Of course, the “Canyon” of Canyon Eupho is Grand Canyon. This is where I’ve spent too much time (and yet, not enough) with family, friends, and sometimes by myself since that first visit in 1991. In contrast, “Eupho” is the more cryptic part of this website’s name, but its origin is readily explained. Eupho is short for “euphonium,” which is the instrument I played for five years with the University of Wisconsin Marching Band. More importantly, it is also the identify by which the individuals who played the euphonium referred to themselves, thereby distinguishing ourselves from fellow band members who played those other instruments. A close group of friends and I were (and depending on which of us is asked, always will be) “Euphos.” Beer was often involved.
It is interesting to me (and likely only to me) that there are a couple of internet references to me from the time of my college days in Madison, Wisconsin. In 1980, I was the winner of the Karl Streiby Award, which is given on an annual basis to a deserving member of the UW Marching Band for “excellence in error.” I have yet to decide whether it was coincidence, fate, or something more sinister that my marching faux pas occurred during the only football game my parents attended in five seasons while I was in Madison. (Right flip on the 35-yard line, not the 40!!) They did go home immediately after halftime, but it was cold. And then in 1982, I graduated with a B.S. degree (you define what that means) in chemical engineering, which meant I survived five weeks of summer lab. Not bad for online personal history, considering this was 22 years and more before the advent of Facebook!
This page last revised: November 13, 2011