Ursuline alums return for tonight's 75th anniversary observance

YOUNGSTOWN

It’s been a long time since Tom Cavanaugh was a drum major for the Ursuline Fighting Irish Marching Band.

Cavanaugh returned today for the band’s 75th anniversary when alumni joined current band members on the field during the pregame and halftime shows at the game against archrival Cardinal Mooney.

“They say this is the 75th anniversary. That would mean the band started in 1939,” said Cavanaugh, of Niles. “I started here in 1942, so that would make me almost a charter member.”

Before becoming a drum major, the 1946 graduate played trumpet. He met his first wife, who was a majorette and a year behind him in school, in the band.

He planned to join the band on the field but not play.

The school looks a lot different now than it did when he was a student, but not everything is different.

“It always had that spirit of camaraderie — and it still does,” Cavanaugh said.

Read more about the anniversary and who else is returning in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.