By TOM RANGE
UNIVERSITY PARK — The Penn State Blue Band turned 125 this year, but the Blue Band is made up of more than just musicians. There is the auxiliary, which includes the Silks, majorettes, feature twirler and drum major.
The majorettes can trace their origin to one person, Judy (Shearer) Lawrence.
In 1972, the Blue Band was an all-male group. The band also did not have any majorettes. Title IX had just been enacted and it was the perfect time for Lawrence to approach Jim Dunlop, the then director of the Blue Band, about adding a squad of majorettes.
Lawrence convinced Dunlop to come watch her twirl and so, in the basement of the music building, she auditioned. Because the ceiling was so low, she could not throw her baton too far up, but Dunlop was impressed none the less.
He agreed to add a squad of 12 majorettes and Lawernce found 60 other twirlers on campus. Dunlop chose 11 of those 60 to join her to create a full squad of Penn State majorettes.
The name Touch of Blue was not used until 1978. As explained by two majorettes at the time, Carol Kean and Sherry Erb. They were at the Corner Room with Ned Deihl, Blue Band director, and Darhyl Ramsey, Blue Band assistant director, before the 1978 season.
Deihl wanted the majorettes and feature twirler to have a special name. Erb suggested the majorettes be called the Sapphires. When they left the meeting, Kean and Erb thought the majorettes were going to be the Sapphires and were surprised when they were later announced as the Touch of Blue. The feature twirler would be known as the Star Sapphire, eventually becoming the Blue Sapphire.
The majorettes’ uniforms have changed over the years. During the 1980s, the uniforms were white with just a small amount of the famous Penn State colors on them — a touch of blue.
From 1999 to 2019, the Touch of Blue were dominant in the world of collegiate twirling. In those 20 years, the majorettes won the National Collegiate Championship in Dance and Twirl 16 times.
Currently, the Touch of Blue is under the direction of April Gable, assistant director of annual leadership gifts at Pennsylvania State University. Gable was previously a feature twirler with the University of Cincinnati Bearcat Marching Band.
