Greenwood’s Wizard of Oz | 1973-1976

Herman Knoll (fourth from left) and the ISU brass ensemble – 1966. ISU Photo

Greenwood hired Herman Knoll near the end of the 1972-1973 school year and he contacted band students to let them know he planned two rehearsals in July for freshmen orientation. But, his relocation to Greenwood didn’t happen as quickly as planned. He was finishing up his master’s degree from VanderCook College of Music in Chicago at the time. On July 13, Knoll sent a letter to the band students. He encouraged them about the coming competition season and apologized for getting a late start to rehearsals. He reassured everyone about the State Fair contest and then outlined the rehearsal schedule to begin on July 30 for the Fair competition on August 22.

Courtesy Brenda Wheatcraft

Knoll attended a meeting at the high school on August 9 so parents could meet their new director. A side benefit of the meeting was to sell tickets to the State Fair competition.

Herman Knoll has a passion for music education and his philosophy on competition still guides the Marching Woodmen today. He summed that up in a recent interview, “My goal wasn’t really to win contests, but to do well because we were teaching well. The first goal was, in my mind, the development and welfare of students. I wanted them to learn to play, and enjoy playing, their instruments, and to carry with them lifetime experiences that helped them do better in life,” he said. Knoll respected schools that placed an emphasis on the concert band program and inspired students to be passionate about music and playing their instruments. He points to Director Hal Meurer at Ben Davis as an inspiration.

Knoll is also a Drum Corps fan. He changed the overall style of the band from a dance style to a more disciplined corps style. The pompom corps was changed to a flag corps with several dancers. The following year would see the dancers replaced with a rifle corps. Working with the girls were Sandra and Sandra – Mrs. Sandra Fossler and Director Knoll’s wife Sandra.

With only three weeks until the State Fair competition on August 22 , the band would have to work fast. Fortunately, Knoll had the show planned before he was hired. He had a show ready for his Martinsville band. When Knoll transferred to Greenwood, the show went with him. Knoll explains the theme of the show had a drum corps tie-in, “The Madison Scouts did a Wizard of Oz Show that I thought was entertaining and clever. The Cavaliers use Over the Rainbow as their corps song. I first got the idea from them,” he said. The 1973 show was a crowd-pleaser filled with tunes from The Wizard of Oz.

Herman Knoll and Drum Major Mark Iverson at the 1973 dress rehearsal at GHS.

Greenwood placed 12th in the fair’s preliminary round against 55 other bands. But everyone had to wait until nearly 2:45 for those results to be posted. Greenwood’s performance placed them in the Sweet 16 for the second time in their history. They performed in the evening finals competition where they recorded their best finish to date at 10th place. The triumphant Woodmen returned to Greenwood with a police and fire truck escort and had a spontaneous celebration with free burgers, fries and drinks at the County Line Road McDonald’s. Many traditions were born during the Knoll years. But, the most enduring has to be the Oz connection. Somewhere Over the Rainbow became a signature tune for Greenwood and is honored to this day with Greenwood’s Woodmen Warmup.

1973 State Fair competition

The marching season was split between the State Fair track show and the longer field show for the fall District competition. High school invitationals did not yet exist, so the Woodmen practiced their routine by performing halftime shows at local universities. They would occasionally perform their State Fair show. But Knoll generally preferred to practice their field show. “There were sections of the fair show that we transferred to the field, and of course added quite a bit of new material,” said Knoll. When asked about the differences between the field shows of today, Knoll explained, “Our field shows always had a defined opener, percussion feature, concert section, and closer. We did not use a lot of original music. The shows were shorter and our guard and percussion groups were smaller than the bands today. We were more dependent on the straight lines as opposed to the drills of today.”

The Woodmen performed their 8-minute field show at Knoll’s alma mater, ISU, on October 27.

The 1973 Greenwood Marching Woodmen

A new state-wide competition began in 1973. The governing associations for Indiana high school music competitions were still split into the Indiana School Music Association (ISMA) and the Northern Indiana School Band, Orchestra, and Vocal Association (NISBOVA). Each association held their own competitions for the bands in their region. The reason for the split had been the logistics of traveling cross-state in the mid 1930’s. With the modernized roads making it less of a burden, the two associations agreed to their first combined competition – the 1973 Indiana All-State Marching Band Contest. Many also referred to it as the All-State March-Off. Greenwood did not compete in the competition in 1973, but would participate the following year. In 1981 the associations merged into the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA).

The band held their end-of-year awards program Friday, May 17 in the GHS auditorium.

In 1974, director Knoll made changes to the rehearsal schedule by having concert band practice during school and marching after school. That schedule continues today. He also added the rifle corps to the flags to give the band more of a drum corps presentation. The new schedule saw initial practice in June, followed by several rehearsals with the State Fair program in July. Then, band camp at St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer followed by more intensive rehearsals leading up to the State Fair competition the week before school began. Their 1974 fair show would again feature Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

Wednesday morning, August 21 was State Fair Band Day. Band members, staff and parents began at 4:30am. The bands lined up on the track at 8:30. Competition began at 9:00. Morning competition ended at approximately 1:30. The Sweet 16 returned to the grandstand at 7:00 for the finals competition that began at 7:30 with awards at 8:30.

The 150-member Marching Woodmen competed against 47 bands. Whiteland was the only other Johnson County band in the competition in 1974. The two bands met that morning and exchanged good wishes.

1974 State Fair finals

Greenwood again aced the morning competition and moved on to the Sweet 16. In finals, Greenwood emerged with a 6th place finish. On their way home following the competition, the band was again met at the Marion / Johnson County border by the Greenwood Fire Department and escorted back to the school.

Drum Major Mark Iverson with the 1974 State Fair trophy.

On September 11, the Marching Woodmen joined fellow Johnson County bands Center Grove and Indian Creek in the parade for the Annual Greenwood Festival Days. They scored two major tie-ins to Director Knoll’s past by performing alongside the Martinsville Marching Artesians at ISU on September 14. The District contest was next at Southport on October 5. Greenwood won a Division 1 rating to advance to their first ever ISMA State Finals at Northwest High School on October 19. Greenwood performed their field show consisting of specially arranged selections from Holst’s Suite in Eb. They showcased their renowned ankle-knee step. Then they stood in place for a performance of Stan Kenton’s arrangement of Artistry in Motion featuring mellophone players John Price and Gayla Gunn. A lively rendition of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy showcased trumpeters Al Miller, Gene Frank, Scott Robbins and Norman Lasiter, along with dancers Janice Green, Greg Brown, Julie Shively and Dan Rehfeldt. Bringing the performance to a close, the band executed a floating parallelogram drill to Somewhere Over the Rainbow, followed by Somewhere which again highlighted the mellophone section. The concluding numbers were In the Mood and Once Upon a Time. Greenwood competed in class A and won 4th place in their first all-state field competition. Greenwood was classified as a class B school, but opted to compete in class A. This decision would cause some concern the following year.

Band Officers, Helen Rehner, Leslie Gossman, John Price, Janice Green, Eric Kincaid, Pam Storvick and Mark Iverson – 1974-1975

After the All-State competition, Greenwood accepted an invitation to compete at Morehead State University in Kentucky. The prestigious Blue and Gold Marching Band Championship at Morehead featured twenty selected midwest bands to compete based on submitted film, tapes and previous awards. Greenwood’s Division 1 ratings for the last three years, along with the State Fair placements brought the attention their way. The band left Greenwood Friday November 15 at 5:00pm to perform at Morehead at 11:26am Saturday. They competed against the finest bands from Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Greenwood was one of four Indiana bands competing. With only four awards (1st through 4th) given, Greenwood placed fourth and was the only non-Kentucky band to receive an award. Director Herman Knoll said, “These were the only four places announced as they were the four honor bands selected from the morning preliminary competition to march in the afternoon finals.” This competition was similar to a BOA Regional of today – pitting the very best bands together regardless of class. This caps the Woodmen’s most successful marching season to date.

In a letter to the editor of the Daily Journal, Mrs. Marjorie Wittig gently suggested the paper should showcase band stories on the front page, “I, for one, would like to publicly congratulate the splendid achievement of the Greenwood Community High School Marching Band on winning fourth place in the exclusive band contest at Morehead, Kentucky last Saturday. They have done a marvelous job with discipline, dedication, and talent. Their Director, Mr. Herman Knoll, is to be congratulated for his leadership and ability to work with these young people in directing them to this worthy goal. While we fill the front pages of our newspapers with all the wrong things too many young people are doing these days, we relegate to the back page a story of 150 splendid young people, who with dedication, discipline, and talent have persevered and worked hard to achieve this goal in music. What a pity!”

Herman Knoll and Choral Direct Ronald Bell presented the Greenwood Christmas Concert on December 16.

At the ISMA concert band contest in April, 1975, all three Greenwood bands (Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble and Middle School Concert Band) received first division ratings. The Middle School band, under the direction of Dan Rice, was the only band in their class to receive a first division rating. Greenwood hosted the contest which included 36 competing musical groups.

The Marching Woodmen were selected to march in the 500 Festival Parade in downtown Indianapolis, May 24, 1975. They also performed in pre-race ceremonies around the track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Race Day May 25. Members of the band were guests for the race following the Pre-Race Pageant. The band held a public practice for the 500 performance at the Greenwood Center (later renamed Greenwood Park Mall) on a Friday evening. Bobby Unser won the 59th annual race after rain cut the event short on lap 174. But it was bright and sunny for Greenwood’s march down the front stretch.

1975 Indy 500 – May 25. The Daily Journal

Elsewhere in Greenwood, May 1975 saw the groundbreaking for the new V.O. Isom Elementary School. It would replace the old Central Elementary School building which was also named after long-time Greenwood Principal Vennis O. Isom.

July again saw practices for the State Fair competition with the Marching Woodmen looking to better their 6th place finish from the past year. Greenwood competed in the 18th position on the morning of August 20. The Woodmen performed, then viewed the remaining competition before departing to a local restaurant for lunch near the fairgrounds. Later they enjoyed a lengthy rest stop at a city park near the Indianapolis Zoo. Greenwood was named to the Sweet 16 for evening competition.

1975 State Fair morning competition

But, as the buses returned to the fairgrounds, everyone watched nervously as rain clouds began forming. One band parent said, “The band could see the rain coming. We sat in the buses and saw it rain ten feet in front of us for a while.” The rain began at 7:00pm forcing a hurried meeting between the Sweet 16 band directors and fair officials. They all agreed to perform on the narrower, gravel-covered track to avoid marching in the mud. Bands modified their routines where needed and did final rehearsals in a crowded infield. After running through a portion, Director Knoll shouted,”That’s it! That’s class!”

25,000 spectators crowded the stands to cheer on the Sweet 16. With a show that again highlighted Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Greenwood moved up a notch from last year with a strong 5th place finish. The last time a Johnson County band had broken into the top 5 was 1957 when Franklin High School finished 3rd. The Marching Woodmen had been planning a stop at McDonald’s for a victory meal on their way home. But, because of the delays, they didn’t arrive back at the high school till 1:00am. The free hamburgers were enjoyed the following day.

McDonald’s celebration the day after the State Fair competition. The Daily Journal

The band performed as a “laboratory” show at the Indiana Bandmasters Association Clinic at ISU on September 20. The Woodmen demonstrated a practice session and then all participating bands performed their fall marching shows. That performance started serious buzz about Greenwood winning the ISMA State Finals competition. The ISMA District contest was at John Marshal High School on October 4. Greenwood, a class B school, competed in class A and gave an outstanding performance to win a Division 1 rating and the grand sweepstakes award.

1975 District competition at John Marshal high school. Photos Brenda Wheatcraft

The buzz intensified that Greenwood was on the road to victory at ISMA Finals. That caused some concern from several class A competitors. They filed a formal protest with ISMA stating that Greenwood, a class B school, should compete in class B. The rules were not clear about a school selecting to compete in a higher class. A judgement was made that Greenwood would not be allowed to compete in class A at finals. Director Knoll was upset, but ultimately decided to proceed in class B. Finals were held October 18 in miserable weather at Northwest high school. Because of the weather, competition was moved to a paved surface rather than the field. The band’s momentum was temporarily broken by the class ruling, but they marched to a second place finish behind Winchester. As a direct result of Greenwood’s class challenge, ISMA added a new rule which is still in place today. Bands may opt to compete in a higher class. But that ruling came after the 1975 finals.

The Marching Woodmen would put the memory of State Finals behind them and finish their season on a high note. They were invited back to the Blue and Gold Marching Band Championship at Morehead State University in Kentucky. The contest was November 8. The band departed Greenwood at 5:00pm Friday night and spent the night at the University. They competed at 11:24am Saturday. Again, Greenwood went up against 20 top bands from Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The Woodmen gave an outstanding performance and finished the day in first place! Herman Knoll said he was,”…thrilled by the performance of the marching band and the honor they received.” In a recent interview, he admitted that this was his sweetest victory with the Greenwood Marching Woodmen.

November 8, 1975 Morehead Blue and Gold Championship – First Place. Courtesy Brenda Wheatcraft

On their return home Sunday evening, the band was again met by a police escort and car caravan of supporters as they toured the town in triumph. And yes, they stopped at McDonald’s.

Band officers display the season’s trophies. Gayla Gunn, Joe Young, Herman Knoll, Kathy Summers, Norman Lasiter, Helen Rehner and Eric Kincaid.

In April, all five GHS groups received superior ratings at the ISMA competition. They were, symphonic band, wind ensemble, concert choir, advanced girls’ choir and girls’ chorus. Greenwood’s senior prom was May 14 at Franklin College. The theme was Somewhere Over the Rainbow and that song was sung by Jill Williams.

1976 prom with Jill Williams performing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”

In late June, the Marching Woodmen performed an arrangement of Back Home Again in Indiana in the National Jaycees Parade in Indianapolis. The parade kicked off the National Jaycees Indianapolis convention. They followed that with a July 17 performance in the Johnson County Bicentennial parade in Franklin.

Anonymous band members wrote a letter to the editor of the Daily Journal expressing their appreciation for the band season. “I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say that there is no other band director in the entire universe that we would love or appreciate more than Mr. Herman Knoll. He has led us throughout the year, and he has given pride and respect for ourselves and our band. We thank him and Mrs. knoll for their guidance throughout the summer,” they wrote.

Herman Knoll had molded the Marching Woodmen into a solid machine based on discipline, team spirit, dedication and hard work. The formula was a massive success. Everyone looked forward to a stronger future under Knoll’s leadership. But, it was not to be.

Prior to the start of the 1976-1977 school year, director Herman Knoll announced he was resigning. He had accepted a position at his alma mater, ISU. Mr. Knoll sent a letter dated July 19 that was received by many band members with tears.

Courtesy Brenda Wheatcraft

Knoll let it be known that he would stay with the band through the State Fair competition on August 25 before relocating to Terre Haute. Emotions were high among students and parents in the run up to the Fair competition. Any sadness in the departure of Mr. Knoll was quickly turned into a desire to give him a win. The band worked hard during their daily practices. Then, even harder at band camp at St. Joseph’s College.

Meanwhile, the school administration scrambled to find Knoll’s successor. Dozens of applications were received. An offer was made to Edwin Nickol out of Minster, Ohio. Nickol had seven years experience as band director at Marion Local Schools in Ohio. He had success in leading their band to honors in both marching and concert competitions. He accepted the position, but it would be short-lived. On, or about, August 19, Nickol declined the job. The news was made public August 21 that the director position was still vacant. It was a hot topic of conversation during the Fair Preview show that evening. August 21 was also proclaimed Greenwood Marching Band Day by Mayor Larry Myers.

An anonymous letter to the editor of the Daily Journal summed up Herman Knoll’s time with Greenwood. “The band becomes a second family for each band member, because they spend so much time working together towards a common desire; the desire to be number one. Herman Knoll gave them this desire and helped them to accomplish it. He gave them pride and confidence in themselves and their band which is a million times more important than a first place trophy.”

The 1976 State Fair Band Day was here! The morning competition went smoothly until it had to be stopped for rain about 11:00.

Morning rain at the State Fair Band Day – 1976. The Daily Journal

Officials hastily covered the track with tarps in an attempt to avoid the situation they had the previous year. The tarps kept the main track dry enough that competition could resume in early afternoon. Greenwood marched in 30th position that afternoon.

1976 Greenwood State Fair performance

After the preliminary performance, the band retreated to Holliday Park to further polish the show. They easily made it into the Sweet 16. They arrived back minutes before finals began and all looked relaxed and ready. They gave their all in their finals performance that again featured Somewhere Over the Rainbow. They concluded with an emotional rendition of Auld Lang Syne. They raced down the track to wild cheers from the crowd.

Before the final results were announced, Knoll huddled with his students one last time, “This is the most beautiful contest I’ve ever been in. No matter what the decision is tonight, you keep your heads up high — that’s what it is all about.”

The announcement of the winner was long and drawn out. It came down to Norwell Ossian and Greenwood. It was finally announced that Greenwood was the State Fair Grand Champion! Knoll described the build-up to the announcement. “We were going to stand back and casually wait for the outcome. I kept telling myself to keep calm if we won. I thought I would stay calm, but it didn’t work that way at all.” Knoll continued, “What made my night was the looks on the students faces after they had been told they had won.” Greenwood students let all the tension of the season out with cheers and shouts. Drum Major Cassie Young, “It was worth every minute of it. We were all together tonight.” Gayla Gunn, “This is the happiest day of my life!” The impending departure of Herman Knoll was an additional motivating factor this season. Drum Major Sam Hodson, “It gave us a little more of an incentive to work harder. This was more than worth it.” Greenwood City Councilman Vaino Grayam showed his school spirit in green shorts, yellow shirt and a yellow Marching Woodmen cap with green feather. After the win was announced, he shouted, “Ain’t it great?” Drum Major Joe Young, “We won it for him

1976 State Fair Grand Champion. Drum Majors Cassie Young, Sam Hodson, Hook’s Drugs President Norman P. Reeves, Joe Young and State Fair Princess.

The band marched to the second floor of the fairgrounds communications building for formal photographs. The celebrating continued as Mr. Knoll entered the room and realized he hadn’t yet seen the championship trophy close up. When he saw the trophy being carried past, he yelled, “Let me hold that just once.” He held it in victory to cheers and applause. The band drove back home and crossed into Johnson County about midnight where, again, they were met by an escort. This time it was a caravan of students and band parents. The most enthusiastic celebration of the night was the traditional McDonald’s stop. Caught up in all the excitement, one important item was almost left behind. “Oh my God, we almost forgot the trophy,” yelled a student. It was quickly retrieved as the band finally headed for home after 1:00am.

With the new school year beginning soon, and Knoll’s replacement bowing out, the school selected Tom Leslie as the new director for the Marching Woodmen. Leslie admitted, “Those are some awfully big shoes that I’ve got to fill. We’re already at the top.”

August 29, there was a 3-hour open house at the High School to celebrate the State Fair win and to honor Mr. Knoll. More than 500 people assembled to hear Mr. Knoll speak. “I am super-pleased with what happened. Now I can look back and feel comfortable and say that I knew all along that we were going to win it.” Knoll continued to laughter, “We are pleased for the students — that’s who this is for. They [the band] have a good future.”

Herman and Sandy Knoll pose with the 1976 State Fair trophy. Courtesy Brenda Wheatcraft

Greenwood High School Principal Harold Crawford spoke stating he had received congratulations from all Johnson County schools on the win. “You have done the job and you will wear the crown well.”

Greenwood Mayor, Larry Myers also spoke at the open house. “You pulled it off,” Myers said. “You are number one and we are all proud of you.” Myers presented sterling silver #1 pins to each member of the Marching Woodmen. It was a special moment for Mayor Myers as he presented a pin to a particular band member – his daughter Sandy. He later wrote to the Daily Journal. “Congratulations to the members of the Greenwood Community High School Marching Band, Mr. Herman Knoll, all band parents and those associated with the band who have made the Greenwood band No. 1. Our city is certainly honored by their State Fair high school marching band championship. We are certainly honored as a city to be represented by such a fine organization of young people. The championship effort of the marching band is indicative of the type of dedication and hard work that is so essential to being No. 1.”

A brief departure here. Larry was the second Greenwood mayor named Myers. Elected in 1964 was W. B. (Mike) Myers who served as Greenwood’s second mayor. He was no relation to Larry who was elected in 1976 as Greenwood’s fifth mayor. However, Larry’s son Mark did follow closely in his father’s footsteps. Mark is our current Greenwood mayor serving in his second term as of 2017.

Towards the end of the celebration, everyone filed into the auditorium to watch the film of the State Fair show.

Herman Knoll and the 1976 State Fair trophy

And that was it. Herman Knoll departed. The wizard flew his balloon out of Emerald City to Terre Haute. The Marching Woodmen continued under the direction of Tom Leslie. But the Knoll years reverberate through Greenwood to this day. It’s more than the obvious traditions of The Wizard of Oz and rainbows and the Woodmen Warmup. It’s deeper than that. It’s the beginning of a powerful legacy. Every class after 1976 has that legacy to look to for inspiration. The small class B band from tiny Greenwood set their sites on the state championship and won it! That 1976 band is saying to all who follow, “Live up to that!” In the decades that followed, the Greenwood Marching Woodmen did just that.

Herman and Sandy Knoll – 2014

After leaving Greenwood, Herman Knoll spent several years as the band director at ISU before joining Hal Leonard – the largest music publisher in the world. There he further pursued his passion for music education by helping to develop innovative products that have become standards for school bands, orchestras and choirs. Knoll received The Music Industry Award by the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in 2007. This award honors individuals for their support of music education through their work in the music industry.

Knoll reflected about his Greenwood legacy, “Our years in Greenwood were maybe our happiest years as a family and for me as a professional. To have been so fortunate to be a part of what continued to happen is more than gratifying. What makes me happiest is to see the great bands that Mr. Sutton and Mr. Morse have today. They were, and are, simply fantastic directors who continue to take things to greater heights.”

Knoll recently retired from Hal Leonard as Senior Vice President. He has served on many industry boards over the years. He continues to serve on the Music For All board which produces numerous national music competitions including the BOA Marching Championships.

Herman and Sandy reside in Wisconsin. They have three children and ten grandchildren.

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