Mr.
William L. Rutherford has been
the director of bands at Gulf High School since 1994 and is entering
his 9th year as 'maestro'. Mr. Rutherford was born in Norfolk,
Virginia and moved to Pensacola, Florida when he was 6 months
old.His family moved to New Port Richey when he was 7 where he
entered the first grade at Anclote Elementary, where he began
his music career in the 4th grade under the instruction of John
Keon (who is currently the band director at Hudson Middle School
and was recently selected as Pasco County Teacher of the Year!)
'Big R' (as his students call him), studied privately under the
late James Clark and was selected for the Pasco County Band from
5th grade up to his senior year in high school.
Mr. Rutherford later attended Gulf Middle School under the direction of Mr. Robert Wilson. After two years of middle school band, 'Big R' moved up as a student to Gulf High School and joined the well-known Buccaneer Band lead by Mr. Edward Francis. Mr. Rutherford was a member of the GHS Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Jazz Ensemble and received numerous awards through solo and ensemble performances which was capped off with a superior rating as student conductor his senior year.
After Mr. Rutherford graduated from Gulf in 1988, he then was accepted and attended the University of South Florida in Tampa. At USF, he was a member of the USF Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Brass Choir, Jazz Ensemble I and II, Basketball Pep Band, and served one semester as principal trumpet for the USF Orchestra. His teaching began when he became a member of USF's Community Music Division, where taught trumpet privately. Mr. Rutherford studied trumpet under Don Owen and conducting under Dr. Mallory Thompson. It was at this time that he joined the Collegiate Music Educators National Conference (CMENC) and was also a member of the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE). As a member of the USF Jazz Ensemble I, Mr. Rutherford can be found on their CD recording 'Suncoast 92'.
Upon completion of his internship at Ridgewood High School with band director Robert Neale, Mr. Rutherford received his Bachelors of Science in Music Education from USF in the Spring of 1994. It was at this time that he received a call informing him that the position at Gulf High School was open. Destiny? Fate? More like luck! 'Big R' was hired and began his teaching career in the Fall of 1994.
Awards and accolades earned through his 8 years is as follows: superior ratings with marching, concert, and jazz ensembles at Florida Bandmasters Association evaluations; Superior Concert Band-Music in the Parks Music Festival, Atlanta (2000); FBA District Chairman (2000-2001); FBA Technology Committee Chairman (2001); Teacher of the Year-Sam's Club (2002); Teacher of the Year-VFW Post 7845 and VFW District 21 (2002).
Mr. Rutherford has been married to Mrs. Kelly Rutherford for 10 years and they have two daughters; Elizabeth (7) and Brittany (3).
Mrs. Kelly Rutherford is also a graduate of Gulf High School (1987), where she was a guard member for 4 years and served as guard captain for 2 of those years under Sheila Kotter. She is also a graduate of the University of South Florida where she earned her Bachelors of Science degree in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education. She currently teaches kindergarten through 2nd grade at Mittye P. Locke Elementary in New Port Richey and has been teaching for 11 years.
As Color Guard Sponsor, Mrs. Rutherford has achieved a great amount of success. For eight years consecutively, the GHS Indoor Guard has received a superior rating at their annual FBA Solo and Ensemble Festival. The Color Guard has also received superiors seven out of the eight times they have marched with the Marching Bucs at their annual marching evaluation. Before becoming Gulf's guard sponsor, she also served one year as the guard sponsor for Hudson High School and at Tarpon Springs High School
Mr. Todd Betz
is the percussion instructor and is also beginning his 9th year
at Gulf. Todd is a fellow graduate with Mr. Rutherford from Gulf
High School (1988) and also received his Bachelors and Masters
at the University of South Florida where he studied percussion
performance with well-known percussionist Robert McCormick. At
USF, he was a member of the USF Wind Ensemble, Symphony Band,
Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble I and II, Basketball Pep Band, and the
Percussion Ensemble, and is also a member of the Percussive Arts
Society. Todd's musical career paralleled Mr. Rutherford's as
he, too, attended Anclote Elementary, Gulf Middle, and Gulf High.
'Big R' and Todd have been friends since 2nd grade, roomed together
in college, and were even the best men at each others' weddings!
Currently, Mr. Betz teaches percussion, music theory, and music history at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. He is also a free-lance performer and has played with such famous artists as Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Anne Murray, and Henry Mancini to name a few. Todd is also a member of the West Coast Symphony Orchestra in Sarasota and principal percussionist for the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra in Fort Myers. He has been married to Katie Betz for four years, who you can find out more about her below.
Mrs. Katie Betz teaches brass at Gulf High School and has done so for over 4 years. Katie is a graduate of Gaither High School in Tampa, where she performed under the baton of award winning band director Darryl Hancock and attends the University of South Florida where she has obtained a minor in music and is currently studying for a business degree. She was formerly a music major at USF where she studied trombone and euphonium under Don Kneeburg. She was a member of the USF Wind Ensemble, Symphony Band, Basketball Pep Band, and Brass Choir. Katie is also past president and still member of Sigma Alpha Iota, the women's music fraternity at USF. Katie also was an administrative assistant to the USF Festival of Winds in 1996 and 1997.