Hondo National Bank Purchases Sousaphone for Leakey Eagle Band
By Fred R. McNiel, Supt.
June 17, 2009
6/23/2009-News Release-Leakey Independent School District-Fred R. McNiel, Supt.
Hondo National Bank Purchases Sousaphone for Leakey Eagle Band
On Monday June 1st,2009, Mr. Glenn Bradley, Vice President and Tri-Canyon Branch Manager for Hondo National Bank, delivered a $3,000.00 check to Leakey ISD to be used to purchase a sousaphone for the Leakey Eagle Band! This very substantial and generous contribution was the result of a donation request made by Rick Austin, the Leakey Eagle Band Director, and Caroline Breshears, Director of the Canyon School of Dance, and the mother of two band members!
While the Leakey Eagle Band has been organized and performing for the past three years, the band has lacked a sousaphone due primarily to the significant cost of the instrument. A sousaphone is a large instrument carried on the shoulders of the player that produces a deep bass sound needed for complete band instrumentation! Mr. Austin has already ordered the new sousaphone and expects it to be here by early August when the band begins their practice sessions for the new school year. Mr. Caleb Thomasson, a current band member and tuba player, has already made a commitment to carry and play this new band instrument. Caleb will be a freshman in high school this fall and he has the body size needed to carry and play the sousaphone with the Leakey Eagle Band.
As a result of this significant donation, the school has designated the Hondo National Bank as the official corporate sponsor of the Leakey Eagle Band. A twenty four foot square sign has been designed, created, and attached to the east wall of the band hall facing Mountain Street. The band hall occupies approximately 2,500 square feet of what used to be the private residence of Patricia Thurman. Three years ago the school purchased this residence and remodeled it extensively for use as a band hall and weight room. The band hall is located on Mountain Street, next door to Frankie and Lisa DeLeon’s home and adjacent to the band and football practice field. Last summer the band hall was expanded once again to accommodate the growing Leakey Eagle Band. More than fifty secondary students are expected to be members of the band this fall.
Rusty Baldwin, the recently hired Leakey ISD principal and former band director at Sonora I.S.D. brought three band instruments with him that he has made available to the LISD band. One of these instruments is a sousaphone so consequently in a period of three short months the Leakey ISD band has gone from no sousaphones to two sousaphones! Hopefully another student will express an interest in playing the second sousaphone and will join Caleb Thomasson as a second sousaphone player!
On behalf of the band members and their parents, the Leakey ISD administration wishes to take this opportunity to publicly thank Mr. Glenn Bradley and the Hondo National Bank for this very substantial and generous contribution. Special thanks also go the bank officers and the Board of Directors for Hondo National Bank. In the photo above Mrs. Breshears and Mr. Austin proudly flank Mr. Bradley in front of the band hall. The first performance of the new school year for the band will occur on August 28, which will be at halftime of the first football game of the season. We hope to see you there to support our football players and band members!