Band director Wilcox leaves lasting legacy
Don Wilcox, director of the Pride of West Virginia — The Mountaineer Marching Band from 1971 to 1997 and one of the finest men I have ever known, has passed from this life at the age of 88.
To say Mr. Wilcox had a profound influence on my life would be an understatement. In my freshman year at WVU, I had just lost my rock — my father. Moving to Morgantown was a chance to get away from a not-so-pleasant life. I had long dreamed of joining the band. Unfortunately, because of my dad’s passing, I was in a dark place. But I can truly say Don Wilcox and the WVU Band saved my life.
He taught us honor, esprit de corps, pride and how to work together and support each other. It was more than just a band; it was a family, something I was sorely missing.
I will always carry memories of Don Wilcox: standing in the director’s tower at the “Mud Bowl,” our practice field, trying to direct us to the right places, and “storytime,” which is how every practice ended, with encouragement.
The last time I saw him was before a Mountaineer football game, preparing for the alumni band. I told him what he and the band had meant to me. Mr. Wilcox, often a man of few words, just smiled and hugged me.
I’m sure there will be much said about the great man going forward, as he touched so many lives while at WVU, sometimes generations of the same family. I don’t know who said this, but feels it appropriate: “No one comes into your life by chance: People come into our lives when we need them to, and our paths cross for a reason.” There was certainly a reason he came into my life.
I am fortunate that I still have many of my band family still in my life today. We shall mourn as a family. Farewell, Mr. Wilcox. We shall not know your kind again.
Rick Ours
Stephens City, Va.
WVU Pride 1977-81
Can’t forget a child who is in the car’s front seat
I don’t have children. And yet, when I hear or read about a mother leaving her baby in a hot/cold car, I am saddened and angry.
The law states that you should leave your baby in the back seat. I disagree. Back in the early 1970s, my foster mother kept her baby in the front; the baby seat was strapped via the seatbelt, of course. To me, at the time and now, this is the best choice.
It is so easy to forget your baby if left in the back seat, even if the mother isn’t tired. (She may have a lot of things on her mind.) And guess what? — my foster mother never forgot my brother!
Glenn Gallagher
Morgantown
