Greetings friends!

We had another wonderful Homecoming reunion in October 2024 with 400 alumni participating in events throughout the weekend. We honored HMB Director Emeritus Kevin Kastens during the weekend and it was great to see him reconnecting with so many alumni. Weekend events included a reception in Voxman, Homecoming Parade, post-parade picnic hosted by Laura Sievert-Hesseltine, pep bands led by Tim Clay (downtown) and Steve Jepson (Iowa River Landing), and our “take back the field” pregame performance in Kinnick Stadium. The energy was incredible and it’s wonderful to reconnect with friends and become friends with alums from all eras of HMB. There are too many people to thank individually, but I extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to each and every person who helped in some way to make this a special weekend.

We also remembered inaugural Alumni Band Leadership Board member John Brown who unexpectedly passed away September 18, 2024. John was a passionate Hawkeye and a true friend to many. https://www.williamsdingmann.com/obituaries/John-M-Brown?obId=33179890

Homecoming 2025 is September 25-27 for the game vs. Indiana! Keep a watchful eye on the official University of Iowa Alumni Band Facebook page to stay updated:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092584807558 

Invite your friends and family to follow this page. Craig Brown, Emily Janssen, and Will Olson and their newly formed communications team do a fantastic job of keeping us all updated via posts on this page. It is very important that you keep your contact information current at the University of Iowa Center for Advancement to ensure you receive notifications about homecoming, alumni pep band, and other Alumni Band communications.

For the second year in a row, a HMB legend and alumni received a Distinguished Alumni Award. Dr. Morgan Jones was selected as the 2024 recipient of the Distinguished Faculty Award. When I spoke with Dr. Jones in the spring, he expressed how appreciative, honored and humbled he was to receive the award. This was indeed an honor as Lou Crist received the 2023 Hickerson Recognition Award. Because of declining health, Dr. Jones was unable to travel to Iowa City for the award presentation during Homecoming weekend. His sons, Hayden Jones and Rhys Jones and their families were in Iowa City to accept the award on his behalf. https://www.foriowa.org/daa/daa-profile.php?namer=true&profileid=610

Sadly, Dr. Jones passed away on October 30, 2024. A ceremony in Iowa City celebrating his life in a uniquely personal HMB manner attended by numerous alumni, community members, family, and friends. Andy and Bridget Owen and John Gilbert gave moving eulogies and Al Greener honored Dr. Jones one last time by planning his moving piano arrangement of the Iowa Fight Song, Roll Along, and On Iowa. https://gayandciha.com/tribute/details/5055/Morgan-Jones/obituary.html

Over 100 alumni participated in three pep band performances while HMB and the Iowa Pep Band was at the Music City Bowl and on break. Several alumni participated in two or all three performances. Thank you to Tim Clay for enthusiastically leading us. Thanks to Andy Houk for stepping in to direct for one of the games.

Regional pep bands are active at various events during the year. A group in Dubuque, led by Jeff Eagan, performs for each football game at Gary Dolphin’s Iron Bar. They were featured in the local news for their fundraising efforts benefiting local music non-profit groups – check out the coverage! https://www.kcrg.com/2024/12/31/iowa-football-fans-raise-nearly-10k-increase-childrens-access-music-gary-dolphins-bar-since-2021/

Regional alumni pep bands have also partnered with the Linn County I-Club and a couple members accepted a gracious invitation from the UCLA Alumni Band to join them before the Iowa-UCLA football game in Pasadena.

The Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) Iowa Club has reached out to the Board to express interest in collaborating between our two groups. Any HMB alumni within driving distance of the Dallas area are invited to connect through the Club’s website:  https://linktr.ee/dfwiowaclub

If HMB alumni in other areas would like to explore collaboration (and possibly playing opportunities), the Iowa Club Location website might be a good resource: https://www.foriowa.org/networks/locations.php

Upcoming Board Changes – several members of the inaugural Alumni Band Leadership Board will step off the Board at the end of June: Jim Berg, Joan Hippen, Arlene Houk, and Kirk Phillips. I extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to each of you for your passion for and service to Alumni Band. As such, we are looking for applicants for Board membership that will take effect July 1, 2025.  If you are passionate about Alumni Band and are interested, please apply by April 18, 2025 via this link:  https://www.foriowa.org/groups/alumni-band.php The Nominating Committee will review applications and make a recommendation to the full Board for a vote in May.  Our goal for Board membership is to move toward having representation from different eras and skill sets.  Additionally, we are always looking for alumni who are interested in volunteering wherever needed with events. If interested, please send an email to iowaalumniband@gmail.com or indicate on the application linked above that you are willing to volunteer and your area(s) of interest.

UICA liaison changes – Lindsey Koby was recently promoted and our new UICA liaison is Amanda Remington. Rhonda Roskos also continues to provide amazing support! Please thank these folks for all the support they provide to Alumni Band.

I look forward to welcoming the newest members from HMB to Alumni Band, getting acquainted, learning from each other, and embracing new and old traditions as we continue to build on the rich HMB and Alumni Band history. Alumni Band should be a place where all alumni, from all eras, feel welcome and comfortable.

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as a member and officer of this Board. I look forward to continuing to support the Board and Alumni Band as we continue to grow into THE BEST alumni band in the country! #BandIsFamily

Go Hawks!

Arlene Houk, President, Iowa Alumni Band Leadership Board