royal-air canada

My drum and bugle corps career started out in 1961 with the Delta Thunderbirds Junior Drum and Bugle Corps from Stockton, California.. The rest of my drum corps career is listed in my signature. Currently I am the bugler called on to play "Tap" for the Santa Maria, California Valley Veterans Honor Guard at local military funerals. We perform at about 125 military funerals a year average. My father had played in the Joseph P. Westnedge (SP) Post of the American Legions senior drum and bugle corps from Kalamazoo, Michigan back in the mid 1950's. (Does anyone remember them?)

He entered the U.S. Air Force as an instrumentalist back in the 1950's and later went on to be affiliated with the Air Force Drum and Bugle Corps from Bolling Air Force Base. P.S. He hated the Bagpipe Players he was forced to include in the drum and bugle Corps.

When the gentleman in this photo (number 452) showed up on the doorsteps of the midwest corps and offered his talents in the early 1950's, the one caption that the corps there were lacking in to jump up to the forefront was drumming. He was a renowned past national champion snare drummer who had marched with the Stratford, Conn. Yankees back east. He was also later affiliated with the Ludwick Drum Company as well. With the teaching of his style of drumming the midwest corps such as the Norward Park (Chicago) Imperials and the Chicago Cavaliers were then able to compete on an overall par with the big boys from back east. In 1956 at the VFW Nationals in Dallas, Texas the top three corps were St. Vincents Cadets in 1st. place, Norwood Park (Chicago) Imperials in 2nd place followed behind them by the Chicago Cavaliers in 3rd place. One of his drum students a miss Marian (Mickey) Vogt/Graeber, the lead snare drummer with the Norwood Park Imperials, was singled out that year at the VFW retreat ceremonies by the drum judges who said they had never before seen such a talented female drummer. She later after aging out in 1957 went on to teach the Norwood Park B corps drum section out of which a student of her own named Tony Di Marco went on to capture a couple of national snare drum championships. She has always been the first to acknowledge her accomplishments in drumming to what this gentleman in the photo had taught her. Although his last name might make you think his family had come from France I'll assure you that he wasn't a Franc o phone.

That photo looks a lot like it might have been taken in the Fort York Armory in Toronto where we used to practice our field drills during the winter months during the 5 years I marched with the Toronto 2nd Signals.

Also the Norwood Park Imperials from Chicago all through the 1940's , 50,s and 60's etc.

Not to forget that in 2005 after we ( The Chicago Royal-Airs) performed our full field show at about 12:45 a.m. after the conclusion of the prelims shows Saturday night, we then came back at around 10:00 a.m. the next morning on Sunday and performed it all over again for the "Alumni Spectacular Show".

Another female snare drummer in drum corps back in the day was Marion (Mickey) Vogt/Graeber. She marched with Norwood Park from Chicago from 1954 -1957. In 1956 Norwood Park took second at nationals to the St. Vincent Cadets beating the Chicago Cavaliers that year who took third. At the retreat ceremony's the drum judges came out to personally tell her that they had never seen a girl snare drummer that played so well. Her instructor back in Chicago was non other than Mr. Frank Arsenault. After her age out year she instructed the drum line of the B corps for Norwood Park for many years. In 2004 she joined the Chicago Royal-Airs Senior Exhibition Corps marching flag in the Honor Guard and remained with them up until they decided to stop marching a field show in 2006. She then joined the Anaheim Kingsmen Alumni Corps (KAC) Honor guard in 2006 and marched with them in their field shows and parades up until 2008. She also marched flag in the Chinese New Years parade with the San Francisco Renegades in 2007.

From what's been related to me from John Zimny by his wife Karen, the Freelancers will not be doing any kind of a marching show at the Alumni Spectacular. Only a standstill or "park and blow" performance. Not unlike their mini-corp show. Not to say that they will not sound good.

Ok I'm back from 3 weeks holidays in Hawaii and after catching up on this thread I can say that this particular photo recognition has gone on far too long. The man in question is probably to far off on the northern California west coast and from to long ago for many of the participants here to maybe know of him. I enjoyed marching with him in the 8 time California State Senior Drum and Bugle Corps Champion Joaquin Caballeros from Stockton, California back in the early 1960's where his father (Sr,) who is of the same name followed my father as corps business manager when I started commuting back to the midwest to march with the Chicago Royal-Airs. This gentleman's first name is the same as the main character in a Christmas movie from back in the day named "A Christmas Story". At least that's how we referred to him back then. LOL. His last name is slightly similar sounding but not exactly the same as the first name of one of the actors who has been in the last three of the "Pirates of the Carribean" movies. No not Mr. Depp. Maybe these clues will help to get this gentleman finally recognized. Now I'll take my leave and go back to the planning for my December trip to Florida to visit the Magic Kingdom in ....... . Opps! Hark there Matey. Almost allowed yet another clue to slip by me thar.

Actually the Chicago Royal-Airs did have a meeting to choose their own name when they broke away from the Alamo Rangers post.

As also did in the 1940's and 1950's before the days of DCI from Chicago' the "Norwood Park Imperials" and then later in the 1960's the Chicago Royal-Airs.

The Chicago Royal-Airs played the Paul Anka hit song "Diana" for a number of years in the very early 1960's. Although in 1965 we were the first and only drum corps to ever win the Triple crown of the drum corps nationals (CYO, VFW & American Legion) in the same year we didn't have a Contra Bass to march with until 1966. In 1967 we marched with 59 players in the horn line. We were the first corps to start using various multi-pitched base drums in 1966 and we marched with tympani's in 1968.

Actually there used to be some back in the Day. Senior Corps," Washington Carver Gay Blades" back east and Junior Corps, "Rangers" and the " Giles Yellow Jackets" in Chicago.

Does anyone have a video of the occasion that they can put out there to be seen by relocated drum corps alumni that unfortunately could not attend this years festivities?

I met Dan while we were both marching members of the Toronto 2nd Signals Drum Corps. He marched a number of seasons with the "Sigs" before he went over to Preston Scout House Alumni to march and then later on to the Bridgmen Alumni. He was a great friend and always inquiring with me into how things were going with the Chicago Royal-Airs Alumni when I marched with them. When I moved to California and became a member of the Anaheim Kingsmen Alumni (KAC) Dan e-mailed back and forth with me again to ask how things were going with the kingsmen. Whenever I ran into him at the DCA Alumni Spectacular shows he was always so upbeat and in such good spirits and never seemed to speak ill of any other corps. Dan always treasured his associations and the comraderie with the fellow members in the various drum corps that he was a member of and he will be remembered and missed. R.I.P. Dan, fellow marching member, old time drum corps supporter, and always a good friend.

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HOPE THAT EVERYONE HAS A HAPPY THANKSGIVING WHERE EVER YOU MAY BE CELEBRATING IT. BUON APPETITE!

HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ONE AND ALL WHERE EVER YOU MAY BE CELEBRATING IT. BUON APPETITE!

One afternoon back in 1960 while in Fremont Junior High School in Stockton, California I went over to visit with a classmate of mine named Johnny Meza after school. While I was there he picked up a pair of drum sticks and started practicing snare drum parts on a practice pad. He said he had just recently joined a local junior drum and bugle corps that was starting up named the "Delta Thunderbirds" (I bet no one ever heard of that corps. #1) in Stockton, California sponsored by the Karl Ross Post of the American Legion and his twin sisters Mary and Jose were marching in the color guard. It had been formed by Al Mondragon and a few other fellows who had been alumni of the State Champion Y.M.I. (Young Men's Institute) "Joaquin Caballeros" (bet no one ever heard of this one either.#2) Drum and "BELL" Corps also from Stockton. There were no charges or fee's of any kind needed to pay to join as all cost of the uniforms, drums, flags etc. were to be covered by the parents organization and the members through various fund raising events like car washes, spaghetti dinners, even by the girls baby sitting fee's, etc. and of course any parade winnings. A few of the fathers of the kids even entered into a local Rodeo and won enough money to get things started out. Anyway John invited me to attend the next rehearsal which I did and I joined. Now my father had played lead soprano bugle in the Joseph P. Westnedge Post of the American Legion Drum and Bugle Corps (bet nobody ever heard of that one either. #3) back in Kalamazoo, Michigan before we moved out to California in 1956 so I was a bit familiar with the concept of drum and bugle corps and what to expect. We started out marching with the boys in the drum and horn line wearing just black pants, with a taped, (medical tape) white stripe down the leg, white shirts and our black school shoes. The girls in the guard wore long black skirts, white blouses and white sneakers. The American Legion Post did give us a few old well worn out black shakos that looked like they had come from the World War I time period for the girls in the Honor Guard to wear, a few ancient snare and tenor field drums and a single very thin old base drum but that was pretty much the extent of their support except in name. Now back then there weren't many kids in the drum and bugle corps that had much if any experience playing on musical instruments (If the local high school band directors ever found out that you were marching in a drum and bugle corps you would be kicked out of their band) so they just handed to you either a pair of drum sticks or a straight "G" bugle, no piston or rotor and said go home pucker up and try blowing on it a few times until you can start sustaining some resemblance of a note. Then later once you had managed to conquer that to some extent you were handed a single (horizontal) piston bugle, still no rotors back then, (used vaseline on the tuning slides to keep them workable) and were brought into the horn line or drum line etc. The corps managed to do real well as we on weekends travelled by riding in our the parents cars to parades around the central and northern part of the state. We actually performed about a one minute drill with gates, squad turns, wheels etc. in the street while playing before the judging stands in the local parades in towns such as Salinas, Watsonville, Half Moon Bay, Napa, Yountville, Lodi, Murphy, Angels Camp, Sacramento, Stockton (Portugese Day Parades), San Francisco (Chinese New Years Day Parades) etc. which helped to get us a number of first places over the other junior musical units (high school marching bands etc.). By our second year of existence we had managed to raise enough money for the mothers to start sewing our new flags and uniforms. The blouses were Kelly green with two white stripes that went across the chest diagonally from your shoulder to the waist and black pants that had a single white stripe sown down the leg from waist to cuff. The boys now wore white "Bucks" for shoes and the girls wore white cowgirl (I call them) boots. We also had enough money to now purchase new white plumes and shakos for everyone that had a gray/black marble kind of look as well as a new set of drums that were a sparkling silver with a horizontal green stripe around the middle and two new "bass" Baritone bugles (no Contra's invented yet guys). In the spring of our third year we began learning a field drill and then began competing in northern California in a few drum and bugle corps shows against other and older junior drum and bugle corps like the "Hawks" from Richmond, California and the all Chinese "Knights of Cathy" from Chinatown in San Francisco (now maybe some one has heard of these corps.#4 & #5) and of course the "Joaquin Caballeros" Senior Drum and "BUGLE" Corps who had by now purchased bugles and hired Mr. Al Viera of the "Marksmen" (now I know you have heard of that corps. #6) from Springfield Mass. to move out to Stockton and arrange/teach their music. The Joaquin Caballeros then went on to win the American Legion Senior Drum and Bugle Corps state title for many years after that. A quartet from our (Delta Thunderbirds) drum line also took the American Legion State Championship in San Bernadino (I believe it was) that year. We also did quit well competing in the California State "Open" Championships in Santa Clara each year. This was all years before the Santa Clara Vanguard or the Stockton Commodores existed folks. The "Delta Thunderbirds" Junior Drum and Bugle Corps lasted about four years before finally folding at which time most all of the members then joined into the "Joaquin Caballers" Senior Drum and Bugle Corps (although none of us were senior age yet). It was during my marching the next year with the "Joaquin Caballeros" that I become a pen pal through a drum corps publication named "Drum Corps News" with a girl named Anita Tolvaysh who was a member of the color guard of the Chicago "Royal-Airs" (another corps that I know you have heard of.#7 ) from Chicago, Illinois. I decided to fly to Chicago during my high school Easter Break and visit her. I had payed the fee of ten dollars to join an American Airline's program for people under 21 years of age that allowed you to travel at half price on standby. While I was in Chicago I attended a few of the Chicago "Royal-Airs" rehearsals where Truman Crawford was their musical arranger/instructor. He had noticed my "Caballeros" jacket and during a break came up to me and asked if I had marched in the "Caballeros". I said yes but that I was not in the Hawthorne Caballeros from New Jersey but the "Joaquin Caballeros" from California. He (to my complete surprise ) had heard about their horn line and was aware of what the "Joaquin Caballeros" out in California were doing. (Later, in 1965, they even beat the Hawthorne Caballeros horn line out in Portland, Oregon at the American Legion National Championships). I believe that he had thought I had moved to Chicago as he asked one of the corps members to hand him a soprano bugle (at last a horn with a rotor) then asked to hear me play off of a sheet of their music which I did. After rehearsal he came over and asked me if I would be interested in playing in the Chicago "Royal-Airs" horn line? OMG. That question was a no brainer to a young fellow who had only listened to the "greats" from back east and the midwest on his well worn "Fleetwood Records" but had not even in his farthest dreams ever imagined what it would be like to be able to march and play in the "BIG BOYS". Two months later that chap flew back to "The Windy City" and began his next few summers of marching with the three time national champion (CYO, Boston, Mass. VFW, Chicago, Ill. and American Legion, Portland, Oregon) Chicago "Royal-Airs"...... And that is what sparked my interest and became the beginnings of my years in the drum and bugle corps experience.

You might try the DCA Championships still being held in Rochester, New York next Labor Day weekend.

Why not a mention of Scout House here?

Where can one find this article? Can someone add a link please.

At first I thought this one looked like the R.H.L.I. or Royal Hamilton Light Infantry Bugle Band. But then again that's right they didn't wear the pith helmets.

Is that the one that was also know as "The Jesters" when out of military uniform and wore clown suits?