Gerald "Gerry" M. Mattern served his country from 1950-1952 in the United States Army and was later accepted into and completed study at the Naval School of Music at Anacostia Naval Base in Washington, D.C. Gerald graduated from Lawrence Conservatory of Music in Appleton, WI in 1957. He then received a Master's Degree of Music (M.Mus.) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and attended graduate school at the University of Michigan and the University of Colorado. Gerald spent over 40 years of his life teaching music as band director at Menasha High School and 36 years as Professor of Music and Humanities at St. Norbert College in De Pere, where he retired in 1996. Gerry's contributions as music teacher, mentor, and performer touched countless lives. His influence and love for music extended throughout the Fox Valley and Green Bay areas to communities around the entire state of Wisconsin. Gerry played trumpet in the Green Bay Packer Lumberjack Band 20+ years, performed with the Green Bay Symphony, founded and performed with The Gerry Mattern Jazz Quintet, founded and performed with the St. Norbert Abbey Brass Quintet, and was founding member and board member of the Green Bay Civic Symphony. Gerry played with numerous jazz associations, was a member and adjudicator for the Wisconsin School of Music Association, continually taught private lessons, master classes, and clinics, and played weddings, funerals, masses, concerts, recitals, parades, jam sessions, etc. In 2015, Gerald received the Association of Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra's Service to Music Award. Source: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/postcrescent/obituary.aspx?n=gerald-m-mattern&pid=185246198&fhid=14313

Biographical Note written by Joe Dyal, 2019.