Legion honors band leaders' American spirit

Louis K. Juden American Legion Post 63 presents citizen appreciation awards.

At a recent band concert the American Legion Post 63 presented two citizen appreciation awards to honor individuals and organizations that exemplify the American spirit. They were the Cape Girardeau Municipal Band and its director, Ronald Nall, and Narvol A. Randol Jr., the band's president.

Nall has conducted the band --which is funded through the Department of Parks and Recreation and under city sponsorship since 1927 -- since 1992. He has been involved with the band for nearly 40 years.

Current band president Narvol Randol Jr. was honored for his more than 30 years of service to the band, beginning when he was in high school. Robert E. Bunn, commander of the post, noted Randol's military service as an Army veteran and the countless years of "taps" he delivered at Memorial Day events and comrades' gravesides.

Bunn noted that the band has a long history of dedicated service to veterans and the community. The post's own Dr. Dan Cotner has been a band member for 64 years.

The band was originally named Schuchert's Silver Coronet Band in 1901. It later changed to Schuchert's Concert Band in 1917, all 40 band members were mustered into service in World War I. Older soldiers were sent home and the band regrouped, made up of those too young or too old for military service. Under its new name, The Cape Girardeau Municipal Band, it performed weekly during the war at Common Pleas Courthouse Park.