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If anyone knows The Maestro, it's Joel Bishop.
The manager of Barden's department store is a violinist who took personal lessons from Stanley Nosal and played in Nosal's Tremper High School orchestra during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
"Stan sets goals for students that are both reasonable and challenging," said Bishop, who since his high school days has worked with Nosal as a volunteer assistant conductor. "He shows students how to get to the goals, encourages them along the way and accepts nothing less than achievement."
One morning last week, while taking his daily exercise walk along Lake Michigan, Nosal, 63, fell and injured his right hand and wrist.
"It's my bow arm, and it's going to take a long time to heal," Nosal said Tuesday, his arm in a cast. "To teach, I need to play. I need to demonstrate techniques, show how it's done, to play with the students and be part of the sound. I love that.
"If I can't be 100 percent at this stage of my career, then it's time to call it quits."
His recent retirement notice, following a 35-year career in local schools, caught Kenosha Unified District administrators by surprise.
"Stan achieved a remarkable level of success," said Unified Fine Arts Coordinator Larry Simmons, also a former Nosal student. "I don't mind telling you that he will be very difficult to replace."
When he was hired in 1961, Nosal was given a free hand to build an orchestra program. He began by setting higher performance standards for students at the old Bradford High School, and providing instruction to elementary and junior high students to develop a feeder system.
In 1965, his Tremper orchestra went to a regional music conference and won its first award -- the first of more than 100.
Dining at a swanky hotel restaurant in Minneapolis six years later, Nosal and his party were serenaded by wandering string musicians. Intrigued by the idea, he started his own minstrel troupe at Tremper, the Golden Strings.
"I wanted my kids to have that extra opportunity to tap into their talents and capabilities," Nosal said. "I wanted to show them the world of entertainment, the bright lights, that there is life beyond high school. I'm proud to say we set a new standard."
Golden Strings performed in Canada and Mexico. They performed in Washington, D.C., before Nancy Reagan. They performed for several national and international music organizations at their annual conventions.
Their biggest moment came in December 1987 when the 29 musicians performed for 10 days in Hong Kong at the invitation of the Taiwan government.
They're still at it.
"I've had so many good students and was looking forward to working with this year's group," Nosal said. "I'll miss it but that's the way it goes. I'll have to find something else to do."
Posted August 16, 996