IU's Marching Hundred receives $1 million gift for new practice facility

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dec. 5, 2011

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University's famed Marching Hundred 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 university alumnus Col. Jack I. Hamlin (BS '43) and Dora Hamlin.

"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," IU Jacobs School of Music Dean Gwyn Richards said. "Now, we are brought closer to our goal of providing a facility that can truly support and match their excellence."

Hamlin and his wife met while they were students at Indiana University. He was first chair cornet in the Marching Hundred and captain of his Reserve Officer Training Corps band unit.

"Col. Jack I. and Dora Hamlin have been incredibly supportive of Indiana University and the Jacobs School of Music," said Melissa Korzec, head of development at the Jacobs School of Music, "and their continued generosity and investment will help to provide a bright future for the Marching Hundred."

Through the generosity of several private donors -- including Cook Group and the Hamlins, whose gift will be administered by the IU Foundation -- the Jacobs School currently has more than $2 million dedicated to this project. An estimated $4.5 million is needed to complete a new Marching Hundred Hall.

The new facility will establish a permanent home for the Marching Hundred. Since 1983, it has been housed in a number of temporary rehearsal spaces. A lack of indoor space means rehearsals must be canceled due to weather. Since Marching Hundred is a class for which students receive academic credit, it is, essentially, a class without a classroom, for which an adequate facility is long overdue.

Indiana University's Marching Hundred, an ensemble of the Jacobs School of Music, is the product of a tradition that 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 Gen. John J. 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.

Following a growing awareness of the band's excellence in performance, John Philip Sousa visited Bloomington in November 1925 and declared the ensemble "one of the snappiest marching and playing bands in the country."

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 Hundred performs live before thousands of fans as well as for national television and radio audiences. The band produces video and audio tapes of its performances each year. The Marching Hundred is directed by David C. Woodley, director of athletic bands at IU and professor of music in the Jacobs School of Music.

For more information about the Marching Hundred, visit music.indiana.edu/departments/academic/bands/index.shtml.

For more information about the Hundred Hall project, contact Melissa Korzec at 812-855-4656 or mkorzec@indiana.edu.