University of Connecticut Athletics
Parkland Shooting Victim Honored by UConn Marching Band
By Steve Lewis, UConn Athletic Communications
STORRS, Conn. – No one in the UConn Marching Band knew Alex Schachter, but following the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School back in February, it seems like everyone knew him.
Dreams were dashed, young lives cut short and futures forever altered on that fateful day in Parkland, Fla., which is now over three months old and still as fresh in the minds of those affected as the day it happened.
Just a freshman student at Douglas High, Schachter was known for a couple things in particular: playing trombone in the school’s marching band and often wearing the same UConn hoodie.
It was Alex’s intention to attend the University of Connecticut in a few years, joining the marching band and fulfilling a family legacy – which began with his deceased mother, Debbie, who attended UConn in the late 1980s.
Despite his life coming to an untimely end, Alex’s devotion to UConn earned him a posthumous letter of admission into the School of Fine Arts as a music major and a place in the hearts of 300 band members.
“Everyone is sensitive to the horrific shootings, but it’s such an incredibly difficult thing to deal with, we put our feelings away,” said Dr. David Mills, the 28-year band director at UConn. “You experience something more strongly when it becomes real to you. I think our kids immediately had that feeling…it could’ve been the person beside them.”
It may be true that when a particular person comes into one’s attention, as opposed to a nameless group, emotional sentiment is felt with more intensity – especially when that person is relatable with similar interests and aspirations.
Picturing a freshman in high school with a passion for music, unable to continue his pursuits due to a tragic incident, was enough to bring an energetic room of 160 band members at rehearsal to a sudden stop.
“(Our rehearsals) are a feel good time. It’s loud, energetic and positive…To start the conversation (about Alex) in the middle of rehearsal, it was a real mood changer,” said Mills. “Everyone knew about it and they immediately wanted to know what they could do.”
Though nothing is for certain, as a young mind like Alex’s could have changed over his high school years, it is widely believed that UConn would have been his school of choice and he one day may have been sitting in that same rehearsal room.
“We don’t know that Alex would have come here…but it’s not about whether he would have been here or not, it’s all about this future that was robbed,” said Mills. “Somebody needs to grieve for the loss of who he was going to be and the light he would bring to those around him; that became our job.”
Once UConn Admissions made its gesture to Alex and his family, Mills brought the same question to the band – trying to figure out the best way to honor the memory of a young man with an admiration for UConn and the marching band.
“The trombone section instantly decided to leave an empty chair,” said Mills. “We thought of several ideas, including apparel for the family, but we didn’t think that would be good enough.”
In addition to the empty chair, Alex’s family will be gifted with an exclusive UCMB paperweight, one which according to Mills does not hold much monetary value, but exceeds in the realm of sentimental feel and personal accomplishment for all band members.
“The paperweight is one only members can have. It’s not a valuable thing, only valuable in what it represents,” said Mills. “You get it for being in the band for four years and being a great band member…it’s just for members and is a special thing.”
The band will also remember Alex in a more personal manner, wearing ribbons in the Douglas High School colors of maroon and white that have Alex’s name printed on them at all performances – including at this past year’s NCAA Tournament for women’s basketball.
Unfortunately, the ribbons tribute had a precedent.
When the Sandy Hook shooting took place in 2012, a former band member, Brian Engle, lost his daughter in the horrific incident. Following the tragedy, UConn band members wore green and white ribbons to honor Olivia’s memory.
“When Sandy Hook happened, it was real close to home for the kids that played with Brian, as well as the staff,” said Mills. “We decided to do the ribbons again, but wanted to put Alex’s name as well to make it present, readable and more personal.”
Without knowing a single person in the UCMB, Schachter made his impact felt among those with similar passions. He followed in his mother’s footsteps when admitted as a UConn student, then carved his own path as a full member of the UConn Marching and Pep Bands.
According to Mills, the band is broken up into 12 different sections – some with 15 members, some with as many as 40. In those groups, the students get very close and share a bond. Alex will now be a part of that connection.
“Everybody is valuable. That’s the band culture we have tried to create all these years and it’s inherent in what their reaction was to Alex,” said Mills. “They can sense the idea of losing a group member.”
On Wednesday, it was announced that Alex’s father, Max, and his wife, Caryn DeSacia, are working with UConn to begin and annually award the Alex Schachter and Family Memorial Scholarship to a student like Alex who always wanted to be in the UConn Marching Band.
Closure is hard to achieve when sudden tragedy strikes, but Alex Schachter’s dreams, though not lived personally, will live on through the UConn community, which has adopted him as one of its own.
