Puppet Posted June 25, 2011 Author Share Posted June 25, 2011 So because I have been so remiss in posting anything for quite some time and although I have enjoyed going over these pages and all the pictures herein, and since this is already a run-on sentence and my hair is really short now I figured this shot from our VFW Miami (can you guess what year?) trip still matches the topic title of the original poster who would be none other than ... me! Puppet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajlisko Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 So because I have been so remiss in posting anything for quite some time and although I have enjoyed going over these pages and all the pictures herein, and since this is already a run-on sentence and my hair is really short now I figured this shot from our VFW Miami (can you guess what year?) trip still matches the topic title of the original poster who would be none other than ... me! Puppet Miami was 1970 ... where did St. Rita's place in prelims? Corpsreps only has top 12 listed ... :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MsBusDriver Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 Miami was 1970 ... where did St. Rita's place in prelims? Corpsreps only has top 12 listed ... :-) Wish we could have afforded to go to Miami that year. It would have been interesting to see where we would have placed... Not that I'm unhappy with where we placed at American Legion Nats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Milano Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 Wish we could have afforded to go to Miami that year. It would have been interesting to see where we would have placed... I suspect Santa Clara Vanguard would have place second or third had they gone to VFW Nationals in Miami - 1970. I marched against your excellent corps that year and saw you first hand several times. You were the best corps on the field that year . . . period . . . end of discussion (in my opinion and in the opinion of many drum corps folks - some now in the DCI Hall of Fame - who saw your corps that year). But, having been around the activity since 1962 it seems to me that VFW was still a very traditional bunch of folks at that time, including the judges. I think the judges, without implying any "conspiracy theories" of any kind, would have individually made SCV "pay their dues" a bit before letting you win a title. The judges were just as protective of tradition back then as Tony Schlecta (VFW overseer) was back in those days. Troopers deservedly won VFW that year. Boston, Cavaliers, and Blessed Sac all could have been either second, third, or fourth, IMHO (they finished in the order I just listed them behind Troopers). I think it would have been difficult for SCV to beat all four of those corps that year as all four were very good that year and all four were well-respected, traditional favorites. Regardless, I think SCV would have been the best corps on the field at VFW had they attended. Quick story about the first time we all saw SCV when you came to the midwest during the middle of the summer of 1970. We knew very little about you guys when we saw you line up at Michigan City, IN for the show that night. For some reason I think you all went on last. We (the Cavaliers) were in the back stands watching you as you came off the line playing Procession of the Nobles." We weren't really paying attention except for the fact that your uniform was very similar to ours, but with an aussie instead of a shako. As your show progressed it was apparent to us, and all present, that the horn and drum sounds (tuning, articulation, difficulty, et al) were WAY beyond what were expecting to hear from such a young looking, and virtually unknown corps. We saw our instructors, Paul Litteau, Sal Ferrera, and Larry McCormick (drill, brass, percussion - all in the DCI Hall of Fame) talking together in the back stands as your show was nearing completion. Many of us went down the stands to gather by them as they looked very intently at your corps. I'll never forget what Paul Litteau said when he turned around and looked at us . . . "Gentleman . . . you have just witnessed the future of drum corps." You beat us that night by 1/2 tenth of a point, and by a full point or more the next night. That night in Michigan City, after the show, your drum major handed our drum major a small white noose in the parking lot. It was not received by us with any disrespect. We admired the bravado of your young corps, though we were mad as hell for having been beaten by you whipper snappers. We traded that noose back and forth for a few times but sadly wound up keeping it from 1972 - 1992 or thereabouts. That same noose is now in your corps' possession since around 1999, I think. Feel free to keep it a while longer. Seriously, all respect to your great organization. If I would have had a daughter instead of two sons, she would have marched in Santa Clara Vanguard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puppet Posted June 26, 2011 Author Share Posted June 26, 2011 Miami was 1970 ... where did St. Rita's place in prelims? Corpsreps only has top 12 listed ... :-) Just out behind the Belleville Black Knights. Aside from the Marco Polo Hotel on Collins Avenue and some other stuff I only remember vaguely, the Miami trip was hell. Puppet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle z Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 Cavies drum staff 1984....Tom Blair, Dave Dombeck, Sam Flores, Jim Campbell, Brett Kuhn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puppet Posted July 2, 2011 Author Share Posted July 2, 2011 Cavies drum staff 1984....Tom Blair, Dave Dombeck, Sam Flores, Jim Campbell, Brett Kuhn. Is that a 747? Kids from Chicago had it going on during the 80's, huh? ... of not. Puppet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindap Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Cavies drum staff 1984....Tom Blair, Dave Dombeck, Sam Flores, Jim Campbell, Brett Kuhn. Nice photo :-) Thank you. AAG; our practice field in Enfield England 1977. I recently sent Lynn photos I took of her during the summer of 77. She was 13. She replied "OMG I was so young!" We had a great chat :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puppet Posted July 15, 2011 Author Share Posted July 15, 2011 (edited) I suspect Santa Clara Vanguard would have place second or third had they gone to VFW Nationals in Miami - 1970. I marched against your excellent corps that year and saw you first hand several times. You were the best corps on the field that year . . . period . . . end of discussion (in my opinion and in the opinion of many drum corps folks - some now in the DCI Hall of Fame - who saw your corps that year). But, having been around the activity since 1962 it seems to me that VFW was still a very traditional bunch of folks at that time, including the judges. I think the judges, without implying any "conspiracy theories" of any kind, would have individually made SCV "pay their dues" a bit before letting you win a title. The judges were just as protective of tradition back then as Tony Schlecta (VFW overseer) was back in those days. Troopers deservedly won VFW that year. Boston, Cavaliers, and Blessed Sac all could have been either second, third, or fourth, IMHO (they finished in the order I just listed them behind Troopers). I think it would have been difficult for SCV to beat all four of those corps that year as all four were very good that year and all four were well-respected, traditional favorites. Regardless, I think SCV would have been the best corps on the field at VFW had they attended. Quick story about the first time we all saw SCV when you came to the midwest during the middle of the summer of 1970. We knew very little about you guys when we saw you line up at Michigan City, IN for the show that night. For some reason I think you all went on last. We (the Cavaliers) were in the back stands watching you as you came off the line playing Procession of the Nobles." We weren't really paying attention except for the fact that your uniform was very similar to ours, but with an aussie instead of a shako. As your show progressed it was apparent to us, and all present, that the horn and drum sounds (tuning, articulation, difficulty, et al) were WAY beyond what were expecting to hear from such a young looking, and virtually unknown corps. We saw our instructors, Paul Litteau, Sal Ferrera, and Larry McCormick (drill, brass, percussion - all in the DCI Hall of Fame) talking together in the back stands as your show was nearing completion. Many of us went down the stands to gather by them as they looked very intently at your corps. I'll never forget what Paul Litteau said when he turned around and looked at us . . . "Gentleman . . . you have just witnessed the future of drum corps." You beat us that night by 1/2 tenth of a point, and by a full point or more the next night. That night in Michigan City, after the show, your drum major handed our drum major a small white noose in the parking lot. It was not received by us with any disrespect. We admired the bravado of your young corps, though we were mad as hell for having been beaten by you whipper snappers. We traded that noose back and forth for a few times but sadly wound up keeping it from 1972 - 1992 or thereabouts. That same noose is now in your corps' possession since around 1999, I think. Feel free to keep it a while longer. Seriously, all respect to your great organization. If I would have had a daughter instead of two sons, she would have marched in Santa Clara Vanguard! Gee, Paul. That was priceless ... and if you could have just supplied a photo of the youngsters handing the noose back and forth from 1970 to like 1973 it would be right on topic. I like SCV for a number of different reasons ... I liked the '65 Cavaliers, too. For the same reasons - why I like any good corps the year or years that they are good - Horns and how the line plays... '65 Cavies - awesome - SCV probably more so for more years out done only by Star (but nobody beats Star's line or books during the early 90s ,,, and none has come close in over a decade in my estimation but see there I go ... no pics and way off topic OH MY GOD Could We Have Been So Young? Sorry - even then I wasn't. Edited July 17, 2011 by Puppet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindap Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 I photographed a few pages of photo albums at our reunion July 2011. One page had an August 1977 newspaper article. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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