THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 23, 1995 TAG: 9507210195
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Close Up
SOURCE: Rebecca A. Myers
LENGTH: Long : 136 lines
It was a painful decision.
Should Kevin Davenport stay on as band director at his alma mater, I.C. Norcom, the high school where he has spent the last decade resurrecting a high-stepping, award-winning, envy-inspiring marching band?
Or should he accept an offer to become department head of a magnet school for the fine arts, a position with better pay and benefits - but four hours and another state away?
After six weeks, it boiled down to choosing between ``love and dedication to the band at the high school I went to'' or ``deciding what was best for my family.''
``I've enjoyed my 10 years at Norcom,'' said Davenport, a 1980 graduate who returned five years later to teach. ``It's really been a challenge, and I've really been successful there.
``But my main reason for going to Maryland was it was a job that offered me enough money and enough benefits so that my wife could stay home and raise my 10-month-old daughter.''
The family plans to leave for Baltimore County on Aug. 4.
Among the treasures Davenport will be forced to leave behind are the 113 trophies - 95 of which are first-place - awarded to the marching Greyhounds during his tenure.
For the last nine years, the band has taken top honors in the Fish Bowl Parade. They've also won the Norfolk State Band Competition three times and have played at numerous colleges and universities throughout the South, including Tennessee State University in Nashville, Howard University in Washington, Fort Valley State College in Georgia, Elizabeth City State University and Hampton University.
``One thing I tried to do was to expose my students to as many universities as possible,'' said Davenport, a 1984 graduate of Tennessee State University, where he had a 3.7 grade point average in music education.
``Close to 98 percent of the people who graduated out of my band went to college,'' said Davenport.
``And most of them at least got some kind of scholarship offer when they went. Many of my students got scholarship offers without having to audition, just because they came out of our program.''
Under Davenport's auspices, the school went from having one concert band to three, each concentrating on the more complicated levels of music.
``Music is graded according to difficulty, with one being the easiest and six being the hardest,'' said Davenport.
``We moved from having one group that played grade three and grade four music to having three bands, two of them playing grade six, and the other one playing grade four and grade five,'' he said.
Also under Davenport, Norcom's marching band grew from the 35 who showed up at his first rehearsal 10 years ago to five times that size two years ago.
In addition to their visits to college campuses, the band has marched at Universal Studios in Orlando, was invited to participate in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1991, performed in two parades during Mardi Gras 1992 and was invited to play in the governor's inaugural parade last year.
Because of financial reasons, Davenport had to decline the invitation to the New York City parade. And a freak snowstorm last January forced him to cancel the band's trip to Richmond for Gov. George Allen's inaugural.
``I had to make a real hard decision not to go, but I felt that the health of my students came before doing any kind of performance,'' he said.
Ironically, Davenport wasn't even looking for a new job and never had to apply for the one that was offered to him.
Baltimore music educators recruited him at an orchestra clinic in Chicago.
Davenport said his students took the news well when he made the official announcement to them on Memorial Day, right after they marched in the annual downtown parade.
``I've always been one who doesn't hold back from my students and since they were hearing rumors, I let them know that I had received an offer. . .
``They were very, very adult about it, and for the rest of the spring, they actually dedicated themselves to the band even more,'' he said. ``They were very enthusiastic about finishing the year out, and they gave me everything they had all the way to the last day.''
It's important to Davenport that his students not think he is abandoning them. Instead he hopes they'll see his actions as setting a good example.
``In taking this job, it was another way for me to be a role model,'' he said.
``Basically, I'm trying to provide for my wife and my daughter even though I'm leaving something I love doing.''
Name: Kevin Owens Davenport
Nickname: K.D.
Neighborhood: Grew up in Olde Towne
Number of years in Portsmouth: I was a resident of Portsmouth for most of my life, about 30 years.
Birthplace: Portsmouth Naval Hospital
Birthdate: Aug. 7, 1962
Occupation: Band director
What job other than your own would you like? Superintendent of Schools
Marital status: Married to Veronica for three years on Aug. 8
Children: Daughter, Victoria, 10 months
Fondest childhood memory: Taking long rides in the country with my mother and my uncle
First concert: Doc Severinsen and the Virginia Pops two years ago at Hampton Coliseum.
What song or book title best describes your life? ``The Power of Positive Thinking''
If you won the lottery, what's the very first thing you'd buy? A new home for my mother
If you could trade places for just one day with anyone in the world, who would it be and why? Any of the current astronauts. If I had another career, it would probably be as an astronaut.
Biggest accomplishment: Being able to come back to my high school and building a band that people enjoy watching
Most embarrassing moment: Losing my baton during a concert. It flew straight up in the air, and it fell on the floor.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I'd probably be a little neater.
Perfect way to spend the day: After a two-hour band rehearsal, to come home and simply relax in my house
I can't resist: Good John Williams music. He's the one who wrote the soundtrack for ``Star Wars,'' ``Superman,'' ``Indiana Jones,'' so much of the major, powerful music. His music is very, very powerful.
Favorite Portsmouth restaurant: Scale O'De Whale. Very good atmosphere.
Favorite Portsmouth hangout: The Commodore Theatre
Biggest problem facing Portsmouth: Lack of funding for music in the school system. But I think the biggest problem facing Portsmouth overall is a coming together of all citizens to improve the school system as a whole. There's too much politics in it.
If you had three wishes for Portsmouth, what would they be?
Build a new I.C. Norcom High School and stop making it a political issue.
A sudden uprising of land from the Elizabeth River so we'd have somewhere to expand and a sudden endowment of a billion dollars so that we can stop quibbling over finances and get on with important business.
A better reputation within the area.
Other than its small-town atmosphere, what do you like about Portsmouth? The love Portsmouth people have for things they believe in. Portsmouth people are very emotional, regardless of which side they're on about things. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JIM WALKER
by CNB