Max Whitlock certainly made an impression on his band students at South Hamilton Junior Senior High School.   Former students of Whitlock have honored their former director by commissioning a musical piece to be performed by the 100-member concert band Thursday at an 8:30 p.m. concert in the high school gym in Jewell.   Whitlock was director of the high school's band for 26 years until retiring last spring.

     "Whitlock was a popular figure at first Jewell, and then South Hamilton School, during his long career there, exerting positive influence on several generations of students," said Jane Arends, a member of the South Hamilton Band Alumni.   "Bands under his direction won many awards over the years, with South Hamilton enjoying a strong music program in which a large percentage of high school students participated.

     Arends said Whitlock, who still lives in Jewell, had such a profound effect upon his students that alumni, hearing of Whitlock's retirement, decided to honor him in some way.   "We announced the decision to commission a work at Max's retirement concert last May and started soliciting money from former band members across the country," Arends said.   She said response to the plea was "exceptional."

     "Max's March" was written by Frank Piersol, a former band director at Iowa State University and the University of Iowa.   He has written many band pieces and is specially fond of marches.   "He's written a lot of (athletic) halftime shows and is kind of an institution in Iowa.   He's directed festival bands and all-state bands for years," said current South Hamilton Band Director Dean Pelz about Piersol.

     The decision to commission a march was a natural.   Pelz said Whitlock's favorite band tunes are the marches of Fort Dodge native Karl King - "Iowa's March King."

     "Former students remember Whitlock's love for marches, so commissioning 'Max's March' to be written for him seemed a proper tribute by the alumni," Arends said.  Arends said her son Andy originally sparked the idea for the composition.   "My son is a student at Harvard.  They have what's called 'host parents' there and his host parents were involved in a community band.   They told him they always commission pieces and her thought it would be kind of neat to do one for Max," Arends said.

     Collecting the $600 for the work was easy, Arends said, because so many of the former students consider "Max" their friend.   "Max did more than just teach music," Arends said.   "Sometimes during class they'd all just sit around and 'philosophize' about something.   He was really a friend and so many of his students keep in contact with him still, calling him and writing him letters.   All four of my boys have stayed close to him after graduation."

     Former students have also stayed close to music after leaving Whitlock's tutelage.   The school has produced several college music majors and 75 to 80 percent of the student population participates in band, from fifth grade through senior year.   Whitlock's own son plays in the U.S. Army Band stationed in Indianapolis, Ind.

     Pelz said commissioning the work and keeping the South Hamilton band strong are two of Whitlock's legacies.   "He has quite a tradition here, especially in the minds and hearts of the alumni," Pelz said.