By Ralph Holibaugh
This now-famous quote from First Lady Abigail Adams applies to a more complete history of the Alliance City Band. Much has been written about the history of the band, as well as some of its individual members since its inception in 1859, two years prior to Abraham Lincoln’s rail trip through Alliance on the way to his first inauguration as U.S. President. However, one aspect of the band’s history needs more research and detailing: the participation of women within its ranks.
To begin filling in this historical gap, these are the names of women found in issues of The Alliance Review and in other online and print sources. The preferred names of women are listed here. Some also had family members in the ACB.
- Adams, Kathy
- Aberegg, Eleanor
- Bagley Phillips, Kay
- Barzda, Sue
- Bird, Grace
- Crawford, Marcy
- Gibson, Linda
- Krueger, Kim
- Kumbera, Diane
- Lamb, Bonnie
- Markovich, Rosemarie
- Morrow, Mary Jane
- Neidlinger, Nancy
- Perry, Cindy
- Reckner, Marilyn
- Robertson, Deanna
- Shanholtzer, Cathlene
- Trout, Marcia
- Wadsworth, Carol
This short, incomplete listing reflects the omission of ACB women in media coverage of the time, as well recognition of their contributions to the band.
Kathy Adams, perhaps the first woman in ACB, offers a revealing account. Around 1967, she was invited to play with the band. She said she “didn’t quietly slip into the last rank of the clarinet section.” She saw her friends John Gates (1st chair) and Zane Zigler and sat in between them. She says, “It’s interesting now to realize what a special experience I was having.” Women were voted in at the August 19, 1969 band meeting. It’s difficult to imagine a time when the August 20, 1969 issue of The Review ran the headline, “Women Will Be Welcome In City Band,” and reported, “The acceptance of women as players will make (sic) an innovation.”
The brevity of this initial report makes clear the need for research into all aspects of this important field of inquiry. If any readers have information about women who were members of the ACB, please contact the Alliance Historical Society.
Doing so will permit the historical record of the ACB to be more comprehensive and to “Remember the Ladies.”
[Pictured above: Kathy Adams with her clarinet in the Marlington High School Band, 1970]