Sousa Dies Suddenly in Reading, PA

Looking at the photo above - the last taken of Sousa before his death - one is tempted to wonder if the bandmaster knew what was coming, especially when you read below that he had "laughed and joked" for a good part of that evening, at the banquet in his honor, making wisecracks as he was being lauded! 

Having completed 40 years of touring with his incredible band, the evening of March 5, 1932, would be the last time this beloved bandmaster would lead a musical group. Here is the story, as it was told in local newspapers, of the days surrounding the sudden death of John Philip Sousa.

The Friday, March 4, 1932, edition of the Ephrata Review summarized what was going to be happening in Reading the next couple of days:

That previous Monday, the Reading Times said this:

Sousa arrived in Reading on Saturday, as planned, rehearsing the band, and then speaking briefly at the banquet, and then returned to his hotel. But the Sunday morning papers ran this shocking headline:

Here is the brief account of what happened, in the Morning Call of Allentown:

And here is the extensive article that was run in the Reading Times the following day (Monday, March 7):

That same edition also included this feature:

And further included these reports:

The following day, Tuesday, March 8, that same paper ran this:

As well as this:

Then, this came out on Wednesday, March 9:

And then this, on Thursday, March 10:

These two articles appeared on Friday, March 11:

Then this, on Saturday, March 12:

Then, two days later, on Monday, March 14:

And finally, this on Wednesday, March 16:

I thought about simply writing out the story, but decided it might be worth taking everything in exactly as those who were hit with this news in 1932.

Yesterday, August 18, 2023, I visited the Ringgold Band room to conduct some research related to tuba history, and among the many other wonderful things hanging on their walls, there is this historical marker: