The Ohio State alumni band is reuniting for the 50th time on Saturday afternoon, and they brought out a legend to mark the occasion.
100-year-old loyal band alumnus Anthony Violi has been tabbed to dot the i in Script Ohio during the alumni band's performance during halftime of Saturday's game against Tulane.
Violi played trumpet in the Ohio State Marching Band from 1937 to 1942, joining the band just one year after their first-ever performance of Script Ohio. Violi marched in the band's first reunion performance in 1966 and has rarely missed on since, making him the perfect choice to dot the i on Saturday.
"I think it's the greatest thing in the world that they selected me to dot the i," Violi said in a video from Ohio State. "I don't want to brag about it, but I feel honored that I get to do it."
Though a sousaphone player typically dots the i, the alumni band made an exception for the centenarian loyal alumnus, and he's doing his best to make them proud on Saturday by putting in some practice in his back yard.
“I’ve been practicing," Violi said. "I’m going to go out on the field and bowing down to the visitors’ side, and then I’ll do an about face and bow down to the Ohio State side. I’m practicing that turn and all of that to make sure it goes good.”
Originally from Adena, Ohio, Violi is also a hero in his service to his country. Just one month after completing his music degree in 1942, Violi was off to basic training in Texas before serving on the European front in World War II as part of the Army’s 95th Infantry Division
Violi returned to his home state following the war to begin a long career as a music teacher, impacting thousands of lives.
