TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - With Florida A&M University celebrating its Homecoming this weekend, many are celebrating the 70th year of the well-known Marching 100.
Members of the Doctor William P. and Mary Ann Foster Foundation took the time Thursday evening to present an exhibit on the life and legacy of the band's creator.
Doctor William Foster became the director of bands at FAMU in June 1946.
To celebrate Foster's long lasting legacy, the foundation launched the "70 Years of Foster-ing Excellence Exhibit" in the Foster-Tanner Arts Gallery on FAMU's campus.
When the band first started, Foster only had 16 members. Now, the band has more than 400 and is known today as "the most imitated marching band in America."
Foster's son hoped that the exhibit will continue his father's legacy in the future.
"It gives them a certain amount of discipline. They have to maintain a certain grade point average. They have to have good musician ship, and they have to have a certain amount of discipline. Those characteristics are going to build a good character and I think the band does that," Anthony Foster explained.
Foster is credited with revolutionizing marching band techniques and reshaping the world's concept of the collegiate marching band.
"We are trying to promote awareness and show that his legacy is still alive," Foster said. "We're creating a program that can maybe go across not only the state but across the nation."
The exhibit will stay open until the end of the month and covers both levels of the Foster-Tanner Arts Gallery's entrance hall.
