LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION congratulating John Oberbrunner upon the occasion
of his designation as recipient of the Louis and Adrienne Krasner Award

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize those
extraordinary individuals who have made contributions to the success and
progress of society in the course of their life's work; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to congratu-
late John Oberbrunner upon the occasion of his designation as recipient
of the Louis and Adrienne Krasner Award on Sunday, May 23, 2010; and
WHEREAS, In being presented the Louis and Adrienne Krasner Award, John
Oberbrunner is only the fifth person to be honored in the 60 years the
Syracuse Friends of Chamber Music has been in business; Louis Krasner,
the distinguished violinist with an international reputation, started
the all-volunteer group in 1949; and
WHEREAS, John Oberbrunner has been retired, since 1994, as principal
flutist with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra; he came to Syracuse from
his native Manhattan in order to study at Syracuse University in 1947,
and has been there ever since; and
WHEREAS, John Oberbrunner and his wife, Carol, have been married close
to 50 years; she is a full-time teacher of philosophy at Hobart-William
Smith Colleges in Geneva, where she was named Teacher of the Year in
2009; John is also a member of the college faculty; and
WHEREAS, John Oberbrunner has three adult children, and four grand-
children; he mentioned that Syracuse was a much simpler town as far as
the performing arts were concerned when he arrived 60 plus years ago as
a Syracuse University freshman; at age 20, he was teaching band music in
the Syracuse school district; and
WHEREAS, In 1961, John Oberbrunner joined the new Syracuse Symphony
Orchestra as a charter member and contributed some of the first notes to
the first concert; toward the end of his career with the Syracuse
Symphony, he was troubled by a condition called focal dystonia in his
left wrist, also known as writer's cramp; it wasn't painful, but it
severely limited his public playing; and
WHEREAS, John Oberbrunner's orchestral career included hundreds of
concerts throughout Central New York with the symphony musicians and the
orchestra's Woodwind Quintet; in 1962, for instance, he and Louis Kras-
ner performed at the old Everson Museum on James Street with the late
Eric Dolphy, the iconic jazz musician who later would become the center
of a spring fling tradition at LeMoyne College; and
WHEREAS, John Oberbrunner looks back on his long career, "the glory
years," he calls them, with no regrets, because it is still moving
ahead, and is still vigorous; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that those who
enhance the life in their community and have shown a long and sustained
commitment to excellence certainly have earned recognition and applause;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
congratulate John Oberbrunner upon the occasion of his designation as
recipient of the Louis and Adrienne Krasner Award; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to John Oberbrunner.