I wrote this a while back, but I’ve been thinking about Mr. Nugent today and wanted to share it again. After all these years, he still holds a special place in my heart. He moved on to other towns and bigger bands, leaving a lasting impact wherever he went. He passed away a few months ago, and the outpouring of love from his students over the years is a testament to a life well lived.

When I was a senior in high school, I decided to try out for twirler. I had been a devoted band member, starting out with a cornet in 5th grade and eventually graduating to French horn. I wanted to play French horn in concert band, but it was my senior year, and I thought it might be fun to be one of the girls wielding a baton during marching season. The problem was that I had no clue how to twirl. I had been a cheerleader for three years before this and had no twirling experience. Zero. But thanks to the aid of a seasoned twirler, Debby Russell, who took me under her wing and worked me to death every day for three weeks, I somehow managed to win a spot.

I had a wonderful year with our band, with our director, Tommy Nugent, as our guide. He was a tough cookie regarding everything band-related, and I still have anxious dreams about him at the center. It was not uncommon for him to yell at the top of his lungs and turn bright red just because someone was not kicking high enough on a turn during marching season. However, I must say that Mr. Nugent was my first real brush with excellence. He expected a lot but gave a lot in return, and the results were undeniable. We were a Sweepstakes band for two years while I was in high school, with all 1s in marching and in concert band. That’s hard to beat.

Interestingly, I also had a taskmaster in the twirling realm. Our head twirler, Debra McGuire, was driven to be the best twirler she could be, and she expected us to follow suit. After marching season, I was invited to join a twirling trio with her and another twirler, Elaine Brooks, and I still remember parts of that routine that we must have practiced 1000 times before heading to contest. We received all 1s at our first contest, moved to the next, where we also received all 1s, and then were told we had qualified to compete at state.

We traveled to Austin in early June of 1971 for the big competition, and, unfortunately, I promptly lost one of my contacts in the swimming pool at the hotel where we were staying. That didn’t bode well since I was (am) severely near-sighted and hadn’t brought my glasses. Still, later that day, we got up to do our routine in front of the judges (Debra basically led me to the spot where I was supposed to stand), and the second we started, I just clicked into our routine and did what we’d been doing for several months. As it turned out, we received all 1s that day, too, making us an All-State Trio. We were all very proud, and I still am, particularly since I’d barely known how to hold a baton just the year before.

Band was one of the best experiences of high school for me. I learned to appreciate hard work, love music, and see how being part of something bigger than myself could bring a great deal of satisfaction. Thomas Nugent was the lynchpin, and I am so grateful for his passion. He taught me a lot about finding something to love and pursuing it with all my heart.

Debra was impressive, too, I must say.  Without her (and Elaine), I wouldn’t have considered heading off to a twirling contest.  I’m very glad I did.

By the way, my baton is leaning against the wall in my office right now.  I never know when I might just get the urge to twirl.

I count myself quite lucky to have had such an incredible band experience. I look back on those days with a lot of love.

Back Row: Jane, Cathy, Elaine, and Gail

Second Row: Carla, Len, and Cheryl

Front Row: Debra