Pape, Jr. William R. “Bill”
Class of 1952Born November 13, 1933 graduated New Hanover High 1952.
Pape attended Duke University in Structural Engineering but with a full music scholarship. He was a member of the Duke Ambassadors Jazz Ensemble as a musician and arranger. He wrote football half-time shows for Duke and NC State. Three months after playing with the Glenn Miller Orchestra he was drafted in the U.S. Army serving as first trombonist in the 3rd Infantry Division Band in West Germany. He transferred to the Special Services Big Band and performed in all 18 NATO countries. After Military service, Pape returned to Duke University until he was asked to re-join the Glenn Miller Orchestra for a live 10 week national television show called “Glenn Miller Time: from New York. He cites a special thrill of playing with GMO for one of the Inaugural Balls for President John F. Kennedy.
While in New York City, he studied composing and arranging. He also played lead trombone on a national USA tour and on television specials with Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians. Pape played with and wrote more than 70 arrangements for the Si Zentner Big Band.
He performed on all major television networks and appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, the Ed Sullivan Show, the Mike Douglas Show and the Jackie Gleason Show. Pape contracted with Walk Disney to serve as a Walt Disney Production Staff Music Composer/Arranger.
One of his many awards was as The Most Versatile Musical Arranger in the United States.