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FALL 2011

www.calband.berkeley.edu Photo by Laura Mack

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA MARCHING BAND AND THE CAL BAND ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

SPRING 2012

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Women’s NCAA Tournament Trevor Ford, trumpet ’09

The Cal Women’s Basketball Team had a great 2011-2012 season, finishing 13-5 in the conference and 25-10 overall. So when our Golden Bears traveled to South Bend, Indiana for the NCAA Tournament, the Straw Hat Band followed along to bring the California Spirit to the land of the Fighting Irish. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go on this trip, and I must say it was one of the most fun weeks of my life.

When our small group of 18 bandsmen arrived in Indiana on Thursday, we realized that we had a lot of downtime before the game on Sunday, so we decided to take the short drive over to Chicago in nearby Illinois. That Friday, the Straw Hat Band took the Windy City by storm. We visited all of the usual tourist destinations: the giant bean in Millennium Park, the Navy Pier, and the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower). We also partook in some traditional Chicago cuisine: eating Chicago style hot dogs, dining at the famous Billy Goat Tavern, and scarfing down vast quantities of deep dish pizza. We all had a wonderful day full of memories in the city, and that was only the start of our adventure.

The next day was St. Patrick’s Day, and what better place to spend it than on the University of Notre Dame campus, the home of the Fighting Irish! We wandered the picturesque campus, admiring the beautiful architecture and scenery. Since the campus was on spring break, there was barely anybody else around besides the Straw Hat Band. It felt like we had turned Notre Dame into Bear Territory! The next day was the first round game against the University of Iowa. The basketball team played their hearts out while the bands battled it out.

Holiday Bowl 2011Catherine Azzopardi, tenor ’09

The Holiday Bowl, in spite of the odds against it, was a wonderful way to end the 2011 season. Yes, we did have to leave Berkeley on Christmas night. Yes, we did have to learn a new pregame and halftime show in a mere six hours. Yes, we did have to watch a football game that didn’t have much momentum. In spite of these mishaps, the Holiday Bowl was a memorable and fun experience for us as Cal Bandsmen. After arriving in San Diego in the wee hours on December 26th, we were greeted at a fabulously nice hotel, the W, located within walking distance of San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter, as well as the sunshine of SoCal. Our first event of the three-day Bowl excursion took place later that morning on the landing deck of the USS Midway at the 32nd Naval Base. In addition to playing a Battle of the Bands with the Texas Longhorn Band for the military on the base, we also got to socialize and chat with the Longhorn Band—some sections got along so well with each other that plans were made to hang out during our collective free evening time in the Gaslamp Quarter, which is the center of downtown San Diego and the locale for a variety of delicious gourmet eateries.

The next morning was all about getting our alumni and fans pumped for the game, so we battled the Longhorns once again at a luncheon at the San Diego Convention Center, and continued on to a

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Clarinet players from both the Cal Band and the Texas Band pose during a battle of the bands at a Naval Base in San Diego.

Everyone is well aware of the budget cuts that have affected public school education at all levels in recent years. Since 2006, the University’s support of the band through student registration fees has decreased. After many years of stating our case for more funding, comparing our situation with other bands across the country, and refusing to give up hope, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost George Breslauer has pledged $90,000 in annual support to the band. The University has pledged an additional $50,000 per year for the next four years if we can match the amount in new donor support. This commitment from the University is welcome news indeed, and the challenge of soliciting new support is one that the officers, students, and I are excited about.

I would like to thank the students who have provided and continue to provide spirit and enthusiasm to a variety of events and activities throughout the year to the University and its surrounding community. On behalf of all of us, I’d like to express our thanks to EVCP Breslauer and the administration for their support; we are most appreciative. Lastly, I’d like to thank George Miller, honorary life member of the band, donor, and friend, who was instrumental (no pun intended) in bringing our funding issues to the attention of our administration on numerous occasions. We simply cannot thank him enough for his perseverance, warmth, and generosity.

In the coming months, we hope to have a mechanism in place that will detail how you can give to the band if the program outlined by EVCP Breslauer appeals to you. We look forward to seeing you September 1st at our season opener (back home in Memorial Stadium!) against the University of Nevada.

Cal Band BudgetRobert Calonico, Cal Band Director

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www.calband.berkeley.eduEcho Photos by Erin Proudfoot, Lisa Spresney, Steve Dong, Jenny Wagner, and

Kristina Malsberger

Catherine Azzopardi ’09Robert Calonico ‘72Michelle Durand ’09

Trevor Ford ’09Andy LaBatt ‘90

Jamie Rawson ’77Rob Rawson ’78

Erika So ’10Sara Van Valkenburgh ’10

Ben Weise ’09

The North Tunnel Echo

Erin Proudfoot ’92CBAA Communications

Committee Chair

Ben Weise ’09Cal Band Public

Relations Director

Contributors

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Please address comments to:

The North Tunnel EchoUniversity of California Marching Band72 César Chavez Student Center # 4280

Berkeley, CA 94720-4280e-mail: nte-editor@calband.berkeley.edu

The North Tunnel Echo is a joint publication of the University of California Marching Band and the Cal Band Alumni Association, Inc. © 2012 Cal Band Alumni Association, Inc.

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Erika Gonzalez ’03Editor

Erin (Vidali) Proudfoot (clarinet ’92, DM ’95) and Mark Proudfoot (trombone ’92) welcomed the newest edition to their family, Darlene Una Proudfoot, on February 3, 2012. Big brother Carson (2 1/2 years old) is happy to have a little sister under his watch. Darlene’s first Cal event was the Cal vs. Stanford women’s basketball game, a loss that she was fortunate to sleep through. See you at Alumni Band Day and Go Bears!

Back in the Bay Area after finishing graduate work in Boston, MA, Zack Bruno (alto ’02) was recently named Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Skyline College in San Bruno, CA. The 45-member Skyline College Community Band —comprised of musicians from age 18 to 80 playing classical and pop tunes from Bach to the Beatles and everything in between—rehearses on Tuesday nights. Cal Band Alumni who live anywhere on the Peninsula are welcome to join. E-mail SkylineCollegeBands@gmail.com for more information.

Jerry Miller (mellophone ’96) is leaving his position at Deloitte in San Francisco to

head off to Duke’s Fuqua School of Business to obtain his MBA. He is very excited about the opportunity and is looking forward to his first game at Cameron Indoor —and no, he’s not joining the pep band. Cal will forever be in his heart. Go Bears!

Lisa (Nelson) Spresney (piccolo ’89) and Dwaine Spresney are pleased to announce the arrival of their second daughter, Rachel Marie, born in January 2012. Rachel, big sister Sarah, and parents currently reside in

Phoenix, Arizona.Alan Taber (trumpet ’66) will miss the

next two ABDs as he and his wife, Debbie, serve a Family History teaching mission for their church in Bangkok, Thailand. Alan’s ability to speak Thai is limited to things like “where can I get Penang curry?” and “this is really good Penang curry,” but his teaching duties will (thankfully) be conducted in English. When not in search of Penang curry, Alan and Debbie may meet up with Peter Montalbano (trumpet ’60). Alan wants all Cal Band alumni to remember that “trumpets rule!”—at least in Thailand.

Peter Montalbano (trumpet ’60) is having entirely too much fun. He just submitted the translation of an award-winning Thai novel into English for publication later this year. The name of the book is Lap Lae, Kaeng Khoi written by Uthit Haemamoon. Also recently—Jan-Feb ’12—Peter did a great 500km tour of Southern Thailand on the Jamis road bike he brought over from the U.S. in 2008.

Steve Dong (trombone ’89) and Ute A v e r e s c h welcomed the arrival of their daughter Insa Marie Dong on October 1, 2011 in Berlin, G e r m a n y . Having already b e c o m e fast friends with Maxi and Schnute

(Berlin’s bear mascots living in nearby Köllnischer Park), Insa is looking forward to making the acquaintance of Oski and root on the Bears. The family is doing well and hopes to catch up with everyone at a future alumni event.

Boyd Cothran (tenor ’01) completed his PhD in History at the University of Minnesota on February 6th, 2012. He and Tanya (Thomas) Cothran (trombone ’01) will be moving to Toronto, Canada where Boyd will start an Assistant Professorship in U.S. History at York University next fall.

Jay Seiden (alto ’75) is finishing up his 35th tax season as a CPA in Orange County. He is happily married to his wife Susanne. They will celebrate their 33rd anniversary this summer. They are proud to announce that their son Kenneth is a first officer, flying commercially for Great Lakes Airlines, stationed out of Denver. If you’re ever on Great Lakes Airlines and hear his name be sure to say hello. Go Bears!

J e n n y ( F o x -M a n a s t e r ) Wagner (alto ’99, StuD ’02) and David Wagner (alto ’98, SM ’01) welcomed a baby boy, Nathan Fox Wagner, on February 25, 2012. The whole family is very happy and living in San Jose, CA. Nathan is all ready for some Cal games as he received a lot of tiny Cal outfits from friends and family!

Since 2009, Alec Stewart (trumpet ’01, StuD ’04) has lived in Washington, DC. He earned a masters degree in Geography from George Washington University in May 2011, and then researched urban land use for think tanks and non-profits. Now, after over three years away from his beloved Bay Area, Alec will be returning to Cal this fall to start a PhD in Architecture!

On August 6, 2011, Kristina Malsberger (clarinet ’90) married John Sanders, a lab manager in Cal’s forestry department (yes, he knows how to core a live tree—watch out Stanford!). The highlight of the wedding reception was the bride’s brother, John Malsberger (tenor ’93), performing an original song titled, “Why’d His Name Have to be John?” The newlyweds now live in Rockridge, and Kristina is working as a freelance writer for VIA Magazine—look for her byline in a doctor’s office waiting room near you.

Paul Bostwick (baritone ’54, trombone ’55, bass ’56, Secretary ’55, Rep-at-Large ’56, StuD ’57) retired from Los Gatos High School in 1998 after 36 years teaching music and other subjects, and 13 years as Music Department Chairman. He still serves as a substitute teacher and music clinician at Los Gatos and Saratoga High Schools, and is an active music festival adjudicator. This month marks the folding (after 13 years) of the South Bay Stompers (Dixieland band) in which he played tuba. He also plays tuba in the Toot Sweet Jazz Band. The latter group will take over the Stompers’ gig at Britannia Arms in Cupertino on the 2nd Sunday of each month. On a 1969 trip, Paul and wife Barbara paid a sentimental visit to the grounds of the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair. Since retirement, they have traveled overseas more than 15 times.

The Proudfoots

The Dong Family

The Malsbergers

The Spresneys

Nathan Wagner

“Deus Managrum Nostrum Damnet” Page 3

www.calband.berkeley.edu

Photos by The Boyer family and Linda Anderberg

Cal Alumni Band performs at Ethaan’s Memorial Service

Their two children and two grandchildren live in Carlsbad and Del Mar.

Melinda Ng (trombone ’91) and Ron Quezon (alto ’91) continue to live in So Cal, where they occasionally dust off their horns when Tim Castro (trumpet ’86) puts together an LA area Cal Band Alumni gig (if you live in So Cal, please join us!). Ron now has 12 marathons and 3 triathlons under his belt, and Melinda has left civil engineering to pursue writing. She’s recently published a couple short stories (available free!) under the pen name S.Q. Eries, and you can access them through her blog, sqeries.wordpress.com.

Jody Hauser (baritone ’07) is volunteering for the National Park Service at Big Bend National Park in Texas with the Science and Resource Management in the Physical Science Division. Besides exploring the Park and the Chihuahuan Desert, she has been learning about the different aspects of hydrology and water resource management. Jody is also participating in canoeing trips along sections of the Rio Grande performing water quality sampling, measuring discharge, and monitoring overall streamflow. She is getting to work with a diverse group of highly educated people directly involved in a statewide collaboration coordinated by the Texas Clean Rivers Program and International Boundary and Water Commission focusing on water quality assessment.

Valerie Nicklas (bass ’95) left her career in law to come back home to Cal. She has joined the Cal Athletic Department as a member of the new customer service team. Be sure to talk to her when selecting your seats at the new Memorial Stadium! Go Bears!

Will Rohrer (trumpet ’02, DM ’05) married Kim Weisberg in an outdoor, snowy ceremony at Lake Tahoe on February 11, 2012. The wedding was unintentionally scheduled for the same day as the Cal-UCLA men’s basketball game. Said Officiant Zack Bruno (alto ’05) near the end of the game, “This wedding starts when I say it starts, and it’s not starting until this game is over.” As Allen Crabbe hit a three pointer to ice the game, giving Cal its first sweep against the LA schools in 53 years, the groom’s suite erupted in cheers. The wedding started

Oxenhandler.Ethaan was an honor student

at Manteca High School, a graduate of UC Berkeley in Architecture and Design, and a Cal Marching Band member. He marched alto saxophone and was a member of the band from 1995 to 1999, marching point in the 1999 fall season.

A memorial service was held on March 17th at the Calvary

Community Church in Manteca, presided by long time friend and fellow marcher Bryan Harland (trumpet ’98). Jerry Miller (mello ’96) organized members of the Alumni Band, many of whom marched with Ethaan, to play for the service and reception.

ETHAAN ROYCE-ALAXANDAR BOYER

Ethaan Royce -Alaxandar Boyer was born May 26, 1977 in Manteca, California. He passed away February 23, 2012 in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he resided for the past five years. He worked as an Architect Designer, Art Director for Licked Magazine and created Binky Designs LLC. He also worked at Warehouse 21, a nonprofit youth center teaching marketing and screen printing.

Ethaan was a loving son to Janet and Roy Boyer, and a brother to Gregory Boyer and Cheryse Boyer Monkhouse. Ethaan is survived by his beautiful wife and soul mate Annie Oxenhandler, her parents Lucy and Harry Oxenhandler, and brothers John and Jacob

May 26, 1977 - February 23, 2012

IN MEMORIAM

NCAA Continued from page 1

Though RMS Titanic sank 100 years ago, no Cal Bandsman of the past eight decades can be unfamiliar with the tale. Before Robert Ballard’s discovery of the wreck in 1985, before James Cameron’s spectacular 1997 epic, all Cal Bandsmen and countless fans knew the tale because of our long-standing tradition of singing “The Titanic” on the game-day march to Memorial Stadium.

Like the origins of our tradition, those of the song itself are uncertain. “The Titanic” is a genuine folk song, originating among African Americans in the South some time before 1920. Early versions were known in Alabama, North Carolina, and Tennessee. In his scholarly 1950 treatise, Native American Balladry, George M. Laws cites the author as “unknown.”

The song’s title is as protean

“Oh they built the ship, ’Titanic’...”

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Rob Rawson, trombone ’78, Secretary ’81 as its verses. It has been called “The loss of the Titanic,” “It was Sad When the Great Ship Went Down,” “The Sinking of Titanic,” “Husbands and Wives,” “The Ship Titanic Song,” and “The Titanic.” It was first recorded by Ernest V. Stoneham in 1924. Other recordings appeared in the 1920s and ’30s by the likes of Woody Guthrie. During World War II, the song was widely sung by both soldiers and sailors on troop transports, especially those crossing the North Atlantic. It served as a sort of ’whistling past the graveyard’ ritual since those ships were ever in imminent danger of being sunk by German U boats.

Many variants of the song exist and none available are precisely like the version sung by the Cal Band. Interestingly, the lines, “It was on her maiden trip, That

Through the roar of the native Notre Dame fans, the Bears landed a victory, sending them to the second round game against the Number 1 seeded Notre Dame team. The following Tuesday, after an exciting first half that ended with a tie score of 31-31, the home court advantage proved too much for the Bears, and we lost in the second half.

Though it was sad that the season had to come to an end, the Bears left quite a mark in the Midwest. And as the band started singing “Fight” on the plane ride home, the basketball team joined in, showing that whether we win or lose, we will always exude the California Spirit.

shortly thereafter, only a few minutes behind schedule. Carlos Aurellano (alto ’90) and Daniel Chapman (trumpet ’02) served as groomsmen, and the many bandsmen in attendance capped the evening with a very pitchy version of “Toast to California.”

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Introducing the 2012Cal Band Executive Committee

The Band’s New Student Leaders Tell Us A Little About Themselves

2011 Award Winners

Bell AwardMost Outstanding Senior

Grace Butler trumpet ’08

Bear AwardOutstanding First Year

Stefano Flavonimellophone ’11

Sprague AwardMost Spirited First Year

Marcos Alemanalto ’11

Ellsworth AwardMost Spirited Senior

Karina Gordonalto ’08

Pacesetter AwardExceptional Senior Performer

Gregory Laialto ’08

Our Student Director for the 2012 season is Colin Kealey. Colin was born in a small town in Connecticut, but after moving to Irvine, California at age 9, he fell in love with the trumpet and has been playing in concert, jazz, and marching bands ever since. Pursuing a double major in Southeast Asian Studies and Linguistics, Colin has a particular interest in the language, culture, and history of Vietnam. During his three years in Cal Band, Colin has served as a recruiter, 1st Trumpet Director’s Assistant, and a MAC member before becoming StuD. He is excited for the return to Memorial Stadium and is working hard with ExComm and the Co-Comms to once again fill our stadium with the spirited sound of the best damn band in the land!

Ben Weise grew up in Southern California before escaping the desert for the beautiful Bay Area. While living in SoCal, Ben gained a deep appreciation for the environment through scouting. Here at Cal, Ben is pursuing a degree in Environmental Science with a Social Science Concentration while also playing baritone. Ben was the DA for the baritones, Head Photo Historian for PR-Comm, and Manager of TH before becoming the Public Relations Director this

year. In his free time, Ben enjoys watching and playing sports, hiking, camping, and generally just enjoying the outdoors. He looks forward to returning to Memorial next year and to putting on the best Northern California Benefit yet!

Student DirectorColin Kealeytrumpet ’09

Public Relations DirectorBen Weise

baritone ’09

Katie Fleeman escaped from Bruin territory in 2009 and has since fully immersed herself in California pride. She loves playing her piccolo and meeting

new people, and the Cal Band has given her an excellent way to do both. She also tutors writing in

the dorms and writes for an arts and culture ’zine. A third year history major, Katie enjoys learning about

things she’s too young to remember and writing papers far exceeding the page limit.

When not listening to songs from the Cal Band repertoire, Katie blasts Broadway show

tunes and terrible pop songs. In her very limited spare time, Katie knits and watches

TV shows based on fairy tales. She’s incredibly excited to be back in Memorial and is looking forward to an awesome season!

Executive SecretaryKatie Fleeman

piccolo ’09

Kevin Kraft was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and spent his early years in Paris, France. After Paris,

he moved to La Cañada, CA, where he graduated from high school. At Cal, Kevin, a member of the

alto saxophone section, has dedicated his life to Cal Band. As a STUNT member in 2011, Kevin had the pleasure to design the Teen Angst Show and the

DJ Turn It Up Show, which included two dance blocks featuring over 70 bandsmen. Outside of

Cal Band, Kevin is a History major concentrating in 20th Century Europe and hopes to go to law school after graduation. Last year, he spent the

summer in Nairobi, Kenya, where he took classes and interned at the Zabibu Center, a school for children with special needs. In addition,

Kevin is an Eagle Scout and a huge sports fan, loving everything SoCal and, of course, the Golden Bears. Kevin is honored to serve the band

as the Drum Major for 2012 and is extremely excited for the upcoming season. Go Bears!

Senior ManagerMichelle Durand

piccolo ’09

Drum MajorKevin Kraft

alto ’09

Michelle Durand was born and raised on the west side of the San Fernando Valley and graduated from El Camino Real High School. She is the second of five kids and the first in her family to be a Golden Bear. She loves being outdoors and has tent camped through all of the fifty states and eight provinces of Canada and wants someday to travel to every continent. When she’s not doing band, she’s at church, where she spends much of her time getting deeper into God’s word. She likes writing fiction, reading, sketching and music. She is earning simultaneous degrees in Business Administration and English. She doesn’t know exactly what she wants to do yet, but is interested in working in anything from publishing to energy. She’s really excited for the coming year and to be back in Memorial Stadium.

Do We Have Your Correct Address? Are you receiving this at your parents’ address? Do you need to

change your address? Please email your full contact information, old and new, to: info@alumni.berkeley.edu.

“Deus Managrum Nostrum Damnet” Page 5

www.calband.berkeley.eduPhoto by Trevor Ford

Pac-12 Basketball TournamentSara Van Valkenburgh, clarinet ’10

Late in the afternoon on March 7th, 2012, 38 Cal Bandsmen boarded a plane for sunny Los Angeles to play at the first ever Pacific Life Pac-12 Basketball Tournament—previously the Pac-10 tournament. This year saw the addition of two new schools, Colorado and Utah, and it was only the second tournament in conference history to feature both men’s and women’s basketball teams.

After enjoying Thursday morning and afternoon in LA, the band split up to play at the first women’s game, which took place at the Galen Center at USC, and the first men’s game at the Staples Center. The women took on Colorado while the men played Stanford, only four days after losing to them on the Farm. Both teams came away with victories: the women with a final score of 68-59, and the men, after a rough first half, rallied with a final score of 77-71. Because both teams won, the entire band got to stay in LA; if one of the teams had lost, ten people would have been sent home early.

Friday began with March to Victory at the hotel where the women’s team was staying; we played Fight as the team exited the hotel and got on their bus. This was followed by a short battle of the bands at the tournament FanFest—featuring a basketball court and face-painting, along with several other activities—before the game. Since there were fewer teams in the tournament at this point, all games were held at the Staples Center.

The women’s game was first, and they beat Washington State with a score of 64-49, allowing them to advance to the final against Stanford. After a few hours of free time and another battle of the bands, the men’s team played Colorado, and unfortunately lost the game 70-59, taking them out of the tournament.

The women’s final took place early Saturday afternoon, and Stanford—a No. 1-seed to Cal’s No. 2—took and kept the lead early on in the game. The final score was 77-62.

The band and the women’s team were on the same flight home that evening, and overall I think everyone who went can agree that the trip—especially getting to play in the Staples Center—was a once in a lifetime opportunity, especially because it has recently been announced that this was the last tournament to be held in Los Angeles. Next year the Women’s Pac-12 basketball tournament will be held in Seattle, and the men’s will be in Las Vegas.

The band plays in front of the Staples Center in LA before the men’s game against Stanford in the Pac-12 Tournament.

Holiday Bowl Continued from page 1

rally at the beautiful Hilton Bay Front Hotel. Talk about a view! Finally, on the day of the game, we got ready early for the Port of San Diego Big Bay Balloon Parade, which is known as America’s largest balloon parade, featuring high school marching bands, floats and of course, giant balloons. This parade was one the longest march-ups we’ve done! The parade culminated in a Battle of the Bands at the Broadway Pier, much to the delight of the high school bands and fans present. Afterwards, we made our way to the awe-inspiring Qualcomm Stadium and played at two tailgates. While the game itself wasn’t the most exciting, performing our newly-minted shows definitely got our adrenaline pumping. In addition to a completely re-charted pregame, we performed a “Best of Cal Band 2011” show featuring Rolling in the Deep, California Gurls, Ocean Avenue, Animal and Party Rock Anthem. Then the Longhorn Band performed, and there was another field show featuring local high school marching bands and color guards in a dazzling display of fireworks. All in all, Holiday Bowl 2011 was a great experience for us to play at multiple alumni events and musical battles, as well as to test our rehearsal-learning prowess. GO BEARS!

Extreme Makeover: Band Edition

Michelle Durand, piccolo ’09

The band lounge is a safe haven. Band members come in and out of it all day, sitting, eating, sleeping, talking, studying and just hanging out. Simply put, it’s a high traffic area. When we asked Bob Calonico the last time someone had really done a deep cleaning of that space, he just laughed. So this year, we took the time to make the space look livable again.

Thank you so much for those of you who gave your support and donated items to our lounge! We really appreciate it! The lounge is well loved, well used, and looking pretty good right now. Go Bears!

Tellefsen Hall UpdateThings are going great at Tellefsen Hall! We recently elected

Linda Chew (clarinet ’10) as House President, Timothy Woods (trumpet ’10) as Vice President, and Tyler Kimball (tenor ’11) as Secretary. The Board as well recently chose Robert Blankenship (bass ’09) to be House Manager for next year. In addition, plans are now being carried out to complete a massive landscaping of the front yard with completion estimated sometime this summer. In terms of social events, the House recently played Broomball at the Oakland Ice Center and participated in the 3rd Annual Nerdathalon. We look forward to next year and to another great house! Go Bears!

the iceberg hit the ship,” seem to be unique to our tradition. Most other versions of the ballad have instead these lines: “And the Lord’s Almighty hand, Knew the ship would never stand” (or ’land’ in some versions). There is at least one camp song version of “The Titanic” with lines about Mrs. Astor that are quite similar to the ones we sing. Otherwise, this lyric does not appear. A variant found in The Book of Naval Songs (1955) has the words “Oh, the Ship was full of sin, and the sides about to burst.” The noted folklorist Alan Lomax documented the only other example with those particular lyrics in 1936.

An emendation that seems unique to the Cal Band tradition is replacing “women and children first,” with “Let me out’a here!” In the later-1970s, it was also common to replace “iceberg” with “Iceman!” in honor of Chris ’Iceman’ Mosher (baritone ’75, Secretary ’78). This particular facet of the tradition continued after Chris graduated but

apparently fell out of use later in the 1980s. Perhaps surprisingly, “Uncles and aunts, little children wet their pants,” is attested to in many different versions, as is the final, satirical verse about another ship.

Singing “The Titanic” on the way to Memorial is a tradition of long-standing. In Part 2 of his Cal Band oral history, James Berdahl (StuD ’38, Director ’50 - ’73) stated “We sang (“The Titanic”) in the ’30s when I was in the band. “The Titanic” has been around, I don’t know how much before that, but it certainly was there already. We sang it every time we were on the way up to the stadium.” Jerry Taylor (glockenspiel ’66, SM ’69) recalls singing it his first season with the band. More recently, Ben Weise (baritone ’09, PRD ’12) reports that the band sang the song on an ad hoc basis this year at AT&T Park. He assures us that “The Titanic” will be back in place when the Bears return to California Memorial Stadium this fall.

Ben Weise, House Manager

Titanic Continued from page 3

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2011 Scholarship Winners

Robert O. Briggs Family ScholarshipsAwarded annually on the basis of musicianship to upper and lower woodwind players and a percussionist. This scholarship is awarded

in honor of H. Russell Briggs, Mabel Briggs, and James Briggs.

George Miller ScholarshipsAwarded in fall 2011 on the basis of musicianship and financial need. This scholarship was funded by George Miller, a longtime friend and

supporter of the Cal Band.

Year 1: Jason Chang, Zac Commins, Michael Rodriguez, Jonathan Scott, Madeena Siddiqui, Andrew Woo

Year 2: Jenny Bratburd, Derek Fitzgerald, Chris Martinez, Luisa Mora, Erica So, Brian Woo

Year 3: Robert Blankenship, Asis Campos, Janet Hsiao, Rocia Pelayo

Year 4: Kirk Robinson, Kelly Whiteford

Baton AwardAwarded annually to the Cal Bandsman with the highest grade point average. This scholarship was endowed by a gift from Agnes Robb, longtime secretary to UC President Robert Gordon Sproul (clarinet

1909, DM 1911).

Kaley Rodriguezclarinet ’08

Masis Parunyantenor ’08

Harold “Tut” Gerdes ScholarshipJon Weiner, Jr., trombone ’11Awarded annually to a low brass player on the basis of musicianship. This scholar-ship was endowed by Harold “Tut” Gerdes (trombone ’35).

Herbert Towler Memorial ScholarshipJohn Gunnison, percussion ’09

Awarded annually to a third-year Bandsman who exemplifies leadership within the Cal Band. This scholarship was endowed by Janet Towler in memory of her husband, Herbert Towler (percussion ’41, SM/DM ’43 and ’44).

Robert O. Briggs ScholarshipMatthew Kirschenbaum, trumpet ’11Awarded annually to a high brass player demonstrating outstanding musicianship. This scholarship is named for Director Emeritus Robert O. Briggs (cornet ’48, Director 1975-1995).

Alan Bachpiccolo ’11

Rosie Wirtzalto ’11

Noah Gilmorepercussion ’11

Becky Horntrombone ’10

One of the lengthier recent discussions among the Cal Band Alumni Facebook group was triggered by a rather simple inquiry: “During my time in the Band, fall rehearsals typically featured a liquid composed of lemon juice and water which was dubbed ‘Lemon Gack.’ As the years progressed, the lemon became lemon concentrate and then, later, sometimes artificial lemon. But, in any case, I was wondering, owing to a desire to have an accurate transcription of Band Alumni interviews, if there was ever a consensus on the spelling of ‘gakk’? ’Gack’ seems too commonplace, ’gak’ seems a bit jejune, and ’gaak’ just seems plain Dutch …Anyone care to chime in for an official decree?”

This generated sixty-six responses, from which a clear majority endorsed the spelling “gak.” This consensus is important in order that the transcriptions of Oral History interviews with Cal Band Alums may use a consistent spelling.

The discussion also raised the issue of the proper or official content of this libation. Tim Castro (trumpet ‘86) offered, “I remember Ad-Comm distinguishing between different levels of ‘molarity’ (concentrate-to-water ratio) when making the gak. Bandsmen were vocal about their preferences, but I can't remember if Ad-Comm actually produced different ‘High Molarity’ and ‘Low Molarity’ versions.” Jeff Dale (percussion ‘86) offered his agreement, “Yes, the urns were often of different strengths or ’molarities.’ I think they sometimes also were given colorful names, and aficionados of one variety gave pejorative names to the others, but I can't recall at the moment what any of those names were.” To which Dave Tanabe (clarinet ’86, DM ’89) added a memory of a Tellefsen Hall scavenger hunt which “required us to go to Henry’s and order a ‘California Victory,’ which turned out to be a drink made with, you guessed it, lemon juice and water.”

As to the origin of the term “gak,” well, sadly, that seems to have been unrecorded in any formal way, but Randy Parent (mellophone ’73, SM ’76) noted, “Since nobody has claimed an earlier origin, I proclaim Doug Kern (trombone ’75, DM ’78) and my roommate at TH as the originator of the term ‘gak.’ And when I was on Ad-Comm (and SM) we always used fresh lemons! And no, we didn't stir it with our arms—or anything else. We just cut up the lemons and put them in the water.”

Behind the Tradition: The Origins of Gak

Jamie Rawson, bass ’77

Cal Band Visits Pixar

With beads of sweat dripping from each brow, the Straw Hat Band marched through the halls of Pixar studios, located in Emeryville, CA, to surprise an unsuspecting senior staff member who is a Cal alumnus.

After their performance, this select group of 17 lucky bandsmen was given an exclusive tour of the quirky halls many of the animators call home. Some of the offices were small replicas of the flying house from Up, while another resembled a castle. There was even a scooter parking lot for animators traveling between buildings! The tour continued with a private viewing of the Pixar Short, “Small Fry,” which involves a kid’s meal toy version of Buzz Lightyear being trapped in fast food restaurant and sitting in a support group for discarded kid’s meal toys.

Next, they had a delicious catered lunch with the producer of Cars 2, who was amazed upon learning that the prestigious Cal Band is a student-run organization, financially independent of the university. There were photo-ops with signature characters, such as Nemo, The Incredibles, and Sully from Monster’s Inc., followed by a visit to the Pixar gift shop.

Their visit ended with a surprise souvenir: a copy of the complete collection of Pixar Shorts for each bandsman to take home as a memento of the laughs and insight given to them on that fun-filled adventure. Anyone who was there would agree; this was the best SHB ever!

Erika So, alto ’10

“Deus Managrum Nostrum Damnet” Page 7

CBAA Council Information

www.calband.berkeley.edu

Instrument

Years in Band

Senior Officer? (Office/year)

Lived in TH? (list which years)

CBAA MEMBERSHIP FORM

2-year Membership renewal. Expires 6/30/14. $30 enclosed.

1-year Membership. Expires 6/30/13. $20 enclosed.

“New Member” Discount Package. Good for any first-time sustaining CBAA member. Includes: 2-year Membership, Alumni hat and polo shirt ($60 value). $30 enclosed.

Life Membership. Paid in full. Includes a free Alumni hat and polo shirt. $325 enclosed.

Life Membership. 5-year installment plan. Includes a free Alumni hat and polo shirt. $80 enclosed ($400 over 5 years).

Join the California Band Alumni Association! Your membership dues make possible such things as this North Tunnel Echo, Alumni Band Day, Cal Band Executive Committee workshops, and other projects that support both the Cal Band and its alumni. Membership entitles you to discounts on CBAA merchandise and events. New 2-year sustaining members and life members also get a free polo shirt and hat. Please send this form to:

Cal Band Alumni AssociationUniversity of California Marching Band 72 César Chavez Student Center # 4280

Berkeley, CA 94720-4280

Parents and fellow alumni should consider giving their Band alumni friends and relatives a “gift membership,” great for graduation, birthday, or any occasion.

Check here if this is a gift membership

Choose shirt size:

Men’s polo shirt (S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL)

Women’s polo shirt (XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL)

Youth polo shirt (S, M, L, XL)

Choose baseball cap type hat type:

Soft, low-bill with canvas snap-on/buckle closure

Hard, regular baseball cap with plastic tab closure

Name

Address

Phone

E-mail

Council Members

Cal Band Executive CommitteeMichelle Durand, Senior Manager

(510) 642-6705 calband-sm@lists.berkeley.edu

Kevin Kraft, Drum Major (510) 643-9353 calband-dm@lists.berkeley.edu

Colin Kealey, Student Director (510) 643-9353 calband-stud@lists.berkeley.edu

Katie Fleeman, Executive Secretary (510) 642-6704 calband-sec@lists.berkeley.edu

Ben Weise, Public Relations Director (510) 642-6704 calband-prd@lists.berkeley.edu

Robert Calonico, Cal Band Director (510) 643-9644 calonico@calband.berkeley.edu

For performance inquiries, contact the Student Director. For all other inquiries, contact the Public Relations Director.

You can also visit us online to become a CBAA member!calbandalumni.berkeley.edu/membership

CBAA OfficersPresident

Eric Dezendorf (707) 478-3265

ericdez87@gmail.com

Vice President Tara Castro

(916) 662-1538 taralcastro@gmail.com

Treasurer Doug Roberts

(707) 521-5584 droberts@santarosa.edu

Secretary Pete Alvarez

(510) 658-0341 peteaslc@berkeley.edu

Performance Andy LaBatt

(510) 769-9340andylabatt@sbcglobal.net

Communications Erin Proudfoot (510) 642-0227

erin@mwpfoot.com

Terms expiring 2013:Dan Cheatham ’54Norman Chong ’74Rick Flier ’67Heather Handa ’03Andy LaBatt ’90Devrah Lawver ’99Ed Price ’70Dorothy Proudfoot ’92Erin Proudfoot ’92Douglas Roberts ’74

Terms expiring 2014:Chris Bailey ’70Juliette Bettencourt ’76Matt Bjork ’87Tara Castro ’05Eric Dezendorf ’05Erika Gonzalez ’03Hanadi Shatara ’03Jerry Taylor ’66Maya Wildgoose ’05Wade Williams ’77

Terms expiring 2015:Pete Alvarez, Jr. ’71Elizabeth Campos ’07Andrew Capule ’95 Jason Clark ’99Barbara Goodson ’77Tori Hirata ’06Andrea Johannessen ’01Raul Lopez ’05 Eric Mart ’66Peter Symonds ’99

Ex-Officio Members:Robert Calonico ’72 Cal Band Director

Jeff Wayland ’08 Cal Band Senior Manager

The CBAA Council is the governing body of the California Band Alumni Association. Its members are elected annually for terms of three (3) years. General meetings of the Council are held quarterly and are open to all Band Alumni. For more information about Council meetings contact President Eric Dezendorf. For minutes of the CBAA Council meetings, please contact Secretary Pete Alvarez or visit calbandalumni.berkeley.edu.

to

Don’t miss Alumni Band Day on September 29th, the first Pac-12 game in the newly renovated Memorial Stadium (Cal vs ASU). You don’t have to march to participate! The schedule for the day (rehearsal time and game time) won’t be known until a couple of weeks before the game; to receive that information as soon as it is available, be sure to join the Cal Band Alumni group on Facebook or send an

email to cbaa-announce-join@lists.berkeley.edu.

Alumni Band Day is Back!

The Rally Committee plans to refurbish the structure of the Big C on Charter Hill. It is structurally unsound, is breaking apart, and is at risk of sliding down Charter Hill. For more information about how you can help, please email savebigc@gmail.com.

University of California, BerkeleyThe North Tunnel EchoUniversity of California Marching Band72 César Chavez Center # 4280Berkeley, CA 94720-4280

Nonprofit Organization

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

University of California, Berkeley

Date Event Location

Wednesday, July 4 Sausalito Fourth of July Parade, 9 AM Sausalito

Sunday, July 15 AIDS Walk, 9:30 AM, Golden Gate Park San Francisco

Saturday, Aug. 11 CBAA Council Meeting, 10 AM - 12 PM, San Ramon Barbara Goodson’s Home

Saturday, Sept. 29 Alumni Band Day, Cal vs. ASU Berkeley

Saturday, Oct. 13 Cal Band NorCal Benefit Berkeley

Friday, Oct. 19 Cal Band Alumni Reunion TBD

UPCOMING EVENTS

The NTE is printed on recycled paper

In This Issue:

Holiday Bowl 2011

The History of the “Titanic” Song

Meet the new Ex-Comm for 2012

T

The Origins of “Gak”

For additional information, write to the above mailingaddress or bandalumni@calband.berkeley.edu, or go to:

Cal Band web page: www.calband.berkeley.edu CBAA web page: calbandalumni.berkeley.edu