A proclamation honoring Gerald Endsley’s significant contributions to the artistic and  cultural landscape in the City and County of Denver.
A graduate of Denver Public Schools with the trumpet performance degrees from the New England Conservatory and the University of Colorado. Gerald devoted his life to community service and the development of the music community in the city. And. Whereas, Gerald, as a specialist in the history of soprano brass instruments, shared his extensive knowledge of music through lecture recitals and meetings of the National Trend post-COVID Symposium and the International Trumpet Guild, an avid collector of historic instruments. Gerald also made a replica historically instruments and mouthpieces and published early brass literature. And. Whereas, as director, Gerald served as the artistic vision and driving force behind the Denver Municipal Band, which is the oldest professional band in the nation . He also conducted the Metropolitan State University of Denver Concert Community Band for nearly 15 years and was a member of the Executive Director Board of the Summit Brass. And. Whereas, Gerald relentlessly served the music community as a member of the Denver Musicians Association for 48 years and serve several terms on the board of directors. He was recognized on multiple occasions, including as a June 2002 recipient of the Mayor Awards for Excellence in Arts and Culture. And. Whereas, Gerald was committed to educating young talent through school and community programs such as delivering music programs for art streets for many years, an art based job training program for Denver youth and teaching at such schools as the University of Denver and Metro City University. Therefore, being proclaimed by the Council of the City and County of Denver, Section one that the Council applauds Gerald's efforts on behalf of arts and culture in Denver and Section two that the city and County of Denver show a just in a fix. The seal of the city and county of Denver to this proclamation and a copy be transmitted transmitted to the family of Gerald Ensley. Thank you. Councilwoman Lehman, your motion to adopt. I move the council bill 15, dash 403 be adopted. It's been moved and seconded comments by members of Council. Councilman Leeman. Thank you, Madam President. Jerry was my friend. The Denver Municipal Band has always been part of my life when I was a youngster living in Hilltop. We went to Cramton Park in the summer to hear the band. When I was working for Council District six, I was at Washington Park hearing the band then. I wasn't working in the Council District seven and I was at Ruby Hill Park. Hearing the band and now is the Council District four. I mean, listening to the band and South Moor Park. Jerry and I were a team. I was bringing brainstorms to the neighborhood. Every time I would introduce the band and then Jerry would come up to conduct his rained. So bear that in mind if we ever have a drought again. The band concerts are an integral part of neighborhood building. They bring people together in a community and they get to know each other and play with each other and be with each other in a park. And in addition, here's a really great performance of the band. You can get the schedule for this year, this summer's band, if you go to Denver Municipal Band dot org. So I encourage you all to visit that site and find out when the band's in your neighborhood. I would also like to thank Jerry's family for your continuing support of the band. Denver. So the band is a wonderful thing that Denver has a very special thing. I want to thank Jerry and his family for giving us that wonderful thing. Thank you. Councilwoman Lehman. Other comments from members of council, they're. Not showing up for some reason. I know. And it says the whole it has everybody here ready to to vote. So. Councilwoman Ortega. Yes. Thank you. Councilwoman Robb. Do I. Did I. After. Okay. Thank you. Gerald Ensley was a gift to the city. He was an incredible human being. That was just always so. So willing to offer the Denver Municipal Band to any event that might be going on in their district. I remember working with him on numerous occasions when I represented District nine, and then when I got reelected, he reached out to me and said, If you have any community event, you'd let me know and we'll be there to play for you. And on numerous occasions he did that. And when I heard that he had passed, it just, you know, just left a hole in my heart because he was just such a an incredible human being. And I can't imagine to his family how much he's he's missed. But I just wanted to say to his family, thank you for for having lent him to all of us and for the incredible work that he did in this community, sharing that gift of music with with our entire community. So to his family, thank you. Thank you, Councilman Ortega. Councilman Rob. Thank you, Madam President. Pro tem. Yes. I share many fond memories of Jerry Ensley and. Like so many memories. Often the ones you remember are either the difficult ones or the humorous ones. And it was a particularly difficult time when we broke ground on the improvements to Fillmore Plaza one January or February. And but the the Business Improvement District knew that I loved the municipal band, so they invited the municipal band brass group out to play. The only problem was it was below zero degrees and their hands, their mouths were freezing to the instruments. A follow up to that is the community so valued the municipal band that they decided they would start having concerts in Pulaski Park if they couldn't always have them on Fillmore Plaza? And I think this year will be the sixth annual Pulaski Park concert that has really grown. The neighborhood brings in food trucks. And then finally, after doing annual concerts in Cheesman Park with the Cheeseman Park advocacy group in my office, Jerry Ensley and I kept talking about, wouldn't it be great to have people dancing on the pavilion? So for the last several years, he had the municipal band Jazz Ensemble playing there, and we had actually behind the pavilion in the Rose Gardens, looking out at the mountains and at the downtown skylight in the setting sun. And I don't think there's really a more visually beautiful experience that I had the whole time I was in office. And of course, it was shared with the whole community. So it's great. Remembering Jerry. Councilman Rob. Councilman Lopez. Thank you, Councilman Monteiro. It was very sad. I did not get the news until well more than a month and a half after he had passed. Two months after he had passed, it was very, very, very sad because he always sent me a message to see if there was anything going on in the district that they can come and play and. And he was always really happy to do it. And every so every year what they did for us for the last eight years was I said, Well, there's only one time I need you to do it. And occasional occasionally other other events we did too. But he and the band would come 7:00 in the morning, set up on those Saturdays in December to do the Sam Santo's Christmas Basket event. And they would sit up right in the middle of this whole assembly area as everybody's assembling Christmas baskets, and they'd bring that that small little jazz ensemble, and they'd be playing Christmas carols. Christmas music. And that really made the event. And if you can imagine these boxes of bread and turkey and potatoes and carrots being assembled, and these are boxes that are delivered to folks in need throughout the city. And then listening to the Christmas carols, it wasn't for the last eight years. Christmas really didn't make sense until those moments combined together. And it was. And they will always be a part of it, even though he's not here with us. I will always remember that. And those are images that will never leave my mind and understanding that spirit. So it's solemn to talk about. Is it sad? Is he just so full of life and so full of music to share with all of us? And we I'm glad that we all had an opportunity to actually listen to his spirit. Thank you. Thank you so much, Councilman Lopez. Are there any other comments I would like to also express to your family? I think you're. I would also like to express to you that it must have been a blast growing up with your dad because he was music. He was a bundle of expression and and music. And the idea that he would come to any event at any given time playing more than one role, he would be playing the long trumpets for an opening, and then he would drop that and change character and go and be part of the larger ensemble. And he was so flexible and. And he just cared so much. Many of us serve in public service because we love the city and we care about it. And your father chose to express his civic mindedness and his spirit through his music and through the Denver Municipal Municipal Band. And so there was never a time when I asked Gerald if he would help in any way. He never, ever said, no, I don't think it was in his vocabulary, and I would have to dial it back and understand this is a human being that can only has so much energy to do all of these different things . But can you imagine just the idea of having live music by live musicians, going to some of the neighborhoods that maybe otherwise wouldn't have ever been able to experience a jazz band or the larger band. So I just want you to know that he was amazing. And my only regret is that I should have sent him more thank you notes and should have said thank you more often. You just never expect that you know they won't be here anymore and they're gone in a heartbeat. So I want to thank you so much for for being here tonight and also allowing for us to be able to express to you how much we loved your dad and the municipal band and that his spirit will live on. Thank you. Madam Secretary, roll call, please. Liman. I Lopez. I Ortega. I Rob. I Shepherd. I'm brown. I fought i. Madam President. I. Madam Secretary, please close the voting and announce the results. You need to press your. Did I forget to vote? Nope. We got it. Shall we limit. The eight eyes? All right. Eight I's proclamation 403 has been adopted. Councilwoman Lehman, is there someone that you would like to invite up to the podium? I would like to invite the family up to the podium and kind of introduce yourselves and. Just accept the proclamation. Yeah. I'm Pamela. Ensley. I'm Gerald's wife. And thank you for sending that card. And thank you for your kind words about Jerry and the band. And I'm Marguerite Ansley, a daughter. And we really appreciate everything that you've said about him and his hard work, and we definitely see that. So thank you so much for doing this proclamation and sharing it with us. I really appreciate it. Thank you. And thank you for joining us this evening. Health one. Rob, will you please read proclamation 428. Yes. Thank you, Madam President. Proclamation number 1504 28 honoring Mark Upshaw for his service to the city and county of Denver. Whereas Denver City Council wishes to recognize our parks colleague Mark Upshaw, who has provided thoughtful community leadership, vision and service for his 25 years working for the city and county of Denver.