Madison Heights High School
1965 Class Reunion

Organizations

Our Winning MHHS Band
      Being all they could be and they were!

Listend to our School Song...  The Words    *Credit
 

MHHS First (1st) Place Band in 1963-1964


Our Band's 1st Place Championship Band Performance can be viewed here.
This video is available because of the care and generosity of Greg Barker, Mr. Barker's son, who took the time and effort to have old film converted and then posted it to youtube. Thank you Greg Barker. "The Indiana State Fair Band Day Competition was a premier event in these years. I think there were about 90 high school bands competing this particular year. Each band performed a 3 minute show as they marched down the dirt track in front of a grand stand of screaming fans. It was held right before school started each summer. After reading the music and some rehearsals in June, the band would rehearse the entire month of August to prepare for this event. My Father, Francis E. Barker, still holds the record as Band Director of Madison Heights for the most finishes in the top 3 bands; 7 years in a row. Other schools have beaten that record now but not with the same band director. These were very special years for the kids in those bands and for myself and my family. In this 1963 First Place finish they are playing excerpts from Russlan and Ludmilla by Glinka. And yes, they really did march that fast....usually at 160 beats per minute. This digital transfer was taken from a 16mm film with an optical sound track. A company called Got Memories in Arizona did an amazing job on this transfer with state of the art transfer equipment and I highly recommend them. If you know members of this band or others from that era, please let them know I have posted this. Please enjoy - Greg Barker"

Other Performances to watch due to the work of Greg Barker and the generosity of some school and band alumni.

1962 State Fair 2nd Place Performance
They earned 2nd place this year. In 1961 they earned 3rd place. There is no film of the 1961 performance that I am aware of. The 1964, 2nd place film was to damaged to transfer.

1965 State Fair 3rd Place Performance
This is their 1965 State Fair Performance. They earned 3rd place for this performance. It was on the cinder track which was on the inside of the main track. Because the main track was clay, rain the night before and some that day made it too muddy to march on.

1966 State Fair 3rd Place Performance
This was filmed in black and white and broadcast later on television; Channel 4 if my memory serves. The Band placed 3rd again this year making it 6 years in a row in the top 3 with Francis Barker as the director. There were three performances prior to 1961 with Mr. Barker as director. 1958 was the band's first year to perform receiving an ranking of 8th place. 1959 they were 9th place. 1960 they were 5th place.

1966 Purdue Band Day - Featured Band Performance
Madison Heights was the feature band at Purdue Band Day. They performed their 1966 State Fair routine with some modifications to fit the football field at the beginning of the show. Because the camera was at the top of Purdue's stadium, you get to see the whole band at one time. This film also gives you a chance to see one of the many exciting entrances they did for football season.

MHHS Second (2nd) Place Band in 1964-1965

Above - MHHS Band's
       First Place Trophy

Right Picture - Head Majorette Karen Dew, Director Francis Barker, and Drum Major Steve Stickler pose proudly with the second-place State Fair band trophy. Only one point kept the band from a consecutive first place win at the State Fair in 1964.

1965 MHHS Band
Bottom Row—Mary Hostetler, Jane Poffenbarger, Steve Morris, Judy Patterson, Leesa Farwick, Pat Shearer, Mary Patter­son, Annette Walker. Row 2—George Ramsey, Diane Cauffman, Shirley Rosner, Kathy Carter, DeAnna Flowers, Tom Brown, Tony Shelton, Larry McKinney, Kathy Elliot, Sheryl Rariden, Gerald Wiley, Linda Thomas. Row 3—Karen Davis, Kathy Harless, Cindy Nottingham, Jim Hutton, Diana Hart, Bonnie Anderson, Joyce Morgan, Nancy Mathews, Tom Plew, George Ledbetter, Anne Shafer, Wendell Crim, Tom Counts, Larry Jenkins, Terry Plew, Bob Cooper, Terry Richardson, Richard Riggs, Shirley Anson, Nancy Moser, Linda Earley. Row 4—Lizann Gribben, Penny Carpenter, Bob Wheeler, Steve Taylor, Mike Cocrill, Connie Roland, Peggy Rhodes, Janice Rodgers, Debbie Counts, Ladonna Miller, Greg Salatin, Shirley Utterback, Dave Howenstine, Norm Jackson, Russ Hostetler, Ernesteen Howell, Sandy Hill, Becky Flowers, Fred Vail, Melanie Swain, Bill Herridge, Craig McElhoe. Row 5—Willis Bastin, John Shick, Kent Dickey, Ed Skers, Jeff Brock, Joe Pierce, Brad Willoughby, Keith Fowler, David Morris, Tim Meyer, Dan Harrel, Bob Utterback, David Doub, Earl Griffith, Rick Boyer. Row 6—Paul Borgan, Eric Ayers, Mike Moore, George Rood, John Hartley, Curtis Thacker, Jerry Peeters, Don Jones, Jim Folsom, Tim Havens, David Morrison, Rick Towler, Bob Blakey, Charles Newman, George Boaz, Dan Hud­son, Ken Webb, Mike Smith, Dale Boone, Greg Derr, Mark Dye­house, Roscoe Sottlemeyer, George Peters, Steve Stickler, Karen Dew, Ron Buser, Rick Apgar, David Bixler, Larry Lawrence, Mike Mur­ray, Mike Mehagan, Steve Lortz, Jim Stanley. Majorettes—Cheryl Robbins, Janie Jacquess, Carol McCormick, Judy Estes, Sherry Jackson, Marianne Shelburn, Jeanne Taylor, Vicki McQueary, Vicki Wilson, Janet Miller, Pam Anderson, Connie Bass, Patti Powell, Jeanette Taylor, Connie Stamm, Lois Amick, Nona Webb, Lana Richardson, Diana Adams, Pam Branch.

Dance Band—Bottom Row—Terry Richardson, Steve Stickler, Terry Plew, George Ramsey, Norman Jackson, Russ Hostetler. Row 2—Dave Howenstine, Joe Pierce, Mike Smith, George Boaz, Tim Havens. Row 3—Keith Fowler, Willis Bastin, David Bixler, Jerry Peeters, Brad Willoughby.

Band Officers—Seated—Karen Dew, Diane Cauffman, Ernesteen Howell, Janet Miller. Row 2—Mike Mehagan, George Boaz, Steve Stickler, Terry Richardson, Jim Folsom, Tony Shelton, Curtis Thacker.

Band Assistants—Ken Webb, Jim Stanley, Don Hudson, Steven Lewis.

Through long, hot, and tiring summer practices, MHHS's band obtained symmetry of step and coherence of sound which ranked them among the state's finest.

*Credit: Our school song is also the Fight Song for Miami University in Ohio. This versions is being played by the Miami University Marching Band and is part of their CD, "An American Halftime.