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Hey, it’s halftime and look who’s out there on the football field. The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Marching Chiefs/Screaming Eagles. Yes, it’s a football Saturday and the stands are filled to overflowing. It is always that way because our UW-L football team is always the best, year after year. That is also the same for the marching band.
All those years of incredible music performances, sitting in the stands watching one of the best bands in the country, is Mrs. A. Yeah, that’s me. I was always there just as Mary Harring had her spot at the top of the stadium. She was as supportive as I was and we were also friends.
Longtime coach Roger Harring appreciated and supported the band program, as well as my late husband, John Alexander supported the football team. Strange as it may seem, they were a team. In fact, they started at UW-L the same year. It was 1969. Roger was a military veteran and so was John. That seems even more pertinent now, more than ever. It is also very appropriate to the history and the future of Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Now the old stadium is gone. I had a catch in my throat and a tear in my eye to see it coming down. Yes, it did need to come down and be rebuilt to meet the needs of today, but the memories will always be there in the dust.
The band marching through the mud, cold fingers that still somehow found a way to produce beautiful music and cold feet that performed unbelievable routines on the field. A truly disciplined group nearly 200 strong. Both Roger and John expected perfection, and the fans got the best of the best. Great football and wonderful halftime shows.
Thankfully, Coach Harring and wife Mary are still around and will see the new stadium and Roger Harring Field as he should be honored for the incredible coach he was. No amount of political wrangling from a few will besmirch this good man. He never asked for attention, and those few who tried to ruin things for the rest of us only looked foolish.
However, it seems somewhat unfair that the musical contribution to the athletic events has been ignored or at least overlooked for their years of dedication to the same venues. Perhaps I’m biased because of my close attachment to the band, but that was my life for 25 years as well as the thousands of students who were in the program and even now so many who are out there with bands of their own with that same “Doc A” sound. How great is that?
We no longer hear the “voice” of the Marching Chiefs, Dr. Tom Wirkus with his incredible dulcet tones announcing, “From the campus of the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, we proudly present, The Marching Chiefs/Screaming Eagles.”
Dr. Tom is now retired. How fortunate that we now have his son, Terry Wirkus, filling the air with his great voice. Do you know how grateful we should be to have these talented and giving individuals for your entertainment who give of their time without a paycheck? Only a love and dedication to UW-L and the marching band.
But let’s be fair. It wasn’t just the university marching band that filled the air with beautiful music and exciting formations. We must acknowledge all the high school bands and the Blue Star Drum and Bugle Corps who have marched on that field and brought goosebumps to countless others.
In some respects, the music performances have been just as important as the athletic events. They completed the picture and have added an exclamation point to the sporting events. That’s the way it works and as it should be. So, thank you to all you musicians who have marched that field and felt such pride in a job well done. The athletes are the main part of the menu and the music is the dessert.
Rest in peace to my husband and friend, “Doc A.” I miss you.
