Hello everyone!
Once again, I am humbled by the enormous effort of our Homecoming Committee this past Fall as we had a highly successful 2025 Homecoming Weekend. We kicked off the weekend with our Thursday Evening Reception welcoming back over one hundred Hawkeye Alumni Band members at Voxman Music Building and presenting two Alumni Marching Band Leadership Board Scholarships this year to current HMB members. These two members exemplify what it means to be a Hawkeye and were chosen based on their journeys as HMB members. I had the privilege of meeting and presenting to Jake Newcomb and Briana Zimmerman, truly an honor! Finally, we presented commemorative footballs to some incredibly special Hawkeyes who served as a few of our inaugural alumni band board members:
- Jim Berg
- John Brown, (posthumously)
- Joan Hippen
- Arlene Houk
- Kirk Phillips
They laid the foundation that we are now building on for years to come! Thank you again!
|
|
Friday’s parade was a tremendous success as we had over 366 registered participants and our very own Lou Crist, and his wife Jan, riding in the parade ahead of the Alumni Band. In addition, we introduced NEW FLAGS this year, not only because we honored our flags this year alongside our drum majors and golden girls, but also because it was a long time coming and overdue!
We ended Friday with our post-parade picnic, and again, a well-attended, efficiently run event. It was nice to see everyone and get a chance to visit.
Saturday’s “Take Back the Field” was exciting, rewarding, hot, and as always, the best day of the year to enjoy band family and friends. While we did not get the outcome we wanted for the football team, the band always wins with our camaraderie and unwavering Hawkeye Spirit! Check out our pre-game participant totals as we had 328 Alumni Marching Band Members Take Back the Field! Again, there are too many people to thank individually, but I want to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to each person who helped in some way to make the weekend so special and welcoming for everyone! As of today, we have been informed that Homecoming 2026 will be Saturday, October 31st vs. Wisconsin! It’s going to be a Halloween Game this year! Make sure to SAVE THE DATES: 10/29 – 10/31 2026 as our HOCO Committee is already planning for a Spooktacular Weekend! Be sure to keep up to date with all things Homecoming 2026 by checking in on our Facebook page and other social media platforms: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092584807558. Remember to invite your friends and family to follow this page. Craig Brown, Emily Janssen, and Will Olson do a fantastic job of keeping us all updated via posts on this page. It is especially 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 third year in a row, an HMB legend and alumni received a Distinguished Alumni Award! Johnny Gilbert, a 1982 BA graduate, and HMB Drum Major in 1984, was selected as the 2025 Hickerson recipient. Here’s a link to his profile and the other recipients below. Congratulations to Johnny! https://www.foriowa.org/daa/daa-profile.php?namer=true&profileid=620
|
|
|
A busy Fall turned into an even busier Winter as our Hawkeyes accepted their invitation to the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Florida! While Kathy and Dr. Bush corralled a few hundred HMBers by bus to Florida; Tim Clay and our Alumni Pep Band Committee were rallying the Alumni Pep Band Troops and performed masterfully at Carver Hawkeye Arena, participating in a couple of Big Ten match-ups: WBB on December 28th vs. Penn State and MBB on January 3rd to ring in the New Year vs. UCLA. A lot of positive feedback with the crowd wanting more! Well done, or should I say, well-played everyone!
As we continue to expand our outreach, 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 and were featured last year 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 of members accepted a gracious invitation from the UCLA Alumni Band to join them before the Iowa-UCLA football game in Pasadena last year.
The Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) Iowa Club has also 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 playing opportunities), the Iowa Club Location website might be a valuable resource. https://www.foriowa.org/networks/locations.php Lastly, we are working with the UICA to launch new and easier ways to connect us with our local I-Clubs and to engage with our HMB alumni to continue to create and grow more Regional Pep Bands across the country. Look for invitations to connect from the UICA!
Finally, I want to remind everyone of our One Day for Iowa as it is fast approaching. This year, it will be held on March 25, 2026! Look for an email from Dr. Bush as we will have a Board Match Challenge and other key pieces of information on how your contribution can work even harder for our HMB! I would like to also mention that we are members of NAoAB (National Association of Alumni Bands). This organization provides opportunities for us to connect with other alumni bands, their boards, and to learn from one another as our alma maters need our support now more than ever. We will have representation at this year’s annual conference which is in May, and I look forward to hearing about key takeaways that will enhance our continued success!
Once again, THANK YOU for making the University of Iowa Alumni Band so fantastic and for carrying our Hawkeye Spirit in all things you do! We could not do any of this without your passion for our HMB and for our Band Family! #BandIsFamily
On Iowa and Let’s Go Hawks!
Dina Jensen
President, Iowa Alumni Band Leadership Board
