Gerald "Cass" Acosta passed away on November 19, 2023 in Shreveport, Louisiana. Cass served as Secretary-Treasurer of the Conference until 2005. He also served as President-Secretary of AFM Local 116 Shreveport and until 2019 as AFM International Representative for the Southeast Region. His legacy of service to the Federation, its Locals, and our members will be well-remembered for decades to come.
"Cass was a dear friend to myself,
Local 433, the Southern Conference, and The AFM in so many ways. He was
a trusted confidant and advisor, as our International Representative,
in the early months of my administration of Local 433 in Austin (2019).
He visited Austin many times in the years before that, helping to steer
a better course for our Local. He served in his own Local in Shreveport
LA and as an Officer of the Southern Conference (1998?-2005). Cass
cared about the welfare of all musicians so much that he dedicated the
better part of his life to our Union at the local, regional, and
international levels. I know that he will be making music as never
before now that he is free from all discomfort. Let us be thankful this
holiday for our Brother, Cass Acosta."
-Aaron Lack, SOCO President