(updated 3-4-08)
Rob Toups - President - RKLML@aol.com
Bob Vetter - President-Elect - bvetter@esc18.net
Jim Jones - Immediate Past-President - jim-jones@att.net
Kenneth Griffin - Executive Secretary - atssb@att.net
John Young - AAA Representative - jyoun_wp@yahoo.com
David Rollins - AA Representative - david.rollins@dcisd.org
E. Zane Polson - A Representative - mglaze@valornet.com
Brandon Garmon - CC Representative - garmonb@gilmerisd.org
Don Thoede - OPS State Chair - drt@htcomp.net
Tim Edins - ATSSB Website Design & Maintenance - edins@atssb.org
Rob Toups is the band director at Canton High School, a class AAA school in Region III. He has been in Canton since 1991.
He is a member of ATSSB, TMEA, TBA, and TMAA. He has a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and has fifteen years' experience in public school music. The Canton band earns consistent Sweepstakes awards. In March of 1999 the band performed in Europe. The Canton High School band program offers marching band, concert band, and jazz band. Students participate in all ATSSB and UIL activities including Region Area, and State auditions as well as regional and state solo-ensemble competitions. Toups served as the Percussion Organizer for the ATSSB All-State Symphonic Band and served as the Class AAA Representative to the State Board 1998-2004
Jim Jones is a graduate Gilmer High School and received his bachelors and masters degree from Stephen F. Austin State University. He began his teaching career at Center and then moved to Pittsburg High School. He was Director of bands for the next seven years, and moved to Cleveland where he was Director of bands for 13A years. He is currently Director of Bands at Carthage I.S.D. His bands have received numerous Sweepstakes Awards and have been chosen outstanding in their class. He averages two honor band clinics per year and has judged at University Interscholastic League contests for many years. His bands have performed at Disney World, Disneyland, the Nation's Capitol and at the White House. He was TMEA Region X Band chairman, National Association of Military Marching Bands president and on the State Nominating Committee for Texas Bandmaster Association. He is currently a member of ATSSB, Phi Beta Mu International Band Fraternity, Texas Music Adjudicators Association, TMEA and president of the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack Band Alumni Association. He is the University Interscholastic League Representative for Region XXI and was the past 4A representative to the Region XXI Executive Committee. He has served ATSSB as Class AAA Representative and was elected President Pro Tem to finish the term of Steve Moore.
Robert “Bob” Vetter is in his twenty-ninth year of Texas band directing. For the past twenty-five years, he has been Director of Bands for Reagan County Independent School District in Big Lake. He holds a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music Education from the University of North Texas. Prior to 1983, he taught for four years at White Deer High School.
Under his direction, the Reagan County Bands have consistently received top ratings in UIL Music Competition. The Reagan County High School Band has appeared at the Texas UIL State Marching Contest on three different occasions. In 2001, they placed fourth in the finals in class 2-A. The RC Band has been a finalist for the TMEA Honor Band Competition and has had several tunes make it to the State Level in the Outstanding Performance Series. During Robert's tenure, the RC Band has performed at the UIL State Wind Ensemble numerous times and has had several students named “Outstanding Soloist.”
Robert is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, the Texas Bandmasters Association, Phi Beta Mu, the Texas Music Adjudicators Association, and he is a Charter Member of the Association of Texas Small School Bands. He is an active member and deacon of First Baptist Church, Big Lake.
Robert is married to Leeann Vetter who teaches third grade in Big Lake. Robert and Leeann are the parents of twin daughters, Allison and Ashton, both former members of the ATSSB All State Band and now music majors in college. They also have a son, Austin, who is nine years old and a future member of the ATSSB All State Band!
Kenneth Griffin received his Bachelors and Master's degree from East Texas State University (now Texas A&M-Commerce). He is currently teaching part-time as band director at John Paul II Catholic School in Houston. He retired after teaching thirty-one years in public schools, the last twenty of which were at Van High School. His band in Van accumulated a string of nineteen consecutive Sweepstakes Awards, was named the 1986 AAA TMEA State Honor Band, won the AAA Sweepstakes Trophy at the 1986 Texas State Solo Ensemble Contest in Austin, and was named the Outstanding AAA Band at the 1988 National Association of Military Marching Bands Texas State Marching Contest. He is a life member of TSTA, is a founding charter member and Executive Secretary of the Association of Texas Small School Bands, is a member of the Texas Music Adjudicators Association and Phi Beta Mu and serves as a clinician and adjudicator across the state. His wife Jeannie is retired from a career in public school music, having taught junior and senior high choir and elementary music for twenty five years. His daughter Alecia is a Cum Laude graduate of Southern Methodist University in Dallas and the Juilliard School of Music in New York and is currently a professional oboist in the Houston area. He is a published composer of instrumental music, most recently "Talion" by RBC Music and "Day To Day" by Gore Music Publishing (both concert marches published in 1996); also "Where Eagles Dare," "First Colony," and "White Oak" distributed by Bandroom.com Publications on the Internet.
Don Thoede retired from Clifton High School, a Class AAA school, on Jan. 1, 1998, as the Director of Bands. While in Clifton, his bands earned 9 consecutive UIL Sweepstakes Awards, competed in the UIL State Marching Contest Finals 5 times, placing 2nd in 1996. His concert bands were TMEA Honor Band Finalists 3 times, and 2 of his contest pieces placed 6th and 8th in the 1997 Outstanding Performance Series. He was awarded the Denius-UIL Sponsor Excellence Award in 1996. He is a member of ATSSB, TMEA, TBA, TMAA, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He is presently the State Chair of the ATSSB Outstanding Performance Series. He serves as a clinician and adjudicator across the state. He and his wife Joan have one married daughter.
