Joe is probably one of the most sincere music educators I have ever met. His heart and soul have always been it all. The No. 1 priority is the musical success of his students.”

- Chris Auchly

The legacy of Joe Pappas is alive and well in Mexico.

Not only in this particular city, but across the state, Pappas has made an indelible mark on the excellence of high school bands and it is that work that led to his induction into the Missouri Bandmaster Association (MBA) Hall of Fame in June.

“It was quite an honor,” Pappas said. “There are so many who are in the Hall of Fame since we have been an organization for over 50 years and each year, they induct one person. I knew I had credentials a long time ago, but no one else did. I am not one to blow my own horn.

“It’s just about taking everyday students – I didn’t have all stars – that were just common kids. In Mexico, a lot of them lived in the country and worked on their farms and some lived in town. It was a mixture of kids and coming together to make the program recognized not only in town, but in the state and outside the state.”

Pappas said knowing that the kids got something more than just music out of the experience added to his fond memories of working at the high schools.

It all started in Bell City in 1972 and he ultimately found his way to Mexico where he developed quite the program during his time there from 1979-1990.

“We built that program: When I started that program, we had 92 kids,” Pappas said. “When I left, we were up to 185. It was just the fact the kids knew they could have fun and they knew I had expectations, and they knew we could have a good program. As far as recruiting, I didn’t have to do anything – the kids took care of that.

“What sticks out in my mind was the first major concert band competition we went to in (Des Moines, Iowa). The kids played so well. The other was in Branson, and I had been sick and got out the day we were supposed to leave (but then relapsed). I called one of the judges and asked him to direct and the kids scored superior across the board.”

Chris Auchly knew Pappas when he competed against Mexico when he attended R-6 until 1986.

“I knew him really well,” Auchly said. “Joe is probably one of the most sincere music educators I have ever met. His heart and soul have always been it all. The No. 1 priority is the musical success of his students.

“His work as a clinician and conductor across the state, nationally and he’s been in Europe a couple of times, he is deserving of this award. He’s top notch.”
Mexico’s Steve Greene – Class of 1985 – cited Pappas helping him get a scholarship that ultimately led him to also be a music teacher.

“He knows kids,” Greene said. “He cares about kids beyond being a musician – he cares about people; he wants the best for all and that makes him special. He knows his subject matter, obviously, and he’s still sought after for clinician work.

“What makes him phenomenal is he knows the subject matter, but you can tell he really cares about you and that makes you want to work harder.”

After Mexico, he moved on to Eureka High School (1990-1999) before he retired and then moved on to teach at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. He also taught music education, music appreciation and directing the band from 1999-2017 at Jefferson Community College. He was at the prep level for 27 years and college is now moving on its 24th.

“At (Southeast Missouri) I am mainly teaching music appreciation, jazz appreciation in the fall and then in the spring I supervise student teaching,” Pappas said. “This is year 51 teaching coming up. I just enjoy it. When I retired, I knew I wasn’t finished.”

Pappas believes about 10 percent of his students have moved on to play in college or with the military.

The impact he made in music has a touch of irony, considering he originally had designs on being a veterinarian until a school counselor pointed out he likely didn’t have the coursework to pursue it in college himself.

“He said, ‘have you thought about something else,’ and I said, I guess music,” Pappas said. “He said I had a good choice there and he called down to Southeast and got all the stuff prepared for me and I was down there in the fall.

“There was only one time I thought of getting out and that was about 1977 when a good friend of mine was in real estate and development, and he wanted me to join him. I went to my first lessons or two for my realtors license and something just told me, ‘you don’t want to do this,’ and I am glad it did because that’s when the market fell. I am glad I never got out and I never looked back.”