Collicott begins long road to recovery
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BY MARK GUNDERMANmgunderman@chippewa.com
Wednesday, October 19, 2005 12:15 PM CDT
The Chi-Hi Marching Band has been a team, led by a team. For now, it’s a team without a leader.
The death of band director Doug Greenhalgh hit the music program at the school hard. But there has been another loss as well, which everyone hopes is only temporary. Brian Collicott, the co-director of the band, is still hospitalized with multiple injuries. A timetable for his return to the band room is uncertain. Band members say he will be sorely missed until his return.
“He’ll be here for quite some time,” his wife, Jennifer, said Tuesday from the side of Brian’s bed at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, Minn.
“We want everyone to know that our thoughts and prayers are with everyone back home,” she said.
Of the survivors of the horrific crash, Brian was one of the most seriously injured. Jennifer said he has multiple fractures of his ankle, sternum, ribs, and vertebrae.
“He’s had ankle surgery already. He’s going to have surgery again (today), and he’ll have another next week,” Jennifer said.
The multiple fractured vertebrae is still being evaluated to determine how serious they are, but there is no evidence of spinal cord damage. Brian does not have any paralysis. He does have a lot of pain, and a long road to recovery ahead.
“He’s taking it one day at a time. He’s here with us, and that’s a blessing in itself,” Jennifer said.
If Brian had escaped injury, his presence would likely have helped students a great deal in dealing with the loss of Greenhalgh, who wasn’t the only leader of the band.
"He is the other half of the band program," said Zach Pedigo, a Chi-Hi sophomore tenor sax player. The two are known in band circles as "G and C.”
"G and C just made a dynamic duo. They’re just amazing teachers, and they care so much about the students," Pedigo said. "We just can’t wait for him to come back."
Ben Arneberg, a sophomore trumpet player, credits Collicott with making him a better musician.
"He gave me some one-on-one trumpet lessons, and I think I improved a lot," Arneberg said.
"To the band as a whole, he shows us respect, and he expects the same from us," Arneberg said.
"G and C" were not the same kind of teacher, though they tended to compliment each other’s styles well. Collicott is sometimes described as the more serious of the two.
"He can be a little harder on the students, but not in a bad way," Pedigo said of Collicott.
"During practices, he’d be the one pushing us on — more the serious stuff, making sure everyone focused on practice, but he could have fun with us too," Arneberg said.
“He is eager to get back to school, and misses the kids, but it’s going to be a little while,” said Jennifer.
Brian has seen a few people who have stopped by, but is not encouraging visitors to make the trip to Rochester at this time. But he plans on making a visit of sorts to Chippewa Falls.
He said he plans to call the school on Friday morning, first hour, to talk to the kids in the band class. He’ll try to do a question and answer session with them, with the assistance of the substitute in the room at the time.
Jennifer, a nurse, said Brian wants to do his rehabilitation at home. It is still unclear whether or not he’ll make it back this school year at all. He’s no where close now.
“We’re so looking forward to getting back home and moving on, but he’s in the best possible place right now,” Jennifer said.
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