Birthday:  March 04, 1961
Occupation:  Manager
Marital Status:  Married
No. of Children:  3
What year(s) were you in SYB?:  1971 - 1977
What instrument(s) did you play?:  Trumpet Bass Drum
Have you used your musical talents since participating in SYB?:
Not much. I marched 78/79 with the Freelancers and was in every band in high school. After school, I started working and a family. I just recently joined the Freelancers Alumni Corps because I missed playing and my son and one of my daughters are musicians.
From Leonard:
I remember hanging out at Russ' ranch near Rancho Seco with Leo Linkogle and Robert DuGaue - my best friends and my cousins, Kenny, Steven and David Nieto during the summers and RUss letting us drive his old Ford van thru the fields.

I also remember band camp at Gold Rush Park and really enjoyed the 4th of July parades in Placerville.

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Occupation:  Retired Air Force 
officer/pilot. Currently 
work as a Principle 
Systems Engineer for Air 
Force Space Command in 
support of satellite 
systems (MILSTAR, GPS, 
AEHF, SBIRS, etc)
Marital Status:  Divorced
No. of Children:  4
What year(s) were you in SYB?:  January 1965 to March 1974
What instrument(s) did you play?:  Trumpet (Guitar in the stage band)
Have you used your musical talents since participating in SYB?:
Coloma Elementary, Sutter Junior High, Sacramento High and Sacramento City College (concert, marching and stage bands). Quit playing trumpet in 1974ish. Kept playing piano and guitar (mostly John Denver type music). All my kids played in school, Kasey-clarinet, Kristen-flute, Jeremy-drums and Kieley-flute.
Other Talents & Experience:
Ski Instructor with Paul Gregory at Soda Springs Ski Area in the 1976/77 and 1977/78 era, retired Air Force fighter pilot. Highest education level: MBA. Currently live in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Drop me a line. There's always time for old friends. (719) 533-0526, r_anderson54@comcast.net
From Richard:

Ok all you alumni.  Are you ready for a trip through time?  Most of this came from a scrap book my Mother, Minnie, made for me.  I filled in some 'little known facts' from memory.

--July 1965:  Camp Sacramento.  Monster hunt with Marcus Selby (he jumped into the river/lake to get away from the monsters).  The fire hose in one band member’s cabin.

--September 1965:  The 'Run-On' for the half-time show we played at Hughes Stadium.  Oakland Raiders vs. the Denver Broncos.  Al Davis' third year as head coach.

--1965:  Lodi Grape Festival.

--May 1966:  George Sim Park dedication.

--September 1966:  Parade at the 'Old' State Fair Grounds on Stockton Blvd.

--Dec 1966:  Disneyland's Fantasy on Parade.  Remember the drums in the tunnel?  Allen busses?  Trying to sit next to someone who didn't bug you for the marathon trip?

--Dec 1967:  Disneyland again.  Rip Van Winkle Inn. Playing the drum solo from Inna-Gadda-Da-Vida on the walls of the motel room.  Trying to sneak into the girls rooms on the second floor and not get caught by the chaperones.  And, again, trying to score a seat on the bus next to someone you liked....preferably of the opposite sex.

--May 1968:  Harry Renfree Field Dedication.

--July 1968:  Stage Band Clinic in Reno, Nevada.

--December 1968:  Opening of Bob's Christmas Tree Land.

--June 1969:  Played in downtown Sacramento parade honoring the Apollo 10 Astronauts, Stafford, Young and Cernin.  Also met their plane at the airport and played for them.  Also present were Governor and Mrs. Ronald Reagan.  

--September 1969:  Played on the Delta King and Cal Expo (played on the mini-rail tram).

--January 1970:  Performed in Redding for the Redding Teen Center.

--May 1970:  Jumping Frog Jubilee in Angels Camp.  

--December 1970:  NHL game in Oakland between the California Golden Seals and the Detroit Redwings.

--November 1972:  Mother Goose Parade in San Diego and Disneyland again (this time we flew!).

Who can forget:

--All the concerts at William Land Park?

--The Annual concerts at the Memorial Auditorium where, during breaks, we would explore all the nooks and crannies of the auditorium to include being on top of the ceiling catwalk looking down on the crowd.

--The Corinthians Color Guard!

--The fanfare from 'March of the Olympians 1964' (by the way, if anyone has that music for 1st, 2nd and 3rd trumpets, let me know)

--Showing up to Monday night practice early in hopes of seeing someone you liked.  

-- Roaming through Haight-Ashbury after a half- time show at Kezar Stadium (SF 49ers vs Oakland Raiders, I think, but not quite sure)

--The 7.5 mile Columbus Day parade in San Francisco where we were dropping like flies.

--Black Saddle, Basin Street Blues

--During boring parts of parades, a few of us would start playing the 'Hogan's Heroes' march and the rest of the band would  join in (really ticked off Russ but he rarely stopped us from doing it).

--Having to keep one foot 'posted' when we were put 'at ease' during parades.

--The overnight trip where we all slept on the gym floor...girls on one side....boys on the other (I don't think the chaperones got much sleep that night)

--Selling Red Devil Fireworks every year.  Trying to figure out just how far from the stand you had to be to 'test' some fireworks to see if they worked OK.

--Dick Gury, Ray Gaither

--'Twirling' the trumpets on the cadence during parades. (losing a mouth-piece on one twirl...ugly)

--Friends (Paul Gregory, John Z'Berg, Don Abel, Larry Gury, Cindy Callan (sp), Vicky Z'Berg, Bob Schmidt, Steve Yee, Larry Gury, Linda Laing, Beverlee Buckner, Linda Carlos and too many more to mention)

--The sad passing of Ted Michel in an automobile crash.

Whew!   If I remember any more, I'll update this list.  

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Birthday:  November 03, 1983
Occupation:  General Clerk - 
Raley's
Marital Status:  Married
What year(s) were you in SYB?:  1998-2003
What instrument(s) did you play?:  Clarinet, Alto Saxophone
Have you used your musical talents since participating in SYB?:
Only in the C.K. McClatchy Marching band in high school. I haven't played since I went to college
From Paul:
I started playing clarinet in 7th grade as a summer school class, and it just grew on me, and all I wanted to do was play. I joined SYB in the summer of 1998 just before I went to high school. While in the band, I started playing clarinet until 1999 when I learned to play the saxophone in the jazz band. It was the same year we formed the SYB jazz dixieland combo and our first intro to dixieland music. I remember in 2000 we were able to play at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee for the first time and we all had a blast. I had the most fun on the summer "Big Trip" to Santa Barbara with my buddies Chris, Jeff, Evan, Nick, Judith, and Renny. I have never forgotten the band, its supporters, or its parents, and i'll continue to stop by from time-to-time.
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Birthday:  January 03, 1987
What year(s) were you in SYB?:  2008
What instrument(s) did you play?:  clarinet/trumpet
Have you used your musical talents since participating in SYB?:
Yes
Other Talents & Experience:

From Crystal:


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Occupation:  Office Tech at CA Dept of 
Education
Marital Status:  Married
What year(s) were you in SYB?:  1993-2001
What instrument(s) did you play?:  Clarinet (B-flat and E-flat), Tenor Sax
From AnneMarie:

After leaving the band I was working on and off as a contract employee until I moved to Blue Shield of California, being there for almost 2 years in Customer Service and Appeals I left to pursue a career in State Service where I have been since Jan 2008.  I have the joy of working in the Dept of Educ. for our Schools for the Deaf and Blind. (Plus I get to travel and meet the kids).  My favorite thing to do right now is on the weekends I get to sit on my front porch and watch the military helicopters and planes practice formations and reading the Twilight Saga.

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Birthday:  March 18, 1960
Occupation:  Cataloger
Marital Status:  Divorced
No. of Children:  3
What year(s) were you in SYB?:  1975-1978
What instrument(s) did you play?:  Snare Drum
Have you used your musical talents since participating in SYB?:
I went on to play drums in college and then in the Navy's Drum and Bugle Corp.
Other Talents & Experience:
None.
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Occupation:  News Reporter
Website:  cccoppola@yahoo.com
Marital Status:  Single Again
What year(s) were you in SYB?:  1968-1976
What instrument(s) did you play?:  Trombone
Have you used your musical talents since participating in SYB?:
Played in college and for a few years after that. Recently picked it up again. Quickly regained knack for unlikely interpretations in sight-reading adventures.
Other Talents & Experience:
I wanted to make the music profession better, so I chose a career in news. Currently producing a PBS documentary on the U.S. Submarine Service during WWII expected to air in 2009.
From Chuck:

One year, at the Sacramento Youth Band’s Spring Concert at Memorial Auditorium, Russ opened with “American Patrol,” an understated arrangement that practically whispered to the audience that a group of kids with musical instruments had snuck onstage.

 

It was one of those terrific little moments when you realize that less can be more. 

Of course, it's wedged in between an awful lot of nonsense like totally losing it when an irrepressible trumpet player clocked himself in the head with a pair of nunchuks as 'Bruce Lee' during rehearsals. Yup. Good Times.

For those not lucky enough to have been in the band with Russ, imagine if "Mr. Hollarnd's Opus" had starred Jack Nicholson, instead of Richard Dreyfus. Awesome. More than just an eyebrows thing.

Still, Russ really was a softie. The nurses at Stanford had to change the bandages on his eyes that had become soaked with tears after the band's surprise visit. His mission to help kids of all backgrounds was the foundation of the band. Thanks to Joe, Jan and Russ. They taught us a lot about giving. Joe Kline now gives my dad friendly competition on the softball diamond.

Friends like Kendall Yee, Roy & Mary Mena, Derrick Adachi, Jim White, Paul Schultz and Eric Borger helped me understand how great it can be when families with diverse backgrounds do something together. A lot of  'people skills' I use daily as a reporter came from band days. It was a blast. 

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Birthday:  December 27, 1947
Occupation:  Retired Band Director
Marital Status:  Married
No. of Children:  1
What year(s) were you in SYB?:  1958-1965
What instrument(s) did you play?:  Trombone
Have you used your musical talents since participating in SYB?:
Absolutely! I joined the U.S. Army Band, Presidio, San Francisco, graduated from Florida State as a K-12 instrumental music teacher, and taught for 28 years in Florida. I retired in 2005 and moved back to Sacramento. I am in the Sacramento Symphonic Winds, Sierra Nevada Winds, Local 12 AFM, and spend lots of time at ARC playing in the bands and orchestra. My trombone is my social life!What can I say? I'm a trombone player!
From David:
  As a band director, I relied on the basics I learned while in the SYB. Above all was my enjoyment of street parades. The SYB was very well rehearsed using the military marching style. My band in Tallahassee also enjoyed  taking home more than their fair share of Best Band awards.
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Birthday:  April 16, 1966
Occupation:  High School English 
Teacher
Marital Status:  Married
No. of Children:  1
What year(s) were you in SYB?:  1979-1983
What instrument(s) did you play?:  Flag
From Vicki:
Those flag girl years were some of the best! :)
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Birthday:  September 07, 1958
Website:  www.myspace.com/billtetri -
ck
Marital Status:  Single
What year(s) were you in SYB?:  1970-74
What instrument(s) did you play?:  Clarinet, rudi-bass, tuba.
Have you used your musical talents since participating in SYB?:
Absolutely! In addition to playing in the Sacramento High School Marching Band and jazz band, I played and toured with the Capital Freelancers Drum and Bugle Corps. I went on to become the drum instructor for both Sacramento and McClatchy high schools. I also played with the Sacramento City College Symphonic and Jazz bands, and the percussion and brass ensembles. I have written and arranged percussion scores for a number of High School marching bands and Drum Corps as well as numerous classical and modern percussion ensmbles. I have played side (or snare drum) with bagpipe bands and kicked skins for popular bands in the funk, blues and rock genres. I still play at various blues jams in the region.
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