Charles Larry Tucker, born in July, 1950, in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, to Charles Wilson and Mary Katherine Tucker, died on Wednesday, August 14, 2013 after a long fought battle with scleroderma and it’s complications.
Larry is survived by his high school sweetheart and loving wife of 42 years: Marion Jean Brown Tucker, two loving children and their families Jason Scott Tucker and wife Cyndi of Allen, TX and Jennifer Anne Penny and husband Michael of McKinney, TX, and two granddaughters. He was preceded in death by his father, and is survived by his mother Mary Tucker of Arkadelphia, AR, and sister Phyllis Tucker of Bryant, AR.
Larry graduated from Arkadelphia High School and Henderson State University. Upon graduation, Larry served as Director of Bands at Lonoke, AR, high school, Director of Bands at Ashdown, AR, high school, where he was also very active in the First United Methodist Church, leading the chancel choir and the United Methodist Youth Fellowship. Larry was offered the position of Director of Bands at Plano East Senior High when the school opened in 1981. Over the next several years, the Plano East bands went on to make sweepstakes each year, win national invitational contests, and performed at several conventions. Larry moved to the Director of Performing Arts position at the end of 1989.
Larry spent 18 years in the fine arts administration. During that time Larry supported the directors on the staff and their organization as they had numerous appearances at The Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, TMEA as Honors groups, the Music Educators National Conference, the Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center. Larry’s stated goal as an administrator was to “hire the best, give them what they needed to succeed, and then let them do their job.”
Larry was named Teacher of the Year for Plano East in 1989 and received the Ross Perot Excellence in Teaching Award that year. He was named Texas Music Administrators Conference Music Administrator of the year in 2006. In 2007, he was runner-up for the Arts in Education award for the City of Plano. He has served as president of the Four States Bandmasters Association, state chairman of the National Band Association, president of Alpha Chapter of Phi Beta Mu, president of the Texas Music Administrators Conference, and president of the Plano West Rotary Club. He served four years on the Cultural Affairs Commission for the City of Plano, two as chairman. He was a Paul Harris Fellow and was recognized by the Plano West Rotary Club as Rotarian of the Year in 2004 and 2006, as well as by the Rotary Foundation for his contributions to the Wheelchair for Kids efforts in South Africa. His greatest honor, however, was being named to the Texas Bandmasters Hall of Fame in 2010.
Larry and Marion have been members of the First United Methodist Church in Plano since 1981. He retired in 2007 after thirty-five years in education.
In Lieu of flowers, it is requested that contributions be made to the Music Ministry of the First United Methodist Church in Plano, the Lung Transplant Unit at the University of Texas Southwestern, or to the Scleroderma Foundation.
A Memorial Service wil be held on Sunday, August 25, 2013 at 3:00 PM at the First United Methodist Church of Plano. 3160 East Spring Creek Parkway, Plano, TX 75074.
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