A Tribute to Shirley A. Ontiveros and All Band Boosters When my sister, Valerie Ontiveros, joined the Mainland Mustangs in 1972 as a member of the Band Front, my mother did not realize how involved she also would become with the Mainland Band for the next 7 years. She soon came to realize that weekend early morning practices, weekday evening practices, evening band competitions, Saturday football games, the famous hoagie sales, car washes, various fundraisers, bizarres, and anything else that was thought of to raise money for the band would require support, since we were pretty much responsible to raise our own funds for the many activities which the Mainland Mustangs were participants. There typically wasn't a school budget to support the "Band" activities. Thus, my mother and father, Robert and Shirley Ontiveros, became Band Boosters during the year 1972. Band Boosters were always assisting with the hoagie sales, attending competitions and concerts, organizing band banquets, lending a hand with all the fund raisers, taking pictures of various events, donating the use of special equipment if the need arose and it could be "borrowed". Helping to support band activities by donating time and finances quickly evolved, as it did for many parents of band members, to my mother's active participation as a "Band Bus" chaperone and as one of "The Uniform Ladies". Of course, I was brought along to these many events as I was only in the 5th grade and couldn't be left to my own devices at home alone.  And, yes, I had to sit on my mother's bus at the time.  As all of us know, the "uniform duty" was such a "pleasant task" whereby the "Uniform Ladies" had their own special room right off of the main band practice room. This room even had a neat little half door where we would "dump" our uniforms, which were haphazardly placed on hangers, and hat boxes stuffed and half closed with wilted hat plumes. The Uniform Ladies had the fun job of taking the uniform off the hanger, spot cleaning any stains, hanging the pants correctly, emptying out pockets, buttoning up the jacket properly and hanging it on the rack for the next days' activities where this routine would start all over again. They also had the fun task of taking the uniforms to the cleaners and picking them up. Not to mention the many uniforms that were brought home for alterations. The Uniform Ladies were also great for other tasks, such as supplying shoe polish for that last minute uniform inspection Mr. Skwarlo randomly surprised us with. They were the suppliers of buttons, pins, zippers, band aids, duct tape, masking tape, scotch tape ...you name it; hair snoods, panty hose, clear nail polish for hose runs, Vaseline for lip gloss, an occasional pair of socks and/or shoes (since there was usually somebody that forgot to come to a band competition without one or the other item). They were the menders of ripped pants and fallen hems. The uniform ladies were also there to go to for advice and a shoulder to cry on when needed. They were there for us when we were victorious and they were there for us even more when we were defeated. They were the fly on the wall when "we were in for it" with Mr. Skwarlo and they warned us. Let's not forget the joyous job of being a bus chaperone to a bus full of chanting, singing, eating and drinking, boisterous teenagers. I'm sure many of you remember "The Rowdy Bus". The bus chaperones had the wonderful duty of counting heads (even as you change seats to sit with somebody in the back of the bus), as well as rounding us up if we strayed. They occasionally supplied food items, and cleaned up the bus when we returned back to the school, which included picking up various articles of clothing, an occasional item of jewelry off the floor, and trash hidden under the seats. In 1975, I joined the band, so after being around it for 4 years when my sister was involved, a lot of this was old hat to me.  And, no, I did not sit on my mother's bus. Gosh, No! That was absolutely forbidden. What would everybody think if I sat on my mother's bus. That's no fun. Yet, I was not on "The Rowdy Bus". Well looking back, I wish I did occasionally sit with my mother on her bus. My mother always had relatively consistent poor health. I know what being a Band Booster / Chaperone, and Uniform Lady did for my mother: She made friends and expanded her social circle. She was kept busy with the various events. She felt a pride being involved with the band . She laughed out loud with us, and cried with us too. She got to watch her daughters grow up in front of her eyes, as the band was 90% of our teenage years. She felt young being around the younger people. She got her mind off her health problems. She was entertained. And, she truly enjoyed being involved.

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This Page Last Updated:  02/11/05