Services Held For WDCHOF Member Harry Latinik
Funeral services for World Drum Corps Hall of Fame member Harry Latinik were held recently at the Tabernacle Congregational Church in Salem, Massachusetts. Latinik, age 80, had been active in the drum and bugle corps community in Massachusetts for more than 70 years. He was inducted into the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame during ceremonies held in Scranton, Pennsylvania in 2003.
Expressions of sympathy may be made in his memory to the Hospice of the North Shore, 75 Sylvan St., Suite B 102 Danvers, MA. He was the husband of the late Elaine L. (Desorcy) Latinik, father of Cindy "Candy" Speicher of Beverly, Massachusetts and Ralph Schiavone, Debbie Murray and her husband Bob of Sudbury, Kim Ayers and her husband Jim of Salem and John Latinik of Salem; grandfather of 13; brother of Geraldine B. Schutz of Old Hickory, Tennessee, Raymond Latinik of Newport Richey, Florida, David J. Latinik of Salem, Arthur J. Latinik of Salem and Walter E. Latinik of Florida.
He had been a top achiever in many musical fields since he first played a horn at his elementary school in Salem in 1936. He played with and taught top competitive drum and bugle corps, performed with the Salem philharmonic orchestra, had been owner and leader of two dance bands, three times won the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) national solo soprano competition, served as director of corps operations for the Polish League of American Veterans (PLAV) from 1950 to 1955, founded the Princemen alumni group in 1980 and served on the board of directors until his passing.
He was the obbligato soprano player with Lieut. Norman Prince (Princemen) drum and bugle corps for almost 20 years from 1948 to 1966. He is the only known individual to have successfully played "Carnival of Venice" on two soprano bugles simultaneously.
He taught both junior senior corps across Massachusetts during the 1950s and 1960s, including the Salem PLAV Corps, St. Jean’s All-Girls of Lynn, Salem Clippers, Somerville Thunderbirds and the Most Precious All-Girl Melodears Corps from Hyde Park. He also judged in the Eastern Massachusetts and All American circuits.
The World Drum Corps Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization honoring those individuals who have contributed significantly over many years to the development and continuing excellence drum and bugle corps activity. The organization also seeks to preserve the history of the drum and bugle corps movement in North America by selecting a noteworthy junior and senior “corps of the decade.”
Since its founding in 1976 by the late Vince Bruni, of Rochester, New York membership in the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame has grown from six charter members to 430 regular and associate members from the United States and Canada, who have contributed to the activity across North America, England, the Netherlands, the Middle East, South Africa and Japan.
More information about the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame is available at www.worlddrumcorpshof.org/
