O David Siegal is surrounded by Robichaud High School cheerleaders. At far right is achool Superintendent Dr. Equilla Bradford. 0 0 . a • "• ••• •.:•‘ 4 ',akt,,.. 4•••••4&•••,, .TROMBONES Or, how one local family is playing 'Music Man' to a high school marching band • • David Siegal leads the parade as Grand Marshal. • • .4".) • C r 1 4 . II t was Professor Harold Hill who said farewell to larceny and "Hello there" to a librarian named Marian, and ended the trouble in River City by becom- ing — you guessed it — the Music Man. And how did he do it? He did it with band uniforms. Although that was just a story, one need look no further than the Siegal family, father Skip and sons Jeffrey and David, for a real-life ver- sion of the musical. They are this year's Music Men, and they hadn't even planned it that way. It happened like this: The Siegal family owns and operates Seward Drugs on Van Born near Telegraph in Dearborn Heights. They've been in that spot for 33 years and have expanded to the point where you need roller skates to get around, their store is so big. Though they all live in the Birmingham-Bloomfield area, they like the neighborhood where Seward Drugs is located. They even have a fix on why they like it. This is an interesting commu- nity," Skip Siegal says. "It's predo- minantly blue-collar and stable. I'd say it hasn't changed materially in 25 or 30 years. We have second and third generation families coming into the store now. These people are comfortable in these neighborhoods and they just don't leave. It's a good feeling to have the children of our early customers still coming in here." Siegal's son Jeffrey, 33, says, "People come in here all the time and tell me, I remember when you us ta v used, hae to - stand -on ,milk cases • '44v.tt4 tr•44:i.••1 1.— ••rr... • $ 4 e rr'.4;ir. I r>rr. r. .• • • • : 41! 4 ••• • • t.ILI*r..1:1, • it? t • • '.• 1 . ■ . ' to reach the register'. Well, I don't remember standing on milk cases, but I like the fact that they re- member." Which brings us back to the band uniforms. Seward Drugs is in the middle of a neighborhood served by the. Westwood School District, a tiny, impoverished district encompassing a small area of Dear- born Heights and Inkster. They'd been forced over the years to drop programs such as music and art. In fact, Robichaud High School Band Director Cecil Hamilton says he vol- unteered his services for the better part of a school year before the dis- trict could find enough money to ac- tually pay him. And so it went. Meanwhile, the Siegals were looking for a place in the community where a substantial donation would do the most good. "We felt an obligation to this community. They've been our lifeb- lood — but we wanted to make sure any gift was meaningful," says Jef- frey Siegal. Siegal talked to school board member Rob McLachlan, who put him in touch with Dr. Equilla Brad- ford, superintendent of schools. Over lunch, Siegal proposed his family's idea for a possible donation. How about library books? he suggested. "(Dr. Bradford) looked me square in the eye and said, 'What we really need are band uniforms.' And I remember thinking, 'That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.' " She told Jeffrey Siegal that what they needed was a focal point — a rallying point. As poor as the district was, there seemed little for the students to look up to. When the band marched at homecoming, they marched in jeans. and. matching RAMONA GRIGG Special to The Jewish News , •••!r Conti;wed 1,141 41.1;4... nextpage • • — • ae.<, • Jr • 4 t V r ''' t'e 4. A.•• •• • • t , • * 4 • • • • • • 4 I • 4 • • • r - • •• ■ •, r • • tow: t • 4 / • t • • • • • • ' :au r'i , • . . . •1 1. •