MikeD

We need to welcome new posters, especially those of marching age. Young people who want to march are the ones most impacted by what is going on with DCI shutting down or doing something else. Chasing them away with highly derogatory posts, sometimes personal and sometime just snarky, is not, IMO, the way to do this. Remember how you may have thought and reacted when you were of marching age. We sometimes forget that. Whether or not having a POV that DCI may have some sort of season in 2021 is realistic or just wishful thinking, I don't see that it incumbent on DCP posters to squash those dreams, especially with the negative tone some of the posts have taken.

Such a shame. He was an icon in the marching arts activity. We never met, but we had a lot of very great conversations online. We shared more than our first names; we had similar viewpoints of view on many things.

Mod hat... Do not make disparaging personal comments about posters. Discuss the post contents; that is the point of DCP.

Mod hat here... Please do not post links to politically driven articles; that is the same as making political posts.

My hero!

He marched with with Bob Barker, before Barker died. 😀

DCI is considering a shortened 'bridge tour' for 2021 right now, according to an article on their website. DCI article

Actually, according to the WHO, the survival rate is around 97%. From the WHO dashboard: 41,570,883 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 1,134,940 deaths, reported to WHO. WHO dashboard

Ah, that must be what I am remembering about their tragedy.

Her reactions are very small potatoes in the scheme of these things. I'm sure she is making a few bucks when people ask her to review this or that, but not really very much. One gal I watch, named TOO SUSHI, has a reaction video to the Righteous Brothers 1965 performance of "Unchained Melody" (actually just the Bobby Hatfield half of the duo) on the Andy Williams TV show. It has over 1.7 million views. Even with viewers like that she is not really making a lot of $$$.

Back in 71, we (Cadets) were performing at a show in Northbrook, Ill. We stayed at a HS nearby where we rehearsed and slept...and ate. Somehow, a good portion of the corps got some kind of bug or food poisoning. The football field at the HS was (seemingly) about 2 miles from the school and BATHROOMS. There was a constant stream of members running back and forth from the field to the school all day long. It was not a sight to behold, for sure!

I think the lightening incident happened to the Des Plaines Vanguard from Illinois.

Mod hat here. Please do not fall into the trap of discussing political issues. Saying that the President has COVID is fine, but do not think that gives anyone the clearance to start extrapolating into the political side of this in any direction.

Oh, absolutely. It was after the 71 season. We played pickup football often with the Muchachos in the fall. The two towns are very close together. Richie Chirichella, the DM, broke his leg at the game. He was a math ed major at Montclair State, a senior. I was a freshman music ed major. I would see him hobble around campus on crutches. Everything was going well until the blood clot. Absolutely awful. He was laid out in his DM uniform, and the entire corps came in to the viewing. We sang "O Holy Name" one more time for Richie. There was not a dry eye in the room. His younger brother Steve played snare. His old brother Jerry marched in the early 60's and remained on board as a quartermaster. I actually had Jerry's uniform from 1962, both of us being "husky" guys.

It was in the 50’s

Hopefully it won't happen, but who knows? It has in the past for sure. I can go back as far as I have memories of these things, in band and corps, and yes, people do manage to get hired again and again. More so earlier than recently, but even now it happens. In GH's case specifically I think the huge amount of publicity, the legal outcome, and the sheer volume of readily available information online will make it difficult for him to be hired, esp in a visible role, but I guess we'll see.

Maybe you are correct; I hope not. I know in the past lots people who should not ever have been given 2nd, 3rd, 4th...etc...opportunities were given them. One reason I do not ever yearn for the "good old days" in many ways, be it band or corps. I am hopeful that in today's world that will not happen with someone like GH. I don't see him remaining in the background with his personality. IMO there is no way any corps or band could justify hiring him for anything. If by some awful chance he is hired, even for a background role, it would come out. I don't see him lasting long in any such position. There would be a large and very public outcry against him. He would fail any background checks being run today, and for the foreseeable future. He'd be in his late 70's by the time he is even eligible to have his record cleared. Not to mention the information gleaned from a simple Google search on top of that.

Yeah, I took a look at his page. I know some of the people who respond to him. I marched with a couple, judged some of their bands and some of them judged the band I was with. I don't see them really being supportive of GH.

Just don't hire the guy. In this day and age, I personally don't see any corps or band hiring him. Maybe I am too trusting in how the corps/band admins will behave, but there is no upside at all in bringing him on board. By the time he would be able to even try and get his record cleared, he's be in his late 70's. I think he is toast in the marching arts, thankfully. But, I was wrong one time before in my life (😎) so who knows!

Oh, for sure. You can find lots of stuff online that can help guide a hiring decision like that. IMO the hiring person needs to take care in how they use what they see online, that's all. It is absolutely a valid tool to use.

I guess I was thinking about official background checks like teachers, etc....go through, through the county or state (here in NJ anyway). Sure, a Google search brings up a lot of info, though people need to be careful in how they process that type of data.

You should invite him over for dinner and a...er...show!

Absolutely agree. In the case you quoted in your reply, however, a background check would not have "caught" anything. It does not appear the guy was ever legally convicted of anything, unless I misread the original post.

One victim said it was not in her best interest to move forward with the case, so that may have played a role from the prosecution side of things and the plea deal. And as you said, the other victim said she was OK with the plea deal.

Mod hat here... Please be more careful with posts wandering into the personal area. Stick to the issues in the thread, not the posters.