The Band's History During World War II, Maritime Training Facilities
were placed in strategic locations around America. These
stations included Pass Christian, Mississippi, San Mateo,
California, Fort Trumbull, Connecticut, Sheepshead Bay,
Brooklyn and Kings Point. At the larger locations, professional
musicians were recruited to form marching, concert and dance
bands to play for the hundreds of seafarers in training.
In 1943, the present Academy at Kings Point was established.
With it, a 45 piece professional band, made up of the finest
New York City musicians, was recruited and played for thousands
of cadets during their intensified wartime training at the
Academy. To this day, the raised platform in the mess hall
at the Academy, where the present Regimental midshipmen
officers sit, and the radio broadcasting booth are vestiges
of that professional band. Their duty each day during the
war was to play for the entertainment of the troops at all
mess sittings and play additional music for dances on weekends,
which was broadcast live over WCBS radio. After the war,
the professional band was disbanded and music at the Academy
became the responsibility of midshipmen. This program had
varying degrees of success until 1971, when a full-time Director
of Music was appointed and the band members were placed
into their own company. Since that time, the band has represented
the Academy at all Presidential Inauguration Parades, as
well as the
Miss America Pageant, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the
Cotton Bowl Halftime Show on New Years Day, and countless other
national events. In 1994, a 35-piece ensemble boarded the
ocean-liner Queen Elizabeth 2 and traveled across the
Atlantic to Normandy, France for the 40th Anniversary of D-Day,
while entertaining the WWII veterans
on board. In June, 2000, the band flew to New Orleans and represented
the Academy and U.S. Merchant Marine at the Opening Ceremonies
of the D-Day Museum.
A singular honor was bestowed upon the band in 1999
by the descendants of the "Man Who Owned Broadway," the
late Mr.
George M. Cohan. The Band was instrumental in helping the local
community and Park District of Great Neck save his former
residence, which
was slated for demolition. Mr. Cohan was honored with a
Congressional Gold Medal in 1936, in recognition for two patriotic
compositions which have become synonymous with America: "Over There"
and "A Grand Old Flag." Helen Ronkin Lafaso and
Ms. Mary Ronkin Ross, the grandchildren of Mr. Cohan, formally thanked
the band for their support and gave the band the honor to be called,
"George M. Cohan's Own" for "now and in the future."
Thus, Kings Point became the first Federal Academy Band with an
officially bestowed title. The Band's membership changes twice each
year as the sea splits change. Thus, every fall and every
spring a new band is effectively born. Due to this unique rotation,
the band is never the same twice. |
