UIL Honoree who served with “Dedication and Distinction”
The Beginnings of a Winning Tradition!
Mr. Thomas Ross, Jr attended Huston-Tillotson University Austin, Texas and graduated with a BA in Music. Mr. Ross did graduate work at Texas Southern University in Houston Texas, North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) in Denton Texas. Mr. Ross received his Master’s of Arts Degree with a major in Music Theory and Minor in Music Education from Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas. A WWII United States Army Air Corps Veteran.
Mr. Thomas Ross, Jr was Director of Bands at Sequoyah Junior High School of Dallas, Texas from September 1958 to May 1963. At Sequoyah Junior High School he led the most successful Junior High School band program in the State of Texas. Under Mr. Ross’s leadership, the Sequoyah Junior High School became the first Junior High School in the Dallas Independent School District to receive a “1” division rating in concert. Musical excellence became the required expectation of all musicians who resided under the direction and leadership of Mr. Thomas Ross, Jr. No exceptions. His hallmark musical brilliance followed him to his next destination- the newly built Franklin D. Roosevelt High School in 1963.
The Franklin D. Roosevelt High School Mighty Mustang Band has a rich and proud history. The famed history of the band extended far beyond the walls of Franklin D. Roosevelt High School. At the very inception of Franklin D. Roosevelt High School, a foundation for the pursuit of greatness and musical prowess was poured between the frames of fortitude and indomitably. The Mustang Band of Franklin D. Roosevelt High School was no exception to that premise.
With Vision and purpose, the Mustang Band of Franklin D. Roosevelt High School stirred the hearts and souls of each student, faculty, alumni and fans alike. The band set the tone at every football game with its upbeat signature musical number “Tuff Enuff” and rallied the football team’s defense to hold the opposition team with the blaring sound of “hold that line!” It’s Halftime ! The announcer shouted with a boisterous voice across the mic as he introduced the “baddest band in the land.” In affirmation, we screamed to the top of our lungs, V.E.L.T! as we high stepped to the funky beat of the drums, the deep harmonic groove of the tubas and the melodic sounds of the various horn sections that blared the popular tunes of the day. The crowd cheered as we marched to the soulful tempo of the 8 to 5 stride across the turf field into various creative formations that concluded with a popular dance routine. The audience of Mustang fans had just witnessed the exciting Franklin D. Roosevelt High School Mighty Marching Mustang Band. Success didn’t start and stop after halftime. Under the direction and leadership of Mr. Thomas Ross, Jr:
Bands during the Era of Mr. Thomas Ross, Jr.
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“I first met Mr. Ross on the opening day of summer band. After spending years under the tutelage of the great jazz musician and band director of Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior High School Mr. John Hardee, I wasn’t sure what to make of Mr. Thomas Ross, Jr. It would take the entire three years for me to formulate my opinion.
I found Mr. Ross to be extremely competitive, goal oriented, a staunch disciplinarian but yet a caring individual. In short, he was a man that demanded your best while realizing the economic and environmental forces that affected his students daily. Mr. Ross was able to engage us and demanded perfection in his own style and way. And I’m sure at times we tested his patience daily.
Even though we received invitations to participate in music festivals around the world, Mr. Ross knew that it was hard to raise funds just to get the band to Amarillo, Texas. So, attending a music festival in Paris (France not Texas) was out of the question. But who else could take a handful of economically disadvantaged kids (though we didn’t think that we were economically disadvantaged) and transform them into a nationally recognized music machine? Only the Master of Music, the Professor himself, Mr. Thomas Ross, Jr.”
Student Musician Acknowledgement: Jim Jackson, Jazz, Soloist, Alto Sax ’74)
Honorable Mention
The Legendary Dynamic Duo of Mr. Thomas Ross, Jr and Mr. John Hardee. As Director of Bands of Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr High School, Mr. John Hardee prepared the next generation of student musicians to meet and exceed the demands of one legendary Director of Bands, Mr. Thomas Ross, Jr. Together they worked to build a solid foundation in music theory and performance at the middle school level.
The Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. High School served as the feeder school to the premier high school music program at Franklin D. Roosevelt High School. Many of the students flourished under their leadership and went on to attain musical acclaim in their own right. The two Director of Bands was assisted by upcoming Director of Bands, Mr. Cecil Neal, Jr and Mr. Dean Hill.
Mr. John Hardee
Hardee, John (1918–1984). Tenor saxophonist John Hardee was born in Corsicana, Texas, on December 20, 1918. His was a musical family, and while still living at home, he formed part of Dan Carter’s Blue Moon Syncopaters, a local group that also included Texas trombonist Tyree Glenn.
Hardee belonged to the Texas tradition of big-toned tenor saxophonists. He attended Bishop College in Marshall, but left school to tour with the Don Albert band from San Antonio during 1937–38. Afterwards he returned to Bishop and graduated with a music degree in 1941. While in the military and stationed in Nyack, New York, from 1941 to 1944, he played clarinet in various army bands, and during this time and after World War II took part in jam sessions at New York City’s famed Minton’s, as well as at venues on 52nd Street. After his discharge Hardee and his wife moved to Harlem. In 1946 he performed and recorded with Tiny Grimes. During his years in New York Hardee played a number of famed venues including the Apollo Theater in Harlem and the “845” in the Bronx.
In the late 1940s he moved back to Texas and taught school in Wichita Falls until 1955, when he settled in Dallas. There he held a teaching position at Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr High School until his retirement in 1976. Hardee gave his last performance at the Nice Jazz Festival in France in 1975. He died in Dallas on May 18, 1984.
Hardee was reportedly inspired by Swing-Era tenorist Chu Berry of the Fletcher Henderson and Cab Calloway orchestras. The Texan’s own solos have been characterized as “heated” and “strongly swinging,” “completely without artifice,” and also as “soulful” and “steeped simultaneously in raw power and gentle lyricism.” In 1946 Hardee recorded for the prestigious Blue Note label, and in the year of his death, Mosaic Records reissued the Blue Note sides. By 2002 several of Hardee’s recordings had been released on compact disc, including Hardee’s Partee: Forgotten Texas Tenor (2002) and The Definitive Black and Blue Sessions (2002).
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/hardee-john
Mr. Cecil Neal, Jr
Mr. Cecil Neal, Jr was Band Director at Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr High School. Mr. Neal (Seated to the right of FD Roosevelt’s High School Band Director Mr. Hige Russell) was a great musical mentor to the many students that he taught. He displayed an exuberant presence within the band room and while attending our football games. Thank You Mr. Neal for your time and service towards making the FDR Mustang Band – A Great Band !
Mr. Dean Hill
Mr. Dean Hill is truly a Mustang! He assisted the Mustang Band on countless of occasions over many, many years. He was always willing to help the Mustang Band Musicians to be the best that we could be. He earned the respect of each of the band students and Band Directors at Franklin D. Roosevelt High School. As the Band Director at Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. High School, Mr. Dean Hill continued the legacy of Mr. John Hardee by preparing his students to exceed beyond their musical expectations. Mr. Hill you will always have a special place in the hearts of each FDR Mustang Band Musician. Thank you for your service and time to make us better student musicians and the Franklin D. Roosevelt High School Mighty Marching Mustang Band a fantastic organization.
