UCLA Band Marches Off With Trophy

One day 65 years ago, the UCLA Bruin Marching Band went down to Union Station to greet John Philip Sousa with a performance of some of his own marches when the legendary bandmaster stepped off the train.

This weekend, Sousa is returning the tribute, after a fashion.

The Bruin band has been chosen by the John Philip Sousa Foundation as the 1993 recipient of the Sudler Trophy, awarded to the top collegiate marching band in the country. The award was scheduled for presentation at halftime Saturday at the UCLA-Arizona State football game at the Rose Bowl.

“We are pleased to receive this award that recognizes the overall excellence of UCLA’s band program,” said Thomas Lee, director of UCLA bands.

Under the direction of Gordon Henderson and assistant director Jennifer Judkins, UCLA is the first West Coast band to receive such an honor.

“It’s a great honor to be recognized in the same company as the universities of Michigan, Oklahoma and Ohio State, which are universally recognized as some of the top bands in the country,” said Henderson, who has been associate director for 12 years. “I think the reason we got this recognition is we are doing a really contemporary approach to the marching band.”

UCLA’s repertoire is anything but typical. This year’s lineup of halftime music does include traditional fare, such as Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever.” But it also includes music from “Saturday Night Fever” and “West Side Story.”

“We switch gears, so the audience is always looking for something a little unusual,” said Henderson, 40, a West Los Angeles resident. “We try playing good music as well as we can, and every once in awhile, we throw in something crazy, which is dramatically different from what you would see in a college marching band.”

In addition to performances at school events, the UCLA Bruin Marching Band has also performed in numerous movies and television programs. Recently, the band recorded music for the Clint Eastwood film “In the Line of Fire.”

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Laurie Levenson will receive Temple Beth Am’s Sisterhood Torah Fund Award.

A criminal law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, Levenson has served as assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California and as a federal prosecutor.

Levenson, who lives in West Los Angeles, will be honored at a luncheon Wednesday in Los Angeles.

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Cal State Northridge President Blenda J. Wilson has been elected a trustee of the J. Paul Getty Trust.

She joins 14 other leaders in the field of arts, education and business who volunteer to serve on the board. Based in Santa Monica, the trust is a private foundation that oversees the Getty organization’s many arts and humanities programs.

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Two West Los Angeles College students were recently awarded scholarships by national dental organizations.

Los Angeles resident Stephanie Lysdale, a first-year student, was awarded a $1,000 scholarship by the American Dental Assn.

Natalie Taylor of Santa Monica received a $500 scholarship from the National Dental Assn., an organization of black dentists that grants scholarships based on need, achievement and community service.

The scholarships will be used to cover educational costs of the two-year dental hygiene program.

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The University of Southern California has honored several Westside residents for their service to faculty, staff and students.

Winners of the Widney Alumni House Award, representing a variety of USC organizations, were Los Angeles residents Burton Lewis, Margaret Morrell, Anne Troost and Pacific Palisades resident Missie McClure.

They were honored at a ceremony earlier this month.

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Los Angeles City College’s Foundation paid tribute to Marv Hoffman, chief executive and founder of the Los Angeles computer consulting firm XXCAL Inc.

The Beverlywood resident, a longtime supporter of the foundation, was recognized for his significant contributions to the college. He was honored at a dinner Oct. 5 at the Friars Club in Beverly Hills.

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