While reorganizing by home office this weekend, I came across a copy of the September 1959 Issue of Drum corps World that I had in a folder in my desk.

The first column in the magazine is called "Windy City Breezes" by Rick Maass. It has a couple of interesting items.

The first is a discussion of the 1959 Legion State Contest. 1. Cavaliers, 2. Norwood, 3. Belleville, 4. Skokie Vanguard, 5. Cicero Royalaires. Also, the Grayslake Scarlet Knights won the Sons of American Legion Championship.

The second is a description of the Skokie Vanguard Contest. "in Skokie, threw their first annual. A usual type show, outstanding bits being Skokie taking the Cavaliers and Norwood for the first time this year, and the Royalaires taking top in a couple of GE captions."

It also discusses the American Legion Nationals in Minneapolis although later articles have more details. At that time the American Legion did not hold a prelims and final contest at nationals, so all corps that went to Minneapolis that year did their full show and that was it. Sac won the championship and Norwood finished 6th. That night the seven corps competed in a contest at Stillwater Minnesota. Sac and the Cavaliers tied for first and Norwood was in third.

The magazine also includes a photo and article on the wedding of Mickey Vogt and Bill Graeber. The photo is of the bride and groom surrounded by members of the Norwood Cadets.

The magazine is 44 pages long and is loaded with information on corps activities around the U.S. (there are correpondents from California and another from Hawaii) and Canada. It's my view that it also is a good glimpse of traditional corps activities at that time.

The issue is in very good shape. I'll get it copied and send it on to anyone who is interested.

John I sure would like a copy of that,it brings back a lot of memories of that contest.I remember there were 33 drum corps in that contest.As each corps finished they drill and the scores were tallied they were posted on huge board at one side of the field.We
were the last corps to go on that day and I'll never
forget it because we thought it was a big deal at the
time to draw the last spot out of these others.But the
thing that sticks out in my mind the most is the only
corps that Blessed Sac was concerned about was the
Cavaliers,as soon as the Cavaliers score was posted,
Blessed Sac was already celebrating and here we didn't even start performing our drill.What a let down
that was.but besides that one good thing came out of all of this is that we became really good friends with
St.Vinnies,both of the corps were staying in the same dorm,in fact some of us almost got into a little altercation with some of them,can't remember exactly
why,but everything cooled down,after that we were friends.That was one Drum Corps you didn't want to get
on the wrong side of.

What did you do in the Corps? soprano and than french horn

What years were you a Corps member? 1957 through 1963

Boy, Rich's comments about the 1959 national brings back memories.

Yes, there was a LOT of hype about the Cavaliers and Blessed Sacrament being the two TOP contenders that year. In fact, our drum instructor (Frank Arsenault) also taught the Cavaliers .. and HE was predicting their victory too!

It was really strange when we went to Stillwater, Minn the next day and placed THIRD to the same corps .. beating everyone but the Cavaliers and Blessed Sacrament! But, you have to remember that the judging at VFW Nationals was usually handled by "friends" of AJ Schleta, not always the "best available" people.

Yes, we also maintained a "friendship" with the St. Vincent Cadets. (We had visited with them in New York the previous year. Rick Maass was a friend of their director too. They were a corps you did not want to be against you ... they were mostly from the poor section (dockyards) of Bayonne. Pretty tough fellows.

What did you do in the Corps? member 1958-63, asst. instructor 1964-71

What years were you a Corps member? 1958- 63 drum line

Dave,

Several articles in the Sept 59 Drum Corps World indicate that the Stillwater Contest was the same night as the Junior Legion Championships. The Senior Legion Finals were the next night. So Norwood was in two contests that day. You guys must have really been "on" to jump from sixth to third (although one writer from the east said Madison got a "raw deal" at Stillwater--finished fourth but won two captions). Also, if as Rich indicates you were the last corps in the juniors contest, you probably didn't have a lot of time between shows which included about an hour plus bus trip from Minneapolis to Stillwater.

Also, I now understand why St Vincent's wasn't in the Stillwater show--you don't get an invite if you start a fight. St Vincent's wasn't around when I joined the A corps in 1962. So I never come into came in contact with any of their members. Sounds like they were truly a community corps that existed to give the "uths" of beautiful Bayonne something to do besides gang banging.

Also, like your comment about Tony Schlecta getting his buddies to judge VFW Nationals. So that's how we ended up with the likes of Corky Fabrizio and Gale Royer as brass judges in 1965 Nationals. 1965 was pre-DCI and it was weird to have an obscure Californian judge such an important contest (Fabrizio wasn't that well known either). In retrospect Royer's assignment was really "off the wall."

Going back to St Vincents, the story about the fight at VFW Nationals is the only one that I've heard about at a corps contest. Does any one have any others? In my time in Norwood the only one I remember was the altercation in the parking lot at the New York Worlds Fair in 1965. But that was between corps members and some local gang types whose recreational activity was starting fights with groups visiting the Fair.

Rich Biver was talking about the LEGION championship in Minneapolis and I gave a response about the judges selected for VFW shows. BUT, the same comment applied to them too. Maybe even worse, since their "old boy" network was even MORE ingrained there.

Both organizations had contest and rules committeees run by the same old boys year after year. While they meant well, they were really tied in to their old friends and the "old rules". That is one reason DCI started.

Unfortunately, DCI quickly became just as bad ... just with different people and different "old boys" in charge!

Some things just NEVER change!

What did you do in the Corps? member 1958-63, asst. instructor 1964-71

What years were you a Corps member? 1958- 63 drum line

John Anderson's comment about the St. Vincent's Cadets from Bayonne are very true. They WERE a corps started to give the (disadvantaged) youth of the St. Vincent parish .. and neighborhood ... something constructive to do.

The corps was started in the 1940's and was VERY GOOD. They won many national and State championships. This in a state
populated by a LOT of good drum corps. Yes, they were a ROUGH bunch ... it probably was their undoing too.

But, when they disbanded, most of the remaining members joined a corps called the St. Lucy Cadets.... who (if I remember correctly) later became the Bridgemen!

What did you do in the Corps? member 1958-63, asst. instructor 1964-71

What years were you a Corps member? 1958- 63 drum line

Dave,

I seemed to recollect that there was some connection between St Vincent's and the Bridgeman. However, having seen the Bridgemen a couple of times in the early 80s when I lived in Minneapolis, the kids struck me as being more from the Jersey suburbs than the inner city.

Also, from they way you've described the St Vincent's members, I doubt that any of them would be caught dead in the costumes the Bridgeman wore.

John:

It took about 15 years from the time the St. Vincents Cadets folded until the "wacky" Bridgemen appeared. A lot can happen in 15 years ... and the corps might have moved it's base too.

And yes, the people in the St. Vincent Cadets would probably NEVER have done what the Bridgemen did! BUT.. St. Vincents was very progressive in it's day .. bringing out popular and symphonic music, and they were among the first corps to make really good use of french horns!

What did you do in the Corps? member 1958-63, asst. instructor 1964-71

What years were you a Corps member? 1958- 63 drum line

Just a quick note about St.Vincents,I mentioned this a
while ago, that St.Vinnies created the Dream contest.In case no one knew.

What did you do in the Corps? soprano and than french horn

What years were you a Corps member? 1957 through 1963

Another thing I remembered pertaining to the Dream,one
year when Norwood went to a contest in Belfountaine,I think that's how it's spelled,in Ohio,after it was over that evening,myself and five other's drove out East,through the night to see the the Dream the next day.When we arrived in New Jersey Sunday morning,we drove to Bayonne and went to Mass at St.Vincents Church,and during the reading of the announcements,the priest reminded everyone of the contest that afternoon,and that everyone one should
come.We all thought that was great hearing something like during a Mass.If I remember correctly those that
drove up there after that contest were myself,Denny
Shannon,Wally Falardeau it was his car we used,Dave
Niederkorn,Bart Blume,Ken VanVoorhees,I could be wrong
on a couple of those names,we even got pulled over by
the State Police on our way there for speeding,we had
to follow the Police to some small town to pay our fine,they had to wake a judge up so we could pay the ticket.I think we drove there in 1960 or 61.

What did you do in the Corps? soprano and than french horn

What years were you a Corps member? 1957 through 1963