The Big Picture: Majorly Cool

The Fighting Illini Marching Band drum majors do a deep back bend as they take the field prior to another stunning victory over Michigan during the 100-year Memorial Stadium re-dedication game. (Image by Fred Zwicky)

Can you do the backbend like Marching Illini drum majors? Probably not, which is only one reason why their performances are so remarkable. Over its 157-year history, the band has had more than 130 drum majors, including the Big Ten’s first female drum majors—Debbie Ann Soumar in 1977 and Melinda Mackenzie, ’81 FAA, in 1978. Today, Mackenzie is a retired high school band director. She doesn’t remember feeling particularly unique as a pioneering woman drum major, but does recall her audition: “I did a marching and mace routine to the music from Star Wars.” As for the 2025 edition of the Marching Illini, they’re led by a quartet of drum majors: Genna Mack, Julia Olsen, Garrett Schlarmann and Thomas Smith.