Purdue News
Purdue News
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August 19, 1994 Purdue Marching Band's Solo Twirlers SelectedWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A new Golden Girl will perform this season with Purdue University's All-American Marching Band for the first time in four years. Alisha Rachelle Bane of Oxford was chosen Thursday after auditions during the band's preseason band camp. Bane was the band's Girl in Black for the past three years.
Holly Fehrman, Golden Girl for the past four years, graduated last spring. The new Girl in Black for the 1993-94 season will be Dawn Vardaman of Eden Prairie, Minn. Returning for their second year as Silver Twins are Kelly Lynne Beyer of Porter and Ann Marie Burman of Dublin, Ohio. The four solo twirlers not only perform with the band, but also represent the university at meetings and other events. Bane is a senior in secondary education, minoring in speech communication and theater. She has twirled competitively since she was 6 years old and holds more than 400 state, regional and national twirling awards. Bane has been on the dean's list each semester, is a member of American Music Review, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Eta Sigma and Golden Key National Honor Society. She also has served as undergraduate representative for Purdue President Steven Beering's Teacher Education Council. "When I was a little girl, I always looked up to all the twirlers and all the Golden Girls. I remember every one since I was very small," Bane said. "l think the best part about being the Golden Girl is representing the university and being a role model to young girls." Vardaman, who marched in the band's twirling line last year, is a junior in management. She has been twirling for 16 years and has won 10 national titles. She has been a guest performer at professional basketball and football games, including the 1992 Super Bowl. Vardaman also performed at pre-Olympic festivals in Barcelona, Spain. Being named Girl in Black, "is an honor I've been working for all my life," Vardaman said. "I'm just so excited, I can't believe it." Beyer and Burman twirled together for the first time last season and had such a great experience, they wanted to do it again. "It's such an honor to represent Purdue and the band," said Beyer, who has been twirling for seven years. Beyer is a junior in elementary education and is a teaching assistant in the biology department. Burman has marched with the band for three years, her first year as part of the twirling line. She is a senior in communication and psychology. She has twirled for 15 years and has won state, regional and national awards and was a 1993 Miss Ohio State Fair Majorette. The internationally recognized Golden Girl position was created in 1954 as the band's counterpart to legendary Boilermaker football quarterback Lenny Dawson, who was dubbed Purdue's Golden Boy by the press. The band added the Silver Twins in 1960, and the Girl in Black position was created in 1962. Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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