Michael Eisner, CEO of the Walt Disney Company, and French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac, signed an agreement to construct the 4,800 acres Disneyland Paris in Paris, France. The 59th Academy Awards ceremony, took place on March 30, 1987, in Los Angeles for the films released in 1986. Actors Chevy Chase, Paul Hogan, and Goldie Hawn co-hosted the show. Platoon won four awards, including Best Picture. Other winners included Hannah and Her Sisters and A Room with a View with three awards, and Aliens with two. Artie Shaw: Time Is All You’ve Got, The Assault, Children of a Lesser God, The Color of Money, Down and Out in America, The Fly, A Greek Tragedy, The Mission, Precious Images, Round Midnight, Top Gun, and Women – for America, for the World all won one Oscar. Marlee Matlin was the first deaf performer to win an Oscar and the youngest winner in the Best Actress category. The Best Actor winner was Paul Newman. Oliver Stone won for Best Director. Michael Caine was the Best Supporting Actor winner, while Dianne Wiest was the Best Supporting Actress winner in the same movie. Woody Allen won for Best Original Screenplay. Herbie Hancock won for Best Original Score. “Take My Breath Away” from Top Gun won as best song in a movie. My favorite popular movies that I saw in 1987 were: The Untouchables with Kevin Costner, Andy García, Robert De Niro, and Sean Connery. I loved the scene from Union Station in Chicago. Lethal Weapon with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover was interesting. Wall Street with Charlie Sheen was neat. Steve Martin and John Candy in Planes, Trains & Automobiles were very funny trying to get to Chicago at a holiday time. Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter in Raising Arizona were about trying to raise a child. Robin Williams in Good Morning, Vietnam was funny. Michael Douglas and Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction was thrilling to watch. Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop II was okay. Cher in Moonstruck was very good. Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell in Overboard were a great couple that got married. Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman, and Sean Young in No Way Out was intriguing. Holly Hunter, William Hurt, and Albert Brooks in Broadcast News were okay. Roxanne with Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah was funny. Lou Diamond Phillips in La Bamba was very entertaining. The top movies of 1987 that I did not see were: Full Metal Jacket, The Princess Bride, Predator, Spaceballs, Robo Cop, Evil Dead II, Empire of the Sun, The Last Emperor, The Lost Boys, Wings of Desire, Hellraiser, Angel Heart, The Running Man, Withnail and I, The Living Daylights, Au Revoir les Enfants, Radio Days, Innerspace, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, Nayakan, Adventures in Babysitting, Near Dark, Babette’s Feast, Bad Taste, The Brave Little Toaster, The Witches of Eastwick, Eddie Murphy: Raw, The Monster Squad, Some Kind of Wonderful, House of Games, Wilby, Maurice, Prince of Darkness, Barfly, Mr. Muhsin, and Mr. India. What was your favorite movie of 1987?
Music in 1987
Michael Jackson released Bad, his first studio album since Thriller, the best-selling album of all time. This new album would produce five number one singles in the USA, a record which has not been broken. CBS aired the special “Michael Jackson: The Magic Returns.” Aretha Franklin became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The other inductees of 1987 consisted of The Coasters, Eddie Cochran, Bo Diddley, Marvin Gaye, Bill Haley, Clyde McPhatter, Ricky Nelson, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Smokey Robinson, and Jackie Wilson. Beastie Boys became the first act to be censored by American Bandstand. Sonny Bono announced his candidacy for mayor of Palm Springs, California. Sonny and Cher reunited for a performance on “Late Night with David Letterman,” as Cher returned to music after five years of absence. Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” reached #1 in the USA, as the 1987 biggest hit song worldwide. The 29th Annual Grammy Awards were presented in Los Angeles, hosted by Billy Crystal. Paul Simon’s Graceland won Album of the Year. Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love” won Record of the Year, and Dionne Warwick’s cover of “That’s What Friends Are For” won Song of the Year. Bruce Hornsby & the Range won Best New Artist. The first four Beatles albums were released on compact disc. U2 released The Joshua Tree, an album that launched them into superstar status in the music world, selling over 14 million copies worldwide in 1987. They won the Grammy for “Album of the Year” at the 1988 ceremony. U2 had two #1 hit songs from this album in the USA. Carole King was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York City. Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, as well as Chuck Berry received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In the USA, Bryan Adams’ “Heat of the Night” became the first single to be commercially released on cassette. Inspired by The Beatles’ 1969 rooftop concert, U2 shot a music video for the song “Where the Streets Have No Name” on a rooftop in Los Angeles. Ireland’s Johnny Logan won the Eurovision Song Contest, held in Brussels, Belgium, with the song “Hold Me Now,” making him the first artist to win the contest twice. Madonna started her “Who’s That Girl Tour” in Osaka, Japan and ended it in Florence, Italy. Whitney Houston’s second album Whitney became the first album by a female artist to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200. American rock group Guns N’ Roses released Appetite for Destruction which, after initial slow sales, became the best-selling debut album of all time, with more than 18 million copies sold in the USA alone. MTV Europe was launched. Def Leppard released Hysteria, the longest rock album ever released as a single LP or cassette. A Pink Floyd tour grossed around $135 million worldwide, a sum that was only equaled by the earnings of Michael Jackson and U2 combined. Reggae musician Peter Tosh was murdered during a robbery in his home. George Michael released his first solo studio album, Faith, which would win the Grammy Award for album of the year and sell 11 million copies in the USA alone. CBS Records was sold to the Sony Corporation in a deal worth about $2 billion. ABC aired “Rolling Stone Magazine’s 20 Years of Rock ‘n’ Roll” TV special. John Mellencamp performed two free shows in the small town of Chillicothe, Ohio, after one-fifth of the population signed a petition asking him to play. The sixteenth annual New Year’s Rockin’ Eve special aired on ABC, with appearances by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, Los Lobos, Barry Manilow, Restless Heart, and The Temptations. What was your favorite song of 1987?
Sports in 1987
The World Wrestling Federation produced WrestleMania III from the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, where the National Marching Band Championship was held. Hulk Hogan retained the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, defeating his former friend André The Giant. This WWE event attracted the largest recorded attendance for a live indoor sporting event with 93,173. The inaugural Rugby World Cup was hosted by both New Zealand and Australia. In the finals, New Zealand defeated France. At Super Bowl XXI, the New York Giants won 39–20 over the Denver Broncos before 101,063 people at the Rose Bowl, where the MVP was the Giants QB, Phil Simms. At the Fiesta Bowl, the Penn State Nittany Lions won 14–10 over the Miami Hurricanes to win the national championship. Indoor Arena football had its first season with four teams. The SMU football team became the first college football program to be given the death penalty by the NCAA for rules infractions. Catfish Hunter and Billy Williams were elected to the MLB Hall of Fame. Minnesota Twins pitcher Joe Niekro was suspended for 10 days for possessing a nail file on the pitcher’s mound. In the World Series, the Minnesota Twins won 4 games to 3 over the St. Louis Cardinals with the MVP pitcher Frank Viola, of the Twins, who had the lowest regular-season record of any World Series champion. This was the First World Series game played indoors at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, and the home team won every game. In the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, IU Indiana won 74–73 over Syracuse with a buzzer beater by Keith Smart. In the NBA Finals, it was the usual suspects, as the Los Angeles Lakers won 4 games to 2 over the Boston Celtics with Magic Johnson MVP defeating Larry Bird, as 11 NBA Hall of Famers participated. In Boxing, Mike Tyson added the WBA heavyweight title to his WBC belt when he beat James Smith in a 12-round decision. Sugar Ray Leonard beat Marvin Hagler for boxing’s world Middleweight championship. The Tour de France was won by Stephen Roche of Ireland. Susan Butcher won the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. In the World Figure Skating Championship, the Men’s champion was Brian Orser of Canada and the Ladies’ champion was Katarina Witt of Germany. Four men split the grand slam of golf among Larry Mize, Scott Simpson, Nick Faldo, and Larry Nelson. The PGA Tour money leader was Curtis Strange with $925,941, while the Senior PGA Tour money leader was Chi Chi Rodriguez with $509,145, and the LPGA Tour money leader was Ayako Okamoto with $466,034. In horse racing, Alysheba won two legs of the triple crown, but not the Belmont Stakes. In the NHL, Wayne Gretzky dominated again as his Edmonton Oilers won 4 games to 3 over the Philadelphia Flyers to win the Stanley Cup, while he won both the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer, and the Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL’s Most Valuable Player. In tennis, Ivan Lendl won two of the four Grand Slam events, and Martina Navratilova also won two of the four Grand Slam events. The Tenth Pan American Games were held in Indianapolis. The AP Male and Female Athlete of the Year were both from track and field, Ben Johnson and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. What was your favorite sports event of 1987?
Celebrity deaths in 1987
Among the famous people who died in 1987 were: Rita Hayworth, American actress (1918–1987), Liberace, pianist (1919 –1987), Peter Tosh, Jamaican reggae musician (1944–1987), Andy Warhol, American artist (1928–1987), Mary Astor, American actress (1906–1987), Fred Astaire, American dancer (1899–1987), Danny Kaye, American actor (1911–1987), Jackie Gleason, American comedian (1916-1987), Randolph Scott, American actor (1898–1987), Richard Egan, American actor (1921–1987), Raquel Torres, Mexican-born American film actress (1908 –1987), Madeleine Carroll, English actress (1906–1987), Lorne Greene, Canadian actor (1915–1987), Lee Marvin, American actor (1924–1987), John Huston, American film director (1906–1987), Dean Paul Martin, American actor (1951–1987), Bob Fosse, American choreographer (1927–1987), James Baldwin, American writer (1924–1987), Alejandro Rey, Argentine-American actor (1930-1987), Dolores Hawkins, singer (1929-1987), Dorothy Patrick, Canadian-American actress (1921–1987), Sari Maritza, British actress (1910–1987), Will Sampson, American actor (1933–1987), Jaco Pastorius, American jazz bassist (1951–1987), Buddy Rich, Jazz drummer (1917–1987), Ajita Wilson, American actress (1950–1987), Wynne Gibson, American actress (1898–1987), Elizabeth Hartman, American actress (1943–1987), Viola Dana, American film actress (1897–1987), Robert Preston, American actor (1918–1987), Ray Bolger, American actor (1904–1987), Marcia Henderson, American actress (1929-1987), Edgar Rosenberg, television producer (1925–1987), Geraldine Page, American actress (1924-1987), Lolo Soetoro, stepfather of Barack Obama (1935–1987), Dan Rowan, American comedian (1922-1987), Kenny Price, American musician (1931–1987), Arthur Lake, actor (1905–1987), Marion Hutton, American singer (1919–1987), Greta Granstedt, American actress (1907-1987), Nick De Noia, American director (1941–1987), Archie Campbell, American actor (1914-1987), Hugh Brannum, American actor (1910-1987), Tommy Abbott, American actor (1934–1987), Jackie Vernon, American comedian (1924-1987), Madge Kennedy, American actress (1891-1987), Cathryn Damon, American actress (1930-1987), Jascha Heifetz, Russian-American violinist (1901–1987), Colin Blakely, Northern Irish actor, (1930–1987), Dick Shawn, American comedian (1923–1987), Woody Herman, American musician (1913–1987), Ruby Dandridge, American Actress 1900–1987), Priscilla Dean, American actor (1896–1987), Mervyn LeRoy, American film director (1900–1987), Maria von Trapp, matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers (1905–1987), Lino Ventura, Italian-French actor (1919–1987), Lang Jeffries, Canadian actor (1930–1987), Clare Boothe Luce, American anti-Communist activist (1903-1987), Amelita Ward, American actress (1923-1987), Scott McKay, American actor (1915–1987), Antonio Lopez, Puerto Rican fashion illustrator (1943–1987), Dorothy Ward, English Pantomime actress (1890–1987), Sunny Hartnett, super model (1924-1987), Tony Destra, American musician (1954–1987), and Sally Long, American dancer (1901–1987). Do you remember anyone who died in 1987?
Disasters in 1987
An Amtrak train from Washington, DC, to Boston collided with Conrail engines at Chase, Maryland, killing 16 people. Two commuter trains collided head-on in the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, with 102 people killed. The King’s Cross fire on the London Underground killed 31 people and injured a further 100. A Soviet-made Ilyushin Il-62 airliner, operated by LOT Polish Airlines, crashed into a forest just outside Warsaw, killing all 183 people on board. A commercial HS 748, Philippine Airlines Flight 206, crashed near Baguio, Philippines, killing 50. Northwest Airlines Flight 255, crashed on takeoff from Detroit, killing all but one of the 156 people on board. South African Airways Flight 295 crashed into the Indian Ocean off Mauritius, due to a fire in the cargo hold, killing 159 passengers and crew. Korean Air Flight 858 was blown up over the Andaman Sea, killing 115 crew and passengers. Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 crashed near Paso Robles, California, killing all 43 on board. A Peruvian Navy Fokker F27 crashed near Ventanilla, Peru, killing 43. An F4-rated tornado devastated eastern Edmonton, Alberta, with 27 people killed and hundreds injured. A Category 5 Typhoon Nina smashed the Philippines with 165 mph winds and a devastating storm surge, causing destruction and 812 deaths. The Soviet oil tanker Antonio Gramsci suffered a minor shipwreck in Finnish waters, resulting in an oil spill of approximately 570–650 tons. The roll-on/roll-off cross-channel ferry MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsized off Zeebrugge harbor in Belgium, killing a 193 people. The I-90 bridge collapse near Fort Hunter left 10 people dead. A 24-man unit of the British Army Special Air Service ambushed eight members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) as they mounted an attack on a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) barracks. All IRA members were killed, as well as one civilian. Twelve people were killed by a Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb at a Remembrance Day service at Enniskillen. In Colombo, Sri Lanka, the Central Bus Station Bombing killed 113 civilians. The Republic of China Army executed 19 unarmed Vietnamese refugees on Donggang beach, Lieyu, Kinmen, off Mainland China. The USS Stark was hit by two Iraqi-owned Exocet AM39 air-to-surface missiles killing 37 sailors. USA warships destroy two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf. The Hashimpura massacre killed 42 Muslims in Meerut, India. The Basque terrorist group perpetrated a car-bomb attack at an Hipercor market in Barcelona, killing 21 and wounding 45. 400 pilgrims were killed in clashes between demonstrating Iranian pilgrims and Saudi Arabian security forces in Mecca. Sixteen people died in an apparently motiveless mass shooting in the UK, carried out by Michael Ryan. Julian Knight, 19, went on a shooting rampage in the Melbourne suburb of Clifton Hill, Victoria, killing 7 people and injuring 19 before surrendering to police. What disaster do you remember from 1987?
Happy Birthday! – USA on your 250th birthday!
Yes, it is the fourth of July, 2026, the 250th year since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I remember the 200th year in 1976. There were all kinds of people who were trying to make money over the celebration. Now, fifty years later, we have a president who is trying to enrich himself as president. In 1976, fifty years ago, we had an election, where Jimmy Carter defeated the sitting president, Gerald Ford, who as Vice President had become president because Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace. Now, we have Donald Trump, who wants everything named after him. What a difference 50 years makes! What was it like in 1776, when 56 wealthy land owners from the thirteen different colonies signed this Declaration of Independence? Signing it was a mere formality, because to make it real, they had to fight a war against the strong British Empire, the American Revolutionary War that lasted from 1776-1788, twelve long difficult years. As these 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were all Anglo-Saxon men, with English roots, it was called a revolution, since it was breaking away from this British Empire. Without the help of the British enemy, France, Washington and his band of rag tag revolutionaries would not have succeeded. Of course, all the talk about freedom and liberty only applied to land owning delegates from the thirteen different colonies. Remember no women were included in this signing of the declaration, because they only got to vote in 1920, 144 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Of these white English-speaking males, only one was a Catholic from Maryland, the only colony where Catholics were tolerated. There were no Jewish men who signed the Declaration of Independence. Also excluded were the Black African male slaves of these white-land-owning men and all the native American men who had been here for centuries. These 56 men were the elite who pledged their lives and their fortunes to be free from English rule, as they did not want any taxation without representation. In the Jeffersonian preamble, they proudly declared that all men are created equal. However, they literally were all land-owning Anglo-Saxon men. Equality only applied to these men, and no other men, since slaves or indigenous men were not equal. Of course, women were not equal, either. There were no Baptists or Methodists, only Episcopalians (Anglicans), Deists, Unitarians, Congregationalists, Quakers, Presbyterians, and one Roman Catholic. That was what religious equality looked like 250 years ago. It has taken us 250 years to have a better understanding of other humans who are not like us, to accept their human nature as equal to us, the land-owning Anglo-Saxon males. Thus, the idea that only rich people should make decisions about taxes, tariffs, and tolls goes back to the original founding British born, English speaking males who talked about everybody being equal. 41 of the 56 signers were slave owners, about 23 were lawyers, and 15 were Anglicans. Equality is in the eye of the beholder. Remember that “all men are created equal” does not mean the same to everybody. Who do you think is equal to you?
Great events in 1987
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was signed in Washington, DC, by USA President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that would expire in 2019. The Soviet Union celebrated the 70th Anniversary of the 1917 October Revolution with a Parade on Moscow’s Red Square. The Canada–USA Free Trade Agreement was reached, but still required ratification, a precursor to NAFTA. Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the UK, conducted a 45-minute interview on Soviet television. The USA established diplomatic relations with Mongolia. The Tower Commission rebuked USA President Ronald Reagan for not controlling his National Security Council staff in the Iran–Contra affair. Former Gestapo boss Klaus Barbie was convicted in Lyon, France. for war crimes committed during World War II, sentencing him to life imprisonment. Rudolf Hess, 93, was found dead in his cell in Spandau Prison, the last remaining prisoner there. He was believed to have committed suicide by hanging himself with an electrical flex. The New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act passed as the first of its kind in the world. Martial law in Taiwan ended after 38 years. Fiji became a republic. Sikh nationalists declared the independence of Khalistan from India. The governments of the Portuguese Republic and the People’s Republic of China signed an agreement in which Macau would be returned to China in 1999. The First Intifada began in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. British Airways was privatized and listed on the London Stock Exchange. The first Starbucks outside of the USA opened in Vancouver, Canada. At the Paris Air Show, Boeing announced the sale of their 1,842nd Boeing 737, making this 737-plane the best-selling airliner of all time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 2,500 for the first time, at 2,510.04. The first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Mainland China opened in Beijing, near Tiananmen Square. NASA announced the names of the four companies awarded contracts to help build Space Station Freedom. A marathon session of the American Physical Society’s meeting featured 51 presentations concerning the science of high-temperature superconductors. The world’s first conference on artificial life was held at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the USA. Apple introduced “Hypercard,” a precursor to the World Wide Web. AZT was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for use in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Docklands Light Railway in London, the first driverless railway in Great Britain, was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II. The InterCity 125 broke the world speed record for a diesel-powered train, reaching 147.88 mph. Oral Roberts announced to his viewers that unless they donated $8 million to his ministry by March 31, God would call him home. Pope John Paul II issued the encyclical “On Social Concern.” What do you remember about 1987?
The Death of Mayor Harold Washington in Chicago
Harold Washington (1922-1987) was the 51st mayor of Chicago. In April 1983, Washington became the first African American to be elected as the city’s mayor at the age of 60. He served as mayor until his untimely deadly heart attack on November 25, 1987. Born in Chicago, Washington attended DuSable High School from 1936 to 1939. As a track athlete, he helped his high school win the Chicago Public League Championship in 1939, the year that I was born. Washington served in the army during World War II. In the summer of 1946, Washington, a war veteran, enrolled at Roosevelt University. In 1949, Washington began studies at the Northwestern University School of Law, where he was the only black student in his class. Following his father’s death in 1953, Washington succeeded his father as Third Ward precinct captain in 1954. He then became an assistant prosecutor with the Chicago corporation counsel office. He served in the Illinois House from 1965–1976 and in the Illinois Senate from 1976–1980. In 1980, Washington was elected to the USA House of Representatives in Illinois’ 1st congressional district. On February 22, 1983, Washington won the Democratic mayoral primary, with 37% of the vote, versus 33% for Mayor Jane Byrne, and 30% for later Mayor Richie Daley. During his tenure as mayor, Washington created the city’s first environmental-affairs department under the management of longtime Great Lakes environmentalist Lee Botts. Washington’s first term in office was characterized by conflict with the city council dubbed “Council Wars,” referring to the then-recent Star Wars films, that caused Chicago to be nicknamed “Beirut on the Lake.” A 29-alderman City Council majority refused to enact Washington’s legislation and prevented him from appointing nominees to boards and commissions. The “Vrdolyak 29” led by Ed Vrdolyak, an Alderman and Cook County Democratic Party chairman, as well as the Finance Chair, Alderman Edward Burke, and Parks Superintendent Edmund Kelly also opposed the mayor. Washington then defeated former mayor Jane Byrne in the February 24, 1987, in the Democratic mayoral primary 53.5% to 46.3%, and in the April 7, 1987, mayoral general election defeated Ed Vrdolyak 53.8% to 42.8%, as Vrdolyak became a Republican. Kelly was removed from his powerful parks post, and Burke lost his Finance Committee chairmanship. Thus, Mayor Washington died seven months after his second mayoral victory. Initial reactions to the pronouncement of his death were of shock and sadness, as many black people believed that Washington was the only top Chicago official who would address their concerns. Following his death, President Ronald Reagan issued a statement calling Washington a “dedicated and outspoken leader who guided one of our nation’s largest cities through the 1980’s.” In later years, various city facilities and institutions were named or renamed after the deceased mayor to commemorate his legacy, the Harold Washington Library Center, Harold Washington College, Harold Washington Elementary School, and the Harold Washington Cultural Center. Eventually, Richard M. Daley was elected mayor from 1989-2011. What do you remember about Harold Washington?
The 1987 Bands of America Grand Nationals at the Pontiac Dome
Yes, I was at the 1987 Bands of America Grand Nationals at the Pontiac Dome in Pontiac, Michigan, from November 13-14, 1987. I have the program to prove it. This program had welcome notes from USA President Ronald Regan, BOA President L. Scott McCormick, and the Governor of Michigan, James Blanchard. There were lots of ads for musical instruments and lists of the judges and the people who made this possible. They listed the Hall of Champs from 1976 on. Sure enough, Marian was there for 1985. In the preliminaries, 25 marching bands would perform every 15 minutes on Friday, and 26 on Saturday. Marian Catholic was going to perform on Saturday at 2:00 PM on the same field that the Detroit Lions played their NFL games. There was a picture of each band with Marian Catholic and its program selections, the Van Morrison rock classic “Gloria” and Aaron Copeland’s “Tender Lands Suite.” I looked at all the bands, and most of them were from the Midwest. More than half the bands, 29, were from two states, Michigan and Ohio. The others were from Indiana, 8, Pennsylvania, 5, Illinois, 4, New York, 4, with one each from Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina. They even had a page to explain what the judges were looking for. There were four main areas, music execution, music general effect, marching execution, and marching general effect. Besides these four areas, there were rewards for the use of flags, twirling equipment and rifles, best winds, and best percussion. I kept score as they announced the various scores. Fourteen marching bands made it to the finals on Saturday night from the fifty-one preliminary bands. I got to listen to a lot of bands and watch them march. I really did begin to see how some were much better than others. The top five marching bands were from Illinois and New York. At number five was Liverpool HS, Liverpool, NY, with a score of 87.7. Number four was Lake Park HS, Roselle, IL, with a score of 88.05. Number three was West Genesee HS, Camillus, NY, with a score of 89.05. Number two was Cicero North Syracuse, Cicero, NY, with a score of 92.1. Finally, the winner, you guessed it, was Marian Catholic HS, Chicago Heights, IL, with a score of 93.3. Cicero won the class AAA championship. Marian won the class AA championship. New Philadelphia HS, New Philadelphia, OH, won the smaller class A championship, but they ended up in twelfth place with a score of 77.0. After the awards were handed out, I was able to walk on the synthetic field of the Pontiac Dome Stadium with my thirteen-year-old freshman daughter Joy, in her band uniform with her flute. I knew then I would never have to worry about her again. She was part of a national marching band championship team. This made my senior year running and debating in 1957 New Jersey seem so small. Thirty years later, my daughter was not just a state champion, but a national champion in 1987 as a freshman. This was something big and important as I stood looking up at the Detroit Lion scoreboard. The pride that I felt was impossible to describe. Margaret and I drove back to Matteson the next Sunday morning together. Our daughter would be a success in life. She was in the right place at Marian Catholic High School. She had a national gold medal around her neck to prove it. I made sure that I was always available for any annual National Championship HS Marching Bands competitions while Joy was in HS. Has your child ever done something important?
Bands of America
Bands of America (BOA) is a music education advocacy organization and promoter of high school marching band competitions in the USA. Established in 1975 as Marching Bands of America (MBA). Founder Larry McCormick’s goal was to provide educational opportunities for music students nationwide. McCormick organized the first annual Summer Workshop and Festival in 1976. Renamed Bands of America in 1984, the organization became an independent, tax-exempt entity in 1988. In 2006, Bands of America merged with the Music for All Foundation, a music education advocacy organization, becoming the flagship program of the combined organization. Bands of America has conducted high school marching band contests including a national competition, “Grand National Championship” every year since 1976. Since 1980, these events have been conducted between September and November, culminating in the Grand Nationals, which have been held in Indianapolis, Indiana since 1989. From 1980 to 1989, Bands of America also hosted an annual Summer National Championship. Since 1975, Bands of America’s various programs, services and events have served approximately 1.75 million music students. Approximately 450,000 spectators attend Bands of America championships every year. The adjudication manual and contest procedures utilized by Bands of America have been licensed and adopted by other organizations. As a result, Bands of America sets standards for adjudication and competitive attributes for marching band competitions throughout the USA. In 1976, Marching Bands of America hosted the first annual Summer Workshop and Festival on the campus of University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. From 1980 onward, Grand National Championships were hosted in November. The Summer Workshop and Festival was relaunched as the Summer National Championships, which continued until 1989. Yamaha Corporation has been a corporate sponsor and presenting partner of Bands of America since 2003. All Bands of America championship events are open to all high school bands based in the USA on a first come first serve basis. There are no qualifications or prerequisites for participation. However, the Bands of America system is highly competitive. Bands receive a score which determines their class rank and placement. Announcements place more emphasis on rankings between bands, such as advancing to the final round, versus a score. Many bands have competed at championship events every year since 1978. The Marian Catholic High School Marching Band has won more Grand National Championships than any other High School band in the USA. The regional championship program began in 1978 with events in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Jackson, Mississippi. Regionals are single-day events limited to a maximum of 32 bands in preliminary competition, with the ten highest scoring bands advancing to a final round. Regionals attract bands from the surrounding area, with many bands competing in more than one regional every year. The Grand National championships are open to all high school bands. There are no qualifications or prerequisites for participation. In 2024, 112 bands participated in the Grand Nationals, with performances taking place over three days with four classifications. The Grand National Champion is always announced after the finals and a trophy awarded. Have you ever been to a Bands of America marching band contest?
Gene Finnegan Remembers Living Eighty Wonderful Years 