The Peotone Vedette out of Illinois reported that DeNormandie, who grew up in the Chicago suburbs, was a junior at local Evergreen Park High School and had already received a number of musical honors and awards to that point in his life. Bob spent the past four years at the Illinois Youth Summer Music Camp at Urbana, and three years with the National Stage Bands at Bloomington, Ind., the article reads. He has won superior ratings in state solo contests and is a first chair baritone player with the Southwest Suburban Festival Concert.
Fifty-four years and 1,800 miles later, California resident DeNormandie arrived in Mason City, betting that all of that musical knowledge and experience would pay off.