As a young saxophonist growing up in Nova Scotia, I had the wonderful opportunity of studying with Donnie. He was a big factor in my decision to chase my musical dreams. "You have to hang with like-minded people" comes to mind when I think back to those lessons. When I moved to Toronto and needed a part-time job to support my musical aspirations, I searched in vain to find a chocolate factory so that, like my mentor, I could practice and get paid for it. He'll be missed but not forgotten.