Where Are They Now?
Each year the band takes great pride in preparing a tribute to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces as part of the UW Athletic Department’s annual “Salute to Service.” As director, I have been deeply touched by the emails from alumni and former military personnel thanking us for this special tribute and all the work that goes into preparing the show. That’s why I decided to catch our readers up on a few of our alumni who served in the armed forces. I’m certain there are many former HMB members who have served that I am not aware of. Nevertheless, we salute each and every one of you and thank you for your selfless service to our country.
I would like to thank these four esteemed HMB alumni for agreeing to be interviewed for this article. I am developing a list of HMB alumni who have served or are currently serving in the military. If this applies to you or you know of a former member who has served, please consider emailing me their name and contact information at bmcdavid@uw.edu.
– Brad McDavid
Col. Rick Hunt, ’79, U.S. Marines, ret.
Col. Rick Hunt, ’79, U.S. Marines, ret., with his wife, Donna
Former HMB member Rick Hunt is a Seattle native and Chief Sealth grad who has lived his entire life here in the Emerald City. He auditioned into the band on trombone in the fall of 1975 and was the Husky Band drum major for the 1977 and 1978 seasons.
Upon graduating from the UW in 1979 with a B.A. in sociology, Rick entered active duty with the Marines, where he served until 1991. However, Rick’s service to his country did not end at that time. As an active reservist he received a “Presidential Call-up” for Operation Enduring/Iraqi Freedom from 2002 to 2003. He retired in 2007 as a colonel with a specialty in marine air command and control.
When asked how his years in the Husky Band prepared him for a career in the military, he states, “The Husky Band helped me as I prepared for my Marine and later defense industry careers — working tight deadlines, complexity, responsibility, the art of doing business and building teamwork, just to name a few. I was already looking at the Marine officer programs in the summer of 1975, but the Husky Band reinforced a lot of it. My commanding officers always had me in lead platoon commander or staff positions for change of command ceremonies, and the Marine Band drum majors knew I could handle parade timing and commands, which was an extra benefit from being in the band.”
When asked to reflect on some of his fondest HMB memories, Rick says that his favorites are, “spending a quarter with Mike Lude, (former UW athletic director) up in the Press Box my senior year and talking about his experiences in World War II as a Marine captain, plus where he saw Husky football going. The entire 1978 Rose Bowl week in L.A. — Disneyland, the rallies, the parade and pre-game and halftime shows (Tequila!) and watching the Michigan Band look stunned; Shaking President Ford’s hand just before pregame in the 1978 Rose Bowl and the same with the great Alabama Coach Bear Bryant in the tunnel before the 1978 Alabama/UW game in Husky Stadium.”
Lastly, Rick also confided that another one of his greatest memories was “Getting thrown out of the Benihana Japanese restaurant in downtown Portland with a whole slew of Husky Band members for singing Bow Down to Washington after we demolished Oregon 54-0 in the Fall of 1977. The fun and friendships in the band made it all worthwhile.”
Rick is currently employed by Boeing and is wearing many hats as a sales and marketing lead, derivative fleet support and sustainment with Boeing Defense, as well as Boeing Space and Security. He and his wife, Dorina, reside in Suncadia.
