Former Alex band director's wife dies

Tom Obert writes:
We received an e-mail from Vince DiNino saying that his wife Jane died this morning. She had been ill the last couple of months from pneumonia and congestive heart problems. Vince was the Alex band director in Alex from 1948 until 1955, and then went on to create the Showband of the Southwest at the University of Texas.

Vince DiNino
308 S. Washington
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

Here's a nice article submitted by John Herdan about the DiNinos. Some of you may enjoy reading it:


Through the years, thousands of UT students have participated in the "Showband of the Southwest" as members, while millions of others have enjoyed its performances. But the person who perhaps best embodies the spirit of the Longhorn Band is its longtime director, Vincent R. DiNino.
Known to students, alumni, music lovers, and football fans as one of the most recognizable figures at the University, "Mr. D," as they still affectionately refer to him, made a major contribution to the education, experience, and enjoyment of band members for 30 years. Beginning in 1955, DiNino brought the band to national prominence through its performances at 17 bowl games, a Super Bowl, the inaugural parades of Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, the inaugurations of Texas governors, and many other ceremonial occasions. He even led the band on a tour of South America in 1972, playing in parades, concerts, and soccer stadiums in Peru and other countries.
"It's hard to pick out a favorite memory from all those years because there are so many wonderful ones from which to choose," says DiNino, who now holds the titles Director of Bands Emeritus and Professor Emeritus. "I would have to say that my interactions with young people were my favorite part — helping to teach them and then watching them bloom, not only as musicians but as students and as people."
During DiNino's tenure, the Longhorn Band grew in size and reputation, attaining the level of quality that remains its hallmark. It was during this time that many band traditions emerged, including the Alumni Band, Big Bertha, the Big Flags Brigade, and a scholarship program. One of the more significant changes DiNino helped bring about was the admission of women as musicians. Until 1956, when 10 were admitted, the only women in the marching band were majorettes. Austin architect Tommy Cowan, a 1963-67 band member and student president of the band in 1967, remembers DiNino's influence. "Vince DiNino shared his enthusiasm with all of the band students, music majors and others. He meant so much to students, and a lot to me personally. He opened my eyes to parts of the world that I'd never experienced. For a young person who hadn't traveled much, marching with the band in a presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C., was an incredible experience."
Most of the students DiNino inspired during his tenure were not music majors; they were a cross-section of the student population, and they came from cities and towns across the state, from virtually every county in Texas and every state in the union. If any one organization truly represents the student body, it is the Longhorn Band.
DiNino's wife, Jane, was also very much a part of the Longhorn Band family and was involved in many aspects of its administration. She designed the band flags that are still used today. Not surprisingly, Jane and Vince continue to influence the lives of UT students, even as they enjoy their retirement in the Texas Hill Country. To commemorate the first century of the Longhorn Band and to ensure its continued growth and success, the DiNinos have decided to help endow a $1 million chair to be held by the director of University bands.
The Vincent R. and Jane D. DiNino Endowed Chair in Music will provide tremendous opportunities for the band program, says a very grateful Jerry Junkin, UT's current band director. "We will be able to commission new works and increase our educational effort though new teaching assistants, graduate assistants, guest clinicians, and workshops. We will also be able to take advantage of touring opportunities we've had to turn down in the past."
The DiNinos have created a charitable gift annuity, as well as a provision in their estate plan, to provide approximately half the funds needed to endow the chair. "The annuity option fit well with our ongoing retirement plans," DiNino says. "It's a win-win deal for us and for the University."
Cowan is leading a committee to raise the remaining funds. "We're encouraging not just band alumni," he says, "but everyone with a love of the band program to honor Vince and Jane DiNino by contributing to the fund."
Jamey Smith
For information on contributing to the DiNino chair, please contact Karen Payne, assistant dean for development, College of Fine Arts, at 512/471-6468 or k.payne@mail.utexas.edu.