2008: REID HAUSCH: ANOTHER STEINERT ALUMNUS WHO MADE HIS MARK

Sprinkled throughout my website are numerous comments and proof reading corrections from my colleague, historian-genealogist, Alan Wildblood. Alan is a Hamiltonian whose career took him to Berlin, Germany, where he is involved in the motion picture industry. His input on some of my Steinert High school and comments on his historical knowledge of Trenton's First Baptist Church posts has been invaluable. I just received this email from one of Alan's close friends and fellow Steinert Spartan, Reid Hausch. Reid has made very impressive inroads in the music industry, and indeed has reached the very top insofar as his career accomplishments as a published poet. Herewith Reid's email:

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Hi Tom:

I am a former classmate and current friend and admirer of Alan Wildblood. Thank you for collaborating and posting his Steinert blog. It's great ! I especially like how lines from the Steinert Alma Mater song are used throughout the commentary. * "thy torch of learning"...."forever in our hearts"..."standards we pursue" ...."In honor and in glory's name" etc. I was blessed with the honor of penning those lyrics. The great Art Frank, my music teacher composed the music. It was the turning point in my life. At graduation in 1961, I finally knew what I wanted to be.

I had not heard of you until yesterday, but from now on, I will follow your columns, Thanks again Tom.

Here are a few excerpts from my musical bio with special mention of some familiar Trentonians.

Reid Hausch

reidhausch@suddenlink.net

1961-64 U.S. NAVY: Soloist in famed Navy Bluejacket Choir 1961-62. Part time secretary of the Great Lakes Training Center Band. Rhythm guitarist in ship's band 1962-64. . Was assigned by fleet command on special occasions to write & perform songs for dignitaries.

1964-1976 :Entertained in clubs between NYC and Phila. In my late twenties, had the honor of entertaining members of Eisenhower, Roosevelt & Nixon families. I was active at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Trenton NJ. In 1974, Fellow communicant, Mary G. Roebling developed interest in my music. I will never know why Mary chose me to sing & play piano & guitar for so many of her political and Hollywood celebrity friends. I’m just so grateful that she did. She could have hired any major star……and often did for her parties in Washington, D.C.

During those years, I also wrote & published 3 poetry books in (Kirkham & Guthrie Press, Trenton,) NJ. Married my true love, Dorothy McLaughlin in 1978. Dorothy is daughter of former Trenton councilman, Daniel McLaughlin,

Moved to Nashville, April, 1980. First country song published Sept. 1980. Dorothy & I began co-writing together. First Gospel song, “FOOTPRINTS” published early 1981. Over the next 4 years our tunes made multiple "Top Ten" charts. One listed as Billboard' Magazine’s "Pick of the Week" / We also had reviews in Cashbox, Singing News, Musicline, Southern Gospel News, and People Magazine(s).

1980-85 Reid Co-created only 2 musicals. The first, for novelist Jesse Hill Ford never really went anywhere. The second '"A MORNING LIKE THIS" netted a Gospel Music Association Dove nomination as well as an A.S.C.A.P. nomination for Christian Musical of the Year". We still have the 1986 video of Billy Crystal awarding a Grammy to Sandy Patti for her album of the same name.

1986: Moved to California. Our works have been recorded by Scott Wesley Brown, Opryland Quartet, Stockholm, Nashville & Budapest Orchestras….by former Miss America, Cheryl Prewitt,…by The Lewis Family Bluegrass group, The Hoppers, Singing Americans, Carla Worley, Truth, Katrina Ray, Scott Wesley Brown, Jimmy Swaggart and at least 40 others. Some tunes aired on Hee Haw, the 700 Club & PTL Club, "AWESOME LOVE" started as theme for an Orange County CA cable TV show and has been recorded over 2 dozen times in at least 5 languages. "HEAVEN": is ranked #17 in “ Nashville Gospel Gold, Top 40 songs of the 1980's“. “SIDE BY SIDE” was our first Bluegrass tune on a Grammy winning album in that category. "MY SHEPHERD BECAME A LAMB" was our first release behind the "Iron Curtain".

To date, we've had about 200 recordings spread over five continents, with songs on at least 15 albums that made the Dove Award or Grammy category. Over 120 our major works are listed by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in New York. Go to ASCAP.com. Select A.C.E Title search by author and type in Hausch. Dorothy and Reid retired on the Redwood Coast (Eureka CA) in 2007. Each year we get new songs published & recorded.

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