Sorry, KXRA, rouser not original, our expert sez

Too bad John Herdan wasn't listening to KXRA yesterday. Listeners were trying to figure out the origin of the School Rouser (you know, "Cheer Oh Cheer for Alex"). Band director and Music Man John Herdan solved it for us.

Tom Obert started it. He writes:

Big controversy today on KXRA's "Open Line" over who wrote the school song and when (it is unique, most high schools just adopt the tune of a major college). There's was one who said it was Bill Anderson in 1933 - another said it was another chap in the early 40's. Anyone else care to hazard a guess?

Does anybody know the actual words?

John Herdan writes:
Stan,

Sorry, but the school song is not an original. The music to the school song is actually an old march called "College Boy." I believe it came from the "Bennett Band Book" series which means it was actually written by Henry Fillmore. When the words were added, I don't know. But.... most of them go like this:

(1st verse)
Cheer oh Cheer for Alex
Shout till the rafters ring
We're gonna yell oh yell for our team
Alexandria, rah, rah, rah!

(These two lines of the first verse is what I have trouble remembering. Any help here????)
Always looking onward
Doing the best we can

(2nd verse)
We can beat old Glenwood,
As we've done before
And we can help our team by yelling
Alexandria, rah, rah, rah!

Never give up hope, boys
And we'll win this game
And we will carry on forever
Dear old Alex' name.

I'll try and pin a date on it when I get back to the school music library. Further research has proved that it was indeed written by Harold Bennett (Henry Fillmore) and published by Carl Fischer, LLC. However, it is permanently out of print and no further information is available..... so far!

I will continue to search.

John

Actually, John, they don't seem to sing "boys" anymore. According to the official notes provided by the cub reporter it is now "team."

Readers should note that Alexandria's Fillmore Avenue was not named after the musician, but it now appears that it should have been.

Millard Fillmore was the thirteenth president of the United States. He is most noted for signing the Fugitive Slave Act into law. This made it legal for southerners to retrieve slaves fleeing north.

Alexandria named a street in his honor.

Perhaps, since Millard Fillmore did much less for Alexandria than Henry Fillmore, who wrote the Cardinal Rouser, the city should consider renaming the street after Henry.

Trailboss