David Gotch

Central High School

Class of 1971

→ Join 2631 Alumni from Central High School that have already claimed their alumni profiles.
→ There are 68 classes, starting with the class of 1927 all the way up to class of 2023.

DAVID'S PROFILE

This is a limited view of David's profile, register for free or login to view all their profile information.

David Gotch - Class of 1971 - Central High School

First Name	David
Last Name	Gotch
Graduation Year	Class of 1971
Gender	Male
Current Location	Abilene, Texas
Hometown	Phoenix, Arizona
Relationship Status	Married
About Me	DAVID GOTCH CHRONOLOGY: David's paternal Grandfather, Christian Gotsch was a Lutheran parochial school principal and organist/choir director. Christian's wife, Lizzette Gotsch (nee' Wiegmann) was a homemaker and piano teacher. Both Mr. and Mrs. Gotsch were born in, and resided in Columbus, Indiana. Their son Julius Louis Gotsch (whose surname was later legally changed to Gotch by Julius and his older brother Karl) was born in Columbus, Indiana in 1901. David's father Julius, at the tender age of 15, began studies in pursuit of a degree in Divinity at Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. This did not work out, so at a later point in time, he joined and served with the United States Marine Corps for approximately two years. After his military service, he moved to California, where his oldest brother Karl was living. To keep from going hungry, Julius grabbed up numerous short-lived jobs as a salesman for quite a long while, later apprenticing as a bookbinder with his brother Karl. After completion of his apprenticeship, he worked with Karl as co-owner of a bookbinding shop in the Los Angeles area. When Julius was 31 years of age, he met and soon afterwards married the love of his life, 18 year old Doris who was a San Bernardino, California native. Doris, who quit high school at age 15 to earn money to help support herself, her Uncle William, and her Aunt Elizabeth, was now living in the Los Angeles area. Doris was an excellent cook, and seamstress, and after her marriage to Julius made most of the clothing for herself, Julius, and their 4 children, including the youngest one - David. Julius and Doris moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1939 with their two boys Carl and Harvey, and then moved back to California for a little while, moving one final time back to Phoenix in 1946. Julius operated a bookbinding business until 1969 and died in November of 1975. Doris never remarried and died in Dec. of 2000. Their first child, Carl, was born in Hollywood, California in 1934. After two years of high schools he served with the US Air Force for 4 years, and somewhat late married Barbara (now his ex-wife), who bore him three sons – Norman, Eric, and Martin. Soon after the birth of his first son Norman, Carl and family moved to Paradise Valley (a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona) where he worked as an electrical engineer and project manager for the Honeywell Company for 30 years. He is now 77 years of age, and still lives in Paradise Valley. David's next oldest brother Harvey was also born in Hollywood, California in 1936, and like his brother Carl served in the US Air Force after only two years of high school. Harvey was a fine artist and illustrator, but was unable to work in that capacity in the Air Force for one reason or another, so he became an MP instead. After his tour of duty, Harvey needed a job, so he applied for, tested for and obtained a mail handler's job with the US Post Office. After some time, Harvey met, and then married Anne, but this marriage ended in divorce about 2 years later. After the divorce, Harvey quit his job with the US Post Office, with plans to be a full-time artist-painter, but with no current means of support, he moved in with his parents (and David) where he lived until his death in 2002. David's only Sister Marcella was also born in 1944, in Hollywood, California. In her high school years in Phoenix, Marcella won a regional beauty contest. In February of 1962 Marcella married (at the tender age of 17) her best friend Richard. They had two children – Dawn, and Steven. Richard and Marcella divorced in 1970. After this divorce, Marcy married another good friend, Michael. Tragically, in October 1971, Marcella (who was pregnant with her daughter Kimberly) was killed in a truck/pedestrian accident. This was, of course, a devastating loss of daughter and grand-daughter for her parents and sister & niece for her three brothers. David Wayne Gotch was born in Phoenix, Arizona on August 26, 1953. A very good student, David taught himself to read music at eight years of age. He began piano lessons a little later with Mrs. Opal Lichtenwald, who was the organist of Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church and K-8 School, where David’s parents were members, and David was a student. At eleven years of age, David continued his piano studies with Mr. Julian McCreary (M. Mus.), who was an alumnus of the prestigious Eastman School of Music, and who also assumed the directorship of the now defunct thirty-three piano festival ensemble, which was held annually in Phoenix, Arizona. David performed with this group for six seasons, which included his performance of two piano solo parts with the group during their last two seasons. During his first year at Carl Hayden High School, David accompanied the school's orchestra & concert choir, and taught himself how to play the 'cello and the drums. During his second year at Hayden, he was pianist and 2nd chair cellist with the orchestra, as well as a drummer/percussionist for the Junior Varsity band. After his sophomore year at Carl Hayden High, David and his parents moved to a home in Central Phoenix. David then attended Central High School, and during his Junior and Senior years there, he played the 'cello and the piano in the orchestra, appearing as solo pianist during his senior year with the Central High Orchestra, playing Franz Liszt's Hungarian Fantasy for piano and orchestra. It must be said that upon hearing David perform the Liszt work, two representatives from Oberlin Conservatory offered to allow David a FULL scholarship Oberlin Conservatory of Music after an informal audition, but strangely, or not so strangely David turned this down, in order to pursue a dual career in Medicine and Pharmacy which did not wrk out. Additionally, David was the rehearsal and examination pianist for the Royal Academy of Ballet in Phoenix from 1970 to 1975. After high school, David took a 180 degree academic turn (studying a mixture of pre-pharmacy and pre-medical courses at Phoenix College), with plans to receive degrees in both pharmacy and medicine. Unfortunately, (or more likely fortunately), he developed an allergy to organic chemistry class (not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well). When David was approximately 21 years of age, he took yet another 180 degree turn back into the field of music, commencing with intensive organ study as a student of Mr. Maurice Douglas Pedersen, a prominent organist in Phoenix. In parallel with his organ studies, David played the organ and performed other musical duties at various Valley churches in the Phoenix Area, most notably serving Faith Lutheran Church for six and a half years. During this post, David began dual major music studies at Arizona State University, earning Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in organ & harpsichord performance-pedagogy. His instructors included organist and composer Dr. David N. Johnson, formerly of Syracuse and St. Olaf Universities; organist Dr. Robert C. Clark, formerly of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor; and harpsichordist Dr. John Metz, formerly of the Julliard Conservatory of Music. In 1984, while still at Arizona State University, David was offered and accepted the appointment as Organist/Pianist/Accompanist of First United Methodist Church in Phoenix, where he remained working for over 25 and 1/2 years as organist, choral and vocal accompanist, handbell and vocal choir director, music educator, and organ/piano/harpsichord recitalist. Over the years at First Church, David worked with three senior ministers, 2 co-senior ministers and four choral directors. On July 2, 2002, David met the love of his life, Miss Brenda Jo Whitus. The couple married twelve days later on July 14, 2002 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Brenda Jo was born in Abilene, Texas, and has two children from a previous marriage, including her daughter Julie who lives in Mesa, Arizona, and her son Gary (who lives in Aubrey, Texas with his wife and their two children Mason and Maia). While in Arizona, David and Brenda had first lived in Tempe, and later Chandler. In May of 2010, David applied for and accepted two concurrent appointments in Abilene, Texas. The first is Organist of St. Paul's United Methodist Church, and the second was Staff Accompanist at McMurry University, where he worked for two semesters. At their home in Abilene, Texas, they have a 10 year old male French Poodle named "Sonny"; a year and 11 months old female Shih-Tzu named "Cutie-Pie"; and two parakeets - namely "Mozart" (who is cobalt-blue), and "Beet...(read more)