Kappa Kappa Psi, National Band Fraternity has been dedicated to the promotion of music and preservation of college and university bands since it was founded on November 27, 1919. Here at Howard Payne University, Kappa Kappa Psi installed a chapter on the fraternity on February 27, 1971. Since then, the Howard Payne University Yellow Jacket Band has been supported by this national organization.
Today, the Zeta Beta chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi at Howard Payne University is pleased to announce the purchase of an enclosed cargo trailer that will serve the University’s School of Music. This trailer was purchased with the goal that the School of Music would not have to rent a moving truck every time the band needed to go somewhere away from campus. This also alleviates the cost of renting a truck. The history behind the trailer purchase is a unique story that can be forgotten by no one.
In 2001, Howard Payne University and the School of Music had a great student by the name of Jeremy Lewis. On July 21, 2000, Jeremy was on his way to work with his church youth group when he was struck and instantly killed by an 18-wheeler. In 2001, Kappa Kappa Psi and the Howard Payne School of Music purchased a band tower to stand tall at Old Main Park on campus. The brothers of Kappa Kappa Psi dedicated this band tower to the memorial of Jeremy Lewis so that his upbeat, promising, Christian attitude might never be forgotten. In the summer of 2008 during the renovation of Mims auditorium the band tower was removed from campus and sold. The brothers of the Zeta Beta chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi voted unanimously to use the money from the band tower sale to build a new memorial for Jeremy Lewis. After a semester of planning, discussion, and voting, the first stage of the building process was about to begin on a small memorial plaque to be built outside the Davidson Music Complex on campus. It was at a meeting before the building plans would be finalized that brother Kimberly Collins proposed the idea of combining the memorial of Jeremy Lewis with the purchase of a band trailer that had been previously discussed as well. Collins proposed that, “If Jeremy were here, he would most likely desire for the money to be put towards something functional, since the main purpose of Kappa Kappa Psi is to serve and support the band.” This idea was quickly agreed upon amongst the chapter, band director, sponsor, and Dean of the School of Music. The next day, Kappa Kappa Psi cancelled the building plans for the memorial plaque and began its endeavor of the trailer purchase. On April 11, 2010, Kappa Kappa Psi-Zeta Beta and Howard Payne University received the twenty-foot long trailer that will serve the School of Music for many years to come.
In the near future, Kappa Kappa Psi will be raising more money to have decals put on the exterior of the trailer with the university name, band name, and the words “In Memory of Jeremy Lewis 1979-2000”. The inside of the trailer will also be custom designed with cabinets and shelving to continually serve the band.
Kappa Kappa Psi’s motto is “Strive for the Highest”. Vice President, Stephen Sullivan said, “in the last few years, our chapter has truly begun to live up to our motto. In everything we do as a chapter, we are striving for the highest. I am looking forward to being President next year so that I can continue to lead a great fraternity to heights that would never be expected from a group of less than twenty people.” Kappa Kappa Psi promises to continue their run of excellence for the School of Music and hopes that future brothers will look back on this day and feel invigorated with the drive to accomplish the seemingly impossible.
Photo contributed. Pictured from left to right are: Jonathan Jones, Robert Mangrum (Sponsor), Jeremy Johnson, Stephen Sullivan, David Watson, Kyle Ziegler, Benny Worley, Kimberly Collins, Tyler Cooper, Jake Shelton, Bianca Campbell, Talitha Cook, Trey Simons, Jesse Smith, Trent Shipp, Chris Bell, Grant Newman, and Corey Ash (Band Director/Co-Sponsor)
