Losing History

[fraber]

For several years I have been thinking of all of the history that ha been lost with the passing of the "old timers" - Jim Costello, "Lefty" Meyer (sp), Vince Bruni, and on and on. There are the records of the scores and accomplishments of those long ago days. What we are losing are the personal stories and the behind the scene stories.

Is it possible to have a roundtable gathering of our "veterans" to just sit and talk about the old days? Imagine all the stories that would flow, one following the other. Just place a tape recorder in the middle and record everything for posterity. Who knows, there might be enough interest to have two or more tables going.

I think that we need to do this sooner, rather than later, before we lose more of our family.

Any interest in this idea?

[Ray Priester]

For several years I have been thinking of all of the history that ha been lost with the passing of the "old timers" - Jim Costello, "Lefty" Meyer (sp), Vince Bruni, and on and on. There are the records of the scores and accomplishments of those long ago days. What we are losing are the personal stories and the behind the scene stories.

Is it possible to have a roundtable gathering of our "veterans" to just sit and talk about the old days? Imagine all the stories that would flow, one following the other. Just place a tape recorder in the middle and record everything for posterity. Who knows, there might be enough interest to have two or more tables going.

I think that we need to do this sooner, rather than later, before we lose more of our family.

Any interest in this idea?

Sooner is absolutely correct! Jim Stanko has been going crazy for the last couple of years compiling a lot of the history of the New York Skyliners since their inception in 1945. The hardest part is finding those who were there. We still have some original members around that Jim has been pumping for info and it's amazing how much information he has amassed, from members of each year, music, soloists, instructors, stories, etc.. It's amazing how much fiction has become part of the lore of the corps, but even a lot of that is based on facts. We've lost a lot of the originals especially over the last 10 years or so but keeping in touch with the survivors has paid off in a lot of ways. It's a daunting task, to be sure, but the end result will be worth it. He's doing the compiling and getting a lot of help from guys who were just plain members, not stars. The plain old members are what kept the corps going for sooooo many years and the alumni association and corps have also contributed a lot to his efforts. And this is just one corps. Now try to put together all the facts and figures on so many corps that have faded into history and even those still around. It will be a monumental task, but will preserve the story for all those who just want to know how this activity came to be and who was responsible.

I also know of 2 gentlemen who have put together a complete history of De La Salle from Canada and it's a very good read. I imagine they will have it printed and available soon.

I think it will be a worthwhile effort on your part and all who participate in the venture will benefit too.

Best of luck.

Ray

And BTW, it's "Lefty" Mayer, not Meyer.

Edited March 30, 2012 by Ray Priester