GLOUCESTER: Irving Herbert "Herb" Pomeroy III, 77, legendary jazz trumpeter and educator, died peacefully at his home in Gloucester on Saturday, August 11, 2007 after a long battle with cancer. He was the beloved husband of Dorothy “Dodie” Gibbons. He was also the husband of the late Elizabeth (Loftin) Pomeroy.
Born in Gloucester on April 15, 1930 he was the son of the late Dr. Irving H. Pomeroy Jr. and Alice (Ehler) Pomeroy. Herb attended Gloucester High School and was a graduate of Williston Academy, Class of 1949. He attended Harvard University, but left after one year to study music at Schillinger House, the predecessor to Boston's Berklee College of Music.
Herb was a renowned jazz musician, educator, and bandleader. After several years on the road as a trumpet player in the bands of Lionel Hampton and Stan Kenton, he stepped out on his own with The Herb Pomeroy Big Band, which was acclaimed nationally for both their live performances and recordings. Herb influenced generations of jazz musicians during his more than 40 years of teaching at Berklee College of Music and his 22 years as founder and music director of the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble. In 1995, Herb was presented with an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the Berklee College of Music. In 1996, Herb was inducted into the International Association of Jazz Educators Hall of Fame and in 1997 into the Down Beat Jazz Education Hall of Fame. In 2007, Salem State College awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award. Also a noted composer and arranger, Herb's name became synonymous with jazz in the Boston area. Duke Ellington called Herb one of America's jazz treasures.
Herb was an avid fan of local sports, including the entire Gloucester High School football program, as well as the Intertown Baseball League. He was also a great fan of the Boston Red Sox and delighted his grandchildren with his encyclopedic knowledge of the team's history and statistics.
In addition to his loving wife, he is survived by his children and stepchildren, including his daughter, Perry Pomeroy and her husband Joseph Musacchio, of Hamilton; his son, Eden Pomeroy and fiancée Staci Shapiro, of Lake Worth, FL; his stepchildren Colleen Gibbons, of Buffalo, NY; Bridget Gibbons and her husband Andrew Sapon, of Bronxville, NY; Kevin Gibbons and his wife Eileen, of West Hartford, CT; and Daniel Gibbons, of San Francisco, CA. He is also survived by his many adoring grandchildren, Greta and Max Musacchio, of Hamilton; Cameron and Mason Shapiro, of Lake Worth, FL; Jakob Robbins, of Delray Beach, FL; Abram Gibbons and his wife Jennifer, of Charlotte, NC; Sean, Kyle, and Katie Gibbons, of West Hartford, CT; Liam Sapon, of Bronxville, NY; and Tyler Gibbons of Pittsburg, PA. Herb is also survived by his great-grandson Nicholas Rodriguez, of Charlotte, NC, and by his sisters Paula Pomeroy Rix, of Ormond Beach, FL, and Paige Pomeroy Marto, of Cookeville, TN. Herb was also predeceased by two stepsons, Patrick and Timothy Gibbons and a granddaughter, Brandi Rose Thompson.
A celebration of Herb’s life and music will be held on Sunday, September 9th in the Emmanuel Church, 15 Newbury St., Boston at 3 P.M. Transportation from Gloucester to Emmanuel Church and back will be available. To reserve a seat, please call 617-452-2283. Visiting hours will be held on Wednesday, August 15th in the Pike-Grondin Funeral Home, 61 Middle Street, Gloucester from 4 – 8 P.M. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Herb's memory to any of the following organizations: Berklee College of Music's Herb Pomeroy Scholarship Fund, 1140 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02215; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, c/o The Herb Pomeroy Jazz Development Fund, 14N-207, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139; Gloucester Scholarship Foundation in memory of Herb Pomeroy, c/o Cape Ann Savings Bank, 109 Main St., Gloucester, MA 01930 or to the Intertown Baseball League, c/o Terry Poste, 2 White Road, South Hamilton, MA 01982.