Lives Lived
Fuchs, who spent a lifetime making, teaching, and directing music, had been diagnosed earlier that year with ALS, a neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.
“I don't want to stop conducting, but my arms are like noodles now. A lot of energy goes into it and I don’t want to hold the group back,” he said before picking up the baton for the Four State Symphonic Winds and the Kansas Army National Guard 35th Infantry Division Band.
“It’s really hard to say goodbye – I love the people so much. I love making music and have conducted all over the world. For this to be my last concert is really, really hard.”
He retired in 2023.
On June 8, 2024, Fuchs peacefully passed surrounded by his family. He was 62.
The outpouring of remembrances made publicly on Facebook by former students and colleagues was immediate, and there were many. Among them:
“Dr. Fuchs, you brought so much joy, growth, and belief to countless students! I don’t believe there has been a person you encountered in your life who wasn’t challenged, encouraged, and sent away better by knowing you.” —Wyatt Smith (Music Education ‘17).
“I have had so many excellent music instructors and mentors in my life and Dr. Craig Fuchs is one of my most recent and influential ones. I think of him every time I direct my band because he was the last instructor to really teach me how to command a Wind Ensemble. My teaching style and conducting style are a direct result of his mastery of the craft.” — Louis Morgan (Master of Music ‘11).
“Dr. Fuchs had a way of motivating and believing in his students, even those of us from little podunk towns, and pushing us to be excellent in whatever life paths we pursue. I am a better teacher, student, musician, and friend for having known you." — Mara Nowlin (Music Education ‘17, Master of Music ‘23).
Fuchs earned degrees in music education from Missouri Western State University and the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a doctorate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music. He spent 10 years teaching in public schools in Kansas and Missouri prior to moving to the collegiate level.
During his 24-year tenure at Pitt State, he served as director of bands, chair of the Music Department, director of the Honors College, and director of the Bachelor of General Studies Program.
In 2001 and 2012, he was honored with the Robert K. Ratzlaff Outstanding Faculty Award by the Student Government Association.
In 2023 he was inducted into the Kansas Music Educators Association (KMEA) Hall of Fame.
Under his leadership, the Pitt State Wind Ensemble performed at the 2006, 2009, 2011, and 2016 KMEA Music Conventions, and was invited to perform at Lincoln Center in New York City in April 2015.
In recent months, he turned to Facebook to share thoughts, words of wisdom, and memories. That trip was among the highlights, which he noted on April 6:
“What great memories with the PSU Wind Ensemble performing at Lincoln Center in New York 9 years ago. What a band and what a performance!”
Fuchs was in demand as a conductor/clinician for regional and district honor bands and maintained an active schedule as an adjudicator in the marching band arena each fall.
He was a guest conductor in England, France, The Netherlands, Brazil, and Paraguay, including the Banda Sinfonica Policia Nacional de Paraguay in 2019.
It, too, was a fond memory, which he noted on April 13.
“One of my greatest honors was conducting the Banda Sinfonia de Policia National de Paraguay. Wonderful people, wonderful musicians, amazing experience. God blessed me beyond measure with this one!”
He was proud that for 13 seasons, he performed as a member of the T.D. Pack Band, the official band of the Kansas City Chiefs. Last year, former Chiefs player and Pitt State Gorilla Football alumnus Kendall Gammon surprised Fuchs and his family with an all-expenses paid trip to Super Bowl LVII in Arizona on behalf of Team Gleason, an organization that provides ALS patients with unique experiences.
As part of his work with the Pitt State Honors College, Fuchs also led study abroad trips to Europe for 13 years, influencing the lives of students across many majors. He was known for wrapping up each Honors College meeting or event with the phrase “Go forth and conquer.”
In 2022 and 2023, Honors College students organized a 5K fundraiser as a tribute, calling it “The Go Forth and Conquer 5K.”
“When I first got here, I struggled with trying to learn how to be an independent person away from home, and I ended up in his office a lot of days asking about certain situations,” said Trinity Dobbs (Biology/Pre-Med ‘22). “He was a really good listener, and he gave good advice.”
Fuchs kept in touch with his former students, many of whom paid him visits in recent months.
“My former students went on after graduation to lead bands and music programs of their own at schools across the region,” he said after his KMEA Hall of Fame induction. “It’s comforting to know that you played a role in the ripple effect — things you taught your students are now being taught to their students.”
On Feb. 23, he hit a milestone, and with what his friends and family had already come to recognize as trademark optimism and a continued effort to educate others, he wrote this:
“Today is the two-year anniversary of my diagnosis. I have lost so much with my ALS, but I have also gained so much. Since the average life span of someone with ALS is 2-5 years from diagnosis, I figure every day from here on out is a bonus day!”
He also detailed his physical failings in that post, but continued:
“...I am going to remain strong, positive, and fight like heck to deal with everything that comes my way...I am not dying from ALS, I am learning to LIVE my life with ALS. Go Forth and Conquer!! Love to you all.”
By June 1, his condition had worsened, and he wrote what would be his final post.
It ended:
“.....I have fought a good fight but I am ready for comfort and peace.”
Fuchs is survived by his wife Kelly, daughter Kelsey (Psychology '22), sons Andrew and Caleb (General Studies '22), and extended family and close friends.
