Jump to content

Bill Hayes - of "The Greatest Generation"


Recommended Posts

The great Bill Hayes has passed. After serving as an Air Corps turret gunner in WWII and earning 4 bronze stars, he completed his music degree, became the first "Cherry Pink" soloist in the Caballeros, and taught both music and drill to dozens of the finest drum corps in the country.

If you ever marched in this activity, you either learned from him, someone else who had, or one of their students. We all carry Bill's Drum Corps DNA to some degree.

He was the personification of "The Greatest Generation", in every sense of the word.

Details:

https://tilghmanfh.com/tribute/details/1343/William-Hayes-Jr/obituary.html#content-start

  • Like 6
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bill Hayes was one of the superstar teachers in the fifties. Known for his demand for doing things the correct way at all times, I witnessed him at the start of a St. Catherine's drill rehearsal, with the corps on the starting line (remember that one?), he had the hornline bring their horns up 32 times in a row before ever taking their first step. There was no howling or screaming just "do it again" instructions- lesson learned.

Depending on your perspective Bill was many things to many different people but his contributions to the drum community far outlasted his time here. Bill along so many returning World War ll veterans made modern day drum corps come to be. Today Bill Hayes is just another name few of today's designers, instructors and marching members have any knowledge of but he was a giant.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...