Buccaneers Announce 2011 Hall of Fame Inductees

[TomMoore]

READING BUCCANEERS ANNOUNCE 2011 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

Reading, PA (November 7, 2011) – The Reading Buccaneers Drum & Bugle Corps and the Buccaneer Alumni Association announced today that Wilson Black, Althea Mazar, Carl Ruocco and Jerry Ware will be inducted into the Buccaneers Hall of Fame at the corps' annual year-end banquet on Saturday, November 26, 2011.

"The Buccaneers Hall of Fame was established in 1995," said Hall of Fame Committee ChairmanGary Koenig, himself inducted in 1998. "This organization has been blessed with so many fine men and women who have given so much of themselves to make the Buccaneers the storied corps it is. Singling out only four people for induction every year is incredibly difficult. But just the same it's a tremendous pleasure for us to announce this year's class and thank them for the indelible impact they've made on the Buccaneers and on the drum corps activity."

For most of the 1970s and early 1980s Wilson ("Willie") Black was front and center of the drum line and on the sideline as the Buccaneers' first and long-time keyboard player. He started with the Bucs in 1972 as a tympani player, followed by the triples in 1973 and 1974. In 1975 he became the corps' first keyboard player, which he played through 1982. He joined the corps' staff in 1984 as keyboard arranger and instructor. He was very generous to the corps, often purchasing equipment with his own money. He also designed and built many of the harnesses and stands for the keyboard equipment over the years. Over the years Willie has been a percussion instructor for high school bands and is a coordinator for the Freddy Awards in Allentown, which honors high school musical theater. He's currently a professional photographer and advisor to schools of photography.

Althea Mazar has been a Buccaneers and Buccaneer Alumni Association fixture since 1976. Previously, she marched in the Saints Drum Corps from Edison, NJ from 1967 to 1976. Althea will be inducted into the New Jersey Drum Corps hall of Fame this year and has been nominated for the Pennsylvania Drum Corps Hall of Fame. Althea was one of the two original women in the Buccaneers horn line in 1976. She played mellophone or French horn through 1982 and served as Business Manager in 1981 and 1982. She has been a member of the Buccaneer Alumni Association and Alumni drum and bugle corps since 1990 and usually makes the trip from New Jersey for parades and alumni events. After her competing years with the Buccaneers she marched with the Skyliners and Skyliners Alumni, Melrose Blackhawks, and various mini corps and choruses. She continues to be dedicated to the Buccaneers and supports the corps financially and through her efforts in various support capacities. She is a talented horn player and a mentor to all those around her.

The Buccaneers have been fortunate to have several legends of the drum corps world be part of the corps over the years, and their efforts and influence on the corps has been immense. Carl Ruocco is one such legend. Carl has been part of numerous successful organizations through his many years in drum corps, including the Santa Clara Vanguard, Phantom Regiment, Crossmen, the Skyliners and Skyliners Alumni, to name just a handful. Having been recognized for his impact on these organizations and drum corps in general, Carl is member of the Halls of Fame of the Crossmen and Skyliners, and is a member of the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame. His impact on the Buccaneers as Staff Coordinator since 2005, and continuing into the 2012 season, is immense. The results are the stuff of legend: seven consecutive undefeated regular seasons, six championships and the highest championship score in DCA history.

Jerry Ware began his drum corps life in 1981 in the hornline of the Archer-Epler Musketeers competing corps, where he stayed through 1995 after the corps transitioned to an alumni corps, as a horn player, instructor, assistant director and drum major. He was also a member of the Reilly Raiders from 2000 to 2002 and has worked as a visual instructor for several high school bands over the years. He joined the Buccaneers as a baritone player in 1999, where he marched with his son, Matt. He marched for a year and then returned in 2003 through 2005, having been a soloist and horn sergeant. In 2006, Jerry became the Business Manager of the Buccaneers, a position he held through 2011. He transformed the position into something much larger than it was by not only working with show and parade sponsors and managing facilities arrangements, but also by working relentlessly to obtain the best equipment possible for the corps. He did so much for the Buccaneers, often at the expense of his own personal needs, that his position now is split into three separate roles. He also conceived of and was the initial chairman of the Spring Preview indoor show.

Black, Mazur, Ruocco and Ware join 78 other members of the Buccaneers Hall of Fame. Each of these individuals has made a lasting impact on the Buccaneers and the drum corps activity:

1995 inductees: Norman DeTemple, Bruce Englehart, LaVern Rohrbach, Roy Miller, Ron Gehris, Edward Johnston, John Flowers, George Parks, Ned Baldinger and Frank Ferraro.

1996: John Ferraro, Willard Marcks, Tony Yaklich, Roland Hoffman and Elmer Winzer.

1997: John Derr, Diane Koenig, Michael Vilardo, Joe Jasinski andDonnie Solinger.

1998: Wilson Goodwin, Glenn Rhine, Bruce Young,Gary Koenig and Jack Wells.

1999: Norm Cimerol, Jim Gruber, Lou Werner, Candy Golding and Robert Weidenhammer.

2000: Thomas Brown, Grant Hill, Earl Price, Mike Doherty and Wayne Kauffman.

2001: Bill Battaglia,Louis Tierno,Fred Windish, Gary Smith and Darrell Weyman.

2002: Victor Brown, Mike Luckenbill, Donald Walls, Rich Koenig and Henry Smith.

2003: Ronald Ferraro, Phil Rabenold,Dan Fitzpatrick and John Rozum.

2004: Tom Bitner, Robert Gruber, Bernard Brown and Howard Nagel.

2005: Lois Tierno, Joel Miller,Randy Kerschner and Curt Rissmiller.

2006: Glen Brumbach, Francis Chupick, Matt Krempasky andAmy Snook.

2007: Ron Fisher, George Price, Carl Bagenstose, Roberta Doherty and Rich Hammond.

2008: Ken Honsberger, Ralph Pace,Jay Landis and Randy Mutter.

2009: Josh Decker,Chris Feist, Bill Snook and Lee Umberger

2010: Martie Hetherington, Al Cola, Robbie Robinson and Steve Vincent

2011: Wilson Black, Althea Mazar, Carl Ruocco, Jerry Ware

The Buccaneers are seeking members in all sections, for the 2012 edition of the Balance in Blue. On Sunday, November, 27, 2011, the Buccaneers will host Membership Day 2012, at Twin Valley High School, Elverson, PA. Registration begins at11:00. All persons interested in learning more about membership in the Reading Buccaneers and being part of the 2012 corps are invited to contact Membership Manager Karen Wildonger to indicate their interest. Visit www.readingbuccaneers.org for more information or email membership@readingbuccaneers.org.

Founded in 1957, the Buccaneers are an education-oriented musical organization. The Buccaneers were founding members of Drum Corps Associates and won the first-ever DCA World Championships in 1965. Additional titles followed in 1968, 1979, 1980 and, most recently, in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 – all six undefeated championship seasons. At the 2009 DCA World Championships, the Buccaneers earned the highest score in DCA history, with a 99.025 out of a possible 100 points. In 2010, the Buccaneers set or extended DCA records for most consecutive wins, most consecutive world championships (6) and most overall world championships (10). From 2005 through 2011, the Buccaneers won a record 64 consecutive contests.

Formed in 1981, the mission of the Buccaneer Alumni Association is to reunite all past members of the Reading Buccaneers Drum & Bugle Corps in camaraderie and fellowship, to engage in the parade drum & bugle corps activity, to encourage the growth of the Reading Buccaneers Drum & Bugle Corps, to maintain the commitment to excellence generally associated with said Corps, and to perpetuate drum & bugle corps in general as an art form and entertainment medium. The Buccaneer Alumni Drum & Bugle Corps was formed in 1987 as a program of the Buccaneer Alumni Association.

For more information, visit www.readingbuccaneers.org.

[Roger Ellis]

I came to know Althea when we marched together in Skyliners several years ago. I will confess that I was not aware of her long association with the Buccaneers. Congratulations on your selection, Althea!