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Yahr then retired again and began to serve his community. He is now chairman of the Hope Township Park Commission, vice chair of the township road committee, and active at Floyd Church of God.

But mostly, he stands on guard for the American Legion.

The Sanford Legion is more like a family post. We do a lot for the community and the veterans,” he said. “We’re not a drinking club and not just an old guys’ club.

Yahr became post adjutant in 2014 and since then, the group has been embraced by many new members. They are honorably discharged veterans from every American service branch.

“My job is to take care of members and the administrative part of the post,” he said.

There were 344 members when Yahr became adjutant eight years ago. But today, Post 443 has 450 members and has surpassed nearby Midland Berryhill Post 165 in membership, Yahr said.

Yahr said some American Legion posts are thought to be just drinking clubs. But he said his outfit is much different than that.

“The Sanford Legion is more like a family post. We do a lot for the community and the veterans,” he said. “We’re not a drinking club and not just an old guys’ club.”

They host burger nights, bingo, comedy nights, fish fries and usually one major event per month, as well as offering plenty of camaraderie and counseling. There also is a biker group, an auxiliary and sons of the American Legion detachment.

“It’s very open, very friendly. You can’t replace the camaraderie.”

Yahr said a new member, a veteran of the Persian Gulf era, recently sent him an email after being embraced at the club.

“He said how much he enjoyed the club and it was so much fun. He said he loved it and he really thanked me for inviting him out.”

Yahr said he’s not in it for the glory. He simply enjoys getting veterans to see what’s in it for them.

“That’s my passion – membership,” he said. “I love going into a veteran’s home and talking to them about the Legion.

“It doesn’t matter what branch of the service, when it comes down to it. We are all brothers and sisters. … Only a veteran can understand what a veteran’s gone through.”

Yahr’s commitment to the Sanford American Legion was recognized when he was chosen the state’s Adjutant of the Year in 2017-2018. He admits that since his retirement, the post has become his mission.

His wife, Joy, also helps.

“She’s there at a lot of the events for me,” he said. “That’s the only way she sees me.”

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Music man: Roger Stevens continues lifelong passion

DAVE SHANE

for the Daily News

When Roger Stevens was a 5-yearold boy growing up in western New York state, he began taking piano lessons.

“We had a piano in the house, so learning to play it was like satisfying my curiosity,” he said. It became the first step in a lifetime of music. The Midland man has played instruments, been in many bands, received two college degrees in music education and taught music to countless youngsters – mostly in his 23 years as a teacher at Northeast Middle School.

Today, Stevens, now 65 years old and retired, is still teaching young people how to play their instruments as an instructor at Upbeat Music Academy, a local family business. Stevens said many students begin playing music at school in the fifth grade. And he was their introduction to a new instrument – and, potentially, a world filled with music. “When we go into the fifth-grade classroom, first we demonstrate the instruments … and then we take a survey,” he said. “They come to us with their desire, and then they get to try the instrument.” Some instruments seem a bit more popular than others, and that popularity can change over time. But the goal is to have enough variety to form a band.

“It kind of goes in cycles,” Stevens said. “Drums are always popular … and for a while the saxophone was popular. “The goal is to take the students’ requests and try to get a good distribution.”

Stevens said showing the various instruments to students and watching their reactions was one of his greatest thrills as a teacher.

Longtime music teacher Roger Stevens of Midland keeps an eye on a young drummer from Auburn (not pictured) as they practice for a duet during a recent music lesson at UpBeat Music Academy.

“That definitely is always a highlight, to open their eyes and ears to what’s possible. … That was a great treat.” Stevens’s specialty is percussion, which he has played in various groups. But he knows every instrument and can teach them all. That comes from his two degrees in music education.

Over the years, he has watched some of his students go on to great things in music. Many have gone on to play for the state’s university marching bands, such as at Michigan State, Michigan, Western Michigan and Central Michigan. One of his former students is now working as a drummer at a band in Nashville.

“The successes happen all the time, and it’s always exciting,” he said. “I think that any instrument played well is an achievement.”

Music was a family affair at the Stevens home. His wife, Nancy, played clarinet and bass clarinet in high school. And all five of their grown daughters played instruments in “Dad’s band.”

These days, besides teaching at UpBeat Music Academy, Stevens helps coach students in the drumlines at both Dow and Meridian Early College high schools. He enjoys listening to classical rock and symphonic music. And, he keeps playing the drums, although sometimes it is with his now-grownup students. “I’ve had some former students of mine play in the Chemical City Band with me,” he said. “That’s fun; that’s really cool.” As for giving instruction to young people, Stevens is not sure when it will stop. “I do love to do it. Right now, I don’t have any plans to stop.” Of course, for a music man like Stevens, that means he is still practicing. When was the last time he practiced an instrument?

“That was the trumpet – yesterday,” he said.