October 6, 2007

Purdue 'All-American' Marching Band to begin drive for China trip

The "All-American" Marching Band has been invited by the China Performing Arts Agency, a division of the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China, to perform in the Meet in Beijing International Arts and Music Festival. The event will be in late May prior to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

1951 alumnus Herb Wilson of Coralville, Iowa, has donated $15,000 toward the cost of the trip. A retired executive, Wilson received a bachelor's degree from Purdue in mechanical engineering and also earned a master's in business administration from the University of Chicago in 1959.

The trip and Wilson's gift was announced at the President's Council pregame event in the Purdue Memorial Union.

Purdue's invitation to perform in the festival is the first issued by the Ministry of Culture to an American college band, said director of bands Jay Gephart. 

"Both the band and the university have very strong reputations in China, which undoubtedly led to this invitation," Gephart said.

Taking 180 members of the 350-member marching band is expected to cost approximately $500,000, and the fund drive's goal is to raise $100,000 of that amount. Participating band members will be expected to make up the difference.

Purdue Bands has a long history of traveling to perform for audiences around the world. In addition to appearances at bowl games, its members have performed on cruises and in such places as South America, Europe, Japan, Iceland and Canada. The musicians were the first university band to play at Radio City Music Hall, where they performed twice.

Wilson is the retired president and chief executive officer of Micro-Surface Finishing Products and is the current owner and president of Startups Unlimited Inc. He received the President's Council Distinguished Pinnacle Award in 2003 and was named the outstanding mechanical engineering alumnus in 2003. Wilson and his wife Janice are longtime donors to Purdue Bands, the School of Mechanical Engineering, visual and performing arts, and athletics. They fund several scholarships, and the green room at Pao Hall of Visual and Performing Arts is named in their honor. The graduate student commons in the new Roger B. Gatewood Mechanical Engineering Wing will be named for them as well.

Writer: Christy Jones, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu

Source: Jay S. Gephart, (765) 494-0770, jsgephart@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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