A Message From WT Band Alumni President Jim Shaw
Dear Fellow WT Band Alumni,
We have had a wonderful year with many highlights, including the WT Symphonic Band’s return to the stage at Carnegie Hall, a successful April scholarship donation campaign, the celebration of retiring oboe professor (and so much more to so many of us) Dr. Robert Krause, and the return of the Showcase of Music.
Our membership numbers have seen steady growth, and alumni continue to engage with the band program and each other through our social media outlets and webpage. Big things are ahead of us with a WT Band reunion weekend now planned for June of 2026 in Canyon (more info to come very soon).
If you would like to become more involved with the board’s activities and more connected to what is happening with the WT Band and its amazing students and teachers, I hope that you will express interest in one of the officer positions that are currently open for the 2025-2026 term:
Event Coordinator - 2-year term; Work with decades chairs to help to plan and organize WT Band Alumni local meet-ups and events. Work with other board members to prepare budgets, locate and book venues, and manage press outreach. For large events held on campus or in the Canyon/Amarillo area, much of this work is handled by the WT band directors.
Membership Coordinator - 3-year term; Work with website coordinators to maintain our membership list and with decades chairs to identify and reach out to potential new members/registrants on the website.
Decades Chairs for the 1980’s, 1990’s, 2000’s, and 2010’s - Lead communicators for members that fall within their respective time periods. Decades chairs are also asked to help identify and reach out to potential new members and, if applicable and able to do so, asked to help coordinate alumni events. NOTE that the 1980’s and 2000’s positions would be fulfilling the 2nd year of the current term and would be up for election again in 2026 (at which time the current decade chair chosen in elections could express interest in continuing in the position).
To indicate interest in serving in one or more board positions, please complete this brief survey by June 1st.
Per our bylaws, a proposed slate of officers will be developed from survey results by the current decades chairs in June. After approval by the board, this slate will be presented to the full membership for election in July. Newly elected officers would join us for our first board meeting of the new year in August. Interested parties should know if they have been recommended for office by mid-June.
There are so many talented alumni who can contribute to our organization’s mission of promoting the WT Band, helping current WT Band students to be successful by annually promoting scholarship donations, and, most importantly, continuing to foster the connections that we all have to WT, the band program, and each other. I hope that you will strongly consider serving in a board position.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or your current decade chair.
Thank you, and Go Buffs!
Jim Shaw
President, WT Band Alumni
js******@***il.com
(281) 797-0360 cell