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Alumni sightings
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With bowl games and such in flux, I didn’t post after the excellent Bedlam series game in Norman on November 28, when our Sooners finished the season strongly by shutting out #12-ranked OSU, 27-0. As put it at the time, “Oklahoma beat Oklahoma St 27-0, potentially costing the Big 12 $4.5M. The Cowboys have been knocked out of BCS contention. The only chance the league has now of putting a second team in the BCS is if Nebraska beats Texas next week.”
If you watched the game, you know that this literally came within one step of happening. Colt McCoy revealed this week that he did not know that the clock runs on incomplete passes until it hits something out of bounds. Had he scrambled for just one more step, it’s likely the ball he launched would not have hit the ground until time had run out, flushing Texas’s undefeated season, conference championship, BCS Championship game bid, and McCoy’s Heisman hopes right down the Bevo Basin. The Longhorns are extremely lucky that ball didn’t stay in the air for an extra ½ second.
Had it done so, Nebraska would be in the Fiesta Bowl, Texas would be a BCS at-large team, and Oklahoma probably would have been chosen one earlier in the pecking order and be heading to the Alamo Bowl. Instead, with five losses, our Sooners have been invited to play the 8-4 Stanford Cardinal in the Brut Sun Bowl (December 31, 1:00 PM CST on CBS). Cardinal running back Toby Gerhart is one of the five finalists for the 2009 Heisman Trophy, but Stanford’s starting quarterback is injured and will not play in the bowl game. OU can tell them a few thing about losing starters to injuries.
The Cowboy Marching Band played Carry On Wayward Son and Bohemian Rhapsody for their halftime show. The Pride’s seniors voted on their favorite tune from the past four years for the opener, and they selected the theme from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which they had last performed in 2006. (I know it was done once before that, then once in 1993, and maybe before that but I don’t think so. I could be wrong.) The concert number was New Divide from Transfomers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, and that was followed by the (at least) 32 seniors who will join us as Pride Alumni after the Sun Bowl.
That includes outgoing drum major Jason Marshall, who was presented with a Bob Stoops autographed football on the field after the game by assistant athletics director for marketing Charlie Taylor, who himself served as drum major of the Iowa Hawkeye Marching Band and knows first-hand how difficult the job is. The Norman Transcript reported on Jason’s final game, in no small part because his mother was there to see it:
Shirley Marshall wasn’t missing her son’s final strut across Owen Field Saturday, even if she had to be wheeled in on a stretcher.
And for the first time this season, she didn’t.
Wheelchair, yes. Stretcher, no.
I say “at least” 32 new alumni because the number is likely to be higher. Most of you remember that Pride auditions involve enrolling in the class, signing up for audition material, and so forth, so the band department has a strong idea by July 1 how many people are going to audition for each year’s band. This year, there was a significant drop-off from the number of people signed up on July 1 and the number who showed up for pre-camp just six weeks later.
There was some burn-out—with three BCS bowl games in the previous three seasons and a 2007 term that included the Oklahoma Centennial and the Macy’s® Thanksgiving Day Parade, I can certainly sympathize with those now-alumni who felt they got five years’ worth of experience in three seasons. When I had this year’s Macy’s parade on TV, I got tired just thinking about that year. And I didn’t even go!
But most of those folks had made up their minds before July 1. The attrition is largely due to the economy. Students used to piling on work hours in the summer to save for the fall and spring terms found that there were fewer hours available in 2009. Others realized that they needed to keep working during the fall to make ends meet, and that just wouldn’t work with a class schedule and the grueling Pride schedule.
Remember, that means a minimum of six hours per week for road games. For home game weeks, it’s ten hours of rehearsal and six hours of game (from rewarm through post-game concert), and that’s not counting downtime before the game when things like work are impossible. And it also doesn’t count road trips (this year twice to Dallas, for the BYU and Texas games), pep bands, individual practice, or the rest. The minimum committment this season averaged to over 12 hours per week, and that’s without full-band trips to Stillwater, Lincoln, or (sadly) the Big 12 Championship, and does not include the upcoming bowl trip. Add in the extras and most Pride members probably spent around 250 hours on Pride and its related activities during the Fall 2009 semester. Each.
That’s why the new programs that Karen Renfroe mentioned both here and on the mailing list this week. The endowed spots are, I think, a particularly great idea—a way to make sure that every position in The Pride has a uniform, an instrument, and a stipend for the student in perpetuity. All those new Yamaha trombones a couple of years ago were great (and still are), but won’t it be even better when we know that each and every one of them gets replaced every ten years? And the same with everything else?
That alone takes a big headache off the hands of students who play the more expensive instruments. Combine it with a stipend and we’ve really got something. Granted, a stipend can’t financially replace 250 hours of work (a version of “The Pride” that paid minimum wage would look a lot different than the tradition we know—there’d probably be five people auditioning for each spot), but even a few hundred dollars per semester can be incredibly helpful.
I think all any of us want for future Pride generations is a level playing field, so that anyone who wants to be the band and passes the auditions can be in the band—that the time or cost of doing so will not prohibit talented students from being part of this organization. It’s a difficult challenge, more so in an economic downturn, so I hope everyone who has the means to do so will seriously consider the programs Karen has outlined.
As for the Sun Bowl, we already have the game on our Events calendar and will add any more opportunities to see The Pride in El Paso as we learn about them. Maybe later this week I'll post about why a college football playoff is still a horrible idea, but I'll leave you with this hint:
Finals start at OU on Saturday. If the football team were in the BCS top sixteen for a "playoff" system, then the best case scenario is a home game. On Finals Saturday, and again after Finals are over, and again the day after Christmas, and so on. Or worse, a road game on the same timeframe. Or at a "neutral" site with one week's notice. As a Pride member, do you think you could have managed that kind of December schedule? Would you consider it an OU football game with no college trappings except the team itself? Do you think anyone at any of the schools wants this?
(Maybe more later on that.)
Posted by Webmaster on 12/10/09; 3:51:05 AM
from the Alumni sightings, Gameday, Membership, Pride of Oklahoma dept.
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Congratulations to Nicole and Craig!
Nicole Chantal Cobb and Craig Raymond Maucere were united in marriage Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, at 5:30 p.m. in The Piazza in the Village in Colleyville, Texas, with Rodney Howell officiating.
The couple met while attending the University of Oklahoma through participating in the Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band. Craig graduated in 2008 with a degree in political science and Nikki graduated in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in musical arts with an emphasis in business.
Click through to see a lovely wedding picture. I have no idea why the paper didn't publish an August 8 wedding until November 10 (sometimes teh interwebs get confused on these things), but a hearty congratulations to two alums!
Posted by Webmaster on 11/10/09; 12:24:47 PM
from the Alumni sightings dept.
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Want to see what both pre-game and halftime looked like from above last Saturday night? Click here.
(Adobe Flash required, so it won't play on an iPhone or iPod Touch. The video starts with the BYU Pre-game, but skip along the bottom row of thumbnails by clicking the "->|" icon and the last two, as of this writing, are the Kansas State Pre-Game Show (starting with the Alumni Band!) and Kansas State Halftime.
This is provided courtesy of CVWmedia, the videographers for The Pride, who are taking orders for the 2009 Pride of Oklahoma DVD—:$30 if purchased before November 15th, and $35 if purchased afterward.
Posted by Webmaster on 11/4/09; 12:12:38 PM
from the Alumni sightings, Gameday, Homecoming 2009, Pride of Oklahoma, Video dept.
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April 2001 marked Coach Gene Thrailkill’s last concert after 30 years as Director of Bands at the University of Oklahoma. He conducted numbers with all the university wind ensembles, but his band, the Concert Band, was last on the program. He concluded this final concert not just with a march, as he is wont to do, but the king of all marches: The Stars & Stripes Forever, edited in Sousa performance style by his own college band director, the venerable William Revelli.
It includes extra brass in the grandioso strain and is followed by the capacity crowd singing the OU Chant, and by a spontaneous expression of university spirit. This is not the most polished performance of Stars & Stripes I’ve ever heard, but I was there, and it’s the one I go to when I want to feel good.
I know many of you were there, too. If you’d like to recapture that moment, just click here to hear that night’s performance. (10.9MB, MP3)
Or, if you’d prefer, click here for The Star-Spangled Banner as performed by the 2005 Pride of Oklahoma under the direction of Brian Britt, or here for The Star-Spangled Banner performed by the 1997 Pride of Oklahoma under the direction of Gene Thrailkill, or here for The Star-Spangled Banner as performed by the 1965 Pride of Oklahoma under the direction of Gene Braught. (All are 1.2MB MP4 files, playable by most modern browsers and by iTunes.)
And wherever you may be, have a safe and joyous holiday!
Posted by Webmaster on 7/4/09; 2:53:25 PM
from the Alumni sightings, OU Music dept.
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In May, Pride alumni Jeff Jahnke, who has served as Assistant Director of Bands for the past three academic years, announced his resignation in a letter to members of the 2008 Pride of Oklahoma. An excerpt:
This spring semester I had some things go on in my life that really made me think a lot about what I should be doing and how short a person’s opportunities can be to make a difference in the lives of young people.
Over the past few weeks an opportunity has presented itself to my family that will enable me enter back into the high school public education world and teach those things that I spoke of earlier on a daily basis. It’s what I love to do and it’s what, when I look in the mirror, I think I should be doing.
I have accepted a position as the high school band director and Director of Fine Arts for the Lovejoy Independent School District in Lucas, Texas. It is a district just outside of Allen. I am very excited about the opportunity there but at the same time I am very sad to be leaving a place that I love so much and a group of people who I admire so much. The University of Oklahoma and its band department means so much to me. The people who wear its uniforms and represent this place mean even more. I cannot thank you enough for letting me stand in front of you on a daily basis. As much as I was one of your band directors I was even more one of your students. I have learned so much from you and will never forget the things that you have done for me, and my family
In another letter that same day, Brian Britt said (in part):
We have been truly fortunate to have Jeff Jahnke serve as Assistant Director of Bands for the past three years. His tireless efforts in service to the student members of our band program have been truly inspirational and the entire program is better due to his outstanding teaching and his administrative skills. Mr. Jahnke has been a great friend to our program and a fantastic colleague. Over the past three years, he, Carrie, and Sarah have become a part of our family and we have been blessed to count them as our friends. We will miss the Jahnke family very much as they leave us to pursue this new opportunity for their family.
The students at Lovejoy High School are getting a phenomenal teacher, effective administrator, and a passionate leader in Jeff Jahnke. I am excited for them and look forward to seeing and hearing what those children are able to accomplish under his leadership.
Jeff contributed a lot to the band department over the past three years and I hate to see him go, but I’m really happy for his opportunity to do those things he both loves and excels at doing. Other than “won the lottery,” it’s just about the best possible reason to say goodbye.
A week later, Brian announced the Interim Assistant Director of Bands for the 2009-2010 academic year: Debra Traficante, whom many of you may have met during the past two years at Homecoming, as she’s been a graduate assistant with the band department. Here’s Brian again:
Mrs. Traficante has been serving as a Doctoral Conducting Associate the past two years and has done outstanding work throughout the band program in that capacity. Prior to coming to OU, Mrs. Traficante served the University of Florida Bands for two years as a graduate teaching assistant while earning her Master’s degree in conducting. She has also held positions as a high school band director in the State of Florida, including a three-year stint as the head band director at New Smyrna Beach High School. While at New Smyrna Beach High School, Mrs. Traficante was the Head Director of the Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Jazz Bands, Marching Band, and various Percussion ensembles. She also founded the schools first Visual Ensemble, Steel Drum Ensemble, and Tri-M Music Honors Society.
Graduate students usually come from other universities so they can get broader experience—even Roland Barrett got his degree in Nebraska (and was director of two high school bands there) before coming to OU in 1983 for graduate work. Debra faced the ultimate football fan conflict this past season: she earned her master’s degree at Florida where she was with the “Pride of the Sunshine” Fightin’ Gator Marching Band, and then had to face a Florida vs. Oklahoma BCS National Championship football game in Miami. That would just make me weep for weeks.
After that, she got through a foot injury, and took the Women’s Basketball Band to the NCAA Final Four just a few months later. She knows the program and is an excellent choice for the upcoming academic year.
Congratulations to Jeff Jahnke in his new position (you can click on his name to send him E-mail) and to Debra Traficante in hers. Change always makes me a little bit uneasy, but I think these folks are going to do well.
Posted by Webmaster on 6/19/09; 1:37:01 AM
from the Alumni sightings, OU Music, Pride of Oklahoma dept.
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Pride of Oklahoma Golf Tournament — June 18
The Second Annual Pride of Oklahoma Scholarship Golf Tournament will be held at the OU Jimmie Austin Golf Club on Thursday, June 18.
This event provides Pride staff and students the opportunity to interact with band alumni, supporters, and friends, all while raising funds for the band scholarship endowment. A wide array of participation and sponsorship opportunities are available to fit virtually everyone’s interest and availability.
Space is limited so act now to ensure you have a spot for this terrific event. We hope to see you there. Boomer Sooner!
Click here for more information.
Posted by Brian Britt on 5/22/09; 5:55:39 AM
from the Alumni sightings, Membership, Pride of Oklahoma dept.
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Did you know that one of our own is on the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents? Not only that, but this past week, Larry Wade was selected as vice-chairman of the board!
I’m not even inferring the connection: he says so himself!
A longtime supporter of his alma mater, Wade is an endowed President’s Associate and a lifetime member of the Alumni Association and also has endowed several scholarships. He served on the Reach for Excellence Campaign board and on search committees for two OU deans and the director of the Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band. He is a member of the Touchdown Club, the Tip-in Club and the Pride of Oklahoma Alumni Club.
Emphasis added in case you didn’t know that, on some university lists, OUBAA is “Pride of Oklahoma Alumni Club,” or as seen on this donation page for our general (non-scholarship) fund, “OU Club of Band Alumni.” But it’s all OUBAA—that’s us!
Congratulations, Larry!
Posted by Webmaster on 3/28/09; 6:06:15 PM
from the Alumni sightings dept.
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Pride alumnus (both as a marcher and grad student) Chris Neal is getting some attention as director of the marching band at McMurry University, says the Abilene Reporter News:
McMurry University's marching band is featured in national publication Halftime Magazine in an article about marching programs at small colleges.
The article chronicles band director Chris Neal's time at the school, along with the experiences of other small college band directors in the state. The story says that Neal worked with the 300-member Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band for several years, including writing the drill for the band's 2001 National Championship show at the Orange Bowl, before coming to McMurry.
The Abilene band is a something of a contrast—Neal's original roster had 29 names on it, the article says.
But the band, which now has 75 members, is a study in the importance of individual contribution, an important success factor, Neal said.
And it is growing. More than one in every 20 students at McMurry participates in the band, including 10 percent of the school's freshman class.
The story from the paper also has a link to the full article in Halftime Magazine, but we're sending you there to give the paper a little love for bringing it to our attention. Congrats, Chris!
Posted by Webmaster on 11/25/08; 10:17:04 PM
from the Alumni sightings dept.
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Of course, it was fantastic to see our Sooners beat the #11-ranked Jayhawks 45-31 for 2008 Homecoming, as that puts OU at 6-1 and gives the Sooners the #4 spot in today's first-of-the-season BCS rankings! We're ahead of #5 USC, and also ahead of #6 (eek!) Oklahoma State.
But our part was a great day too! Seven former drum majors and 130 alumni returning to Owen Field in a true homecoming. May I say, having watched from the side, that all the alumni marched really well. If you'd had two rehearsals, you might have been good enough to make SportsCenter!
And so the red box at the top of the home page vanishes until next fall, when it's time to start planning for Homecoming 2009! Just to be on the safe side, we've removed everything but the annual dues from the Pay Online page, but fear not: if you want to pay for something easily, contact Ann Darnold and she can tell you how to use the PayPal account for anything you want. (I believe it was mentioned that because of the way bank accounts work, donations or other fund transfers through PayPal are not tax deductible. Those have to go through the OU Foundation and can't be for actual goods (like tickets, shirts, lunches, and so on).
It may have been the longest OU football game I've ever seen (four hours!), but it was a great day for The Pride and the OU Band Alumni Association. Please feel free to comment here and share your thoughts on the day.
(And if you weren't there, why not? We had seven former drum majors, and would have had eight if Eric Shannon was not recovering from illness [hi Eric! We missed you!]. You really missed a fun day, so make sure you don't repeat that in 2009!)
Up next for the Sooners: playing Kansas State in Manhattan at 11:30 AM on Saturday. The Pride will send a pep band, and will next perform in full on the field in two weeks when the Nebraska Cornhuskers return to Owen Field. Kickoff time should be set within the next 24 hours, so watch our Events calendar for details on the game and all Pride performances!
Posted by Webmaster on 10/19/08; 4:51:22 PM
from the Alumni sightings, Gameday, Homecoming 2008, Pride of Oklahoma dept.
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We recently received the following letter from the four immediate past drum majors of The Pride of Oklahoma:
September 1, 2008
Dear Pride Alumni,
We hope this letter finds you well. It is hard to believe another season of Sooner football is upon us. For most of us, it is well past due! Certainly no season would be complete without the support of the Pride. We are sure you can all remember preparing for our first run out of the tunnel to a roaring crowd of Sooner fans. It’s an experience any Pride alum can never forget. Perhaps what are more memorable are the people with which we ran out of those tunnels. Our relationships with our fellow Pride members are the foundation for all of our fond memories. Fellow alumni, it is time to relive those days.
Once again the time to participate in alumni band is upon us! This is the chance to set aside some time to dust off those old marching shoes, take a walk around our beloved campus, and rekindle old friendships, all while getting the chance to march in front of 87,000 Sooner fans. It’s an opportunity most of us would give anything to relive!
Speaking truthfully though, most of us have not embraced this opportunity. There seems to be a stigma surrounding this experience we just cannot seem to shake. Perhaps we feel we are too old to be marching again. We say to ourselves, “I just graduated and I’ll look bad if I go back!” Our favorite excuse, however, is “there is no one I know going back.” Fellow alumni, this is one tradition we will NOT continue.
We strongly urge you to participate in this year’s Pride alumni band. We, as the Pride’s four immediate past drum majors, have come together as a group to pledge our attendance at the game and perform the famed “Pride of Oklahoma Strut” at this year’s HOMECOMING game on October 18th. Between the four of us, we have attended ZERO alumni events in a total of TEN years of alumni bands, but it only took attending one Pride rehearsal together to realize what we have been missing out on all these years. To stand together and reminisce about our days was something truly meaningful for the four of us. We left the rehearsal all stating: “I wish we were out there doing this again.” We are positive you would feel the same way. Sometimes the smallest reminders can be our largest influences.
It is time to start a new tradition in the Pride’s history: coming together as a large, strong, and supportive group of alumni, young and old, to support an organization we all hold close to our hearts. We strongly urge you to participate in what will truly be the greatest alumni band to date. We promise you, you will not regret it.
Please contact Alumni Band President Gail Richardson or Alumni Band Secretary Rita Heath, to register for the homecoming weekend festivities. We look forward to seeing you on October 18!
Boomer Sooner,
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Clint Williams
2002, 2003 |
Kyle Wiemar
2004, 2005 |
Eric Shannon
2006 |
Chauvin Aaron
2007 |
Immediate Past Drum Majors, Pride of Oklahoma
Maybe we will feel a little more energy stirring in our midst this year!
Have you called your friends from the college years to talk them into joining you at homecoming this year? Don't just think about it - do it.
Thanks!
Posted by Rita Heath on 9/3/08; 12:05:50 AM
from the Alumni sightings, Homecoming 2008, Membership dept.
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Update: The gameday schedule on our Events calendar has now been corrected to match Saturday's actual rehearsal and performance times, including the Boomer Bash pep band, which we left off for unknown reason.
The Oklahoman ran a nice feature in today's Sunday Living section on alumnus (and, of course, Director of The Pride of Oklahoma) Brian Britt. Some excerpts:
One hot day in the north end zone of Owen Field, Britt knew this would become his life's work. It was 1984, and he had been recruited to help teach a complex routine to the OU percussionists. It was painstaking work, but once the players were able to execute the drill flawlessly, Britt knew he wanted to pursue music as a career.
… Britt relies on six graduate assistants and two dozen student leaders to drill small groups of players in every aspect of a new routine. Once learned, these sections can be strung together to create the pomp and pageantry of a visually stunning halftime show.
This season, The Pride of Oklahoma will offer tributes to the rock band The Who, the music of Duke Ellington, a patriotic show and an iPod shuffle [show] that will feature tunes that might be found on a student's digital music player.
"There are benefits to doing themed shows and more eclectic shows," Britt said. "With an eclectic show, you have the potential to reach a broader audience. With a themed show, you often lock in on a specific demographic. Our job is to play with a lot of energy and do as varied a repertoire as we can. With fans ranging from elementary age kids to octogenarians, we hope they will hear something ... that resonates with them.
"To watch these players have so many amazing experiences, individually and collectively, to see them begin to develop adult thought processes and problem-solving skills, to send them out of this place to be community leaders regardless of their chosen profession, that is at the heart of why I do this."
You can always use our site to drop Brian Britt an E-mail, but keep in mind that since the first home game is this Saturday, and that the band was selected just this past Wednesday night, there's an awful lot going on this week, so responses might be delayed. 
The "iPod Shuffle" show is up first this year, and we'll have more details on it as Saturday approaches. We don't have the full gameday schedule Check out the gameday schedule on our Events calendar; as the article notes, the pre-game concert is 90 minutes before kickoff. This weekend, that means 4:30 PM on the lawn north of Jacobsen Hall. You can also see The Pride Friday night at this year's Big Red Rally, and of course, during the game against the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. We hope to see you at some or all of these performances as the 2008 Pride of Oklahoma carries on our tradition!
Posted by Webmaster on 8/24/08; 6:41:26 PM
from the Alumni sightings, Pride History, Pride of Oklahoma dept.
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A member of The Pride of Oklahoma in 1944, Collis Parker recounts his wedding, which was so crazy it was recounted contemporaneously in the Oklahoma City Times, for columnist Larue Barnes of the Cleburne (TX) Times-Review:
[Collis] had always achieved. He joined the Cub Scouts when he was in Lincoln Grade School in Oklahoma City, and he loved music and took cornet lessons. He knew he needed to prepare to be in the band at Webster Junior High.
“I joined the Boy Scouts of America troop #36 while at Webster, and made the band as well,” he said. “I played in the band at Central High School in Oklahoma City, and after my 1944 graduation, I was accepted as a member of the Pride of Oklahoma Band at the University of Oklahoma.”
But World War II was still raging.
In March 1945 Collis enlisted in the Navy. As a sign of closure of sorts, his horn was stolen from his band locker just before he left the campus.
And that's just the beginning. You can read the whole thing online. On the bright side, 58 years later, it does seem that it all worked out.
Posted by Webmaster on 7/29/08; 3:54:41 PM
from the Alumni sightings dept.
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The first ever “Pride of Oklahoma Scholarship Golf Tournament will be held at the OU Jimmie Austin Golf Club, Saturday afternoon, June 21, 2008. This event will provide Pride staff and students the opportunity to interact with band alumni, supporters, and friends, while raising funds for the band scholarship endowment. A wide array of participation and sponsorship opportunities are available to fit virtually everyone’s interest and availability. Space is limited so act now to ensure you have a spot for this terrific event. Click here for more information.
Why a golf tournament? From the brochure:
Due to the time demands of band membership, as well as ever increasing academic responsibilities, Pride of Oklahoma members find it difficult if not impossible to work outside jobs during fall semester. As a result, scholarships are an essential resource to sustain the quality of the Pride.
Presently, The Pride of Oklahoma is able to offer scholarships to approximately one third of our members each year from existing endowed funds. Our desire is to increase both the number and size of these awards to offset increasing educational costs. Achieving this goal will allow us continue to attract and retain the best collegiate band members in the nation. Your participation in this event as a sponsor, a golfer, or both, makes it possible for us to grow the endowed funds necessary to support the band scholarship program.
Thank you for helping us continue the tradition of excellence for which The Pride of Oklahoma has become known throughout its 104 year history. See you on the course!
Additionally, plans are being made for a “Dance Band Reunion” to be held in the evening following the tournament. OU Band Alumnus Joe Windes, and OU Band Alumnus/OU Jazz Ensemble Director, Jay Wilkinson are heading up this event. Stay tuned for more details!
[From the webmaster: we've also added the event and the registration deadline to our Events calendar, so if you're subscribed to that, you'll see it all in place for June 21. Who can resist the chance to whack the bejeebus out of some golf balls to raise money for the next generation of alumni?? If you play golf at all, sign up today!]
Posted by Brian Britt on 5/2/08; 12:47:44 PM
from the Alumni sightings, Pride of Oklahoma dept.
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There's a nice article on SoonerSports.com today about The Territory, the new golf community in southwestern Oklahoma:
NORMAN, Okla. -- All things considered, it's not that far from Norman to Duncan, Oklahoma. It might seem like a good distance driving down state highway 81 to the southwest, but the small towns along way have a charm that just can't be found on interstates and superhighways.
Once the path ventures off the highway in Duncan and heads west, one might really wonder if the journey ended up far, far away. There, at the entrance to The Territory golf community is Oklahoma at its very best.
The Territory is the product of Rick and Barbara Braught's vision and is a jewel on the southwest Oklahoma landscape. Aside from golf, The Territory has created its own community, boasting residential homes, a resort-style pool and activity center and two owners committed to first-class service and a sense of family.
"The whole focus has been on service, trying to take care of people and making them feel like they're on vacation while they're out here," said Rick Braught ('84 BBA, '89 MBA).
Even with a quick glance, it's hard not to think about vacation upon arrival at The Territory. The two primary buildings, the Golf House and Prairie House, sit in front of all the community has to offer, including 18 holes of championship golf which have already drawn national tournaments and some impressive accolades.
Since its June 2004 grand opening, the course has hosted the Oklahoma State Amateur, Senior State Amateur and an NCAA Division II Super Regional. Next year, the Halliburton Southwest Oklahoma Championship, as part of the Adams Golf Pro Tour Series, will be staged there.
And after reminding myself that not all readers instantly recognize why this is relevant:
Barbara was born into the McCasland family, a staple in the Duncan area and at OU (her grandfather, T.H. McCasland, was the first man from Duncan to attend OU). Rick's father, Gene, served as director of the Pride of Oklahoma from 1962-1970, giving him a childhood filled with bicycle rides through campus and kicking practice on an unlocked, non-alarmed Owen Field.
Later, both attended the university and were highly active on campus. Barbara was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority, while Rick was a member of the Pride of Oklahoma under his father's successor, Gene Thrailkill.
In the fall of 1982, Rick started a two-year stint in one of OU's most prestigious positions, drum major of the Pride. In the role, he was handed the reins to the world-famous "strut" which features the major leading the band down the football field with his back bent so his eyes are often facing the opposite direction. He freely admits that he can't replicate the move today, but shares a bit of humor from when remembering his college days.
And it is funny—but you'll have to go read the article for the rest. Congratulations to Rick and Barbara!
(Via SoonerSports.com.)
Posted by Webmaster on 3/13/08; 1:16:03 AM
from the Alumni sightings, Pride History dept.
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Dr. Linda Reavis Williams, 50, of Bartlesville, OK, passed away November 13, 2007 in Fort Smith, AR. She was a Chemical Engineer for Phillips Petroleum. Linda received her Btchelor of Science degree from the University of Oklahoma, her Masters in Science from the University of Houston, and her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Rice University.
Linda was preceded in death by her husband, James Williams.
She is survived by three sons: Ben and his wife Christina Williams of Enid, OK, Brian Williams of the U.S. Army, and Bradley Williams of Oklahoma City, OK; her parents, Elmer and Lois Reavis of Roland, OK; One sister, Dianna Locke of Jackson, MI; and one brother, James Reavis of Fayetteville, AR. Linda is also survived by two grandchildren, Mikala and Ryan Williams.
Funeral Services will be 11:00 A.M. Saturday, November 17, 2007, at Edwards Funeral Home Chapel with burial at Roland City Cemetery, in Roland, OK. Pallbearers will be: Brad Van Winkle, Alan Witt, Bob Livingston, Paul Beavers, Ben, Brian, and Bradley Williams.
The family will visit with friends Friday, November 16, 2007, from 5:00 P.M. to 7:30 P.M. at the funeral home.
Edwards Funeral Home
201 North 12th Street
P.O. Box 3
Fort Smith, AR 72902
(479)782-8203
Memorial Contributions may be sent to:
American Cancer Society
P.O. Box 8006
Fort Smith, AR 72902
The funeral home offers an online guestbook and place for tributes.
Linda had such a hard struggle for a long time—nearly seven years—and made such a valiant effort to beat her cancer to see her boys grow up. Linda and James have three boys - the youngest child is 21 now. She also has two grandchildren. Linda was predeceased by her husband James about eight years ago.
We have heard from Linda's son that he thought Linda would be really be happy if any of us wanting to send flowers would instead send a contribution to a band scholarship fund in her honor. The boys know that the Pride has always been very special to Linda.
The band office said the best way to donate to a scholarship account for Linda would be to make a check payable to the OU Foundation with a memo for the Gene Thrailkill Scholarship fund in honor of Linda Reavis Williams. Mail the check to:
University Bands
500 W. Boyd
Norman, OK 73019
[Webmaster adds: Please note that you can also contribute online at this Web page. To designate your gift appropriately, scroll down to the "Gift Information" section and click the checkbox that says "My Gift is restricted" and choose "University Bands" from the pop-up menu (it's the 14th choice from the end of the menu). In the "Other Restrictions" field, type "for the Gene Thrailkill Scholarship fund in honor of Linda Reavis Williams" to direct your donation appropriately. There's also a place to designate if your company will match your donation, as many companies will when donating to the OU Foundation, and for other comments about your memorial.]
Posted by Rita Heath on 11/15/07; 10:22:40 AM
from the Alumni sightings dept.
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…to Chauvin Aaron, drum major for the 2007 "Pride of Oklahoma!"
Perseverance really pays off, especially for University of Oklahoma music education senior Chauvin Aaron, four-year Pride of Oklahoma marching band member.
After spending three years among the finalists for drum major, Aaron finally heard his name announced last weekend at the Pride’s annual year-end banquet.
…But the third time was a charm for Aaron, even though he admits the thought of being the next drum major strutting down Owen Field hasn’t sunk in yet.
(The author may know a bit about the subject, too! )
Update: Hometown newspaper article with picture here.
Posted by Webmaster on 2/1/07; 1:36:51 AM
from the Alumni sightings, Pride of Oklahoma dept.
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Many of you know Jeremy Gossett, the young man who's been the announcer for the Pride of Oklahoma for the past five years. (Due to scheduling conflicts, he wasn't at homecoming this year - that was our old friend John McCormick stepping back in, but Jeremy did the others, including the Centennial halftime in 2004.) He also produced and directed the 58-minute film Legacies and Friends: the 2005 Pride of Oklahoma that was announced here last August and available on video. It was also shown this past weekend at the Trail Dance Film Festival in Duncan.
If you follow the Fox television series American Idol, you may also have seen reports about the "Oklahoma Five" - five OU students who traveled to the San Antonio auditions for the show last August (about the same time Legacies and Friends was being shown!) and who all made it to final auditions in front of judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson. Due to agreements with Fox and 19 (the producers of Idol), they're not allowed to say how those auditions went until the show with that day's auditions.
[Update: Fox has now, for reasons known only to Fox, moved the San Antonio audition show to Tuesday, February 6, at 7PM CST ("Auditions No. 7: San Antonio"). The show on as I update this (Wed 31 Jan, 8 PM CST) has auditions from Los Angeles. Dang!]
And you're probably already ahead of me - the link in this article takes you to a Duncan Banner newspaper article pointing out that our Jeremy Gossett is the brother of recent OU vocal music education alumnus Laura Gossett, who is one of Idol's "Oklahoma Five!"
So if you're watching Idol on Wednesday night, there are five OU music students to root for: Heather Appel, Grant Fisher, Tony Foster, Michael Preston, and Laura Gossett. My news spies are good, but I can't tell you if any of the other four are or were in The Pride (cross-overs at OU between vocal and instrumental performance are reasonably common), but I still thought this was a fun family connection worth sharing! Yay Gossetts!
Posted by Webmaster on 1/29/07; 2:21:50 AM
from the Alumni sightings, OU Music, Pride of Oklahoma dept.
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Our Pride of Oklahoma leaves this week for the Fiesta Bowl trip. Those of you who were in the band in 1983 (the last time OU went to the Fiesta Bowl!) may recall that this particular bowl trip is full of performances, so if you're headed to Arizona, there are plenty of chances to see and support the 2006 Pride - and there's another chance in Midland, TX, too!
Here's the full schedule of 2006 Pride of Oklahoma rehearsals and performances on the trip. Read more in the full article.
Posted by Webmaster on 12/24/06; 1:31:41 PM
from the Alumni sightings, Gameday, Pride of Oklahoma dept.
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Looking for something to read this holiday weekend? Try this Oklahoman article about OU football player Jacob Gutierrez (and others) coming to read in Pride alumnus Regina Bell's Norman classroom!
Posted by Webmaster on 12/24/06; 12:27:46 PM
from the Alumni sightings dept.
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Because the next best thing to sports are sports updates, right?
Basketball: As many of you may have learned via E-mail, Showmen Alumni are invited to play at one of two games next week while The Pride and its staff are on the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl trip. Trent Davis is again leading the alumni opportunity for these two games:
Thursday, Dec 28:
OU Men's BB vs. SMU, Lloyd Noble Arena (tip-off time: 7:00 PM) Saturday, Dec 30:
OU Women's BB vs. New Mexico, Cox Convention Center, OKC (tip-off time: 2:00 PM)
If you're interested in performing at either or both BB games, contact Jeff Jahnke or Trent Davis to confirm or ask any questions.
Football: Today, the Big 12 Conference released the football conference schedule for 2008-2015. Some of the dates may be changed for television, of course, and all eight OU vs. OSU games are listed for a two-day span, as they could be played on either the Friday or the Saturday after Thanksgiving in any given year. There are a couple of glitches on the page, too (they have OU hosting Colorado two consecutive years, and the November 2013 game at Nebraska has no date, although they mean "November 2, 2013").
Nonetheless, we have entered these games and their locations on our online calendar. To view it online in your Web browser, click here; to subscribe to it in a program like iCal, Now Up-to-Date, or Windows Vista calendar, click here instead. (Subscribing is better if you can do it, because that way, your own calendar program automatically picks up any changes we make to the schedule.)
The 36th Annual Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, in which BCS #8 Boise State takes on BCS #10 Oklahoma, is on the FOX Television Network (not Fox Sports Network, the regional cable/satellite stuff, but the broadcast one where you find 24 and The Simpsons) on January 1, 2007. Coverage begins at 7:00 PM CST, and will be available nationwide in high-definition. We'll post opportunities to see and hear The Pride of Oklahoma in Arizona as we're aware of them.
Boomer Sooner! and a happy intersession to you all.
Posted by Webmaster on 12/19/06; 3:05:03 PM
from the Alumni sightings, Gameday dept.
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Former Pride announcer Ryan and OU music professors Rath and Matlick earn local honors next week:
[The honorees] all are involved in making art a bigger part of our lives in Norman and all will be honored Thursday at the annual Fall Arts Luncheon, hosted by the Business and the Arts Committee of the Norman Chamber of Commerce.
… Ryan served as the PA announcer for The Pride of Oklahoma and later OU football games at Owen Field. He is an audio engineer, mixing and making sure the audience can enjoy the performances, whether it is a sporting event broadcast by ESPN or Fox Sports, musical theatre from the Lyric or the sounds of the OKC Philharmonic. Anyone who has been to a concert or musical in the Oklahoma City-Norman area or watched a Sooner football or basketball game on ESPN has experienced the purity of sound by Ryan.
He has begun teaching classes at OU in the Weitzenhoffer College of Fine Arts, passing his talents on to the next generation of audio engineers. He continues his teaching schedule despite travel all over the country to work for the networks of ESPN and Fox. He also has volunteered his talents since the beginning to do the audio production at the annual Sullivan Family Concert.
Rath, an associate professor of bassoon at OU, is the founding member of Midlife Crysis. He also is the principal bassoon for the OKC Philharmonic. While he dreamed of bringing The Beatles to his classes, he has been bringing 1964 - The Tribute to Norman for 15 years.
Another OU professor of music, Matlick developed an interest in art as a 15-year-old. When he was a senior in high school, he began to get calls to play as an extra horn with the Louisville Orchestra. He spends his time these days teaching at OU and performing with the OKC Philharmonic, the Oklahoma Brass and Woodwind quintet and solo recitals in addition to his gigs as the bass guitarist with Midlife Crysis.
(Via the Norman Transcript.)
Posted by Webmaster on 9/30/06; 11:23:56 AM
from the Alumni sightings, OU Music dept.
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Posted without comment (though feel free to post your own comment):
Elmer "E.Z." Million, a Norman resident since 1957, has announced he will run for lieutenant governor as an Independent.
A longtime Republican, Million changed his registration in 2002. With three Republicans and three Democrats already in the race, the chances for a third candidate are favorable, he said.
"My No. 1 priority is to make sure that the OU-Texas football game is played here in Norman on Oct. 7, 2006," Million said.
"The Big XII Conference football schedule calls for 'Texas AT Oklahoma' in the even-numbered years. Mr. Boren has sent OU's home game with Texas back to Dallas five times (1996, 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2004) and is trying to do so again in 2006," he said, adding, "The OU Regents meet on May 12. If they refuse to order Mr. Boren to follow the Big XII schedule, then I'm going to ask the Legislature for a one-sentence amendment to the Higher Education Appropriations Bill:
"All taxpayer-supported Oklahoma colleges and universities must play their Regularly Scheduled Conference Home Games within the state," Million said.
"As four of the six lieutenant governor candidates are in the Legislature, I'm very confident that they will take this action. I expect the issue to be settled by May 26," Million said.
A graduate of Weatherford High School, Million came to OU in 1957 on a Vocational Rehabilitation Scholarship. He had been totally paralyzed by polio at age 4 in 1945 and had made a miraculous recovery to enable him to march in the OU Band while playing a baritone horn, he said.
[…] Million formed the Sooner Chamber of Commerce in 1993 to promote tourism in general and bring the OU-Texas game out of Dallas, in particular.
"This is the year. No more sending $25,000,000 of Oklahoma's dollars southward. In 2006, we'll have 20,000 Texans coming here during Oct. 6-8, and bringing their wallets and purses for us to empty. There will be no need for Boren's TIF. We'll let the out-of-state money cover it," he concluded.
(Via The Norman Transcript.)
Posted by Webmaster on 4/29/06; 2:07:37 AM
from the Alumni sightings dept.
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From an article in Saturday's paper:
He might not direct the Pride of Oklahoma in "Boomer Sooner" anymore, but when the show's host asked him about being a drum major, those were two of the first words out of his mouth.
Kyle Wiemar, 2003-2005 drum major of the Pride and music education senior, had one more chance to be in the spotlight by competing on "Wheel of Fortune." The show aired St. Patrick's Day, but it was the culmination of waiting for a call and watching the show for years.
[…]Wiemar waited to hear back from the audition, but was disappointed when he heard he would not be part of the Big 12 week shows. The show also offered him the chance to appear in July or October, but he had to turn down both because of work and drum major duties.
However, after his drum major term ended following the Holiday Bowl victory in San Diego, Wiemar set off for California once again for a Jan. 12 taping. His patience to be called and playing the game from home for years paid off. He won more than $40,000 in cash and prizes, including a new Jeep Wrangler, a Grand Cayman Island vacation and $11,000 in cash. To top things off, he had one more victory over the University of Texas for his record, beating a Longhorn contestant by a mere $256 before the final puzzle.
Kyle was the Pride's drum major for the past two seasons (2004-2005), but it's a forgivable mistake. We'll see if we can get a couple of clips posted next week for those of you who missed the show.
Posted by Webmaster on 3/25/06; 2:58:55 AM
from the Alumni sightings dept.
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 Kyle Wiemar, the 2004-2005 drum major for the Pride of Oklahoma, appeared on the March 17, 2006 airing of the syndicated game show Wheel of Fortune, taped on January 12, and won $42,226 worth of prizes, including a Jeep Wrangler worth $23,970, and a vacation in the Cayman Islands!
Kyle made it to the bonus round by beating a University of Texas student by only $256!
I wish we'd had advance warning; the show aired at 6:30 PM on KOCO-TV/DT in Oklahoma City tonight. You can go here to read Kyle's "contestant diary" on the Wheel of Fortune site and see how it all came about.
Trivia: Kyle's friend in the audience, Eric Shannon, was elected as drum major for the 2006 Pride of Oklahoma this fall, succeeding Kyle - but since the show was taped on January 12, before the band banquet, they didn't know that yet!
Congratulations, Kyle!
Posted by Webmaster on 3/17/06; 7:06:37 PM
from the Alumni sightings dept.
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From the Ada Evening News:
With the largest ever gift to Ada City Schools already in the bank, a challenge has been issued to Ada fans and supporters to collectively match the $300,000 donated by 1956 graduate Archie Dunham and his wife, Linda. The gift is earmarked for a proposed state-of-the-art indoor practice facility for all sports, band and any other school activity in need of practice area during inclement weather.
How big will it be? Picture this, enclose the playground/football field at Ada Junior High. It will be 90 yards long with the 20 yard line to 20 yard line area needed for band practice for haltime performances.
The “Big Top” will be located on the Ada High campus off the southwest corner of the Craig McBroom Football Complex building.
Dunham, former president and CEO of ConocoPhillips, is retired and lives in Houston with high school sweetheart, Linda Burns, class of 1958.
[…] After graduating from Ada High in 1956, Dunham became the first member of his family to attend college when he enrolled at the University of Oklahoma.
He worked his way through college, spending his summers on a highway construction crew earning $1 per hour. He also was in ROTC at OU.
In college he not only performed in the “Pride of Oklahoma” marching band, but was on the Marine Corps drill team as well.
Dunham was one of the honorary drum majors at Homecoming 2003, too!
Posted by Webmaster on 2/12/06; 1:50:24 AM
from the Alumni sightings dept.
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This Page was last updated: Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 3:51:05 AM
This page was originally posted: 2/25/10; 12:38:28 PM
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