Ray is a native of Snyder, Texas, where his parents were advised by a doctor to have him play a wind instrument as therapy for childhood asthma. A call to relatives soon turned up an old slide trombone in the family. So at age 10 Ray began a life-long love affair with music and the trombone. He played in school bands through his high school years, and in 1941 he began to play in a really bad dance band. The experience scarred him for life! He was drafted into the Army in 1943 and placed into radio operator training (because even mediocre musicians routinely scored very high on Morse code aptitude tests). Ray carried his trombone into combat in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, and after the fighting subsided, he joined one of the USO-like entertainment groups made up of musicians, singers, and stand-up comics. After WWII Ray played in dance bands at the University of Texas, Austin, and at UT Medical Branch, Galveston. Then his trombone went into the closet for a 35 year hiatus. During the trombone's exile to the closet, Ray accumulated a wife and two children to support, so he joined the Air Force for internship at Wm. Beaumont Army Hospital. He was then assigned to the USAF School of Aviation Medicine, San Antonio, where as an Air Force flight surgeon he taught and did research on physiological measurement methods for use on air crew members in flight. Several years later, he left active duty and joined Southwest Research Institute to do medical instrumentation R&D. Ray left SwRI to join the VA Hospital System as a research administrator. After so many years of doing such fun things, it was time to go to work for a living, so he specialized in Nuclear Medicine and found that to be even more fun! He worked as a "nuke" in VA Hospitals at Kerrville, San Antonio and Dallas, there reaching the level of his incompetence as an administrator. After retirement 5 years ago, Ray finally was able to study music theory and take some private trombone lessons, learning immense respect for real musicians in the process.

Leland hails from Carmine, Texas, population 192, half way between Ledbetter and Burton. He's the older (and handsomer) brother of our Director, Dale. Leland is a multiple threat musician. He can actually play any part on any instrument in any section, and when his little brother is AWOL, Leland picks up the baton and leads the whole gaggle in fine fashion. What a guy! His BS with Music Major comes from Sul Ross State College ('49), but 8 years later they discovered some kind of defect in his degree and recalled him for remedial studies, resulting in a Master of Education degree ('57). During the intervening years, Leland started many music careers as the Band Director at Jourdanton High Schools ('49-'51); member of the 4th Army Hq Band at Fort Sam Houston, backing up vocals by Vic Damone ('51-'53); Band Director at Pearsall High School ('53-'57); Band Director at Alpine High School ('57-'60); Band Director at Pat Neff Middle School in San Antonio ('60-'87); and Artist in Residence for the San Antonio Independent School District ('89-91). Leland still carries a jam-packed schedule of students eager to learn from one of the best.

Al began his musical career in September 1944 when he signed up for the baritone at his middle school band in Corpus Christi, Texas. Within months he was persuaded to switch to trombone, where he has been ever since. He actually got his first paying gig only six months after first picking up his horn! In 1948 Al volunteered for a three year hitch in the Army. Somehow it took Al 20 years to complete that hitch, but along the way, he signed up for another hitch when in 1951 he married Olga. He's still working on that one. Throughout his Army career, Al organized various dance orchestras which he used to supplement his regular pay. By the time Al retired from the Army in 1968, Olga was playing electric bass and the rest of the Gomez Family (three daughters and a son) were also playing in the family band. After leaving the Army, Al earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree and began a second career teaching at various San Antonio schools. In May 1995, Al retired a second time and now spends his time as a substitute teacher, bingo and lotto player, and trombone player with the Lamplighters. He is also our official "keeper of the buckskin" -- that is, our Librarian. Al does a tremendous job looking after the more than 200 stock arrangements in the Lamplighters' books.

John Franklin Milam III 4th Trombone

John was born and raised in the Moore/Pearsall area in South Texas. He began playing his trombone in 6th grade in the Pearsall school system and proceeded through High Schhol as a member of the Maverick Band. During his high school years he was all-region trombone and was awarded first in state solo competition in trombone under the direction of Ray Bostick. John attended St. Mary's University with a music scholarship and played in the Rattler band under the direction of Leo Green. John graduated from St. Mary's with a degree in Biology. He has worked for the past 36 years as a agent/manager for Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Companies. John organizes and directs a church community band that plays at Christmas in Uvalde where he and his family live.