Marching Raider Band Alumni Night a success
By Kevin Spradlin
PeeDeePost.com
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ROCKINGHAM — Its members don’t travel as far today, nor do they represent in as large a force as they did in the mid-1970s.
But there is so very much to be proud of the Richmond Marching Raiders. And above anyone else, S.L. Starcher should know. The Raiders band director from 1973 through 1976, Starcher oversaw an award-winning program that grew to 175 members and drew regional attention to the green and gold.
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
S.L. Starcher, right, was Raiders band director from 1973 through 1976 and traveled from Florida to attend Friday night’s band Alumni Night.
On Friday night, those memories came flooding back for Starcher and dozens of others as band director Mike Ward and a host of volunteers organized the inaugural Alumni Night for former Marching Raiders. It was, in a phrase, worth it.
“Yeah,” said Class of 1999 band member Tommy Stovall, now the band director at West Bladen High School. “Absolutely.”
Ward, along with Lisa McLendon, Randy Stubbs, Gus Bellamy and others, used the power of social media to connect with former Raiders from across the country to make the night special. Ward did his part, allowing the former Raiders — with borrowed instruments from Stovall’s program — to be on the field one more time to play, among other things, the Raiders fight song.
The era known as Starcher’s Marchers, said Starcher, now a resident of Sarasota, Fla., “was a very special time.”
“This band is so dear to my heart,” Starcher said, dressed in all black to capture the seriousness of the evening. “Why wouldn’t you come?”
Charles Morrison, who hadn’t played the tuba in 24 years, agreed.
“Why not,” asked Morrison, a member of the Class of 1990. “Bring it on.”
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
Tenor drum player Jerry Tilley, Class of 1998, still lives in Richmond County. He hadn’t played the tenors in about 18 years, he said, and from what he’s now used to, it’s “completely different.”
At halftime, though, Tilley said he figured it was much like riding a bike.
“You never really forget,” he said.
And that was sort of the point. Along with the goal of inspiring the band members of today, the adults wanted to ensure today’s Marching Raiders that they are sharing experiences now that they will carry with them for years to come.
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
