Keeping Step

For Austinite Randall J. Storm, BBA ‘83, pride in the Longhorn Band began long before his freshman year at The University of Texas at Austin. He had seen the band on television and decided he wanted to be part of it. Forty-four years after he first walked into the stadium as one of the band’s trombonists, he still remembers how it felt.

“You could barely get through the first song because you were just so awestruck with coming into the stadium,” he recalls. “You got to wear the uniform and the Stetson, and you spent all of halftime trying to make your fringe hit the person next to you when you turned.”

Being in the Showband of the Southwest gave Randall many opportunities to create lifelong memories. As the band prepares for both Texas Athletics’ move to the Southeastern Conference in 2024 and its own 125th anniversary in 2025, Randall wants the tradition and spectacle to continue. In addition to his annual gifts, he has written the Longhorn Band into his estate plan.

“My annual contribution goes toward scholarships for students with the greatest needs,” says Randall. “If students march and play well enough to be in the band, I want to reduce some of their financial worries. My bequest is for sustaining the Longhorn Band so it continues to be the number one band in the United States, if not the world.”

Randall maintains his connection to UT as a member of the Longhorn Alumni Band. Since his college days the band’s needs have grown, and so has Randall’s awestruck feeling.

“The current band’s drills are so much more intricate than ours ever were,” he says. “They play better, they march better, they have a whole different style than what we had. Watching them do halftime shows, I’m always amazed by what they can do on the field.”

Horns Up for the Heartbeat of Texas Game Day

The Longhorn Band needs your help to enter the Southeastern Conference as the best-loved and best-supported band. Learn about options that provide both you and the Longhorn Band with attractive benefits. Download our complimentary guide, “A Tradition of Excellence: 6 Easy Ways to Support the Longhorn Band,” to get started. For more information, contact the Gift and Estate Planning Team at 512-475-9632 or giftplan@austin.utexas.edu.