Alumni Bulletin - Fall 2007 - (Page 20)

Drum major Maggie Brendt ’08 conducts the band as they play “The Star-Spangled Banner” during an opening ceremony at Goodman Stadium. ALL FOR A ONE-CREDIT COURSE Nadine Haines ’82, who earned a place in the band’s history as the ﬁrst female manager, remembers adopting adult responsibility through the Marching 97. “The band taught me more than my classes,” says the ﬂute and piccolo player. “I learned how to get the job done, to organize, and if there was heat, to take it.” Students willingly assume responsibility because they love music and marching. “It’s rare to ﬁnd a group of people dedicated enough to spend hour after hour in practice for one credit,” Neumeyer says. The typical band member devotes six hours of practice a week to prepare for a home game and four to ﬁve hours for away games. A manager or ofﬁcer spends many more hours planning. “It’s amazing that we have 65 to 70 members so excited about doing one thing—marching,” Neumeyer says. Many of the band’s traditions and values were established under Elkus. A former trumpet player, Ralph Gabriel ’75, ’82G, ’97G, ’03G, credits Elkus with playing a “very important role in shaping and keeping the band coherent.” Gabriel enrolled at Lehigh during the ﬁnal years of the HardCore, a group of fanatically devoted band members that Gabriel describes as “dedicated, hardworking, loyal”— and big trouble. Thaler, known as “The Great Tubae,” was one of the hardest of the HardCore. The former band manager remembers Lamberton Hall as the band’s clubhouse. “The hall smelled of linoleum, brass polish, sweat, and testosterone,” Thaler writes in his band memoirs. Band members “gossiped, talked about girls, plotted, and made music.” While Elkus insisted that students take their musical responsibilities seriously, he also fostered a creative environment that gave rise to the band’s tradition of benign pranks. He “imparted certain values,” says Thaler, by teaching his students to “work hard, practice hard, strive for perfection, and have fun.” Under Elkus, says Andrew Shmerler ’74, a baritone horn player and business major, “our band performed exceptionally well. Whether it was your taste or not to see a precision military marching band perform Sousa marches, you knew it was very well done.” Today’s band has also earned praise for its musical excellence, says drum major Maggie Brendt ’08. Following their performance at this season’s ﬁrst home game, Brendt received compliments from many fans, including Paul Salerni, professor and chair of the music department. “The Marching 97 is one of the great, hallowed institutions at 20 lehigh alumni bulletin

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Alumni Bulletin - Fall 2007

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