A Brief History of the MHS Band
The Beginning of A Band Program
at Milton High School
According to the 1942 Panther’s Paw Captain Joe Astoria organized the Milton High School Band in February 1940. It started with few members and grew to a membership of forty-one by the 1941-1942 school year.
When the band was organized, the school owned only five or six instruments. Backed by the Band Mother’s Club, local merchants, and other organizations, the band was supplied with instruments and uniforms by January 1941.
On January 7, 1941, the band went to Tallahassee, Florida, where they participated in the inaugural parade of Governor Spessard Lindsey Holland who served in the state’s highest job during World War II. The MHS band received many compliments for its striking appearance and splendid performance.
In April 1941, the band went to DeFuniak Springs, Florida, to the annual music festival. The group won second division in the “D” class.
The yearbook states that the “bandsters began with the first football game and continued throughout the year’s season,” in 1941-1942.
Members of the early years of band recall that Captain Joe Astoria came to Milton and gave music lessons to interested students. Parents paid him for these private lessons and after two years the parents insisted that he be hired by the school to organize a band. His former students remember him as an extremely talented musician, who would periodically have “jam sessions” at the school.
The 1942 Band
Drum Majorette - Marie Hamilton
Majorettes - Evelyn Cooper, Doris Tompkins, Margot Finkelstein, & Frances Ann McGraw
Flag Bearers - Bettye Maddox, & Betty Jane Williams
Drill Master - Tilden Chavers
Secretary - Annie Ruth Hanshaw
Librarian - Jean Lee
Clarinets - Annie Ruth Hanshaw; Iva Williams; Mary Louise Weekley; Polly Gunn; Kathleen Keene; Dixie Jean Allen; Warner Urquhart; Ina Lewis; & Foy Smith.
Saxophones: June Armistead; Carl Coleman.
Cornets - Tilden Chavers; Maude Rainey; Anice Cobb; Julia Nell Jordan; Doris Smith; Peggy Whittle; Nina Barrie; Betty Parker; Sylvia Finkelstein; Billy McCombs; Steve Gill; R. C. Holt; & Hosmer Chesser.
Horns - Joe Bohannon; Betty Jean Hoodless; J. W. Hawkins
Baritones - John Lundy.
Trombones - John B. Jones; Oliver Perry; C. A. McArthur; Mary Agnes Gunn.
Bases - Lowell Wallace; James Earl Barnes.
Percussion - Dayton Hobbs; Jean Lee; Lillian Weekley; Wilburn James.
Bells - Georgia Urquhart
at Milton High School
According to the 1942 Panther’s Paw Captain Joe Astoria organized the Milton High School Band in February 1940. It started with few members and grew to a membership of forty-one by the 1941-1942 school year.
When the band was organized, the school owned only five or six instruments. Backed by the Band Mother’s Club, local merchants, and other organizations, the band was supplied with instruments and uniforms by January 1941.
On January 7, 1941, the band went to Tallahassee, Florida, where they participated in the inaugural parade of Governor Spessard Lindsey Holland who served in the state’s highest job during World War II. The MHS band received many compliments for its striking appearance and splendid performance.
In April 1941, the band went to DeFuniak Springs, Florida, to the annual music festival. The group won second division in the “D” class.
The yearbook states that the “bandsters began with the first football game and continued throughout the year’s season,” in 1941-1942.
Members of the early years of band recall that Captain Joe Astoria came to Milton and gave music lessons to interested students. Parents paid him for these private lessons and after two years the parents insisted that he be hired by the school to organize a band. His former students remember him as an extremely talented musician, who would periodically have “jam sessions” at the school.
The 1942 Band
Drum Majorette - Marie Hamilton
Majorettes - Evelyn Cooper, Doris Tompkins, Margot Finkelstein, & Frances Ann McGraw
Flag Bearers - Bettye Maddox, & Betty Jane Williams
Drill Master - Tilden Chavers
Secretary - Annie Ruth Hanshaw
Librarian - Jean Lee
Clarinets - Annie Ruth Hanshaw; Iva Williams; Mary Louise Weekley; Polly Gunn; Kathleen Keene; Dixie Jean Allen; Warner Urquhart; Ina Lewis; & Foy Smith.
Saxophones: June Armistead; Carl Coleman.
Cornets - Tilden Chavers; Maude Rainey; Anice Cobb; Julia Nell Jordan; Doris Smith; Peggy Whittle; Nina Barrie; Betty Parker; Sylvia Finkelstein; Billy McCombs; Steve Gill; R. C. Holt; & Hosmer Chesser.
Horns - Joe Bohannon; Betty Jean Hoodless; J. W. Hawkins
Baritones - John Lundy.
Trombones - John B. Jones; Oliver Perry; C. A. McArthur; Mary Agnes Gunn.
Bases - Lowell Wallace; James Earl Barnes.
Percussion - Dayton Hobbs; Jean Lee; Lillian Weekley; Wilburn James.
Bells - Georgia Urquhart
The Milton High School band, also known as The Mighty Black & Gold, was established in 1940 and is the largest organization on campus with over 230 students. The directors over the years have been Capt Joe Astoria, Mr. Worman, John Chaulker, and Charles "Bud" Bell. The Current Director of Bands is Michael Schultz and the Assistant Band Director is Noemi Ruiz. The percussion students are under the direction of Chandler Sedlacek and the color guard director is Samantha Byrd. The Mighty Black & Gold consists of 7 performing ensembles including the Marching Band, the Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Panther Band, Blackwater Beats Jazz Band, Winter Guard, and the Black Gold Percussion Ensemble as well as many other independent student groups.
The MHS Band has enjoyed a tradition of excellence over its more than 75 years of existence earning superior ratings both on the field and on the concert stage from the Florida Bandmasters Association as well as other professional organizations. The Band has given performances at the 1996 Outback Bowl, the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom parade, the Carnival Fantasy cruise ship on route to Cozumel, Mexico, the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., and other areas around the country.
The MHS Band has enjoyed a tradition of excellence over its more than 75 years of existence earning superior ratings both on the field and on the concert stage from the Florida Bandmasters Association as well as other professional organizations. The Band has given performances at the 1996 Outback Bowl, the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom parade, the Carnival Fantasy cruise ship on route to Cozumel, Mexico, the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., and other areas around the country.
See our show shirts from over the years by clicking the button below:
Earliest Found Videos of the MHS Band once known as the Southern Regiment
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1981-82 Southern Regiment Performing at Troy State University
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1981-82 Southern Regiment at a Home Football game
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1982-83 Southern Regiment playing the "Pink Panther" Theme
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Milton High School Fight Song 1981-1982
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