Alan White, award-winning drummer and longtime member of the band Yes, and his wife Gigi, made their home in Newcastle and supported music education in our community.
We moved to Newcastle early in 1994, before it became a city.
Alan was committed to furthering music education for our youth. We co-founded the non-profit ‘Music Aid Northwest’ and with the support of House of Representatives sponsor Marcie Maxwell, we were instrumental in establishing a ‘Music Matters’ special license plate to help fund music programs in our schools statewide.
Alan also worked with two local school bands to provide music for the Diamond Awards event held at Newcastle Golf Course. He rehearsed with the musicians at their schools and taught them his music prior to the ceremonies.
One of our favorite memories was attending the first Newcastle Days celebration where the historical society had an exhibit of B&W photographs from the early days of mining in Newcastle. Many of the miners were from small towns close to where Alan grew up in England and he felt fortunate to have relocated in an area with so much history that he could relate to.
We’ve witnessed a lot of growth with some great additions to the city. The Newcastle Library, The YMCA, the outdoor stage at Lake Boren. and the recent development of The Commons have added much to our community.
Alan and I used to enjoy walking our Jack Russells at Lake Boren Park, then relaxing afterwards at Tapatio with a meal and a refreshing beverage.
The City of Newcastle is continually growing alongside our neighboring communities, but our hope is that it always retains its friendly, welcoming spirit and small-town vibe: a place where you know your mailman, your kids’ teachers, the clerks at the stores, the servers at the restaurants, your city workers, your local police and fireman, and the neighbors on your street.
Newcastle is a special place to be, and we feel truly blessed to have called it our home for the past 30 years.
Alan and Gigi's story was edited for publication. Learn more about Alan and Gigi White here.