Title: Cassie Helgesen McCabe Papers and Marching Illini Footnotes, 1983-1987, 2018
Arrangement
The materials are arranged alphabetically by folder title. Marching Illini Footnotes are organized by volume number and issue number. Layouts are in no particular order. Personal papers, most of which have no date, have the most recent first.
Biographical Note
Cassie Helgesen McCabe (1964-2020) was born on Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoule, Illinois. She attended Central High School in Champaign, graduating in 1983. She began attending the University of Illinois, serving as a drum major for the Marching Illini between 1983 and 1987. She led the band during the 1984 Rose Bowl and the 1985 Peach Bowl games. Notably, she was the first freshman to hold this position for four years, following in the footsteps of Debbie Ann Soumar who became the band's first woman drum major in 1977. Cassie obtained her bachelor's in Human Resources and Family Studies with a concentration on child development and psychology in 1987, and completed her MBA with a concentration in business administration and organizational behavior in 1991.
During her time with the University Band she also formed the first hockey band and the first volleyball band, which consisted of a saxophone, baritone, and bass drum. Between 1983 and 1987 she also played saxophone in the basketball band, and conducted the ensemble twice during basket games when Gary Smith was unavailable. During one of these performances Cassie received a personal hand shake and hug from Mary Henson after a game with the University of Kentucky. In addition Cassie served as one of the editors for the Marching Illini Footnotes, a weekly student newsletter for the band's members. The other members of the Footnotes editorial team at that time were Terry Dwyer (tenor saxophone), John Henderson (baritone), and Rich Hosek (flugelhorn) who was the producer of the Footnotes movies and later became a writer for many episodes of the 1990-1996 sitcom, "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."
After graduating, she became the director of two childcare centers in Central Illinois. She later moved to Franklin, Tennessee, serving as the director of KinderCare in the Nashville District. Helgesen McCabe died in Franklin, TN in 2020.
Sources:Jeff Helgesen and Cassie Helgesen McCabe.
Cassie Helgesen McCabe Obituary: https://www.news-gazette.com/obituaries/archive/cassie-e-helgesen-mccabe/article_9cbe6c04-e4cc-11ea-8f85-a706626803a4.html
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