LEROYPENNYSAVER&NEWS -MAY 3, 2015
byLynneBelluscio
Shirley Garner’s (Kinsella)
white satin majorette uniform
with gold trim has been hanging
on the back of the library door
since July 2013 and I thought is
would be appropriate to put it in
the new 2015 exhibit at LeRoy
House.We also have the hat and
the silver baton. It was brought
to the Historical Society after
Shirley died. She had told me
all about the uniform and I was
very interested in preserving the
uniform, but more importantly,
her story.
When her niece brought the
uniform in, pinned to thehanger,
ShirleyGarner -TheLeaderOfTheBand
written on yellow paper was
Shirley’s story ... In high school
she was a very talented baton
twirlerandwhenshe triedout for
the LeRoyHigh School Band as
the majorette, she outperformed
all the other girls. As she said in
the note, she had taught most of
them how to twirl a baton. She
was selected to be themajorette,
but due to - - as she puts it - - a
“class” action of the school offi-
cials, she was told that whoever
was leading the band had to buy
their own uniform. She always
believed that the school officials
knew that her familydidn’t have
the money to buy the uni-
form, and in their ownway,
were going to prevent her
from being themajorette.
Sylvia believed that there
was some girl from one of
the rich families thatwanted
tobemajorette. “Mymother
hit the roof,” Shirleywrote.
So she sold eggs, chickens,
canned fruit, and anything
else they could do without.
And when they had the
money, hermother tookher
to Rochester to Royal Uni-
form - - because the school
insisted that Sylvia could
not have a “hand-made”
uniform. Her mother had
madeallofherother twirling
uniforms, but that was not
good enough. So with her
store bought uniform and
boots, and hat, Sylvia led
the band. But as shewrote,
even in theschoolyearbook,
they never gave her credit
for being the band leader.
In the photograph of the
band standing on the front
stepsof the library, it isclear
that Sylvia is alone in front
of the band. She is leading
the band as the majorette
– but the caption lists two
girls in the front row. Sylvia
always felt slighted. She
wrote,“I’meightyand it still
hurts!”
When Sylvia graduated,
she was too young to go
into nursing school, so she
remained inhigh school for
another year and she con-
tinued to lead theband. She
and her mother were afraid
that the school would insist
that they buy a new uni-
form, so her mother turned
the skirt around and
added the feathers
on the bottom so
“they couldn’t say
Iwaswearing some
old thing.”
Shirley went on to
nursing school at St.
Jerome’s in Batavia
and was a member
of the Cadet Nurs-
ingCorps. Shewas a
surgicalnurseatGen-
esee Memorial Hos-
pital and then went
to StrongHospital in
Rochester where she
was a head nurse on
X3 for several years.
After some time
away, she returned
to Rochester and
worked at theCancer
Center at theUniver-
sity ofRochester.
Sowhenyoucome
tosee thenewexhib-
it at LeRoy House,
make sure you stop
tosee thewhitesatin
majorette uniform.
And think of young
ShirleyGarner,agirlwho inspite
of the odds, led the band.
TheLeRoyHousewillopenfor
2015 onweekends beginning on
May 3. During the summer the
house will also be open during
the week. If you haven’t visited
LeRoyHouse lately, plan to stop
by this summer. Or plan to visit
during theOatkaFestival.
Graduationphoto 1943.
Majorettephoto 1944Oatkan.
Uniform after the skirt was changed and
feather edge added.
