RALEIGH - Speculation had swirled for months whether Jeffery "JR" Richardson, who led the Broughton High School band to the prestigious Tournament of Roses parade in January, would retire at the end of this school year.

On Thursday night, students got their wish: The 30-year veteran announced he will lead the school's band for at least one more year.

During an end-of-the-year concert, the graduating band students bestowed on their beloved curmudgeon of a band director a collection of senior gifts, including a CD player, a cane that squeaked and a noiseless orange whistle.

Then, students prodded Richardson for his Final Answer.

"Thirty years -- I've done it my way," Richardson, 52, replied. "And to make it real simple -- I'm not finished doing it my way."

To this, the audience stood up and wildly cheered.

The band members closed the night's show with one more full-out rendition of John Philip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever" -- a tune they played marching through the streets of Pasadena, Calif., on New Year's Day.