Daniel Salcedo

Born in 1936, Daniel Salcedo was a member of a very large family. He had six sisters and three brothers. Originally from El Paso, Texas, he moved to Southern California with his family at the age of 5, and remained there all his life.

Dan loved music and education, and studied them both in college, earning first his undergraduate degree, and a few years later, his Master's. He spent over 45 years with the Santa Ana Unified School District, leading the administration at several schools in the district, including Spurgeon, Lathrop, and Sierra. He was principal of the largest school in Orange County, Santa Ana High School for many years, until his retirement in 2008.

But even more than his chosen profession, he loved his family. In 1958, he married Esther Noel, and after a little while, they had four children, and eventually 14 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.

Dan was also incredibly devoted to and active in his church. A member of the United Church of God, he was a long time elder, providing shepherding and leadership to his local congregation in Garden Grove. Additionally, church services was where he was able to frequently share his God given musical gifts. For many decades, he sang solos with his strong tenor voice, led the congregation in singing hymns, directed the church choir, and also served as director for multiple regional choirs formed for services attended by thousands at the annual Festival of Tabernacles, held in many locations around the world.