WHS Alumni make beautiful music together

Talk about it

WORTHINGTON — King Turkey Day has long been a popular time for class reunions, but this year the festival played host to not only people celebrating 10- and five-year graduation milestones, but alumni from a much bigger time span with one common interest: music.

The Worthington High School Alumni Band Reunion began on Thursday and continued throughout the weekend at Memorial Auditorium Performing Arts Center. Band students from the years 1949 to 1982 were invited to participate in honor of their former directors, Gerald Niemeyer, 1949-1961, and Glenn Evensen, 1962-1982.

The schedule of events included a variety show, tribute evening, tours of their alma mater, a float in the King Turkey Day Parade and even a homecoming dance.

The weekend culminated in an alumni band concert Saturday evening at Memorial Auditorium.

To prepare for the concert, those alumni who have maintained their musical skills spent hours in practice, both on their own and as a group during the days leading up to it. Richard “Dick” Larson, who was the junior high band director during the Niemeyer era and served as interim high school director after Niemeyer’s tragic death in a car accident in 1961, came from Colorado to direct the alumni band.

“I’ve been looking forward to this for quite a while,” said Brian Kuiper, Class of 1981, following one of the rehearsals. “But my lip is getting a little tired.”

Kuiper, who lives in St. Peter and plays regularly in a swing band, said he had no trouble remembering the school song, which the group would play in both the concert and during the parade.

Over in the clarinet section, Barbara Sellberg Nelson, Class of 1975, of Overland Park, Kan., and Cynthia Bannister Dirks, Class of 1972, now of Alexandria, realized that even though they didn’t know each other in school, they used to be neighbors.

“We lived a block away from you on Turner Street,” said Dirks. “I drove by the old neighborhood earlier.”

While many of the alumni came from different classes and needed to get acquainted and find common ground, there was one group of musicians who knew each other well. Siblings Carol Nordell Gustafson (Class of ’70, from Walker), John Nordell (Class of ’71, from Worthington), Paul Nordell (Class of ’67, Roseville) and Dan Nordell (Class of ’65, Denver, Colo.).

“We’re here because John said this was a good idea,” said Paul.

“And he put me on tuba,” Paul continued, pointing to Larson. “He told me, ‘If you pick up the tuba, you’ve got a chance at the varsity band.’ When I heard he was mixed up in this, I didn’t have much choice. … I think this is the first time in decades that I’ve had a consecutive day of playing the tuba.”

The Nordell siblings were obviously enjoying making music together, although they were dispersed through different sections of the band.

“We think we have the prize for the most members of one family,” said Carol. “Music has just been a huge part of my life. … and the foundation of that was here with the passionate teachers we had. And for me, our parents were church musicians, and to keep involved in music is a way of honoring them. They put a lot of time and money into our musical education.”

As the rehearsals progressed through the weekend, the musicians began to gel, and Larson was pleased with the sound they were creating.

“The first thing that goes in a concert is rhythm,” Dick reflected about the challenge of pulling a band together in such a short amount of time. “And if people get nervous, they don’t look up.”

Some of the music was nostalgic for the band members, particularly the school song and the marches that alumnus Tom Peck (Class of 1967) arranged into one number for the concert and parade gig.

“I had people tell me that they really got teary-eyed when we played that for the first time,” Larson said.

“That’s what music does to our souls,” commented Carol Gustafson.

Tags: king turkey day, news, whs, alumni, music