Blue Devil Marching Band Approaches 75th Anniversary
The Huntington High School Blue Devil marching band has established deep roots in the school and community. Its alumni numbers in the thousands, it has built a statewide reputation and it’s still going strong as it prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2009.
The band has endured changes in its leadership, the annual transition of its membership and new philosophies and creative inspirations as times have dictated. The original bands consisted of several dozen students, a far cry from today’s 150 student strong organization.
The band was organized in 1934 and was open to boys and girls in all four classes, according to the 1936 edition of The Huntingtonian, the high school yearbook. “Although newly organized, this group has worked very hard and with the cooperation of the student body, the band members have received blue and white uniforms. They gave a new feeling of school spirit to all of the occasions at which they appeared this year,” states the yearbook.
The 1936 yearbook is the first to picture the marching band dressed in traditional uniforms. The book notes the uniforms were the product of fellow students, most likely referring to a campaign by the General Organization to raise funds for their purchase or an outright grant of monies.
The first director was high school music teacher James C. Doty, who attended Oberlin College in Ohio. The 1936 drum major was Edwin Riggs. He is the first student any yearbook assigned to that prestigious role. Mr. Riggs, known as Eddie, was a member of the varsity basketball and track teams as a junior and senior, served as the Athletic Council president as a senior, was drama club stage manager for three years a member of the General Organization’s Executive Council and on the Question Mark (student newspaper) staff.
“Under the able direction of Mr. Doty, the musical leader, our band is expected to further the musical of the Huntington High School in the future,” states the 1936 Huntingtonian. It has done just that.
James Cloyd Doty came to Huntington in 1924 and began his supervision of the music department. The 1935 high school yearbook was dedicated to him. That dedication, listed on the yearbook’s second page extolled the teacher and music director: “Who through his devotion to music has helped many students to develop a love and appreciation of one of the fine arts. Who by his sympathetic understanding of young people has both earned and enjoyed the love and respect of all those privileged to have been his pupils.”
That same 1935 yearbook depicts the band sitting on the stage at the old Huntington High School on Main Street (now Town Hall). Members were dressed in formal attire, with boys in jacket and tie. “Great progress was made this year by the band,” reads the caption under the photo on page 44 of The Huntingtonian.
“Money was available for new instruments and through careful spending Mr. Doty purchased several which have filled out the band in both appearance and sound. Besides playing at games the band performed at the Huntington Theater, at Woodbury Avenue School, as a concert given for its own benefit at the high school and participated in the Music Festival at Lindenhurst.”
The band has grown over the years to play a major role in the life of the district. "A significant part of the Huntington School District's reputation for having an outstanding music program comes from the national recognition that our high school band has achieved throughout it's many years of concert, parade and field show performances,” said Joan R. Fretz, district director of fine and performing arts. “‘Blue Devil pride’ is something that every band member understands, lives by and remembers long after their participation in the program. In addition to extraordinary musical experiences the band provides an opportunity for students to develop self-confidence, an esprit de corps and strong leadership skills. We look forward to the Blue Devils continuing to make history in Huntington."
Following its humble origins, in later years the marching band would participate in local and national level parades and events, appear on the field at Yankee Stadium, march in the Rose Bowl parade on television and win the state championship in its division. It has garnered a lengthy list of honors far too numerous to note in a short article.
“During the 22 years that I have had the honor of directing our music programs, the Blue Devil marching band has always distinguished itself at every parade and field band competition,” Mrs. Fretz said. “People in the audience always have the same reaction to seeing and hearing our band perform; ‘Huntington is such a class act.’ That reputation comes from the impeccable behavior of our students at events, the high quality of music selected and the professionalism that results from the honor of being part of this Blue Devil tradition. Huntington is in a class by itself when it comes to pride and conduct.”
It’s sometimes difficult to believe that the same band that means so much today to so many students and community members had it genesis in that old brick building on Main Street that still holds fond memories for many local residents. The band, which has evolved into an institution in and of itself, was carefully created by the reserved Mr. Doty, a man whose work continues to pay dividends decades after his death. The music department presents an annual award in his honor to a deserving senior.
“I believe a very significant part of the success and longevity of the Huntington band comes from the devotion of our community to the program,” Mrs. Fretz said. “Few school districts support and love their music program the way our Huntington families do. Our Band Parent Association is filled with band alumni who devote hundreds of hours of service to the support of our program every year. They are another part of the Huntington tradition that other schools marvel at.”
This year’s marching band is said to be a worthy successor of the bands that have preceded it. It will undoubtedly build its own traditions throughout the fall during weekly competitions. Decked out in attractive uniforms and boasting a powerful sound, the band has earned many admirers over the years and it never fails to make an impression.
“I am so proud that our families still appreciate all of the special musical and personal skills that membership in the band provides,” Mrs. Fretz said. “That's such an important ingredient for our continued success.”
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