Purple Pride Alumni

Angleton, TX

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By JOHN TOMPKINS | 0 comments

ANGLETON — The cheers from the crowds and marching lockstep with fellow students while playing music is a cherished memory for Katherine Brune-Jahnke.

Brune-Jahnke was a member of the Angleton High School Purple Pride Marching Band as a student in the 1970s and remembers the days when the band was nationally recognized. Hoping to maintain the tradition, she joined the Angleton High School Alumni Band.

Since its creation five years ago, the group has swelled to more than 200 members who have performed several times together at various events.

“I still love the marching,” Brune-Jahnke said. “I love the process of learning the drill again. To me that’s always been a challenge.”

Brune-Jahnke and several fellow alumni band members will be performing Friday night with the Angleton High School band at the opening home football game at Wildcat Stadium. The group will also have a social at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the American Legion hall in Angleton.

Friday’s performance has made alumni band member Stan Montgomery busy as former band members  are calling, wanting to march again.

“We’re having people show up out of the woodwork,” he said. “We’re also seeing younger members who played in the 1980s.”

Montgomery said he is getting a handful of calls and e-mails every day from alumni band members and those wanting to join the alumni band so they can march Friday night.

When former drum major and baritone player Wayne Driskill discovered the alumni band three years ago, he could hardly contain his excitement.

“I went so far as to buy myself a baritone and relearned how to play it after 35 years,” said Driskill, a 1973 Angleton High School grad. “There were some songs I can play by memory.”

Driskill said being a part of the alumni band also helps reunite former bandmates who may not have seen each other since they played on the field in high school.

“I look forward to seeing the people,” he said. “It’s really about seeing old friends and reliving our old glory days.”

The group was organized as a remembrance of the band’s accomplishments over the years, but it’s also there to help foster music education among Angleton High School’s current students, Montgomery said.

“We feel the music is really important in the schools,” he said.

Outside of promoting the Angleton High School band, the group has also pooled donations together to help pay for students who can’t afford to be in the band, Montgomery said.

“We’re there to help in any way we can,” he said.

The alumni band will have another practice starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the band practice field on the east side of the new high school, 1 Campus Drive.

For more information about Friday’s performance or the Saturday social, call Montgomery at 979-345-3213 or visitpurplepridealumni.org. Tickets for Saturday’s event are $20 and those wanting to attend must make a reservation by Friday.

 

John Tompkins is senior reporter for The Facts. Contact him at 979-849-8581.


The Angleton High School Alumni Band will host it's monthly meeting June 2nd at the AHS second band hall.  We will be working on our upcoming charity golf tournament benefitting the Angleton Band Boosters "Lend a Hand" fund.  The tournament will be held Saturday June 26,2010 at the Freeport Golf Course. Registration begins at 8:00 AM and starting time is 9:00 AM.  We will be soliciting tee box sponsors at $100.00 each and looking for volunteers to help run the tournament.  We will also be working on our upcoming halftime show with the AHS Band.  At our last meeting we found out the last 2010  home  football game would be played before our high school band would be competing  at  marching contest. UIL rules prohibit students from  practicing over 8 hrs a week.  There is no way the students could work on their marching drill and learn  a second drill with the alumni. Therefore we decided to move our performance to the first home game which is August 27, 2010. This will enable the high school students to learn  the drill with the alumni band during their summer band  practices and not be in violation of UIL rules.  We are now in the  RUN mode for this season. We need to get our registration forms filled out and turned in, we have to contact sponsors, we have to get shirts ordered, and we have to contact new members. We need your help.  All AHS Band alumni are welcome to participate  Please make plans to attend on June 2nd.  For membership or other information, contact Wayne Driskill, Membership Chairman via email at wdriskill@hotmail.com or via telephone at (281)485-1830.
 
Angleton High School Alumni Band elects new officers for 2010
 

The election of the Angleton High School Alumni Band officers was held at the January 2010 membership meeting at the Angleton High School band hall.  The results are as follows:
 
President: Stanley Montgomery; First Vice President: Diana Salazar; Second Vice President: Sam Alsobrook; Secretary: Marita Lewis; Treasurer: Michelle Dominy; and Membership Chairman: Wayne Driskill.  Michael Smith will continue to be the Webmaster.  Outgoing officers are Joe Jasso: President and Isabelle Salazar: Secretary.  The officers and members would like to thank the outgoing officers for the many hours they contributed and for their dedicated hard work.
 
The Angleton High School Alumni Band is a not-for-profit organization of former AHS band students whose goals are to promote band participation in Angleton ISD schools and assist the directors and students of the AISD band programs with financial and moral support.  The AHS Alumni Band will fund two scholarships to graduating senior band students in 2010, and will also donate funds to help purchase much-needed band equipment.  The AHS Alumni Band also helps with band students' expenses for attendance at leadership camps, drum major camps, and musical performances at the The Clarion at Brazosport College.
  

President Stanley Montgomery noted, "All former AHS band members are encouraged to join and participate.  We have a lot of fun!"  

Please note, the AHS Alumni Band monthly meetings have been changed.  Future meetings will be held the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM at the AHS band hall.  Our next meeting will be April 6, 2010.  

For more information, please contact Membership Chairman Wayne Driskill by e-mail at 
wdriskill@hotmail.com or by telephone at (281) 485-1830 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (281) 485-1830 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (281) 485-1830      end_of_the_skype_highlighting      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

For the fifth year in a row, the AHS Alumni Band will combine with the AHS Band to perform a half time military type marching show at the last home game of 2010.  The new officers, with the help of several members, are already hard at work making plans to make this our biggest and best show to date!