Ocean Beat The Official Publication of the Texas Southern University National Alumni Association Ocean of Soul Chapter
F EB RUA RY 2 015
The Ocean of Soul performs for the Texas Governors’ Inaugural Parade
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Texas Southern University Ocean of Soul Drum majors with the Texas A&M University Drum majors at the Governor’s Inaugural Parade TSUNAA Ocean Alumni Chapter ● Volume 1, Issue 5
Texas Southern University Alumni Association Ocean of Soul Chapter Chapter Officers
OOSAA 2015 Chapter Officers Installation Ceremony
Garnet Foster President Joselyn Coats V. P. of Membership Nita Dupaty Williams V. P. of Finance Kevin Jernigan Treasurer Pamela Scott Recording Secretary Cynthia Gardner Corresponding Secretary Leonard Faniuel Sergeant At Arms Donald Greer Parliamentarian Khary Boykins Financial Secretary Donald Black Communications
Ocean of Soul Alumni Association P.O. Box 88155 Houston, Texas 77288 oceanalumni@gmail.com
Texas Southern University National Alumni Association President Julia Askew performing the installation ceremony for the 2015 Ocean of Soul Alumni Association Officers
Letter from the President draft As we celebrate into Black History Month, we must remember that we should never forget our past and strive to preserve our past. After a successful Installation Ceremony and first meeting, we are excited with anticipation that we are going to have a successful year. Alumni members were full of ideas and are ready to get to work making our Alumni Association a model for others to follow. For those of you who missed our initial meeting, we look forward to meeting and working with you in the future.
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TSU’s New 800-Bed Freshman Student Housing Becomes Reality
Construction is well underway on the $41.5 million, 215,000-square-foot New Student Resident Housing Complex. Houston-based architectural firm Harrison Kornberg – in collaboration with Lord, Aeck, Sargent – were awarded the contract to design the seven-story building that will include social and study areas on all residential floors. Other amenities include: a dining hall, locker storage, a laundry on all residential floors, a convenience store, roof terrace and a gaming area. The rooms are double occupancy with a shared restroom. Pepper-Lawson Construction/ Horizon International Group started the project on February 28, 2014 and is expected to complete construction in August 2015. The 800-bed facility will allow Texas Southern to house nearly all of its incoming freshmen on campus. Currently, the university has six student housing complexes: Urban Academic Village, Lanier East, Lanier West, University Courtyard, Tierwester I and Tierwester II. There are 1,300 students living in campus housing. Reprinted from D-Mars Magazine
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TSU T SNUANAA O A COECAENA N A LA U LMUNMI NCI HCAHPAT P ER T E ●R V ● OVLO U LMUEM 1E , 1I ,S SI U S SE U 5E 5
Ocean of Soul Schedule February 2015
Monday, February 8
Black History Program H&PE Arena 5:30 PM—7:30 PM
Tuesday February 10
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Parade Downtown Houston 9AM
Saturday, February 14
Black History Performance Terrell, Texas 10AM
Tuesday February 20
Black History Month Parade Forney, Texas 10 AM
Thursday February 22
Black History Month Community Parade Houston, Texas 4PM
TSUNAA OCEAN ALUMNI CHAPTER ● VOLUME 1, ISSUE 5
OCEAN FLASHBACK
The Ocean of Soul performing in the Houston Astrodome
Support The Ronald B. Thornton Scholarship Mr. Ronald B. Thornton served as an assistant director of the Forest Brook Senior High School Marching Jaguar Band and the Texas Southern University “Ocean of Soul” Marching Band. Mr. Thornton would later became the Head Band Director of the Mighty Willowridge Eagle Band from 1988 -2009. Mr. Thornton was a member of numerous organizations, some of which include: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Kappa Kappa Psi Band Fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha Music Fraternity, Pershing Rifles Military Fraternity, Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity, Tau Beta Sigma Band Sorority Honorary Member, Professional Musician Local 65, Texas Black Music Educators - Vice President, Texas Bandmasters Association, National Association of College Band Directors, Texas Music Educators Association, International Association of Jazz Educators, Texas Exes & The College of Education-The University of Texas. In his memory, the Texas Southern University National Alumni Association Ocean of SoulIfChapter you wantestablished to submit the Ronald B. Thornton Scholarship Foundation. The information to the Ocean recipients of Soul Alumni shall beNewsletter, university please band students email information who have to:exemplified outstanding Oceanalumni@gmail.com leadership as band members as well as in the classroom. or mail to: Ocean of Soul Alumni Association Please Support the Ronald B. Thornton Scholarship Fund P.O. Box 88155 Houston , Texas 77288
TSUNAA OCEAN ALUMNI CHAPTER ● VOLUME 1, ISSUE 5
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Lumar LeBlanc Co Founder Soul Rebels Ocean Alumnus 1990 Funk Train 1985 –1987 Bass Drum
Alumni Spotlight The Soul Rebels started with an idea shared between founding members Derrick Moss and Lumar LeBlanc – to play the music they loved on the radio in the New Orleans Brass Band tradition that they grew up on. Together with a group of young, like-minded players from all over New Orleans, they formed the Soul Rebels and set out to make their mark on the music they love. The band came to be when LeBlanc and Moss met as percussionists in New Orleans’ iconic Dejean’s Young Olympia Brass Band. The two were steeped in the fundamentals of New Orleans jazz, but inevitably, contemporary styles of music began to catch their attention. “We wanted to
make our own sound without disrespecting the brass tradition,” LeBlanc recalls, “so we knew we had to break away.” They found a new direction when they spun off and formed their own band and set out to make the music they wanted to make. Graduates of university music programs throughout the South, the group took the marching band format they had learned in school and incorporated influences from outside the city as well as R&B, funk and hip-hop – especially through half-sung, half rapped lyrics On their travels, the Soul Rebels shared the stage with notable artists from
many corners of the music world, including Metallica, Green Day, Maceo Parker, Galactic, Karl Denson, Slick Rick, Suzanne Vega and David A. Stewart of the Eurythmics, as well as billings with Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Arcade Fire, Alabama Shakes, Estelle, Seal, Cee Lo Green, and Dr. John among others. The Soul Rebels have been a mainstay at festivals all over the world. From the Bonnaroo main stage and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, to Electric Forest and the Antibes Jazz Festival, to recent festival appearances at the Perth International Jazz Festival in Australia and the Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta.
Ocean Alumni Mervin Campbell, Curtis Watson and Emmanuel Steib were part of the original members of The Soul Rebels
The Soul Rebels Front Row: Julian Gosin, Derrick Moss, Marcus Hubbard. Back Row: Lumar LeBlanc, Erion Williams, Edward Lee, Jr., Paul Robertson, Corey Peyton
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Experience Tiger Basketball
Monday February 2
Alabama A & M H&PE Arena 7:30
Saturday February 7
Prairie View A & M H&PE Arena 7:30 PM
Saturday February 21
Mississippi Valley State H&PE Arena 7:30 PM
Monday February 23
Alabama A & M H&PE Arena 7:30 PM
Tuesday – Saturday March 10-14
SWAC Tournament Toyota Center, Houston TBA
Listen to all TSU Basketball games live on KTSU-FM 90.9
TSUNAA OCEAN ALUMNI CHAPTER ● VOLUME 1, ISSUE 5
Ocean Alumni Association assists at the Honda Battle of the Bands Recruiting Fair Members of the Texas Southern University Ocean of Soul Alumni Association traveled to Atlanta Georgia to participate in the Honda Battle of The Bands College Expo. The recruiting team fielded inquiries from 175 applicants that expressed interest in the Texas Southern University. Special thanks to Khary Boykin, Jacqueline Brock, Joselyn Coats, Aaron Georgetown, Booker Linkhorn, Juan Morrison, Paul Mitchell, who helped make this recruiting opportunity a success.
TSUNAA OCEAN ALUMNI CHAPTER â—? VOLUME 1, ISSUE 5
UPCOMING EVENTS
Texas Southern University National Alumni Association Ocean of Soul Chapter The purpose of The Ocean of Soul Alumni Association is to uplift and preserve the strong traditions and legacy of the historic Texas Southern University Ocean of Soul Marching Band. We will do this through financial and physical support, social and political networking among alumni, undergraduate and “friends of the Ocean” and assisting potential and current students involved in the university band program
If you want to submit information to the Ocean of Soul Alumni Newsletter, please email information to: Oceanalumni@gmail.com or mail to: Ocean of Soul Alumni Association P.O. Box 88155 Houston , Texas 77288
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