A New Beginning
Rick Coggin is saving his office for last.
Director of the Corner School band for 34 years, Coggin and the band members in grades nine through 12 are moving this summer to the new high-school campus on Warrior-Jasper Road.
The existing band room, formerly packed full of trophies, photographs and other mementos, will now be used by the middle school band, directed by Cory Wills.
Coggin sat at his desk on Monday, clearly dreading removing the items that cover the concrete block walls: Plaques and photos from senior classes over the years, photos of his children and grandchildren, and his “hockey wall” — filled with ticket stubs, banners and a jersey from the Birmingham Bulls. He has a story for every item and every student on the walls.
“It’s going to be real hard taking these pictures off,” Coggin said from behind his old desk. “I’ve sat here for thousands of hours — Friday nights, Saturdays, Sundays …”
With the exception of working as a substitute at Westminster Christian School in Gadsden (now called Westbrook) for four months, the Corner teaching job was Coggin’s first after he graduated from Jacksonville State University in December 1975.
Former Corner principal Charles Burkett hired Coggin in 1976. After realizing the band did not know how to play the B-flat scale and could scarcely read music, Coggin thought his first year would be his last.
“I never dreamed in that first year I would be here this long,” he said.
His first band room at Corner was the former library in the section of the school built in the 1920s. He worked out of the 19-by-44-foot room for 10 years, with the band squeezed in so tightly the last row was against the wall.
The existing band room was built in 1985. It was considerably larger, at 44-by-52 feet, with 13-foot high ceilings.
His space is expanding again, with the new band room measuring 77-by-49 feet with 20-foot ceilings. It also has three sound-proof practice rooms, a music library, uniform storage space, instrument repair room with sink, a large instrument-storage room, and director’s office with a private restroom.
Coggin said that in time, he will come to appreciate the state-of-the-art facility, but is still feeling sentimental over the old one.
“This has been like home,” he said from the old band room. “Leaving these memories will be the hardest. I’ve driven that road out there for 34 years.”
Coggin and Wills have been gradually moving equipment for two months from the existing school to the new one. Coggin said he had to be personally involved because only he could decide what to take, what to leave and what to throw away.
He had to take some equipment that will be a detrimental loss to Wills and the middle school band, because both bands formerly shared it. Wills will have to deal with losing drum equipment including a concert bass drum, a set of timpanis, a chime and marimba. Coggin also took the only copy machine the directors shared.
Coggin will also have to deal with some difficult changes at the new school, mainly the loss of storage space for large equipment such as a riding lawn mower (he mows the practice field himself) and a Pro-Hauler, which is used for pulling a trailer to haul band equipment to and from practices and games.
Despite his nostalgia over the old band room, Coggin said he and the students are pleased with the new band facility.
“I’m not really one to get excited about things. I just roll with the punches,” he said.
Coggin met his wife Rosemary at Jacksonville State University. She is a nurse at St. Vincent’s East. They have three children, Kevin, Tyler and Maleah, and two grandchildren.
Coggin said he has no plans in the near future to leave Corner High School.
The new school will officially open in August. Corner band students have already performed in the school’s new auditorium, which Coggin said is of outstanding quality.