WARM WELCOME — President Jimmy Carter waved to people gathered to witness his parade through Downtown Steubenville on Sept. 12, 1979. Joining him were U.S. Rep. Douglas Applegate, D-Steubenville, front, second from right, and former astronaut and Democratic Sen. John Glenn. -- Contributed

STEUBENVILLE — As Americans observed the national day of mourning for former President Jimmy Carter, a few locals recalled his Sept. 12, 1979, visit to Steubenville, and the high school bands that welcomed him.

The 39th president, Carter died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100. Funeral ceremonies were held on Thursday at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and Carter’s hometown of Plains, Ga.

Forty-five years prior, Carter was midway through his only term as president when he attended a town forum in the Steubenville High School auditorium, surrounded by a heavy media presence and thousands of captivated locals. The forum, which saw Carter speak on energy and answer questions, was preceded by a presidential parade through downtown.

According to a same-day issue of the Herald-Star, “almost every intersection” along the parade route featured one of 12 area high school bands, greeting the passing president with music.

One of those bands — in fact, the route’s first — was the Mingo High School Band, led by Director Louis Panebianco. Assisting him was Assistant Band Director Rose Angelica.

A 30-year resident of St. Petersburg, Fla., Angelica is now a “semi-retired” country music writer and performer, formerly based in Nashville. On Thursday, as part of the volunteer organization Bugles Across America, Angelica played taps concurrently with buglers nationwide to commemorate the national day of mourning for Carter.

Angelica reflected on Carter’s Steubenville visit, which had a profound impact on her and nearly sent her band to the nation’s capital.

Panebianco was “good friends” with then-U.S. Rep. Douglas Applegate, D-Steubenville, who played a major role in getting Carter to visit, Angelica said. She figures that connection is why Mingo High School’s band acquired the first stop on Carter’s parade: The steps of the Jefferson County Courthouse.

Two days beforehand, federal agents came to the high school and inspected every inch of the band’s equipment, looking inside cases and even removing drum heads. That process was repeated on parade day — metal detecting wands and all — two hours before Carter arrived.

Angelica said students were in awe of the sharpshooters stationed atop the Steubenville City Building and former Denmark’s department store.

Applegate had previously informed the Mingo band that Carter’s favorite song was a marching band tune called “Dixieland Strut.” So, the band bought the music and learned it ahead of time, Angelica said.

Carter’s limo eventually arrived, and he stepped out at the courthouse. As he was moving, the Mingo band launched into “Dixieland Strut,” which caused him to turn around immediately. The performance featured majorettes and color guard participants dressed in Native American garb, styled after the high school’s mascot.

Angelica said that Carter walked over to her and Panebianco, shook their hands and said, “I can’t believe it. That’s my favorite song.” The band directors told Carter that they’d love to play for him again at his inauguration.

“He said, ‘You got it, you’re my band. I love that song, I want you there,'” Angelica recalled.

The students were “screaming and cheering,” in shock over the whole situation, Angelica said. Although her perspective was limited, she remembered the Mingo band was the only one Carter was able to stop and listen to because of the moving parade.

A month later, the band received a letter inviting it to play at Carter’s inauguration, provided he won the 1980 presidential election.

“As history has it, Ronald Reagan won the election, so we didn’t get to go,” Angelica said.

Still, Angelica considers the experience a “great honor.”

“He was very nice, very sincere and just thrilled that we were playing his favorite song. He just couldn’t believe it.”

Current Mingo Junction Village Council member Jodilynn Fitzgerald was one of the students who got to play for Carter.

A freshman at the time, Fitzgerald played the trumpet and was dressed in her full band uniform. The day was notably hot, sickeningly so, according to Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald remembered standing on bleachers across the street from Denmark’s and the tight security. Particularly, she remembered being told not to make any sudden movements, so as not to be tackled by Secret Service agents.

“It was quite the experience, it was very neat to experience that, especially as a freshman,” Fitzgerald said, adding that a president coming to town and getting to play for him is “pretty special.”

Tammy (Yeater) Albaugh also played for Carter, as a member of the Big Red Band. She is a 1982 Steubenville High School graduate and works as a nurse, outpatient clinic manager and nursing manager for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Presbyterian hospital.

Albaugh was an underclassman and played the French horn for the band at the time of Carter’s visit. She recalled the general air of excitement leading up to the big day, as well as the thorough Secret Service checks, including inside the instruments.

The students were to wear “nice clothes,” not their band uniforms, and line up in the SHS auditorium’s balcony, overlooking where Carter was to speak.

Before the president arrived, Albaugh needed to run downstairs to the cafeteria and retrieve something she’d forgotten. The cafeteria was being used as the press headquarters at the time, she noted.

When Albaugh arrived, she explained to Secret Service agents that she’d left something. They let her through, Albaugh recalled, seemingly because her outfit — a pants suit — gave an impression of professionalism.

“They thought I was part of the press corps. I could’ve roamed anywhere. I basically could’ve walked around the whole school. I must have looked pretty innocent because they were not afraid of me.”