It seemed like he was always there.

When the Karl King Municipal Band began its summer season by playing at the Memorial Day observance, Jerrold Jimmerson picked up his baton and led his musicians in playing patriotic favorites.

Throughout the summer concerts, he conducted the band and did all kinds of behind the scenes work to make for successful, enjoyable shows. The same was true for the indoor winter concerts.

Jimmerson was a fixture in the community. Indeed, many Fort Dodge music lovers can’t remember any other conductor of the band.

After 21 years as conductor and 65 years as a band member, Jimmerson has stepped to the podium for the last time. He conducted his final concert on July 28.

Fort Dodge is blessed to have a municipal band, something that seems to have become a rarity now. It is doubly blessed to have had a leader of that band as dedicated as Jimmerson.

His impact could perhaps be tallied in the number of years he served and the number of concerts he conducted. But those numbers fail to show the impact he had on musicians, who knew he would bring out their best performances. And numbers don’t reveal the impact he had on concert-goers, who knew they were going to hear something wonderful whenever he led the band.

Perhaps someone who worked with him in the band summed it up best. Paul Bloomquist, a band board member and concert announcer, said: “His dependability, his musical ability, his unwavering attention to details has made this organization stand the test of time.”

Fortunately, Jimmerson isn’t going anywhere. People may see him at concerts, playing his bass clarinet instead of conducting. He has expressed interest in documenting the history of the band. And here at The Messenger, we’re planning on seeing more concert announcements written in his distinctive style.

At the end of his last concert as conductor, Jimmerson did not say good-bye. He said “see you down the road.”

But before we see him down the road someday, we want to take this opportunity to say thank you, maestro.