TomPeashey Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 MY story... ok... parents loved drum corps... Mom said I went to my first contest in the womb. Dad got Big brother in the local VFW parade corps while he carried a rifle guarding the all important A flag. When I hit a growth spurt in either '53 or '54 and was suddenly the biggest 8 year old around - I would do anything to follow big brother Ed around... so they put a horn in my hands and I took to it well. After a year and becoming proficient quickly with the soprano our horn instructor, an old timer named Tony Giambo said "you're big enough to hold this" and put a French Horn in my hands. Within a couple of years I was helping teach the line as I took to music well and by 1957 was one of the BIG kids in the corps even though I was 11. throughout this period, Dad dragged us to every contest in the state and In 1958 I left the Oswego Pathfinders and joined the Mexico Gray Barons who were now a competing field corps. 1959 at 13 was my first senior corps field competing season. In 1960, one of my mentors in Mexico joined Brigs along with big brother... I tagged along at 13 and sat in at rehearsals. I was sitting in playing FH the day Brad gave them Black Saddle for the first time. My Dad said I was too young to stay in Brigs... Dang it!!! and said they were forming a new corps in Fulton Called the Gauchos. All x Brigs in charge and people dad trusted... I did Fulton and worked under Brad Longdo through the 64 season. It was assumed by Phil Cerimeli, Charlie Ragonese and others that I would now join Brigs... but I started college and met some new buddies from Crusaders who told me about the new super corps... couldn't resist and ticked off a lot of guys I worshipped by becoming the only member of the 1965 Grey Knight Post Crusaders who did not march with either Cru or Grey Knights. I did 2 seasons with Bruni and Mizma and then at the end of the 1966 season when Cru's season was over... I got the call "It's Ragonese, George Cowburn just left for the Army, will you come and fill his hole please for the last 3 shows including DCA Championships #2 in Bridgeport?" I went and stayed as many will say "where I belonged" until 1971... That fall I was #24 of 24 others to leave brigs and go to 72 cru... as a former Crusader many blamed me - truth is, I was the last to agree to go, only when many of my closest friends like Dave Morris and Gabe Fabrizio said the were going did I give in and agree ... I renewed my Bruni association and immediately became very close to him... I stayed there until 1979... when I told him that my judging was far enough along that I was going to take my mandatory 1 year off and judge DCA... I judged many championships in the 80's and in 1989 was asked go give up DCA chief visual judge and become director of Cru. Having been so close to Vince, I knew what was involved and promised the family I would only agree to do it for 4 season - they were GREAT seasons... 3 in the top 5... I kept my promise and retired after 1993 season... shortly thereafter Mickey Petrone asked me to go on staff for DCA... there's a lot else, founding Oswego Black Knights Jr. corps - teaching corps and bands and colorguards and judging over 250 winterguard contests... gigs with Seattle Cascades and Orlando Magic... I most enjoyed working with Yokohama Inspires, Kidsgrove Scouts and Last summer Ludwigshafen Heartliner... But seeing my kids excel as performers and teachers was very high on the top of my list of successes... Also as Cru director I had working under me both daughters, their husbands, my brother and my sister in law - not to mention many of my dearest friends... my management staff was second to none... Dee LeFrois (Darch), Joe Siracuse, Dick Hoppe, Don Paluh and many others... and I got to continue my lifelong association and love for Vince Bruni... yes we were rival corps in the same city but we met several times a week and I would not have succeeded without his blessings and sage advice... It has been a most gratifying 60 years... lol oops... got carried away again... sorry you asked? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donincardona Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 MY story... ok... parents loved drum corps... Mom said I went to my first contest in the womb. Dad got Big brother in the local VFW parade corps while he carried a rifle guarding the all important A flag. When I hit a growth spurt in either '53 or '54 and was suddenly the biggest 8 year old around - I would do anything to follow big brother Ed around... so they put a horn in my hands and I took to it well. After a year and becoming proficient quickly with the soprano our horn instructor, an old timer named Tony Giambo said "you're big enough to hold this" and put a French Horn in my hands. Within a couple of years I was helping teach the line as I took to music well and by 1957 was one of the BIG kids in the corps even though I was 11. throughout this period, Dad dragged us to every contest in the state and In 1958 I left the Oswego Pathfinders and joined the Mexico Gray Barons who were now a competing field corps. 1959 at 13 was my first senior corps field competing season. In 1960, one of my mentors in Mexico joined Brigs along with big brother... I tagged along at 13 and sat in at rehearsals. I was sitting in playing FH the day Brad gave them Black Saddle for the first time. My Dad said I was too young to stay in Brigs... Dang it!!! and said they were forming a new corps in Fulton Called the Gauchos. All x Brigs in charge and people dad trusted... I did Fulton and worked under Brad Longdo through the 64 season. It was assumed by Phil Cerimeli, Charlie Ragonese and others that I would now join Brigs... but I started college and met some new buddies from Crusaders who told me about the new super corps... couldn't resist and ticked off a lot of guys I worshipped by becoming the only member of the 1965 Grey Knight Post Crusaders who did not march with either Cru or Grey Knights. I did 2 seasons with Bruni and Mizma and then at the end of the 1966 season when Cru's season was over... I got the call "It's Ragonese, George Cowburn just left for the Army, will you come and fill his hole please for the last 3 shows including DCA Championships #2 in Bridgeport?" I went and stayed as many will say "where I belonged" until 1971... That fall I was #24 of 24 others to leave brigs and go to 72 cru... as a former Crusader many blamed me - truth is, I was the last to agree to go, only when many of my closest friends like Dave Morris and Gabe Fabrizio said the were going did I give in and agree ... I renewed my Bruni association and immediately became very close to him... I stayed there until 1979... when I told him that my judging was far enough along that I was going to take my mandatory 1 year off and judge DCA... I judged many championships in the 80's and in 1989 was asked go give up DCA chief visual judge and become director of Cru. Having been so close to Vince, I knew what was involved and promised the family I would only agree to do it for 4 season - they were GREAT seasons... 3 in the top 5... I kept my promise and retired after 1993 season... shortly thereafter Mickey Petrone asked me to go on staff for DCA... there's a lot else, founding Oswego Black Knights Jr. corps - teaching corps and bands and colorguards and judging over 250 winterguard contests... gigs with Seattle Cascades and Orlando Magic... I most enjoyed working with Yokohama Inspires, Kidsgrove Scouts and Last summer Ludwigshafen Heartliner... But seeing my kids excel as performers and teachers was very high on the top of my list of successes... Also as Cru director I had working under me both daughters, their husbands, my brother and my sister in law - not to mention many of my dearest friends... my management staff was second to none... Dee LeFrois (Darch), Joe Siracuse, Dick Hoppe, Don Paluh and many others... and I got to continue my lifelong association and love for Vince Bruni... yes we were rival corps in the same city but we met several times a week and I would not have succeeded without his blessings and sage advice... It has been a most gratifying 60 years... lol oops... got carried away again... sorry you asked? we all know your a blowhard anyway tom.............LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TennTux Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 i was always a crusader.when in elemetary school vince bruni was my gym teacher. he knew my parents very well. in 1964 he saw me start hanging around with some older kids in a gang. so he intervened. he started to take me to crusader rehearsals. i enjoyed it. it kept me off the streets. that year in september there was a show in syracuse and he took me. that was the show that put cru on the map. they beat the cabs. now i was hooked. i spent 1965 going to rehearsals and a few local shows. tournament of drums and some others.i did the same in 1966. then the A.L. NATS was in washington. and bob ashto took me to it. it was exciting. prelims one day finals the next. i really wanted to be in cru. we all remember the fiasco on the field. in october of that year bruni said you look old enough now ans said i could join. so 1967 was my rookie year and i never looked back. i wouldn't trade it for anything. and it kept me out of jail. So did't my time with the Lynn Continentals and BAC..... not by much but by enough. LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donincardona Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 So did't my time with the Lynn Continentals and BAC..... not by much but by enough. LOL i was so lucky brother. those guys were men and they were like extra fathers to me. my dad was a contractor and he couldn't watch me all the time and my mom couldn't handle me at all , god rest their souls. so cru watched over me.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfallon Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 MY story... ok... parents loved drum corps... Mom said I went to my first contest in the womb. Dad got Big brother in the local VFW parade corps while he carried a rifle guarding the all important A flag. When I hit a growth spurt in either '53 or '54 and was suddenly the biggest 8 year old around - I would do anything to follow big brother Ed around... so they put a horn in my hands and I took to it well. After a year and becoming proficient quickly with the soprano our horn instructor, an old timer named Tony Giambo said "you're big enough to hold this" and put a French Horn in my hands. Within a couple of years I was helping teach the line as I took to music well and by 1957 was one of the BIG kids in the corps even though I was 11. throughout this period, Dad dragged us to every contest in the state and In 1958 I left the Oswego Pathfinders and joined the Mexico Gray Barons who were now a competing field corps. 1959 at 13 was my first senior corps field competing season. In 1960, one of my mentors in Mexico joined Brigs along with big brother... I tagged along at 13 and sat in at rehearsals. I was sitting in playing FH the day Brad gave them Black Saddle for the first time. My Dad said I was too young to stay in Brigs... Dang it!!! and said they were forming a new corps in Fulton Called the Gauchos. All x Brigs in charge and people dad trusted... I did Fulton and worked under Brad Longdo through the 64 season. It was assumed by Phil Cerimeli, Charlie Ragonese and others that I would now join Brigs... but I started college and met some new buddies from Crusaders who told me about the new super corps... couldn't resist and ticked off a lot of guys I worshipped by becoming the only member of the 1965 Grey Knight Post Crusaders who did not march with either Cru or Grey Knights. I did 2 seasons with Bruni and Mizma and then at the end of the 1966 season when Cru's season was over... I got the call "It's Ragonese, George Cowburn just left for the Army, will you come and fill his hole please for the last 3 shows including DCA Championships #2 in Bridgeport?" I went and stayed as many will say "where I belonged" until 1971... That fall I was #24 of 24 others to leave brigs and go to 72 cru... as a former Crusader many blamed me - truth is, I was the last to agree to go, only when many of my closest friends like Dave Morris and Gabe Fabrizio said the were going did I give in and agree ... I renewed my Bruni association and immediately became very close to him... I stayed there until 1979... when I told him that my judging was far enough along that I was going to take my mandatory 1 year off and judge DCA... I judged many championships in the 80's and in 1989 was asked go give up DCA chief visual judge and become director of Cru. Having been so close to Vince, I knew what was involved and promised the family I would only agree to do it for 4 season - they were GREAT seasons... 3 in the top 5... I kept my promise and retired after 1993 season... shortly thereafter Mickey Petrone asked me to go on staff for DCA... there's a lot else, founding Oswego Black Knights Jr. corps - teaching corps and bands and colorguards and judging over 250 winterguard contests... gigs with Seattle Cascades and Orlando Magic... I most enjoyed working with Yokohama Inspires, Kidsgrove Scouts and Last summer Ludwigshafen Heartliner... But seeing my kids excel as performers and teachers was very high on the top of my list of successes... Also as Cru director I had working under me both daughters, their husbands, my brother and my sister in law - not to mention many of my dearest friends... my management staff was second to none... Dee LeFrois (Darch), Joe Siracuse, Dick Hoppe, Don Paluh and many others... and I got to continue my lifelong association and love for Vince Bruni... yes we were rival corps in the same city but we met several times a week and I would not have succeeded without his blessings and sage advice... It has been a most gratifying 60 years... lol oops... got carried away again... sorry you asked? Pretty inspiring stuff... Amazing how lucky so many of us have been in the people we've known and loved in this activity. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donincardona Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Pretty inspiring stuff... Amazing how lucky so many of us have been in the people we've known and loved in this activity. yup. and the memories last a lifetime. and really we were all stars in our own right. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsksun4 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 yup. and the memories last a lifetime. and really we were all stars in our own right. The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajlisko Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 >>The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd.<< ... ah yes, I remember it well ... (in my best Maurice Chevalier voice) ... :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 so let's get this straight... Jeff Ream was created in Rochester NY Now THAT is scary... apparently at the old stadium. how fitting I won in Rochester 27 years later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 MY story... ok... parents loved drum corps... Mom said I went to my first contest in the womb. Dad got Big brother in the local VFW parade corps while he carried a rifle guarding the all important A flag. When I hit a growth spurt in either '53 or '54 and was suddenly the biggest 8 year old around - I would do anything to follow big brother Ed around... so they put a horn in my hands and I took to it well. After a year and becoming proficient quickly with the soprano our horn instructor, an old timer named Tony Giambo said "you're big enough to hold this" and put a French Horn in my hands. Within a couple of years I was helping teach the line as I took to music well and by 1957 was one of the BIG kids in the corps even though I was 11. throughout this period, Dad dragged us to every contest in the state and In 1958 I left the Oswego Pathfinders and joined the Mexico Gray Barons who were now a competing field corps. 1959 at 13 was my first senior corps field competing season. In 1960, one of my mentors in Mexico joined Brigs along with big brother... I tagged along at 13 and sat in at rehearsals. I was sitting in playing FH the day Brad gave them Black Saddle for the first time. My Dad said I was too young to stay in Brigs... Dang it!!! and said they were forming a new corps in Fulton Called the Gauchos. All x Brigs in charge and people dad trusted... I did Fulton and worked under Brad Longdo through the 64 season. It was assumed by Phil Cerimeli, Charlie Ragonese and others that I would now join Brigs... but I started college and met some new buddies from Crusaders who told me about the new super corps... couldn't resist and ticked off a lot of guys I worshipped by becoming the only member of the 1965 Grey Knight Post Crusaders who did not march with either Cru or Grey Knights. I did 2 seasons with Bruni and Mizma and then at the end of the 1966 season when Cru's season was over... I got the call "It's Ragonese, George Cowburn just left for the Army, will you come and fill his hole please for the last 3 shows including DCA Championships #2 in Bridgeport?" I went and stayed as many will say "where I belonged" until 1971... That fall I was #24 of 24 others to leave brigs and go to 72 cru... as a former Crusader many blamed me - truth is, I was the last to agree to go, only when many of my closest friends like Dave Morris and Gabe Fabrizio said the were going did I give in and agree ... I renewed my Bruni association and immediately became very close to him... I stayed there until 1979... when I told him that my judging was far enough along that I was going to take my mandatory 1 year off and judge DCA... I judged many championships in the 80's and in 1989 was asked go give up DCA chief visual judge and become director of Cru. Having been so close to Vince, I knew what was involved and promised the family I would only agree to do it for 4 season - they were GREAT seasons... 3 in the top 5... I kept my promise and retired after 1993 season... shortly thereafter Mickey Petrone asked me to go on staff for DCA... there's a lot else, founding Oswego Black Knights Jr. corps - teaching corps and bands and colorguards and judging over 250 winterguard contests... gigs with Seattle Cascades and Orlando Magic... I most enjoyed working with Yokohama Inspires, Kidsgrove Scouts and Last summer Ludwigshafen Heartliner... But seeing my kids excel as performers and teachers was very high on the top of my list of successes... Also as Cru director I had working under me both daughters, their husbands, my brother and my sister in law - not to mention many of my dearest friends... my management staff was second to none... Dee LeFrois (Darch), Joe Siracuse, Dick Hoppe, Don Paluh and many others... and I got to continue my lifelong association and love for Vince Bruni... yes we were rival corps in the same city but we met several times a week and I would not have succeeded without his blessings and sage advice... It has been a most gratifying 60 years... lol oops... got carried away again... sorry you asked? you forgot your most important drum corps moment IMO... i think it was 2004. They wouldn't let people into the Stadium Club from the stands and then back in without making them buy another ticket during prelims. Well needless to say, Uncle Tom to the rescue, and many a liver owe you their thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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