Music

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Band Alumnus John Turner, on June 19, 2010. He is probably better known as half of the Dynamic Band Duo Betsy and John Turner, and father of Chris Turner, another Band alumnus.

During his tenure at Maryland from 1970-1975, he played clarinet and tuba in Concert and Marching Band, and was ΚΚΨ President. He met his future wife in the band. "My first words ever to John was at the red/white game….I was playing drums and I turned around to him and said, 'Don’t tell the equipment staff, but I lost my plume!' I didn’t know it at the time, but he was the Head of the Equipment Staff. His comment back was, 'Your secret is safe with me.' Paul Deafenbaugh, whom I knew much better, was bent over laughing his head off, and I couldn’t understand why." The following year, one formation had John and his tuba hitting the same mark at the same time as Betsy and her flag. "I kept hitting him in the head about 3 steps out. John yelled a lot."

Save the Date - Homecoming 2010 will be be October 30th, Maryland vs. Wake Forest. Time TBA (we should know 10-14 days out).

Dear Maryland Band Alumni,

My name is Melissa Apter and I am the Vice-President of Service of the Beta Eta chapter of Tau Beta Sigma, National Honorary Band Sorority, Inc. for the 2009-2010 school year. We have a wonderful new project we will be running over the course of the fall semester that needs your support!

Beta Eta is hosting the MSoM Instrument Drive 2009 on behalf of the Mighty Sound of Maryland. We will be collecting musical instruments, music accessories and monetary donations in conjunction with Hungry For Music, a locally based non-profit 501(c)(3) organization which distributes instruments and provides musical opportunities for underprivileged children nationally and internationally.

Our good friend and Cannoneer, Leland "Twink" Starr, Jr., died last Wednesday, Sept. 9, after a fall.  He was 89 years old.

Twink was a very special man.  He was on the Cannon Crew in Byrd Stadium from 1960-2003.  His job in explosives at the Naval Ordinance Lab gave him many opportunities to serve important projects - for example, his work was used for the moon landing.  

He was honored at Homecoming last year, and was very happy to be part of the 100th Anniversary of the Maryland Band program.  He and his wife, Nell Starr, who preceded him in death, were with the band on numerous away and bowl trips over many decades.  He was a wonderful friend of the band.  According to his family, he wished to have no flowers, asking instead for gifts in his name to the band scholarship fund.

The Band Centennial History Book will be shipping out in August. There were some tweaks that had to be made, causing us to miss the two-week summer break from the presses. During that break the presses were cleaned and we will be one of the first to roll as soon as the plant starts up again next week.

We are very proud of the book. It is beautiful, full of photographs, and the song book will be something everyone should have. After all, the last one was printed in 1941!

If anyone missed ordering the book, or song-book, the only book store to carry them will be the Maryland Book Exchange on Route 1, just across the street from our Chapel Field.

Thank you,
L. Richmond Sparks

Extended one last time by the publisher — order by February 23rd!

I have great news for everyone! Taylor Publishing has allowed us to extend the order deadline for our Musical Ambassadors of Maryland: A Centennial Celebration.

Many of you have called to see if it is too late, and the answer is “It will be soon!” The new and final deadline is February 23rd. You must understand that there will not be a second printing, nor will there be any extra copies printed. This is an absolute pre-publication sale, so if you want a set NOW IS THE TIME! We will not delay the delivery of the book. You can expect it in mid-April. There are many who have not yet taken the opportunity to purchase this fabulous pictorial history book about YOU!

One other thing from the Desk of Richmond Sparks:

Friday, December 12th is our Kaleidoscope concert, and all of you band alumni have been invited to perform on stage. There will be no marching, except for entering the hall. We will duplicate our homecoming music, (pregame and halftime music) plus a little Holiday ditty - Sleigh Ride.

We will host a music rehearsal on Thursday night, not mandatory, but with your standards and desire to be around one-another it will be fun. Former drum majors are being asked to conduct these pieces. Everyone needs to register with the umbao.org website so I can plan and choreograph where everyone will fit on stage here at the performing arts center. So if you haven't been to a concert here in our new facility, you might as well start by being on stage.