The Charles Henderson High School Alumni Band Association is now more than a hope and a dream.

The CHHS Alumni Band Association has been formed to collect and store historical records of the CHHS band dating back to the Herman Moll bands of 1917 through 1957 and to support the existing band program at CHHS.

A steering committee has been formed to enlist members of the Herman Moll Band, the Troy High School band and the CHHS band that will make up the CHHS Alumni Band Association.

Peter Jordan, a member of the steering committee, said 130 names have already been entered into the database.

“Right now, we’re looking for the names of CHHS band alumni, their email and/or physical addresses, the years marched, the band director’s name and the instrument played,” Jordan said. “The Troy high school band system started with Herman Moll in 1917. He was not paid by the city. He gave private band lessons and the students in the band had to pay for the private lessons. That’s how Troy’s high school band got its start.”

Jordan said having records of the band’s history is important to CHHS, to the city and, especially, to the alumni of the CHHS band programs.

“The CHHS Alumni Band Association is operating under the CHHS Band Foundation,” Jordan said. “This group will include alumni of all the city of Troy’s high school band programs. It will also include those who have been dedicated supporters of the school’s band programs.”

The steering committee members, Jordan, Mike Jordan, Michael O’Hara, Dawn Railey, Shannon Reaves, Beth Collins, Chris Davis, Angel Tillery and Geoffrey Spann, are working diligently to get the alumni association off to a successful start.

Jordan said the group’s primary purpose, at this time, is to build the database.

“It will be a slow process because so many of the CHHS band alumni no longer live in the area,” he said. “We are hoping to locate as many of them as possible in order to keep them informed about what we are doing as an alumni association and what is going on in the CHHS band program.”

Plans are for the CHHS Alumni Band Association to meet twice a year and keep members informed through Facebook and emails throughout the year. The association will also send out a newsletter quarterly to let band alumni know what the CHHS band members are doing on the field and off. The band students are involved in community service projects that include performing at local nursing homes and adult day care centers.

“Our purpose is, also, to help and support the local band program in various ways,” Jordan said. “We’ll do so through fundraisers, donations, corporate sponsorships and membership dues. And, Jordan said, that an alumni band is also a possibility.

“There are still a lot of CHHS alumni band members around this area so, it would be fun to organize an alumni band to play on homecoming,” he said.

“We have a lot of plans but, right now, we need names for the data base. So we are asking those who are CHHS band alumni, or know someone who is, to get in touch with us via email at chhsalumniband@gmail.com or contact Pete Jordan at 334-372-7644.”