Harry Wolf, 81, director for 67 years of the Waterloo German Band, which plays German waltzes, polkas and fox trots. The five-member band has played across the United States and in other countries.

FAMILY • Two children: Russel Wolf, 55, an insurance salesman and member of the band, also of Waterloo; and Renard Wolf, 53, a Boeing employee who lives in St. Paul, in St. Charles County. Wolf was the second of four children born to the late Herman and Emma Wolf. His father was a rural letter carrier; his mother was a homemaker and organist for more than 45 years for several churches in the Waterloo area. Two of his three siblings are deceased. His remaining living sibling, Irene Wenzel, 76, is a housewife in Collinsville.

EDUCATION • Waterloo High School, 1948; after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Harry attended Edinboro University in Edinboro, Pa., and earned a B.S. in education in 1958.

Were you a music teacher?

No, I never taught music and I never took music lessons. I have no formal training. I was taught by my mother, and the rest I taught myself.

What did you teach and for how long?

I taught geography and the German language. I taught for 34 years. I started out teaching high school in Eureka, and then I transferred to Belleville, where I taught grade school and then spent the last 28 years teaching middle school.

When did you retire?

At the end of the 1989 school year.

Is that when you devoted yourself to the band?

Oh, I think I always devoted myself to the band. It's just that after I retired, I had more time to spend on it. As soon as I retired, I could play afternoons.

What instrument do you play?

The tuba.

How did the band get started?

The band was started in 1939 by the Monroe County Farm Bureau, and I played cornet for them. I was 9 at the time. Then with the war and all, it fell apart. We had a family band at home and in about 1945, my mom started "The Hungry Five" band, which was me, my brother Nelson, and some other boys from the neighborhood, Jimmy Heyl, Bill Schmidt and Otto Bassler.

When did you take it over?

From the beginning I was doing all the paper work, and I'm still doing it.

When did it become the Waterloo German Band?

When all of us in the band turned 18, we called ourselves "The Thirsty Five." I guess it was about 1952 — after college and the Marine Corps — when we became the Waterloo German Band. At one point I had three bands, which were all named the same thing. We had so many events, often three in one day, that I had to have people out all the time.

That must have taken some good planning.

I have a slogan: "If you fail to plan, then plan to fail." I'm very organized. I had three vans at the time and each van was equipped with a suitcase for each member of the band and in each suitcase was every tool they would need to play that day. I have another motto that I live by: "To succeed, Yougottawanna." I have that posted on the wall over my desk.

Is there still a lot of demand for a German music band?

Last October we had 57 play dates, but it isn't like it used to be. We only have one band now with five people. We still play all over the country, but it isn't like it was. Basically, the big festivals have dwindled. I think there are two reasons — rock 'n' roll, which I call rock 'n' run — and DWI. People don't go out and drink and have fun like they used to.

You're known for your wit and personality as much as for your music. Do you like playing music or cracking jokes more?

I'd say it's 50-50. I love to entertain people.

You've gotten a lot of awards and accolades over the years. What means the most to you?

It hit me hard when I got the Medal of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany last summer. I put my heart into it. The medal was approved by the president of Germany, and I got it in a ceremony at the embassy in Chicago.

What do you do when you're not busy with the band?

I like to travel. I've been to over 100 countries. My deal is to do as much as I can by the time I have to sit down in my rocking chair. I also like to garden and I build things. I built two floats that we use for the band.

What do you drive?

Oh, my goodness. I have nine vehicles going as far back as a 1921 mail buggy and a '50 Plymouth that I still drive. The main car I use is a 2000 Mercury Marquis. It's copper-colored.