Hundreds of Cornellians, led by N.Y. Gov. David Paterson and the Big Red Marching Band, joined the 20th Cornell Sy Katz '31 Parade, also known as "the shortest parade, with the longest history" Nov. 13 in New York City.

"What a thrill to march down Fifth Avenue with 1,000 Cornellians," said Tommy Bruce, vice president for university communications.

Marching from the corner of 50th Street and Fifth Avenue, arguably one of the busiest corners in New York City, Cornellians stopped traffic, waved to tourists at Rockefeller Center and sang "Give My Regards to Davy," the Cornell fight song named after David Hoy, Class of 1891, M.S. '93, one of the university's first administrators and an avid Big Red baseball fan. Everyone appeared to be in high spirits despite a winning touchdown by rival Columbia University in the last 23 seconds of the football game, leading to a 20-17 defeat of the Big Red earlier that day.

Also at the head of the parade were Bob Katz '69, son of Seymour "Sy" Katz, who created the parade in 1971, affirming "every marching band deserved its own parade" and establishing the biannual event after the Columbia vs. Cornell game, and co-grand marshal Glenn Altschuler, a Cornell vice president and professor.

The event brought together Cornellians across almost 100 years of graduating classes, from 1925 to 2014. The oldest was Helen "Happy" Faith Reichert '25, who celebrated her 109th birthday two days earlier on Nov. 11.

"Every year in the last 20 minutes, I swear I'm not ever doing this again," said Katz, "but somehow, some way, we get it done." Katz presented Paterson with a Cornell scarf to match the hat he had given him two years earlier when he first agreed to be the parade's grand marshal.

"Cornell is a wonderful place," said Paterson, a Columbia graduate. "The people are wonderful, the air is wonderful ... Ithaca is the greatest place in the state."

Stephanie Richmond '11, Cornell's drum major, led the 200-member band down Fifth Avenue from 50th to 44th Street -- home of the Cornell Club -- under the glow of a blue-and-white-lit Empire State Building (Columbia's colors). "This is awesome," said Richmond, who chose Cornell because of the marching band, which she said is considered "the only real marching band in the Ivy League."

David Fischell '75, a Cornell trustee who had played piccolo in the band back in the day, noted the uniforms were slightly different back then. "We wore dickies, red blazers and black pants," said Fischell, whose daughter Jennifer '13 now plays tuba for the band. Fischell, along with several other proud parents, students and alumni, looked on as the band played some their traditional favorites including "Evening Song," "Davy" and the alma mater in front of the Cornell Club at the end of the parade.

Lauren Mangano '11, band manager, said the parade is "a great way to give Cornell visibility and be heard in New York City." The parade is "our time to shine," said Mangano.

"Like Ezra's motto, any student, any study," said Alice Katz Berglas '66, Sy Katz's daughter, "everything is possible as a student and as alumni of Cornell." Her father, she said, who was a physician born of immigrant parents, "never imagined he would start a parade."

John Mikytuck '90 is a freelance journalist, writer and producer in New York City.