Band season begins

M

Mr. Hudson’s grandfather was the longtime Montgomery mayor, Earl James. Mayor James was a serious advocate of programs for the young people in Montgomery, and the Capitol Heights Community Center was recently renamed in his honor.

On this week in 1961, Mayor James and the City of Montgomery hosted a parade in honor of a school band. The Robert E. Lee High School Band, then led by Johnny Long, had participated in a marching and concert band contest in Miami, Florida sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. This competition was the forerunner of today’s DCI (Drum Corps International) contests.

The Lee Band won first place in the contest, a tremendous honor for the program and for the town. Mayor James was one of the dignitaries who spoke at a ceremony on the steps of the State Capitol, where over seven thousand people