Dick Koons and Karen Stober

Richard “Dick” Koons died on October 7, 2006 following a stroke. He was 83.

After graduating from Eastman, he spent over 65 years as a professional musician. Koons was the top on-call player in New Jersey since the 1960's. Aged 19, he became the 3rd trumpet on Stravinsky’s final US tour: the composer treated him “like royalty” .

Dick Koons played in the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington DC, often filling in for Leonard B. Smith when Smith could not play. He was also the first chair trumpet in the Rochester Philharmonic. While with the San Antonio Symphony, he played under the batons of Sir Thomas Beecham and Leopold Stokowski – the latter being the only conductor he didn't get along with. Koons accompanied many soloists including pianist Artur Rubinstein and violinist Isaac Stern; in his long career he also played many club dates at The Flagship in Union, New Jersey, Atlantic City, Las Vegas, The Poconos and other in the the New York-New Jersey- Pennsylvania area.

When Dick Koons auditioned for Boston, he was called back in to play five times for the auditioning committee. The fifth time, he told them where to go and walked out: shortly after the audition, he received a letter from Arthur Fiedler inviting him to be the new principal trumpet for Boston. Koons framed the letter and hung it in his condo, where it stayed for the rest of his life. He turned the offer down for a number of reasons: among them were that the pay was too low and that he felt he wasn’t the player the Symphony really wanted.

He continued to entertain at local nursing and veterans homes and hospitals up to the time of his death. His favorite style was Dixieland Jazz. Dennis Truncellito, who knew Koons for the last ten years, said “Koons certainly was a great all around player and his jazz was truly relaxed, happy, and creative. He was a wonderful, consummate musician and trumpet player extraordinaire.”

Dick Koons spent most of his life teaching in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Among his innumerable students were Carol Reinhardt and the present author. As a student of his for almost fifteen years, I heard many stories from him and those who knew him. Koons could play everything, every style, transpose by sight, play harmony and hear something once and play it in any key - flawlessly, and even the second and third parts just by hearing the first. After taking over his students as their teacher, I now realize just how valuable this amazing ability is.

Other than music, his other favorite things were cherry pie, meatloaf, strong coffee, jellybeans, the Cleveland Indians Baseball team and cigars. He achieved a level of Silver Life Master in Bridge playing. Koons always tried to help outside of lessons, in fields as diverse as trumpet purchasing, and finding a reliable used-car dealer!

Dick Koons was predeceased by his wife, Mary Higbie Koons, in 1995. Surviving are his sister, Elizabeth Koons White, children from his first marriage to Marilyn Warner Rautio, Karen Keithler and her husband, John, Janice Wojcik, Kenneth Koons, Stephan Koons, Laura Bradshaw and her husband, Geoffrey. Also surviving are his stepchildren, Barbara Wexel and her husband, Lee, Lewis Morgan, Ellen Bezpa and her husband, Bruce, and Heather Alonge and her husband, Bob. He also has nine grandchildren/step-grandchildren, three step-great-grandchildren and Buddy the cat.

“Dick is with you in all that he shared and taught you, and lives through your memory and the memory of all he touched in his life”, said Dennis Truncellito, “that is a wonderful memory.”

Photo note:
The photograph shows Dick Koons and Karen Stober playing Basin Street Blues at an 80th birthday party for the author's father in January 2004.