McGuires Pipe Band - Pensacola, FL

PIERCE, WILLIAM L. (Bill) - Piper
WIFE: Jan
DOB: January 2, 1935
CURRENT OCCUPATION: Packaging Consultant – Self employed
EDUCATION: Rochester Institute of Technology – BS – Business Management with minor in Finance and Economics.
SPECIAL INTERESTS: Painting (especially pastels); active in church; professional harp mover; cooking.
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Published poet; class valedictorian – Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
NUMBER OF YEARS PIPING: 14
NUMBER OF YEARS IN MCGUIRE’S BAND: 12

KEESLER, BRYON – Piper
WIFE: June
DOB: March 3, 1934
RETIRED: U.S. Navy and Aerospace (McDonnell Douglas, Rockwell and Northrop/Grumman
CURRENT OCCUPATION: Professional Trouble Maker
EDUCATION: BA (Forestry); MA (International Relations); MBA
POST GRADUATE: U.S. Naval Postgraduate School (Engineering Science)
SPECIAL INTERESTS: Scuba Diving; backpacking (not currently)
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Absolutely nothing noteworthy
NUMBER OF YEARS PIPING OR DRUMMING: 11
NUMBER OF YEARS IN MCGUIRE’S BAND: 11

CRUMLY, JERRY – Piper Emeritus
WIFE: Patricia
DOB: Several years after Piper Tank
CURRENT OCCUPATION: Are you kidding? I’m retired!
CAREER OCCUPATION: Mercenary: Navy pilot
COLLEGE: More than needed.
SPECIAL INTERESTS: Fly fishing, Islay single malts, woodturning, gardening

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Ability to order a beer in every language around the Mediterranean; Survived a fall into a binjo ditch in Iwakuni, Japan April 14, 1967; Survivor of the Destin Christmas death march in 1996. Ability to drink four pints of stout and still play Itchy Fingers on the pipes.

NUMBER OF YEARS PIPING: 16
NUMBER OF YEARS IN MCGUIRE’S BAND: 16

HUDSON, JANICE – Piper
HUSBAND: Henry
DOB: May 16, 1950
OCCUPATION: Accountant; CPA Candidate
EDUCATION: BS degree in Business Administration – University of South Alabama
POST GRADUATE: MS in Business Administration (not completed)
SPECIAL INTEREST: Scottish Highland and County Dancing; ice skating; archery; sewing; martial arts (Shotokan karate).
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Lifetime member of the Scottish Society of Mobile; black belt in Shotokan karate; designer and instructor of a woman’s self-defense seminar; was piper and dancer for the St. Laurent Pipe Band of Montreal, Canada; motherhood; speak, write and read fluently in French.
NUMBER OF YEARS PIPING: 24 ½ years
NUMBER OF YEARS IN MCGUIRE’S BAND: 5 ½ years

VARNEY, SAM – Piper – Band Manager
WIFE: Martha
DOB: October 22, 1935
Retired: Civil Service (Department of Defense)
COLLEGE: University of Tennessee, BS Degree, Music Education
POST GRADUATE: Troy State University – Public Administration (did not finish)
SPECIAL INTERESTS: Hiking; fishing; traveling

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Published author and song writer; hiked over 1500 miles of the Appalachian Trail (Georgia to Connecticut); member of the Escambia County Sheriff's Department Honor Guard.

NUMBER OF YEARS PIPING: 4

NUMBER OF YEARS IN MCGUIRE'S BAND: 21 (last remaining member of the beginning group.)

WILLIS, WAYNE – Piper – Pipe Major
DOB: September 12, 1943
CURRENT OCCUPATION: Attorney
EDUCATION: University of South Carolina (BA
POST GRADUATE: University of South Carolina Law School – J.D.
SPECIAL INTERESTS: Coach – Little League Baseball; tennis; playing guitar; golf
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Former judge; reputed (self proclamation) to have invented the steam engine.
NUMBER OF YEARS PIPING: 14
NUMBER OF YEARS IN MCGUIRE’S BAND: 14

TANKERSLEY, HERBERT – Piper
WIFE: Laurie
DOB: February 14, 1929
Retired: U. S. Army; Wholesale Paper
COLLEGE: 14 Years
SPECIAL INTERESTS: Pensacola Opera, Saenger Theater
NUMBER OF YEARS PIPING: 49 (Civilian and Army)
NUMBER OF YEARS IN MCGUIRE’S BAND: 12

MICHAEL VAZZANA – Pipe Sergeant

YOB: 1954

EDUCATION: University of Southern California (B.Sc. Biology, B.Sc. Geology), University of New Mexico (M.Sc. Geology)

SPECIAL INTERESTS: Home Improvement, sail and power boating, automobile mechanics, SCUBA diving (Dive Master), bass guitar & Trombone

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Drum Major Mira Costa High School 1971-72, Drum Major USC Trojan Marching Band 1974-5, Met Rock Hudson in 1974 and didn't get hit on, youngest Eagle Scout in LA District, my father's son and most importantly, Nicholas and Elisa!

MEMBER OF MCGUIRE'S BAND SINCE: OCTOBER 2005

Archie Ray- Piper

Born: March 24, 1947

Retired: United States Army of 28 yrs. and State of Florida Dept of Health. Education: Gordon Military College-A. A. Degree and Auburn University-B. S. in Microbiology.

Interest: Riding my Motorcycle, Traveling and camping, music, and drinking Guinness with friends especially in Ireland.

Major Accomplish: Learning to play the Pipes and surviving the Vietnam war.

Years of piping-18 years and yrs in McGuire's-7 years

MARK LOWE – Piper
DOB: March 20 ,1962
Wife: Laura (Laura-Belle)
CURRENT OCCUPATION: Director Court Services, Escambia County Florida
EDUCATION: A.S. Degree Pensacola Jr. College - Management Systems, B.S. Troy University - Criminal Justice
SPECIAL INTERESTS: Motorcycles, Camping, Traveling and genealogy.

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Father to three daughters (amanda, Jennifer & Lauren), reputed (self proclamation) the father of Stout - as the story goes Arthur Guinness copied the recipe from me one day in homeroom.
NUMBER OF YEARS PIPING: 3
NUMBER OF YEARS IN MCGUIRE’S BAND: 3