By Martie Thompson
editor@floridanewsline.com
Ted Corby hails from the Canadian side of Niagara Falls — the best side of the falls, according to him. While still in elementary school, his family moved down to Jacksonville and then back to Canada a couple of times because of his father’s job, but by the time Ted was in high school, they were back in Jacksonville and he graduated from Englewood High School. He then joined the US Army and while stationed in Germany was deployed for Operation Desert Storm. A combat veteran, he served one tour with the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment before his honorable discharge and return to Jacksonville. He joined the US Postal Service as a letter carrier in 1993 and has been with the Post Office ever since, currently working in employee development in the human resources department. He earned his associate’s degree from Florida State College in Jacksonville, a bachelor’s in religion from Liberty University, and just completed his master’s degree in Art and Biblical Counseling from Luther Rice College and Seminary. He is an ordained pastor of a small home church called Immersion Fellowship and he just released a CD of original music. Passionate about baseball, he has attended numerous MLB Fantasy Baseball camps. He and his wife Maria, Director of Member Relations for First Coast Manufacturers Association, live in Mandarin with their “spoiled rotten” Dachshunds, KC and Sophia. They also have two grown children and two grandchildren.
Q: How did you become interested in music and what instruments do you play?
A: I play the guitar and sing. My brother, Bill Hart, was the guitar director at the Atlanta Institute of Music as well as a Jacksonville Jazz Fest performer. He influenced me to pick up the guitar. I didn’t have the same interest in jazz as he did, though; I’m more of a rock/pop guy. As for singing, I was asked by San Jose Baptist Church to help with singing during their services, so I took some voice lessons for confidence.
Our band is The TC Band, named after my songwriting partner, Mark Timblin (the “T”) and myself (the “C”). We haven’t gigged post-COVID, but we used to play regularly at a pizza place on the Southside. Also of note, Mark and I sang the Canadian National Anthem for the Jacksonville Icemen a few times when they had Canadian opponents.
Q: How would you describe your CD?
A: One of the songs, “Shine,” is a Christian song, but the others are a hodge-podge of stories. I would describe it as “retro pop.” Some people tell me we sound like a cool ‘70s band. This CD is more polished and has the best sonic quality of anything we’ve done. It’s available on Spotify and other streaming platforms.
Q: How did you meet your wife?
A: We met at my birthday party. She is the cousin of one of my good friends and we were having a mutual birthday party. We’ve been together ever since that night and have now been married for 28 years.
Q: What can you tell us about the MLB Fantasy Baseball Camps?
A: I didn’t play baseball growing up, but was always a fan. As an adult, I love to play and attended the Detroit Tigers camp in 2021 and am scheduled to attend a weekend camp at the end of June with the Pittsburgh Pirates as well as a full week camp with the Pirates next year during Spring Training. They treat you like a major league player … I’ll have my own uniform and locker and the opportunity to have former MLB players as coaches. I play outfield and pitch. It’s a kid’s dream that men do. I actually just started playing baseball a few years ago so I could attend these camps. I wrote a book about my experiences as well as helpful information for others who might be interested in attending a fantasy camp. It’s called “Shagging a Dream” and it’s available on Amazon.
Q: What do you do in your spare time?
A: Well, I don’t have a lot of spare time between work and church. But since I just finished up my master’s degree, I now have a little time to play my guitar.
Photo courtesy Ted Corby
Ted Corby.
