Desert Winds

Freedom Band

Awards

Bob Montooth Spirit Award

Bob Montooth Spirit Award
The Bob Montooth Spirit Award seeks to honor a DWFB member who demonstrates the spirit, dedication, and enthusiasm of a long standing past member and Board Member of the organization. The award is presented each year at the Band's Spring Concert.
Bob Montooth’s life was dedicated to making music and enriching the lives of others. While at Columbus Grove High School he developed a district, state and national award winning marching band program that became the pride of Columbus Grove. He also helped direct the school musicals. Besides teaching music at Columbus Grove, he was an assistant director of General Putnam's Men Drum and Bugle Corps, was active in community theaters in Lima, Columbus and Palm Springs, and helped start the LGBT band "Capitol Pride" in Columbus, Ohio. He loved being a tour guide for bands, choirs and orchestras around the globe for New Horizons Tour and Travel and Bob Rogers Travel and helped breathe new life into the Desert Winds Freedom Band in Palm Springs, California as a board member for 11 years. He lived his life to the fullest right up to the end.
The spirit, motivation, and enthusiasm of Bob Montooth remain alive and well within the Desert Winds Freedom Band community. We seek to honor this legacy annually with this award named in his honor, to an individual who strives above and beyond for musical excellence, camaraderie, and commitment to our community. Nominees for the Bob Montooth Spirit Award will come directly from the Membership of Desert Winds Freedom Band.

The Dencil White Leadership Award was created in 2023 to honor its namesake for his tireless devotion to the success and growth of our organization.
Dencil joined the Band as a trumpet player after he and his husband moved to Palm Springs from Washington, D.C. to retire. During his time with the Desert Winds Freedom Band Dencil served first as Board Secretary and later was elected Band President, a position he held for 6 years, including the time of the COVID pandemic. During his tenure as President the Band achieved growth, both in membership and in concert attendance. Dencil helped place the Band on sound financial footing while he ushered the organization into the web era with a new website and online ticket purchases. While doing all of this Dencil was also a model Band member, always helping with concert setup and teardown, making sure there was water at rehearsals, and greeting new and old members alike.
The Board of Directors established this award to honor his exceptional legacy of extended and dedicated service.  The award will be given to Band Members nominated by the Board of Directors who emulate Dencil White and his sustained commitment to music, performance, leadership, and the welfare of our organization.