From the Archives

Here are two photos from the DHS Homecoming Parade on October 22, 1977 (click to see full size). In the first, we see Al Spriester out in front in his band director's uniform. This is what the well dressed bandmaster used to wear, back in the day. Personally, I'm fine in my sport coat and tie. The band is either headed north or south on Waukegan Road. Note the three gas stations, including the E-Z GO, selling regular for 61.9 cents a gallon and "no lead" for 65.9. Also notice how there is traffic moving in the opposite direction. I always hated this about the parade--it just never seemed safe.

In the next shot you can see the white marching band shoes (must have been a pain to clean) and the side-slung drum. The boy on the far left is playing a tenor drum with puffy mallets. That would have been a much darker sound than we get today, with our high-pitched snares and quads. The "DHS" sousaphone covers are a nice touch which we should really go back to, except I'd go with red covers with a white "D" on each. That way it wouldn't matter how many sousas you had. The red tongues coming out of the euphonium and trombone bells are a nice touch.

The uniforms are interesting. I don't think any of these are still around. When I began in 1988, we had a different style. These, with the long coat, white belt, and a single silver loop on the left shoulder seem very busy. The helmets look white and silver--there's just too much detail on them for my taste. Our current, understated, red and black uniforms still hold up well, style-wise.

I do miss the homecoming parade, which we discontinued about five years ago. The community and student body just weren't into it. There used to be floats, the homecoming court riding in a convertible, and a massed poms/cheers/band performance at the corner of Deerfield and Waukegan. We'd start at Kipling School and march all the way back to DHS, in time for a quick lunch and the 1:00 football game. Different times...