TCHS Alumni News - TCHS Band Selected for Rose Parade 2004

Temple City High School Marching Band was recently selected as the ONLY high school marching band in California to march in the upcoming Rose Parade on New Year's Day, January 1, 2004! WHAT AN HONOR!!!

(TCHS Alumni are) literally scattered all over the world. But no matter where we will be this coming January 1, 2004, we will all want to turn on the TV New Year's morning to see the marching band from our very own Alma Mater, TCHS, marching down Colorado Boulevard in the Rose Parade. With excitement and pride, all alumni from TCHS will want to tell their families, friends and neighbors ahead of time time to be sure to watch for the band from Temple City in the Rose Parade!!!

Our TCHS band is in desperate need of new band uniforms and instruments, and their goal is to raise $100,000 to meet this need. It seems like only yesterday Temple City pulled away from the Pasadena school system and became a unified school district of its own. We were a new school then with a fabulous band and many in our Class of '57 were band members. Outside of good musicians, the primary need of any band is uniforms and instruments. Back in about 1955, the community pulled together and raised the necessary amount of money for those first band uniforms and instruments, along with the aid of Ward Kimball and his Firehouse 5 Plus Two band. Believe it or not, that was 48 years ago!!!

Well, guess what? Times have not changed very much since then. Our band is once again in need of uniforms and instruments and you can help NOW for this very important event! It's the first of the month - you are taking care of this month's bills - why not pop a check in the mail now for any amount and help them to reach this important goal? As little as $1 or as much as you can give will be very welcome. Through your contribution, a little part of you can also be marching down Colorado Boulevard this coming New Year's Day! Think of it!!!

Please add a notation on your check it is for the Band Uniforms and Instruments Fund for the Rose Parade 2004.

Thanks in advance for helping with this worthy cause and helping to put TEMPLE CITY on the map!!! Thanks also to Shirley McDonald Ashby for bringing this to our attention from an article in the TCUSD Newsletter.

Editor's Note: According to Tournament of Roses site, this is TC's first appearance in the parade. In past decades, TC has participated with a float, and of course many floats have been built in TC; for many a year we've had our own parade up TC Blvd. in the wee hours of the new year.

Perhaps you can also help in other ways. You can contact Linda Wolfe Payne '67 via her link in the Alumni Directory or the TC C/C site. With her finger firmly on the pulse of TC, she'll be able to point you to other interested parties and help get the job done.

Alumni Photographers: Please commit now to sending pictures of the band as it marches New Years Day. Contact the editor for specifications. We'd also love to have old band pix in preparation.

This seems like a not-to-be-missed opportunity for a huge TC party at the end of the parade route. Imagine 15,000 TC alumni and friends in Victory Park! If there's interest, we can start a planning and discussion thread in the Forums (our message board).

Thanks to the Coghlans for the notice. --RC

TCHS Band Selected for Rose Parade 2004

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