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pictured: Sperry left, Beecher right
Since students first arrived on campus in 1960, the university bands have served as a driving force in the arts community, culture, and history.
In the spring of 1959, A.A. Beecher (“Pat” Beecher), the first Director of the Division of Fine Arts in the Liberal Arts College was tasked with recruiting and building a team of teachers to start the Fine Arts Division at USF. Beecher hired a staff of 4 to begin the music program.
R.W. Hugoboom was hired to lead the choral music program. Edward Preodor was hired to lead the orchestral program. Dr. A. J. Watkins was hired to lead the piano and theory program. Dr. Gale L. Sperry was hired to lead the band/instrumental music program and to serve as Chairman of the Department of Musical Arts.
Each professor would also teach courses in theory, literature, education, applied studio, and ensembles as necessary.
Dr. Gale L. Sperry came to USF from the University of Minnesota where he served as the Director of Bands for 3 years. Dr. Sperry was attracted to USF for three reasons: its status as the first state university in the nation founded in the twentieth century, the location, and the potential. Sperry’s role as Department Chairman allowed him to hire music staff, professors, and applied faculty. He hand-selected the applied studio professors, many of whom were still active performers in central Florida. Sperry’s mentor Dr. Gerald Prescott (former Director of Bands at the University of Minnesota) would join the USF faculty a year later as a Professor of Education.
35 student musicians pictured
Dr. Sperry – 2nd row, far right
The first Concert Band at USF consisted of 45 student musicians. Their first concert was on Wednesday November 30th, 1960, at 2pm, in the South Dining Room. It is estimated that 400 people attended this concert. The female musicians wore afternoon dresses, while the male musicians wore dinner jackets.
Sperry was a fan and proponent of modern works for wind band. On this concert, he featured “Pageant for Band” by Vincent Persichetti. Considered a newer work at the time, this piece would become a staple in the wind band repertoire.
Dr. Sperry was an avid recruiter and often took the band on tours to local high schools and junior colleges around the state. The program quickly grew, and a second concert band was created. This band consisted of music education majors and non-majors from the university.
The summer of 1963 saw a number of pivotal events take place that further pushed the band program forward. Dr. Sperry created the University of South Florida Community Band. This ensemble was made up of music majors, non-majors, local area musicians, and local high school musicians. In July 1963, the 1.5 million-dollar Arts and Humanities building was completed and the band program had a new state-of-the-art home. Finally, in 1963, Dr. Sperry composed the Golden Brahman March. The march was named for the mascot symbol of the university and was dedicated to the university's charter graduating class. The Golden Brahman March would go on to become the official "Fight Song" of the university and athletic bands.
As the numbers grew, so did the quality. While other universities were played standard band works as large symphonic ensembles, Sperry continued to keep the wind ensemble at the forefront of its time by commissioning new works for wind band, including Walter Hartley's first symphony, incorporating pieces with electronic tape playback, and by bringing the wind ensemble model and sound to the state of Florida. USF and Dr. Sperry became well known across the state and country. Throughout the 60's, the bands performed twice at national conferences and continued to tour. It wasn’t long until a graduate program was created in the Division of Fine Arts, and more advanced students chose to study at USF. A young Joseph Kreines, who would go on to have a storied career in the Florida band community, would become one of Sperry’s first graduate students at USF.
At the end of 1972, Dr. Prescott retired from his post at USF. Sperry, who was familiar with Dr. Jim Croft’s high school band program in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, recruited him to fill the open faculty position. Dr. Croft was hired as an Assistant Professor of Music Education in the College of Education. He was told he would have conducting opportunities, but his primary position was to educate educators. In May 1972, Dr. Croft received a letter from Dr. Sperry stating “Jim, this is to let you know that I will not be here this next year. I am taking a job as the department chairman at Florida Technological University. I want you to know that I have recommended that they simply install you as the new Director of Bands.” Sperry’s departure not only left a vacancy in the DoB role, but many of the faculty he had recruited and hired followed him to Florida Technological University, which would later become the University of Central Florida. The USF school of music began going through one of its many changes.
In November of 1973, Dr. Sperry, an avid runner, suffered a sudden heart attack while out on one of his daily runs and passed away. Florida and the band community lost a giant and a leader of the Florida band movement.
USF Concert Band 1968 tour, Sperry – standing backrow left
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