Former Member. Piano
(1932 – 2015)
By Dana Wheaton, son
Dr. Jack William Wheaton passed away Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015. He was 82 and had battled cancer for the past seven years.
The achievements he was most proud of included:
- recording 10 CDs
- authoring 15 books
- Past President of IAJE (International Association for Jazz Education/four years)
- Past President of the Musicians Association of San Diego County, AFM Local 325 (six years)
- awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jazz Educators of California
- an Emmy® for the Stan Kenton Collegiate Neophonic ABC special “Neophonic Spring”
- recently conducting the Stan Kenton Collegiate Neophonic for the LA Jazz Institute
- training 84 pianists for the Gershwin segment of the 1984 Olympics
- and his film scores for “House on the Sand” (1962), “Cat in the Cage” (1978), “Guns & Fury” (1981) and “Penitentiary 2” (1982)
His wife, five sons and six grandchildren survive him.
Hello! I was doing some online research into my family history, and found an article about the death of Jack Wheaton. It struck me for many reasons, but his name was striking. My dear father’s “nickname” was Jack Wheaton. If he were alive today, he would be as sad as I am to read about the loss of such a talented man.
My dad and I are descendants of Uriah Wheaton, a colonist of New Jersey, and his son, Joseph, a Revolutionary War soldier. My grandfather, father and I were born in New York, though.
May this fine man rest in peace. Bless him.