50th Anniversary of Howard County Bandstand

Quite a crowd gathered at the Howard County Bandstand for a 50th anniversary celebration.

Alumni Gather To Honor Montemurro, Celebrate Bandstand’s 50th Anniversary

By JIM STEELE, ’64

As a college community, Fayette enjoys more than its share of outof-town visitors. Newcomers no doubt come away with a variety of memories, but it’s safe to say the most iconic image many observers recall is the circa 1888 courthouse, and particularly its adjacent bandstand.

Built in 1971, the structure is situated on the southwest corner of the courthouse lawn and officially is known as the Howard County Memorial Bandstand. Central Methodist University band alumni gathered there in mid-April to celebrate the bandstand’s 50th anniversary, and to honor longtime Band Director Paul A. Montemurro, ’58.

Nearly 300 people attended the event, held on a brisk Saturday afternoon. Two of Montemurro’s former students, John Cheary, ’70, of Branson, Mo., and Rev. David Wendleton, ’71, of Seattle, Wa., presented tributes in honor of their beloved professor.

One of the planners of the 50th anniversary ceremony, Gene Rauscher, ’74, of St. Louis, was recognized by Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia students with the Orpheus Award, the fraternity’s highest honor. Also recognized were Murphy Tetley, ’71, of Hot Springs Village, Ark., and Robert McNeill, ’77, of Foristell, Mo., who helped organize the event.

The picturesque bandstand has deeper roots than many might imagine. While a 50-year-old landmark may not seem that old by historic measures, this particular bandstand has lineage dating back more than 130 years.

Keep in mind that in days gone by virtually every city — large or small — had some kind of community band, with summer outdoor concerts featuring march music (think John Phillip Sousa) and familiar tunes being particular favorites. Folks old and young flocked to such events well into the 20th century. (Electronic forms of entertainment were still decades in the future and even radio didn’t come along until the 1920s.)

Fayette’s original bandstand was nearly identical in appearance to the current bandstand and was located on the square’s southwest corner where the present bandstand is situated. It was built between May 1887 and October 1888 for use by what was described as “one of the best bands in the state.” Known as the Fayette Star Cornet Band, the group was organized in the late 1870s and in April 1879 was composed of 12 members.

In 1898, Dr. Ernest M. Blakey graduated from the Kansas City Dental College. Formerly a student at Central College, he returned to Fayette and established an office. A public-spirited citizen, Blakey served for more than 30 years as director of the Star Cornet Band and was widely known as a composer and arranger of band music. It was through his efforts and interest that Fayette for so many years was fortunate to have such a fine musical organization.

For much of his career, Blakey occupied office space in the Commercial Trust Building, practicing in the same rooms currently utilized by Dr. Jessica Quint, ‘97.

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Local residents from various walks of life were among those who performed regularly from the bandstand as part of the Fayette Star Cornet Band. Practice nights were Tuesdays and Thursdays, with weekly summer concerts on Friday evenings.

But hard times of the Great Depression and the World War II years no doubt were also contributing factors spelling the end of regularly-scheduled band performances.

Now fast-forward to 1969. While viewing some photos of Fayette’s bygone days, Gary Hawkins, ’70, a member of the Central Methodist men’s professional music fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (Beta Mu Chapter), came across a picture of the long-gone courthouse bandstand. He brought this to the attention of fellow Sinfonians, and before long a dream had taken hold.

In short, the group concluded that if Fayette had a bandstand in days past, why not today?

Fraternity members talked up the idea, and before long townspeople, fellow students, alumni, and others had come on board to ensure a new bandstand, like the legendary Phoenix, would rise again.

Photos and drawings of the original bandstand were studied, and plans for the new structure eventually took shape with some modifications. It also was decided to locate it on the courthouse lawn’s southwest corner where the original bandstand had been situated.

By September 1969, the bandstand project was under way. Under the leadership of bandstand committee chairmen Murphy Tetley and Robert Bray, ’70, and others in the fraternity, concrete plans were developed and efforts began to raise the necessary funds. Ground was broken for the bandstand on Independence Day, July 4, 1971.

So on a chilly Sunday, Nov. 21, 1971, county and city dignitaries — joined by college officials, members of the fraternity, and friends — gathered on the bandstand for formal dedication ceremonies. Keynote speaker for the event was then-Missouri First Lady Betty (Mrs. Warren E.) Hearnes, who herself had been a music educator.

The structure initially was dedicated in honor of Central’s first two faculty band directors, K.K. Anderson, who served from 1925 to 1951, and Dr. Thomas E. Birch IV, who served from 1951 until his death during the band’s spring home concert on May 1, 1964. Brass and marble plaques adjacent to the bandstand steps ultimately were placed to commemorate their legacy. Later, other memorial plaques were added to include band directors Ken and Nancy Seward (1964-66) and Keith House, who served from 1972 to 1995. This year, the much-loved Montemurro has been added.

Jim Steele is president of the Boonslick Historical Society and is the retired editor/publisher of the Fayette Advertiser & Democrat-Leader (20002011). In 2016, he served as editor of Howard County’s bicentennial book, From Prairie Land to Promised Land—A Remembrance Across Two Centuries.

Theatre Students Help Elementary Kids Handle Bullying

By GRACE STUMBAUGH

In a regular year, Central Methodist University’s InterActive theater class puts on in-person skits for various audiences that center on forming healthy relationships. However, due to COVID-19, they have had to get a little creative with how they perform these skits.

Part of this creativity recently involved performing a skit virtually via Zoom for the fifth graders at Benton Elementary school in Columbia, Mo. The skit was loosely based on the children’s book, “Dare!” by Erin Frankel. It is written from the point of view of a child who witnesses another child being bullied.

“We’ve been wanting to do something on bullying for a while,” said Dr. Mark Kelty, faculty director of InterActive.

The group performed seven actions, and most of the dialogue was improvised. In the actions, the InterActive theater actors played elementary school-aged students. One of them portrayed a bully who repeatedly dared his classmates to pull mischievous pranks on other classmates.

As the actors performed each act, the students on Zoom were able to “freeze” the scenes, ask questions, give the actors directions, and even request a scene be redone in slow-motion.

At the end, the fifth-graders were asked to come up with different, alternate endings that the actors would perform. Each ending resulted in the bully being shut down and the classmates sticking up for themselves.

“I warned [the actors] that when we got to the end, we were going to be doing whatever those students wanted us to do to try to solve the problem,” Kelty said.

The CMU students who participate in the InterActive theater use their skits to educate their audiences on sensitive topics, so they usually receive training from True North of Columbia to help them better understand what they are acting out. True North is a domestic violence victim service program. This year, True North has not been available for that training, so the group is being advised by CMU’s counselor, Katie Wooldridge.

The InterActive theater students who participated in the skit are Loni Watts, Samantha Cox, Dominique Jordan, Cole Nowlin, and Rob Brown.

President Drake Elected to Lead ICUM

Central Methodist University President Roger D. Drake was elected unanimously by his peers to serve as president of Independent Colleges and Universities of Missouri, the statewide association that proudly represents Missouri’s nonprofit independent sector.

Drake fills the unexpired term of Greg Gunderson, Ph.D., who assumed the role of president emeritus of Park University in November. Gunderson was elected in June to a one-year term as ICUM president. He succeeded Drake, who had served in the role since 2015.

“I am pleased to once again serve as president of ICUM,” Drake said. “Our independent institutions produce amazing educational outcomes for Missouri students at a very low cost to our taxpayers. I’m proud to be among those to tell the stories of how we change lives for our students.”

ICUM’s role is to support and advance the mission of independent institutions while increasing understanding and appreciation for the value and importance of the sector’s impact on higher education, the public, and the state at large. ICUM represents a diverse array of four-year independent colleges and universities, educating an equally diverse group of students.

“Dr. Drake brings a deep understanding of private higher education and the collective impact that the high-quality education provided by our sector has on students and our state’s economy,” ICUM Executive Director William Gamble, ’74, said. “We are fortunate that he will be able to hit the ground running and build upon the work of Dr. Gunderson to assist private institutions during this unprecedented time in our country and beyond.”

Drake is CMU’s 26th president. Prior to joining CMU on July 1, 2013, he was vice president of administration and finance at Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Ky., for nine years. Drake also held the position of vice president for business affairs at Lees College in Jackson, Ky. In addition, Drake served the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges in many roles.

Howard County Earns Work Ready Status

Parson Celebrates with Community at Central

The 57th governor of the state of Missouri, Mike Parson, paid a visit to Fayette and to Central Methodist University on May 11 to celebrate Howard County’s new certification as an ACT Work Ready Community.

Along with Missouri Director of Workforce Development Dr. Mardy Leathers, Parson congratulated the members of the Howard County community on hand who worked hard over several years to complete the requirements. As a Work Ready Community, Howard County’s businesses and workforce will benefit from the nationally recognized credential. The Work Ready initiative is an effort to align workforce and education to meet the economic needs of the state and local communities.

“You guys will be the model for a lot of other small counties across the state,” Gov. Parson said to the community members in attendance, “for how it can be done if you put all your resources together.”

The governor stated that his desire is to leave office with every Missouri county certified for Work Ready, as part of his ongoing push in the areas of workforce development and infrastructure.

Amber Overfelt, assistant manager of Howard Electric Cooperative and chairman of the Howard County Economic Development Council, thanked CMU and everyone in attendance for their work in completing the project of becoming a Work Ready Community.

“These [private and public] entities understood that what is good for one part of Howard County is good for all of Howard County,” she said. “This is one more tool that will allow potential businesses looking for a place to locate or expand to see that we have a ready and capable workforce here waiting for them.”