Fundraising Initiative Under Way for New Band Uniforms

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Razorback Marching Band

Jim and Joyce Faulkner of Little Rock, long-time University of Arkansas supporters, have made a gift of $83,500, half of what is needed to purchase new uniforms for the Razorback Marching Band. An effort to raise the remaining funds began one month ago and has already resulted in gifts totaling more than $59,000.

Every dollar is matched by the Faulkners’ contribution.

“We both played clarinet in high school bands – Joyce in Benton and me in Malvern – and we learned to love band music at an early age,” said Jim Faulkner. “I was in the Razorback band for two years, and did the PA work for another year. This was a small way we could pay back for the personal enjoyment we both had from our programs during high school and college.”

The current uniforms are old and worn, and the heavy material is very hot. The new uniforms are made of a lighter, but more durable, fabric that is also less expensive to clean. The overall look of the uniforms will not change, but the comfort for the students will improve immeasurably.

 “Making sure our students maintain a quality appearance and are comfortable on the field are critical components of our operation as a nationally recognized and admired marching band,” said Chris Knighten, director of the University of Arkansas Athletic Bands. “We cannot thank the Faulkners enough for their lead support of this effort and for inspiring so many others to contribute as well. New uniforms, an improvement we have been considering for several years, will make a significant difference for our program.”

The more than 350 members of the Razorback Marching Band make up one of the largest student organizations on campus. The band, known as “The Best in Sight and Sound,” is a past recipient of the Sudler Trophy, which recognizes extraordinary musical standards and innovative marching routines and is the nation’s highest honor bestowed on a college or university band by the John Phillip Sousa Foundation.

Jim Faulkner, a member of the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century Steering Committee and the Campaign’s Executive and Central Arkansas Regional Committees, is a 1954 University of Arkansas graduate with a bachelor of science in journalism. Following his graduation, Mr. Faulkner spent two years in the Air Force.

After the military, the Faulkners moved back to Arkansas where Mr. Faulkner began his career in advertising. He founded a one-man advertising agency, Faulkner and Associates, which grew into one of the leading advertising firms in the Southwest.

In the early 1980s Mr. Faulkner established Falcon Publications, which targeted the video movie industry. At the time he sold Falcon Publications in 1992, it was then the largest video publication in the world with a 1.5 million monthly circulation.

After selling their businesses, the Faulkners invested in areas such as banking and real estate.

Joyce Faulkner returned to school after raising their family, and graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

The Faulkners are long-time supporters of the University of Arkansas and are members of the Chancellor’s Society and the Towers of Old Main. They are A-plus Life members of the Arkansas Alumni Association. Examples of their previous generosity include gifts directed to the renovation of Old Main, the Walter J. Lemke Scholarship Award Fund, the Walter J. Lemke Journalism Education Fund, the Chancellor’s Society and the establishment of several Chancellor’s Scholarships.