The Patrick John Hughes Parent Booster Award recognizes the extraordinary commitment, dedication, support, and sacrifice of music parents and boosters across the nation by shining a spotlight on a recipient who exemplifies these qualities.
The award is named in honor of Patrick John Hughes, the father of Patrick Henry Hughes. Patrick Henry is a remarkable young man who, despite physical challenges that would seem overwhelming to many, has excelled as a musician and student, singing and playing piano and trumpet with the Louisville Marching and Pep Bands, with the help of his father, who tirelessly maneuvers his son’s wheelchair through the formations with the other 220+ members of the Cardinal Marching Band.
On Friday night during the Grand National Championships, the 2018 Patrick John Hughes Parent Booster award was awarded to Randy Barnett of Blue Springs H.S., MO.
For seventeen years, Randy Barnett has been a volunteer and the cornerstone of the Blue Springs Golden Regiment of Blue Springs H.S. Through the many changes the program has been through, Randy has been a consistent driving force within the band family. With his last child being in the band in 2004, Randy has continued to serve as their key volunteer.
Randy is a veteran of the Vietnam War and his service to our country blends perfectly with his service to the band program. As a supporter of the marching arts, the students are his main focus. He sees the importance of the character development of the students and the lessons the marching arts can teach the youth of today. He’s a shining example of how humanity should be, with his kindness and his can-do attitude. Randy makes tremendous strides to make sure the students of Golden Regiment have everything they need to be successful; from designing and overseeing the repairs and renovations of two trailers for the band to helping the program maximize the space in their band room.
Blue Springs’ band motto is “A Culture of Unstoppable Commitment” and Randy completely embodies that motto. Even though he lives 45 minutes away from Blue Springs, he still makes the drive each way to help the band. He has even attended every performance by the Golden Regiment since 2002, including 24 Bands of America Regional Championships. Randy’s magnanimous nature is apparent, as he once took six days off to travel to California with other truck drivers to pick up props the band had ordered. He did it all with a smile on his face because he knew it needed to be done for the kids.
Highly regarded in his band community, Randy is loved by the students, volunteers, and band director Dr. Allhouse. They believe The Golden Regiment is a better program because of him and future generations will benefit from his selfless actions. He embodies Music for All’s mission to “create, provide, and expand positively life-changing experiences through music for all” because of his unity, his selflessness and his amazing attitude. Congratulations Mr. Barnett, thank you for all you do.
