About my grandfather and his band
Today (August 26, 2006) would have been my grandfather's 98th birthday. He passed away in September, 1978 when I was just a month shy of ten years old. I remember my grandpa vividly. He was an easy-going guy with a great sense of humor. He was quite the jokester.
Walter Henry Fensch was born in Mansfield, Ohio, the second oldest of four children (Edwin (the eldest), Walter, Oscar and Hildegard). He graduated from Mansfield High School in 1925 — the middle of the Roaring 20s. In the early 1930s, he performed with the Westinghouse Orchestra as a drummer. Big band swing was just starting to trickle out of big towns such as New York City and Chicago, reaching smaller towns eager for hot, new music ripe for dancing. In 1934, he formed Walt Fensch's Ambassadors, which was billed as playing "Slow, rhythmic music... and sometimes they get hot." His younger brother Oscar played the trumpet in the band. One of the lines that my grandpa's band used in their handbills was "swing your wench with Wally Fensch." I know it's completely un-PC by today's standards, but it brings a smile to my face every time I think of it.
Being a musician during the Great Depression was no easy feat. During the day, he worked as an electrician and refrigerator repairman, and worked the swing shift as a drummer to make ends meet. And that was barely enough to get by. My grandfather met my grandmother at the height of the Ambassadors' popularity, and in 1935, my father was born.
My grandfather was also an accomplished bowler, breaking many records, and even posting a 795 series (which, in the 1940s, was a tremendous feat). I see a lot of myself in my grandfather... I also bowl in a league, have a vast interest in music and play several instruments, and share auburn as our hair color.
I know that this blog may not be seen by many more than members of my family, but I really don't mind. I would just like more to know that there was a great guy out there that loved to make people happy with music, dancing, laughter and a good drink. If you do stumble by this blog and happen to have any memory of Walt Fensch, the Ambassadors, Mansfield, Ohio or just a good anecdote, please share!
Walter Henry Fensch was born in Mansfield, Ohio, the second oldest of four children (Edwin (the eldest), Walter, Oscar and Hildegard). He graduated from Mansfield High School in 1925 — the middle of the Roaring 20s. In the early 1930s, he performed with the Westinghouse Orchestra as a drummer. Big band swing was just starting to trickle out of big towns such as New York City and Chicago, reaching smaller towns eager for hot, new music ripe for dancing. In 1934, he formed Walt Fensch's Ambassadors, which was billed as playing "Slow, rhythmic music... and sometimes they get hot." His younger brother Oscar played the trumpet in the band. One of the lines that my grandpa's band used in their handbills was "swing your wench with Wally Fensch." I know it's completely un-PC by today's standards, but it brings a smile to my face every time I think of it.
Being a musician during the Great Depression was no easy feat. During the day, he worked as an electrician and refrigerator repairman, and worked the swing shift as a drummer to make ends meet. And that was barely enough to get by. My grandfather met my grandmother at the height of the Ambassadors' popularity, and in 1935, my father was born.
My grandfather was also an accomplished bowler, breaking many records, and even posting a 795 series (which, in the 1940s, was a tremendous feat). I see a lot of myself in my grandfather... I also bowl in a league, have a vast interest in music and play several instruments, and share auburn as our hair color.
I know that this blog may not be seen by many more than members of my family, but I really don't mind. I would just like more to know that there was a great guy out there that loved to make people happy with music, dancing, laughter and a good drink. If you do stumble by this blog and happen to have any memory of Walt Fensch, the Ambassadors, Mansfield, Ohio or just a good anecdote, please share!
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