Nothing does more to boost Quaker spirits than the roar of the Penn Band, whether they’re cheering the football team on to victory on Franklin Field, leading the juniors down Locust Walk on Hey Day, or playing “The Red and Blue” at Commencement.
Strike Up the Band
Penn Band Nation comes together to meet a $1 million matching gift challenge
Published: November 17, 2023
For 125 years, the Penn Band has been the guardian of all things Red and Blue, as well as a beloved Penn tradition for students, alumni, and most of all, the Band members themselves.
Members of the Penn Band perform on Franklin Field during Penn’s 2023 Convocation ceremony. Photo by Eric Sucar.
Chris Mario, C’85, looks back fondly on his time in the Penn Band, especially serving as drum major in his senior year. This long-time supporter wanted to ensure the continuing strength of the Penn Band in its current formation as a “scramble band.”
Five years ago, Mario and The Mario Family Foundation made a generous $500,000 matching challenge gift to kick off a $1 million campaign to boost the Band’s endowment, so it could provide a permanent source of support for the Band’s ongoing operations. His hope was that the challenge would spur others to invest in the program that provided lifelong friendships and connections to Penn for him.
“The scramble band was one of, if not the best parts of Penn for me,” Mario says. “I was blessed to be part of the Penn Band family, and I hope that current and future members of the band can have the same great experiences I had with the program.
What is a Scramble Band?
Like many Ivy League bands, the Penn Band is not a typical marching band. It’s a scramble band. Like a marching band, a scramble band moves from Point A to Point B on the field—the critical difference is in how Band members get there. A scramble band does not march in perfect formation from point to point. Members run to each form without using a prescribed path, a process known as scrambling. For example, band members can run around in a circle, follow a screwed-up line, or steal another band member’s trumpet and start a chase. Once all the members finally arrive at Point B, the band plays their song, until they repeat the process again.
The result? Every performance is different. And according to many Band members, every show is a lot more fun.
The Penn Band Alumni Board, led by Brian Greenberg, W’91, spearheaded the endowment campaign, with dedicated support from Kushol “Koosh” Gupta, C’97, Gr’03, assistant director of the Penn Band. As a result of their tireless efforts, more than 200 alumni, family, and friends of the Penn Band rallied to Mario’s challenge. The successful completion of the campaign was announced with great Red and Blue fanfare on November 4, during Homecoming Weekend, as members of Penn Band Nation gathered at the Sheraton University City for a gala celebrating 125 years of the Penn Band.
But that was not the only good news shared that night: Thanks to the success of the endowment challenge, the position of Penn Band Director has been named the R. Greer Cheeseman III, EE’77 Director of the Penn Band, in honor of the group’s long-time director, who has been involved with the Penn Band for more than 50 years, dating back to his undergraduate days.
Greer Cheeseman, EE’77, Director of the Penn Band, “cheeses” for the camera at the 2023 Benjamin Franklin Society Homecoming Brunch.
Cheeseman, EE’77, played tuba during his freshman and sophomore years and served as drum major in his junior and senior years. Even after graduating from Penn, Cheeseman never left the Band. He stayed on as assistant director, eventually rising to become director in 1994, a position he has held ever since, along with his full-time job as Director of Information Technology for Penn’s Office of Development and Alumni Relations. Now, thanks to Mario’s challenge gift and the generosity of the Penn Band family, Cheeseman’s name, already synonymous with the Penn Band, will be forever associated with the group.
Surprised and honored by the announcement, Cheeseman emphasized what Mario’s gift would mean for the Penn Band. “This is a transformational gift for the program—and ensures that our hijinks will continue in perpetuity, along with making sure the students have uniforms and are able to go on the road to as many Ivy League games as possible.”
Hurrah for the Red and Blue!
