Thursday night, the old slogan ‘once a falcon, always a falcon’ has never rang more true, as the BGSU Mortar Board hosted the annual “Last Lecture Series.”

In the series they pick a professor or faculty member who is retiring and give them the opportunity to give one final lecture on whatever subject they choose.

“We had the honor of choosing Dr. Carol Hayward, director of the Falcon Marching Band as our last lecturer,” said senior Katherine Hickey, president of the BGSU Mortar Board, which is the National Senior Honor Society. “I knew she’d be excellent and we are honored to hear her last lecture.”

Standing at the podium of the Union theater, Dr. Hayward began her lecture explaining how honored and excited she was to give her last lecture and commenting on the amount of band students that were there.

Dr. Hayward began her presentation by giving an overview of her childhood and what led her to band and instruments.

“I loved to sing, I began in fourth grade as the little blue angel in choir. Can’t you see my halo?” she said jokingly.

She ultimately decided she wanted to be a band director at a young age. She described how her professor said she couldn’t be a band director, but she pushed forward.

She met her husband on a band trip her junior year of college, and after she graduated she landed her first job as a middle school band teacher. Showing a turtle meme to describe the difficulty of teaching middle schoolers,

“I believe there’s a special place in heaven for people who can teach middle school and enjoy it,” she said.

Dr. Hayward went through a daughter, a son, the explosion of the Challenger and a master’s degree in music education from OSU before she went back to OSU and got her doctorate in conducting.

“My husband thought I was crazy and my friends didn’t get it, but I did,” said Hayward. “Took five years, but I did it.”

Soon after, at age 54, she was hired to be the director of The Falcon

Marching Band.

“At the time I checked in 2010, only six percent of college band directors were women, and I was the first woman band director at BGSU so it was pretty special,” Hayward said.

Her advice was have fun, apologize when you screw up, balance fun and play, and surpass your childhood dreams.

Dreams is a familiar theme to freshman Samuel Maffit.

“I’m a piccolo player in the Falcon Marching Band, and my favorite lesson from the lecture was the thing about dreams,” Maffit said. “I’m a member of the service fraternity Tau Beta Sigma, and one of our foundations is to strive for your dreams. Everything she says

makes sense.”

Hickey’s favorite lesson was

about order.

“I love the fact that she kept describing her order to get to her dream job was out of order,” Hickey said. “The order of how you do things doesn’t matter how you get to your goal, just be the best you can be.”

Traditions are a very special thing in the Falcon Marching Band.

“At the Alabama bowl game back in December, after the game, she gave us band notes as usual,” Maffit said. “But when she said attention, we raised our instruments and played Chorale, a song that she and her grad students wrote that’s very special to her. We parted and there was a limo and her husband waiting and we all went to dinner. I was bawling.” Maffit said.

Dr. Hayward left the audience with a special message.

“We have a saying here in the Falcon Marching Band,” she said. “The sun always shines on the Falcon Marching Band, and you as well. Take hold of your dreams and travel your journey with friends along the way. I am grateful to have you guys, and thank you.”