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HOMECOMING / MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
What do you think? BY DANIELLE VALLIERE
BY DANIELLE VALIERE
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HOMECOMING MEMORY?
GRAYSON WARRIOR Houston sophomore "At the homecoming football game, there was a sea of blue. The morale of the crowd was so intense that people were screaming at the top of their lungs. I love KU. Rock Chalk."
AMBER BANKS
Broadview, ill., sophomore "I played in the marching band. It was really cold, but I was excited, because at the homecoming game we played with the alumni band on the field. It was nice to see all of them."
TAYLOR LIES
Wichita senior
"Just tailgating. My friends who've graduated come back for the game and we get to hang out."
SAM PALM
Olathe sophomore
Olate the sophomore
"I remember people talked a lot about it, but I lived in Hash, so not that much. There was chalk everywhere and tons of booths. Campus came alive."
LAURA WEAVER
Shawnee sophomor
Shawnee sophomore "I love when you go to Wescool and there's chalk everywhere. All the fraternities and sororites do blocks of chalk. Last year, the theme was 'Peace, Love and Jayhawk,' everything was hippie"
BREYAWNA WASHINGTON
Pittsburgh sophomore "My favorite homecoming memory was when one of my best friends, Koga, won homecoming queen last year."
GAME DAY
The Alumni Band preforms with the Marching Jayhawks on game day in 1981. This year is the 38th year of the Alumni Band tradition.
Music tradition 38 years strong
Alumni Band storms the football field with the Marching Jayhawks
BY SARA SNEATH editor@kansan.com
Eighty-four-year-old Glen Opie refuses to retire, both in his career and as a KU drum major. Opie continues to participate in the Alumni Band because when you're his age, you're "old enough to do what you want to."
to do what you want.
Opie's band career began in 1953, when he was in his third year of law school at the University. Because Memorial Stadium did not have the proper markings or towers for band formations, he began to assist with drum major
duties. Soon, he was making history. According to Glen, he was the first to propose the Marching Jayhawks' current tradition of running onto the field.
This year marks the 38th KU Alumni Band Reunion. Before the homecoming game, they will march in the parade down Jayhawk Boulevard, led by the Marching Jayhawks. Later that day, current and former band members will join forces to storm the stadium during the homecoming halftime show. For current band members like Kelsie Lange, the custom is yet another example of the Marching Jayhawks' rich tradition. Lange,
a senior from Lawrence, said she always looks forward to the camaraderie and pride that the KU Alumni Band brings.
For Alumni Band members, the performance is both a chance to reconnect with old friends and to show their appreciation to an organization that played a large role in their college experience. Alumni member Jarius Jones has five kids and a wife to boast about from his experience. Jones begins his favorite college story with, "In the summer of '93 I met my wife."
Alumni Band members who perform receive a free ticket to the homecoming game. But for Jones
and his wife, the game's outcome isn't as important as enjoying the homcoming tradition.
it doesn't matter if we will ning or losing," he said. "We enjoy it."
The alumni can, in many ways, be thanked for the band's current success. The Marching Jayhawks continue to increase in numbers, while being recognized for their talent. By taking part in the homecoming ceremony, the Alumni Band continues to teach KU students what it means to make the most of their college experience.
KU TRADITIONS START AT HOME
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can take KU courses to jump-start their college education while receiving dual credit for high school and college courses.
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