History of the Butler University Marching Band
One Saturday afternoon, in the fall of 1919, as Butler and
Depauw squared away on the football field, a few people suddenly
noticed that Depauw had something Butler lacked: a BAND! These
people immediately began to correct the problem by raising money
through the selling of magazine subscriptions. They raised enough
money to buy two bass horns and to hire some talented musical
directors. Despite this meager beginning, the Butler Band was
born.
The original band consisted of twelve musicians without
uniforms. By 1921, however, additional funds were raised to outfit
the band with white sweaters, blue trousers, and hats. In the same
year, the band took its first road trip to Urbana, Illinois, where
the Bulldogs defeated the Fighting Illini for the first and only
time in school history.
The band continued to grow under a series of student directors
until 1925 when J.B. Vandaworker was hired as the band's first
professional director. The esteemed Mr. Vandaworker was nationally
known and respected as a musician and builder of men through his
work as director of the Indianapolis Newsboy's Band. Mr.
Vandaworker served as Kappa Kappa Psi Grand President and was later
honored with the distinguished Bohumil Makovsky Memorial Award.
Under Mr. Vandaworker, the band had acquired military uniforms
and the student body had raised money to purchase capes by the late
1920s. In 1928, the custom of awarding "B" letters to senior band
members with at least seven semesters of service was inaugurated.
Although this tradition is no longer practiced, senior members
flipped the capes of the version of the uniforms used from 1990
through 2007 to display a giant "B" at the last football game in
honor of the this practice.
With J.B. Vandaworker, the band grew in size discipline, and
musical quality. In 1927, Butler executed its first marching
formations, which spelled out words on the football field. Mr.
Vandaworker also lead the band in three or four indoor concerts per
semester, which increased exposure to the community. He also added
numerous engagements outside the university setting. By the end of
the 1920s, the band number 60 members and played engagements at the
Indianapolis 500 Festival and over WFBM, a leading local radio
station at the time.
It was during this period that local band fraternity Beta Mu
Sigma was formed. In 1929 Beta Mu Sigma petitioned to obtain a
charter from the National Committee of Kappa Kappa Psi. The
petition was granted and on May 31, 1929 the Alpha Beta chapter of
Kappa Kappa Psi was installed at Butler University.
During the 1930s and 1940s Butler's band program, like all those
nationwide, suffered through the repercussions of the Great
Depression, World War I, and World War II. However, at Butler, the
legendary Tony Hinkle directed athletics, which meant a rise in the
quality of our sporting teams. To accompany this rise, a topnotch
band was essential. At this time the Butler football team had game
attendance approaching 10,000 and many football as well as
basketball games were televised. Entertainment at the half became a
must.
The band acquired its first full time director in 1946. Charles
Henzie began a directorship that year which was to last until 1966,
the longest in Butler Band history. Under his leadership, the band
grew in both size and musicality. In 1948, the band became the band
became the first in the state to use a 8-to-5 marching style with
the chair step. Soon after, flag girls and twirlers were added
under the name of "Half-Time Honeys."
The 40s saw another important addition. On July 7, 1946, the
Epsilon chapter of Tau Beta Sigma was chartered as a sister
organization to Kappa Kappa Psi. The Epsilon chapter was the fifth
chapter in the nation to be activated.
Consistent growth marked the 50s. In 1958, Michael Lekrone
became the assistant band director under Charles Henzie, and, in
1964, membership peaked at 180 marchers. Michael Lekrone became
director of the marching band in 1966 and continued to serve the
Butler Band department until 1969 when he left to direct the
University of Wisconsin Marching Band. Unfortunately, the 60s were
a period of depression for the band and membership decreased. This
trend continued even when Vincent Praxia, an outstanding band
director became the new director of bands in 1969 and held the
position until 1973.
In 1973, Robert Grechesky became the Director of the Marching
Bulldogs and brought the band roaring back. From a membership of 72
in 1973, the band grew to 120 in 1976. Unfortunately, in the spring
of 1989, Dr. Robert Grechesky announced that he would no longer be
the director of the marching and concert bands due to health
reasons. Soon after, all university bands joined together into a
new Department of Bands under the direction of William J.
Hochkeppel. Dr. Grechesky was made temporary chair of the Music
Education Department. Shortly before the beginning of the 1989-90
school year, a new director for the marching/concert band was found
in Mr. Dave Coffing. Mr. Coffing kindly kept the band performing
while a national search was conducted to locate our current
director, Mr. David McCullough.
From a rather small group of 33 members in 1991 the band grew
steadily during the 90s. In 1992 Butler became the host band for
the Indianapolis Regional Bands of America Championships, and began
exhibition performances for BOA in 1994. The band hosted a
performance of the West Virginia University 360-member marching
band in the Butler Bowl in 1996, and in 2001 and 2002 the Butler
Marching Band performed at the US Grand Prix at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway. At the same time growth in the Butler University
Basketball Band (BUBB) mirrored the rise of our basketball team and
a string of postseason performances. BUBB is generally considered
to be the most exciting and entertaining basketball band in our
conference and one of the best in the midwest.
So, the beginning of the new millennium starts a new chapter in
Butler Band History. The 2000 BUMB totaled 114-members and
membership has been right at the 100-member level since that year.
Each new musician brings with him the future of our program, and we
are confident that the Butler University Marching Band will only
continue to grow and mature along with its participants.
The Butler University Band - It's a Great Place to Play!