LPC Music professor traveled with BB King, Ray Charles

It has been said that those who cannot do, teach.  That could not be more untrue when it comes to, Las Positas College music professor, Timothy Devine.

           

            Prior to his teaching career, Mr. “D” played a plethora musical instruments; from the saxophone and trombone to the guitar and piano, an assortment that has been growing precipitously since his childhood in San Francisco, his college learning’s at Washington State and his touring career.  This touring career is what gives him his “chops” as a musician; it is a career that has included playing alongside people the likes of Ray Charles.

            While so many young adults choose to attend community college because it is a cheaper alternative to Universities, it is not expected to learn from teachers who have accrued the wealth of knowledge equivalent to that of Mr. D. 

            Mr. D has had a touring/performing career as a musician for more than two decades, that career has been full of, what he calls, “a great experience.”  And the experience is more than impressive; with a list of musicians that includes Ray Charles, B.B. King, Joan Baez and Huey Lewis and the News among others.  His career has also included playing in a blues band that has traveled the world “opening” for an equally impressive list of entertainers.

            Another impressive list that Mr. D has accumulated is the list of stamps on his passport; along with America, he has toured England, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, France, etc. giving him an idea of Political Geography and World History comparable to that of many professors from these fields.

            A product of the Bat Area, Mr. D accredits his success to the public school system, most notably his high school music teacher who he says “treated us like a professional band,” with performances containing “Vegas-style review shows” followed by “a two-hour dance.” 

The musical upbringing is what brought Mr. D back to the Bay Area, as a teacher.  It has now been 20 years in the Las Positas/Chabot College district.

While it is his belief that he “has been lucky to do some things,” like “”recording a record with B.B. King,” it is my belief that we (the student body of Las Positas College) are lucky to have minds like Mr. D at our beck and call. 

We owe it to ourselves to soak up the knowledge of this faculty, as in the case of Timothy, what they have to provide truly is Devine.