Lumberjack Band: The makeup of a band

Continued from last week

“Those intimately concerned with the destinies of the Green Bay Packers have seen for some time that a football game, even a bang-up battle, is not quite enough entertainment for the average fan. The result has been the formation and financial sponsorship of the Green Bay Packers Lumberjack Band,” Sports Writer Ray Pagel stated in his column “Looking Up” in 1942.

“The three members of the drum section last year claimed 75 years of experience as musicians. Their dean is Walter Remick, a violin, piano and banjo player as well as a drummer for 30 years. Right behind him is Art Andre, with 25 years’ experience. Jimmy Collard rounds out the drum section with his 20 years of band and orchestra work.

“Wendell Shaw and Bob Sheffers made up the bass horn section. Shaw has been tooting the big contraption for about a quarter of a century, and Sheffers has been at it for 15 years.

“Members of the trombone section are considerably younger by comparison. The oldest Is Donald Barber, who has been playing for 12 years. Bob LeClaire 11 credited with eight years, and James Weizenegger with six years. Clyde Plog, the fourth, is still playing with the Nicolet High School Band in West De Pere.

“Herb Hall, a musician of some 30 years’ time with many orchestras and bands throughout the country, has the most and widest experience of those In the brass section. Elmer Kaap has been at it for 15 years, while Leo Klamert can claim 27 years as a musician. Merrill Guerin, a St. Norbert College student, is rounding out a dozen years, Quentin Willems has played for 10 years and Harold Ecker for seven years.

“Saxophone players in the Lumberjack band last fall included Joe Hartinger and Ray DuPuis, both with 15 years in music work. Also in that section were Norbert Ecker, a brother of Harold, and Gordon Beseau, both of whom have been playing for 10 years. The only baritone horn in the band was handled by William Johnson, a man of 15 years’ experience.

“Making up the clarinet section were Russ Walters and Howard Sheldon, both with 15 years to their credit; James Aerts, with 10 years, and Don Schultz, six years. Sheldon is one of several players of the present band who performed with the old lumberjack organization.

“Any summary of the band personnel would not be complete without mention of little Carol Jean Collard, the three-year-old daughter of one of the drummers. Carol showed a keen interest in music when she was little more than a year old, and it was not long before she began to beg to be allowed to be a musician too.”

Little Carol had her chance when she was given a uniform and named a drum majorette.

“When Director Wilner Burke saw the enthusiastic response to this addition to the band’s usual program of marches and popular numbers, an idea germinated,” Lee Remmel wrote in 1948.

Continued next week