Gail Royer

[snare36]

I just missed him by a few years. It is said that he makes his presence known in quite tangible ways around the Corps Hall. An employee that knew him well told me he plays silly jokes on her by hiding things and making noises when there is nobody else in the Hall. I wouldn't pass something like this on if I couldn't vouch for the character of the person to which this sort of thing often happens.

[DanjrusMcRynky]

I just missed him by a few years. It is said that he makes his presence known in quite tangible ways around the Corps Hall. An employee that knew him well told me he plays silly jokes on her by hiding things and making noises when there is nobody else in the Hall. I wouldn't pass something like this on if I couldn't vouch for the character of the person to which this sort of thing often happens.

Apparently, people have heard bass drum-playing at the hall before, only to go looking for the person doing it and find noone. It is said this is Art coming back to practice.

[bradrick]

I’m going to be flying to San Jose next weekend to meet with a group of my fellow corpsmates for the 20th anniversary of the 89 Phantom of the Opera show/World Championship. So I’ve been thinking about Gail a lot recently. (Forgive me if I come across sappy or too sentimental or whatever. My memories and emotions are conveniently right at the surface to draw on and add my 2 cents for this thread.)

Gail loved us all. That was very clear. I believe Gail probably loved some of the members of SCV more than their own parents did. He made sure we got plenty of rest when we needed it. Always had good food to eat and plenty of it. If you were legitimately sick, it bothered him. And that caring flowed over to the support staff and the members as well. There was a lot of respect for the corps from within.

I guess you could say that since we felt nurtured, we wanted to nurture and care for the corps in return. Shine your shoes more, shine your horn more. Try even harder during rehearsal. Stand even more still at retreat. That respect for SCV came from Gail first, was demonstrated to us by the staff every day - and given to us by all the Vets who handed it down to us through the years.

G.R. looking at the "pop-up" Phantom of the Opera book I gave him at the SCV 89 Awards Banquet.

Even though he had parental love for us, he treated us all like adults. There was no B.S. with Gail. He could be tender and compassionate when we needed that. And he could speak with forked-tongue when we needed that too. He told us when we didn't please him. And he told us when we were performing better. And he even told us when we were exhibiting greatness (Although, because he was a man of amazingly high standards and was not a man to dabble in insincerity – he wouldn’t ever give you praise you hadn’t earned.)

And when Gail stood in front of the corps. He had our undivided attention...because we respected him. You wanted SCV to be great, because you knew how much Gail wanted SCV to be great. If we were feeling beat down by "stuff" (as in 90), he'd talk to us like we were adults and tell us we needed to find a way to get our heads back into the game, And in those times when he knew we were feeling beat down, I swear Gail could feel our pain. If he sensed our hearts were in the right place but we just were falling short, sometimes he’d find a way to crack a joke to lighten us up… and you could just feel the pressure release. I have a very clear memory of him doing that after giving us a stern “talking to” after a flat performance in muggy Houston’s Rice Stadium in 90.

Gail may be buried in the Midwest. But I know he’ll be with us next weekend. I have no doubt that his spirit is surely there with the corps he loved so much - every day. And I bet I’ll look down from my seat next Saturday in Stanford Stadium and catch a glimpse of his shadow on the track – pacing back and forth – waiting for the mighty Vanguard to take the field.

[cgmomma]

Beautifully put Brad. Thank you for putting into words what so many of us who knew this amazing man feel. I do feel truly blessed to have known him. I spent the anniversary of his passing with the corps (this past Wednesday) and I know he was there and he was smiling!

[snare36]

Apparently, people have heard bass drum-playing at the hall before, only to go looking for the person doing it and find noone. It is said this is Art coming back to practice.

I talked about that in my book. It was pretty unexpected when it was discovered. A member heard some drumming in the wall and thought it was coming from the bingo hall. THinking he was the only member there, he went into the bingo hall to see if anybody was there. Nobody. He went back to the percussion room and heard the drumming again. He investigated further to hear the noise coming from the attic. He opened the door to the attic and heard nothing. He closed the door and went back into the percussion room. He thought for a moment, then looked up at the plaque on the wall for Art Velarde listing his date of death as 5-26-99. He immediately realized it was currently 5-26-00, and made a hasty retreat from the corps hall. It has been heard a few times since as well.

[azscvfan]

Spike, I want to thank you for that story. You were on staff when I was in the brass line with SCVC in 99. When I think back to the 99 season for the organization, I remember many things, my return to the corps after a brief absence, the A corps winning and what I was thinking as they were playing in Finals competition (along with my thoughts when BD was playing too), many different experiences. Sadly, the one thing I don't usually remember is the tragedy that struck the organization that year. Your story about Art coming back to practice puts things into perspective again. It makes me want to remember to pay respects to not only him, but all who lost their life before being able to do something they love at the start of every competitive drum corps season.

[Jason Harrison]

There is a moment in the the show this year when SCV unleashes their sound. Right when it happens a member pops out and goes to toast. I can't help but think this is a tribute to Gail!

[snare36]

Spike, I want to thank you for that story. You were on staff when I was in the brass line with SCVC in 99. When I think back to the 99 season for the organization, I remember many things, my return to the corps after a brief absence, the A corps winning and what I was thinking as they were playing in Finals competition (along with my thoughts when BD was playing too), many different experiences. Sadly, the one thing I don't usually remember is the tragedy that struck the organization that year. Your story about Art coming back to practice puts things into perspective again. It makes me want to remember to pay respects to not only him, but all who lost their life before being able to do something they love at the start of every competitive drum corps season.

It was odd to remember the 10 year anniversary of Art's passing this year. It seems like such a short time ago. I will never forget his body laying in that casket with his uniform on and his bass drum mallets in his hands. It's just one of those things I will never get out of my head. I tell you, it was hard to move on and teach that summer while I was grieving. There had to have been such a great sense of grief in the corps just after Gail passed. I can't imagine what that must have been like.

[bradrick]

It was odd to remember the 10 year anniversary of Art's passing this year. It seems like such a short time ago. I will never forget his body laying in that casket with his uniform on and his bass drum mallets in his hands. It's just one of those things I will never get out of my head. I tell you, it was hard to move on and teach that summer while I was grieving. There had to have been such a great sense of grief in the corps just after Gail passed. I can't imagine what that must have been like.

And Spike, when I read that whole section of your book - I cried my eyes out.

(I strongly recommend anyone who's ever even taken a passing interest in SCV to purchase and read Spike's book. The website for ordering it is in his signature line on his post.)

[ContraRich77]

Gail Royer was a wonderful, generous, beautiful, down to earth man.

Here's one of my Gail stories:

I only marched one year of SCV, and spent the remaining two seasons of my junior corps career in the Blue Devils.

(Long story short, by the time I was able to march corps in 89, SCV's hornline was full but I still wanted to march else I might never have made the corps change)

So here I am walking around a corner at a show site and almost LITERALLY bump into Gail, while dressed in FULL Blue Devils uniform!

Before I could have a heart attack, Gail gives me a big smile and huge hug, and starts making small talk "How have you been? Your sister's doing great (she was still in SCV), how's your brother (who also marched in early 80's), etc....."

.....and he continues chatting with me and ends up walking with me all the way back to the Blue Devils buses. No "why did you leave the corps" BS questions of any kind, to him I was just another one of his kids that used to be in his corps that he wanted to catch up with. Purely class act all the way around. I miss him.