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    THE HAWTHORNE MUCHACHOS: WHAT REALLY HAPPENED

    in Historical Junior Corps Discussions

    Posted · Edited by byline

    wait...people committed suicide over this????? :blink:

    I'm not sure it was directly over this episode. And people who were a part of the corps will know the details far better than I. But from what I understand, based on comments that people have posted, the fallout from these events, and ultimately losing the beloved corps that was such an integral part of their life, put many folks into a downward spiral ... and for some of them, it ended in suicide. But again, people who were there are far better equipped than I to talk about this.

    THE HAWTHORNE MUCHACHOS: WHAT REALLY HAPPENED

    in Historical Junior Corps Discussions

    Posted

    Hello, all! I got permission from G James Miller and Dennis DeLucia to repost this message which was originally posted in the 1970's Drum and Bugle Corps group on Facebook. Dennis's account speaks for itself. I will repost the two messages in full, starting with G James Miller's introduction.

    G James Miller

    Hello folks - I didn't march in 1975 muchachos, but was with the corps in 1977, my first year in drum corps. I have heard stories of what happened from corps members and others. I have had a 30 year friendship with Dennis DeLucia, who was on the staff of the corps that year. I asked him what really happened in 1975 and, with his permission, I will share the account of that year, and the events that lead up to Prelims in 1975:

    THE HAWTHORNE MUCHACHOS:

    WHAT REALLY HAPPENED

    By Dennis DeLucia

    More than three decades have passed since the Hawthorne Muchachos, who had become one of DCI’s elite contenders in the mid-seventies, were disqualified at DCI Championships in Philadelphia in August, 1975 for marching an overage member. Those are the facts, but the back-story is involved, convoluted, mysterious and worthy of a Hollywood movie!

    I grew up in Bergenfield, NJ and participated in the school district’s music program, which was created by and run by the incredible Dr. Bernard Baggs. In my junior year, Dr. Baggs hired a young Don Angelica to run the band while he took on more administrative duties. My involvement in drum corps was [and is] a direct result of the support of my family and the influence and mentorship of both Dr. Baggs and Mr. Angelica.

    I graduated from Bergenfield HS in 1962 and Upsala College in 1966. I was immediately drafted into the Army during the peak of the VietNam war. I auditioned for and was accepted into the West Point Band’s “Hellcats” as a drummer, a position I held for almost three years. While at West Point, I started to teach a drum corps [The Pacers, Poughkeepsie, NY] with my friend, Bob Devlin. Upon leaving the army, Angelica convinced the Muchachos to hire me as their percussion arranger/instructor for the 1970 season. At the time, the corps was an all-boy off-shoot of the famous Caballeros, and practiced in American Legion Post 199 in Hawthorne, NJ.

    The details that I am about to outline are derived from my direct experiences [indicated by one asterisk *] plus conversations with notable people who were connected to the Holy Name Cadets **[later called “Garfield” and ultimately just “The Cadets”], the Caballeros/Muchachos ***, the Cavaliers ****and DCI itself. I prefer to eliminate many names, and to refer to the man at the center of the Muchachos’ fate as simply the Boss.

    Here is my account of what really happened to the Muchachos in Philadelphia in 1975:

    1. Around 1940, the Boss and friends were marching in a small corps in NJ. The group included Jim Costello, who was to later become the long-time director of the Hawthorne Caballeros***.

    2. They joined the Navy during World War II***.

    3. Costello would eventually marry the Boss’ sister***.

    4. After World War II, the friends returned to NJ and joined American Legion Post 199 in Hawthorne, where they started a senior corps, which became the “Caballeros”***.

    5. The Boss was a marching member of the Caballeros and became an assistant to Costello [officially or unofficially---I’m not sure]***

    6. In the fifties, Jim Costello taught the Holy Name Cadets, and the Boss was an “unofficial” helper/assistant director**.

    7. The corps’ staff regularly hung out at a particular restaurant/bar, above which lived the Boss**.

    8. Around 1958 or 1959, the Boss allegedly shot and killed the drum major of Holy Name**. Nobody has ever told me why that tragedy happened.

    9. The Boss went to prison until 1968 [?]**.

    10. Upon release from prison, the Boss returned to Hawthorne and became the “assistant” director of both the Caballeros and Muchachos, who had been created in 1959 as a youth activity for male relatives of Caballero members and alumni**.

    11. Don Angelica had been in Holy Name in the fifties, then marched in and taught the Caballeros in the sixties*.

    12. I was hired to teach the Muchachos for the 1970 season, knowing about the Boss’ story*.

    13. By 1972, the Boss had ascended to the directorship of the Muchachos after the 1971 Director had to resign to run his business full-time*.

    14. The Boss was so tied in to the American Legion and the Caballeros that he resented the newly-formed “DCI” because he considered its possible success as a threat to the Legion’s involvement in and dominance of the junior drum corps scene*.

    15. The Muchachos were NOT one of the founders of DCI because, up to 1971, they had not achieved competitive “elite” status*.

    16. The Boss refused to sign the corps up for the initial DCI Championships because he wanted to stay loyal to the Legion*.

    17. At the last minute, Don Angelica convinced the Boss to sign up, which he did*.

    18. As a result of being the last corps to enroll, the Muchachos had to go on FIRST on the first day of the two-day prelims. In spite of that handicap, the corps made finals, finishing tenth*.

    19. The Boss was therefore automatically a member of the DCI Board, but did not attend meetings and continued to profess his dislike/distrust for the new circuit, probably under pressure from the Caballeros’ organization and his deeply-held affinity for the Legion*.

    20. DCI Board members, aware of the Boss’ past [prison] and his reluctance/refusal to fully participate in DCI events, never fully welcomed him or the Muchachos into the fold, even though the corps moved up the competitive ladder every year and became a legitimate contender by 1975*.

    21. Many corps in the early years of DCI marched with overage members, probably as an result of practices under the Legion/VFW years as well as Catholic corps who were usually based in inner-city environments and whose priests considered their purpose to be more “youth-protection” than drum corps competitors [strictly my opinion]*.

    22. In the winter of 1975 a young man [i’ll call him “Tommy”] auditioned for a spot in the Muchachos’ drumline. He did not get the spot, and ultimately joined the Cavaliers in Chicago for the ’75 season, where he marched [timpani, I believe]*.

    23. “Tommy” knew of an overage member of the Muchachos, a person with whom he apparently had a personal grudge***.

    24. In the early Spring of ’75, the Boss showed me a letter from DCI asking him to check on the possibility of three members on the roster being overage. The Boss replied to DCI by refuting their information and telling DCI, in essence, to “mind your own business and to not to interfere in the running of my corps”*.

    25. I knew then that 1975 would be my last year with the corps*.

    26. At the World Open [Massachusetts] in early August, “Tommy” hid behind Cavalier adults and pointed out the Muchachos’ member who he knew was overage****.

    27. A Cavalier father followed the corps out to the truck and struck up a conversation with the overage member, who played an unusual drum called roto-toms. He took a picture of the member with his drums, allegedly to “show his son these unique drums”****.

    28. The Cavaliers turned the photo into DCI, who checked the member’s age and image against the documents that the Boss had turned in prior to the season****.

    29. At prelims in Philadelphia, after the corps performed, a member of the Cavaliers’ management accompanied Executive Director Don Pesceone to the Muchachos’ truck where they demanded this member’s wallet and driver’s license*.

    30. The photo matched the photo that the Boss had submitted, but the member’s birth info did not match. Factoring in the negative feelings of DCI Board members towards the Boss, and in spite of hours of fruitless begging and pleading by Frank Gerris and me, the result was already decided. Game over*.

    31. The aftermath was tragic---we lost a great drum corps, the Boss passed away, several members of the corps suffered incredible hardships [including suicides] and the activity itself was damaged*.

    Epilogue #1---“Tommy” ended up in prison in Texas for impersonating a doctor! Not just any doctor, but a gynecologist!!! Nice guy.

    Epilogue #2---In 1989 the Santa Clara Vanguard was caught with two overage members at prelims. Not only were they NOT disqualified, as the rules clearly mandated, but they were allowed to compete if they removed the two overage members. Result? They won the DCI Championship! Ironic.

    Epilogue #3---The scores were never revealed, except for our drum score, which was 19.3, winning percussion by six tenths over Santa Clara! Rumors have persisted about whether we won prelims or not, but I have no firm proof. My best guess is that the Muchachos finished second to Madison by a couple of tenths.

    Epilogue #4---In prelims, including the Muchachos in the top-three, the results were as follows:

    9th----83.0 Kilties---------7th in finals

    10th—82.3 Garfield------11th in finals

    11th---81.9 Phantom-----10th in finals

    12th---81.4 Cavaliers----8th in finals

    13th---79.6 Troopers----got into finals as a result of the Muchachos’ disqualification.

    14th---79.4 Watkins Glen Squires

    The corps who were “on the bubble” of either making or just missing finals, were the Cavaliers, Troopers, Phantom, Garfield, Kilties and Squires. It is my understanding that they all voted to disqualify the Muchachos. Ironically, I had positive proof that at least three of these six corps had marched overage members!

    In the immediate aftermath of the Muchachos’ disqualification, I found at least six of the top-13 had marched with overage members during the 1975 season, including prelims. I chose to NOT pursue the information out of my strong belief in the positive benefits of the drum corps movement. But the events of that day and its aftermath haunt me still.

    I recommend a book written by Nic Waerzeggers called “Drum Corps International: The First Decade, 1972-1981” published by Steve Vickers and available through Drum Corps World---publisher@drumcorpsworld.com. It is a beautifully-written, detailed account of the first ten years of DCI’s existence, and includes many photos, stats and interviews with key people in the activity.

    Dennis DeLucia

    January 31 at 11:38am

    • Like 6

    Carolina Crown

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted · Edited by byline

    2008 was what most drum corps fans, regardless of corps affiliation, hope to see - some shakeups. PR was third in quarterfinals. Second in semis. How awesome would it be if they... holy #### they just took gold! Add in the fact that their show emotionally connected with the audience (everyone around me screamed "I am Spartacus" during their finals performance), and of course you're going to have a much larger reaction when they're announced in first.

    I agree with this; Phantom just had a lot of emotional momentum behind them that year. And, to add to that, I think a lot of folks wanted to see them win their own title outright; 2008 seemed to be the perfect culmination for that to happen.

    As for Crown, I have mixed emotions about them. I love their brass sound, but their visual program almost always leaves me with this "trying hard to impress" feeling. Mind you, that is a very subjective reaction, and just because it hits me that way doesn't mean that's what it really is.

    DQ's

    in Historical Junior Corps Discussions

    Posted

    There's a remarkable thread under the Muchachos' photo in Facebook's 1970's Drum & Bugle Corps group (http://www.facebook.com/groups/340250541827/) in which Dennis DeLucia, through postings by G James Miller, describes in detail what transpired during the 1975 season leading to the Muchachos' disqualification. It's a must-read for anyone wanting to know what really happened. It's also very sad, considering its impact on the corps members.

    Carol Munro

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    John, thank you for this post about Carol. I didn't realize that she's the one who arranged the keyboard parts for the "Hide and Seek" overlay in the '78 drum solo. Amazing! I didn't know Carol well, but she impressed me as being a very cool person and role model. As you say, she will be missed. RIP, Carol.

    Spirit of Atlanta -- July 8, 1980

    in Historical Junior Corps Discussions

    Posted · Edited by byline

    Wow. Words fail me. Thank you for sharing this, and thank you to Roy Perez for bringing this gem to digital form so that it could be shared. What an extraordinary achievement ... in so many ways. How remarkable that the corps was able to pull itself together to give us this emotional tribute to Jim Ott. Thank you to all involved!

    Marvelous Minneapolis

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    I am significantly confused why so many people talk about the Madison Scouts like they used to win DCI titles every year. They are typically a 5th to 7th place corps. The last title they won was 24 years ago, and it is unlikely they will win one again in the next decade. People really need to tone down the Scouts propoganda and think rationally. Their show is entertaining but dirty. It does not have the technical merit of a top five contender this year. Madison is an good corps this year, but please tone down the rhetoric!

    Why does anyone get infatuated with any corps, regardless of placement? Yes, Madison's average DCI finals placement over the years is sixth. However, if you look at the crowd favorites over the years, Madison is consistently at or near the top. It's not always about competitive placement, but about which corps captures the hearts of the fans in the stands.

    Actually, if you want to see what the averages are, they're here in this DCP thread and reveal some surprises: Average placements and scores

    • Like 3

    Best Rifle Line In History

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    great rifles...as it was so cool to see something like this back in the day BUT look at the release hand which is judged now.......just so different now....actually it makes it even more amazing that the guns were so perfect with bad or different hand releases...yeah rifles

    In fairness, I will point out that I read a comment many moons ago (and am too lazy to look it up, but I'm pretty sure it was on DCP) in response to this photo, and questions about the hand positions. Apparently the two with the different hand positions were new to the guard; experienced Anaheim guard members would never have been caught with their hands in a different position; that sort of thing simply wasn't allowed. Now, I'll leave it to the experts to hash that one out, LOL!

    Best Rifle Line In History

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    ALL the things you mention that guards today are missing is because in the guard activity ( for decades now ) it isnt required... Guards have gone way beyond being just another section of the corps. Guards have far more responsibilities to the overall design, concept,message of the overall package than ever before

    I myself was in one of those back in the day lines and if you go back and watch some videos of corps you speak of and I have, it was great but wanst as good as even I remember at the time. It wasnt as flawless .. We tend to have selective memories..Dont get me wrong it was hot ...especially for the time BUT since then for many years now I have taught in WGI, DCI and DCA and whats required of guards today..including excellence is far beyond what we did, just as show design has evolved over the years.

    This by no means takes anything aways from back in the day...its just different..but SO ARE MOST THINGS IN THE WORLD from then to now.....and why wouldnt it be...it would be a sad day if drum corps didnt evolve in over 40 years....JMO

    I agree with this. :thumbup:

    • Like 1

    Best Rifle Line In History

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    I have to go against the tide and say 27 in 1979--quad toss at :40, case in point.

    1980's 27 was good too, but they were missing a rifle, and that destroyed what would have been an epic exchange in "On the 20th Century."

    They weren't missing a rifle all season long, only at DCI finals (and that was because she had to be hospitalized with appendicitis). So I wouldn't hold that against them. Watch the high-cam prelims video, if you can find it. There ends the debate right there, IMO.

    Best Rifle Line In History

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    "Best" is such a subjective term. Much as I would never besmirch anything having to do with the Madison Scouts... for me, there is one rifle line that stands above them. For that perfect combination of bad-azz attitude, technical excellence, best-ever rifle line uniform HANDS DOWN, the lying on their back spin move, and the fact they were 100 percent female.... I give you... THE 27TH LANCERS !!!! What year? Pick one, it doesn't matter.

    I agree, though if I have to choose, 1980 is my favorite year.

    1980 Madison was a wonderful rifle line, but I think Two-Seven had a much harder book . . . and nailed it just as well.

    • Like 1
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