ironlips

A very poignant gesture, and one which will create positive results as the current recipients pass these horns on to others.

I am a nice guy, and not one to defend the individuals in question. I do stand for due process, however. That said, the argument for "the appearance of impropriety" is a persuasive one and can be effectively applied in this instance. I think this will all play itself out in time while the rest of us get on with our lives.

I think it is safe to assume that if either is convicted regarding the serious allegations against them they will lose membership.

Right, of course. Sometimes I just can't see the forest...etc. Must be all those attempts to play higher than Screech back in the day. My apologies for completely missing the obvious point of the question. Sorry, Jeff. Last year, Diane Nicholeris attended, but she actually got a leave from the San Francisco Symphony to do so. Eric Julliard from Top Secret traveled from Switzerland. Chick Corea was on tour in Europe. As Fran mentioned, Billy Cobham flew in from his home in Panama for the ceremony, and Astronaut Chris Ferguson, the first Distinguished Professional Achievement inductee, played hooky from NASA to attend. John Ratzenberger, Chick Corea and Steve Gadd all had performance commitments, Labor Day weekend being a fairly busy time generally for actors and musicians, but each prepared a personal acceptance video that was shown at the event. (That will be the case for George Takei this year.) Chick was presented with his plaque in person at his concert in Berkley last summer. Even among other inductees, it often occurs that getting to "off the main line" destinations like Rochester and (gasp) Williamsport on the worst travel weekend imaginable is just not feasible.

" how many of these celebrities with drum corps pasts have actually attended? " An interesting question, I think. Attended what, exactly? Shows in which they marched? Parades? DCA Finals? DCI Division II? Alumni shows in Harrisburg? I guess it depends on what qualifies as attendance, and when one starts counting. Chick started going to drum corps shows in the mid-'50s but has not shown up much lately. Then again, over 40 drum corps have played his music, at last count.

There's some good "point/counterpoint" in this discussion, something to be said from several quarters. I was aware of John Ratzenberger's militant political position re industrial arts education. Perhaps it's balanced a bit by the fact that he has attended virtually every Barnum Festival drum corps show since the late '60s, but that's for others to judge. As for motherhood, I'm all for that, but my mom didn't march in a drum corps though she (evidently) did share some of the values. And I am glad we all can keep a sense of humor around our various viewpoints. I had a pretty good laugh when I read this: " we usually don't understand you Hollywood types ", having been born and raised in the Bronx. Thanks. I needed that.

" When's my induction? " Step 1: Have your sponsor submit your resume As for Mr. Takei and Mr. Ratzenberger, a casual perusal of theirs would reveal significant contributions by both in the areas of human rights and respect, and for the promotion of the values of hard work and education. At its best, these are fundamental to the Drum Corps activity, and each of them have acknowledged that publicly on several occasions. In short, their lives reflect a very positive credit to said activity. Some may consider that insignificant, and they are certainly entitled to that minority opinion.

With respect, I fear you miss the point of this particular honor. There are several additional Hall of Fame categories that recognize the contributions of both volunteers and luminaries of the Drum Corps family. In all, there are more than a dozen others to be inducted this year.

Hi, Terri. Actually, the criteria for the Distinguished Professional Achievement Category differs from the boiler plate general version you read in the press release for basic membership. DPA is designed to recognize people who got early exposure to drum corps values and skills and then used those to craft successful careers in other areas of endeavor. Some other notable DPAs: Christopher Ferguson - NASA Space Shuttle Commander, former snare in Philadelphia PAL John Ratzenberger - Actor, former drummer in CT. Royal Lancers Chick Corea - Grammy-winning musician/composer, former soprano in St. Rose Scarlet Lancers Diane Nicholeris - First violin, SF Symphony, under Michael Tilson Thomas, former guard captain, Sir Thomas Moore ...etc. As for Mr. Takei, like the others, he has made a habit of supporting and endorsing the activity. (See the photo accompanying the announcement on the DCP home page. He was making an appearance in support of the Boy Scout corps.) Also, there was a recent TV special about a "George Takei Museum" opening in LA wherein he discusses his involvement in and affection for drum corps.

There is no question about that. And the brass instructor was the incomparable Sandra Opie. It was 1976 when Gail (DeAngelis) Balls (former ND-ette) and Rene( Myers) Delucia (Edison Saints alumna) broke through the brass ceiling at Garfield. Both rocked lead soprano. Rene transitioned to the rifle line during the winter. She was a star there, too. Meanwhile, Bonnie Ott had been tearing it up on the left coast with the Commodores, then the Blue Devils. The godmother of them all was a soloist and instructor for the Sunrisers, 'way back in the late '50's, Lil Lindy, who went on to teach hundreds of kids in local corps on Long Island. These women were the pioneers, the exceptions during their performing careers, much like Cherokee Merino, the outstanding snare drummer from the ND-ettes who became Eric Perriloux's student, and cracked the boys club in the battery of St. Rita's Brassmen. They, and their sisters, are the primary reason no one is surprised to see young women in horn and drum lines these days. I'm sure it put a smile on their faces when Carol O'Brien became the first woman member of the US Marine Corps Drum Corps, the Commandant's own.

" Embracing all cultures ................ " I find this to be a rather profound gesture, coming as it does from a prominent African-American drum corps personality, honoring the diversity that has traditionally characterized the activity. Reading the NY Times tribute to Hal Blaine, the great session drummer who recently passed, reveals that he was a Jewish kid who learned to play in a Catholic parish corps in Hartford. Maybe that explains how he could rock the Beach Boys recordings and the Ronettes sessions. We can rightly point to Drum Corps as one thing our society actually got right. Happy St. Patrick's Day. Enjoy the parades. Francis Timothy Patrick Dorritie

So, do the Billiards purists get their balls agitated if someone refers to them "shooting Pool"?

I was going to reply to all this, then realized I already had: http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/2012/06/inside-the-arc-its-just-not-drum-corps-anymore/

I'm with Stu on this one: " That is why I am seeing this for what it is, which is an academic project done by a student". The world has yet to see a survey that is unbiased or doesn't have an agenda. That's just a given, in my opinion. That does not necessarily invalidate the process. Indeed, as an undergraduate, this young woman will derive a good working knowledge of how surveys work, which is probably more important than any data collected by this one. Consider this: All time-limited experiences have end dates. One graduates from high school, college, goes on a cruise,...etc. These limitations and end dates are known in advance and are anticipated. They are not in themselves traumatic, unexpected events. You may be nostalgic for the experience, but moving on from drum corps will not likely turn one into Vicki the Vampire, unless one already had some "issues" to begin with. Taking this survey will assist a corps alumna to complete the process of graduating from a prestigious university, an event which I trust is unlikely to produce any significant trauma for her.

This is absolutely spot on analysis, and very Zen, recognizing as it does the interconnection of all things, including mellophones, beer, and logarithms. One must always remember as well the effect on the pitch of mallet instruments produced by the coefficient of sliding friction, and on discussions such as these by the classic reductio ad absurdum.