For Alan Riedel, almost nothing compares to seeing the Kansas University Marching Jayhawks run from the Memorial Stadium stands and onto the field on KU game days.

“The KU band is just so cool. There’s so much tradition with them,” said Riedel, a longtime Garden City resident.

He also wants to see the band grow stronger in the future.

The KU Endowment Association announced this week that Riedel has made estate plans for a $200,000 gift to the Marching Jayhawks endowment fund, established this year with a $100,000 gift from Dana and Sue Anderson.

“I’d like to see them be able to maintain a viable band,” Riedel said. “They really did get awfully small the last few years. They were back this year to looking good and sounding good.”

The Andersons and other boosters established the endowment to give long-term financial security for the Marching Jayhawks, especially for instruments, uniforms and scholarships.

“Not only has Mr. Riedel made a wonderful financial contribution to the band, but his gift of this collection will benefit future students at KU for years to come,” said Scott Weiss, KU’s director of bands.

Riedel retired in 2005 from the Kansas Department of Human Resources, and he is a vice president for Land, Title and Abstract in Garden City. He is a Fort Hays State University graduate, but he gained a passion for the Marching Jayhawks in 1973 when he and his brother, Michael, a KU alumnus, attended a game in Lawrence. Riedel doesn’t play an instrument, but he collects recordings of school fight songs.

Riedel also attends games and watches bands perform across the country, returning to Lawrence at least once a year. Now he would like to see the Marching Jayhawks grow in stature, compared to Notre Dame or Texas A&M, where fans often crowd around the band before games or stay in the stands at half-time to see the show on the field.

“I think they’re on the right track. Scott, he’s got a vision, and he’s got a plan to make that vision come true,” Riedel said.