Jason Langworthy’s passion for marching bands began in high school. “I was involved all four years, two as drum major,” says Langworthy, ’10 M.Ed., who works for the University’s Board of Regents. “It was the first time I felt a sense of belonging and purpose.” 

He also recalls the first time he heard the Pride of Minnesota, the U’s Marching Band. It was 2006, the year he and his wife, Sara, ’11 Ph.D., moved to Minnesota for graduate school. “We attended many Gopher football games, but I went to hear the band,” he says. 

In 2012, after learning that the band was looking for an announcer, Langworthy created a demo recording and got the job—a volunteer position. His role also includes strategic planning and working closely with marching band director Betsy McCann. 

After his father died in 2018, Langworthy used some of his inheritance to establish the Langworthy Marching Band Scholarship, which supports band members who demonstrate leadership and service. “My dad believed in education and in my involvement in the band,” he says. “The scholarship is a way to help marching band students and this extraordinary organization in the way my father supported me.”