Meet Dr. Joe, one of our beloved residents at The Brennity at Fairhope in Fairhope, Alabama. He moved into the community in 2013 at the request of his relatives’ desire to have him closer. He’s been an incredible presence within The Brennity at Fairhope ever since as he continuously wows our residents and associates each month at the community with his talented piano playing.
Dr. Joe was raised in the small town of Livingston, Alabama. He completed his bachelor’s degree at The University of Alabama before earning both his master’s and doctorate degrees from Florida State University. During his long and rewarding career, he served as a private piano teacher with lessons for children in Dothan, Alabama and college students at Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dr. Joe says that he never had his own family because his students felt like they were his children, and they became his family.
One of the highlights during his career was meeting former President Kennedy when Jackie Kennedy organized the Children for Children concert series. Unofficially, he met President Kennedy twice, but officially, he shook hands with him only once. Talk about an honor!
When Dr. Joe came to The Brennity at Fairhope, he hadn’t played piano in 13 years, but at the request of one of our community’s residents, he began playing again to entertain the residents during sing-along sessions. Dr. Joe says that he fell back in love with the piano after not owning or playing one in so long.
We are so thankful to have Dr. Joe as part of the Sagora Senior Living family and that we get to hear his music as he continues to do something that he loves! To hear more from him, check out the video below!