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NOTABLE'S BIO'S

Eddie Oyer 1947
Usually an institution is made of brick and stone, such as Northeast High School but on rare occasions they can be made of skin and bone, and such is the case with Eddie Oyer.

Eddie grew up in Northeast and has lived here all of his life. He started playing the piano at age 3 and by the time he was 12, he got his union card. He was so talented that at 15 years old, he was playing evenings at many of the downtown hotels, among them, the Continental, the President and the Bellivere. But that was at night. In the day, he worked at his sister’s dance studio, playing piano for the dance classes. And it was at that studio that the institution of Eddie Oyer began.

When Eddie’s sister decided to leave the studio in 1954 to raise her family, Eddie took it over. So if you grew up in Northeast anytime from 1954 on, and you wanted to learn music or how to dance, chances are, you would have been taught by Eddie Oyer. Over the years he has taught both music and dance to 1,000’s of hopeful musician’s and dancers. Some of his musical students went on to music careers – including playing with Lawrence Welk’s orchestra.

While Eddie started his musical career at the tender age of 3(and there are pictures of him dancing as young as 4), he attributes much of his formal training to a music teacher at Northeast High School, Nevin Wasson. Mr. Wasson recognized talent when he saw it and soon had Eddie playing in school shows such as the Viking Varieties. Mr. Wasson taught Eddie the importance of learning how to play a variety of music and that was a lesson that Eddie carried with him throughout his life, playing and teaching others to play classical, jazz, rock, country & western and religious music. His belief was that if you specialized in a style or type of music and that music went out of fashion, so did your career.

At 18, Eddie began playing around the country and his fast paced style earned him the nickname “The Keyboard Atom-Splitter”. But he didn’t spend his entire time playing piano. He felt the call of the military and joined the army as a combat engineer. However, when you have true talent, it drives your life and he ended up in the music part of the military. He also took time off from music to marry his wife Patty and they became leaders in the Northeast community. He played piano at Budd Park Christian Church and taught Sunday school there. He was honored by the church in 2005 with an “Eddie Oyer Day”. He volunteered at Glennon Nursing home and entertained the residents with his vast repertoire, playing whatever the residents requested, and usually without sheet music. That’s how you can do it when you’ve been playing all your life.

In 2007, after 53 years of teaching both the young and the young at heart - Eddie closed his studio. But closing the studio was not the end of his contribution. He continued his activities in the community until his health required him to stop.

This piece was started by talking about what an institution is made of. The definition of institution is "an organization, establishment, foundation, society, or the like, devoted to the promotion of a particular cause or program, especially one of a public, educational, or charitable character". Eddie's love of music and his devotion to sharing that love with the 1,000's of pupils that he taught over the years, along with his unfailing commitment to the community, has earned him the right to be called an "institution".

STEPHEN B. THACKER 1965

The NEAA has recognized many Notable Alumni that have had internationally significant careers. Stephen B. Thacker, MD, MSc, RADm/asg (ret.), US Public Health Service, NE Class of ''65 was one such alumnus added to that list by the NEAA Board on the 50th anniversary of his NE graduation. Steve was co-valedictorian at NE, went to Princeton University, and held a medical degree from Mount Sinai School fo Medicine and a master's of science from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He did his residency at the Duke School of Medicine and then joined the Centers of Disease Control (CDC).

In 1976, on his second day as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer for theCDC, Dr. Thacker was sent to Philadelphia, PA to investigate an unknown illness outbreak among attendees of an American Legion convention. The investigation led to the identification of the Legionnaires' disease.

During his service, Dr. Thacker held such CDC leadership positions as Director of the Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services, Director of the Office of Workforce and Career Development, and Director of the Epidemiology Program Office. In addition to these permanent appointments, Dr. Thacker served in an acting capacity at different times as Deputy Director of CDC, Director of the National Center for Environmental Health, Director of the National Center for injury Prevention and Control, and Director of the National Center for Public Health Informatics.

Steve was known for his committed stewardship of many of CDC's flagship programs such as the Epidemic Intelligence Service. For 37 years at the CDC, Steve worked on public health issues for people across the globe as he was instrumental in launching the Field Epidemiology Training Programs in more than 35 countries around the world. His accomplishments were recognized through more than 40 major awards and commendations during his professional career. His more that 240 publications on public health will continue his influence on public health practice well into the future.

Steve’s contributions were cut short at the age 65 when he died from complications of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, a degenerative neurological illness that causes rapid deterioration of the brain. The naming of the Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library in Atlanta established a lasting memory of his service. The library includes the Stephen B. Thacker Legacy Exhibit which showcases the distinguished awards and investigative papers that reflect the outstanding career of this outstanding 1965 graduate of Northeast High School.

Thacker also delighted in his role as a husband, father and grandfather. He coached his daughter's high school girls' basketball team for 20 years. To acknowledge his devotion to the school, the girls' locker room at St. Pius X Catholic High School in Atlanta, GA was dedicated to Coach Thacker.

Northeast High School was fortunate to have a student that made such amazing contributions to the people of the world. You can learn much more about Steve Thacker and his service by visiting the website: www.teamthacker.com.