George Hovorka was born in 1921.

George started playing in the eighth grade, at the age of 12. His first trombone was a $3 horn held together with spot welds & wire. He carried it to school every Tuesday for music class. He learned to read music from the teacher’s blackboard, and self-taught himself without professional help.

In high school, George enrolled in the freshman band. After seven months he was promoted to the high school marching band. After each yearly activities and football games he would get transportation to wherever his dad, Jim, was playing. He would sit in with the band through the rest of the evening.

In 1936, after Jim’s trombone player left the band, he asked George to fill in the vacancy. They traveled around six states in the Midwest until sometime after World War II, when most of their shows were in the Omaha area.

In 1946, George married his wife Dolly, and were blessed with two daughters: Marilyn and Marcia. He continued in the music business until 1969, where his dad’s health began to fail and the band was discontinued. George and his wife decided to taken ownership of Havorka’s Bar from 14 years. They featured Polka music every Sunday (weather permitting), which resulted in a lot of enjoyment for many customers and friends.

Source: Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony