World Drum Corps Hall Of Fame Member Frank Lozar Obituary
Frank Lozar, inducted into the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame as a charter associate member in 2001 then further honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award and regular member status in 2005, passed away early Sunday, September 7 at the age of 85. He was born on Independence Day July 4, 1929.
His funeral will be held Saturday, September 13 at Washburn-McReavy Funeral Home, 1827 Coon Rapids Blvd NW in Coon Rapids, a northern suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Visitation is at 10 am with the funeral service to follow at 11 am. Lunch will be served afterward at American Legion Post, 11640 Crooked Lake Blvd NW.
Well-known by his nickname “The Beard,” he was considered the heart and soul of Minnesota Brass drum and bugle corps. He established a record of lifelong dedication to drum and bugle corps activity that no one else comes close to matching. He began playing a soprano horn in 1947 and continued marching and playing almost without interruption for 58 years. In 1969 Minnesota Brass awarded him the group’s highest honor, the Brassy, a lifetime achievement award.
Starting with American Legion Post 248 drum and bugle corps in Ely, Minnesota in 1947, he marched in competition every year except for the two years he served in the American Medical Corps.
He performed with Hamm’s Indians drum and bugle corps in St. Paul from 1955 to 1961 then joined Minnesota Brass in 1962. He served as Minnesota Brass corps director from 1963 to 1969, and held various board of directors, fundraising and executive officer positions with Minnesota Brass and Zuhrah Shrine over a 30 year period.
As a fundraiser, he arranged sponsorship for many individuals who otherwise would not have been able to participate in drum and bugle corps activity. He was a fundraising coordinator for several mid-western drum and bugle corps at various times. He was part of a group that was the first to initiate female members into the drum corps activity.
In 1998, he was recognized as the oldest on-field participant at both the Drum Corps Midwest (DCM) and Drum Corps Associates (DCA) championship tournaments. Beginning in 1980, he also performed with the Zuhrah Shrine group. In 2002 at the age of 73, he was still marching and performing in competitions as a member of Minnesota Brass.
He enjoyed entertaining corps members on bus trips by singing to them accompanied by the Gummers, ensemble members who didn’t know all the lyrics as well as Frank so they just mouthed the words and hummed. One enduring Minnesota Brass corps legend states that on a cross-country bus ride in 1970 he sang for 36 hours straight on the trip to Portland, Oregon without repeating a song.
Frank Lozar is the sixth member of the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame to pass away since late July. The others are Gene Bennett, Len Piekarski, Michael ‘Red’ Corso, charter member and past president George Bull and Earl Joyce Sr.
The late Vince Bruni of Rochester, New York founded the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame in 1976. The six charter members were Vince Bruni, George Bull, Jim Costello, Henry “Lefty” Mayer, Harvey Olderman, Vinnie Ratford. The Hall of Fame now includes 472 regular and associate members from the United States and Canada who have contributed to the activity across North America, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the Middle East, South Africa and Japan.
For more information about the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame, visit the web site at: http://www.worlddrumcorpshof.org/
