Curt Engwicht was born in Germany and began studying piano and violin at the age of ten. He came to the United States in 1925 and earned a bachelor's degree in music from Bethany College in Lindsborg. He earned his master's degree from The University of Kansas in 1943. He served in the Army from 1943 to 1945 as an interpreter for German prisoners of war. After the war, he taught instrumental music in Chapman for twenty-five years and from 1959 to 1971 taught instrumental music in Salina. In 1978 he was awarded a citation from the Kansas Federation of Music Clubs, in 1981 he was honored as a "Friend of the Orchestra" by the Salina Public Schools, and in 1984 he was inducted into the Kansas Music Educators Association Hall of Fame and received the Bethany College Alumni Award of Merit. Courtesy fold3.com, newspapers.com, ksmea.org.