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ENGAGED PHILANTHROPY
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Germantown Municipal School District

For over 30 years, David Pickler and Pickler Companies have supported Germantown Municipal Schools. Through his service as Chair of the Shelby County Board of Education, David secured funding to build Houston High School’s first band room. And through a personal donation, David purchased the Houston High Band trailer. Because of years of service and dedication to Germantown’s schools, David was honored with the naming of the Pickler Band Centre and the Pickler Centre for the Performing Arts named after him.

GERMANTOWN MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

Pickler Wealth Advisors’ involvement with Germantown Municipal Schools began when David’s son, Chris, enrolled in kindergarten in 1989 at Farmington Elementary School. Quickly upon enrollment, David’s wife, Beth, got involved with the PTA, eventually serving five terms as president. She would ultimately be honored by Shelby County Schools with the Volunteer of the Year award for the entire school system.

David also became involved in the PTA, supporting Beth, who served on the council. Early on in David’s service to the PTA, he volunteered to run the morning traffic, greeting parents every morning at 6:00 am for six years.

PTA engagement was the foundation of David’s decision to run for the Shelby County Board of Education, which was a launching point of over 30 years of public education advocacy and engagement.

For their years of service, David and Beth would both be honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards.

2008 Lifetime Achievement Award, created by Parent Teacher Association. This award is based on recognition of devoted and distinguished services to children and youth and not specific to financial services and does not imply an endorsement, recommendation, or reflect the performance of the advisor.

A highlight for David was when his son, Chris, made the decision to dedicate his Eagle Project to Farmington Elementary School. For this project, Chris converted the concrete courtyard into an educational garden. For over three years, and through many thousands of dollars of donations, Chris transformed the once-decrepit space into a serene, outdoor learning environment. This transformation was a lynchpin for Chris where he would be recognized with the coveted Eagle Scout of the Year.

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The Houston Band

As David’s and Beth’s two children transitioned into middle school, so did the Pickler’s heart for service – specifically in the area of band.

For a few years, David chaperoned several band trips to Disney World. David was asked to be the emcee at Disney, donning bright green shorts and a smile. As an aside, David never turned down the opportunity to make a fool of himself for a good cause.

As Katie and Chris moved into their high school years, David’s involvement with the band grew more intense. David served as a member of Houston High School’s “Pit Crew” for four years. Further, he led fundraising and volunteer support for the band, putting his passion for public education to work.

As a member of the Pit Crew, David organized all of the band’s trips including to California at Disney Land. As part of Disney’s 75th anniversary, the Houston Band performed at the Hollywood Christmas Parade where the band’s director met his lifelong hero, Hulk Hogan. Further, David took on the challenge of planning and organizing all of the details for 300 students and 20 chaperones.

As a pinnacle of David’s time with the Houston Band, he donated the funds to acquire the impressive Houston Band trailer, a semitruck outfitted to accommodate all of the band’s equipment, uniforms, and instruments for marching and performing throughout the Mid-South.

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As Board Chairman of the Shelby County Board of Education, David secured the funding to dramatically expand the school’s band room to accommodate the nearly-300 members of the Houston High Band. He later identified the resources to build the band’s equipment room. The final act, which was ultimately accomplished, was to provide the funding for an expanded and updated Band Complex for the high school.

When Memphis City Schools surrendered their charter, forcing a merger, David led in both legal and legislative efforts that ultimately led to the creation of six municipal school districts, including Germantown Municipal Schools. Upon this merger, David continued to provide fundraising support and advocacy.

In 2015, David was asked to lead the Houston High School Arts and Athletics Foundation (HHSAAF), and through this fundraising arm, the first artificial turf field in the county was installed at Houston High School. In addition to the stunning field, a state-of-the-art scoreboard was installed in the Mustang’s stadium.

David was also asked to chair the Houston High School Master Plan Committee. This committee is charged with reimagining the entire campus of Houston High School.

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The Pickler Band Complex and the Pickler Center for the Performing Arts

In 2020, David was honored by Germantown’s school board by having the new band room and amphitheater named after him. Because of David passion for Houston High School and his long-time support of the school’s arts and athletics programs, the Pickler Band Complex and the Pickler Centre for the Performing Arts were unveiled to the public on September 25th, 2020.

David continues to serve on the HHSAAF Board of Directors as Board Chairman as well as Chair for the Master Plan Committee.

Our work carries on Houston High School’s long tradition of high-quality music and arts programs. Onward and upward, Mustangs!

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Germantown Municipal School District
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