sonorities

New Gifts (cont.)

Janet Manning, coordinator of alumni relations and development

Alumni Organize the Charles Leonhard Legacy Project Professor Emeritus Charles Leonhard was one of the most influential educators in American music history. During his 35 years (1951-1986) as professor of music at the University of Illinois, he initiated the doctoral program in music education, guided more than 200 doctoral dissertations, and served as chairman of the graduate committee on music education. Dr. Leonhard also was director of research for the National Arts Education Research Center. He was known for the book, Foundations and Principles of Music Education, which he co-authored with alum Robert House (Ed.D.’54). His awards are many, including the “Distinguished Alumnus Award” from Teachers College-Columbia University, and “Distinguished Alumni Fellow” from the School of Music at the University of Oklahoma. Leonhard was inducted into the music education Hall of Fame in 1994. Charles Leonard died January 31, 2002. In accordance with Professor Leonhard’s wishes, there was no public memorial following his death.

After several months of discussion among a large number of Dr. Leonard’s former graduate students, a committee of eight alums met on August 21, under the leadership of Peter Tiboris (Ed.D.’80), to formulate plans to celebrate and remember the legacy of Dr. Leonhard’s teaching, scholarship, and career. The committee will work with the School of Music to establish a permanent means to celebrate Leonhard’s work; ideas toward that end are in process. If you are a music education alum from any era and are interested in working on this project, please contact Dr. Peter Tiboris at 212-239-0205; 973-746-1162, or e-mail him at mozart11@aol.com.

The Charles Leonhard Legacy Project provides the opportunity for all interested persons to contribute and assure that Dr. Leonhard’s impact upon the profession will endure. Additional information on this project may be found at: www.charlesleonhardlegacy.com.

Those in attendance at the August meeting included: John Burley (M.S.’70, Ed.D.’79), director of instrumental music, Scottsdale Community College, AZ; Linda Gerber (Ed.D.’75), retired professor of music, Western Connecticut State University; Jon Gilliland (M.S.’77, Ed.D.’91), K-12 fine arts coordinator, Appleton Area Schools, WI; Joe Grant (M.M.’71, Advanced Certificate ’72, Ed.D.’83), chair, music education division, School of Music, University of Illinois; Roger Reichmuth (M.S.’66, Ed.D.’77), retired assistant dean, College of Fine Arts and Humanities, Murray State University, KY.

Alum Revives Giant Bass Drum
An 80-year-old tradition was revived at the 2004 Homecoming football game on Saturday, October 30, when the Alumni Band took the field for its pre-game performance alongside the Marching Illini. The Alumni Band’s drum-line included the giant bass drum that first debuted with the football band in the days of Red Grange and Bob Zuppke. The 1920s-era drum, which measures more than five feet in diameter, was recently restored to its original condition through a generous gift from UI alumnus, Calvin D. Filson (B.S.’43, business administration) of Boulder City, Nevada.

Filson played the drum as a member of the Marching Illini in the early 1940s. When he returned in 2002 to play in the Alumni Band—his first visit to campus in 39 years—he found “his” drum in barely playable condition. “The 80-year-old cowhide drumheads were as brittle as parchment,” noted Filson. According to professor emeritus Gary Smith, interim director of the Marching Illini, the venerable relic had been retired in the 1960s. “We drug it out at Homecoming for old time’s sake,” added Smith. Cal Filson contacted the University of Illinois Foundation and the Alumni Association and offered to personally pay for the overhaul of the drum. He played it as a member of the Alumni Band during the Friday night Homecoming Parade and during the band’s pre-game and halftime performances at the Illinois vs. Iowa football game on Saturday. Attending the unveiling of the restored drum at Friday’s band rehearsal was Cal and his wife Edna, and daughters Leah Richard and Dana Stauffer. Renaissance Archives Gift to Assist in Research The Renaissance Archives (Herbert Kellman, director) recently received a gift from George Unger (B.S.'86, mechanical engineering), of Los Angeles. It will help defray the travel expenses of young pre- and post-doctoral musicologists in the United States and abroad who wish to carry out research in the Archives.

Last year, eight scholars from Europe and the United States traveled to campus for research in the Archives, while many others, from universities throughout the world, carried out research by correspondence. The Archives continue to be an active partner in collaborative Renaissance projects headquartered in Germany, Belgium, Holland, France, and the United Kingdom.

WINTER 2005