Former Alliance High Band leader John Weitzel Sr. dies at age 100

John E. Weitzel Sr. led the Alliance High School Marching Band from 1960 to 1978, setting new standards.
Weitzel died on June 9, 2024 at the age of 100 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, surrounded by his family.

ALLIANCE – John E. Weitzel Sr., former band director at Alliance High School, died June 9 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He was 100 years old.

His son John Jr. said his father lived a “remarkable life” and died peacefully surrounded by his family.

From 1960 to 1978, Weitzel enforced a standard of excellence at Alliance High School that resulted in members of the marching band traveling to perform at NFL halftime shows, Disney events and other events, according to the Alliance High School Alumni Foundation. The band also played for President Richard Nixon in 1972.

John Weitzel Sr., band director of Alliance High School, conducts his band at the former Hartshorn Stadium, now called Kehres Stadium, at the University of Mount Union.

His band also recorded an album called “Days of Glory” in 1967–68.

“I’ve spent so much time with him that I’m constantly picking up the phone to check on him,” John Jr. said. “It’s weird when you lose your 100-year-old father. It’s painful, but also a little bit of a relief because he’s not suffering. I’m going to be OK. It helps me to be able to talk to band members.”

Former students remember their beloved band leader

John Weitzel Jr. and his wife Katie graduated from Alliance High School in 1972 and were members of the band led by his father.

His father left a lasting impression on his students.

“He loved the band members. He stayed in touch with many of them,” said Weitzel’s son. “Many of them came to Michigan to visit us in person. He appreciated all of them.”

In 2023, former students at Alliance High gathered for a special photo shoot and sent him photos and other gifts for his 99th birthday. The gift package included a remastered copy of the album “Days of Glory” on CD and a proclamation declaring February 23, 2023, as John Weitzel Day in Alliance.

Former student John Hampu, a retired teacher who hosts shows on Spectrum Channel 1022 and has his own band in Alliance, said Weitzel was “the most significant role model in my life.” Hampu said he has incorporated many of the principles he learned from his beloved bandleader into his own career.

“My father was also a great role model, but in a different way,” said Hampu. Weitzel “played in a league of his own.”

Beth Waggenspack, a former student and current professor emerita at Virginia Tech University, said Weitzel taught her the importance of teamwork and leadership and that effort was important. She graduated from Alliance High in 1970.

“Mr. Weitzel’s influence has affected me far beyond the field or the concert stage. Being in the band (as most of us talk about it) solidified the values I demonstrated in my teaching career at the university and in decades of lessons and friendships,” she said.

She said she imitated his teaching style.

“All of us who have pursued a teaching career have learned that teaching students requires flexibility to meet them where they are while helping them understand and achieve goals,” Waggenspack said. “We have recognized that helping students to believe in their own abilities and develop a desire not to let others down will make them strive to achieve high standards.”

Her sister Joan Skidmore, a 1977 graduate of Alliance High School, played trombone for Weitzel in the band. She said their performances included pregame and halftime shows at several NFL games, and they opened the Pontiac Silverdome, home of the Detroit Lions, in 1975. The stadium has since been demolished.

“We never did the same show. Every week was different, with music and movements that we learned by heart,” Skidmore said. “The band never stood still – there was always movement going on. Our tubas were incredible with their movements. Mr. Weitzel was always looking to get the best out of us musically, and we can all tell you that he was known to say, ‘Let’s do it again.'”

Weitzel and his wife Dixie wrote the College of Wooster’s fight song, “Hail to the Black and Gold.”

According to his obituary, Weitzel was born on February 23, 1924, in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, and was a lifelong friend of famed composer Henry Mancini. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and studied music at the College of Wooster, where he met his wife, Annelu “Dixie” Hutson.

While at Wooster, Weitzel and his wife wrote the College of Wooster’s fight song, “Hail to the Black and Gold,” which is still used today.

The couple married in 1947 and moved to New York City, where Weitzel attended Columbia University and earned his master’s degree in music education. He began his career as a band director in East Liverpool before accepting the position at Alliance. His wife, Dixie, an accomplished pianist, also taught music in Alliance schools.

After retirement, the couple moved to Michigan to live closer to their son, John Jr., and their granddaughters, Jamie Scripps and Christie Merrill, the obituary said. They had four great-grandchildren.

“Katie and I met in seventh grade and have been married since 1996,” said John Weitzel Jr. “She was an integral part of my father’s care and well-being for many years.”

Weitzel maintained an active lifestyle, playing baritone tuba in community bands and ensembles with his son, also a tuba player. He was preceded in death by Dixie Weitzel, who died in 2003, and his son Lorman B. Weitzel, who died in 1973.

“Mom and dad were a team,” said John Jr. “They did everything as a team. Mom was an integral part of his success.”

Services are pending. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the AHS Alumni Foundation’s Days Of Glory Scholarship. For more information, email [email protected].

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