100 Years for State High’s Band: Time Flies When You’re Having Fun

Since its inauguration in October of 1937 as the State College High School football field, Memorial Field has produced some remarkable memories. It has showcased the shining talents of six Little Lions who later played in the NFL: Ron Dickerson, Larry Johnson, Jonathan Stupar, Nathan Stupar, Jordan Norwood and the recently-deceased Matt Suhey. And the same for such prominent coaches as Matt Rhule, the current head man at Nebraska, and Mike Archer, LSU’s former head coach. 

As for classic contests, no fan in the stands could possibly forget the 1973 Memorial Field clash between State High, then rated second in Pennsylvania, and Pittsburgh Central Catholic, the state’s top-ranked team. That thrilling 37-26 victory by State College led directly to the school’s only state football championship.     

So what new memories might come forth from Memorial Field this Friday? Well, Coach Matt Lintal’s undefeated football boys will probably crush Central Dauphin…but they may play second fiddle to their own marching band.  

That’s because the State College High School Band will celebrate its 100th anniversary on Friday. Yes, 100 years! As a proud 1970 graduate of State High, I was immediately intrigued when I heard about the occasion, and I asked the band’s co-directors, Paul Leskowicz and Matt Nelson, if they could foreshadow the event for me. Later, I also spoke with a number of band alums.

“I have goosebumps already,” said Nelson, the celebration’s point man. “It’ll be a wall of sound.” 

Not only will the 240 current members of the State High band be performing, but they’ll be joined by a 213-member alumni band. No doubt, the combined product of roughly 450 individuals—with their music amplified by the stadium’s natural amphitheater—will be stirring. According to Nelson, “(Anyone) in downtown State College will be ‘What was that?’ It’ll be that loud.”   

And it won’t just be the volume that will make memories. Consider the three key songs to be played at halftime, each of which represents an era in the band’s history.  

The first will be “Stars and Stripes Forever,” the rousing march by John Philip Sousa that was loved by the late Frank Hege, band director from 1949 to 1975. Next will be “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” an arrangement written by former band director Rich Victor with reference to the tight bonds formed within State High’s band. Finally, with Leskowicz serving as conductor, the joint bands will play his selection, the joyous “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire.

As if that wasn’t enough, even the pregame show should be off the charts, highlighted by “America the Beautiful” and capped off by the entrance of the football team through a massive tunnel of young and older musicians who will play, “Roar, Lions, Roar”—a song composed by Victor.

To Leskowicz, the occasion and the preparations are combining to create an experience that will be unforgettable. “It’s really a once-in-a-career type of thing,” he said. “Or once every hundred years at least.”  

A SPECIAL DRAW 

When Leskowicz and Nelson first planned this anniversary gala, they agreed on a key recruiting goal: at least 100 band alumni should be present to help celebrate the band’s 100 years. But they also thought that number would be difficult to reach since only 10, 20 or 30 band alums typically return for State High homecoming. Furthermore, the selected date fell on Penn State’s Whiteout weekend of 2026, and that wouldn’t help folks get to Happy Valley or secure lodging. 

But Nelson, himself a State High alum, began promoting the event through Facebook, and then he posted the names of those who registered early, so their old friends would be attracted. From that point on, the magnetism of band friendships took over. Registrations poured in from oldsters and relative youngsters, including last year’s drum major, Piper Curling, who is now a student and band member at TCU. (She’ll join her dad, Sean, a 1992 State High graduate, in the alumni band.)  

Whether old or young, alumni participants will gather at the high school on Thursday afternoon for their own unique practice session. Then, after retooling their notes and their steps, they’ll be joined by current members for a joint practice. Next on the alumni docket will be a tour of the high school—especially the state-of-the-art music wing.  Come Friday evening, both alumni and current band members will reassemble at Sidney Friedman Park for a meet-and-greet before the game. 

NUTSHELL HISTORY

I was startled to learn that a century’s worth of Little Lion bands had seen a total of only four formal directorships. Although the band began in 1926 under the authority of public school administrator Eugene H. Weik, a series of part-timers or volunteers worked with the band for several years. But then the pattern of long-serving directors began:

• H. Clair Smith, previously the band director at Yeagertown High School in Mifflin County, took the role at State High in 1929. He served until 1948 and also led the Lemont Band, a community brass band.
• Frank Hege, a graduate of Mansfield State College, followed Smith in 1948 and spearheaded the development of the school district’s instrumental music program. Under his leadership, the program grew to include eight bands and three orchestras for grades 7 through 12. One highlight of the Hege era took place when the band traveled to Munich to compete for a place in the opening ceremonies of the 1972 Olympic Games. After battling cancer for several years, Hege passed away in 1975.
• Rich Victor began serving at State High as a substitute when Frank Hege was too ill to fulfill certain duties. He was hired several months after Hege’s death, and fellow Blue Band alum John Kovalchik became his assistant director. They served together for 36 years, retiring simultaneously in 2011. Matt Nelson told me about a thrill that stemmed from playing under Victor’s leadership. “I was in one of the bands with State College in the ‘90s that went to the Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival,” he said. “Thousands of bands try out. They took 15 at the time and we were one of the 15. So there we were, on stage in New York City’s Lincoln Center with Rich Victor as our director. It was like, ‘Wow, this is something.’”
• Paul Leskowicz took the Little Lion baton upon Victor’s departure in 2011. A native of Long Island and a graduate of the University of Hartford (B.A.) and SUNY Stony Brook (M.A.), he served 14 years in the Penns Valley School District, where he led both the middle school and high school bands. His primary instrument is the trombone.  

So that’s 100 years with only four directorships. Why so few? Perhaps Victor gave me the best answer to that question: “It’s just such a great place to teach. Why would you go anywhere else?”

TWEAKING THE STRUCTURE

Although the State High band has maintained a steady pattern of long-standing leaders, there has been a slight shift within the current regime. Back in 2022, Leskowicz and Nelson decided to alter the structure of leadership, becoming a pair of co-directors rather than a director and assistant director. After all, both had heavy workloads and families to care for; both had particular strengths to offer in instrumental music; both had directed bands in other localities.   

“At first,” said Leskowicz, “we kind of stepped on each other’s toes in many ways because we both were head directors. I knew what needed to be done and so did he. But after some time together, it was kind of like, “You know what? If I just did this and you just did this, I think we can breathe a little better.”

“We did it ourselves,” Nelson added. “It was like, ‘I need help; you need help. This makes more sense.’ And a special part of it is really connecting with the kids and having fun yourself. So there’s lots of times when I’ll look out and Paul’s out there hanging out with kids, joking, laughing, maybe throwing a football. We free each other up to be human around the kids.”

LAUGHS FROM THE PAST

Based on my interviews with alumni from 1965 to 1992—plus one current band member—I would have to say fun is synonymous with the State High band. Maybe some of their stunts have been “juvenile,” but hey, we’re talking about teenagers.  

My own 1970 classmate Barbara Reeves Neumuller still remembers little pranks that must have driven Frank Hege crazy. “Well,” she told me, “Mr. Hege was just a nice guy. And we actually took advantage of that sometimes, which I’m not proud of. We (the clarinets) used to do crazy things like trade parts with the trumpet players during rehearsal. And then I remember a time we turned our music upside down to see if we could read it. We didn’t do so well that day.”

And then there were times when the State High band temporarily “took over” downtown State College an hour or so before a home football game. My neighborhood friend, Dale Haldeman (Class of 1966), says such impromptu parades rank among his top high school memories.

According to Dale, many of the band members would gather in uniform on the sidewalk at the intersection of Burrowes Street and College Avenue. After a cautionary glance at traffic, the band would step right onto College and march eastward, forcing vehicles coming from behind to slow down and traffic ahead to make way. (College Avenue was a two-way road until 1972.) The band would then march all the way to Pugh Street, make a right and approach Memorial Stadium from the east. 

“State College was a different kind of place back then,” said the former baritone player. “Nobody informed the borough that we were going to do this, and nobody complained about it. Today, there’d be a police car behind and a police car in front, and traffic cones along the way. The preparation would be two hours long where our preparation was two minutes long.”

TRADITION KEPT, TRADITION LOST

Any organization that’s been around for 100 years has created some traditions, and the State High band is no exception. The one mentioned most frequently to me was the continuing use of “Anchors Aweigh” as the fight song. It’s a great tune at a high school football game unless you think about its origins.

According to Matt Nelson, “People are always asking, ‘Why are you playing Anchors Aweigh?’ And he admits that for a school in central Pennsylvania, “It is weird. We’re landlocked.”  

So why? I turned to Rich Victor for an explanation, and this walking depository of band history did not disappoint. According to Victor, the odd choice for a fight song goes all the way back to 1926 when Mr. Weik, the school administrator, organized the first band out of 40 or so 5th to 12th graders.  

“He was not really a music guy,” says Rich, “but he had to pick a fight song. So he said, ‘OK, I’m a Navy guy. I’m going to pick Anchors Aweigh.’”   

Meanwhile, another State High tradition has gone away—for the better. Nowadays, the band practices in a wonderful new location, the South Track behind the high school. But for many decades, the practice location was a parking lot in front of the old south building on Westerly Parkway.   

“There were times,” said Sean Curling from the Class of ‘92, “when people would leave their cars where they weren’t supposed to be. So we’d get there for practice and would literally surround the car with 20 people and carry it to another spot. Or if we could get in it, we’d put it in neutral and push it.“

And according to another of my classmates, Carol Fortunato Witmer, one band member showed some athleticism in handling the problem. “I remember somebody marching over a car once, just going right up and over it. Yeah, first he stepped up on the bumper, then on the hood…” 

NON-COMPETITIVE BUT DEDICATED 

Regardless of the permutation—jazz band, rock band, orchestra, concert band, marching band—State High has always prided itself on top quality instrumental music.   But how does the marching band achieve excellence within its structure?  

“What you have to understand,” said Curling, “is that the marching band here is a non-competitive band. (Although band members must be enrolled in one of the core ensemble class bands, there are no auditions for the musicians.) All they ask is that you be willing to work hard and learn and improve from wherever your starting point is.” 

Of course, discipline tends to produce quality, and the band has always emphasized discipline—going back at least as far as the Hege era. Rocco Fortunato, a Class of 1965 percussionist who later played with Tommy Wareham and The Intrigues, stressed to me the importance of that emphasis for his later life.

According to Fortunato, the older brother of my classmate Carol, “Hege was no-nonsense when it came to starting something on time or making sure that nobody was giggling or talking. We learned the discipline to do it right. Where else would I have learned that? Maybe in the military.”

As for today, the band’s two leaders emphasize that same sense of discipline. “It’s the accountability aspect,” according to Leskowicz, “of holding to high standards and striving to be the best you can be.” Toward that end, the band follows a 20-page handbook with guidelines and rules.

On the other hand, Leskowicz told me that his co-leader deserves heaps of credit for the way he infuses fun into working sessions. “Matt does a really good job of creating an enjoyable vibe during practices,” said Paul. “We’ll work hard, then take a break. With some of his DJ skills, his Bluetooth device and his phone, he’s got playlists going on. So kids are grooving for a 30-second break. You see them dancing and moving and two hours go by and they realize, ‘Wow, we got a lot done.’”

And all of that was confirmed for me when I talked to Tristan Henry, a neighborhood teenager who happens to walk our dog when my wife and I travel. More importantly, Tristan serves as one of the band’s assistant drum majors (Reagan Snavely is head drum major; Julia Varner is the other assistant.) “We just have everyone put down their instruments and it’s like a dance party,” he said. “I thought a lot of people would be like, ‘I’m not going to dance in front of all these other kids, but they’re loving it.” 

SENSE OF COMMUNITY

Tristan’s description of band life was remarkably parallel to things told me by older alums. He shared his thoughts this way: “It’s a community really. It’s like a family. Both of my siblings who graduated, their friend groups were in marching band. My friend group is the marching band. My younger sister just started and she loves every second of it. She comes home and she’s like, ‘Man, all my friends are here, and I’m playing great music.’”

As I listened to Tristan brimming with enthusiasm for the family atmosphere of the band, I was impressed by the parallels to comments of graduates from more than 50 years ago.

“It was my niche,” said Peggy McMullen DeCosta, a member of the Class of 1969. “It was my social group. I lived in the music wing at school. “ 

“Being in band was an identity,” said Carol Fortunato Witmer. “It was a great group to do high school with. I have lifelong friends from band.”  

OH, WHAT A NIGHT…

So what about this Friday night? I’m pretty sure it will be an amazing time of celebrating previous bands and the current band—all in the context of some excellent music. I suspect tears will be shed and hearts will be warmed. And with the possible exception of John Kovalchik, his comrade for 36 years, it’s likely no one will be more deeply touched by Friday night than Rich Victor.  

“I’m so gratified,” he said to me. “I was hoping that they would do something special for the hundredth year. And I appreciate the fact that in the celebration, they’ll do something for Frank (Hege), and we’ve got maybe a dozen people from Frank’s years who are coming back.

“I almost didn’t want to retire because that’s who I was. I was the State High band director. That meant everything to me.”