PAGE A8, KEIZERTIMES, JUNE 30, 2017
KeizerCommunity
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Claggett Creek maestro takes fi nal bow
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
Claggett Creek Middle
School’s only orchestra direc-
tor has retired.
Bruce Purdy, who came to
the school when it opened 16
years ago, led his fi nal concert
on June 8.
“I personally have really
enjoyed it here,” Purdy said.
“I’ve had great students and
the staff is exceptional. I’ve
had two outstanding admin-
istrators, Melissa Cole, who
is now working for the state
and my current administrator,
Rob Schoepper, is by far the
best guy I’ve ever worked for.
When it comes to supporting
a program and doing every-
thing he can to make things
happen, he’s your guy.”
Purdy fi rst got the inkling
to teach when a fl ute player
in his high school orchestra
said she thought he’d be good
at it. He majored in bass and
minored in violin at the Uni-
versity of Montana.
“I fi gured if I was strong on
both ends, the middle would
come together,” Purdy said.
Teaching, instead of per-
formance, would allow Purdy
to pursue other interests, like
playing bass guitar in a band.
“I felt if I really devoted
myself strictly to symphonic
stuff then I would never get to
do the other stuff that much,”
Purdy said. “It was the path
that allowed me to enjoy mu-
sic to the fullest.”
After starting out in Mon-
tana and then moving to
Arizona, Purdy went to Ste-
phens Middle School when it
opened in Salem and then fol-
lowed principal Dave Cook to
Claggett Creek. His fi rst ad-
vanced orchestra had just nine
students. This year, Claggett’s
two orchestra’s had 70 stu-
dents, playing three concerts
as well as a Veteran’s Day as-
sembly and fi eld trips to the
local elementary schools.
Purdy recently received a
letter from a former student,
Josephine Lim, who said ev-
erything he ever hoped a kid
would get out of his class.
“I can say without a doubt
in my mind that you’re the
most hard working and dedi-
cated teacher I have ever had
or will ever have,” Lim wrote.
“You did all that you could to
see your students succeed and
for that I thank you. You’ve
impacted my life in ways that
I can’t even comprehend.
Music has and always will be a
huge part of my life thanks to
you. I feel so fortunate to have
had you as my teacher for fi ve
years of my orchestra career. I
wouldn’t have had them any
other way.
“I had the honor of be-
ing conducted by you when
we played everything from
Smooth Criminal to Irish Leg-
end to Pavane. I still remem-
ber when you told me that I
was the fi rst person you ever
let use your baton. Or when
you asked me to cue in the
the other sections for Fire in
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
Bruce Purdy directed his fi nal orchestra concert at Claggett Creek Middle School on June 8. He is retiring after 16 years.
the Forge. There are too many
good times we’ve shared and
good things to say about you.
“You’ve infl uenced the
Salem-Keizer district’s mu-
sic program by being a role
model to all the other teach-
ers. Your legacy will live on.
I hope I have left a mark on
your life as you have mine. I
miss eating donuts after a suc-
cessful concert (thank you
for those, by the way). I miss
how I could see all your hard
work drip down your face in
the form of sweat bands while
conducting. And of course,
I miss hearing ‘loosen your
bowels and get ready to go.
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Happy retirement, Mr. Purdy.
You’ve earned it.”
With all the changes at
Claggett Creek, a seven-pe-
riod day and new principal,
Purdy thought it was a good
time for him to leave as well.
Purdy also wasn’t sure he
could any longer give the po-
sition everything he had.
“I always go at a job 110
percent and the older you get
you can start to see things in
your mind that are a little bit
harder for me,” Purdy said.
“You have to think a little
more and work a little harder.
The energy in the tank is go-
ing to start to dwindle. And
I didn’t want to be a teacher
who was coasting and you’re
just doing the job and not re-
ally doing it with passion and
energy.”
In retirement, Purdy said
he plans to play more and
teach private lessons.
“I still want the one-on-
one connection with kids and
working on things,” he said.
Purdy has also accepted a
job as the bass instructor at
Chemeketa Community Col-
lege and wants to spend more
time with his wife and grand-
son.
“She’s been so patient,”
Purdy said. “She would be the
fi rst one to tell you there’s a
lot of hours spent on this job.”
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