When TROY alumni get the word their response can be overwhelming, just ask Dr. Mark Walker, director of bands.

“Scott Erb asked me to speak to the Birmingham alumni chapter, and in that one night, they filled a need we had in the band. It was incredibly humbling to see their generosity,” he said.

The need: the Sound of the South needed to purchase “herald” trumpets – the sort many fans saw debut on the North End Zone terrace at the Trojan’s season opener against Campbell.

The herald trumpets are specialty instruments used by SOTS trumpeters for special occasions such as commencement, convocations and, now, signaling the official arrival of a football game. They are expensive, too – about $2,000 each — and not part of the normal marching band collection.

Walker said the addition of four trumpets – with two more now on order – was a testament to the alumni support “the Best Band in the Land” receives. Birmingham was joined by the Emerald Coast and Pike County chapters, Tau Beta Sigma’s Epsilon Xi chapter and Bill and Debbie Hopper to make the purchases possible.

Alumni Director Faith Ward underscored the impact alumni chapters can make on today’s students.

“Our chapters are great and they respond when there’s a need to support our students. The herald trumpets are something unique for our band and dramatically improve the impact the Sound of the South has on the campus,” she said. “It’s a testament to our chapters’ direct support of the current students.”

To learn more about support opportunities with the Sound of the South, contact Dr. Walker via email at mjwalker@troy.edu.