Jeff Beers is Marching Saluki "Rookie of the Year" at SIU.

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Jeff Beers is Marching Saluki "Rookie of the Year" at SIU. Jeffery Beers, son of Jim and Vicky Beers of Chester, was recently announced as "Rookie of the Year" of the 2010 Southern Illinois University Marching Salukis. The honor was bestowed at the annual Marching Saluki end-of-the-year banquet held at the Giant City Lodge in Makanda, Illinois. Following a delicious meal, band officers and staff present annual awards to members of the band for their many hours of service and dedication to both the band and the university. This year the Marching Salukis had a full schedule beginning back in mid-august and terminating with the annual Lights Fantastic Parade in early December to kick-off the holiday season. Beers earned the title of "Rookie of the Year" based not only on his contributions to the music portion of the 2010 Marching Salukis, but to his standing among his peers in the band as a dedicated musician and all-around good guy. In addition to being named "Rookie of the Year", Beers was one of 10 recipients to win a "Mike Hanes" Scholarship in honor of former, long time Marching Saluki Band Director, Mike Hanes. Hanes began his tenure at SIU back in the late 60's and in spite of his recent retirement, continues to be affiliated with the SIU-C Music Department. Besides his two very prestigious awards Beers also received a funny award for "Best Hair" in the band. That award speaks for itself for those who know Jeff. Beers is a Tuba Music Performance Major at SIU. In addition to playing in the Marching Salukis Beers performs in the select Wind Ensemble, the Tuba Studio Group and he will perform in the Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra this Spring. Shown here Beers marches with the Marching Salukis at the University of Illinois this fall when SIU played U-of-I in football at Memorial Stadium.