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http://www.MyPlainview.com Plainview Daily Herald - <strong>Sun</strong>day, October <strong>11</strong>, 20<strong>09</strong> - Page 3A<br />
CBS Sports/PHS Band Archives<br />
NATIONAL BROADCAST: Members of the Plainview High School Band and A Cappella Choir are shown<br />
as they appeared on CBS TV on Dec. 21, 1969, while performing at halftime during a Dallas Cowboys-<br />
Washington Redskins game.<br />
PHS band, choir took center stage<br />
at Vince Lombardi’s farewell game<br />
By DOUG McDONOUGH<br />
Herald Managing Editor<br />
Performing to an audience<br />
that spanned an entire<br />
continent, 40 years ago<br />
the Plainview High School<br />
Band and Choir took center<br />
stage during a profoundly<br />
historic moment in professional<br />
football.<br />
On Dec. 21, 1969, the<br />
226-member PHS band, then<br />
dubbed “<strong>The</strong> Pride of the<br />
Plains,” and the 65-member<br />
PHS choir spread out<br />
across the turf at the Cotton<br />
Bowl in Dallas to perform<br />
a special Christmas-themed<br />
halftime show for the Dallas<br />
Cowboys-Washington Redskins<br />
game.<br />
As the last regular-season<br />
game between bitter NFL rivals,<br />
CBS made it a regional<br />
game of the week.<br />
<strong>The</strong> contest, which the<br />
Cowboys won, 20-<strong>10</strong>, pitted<br />
coach Tom Landry<br />
against his old nemesis,<br />
Vince Lombardi, who was<br />
coaching the fi nal game in<br />
his <strong>10</strong>-year NFL career.<br />
Lombardi spent nine years<br />
(1959-67) as head coach at<br />
Green Bay, then came out<br />
of retirement to coach the<br />
Redskins during the 1969<br />
season. He died of colon<br />
cancer the next summer.<br />
“I remember that huge<br />
smile plastered across his<br />
face as he walked out to the<br />
middle of the fi eld” during<br />
team introductions, retired<br />
PHS bandmaster O.T. Ryan<br />
recently recalled. “Even having<br />
all the Cowboys fans booing<br />
him didn’t seem to make<br />
any difference at all.”<br />
It also happened to be the<br />
last year for CBS and other<br />
major TV networks to routinely<br />
focus their cameras on<br />
NFL halftime performances<br />
instead of airing game highlights<br />
and scoreboards. On<br />
that particular <strong>Sun</strong>day afternoon,<br />
CBS Sports producers<br />
at almost all the other NFL<br />
games decided to pick up<br />
the halftime broadcast from<br />
Dallas rather than show the<br />
performances at their own<br />
stadiums. That meant the<br />
Dallas halftime show was<br />
broadcast live to Mexico,<br />
Canada and the entire United<br />
States, save for a part of<br />
the Northeast that stayed<br />
with the game being played<br />
in Boston.<br />
“It really was a big deal,<br />
since CBS broadcast our entire<br />
show — all <strong>11</strong> minutes<br />
of it,” Ryan explained. “I remember<br />
the band marching<br />
off the fi eld when it was fi -<br />
nally over and our CBS producer,<br />
Jim Skinner, running<br />
out and shouting, ‘We just<br />
picked up Canada!’ I didn’t<br />
realize at the time what he<br />
meant, so I asked, ‘Was it<br />
heavy?’ ”<br />
It indeed was “heavy”<br />
as evidenced by the huge<br />
assortment of post-performance<br />
congratulatory letters<br />
and telegrams Ryan has<br />
tucked away in a scrapbook<br />
of the event.<br />
“It was a big deal for<br />
Plainview,” Ryan explained.<br />
“And after it was over, we<br />
received a number of similar<br />
invitations. But we’d already<br />
done that, and the time and<br />
effort and expense involved<br />
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Herald File Photo<br />
COTTON BOWL BOUND: Patti Newland waves goodbye from in front of eight<br />
charter buses preparing to depart PHS on Dec. 20, 1969, for Dallas. Newland<br />
was a twirler for the band, which performed with the PHS choir, during halftime<br />
at a Dallas Cowboys-Washington Redskins game.<br />
were just too much to do<br />
again anytime soon. <strong>The</strong><br />
pressure getting the show together<br />
was immense, and all<br />
those early-morning outdoor<br />
rehearsals in December sure<br />
were cold.”<br />
In spring 1969 the Cowboys<br />
invited the PHS band<br />
to perform at halftime upon<br />
the recommendation of G.T.<br />
Gilligan, band director at<br />
Kermit. As plans for the program<br />
began to materialize,<br />
the invitation was expanded<br />
to include the choir.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> Cotton Bowl had an<br />
exceptional sound system<br />
with speakers all around<br />
inside the stadium, which<br />
worked out perfectly,” Ryan<br />
recalled.<br />
B.C. “Doc” Cross was<br />
president of the Plainview<br />
Band Parents Association<br />
in 1969, and it fell upon that<br />
group’s shoulders to raise<br />
the funds to fi nance the trip.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> band parents used to<br />
sponsor a week-long summer<br />
carnival as a fundraiser,”<br />
Cross explained, “and<br />
we had a number of other<br />
fundraisers including candy<br />
sales and a community birthday<br />
calendar.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> group also made a<br />
number of oversized props<br />
out of Styrofoam for the<br />
performance, including mallets<br />
for ringing chimes and a<br />
seven-foot electrical outlet<br />
to plug in a huge amplifi er.<br />
In addition to raising the<br />
money and building the<br />
props for the trip, the band<br />
parents provided most of<br />
the 50 adult chaperones for<br />
the three-day trip, which required<br />
eight chartered buses<br />
— six for the band and two<br />
for the choir — and a large<br />
rental truck for instruments<br />
and props.<br />
Other Plainview Band<br />
Parents Association offi -<br />
cers that year included vice<br />
presidents Newton Goodwin<br />
(4-A Band), Ralph Christianson<br />
(Freshman Band), Eddie<br />
McConnell (Coronado) and<br />
Louis Bechtold (Estacado);<br />
secretary Mary Helen Cross;<br />
and treasurer Deryl Cole.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>re were an awful lot<br />
of people involved in putting<br />
together that wonderful<br />
trip,” Cross said. “It’s mar-<br />
velous to see how well they<br />
did then, and how the program<br />
continues to grow and<br />
get even better.”<br />
Ryan did most of the choreography<br />
for the show, with<br />
the help of assistant band director<br />
Dennis Teasdale. Jim<br />
DeWese, PHS speech teacher,<br />
wrote the script for CBS<br />
Sports announcer Lindsey<br />
Nelson. Jim Sudduth, Lubbock<br />
Coronado band director,<br />
wrote special music<br />
arrangements for the performance.<br />
John Woicikowfski<br />
directed the choir.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> kids all acted really<br />
well on the trip,” Ryan<br />
recalled, “and they played<br />
very good as well. That’s<br />
what really impressed the<br />
producers and why they<br />
ended up broadcasting the<br />
entire show.”<br />
Ryan’s scrapbook from<br />
the event includes a note to<br />
Skinner of the band’s instrumentation:<br />
<strong>10</strong> piccolos, <strong>10</strong><br />
fl utes, four E-fl at clarinets,<br />
38 B-fl at clarinets, seven alto<br />
clarinets, eight bass clarinets,<br />
16 alto saxophones, six<br />
tenor saxophones, 4 baritone<br />
saxophones, 39 cornets, 13<br />
French horns, 13 trombones,<br />
<strong>12</strong> baritones, <strong>10</strong> basses and<br />
17 percussionists. <strong>The</strong> remaining<br />
19 members of the<br />
group were drum majors and<br />
twirlers.<br />
Another sheet lists the<br />
music performed, “March of<br />
Carols,” “Cathedral Chimes”<br />
(Westminster chimes), “Joy<br />
to the World,” “God Rest Ye<br />
Merry Gentlemen,” “Jingle<br />
Bells” (both traditional and<br />
rock versions), “Fanfare,”<br />
“Here Comes Santa Claus,”<br />
“White Christmas” and “A<br />
Christmas Festival.” Most of<br />
the tunes had to be arranged<br />
for the band by Sudduth.<br />
“We were having trouble<br />
working out the Westminster<br />
chimes until Bill Porter,<br />
who was band director at<br />
Amarillo High, mentioned<br />
that he had the music in his<br />
band library and let us have<br />
it.” <strong>The</strong> entourage left Plainview<br />
early Saturday, arriving<br />
at the Marriott Motor Hotel<br />
that evening. <strong>The</strong> group had<br />
<strong>10</strong>0 rooms reserved for two<br />
nights, with the group re-<br />
turning home on Monday.<br />
At <strong>10</strong> a.m. <strong>Sun</strong>day the<br />
group rehearsed at the Cotton<br />
Bowl for Cowboys and<br />
CBS offi cials. After that they<br />
ate lunch — courtesy of the<br />
Dallas Cowboys — on the<br />
grounds of the Texas State<br />
Fair. After lunch the group<br />
was ushered to groundlevel<br />
end zone seats for the<br />
1:30 contest, although they<br />
couldn’t take their instruments<br />
into the stands. A Cowboys<br />
team band performed<br />
during the actual game.<br />
Sonny Jurgensen was<br />
Washington’s quarterback<br />
while Craig Morton called<br />
the signals for the Cowboys<br />
in what was Roger<br />
Staubach’s rookie year.<br />
Other notable Cowboys on<br />
the fi eld that day were Walt<br />
Garrison, Calvin Hill, Bob<br />
Hayes, Lance Rentzel, Mike<br />
Ditka, Pettis Norman, Chuck<br />
Howley, Lee Roy Jordan,<br />
Bob Lilly and Jethro Pugh.<br />
“We didn’t do any precision<br />
marching that day,”<br />
Ryan explained. “Since<br />
it was a Christmas show,<br />
the band formed bells for<br />
chimes, an electric guitar<br />
and speakers, and fi nally a<br />
giant Christmas wreath with<br />
a bunch of helium-fi lled<br />
balloons for Santa Claus. I<br />
guess the TV producers liked<br />
what they saw and heard at<br />
our rehearsal because CBS<br />
broadcast the entire halftime<br />
show.”<br />
Most of the entire North<br />
American continent saw the<br />
PHS band and choir’s performance<br />
from start to fi nish,<br />
except for the Lubbock<br />
area. KLBK-TV, the CBS<br />
affi liate in Lubbock, inadvertently<br />
clipped the fi rst and<br />
the last of the halftime show<br />
— including the group’s introduction<br />
— to make room<br />
for commercials from a<br />
Plainview furniture store.<br />
That local merchant had<br />
arranged to purchase the entire<br />
block of advertising during<br />
halftime specifi cally so<br />
that there would be no commercial<br />
interruptions during<br />
the band’s performance.<br />
(Contact Doug Mc-<br />
Donough at dmcdonough@<br />
hearstnp.com or 806-296-<br />
1350.)<br />
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Back In Time<br />
Oct. <strong>11</strong>. 1939: FFA<br />
members voted to pay<br />
transportation costs for<br />
Wendell McClure, district<br />
FFA reporter, to attend the<br />
national meeting at Kansas<br />
City.<br />
•A debate on whether<br />
or not Runningwater has<br />
suffi cient school ground<br />
equipment was given by<br />
C.L. Jones and J.U. Wiggins,<br />
high school pupils,<br />
when the PTA met with<br />
Mrs. J. Jolly presiding.<br />
•Grisham Motor Co.,<br />
advertised a 1932 Olds<br />
Coupe for $75.<br />
•Guards watched actor<br />
Henry Fonda’s house as<br />
police disclosed a secret<br />
investigation into reports<br />
of a plot to kidnap Fonda<br />
and his 2-year-old daughter,<br />
Jane.<br />
Oct. <strong>11</strong>, 1969: A photo<br />
montage honors eight motor<br />
route carriers of the<br />
Plainview Daily Herald:<br />
Raymond Moon, Lee Raulston,<br />
Roy Eldred, Jimmy<br />
Hanson, Steve Cothron,<br />
Etta Gilbert, Pat Cook and<br />
Christine Dees.<br />
•Open house will be held<br />
at Lakeside Country Club<br />
in Hale Center to celebrate<br />
completion of $149,490 in<br />
park improvements. Ronnie<br />
Bailey is golf pro.<br />
•Lockney native Morris<br />
Don Schacht, 25, of<br />
Dumas was killed when<br />
the light plane he was fl ying<br />
crashed and burned in<br />
Kismet, Kan. He is a former<br />
Miller Flying Service<br />
employee.<br />
•Mike O’Neal scored<br />
on three touchdown runs<br />
to lead the Blue Dogs in a<br />
Crime of the Week<br />
<strong>The</strong> Plainview/Hale County<br />
Crime Stoppers Committee<br />
will pay a reward of up<br />
to $750 to anyone with information<br />
that leads to the<br />
arrest and indictment of the<br />
person or persons responsible<br />
for the following crimes:<br />
•On Saturday, Sept. 19,<br />
someone entered a residence<br />
at 607 W. 30th. Taken were<br />
a 72-inch DLP Mitsubishi<br />
television and a PlayStation<br />
2 video game system. This<br />
case is being investigated<br />
by Capt. Manual Balderas.<br />
He can be reached at 296-<br />
<strong>11</strong>87, or callers can contact<br />
the Crime Stoppers Hotline<br />
at 293-8477.<br />
•Either <strong>Sun</strong>day, Sept. 27 or<br />
Monday, Sept. 28, someone<br />
entered Garza Construction,<br />
located at 700 S.W. Third.<br />
Several DeWalt power tools<br />
were taken. This case is being<br />
investigated by detective<br />
Al Longoria. He can be<br />
reached at 296-<strong>11</strong>89.<br />
Crime Stoppers will pay a<br />
reward of up to $350 to anyone<br />
with information on the<br />
following crimes that leads<br />
to the arrest and indictment<br />
of the person or persons responsible:<br />
•On Sept. 21, someone entered<br />
a residence at 1600 W.<br />
<strong>11</strong>th. Entry was gained by<br />
breaking a window. Taken<br />
was a 42-inch LG plasma<br />
television.<br />
Sometime between Saturday,<br />
Oct. 3 and Monday,<br />
Oct. 5, someone took a yellow<br />
and red fi berglass calf<br />
from in front of McDonald’s<br />
Restaurant at 815 N. I-27.<br />
Fugitives: Crime Stoppers<br />
will pay a reward of up<br />
to $250 for information that<br />
leads to the arrest of the following<br />
persons. A warrant<br />
has been issued for their arrest.<br />
Callers can contact the<br />
Hale County Sheriff’s Offi ce<br />
Warrants Division at 296-<br />
2724 or contact the Crime<br />
Stoppers Hotline:<br />
•Dewayne Jordan, 30,<br />
black male, 5-foot-<strong>11</strong>, 215<br />
rout of the Lubbock Coronado<br />
sophomores.<br />
Oct. <strong>11</strong>, 1979: Newlyelected<br />
offi cers of the<br />
Edgemere Shopping Center<br />
Merchants Association<br />
are Nelson Rockwell, Earl<br />
Brown and Jean Wood.<br />
•Customers of Mr.<br />
Burger 1 and Mr. Burger 3<br />
will see double when they<br />
are waited on by Roy and<br />
Johnny Tilley and Brenda<br />
and Glenda Shaddix, two<br />
sets of twins employed at<br />
separate Mr. Burger locations.<br />
•<strong>The</strong> home of Mr. and<br />
Mrs. Glen Thomas of Hale<br />
Center will be the fi rst<br />
home on the annual Extension<br />
Homemakers council<br />
home tour.<br />
•Patti Frisbie will be<br />
crowned queen of PHS<br />
during the football game<br />
Friday night by Kevin Igo,<br />
president of the PHS executive<br />
council.<br />
Oct. <strong>11</strong>, 1999: Ronnie<br />
Sherrod has been named<br />
interim manager of Hale<br />
Center Co-op Gin.<br />
•Terry Wright, Sally<br />
Wright and Elia Madrigal<br />
start the KVOP morning<br />
show at <strong>10</strong>6.9 FM radio<br />
tomorrow.<br />
•Local scouts held a Cub<br />
Scout Fun Day at Regional<br />
Park on Saturday.<br />
•Two 24-year-old Lockney<br />
men, Joe William<br />
Adam and Jacob Lee Jones,<br />
died in a wreck when their<br />
car rolled over in a cotton<br />
fi eld near Idalou.<br />
(Contact Nicki Bruce<br />
Logan at 806-296-1362<br />
or nicki@plainviewdailyherald.com)<br />
lbs., black hair, brown eyes:<br />
wanted for forgery.<br />
•Brenda Perez, 24, Hispanic<br />
female, 5-foot-4, 190<br />
lbs., brown hair, brown eyes:<br />
wanted for evading arrest/<br />
detention in motor vehicle.<br />
•Steven Lopez, 20, Hispanic<br />
male, 5-foot-<strong>10</strong>, 150<br />
lbs., brown hair, brown eyes:<br />
wanted for motion to revoke<br />
probation/possession of controlled<br />
substance under 1<br />
gram.<br />
Anyone having information<br />
on these or any other<br />
crimes occurring in Plainview<br />
or Hale County can<br />
contact the Crime Stoppers<br />
Hotline at 293-8477 (293-<br />
TIPS).<br />
All calls will be confi dential.<br />
You can now leave a tip<br />
directly from your cell phone<br />
by texting “PLVCS” plus<br />
your message to 274637, or<br />
on the Internet by logging on<br />
to http://plainviewhalecounty.CrimeStoppersweb.com/<br />
login.aspx.