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Flashback: Wagner College Seahawk Marching Band, ca. 1969

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Flashback: Wagner College Seahawk Marching Band, ca. 1969
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This photo, which identifies the proud drum major as Craig Ferrari ’71, came from a scrapbook dating to the years 1968–70, when the band was directed by James W. Hubert. The first marching band was formed at Wagner in the years immediately after World War II. Highlight performances included the halftime show of a Giants NFL game in 1970 and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1969 and 1971. By 1976, however, the ensemble had ceased to exist — until this year, when it was revived under the direction of Jose Diaz.

Caryl Black Colgan, who attended Wagner College in 1968–69, wrote this reminiscence about marching in the 1969 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade:

“While watching the Thanksgiving parade [in 2016], I thought back to when the Wagner College Seahawk Marching Band marched in the Macy’s parade. The year was 1969. I was a baton twirler at the time. Christine Rossi ’72 and Nancy Bennett ’72 were the captains. Our twirling outfits back then were green thin wale corduroy with white piping down the front and lined in white silk; my grandmother made mine. We all had pink mittens stuffed in our boots that we used in a dance routine in front of the viewing stand. When we arrived at the viewing stand, chairs were brought out for each one of us, at which time we put the mittens on and then danced around the chairs to the theme of the 'Pink Panther.' (Hence the pink mittens.) Then we took them off and completed our routine using our batons. The day was drizzly and gray and fairly cold for the parade, but truly a fantastic experience! We had to be back at the school WAY WAY early the morning of the parade, and we were all served steak and eggs before boarding the buses to take us to Manhattan. The old cafeteria was still in use, and that’s where the whole band and all of us had breakfast.”

All of the band members in their uniforms lined up for a photo.
The Wagner College marching band ready for action in the 1971 Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.

 

Winter 2013-14

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