who in American
Colleges" in 1950. He credits the influence of Louise Woeppel,
English Composition Professor, with connecting him to the Blair
Pilot Tribune newspaper, which turned him for seven years away from
music and into journalism. During his first year out of college,
he worked part-time working for Dana, helping Norman Bansen in the
school’s new public relations department.
In 1950, he returned to Green Bay, working in both newspaper and
television. He got back into the music business with his own store,
something that would more than fill his hours for the next 51 years.
The business focus was not only on the sales of pianos, but much
more, with full service to piano teachers with a huge inventory
of piano and organ music. For many of the years, the business included
a building next door, Little Carnegie, which gave music students
a center for performing recitals on a concert grand piano. The Pohs’
service extended to opening up for teacher’s meeting and seminars.
Poh and his wife, Judy, sold that business earlier this year, leading
to the donation of the piano to Dana.
Throughout the years, he gave back to his community, focusing on
music and the arts. He was active in the Green Bay Symphony, was
a founding conductor of the Green Bay Youth Symphony, was president
of the Friends of the Arts and was the first director of the Green
Bay Youth Chorale.
In making the gift of his piano, Poh noted that Dana had remained
a part of him throughout the past 54 years. "Dana taught us
not only how to make a living, Dana taught us how to live,"
he said in an interview with the Dana Review.
Poh has two daughters, Julie and Brenda. His visits back to Dana
now are not only to see old friends, but to play an old friend…the
concert grand piano that was once his.
Dana College is a place where all students actively participate.
They make things happen — in their own lives and in the lives
of others. Through a highly supportive faculty and campus community,
Dana students develop interpersonal skills, leadership abilities,
and other important values and knowledge as they make choices about
their future. Dana’s outstanding academic programs in business,
education, art and social work, among others, ensure that students
have the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to pursue challenging
careers or placement in graduate school.
Dana College is a private, liberal arts institution in Blair, Neb.
To learn more, visit www.dana.edu.
Dana College: Develop talents, Take charge,
Build a future — We’re with you all the way.
— END —
For more information contact:
Sarah Cavanah
Communications Coordinator
Dana College
(402) 426-7216
scavanah@dana.edu
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