Grecco Appointed
New Big Red Band Director

Steubenville Herald-Star: Tuesday, June 22, 1965 -
Harold Joseph Grecco, director of bands at Newcomerstown, Ohio, will be the Steubenville, Ohio, Big Red band director next fall.

Mr. Grecco, 30, was given a one-year contract by the Steubenville Board of Education last night. He will receive $6,200 for teaching duties with an additional $1,100 for the band assignment.

He succeeds long-time Big Red director Anthony Violi who has clashed with the school board and administration in band policy matters on several occasions in the last few years. Mr. Violi’s ability, however, has never been questioned and his efforts in behalf of the band have been supported by band members and the Band Parents Club.

Mr. Violi will continue with the Steubenville school system as a teacher and has been assigned by Superintendent C.M. Patterson to the choral music program at Harding School, a post that pays nothing more than a teacher’s salary.

Some of the more noteworthy differences of opinion between Mr. Violi and school officials were his insistence on using Harding Stadium for band practice sessions, and his solicitation of a bid for the band to participate in presidential inauguration ceremonies at Washington, DC. The band was invite and attended the last two inaugurations.

Mr. Grecco attended the U.S. Navy Band School and played in the Navy Band for four years before starting his formal education. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from West Virginia University and currently is completing requirements for a master’s degree from that institution. Prior to taking his current position at Newcomerstown, he taught at a Morgantown, West Virginia, junior high school and directed the senior high school bands at Thomas, West Virginia. Mr. Grecco is married and has one child.

Superintendent Patterson reported that 30 to 40 applicants for the position were screened before Mr. Grecco was decided upon. The appointment is effective August 01, 1965.