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Feb 21. 1985 (Sec I ) SANDY (Ore ) POST
‘H ome’ is with symphony
Music helps engineer from Sandy relax
by TSGT. TERRY L. SHAY
Public Affairs Office
The Chamber Orchestra of Hon
duras had just completed its concert
for the evening and the musicians
were putting away their instruments
when two American tourists ap
proached one of the performers
Evidently their interest was drawn
to the young man with blond hair and
a build smaller than that of the string
bass he was lugging about
Now that should seem only right,
because every other member of the
Honduran Orchestra had jet-black
hair and facial features that said
they were native to the land
"Excuse m e," said one of the
tourists to the bass player, "are you
American?"
Second Lieutenant David A Bakke
just smiled his almost impish smile
and said, "yep."
Tegucigulpa. Honduras, is a long
way from home for Lieutenant
Bakke He’s originally from Sandy
His wife is Kay Bakke. also a native
of Sandy and former editor of The
Post
The distance from home may be
reduced because of his love for
music
"Most parents want their children
to be interested in music," said
Bakke, “ and I guess I was no excep
tion.
"M y training in music started with
piano lessons when I entered fourth
grade at Hoodview E lem en tary
School in Sandy,” he remembered
" I used to sit at the piano practic
ing away when I really wanted to be
out playing baseball and all the other
things boys do at that age Piano
lessons weren't cool, but baseball
was."
The young Bakke won out in the
end. though, when his parents gave
up on their son ever taking piano
lessons seriously. The next few years
were spent playing baseball, of
course.
All of that changed when he
entered high school and found out
“ kids in the band could go on band
trips.”
“ That was a great social occasion,
plus it gave me a chance to get out of
the area," said Bakke. " I put two and
two together and joined the band. By
that time, though, I had forgotten my
piano training almost completely.
“ I said to myself, ‘What instru
ment could I play?’
“ A friend said, ‘Hey, there’s a str
ing bass over there. Why don’t you
play that thing.’
So 1 picked it up and started fooling
around, trying to learn how.”
Now this young high school student
started taking music lessons once
again, only this time on the string
bass.
“ I took lessons, I think a few
weeks, when the band director plac
ed me in the band."
He spent the next months almost
buried in the background, playing
H Jland
fellowship
to meet .
quietly — partly so people wouldn't
hear his mistakes and also to build
more knowledge of the unwieldly in
strument that towered a foot over
him.
“ The conductor's only comment
was. Play louder! ” remembered
Bakke
After playing in the high school
band a few years. Bakke's interest in
music increased, as did his desire to
play other instruments He went
back to "tinkering" on the piano
again — probably much to his
parent's delight and amazement
“ In my first year M t Mount Hood
Community College in Gresham,
Oregon, I became involved in their
stage band," he said. " I wanted to
play jazz music, and this was just the
challenge I needed to get better at
string bass ”
His stay was short-lived, though,
when he made up his mind to earn a
degree in engineering To do that, he
transferred to an engineering school
near Walla Walla, Wash
The workload he faced in engineer
ing school demanded some sort of
recreational outlet What better
outlet than to play in another or
chestra?
“ I got into the school's orchestra
and really enjoyed it, but I also found
my taste in music changing from jazz
and pop rock to classical." said
Bakke
Instead of listening to his large col
lection of pop rock 45s, he was spen
ding more time listening to classical
The Hoodland Women's Club,
located in Zig Zag on Salmon River
Road, will be holding a rummage
sale on Friday, Feb 22 and Saturday,
Feb 23 from 9 a m until 4 p m
Besides a large assortment of
clothing and miscellaneous items,
there will be sofas, chairs, console
radio phonographs and other fur
niture
"It's worth a trip just to see the
county building managed by the
H o o dlan d W o m en 's C lu b and
available for rental for weddings,
receptions" and other events, accor
ding to Jean Stein
The building sports a new shake
roof and the interior has been refur
bished Call Shirley Deneault to in
quire about renting the building She
can be reached at 622-3510 in the
evenings, or 622-3131 during the day
Photo by T erry Shay
Second Lieutenant David Bakke
r
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Photo by T erry Shay
Bakke ‘'saws away" during a practice session with the Fayetteville Sym
phony Orchestra.
uW £ j U
Q c s ta ia a n t
£
S&ungc
________________ f f i f t e s e r t s l __________________
Ray Overton
and the
Midnight Special
Searls welcome
daughter, Lisa
Hoodland women
plan sale
Chamber Orchestra of Honduras
didn’t have a complete string bass
All they had were four broken in
struments.
"The conductor let me take all four
string basses home and for the next
few weeks I rebuilt one out of the
parts from four," said Bakke
While there, he was the only
American musician in the Central
American country's symphony
Bakke returned home to America
some three-plus years later He look
ed. once again, for a job and found
the Air Force
Today, his work in the 317th Civil
Engineering Squadron as the energy
conservation coordinator for Pope
Air Force Base, N.C., keeps him
pretty busy But not so much that he
can't find time to pursue his favorite
way to relax
“ I found another home with the
Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra as
a string bass player," he said
“ I still stand there, string bass in
hand, and ‘saw away' at the music,
and it's so much fun
"The Fayetteville SymphonyOr-
chestra is mostly volunteers, like
myself, who enjoy music and need
that outlet to relax," he said.
Bakke's off again, on-again in
terest in music has taken him to
places that would befuddle the dyed-
in-wool musician, especially when he
has*always played "just for fun.”
One thing is certain about the
slender lieutenant who insists on
playing a musical instrument that
still towers over him like some
wooden giant Wherever he goes, he
will find some way to be "standing in
the background" of an orchestra
"sawing aw ay” happily.
And most likely there will be
another conductor out front yelling,
"play that string bass louder'”
located near Sand» Oregon and has access and frontage from Beck Road II ,ou are looking to start
The Hoodland Aglow Fellowship
will host Diane Deer of Canby at its
monthly luncheon on Tuesday, Feb
26 at the Living Way Fellowship,
17275 S.E. Strauss in Sandy.
Prayer time is 11 a m ., with
meeting time between 11 30 a m and
2:30 p.m People are asked to bring a
salad to share Baby-sitting is provid
ed.
For more information call 668-4972,
630-3730 or 622-4526
Butch and Janice S earls of
Portland recently announced the
birth of their first child, Lisa Ann
She was born Feb 13 She weighed
8 pounds. 7 ounces and measured 20
inches long
Grandparents are Larry and Judy
Ledin of Eagle Creek
Great-grandparents are Jack and
Lorraine Crane of Sandy and Harold
and Kathryn Kitchen of Sandy
works.
From there, it was a short transi
tion to another world of music; all the
while working toward his engineer
ing degree His education went on
temporary hold, though, when he was
drafted into the Army.
" I spent my Army time taking care
of monkeys used in medical research
at Fort Deitrich During that time I
decided I really wanted to complete
my degree work, so that's what I
did."
In 1973, Bakke received his degree
in engineering and entered the
civilian job market
" I found a part-time job in Walla
Walla as a draftsman and that's
when I started playing music again."
Lieutenant Bakke dug out his
musical knowledge and headed to
play with the Walla Walla Symphony,
which is the oldest continuously-
performing symphony west of the
Mississippi
Walla Walla. Washington, gave
him a reason to play string bass
again, but there was the call of
adventure that lured him away from
Washington That lure found Bakke
in Honduras as a civilian construc
tion engineer helping to build a
much-needed hospital.
"M usic,” he said, "is such a
universal language The only pro
blem is sometimes finding a place to
play.”
Bakke found a place to play string
bass — even in Tegucigulpa, Hon
duras The only problem was the
fe a tu rin g
Sandy Area
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