A gray-haired man slowly saunters along the sidewalk that leadsto the Mustang Band hall door. With the weight of an antique snaredrum strapped across his feeble shoulders, the man halts as henotices the words “Nothing Stops the Mustang Band”painted upon the cement in front of him. He smiles and continues towalk towards the door.

Most SMU students do not realize that membership in the MustangBand does not expire with the acceptance of a college diploma— once a member of the band, always a member in spirit. Everyyear, Mustang Band alumni contribute to the band’s success bybecoming a part of the Diamond M Club.

Brian Queen, current president of the Diamond M Club, hopes thatstudents in the band will realize that the “alumni are not abunch of old fogies,” but a group that “still [enjoys]the spirit, atmosphere and entertainment of collegesports.”

Alumnus Jeff Anderson agreed, saying alumni come back toparticipate in band functions because “people love the bandso much that they don’t mind marching for a fifth year. …They come to see old friends tell stories and play themusic.”

Anderson said that although other bands sometime play jazztunes, they do not play them with the same precision and volumethat the Mustang Band does.

One of the goals of the Diamond M Club is to let band studentsknow that the alumni still love and support the band and want tosee it prosper.

One of the first ways they accomplish this is by providing adinner one night for band members during their week of band camp.This is an opportunity for current band members to speak with bandalumni and ask them questions.

Alumnus Doug Connolly said it is when current Mustang Bandmembers take the time to converse with these older men and womenthat they begin to gain a sense of the fierce spirit and traditionthat has always surrounded this organization.

Queen hopes, with all of this interaction between band membersof the past and present, that band members will “get to seethe kid that still exists in all of [the band alumni].”

Through the contributions of Diamond M Club members, annualscholarships can be awarded to students who would otherwise not beable to attend the university. Rising tuition and flat budgets havekept the Mustang Band below its traditional goal of 96 members— the most members the band has ever had, which was duringthe 1960s.

The band currently has 69 members. Within the next few years,the Diamond M Club seeks to increase the band back to its optimalsize.

“Recruiting of band members requires the ability to offerlarge scholarships and good facilities. Currently the Mustang Bandhas neither of these,” Queen said.

However, he made it apparent that the Diamond M Club is strivingto increase the endowment fund and assist with the construction ofa new band hall. According to Queen, the university has a possiblelocation and initial talks about raising the funds to complete thefacility have already begun.

The Diamond M Club is also involved in the ongoing project ofpreserving the Mustang Band’s heritage half-time shows bytransferring them from film and video to digital format. Thisproject also extends to all recordings of the Mustang Band thatwill be transferred to CD format.

The organization of band alumni has been an integral part in thesuccess of the Mustang Band.

Nevertheless, the current Diamond M Club does not want to havethe reputation of a band booster organization because they”do so much more that just raise money and support theband,” Queen said.

The Diamond M Club also supports SMU athletics with the alumniand spirit bands. The alumni band performs at all home footballgames along Bishop Boulevard and at the basketball games during thesemester break when student band members are home for the holidays.The spirit band, a smaller version of the alumni band, plays aroundFord Stadium during the second quarter of home football games.

Connolly said he enjoys returning to the band hall because heknows he will always feel at home there. He wishes to share withthe entire university the spirit and unity that exists betweencurrent band members and the Diamond M Club.

“I have made more life-long friendships with the MustangBand than anywhere else,” he said. “I thought I wasjust joining a typical marching band; I had no idea what kind ofphenomenal organization I was getting into.”