University Band Sets Record by Spelling 73 Letters During Past Season--Leader Has Perfect Score in Baton Throwing

The University football team may have had its ups and downs but the Harvard Band experienced an unprecedented season, leaving behind it a trail of broken records, according to statistics compried by one of the band members.

During the season, the band under the leadership of G. V. Slade '32 formed a total of 73 letters, which is an unofficial record for an eastern band. Twenty-nine letters were spelled out in the Yale game alone, the most ever formed by a Harvard band at a single game. At this game also the name of the Harvard captain was spelled out for the first time. Fifteen times during the season, Slade the drum-major as well as the leader of the band, sent the long silver baton soaring over the crossbar of the goal post and each time he gracefully retrieved it. The altitude record for baton throwing was set between the halves of the William and Mary game when Slade hurled the baton over the crossbar seven feet above the uprights of the goal post to a distance estimated at approximately 28 feet.

Eighty-seven students were members of the organization this year, the largest number ever in a Harvard band. There were two ex-drum majors playing this year, Harold Holland 31, and F. L. Anderson 2G who has made the well-known arrangements for most of the Harvard songs. Anderson plays seven instruments and last year made a band arrangement for the New Hampshire University song, after he heard it whistled over the telephone by a New Hampshire graduate.

The band is entirely a student organization having no faculty advisor. They practice two hours a week and learn their formations the day preceding the game and immediately before they march on the field. Before the Michigan game, L. F. Hubbard '31, manager of the band informed them at 1.25 o'clock that they were to go on the field in five minutes at 130. Not to be outdone by the Michigan band who had spelled out "Hello Harvard", in those five minutes the members of the band learned their position for a "Welcome" and went on the field on scheduled time spelling out a perfect "Welcome" to the Michigan stands.