The Bryan Adams band that performed at Richard Nixon’s second inauguration in 1973. (Photo courtesy of the G. William Jones Collection.)
Not only were the eyes of Texas upon the Bryan Adams High School band, but also the eyes of former President Richard Nixon.
Footage from the G. William Jones Film & Video Collection at Southern Methodist University shows the band practicing “The Eyes of Texas are Upon You” a day before embarking on the trip to Washington, D.C.
The band exceeded its $38,000 fundraising goal to finance the trip to Nixon’s second inauguration in 1973.
“We’re really excited. We’ve been anticipating this performance for a long time,” assistant drum major Patch Norris told a reporter from ABC affiliate WFAA in the video. “We hope to do a good job down there and have a real good time.”
Dallas Congressman Alan Steelman arranged an official tour of Washington for the students, who got to visit the White House and Smithsonian museums.
The students seemed to have thought of everything, including insulated underwear to cope with Washington’s colder weather.
