Illinois State Marching Band Championships Hall of Fame
2024 Inductees
Tom Beckwith was the director of bands at Warren Township High School for 30 years, where he built one of the largest and most respected band programs in Illinois. Beckwith's primary goal was to share the joy of music with his students by igniting their passion for all things musical and challenging them to be better musicians – all with enthusiasm and a crazy sense of humor. While he took great pride in the fact that so many of his students became musicians and music teachers, he was just as proud of those who learned to love music for life, no matter their occupation. His teaching lives on through them all and through the memories of his students who still recite his infectious “Beckwith-isms” to their own students or families.
George P. Foeller came to Illinois State Normal University in 1961. He would oversee putting the Men’s and Women’s bands together for the first time since World War II. From this start, Foeller developed the Midwest's premier high stepping, elite 96-member college marching band. That ensemble, called the Marching Redbirds, would eventually become the Big Red Marching Machine. In 1965, Foeller organized the first marching band festival at Illinois State, which has continued as today’s Illinois State Marching Band Championships. That same year, he assumed the duties of Director of Bands at Illinois State University and was responsible for bringing Tau Beta Sigma Band Sorority onto campus. For 30 years he served the Illinois State University band program and started many of our most storied and special traditions of excellence.
Bruce and Janet Hammitt made a lasting impact on the Fairbury-Cropsey High School Marching Tartars, working together from 1968 to 1984. Under their guidance, the Marching Tartars grew to over 100 members - an impressive number for a school of just 340 students – and earned a reputation as one of Illinois' top marching bands. The Marching Tartars were frequent champions, consistently winning their class at the Illinois State Marching Band Championships. Their achievements include performing at the Shriner's All-Star game, the Lion's International Parade, and winning the Grand Champion Trophy for the best parade band at the University of Illinois Marching Band Festival. In 1982, the band received the prestigious invitation to march in the Rose Bowl Parade. Bruce and Janet are both graduates of Illinois State University and have been married for 55 years.
David Maccabee is the former director of bands at United Township High School in East Moline, Illinois, a position he held from 1986-2016. During his 30-year career there, his bands earned numerous awards in both the areas of concert and marching band. The Marching Panthers earned the distinction of having been named a finalist at the Illinois State Marching Band Championships every year from 1996-2007 and were Class Champions numerous years. Under Maccabee’s direction, the Symphonic Band performed at the Illinois Music Educators Association, the Music for All National Concert Band Festival, the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, and on numerous occasions at the prestigious University of Illinois Super State Band Festival, where they were named Honor Band in 2015.
Lisa Preston opened Normal West High School as the original director of bands in 1995, after teaching at Danville High School and Normal Community High School. During her time at Normal West, the Wind Ensemble performed in venues including Orchestra Hall in Chicago, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the Sydney Opera House. Under Ms. Preston's direction, the Normal West Marching Band and the Normal Marching Band performed in finals at the Illinois State Marching Band Championships, Bands of America Regional Finals, Grand Nationals Semifinals, the Fiesta Bowl and Sugar Bowl parades, the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade, and the Illinois State Fair Parade. She remains active as a creative director and music arranger for bands in Illinois. Ms. Preston's former students are active performers, educators, composers, and music industry professionals who continue to bring music to life in their communities.
2023 Inductees
Greg Bimm was director of bands at Marian Catholic High School from 1977 through 2023. Under his direction, the Marian Band grew from 70 to over 280 members, earned hundreds of awards and honors, and earned the reputation as one of the premier high school band programs in the United States. Included in the list of marching honors are 7 BOA grand national marching championships, 21 BOA national class championships, 34 consecutive BOA National Finalist appearances. In State competition, they won 42 consecutive Illinois State marching class championships and won the overall championship 18 times. Mr. Bimm holds degrees from Illinois State University and Western Illinois University and an honorary doctorate from Vandercook College of Music.
Connie (Bryant) Morgan was the administrative clerk for Illinois State University Bands for 17 years until her retirement in April, 2016. She served as an assistant to two directors of bands and six marching band directors, learning much about different styles of communication and how to meet a variety of expectations. During her term in the Band Office, she was deeply grateful to Tau Beta Sigma (who made her an honorary member in 1991/2000), student workers and graduate assistants who assisted her in running many of the operations of the office.
Dan Dietrich holds both bachelor's and master's degrees in music education from Illinois State University. In 2010, Dietrich retired after 33 years of teaching, 30 of which he spent as the director of bands at Illinois Valley Central High School of Chillicothe. Under his direction the Marching Grey Ghosts were Class State Champions 12 times and placed six times. In 2003, IVC was the first band in 19 years to win both its class at the State of Illinois Marching Band Championship and the coveted Governor’s Trophy at the University of Illinois Marching Band Festival. Dietrich is married to Christine Vandre, B.M.E. ’75, and they reside in East Peoria Illinois.
George York served as director of bands at Normal Community High School, Illinois Valley Central High School, and Eureka High School before his retirement in 2004. During his tenure at Normal Community High School, the Marching Ironmen and Concert Band participated in numerous local parades, concert band festivals, IHSA Organizational Contests, State of Illinois Marching Band Championships, BOA Regional and National Championships. Mr. York has been married to his wife, Phyllis, for 54 years, has four children, 11 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren.
2022 Inductees
Frank Bischoff has been one of the most familiar faces at band events for more than four decades, serving as the dean of the front sideline, and in the dual roles of field manager and timing judge. He has been a contributor in the development of marching events as they evolved from a focus on rule enforcement to an emphasis on smooth operations and field management. Bischoff’s passion has always been for marching band events, large and small, such as Bands of America (since 1976), and the Illinois State University “Band Day” (since 1977). He worked regularly at local shows [both gate and front sideline] at Wheeling, Lake Park, Prospect, and V. J. Andrew, and one or more times at Downers Grove South, Naperville Central, Morton, Stagg, Danville, and the start-up event at Metamora.
Scott J. Casagrande was director of bands at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois for 22 years and retired in June 2021 after completing 33 years of teaching in Illinois Public Schools. He taught high school, middle school, and elementary students in suburban, urban, and rural settings over the course of his teaching career. Ensembles under Mr. Casagrande’s direction were named finalists at the State of Illinois Marching Championships 11 times in his career, including the Class 4A State Champions four times. In addition, they were selected to perform at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic two times (Symphonic Band and Jazz Ensemble), 23 Illinois Superstate Concert Band Festivals including four Honor Band designations, as well as four Bands of America National Concert Band Festivals. In 2007, the John Hersey band program was awarded the prestigious Sudler Flag of Honor from the John Philip Sousa Foundation recognizing the best high school band programs in the United States. Mr. Casagrande currently serves Music for All/Bands of America and MusicFirst software as a music education consultant, and he is also an administrator for the Music Education Alliance and the Dr. William P. Foster Project serving bands in under-served communities. He is a past president of the National Band Association and was a member of the NBA Executive Board from 2012-2020.
“Double Eagle” Dave Colee is a native of Central Illinois, raised in Tolono (just 8 miles south of Champaign) and attended high school in Springfield. Colee graduated from Illinois State University in 1972 with a B.S. in social science education. He earned his M.S. in history in 1982. He began his Public Address announcing career in 1978 when his good friend Steve Adams asked him to assist at Illinois State University football and basketball games. Colee did the promotional PAs (you know, the halftime shootout!) while Adams did play-by-play. For 37 years, Colee was “the voice of the Big Red Marching Machine,” and for 24 years, the voice of the ISU women’s basketball team. He has announced in front of 62,000 fans at Soldier Field in Chicago, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, and Milwaukee County Stadium. His PA travels have taken him to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City and the Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Ireland.
Kenneth Snoeck retired from a 35-year teaching career, the last 23 of which were at Lake Park High School in Roselle, Illinois. While at Lake Park, Mr. Snoeck’s concert bands toured to Moscow, Russia in 1997, performing concerts with the band of the Russian Defense Ministry. In 2000, the concert bands toured France, performing a joint concert with the French Navy Band in Toulon. The Lake Park Wind Ensemble was an Illinois Superstate concert band contest participant on multiple occasions. Mr. Snoeck’s bands from Lake Park and Bridgeport, Michigan, were BOA national finalists 21 times, national class AAA Champion two times and Grand National Champion in 1996. During his tenure, the Lake Park Band was Illinois State class champion 20 times. Since retiring from full time teaching in 2004, Mr. Snoeck has devoted his time to music composition, arranging, and adjudication, traveling to Canada, Japan, and across the United States as a judge for band events. He lives in suburban Chicago with his wife, Pamela.