| | Cadet History, 1958
This is the infamous letter that ended the Holy Name era of our history. It was
mailed to each Cadet, and was waiting for them when they returned home from the
American Legion Nationals in Chicago in 1958.
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| | In 1958 the Cadets were defending National Champions. Holy Name Parish was
building a new Church, and the Pastor, never particularly supportive of the
Corps, decided that the Cadets should not travel to Chicago to defend that
title, and that all funds in reserve for that purpose should be turned over to
the Church Building Fund (the Cadets' bank account was under Church control).
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| | The Corps´ adult leadership, under Director William Kemmerer, Sr.
(affectionately known as Chief), pursued a solution which they felt addressed
the concerns of all parties. Uniforms (modeled on the Scout House uniform, with
their blessing) were purchased by the individual Cadets. Equipment was loaned to
The Cadets by the Cavaliers and Caballeros. Expense money was raised by the
Corps Booster Association, and the Corps committed to not participate in the
contest as the Holy Name Cadets. .
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| | It should be noted that no one in the Cadet organization, at any time, viewed
this as an act of defiance against the Church or the Church Pastor. It was
honestly, though perhaps naively, viewed as a one-event compromise designed to
satisfy both the concerns of the Pastor and the responsibilities of the Cadets
to the American Legion as defending champions.
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| | The Cadets' American Legion sponsor, Post #255 of Garfield, recognized the Corps
as their legitimate representatives, and the National American Legion accepted
the Post's designation, and recognized the temporarily-named Garfield Cadets as
the defending National Champions. The Corps' original application as the Holy
Name Cadets, was determined to be valid and still applicable under the new
name..
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| | All parties connected with the Corps viewed this as a temporary, single-event
venture, independent of the Church. The name, the equipment, the uniforms, and
the funds from the Holy Name Cadet account were not used. It was assumed,
therefore, that when the "Garfield Cadets" returned from Chicago, the Cadets
would resume their identity as the Holy Name Cadets once again. The Pastor,
unfortunately, had other plans.
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| | As the buses pulled up to a huge welcome-home rally in front of Holy Name Church
in Garfield, attended by several thousand spectators; the Cadets' exuberance
quickly turned to shock and disbelief, as the word passed through the crowd that
the Corps, after 24 years, had been disbanded. One curt letter was all it took.
The world had ended for the Holy Name Cadets, and a new era was about to begin
under a new name. The Holy Name era ended, but not the history or the
traditions, or the love-of-corps of the Holy Name Cadets. That will never end,
and Holy Name shall always be...
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| | Notes by Dave Shaw, 2007
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| | click here to enlarge | |
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