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Greetings Alumni, Welcome to the Spring 1998 edition of Gamma’s Eyes. The Alumni Committee has worked very hard in putting this together, and we hope that you enjoy reading about what the Brother’s have been up to over the last semester. This past year has been a successful one for Gamma Xi. We raised money and purchased a photo-copier for the Jazz Department and Chris Vadala, have co-sponsored receptions for SWE and Concert Band Concerts, are sponsoring a Jazz combo Concert on April 19th, and hosted Northeast District Southern Precincts on February 28th. As you can see we have been quite busy doing all kinds of projects. In the future we would like to involve as many Alumni as possible in all of our activities. If you have any questions or comments please contact us at Kappa Kappa Psi, 1106 Tawes Fine Arts, College Park, MD 20742, E-mail us at gammaxi@altavista.net, or visit us at our web site (http://www.angelfire.com/md/gammaxi) and sign our guest book.
Jacob Straus
1997-1998 GX Officers
President - Donny Singer (SP 94)  A Message from the PresidentDear Brothers of the Gamma Xi Chapter: I hope this issue of Gamma's Eyes finds you all well. This is just a brief update of this year's goings on back in College Park just to keep you all informed and to also say hello. We have had a very active year as usual. We started with a strong showing at National Convention in Scottsdale, Arizona where we received a nomination for the Chapter Leadership award. This nomination only goes out to the top chapters in the nation. Last fall, we initiated one new brother, Scott Sanders, as well as three honoraries. We held a special ceremony for Dr. Frederick Fenell, world famous conductor, to make him an honorary brother of Gamma Xi. We had a great marching season and were happy to see so many old friends at Homecoming. Marching on the field along side the alumni band for the entire halftime show was an interesting experience, and we look forward to doing this again next year. I would like to take this opportunity to invite all of you to the Pops Concert on May 3rd. Please contact the band office for more information on the Pops Concert. I would also like to take this time to invite all of you to third degree on May 2nd. The time is still to be announced, so please look for updates on the Chapter or Alumni Web pages.
AEA,
A Word From the SP 98 Class PresidentHi everyone! My name is Phil Barnes and I am Class President for the Spring 1998 Class. So far, the seven of us have worked very hard to learn the ways of the brotherhood, but we've had a blast doing it! We all hope that this process will not only show us how we as brothers will be able to serve the band, but also what it really means to have almost eighty years worth of bandmembers all over the world who we can call "brother." As of today we have planned a service project. Our project will involve building a percussion cart for the Jazz Ensembles. Phil Barnes Spring 1998 Class President
Phillip Barnes Hi! My name is Phil Barnes, and I am a Computer Engineering major right now, but I'll be switching to Criminology and Criminal Justice for Fall 1998. I like to spend my time working on my computer, playing racquetball, volleyball, and baseball, and listening to and playing jazz. My big brother is Luigi Baccala (FA 96, "The Posse"), and my big sister is Kelly Miller (SP 97, "Tentations"). Rob Dickson My name is Rob Dickson, and I am from Salisbury, Maryland. I am majoring in Business Management. I am a huge baseball fan, especially of the Orioles, and I love to ski. My Big Brother is Tony Conto (SP 97 "PsiPODS"), and my Big Sister is Tabatha Offutt (FA 97, "Sirens"). Marcus Griswold My name is Marcus Griswold. I am a Zoology major. I like to travel, do outdoors stuff and use my computer in my spare time. My Big Brother is Mike Boyd (SP 97 "PsiPODS") and my Big Sister is Christina Schwalm (SP 97 "Tentations"). Jeff Jensen Hi everyone, my name is Jeff Jensen. I'm in my first year here at College Park as an Aerospace Engineering major (a.k.a. rocket science). So far, I've had a lot of fun and I've gotten to know some great people. I play Mellophone and French horn here at Maryland, and I play Mellophone in the Baltimore Ravens Marching Band. My Big Brother is Don Ayres (SP 97 "PsiPODS") and my Big Sister is Wendy Neill (SP 95 "A Dozen Cracked Eggs"). Chris Kolan My name is Christopher J Kolan. I am a Finance / Decision and Information Systems major. I like to Lift Weight, swim, and play all kinds of team sports in my spare time. I play the trumpet in the Marching and Concert band. My Big Brother is Kevin Brown (SP 97 "PsiPODS") and my Big Sister is Natalie Bucheimer (FA 97 "Sirens"). Noah Lazar Hello, my name is Noah Lazar, and I play clarinet in the marching, concert, and pep bands. I'm also a computer science major here at Maryland. My computer skills are usually put to fixing problems, but I really love to make web pages as both a job and a hobby. I have created web sites for The Office of President Kirwan, the College Park alumni magazine, the Maryland Bands, and much more. I am also a librarian for the bands. My Big Brother is Eli Osterloh (SP 95 "MUFF") and my Big Sister is Jen Fine (SP 95 "A Dozen Cracked Eggs"). Adam Watson My name is Adam Watson. I'm now a music performance major on French horn, but that'll likely change (to what, I don't know). In my (sparse to nonexistent) spare time, I like to bike around campus and wander the 'net. My Big Brother is David Kellert (SP 95 "MUFF"), and my Big Sister is Erin Longenecker (FA 97 "Sirens").
Gamma Xi on the WebWe are excited to announce that Gamma Xi now has TWO WebPages for everyone to find out what is going on within the chapter. The Official Web Page of the Chapter is http://www.wam.umd.edu/~perry and was created and is updated by our Vice-President George Perry. The Official Alumni Web Page has also been created at http://www.angelfire.com/md/gammaxi and is updated and maintained by the Corresponding Secretary and the Alumni Affairs Committee.
Joint Activities with BHWe are very proud of our sister chapter of Tau Beta Sigma, and are quite active in jointly supporting the Maryland Band Program. Through the execution of fund-raisers and other activities we serve in a most efficient manner. For example, this past summer we worked a concessions stand at the U.S. Open Golf Tournament at Congressional. Over $1300 was earned for joint TBS/KKPSI use. Also, joint support went into the Marching Band Banquet, as well as all Concert Band, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and Jazz Ensemble post-concert receptions. Of course we definitely aren't all work and no play! The joint picnic, held every summer, provides an opportunity for us to catch up with each other during the long, lonely summer months. Additionally, a joint third degree banquet is held each semester to give our new members an opportunity to share their success with all. — Eli Osterloh Joint Chair (SP 95)
Symphonic Wind EnsembleThe Symphonic Wind Ensemble has been doing wonderfully in spite of the month-long absence of Mr. John E. Wakefield, the director. He recently underwent surgery for cancer, which thankfully went off without a hitch. During his recovery, the band was guest conducted by Dr. Sparks and several students from Mr. Wakefield's conducting class. As of Tuesday the 31st of March, however, he's back and the group is making a great advance. Our next concert is actually a series of concerts, during which we'll be touring Western Maryland over the weekend of the 24th-26th of April. The group is looking forward to that, and it shows in the playing - we're all working that much more on the pieces, which include Robert Russell Bennett's "Symphonic Songs for Band" and an arrangement of Copland's "An Outdoor Overture, among others. It's been a great season, as far as music; and with the return of Mr. Wakefield and the tour to look forward to, it's only going to get better. — Adam Watson (SP 98)
Concert BandThe University of Maryland Concert Band is under the direction of Dr. L. Richmond Sparks. We recently held our first concert, which featured songs to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. To help with the celebration, the Dunloggin Pipe Band performed a few pieces with us. Our next performance is on May 3rd, at the annual Pop's Concert. This semester, the band saw an increase in its membership. The concert band is the largest it has been in a long time. Besides being large, the band is also strong musically. We hope that you get a chance to see the concert Band perform at the Pop's concert. -Scott M. Sanders (FA 97)
Jazz LabThe Jazz Lab is a group that meets for credit on Monday's and Wednesday's at 1 o'clock in the afternoon, and is led by jazz great Chris Vadala. Chris Vadala has been head of Jazz Studies at the University of Maryland for over six years and has really made the program something to be proud of. The Jazz Lab gives concerts about twice every semester and has a couple of good shows coming up in April and May. On April 29th, the Jazz Lab will play a free show in the Atrium of the Stamp Student Union. On May 11th the Jazz Lab will perform with the Jazz Ensemble on the annual end of the year concert. All are welcome to attend any of these shows and your support is always appreciated. — Luigi R. Baccala (FA 96)
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