Huxford Hall named for former Iowa Valley band directors

MARENGO — The remodeling of Iowa Valley Junior/Senior High School was winding down when long-time band director Gary Huxford died Oct. 1 at the age of 83.

Asked what the new graphic on the band room wall should look like, band directors Michelle Grant and Levi Cowan suggested naming the band facilities after Gary and his wife Judy, who have a combined 50-plus years teaching band students in the district.

The orange and black Huxford Hall graphic was installed, and a plaque outside the band room honors the teachers who created a musical legacy at Iowa Valley.

“That’s such a wonderful thing that happened,” said Judy in an interview this month. “And I know he knows about it too.”

Grant and Cowan proposed the naming of Huxford Hall to Judy following the school’s Veterans Day assembly, Judy said. “I just got tears in my eyes and said, ‘I think it’s wonderful.’”

Between the two of them, Judy and Gary taught 73 years in Iowa schools, said Judy. “And obviously we like the place and we like the people because I’m still here. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”

They’re sons got the best education they could get at Iowa Valley, said Judy. “We have a great deal of respect for the school here. It’s just a nice place to be.”

The Huxfords never felt that teaching children was a drudgery, said Judy. “They listened to what you said, and they were ready to work,” she said.

Judy grew up in Cedar Rapids in a large school, but a small school in rural Iowa is a good place to be, she said.

Music brought Judy and Gary together. “We met a week before we were to go on a tour with the University of Iowa band to Europe and the Soviet Union,” Judy said. He was a grad student; she was a freshman.

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“We had a lot of time to talk on those bus rides,” said Judy. “After three months, we really felt like we knew each other pretty well.”

College music majors have stars in their eyes, said Judy. They think they’ll play professionally, but most of them don’t.

Judy and Gary never had those ideas. They wanted to teach, Judy said. “So we had the same destination.” Being able to teach in the same town was wonderful, she said.

After Gary got out of the Air Force, he was in the strategic air command band in Omaha, said Judy. He had taught two years before that in Centerville and knew that’s what he wanted to do.

After Judy finished her degree Gary had an interview at Iowa Valley in Marengo. Judy was going to look around the town while Gary was in his interview, but she was invited to attend. Some schools wouldn’t hire within the same family, Judy said, but Iowa Valley wasn’t against it.

In Gary’s second year as band director, Judy was hired part time. Later she became the full-time elementary school band teacher.

Gary taught at Iowa Valley from 1972-1998, and Judy from 1973-2004.

“The kids were real receptive to us teaching,” said Judy. “I think that’s kind of why we stayed as long as we did. We didn’t think really there was any place better for what we wanted to do than Marengo.”

Iowa Valley had about 25 high school band students when the Huxfords arrived, said Judy. Under their influence, the band grew to about 55, and with junior high and elementary school bands, well over 100 students were in band.

About 75% of students started band, said Judy, though some didn’t participate through graduation.

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After he retired from Iowa Valley, Gary taught elementary band for Deep River-Millersburg school district for a while. Judy joined him there when she retired from Iowa Valley.

“Both Gary and I have sat in our chairs in retirement and said if we had our lives to do over we wouldn’t do anything differently. We would teach what we taught, and we were real happy here.”

Judy taught Grant in fifth and sixth grades when Grant first picked up a clarinet, and Gary was her teacher in seventh and eighth, said Grant. He had been her mother’s band instructor too.

When Gary died, memorial gifts from “all over the place,” came in, raising $2,850 with which Iowa Valley fixed a lot of band instruments, Grant said.

“He came in ‘72 and kind of revived the program here,” said Grant. Gary started a marching band and a jazz band.

“He was just a doer,” said Grant.

“I remember the very first solo I played,” said Grant. Gary brought out the piece of music which had notes she’d never seen in her life. He said the first thing she needed to do was learn the notes.

“He was good at ‘we’re going to do this,’” said Grant. “He understood that I needed challenge, for sure.“

The Huxfords also taught Iowa Valley Junior and Senior High School Principal Janet Behrens. She started band in fifth grade and graduated high school in 1983.

“I found an old program from a Christmas concert, and we had over 60 people in our band,” Behrens said. That included students who were also in athletics. The students did it all. “And those athletes were good in band too,” she said.

“I would love to see the kids get back to that.”

Behrens remembered going to contests and playing in honor bands. “It was just a lot of fun, and they were just the most patient people. They had to be,” she said.

“They touched a lot of lives.”

Behrens is pleased that Grant and Cowan are honoring the Huxfords. “I’m so glad they’re doing that. It couldn’t be for a better couple.”