WORK IN PROGRESS...some of the following biographies were written by the webmaster until the band members can submit their own...
Jack Montgomery
Jack has been in the band since it's inception in 1955. His dad was the first Pipe Major and taught the original band. Jack started out as a drummer and joined the pipe section in 1966. His first teacher was Larry Sutton, the second Pipe Major of the band. Jack also was instructed by Jimmy McNeil the Pipe Major of The Seattle Pipe Band. Jimmy and his brother Charlie were also the instructors for the original Seattle Boy's Pipe Band.
Jack became Pipe Major of the band in 1973 through 1991 and a couple of times after that. Jack has played for numerous weddings, wakes, funerals and other performances throughout the area for years. Jack was the main instructor for the band while being Pipe Major and is continuing to teach to this day.
Jack is retired from the plumbing trade and is now the secretary of the band as well as Pipe Sergeant.
Brad Collins
Brad is the current pipe major of the band. He first discovered bagpipes in Pullman around 1997 and after receiving instruction from Kirk McMichael, became a member of the Border Highlanders of Pullman, WA/Moscow, ID. In 1999 he joined the Clan Gordon Pipe band but left to attend graduate school at OSU in 2005. While in Oregon, he played with the Clan Macleay Pipe band of Portland until 2009. After returning to Washington shortly thereafter, Brad reunited with the Gordons.
Brad is a science teacher at Peninsula High School in Gig Harbor. He is a piping instructor and plays weddings, memorials, and various other celebrations throughout the year.
Van Bradley
Van is originally from Seattle but now lives in Tacoma. He is retired from the US Marine Corps, currently working for the US Government at Bangor. He was in the Seattle Pipe Band from 1975 to 1978 and played with the Tacoma Scots from 1996 to 1999. He decided to join the Gordons shortly after and eventually became Pipe Major for 5 years.
Van is also a top notch Cowboy Action Shooter!
Grant Baker
Grant owns and operates Fort Fido Doggie Daycare in University Place with his family. Grant played with the Gordons for a bit as a wee lad. Although he claims he hasn’t grown much, he is back to with us again. He and his wife reside in Fircrest. His first pipe teacher was Mr. Sam Reid, may he rest in peace.
Bob Wallace
Bob was born and raised in Leith (the Port of Edinburgh), Scotland, as was his wife Rosemary. He first became interested in learning the pipes when a member of the Boy's Brigade (14th Leith). Bob emigrated to Canada in 1965 and moved (legally!!) into the USA in 1967. He joined the Gordon's in the mid-70's. He earned a BS in Civil Engineering from the Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh in '63 and spent most of his career in Structural Engineering, now retired. The Gordon's have been a big part of his life (and his three kids) since leaving Scotland. They are family and he believes that he has been truly blessed by the friendships he hasmade. He would like to say to all of the Gordons ... "Lang May Your Lum Reek".
Mike Oliver
Mike has been with the Gordons for a very long time. He is a past Pipe Major and is currently our band treasurer.Mike is a piping instructor.
Larry Morey
Larry is a long time piper and band member and does a great job as our quartermaster.
Ken Moorhouse
Ken was the band's Pipe Major for a few years. He has played with several bands in the northwest and is a piping instructor.
Harold & Tami Gwynne
Harold is a part-time side drummer. He fills in occasionally, but is extremely valuable behind the scenes.
Tami is our bass drummer and our current Drum Sergeant. She works at Sumner High School.
Larry Lopez
Larry is originally from Tacoma, but moved to California in 1962. He joined the Air Force right out of High School and was stationed in England for 2 years. In 1979, he attended Mount San Antonio College taking Small Business Administration. He married his wife Rene and decided to reinter the Air Force and was stationed again in England for 4 more years. Since his mother was Scot/German and his father was Mexican, he got a taste of a wide range of cultures. He also plays the Guitar, Pennywhistle (a bit) and is learning how to play the Mandolin.
He played drums in high school and was also in the drum and bugle corps for the U.S. Air Force for a while. He joined the Gordons in 1995 as a tenor drummer, but changed over to Side drum, He has only missed 2 years playing with the band since he started, when he moved to California after his Father died. He has played tenor drum, base drum, side drums, and now enhoys being our Drum Major. The only thing he has not done is learn how to play the pipes. He is still young, though...
John Vance
John has been a piper with the Gordons for a long time. He has performed admirably as Pipe Sergeant and Pipe Corporal off and on through the years. John is a piping instructor.
Bruce Corns
Bruce is a piper for the Gordons and has been around for about 10 years. He is a massage therapist.
LaRae McCutcheon
LaRae started playing pipes in 1999 following a dream that she had since 14 when she first heard her high school pipe band strike in. She started in Virginia with the Chesapeake Sheriff's Pipe Band while stationed at Portsmouth Naval Hospital as a Hospital Corpsman. After moving to Washington in 2001 she originally started with the Gordons but moved to the Tacoma Scots Pipe Band for five years so both of her teenage children could learn the side drums. She rejoined the Gordons in 2008 and that is where she has stayed. She retired from the Navy in 2004 after spending half of her 20 year career taking care of those well deserving Marines!! Corpsman Up!!
Tina Hamrick
Tina is a piper with the Gordons and has also played with the Kieth Highlanders. She owns a Llama Ranch near Eatonville.
Kate Elias
Kate is an Assistant Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at Seattle University. She lives in Seattle and commutes to Tacoma weekly for practice and performances. Kate began playing pipes in 1994 while a student at Shorecrest High School. Since then she has moved around a bit and had played with bands in Tacoma (Clan Gordon), Portland (Clan Macleay), and New Jersey (Friendly Sons of the Shellelagh). She loves to travel, hike, and spend time with Pete the cat, and her partner, Joe.
Rick Paquette
Sarah Clemente
Dave Keachie
Stephanie Tuey
Rob MacGregor
Carol MacGregor
Peter Moran
Hannah Moran
Karl Keil
Stacey Bradley
Bob Wiebe
Nancy Campbell
In Training
Jeff Litchfield
Barry Kidd
Ian Collins
Anna Collins
Jerrett Siler