Searching for Gulfport’s Greatest Generation:
The Members of the 1935
Gulfport High School Marching Band
"This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny."--Franklin Delano Roosevelt
This panoramic photograph of the Gulfport High School band shows 65 band members and instructors. It was taken around May 3, 1935, the day the band was scheduled to travel to the Mississippi State Band Contest, which was in Starkville that year.
The two-day state contest was the highlight of every Mississippi high school band’s year. The GHS band earned an "excellent" rating in marching at the 1935 contest, and a "good" rating in concert. Solo and quartet performances received first honors.
The young people pictured here came of age during the great Depression. By 1935, they were in the depths of it. In five years, they would face World War II. These bright, optimistic faces were destined to meet those challenges and become “The Greatest Generation.”2
The two-day state contest was the highlight of every Mississippi high school band’s year. The GHS band earned an "excellent" rating in marching at the 1935 contest, and a "good" rating in concert. Solo and quartet performances received first honors.
The young people pictured here came of age during the great Depression. By 1935, they were in the depths of it. In five years, they would face World War II. These bright, optimistic faces were destined to meet those challenges and become “The Greatest Generation.”2
We want to tell their story
This panoramic image was donated by Jim Moody, whose father, James 'Jack' Moody, #62, was the band’s drum major. He and his brother, Bob Moody, #2, shown with tuba, operated Moody’s Courts at the corner of 33rd Avenue and West Beach Street until the late 1960s. Rivers Singleton, # 58, is shown with his large bass drum. Helen Stone, #53, is shown with her clarinet. She became Helen Palazzo in 1937 and is the grandmother of our Congressman Steven Palazzo.. We know the names of those four alumni, but they are just the beginning. We hope to identify all the bandmates, celebrate their lives and honor their achievements as The Greatest Generation. Their contributions helped make our country what it is today.
This panoramic is on display at the Galleria of Fine Arts in Gulfport located in the Carnegie Library.
This panoramic is on display at the Galleria of Fine Arts in Gulfport located in the Carnegie Library.
Here’s how you can help
Each person in the panoramic image has a number beneath him or her, and a close-up has been taken from the main photo. Hovering your cursor over any close-up will show the person’s number, and clicking on it will show a larger photo. Do you recognize any of them?
— Your own family is the closest place to look. Check to see if any member of your family fits that time period. Check back into your family’s history. Did any of your family go to GHS and play in the GHS band during that time? You can also expand your search to family friends.
— Do you have a GHS yearbook between 1930 and 1940? The band was founded in 1930, so members may be from several grades.
Please share any identifying photos, yearbooks, clippings, letters, or other materials with us. We will scan them safely to preserve them, and return the originals to you. The artifacts will be posted online.
— Do you have a GHS yearbook between 1930 and 1940? The band was founded in 1930, so members may be from several grades.
Please share any identifying photos, yearbooks, clippings, letters, or other materials with us. We will scan them safely to preserve them, and return the originals to you. The artifacts will be posted online.
Contact us by emailing the Historical Society of Gulfport at: gulfporthistory@gmail.com
Betty Shaw 228-864-1202
Jim Miller, 228-864-3472 or Cell 228-223-6585 jim@adventurecommunications.net
Or write:
Historical Society of Gulfport
P.O. Box 662, Gulfport, MS 39502
Thanks for your participation in this project.
1 Murella Powell, Biloxi local history & genealogy librarian, retired
2 “The Greatest Generation,” ©1998 Tom Brokaw
Betty Shaw 228-864-1202
Jim Miller, 228-864-3472 or Cell 228-223-6585 jim@adventurecommunications.net
Or write:
Historical Society of Gulfport
P.O. Box 662, Gulfport, MS 39502
Thanks for your participation in this project.
1 Murella Powell, Biloxi local history & genealogy librarian, retired
2 “The Greatest Generation,” ©1998 Tom Brokaw
