News of Our Corps
Personals
YEA!
DCI
Listen to Don Angelica´s solo from
1957
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"Inside every old person is a young person wondering what happened."
Terry Pratchett (submitted by Gene Monterastelli)
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ATLANTIC CITY HERE WE COME!
THE MAROON GATHERS IN CELEBRATION!
As I write this we have 17 days to go before we gather at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City to celebrate one of the great milestones in Cadets History; The 50th Anniversary of the 1957 "Magic Year" American Legion National Championship.
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It seems like only yesterday (to everyone except our Reunion Co-Chairs; Bill Kardash, John Avella, and Tony Bartello), that Bill and Bart first brought up the idea for this reunion. It was originally designed to be solely an event for the 1957 Holy Name Cadets, but as our corps came together as one over the past few months, it has expanded into a major convocation of the maroon; gathering to honor both the 1957 Cadets, and the encompassing 73 history of our corps. Now we have registrations from Cadets of every era of our history. It has become a major event, an event that we hope will be emulated all over America, Canada, and other places where Cadets live, by Cadets celebrating important milestones in our collective history.
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Atlantic City will be the stepping stone to the future, in addition to our salute to our past. Fifty years ago, on September 14, 1957, something magical happened to a Cadet Corps that had not won a single competition prior to the National Championship Competition, and in one 24 hour period, rewrote our corps history. In 17 days we will return to where it all happened. This time we will have glasses of champagne in our hands rather than bugles and drums, but in our hearts we will once again hear "Shangri La" and "When The Angels Sing. " We will hear the roar of the crowd, and remember what it felt like to stand on the floor of Convention Hall hearing our name as we were announced as National Champions. It is our history, the history of the 1957 corps, but it is also part of the enduring history of the Cadets;
For Holy Name shall always be...
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So that is the reason you should attend. This is about you, ALL of you, All Cadets, One Corps - Evermore. IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO REGISTER! Bill Kardash will accept reservations up until Monday, September 3rd. Send Bill a check immediately - made out to the Holy Name Cadets Alumni - $100 per person for the cash bar cocktail party beginning at 6:30 Wednesday, September 12th, at the Trump Marina Hotel, and the Thursday, September 13th open-bar cocktail party and grand banquet at the rechristened Boardwalk Hall. In addition, send Bill an E-mail to advise him that your check is on its way.
Bill Kardash
111 Annapolis Street
Annapolis, MD 21401
Bkardash@columbiadirect.net
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Reservations are still available at The Trump Marina Hotel. The rates are $85 per room plus applicable taxes on Wed., 9/12, and Thurs., 9/13. The rate increases to $129 per room plus applicable taxes for Friday, 9/14, if you plan on staying over. Trump Marina Reservations can be reached at 1-800-777-8477, option #3. You must use our special Holy Name Cadets Reunion booking code of FHOLY7 when making your reservation to receive this special rate.
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Cadet history is many things to many people. It is the year(s) we marched, the years we won championships, the years we overcame hardships, all the years between 1934 and 2007. But, most of all, our history is the history of our youth, of our friends, of our memories, and of the debt we all owe for everything the Cadets gave us to prepare us for life. The Great Gathering of the Maroon in Atlantic City will be dedicated to all those things. Please, don't miss it. You may never have an opportunity like this in your lifetime again. Join us in singing Oh Holy Name, join us in being Holy Name, become along with the rest of us, a born-again Cadet.
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Memorabilia for Atlantic City: Yes, bring your memorabilia to share. Whatever you want, as much as you want. We will have display areas set up for your treasures. Please label everything with your name. If you have any questions please contact Bill Kardash at:
Bkardash@columbiadirect.net
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It is with extreme sadness that I notify all alumni of the loss of two fellow Cadets:
George Cherrick, 1966-69
Henry Mura, 1957-63
They will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with us in the long maroon line evermore.
For Holy Name shall always be...
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IMPORTANT COMING EVENTS
SEPTEMBER 12-14, Great-Gathering-of-the-Maroon, Atlantic City. For reservations and information see above. SEE YOU THERE!
SEPTEMBER 5, The Cadets will hold a 2007 DCI Broadcast Party on Sept. 5 at Tommy Fox's Restaurant & Bar, 32 So. Washington Ave., (201-384-0900), Bergenfield N.J. Members, staff, alumni, volunteers, fans and their families are invited to celebrate another extraordinary year for the Cadets. It's also the perfect opportunity to reunite with Old and new Cadet friends.
The evening includes heavy appetizers, a cash bar, raffles, prizes and souvenirs. Then watch the DCI (ESPN2) Broadcast of the 2007 Cadets while performing at World Championships in Pasadena, Calif., on Tommy Fox's 106-inch High Definition television. The party begins at 8:30 p.m. with the broadcast scheduled for 10 p.m.
Tickets are only $22.50 per person and are now available through the Youth Education in the Arts Web site. SEE YOU THERE!
For reservations and information:
Caryn Goebel
caryn@yea.org
1-610-821-0345 X21
OCTOBER 4 (THURS): The monthly Garfield Gatherings of the Maroon will resume at 7:00 PM, VFW Hall, Outwater Lane, Garfield (date and location to be confirmed). These gatherings are strictly social in nature; no membership, no dues, no assigned jobs - shared beer, soda, and pizza chip-in. As we begin a new alumni season we will be happy to hear your ideas for new projects and any other items you would like to discuss. You can either E-mail me at: shaw.d.g@att.net Or, if you prefer, we can discuss them at this meeting either one on one, or as a group. SEE YOU THERE!
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Many of you have probably read about the successful reunion those of us fortunate enough to have been present in Pasadena had with our first drum major and a founding member of the Cadets, John Baumfalk. It was an inspirational experience for every Cadet present. John had the opportunity to view the Cadets' quarter-finals performance from the press box at The Rose Bowl as a guest of DCI. He recognized his corps immediately as they entered the field to perform. When asked his opinion of modern-era drum corps he indicated that he liked the music very much, but he wasn't too thrilled by all the marching backwards. Prior to watching The Cadets, and following their performance, John was besieged by local and drum corps press requesting interviews and photographs. He accommodated everyone, with a smile on his face throughout. John appeared to especially enjoy meeting past Cadet Drum Majors Hugh Mahon, John Hannigan, and Jim Messina, gathered in the press box to salute him.
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John Baumfalk surrounded by Cadet Drum Majors past and present.
L to R: Marcus Harrison (2007), Chris Castille (2007), Hugh Mahon (1960-61), John Hannigan (1977-79)
photos courtesy of Scotty McGarry
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On Saturday morning preceding the Championship Competition at The Rose Bowl that evening, John was finally able to personally meet with the 2007 Cadets. He was given a hero's welcome at the traditional finals breakfast, and a standing ovation when he was officially introduced to The Cadets. It was an emotional occasion for all alumni present as we watched our first drum major and our current drum major embrace.
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We are currently investigating several different software programs that would store and make easily available photo collections submitted to our website by Cadet Alumni. Our webmaster has requested that I ask anyone with personal experience using either sourceforge.net or coppermine-gallery.net for any input you can provide on their performance capabilities. Please contact me at:
shaw.d.g@att.net
Thanks for your help.
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There is a 1984-1987 Alumnus of our corps, Cadet David Welch, who continues to honor himself and our corps in everything he says and does. This article was sent out to everyone on our mailing list, but to those that might have missed seeing it, please go to the website shown below.
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This article was written by David Welch, 1984-87, and posted on his web site:
www.38lemon.com/dailyjournal.php?y=2007&m=08&d=13
Go there to see the entire article, photos included. You'll be glad you did.
Excerpts appear below:
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THE REAL WINNER IN PASADENA - DAVID WELCH
"That was the day I learned that I would have the incredible honor of marching onto the field at the Drum Corps International World Championships alongside The Cadets Drum & Bugle Corps. Since then, it has all played out. But, what happened? What was the experience like? How did I react?
I brought the buckle I wore in the 1987 DCI Championships, and a covert arrangement with one of the instructors led me to Larissa, a trumpet player I have gotten to know over the last two years. She ended up putting on this beat up buckle instead of her usual belt buckle. Larissa was in tears about the symbolism. 20 years later, wearing the same belt buckle that was worn in the championship performance of the 1987 Cadets. We both loved the moment.
we were in the tunnel at the Rose Bowl. The members gathered around in a circle and sang the corps song that has been around for much of our 73 year existence. It is a song that all Cadets know, and we always sing it before going onto the field for performance. It is a way of bonding, and many of us consider it a spiritual moment. I was allowed to sing along with the corps, all of us connected with our right hands on the left shoulder of another Cadet.
I wanted to go into the stadium wearing a shirt that was in tune with the theme of their show. I was wearing a brand new "This I Believe" shirt that entitled the show they were performing. After much consideration, I thought that would be most respectful.
I stood as close as I could to the corps as they marched onto the field in our traditional block formation -- the entire corps packed together as tightly as possible. I had to stand outside this block formation, but I was only about 10 feet away. I was the closest person to the corps at this point. They breathed in together and then exhaled together, like a machine. Intense!
They halted before going onto the field. Joe Roach, who I marched with back in the mid-80's, came up and encouraged them one with a final message as they stood at complete attention. "Tell a story! This is what you have worked for all year! Forget everything else. Tell a story. Tell what you believe. Tell your story!"
The best way I could describe the energy coming from these 135
The corps went onto the field at the 50 yard line. I had to turn onto the field a little before that so I would not interfere with them. I noted that the other essay winners had crossed the field on the 35 yard line, but I talked my way into going an extra 5 yards so I could cross the field (from the back sideline to the front sideline) at the 40 yard line, instead.
When I got midway across the field, I did something a bit unusual. I plopped down to the grass and kissed the field. I secretly planned to do this, just because I liked the gesture. It was a way to symbolically show respect for the members of the corps -- literally kissing the ground they were about to walk on. Perhaps this may sound silly to some, but in drum corps, we are brothers and sisters who are connected across generations. This commonality of respect is nothing unusual. When I came up, I had grass in my mouth and on my face.
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David kneels to kiss the Rose Bowl turf; his unique tribute to the 2007 Cadets
photos courtesy of Scotty McGarry
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Summing all this up, I could go on and on and with details about this evening. Hopefully the above paint some of the picture for what this experience was like. But in relating this evening to the world of brain cancer, which is always the intent of my 38 Lemon online journal entries, I had active thoughts about my Bain cancer as I went through this evening. What did I think? As I crossed that field with my Old corps, I had several powerful thoughts.
1.) I never would have guessed this moment 20 years ago as I was marching my age-out year with The Cadets.
2.) I am just damn thankful to be alive.
I learned so much from this experience this evening -- from these kids who marched at that level of performance with The Cadets. They are literal reminders of what can indeed be done when there is focus and energy for sustained periods of time towards a common goal, throughout good times and bad. There they were -- living it and exemplifying it.
When I talked with Larissa after the show and got my belt buckle back, she said that she caught me out of the corner of her eye when she walked on the field. She saw me kissing the field they were about to march on, and she was moved powerfully by wearing a belt buckle that symbolized generations of people who carry the same values as this current generation of Cadets. That is why writing my "This I Believe" essay was one of the easiest things I have ever written.
What an incredible honor to be a part of this evening in this way. It was an outright gift, and it just makes me want to live so much harder in this world. I may sound effusive in the moment, but I will take such criticism without objecting. I'm right on that edge.
When I juxtapose the feeling I had going into brain surgery on 5/5/05 with this moment on 8/11/07, it is an amazing thing. 2 years, 3 months, and 6 days after I was wondering if I would be alive or not after going into brain surgery, I was celebrating a moment which is among my very best in life.
Both of these moments were powerful, and when I remember them side-by-side, the contrast is an emotional swing from one end of the spectrum to the other. It gives pause and makes me celebrate all the medical progress we have made even more. And for all this portends, amen.
For Holy Name shall always be..."
From Dave Shaw: There is nothing I can possibly say about the preceding comments by my fellow Cadet David Welch, other than to say how proud and honored I am to know him, and to know that we both wore the same uniform.
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The Cadet Alumni would like to extend sincere congratulations to our 2007 Guard Commander, Eric Babula. Eric began marching with the Cadets when he was only fifteen years of age, and 2007 was his age-out year. DCI presents the George Zingali Award to the guard commander representing the very best individual guard commander of the year. This year there were two finalists that were judged to be nearly equal in accomplishment, and Eric was one of them. He was awarded second place, with an accompanying check for his accomplishments. Congratulations Cadet. You did us proud!
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Many of you who watched the DCI semi-finals at theaters around The Country, as well as those of us present in The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, witnessed a spectacle so disheartening it makes it difficult to restrain our anger. Our Cadets were booed, heckled, made the object of insulting, disrupting, despicable comments shouted from the stands, and other forms of collective and individual abuse. In response they stood tall, exhibited our fabled Cadet discipline, and conducted themselves with dignity and pride and respect for the uniform they wore. They did us proud.
Since returning home I have been swamped with emails and calls from alumni pledging their support to the corps, and indicating that they would like to do something to show their support. Irrespective of our varying opinions on the program presented, the alumni that contacted me, without exception, said that their support is not contingent on the eleven minute program presented on the field regardless of whether they did or did not like the 2007 program. All agreed, as well, that this was the most talented group of Cadets they have ever seen, and that their performance level was awe-inspiring.
Some have indicated they would like to show their support by making a donation to the corps. The Alumni are primarily organized for social purposes, but The Cadets are our corps and the kids being disrespected in Pasadena were our Cadets. If you feel this would be an appropriate way to show your support, information on joining the maroon and gold club can be obtained from Rhonda Mauk at YEA (rhonda@yea.org 1-601-821-0345 X38. Please note that this is not a part of the Cadets' Annual Fund-Raising Call-a-Thon.
This information is passed on to you as a service, and for no other reason. The decision is yours.
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