USAF RETIRED BAND DIRECTORS SOCIETY
Retiree Bulletin - 17 - Sep 86
SPECIAL NOTICE:
The USAF Band Directors Workshop (announced in Retiree Bulletin - 16 - 86) has been POSTPONED until further notice.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:
Another historic First: On 10 May 86 Major James M. Bankhead, Commander/Conductor of The USAF Band, Washington, DC, received his DOCTOR OF MUSIC ART (DMA) at Catholic University of America, Washington DC. Major Bankhead is the FIRST to have earned his Doctors Degree in this manner while in this position.
CONGRATULATIONS!!! Major Bankhead, from the entire USAF Retired Band Directors Society.
Gert & Gene Dieter: Spending the winter in Florida and the summers at home in Rochester, NH. Payed us a visit during the summer and a good time was had by all.
Ruth & Carl Costenbader: Carl is busy building a new home. Has been making great progress in spite of his tractor, which he named "Rienzi": "Starts out slow and weak - builds up speed - then fades out again!!!"
Arvilla & Harold Waite: Enjoying South Florida climate; going to the races (losing money) plus making trips with their Seniors club. Playing bridge and doing repair work around the house. Both are in good health and keeping busy in general.
Myrtle & Vic Keenher: Vic was eighty in Jan 86 and is doing fine. Both enjoyed a mild winter and grateful for it after the hurricanes last winter (85).
Germaine E. Pat Olmsted: Keeping busy taking care of grandchildren. They are thinking of moving to southern California for health reasons; will let us know when and if it materializes.
Iris & Dick Thurston: On 21 July 86, Dick started his third career by being employed at Southern Music Co., San Antonio, TX. At the moment the (PCS) is taking place from Oklahoma, OK, to San Antonio, TX. They are both happy with the change and are looking forward to the new position and location.
Micki & Lou Kriebel: Just completed a 7000 mile tour of the U.S. in their motor home. Visited Stone Mountain, GA; St Louis, MO; Colo Spgs, CO; Green River, UT; Reno, NV; San Francisco, CA; Edwards AFB, CA; Las Vegas, NV; Hoover Dam, NV; Grand Canyon, AZ and San Antonio, TX. Had to hurry home for Lou to attend the Air Force Association National Convention in Washington DC as a delegate from Florida AFA.
Sadako & Col Howard: Both are doing fine and in good health. Traveling a bit but Col Howard has taken to gardening at the Village. Sadako has become interested in Yoga and attended a workshop at Monterey, CA to enhance her skills.
Pat & Freddie Fredric: Busy as ever; Freddie keeping up with things at the Retiree Activities Office at MacDill AFB, Fl. The following was published in the Tampa Tribune Newspaper: NATIONAL ANTHEM IS SINGABLE:
There you go again, raising the biennial hue and cry about our national anthem, the Star Spangled Banner, not being singable.
Anyone having participated in or witnessed the re-enactment of the bombardment of Fort McHenry and heard about 30,000 people singing the Star Spangled Banner accompanied by 12 massed bands will never, ever again say our national anthem is too difficult to sing.
During the war of 1812, a young American lawyer, Francis Scott Key, was sent to the British fleet to exchange prisoners under a flag of truce. It was from this vantage point that he witnessed the bombardment and, when at dawn, saw our flag still waving, he was inspired to write the immortal words of the Star Spangled Banner.
The melody is that of the tune of "Anacreon in Heaven," which in 1798 served as the hymn (theme song) of the Anacreontic Society of London.
Inasmuch as Professor Titcomb pedantically refers to our anthem as a stumbling block and of assigning the word "broad"to a tiny sixteenth note, I will try to rebut his theory in the same manner.
Using the Fred Waring style of phonetics, the tying of the last syliable of "whose" into the first syllable of "broad," sung in a single word impulse, such as "whosebroad," emerges as very singable. Try it and see how easy it is.
When played majestically and sung in 58 seconds, as did Lucille Manners, known as the Star Spangled Lady, and sung with gusto and a feeling of a sense of patriotism, our national anthem expresses fully our dominant spirit of overcoming adversity.
After having played the national anthem of many other countries, some of which were hardly playable, let alone, sing-able, please, leave ours as it is.
ANTHONY FREDRIC Tampa
Louis C. Kriebel
Field Representative
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