Seventy members of the newly re-established Lumberjack Band Alumni Association, including generations of Lumberjack Marching Band musicians and twirlers, are scheduled to perform during halftime of the SFA versus Tarleton State University football game, and with registration still open, more are expected to join in the festivities.
After initially forming in the 1970s before disbanding about a decade ago, this new group organized last year.
“The first Lumberjack alumni band was created by Jim Hagood in the 1970s,” said Paige Pattillo-Brown, LBAA organizer and former SFA feature twirler. “Unfortunately, that organization ceased to exist more than a decade ago. I drafted the bylaws and created the new Lumberjack Band Alumni Association last year. In 2017, we had 71 members and, this year, 37 more members have joined.”
In 2016, a reunion was held to celebrate the band’s 90th anniversary and the Twirl-O-Jacks’ 60th anniversary, but an official alumni organization did not exist at that time. Brown, along with Kristen Badders Conklin, assist each year in judging SFA twirling tryouts, and following the 2016 tryouts, the two volunteered to help plan another reunion for 2017. They soon found themselves creating a new organization.
The purpose of the LBAA is centered on financial and other support of current Lumberjack Marching Band members.
“Former band members have always expressed what a wonderful time they had in the band, and we want current students to have an exceptional experience, as well,” Brown said. “We raised more than $2,000 our first year. With that money, we were able to provide small scholarships for the section leaders, give commemorative SFA band blankets to the graduating seniors and feed the entire band pizza during a summer band practice. Our goals are still the same; we just want to give more money each year to assist the current band.”
Former SFA twirler Mary Jo Morris of New Braunfuls also will return for a second year to perform during halftime. The 88-year-old alumna twirled for SFA 70 years ago in 1948 and 1949.
The SFA football game against Tarleton State University will begin at 6 p.m. Sept. 8, at Homer Bryce Stadium.
The second annual LBAA halftime performance will take place as part of the 2018 Lumberjack Marching Band and Twirl-O-Jacks Reunion, which is slated for the same day. Registration and a tentative schedule of events can be found online at sfaalumni.com/event/LMBTOJ18, or call the SFA Alumni Association at (936) 468-3407 for additional information. LBAA annual membership is $45; lifetime membership is $250.
