26-PEAT

26-PEAT???

THAT MEANS REPEATING A CHAMPIONSHIP
26 TIMES IN A ROW!!!

WHEN IT COMES TO THE 
AMERICAN FORK HIGH SCHOOL MARCHING BAND,
THAT IS CORRECT!

STATE CHAMPIONS 26 YEARS IN A ROW!!!
1/4 OF A CENTURY + 1.

AND, I AM ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT HELPED MAKE THIS POSSIBLE!

????????

HERE'S THE STORY:

I WAS A MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN FOR HIGH SCHOOL MARCHING BAND

 1973-1976.
WE DID PARADES AND CONCERTS IN:
RENO & LAKE TAHOE . . .  SEATTLE . . .THE WORLD'S FAIR
IN SPOKANE, WASHINGTON . . . AND HALFTIME OF THE
FIESTA BOWL FOOTBALL GAME.
(PLUS THE REGULAR SUMMER PARADES)

HALF WAY THROUGH MY JUNIOR YEAR, OUR

BAND DIRECTOR, MR. FADLEY, MOVED TO OREGON.

OUR NEW TEACHER, MR. KING, WAS HORRIBLE!!!

I HAD BAND 0 PERIOD...MEANING THE CLASS

STARTED AT 7:30 AM, BEFORE THE REGULAR

SCHOOL DAY BEGAN.

KIDS STARTED DROPPING OUT. 

WE WERE DOWN TO 16 KIDS!

MY PARENTS WOULDN'T LET ME DROP OUT.

WE WERE SENT EVERY MORNING TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE.

ALL OF US!!!

MR. BRADY, OUR PRINCIPAL, HAD SOMETHING

READY FOR US TO DO TO HELP IN THE OFFICE.

IN MAY, I WAS CALLED TO THE OFFICE.

I, ALONG WITH 3 OR 4 OTHERS, MET THE

NEW BAND DIRECTOR, MR. CHESLEY.
(HIS BROTHER WROTE THE BOOK, 
SEVEN YEARS IN HANOI)
WE HAD OUR PICTURE TAKEN WITH HIM FOR THE LOCAL PAPER.

MR. KING WOULD NOT BE GIVEN A CONTRACT.

WE LOVED MR. CHESLEY!

HE WAS AWESOME!!!

ON CHRISTMAS DAY, MY SENIOR YEAR, WE LEFT

FOR TEMPE ARIZONA...TO PERFORM AT

HALFTIME OF THE FIESTA BOWL!

IN MAY, MR. CHESLEY TOLD US HE

WOULD NOT BE RETURNING.

HE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO "GO HOME"

TO HIS HOMETOWN...BURLEY, IDAHO, TO BECOME

AN ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL.

MY SENIOR CLASSMATES AND I

PETITIONED THE SCHOOL BOARD TO

HAVE DON PETERSON, OUR STUDENT TEACHER,

BECOME THE NEW BAND TEACHER.

SCORE!!!

HE STARTED THE BAND'S AWESOMENESS

IN COMPETITIONS!!!

LATER, HE LEFT TO DIRECT THE

BYU MARCHING BAND!
HE IS CURRENTLY THE DIRECTOR OF BANDS AT BYU.

MR. MILLER, MR. PETERSON'S REPLACEMENT, 
IS AN ICONIC LEGEND!!!

THE BAND HAS BEEN STATE CHAMPIONS

FOR OVER A QUARTER OF A CENTURY!!!
HE BROUGHT AMERICAN FORK NOT ONLY STATE RECOGNITION, 
BUT NATIONAL RECOGNITION!  AND THE BAND
IS NOT EVEN A SPORTS TEAM!!!
HE IS ALSO IN THE NATIONAL BAND DIRECTOR'S
HALL OF FAME!!!

THE BAND BECAME KNOWN AS
"UTAH'S BAND."

THEY WERE THE BAND AT THE

1997 ANNOUNCEMENT THAT SLC WOULD

HOST THE 2002 OLYMPICS

TOURNAMENT OF ROSES PARADE...THREE TIMES
1972, KNOWN AS THE "CAVEMAN MARCHING BAND"
(EVERYONE FORGETS THIS ONE, BECAUSE OF THE NAME)
1998, 2012

(I went with the band in 2012.  Not as a chaperone,
but as a "Band Groupie.")

GEORGE W. BUSH

PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL PARADE

MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE...TWICE


BANDS OF AMERICA REGIONAL AND NATIONAL COMPETITIONS

AND OF COURSE, COMPETITIONS AROUND THE STATE EVERY FALL.

WHEN MR. MILLER RETIRED 2 YEARS AGO,
THE BAND DIDN'T MISS A BEAT!!!

CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO