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Eleisa Marsala Trampler
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Where Am I?
After high school I joined the Hamid-Morton Shrine Circus and a troupe of French cyclists and toured the US and Canada for a couple of years. I pedaled an 8 foot unicycle for which I was exquisitely prepared by ballet training in Great Neck and my do-all-manner-of-nuttiness with Jr. Players. Three years of French and two years of Spanish with the Misses Crandall and Gluckstadt insured my acceptance into the circus milieu, but really didn't keep me out of trouble when it came to "knowing my place as an artiste!" Alas, I socialized with the roustabouts and rode in the camel truck!! I did a couple years at Catholic University in Washington DC majoring in theater and dating actor Jon Voight, but found it too difficult to work and keep my grades up so I did what was expected and married my husband of 40 years. Tony Trampler and I were wed in Aspen, CO where I was then working as a singing waitress!! We eventually settled in Denver intending to make our mark on the world and retire to Aspen, as we did a lot of our growing up there, but alas, we didn't make a big enough mark!
What am I doing?
I tutored Asian refugees as they came into the Denver Public Schools in the 70s, finally completing bachelor's and master's degrees with an endorsement to teach linguistically different children. After 23 years I retired from my job as a bilingual primary teacher (Spanish-thanks to Ms. Gluckstadt, and since teaching little ones who know no English works out to be a kind of dog and pony show I guess Mr. Boressoff deserves some credit too). I LOVED my job, but age 60 and the year 2000 seemed a good time to join my car guy, handyman, picture framer, beer brewer, political agitator, vending machine repairman husband in retirement so we could curmudge together! We are charter members of the Huerfano County Marching Band (shown sitting!), I’m on triangle and Kazoo and Tony plays a mean slide flute and cowbell. We also intend to ski off the edge of the map (Alta, Utah is behind the helmets!).
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What About My Family?
Tony and I have three children: Brian is 44, works for a videoconferencing company in Denver and appears in Gilbert and Sullivan productions. Brian and wife Becky have two kiddos, Ethan, 10, and Nicoleigh, 9, for whom it takes TWO old retirees to baby sit! Hilary is 43, teaches preschool and directs a church choir in Snohomish, WA. and with husband, Eric Melander, is raising Cody, 15, Mitchell, 13, and Kira, 10. Erin, 37, returned from Boston to Denver in 2004 with her husband David Bell. Erin is a writer for CH2MHill and acts in local theater. David directs two choirs and writes music.
My dear jazz musician parents Joe Marsala and Adele Girard who were so popular on 52nd Street in NYC in the 30s and 40s are gone. Tony's folks, classical violist Walter Trampler, a founding member of the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society in NYC and Ellie Bancroft Trampler, bookstore owner and dealer in rare books in Newtown, Connecticut both died in '97, so we weren't able to make it to the 40th reunion.
What Else Keeps Me Occupied?
In 2001 I wrote a book of consolation for kids who lost loved ones on 9/11. TEARS ARE WEPT, MEMORIES ARE KEPT: A Bereavement Book for Children and Their Families was published in 2002 (Miss O'Connor would've been pleased, she wrote in my year book “...may the vine leaves float in the breezes”.) Profits were donated to the children who lost loved ones on that day.
Since 2003 I’ve been researching and writing about my parents, Joe and Adele Marsala who were big on the NYC Jazz scene. An article I wrote about my mother was featured in The American Harp Journal in 2005 and a two part article celebrating my father’s centennial year appears in the June and September, 2007, issues of The Clarinet, a journal for enthusiasts of that instrument. (The articles appear online at landings.com.) Additionally I’ve produced three CDs of my parents’ recordings and written liner notes for a new ARBORS Jazz release titled, BOBBY GORDON PLAYS JOE MARSALA: LOWER REGISTER, (Bobby is Joe’s protégé).
Other than that Tony and I work on our old houses, one in Denver the other in La Veta, in southern Colorado. We collect old books, antiques and art. We travel a bit. I'd enjoy hearing from anyone, drop a line.
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These are the Spanish Peaks or Wahatoya – Breasts of the Earth, a landmark for travelers on the Santa Fe Trail. Our funky little getaway in southern CO lies at the base of the West Peak in the town of La Veta.
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Our Snohomish, WA family includes gray-haired Gram and Gramp, Eric, Hilary, Kira, Mitchell and Cody Melander. Our Denver Family features Erin and David Bell, Becky and Brian Trampler and Nana and Papa with Nicoleigh and Ethan Trampler.
I designed the cover and wrote liner notes for this CD available from ARBORS Jazz(ARCD 19352).
My Message to the Class of '57:
reunion
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golden leaves autumn leaves the gathered years of our lives earth and sky turn clouds sail on
we meet touch embrace talk laugh the clatter of voices whispering leaves old children tied to time space and this precious place
sky as bright and deep a blue clear and fathomless as dreams memories borne on the clear sharp air how have we... what have we... where have we... do you remember...
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we celebrate our lives with those who are most vital we celebrate our loves attainments failures joys sorrows because we have returned survivors prodigal children returned to each other seeking affirmation
in us our mothers and fathers sons and daughters share a past and a future here the common bond then now and tomorrow
time was when the sap had just begun to rise the leaves had just begun to bud now we are golden leaves that catch the air flutter glide and sail on like clouds in the deep blue sea of sky sail on my friends |
