Roger Ellis

How about that - almost neighbors.

Hey Ron - where in sunny Florida are you? I am now residing in Wellington.

Raging cold front came thru here in Wellington FL today - high of only 70 degrees F - geez I miss Erie:))

Great idea for a thread, Gene. Most of these have been mentioned already, but are among my all-time favorites. 1972 Bucs - "Something" Yankee Rebels - "Shenandoah" Hamburg Kingsmen - "Ghost Riders in the Sky" Hurcs - "Magnificent 7" Les Diplomates - "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" Rochester Crusaders - Theme from "Ironsides"

Yes, I surely did pick you out. Knowing that you were a mere teenager in 1965 (like me), I can only assume that you were born shorter and rounder than the rest of the guys in the corps. I know that I was trying unsuccessfully to gain weight at that time in my life - I was too tall and too thin. I guess you didn't have that problem:)) I have an old Stetson Richmond recording of the 1965 AL Championship show from Portland OR - I can only imagine what it was like to play in a corps like that while you were still in high school - I guess you broke in at the top. Have you signed up for the Crusaders Alumni corps yet?

WOW - what a find after all these years - great quality photos and in color as well. A real blast from the past - check out the instrumentation - the judges in uniform - etc.

I marched in the Hamburg Kingsmen from 1972 through 1976. My recollection is that most of us were in our 20's - a few in their 30's. We had a color guard captain the first year I marched who was around 40, which was extremely unusual. He was far and away the oldest in the corps.

Wow - here is another memory from the 1970's. Again as a member of the Hamburg Kingsmen - our corps competed in a DCA judged competition that was held on the racetrack in Saratoga Springs NY in the afternoon. As memory serves me, it was on or about the fourth of July - probably 1973 or 1974?? - temperature was about 95 degrees. The track was nowhere near as deep front to back as a football field - we were told "take small steps". We never practiced for the smaller field, just went out and marched the show. Between the heat, the confusion due to the limited depth of the field, and sinking into the soft track, it was a show to never forget. Anyone else remember this one??

Woody Allen said "Eighty percent of success is just showing up". Success in any endeavor is mostly hard work and determination to improve. There is not one person in drum corps who had experience in drum corps when they started drum corps - think about it! We all started from zero at one point and the veterans helped us along. None of us have forgotten those who taught us, and how much it meant to us, and others will help you. The only way to get experience in anything is to do it, one hour at a time. Go for it - you will have no regrets.

This was a great idea for a thread, Jim. As a member of the Hamburg Kingsmen, I played two half-time exhibitions at Buffalo Bills games. I believe they were both pre-season games, as the weather was nice and warm for both of them:)) The first was at the old War Memorial Stadium in the Fruit Belt section of downtown Buffalo - not a neighborhood for the faint of heart. The second was in the (then) new Rich Stadium in Orchard Park. The memory that sticks most in my mind is how much background noise there was during our performances. Tens of thousands of people talking during the performances were so loud it was hard to hear each other down on the field. I can only imagine what it is like for an opposing team when the crowd is trying to drown out their verbal signals.

First show - early June, 1966 - playing soprano with the Northeast PA Shoreliners - the show was at the Academy High School stadium in Erie PA, my home town. Our drill was only half complete - we stood still after the concert number and finished playing the music. My overwhelming impression was that everyone else was a LOT better than we were. Syracuse Brigadiers had three times as many people and were 10 times as good - watched them practice on my high school field two blocks from home. Fast forward to 2003 - played my last show in the same stadium with the Erie Thunderbirds Alumni - perfect bookends to a drum corps career that took me all over the country.

The Erie Thunderbirds have been in this situation for many years. Their Alumni corps, in most years, has had more members than the 21 that mini-corps rules allow yet they have consistently been able to field a championship-level mini corps while also putting out a terrific Alumni corps. I can tell you as a member of the 2002 champion mini-corps that this situation is fully accepted by the membership. There are many factors that determine who plays in the mini corps - talent is not the only one. Willingness to do extra practices, having the time (and money) to travel to the championship show, and length of service to the corps are just some of the factors. No one was "dropped" from the larger organization to make the 21 person mini-corps limit. Bottom line IMHO: A corps does not have to compete on the field in DCA to be considered successful, and a successful corps will find a way to give every memebr a satisfactory performing experience. Don't blame the rules if this doesn't happen.

Mary, sorry for the confusion. I found your original post under Announcements, in case anyone else is looking for the original thread.

Mary, this news comes as a shock. Where is the previous post that you referred to? I can't seem to locate it.

I think I DO get it - let me try and explain from my perspective. A number of years ago I was the business manager for the Royal Lancers Alumni corps (Wyandotte MI) when we made a foray into senior field competition, mostly in Drum Corps Midwest shows. Mr. Vince Bruni traveled to one of the DCM meetings to encourage us to participate in DCA shows to the extent that we could travel east (welland ONT as one example), and he made a commitment to support the development of senior corps in the midwest by bringing the Empire Statesmen to a show in St. Johns, Michigan. I had dinner with Mr. Bruni and representatives from several other corps at that meeting, and in his quiet yet forcefully persuasive way he talked about the need for senior corps to build each other up and support each other. He knew better than just about anyone that in order for Empire to be successful, it was necessary for them to have other corps to compete against and shows to appear in. He looked at other corps as organizations to be encouraged and nurtured, not as competitive threats to his own organization. I had many other contacts and experiences with Mr. Bruni over the years, and believe him to be one of the finest leaders and gentlmen that I ever had the honor to know personally. What I get is that his leadership style and beliefs carry on even though he is gone. RIP Vince.

Alan was quite the showman - who could forget his presence in front of the "Fabulous" Crusaders? Also, how about giving the great George Parks his due in this thread? The mace was his trademark when he was out front of the Bucs, and he taught many others to lead marching units.

I played both DEG and Kanstul for several years each, along with a well-used King (and a Whalley Royce back in the dark ages). All of these were G horns. I favor the Kanstul hands down - fine manufacturing quality, comfortable feel in the hands, easier to center on pitches, an all around satisfying product to own and play. I bought mine brand new and had the opportunity to pick it up at the factory in Anaheim while I was on a business trip to California. Zig Kanstul greeted me at the door and gave me a personal tour of the factory - one of my favorite drum corps memories.

What Christopher said!!

High school buddies dragged me in.......I never saw a drum corps show until after I had joined a corps.

Hi Lee. My suggestion (as a former member of the corps and resident of Manhattan) is to look to the corps song for inspiration. For any readers who may not know, here are the words: "HERE COMES GARBARINA" (to the tune of "Oklahoma") (Used by the Skyliners from 1945 to the present day) Oh here comes Garbarina, with our flags unfurled and flying high, Garbarina we are drum corps men, who don't know when we are licked, and never will say die. We 're from New York, and we will always sing her praises loud and clear Garbarina we will bring no shame to our great name And no drum corps contest will we fear Our drum line's the best in the land, and our horn line, they play twice as grand And when we go, you'll see the greatest show. We're always out to win - sock it in Garbarina, Garbarina, let's go. "We're from New York" - so play music that is indelibly New York in character (and forget anything else). "Loud and clear" - there was never anything subtle about the great Skyliner corps of the past. Write for power. "The greatest show" - make it emotional. We want them throwing babies from the stands when the show is over. "We're always out to win" - design a show that is a winner in the eyes of the fans, the judges and the people who perform it. "No fear" - don't be afraid of doing something dramatic - don't be afraid of using songs from the past - don't be afraid of anything or anybody - just bring back the glory days.

It is a great question. There are many reasons, and Linda Doty gave a fine explanation already. It comes down to respecting the flag of our nation and what it stands for. Freedom is not free, and the price of freedom (paraphrasing Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young) is buried in the ground. My father served in the Army Air Corps as a fighter pilot in WW II, and the flag that laid on his casket during his military funeral is in a display case next to my desk as I write this message. Administrations and leaders come and go in our country, some far better than others, but the ideals and freedom of our country endure. As far as why DCI doesn't have honor guards - they used to and they stopped. In my humble opinion, it was far more important to the directors of DCI to have our nation's flag off the field and out of the way so it wouldn't detract from their esoteric shows than it was to honor our country. This is one of the many reasons that I haven't seen a DCI show in years.

Thanks, Fred. I had a different address in San Antonio.

Tom, you reminded me of one of my favorite drum corps stories. I took four years off from marching when I was younger (1968 thru 1971 seasons) because I was attending college in a year-round co-op program. I went to DCA in 1971 in Rochester and ran into Alan and a bunch of other guys I had played with in 1967. Alan was about 25 years old at the time, and I know of one other guy who was two or three years older. They asked me what I was going to do next year (1972), meaning of course about drum corps. I was living in Buffalo and I told them I was going to march Hamburg Kingsmen. Alan told me I should come to Batavia and march St. Joe's, and I replied that I was going to be 22 in a few weeks and would therefore be too old. Alan replied, "So what - we're all still marching!" The rest, as they say, is the history of the 1972 season.

I said it many times, but never had the shirt. At the end of summer the fatigue is deep and all of the work seems not to have been worth it. There are other priorities in life, and we decide to move on. College, family, career take priority. Then the memories of the hard times fade, but the seductive lure of performing remains. Pretty soon you start missing making music with your friends. And the cycle begins again.

I was shocked to hear this news, as I have not seen Alan for some time and was not aware of his illness. We have been friends since 1967 when we first marched together, and kept in touch off and on for all these many years. Alan was so proud of his adopted sons, sending me photos and letting me know how they were progressing in life. He went out of his way to take photos of my wife and I in 2000 which I greatly appreciated. Does anyone have a mailing address for sending a card and a note?