Historic Apparel Discovered

WAITSBURG

- When music teacher Rebecca Wilson was cleaning out some space in her closet she came across Waitsburg Marching Band uniforms that had been in retirement for nearly 30 years.

Those red, cream and gold uniforms had been worn by hundreds of students from the 1950s through the mid- 1980s when the polyester and nylon formalwear was traded in for matching polo shirts.

Part of the reason the band students no longer wear fancy uniforms is be­cause marching bands aren't popular at small schools.

"It's just not done as much," Waitsburg Super­intendent Dr. Carol Clarke said.

The uniforms, still hang­ing in that closet, bear a lot of history. One is more of a military-style outfit, with a red coat and gold cording. Another is cream and red with a cardinal on one front, and decorative cording on another front so one uniform had two different looks.

Clarke said the uniforms with their matching hats with plumes, have just been sitting in this closet and the district is working to de­cide what to do with these pieces of student history. In all, there are eight different jackets and six pairs of coor­dinating pants. The uniforms are worn, though their colors are still bright. It is obvious the attire was used by many different students - one pair of pants had been hemmed about 8 inches to accommo­date shorter legs.

At the school board meet­ing on July 11, Clarke had said the district is think­ing of offering the vintage marching band uniforms to the Waitsburg Historical Society, Liberty Theater or even asking if alumni want to purchase them.

From flipping through Waitsburg High School year­books from 1915 through the most recent editions, this reporter was able to date the uniforms fairly well.

In 1915, the earliest an­nual available at the school, Waitsburg High School had an orchestra with six musicians, but there was no marching band and no marching band uniforms.

In 1946, the school boast­ed a marching band of 35 regular members who played music at the Lewis-Clark Memorial Celebration, win­ter and spring concerts, May Day festivities and Days of Real Sports.

In addition to all of these town events, the band played music for all home football and basketball games.

Despite all of the perfor­mances, the band still did not don the fancy uniforms in 1946, according to the school's yearbook Crimson and Gray from that year.

The first marching band uniforms showed up in the Crimson and Gray annual in 1951. A photo of the band and some majorettes on the front lawn of the high school appears in its pages. The uni­form from the photos is the military-style jacket that was red with gold cording.

Ten years later in 1961, in the same uniforms, the annual said there were 36 students in the band from the grade school and the high school who played music at Days of Real Sport and even traveled to the Milton-Free­water Pea Festival parade.

In 1966, new band uni­forms were photographed and on display in the school's annual.

These are the uniforms that are red and cream and have two fronts, one with a red cardinal and one with decorative cording. In the 1966 annual, it shows Drum Major Clint Donley in his uniform.

The new cream and white uniforms were likely pur­chased between 1964 and 1966 and were worn until 1981 or 1982. In the eighties, the band switched over to the more casual style of dress for performances.

Becky Dunn, Waitsburg High School alumna and former band member, gradu­ated in 1979 and donned the red-and-cream uniform with the red cardinal.

Dunn said she believes that Dr. Randy Pearson, a school board member, may have even worn two of those uniforms.

A third uniform found in the closet, a black coat with Waitsburg stitched on at the wrists, is not remembered by Dunn, nor did this reporter find it in any annual.

Dunn remembers early in her high school career, and possibly even junior high, putting on the cream-and- red ensemble and marching with the band playing her cornet trumpet.

"They were awful," Dunn remembers with a laugh. "Just imagine in May in the Days of Real Sport parade. You're dying."

For those interested in obtaining one of these uni­forms, contact the school district at (509) 337-6461.