Lisa Manhart
2007-11-14

Uncle Dan
Sean's entry has inspired me to add, despite my not being a DePauw alum nor musician. Dan Hanna was my uncle. Yet, because all my grandparents passed away when I was quite young, more like a grandfather to me over the years.

Unfortunately, I could not make it back from Japan to join all of you in paying tribute to him and remembering his charm, warmth, humor generosity and humility. So am thankful to have this opportunity and thankful to be surrounded by things that speak his name all around me.

I run a small English school in Japan and Uncle Dan's contributions to it are countless. Over the years I have been fortunate to receive his unique wire sculptures. One of my favorites is of a conductor who stands perched on the shelf of my classroom inspiring my attempts to use music and rhythm to liven up my lessons. The other sculptures are of mostly birds and fish from Sanibel, Florida, Uncle Dan and Aunt Ginny's favorite vacation spot. They graciously let me join them there on two occasions, memories I cherish.

Collecting shells from the beaches of Sanibel was another one of Uncle Dan's hobbies and I adorn my classroom with jars of them here and there along with the last gift I received from my uncle, a book documenting these beautiful varieties of shells. He hoped and was right that my students would enjoy looking at it. They flip through the book and try to match the shells to the pictures, all the while I watch with a smile and replay wonderful memories of my Uncle Dan - sharing a beer at the Mucky Duck while smelling his cigar linger in the air is just the start.

I saw in his love of seashells, his appreciation for uniqueness and subtle distinctions in character. This and his humble, quiet manner with just the right touch of humor are I'm sure what made him a well-loved professor and, no doubt, a cherished member of our family. I was always so eager for him to join the conversations at our family gatherings, ever aware that what he would contribute would either be profound or amuzing - always evoking reflection or a warm chuckle.

You have such a special place in my heart. You will be missed, Uncle Dan, yet your warm spirit will continue to inspire.

(Thank you, Tiger Band alums for letting us join your tribute.)

Valarie Ziegler
2007-11-12

Dan's Work Goes On!
I only met Dan once, but I know him through the many stories alums and faculty colleagues love to tell about him. Orcenith Smith says he still marvels at Dan's ability to produce a new pregame and halftime show every week. Dan did that before there were computers to map out maneuvers and before there were xerox machines to make copies. He plotted out every show by hand, and then he ran them off on a mimeo machine, using those old purple carbons.

I learned today, at Dan's funeral, that in addition to doing the work of at least two people at DePauw, he also made sure he spent abundant time with his family. It's an incredible tribute to Dan that his children as well as his students felt nurtured, loved, and challenged.

Dan's son Steve said that Dan's shows always began in the south end zone with a fanfare. Next the band would march to the middle of the field, play for the home stands, then turn around and head to the visitors' side, to play the visitors' fight song.

One thing I can promise: the TIger Pep Band will keep alive Dan's tradition of welcoming our visiting teams in football as well as in basketball season. The TPB doesn't do a lot of marching, but we do play our opponents' fight songs, doing our best to model Dan's commitment to sportsmanship. We try to capture his zaniness too. As long as there's a Pep Band at DePauw, Dan will be remembered and cherished.

We invite ALL our alums to come back to campus and sit in with us. Play "Here'stew" one more time--on kazoo or another instrument of your choice. Yell your lungs out for the team. Hug the person next to you when we score. And pause to look and listen for just a moment. You'll know Dan is with you. The gifts he gave us--music, energy, humor, and a community of Stumblebums--continue to touch our hearts and guide our lives.

Here's to you, Dan Hanna.

Valarie Ziegler
Faculty Advisor, DePauw Tiger Pep Band
Professor of Religious Studies

Sean Liston
2007-11-09

Grandaddy
Let me start off by saying that I am not an alumni of DePauw, but Daniel Hanna was as big a part of my life as any Tiger. Daniel was my grandfather, he was my "Grandaddy."

To me, he was never a musician, despite the numerous plaques and photos that hung in his house, he was a man of family. I always knew him as my grandpa who would make duck noises, shake my hand before I walked out the door and talk to me about great literature.Yet, I can remember specifically learning of my grandpa's unique role in this universities history when I was young.

When I finally comprehended his quote and quote "ability to wave a baton," I wanted to have some musical ability like him. I picked up a cello at my local elementary school in fourth grade and started on a six year journey of playing in my school orchestra. I always sent him programs of all my performances and he would ask me questions about the composers, which I had no idea how to answer. That might have been my first indication that music wasn't for me, but I didn't want to let him down.

When I finally made it to high school, I became heavily involved in theater and forensics. Forensics, for those of you who might be wondering why I looked at dead bodies for fun is actually the more defined term for "speech team." I then had to make a very hard choice at the end of my freshmen year. I knew I couldn't do all the activities that I wanted; it was either speech or music. I chose to stop playing cello, and telling my Grandaddy was the hardest part.

Surprisingly, he just laughed and told me that no matter what I did he would be proud. Not to mention I was not the next coming of Yo-Yo Ma, which let me know I wasn't doing something too stupid.

For the next four years as I continued to compete at small high school speech tournaments to the national speech tournament, my Grandaddy always wanted to know how I was doing. I can pretty much say that he was my biggest fan, despite me being a black sheep in a family full of musicians.

I could tell many stories about the man who I affectionately looked up to, but this one is the one that describes him for the man that I knew him as. Despite his knack for John Philip Sousa and witty remarks, my grandpa had a heart so big that it could fill any auditorium with wisdom and love by itself. He had a unique ability in understanding others, no matter the situation. I can safely say he could always make me feel better when I was having a bad day.

I truly believe that the world lost a true individual this Tuesday.

I also hope that all of his students were fortunate enough to realize how wonderful of a man he was. You, his students and peers, were his friends and his other family and I cannot thank you enough for making his life what it was. Without the the fond memories he had with you, I could not have reaped the benefits of having such a loving grandfather.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this memorial. It is still hard for me to realize that I won't be able to come to Greencastle anymore without hearing that familiar "hey sport," that always greeted me as I entered the door. Yet, I know he did not live a life wasted and I hope his influence will be felt at Depauw for as long as it will affect me.

I love you Grandaddy. I will miss you.

Daniel Reck '03
2007-11-08

Generations Touched
I first met Dan in 2002 or so at percussion concert featuring his son, Steve, in Thompson Recital Hall at the PAC. In 2005, as the Tiger Pep Band prepared to celebrate ten years, Dave Ziemba '03 and I thought it would be great to invite Dan back to conduct the Alma Mater at Old Gold.

When I called him, he and I talked on the telephone for well over an hour. He invited me to his home, where I met his wife Virginia and we chatted for several hours more. He showed me his his Tarnished Spitvalve Award, which he displays prominently on the wall next to the plaque that lists all of the Spitvalve winners.

Beyond music, I learned that Dan and I share an interest in model railroading, and he showed off his extensive layout he has setup in the basement -- on the condition I not tell his wife that we were down there. He also excitedly showed me his wire sculpture collection. He had an entire miniature jazz band he had created, complete with the silhouette of an upright piano.

Dan also sat me down with his personal scrapbook. He said that he had given several binders of artifacts and memorabilia from his tenure to the university, but that they had been lost somewhere between his office and the DePauw Archives. (If you know where these are, please let us know!) This scrapbook, only a couple inches thick in comparison to the lost volumes, was full of photos and programs, but could only give a sample of his long career. He took me through it, showing the autographed photos from great composers and conductors he had brought to DePauw to conduct the University Band, and talking about all the students along the way.

Before leaving, I took the picture of Dan with his Tarnished Spitvalve Award that appears at the top of his obituary on this site. But he wouldn't let me leave before he lit up a cigar and asked me to take a picture of "the real me." As I counted "one, two, three," he puffed a cloud of smoke and grinned broadly at the camera.

When I left, he entrusted me with his personal scrapbook, on the condition that I return it unharmed, so that I could scan the photos from it. Unfortunately, at the time, I didn't think to scan them at high resolution, so I hope that his wife will allow me to borrow it one last time to rescan the images properly so that they can be preserved in the historic record of the DePauw Bands. (The low-resolution version of many of those photos appear on the Tiger Pep Band website.)

Since then, Dan and I occasionally talked on the telephone and exchanged holiday cards each year. As it turns out, I was putting my list together for this year on Tuesday night, and I was looking up his address online at about 9:00 PM to make sure he was still there. Although he had just passed on minutes before, I think a substantial part of Dan--his warmth, character, earnestness, and humor--will remain forever in Greencastle and at DePauw.

When he retired, a newspaper columnist asked if Dan (a French hornist, by the way) would have become a performer had he not landed the post at DePauw, but he said that all he ever wanted was to be was a teacher. Dan was one of those few educators who had the opportunity to touch more than one generation of a family his long career. My mother, Susan Marshall Reck '70, is a Stumblebum alumna, and my father, Dick Reck '71, took music appreciation with him. I still recall stories my mother told about her experiences playing at Blackstock and in Bowman Gym (my father would sit across the aisle and help keep her music in order), and she still has the welcome letter he sent to her as a freshman. I feel fortunate that I was able to get to know him personally, and finally meet the man who had inspired many of the goofy traditions that persist to this day in the Tiger Pep Band, all these years later.

Here'stew you, Dan Hanna. I am honored to call you my friend, and privileged to have followed in your distinguished path.

In Tiger Spirit,
Daniel Reck '03
Director Emeritus, Tiger Pep Band
Clarinet, DePauw University Band, 1999-2004

Jon Duncan
2007-11-08

Class of 1976
I was saddened to read the news about the death of Professor Dan Hanna. He was the very first member of the DePauw faculty who I met upon arriving for my first day of college in August of 1972.

I chose to attend DePauw Univ. instead of Denison Univ. primarily because DePauw had a marching band and Dennison did not. Playing in that band was that important to me. My audition with Prof. Hanna for membership in the DePauw Band took place on that first day at DePauw, and it was rather shaky, but he was still terrific about it and welcomed me into the Band.

I was never one his best students by any means, and I wasn't in the music school, but I hope that Dan Hanna would be proud to know that I'm still performing music every week with several community orchestras and bands in the Chicago area. His legacy lives on through my life and through thousands of others.

I will always have very fond memories of him. He brought so much fun into our music and made it all worthwhile.

I'll never forget the look on his face when the whole DePauw Marching Band arrived on Game Day in formation at East College, with everyone playing "Here's to DePauw" on the kazoo.

Here'stew you, Dan Hanna.

TABS WebTiger
2007-11-08

Remembering Col. Dan Hanna
DePauw Bands alumni, friends, and colleagues, please share your special memories with Dan Hanna.

Let us celebrate Col. Hanna's life together. Your note will be publicly viewable on this website and will be shared with his wife and family. Please be sure to include your name, instrument, and class year, if applicable.

-TABS WebTiger