Uncrowned Community Builders

Grover Washington, Sr. was a native of Savannah, Georgia. He came to Buffalo as a boy and worked at Republic Steel until the plant closed in 1983. But it was his interest in music that left his real legacy, according to his son, Grover Washington Jr., an internationally known saxophonist and Grammy award winner. According to the younger Washington, "He loved all kinds of music, from classical to the blues. He played the saxophone a lot around the house."

Mr. Washington, Sr. and Lillian, his wife of 30 years, filled their house on Glenwood Avenue with music during the 1950s while they were raising three sons, all of whom built careers around music.

"His real joy came from watching his three sons grow up and develop musically," Washington, Jr. recalled, crediting his early memories of his father's music for his interest in the saxophone.

Washington recalled that his father "started playing in the Army during World War II. He played tenor and C-melody sax, and he played in a few big bands around town," he said. "My brother Darryl is also an excellent percussionist and he's been playing with me for 10 years," Washington said. A second brother, Michael, who died in 1988, was a choir director and organist for Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Church and Friendship Baptist Church. He also arranged music for the Var-Son Singers.

Grover Washington Sr. was 67 years of age at the time of his passing on February 17, 1993. He is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, New York.