Since we just had our 45th Presidential Inauguration on Friday, I have an inauguration story to share.
When Steve was in High School in Clovis, NM, his 125-member marching band was invited to participate in the second inaugural parade for Richard Nixon.
Here is the band, in front of Nixon and Agnew. Can you pick him out? He’s the one wearing a hat. (ha.)
He’s actually in the far right of the picture carrying a Sousaphone, which is a tuba designed for marching bands and named after John Philip Sousa. (A bit of trivia: if the average Sousaphone was unrolled, it would be 18 feet long.)
Steve didn’t actually play the instrument; he was just there to fill in a spot so that the line was even. At one point in the parade, they got a couple hundred feet behind and everyone had to run to fill the gap. The Sousaphone weighed 35 pounds, Steve weighed 120 pounds and they were running into a stiff head wind. I would love to have seen that sight!
I had known for quite a while that Steve had marched in this parade, but I hadn’t heard all the details until the last few days when the above picture was posted on Facebook and some of his old marching band pals shared their memories. Here are some interesting tidbits, in no particular order.
So there you have it.
Another Inauguration during another era of America’s history, an era my hubby was privileged to have a small role in.
What about you? If you had to ride on a bus for 3,400 miles with a bunch of folks, would you be happy about that, or completely overwhelmed?
Did you take any interesting rides/trips during your school years? (Or even more recently?)
Go Steve! Great picture. I would have been so scared when they were rocking the bus. I admire the bravery.
As for me, I did not like to take trips with a bunch of people. I have never liked to go anywhere as a group. It felt/feels like I am at the mercy of the crowd. I need to be able to leave whenever I feel uncomfortable. It’s an anxiety thing. I wished I could have been like those more free spirited kids, like Steve, and let loose and have fun, but I just wasn’t made that way. More like Beth in Little Women, the cricket on the hearth. I love reading everyone else’s stories though!
Lesley,
I’m right there with you. I”ve always thought I wouldn’t enjoy taking a tour of another country with a tour group; I like going my own way and doing what I want to as the mood strikes.
I took a few short bus trips in school to nearby football games but an hour one way was about my limit.
Let’s hear it for us, and for Beth, and for the cricket on the hearth! 🙂
no bus trips for me as a highschooler, but I probably would have enjoyed it. I did, however ride 2 hours daily on the bus … we played bridge to pass the time.
I imagine that was quite thrilling to be in the parade..too bad Steve couldn’t have been a sub for a flutist.
Mrs. Pam,
Yes, I agree. A flute sub would have been the way to go!
Mrs Pam. My shoulder still hurts.
In high school I probably would have loved a trip like that because I was a “band nerd”. Our band was much smaller – we only took up 2 school buses. But every year we got to drive from southern West Virginia to Morgantown for WVU’s high school band day. We would leave about 4;30 in the morning for the four hour trip in order to arrive in time to rehearse along with several other high schools with “The Pride of West Virginia WVU Marching Band”, then we got to perform with them at halftime. We then stayed after the game to watch the WVU band perform. Fun memories even 35+ years later!
Sue Ellen,
I can only imagine what an adventure that must have been for you all, getting to make that trip and play in such a large, exciting setting and playin with such a great marching band. It makes me smile!
In terms of a 3400 mile bus trip….my introverted self formerly would have been quite overwhelmed and daunted. However….. at this stage in my life, after needing help every time i wanted to set foot out my front door for the past year, and as a result spending days and days at a time trapped in my home, a long bus trip sounds like a great adventure and I would leap at the chance! I’m really hoping that one day God opens a door so I can travel again.
What a cool memory for Steve! How interesting to have been at an inauguration.
Ps this is me, Jenna H. I’m trying to figure out what I did on my end to make my sign in name and details different than normal.
Jenna,
Yes, I can certainly understand how wondrous a long road trip would be for you right now.
It must be so difficult to feel like your world has shrunk. And yet through your comments and your correspondence, and your FB posts, your voice and presence are heard and felt in so many lives everywhere.
Thank you for continuing to share the beautiful essence of who you are.
After graduation we took a bus trip to New York to the 1964 World’s Fair. It was great fun. Not as many people as Steve had nor as many miles.
Ann,
What an incredible experience to get to attend a World’s Fair. I’m sure you have never forgotten those sights!
I was supposed to go to Standing Rock in December. I’m wickedly introverted and was worried how I’d handle the trip – being on a bus with 50 people for 20 hours going, and 20 hours back. Because of weather our trip got cancelled, and a part of me (the wicked introvert) was relieved. I DID go on a bus tour of central Oregon with work (it was an optional trip) and the whole time we were on the bus there was talking. When I got back folks told me that the leader of the trip is an extrovert, thus when I got the chance to give feedback I let them know that they needed to take into account folks like me, because I would have gotten more out of the trip if there hadn’t been so much talking. I hope for the next group they make a change.
Brooke,
Hooray for you for speaking out on behalf of invtroverts. Sarah and I appluad you!
I agree that every mile and every minute doesn’t need to be filled with talking. Sometimes we just need to be alone in our silence.
When we were about to graduate grade 8, our teacher planned a week bus trip all over the province of Ontario. We all grew up in a little town that had a population of about 1,000 people and our first stop was in the City of Toronto. On the first night in the hotel that we stayed in, there were a bunch of us girls that got on the elevator to go down to the pool and when the elevator stopped on the next floor, there was an exhibitionist standing there!! Needless to say we were terrified but didn’t tell anyone either. We just always made sure that some of the boys from the class were with us every time we went anywhere. I think we had to raise around 7,500 for our trip and we sold candles at Christmas.
Mel,
Oh my. That was not a very happy welcome to the big city!
It sounds like the rest of the trip was a positive experience–definitely memorable!
During high school, I went with the band to Disneyworld. We were in coach buses and it took about 24 hrs to get from Wisconsin to Disneyworld. It was great fun and my first cross country road trip.
Sarah,
Wisconsin to Disney World? I can not even imagine.
I’m glad it was fun for you and since it was your first cross country trip, I imagine the views out the window of the country unwinding before your eyes must have been amazing.
What a fun experience to have taken part in. I was thinking while I was watching the Inauguration on Friday that I would LOVE to go to one some day. Not so sure I would want to be on a bus for 40 hours, at least not any more, but I probably would if I had the chance to go.
Wendy,
Yes, it would be an honor to attend an inauguration, but I’m with you. I would NOT go on a bus filled with people!
Longtime lurker chiming in here-How ironic to read this post today, because my mother also marched in Nixon’s second inaugural as the marching band representing Minnesota! She was a clarinet player. I’ve seen a very similar photo of her band passing Nixon’s box, but I’ve never asked too much about the trip. Now I’m curious to do so!
I personally did several bus trips as part of my band years in high school and college. In high school we filled three coach buses driving from Minneapolis, MN out to southern California to play at Disneyland, approximately a 30 hour trip. I remember it being a good time as it was happening, since I was with all of my friends, but certainly not something I’d want to do at this stage of life! I think our director regretted driving rather than flying once a bug broke out and kids started getting sick because of being in such close confinement with each other. In college my college wind ensemble also spent a week each January touring different areas of the country, but we would fly to the starting point, then take a bus from city to city for the week so we were never more than a few hours on the bus each day. Those were certainly great times, and great bonding opportunities for the ensembles I was fortunate to be a part of!
Linnae,
A warm welcome to a long time lurker! 🙂
I told Steve that your mom was in the same parade and he thought that was so cool! It really IS a small world.
Yes, I can definitely imagine your director wishing the band had flown instead of driven when dealing with a quickly speading bug. NOT fun.
Flying around the country in college and then traveling to various towns sounds so cool. You must have been an excellent musician to have been included in a group of that caliber.
Good times!
Steve,
Glad you have those wonderful memories!
I was on several bus rides in high school for Pep Club – none that long though. My younger brother was in band in high school so went to several events but not an Inauguration. They did go to the World’s Fair which was in Knoxville as I recall. He also played the tuba as well as the euphonium. Now he can play those as well as trombone (his first instrument), trumpet and probably more than that. Being a band director for 12-15 years and an orchestra director for the remaining number of years (this is his 30th year of teaching), he knows many instruments. Now you know where my niece gets her musical talent.
I think being on a bus that long with screaming teenagers might send me over the edge.
Phyllis,
Wow–you definitely have music giftedness running through your family! I love to hear about it passing down to new generations.
Being on a bus for that long wouldn’t do me in, but it sure wouldn’t be my favorite thing to do!
I rode the train home to Nebraska from Colorado when my daughter was only 3 months old. Just the 2 of us. It was bitter cold out (below zero) and someone thought they would turn the heat UP on the train but actually turned it way DOWN. Omg….it was so cold and I had to leave my baby in her carrier with blankets over her. I’d fluff them every so often for fresh air and she stayed nice and warm. What a trip!
LeeAnne,
Someone didn’t know they were turning the heat DOWN? Yikes. And having to keep an infant warm ? Truly a trip you will never forget! ( I’m jealous you got to ride a train; I’ve always wanted to)