Lawrence Fogelberg

Lawrence Fogelberg’s talent as a director was undisputed. His first high school band in DeKalb had been national champions in 1940; he had directed an Army band composed of famous musicians that was broadcast weekly across America; and had produced the Detroit Lions’ halftime shows.

As band director on the Hilltop, Larry conducted 4 p.m. practices in Siepert Hall after his day at the high school. Some of the musicians had been his students at Woodruff or Pekin High School where he began working in 1956. The BU band played at the east end of Robertson Memorial Field House for basketball games, marched at football games, and played concerts and for convocations. The Fogelberg boys — Marc, Pete, and Dan (who would eventually becaome well known as a singer and songwriter in the 1970s) — could be found at some of the performances. One of his earliest memories, Dan once told an interviewer, was being four years old and standing on a box in front of his father, “conducting” the band with a baton in hand.

Mr. Fogelberg led Bradley’s band throughout the ’50s. His wife Margaret was a music teacher and community volunteer. She was president of the Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Club in 1957–58 and of the Peoria Symphony League the next year. In 1968, her husband was selected from 32,000 band directors for a national award.

The Dan Fogelberg song, Leader of the Band, was a tribute to his father who died in 1982.

(taken in part from the Bradley University Alumni Profiles)