May 3, 2017
A hero’s song
Around Town
Wentzville citizen wins state-wide senior award. P.2 Fort Zumwalt drumline group wins championship. P.5
Healthy Living The difference between emergency rooms and convenient cares. P.4
School WSD students named as finalists in the Bright Schools Competition. P.8 New book to benefit Fort Zumwalt Education Foundation. P.8 Photo by Ray Rockwell Attending a recent meeting of Frank’s Heroes were (front row, from left) Ralph Moore, Frank Walter, Louise Weaver, Harry Keuss, Larry Reighard, (back row, from left) Kevin Lane, Bill and Barb Dennis, John Baker, David Hawkins, Juan Ramivez and Arnold Jacobsen.
Local nonprofit Frank’s Heroes offers guitar lessons to veterans of all stripes
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Movie By Brett Auten Bill Dennis has been passing along the gift of music. Dennis launched and spearheads Frank’s Heroes, a local nonprofit foundation that offers guitar lessons to veterans. Named after Dennis’ father, who was a World War II veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, for four years now Frank’s Heroes offers beginning and intermediate classes for veterans. “We had to call ourselves something,” Dennis recalled. “In our eyes, all veterans are heroes and it sounded pretty good. A lot of the veterans who have come in over the years have said that they always wanted to play but either didn’t have the time or didn’t have the patience.” Frank’s Heroes is comprised of around 30 members with ages ranging from veterans in their 20s to their 60s. Dennis has recruited veterans to attend the program through word of mouth and reaching out to local American Legions and Veterans of Foreign War halls. The group started in the back of a build-
ing but is now located at the Foundry Art Centre located at 520 North Main Street in St. Charles. Learning a new instrument, especially at an advanced state of age, can be discouraging. But Dennis believes that if they can get past the initial growing stages, a wonderful world awaits them. “For a lot of them, their fingers get real sore,” Dennis said. “We tell them not to rush into it. Take 10-15 minutes a day. Take your time and give it a couple of months to get your callouses built up.” Louis Weaver was one of those who stuck with it. Weaver is a retired major who saw time in both the Air Force and Army as a nurse. The St. Charles resident showed up for her first class in 2014. “I saw an ad and I ended up waiting and waiting before I ended up going,” she said. “Progress can be slow with the guitar and I was the only female there for a while. But I felt honored being around these guys. Veterans are never strangers. When we meet there is an instant bond because we have a common background.”
Weaver, a gifted singer, took on that role early at Frank’s Heroes, helping sing the melodies for the players to emulate. A year or so after joining the group, Weaver had seven members of the group play at the 91st birthday of her church, Southern Union Missouri Baptist, located in downtown St. Louis. Dennis built his six-string skills up playing in various groups and orchestras when he was younger. A member of the musicians union, Dennis’ highlight came when he substituted in when the Glenn Miller Orchestra needed a guitar player for a gig at the Ramada Inn. Dennis said none of this would be possible without the group’s major sponsors, the Mel Bay Publishing Company and the James Burton Rock-n-Roll Foundation. The Mel Bay Publishing Company is a famed publisher of materials for musical instrument playing, particularly instructional books that teach a particular instrument or style. It was founded in 1947 and is now based in Fenton after numerous years See HERO page 2
Serving St. Louis, St. Charles, and Lincoln Counties | FREE Online at mycnews.com | Vol. 19 No. 18 | 636-379-1775
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