Dave's interest in music began early, which may be
attributed to his parents; his mother was a ballerina with the Paul Whiteman
Orchestra in Chicago and his father was a singer in musicals. The family
traveled extensively causing Dave to attend seven different elementary schools
until they moved to the Pittsburgh area when he was fourteen. That was
when Dave received his first trumpet, and from that day on, his focus was on
becoming a professional musician. Throughout high school he played with
many local bands and upon graduation Dave had secured a job playing with the
staff band at WCAE.
Dave played all over the country with big bands and was booked at the New Yorker Hotel for a long run, but instead he went to Korea to fight for his country. He enlisted in the Air Force for four years, but was able to continue his music by being chosen to play lead trumpet in the official Air Force Band in San Francisco.
At the end of his tour of duty, Dave decided to enroll in the Music Education Department at Duquesne University. After graduating he accepted his first teaching position with the Peters Township School District in 1958.
Dave believed in the power of music and during his teaching years he developed an award-winning music program for the district. Although his first concert lacked a large number of players, Dave repeated the program twice because he was proud of his students. As the years went by, he introduced many innovative programs and was able to combine music with other forms of art in a creative manner. At one point, Dave was able to incorporate local artist Virgil Cantini with a composition by his band. He also gave the bands the opportunity to accompany professional musicians. No other schools were able to accomplish that type of programming at that time. Dave retired from the education field in 1986.
Dave Pew (center) along with senior members of the 1977 Peters Township Stage Band
Several of Dave's students continued in the music field. Since his death in 2001, Dave's wife Marcy and two children, Dave Jr. and Becki, have received scores of letters from all over the world. These letters from former students told the family how much they appreciated Dave's part in their education. This impact led Dave's former students to initiate the Dave Pew Memorial Scholarship Fund, which will provide educational scholarships to graduating seniors of Peters Township High School pursuing a career in music.