Crawfordsville High School Director of Bands Jon Tebbe recently received a collection of 10 Athenian yearbooks (1930-1939) from Music Arrangement Trust Administrator Mark Eutsler. They cover the era when Logansport native Joseph A. Gremelspacher was the band director during a prolific time of growth and achievement in Athenian Bands history.
A graduate of Butler University, Gremelspacher first earned an A.B. in journalism, then earned a Bachelor of Music from the Arthur Jordan Conservatory, which was also part of Butler. He was a member of the professional journalism fraternity Sigma Delta Chi and the professional music fraternity Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He also studied at the University of Michigan’s Interlochen Academy.
Accolades to Gremelspacher appeared in the 1931 yearbook, “You could have found Joseph A. Gremelspacher at the High School building any hour of the day or night — always working. Mr. Gremelspacher expects to take several members of the orchestra to Des Moines, Iowa, to attend a Mid-Western orchestra composed of about 300 members.”
The 1934 yearbook was dedicated to Gremelspacher. Several of the yearbooks contain Gremelspacher’s autographs. In describing the music program at Crawfordsville, the 1937 yearbook states, “The music department is one of the most important organizations in CHS.” In 1938, “Due to the high accomplishments of its band, orchestra, chorus, soloists, and ensemble groups, it has brought recognition to our community throughout many states. The popularity of the department is shown in that nearly one-third of the entire student body is enrolled in elective music classes. It supports school activities and furnishes music for various local organizations and surrounding towns.”
In just a few years after the first public high school band was established at Connersville in 1906, Crawfordsville bands led by Gremelspacher won several national championships in contests around the country.
While at Crawfordsville, Gremelspacher was president of the Indiana School Band and Orchestra organization, which hosted a three-day statewide contest in Crawfordsville in 1934. Bands and orchestras performed in the former high school buildings and ensembles and solos performed in the Christian church, Methodist church and Presbyterian church buildings downtown.
Participating bands included Whiting High School led by Adam Lesinsky, who would become band director at St. Joseph College; Hammond Technical High School led by Nilo Hovey, who would become band director at Butler University; and Hobart High School led by the legendary William Revelli, who went on to serve 36 years as director of bands at the University of Michigan.
A copy of the contest program was included with the yearbooks presented to Tebbe along with biographic information about Gremelspahcer from Indiana State University College of Arts and Sciences School of Music, Kappa Kappa Psi Lambda Lambda and the Indiana State School Music Association
As one of the leading band directors in the nation, Gremelspahcer left Crawfordsville in 1939 to become director of bands at Indiana State Teachers College (now Indiana State University) where he wrote the fight song still being used, “March On!” He retired as Professor of Music in 1967. He is interred at Oak Hill Cemetery and while teaching in Crawfordsville resided at 111 S. Grant Ave.
The presentation was made during the high school band class. Eutsler said to the students, “Thank each of you and Mr. Tebbe. You are part of this legacy of excellence in musicianship and service to your community.”
