Did Mike Royko march drum corps?

[Farmboy]

I'm reading a terrific new book called "Royko in Love"--a collection of love letters written by the legendary late Chicago newspaper columnist Mike Royko to his future wife while he was serving in the Air Force in Blaine, Washington, in 1954. One of the letters makes passing mention of Chicago's Logan Square Drum and Bugle Corps, so I thought some here might enjoy it.

May 9, 1954

Dear Carol,

. . . We had our parade today and it really brought back memories. We were one of the first outfits to step off and after we finished I stayed for a while and watched the bands & drum corps come by. By Logan Square standards none of them were any good but I got a big kick out of watching them. One of the drum corps had uniforms very similar to the ones we used to wear and when they came into sight it startled me momentarily but when they started playing I realized that the only similarity was in the uniforms. I stayed around for about a half hour but seeing the majorettes and drum corps was getting to be too much to take so I found the rest of the troops at a local cafe. . . . ('Royko in Love: Mike's Letters to Carol' Edited by David Royko, University of Chicago Press.)

David Royko, their son, adds this editor's note: "The Logan Square Drum and Bugle Corps, of which Carol and her brother Bob had been members, was a legendary outfit, at one point winning more than one hundred straight competitions. Though Mike refers to the Logan Square Corps as 'we,' I do not believe he was ever a part of the group, and meant 'we' as a fan."

[Northern Thunder]

I never knew the Royko/drum corps connection before. Seems there are quite a few renowned drum corps alumni out there. There are probably many more to be discovered.

Logan Square, of course, became the Chicago/Des Plaines Vanguard.

[JimF-LowBari]

Finally remember reading Roykos columns in the local paper years back and got me wondering. Checked and he was born 9/19/32 and passed away 4/29/97. Somehow I thought he was a lot older. Also see he joined the Air Force 1952 and was in until at least 1955 so guess was marching with the AF at the time of the letter.

Edited August 26, 2010 by JimF-LowBari

[Northern Thunder]

Logan Square stopped being called Logan Square circa 1951 (then they became Mel Tierney), so if Royko referred to them by the Logan Square name, his association must have been in the pre-1951 years.

[DAvery]

Logan Square stopped being called Logan Square circa 1951 (then they became Mel Tierney), so if Royko referred to them by the Logan Square name, his association must have been in the pre-1951 years.

Maybe. But how many of us still call The Cadets "Garfield"? I've also found some newbies that call them "Garfield" because they were introduced to drum corps by an "old timer". They could have still been refered to as "Logan Square" around the area.

[AmFlag61]

My Father was a member of Logan Square AL Post 405 and managed their SAL (Sons Of The American Legion) Drum & Bugle Corps after WW2. In 1949, at the age of 6, I became their waterboy/mascot. There were no age limits in SAL - you could be 14 or 41. When. in '51-'52, the "Junior" Corps of that time forced the dissolution of SAL, Logan Square became Mel Tierney Vanguards Juniors & Skokie Indians Seniors.

While I remember only a few names from the Corps, (Royko not one of them), the '54 date is definitely post Logan Square. But the fact that he refers to uniforms "we wore" leads me to believe he may well have been a MM.

Edited August 28, 2010 by AmFlag61