By Stanley Allison
Times Staff Writer
March 12, 2004
There once was a band
from O.C.
That was asked to perform
o'er the sea
But the group had bad luck
Their instruments were stuck
Until FedEx shipped them
for free.
And that's why a future commercial for the freight carrier might feature
the 100-strong John F. Kennedy High School marching band from La Palma,
performing Saturday in Limerick, Ireland.
In the last 30 years, the school has been invited every four years to
participate in several parades and concerts in the Emerald Isle. The student
musicians were eagerly anticipating this year's tour, with appearances in
Limerick and the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin.
Parent volunteer Henri Soucy had begun making arrangements two months ago with
each of the three airlines involved in the trip, and everything seemed in
harmony until two weeks ago.
One of the airlines notified Soucy that, because of new luggage restrictions in
the wake of Sept. 11, the cost of shipping the instruments would be $1,500 more
than expected.
Then a second airline gave Soucy more of the same bad news, and the cost of the
trip started to look prohibitive.
Last week, Soucy contacted a freight carrier for help. But the company advised
him Monday that it couldn't guarantee delivery of 2,300 pounds of sousaphones,
saxophones and snare drums by today, when the students were scheduled to land
in Dublin.
Enter 14-year-old band member Kathryn Vergara, who shared the heartbreaking
news with her parents. They in turn called Grandpa: Tom Cantarano, a retired
FedEx Corp. pilot. His wife, Betty, told him, "Call your friends at FedEx
and see what they can do."
On Tuesday, calls flew up the chain of command to an executive vice president
who ordered FedEx to the rescue. The only caveat: FedEx would be allowed to
cite the experience for publicity.
Jeffrey Burnam, an international sales executive for FedEx, fine-tuned the
final arrangements. "I was in band," he said. "I know what would
happen if I don't have an instrument. I can't compete. It's a wasted
trip."
And on Wednesday, the instruments were winging over the Atlantic, a full day
ahead of the band.
"I will stand on a street corner and talk FedEx up if you want,"
Soucy said Thursday as he loaded the musicians aboard buses for Los Angeles
International Airport. FedEx, he said, was "doing the impossible."