Gerald Edward Waguespack (The Band)

[cajun67]

I just heard that Dr. Waguespack, who I believe was assistant to Dr. Brian Taylor - band director, has died. Also undertand that Dr. Taylor has resigned as Band Director. Thoughts and prayers for Dr. Waguespack and his family and best wishes for Dr. Taylor in his new role. Difficult time for band members, certainly.

[Zeebart21]

I just heard that Dr. Waguespack, who I believe was assistant to Dr. Brian Taylor - band director, has died. Also undertand that Dr. Taylor has resigned as Band Director. Thoughts and prayers for Dr. Waguespack and his family and best wishes for Dr. Taylor in his new role. Difficult time for band members, certainly.

Been knowing Wag since 1972.. A fine man and terrific teacher. RIP

Z

[Hammer58]

Been knowing Wag since 1972.. A fine man and terrific teacher. RIP

Z

Didn't know him but if Z vouches for him he must have been alright. Condolences to his family.

[NOCajun]

I remember meeting Wag back when I first started marching POA and Wag was the band director at Acadiana. He will be missed by many. All my prayers go out to his family.

[MetryCajun]

Been knowing Wag since 1972.. A fine man and terrific teacher. RIP

Z

That is an understatement. Most people will never touch as many lives in a positive way as he did. He will be missed.

[cajunfan337]

Sorry for the bands loss. I'm sure a beautiful tribute to him will happen this year for him at one of our halftimes

[Boomer]

Well who is the heir apparent??? Brock are you or any of our guys up to the task???

[BrockMeaux]

I was really sad to hear of Dr. Wag's passing this afternoon. He impacted hundreds of lives teaching in the area for over 3 decades, and he will be missed. He was a great teacher, and an even better man. I can't overstate how much he meant for music education in South Louisiana. He influenced generations of future educators and leaders by his great example.

As far as for Dr. Taylor's position, from what I understand, he's leaving at the end of this semester, but due to the amount of time it will take to conduct a search and find a replacement (which can't start until after he's officially left), the basic plan is for grad students to run the marching band in the fall until a full-time, doctoral level replacement can be hired. Word I've heard is that they would like to hire whoever the marching band equivalent of Coach Hud is; that is, somebody young and energetic (with a doctorate) that's currently paying their dues as an assistant at an SEC-level program. That probably won't be easy to find so I'm expecting it to take some time. All that said, I also want to thank Dr. Taylor for everything he's done here. He was the marching band and basketball band director while I was in school, and he was always a great director that definitely helped put the university's name out there as much as anybody not named Hud. He had the band perform on national TV twice at Macy's and once recently on WWE Monday Night Raw, as well as internationally, taking the group on trips to Spain, Scotland, and London. I'll forever be grateful for everything both those men did for me and for the university as a whole.

[bjc6267]

It's a shame the band is losing both Wag & BT at the same time. Both had a tremendous impact on the lives of many in the UL community and will definitely be missed. This was one of the best years for UL's band that I can remember (Macy's, WWE, Saints Game, tremendous numbers, and the best sounding band that we have had in a long time).

I love the idea of a band Hud concept. With marching band though, you are not limited to SEC for regional purposes. Their are a lot of exciting band programs outside of the SEC that could have some excellent up & comers.

With Southern on the home schedule, we will definitely need the UL band to bring their A+ game to keep up.

[CajunZ1]

So sorry to here about Wag... He was the man!

[Just1More]

I found this out last night (from Z first) and it really is a sad day. Wag was my band director at Acadiana. My class was his first year at Acadiana High School. He had already worked with us starting in my freshman year while he was the band director at Rayne High School. He wrote marching drill for us before becoming our band director. I had the pleasure of being the first band president in Wag's first year at Acadiana and it was a sincere pleasure to know the man. We were young and he was pretty young at the time... it made for interesting dynamics. I ran into Wag at the Marriott on Saturday after the New Orleans bowl and gave him credit (justifiably so) for the work he's done with the UL band. They really have improved over the past two years.

I knew Wag had heart issues and seemed to be on the mend. It was a life taken too soon. He still had a lot of band director work to do... and a lot more lives to touch. It meant a lot to Wag to be at UL in these final years of his career.

Thank you for all of your contributions to music education and the betterment of young people's lives.
Rest in peace, Wag.

[NewsCopy]

Gerald Edward Waguespack earned his BME from Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana in 1971. He immediately began his teaching career in Vinton Louisiana as director of Vinton Middle School and Vinton High School Bands. His tenure there produced the first superior ratings in marching, jazz, and concert band in the history of the program. In 1973, he accepted the position of band director at Rayne High School. Upon his arrival he greeted a program of twenty-seven students. Six years later, the band had grown to over 120 members and was the recipient of numerous superior ratings and awards including the only Superior Rating at State Festival in the history of the school. Additionally, he earned his MME from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now UL-Lafayette) in 1977. In 1979 Waguespack became the director of bands at Acadiana High School, a position he held for twenty-eight years. While at Acadiana, his bands earned numerous accolades including seven top five finishes at BOA regional and super-regional competitions as well as marching in the Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades. In 1993 the Acadiana Program became the first in Louisiana to have three ensembles rate superior at the same state festival. In addition to the outstanding performance accomplishments at Acadiana, Waguespack pursued and completed his Ph.D. in Music Education in 2000. This degree was earned from the University of Southern Mississippi. While at USM he studied conducting with Dr. Thomas V. Fraschillo and assisted Dr. Steve Moser with the "Pride of Mississippi” Marching Band.

(Presently) Dr. Waguespack assists with directing the "Pride Of 
Acadiana” Marching Band and Conducts the Concert Band at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Additionally, he assists the department in whatever capacities deemed necessary. He is active as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the south.

Dr. Waguespack holds membership in MENC and LMEA where he served on the board of directors for five years. He served as state chairman of NBA on two occasions. He is the past state chairman of the American School Band Directors Association and past president of Phi Beta Mu. Additionally he holds membership in ASBDA and CBDNA. He has earned many awards as a teacher and director including Phi Beta Mu Band Director of the Year and two NBA Citations of Excellence. He received the John Philip Sousa Foundation Sudler Order of Merit in 1997. He was inducted into Who’s Who in American Teachers on five occasions and received three Lafayette Education Foundation Teacher Awards. He was nationally certified by MENC in 1992 and was the first recipient of the Joe Barry Mullins Fellowship for Graduate Studies at the University of Southern Mississippi.

The source of the story

[CajunAmos]

I was really sad to hear of Dr. Wag's passing this afternoon. He impacted hundreds of lives teaching in the area for over 3 decades, and he will be missed. He was a great teacher, and an even better man. I can't overstate how much he meant for music education in South Louisiana. He influenced generations of future educators and leaders by his great example.

As far as for Dr. Taylor's position, from what I understand, he's leaving at the end of this semester, but due to the amount of time it will take to conduct a search and find a replacement (which can't start until after he's officially left), the basic plan is for grad students to run the marching band in the fall until a full-time, doctoral level replacement can be hired. Word I've heard is that they would like to hire whoever the marching band equivalent of Coach Hud is; that is, somebody young and energetic (with a doctorate) that's currently paying their dues as an assistant at an SEC-level program. That probably won't be easy to find so I'm expecting it to take some time. All that said, I also want to thank Dr. Taylor for everything he's done here. He was the marching band and basketball band director while I was in school, and he was always a great director that definitely helped put the university's name out there as much as anybody not named Hud. He had the band perform on national TV twice at Macy's and once recently on WWE Monday Night Raw, as well as internationally, taking the group on trips to Spain, Scotland, and London. I'll forever be grateful for everything both those men did for me and for the university as a whole.

First, I don't know anything about the process, but it seems like you should be able to conduct a search knowing that the place will be vacant at a specific date. If not, you're looking at a possible extended period leaderless, which is not positive for the program as a whole.

Second, RHP to Dr. Waguespack and all you have done for the university.

[Lafitte the Pirate]

Gerald Edward Waguespack earned his BME from Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana in 1971. He immediately began his teaching career in Vinton Louisiana as director of Vinton Middle School and Vinton High School Bands. His tenure there produced the first superior ratings in marching, jazz, and concert band in the history of the program. In 1973, he accepted the position of band director at Rayne High School. Upon his arrival he greeted a program of twenty-seven students. Six years later, the band had grown to over 120 members and was the recipient of numerous superior ratings and awards including the only Superior Rating at State Festival in the history of the school. Additionally, he earned his MME from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now UL-Lafayette) in 1977. In 1979 Waguespack became the director of bands at Acadiana High School, a position he held for twenty-eight years. While at Acadiana, his bands earned numerous accolades including seven top five finishes at BOA regional and super-regional competitions as well as marching in the Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades. In 1993 the Acadiana Program became the first in Louisiana to have three ensembles rate superior at the same state festival. In addition to the outstanding performance accomplishments at Acadiana, Waguespack pursued and completed his Ph.D. in Music Education in 2000. This degree was earned from the University of Southern Mississippi. While at USM he studied conducting with Dr. Thomas V. Fraschillo and assisted Dr. Steve Moser with the "Pride of Mississippi” Marching Band.

Presently, Dr. Waguespack assists with directing the "Pride Of 
Acadiana” Marching Band and Conducts the Concert Band at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Additionally, he assists the department in whatever capacities deemed necessary. He is active as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the south.

Dr. Waguespack holds membership in MENC and LMEA where he served on the board of directors for five years. He served as state chairman of NBA on two occasions. He is the past state chairman of the American School Band Directors Association and past president of Phi Beta Mu. Additionally he holds membership in ASBDA and CBDNA. He has earned many awards as a teacher and director including Phi Beta Mu Band Director of the Year and two NBA Citations of Excellence. He received the John Philip Sousa Foundation Sudler Order of Merit in 1997. He was inducted into Who’s Who in American Teachers on five occasions and received three Lafayette Education Foundation Teacher Awards. He was nationally certified by MENC in 1992 and was the first recipient of the Joe Barry Mullins Fellowship for Graduate Studies at the University of Southern Mississippi.

The source of the story

I have know Jerry and his wife Amy since they were in Vinton in 1971. I am shocked that he is gone.

[Lafitte the Pirate]

Brock, can you tell us how he died? I cut up with him and his wife at the last two New Orleans Bowl and visit about our time when we were (YOUNG)!!!