Hall of Fame Question

[IllianaLancerContra]

5 hours ago, ironlips said:

There might be a slight misconception here. One would be hard pressed to find many HOF inductees who hadn't  spent several years as marching performers.

One individual known for his uniform designs and co-hosting several years worth of broadcasts comes to mind. 

And then there was the multi-millionaire.  

And there are several that were Corps Directors and DCI management for the early days of DCI who didn't actually march (so much as quick googling tells me anyway).

 

Not for one millisecond suggesting that these (nor any) DCI HOF member is undeserving of the honor, just saying that there are more than a few that haven't actually marched themselves.

[Tim K]

When it comes to a Hall of Fame, it depends on how an organization uses it.

For some organizations, a Hall of Fame is a publicity event. Colleges and athletic programs often have Hall of Fames that function in this capacity. People are honored and it becomes a reason for a reunion and often a fundraising event. Often you'll see an all time great honored, along with a beloved coach or professor, someone who rises against the odds, and an unsung hero inducted. 

Sometimes a Hall of Fame is used to celebrate the past and move towards the future.

It seems to me that DCI uses it as a way to honor its own. People who are honored are usually those who one time marched, often became instructors, may have directed a corps, and possibly did something for the overall good of DCI. There are exceptions. Vendors have been honored, so too are people who make other contributions to drum corps.  Steve Vickers of DCW and Michael Boo are examples. I have never been to a DCI Hall of Fame induction, so I am only relying on what I've heard, but a criticism of the Hall of Fame has been that the same people attend each year and could be better used for publicity and fund raising event. 

I like Keith's idea of honoring young people, but I would think that if this were to happen, it may be a separate category rather than Hall of Fame member. The Hall of Fame induction would have to be at another date. Right now the induction takes place on the Wednesday of finals week. Would any corps excuse a marching member to attend the Hall of Fame induction? It may be something as part of the Friday night festivities, perhaps in conjunction with new Hall of Fame members and outstanding volunteers are introduced.

[IllianaLancerContra]

7 minutes ago, Tim K said:

When it comes to a Hall of Fame, it depends on how an organization uses it.

For some organizations, a Hall of Fame is a publicity event. Colleges and athletic programs often have Hall of Fames that function in this capacity. People are honored and it becomes a reason for a reunion and often a fundraising event. Often you'll see an all time great honored, along with a beloved coach or professor, someone who rises against the odds, and an unsung hero inducted. 

Sometimes a Hall of Fame is used to celebrate the past and move towards the future.

It seems to me that DCI uses it as a way to honor its own. People who are honored are usually those who one time marched, often became instructors, may have directed a corps, and possibly did something for the overall good of DCI. There are exceptions. Vendors have been honored, so too are people who make other contributions to drum corps.  Steve Vickers of DCW and Michael Boo are examples. I have never been to a DCI Hall of Fame induction, so I am only relying on what I've heard, but a criticism of the Hall of Fame has been that the same people attend each year and could be better used for publicity and fund raising event. 

I like Keith's idea of honoring young people, but I would think that if this were to happen, it may be a separate category rather than Hall of Fame member. The Hall of Fame induction would have to be at another date. Right now the induction takes place on the Wednesday of finals week. Would any corps excuse a marching member to attend the Hall of Fame induction? It may be something as part of the Friday night festivities, perhaps in conjunction with new Hall of Fame members and outstanding volunteers are introduced.

Good points.

I (perhaps mistakenly) understood that members would be nominated after they had aged out.  So missing a finals-week rehearsal would not be an issue.  But as I said in an earlier post - there are many members in key leadership positions (official & unofficial) within any given Corps that are unknown outside the Corps.  And their contributions are probably best recognized within their individual Corps.

[Poppycock]

12 hours ago, DFA1970 said:

Most members only do this probably on average 2 or at the most 3 years. That's not a lot to get a HOF status. 

You mean they can only afford a couple of seasons! Who would have thought. 

[ironlips]

1 hour ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

One individual known for his uniform designs and co-hosting several years worth of broadcasts comes to mind. 

And then there was the multi-millionaire.  

And there are several that were Corps Directors and DCI management for the early days of DCI who didn't actually march (so much as quick googling tells me anyway).

 

Not for one millisecond suggesting that these (nor any) DCI HOF member is undeserving of the honor, just saying that there are more than a few that haven't actually marched themselves.

Maybe I could put a finer point on this pencil.

Granted there are some who did not march, but the vast majority did, Google notwithstanding. But I won't quibble with the ratio. The point is, one does not become a DCI Hall of Fame member for one's marching and/or playing. The important credential is the confirmation by one's peers of a significant positive impact on the activity as a whole.

This is not a sports hall of fame based on stats. Rather it is a mechanism for peer acknowledgement. The honor is not conferred by some committee. The members themselves are the ones who vote, based on their collective majority opinion.

No doubt some are more worthy than others. (God only knows how I got in.) But there are no parasites in this group.

The foregoing is the opinion of the writer and no claim is made to represent anyone else. Other valid points of view can co-exist.

[greg_orangecounty]

Just throwing it out there……..I’m still waiting for my nomination and they better step on it so it’s not posthumous.  

[IllianaLancerContra]

9 hours ago, ironlips said:

Maybe I could put a finer point on this pencil.

Granted there are some who did not march, but the vast majority did, Google notwithstanding. But I won't quibble with the ratio. The point is, one does not become a DCI Hall of Fame member for one's marching and/or playing. The important credential is the confirmation by one's peers of a significant positive impact on the activity as a whole.

This is not a sports hall of fame based on stats. Rather it is a mechanism for peer acknowledgement. The honor is not conferred by some committee. The members themselves are the ones who vote, based on their collective majority opinion.

No doubt some are more worthy than others. (God only knows how I got in.) But there are no parasites in this group.

The foregoing is the opinion of the writer and no claim is made to represent anyone else. Other valid points of view can co-exist.

No disrespect intended - I am a data-driven guy, so I naturally started to look at numbers.  I think a fair number of the founding fathers of DCI first got involved as parents of marchers, or were involved in youth activities of the era.  Indeed there are no parasites.

But I do like the idea of DCI hyping the HOF induction ceremony more - we can look at NFL, NBA, NHL et al & see how they do it & perhaps 'borrow' the best ideas.  We have access to brass, percussion & guard - fanfares, music clips, signature guard moves in the honorees introduction.  Get the members from an Open Class Corps to perform these - one who is done competing for the week - will showcase their talent and be a nod from DCI that Open Class is important too.  Kids will always remember how they were part of the HoF ceremony.  Make the whole thing a celebration of the activity.

[ironlips]

"But I do like the idea of DCI hyping the HOF induction ceremony more - we can look at NFL, NBA, NHL et al & see how they do it & perhaps 'borrow' the best ideas.  We have access to brass, percussion & guard - fanfares, music clips, signature guard moves in the honorees introduction.  Get the members from an Open Class Corps to perform these - one who is done competing for the week - will showcase their talent and be a nod from DCI that Open Class is important too.  Kids will always remember how they were part of the HoF ceremony.  Make the whole thing a celebration of the activity. "

These are excellent ideas and are among the many you have contributed to this forum. Given that 2022 will be a milestone celebration year for DCI, I'd suggest you pass these along to Dan A directly. There's a good chance you may see some of your suggestions come to fruition.

[oldbandguy]

Is there a Hall of Fame location?  Can the public visit it?  Is there anything to see other than a list of members?

Certainly might be something DCI could build on.

Host city...I'd go with CANTON, OHIO 🙂 

[ironlips]

31 minutes ago, oldbandguy said:

Is there a Hall of Fame location?  Can the public visit it?  Is there anything to see other than a list of members?

Certainly might be something DCI could build on.

Host city...I'd go with CANTON, OHIO 🙂 

Something like this would be nice:

https://www.rockhall.com/exhibit-guide