Marching band: big chapter in Morris history

The "glory days" of the Morris High School marching band are represented in the framed photo being displayed. John Woell Jr. and wife Marcia are at left. John Jr. is the son of the man who directed the celebrated program for a long time. Marcia is the former Marcia Dalseth, native of Morris. Father Gerald Dalseth was one of the reasons I often felt affinity with the Catholic Church. Marcia was an accomplished trumpet player in a time when females were not commonly seen playing it. Gender associations with instruments are foolish, aren't they? I chose the French horn initially and then was rather stunned to see nothing but females play the instrument. Why? I took up trumpet for marching band purposes and then stuck with it ongoing. John Jr. was a trombone master. John Sr. was a trumpet man. Certainly you recognize the gentleman at right in photo: Del Sarlette of Sarlettes Music where of course the photo was taken. The framed photo had been in John Sr.'s possession and now he's transitioning to assisted living. Del is thinking that the high school band program would want the picture on display. The kids might ask "gee, why is this program buried in history now? Why is it gone?" Well, such is reality. We must never forget the excitement brought by both this program and the ensembles that performed for the Morris Centennial in 1971. There's nothing like that now. The Killoran stage is just a big empty hulk at East Side Park. Very strange. Does anyone care? I guess I do but what is my standing? What do I know?

The early settlers on the Upper Midwest prairie were shocked at how intense the wind could be. Seems like an apt thought on this dreary mid-June day of 2020. The slowdown in our lives has barely abated. Restaurants are allowed to let a few people sit down. Uncertain to what extent they'll enforce any guidelines. Would actual cops make the rounds? This might not be the time for such a heavy-handed presence, eh?
There is a stillness to life, kind of a suspended animation.
So I think back to the summers of my growing-up years. The atmosphere of Morris was enhanced considerably by the sounds of marching band. Robert Schaefer was the guy heralded for really making that institution special. He was worthy of the praise. He was succeeded by a guy who kept standards very high, but for some reason has not been lionized in the same way. This individual was John Woell who remains extant - still with us. He retired long ago and like so many important people of the 1970s, has faded in the collective memory.
Woell was the director at the time of the Morris Centennial. I don't know if he was paid in commensurate fashion but he had his heart in it. He took on a period "look" like so many of the local residents. Morris had its origins in the late 19th Century. It was in the immediate post-war years with the war in question being the Civil War. The railroad got us established. We were a modest "ten town" at the start.
Director Woell directed a most ambitious marching band program over a long time. The kids accepted the demands and the discipline even when the latter could get a little harsh! We always came back for rehearsal. The uniforms were largely black in theme and heavy. So yes, we'd get hot, probably good for losing a few pounds. Again we were willing to accept the adversity.
You no doubt sense that our culture of today is different. The willingness of Morris families to even "stick around" in summer is limited. Thus the burden of continuing Prairie Prairie Days became too much. It is amazing we could not sustain that, because it was judged a big step forward for the community when it was created.
Alas, has "community" become a trite term? Is it "every man for himself" or "every family for itself" now? Our current social isolation is probably cementing such values. Would families even be enthused about sending their kids back to school? I mean, even if the pandemic concerns were to vanish? Oh, but they are not about to vanish.
 
Bright sounds of summer
A Morris resident in the early to mid-'70s would hear the very bright sounds of the MHS marching band in practice. I know this could be an issue close to the hospital - Woell told us about it.
Our society is such today, I wonder if neighborhoods everywhere would have members who'd vent issues about the "sounds." Let's not say "noise."
I remember from when I was too young to be a member yet, the band played a tune called "Marcho Vivo" under Schaefer. You just couldn't forget that tune. The little signature line was performed by the trumpets. Over and over I'd hear "Marcho Vivo."
You know you're a Morris old-timer if you can say you played under Schaefer. Yours truly did, but only in junior high. He moved on, I believe to Brookings SD. Then on came Woell who I understand had been in Herman. Did he have to pull strings to extricate himself from his contract there? Seems that story has floated. Herman continued taking care of itself just fine and we got Woell.
The summer of '71 was truly a festive time with Woell and his "period" look joining the atmosphere. It's an atmosphere that would seem alien to this community now. There is nothing special in the summer even without the pandemic. A good source who was not in a good mood about this, told me there are a number of Morris people in leadership positions who aren't fond of spending time here in summer. Being more direct, let's just say these people are always eager to "go to the lake." So to heck with keeping Morris a relevant place in summer. Yawn.
The sounds of the marching band merely echo in our memory, at least for "old-timers." The Litchfield marching band has been known to come here for a couple days of rehearsal. I did a feature article on the Litch band visit for the Morris paper. The Irondale marching band which is "not your father's marching band" has done thrilling exhibitions here at Big Cat Stadium. Their purpose is to rehearse but they've been generous in putting on a loose concert. I have been fascinated watching this group and its avant garde style. Not sure I could have cut it in my younger days. I'm the type who would just want to play the "Washington Post March."
My, we traveled far and wide for marching commitments in summer. How could the ambitious regimen be sustained? Well, first and foremost I think was the fact we were the baby boom generation. There were so many of us! The numbers meant that our society on the whole wanted to celebrate young people. Our parents were the World War II generation. They had also been through the Great Depression.
 
Not universally loved
How valuable, really, is marching band? There is some contentiousness here, as a pretty big chunk of the academic music world has wanted to pooh-pooh it. When the great Jim Carlson came back to Morris, Ron Lindquist at the paper said "great, now we'll have a pep band at Cougar games again." Well, no. Carlson I guess was not inclined to see pep band as a plum, an attitude right in line with skepticism about marching band.
Is there a rebuttal to this? There is a rebuttal to everything. I could suggest that marching band and pep band are not intended to be fine art. You might argue that the Irondale band is in fact inclined that way, but not your garden variety marching band. We might say "so what?" to the critics of such endeavors.

John Woell's favorite saying

Kids eventually got pushed to be more serious about sports. Thus we saw the explosion of popularity of sports camps. Yes, marching band could get pushed aside. Schaefer was director before girls varsity athletics began, thus it was easier for him to keep the attention of the girls. Woell was director when girls sports got established and then developed exponentially. This factor, added to the depletion of student numbers and the more self-centered nature of Morris residents, eventually caused the end of summer marching band.
Sad to note? Well I suppose so. Certainly there is nothing - zero - at the present time in Morris MN to duplicate the sheer "rush" of hearing the brassy sounds of a marching band rehearsal.
Speaking of school-related sounds, remember when we knew fall was here when we heard Duane Kindschi's voice emanating from the pressbox at the old Coombe Field? His voice floated over a considerable distance. There's the story about how he laughed real hard once when he thought his microphone was off! The museum does not preserve such trivial things. It is important we never forget!
Here's a toast to the memories of the old MHS marching band with both Schaefer and Woell in charge! Cheers!
 
Addendum: Woell in his standard band rehearsals had a way of reprimanding kids who might be speaking out of turn, not paying attention or whatever. He'd sternly point at that student and say:
"You. . .a quarter." So it was a fining system, I presume on sort of an honor system because I doubt he could compel payment. We seemed to comply albeit with some natural annoyance. I'd suggest that if a teacher attempted this today, he'd be shot right out of the saddle.
 
Addendum #2: One of the most famous or notorious episodes in Woell's tenure was when he kicked a student of very good reputation out of a summer evening practice. I have written a whole blog post about this in the past. I have been advised not to write any more about it. Another episode was when Peter Timmons got left behind in Clara City. Woell had to drive back to get him and was accompanied by Peter's father.
 
Addendum #3: Big Scott Groth was a drum major and Lorie Torgerson was the lead majorette. Hope I spelled Lorie's name correctly. Sadly she is deceased. I had a crush on her. Scott had a gag with bass drummer Ken Johnson that was set up by someone shouting "ducks!" Ken pounded on his bass drum while Scott faked he was shooting a shotgun. I remember once when my bus pulled up to another in front of us and we could see Ken in the back mouthing the lyrics to "In the Year 2525," the hit song by the one-hit wonder group "Zager and Evans." We knew Ken's bus had on the same radio station as ours. Nothing could ever duplicate the hit songs of the 1960s. If only we could erase the Vietnam war from that era. There was a flag crew of girls at the front of the MHS marching band. Today I don't think we would be gender-specific. Different times then.
 
Addendum #4: A trombone player on our Winnipeg trip was absolutely glued to the TV in his hotel room for every available free moment. I asked about this and was told the boy was from an Apostolic family, was not allowed to watch TV at home.
 
Addendum #5: It was Woell who introduced jazz band to the MHS music scene. Interesting, though, how it was called "stage band" and not "jazz band" because of a fear that part of the public would think "jazz" to be an unseemly word or whatever.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

John Woell oversees another musical performance by his MHS charges for the Centennial in 1971. This was by the iconic "alfalfa arch" which re-created a defining chapter in Morris history. Does anyone care now? John Jr. is the trombone player at left. The trumpet player at right is the virtuoso Terry Rice. Photo by the late Florence Sarlette.