A Year without Poopsie...

[Gary Matczak]

....an dat's da troot.....(poopsie-speak)

R.I.P Poops

,...........one of my first memories of life (2 or 3 years old maybe),............Poops and my dad were in North East Shorliners together,....................my brothers and I were always at rehearsal on Sundays with dad, but during rehearsal, my dad set up a blanket with drinks, snacks and other kid crap, and stated we were not allowed to leave the blanket while he was busy teaching and playing, which we were certain to comply :sshh: ,..............but during rehearsal breaks poops would always come over and check on us,............he hadn't earned the nickname "Poopsie" yet, which came later in his drum corps career, and is a long story in and of itself .................but he was a giant in our eyes none the less,.....................

Later,......... he and my older brother Bill travelled together and marched in Crusaders in 1979, this was a year when many members of the Thunderbirds were frustrated with management,............. and many of us (myself included) went to a Crusader camp held in Johnsonburg that spring, well, the great Mr. B was there, and hooked about a half a dozen or so T-birds into marching Cru that summer,..................Poops played contra, and the section had a set of corps t-shirts numbered 1 through 13 for the number of contras Cru had on the field that year,....................The Thunderbirds went on to match their best placement ever in DCA Finals and finished in 8th place, but Crusaders took 7th, and in those days Poops never let an opportunity go by to remind certain people ,.................he was so ###### proud of that corps (79 Cru),................talked about it till the day he died,..................

RIP Commander John "Poopsie" Stadler,....................it's just not the same without you,..............

[Donny Drum Corps]

I miss Poopsie too.

My best Poopsie story is when my son Timmy had to watch Poopsie in the stands at the Syracuse DCA...while the rest of the corps went on retreat. We went on kinda early so by retreat, the Poops was a little "tired" . I think Timmy was around 9 years old, but Poops said he did a good job, or at least I think that is what he said, in his famous language...drunkenese.

"Nobody Honks like the Poops"...ask Steve Cooley.

Donny

[Roger Ellis]

It really is hard to believe it has been a year. He was so young.....

I knew Poopsie from the time I was 3 years old....

He and others from the Hamburg Kingsmen came to my parents house to help my Dad strip wall paper so he could go to practice.

Poopsie walked thru the door and with a thunderous voice announced "It's the POOPS !!!!!!!!!" I will never forget the sound of his voice.

God love you Poops ........... :angel:

Ah, the memories you dredged up, Shelly. Your Dad, the Poops and I marched together with the Hamburg Kingsmen for the summer of 1973 (arguably the best season the corps ever experienced). I marched my first show drum corps ever in 1966 in Erie with your Dad (Northeast Shoreliners), and the last show I played was in 2003 in Erie (Thunderbirds). The last man I had a beer with and hugged goodbye that night was the Poops, on the grassy knoll next to the stadium. We reminisced about those days in Hamburg, and all of the other miles driven and beers consumed and tears shed during decades of drum corps. I shared a World Championship with Poopsie and many other friends in Erie in 2002, and I wouldn't trade that experience for anything else in the world. My theory is that there are very few normal people in the activity, and John was proof of that theory. But then, who wants to be normal?

[Drumcorpsbrat]

Ah, the memories you dredged up, Shelly. Your Dad, the Poops and I marched together with the Hamburg Kingsmen for the summer of 1973 (arguably the best season the corps ever experienced). I marched my first show drum corps ever in 1966 in Erie with your Dad (Northeast Shoreliners), and the last show I played was in 2003 in Erie (Thunderbirds). The last man I had a beer with and hugged goodbye that night was the Poops, on the grassy knoll next to the stadium. We reminisced about those days in Hamburg, and all of the other miles driven and beers consumed and tears shed during decades of drum corps. I shared a World Championship with Poopsie and many other friends in Erie in 2002, and I wouldn't trade that experience for anything else in the world. My theory is that there are very few normal people in the activity, and John was proof of that theory. But then, who wants to be normal?

Memories????????? What other corps can say their drum line cadenced their corps on by drumming on an old dodge duster but the Kingsmen of Hamburg, NY????????

The Poops was a great guy. Until the day he died he always told Irish that he still saw me as the little girl with long blond curls carrying Daddy's shako and horn for him.

A man NEVER to be duplicated.