Virtual Band Alumni Meeting

While our reunion may be postponed until 2021, we are still actively working to support the Nebraska Bands program. 

The membership registration is now open for 2020-21. This will allow you to pay your dues to continue as a current BAA member, as well as have the opportunity to donate to our funds. The Snider Fund will support not two, but THREE band members this fall! The Lentz Fund will continue to enrich the learning of band students by commissioning new works and possibly bringing in guest composers and/or conductors. Your dues go into our general fund, which covers funding for the band awards ceremony, technology for drill writing, and so much more! Here is the link: https://nebandalums.org/dues_donations/

As per our by-laws, we will be holding our annual general membership meeting for those wishing to attend on Saturday, September 19 at 11:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m., C.D.T. via zoom. The link will be sent to current members (those who have paid their dues since the last reunion). Life members who would like to attend the meeting, please email us at info@nebandalums.org to receive the link to the meeting if you do not receive it by the end of August. 

At this meeting, you will be updated on the current affairs of the BAA, you will hear a band department report from Dr. Barber, and will receive updates on our scholarship funds. We also have three board members up for re-election: Chuck Teutsch, Ranelle Maltas and Amy Pettit. All are hoping to serve again, but we will also accept new nominations.

Please consider paying annual dues https://nebandalums.org/dues_donations/
and/or contributing to one of our funds (https://go.unl.edu/sniderfund or https://go.unl.edu/lentzfund).

Again, the best way to stay connected to the BAA is by entering your email into the blog and/or following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram (@nebandlums). 

Thank you! 

Jack Snider Day

Today (July 24) would have been Jack’s 99th birthday! 

Jack Snider
Jack Snider

One way we’re celebrating is by announcing a 3rd scholarship: “The Jack R. Snider Freshman Band Scholarship”. This will be in the amount of $750.00 based on a student’s financial need.  And, thanks to your donations, we have also been able to increase the two established marching band awards to $750.00 each.

However, we need your help to keep these scholarships supported through your continued generosity. 

Please take a moment or two and make a donation. Any amount is welcomed and appreciated. But, if you need some help deciding on an amount, consider one of the following “suggestions”:

7/24/1921 The day Jack was born…so $7.00, $24.00 or $19.00 or $21.00 (or $1,921…)
1952Jack started teaching at UNL…. $52.00
1961Jack began leading the UNL: Marching Band…$61.00
1962Jack took the marching band to the Gotham Bowl…$62.00
1963Jack’s first of many Orange bowl appearances…$63.00
1972The band goes “co-ed” …. $72.00
1973Orange Bowl Sousa show, featuring a 60-yard-long American Flag, the first of this size on a football field… $73.00
1974Jack took the band to Europe…$74.00
2020Jack would have been 99 today…$99.00
Please make a gift to support Nebraska band students today!.

It’s very simple: go to go.unl.edu/sniderfund and click the GIVE NOW button.

Thank you! 

2020 Band Alumni Reunion Update

Fellow Alums,

The UNL BAA board made the decision that we should cancel our reunion plans for the fall of 2020. With so much of this college football and marching band season up in the air, we believe that the best course of action is to postpone until 2021. This decision is being made for the safety of our fellow alums as well as the recognition that plans for social distancing may make it hard for both Westbrook and Memorial stadium to accommodate our group at the present time. If perchance the football season is moved to Spring of 2021, we will explore our opportunity to reschedule to a game in that time frame. Otherwise, we hope to be with you again in the Fall of 2021.  

Please remember that the BAA is a membership organization, and we will still be running a membership campaign in late summer or early fall.  Dues and donations collected during that campaign will be used for our expanded scholarship program for current Cornhusker Marching Band members. If the Cornhusker Marching Band is able to participate in the football season, they may have additional needs for our support which your donations will also help us fund.

Please stay safe, and we will look forward to gathering together in 2021. 

Go Big Red!

Steve Pearson
President, Band Alumni Association, Inc.

2019 Russ Swanson Outstanding Bandsman Announced at Band Banquet

The 2019 Russ Swanson Outstanding Bandsman Award was presented this year to Dan Iverson! Dan was awarded a plaque at the band’s end of season banquet on January 31, 2020. Dan received $100, a personal award, and his name will be on a plaque which is on display at Westbrook Music Building. 

Dan is a trombone player from Rapid City, South Dakota. He is a senior music education major at UNL and is currently student teaching.

Award presentation
From Left to Right: Julie Duensing, BAA Board Member, Dan Iverson, Bob Snider, BAA Development Officer

This award was renamed in 2012 in Russ Swanson’s honor. Russ was a french horn player in the marching band and was a part of the 1941 Rose Bowl Band. He was also a WWII veteran serving on an air bomber crew. He was a charter member of the Band Alumni Association in 1974 and was on the board until a little over a year before he died in 2011. He and his wife were dedicated volunteers for activities of the BAA board.

Save the Date!

Our Reunion Weekend for 2020 will be September 4-5. The game is a Big Ten game against Purdue. Registration will open the first week in July.

We’ve been working on updated design for the “Band Song” shirt and will be available later.

Based on feedback from you, we are considering revamping how the weekend works. One change is that we will not offer a block of tickets for non-marching alumni or guests. Please check out the many options to procure your tickets without amount limitations on our Football Tickets page under the Reunion Weekend menu.