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A World War II veteran and musician from Massachusetts recently celebrated his 100th birthday by hosting a concert for his family and friends.
“Music is in everyone and everything,” Roger Wonson, a drummer, saxophone player and retired engineer who lives in Beverly, told Fox News Digital.
“I think I would’ve been a completely different person if I’d never been into music,” he said. “It taught me how to listen and, in some ways, even how to feel.”
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Wonson said music has not only been a big part of his life, but his family’s lives as well.
“It’s funny because when I was five years old — in the 1920s — I was given a player saxophone,” Wonson said.
World War II veteran Roger Wonson is celebrating his 100th birthday; the celebration was filled with friends, family and a concert put on by the man of the hour. Michelle Boudreau, above right, program director at The Current Beverly in Beverly, Massachusetts, played her guitar alongside Wonson. (The Current Beverly)
“It was the roaring twenties, and the player saxophone was invented in around ’24,” he added. “It was like the player piano with the roll paper. It was very popular. It had a crank, and you blew into it — and it played.”
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People in the community noticed the five-year-old sax player — and his musical career took off, Wonson said.
“They named me the ‘Rudy Vallée Junior,’” Wonson said.
“Here I was five years old, cranking this thing and playing chords and the melody, and people got a big laugh about it. Then, I looked down into the orchestra pit and I saw a real saxophone. And I’ll never forget that. I said, ‘That is something.’”
Music has been Wonson’s passion. He plays both the saxophone and the drums. (The Current Beverly)
Wonson said he took to the drums a few years later when his older brother left behind a drum set after moving away from home.
He recalled listening to all sorts of big band music on a Victrola while sitting in the attic of his childhood home in Essex, Massachusetts.
Wonson said he remembers his home phone number was 37.
“When I was in the service and I would call home, I would call Essex, Massachusetts 37,” he said with a laugh. “The operator would say, ‘Well, the Wonsons are not there today.’ … It was really a personal operator in those days.”
Wonson was studying engineering at Northeastern University when World War II broke out.
“It got around that if you wanted to do what you wanted in the service, you better enlist because if you get drafted, they put you wherever the draft is needed,” Wonson said.
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“So I enlisted in the Army Air Force, told them I was interested in communications, and that’s exactly where they sent me.”
Wonson enlisted in the Army Air Forc during World War II. He served as a communications officer in the states. (The Current Beverly)
After basic training, Wonson was sent to the University of Wisconsin for electronics training.
“We had professors that were helping us, and I was teaching basic electric electronics,” Wonson said.
“I guess they liked what I was doing because I was called before a board, and they sent me to Yale. So, I got my commission out of Yale.”
Wonson served as a communications officer but did not go overseas.
“I never saw any real fighting,” he said. “It was all engineering, communications, power control, transmitters, receivers.”
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After the war, Wonson took advantage of the GI Bill and enrolled in the Capital Radio Engineering Institute (now Capitol Technology University) in Washington D.C.
‘Wonderful career’
He was hired as an associate engineer at Raytheon and spent 40 years at the company, retiring as a senior engineering specialist.
“I had a wonderful career,” he said. “Raytheon was the first company to produce the transistor. It was invented by Bell Labs, and I worked all through that. There were unbelievable changes in my time. The digital revolution is astounding in every discipline. I loved every minute of it.”
As an engineer, Monson eventually enrolled at the Capital Radio Engineering Institute before working at the company for 40 years. He eventually retired as a senior engineering specialist. (The Current Beverly)
While in D.C., Wonson met Mary Sue Littlejohn. They had three daughters and were married for 74 years until she died of complications with COVID-19, Wonson said.
Throughout Wonson’s highly technical career, music continued to play a role — and when he retired, he played the saxophone and the drums in an 18-piece swing band for about 25 years.
His band played in various venues, including retirement homes such as the one where he lives today.
“It is such a win-win when you are playing and the people are smiling and join with the music, whether it’s a big or a small gig,” Wonson said.
Michelle Boudreau, program director at The Current Beverly, where Wonson resides, said his musical presence is a gift to the community.
Boudreau plays guitar and the two have been making music together regularly.
“Roger is a very positive and upbeat person. We had an immediate connection and I love playing with him,” Boudreaux said, adding that Wonson’s music inspires other residents.
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Wonson told Fox News Digital that some of his secrets to longevity are taking care of the immune system by reducing stress.
He added that he and his wife made a commitment never to go to bed angry because he didn’t want to make her a “musician’s widow” — and that the world needs more empathy.
“When you’re talking with someone, you’ve got to listen,” he said.
“Also, be careful what you say because you can never take it back,” he said.
In honor of his near-century of musicianship, the Avedis Zildjian Company, which specializes in musical instruments, presented a commemorative Zildjian cymbal to Wonson, who had been using one on his drum kit for more than 50 years.
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“Clearly, Roger is a connector through his love and passion for music, and we’re so grateful to be a small part of his 100-year journey,” said Craigie Zildjian, executive chair of Avedis Zildjian.
Wonson said music is part of every person’s life “whether they think so or not.” (The Current Beverly)
Wonson said music is part of everyone’s lives — and it triggers memories, even if it isn’t realized.
“You step outside and even the birds and the trees make music … All I can say is, it’s important for everyone, whether they think so or not,” he said.
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.
Gretchen Eichenberg is a contributing reporter for Fox News Digital.
