As one of only 34 bands from across the country to participate in the 55th annual inaugural parade in January, the 130-member Camden Fairview High School Marching Band had an opportunity of a lifetime.
“It was incredible,” said Jeff Kee, director of bands at Camden Fairview and a graduate of Southern Arkansas University. “It was quite an undertaking and a great experience for everyone.”
After a highly competitive selection process, Kee and his band were chosen by a committee to participate in the historic event.
“We were required to send recordings of the band and a video tape,” said Kee. “I also had to go through a very intense interview.”
In honor of Camden Fairview being the only band from Arkansas asked to march in the parade, President George W. Bush asked Arkansas First Lady Janet Huckabee to sit with him when the band passed by the grandstand.
According to Kee, it was a very stressful time for everyone involved.
“It was emotionally draining,” said Kee. “We had to be at the Pentagon at 10 a.m. even though the parade didn’t begin until 2:30 p.m. We were put through very intense security checks.”
While in Washington, D.C., the group was able to attend a reception hosted by Lockheed-Martin and also had the opportunity to take a dinner cruise.
“We had a lot of neat experiences while on the trip,” said Kee.
During the parade, the group performed a song especially written for the inaugural parade by an Arkansas composer and arranger.
Kee received his B.M.E. from SAU in December 1996 and is in his seventh year of teaching at Camden Fairview. His wife, Cynthia, is also a graduate of SAU and teaches elementary music at Camden Fairview. Their 12-year-old daughter Allison is a member of the band.
He is a 1992 graduate of Magnolia High School and the son of Butch and Carol Kee.
