Dupuis, Robert 1926-

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Dupuis, Robert 1926-

PERSONAL:

Born September 25, 1926, in Detroit, MI; son of Luther H. (a police officer) and Mabel (a homemaker) Dupuis; married Loretta Jean Gardner (a schoolteacher), August 20, 1949; children: Denise Jean Morey, Diane. Education: Wayne State University, B.S., 1950, M.Ed., 1955, Education Specialist, 1964. Politics: "Active in some Democratic campaigns." Religion: Unitarian-Universalist. Hobbies and other interests: Jazz, jogging, bird-watching.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Grosse Pointe, MI. Office—725 Lincoln Rd., Grosse Pointe, MI 48230. Agent—Marie Brown Associates, 625 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

CAREER:

Writer and educator. Detroit Public Schools, Detroit, MI, teacher, 1950-57, counselor, 1957-63, assistant principal, 1963-66, principal, 1966-84; volunteer tutor for Detroit school children, 1991—. Also teacher and training consultant, Wayne County Intermediate School District, MI, 1984-87. Military service: U.S. Navy, 1944-46.

MEMBER:

International Association of Jazz Record Collectors, Michigan Jazz Record Collectors (president, 1991-92), Phi Delta Kappa.

WRITINGS:

Bunny Berigan: Elusive Legend of Jazz, Louisiana State University Press (Baton Rouge, LA), 1993.

Work represented in books, including Contemporary Musicians, Thomson Gale (Detroit, MI), 1991—; contributor to periodicals.

SIDELIGHTS:

Robert Dupuis once told CA: "My career was spent entirely in the Detroit public school system. As a junior high school student, I began playing the trumpet and was soon attracted to the sounds of jazz. Navy service in World War II led me into education; I was propelled by the idealistic notion that I could positively affect the ignorance I observed about me. Music of all kinds, and especially jazz, became an important recreational release.

"Captured by the unique sound of Bunny Berigan, the quintessential swing trumpeter, I kept waiting for someone to write his biography in order to secure his rightful place in jazz history. When, by 1984, that book had still not appeared, and I was presented with an early retirement opportunity, I decided to take up the challenge. My contacts with Berigan's family, friends, and fellow musicians have been rich and rewarding."

In a review of the author's biography of Berigan, titled Bunny Berigan: Elusive Legend of Jazz, a Publishers Weekly contributor commented that the author provides a look at "the major successes and myriad scrapes of Berigan's brilliant yet tormented career." John Mole, writing in the Times Literary Supplement, noted: "His book is clearly a labour of deep affection, and this rather touchingly shines through." In a review on the All About Jazz Web site, David Rickert wrote: "Dupuis is a Berigan fan who felt the need to present his hero to a larger public and should be commended for not only correctly asserting his importance but also giving an unvarnished look at the trumpeter's life."