[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 10 (Thursday, January 25, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S566]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RUTLAND HIGH SCHOOL BAND

 Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to 
commend Vermont's Rutland High School Band that performed Saturday, 
January 20, 2001, at the Inauguration of our Nation's 43rd President. 
The Rutland High Band represented our State with dignity and pride, 
celebrating one of our country's finest traditions, the peaceful 
transfer of power from one administration to the next. Their 
outstanding performance made me proud to be a Vermonter.
  Hours of practice and preparation shone through during their two hour 
and fifteen minute performance. Ninety-two talented students made up 
this extraordinary band.
  Students woke up on Inauguration Day at 4 a.m. in order to arrive at 
the Pentagon for an early morning security check, then played on a 
stage at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Sixth Street, both 
before and after the President's swearing-in ceremony. Their dedication 
to excellence set an example for all of us.
  The band was directed by Marc Whitman, who is a motivated and worthy 
leader of his students. Under his supervision, the Rutland High School 
Band was a true asset to the Inauguration festivities. I congratulate 
each and every band member and their musical directors on a superb job 
on January 20. All Vermonters are proud of them.
  Mr. President, I ask to have printed in the Record an excerpt from an 
article about the band that appeared in the Rutland Daily Herald on 
January 22.
  The article follows:

                [From the Rutland Herald, Jan. 22, 2001]

                      Hail (and Rain) to the Chief

                          (By Kevin O'Connor)

       Ask anyone in the Rutland High School band: Playing at 
     George W. Bush's inaugural Saturday left its mark.
       Make that watermark.
       ``To see the bands, the floats, the protestors and the 
     signs was significant, and then to be a part of that 
     experience was something in itself,'' saxophonist Charles 
     Romeo said. ``We made our place in history and being in the 
     rain makes it better--it's a better story to tell.''
       The 18-year-old senior was one of 92 students who soaked up 
     the chance to represent Vermont at inaugural ceremonies this 
     past weekend in Washington, DC.
       Rutland High first played for a president when John F. 
     Kennedy took office in 1961--a moment frozen in time by a 
     blizzard of snow and 22-degree winds.
       Forty years later, the band again took the inaugural by 
     storm.
       How wet did it get?
       ``Very, very wet,'' French horn player Devon Balfour said 
     in a phone interview after the band returned to its hotel 
     late Saturday night. ``We were all drenched, but I don't 
     think it mattered to many of us, because it was so 
     exciting.''
       Students were set to wake Saturday as early as 4 p.m. so 
     they could reach a Pentagon security check by 6:30 a.m., and 
     play on a stage at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 
     Sixth Street before and after the president's swearing-in.
       But the weather almost washed out their plans. Inaugural 
     organizers didn't commit to outdoor ceremonies until late 
     Friday, leaving the band, its two music teachers and 10 
     parent chaperons wondering for hours.
       ``I didn't even consider it as an option,'' band director 
     Marc Whitman said of cancellation, ``but the kids would have 
     gotten their chance to swim in the hotel pool all day.''
       Band members didn't march in the inaugural parade like 
     their predecessors, but instead performed for some of the 
     thousands of spectators around the U.S. Capitol from 10:30 to 
     11:30 a.m. and 12:45 to 2 p.m.

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