The Penn State Blue Band: A Century of Pride and Precision *SIGNED by 4 *

Range II, Thomas E.; Smith, Sean Patrick

ISBN 10: 0271019603 / ISBN 13: 9780271019604

Published by Penn State University Press, University Park, 1999

About this Item

SIGNED by 2 authors and 2 former band directors (Thomas E. Range II, Sean Patrick Smith, Dr. Ned C. Deihl & O. Richard Bundy) !! FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING of this hardcover book. Blue cloth boards with silver foil lettering. Boards are rigid and warp-free. Spine is flat and square. Corners are crisp. No previous owner marks (no names, no underlining, no bookplates, etc). No remainder marks.

DUST JACKET complete, NOT price-clipped. Merest scuffing from being shelved. One teeny tiny indentation. Will be protected with an archival book jacket cover.

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Dr. Ned C. Deihl was the director of the Penn State Blue Band from 1962 until his retirement in 1996. He is a legendary figure in Happy Valley, best known for writing the famous ?Floating Lions? pregame drill, coining the name ?Blue Sapphire,? and starting the Bandorama concert tradition. Under his leadership, the Blue Band expanded from 166 members to 275 and joined the band programs of the Big Ten. After retiring from Penn State, Dr. Deihl, a clarinet and saxophone player, also directed the State College Area Municipal Band for over two decades.

O. Richard Bundy was the director of the Penn State Athletic Bands, one of which is the Penn State Blue Band. He originally joined the University Park faculty of The Pennsylvania State University in 1982 as a graduate assistant, then was appointed assistant director of the Blue Band in 1988, before being appointed director in 1996. In addition to his role as director, he taught courses in conducting, marching band techniques, instrumental music education, and band literature. He retired as director in 2015, after 27 years on the faculty.

Bundy's tenure was unique as the only Blue Band director to have also been a member of the marching Blue Band as an undergraduate: before returning as a graduate student, Bundy had played in the Blue Band from 1966 to 1970, during his four years as a college undergraduate. Upon graduation in 1970, Bundy enlisted in the United States Army and served as a trombonist with the United States Continental Army Band. After completing his tour of duty with the military, Bundy became band director and instrumental music instructor in 1976 for the Iroquois School District, in Erie, Pennsylvania. Bundy then went on to receive his master's degree from the University of Michigan before returning to Penn State for his doctoral degree.

As a guest conductor and adjudicator, Bundy has led ensembles and presented clinics across the United States[4] and Canada. He is a member of the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), the Music Educators National Conference, Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, Phi Beta Mu, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He was the past president of the Eastern Division of CBDNA and the Nu chapter of Phi Beta Mu. From 2005 to 2007, Bundy partnered with fellow Penn State faculty member and sports enthusiast Jon Nese on the radio program "Let's Talk Penn State." Bundy received Penn State's College of Arts & Architecture Alumni Achievement Award in 2000.

Bundy oversaw a number of milestones in the history of the Blue Band, such as the emergence of the Alumni Blue Band Association (ABBA), which has grown to become the largest Alumni Affiliate Group (AAG) in the Penn State Alumni Association, an expansion in the size of the band, the construction of the Blue Band Building, and the receipt of the Sudler Trophy in 2005. The Blue Band Building was renamed in his honor upon his retirement in 2015.

Sean Patrick Smith, Class of 1990, Mellophone. CHAIRMAN, ALUMNI BLUE BAND ASSOCIATION HISTORICAL COMMITTEE

Thomas E. Range II, Class of 1989, Sousaphone. PRESIDENT, ALUMNI BLUE BAND ASSOCIATION.

Seller Inventory # ABE-1784287665768

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Penn State Blue Band: A Century of Pride and Precision *SIGNED by 4 *
• Publisher: Penn State University Press, University Park
• Publication Date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0271019603
• ISBN 13: 9780271019604
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: New
• Dust Jacket Condition: As New
• Dimensions: 21.59W x 27.94H x 1.27D centimeters 21.59 centimeters width by 27.94 centimeters height by 1.27 centimeters depth
• Weight: 1043 grams
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)

About this title

Synopsis

From the Preface:

"A hush falls over the 95,000 people in attendance as drum taps measure the seconds in the middle of the field. A whistle blows once, then four times rapidly, and suddenly the drums thunder in a staccato fury. Up from the depths of Beaver Stadium storm the 275 members of The Pennsylvania State University Marching Blue Band as they triple-time onto the field. The only thing louder than the fight song they play is the roar of thousands of football fans cheering them on.

The excitement, the pride, and the tradition of the Blue Band have been experienced by generations of Nittany Lion fans for 100 years. . . . As the band finishes its first century, those memories, stories, and traditions must be preserved for future generations to enjoy. This book attempts to do just that."

This history opens with the story of how marching bands came to be so popular in America, from their early nineteenth-century beginnings at West Point to the tremendous growth of their appeal into the present day. The story continues by explaining how that popularity and the importance of music in student military training at Penn State eventually led to establishment of the Cadet Bugle Corps, the Blue Band's precursor, in 1899.

Ten chapters follow, each devoted to a single decade covering the major events in the band's development over the next hundred years, such as the adoption of the name "Blue Band'" in 1923. Interspersed throughout are biographies of its five past and present directors, as well as "Spotlights" that focus on special aspects of the band, including fight songs, marching style, majorettes, silks, "flipping" drum majors, and various band traditions. Also included is a comparison with other prominent collegiate marching bands today. Illustrations from the band's early history to the present enrich the story throughout.

About the Authors

Thomas E. Range II, Class of 1989, teaches computer science at Ewing High School in New Jersey and is also an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at The College of New Jersey. He is President of the Penn State Alumni Blue Band.

Sean Patrick Smith, Class of 1990, is a computer consultant for Lezzer Lumber in Curwensville, Pennsylvania. He is Chairman of the Historical Committee of the Penn State Alumni Blue Band.