Get to Know The Volunteer Committee!

Ronald Kocher

My name is Ronald Kocher. I was born in Allentown, raised in Egypt, PA. I went to Penn State, and upon graduation, I joined the United States Navy, where I served for 30 years. I’ve been to 48 of the 50 States and over 60 countries. My favorite duty was the Submarine, USS Alaska (SSBN-732). 

I had my first volunteer experience at Musikfest twenty-five years ago. I have been attending since year one or two. After I retired from the Navy, I discovered the Ambassador program via word-of-mouth and inquired. My wife, Dorothy, and I have been ArtsQuest members for 15 years and I’ve been an Ambassador for 7 years. I am currently on the Volunteer Committee. 

Although I mostly do Cafe concert ushering, I have to say my favorite volunteer position is the cinema. It reminds me of my three teenage years working at The Lehigh Valley Mall Cinema (long closed) or my seven years at Shankweiler’s Drive-In. I am a local filmmaker. Some of the films I worked on have played at Banko Cinema. Hard to name my favorite film, depending on the day, I’ll say 2001 A Space Odyssey, or Blade Runner, or Clockwork Orange, or anything playing at the Midnight Movies. 

Movie, Music, and 8-bit Classic Game collecting are my hobbies; plus travel (I’ve been to Germany 13X), cruising, visiting Amusement Parks and micro-breweries. My favorite music genre is Alternative with a smattering of Classic Rock. Amongst my favorites are: Beatles, Who, Devo, Queen, Prince, INXS, Bowie, Cheap Trick, R.E.M., Tears for Fears, The Police, Rush, and Pink Floyd. The best shows I saw at Musikfest were: Stone Temple Pilots, Duran Duran, and Steely Dan. In addition to ArtsQuest, I also volunteer with The American Legion/VFW and Penn State.