Today, the Marching Royal Dukes Alumni is honored to announce a donation of $3,348.39 to the Marlon Foster ('82, '95) Memorial Scholarship Endowment Endeavor for Music Education, contributing to the $50,000 needed to bring the fund to full endowment — a milestone reached in under one year through the collective generosity of the JMU community.

The donation was raised through the MRD Alumni’s first-ever commemorative ornament, which sold out during MRD Alumni Band Weekend, coinciding with another profound moment: Marlon Foster was posthumously awarded the Outstanding Music Educator Award at the 2025 Virginia Music Educators Association conference's JMU VMEA Music Awards.

​This award is presented to a music educator who exemplifies JMU’s commitment to musicianship, pedagogy, professional leadership, and lasting dedication to music education. Marlon embodied these values throughout a life defined by service, mentorship, and joy.

A gifted educator with a “father’s heart,” Marlon taught in the Harrisonburg City Public Schools for 26 years and influenced countless students as adjunct faculty at James Madison University, Shenandoah University, Eastern Mennonite University, and Bridgewater College. His career also included distinguished service in the United States Air Force Tactical Air Command Band, as well as decades of performing, composing, conducting, mentoring, and inspiring musicians across Virginia.

Known for his welcoming smile, endearing laugh, and uncanny ability to remember every student’s name, Marlon lived a life anchored in faith, music, family, and community. His deep love of jazz, devotion to percussion, and passion for helping young musicians flourish made him a beloved and irreplaceable presence.

​“Seeing the scholarship reach endowment on the very weekend Marlon was honored by JMU feels profoundly fitting,” said Dan Everard, President of the MRD Alumni. “It shows just how deeply he touched this community — and how committed we are to ensuring his legacy lives on.”

“This ornament project began as a tribute — but it became a movement,” said Chase Maszle, MRD Alumni Vice President. “Every alumnus who purchased one helped secure a legacy that will support students for generations. This was a community effort in the truest sense.”

​The MRD Alumni extends heartfelt thanks to every supporter of the fundraiser; to Cheryl and the entire Foster family; Chase Maszle, Dan and Cyndi Everard, Amanda Brock Robson, and the MRD Alumni Leadership team; John Allemeier, Laura Mulligan Thomas, and Scott Rikkers of the JMU School of Music; Rebekah Noonan of University Advancement; Paula Polglase and Erin Conley of the JMU Alumni Association; Garrett King of the JMU Foundation; K. Coffman; and the talented design and production crew at Tim Weberding Woodworking.

For more information on how to contribute a tax-deducible gift to the Marlon Foster Memorial Scholarship Endowment Endeavor for Music Education, please visit JMU's giving portal.

Earlier this summer, many in the MRD Alumni community found themselves deeply saddened by learning that Marlon Foster (‘82, 95M) – a beloved member of our JMU Music community whose spirit, dedication, and joy left a lasting mark on all who knew him – passed away.

Foster served in the United States Air Force and taught in Harrisonburg City Public Schools for 26 years, as well as instructing percussionists at the JMU School of Music. Marlon was awarded Teacher of the Year from Harrisonburg City Public Schools, and he was inducted into the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association’s Hall of Fame.

We shared a short update, that of course, only begins to summate his impact: “Marlon Foster’s lessons reached far beyond the classroom. He taught us how to listen, lead, and love each other like a band.”

To honor Marlon, our family together with the JMU School of Music is proud to share that the University has agreed to a new scholarship endeavor in his memory.

This scholarship ensures Marlon’s legacy will live on for generations to come, and once endowed, will be awarded to a JMU Music student.

• If you’d like to contribute to making this scholarship a success, you can make a gift through JMU’s secure donation page. Every contribution — big or small — will help us reach our goal and keep Marlon’s light shining brightly.
  
  
• In addition to the scholarship, we’ll be honoring Marlon with a special 2025 MRD ornament engraved with "In Memory of Marlon Foster." 100% of profits will benefit the Marlon Foster Scholarship endeavor.
  
  

We’d like to thank Cheryl Foster, John Allemeier and many others including Rubén Graciani, Scott Rikkers, Dan Everard, Karin Tollefson, Laura Mulligan, and Rebekah Noonan for their contributions, support, and coordination of this incredible venture honoring Marlon’s legacy. 

I was not personally lucky enough to meet him, but as I mentioned my regrets to our leadership team, Dan Everard replied, “Just smile and a little bit of Marlon will be in you.”

Announcing a fresh lineup of MRD Alumni apparel now available through Boathouse Sports — just in time for the holidays…

This season’s collection features:

• A newly designed sleek, black MRD Alumni polo for a clean, spirited look
• Ultra-customizable wind/waterproof GORE-TEX heavy coat and matching pants for all-weather performance
• And a brand-new Boathouse brand Pep Band alumni polo, designed just for our high-energy crew!
  
  

🕐 Looking for gear that will come in time for Alumni Band Weekend this November? These Boathouse holiday fundraiser items will not ship ❌ in time (but don’t worry, our standard lineup of value-oriented gear is still available as part of Alumni Band Weekend registration and will arrive for pickup only at our registration tables – that gear is NOT available for shipping).

Items ordered through Boathouse will arrive in time for the Christmas season — making them a great gift for any proud Duke.

Even better? Thanks to your generous shopping, the MRD Alumni have recently contributed $755 to the Posey Scholarship Endowment! 💜 And that’s not all. Proceeds from previous sales are also helping subsidize ticket costs for our MRD Alumni Tailgate, keeping this tradition affordable and accessible for everyone.

👉 Shop the MRD Alumni Classics – 2025 Holiday Clothing Fundraiser now

Our MRD Alumni Chapter President, Dan Everard, recently reported some news to me during the 2025 Madison Alumni Conference and tuned in during an informal insider look at the location of the to-be-announced MRD practice field and its inclusion in JMU’s most recent early draft of JMU's 2027 Campus Vision "Master Plan."

While we’re thrilled to see this vital piece of the MRD experience acknowledged in University planning, we want to be transparent: no final renderings, construction dates, or official commitments have been made yet.

"If you want to look at the 2017 Master Plan - check it out here," mentions Dan. "You will see that some of the items on that have happened, some have not. Some of the ones that have not, have moved onto the 2027 draft, some have been modified or dropped."

"It is critical that we keep the building on the plan moving forward in order to bring it to fruition."

The below map showcases its tentative location, which varies a bit from past locations that we've been made aware of.

While we await more details, several chapter leadership members and at-large JMU Alumni Board leadership team members are focused on advocating for a field that supports the excellence and impact of the MRD program.

We'll also remain engaged in conversations with the University so we may begin private fundraising among our group.

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, July 2, 2025, at 5:00 PM — the MRD Alumni Pep Band is hitting the stands at JMU Night with the Richmond Flying Squirrels at The Diamond! 🥁⚾

Join fellow Dukes as we celebrate JMU spirit with the baseball community. Alumni Pep Band members will officially start the evening—partnering with Duke Dog for first pitch and fun photo ops. If you're performing with the pep band, your game ticket is on us! Not playing but still want to attend? Tickets are available for supporters to cheer alongside the band.

This is your chance to show off that unmistakable purple and gold energy. Whether you’re playing an instrument or just cheering in the stands, come be part of MRD tradition in a fresh setting. RSVP soon if you want to play, and grab your tickets if you’re excited to watch!

Huge thanks to Expert Volunteer Earl Shaffer and MRD Alumni President Dan Everard for planning and coordinating logistics.

More information is on our events page.

We’re entering our fourth year partnering with Boathouse Sports, creating new ways for MRD Alumni to proudly show off their band spirit. Your gear purchases do more than look great — they directly support the MRD Alumni Chapter Fund, helping us offset costs associated with MRD Alumni Band Weekend and contributing to the Bill Posey Scholarship Endowment.

This includes design development by our chapter leadership team, the sale period itself, manufacturing and shipping of the goods, and finally, a sales and fundraising recap with the JMU Alumni Association. A portion of the profits from each item benefit an area of our leadership team's choosing — and additionally, a proportion of the overall item cost base price benefits the JMU Foundation. 

In general, we always encourage alumni to purchase only products that bear the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) official seal, typically in the form of a holographic sticker affixed on the clothing's sale tag or packaging.

Keep an eye on our social media platforms for upcoming alumni gear drops and seasonal campaigns, including a 2025 holiday season store that will include several new cold weather gear offerings that are unique (hint hint.... GORE-TEX® is coming!!).

We’re thankful for this partnership that combines spirit-wear and real impact.

JMU Giving Day 2025 marked a historic milestone for the Marching Royal Dukes program. In just one day, 686 donors raised $64,387 through individual gifts and several competitive Giving Day challenges. This remarkable success shows what our extended MRD family is capable of when we unite behind our shared love of music, community and tradition.

Thank you to everyone who contributed, our MRD Alumni Giving Day ambassadors, the Marching Royal Dukes staff's personal appeal, and to those who cheered us on from the sidelines.

In the coming months, we'll present an online seminar if you're interested in donating a part of your estate to the Marching Royal Dukes or to the University. That program will be led by Kathy Sarver, JMU's Director of Planned Giving.

Be on the lookout for information on how to register.

This year brought some exciting updates to how we stay connected. We officially launched alumni.jmumrd.org — a comprehensive new digital home for MRD Alumni.

The site includes:

• Regular news and happenings
• A growing historical archive
• Life milestone sharing
• Giving milestones and impact stories
• Volunteer opportunities
• And everything you need for a seamless MRD Alumni Band Weekend experience

This platform was built with sustainability and long-term engagement in mind. The site is hosted and maintained at no charge to our organization thanks to generous private support from our chapter leadership team.

This year, we’re planning several new features to make your experience even better:

• Optional official hard-side permanent name tags to help us all reconnect
• A Friday night happy hour at TBD location
• The introduction of a brand-new MRD Alumni Award

It’s the perfect time to reunite with friends, relive the glory days, and make new memories in purple and gold. Come home and experience it for yourself.

At this point in time, you may book your hotel room (we recommend using one of the hotel blocks on our web page, as the MRD Alumni receive heavily discounted rates).

More information is available at our dedicated "Prepare for Alumni Band Weekend" page.

2025 is a year of rebuilding and reorganization behind the scenes.

President Dan Everard and I have been strengthening ties with key strategic advisors, like alumni board members Jim Sheldrake and Michelle Turenne (not to mention... can you believe we now have five alumni on the JMU Alumni Association's board of directors?!).

Jim is focused on ensuring that we have a rigid, well-supported bridge with the JMU Alumni Association. As a board member, he's also taken interest in the operational excellence of the alumni association more broadly.

Michelle is advocating any needs on behalf of our chapter leadership — and she's laser focused on the mechanics of early-stage fundraising and development opportunities for the aforementioned Practice Field.

Dan has been determining the specifics of our new Richmond Flying Squirrels appearance, and organizing another amazing MRD Alumni Band Weekend event. It always amazes me the effort and care that goes into planning our wonderful Alumni Band Weekend event each November.

I have been preparing sponsorship options for individuals and businesses to support MRD Alumni programs; understanding our communications deficits and advocating for interim and long-term solutions with the JMU Alumni Association; and continuing brand operations with gear sale fundraisers, our hard-side name tag project, and several new communications design/animation projects in collab with a few wonderful volunteers (to be named once the work is released to the world)!

Dan, Phil Pollard, and I have contributed significant man-hours to the production and launch of alumni.jmumrd.org.

Undoubtedly, I've unintentionally omitted a volunteer's hard work on behalf of the MRD Alumni. Please do reach out so we may recognize your efforts, if so.

By 2026, we plan to have a fully operational volunteer team managing alumni contact data, engagement, and MRD Alumni community updates. We know this has been a pain point for us in the past — and we appreciate your patience as we lay the groundwork.

For the first time ever, this year, we've invited all graduating seniors to quickly submit their personal email addresses to our email list subscription so we don't loose touch with them after their JMU email accounts are disabled post-graduation.

While this small example may feel insignificant, it's this future volunteer team that will track and execute small steps like this to help us grow the chapter in measured, important ways.

The to-be-established team will help us deliver more consistent updates, targeted communications, and meaningful engagement across all alumni generations.

Please do express your volunteering interest by writing to us: jmumrdalumni+volunteer@gmail.com.

Thank you for your continued support of the MRDs and this amazing alumni community. We are proud of the momentum we’ve built together — and even more excited for what’s ahead.

Once a Marching Royal Duke, always...