Patricia and Gene Wolff Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship honors the memory of longtime Traverse City residents and musicians Patricia and Gene Wolff and was established after Mr. Wolff"s death in 1992. Originally from Indiana and Detroit respectively, Pat and Gene met in Ohio in the mid-1940s when Pat was touring the United States with an all-girl big band. After a brief cross-country courtship, these two saxophone players married and eventually settled in Traverse City. While working for a steel company, Mr. Wolff continued to play for local jazz combos. For many years, Mrs. Wolff gave up music for motherhood but she later wrote a memoir, “I Ran Away With an All-Girl Band,” published prior to her death in December 1999.