IU’s Marching Hundred receives key gift for new practice facility
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 5, 2011
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- With a tradition of performances traced to as early at 1896, Indiana University's famed Marching Hundred band has taken a significant step toward its goal of constructing a new practice facility, thanks to a recent commitment of $1 million in a planned gift from IU alumnus Col. Jack I. Hamlin (BS'43) and Mrs. Dora Hamlin. The gift will be administered and invested by the IU Foundation.
The Marching Hundred celebrates the naming of the IU Jacobs School of Music in 2005.
"The Big Ten is known for outstanding marching bands, and we are proud that the Marching Hundred has long led the field in terms of spirit, innovation and musical quality," said Gwyn Richards, dean of the Jacobs School. "Now, we are brought closer to our goal of providing a facility that can truly support and match their excellence."
"Col. Jack I. and Dora Hamlin have been incredibly supportive of Indiana University and the Jacobs School of Music," said Melissa Korzec, senior gift officer and head of development at Jacobs. "Their continued generosity and investment will help to provide a bright future for the Marching Hundred."
Through the generosity of several private donors--Cook Group, Inc., and Col. and Mrs. Jack I. Hamlin--the Jacobs School currently has just over $2 million dedicated to this project. An estimated $4.5 million in total will be needed to complete the new Marching Hundred Hall.
Indiana University's Marching Hundred, an ensemble of the Jacobs School of Music, is the product of a tradition which dates back to the organization of the first band at Indiana in 1896. Originally founded to provide recreation for interested students, the 22-piece band of 1896 grew to 47 members by 1913.
In 1916, the band traveled to Mexico to entertain troops of the American Expeditionary Force under the command of General Pershing. When the IU campus was converted into a training camp during World War I, the band played an important role in drilling American soldiers.
The band's appearances have included the Kentucky Derby (1939), the Presidential Inaugural Parade (1953), the Rose Bowl (1968), the Holiday Bowl (1979), the All-American Bowl (1986), the Peach Bowl (1988 and 1990), the Liberty Bowl (1988), the Copper Bowl (1991), the Independence Bowl (1993) and the Insight Bowl (2007).
In 2007, the Marching Hundred received the Sudler Intercollegiate Marching Band Trophy, the nation's highest and most coveted award for college and university marching bands.
Each season, the band performs live before thousands of fans as well as for national television and radio audiences, and produces video and audio tapes of its performances.
Following a growing awareness of the Hundred's excellence in performance, John Philip Sousa visited Bloomington in November 1925 and remarked that the ensemble was "one of the snappiest marching and playing bands in the country."
For more information on the Marching Hundred Hall project, please contact Melissa Korzec at (812) 855-4656 or via e-mail at mkorzec@indiana.edu.
