Past Officers

From Andrew Lenz Jr., Former WUSPBA Webmaster: One of my projects is to compile a complete list of WUSPBA/PCPBA Past Presidents. It's been a bit of a challenge as memories are not perfect and records are very difficult to find. If you can contribute to this list, please contact me: Webmaster Contact Information

History

The first PCPBA AGM was held in January 1964 in Santa Maria.

Draft information:

The following have not be confirmed from written sources.

1963 [Interim president] Glen Smith (DM of the Caledonian Pipe Band) or Sam Sweetman
1964-1973 J. Stanley Patterson [Conficts 1970 claim by Janet MacLean.]
1974 Tom Kinnear
1975 Murdo MacDonald (United Scottish Society of Southern California)
1976* John McKernan (L.A. Scots.)
1976*-19?? Ozzie Reid

*John McKernan didn't serve a full term because he repatriated to Scotland with his daughter who married a fellow Scot from Edinburgh.

Chris Hossack: "I also think John Massie was President for a few years in the 70's or early 80's."

The following is a draft.

PCPBA - Pacific Coast Pipe Band Association

In 1986 the PCPBA becomes...
WUSPBA - Western United States Pipe Band Association

*Note: John Creager resigned as Exec.Secretary mid-term and Margaret took over.

WUSPBA Life Members:

Stuart Baker - WUSPBA President 2004-2005

Melissa Bauts - Music Board and adjudicator

Calvin and Chrissy Biggar

John Biggar - WUSPBA President 2010-2012, long time games organizer, son of Calvin & Christina     Biggar, WUSPBA General Secretaries

Kevin Blandford, WUSPBA President, Pipe Major

James "Jimmy" McColl - Piping Adjudicator, Gold Medalist Piper

Donald  and Cathy Cameron- Long time Games organizers and band managers

Charlie Capperauld

Margaret Craig - Long time Games Organizer, Executive Secretary (partial-1995)

Jamie Cuthill - Intermountain Branch President, Adjudicator, Music Board

Larry Erdmann - WUSPBA Chief Steward, WUSPBA Vice President, Branch President

Tom Foley- Adjudicator, Teacher, Music Board, WUSPBA News letter editor

Sharon Gates - long time Southern Branch Contest Steward

Helen and Tim Gladden - Tim was WUSPBA President, Music Board, adjudicator, Helen sat on the Music Board, Adjudicator

Kathy Nicholson Graham- Pipe Major Nicholson Pipes and Drums

Erin Gunn- WUSPBA Officer including Vice President, Member of OSPGO, Advisor to the President, Long time Games Organizer, Editor and creator of many of the WUSPBA manuals

Jim Harrington- Senior Drum Major, Music Board

Elaine Hoffman- Intermountain President, Vice President and Secretary, WUSPBA Solo Registrar

Chris Hossack- WUSPBA President, Pipe Major, Adjudicator, Music Board

Jim Laughton- Pipe Major, WUSPBA Treasurer, One of the founding members of ANAPBA, Games Organizer, and financial advisor to WUSPBA President

Nate Lorenz- WUSPBA Treasurer

Charles Lumsden- adjudicator

Ian MacDonald- Original Member of the Pacific Coast Pipe Band, Officer, Teacher

Scott MacDonald- President of WUSPBA, Adjudicator, WUSPBA Secretary, Pipe Major, Teacher, Games Organizer

Roddy Mackay- Senior Drum Major, adjudicator, Games Organizer

Janet MacLean- WUSPBA forms officer

Jeff Mann- ANAPBA Founder, WUSPBA President and administrator for over 27 years, Games Organizer, Utah Highland, Payson Highland, and Pleasanton Highland Games

John Massie- Adjudicator, Teacher, Pipe Major, Awarded MBE

Bob Mason- Music Board, Adjudicator, Teacher

James "Jimmy" McColl- Gold Medalist, Adjudicator, Teacher

Drew McPheeters- WUSPBA Vice President, Drum Sgt., WUSPBA Secretary, Branch President, WUSPBA I.T.

Bill Merriman - Piping Adjudicator, WUSPBA Vice President 1993-1994

Andrew Morrill - WUSPBA President 2006-2009, 2016-2018, 2024

Campbell Naismith- Adjudicator, Teacher, Composer, WUSPBA Music Board Chair

Lise Nelson- Pipe Major, WUSPBA Music Board, Branch President, WUSPBA Sanctioning Secretary, Executive Secretary

Ozzie Reid- One of the original members of the Pacific Coast Pipe Band, WUSPBA  General Secretary, Adjudicator, Teacher, Founder of Dan Reid Memorial

Janice Richey- Pipe Major, Music Board, Branch President and Vice President

Charlie Rosenberger- Pipe Major, Music Board, Adjudicator, Teacher

Pipe Major John H. Rosenberger- Started Helix High School program, Pipe Major. Teacher

Lee "Skip" Ruleman- Intermountain Branch President

Ken Sutherland- Pipe Major, Music Board Chair, Teacher

John Thornton- Senior Drum Major, Games Organizer, adjudicator, Newsletter Editor

Susan Thornton-WUSPBA President, Teacher, Co founder- ANAPBA

Liz Tubbs- Pipe Major, Branch President, WUSPBA Vice President, adjudicator, teacher, Games Organizer, Music Board, Chair Education Committee

Hamish Yuile- Drum Sgt., Teacher

The office of WUSPBA Past President carries an automatic Life Membership.

The following was compiled by John Creager, former WUSPBA Executive Secretary and first webmaster:

History of the WUSPBA

The Pacific Coast Pipe Band Association (PCPBA)
The following is from Emily Ann Donaldson's book, THE SCOTTISH HIGHLAND GAMES IN AMERICA, 1986, Pelican Publishing Company, Gretna. The comments in square brackets [ ] are my own, based on information from several of the early participants in the association - notably Calvin Biggar and Charles Capperauld.

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On August 31, 1963, . . . representatives of several pipe bands from Northern and Southern California met in Santa Rosa [in the Town House Motel, across Santa Rosa Avenue from the El Rancho] to discuss the feasibility of forming a pipe band association. Several factors led to this meeting, including inadequate judging and lack of rules for band competitions.

The PCPBA was formally organized on January 18 and 19, 1964, in Santa Maria. A steering committee consisting of a chairman and ten members was elected to represent pipers and drummers from both areas of the state. They were:

Chairman: Sam Sweetman of San Francisco [piper, later in L.A. Scots]

Northern California members:

Pipe Major Thomas Arthur "Topmmy"
P/M Thomas "Tom" Kinnear [Lockheed Pipe Band about a year as PM]
Drum Sergeant John Paterson [San Francisco Caledonian P.B.]
Drum Major G. Allen Smith [San Francisco Caledonian P.B.]
Stan Patterson [piper and president, Lockheed Pipe Band]

Southern California members:

Trevor Atkinson [drummer, L.A. Scots]
John Hynd [piper, L.A. Scots]
P/M James McColl [Highland Society P.B., Los Angeles]
James Thomas [P/M James "Jim" Thomson, L.A. Scots]
P/M John Rosenberger [Cameron Highlanders of San Diego].

Expansion Beyond California
The PCPBA was founded to govern pipe bands in California and originally had two branches, the north and the south. The organization expanded in 1984 and went beyond the boundaries of California. The new intermountain branch included bands in such states as Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico.
-----

End of material quoted from THE SCOTTISH HIGHLAND GAMES IN AMERICA

The WUSPBA is Born
The following is from my (John Creager) own recollection of the events and is open to corrections and additions.

In 1986, the Association was incorporated in the State of California, assuming the new name, The Western U. S. Pipe Band Association. The new name was intended to better reflect the wider region encompassed by the addition of states outside of California and well inland from the Pacific coast.

Reincorporated as a Nonprofit Corporation
In 1994, the WUSPBA reincorporated in the state of Nevada as a nonprofit corporation.

Ongoing WUSPBA History Project

The St. Andrew's Society of San Francisco has in its library the records of the association dating from its beginning up to the early 1990s. It is hoped that one of us will have the opportunity to review and copy some of this material soon.