TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
In September 2024, Grissom’s family took him to his favorite spot on Little Missouri Falls.
Maylee Waddill, a student of Grissom, was gifted his favorite bass guitar, a gesture that reflects his commitment to supporting young musicians.
this awful disease, and that no one ever experiences the heartache it brings.” For Grissom’s students, his legacy lives on in every note they play. Maylee Waddill, one of those students, said, “Mr. Grissom has been the greatest inspiration of my life, and I wouldn’t be who I am without him. He saw something in me that day we met that I had not yet seen in myself. He passed on the beautiful, creative spark he has along to me. That’s the greatest gift anyone can ever ask for.” In a special moment a few months ago, Grissom gave Maylee one of his favorite bass guitars. It was an act that left a deep impression on them both. “I owe everything I have accomplished and will accomplish to him because he believed in a young girl who wanted to play music,” she said. “I am incredibly thankful to have met such an amazing, inspiring, talented, and gifted man.” Jay Sutton, the current band director at Pleasant Grove, shares a unique connection with Grissom. He began his career at Pleasant Grove when Sutton was a freshman, so Sutton had the rare honor of working with him as both a student and a colleague. “Ed Grissom has been more than just a band director,” he said. “He has been a mentor, a friend, and a true inspiration. His love for music and his students has shaped not only our band but also the hearts of everyone he has taught. I am
lucky to have had him as both an instructor and a colleague.” Through all the hardship, Grissom remains focused on what matters. “I want to be remembered for the lessons I taught and the music I played,” he said. “I want my legacy to continue through my own children and the students I’ve had over the years. I think they’ve done a good job so far. I find great satisfaction knowing that someone has a love for music because I helped them find it.” One of Grissom’s favorite quotes comes from the movie Dazed and Confused . “You just gotta keep livin’—L-I-V-I-N.” It’s a simple but powerful reminder to face life head-on, even when it throws the hardest of trials your way. Grissom’s story is not just one of a teacher battling cancer. It is the story of a man who has spent his life making music, not just with instruments, but with compassion and joy. That melody lives on in every student he has inspired, every song he has played, and every life he has touched. Though the tempo may change, and the notes may soften, the song still continues in the halls of Pleasant Grove, in the hearts of his family, in the students he has taught, and in everyone who has been blessed to know him. Because people, like music, have the power to change the world. And Ed Grissom’s music will always play on.
Shannon Sandage, Ed Grissom, and Russell Roberts, “The Dream Team,” recreate a photo from August 2006. The updated photo was taken during Grissom’s induction into the Four States Bandmasters Hall of Fame in January 2025.
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LIFE & STYLE
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