Reading Buccaneers Announce 2010 Inductees To Hall Of Fame

The Reading Buccaneers Drum & Bugle Corps and the Buccaneer Alumni Association announced today that Martie Hetherington, Al Cola, Robbie Robertson and Stephen Vincent will be inducted into the Buccaneers Hall of Fame at the corps? annual year-end banquet on Saturday, November 27, 2010.

?The Buccaneers Hall of Fame was established in 1995,? said Hall of Fame Committee Chairman Gary Koenig, himself inducted in 1998. ?This organization has been blessed with so many fine men and women who have given so much of themselves to make the Buccaneers the storied corps it is. Singling out only four people for induction every year is incredibly difficult. But just the same it?s a tremendous pleasure for us to announce this year?s class and thank them for their the indelible impact they?ve made on the Buccaneers and on the drum corps activity.?

 

Martie (Horn) Hetherington spent five years marching in the Buccaneers hornline, the last three thirteen years after the first two. She joined the corps in 1981 and marched two years on French horn. She joined the Alumni Association in 1984 and was a charter member of the Alumni Drum & Bugle Corps in 1987 where she has been a playing member ever since. She served as president of the Alumni Association for three years and is currently the secretary. Her love for the corps made her jump back in the competing corps in 1995 as one of the ?tweeners? to help the corps through some challenging times. She was a big part of helping get the corps back into the top ten of DCA in 1996 after the corps had been out of DCA for two years and considers that one of greatest accomplishments of her career. After leaving the corps after the 1997 season she continued to support the corps and played in the Celebration Brass, an extension of the Alumni Association. She was part of the corps 50th anniversary committee and still helps the corps in any way she can. She is the force behind the championship weekend celebrations and preparing the goodie bags that the competing corps members cherish each year. She is an associate member of the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame and considers playing in a Yaklich horn line as a highlight of her life along with the lifelong friends she made in the corps.

Al Cola has been a part of the Buccaneers and Buccaneer Alumni Association for so long it?s hard to imagine he has done anything else. He marched in the corps? percussion section from 1965 to 1969 and in 1970 moved to the horn line where he stayed through 1972. During his time in the Bucs he also helped instruct the Belvederes Jr. Corps percussion section from 1966 to 1970. He was a charter member of the first alumni organization formed in 1981 and was then a charter member of the alumni association parade corps in 1987. He was a very dedicated member of the Bucs and served on the membership committee and worked various fundraisers. He?s very proud of marching in the corps? first two championships in 1965 and 1968. He also played in the Celebration Brass on contra bass. Cola was president of the Buccaneer Alumni Association from 2004 through 2008 and considers bringing the alumni and competing corps closer together during his tenure along with keeping the alumni as a strong organization with strong performers as his greatest achievements. 

Robbie Robertson’s life in drum corps was set when he spent much of his youth accompanying his parents to drum corps shows. Robbie eventually got his chance to perform in junior corps as a snare drummer. As the Crossmen developed under his father, Robbie developed as one of the most talented snare drummer in junior corps. He later marched in the Blue Devils and is the first drummer ever to win three Drum Corps International (DCI) individual snare-drumming titles. After he aged out he earned a great reputation as a drum instructor and was eventually hired by the Buccaneers in 1983. Under his leadership, in 1984 and 1985 the Bucs drumline dominated DCA, winning the 1985 drum trophy. Robbie stayed with the Bucs through 1990 and kept the line going through some difficult years. He eventually moved on to other drum corps and again produced championship drumlines. Robbie has played professionally and taught marching bands while continuing to be involved in drum corps. He has also been a judge in DCA and in the marching band community. Robbie is a member of the Crossmen Hall of Fame and in 2007 was inducted into the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame. 

Steve Vincent has served the Buccaneers color guard program for fourteen years as a member, instructor and caption head. He spent three years with the Buccaneers beginning in 1986 through 1988 and again since 2000. He also spent two years with the Sunrisers and two with the Westshoremen in the 1990s. Under his leadership as caption head since 2008, the Buccaneers guard has been among the best color guards in DCA, taking home the 2010 high color guard trophy. The guard?s contribution to the overall performance has been an important factor in the corps? competitive success. In addition to the Bucs, Steve has instructed numerous high school band guards and has been the instructor and show designer for The Guard indoor guard since 1997. The Guard has been undefeated for 13 seasons. Steve has earned the tremendous respect of his colleagues at the Buccaneers and throughout the activity.

?This organization?s greatest achievements are the thousands of men and women who have w orn the Buccaneers uniform over the past half century,? said Buccaneer Alumni Association president Robert Miller. ?The quality and impact of their experience with the Buccaneers would not have been possible without the extraordinary contributions of people like Martie, Al, Robbie and Steve. On behalf of all Buccaneers alumni, I?m proud to thank them for the difference they?ve made in our organization and across the activity.?

?This is an exceptional group of Buccaneers,? said corps director and Hall of Fame member James C. Gruber. ?Martie, Al, Robbie and Steve are perfect examples of what makes this organization so special and what enables us to deliver a world-class experience to our members. Each of them has made a lasting impact on this great drum corps.?

Hetherington, Cola, Robertson and Vincent join 74 other members of the Buccaneers Hall of Fame. Each of these individuals has made a lasting impact on the Buccaneers and the drum corps activity:

1995 inductees: Norman DeTemple, Bruce Englehart, LaVern Rohrbach, Roy Miller, Ron Gehris, Edward Johnston, John Flowers, George Parks, Ned Baldinger and Frank Ferraro.
1996: John Ferraro, Willard Marcks, Tony Yaklich, Roland Hoffman and Elmer Winzer.
1997: John Derr, Diane Koenig, Michael Vilardo, Joe Jasinski and Donnie Solinger.
1998: Wilson Goodwin, Glenn Rhine, Bruce Young, Gary Koenig and Jack Wells.
1999: Norm Cimerol, Jim Gruber, Lou Werner, Candy Golding and Robert Weidenhammer.
2000: Thomas Brown, Grant Hill, Earl Price, Mike Doherty and Wayne Kauffman.
2001: Bill Battaglia, Louis Tierno, Fred Windish, Gary Smith and Darrell Weyman.
2002: Victor Brown, Mike Luckenbill, Donald Walls, Rich Koenig and Henry Smith.
2003: Ronald Ferraro, Phil Rabenold, Dan Fitzpatrick and John Rozum.
2004: Tom Bitner, Robert Gruber, Bernard Brown and Howard Nagel.
2005: Lois Tierno, Joel Miller, Randy Kerschner and Curt Rissmiller.
2006: Glen Brumbach, Francis Chupick, Matt Krempasky and Amy Snook.
2007: Ron Fisher, George Price, Carl Bagenstose, Roberta Doherty and Rich Hammond.
2008: Ken Honsberger, Ralph Pace, Jay Landis and Randy Mutter.
2009: Josh Decker, Chris Feist, Bill Snook and Lee Umberger
2010: Martie Hetherington, Al Cola, Robbie Robertson and Steve Vincent

On Sunday, November 28, 2010, the Buccaneers will host Membership Day 2011, at Twin Valley High School, Elverson, PA. Registration begins at 11:00. All persons interested in learning more about the Reading Buccaneers and being part of the 2011 corps are invited to attend. Please visit the corps? web site at www.readingbuccaneers.org for more information.

Founded in 1957, the Buccaneers are a non-profit, education-oriented musical organization. The Buccaneers are a charter member of Drum Corps Associates and won the first-ever DCA world championships in 1965. Additional titles followed in 1968, 1979, 1980 and, most recently, in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 ? all six undefeated championship seasons. In 2009 the Buccaneers set DCA records for most consecutive wins and most consecutive world championships and posted the highest championship score in DCA history, a 99.025 out of 100. In 2010, the Buccaneers set or extended DCA records for most championships (10), most consecutive victories (57), most consecutive championships and most consecutive undefeated seasons (6).

Formed in 1981, the mission of the Buccaneer Alumni Association is to reunite all past members of the Reading Buccaneers Drum & Bugle Corps in camaraderie and fellowship, to engage in the parade drum & bugle corps activity, to encourage the growth of the Reading Buccaneers Drum & Bugle Corps, to maintain the commitment to excellence generally associated with said Corps, and to perpetuate drum & bugle corps in general as an art form and entertainment medium. The Buccaneer Alumni Drum & Bugle Corps was formed in 1987 as a program of the Buccaneer Alumni Association.

For more information, visit www.readingbuccaneers.org.