UConn marching band honors Parkland victim
As he glanced down at the gray UConn sweatshirt he was wearing, Max Schachter’s voice faltered for the first time in the eight minutes he’d been speaking about his son, Alex. The sweatshirt was Alex’s favorite. He wore it constantly, religiously. More than 1,400 miles away from Florida, Alex wanted to represent the school he dreamed of attending one day and the band he longed to play in.
Alex died on Feb. 14 in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting. He was 14.
Last week at Rentschler Field, Max wore his son’s sweatshirt for the first time since Alex’s death. He wore it on the night that UConn’s marching band honored his son at halftime by playing Alex’s favorite song, “25 or 6 to 4” by Chicago. UConn admitted Alex to the university posthumously, and the marching band wore ribbons in his honor during this past basketball season.
“It just blows me away how this tragedy has touched this many people around the world,” Max said. “It’s touched our lives. To honor Alex is just unbelievable.”
Before the band started to play Thursday, Max already knew what would happen. He wouldn’t see
the faces of the band members. He said he would see Alex in each and every one of them. His son had a passion for music. He was an “old soul,” who inherited his love of ’70s music from Max.
As UConn’s band began to play “25 or 6 to 4” a lone trombone was set up at the 28-yard line in honor of Alex. The humid weather making him shed his son’s sweatshirt, Max stood near the trombone before moving to a podium to watch as the band moved formations to spell out Alex’s name, the trombone displayed prominently at the bottom of the X.
In the stands, Jodie Backes watched as her son,
Conner, paid tribute to Alex.
“To dedicate this whole entire performance, especially one song in particular because it was his favorite song, and to be performing that really means a lot to the kids marching,” Backes said as her eyes began to water.
Alex’s love for UConn started at a young age. His mom, who died when he was 4, and his uncle were UConn alumni and his idol was basketball legend Ray Allen. When Max received the letter that Alex had been admitted as a student, a little bit of his faith in the world was restored.
“It just was incredible and it made me have faith in society,” Max said. “[Faith] that there are good people in the world and that they cared about Alex. And even though we were so far away this really meant a lot to them.”
Aside from recognizing the gesture by UConn for Alex, Max attended Thursday night’s game to raise money for a $25,000 scholarship in his son’s name. It’s part of his mission to keep Alex, and the 16 other Parkland victims’ memories, alive.
“Unfortunately we’re all part of this horrible club that nobody wants to be in, and unfortunately it’s not just Sandy Hook, it’s Santa Fe [too],” Max said. “Unfortunately, the next monster to do this is out there already. The next weapon that they’re going to use is out there already.”
Max said he’s striving to make a difference and help prevent the next tragedy. He knows he can’t personally remove every gun from the streets, but he believes schools can be made safer and that’s his goal.
The determination is clear in his eyes, but when he gets caught up in the moment talking about his son he slips into present tense a single time.
On a night when Alex’s memory is so present, surrounded by the things he’s held dear, Max’s slip-up is only natural.
“Alex loves Chicago,” he says.