TIFTON – Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Band and Community players will perform a musical tribute in tandem with Nancy Hasty’s play ‘The Flight of Jackie Cochran’ on Thursday, Nov. 16.
The concert will begin at 7 p.m. in ABAC’s Howard Auditorium and is free and open to the public.
“The inspiration for a “Heroes Flight” began when ABAC Band Director Deborah Bradley connected with an old high school friend Nancy Hasty,” said Dr. Jennifer Huang, head of the department of fine arts at ABAC. “Nancy is an award-winning playwright from North Florida and is the author of ‘The Flight of Jackie Cochran,’ a play traveling nationally which has sparked the making of an upcoming documentary.”
Cochran’s accomplishments in the U.S. military merited the founding of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), which included some 1,100 civilian women with non-combat military flight duties in World War II, and were the first women to fly military aircraft. She was also a close friend and advisor for Amelia Earhart and once had Chuck Yeager as her wingman, according to Huang.
“The highlight of the evening will feature a special commission called ‘Heroes Flight,’ written by Christina Huss and R. Alan Carter,” she added. “The piece was commissioned by Melvin and Anita Merrill, who are members of the ABAC Foundation’s President’s Club.”
According to Huang, the “Heroes Flight” was commissioned in honor of the Merrill’s son, ABAC alumnus Lt. Col. Mark A. Merrill, a retired United States Marine Corps pilot, who served for 22 years with honor and distinction.
A South Georgia area Honor Guard will present the colors at the beginning of the concert. Aviators from the 71st Rescue Squadron and the 74th Fighter Squadron will represent Moody Air Force Base. A special arrangement of “American Patrol” will feature solos from the band. ABAC Choir Director Marti Schert will conduct the choir in ‘There You’ll Be’ from the movie Pearl Harbor. Hasty’s script will also reflect Cochran’s friendship with Earhart, and the band will perform ‘Earhart: Sounds of Courage’ by Robert W. Smith.
“The entire evening should prove to be mesmerizing and powerful,” Huang said. “The message will send you home wondering why you’ve never even heard of Jackie Cochran. As Cochran would say ‘Keep pushing! Onward and upward.’”
