More than music: Couples and families in the UAB Marching Blazers

Josiah Robinson and Isaac Robinson on the field.

The UAB Marching Blazers is now a family affair.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham's marching band is looking back on its first 30 years this season.

Some familiar faces will be on the field this Saturday as the Marching Blazers celebrate Alumni Band Day, when past band members are invited to march with the current band for Homecoming halftime.

More than a few members over the years can thank the band program for finding their love match. Two freshmen whose parents were Marching Blazers, including an original member from 1994, are part of the excitement this year. Majors and degrees for these historic Blazers include music, nursing, art, education, engineering, occupational therapy, chemistry, business, history, anthropology and more.

Working together toward a common goal through tough times and triumph can build great friendships and even more, says Assistant Director of Bands Gene Fambrough, DMA, who met his future wife on the band practice field.

"We have had a wonderful history of people meeting their significant others in the UAB Marching Blazers over the years," Fambrough said. "At least 30 couples have met as a result of participating in the band at UAB - although a few knew each other previously."

Tracy Avery Johns and Randy Johns

In 199Isaac Robinson and Asa Robinson4, Randy Johns played trombone and Tracy Avery was a majorette for the Marching Blazers' first season. Randy also played in the Blazer Band. They met just before Homecoming and got engaged in December 1994. The next season, they came back to march and were married during football season on Nov. 4, 1995. "We actually had at least three Marching Blazers show up to our reception in uniform."

Jay Robinson and sons Josiah, Isaac and Asa Robinson

"I was one of the original members of the 1994 Marching Blazers under Ski Winter's direction. I was a 28-year-old student who went to college after working a job right out of high school. In fall 2014, my first-born son, Josiah, joined and became the first-ever legacy band member, playing trombone just as I did. In fall 2017, when Josiah was a senior, my second son, Isaac, also became a legacy member playing trombone. They each marched for four years. This year, my third son, Asa, begins his legacy UAB marching career (trombone), and I anticipate he will do so for four years as well." Youngest son Zane, still in high school, participates in All-Star Music Day.

Sara Trotman Womack and Sean Womack met in drumline rehearsal for the Marching Blazers in summer 1996. "Another drumline member, and eventual bridesmaid in our wedding, mentioned to Sean that I thought he was cute," Sarah said. There was a band party after rehearsal that weekend, and she gave Sean a ride back to his car. "We talked for hours in the parking lot of the rehearsal area. We dated for six years and finally got married on June 1, 2002. We have since had two sons, Will (20) and Mason (16). Sean also met his business partner in the Marching Blazers. For nearly 20 years, he and Brad Palmer owned DoubleStop Percussion, a percussion education company that contracted with schools to teach drumlines and percussion ensembles. Sean is a first-generation college student. My dad, who is in the Alabama Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and owned a music store in Homewood for nearly 50 years, is a UAB alum and was part of the UAB Band Dads movement. My mom worked at UAB Highlands as a nurse anesthetist. We are a Blazer family!"

Rhian Scott Letisha Samuel Scott and her daughter, Rhian Scott

"I was a Blazerette for the 2000-2001 season. I later transferred and finished my undergraduate degree at the University of Alabama. I received my master's degree in nursing from UAB in 2011, so I am still a Blazer alum! My daughter, Rhian Scott, is a freshman trumpet player majoring in art. Her love of music inspired her to be part of the marching band. After a campus tour, she said UAB felt like home. Luckily for me, this meant we would both share the UAB Marching Blazer tradition."

Paris Cornelius Whitaker and Yusuf Whitaker

"We met on a band trip to Orlando our freshman year 2010. We got engaged May 2013, and married in August so we could get our honeymoon in before band camp." Paris Whitaker graduated in 2014 with her bachelor's degree in early childhood elementary education. Yusuf Whitaker graduated with his bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 2018 and master's degree in structural engineering in 2020.

Dustin Duncan was part of the marching and concert bands in 2004 when his future wife, Megan, joined the band. Their first date was Sept 17, 2004, and they married June 9, 2007. "We just celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary," she said.

Sarah Lusk Schmiedl and Alan Schmiedl met at band camp 2006, married in 2010 and have three daughters. "We have three daughters, and Alan is still actively involved in the music field. He's in The United States Army Band, 'Pershing's Own,' as an audio engineer," Sarah said.

Yusuf and Paris Whitaker with their daughtersCourtney Walker McDowell and Adam McDowell met in the music department at UAB in spring 2006 and were in the marching band together from 2006-2009, even marching in Spirit Drum and Bugle Corps together in summer 2007. "We got engaged in December 2009 after our last season to march together. I marched again in 2010; but he was completing his last semester as a student teacher that fall before we got married, and he graduated in December 2010. He is now a band director with Leeds City Schools, and we have two boys, 10 and 7."

Julie Mari Freeman and Jay Freeman both traveled with the band to Ireland in 2013 but did not meet each other until later. They were friends for a year or two when Jay wrote and recorded a song for his final project in Computer Music and showed it to her, Julie said: "I had a sneaking suspicion that it was about me, but he didn't tell me." It was a few months later when he finally revealed his feelings while they were playing a Blazer Band gig. "We enjoyed being together during band functions. He was drum major that year and I was section leader, and we both were in wind symphony. We were together for four years before we got married in 2019. And we had our son, Wyatt, in January of 2022!"

Gracie Weimorts Howard and Chandler Howard met in the drumline in 2016. "Gracie was in the front ensemble, and I was a drum line section leader," Chandler said. "We started dating as sophomores in 2017 during band camp and got married in May 2022."

Kayla Reid Stuckey and Thomas Stuckey, DNP, who met in band, named their new addition Melody. "Melody was named so because of our mutual love for music and how UAB's band brought us together," Thomas said.

Kara Foster and William Adam Foster with son and daughterKrista Lashley Connelly and Joel Connelly met in band in 2009, when she was a freshman, and he was a sophomore. After a year of getting to know each other, it turned into more than a friendship. "We got married in 2013 just after I graduated from UAB," Krista said. "He still plays his instrument and is a member of the 313th Army Band. We have two girls together, Olivia, 9, and Sophia, 4."

Kara Miller Foster and William Adam Foster are both former Marching Blazers who married and have two children, son Merritt, 7, and daughter, Everly, 4.

Megan Stumpff Ramirez and William Ramirez met in band and have been married 12 years.

Hayley Kennedy Coleman and Jevon Coleman met in the Marching Blazers and got to know each other through Kappa Kappa Psi. "Jevon was baritone section leader and president of Kappa Kappa Psi Honorary Band Fraternity at the time. We've been married since 2017 and we have two kids, Landon and Laura," Hayley said.

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