Greetings Everyone! 

I want to first acknowledge my deepest gratitude to our Leadership Board for placing me at the helm of this incredible group of dedicated Hawkeye Marching Band Alumni Members! It is truly an honor, and I will do my best to carry on the important work of our growing band!  I also want to give a much deserving Thank You to our President Emeritus, Arlene Houk, as she has set the bar high and has been an incredible leader for our group during her tenure.  I am grateful for her continued support and efforts of our Board as she continues to be an integral part of our team! 

As our Homecoming preparations get finalized, we are delighted to share that we will be welcoming back former Drum Majors, Golden Girls, and Flag (Silk), a.k.a. Color Guard, Members as our Honored Guests this year! 

The weekend’s events are as follows:

• Thursday, September 25, 2025 – Reception at Voxman Music Building.
• Friday, September 26, 2025 – Homecoming Parade in downtown Iowa City, followed by a family-friendly picnic at the Iowa City Community Recreation Center and opportunities for alumni “pep band” in downtown Iowa City and Iowa River Landing.
• Saturday, September 27, 2025 – Alumni Band “Takes Back the Field”.

Alumni pep bands continue to be active, with spring and summer performances including: Pictures on the Pentacrest during graduation weekend, Coralville Fourth of July parade (always “pleasantly” warm but fun), and a corporate event in the Kinnick press box that earned a nice donation for the Lou Crist HMB Legacy Fund. Scheels in West Des Moines has invited HMB alums to play at their tailgate event on August 28, along with the ISU alumni band. Additionally, the Twin Cities (MN) Iowa Club would love to have an alumni pep band for some of their game watches. If any Twin Cities alums are interested in helping organize this effort, please send an email to iowaalumniband@gmail.com. Finally, Kirk Phillips, who has enthusiastically led the overall regional pep bands effort for several years, is passing the baton for that role to John Barker. Thank you, Kirk, for all you’ve done to grow this program! Welcome aboard, John and thank you for stepping up! Thanks to Steve Jepson, Jeff Eagan, and Tim Clay for your leadership with groups in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, and Des Moines areas, and to all who have participated.

We welcome four new members to the Alumni Band Leadership Board:

Let’s hear from our newest Leadership Board Members as they introduce themselves!  We are very excited and grateful for their talents and unique attributes each bring to our group.

Tricia Beightler (Saxophone, BA '94)

My most valuable attribute is my passion and love for the Iowa Hawkeyes and The Iowa Hawkeye Marching Band. The HMB was the reason I wanted to attend the UI since I was a pre-teen, and I relished every moment of my five years marching in   the band! I am now Mom of a freshman at Iowa State who is a member of the ISU marching band. That was a role I really struggled to embrace, but finally came around and even purchased an ISU Mom shirt! As a teacher, I embrace being organized and able to work with, and lead, many different types of people. I strive to do the best job I can do and to put my heart and soul into my commitments.  I am a member of the Iowa Bandmasters Association and the Northeast Iowa Bandmasters. I serve in a variety of roles that involve supporting my children's sports, music, and church activities. 

Mia Brdecka (Drumline, BA '22)

My interest in joining the alumni band board is to give back to an organization that helped provide me with the best four years of college I could ask for. I have a passion for the Hawkeye Marching Band that I have carried with me even through my post college years in the band. Alumni Band is something I take great pride in and look forward to participating in as much as my schedule allows. Because of this, I wanted to take the next step and be more involved with an organization that I love. In my job as a police officer, I must be able to connect with people from many different walks of life and I am able to apply those skills to talking to people in my everyday life outside of work. I have some ideas for events that I would like to see happen. 

Daniel Reinart (Trombone, BA '20)

I hope to bring some additional computer skills regarding anything from spreadsheets to data gathering. In addition, I would love to collaborate as a new member of the leadership board and help with anything social media related, networking, and to create even more recognition among our talented alumni band members whether it be collaborating at Homecoming or at other times throughout the year!  We have such a robust group of alumni band members, and I hope I can contribute as someone who brings together and showcases our members so others can learn, network, and become connected!

Patrick Schiltz (Trumpet, BA '17)

My passion for the University of Iowa Hawkeye Marching Band runs deep—it was my entire life for five years. I am incredibly proud of the direction the band is heading and deeply admire how Dr. Eric Bush has guided its tremendous success over the past eight years. I hope his position will allow me to share and promote my love and appreciation for the HMB, ensuring that its legacy continues to thrive. I believe alumni like us play a vital role in shaping the future of the HMB, and I am eager to contribute to its ongoing success. I have a deep appreciation for the arts and what an amazing impact they have on our lives. Music is what brings us all together in tough times.

Recent Board Changes – several members of the inaugural Alumni Band Leadership Board have stepped off the Board this past June, as their terms ended: Jim Berg, Joan Hippen, Arlene Houk, and Kirk Phillips. We all want to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to each of you for your passion for and service to Alumni Band. We have also extended invitations to four additional Committee Members that will support the Leadership Board with various committees that will allow us to even further collaborate and grow our alumni band presence.  Our new, inaugural Committee Members are: John Barker, Kayla Garvin, Wendy Jamison, and Ann Miksch (Costello).  As we finalize their areas of interest and those committees, we will share that with everyone.  We are so incredibly honored to have such talented Alumni interested in making a difference and continuing to evolve our group!  Welcome to all!

To stay up to date on Alumni Band news and pep band performance opportunities, please like and follow the University of Iowa Alumni Band Facebook page.

If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help wherever need with Alumni Band activities, please send an email to iowaalumniband@gmail.com.

Excited to see you all at Homecoming!

On Iowa, and Go Hawks!

Dina M. Jensen, BA, MS