After nearly 30 years (and thousands of students), UD's first female band director leaves

After nearly 30 years leading the University of Delaware Marching Band, Heidi Sarver became emotional as she left her office in the heart of campus for the last time earlier this month.

Memories flooded her mind after boxing up almost three decades of college life as she faces retirement, reliving all of the cornerstone UD moments she experienced and gave to about 3,000 students over the years.

When she got to her car, she realized there was one more classic UD moment right in front of her: a parking ticket under her windshield wiper.

"You can imagine my reaction: 'You have got to be kidding me!'" she says with a laugh. "I stopped crying when I saw the parking ticket guy. The tears from seeing the empty office kind of stopped flowing."

Sarver, also director of UD's Symphonic Band and a professor of music, was the first female director of the marching band in UD history and has welcomed a former student of hers as her replacement, Brooke Johnson.

Graduating senior Andrew Steinberg, who was a drum major and also played trumpet for the marching band, says "Sarv," as she is simply known, is leaving a sparkling legacy in her wake.

"She has impacted the lives of thousands of people, literally, and made their university experience special," he says. "And she is also being succeeded by an alumna and a fellow female band director, which is also really special."

When it comes to UD's new streak of women leadership for the marching band for the first time, Sarver says, "I don't know, it looks like we got a thing going on here at Delaware."

Sarver led the marching band for a final time at Delaware Stadium after UD football's rainy loss to Villanova Nov. 18 and did the same for the symphonic band just last week.

All that was left this week was a final round of grading for her music class ahead of Saturday's commencement.

After a long, emotional year of goodbyes and "lasts," she decided to skip commencement this year and go visit friends in Florida instead.

"I took the easy way out on that one," Sarver says. "It's hard enough to leave."

Sarver was surprised last Thursday at her final career concert, held at Puglisi Orchestra Hall in the Roselle Center for the Arts, when UD President Dennis Assanis appeared and honored her with the UD Medal of Distinction.

It is the university's highest non-academic award given by the the Board of Trustees. It recognizes "individuals who have made humanitarian, cultural, intellectual or scientific contributions to society; who have achieved noteworthy professional success; or who have given significant service to the University, community, state or region."

It capped a career on campus which began in 1995 after "Delaware made an offer I couldn't refuse," she told DelawareOnline/The News Journal in 1996.

The fresh-faced first-time college band director, who had previously served as assistant director of bands at Temple University, was already armed with her infectious enthusiasm.

"I make a living doing exactly what I love to do. How many people can say that?" she told the newspaper at the time.

So what made her leave the job she loved at the age of 60? Her financial advisor called and told her she was able to retire a few years earlier than planned if she wanted. It took her two days to decide to step down and pass her baton.

"This job is very physical and I'm broken," she explains, listing all the proof, including five joint replacements and ongoing lower spine issues. "Sooner or later, something bad is going to happen."

She told the marching band, which has grown from about 100 to 300 members during her tenure, about her decision at their first meeting of the year in August, leaving both students and herself feeling all the emotions.

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"You could hear a pin drop and then the silent tears started falling down faces," says Sarver, who then received a standing ovation from the band. "And that was kind of the end of me."

Steinberg says the moment was a surprise to seniors like himself and freshman alike.

"She just kind of dropped it on us and shocked everyone. There was a mixed reaction," he says. "Some people were happy for her and some were upset because you never want a professor like that to leave, but it has to happen someday."

Sarver's fingerprints will remain on the band and not just through the lessons she has already imparted on returning underclassmen.

She will be designing next year's shows not only for UD, but also writing shows for three other university marching bands in the region, which will keep her busy this summer before her planned trip to New England to enjoy fall foliage for the first time in a long time.

After 36 total years of teaching, she realized she wasn't quite ready to give it all up. Even so, she's looking forward to retirement.

But as she puts it, "I've only seen the leaves change on the backdrop of a football stadium. And now I'm going to be a leaf-peeper, I guess."

Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of Delaware Online/The News Journal at [email protected] or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and X (@ryancormier).

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: After a year of tears, Heidi Sarver's UD goodbye tour ends this week