Encyclopedia Dubuque
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GRAAS, Vincent: Difference between revisions
(New page: GRAAS, Vincent. (Dubuque, IA, June 2, 1913--Santa Ana, CA, Nov. 25, 2001). Vincent Graas was the son of Susan Marie APEL and the brother of famed musician, [[GRAAS, ...) |
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[[MCKEEVER, Susan|Susan MCKEEVER]] | [[MCKEEVER, Susan Marie Graas|Susan Marie Graas MCKEEVER]] | ||
Revision as of 01:20, 18 October 2011
GRAAS, Vincent. (Dubuque, IA, June 2, 1913--Santa Ana, CA, Nov. 25, 2001). Vincent Graas was the son of Susan Marie APEL and the brother of famed musician, John GRAAS. Vincent began to play saxophone in the Boy’s Club band, directed by his mother’s cousin, Vincent CHEWNING. He continued to play various instruments through his teen years. Then, as an adult, he played violin with the LUKE RITZ ORCHESTRA and woodwind instruments with the orchestra of Raymond ALDERSON. He toured with the Wayne King orchestra for several years playing all the reed instruments.
From Alan Graas: My Dad dropped out of high school, finishing his diploma via some correspondence course. I don’t know if he played in a junior or senior high school band. After many years on the road, he left music and pursued a career in design engineering. Having dropped out of high school, Vincent faced years correspondence courses to receive his diploma. Working for many large manufacturing firms, he designed the hydraulics for the B-52 landing gear, the first automated meat slicer, and the first machine to fill Hostess Twinkie snacks. He helped obtain hundreds of patents for the firms he worked for.
Vincent's last employer was Beckman Instruments in southern California. There he helped develop the tiles for the Space Shuttle with a staff including many PhD engineers.
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Sources:
Alan Graas, son of Vincent Graas