Air Force Staff Sgt. Quincy Garner of Acton, Mass., a KU graduate, plays Taps in memory of Sen. Edward Kennedy prior to a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park in Boston on Wednesday.

Before the late Sen. Edward Kennedy’s beloved Boston Red Sox take the field tonight, a Kansas University alum will play Taps in honor of one of the nation’s longest serving lawmakers.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Quincy Garner, a 2000 KU music education graduate, said he finished up sound checks and was waiting for the pre-game ceremony.

“I’m definitely honored. I don’t think it’s really going to hit me until it’s done and seeing how I contributed,” Garner said in a telephone interview.

The trumpet player grew up in Olathe and is stationed in Massachusetts as a member of the Air Force’s Band of Liberty. Garner still has family living in the Lawrence and Kansas City areas.

Kennedy’s family announced early Wednesday that the senator died after suffering from a brain tumor. A group from Kennedy’s hometown of Hyannis Port, Mass., will sing the national anthem before he plays.

Garner says as a military trumpet player playing taps is a challenge, especially because it is an emotional time to honor someone and usually all eyes and ears are focused on the trumpet.

“You almost have to detach yourself from the moment,” he said.

The Red Sox play the Chicago White Sox at 6:10 p.m. CDT.