Manny Espinosa began playing the trumpet in fifth grade and became a member of Theodore Potter Elementary School band in
Indianapolis, Indiana. He went on to play in the Central Indiana Boy Scout Marching and Dance Bands (now the Scout Band), and
Arsenal Technical High School’s orchestra and marching band.He enlisted in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam era and served as an electrician’s mate aboard the USS Bryce Canyon, which was homeported at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Manny married Debra Cannon, his childhood sweetheart, during his enlistment.
After serving in the Navy, Manny went to work for Honeywell, Inc.’s Industrial Automation Division in Indianapolis, San Francisco, and Atlanta. He left Honeywell after 13 years and joined Westinghouse Electric’s Nuclear Services Division where he served for 12 years. Manny retired in 2005 from Crane Company’s Valve Services Business Unit where he was director of strategic programs for the nuclear power, oil and gas industries worldwide. He now works part-time in his son’s business, Espinosa Automation, LLC in Woodstock, Georgia. Manny and Debra have been married 37 years and counting. They have one son and two grandsons.
Manny Espinosa began playing the trumpet again in 2003, 34 years after putting it away. He briefly joined the brass ensemble at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Woodstock, Georgia, where he is a parishioner and a member of the Knights of Columbus. He then joined the Cherokee and Roswell New Horizons Bands. He now plays only in the Southern Winds Concert Band, the Alpharetta City Band, and, recently, Bugles Across America.