My tribute and story

[bstar82]

I’ll share with you how Robert Lendman changed my life at the drum corps age of 20-21. I had marched three years prior to 1982, but due to some changes in my life, I did not plan on marching my age out year, which I’m sure a lot of others have had to make that difficult decision as well. Up until 1980, only two corps had placed in every DCI finals, SCV and the Blue Stars. When the corps did not make finals in 1980, it had a huge effect on the entire organization including many age eligible members choosing not to return to the corps, either quitting completely or moving on to other corps in the area. The corps placed 13th in 1980 and a respectable 16th in 1981, but the damage of missing finals was already done.

In the fall of 1981, there were very few members who returned to the corps and I do mean very few. Robert Lendman was brought on to restore the corps to top 12 status even though it would take years to achieve. From what I can recall, there may have been 30-40 members at the monthly camps, but that number decreased with every passing month. The corps was determined to be on the field for the 1982 season, but it would take an incredible effort by Bob Lendman, his wife Allison and Moe Latour and the small staff they had put together to make their goal of competing in 1982.

The remainder of the off season was very tough as the corps had only 19 members. Something drastic needed to be done. One of the percussion instructors was a band director in the Spokane, Washington area and he recruited 20 members from his high school program to join the corps in the spring. I do not believe they made one camp before a bus was sent to pick them up and return them to LaCrosse. Of course there were many parents who were concerned how this “drum corps thing” worked. Bob personally promised them they would be taken care of, have three square meals a day, a gym floor to sleep on, a lifetime of memories and he would return them safely after the season had concluded. With the new corps members in LaCrosse, all days began despite numerous holes in all sections. The drill was rewritten numerous times in order to keep the holes to a minimum even though more members would be recruited once the season began.

The corps started their tour in June with 50-60% percent rookies. The few vets are relied upon heavily to lead the way on and off the field. The majority of the vets were 16-19 years old and no age outs in the corps. The scores were mediocre at best and it was probably somewhat shocking to most fans to see the condition this perennial top 12 corps had taken. Overall, the fans were very sympathetic and supportive of this small, young corps.

As the corps made their way to California, an announcement was made after every show the need for anybody who may be interested in joining. The corps performed at a show in Boulder, Colorado that I attended with a friend I taught in high school. After the announcement was made, I told him this is the perfect opportunity to join a corps at probably a minimal cost. I encouraged him to talk to the staff after the show, but he wasn’t keen on doing this alone. I could sense he wanted me to come along for my age out year even though I had some pretty solid plans for that summer. The next day as I took my friend to the corps housing site, Bob came right up to me and said,” I hear you’re a tympani player. I need you in this corps not only for your playing ability, but I need someone older who has been around to be a leader of these kids on the field. Can you do that for me?” I really decided not to march, but Bob convinced me that this was my last chance to march in a jr. corps and I really didn’t have a choice in his eyes. I went on tour with my buddy, and I recruited a gal I knew from our color guard as well. The corps continued this process picking up new members from Utah, California, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Iowa, Florida, Idaho and Alabama. Heck, we even convinced a snare drummer from Garfield to join us. The corps now looked more like a corps with 70 members. The staff was pretty much made up of alumni who did not want to see this corps go by the wayside. During the few days in between tours, the corps stayed at an old auditorium in downtown LaCrosse. Bob had put the word out to local merchants of their new “guests” in town and I remember going into one place to eat and the owner asked if we were some of the out of town Blue Stars? We answered yes and he said, ”You’re money is no good here. Come in anytime you’re hungry”. After the Decorah show, the parents of a brother and sister in the corps hosted a BBQ for the entire corps. Money was tight I am sure of and on our way to Whitewater for DCI Midwest, the corps had not eaten the night before and traveled all night for a very early OTL. Around 7AM, we pulled in a VFW hall where a pancake breakfast was being held. Bob went in, had a few kind words with the group and the next thing you know, we are being summoned off the buses as all members in the joint happily served us breakfast. I think we may have held up their banner at a local parade some days later, but old Bob pulled it off! By the time Whitewater prelims had arrived it was evident the corps was not going to make finals. But when we ended the show with ”Come in from the Rain” and “Tiger Rag”, we had received a standing ovation from the great crowd that Whitewater is known for. It was obvious that the fans now knew the struggles we had gone thru just to stay on the field.

The kids were depressed not to make DCI Midwest finals, but Bob wouldn’t allow for any sulking. He looks at me and his drum major and said, “ Get these kids on the buses, I just booked us a slot in Michigan City”. And on it went, doing three parades on one late July day in the Illinois/Wisconsin area making a few bucks here and there. This is one of my favorite memories. As with all parades, we had the pit marching horns to look bigger than we were. Bob tells my instructor I’m not marching, I’m walking the parade route with him. Boy I thought I was in trouble. Truth is Bob knew it was my 21st birthday and proceeded to initiate me into adulthood by us staying ahead of the corps by a couple of blocks and him buying me a few cold ones. What he was actually doing was probing me about my future. He knew I was writing drill for high schools and had my own winter guard back home. Fast forward to Canton, Ohio. We finish the show and Bob is stalking me. He asked me,” How you would like to come on staff next year and be my right hand man?” To say I was shocked would be an understatement. How tight was our budget? When I broke a couple of tympani heads, we didn’t have any backups, so Bob sent me to Phantom Regiment’s part of the field we were sharing with them to ask for tympani heads. We also had a bad blowout on one of our two buses enroute to a show in Centerville. Bus One continued down the road, Bus Two stayed by the road for hours with the members asleep in it until Bus One could come back and take us on our way. It took quite a long time to get that tire repaired, I’m sure money was once again the issue. And sure enough, Bob gets it taken care of just before our show that evening. So we make our way to Montreal for DCI. We stayed in Varennes and on a whim ended up doing a parade for the local community. The night before finals, Bob and Moe order everybody on the buses and tell us, “Put something on nice and clean if you have it”. We end up having an unannounced banquet at a really decent restaurant. I recall one of the staff members commenting to Bob that we didn’t have the money to do this. Bob replied, “These kids stopped their lives for us, they deserve this”. I later heard Bob and Moe paid out of their pockets for the entire dinner for about 100 folks including the staff. Moe gave a very tearful speech on how proud he was of everybody and this wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of Bob and Allison Lendman. There was not a dry eye in the place and very few words were spoken heading back to our school. He asked that I say a few words at the dinner being the only age out of the corps, but I couldn’t after what I just saw and heard. I wasn’t in the mood to upstage anybody. We performed our prelim slot, came off the field and Bob was waiting for me. He shook my hand and said,” Thank you for coming on tour with us. Do you see why I needed you?” I broke into tears not because I just performed my last show ever, but the respect and admiration I had for this man.

And just as Bob promised, after we made it back to LaCrosse, a busload of kids who most of them didn’t know what drum corps was, grew up very quickly in 2-3 months, jumped on that bus headed towards Iowa, Colorado, Utah, California and Washington to deliver “his” kids back home. We stopped at grocery stores along the way, pitched in what little money we had left and bought milk, cereal, bread, cold cuts and chips and sat out in the parking lots having our meals in true blue drum corps fashion. Bob and Allison drove all the way cross country to fulfill that promise.

The Blue Stars went inactive in 1983 following the financial struggles of 1982 and I never took my step being an instructor or administrator for a drum corps. But I became a huge fan and I have Bob and Allison and Moe to thank for this. Moe Latour was inducted into the DCI Hall of Fame in 2002 for his contributions. Bob Lendman should be enshrined there as well. Bob Lendman, I love you, I have no shame in saying that and I will miss your sometimes gruff personality and life long friendship. May God watch over your soul…

P.S. Excuse my grammar, this is way too long to go back and correct every mistake.

[sdstar]

Thank you for sharing. You brought a piece of history to life for me.

[Northern Thunder]

Thanks for your story. I remember watching the Blue Stars throughout that 1982 season, and just hoping they could make it through the summer.

I was one of those standing and cheering at DCI Midwest that year. That was a real gutsy 46 points earned that day!

[3rd Glasgow BB]

It’s only when you’re older and wiser do you truly appreciate the sacrifices your corps staff made for you.

[noneofyourbusiness]

Awesome story. Thanks for sharing.

(BTW, you must REALLY appreciate seeing where the Blue Stars are now).

[CHRISP]

Incredible story. Thank you so much for sharing.

[PSeidling]

Well written and heart-felt, thank you for sharing.

Bob Lendman is on the ballot of nominees for this year's voting to the DCI Hall of Fame. His nomination and letters of support were submitted before the motorcycle accident happened.

Thank you again for sharing an insight to what is a little known - but very important - chapter in Blue Stars (and DCI) history. I know Bob was very proud of that season, and seems he had a blast too, based on the stories he would tell, all with a twinkle in his eye!

Pat Seidling,

Blue Star fan and supporter since 1973

Bob Lendman fan and friend since 1978

former Phantom Regiment Director 2001-2006

[Old Corps Guy]

I can't begin to tell you how much this story has touched me. I only got back into drum corps last year after being out of it for decades. These stories that I have read about Bob, as well as many others, that saved so many corps in the 80s while others were dropping out remind me how much I enjoyed, and now enjoy again, my drum corps days. Being a midwest guy, I can truly appreciate all that Bob did for so many.

Thank you for sharing your kind words about a man I never had the priviledge to meet. Only to know about from those who were there while I marched with another corps.

[matye]

Thank you for the tribute for Bob. Our deepest sympathy and prayers go out to Allison and his family ... and to his drum corps family everywhere. He will truly be missed.

Dan and Marilyn Tye

[Michael Boo]

And post #1, my friends, is everything one needs to know about the best of what drum corps is all about.