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by Delaney McCarty '26 AC xDM  fig. 1: Garbussion in Georgia, by Megan Hannon ‘25 P xQotC xHM xDM Upon the close of fall midterms the Band was feeling very in need of a break. What better vacation spot than the land of peaches, peanuts, and former President of the United States James “Jimmy” Earl Carter Jr.? Also the football team was playing against Mercer University in Macon, so……. The Band woke up bright and early on Friday, October 11th, and after a quick bagel breakfast, loaded up the bus and headed to Newark Airport. While Mom and Dad handled getting our bags checked, bandies found ways to entertain themselves, including the usual chatting, reading, and creating the tallest boater stack possible.
Lunch was Jimmy John’s, and then we set off on our first away marcharound of the season. To our surprise, there was no one around campus. We guess tailgates are more of a thing down south. After an archless arch gig, we made our way to said tailgate and then off to the game. We had no pregame show, as is the norm for the Mercer Band, but we were permitted to make a tunnel for our team as they ran on the field. As quarter one began, it soon settled in that Mercer’s football team was superior to ours in just about every way. It was also very hot. Bandie spirits remained high however with the gift of water bottles from the Mercer Band and some very enthusiastic PUB alums who were just happy to be there. After our halftime show, which was met with raucous applause from the Princeton side, bandies stormed the concession stand en masse for ice cream and cold beverages. As the game came to a close and the sun started to set, we began to accept Princeton’s loss - not our own loss, of course, as the Band Always Wins! We partook in some pizza on the ride back to Atlanta. For some, the evening brought a Mario Kart tournament and a splash in the pool, while others decided to hit the hay early for the long day of exploring to come.
The Band flew back to Princeton on Monday, but given our late flight, we still had time for some exploration in the morning. One particular group of Bandies decided to indulge in some of Georgia’s finest cuisine and visit Waffle House, while another group, out of reverence for our favorite former president, went to visit the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. Most notable, however, was a trip to the College Football Hall of Fame. You see, last year one of our very own Bandies ended up in Atlanta and decided to visit the College Football Hall of Fame, only to discover that they had one of our plaids on display. While the Band has no record of donating a plaid to this museum, we figured we needed to pay them a visit - in plaid, of course. The staff recognized our radiant blazers right away, giving us free entry to the museum and taking our picture in front of the infamous plaid. We additionally took the opportunity to add to their collection and donated a boater and a PUB kazoo to hopefully be displayed for years to come.
fig. 4: The Band with our long lost plaid. With this business attended to, the Band set off for the Atlanta airport. Following a brief delay, we were in the air and headed back to the Best Damn Place of All!
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by Delaney McCarty '26 AC xDM It’s now been over a month since Reunions 2024, and yet the Band is as busy as ever! Let’s see what some bandies had to say about their summer plans! Kate Voltz ‘26 DrM xDM xA: “I’m in DC, interning in the Environmental Enforcement Section of the Department of Justice!” Paige Ryan ‘25 FL: “Interacting With Birds™️” Julia Hutto ‘25 xDrM xDM: “This summer I'm interning at an aerospace startup in Los Angeles working on development of a remotely operable telescope system for sky moving object detection with applications in orbital debris mitigation. Hoping to hike as much of California as possible, learn how to climb, and read lots of books 💪⛰️”  Jacob Jackson ‘26 SC KotC xLL xA and Cas Royalty ‘25 xSC xDM 1/2xLL 1/2FLL: “We're studying musical theater in southern Italy! We're collaborating with local artists and the Prospect Theater Company in NYC to put together a performance of a new musical based on Giambattista Basile's "Tale of Tales" (Lo Cunto de li Cunti). So far we've visited Rome, Naples, and Pompeii, and we're heading to Florence this weekend!” Thomas Buckley ‘26 DM: “Working as an intern at Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado studying a rust fungus that infects flax and how those disease dynamics are affected by climate.” Delaney McCarty ‘26 AC xDM: “I recently returned from archaeology field school in southeastern Portugal, in which I spent most of my time digging at a first century roman villa and my weekends exploring surrounding villages. Now that I am back home, I will be chilling with my dog and working on social media content for the Band.” By Delaney McCarty '26 AC xDM Yes, you read that right. On February 2nd, the Band harkened in a new year of great music and plaid-clad tomfoolery with our annual Bandquet! We began our evening in Dod Basement, where we held our traditional pre-party. Outgoing drillmasters De(n)MArK came prepared with an array of snacks and an expertly made Überpoop, setting a new record for longest Überpoop coming in at 30 minutes. That’s quite long for the band, but you can’t rush perfection! Due to construction constraints, Banquet was held at the Quadrangle Club, as opposed to our regular Prospect House. We made the best of it however, and enjoyed an array of food from Olives. After a lovely dinner, we enjoyed a freshman skit performed by the illustrious class of ‘27 and presented an array of awards. Customarily, we also officially swore in a new officer corps! This corps is especially remarkable, as it will be our first full year with 13 officers instead of 12 as we invite the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator as a full officer position. We have 8 returning officers, 1 of which is returning for their 3rd year of officership. Additionally, the class of ‘26 takes up a whopping 62% of the corps, followed by 31% being the class of ‘27 and 8% the class of ‘25. For a full list of new officers, check out our “officers” page! But no Bandquet would be complete without a post-party! Incoming drillmasters DoJeKaT kicked off their tenure with board games and Mario Kart. Now enjoy some images from our unforgettable evening! Our new corps is off to a great start already. Who’s to say where this new year will take the band? Certainly not us, but stay tuned!
By Cherrill P. Heaton ‘54  Arthur “Rag” Osborn loved Princeton music. His 1966 obituary in the Princeton Alumni Weekly reminded his class that Music was an ever present and powerful interest in Rag Osborn’s life. Always ready to play his beloved piano, he earned his nickname early. While in college he composed with Joe Hewitt “The Princeton Cannon Song” and “The Guard of Old Nassau,” which Rag later converted into “The Princeton Band Song.” On his own, he composed “Princeton’s Sons,” “Princeton on Parade,” and “Nineteen Seven’s Back Again.” His obituary continued: “Shortly after World War I, he was very active in the organization of the Princeton Marching Band. His support of the Band was constant and generous and was largely responsible for his coming to Princeton to live in 1950.“ The Marching Band’s annual awards, except one, have light-hearted names like Turkey of the Year, Grossest Member, and Freshman Lush and are intended to commemorate “a variety of outrageous acts.” The exception is the Osborn Cup, given to a senior or seniors for dedication and service to the Band. After Osborn’s graduation, decades passed without a Princeton song from him. Then in 1954 he wrote to his class secretary, “I am still very much interested in the Princeton Band and attend their rehearsals every week.” He also reported that he and a friend “wrote a new football song a couple of years ago [in 1949] called ‘Here Comes That Tiger.’ The band plays it at the games and rallies. It’s a bit different from the ‘Cannon Song’ in that it contains a bit of syncopation or ragtime as we used to call it.” The Band continues to play “Here Comes That Tiger” throughout the year and at all of their Reunions performances. As far as I know, the song’s words, by Osborn, never caught on. I doubt that any contemporary Princetonian can sing the verse: Now the natives of Jersey had discovered quite early All the things that Tigers eat And that without any question they would have indigestion If they didn’t get “Bulldog” meat When the Army Mule is cooking It’s just to his taste Should they pass around some “Harvard Hash” It won’t go to waste And on Navy Day you’ll hear a growl from his throat For what he likes best is a slice of their “Goat.” The words of the chorus seem slightly familiar to me, but I don’t think I ever heard them sung at Princeton, and I was in the Band and Tigertones: Oh! Boy! Oh! Boy! HERE COMES THAT TIGER WOW! He’s running wild! They’ll never stop him now He’ll prowl around some and then let out a roar When eleven tiger football players start to score. Although I never knew the words of “Here Comes That Tiger,” the tune stuck with me, and I made use of it after graduation. My flag football team in graduate school, the El Rancho Chargers, needed a fight song, so I put some words to the tune: We’re gonna win, we’re the El Rancho boys We’re gonna win, go Chargers make some noise We’ve got the team that can move that football Down the field We’ve got the spirit that will make the opposition yield And so on. Later I taught writing courses to groups of United Parcel Service drivers who had been made supervisors. I thought they needed a fight song, so to the tune of “Here Comes That Tiger,” I provided one: We’re gonna win, United Parcel Boys We’re gonna win, go drivers make some noise We’ve got the team that can move right through that sort and load We’ve got the drivers who can get those parcels Down the road We’re gonna win, United Parcel bunch We’re gonna win, Post Office out to lunch We’re gonna win, come on drivers, victory is near It’s one-look here, Smith System there, and then lets Have a beer My rendition was always a hit, and the “UPS Fight Song” plus a picture of me and my guitar appeared in the UPS company publication. * * * Here is some background for certain highly public events of 1907 that involved Rag Osborn. Martin Maloney came to the United States from Ballingarry, Ireland in the 19th century. Starting in the Pennsylvania coal mines, he became a rags-to-riches millionaire in different utilities businesses. He built a palatial summer home, “Ballingarry,” for his family in Spring Lake, NJ. A young Englishman named Samuel Clarkson, intent on marrying Martin Maloney’s beautiful young daughter Helen, visited Ballingarry in the fall of 1907. He and Helen went on a “shopping trip” to New York City under the watchful eye of a maid who was instructed not to let the couple out of her sight. They slipped away, disappeared, and the search for the beautiful young heiress became front-page news in the New York and Philadelphia papers for days. MARTIN MALONEY’S DAUGHTER ELOPES WITH MAN OF HER CHOICE FATHER WIRES EUROPE PORTS AND SENDS WIRELESS MESSAGES TO ALL SHIPS IN SEARCH OF HELEN She Notifies Papa that She Is a Bride and Has Gone to England, Her Husband’s Native Land Helen Maloney had recently returned from Europe. According to a newspaper account, she “confided to her intimates that she had been taken abroad by her parents to escape the too ardent attentions of a Princeton student and an Italian of title.” She met Clarkson in Europe and they fell in love. He followed her home to pursue his suit. Shortly after the news of Helen’s elopement appeared, a young New York stockbroker announced that Helen Maloney could not be married to Samuel Clarkson because she was already married--to himself. That young stockbroker was Arthur H. Osborn ‘1907. Arthur and Helen met at Ballingarry in 1905 when he was a Princeton sophomore. He proposed marriage to her, but she said they should wait six months to see if their love lasted. He soon asked again, but she said her parents would think that, at 19, she was too young. On December 28, after discussing the titled foreigners being considered by her parents as possible sons-in-law, they drove to Mamaroneck, NY, and, because the Maloneys were strict Catholics, tried to be married by a Catholic priest, who declined. They then gave assumed names —Herbert Ogden and Helen Eugene—to a justice of the peace and were married. They returned to New York, Helen rejoined her family, and Arthur went back to Princeton. This headline appeared soon after Osborn’s announcement: HAS HELEN MALONEY TWO HUSBANDS? STANDARD OIL MAGNATE’S DAUGHTER MARRIED TO ARTHUR OSBORN IN 1905 AND CONTRACTED SECOND MARRIAGE IN MONTREAL RECENTLY An October 12, 1907 headline referred to Helen as NOT A YOUNG GIRL BUT A MUCHLY MARRIED WOMAN All of this was too much for the Maloneys. The New York Times reported: Mr. Maloney and other members of his family were inaccessible at their Spring Lake, N.J., home today, Mr. Maloney’s condition being such that he was unable to see anyone. While he was shocked by the girl’s going away with Clarkson, that in itself probably would have no serious effect, but with the announcement of the marriage to Arthur H. Osborn which followed, he was prostrated. Mrs. Maloney’s condition is said to be little better than that of her husband, while Mrs. Osborn, mother of the young man to whom Helen Maloney was married nearly two years ago, who has been suffering severely since first told of the marriage, was in such a condition that she left her home in the Hotel Beresford for a retreat in the Adirondacks. Meanwhile in London, Samuel Clarkson was announcing to a group of friends, “I’ve married the sweetest girl in the world, fellows, and I thank you for your congratulations from the bottom of my heart.” Mr. Maloney had to cut short a trip he was on with President Theodore Roosevelt. He and some family members were soon in London, trying to find the couple. An October 15 headline read: THE CLARKSONS STILL ELUDE HIM MR. MALONEY STILL WAITING TO CLASP HIS SON-IN-LAW TO HIS PATERNAL BREAST When Helen Maloney learned that she was still legally married to Arthur Osborn, she was shocked. Apparently neither she nor Arthur thought that they were really married. They viewed the ceremony with the Mamaroneck justice of the peace as a spur-of-the-moment joke, a “pleasantry.” William J. Fanning, the Maloney family lawyer, said of Helen, “She was always a lively, high-spirited girl, full of fun and ready for anything. I can readily imagine that if she was out on an automobile trip with a party of friends, and someone dared her to be married, she would go right ahead.” She did not even think about the legal aspects. He added that as a devout Catholic, she would not have thought a marriage by a justice of the peace rather than a priest to be binding. Helen later testified that she thought her use of a fictitious name had prevented her from being married. By early November Helen had been found and returned to Philadelphia. She had not married Clarkson after all. The New York Times headline of November 7, 1907, revealed some surprising news: OSBORN ACCEPTED BY THE MALONEYS. WILL PUBLICLY RECOGNIZE HIM SOON AS THEIR DAUGHTER HELEN’S HUSBAND NO REMARRIAGE PROBABLE Mr. Maloney gave orders that his Philadelphia home should be renovated to make it more appropriate for an additional two residents. He “made the condition that the young couple live under his roof, where he can help and guide them.” After a talk with Mr. Maloney, Samuel Clarkson agreed to stay away from Helen. What one newspaper referred to as “one of the most remarkable international romances of the times” seemed settled. But in January 1908, the newspaper headlines reflected another change in Helen’s heart: MALONEY GIRL TO ANNUL TIE MILLIONAIRE’S DAUGHTER ASKS FOR FREEDOM FROM OSBORN WILL BE CLARKSON’S BRIDE After conferring with the Maloney family, Osborn agreed to the annulment. Helen and Arthur thought of the marriage as “no more than a joke.” The annulment would “enable Miss Maloney to be married with the blessings of Rome, to Samuel Clarkson.” The grounds for the annulment were that Helen and Arthur had never lived together as man and wife and in fact had never even been alone together after the ceremony, that they considered the ceremony to be more of an engagement commitment than a marriage, and that they both understood the ceremony not to be a marriage nor was it intended to be. It was “only a precautionary measure to save Miss Maloney from the attentions of titled foreigners, which were regarded favorably by the parents of the young woman.” Miss Maloney stated that “both of them agreed that when the real marriage was solemnized, it was to be by a Roman Catholic priest in the presence of their mutual friends” and that they were not to live together until after a second ceremony had been performed by a priest. During the annulment questioning, referee Colahan asked Osborn, “Have you ever considered Miss Maloney to be your wife?” He replied, “I am very doubtful on that point. I think I can say that I have not.” The referee was not similarly doubtful. He determined that the couple had not been married and made that recommendation to Supreme Court Justice Lehman, who signed an interlocutory decree in May of 1908 annulling the marriage, to take effect in three months. But then the Maloneys reconsidered. The New York Times headline for August 29, 1908 read: MALONEY CASE HALTS RUMOR THAT FAMILY PREFERS NOT TO ANNUL OSBORN MARRIAGE Just before the final decree was to be signed, the Maloney family attorneys asked for a postponement. According to the papers, “It is understood that Martin Maloney himself prefers young Osborn for a son-in-law….It was rumored today that the girl has had a change of heart and that the Maloney millions will be kept on this side of the water by the union which was celebrated at Mamaroneck.” Not so fast. Despite the rumors, the annulment proceedings went forward. The final decree was issued. The Mamaroneck marriage was annulled. Helen was no longer Mrs. Arthur Herbert Osborn. But not for long. She resumed that status in early 1909. On February 2 and 3, newspapers all over the country contained headlines like this one from the New York Sun: HELEN MALONEY IS MRS. OSBORN FOR SECOND TIME After Securing Annulment of Secret Wedding, Daughter of Papal Marquis Marries Man of Her Choice HAPPY ENDING TO INVOLVED ROMANCE The New York Times reported from Spring Lake that Miss Helen Maloney, daughter of Martin Maloney, Papal Marquis and tractor and gas magnate, was remarried here this morning to Arthur Herbert Osborn of New York City, the graduate of Princeton University to whom she was secretly married on December 28,1905, by Justice of the Peace E.A. Boyd of Mamaroneck. That wedding was recently annulled by the Supreme Court. This time their marriage lasted 56 years, until Osborn’s death in 1965. The happy couple may have begun their married life in Philadelphia under the supervision of Mr. Maloney, but they lived for many years at Spring Lake until 1950 when Arthur retired from the brokerage business and they moved to 113 Cleveland Lane in Princeton, so Arthur could be near the Band. * * * Princeton songs are written, naturally, by Princetonians. All of the Princeton songs in the Centennial Edition (1969) of Carmina Princetoniana: The Songbook of Princeton University are by Princetonians, plus faculty member Karl Langlotz who with H.P. Peck ‘1862 wrote “Old Nassau.” Why would anybody else but a Princetonian write a Princeton song? But someone else did. Arthur Osborn’s collaborator on “Here Comes That Tiger” never had a Princeton connection that I could determine, other than his acquaintance with Osborn. He was born, lived, died, and was buried in Montclair, NJ. He lived on the same city block all his life. He was a songwriter for films and for Broadway shows, lived quietly with his mother, never married, and seems hardly to have gone anywhere except to the Tin Pan Alley section of New York--where composers and sheet music publishers gathered--and back to Montclair. Rag Osborn’s biography in Carmina Princetoniana says that he “spent his life commuting between Wall Street and Tin Pan Alley,” so that is probably where Osborn and his collaborator met. For many forgotten films and Broadway shows from 1930 to 1950, Rag’s partner in composition wrote many forgotten songs, among them: “Sing Something Simple,” “I Gotta Get Up and Go to Work,” “Are You Making Any Money?” “A Hut in Hoboken,” “Goopy Geer” (he plays piano and he plays by ear) and “Down the Old Back Road.” Better known and recorded by several artists at the time—among them Rudy Vallee, Johnny Mercer, and Spike Jones--was “When Yuba Plays the Rhumba on the Tuba” (1931). His “Let’s Put Out the Lights and Go to Sleep”(1932) was widely recorded. I remember hearing it on the radio in my childhood. “Here Comes That Tiger” shows that Osborn’s Tin Pan Alley partner could write a snappy raggy tune. How was he as a lyricst? Let’s take a look at the prelude to one of his songs: This day and age we’re living in Gives cause for apprehension With speed and new invention And things like fourth dimension Yet we get a trifle weary With Mr. Einstein’s theory So we must get down to earth at times Relax relieve the tension Not very promising. Hard to see how this man made his living writing songs. Maybe the song’s verse is better: You must remember this A kiss is still a kiss A sigh is just a sigh Wait a minute! Do you mean to tell me that the fellow who wrote the music for “Here Comes That Tiger” also wrote “As Time Goes By”? HERMAN HUPFELD? Moonlight and roses, never out of date? Yes, this greatest of movie love songs—about hearts full of passion, jealousy and hate--was written not by a wealthy, socially prominent, songwriting Princetonian who had been party to “one of the most remarkable international romances of the times” but by his friend and collaborator Herman Hupfeld, a quiet unmarried man who lived with his mother. I could have bought a two-line ad in the PAW to share this information, but I thought it was interesting enough to write about. Here’s looking at you, Herman. All quotations and headlines are from the New York Times 1907-1909 unless otherwise indicated. After three years of sitting neglected in the upstairs armory, the Band has finally decided to bring back the Rugby Shirts for non-televised Basketball and Volleyball games this year!  Rugby shirts really make those saxophones (and their players, Conor O. ’19 and Rachel C. ’19) shine! A first time wearer of the rugby shirts, Ariella C. ’19 (pictured right, below) has a positive view of them, saying, “other than being allergic to the mold, I really like them! But I washed it and now it smells like detergent :)” One of the issues many past Bandies had with the rugby shirts is the stipulation that we not put them in the dryer. However, hang drying them is not a huge hassle. Nobody ever said looking this good was easy!  Just like the range of expressions above, Bandies have mixed opinions on the rugby shirts. Some people felt that wearing rugby shirts takes us too far away from our signature plaid. But others, such as Alex C. ’20 really liked the idea of the rugby shirts and wanted to have one to wear around even if we weren’t going to wear them at gigs.  Some of our trumpets rocking those rugbies!
Our current Head Manager, Lucinda P. ’18 (pictured far right, above), had a lot of thoughts about returning to the rugby shirts: “I’m excited to break out the rugby shirts, especially since the majority of the band has never worn them before! I know they’re not very popular among some of the alumni (read: recent alumni), but the rugby shirts are a piece of band tradition that I am happy to help keep alive!” It appears that as the rugby shirts had mostly faded out of the Band’s institutional memory, more and more people were willing to give them a shot this year. Regardless of your opinion, it’s nice to honor a part of Band history! I’m constantly amazed by the incredible diversity of experiences and interests that our band has, and every time I think I know what the band as a whole is like, I find out something new. This group of people is remarkably weird and unique, and this post is dedicated to highlighting some of this in the current membership. Listed below are a number of different bandies. Each gave me 2 truths and a lie about themselves. Your job is to figure out which is the lie! Answers are at the bottom. Or, you can take the quiz here.  Jeeves E. ’18
 Mariel V. ’16
Carolyn B. ’18
 Adam K. ’19
 Erika D. ’17
 Angeline J. ’16
 Maria W. ’18
 Vanessa S. ’16
 Bennett M. ’16
 And finally, Nick R. ’18
Jeeves: 1 is the lie! He has number-color synesthesia. He has taught himself mello, tuba, and trumpet while at Princeton.
Mariel: 3 is the lie! She worked as a US Senate Page one summer, and the emergency procedures for the Capitol that she had to learn are technically classified. She wasn’t featured for being amazing at Sudoku, but her math teacher was featured on TV for using Sudoku as a learning supplement, and she was in the clip. Carolyn: 1 is the lie! She has eaten peanut butter, but only at the doctor’s when closely monitored by an allergist. Her brother has a severe nut allergy, so she grew up without nuts. Adam: 2 is the lie! When first getting on the highway while learning to drive, he gripped the steering wheel really hard, but he didn’t stick in the left lane for that long. Abhiram: 2 is the lie! Twice, he was practicing driving and failed to see a cement mixer coming at him in the intersection. Erika: 3 is the lie! She hasn’t climbed a Hawaiian volcano, but really wants to! Angeline: 1 is the lie! If you visit Australia, by definition you basically have to bring back a digeridoo. Her being called a “wanted person” was related to the Band Van and damage to a University vehicle. Maria: 2 is the lie! She went on a tour with American Music Abroad, and the group went around to 5 different countries and played and did touristy things. She did go to Africa, and did feed elephants, giraffes, and alpacas, but no lions :(. Vanessa: 1 is the lie! Rice-a-Roni and not enough water almost led to a house fire. She was assisted by 10 other people in lifting the anaconda, but it still counts! And while she never hit anyone in the head with an icicle, her roommate did! Bennett: 3 is the lie! He got lost on his way to a hostel in Prague on an IIP and wandered into a no-pedestrian tunnel, thinking it would take him across the river. In actuality, it took him 2 miles out of the city in the wrong direction. About a mile in, he realized he was probably not supposed to be there, and the cops were waiting for him on the way out, charged him 1000 CzK (about $50) and gave him a ride to the hostel. The Scottish side of his family comes via Cuba, where they engaged in more revolutions than bag-piping. Nick: 1 is the lie! The Orange Julius club had a free application with guaranteed acceptance, and now they send him coupons every month via email. He didn’t break his wrist, he fractured it, and it was while playing Duck, Duck, Goose. For the truth about him being in a long distance relationship without knowing it, I’ll let Nick explain in his own words: “A few years ago in early high school, I sent a friend of mine in England a generic Valentine’s Day message, generic to the extent that my best friend in high school described it as, “I could’ve sent it to my sister.” My friend responded with a pretty long response that I wasn’t quite sure how to interpret, so I just continued emailing her as normal without asking. That was a very big, very stupid mistake; turns out she was actually trying to declare her love for me and took my lack of asking for interpretation as my acceptance of it, thus starting a long-distance relationship that I wasn’t aware of. Around summertime we ended up not talking as often due to my not being online as often, and she got heartbroken. She sent me an email out of the blue towards the end of August of that year that said that she was upset and has found someone else to be with, which was the first time I had heard that we were apparently together for seven months. Looking back on it now, I realize that there were various things she did and said that should have cued me that she thought we had a deeper relationship than just friendship (for instance, her signing every email with “all my love,” or extensive conversations about what we’d do if she visited America or I visited Britain), but I was even more oblivious to things then than I am now. At the time I thought that she was overreacting a bit, but the more I think about it to this day, the more awful I feel about the whole situation. I sent her a heartfelt apology, but she never responded to it; in fact, the whole situation was never brought up again (which I don’t know if that’s for better or for worse, frankly). I haven’t heard from her in a long time now, but I hope she’s alright. Last I heard, she was going to try to get into the fashion industry (which involved moving stateside) and she was still with the same boyfriend that she “broke up” with me for (making a five- or six-year relationship between them). As for me, I still say that I’ve never been in a relationship before, though I apparently was at one point with a smart, funny, good-looking English girl.” How many did you get right? *Photo credits for Angeline, Maria, Vanessa, and Nick to Lucinda P. ’18 Ah January, a time for coldness, finals period, and a trip to the Palestra. That’s right, the band took its annual basketball trip into Philadelphia to support both Tiger teams as they faced off against the Quakers (who I think are still dorks?). Our first road trip under the new officer corps went fairly smoothly, and we successfully arrived at the Palestra with plenty of time to spare. Greeted by a friendly event security guy who let us into the gym, we sauntered into our seat. We were shoved into a corner, as usual, presumably because Penn fans can’t handle the awesomeness of the band, but what we lacked in proximity to the court we made up for in loudness of cheering and playing. The day started off weird when we left the gym shortly before the game and met the Penn band outside, where we jointly rehearsed the Star Spangled Banner. Penn wanted us to jointly play it before the women’s game, presumably because their numbers were pretty tiny as it was their break. We obliged, and our combined forces were magnificent and beautiful. Of course, we like to think that was mostly us, but I don’t think the Penn band made it any worse.  Preparing to play the SSB with our combined bands! After a rousing tribute to country and school, the band headed back to our corner, where we cheered on the phenomenal women’s basketball team. It was a strange game, with remarkably little scoring happening in the entire first quarter.  A full 4 minutes into play and the score was only 2-0! Eventually though the teams got going, and they stayed neck and neck the whole game. There were many jeers and cheers from the band, in typical fashion, and we wiggled our fingers as intensely as possible to give the Tigers all possible luck in their free throws.  Roland F. ‘19, Mariel V. ‘16, and Graham R. ‘15 intensely finger wiggling. Photo credit to Yash H. ’18 The game came down to the wire, but unfortunately the Penn women pulled just ahead of the Tigers to eke out a 2-point win. The band ambled around for a bit between games, getting food and generally recovering from the very emotional and high-intensity game.  Erika D. ‘17, Angeline J. ‘16, and Tom R. ‘18 recuperating from an emotionally gruelling women’s game. Not to be worn out, however, the band geared up for their second game, supporting the men’s team against Penn. This rivalry has been one of the most intense in the Ivy League, and Penn clearly recognized this, with a scoreboard in their gym dedicated to keeping track of their record against Princeton.  The unfortunate standing of the Princeton and Penn men’s basketball teams. If this were a scoreboard of the bands, it would look like 0 – 232 The men’s game got off to a much more typical start, with a reasonable amount of points scored, but this just fuelled the bands even more. The game was equally as intense as the women’s game and equally close. In fact, the game went into overtime because the teams were completely tied up when the clock ran out, and so the teams (and the band) went into hyperdrive with the energy and the effort.  Drum Major Kyle G. ‘18 grooving along with a gaggle of new friends to cheer on the band and the team. Photo Credit to Yash H. ’18
Ultimately, the Tigers pulled ahead and won against the Quakers (who, incidentally, are still dorks). The band, exhausted but filled with adrenaline, played Kiss ‘Em Goodbye and Rock Lobster in celebration of the men’s successful win before heading out. It was time to head back to the Beat Old Place of All after a very emotional but exciting day out with the basketball teams. And so we concluded another successful road trip in which the band emerged undefeated. Go Tigers! Early every fall, under the residual heat of late summer, the Princeton University campus comes back to life as the sophomores, juniors, and seniors return to the Best Damn Place of All. And every year, a new class of baby tigers comes to join the pack. The members of the Princeton University Band hurried back to campus, excited to greet the frosh, the Great Class of 2019! We played for them in the Pre-rade, and pumped them up with enough courage to serenade us at the Step Sing.  The PUB plays at the Step Sing for the class of 2019 And best of all, we even got a chance to recruit some new members into our fun, tight-knit community! This year, our recruiting started rather late (after our first game) since we didn’t get back to campus until mid-September, but that didn’t stop four awesome frosh from joining us for our defeat of Lafayette, breaking an 8-year first-game-losing streak.  Noah M. ’19, Adam K. ’19, Rachel C. ’19, and Kayli M. ’19 enjoy the Lafayette game, the first game of the year Before long, a whole group of freshmen had joined the band, indulging in our wacky antics and rocking orange and black plaid as if they had done so their whole lives.  Rachana B. ’19 and Ari M. ’17 rock orange plaid at the Lehigh game. The frosh provided a source of enthusiasm and In fact, some sections even had more freshmen than returning members!  Noah M. ’19, Josephine P. ’19, and Kyle G. ’19 form the majority of the trombone section at the Lehigh game  Freshmen Conor O. and Young S. form the entirety of the saxophone section at the UPenn game
Now the freshmen form an integral part of our community. They help us form new traditions and are an essential part of our Band. We extend the warmest of welcomes to the Great Class of 2019! Spring is a time when the band heaves a heavy sigh, sadly waving our beloved football games and hilarious halftime shows goodbye for 9 months.  Tyler Davis ’15 mourns the impending end of football season However, that doesn’t stop us from having a good time and spreading our spirit! We attend a wide variety of sports in the spring from basketball…  Daniel Gift ’17 grudgingly helps stretch out Brent Read ’16 during a basketball game …to hockey…  The trombone section bundles up for a hockey game at Baker Rink …to volleyball!  The band cheers on our Men’s Volleyball team as the face Penn State This past spring was especially exciting, as the women’s basketball team had a PERFECT SEASON, going on an unprecedented 30 game winning streak to earn the No. 9 seed in the Spokane bracket of the NCAA tournament. So, happily and full of spirit, the band boarded a bus to Maryland to cheer them on, accompanied by the cheerleaders and an iPod full of Space Jam remixes.  The band celebrates with the women’s basketball team at the NCAA Bracket Viewing (image courtesy of Princeton University Facebook) President Obama was in attendance and proudly cheered on the Tigers in round 1. With that game, we upped our winning streak to 31 straight games by defeating of Green Bay. This was the first time that Princeton had won a game in the tournament, and only the second time that an Ivy League school had done so. Princeton was then eliminated in the following round.  President Obama attends Round 1 of the NCAA tournament (image courtesy of Megan Kennedy ’15)
All in all, it was a fantastic spring for the band! Ten years, a five hour flight, and a three hour bus ride since our last visit, the Princeton Band descended on the sunny city of San Diego for the Princeton-USD football game! Here’s a glimpse into our busy but super fun weekend on the West Coast. The Band welcomed a bumper crop of new freshmen to the group, some of whom got to fly cross-country with a group of 50 near-strangers during the first full week of class in their Princeton careers. We applaud your bravery, new members!  Forming an arch to welcome the new freshmen as they appeared in their uniforms for the first time! Call time on Friday was 10:00 am, which meant a day off from class for some of our bandies, though that didn’t stop some of us from getting some work done on the bus.  Erika Davidoff ’17 gets excited about her COS 126 program We went incognito in the Newark and San Diego Airports–no one will ever notice the sea of orange plaid at Gate 72.  Megan Kennedy ’15, Dennis Smith ’16, and Rachel Marek ’17 smile for the camera while waiting in baggage claim. The next day, we donned our boaters and marched around the University of San Diego’s campus, clashing with the mission-style architecture and getting kicked out of the university store before we could even finish our rendition of “Tequila”–how rude!  Marching around USD (Look, palm trees!) Cheering on our Tigers, the Band took to the stands and then to the field for our first halftime show of the season! Although the team lost, the Band took consolation in the fact that they won be default: the other school’s band didn’t exist, let alone show up.  Glenn Fisher ’15, Erika Davidoff ’17, and Alice Tang ’18 A number of lovely Princeton alumni who live in California showed up to play with us. Nice to see you all! We’ll be back in ten years!  The alumni contingent of the Band at San Diego!  Joseph McMahan ’13 and Angeline Jacques ’16 reminisce about Joseph’s days as drum major. During our downtime on Saturday evening, we enjoyed some fun in the sun as the Band hit the San Diego sand. We arrived just in time to enjoy the beautiful California sunset!  The sun sets on our weekend retreat. But the trip wasn’t over yet! On the flight back to New Jersey, the Band discovered that one of its alumni was on the plane…actually, he was flying the plane. Shout out to Michael Niggemann Niemann ’90, a former member of the illustrious trash percussion section! Thanks for getting us back to New Jersey safe and sound!  Mary Gilstad ’15, Michael Niggemann Niemann ’90, and the Princeton Band at large pose for a photo on the plane home.
What a fantastic excursion! Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible, and GO TIGERS! |
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