Jack Renner.
The name sounded vaguely familiar to me, but it wasn’t until I looked up his photo in The Willow, Willshire School’s yearbook, that I remembered him.

Mr. Jack Renner, Willow, 1958
It was a long time ago that he headed the music department at Willshire and was my music teacher in the late 1950s. Since Willshire was a rather small school, he was the music teacher for the entire school, elementary through senior high.

Mr. Renner, Willow, 1959
He is shown directing the chorus and band in other yearbook photos.

Mr. Renner and the Willshire High School chorus, Willow, 1959
Under the direction of Mr. Renner, the Willshire High School chorus received Superior ratings.

Mr. Jack Renner, Willow, 1959
Jack Renner, called Mr. Renner by his students, was my music teacher when I was in first and second grades. I don’t remember much about those music classes, just an image in my mind of Mr. Renner standing in the front of our music classroom, teaching us new songs, and trying to direct the singing of six and seven year-old students.

Mr. Renner, Willow, 1960
As I recall, Mr. Renner was soft-spoken and nice. He would have been about 24 years old at the time and Willshire was probably his first teaching assignment.
Looking through old Willow yearbooks, Mr. Renner was the music teacher between the music terms of Rosella Vining. Mrs. Vining taught music before and after Mr. Renner was there, and she taught history and English while he was there as the music teacher.

Jack Renner, Rosella Vining, Willow, 1960
The subject of Mr. Renner came up in a recent email, an email from the son of Ned Knape. Ned Knape was also a teacher and a coach at Willshire with Renner. The two men became life-long friends and Knape’s son brought Jack Renner’s musical career to my attention. Something I knew nothing about.

Willshire faculty, Mr. Knape & Mr. Renner, Willow, 1958
Mr. Renner taught music at Willshire for about 3 years, 1958-1960, and after leaving Willshire he made quite a name for himself in the music world.
Jack Lee Renner was born 13 April 1935 in Barnesville, Ohio. He received his Bachelor of Music Education from The Ohio State University in Columbus. He was a music teacher, professional trumpeter, conductor, freelance recording engineer, recording engineering consultant, record label executive, and public speaker. He made his first recording in 1962 and pioneered the development of the digital recording process for jazz, classical, and symphonic music.
He co-founded the Cleveland-based international record label Telarc in 1977. In 1978 he made the first symphonic digital recording and the first orchestral digital recording in the United States. Telarc made over twelve hundred recordings that were recognized with more than fifty Grammy Awards. Renner was nominated for 25 Grammy Awards and won eleven Grammys.
In 1990 he was recognized as an outstanding alumnus at The Ohio State University School of Music. He taught audio recording at the Cleveland Institute of Music for thirty years and received an honorary doctorate of Musical Arts from there in 1997. In 2004 he received the American Bandmasters Association’s Edwin Franko Goldman citation for his lifelong passion and promotion of concert band music in America. He retired from Telarc in 2006 but continued his music.
Jack Renner died 19 June 2019 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, at the age of 84. He was survived by his wife and three children.
To think that he started his music career as a teacher in Willshire. I have it on very good authority that Jack Renner boarded at Dale and Bess Cowan’s house during the time he taught at Willshire. The class of 1959 invited him back to Willshire for an alumni banquet when they were the honor class. He directed a chorus of class members as entertainment at the banquet.
What about his friend Ned Knape, who I do not remember at all. Knape taught high school classes and had little or no contact with the elementary students. He coached basketball and baseball in those years immediately after Willshire’s two state basketball teams in 1955 and 1956, coached by Mr. Games. Knape taught and coached at Willshire for about three years, 1957-1959. According to his son, Ned was good friends with coach Don Black.

Ned Knape & Don Black, Willow, 1959
Knape taught history and was also was a driver’s ed instructor, bus driver, and senior class sponsor for the class of 1959. All that plus coaching.

Mr. Knape, Willow, 1958

Willshire bus drivers, Ned Knape, Willow, 1958

Ned Knape, 1959 Senior Class Advisor, Willow 1959

Ned Knape, Willow, 1959

Ned Knape, Willow, 1959
Ned Knape (1930-2014) was born in Ridgeville Corners, Ohio. He graduated from Valparaiso University in 1953, where he lettered in basketball and baseball. He received a master’s degree in education from Ball State and taught and coached in East Allen County Schools and in Willshire.
Some of you will remember one or both of these men, as a music director, teacher, coach, driver’s ed instructor, class sponsor, or bus driver.
What interesting stories and such fun looking through the old Willow yearbooks.
Sources:
Jack Renner (recording engineer), Wikipedia.com.
Jack Renner obituary, Legacy.com.
Ned R Knape, Find a Grave memorial no. 142649285, Decatur Cemetery, Decatur, Adams County Indiana; FindaGrave.com.
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Karen, I think that it is neat that the Willshire school was open to hiring first-year teachers to allow them to gain teaching experience after completing their college studies. Some remained in the school system and community, and others moved on to other career goals elsewhere.
Author
That’s a very good point, Sondra. It was a good opportunity for them and good for the school, too. I think that Jan Ebert was another music teacher right out of college who taught at Willshire a short time. I know she enjoyed coming back to attend the alumni banquets. I see she passed away in 2022. Good to hear from you.
I remember Mr. Renner as our music teacher in the first few grades. I also remember him walking past our house on his way to school. Dale and Bess Cowan lived on the north side of the park and that would have been his route to school. I remember Ned Knape as the Willshire High School basketball coach. My brother and I would go to the games with our Dad. That gym seemed much bigger back then…..
Author
You have some very good memories of them. I agree, most things seemed larger back then, but we were smaller then, too… It would be fun to walk through the old school again. Looking at the old yearbook pictures brings back lots of memories. Thanks for writing.
Thank you Karen. Yes I remember both men. How interesting of how Mr Renner went on to win Grammys one would never think from the small school in Willshire is where he got his start. I so enjoy all your stories & pictures you share. Thank you again for bringing back wonderful memories of school in Willshire.
Author
Thank you, Sherry. As I looked through the yearbooks I saw several of photos of your brother. There are a lot of good memories from Willshire. Great to hear from you and thanks for writing.
Wow, Karen, your post really pushed many buttons for me since I was a proud member of the exceptional class of 1959 and was well acquainted with both these teachers.
Janet (Betz) Ebert was also a graduate of The Ohio State University and librarian for the Marching Band. She was the one responsible for Jack Renner coming to Willshire because he was a member of the band.
He arranged for the Willshire Band to take a field trip to Columbus and visit with The Ohio State Marching Band. This sparked an interest in me and I attended OSU after graduating from Willshire. Mr. Renner also brought classical music into our music room and we were allowed to attend his practices at the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra.
Also, our high school choir had many great experiences traveling and winning superior at the district and state contests. Learning to sing in a choir served me well in my adult life singing in church and community choirs.
Yes, Ned Knape was our class sponsor and my Driver’s Ed teacher. I had no problems passing my drivers test and parallel parking! He was a great History teacher and I love especially American history to this day! We had many great adventures with him and wife, Jeanne, on our class trip to Washington D.C. and New York City. Their family was special to me because I was their babysitter for Susan and Kerry.
I have many more great memories of my days at Willshire School so thanks for posting and bringing these back!
Mary Goodwin Haddad
Class of 1959
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Thank you for all that great information. Kerry contacted me initially and told me about his dad and Jack Renner. Janet would always attend church at Zion Chatt on Alumni Banquet weekend and we would play a duet together during the service. She played her flute and I would accompany her on the organ or piano. She was quite a vibrant character and very talented. Thanks for writing!
Both Jack Renner and Janet Betz Ebert attended the 50th class reunion for the Class of ’59 that was held at our home in Fort Wayne. Walt Maken videotaped the reunion and it is available on YouTube.
Author
Thank you for that information. I would love to see that and I will check that out. Thanks for writing!