Ongoing donations to the Tucson Jazz Institute (TJI) Ben Stowers Scholarship Fund allow us to continue remembering Ben, his kindness, and his love of jazz music through awarding scholarships to middle and high school students and sponsorships of travel expenses to festivals and guest artists. To donate, you may use the PayPal links on this website notating it’s in memory of Ben, mail a check to PO Box 87736, Tucson AZ 85754 (payable to the Tucson Jazz Music Foundation, or do a ‘direct deposit’ – inquire for bank account details.
As of February 13, 2024, the TJI Ben Stowers Scholarship Fund has received $59,145 in donations.
$8680 funded six 2023-24 TJI students for the school year: (left to right) Lan Hoang Nguyen, Damien Dent, Zayden Morgan*, Isaac Lee (not pictured), Ryan Robles*, and Diego Valencia. *TJI Ellington Big Band members.
$9725 funded eight 2022-23 TJI students for the school year: (left to right) Zayden Morgan, Nicholas Moreno, Isaac Lee, Daniel Valenzuela, Damien Dent, Lan Hoang Nguyen, Ryan Robles, and Andrew Rohde.
$10,000 was applied towards NYC/NJ travel expenses for 29 TJI students, of which 19 TJI Ellington Big Band members participated in the Essentially Ellington Regional Festival at the Newark Academy in New Jersey on April 15, 2023. (Seven of these students were on full-scholarship.)
$30,206 – remaining balance as of February 13, 2024
THANK YOU DONORS
Thank you to the following donors for your generous donations. Names are grouped with the most recent being first. If any name(s) is missing, please don’t hesitate to let us know: treasurer@tjmfdn.org
2024 Donors (as of February 13th) raised $450: Elliot Glicksman and William M. & Caroline M. McKee
2023 Donors (as of December 26th) raised $25,800: Scott Seldin and the 5151 East Broadway Tower (Tucson) employees/businesses, Beauvais Family, Barbara J Dawson & Sam Thumma, Albert Gordon, David Jackson, Natalie Kujawa, Kevin & Barbara Leehey, Barbara McCartney, Michael McGrath, Shawn & Judy McLaren, Michael Garth Moore, Myrdal Charitable Trust, Linda Pelger, Christopher Schaffner, and Laurie S Seder
Announced December 2022: Scott Seldin and the 5151 East Broadway Tower (Tucson) employees/businesses | Gary and Ellen Hineman, Barbara McCartney, Shawn & Judy McLeran, Andy & Lydia Mrozowski
Announced October 23, 2022: Betty Abraham, Anonymous, Laurie Ainslie, Catherine Aspinwall & Catherine Gioannetti, Zach Bell & Family, Renee Clift, Cameron Davidson & Family, Herbert & Colette Gramm, Leslie Grant, Jerrold & Lex Grecu, Rachel Green, Cathy Jahnke, Jennifer Kirkpatrick, Stephanie MacFarland, Max McCauslin, Leo & Kathleen Oberto, Linda Pelger and Elaine Treweek
Announced August 12, 2022: Peter Akmajian, Jill Archer, Augie Bello Music LLC, James Azadian, Joseph Bell, Karen Bise, Sally Bockisch, Brad & Paige Brainard, Gabriel Choza, Hortensia Meg Cota, The Dillingham Family, Jasper Dutz, Lorena Felix, Elliot and Lorraine Glicksman, Leslie Grant; Claire, Maureen & Matt Hanson; Chris, Kylie & Jazmin Harvey; Susie & James Heinz, Barbara L Hughes, Peter Ickes, The Jackson Family, David Januszewski, Mark Jenks, Mark & Sara Knepper, Kim Konrad, Natalie Kujawa, Amy Krauss & Richard Gordon, Mark Maloney, Michael McGrath, Beatrice Muller, Paul & Kelly Myrdal, James Nelsen, Susan Petrus, Amy Pille, Emma Potter, Pete Rondello Sr, William & Nancy Roth, Laurie Seder, Margaret Shafer, Lee Shaw, Scott Sherman, Alan Solot, Crystal Soltero, Anthony Speranza, Molly Trainor, Kayla Thurber, Tucson Jazz Festival, Sydney Vogelgesang, Marcy Wood & Kristin Gunckel
Link to: Jam Session at Brother John’s, Sept 3, 2022, last 30 minutes.
Link to: Celebration of Life at Hacienda del Sol, Sept 4, 2022, with photo slideshow. Link to: Ben’s Facebook page, Spotify, obituary (September 6, 1997-June 14, 2022)