UF Alumni and Supporters Celebrate 100 Years of Bands on Campus
For 100 years the University of Florida (UF) Bands have brought musical excellence to the UF campus. On Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013 more than 300 guests, including alumni, friends and members of the community, gathered in the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom for the Gator Bands Centennial Celebration, presented by the Gator Band Alumni Association (GBAA).
The event, which also served as a celebration of the GBAA’s 40th anniversary, included a dinner, silent auction, dancing and the presentation of 10 scholarships to current College of Fine Arts students. Gator Band alumni from several generations attended, with guests ranging from recent graduates to those such as Sophy Mae Mitchell, the first female Gator Band member. Funds raised at the celebration will endow the Gary Langford Scholarship, which supports students who are in both the jazz and marching bands.
“We have been celebrating 100 years of the UF Band program for about a year now, with the celebration kicking off during a special concert by the Wind Symphony at Carnegie Hall last year,” said David Waybright, D.M.A., professor and director of bands for the past 27 years. “It is only right to close out the festivities with a tribute to the Gator Band, especially in light of the recent Sudler Trophy they received, which is described as the Heisman Trophy of the collegiate band world.”
Many memories were shared by Gator Band alumni, including those of Wallace Prophet, Ph.D., of Gainesville, whose history with Gator Band dates back 68 years. Prophet came to UF in the fall of 1945 during a time when enrollment was still low due to WWII. He immediately joined Gator Band and even helped organize the Perry Watson Band, which played big band music. Prophet took a hiatus from UF for 18 months to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corps. During his time in Tokyo, Japan, he kept the music alive and played in the 746th Air Force Band. Prophet returned to UF in 1948 and remained at the university, earning his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and a Ph.D. in psychology.
“The band has come a long way since my first contact with it in 1945,” Prophet said in a letter. “The university and the Gator Nation are justifiably proud of the ‘Pride of the Sunshine.’ Here’s to another 100 years.”
Another highlight of the evening was the presentation of a $100,000 check by School of Music alumnus Bill Booth to start a scholarship in honor of the 100th year and of his band director Dick Bowles. Booth, of DeLand, Fla., also pledged additional funds to enable a student in the low brass section of the marching band to come to UF on a full ride scholarship for their four years. Booth earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from UF in 1968 and worked as a music professor prior to founding Relative Workshop, a sport skydiving equipment manufacturing company, in 1972. Bill, who is now owner of United Parachute Technologies and holds 12 U.S. And international patents, is a pioneer in the skydiving industry whose inventions have contributed to the safety, growth and popularity of skydiving.
“I attended UF on a scholarship, so this was a debt that I needed to repay,” said Booth. “The 100th anniversary of the Gator Band was a perfect occasion to give back. Although I decided not to pursue a career in music, the organizational skills I learned in the Gator Band enabled me to start my own business. Giving this scholarship was one of the happiest experiences of my life, and I would recommend it to anyone. I was shocked to hear that there were fewer than a dozen scholarships available for the band to give. I encourage anyone who is able to give to do so and help make the scholarship funds prosper.”
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