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- Ragsdale, Van
Duration: 4 minutes
Description: During the fall of 1997, Cindy Bulloch, director of the Nimitz Junior High School band in Odessa, Texas, requested a composition for the Nimitz band to honor the memory of one of the band’s biggest fans and greatest supporters, Robert McCarley, the late principal of the school. During the time that the piece was being composed, the band was awarded the prestigious Sudler Cup for the year 1997. Thus, the May 12, 1998 premier performance served two purposes: to pay tribute to Mr. McCarley, and to celebrate an outstanding achievement by a group of students that was very special to him. The music reflects the spirit of a native of West Texas – simple in nature, Celtic in flavor, but with a slight “Old West” feel at times.