Not sure if this has been discussed but was wondering if anyone had some history and good stories about the old equipment truck that was used in the 70's and 80's.

Looked like an old bookmobile but I will never forget walking through it the first time when I moved up to the A corp how cool it was. The front of it looked like a cockpit from a WWII bomber.

Also remember we were on tour somewhere, on the highway, and I was sitting in the front of the bus talking to someone and the equipment truck was in front of us having some engine trouble. It started to pull over to the shoulder and because it was so top heavy and the shoulder was banked titled over onto two wheels and almost tipped over.

That thing must have been a bear to drive! Anyone know where it came from?

The truck was a Gerstenschlager. I don't know the year.

What did you do in the Corps? Cymbals, Bass Drum, Tenor

What years were you a Corps member? 1980-1983

My Dad drove that truck for two years - 1972-73 - and my brother and I rode home from many shows in there instead of the busses, so we wouldn't be left at the Skokie AL Post alone waiting on them (because we lived in Joliet, there wasn't anyone to ride home with). It was HORRIBLE! The thing leaked fumes inside (my Mother blamed it for her cancer, but she blamed drum corps for everything!). And as for being top heavy, I still don't know how it never turned over! I was scared every time I rode in that thing. Sometimes it took two people to start it because something was broken, and on a few occasions it took two people to drive it!

But the best story was the New Orleans trip in 1973. The corps actually had a pool on how far the truck would make it. NOBODY thought it would get anywhere near New Orleans. But when we pulled into the hotel, Dad had parked it right under the sign for the place, and he and Mark Kramer were sitting at the pool waving to us. I don't think he ever took anyone's money for it...

What did you do in the Corps? Snare, Drum Major, Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73, 78-79

I was always amazed that the Corps used that truck! It definately WAS NOT road worthy! Yes, it WAS top heavy. In my opinion, totally unsafe on the highway.

I think that it was obtained from a place that made and repaired juke boxes ..not Wurlitzer though. Bally's maybe. They used it locally.

What did you do in the Corps? drummer 1958-63; asst. drum instructor 1964-70; quartermaster 1964-66

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

The company which sold us the truck was SEEGERS. And I think the corps called it "The Whale"

Before that, the corps had a smaller Chevy step van which was road worthy but a bit small for the corps then. The FIRST truck was a 1950 Ford panel truck. It was only big enough for the uniformns and some drums, but that little truck ALWAYS ran! For road trips, we rented a bigger truck.

What did you do in the Corps? drummer 1958-63; asst. drum instructor 1964-70; quartermaster 1964-66

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

My dad helped get that truck, when he was manager. I think it was Lee Davis, Ken (mouse), and Henry Majewski riding in it. At least the early 70's.

What did you do in the Corps? Drum Major and Baritone

Henry Majewski! Now THERE'S a name I haven't heard in years. What a guy!

What did you do in the Corps? Snare, Drum Major, Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73, 78-79

I remember that after they got it they took it to ashop in Bensenville to build the shelves and storage inside. I remeber that it also held certain refreshments that we kids weren't supposed to have. I think the main reason they got that truck was to let the other corps inthe area know that we were just as good as them. They had big equipment trucks and air conditioned coaches, my dad thought that we needed to present ourselves like the Cavaliers or other corps with more money. So it might not have been the ideal equipment truck, but I remember putting instruments and uniforms on the school buses with us.

What did you do in the Corps? Drum Major and Baritone

In 1965 the Norwood Mother's club set up a building fund for the corps to purchase a permanent site for Norwood to be based out of. In fact there was a site considered for purchase close to the old 'Jolly' Club(I don't remember the streets). It was a block away from the sanitarium, about a half mile from the Jolly Club.

Somewhere in that time frame the corps truck was on its last leg and the building fund was used to buy a new truck. The Mother's Club was more than ******* Their fund raising efforts diminished thereafter.

Yes, either in '65 or '66 we not only paraded as the single corps at the sanitarium, we also used their field on the east side of the property to put on our entire show for the guests of the state.

And people thought we were nuts.....go figure?

I think there were FOUR equipment trucks over the life of the corps (plus a few rental and borrowed trucks).

1. #1 was the Ford truck:

The FIRST (I think) was the 1950 White Ford panel truck the corps used from 1960 to 1964. It was small, but TOUGH. The staff did however, find ways to stuff a LOT of corps equipment into it! Rumor has it that some out of town corps members actually used it as a sleeping site!

I remember driving this truck as quartermaster in 1964 .. it was a TRUCK but tough. It ALWAYS ran (well, almost always). Maintained by Frank Grana, senior; a MASTER mechanic (and great guy!)! We did, however, use a (larger) rented truck to go to Cleveland!

2. #2 was a truck from the Jays Potato Chip Company!

In 1965, Jays donated an old delivery truck to us. It was a BEATER and tough to drive. But, we needed something larger than the old Ford. So we used it for a year, for local shows only. When we went out of town, the Levy family (parents of a member) allowed us to use a panel truck from their company! A BIG help!

3. We purchased a Chevy Step Van

This truck was larger than the Ford, way more reliable than the potato chip truck and also was highway worthy! We could take this truck out on the road!

This was GREAT. But, we had a serious accident in Delavan, Wisconsin (1966, I think, when the corps truck was hit by a speeding motorcycle when entering the high school site. (I was on the truck at the time). The rider was killed.

4. The whale!

To my knowledge, the corps used the step van until the donation of the Seeburg vehicle .. also known as the "White Whale". Lots of space, but totally NOT road safe! Unstable due to a very high center of gravity.

What did you do in the Corps? Drummer 1958-63; instructor 1964-70; quartermaster 1964-66

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

I have pictures of that thing somewhere. Anyway, I remember that John Ruchalski, Diane's dad, used to drive that truck. It always freaked me out when you could smell gasoline coming from somewhere and he would be trying to patch something on that truck with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. I was always waiting for it (and him) to be blown sky high!

What did you do in the Corps? French horn

What years were you a Corps member? 1975-1979

Peter,
Don't know if you remember me, but I do remember you. Diane and you both played bari. Since Mr. Ruchalski worked on the truck, he was known as "THE WRENCH". I have an article that I have written and some stories about the White Whale (truck). I most likely have pics of the corps logo being painted on it. My husband was involved in the selling of the truck. I also still have the log book for it. The article that I had written was requested by Jerry Davidson a couple of years ago, but I never sent it on to him.

If you are interested, I can forward the article and any stories to you. I have all the corps pics, history, news articles for almost the life of the corps. Some parts of uniforms & copies of corps pics were presented a couple of years ago to the Norwood Park Historical Society.

Take care and I am finally getting around to reading some of the corps forum letters. I really don't know if you want to remember me or not.

Doris Ruchalski

What did you do in the Corps? Board Member; Mother's Club; Chaperone; President

What years were you a Corps member? Parent of Cadet/Acorps Diane Ruchalski Zez 1972-1987

Mrs. Lurch
WE REMEMBER!!!
THE UNIFORMS BEING MENDED IN THE STREET DURING THE PARADES. THE WATER BOTTLES COMING AROUND ON THE FOURTH OF JULY.

THE FOOD THAT WAS READY WHEN WE CAME OFF THE PRACTICE FIELD ON VERY HOT DAYS.

THE CHERRY TREES SOCIALS. THE CHRISTMAS BAZAARS. THE FASHION SHOWS AT THE LIDO.

THE COURIER THAT ARRIVED IN THE MAIL ALONG WITH THE CORP ROOSTER.

THE TRUCK AND THE SMELL.

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES. HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

THE ZAJDELS AND THE GOFFS

What did you do in the Corps? guard

What years were you a Corps member? 1974-1980

A few recent posts spoke about the WHITE WHALE ... the corps equipment truck from the 1970s.

The most common observation was about the instability of that vehicle .. not at all safe on the highway due to a very high center of gravity.

I found that the vehicle was obtained from the Seeburg Company, a Chicago firm which distributed (and installed) JUKE BOX machines! The truck was used to deliver (and repair) their machines in the area.

The truck was manufactured by a specialty truck body firm in Wooster, Ohio. It was the GERSTENSCHLAGER truck works. This was a firm run by a German family which had specialized in coaches. They didn't make the actual truck .. the chassis and engine .. that was supplied by GM or Dodge.

It appears that they made a lot of specialty truck bodies, most often for TV stations for use as remote broadcast sites, etc. The Seeburg truck was one of theirs.

BUT, the Seeburg truck was designed for local use .. on city streets. It is amazing that anyone would actually take that beast on the highway, much less drive it all the way to New Orleans!

Lucky that nobody was ever hurt in a serious road accident!

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958- 63

Doris, I want that story!

I remember some great times with your and "The Wrench" when we would work on the truck and talk about everything there was to talk about. I drove that truck on several occasions and it was a beast to say the least. LOL I was surprised it never rolled over and wasn't found on the side of some road.

It was your husband's skill as a mechanic that kept it running as long as it did. I was always amazed that he always knew how to fix that thing.

What did you do in the Corps? Brass Instructor, Corps Manager

BTW, the "Whale" was top heavy, but I never rally thought it was going to tip over when I drove it. And as for highway safety....it never could get up to the speeds that would create a hazard. I just stayed in the right lane, took it slow on turns and let others pass me if they wanted to. It was slow and cumbersome, but it was ours and we needed it to get the equipment to shows, didn't have the money for something better, so we used it. To be honest, I have seen worse equipment trucks being used than the Whale. As for keeping it running...The Wrench showed me how to keep it running and left a case of oil in the truck so I could add oil at each stop if needed. LOL

What did you do in the Corps? Brass Instructor, Corps Manager

Without John Ruchalski, the Whale would have died long before it did. I actually believed that he loved that old truck in his own way. He was always working on it and made sure anyone who drove it, knew how to keep it running until they could get it back to John. Without John during those years, we wouldn't have had an equipment truck at all. Many thinks go to him for helping keep that truck alive and us on the road.

What did you do in the Corps? Brass Instructor, Corps Manager

Great guys, these dads who would take time to "rescue" and maintain the corps trucks.

Maintaining the Whale must have been a real challenge. Thanks go to Mr. Ruchalski and Mr. Shreffler!

But, Mr. Frank Grana, Sr. did the same excellent work on the smaller 1950 Ford panel truck we had in the early 60s. He also worked hard on the Jay's potato chip truck we used in 1964 .. it was really bad. And, he and Vic Miralli did the same with the Chevy step van we got in 1965!

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958- 63

I remember the 'white whale' in my parents drive way as we all climbed on it to wash the stinker. That was a sight. Pete is right about how top heavy it was and always looking ready to tip over. I have to look as I am sure I have pics somewhere.

Side Note: Mrs. R - no one would forget you or the dedication of the Felde's, Fetty's and my parents (Jim and Diane) for the time you put to be there for us. Not to discount the business running part and the time consuming planning but who else would be on the lookout to make sure we stayed on our side of the bus, gym and were not into anything that would be unbecoming of a teen. Who did throw those pennies across the gym? (Not me and I will never tell!)

Pete, we NEVER did anything terrible that I can remember. Course I am getting older now :)

We need to start a remember New Orleans...Bob would have stories about that, I am sure.

What did you do in the Corps? Color Guard - Rifle

What years were you a Corps member? 1973-1979

I left New Orleans with:
(a) a groin pull
(b) a torn synovial capsule for my right index finger.

After arriving at our hotel, a group of us converged in a pool. Someone thought it would be good to have chicken fights with the gals on top. I think I had Andrea Tryba on my shoulders, and I hit a patch of algae and slipped a little. The next day everyone kept telling me I was walking funny. I didn't even realize I had hurt myself. Mr. Fu probably remembers taking me to the doctor and having it checked out.

After the "groin indicent", later that same evening, we were cut loose in New Orleans. I remember finding my way Bourbon Street, but I don't remember if that is where the chaperones let us out. Surely not! Anyway, while looking for some live music, we discovered Pat O'Brien's and hurricanes. I really wasn't much of a drinker, and a couple hurricanes had me feeling no pain... until the next morning when I woke up with the second hangover of my life.

I won't fully discuss my first hangover, but for your entertainment, I'll tell you that it happened at my GRADE school, working for my church's bingo parlor, and finding a bottle of V.O. in the coat check room. Long story short: I was dropped off on my parents' doorstep, drunk as a skunk, by a priest. I was never allowed to work bingo again.

Back to the torn capsule. I woke up with my head exploding, and all I wanted to do was some laps in the pool to work off the pain. When we first woke up that morning, there was a torrential New Orleans downpour that left and dried up as fast as it came. It left the pool water murky, however. In my stupor and in the murky water, I didn't see the end of the pool coming up, and my right came down with full force on the pool's ledge, somehow damaging my index finger.

I remember going onto the prelim field that day with a groin pull and damaged finger I can still feel the scar tissue in that finger to this day, and I still wonder how I didn't know I had a groin pull.

What did you do in the Corps? Snare

Jim, thanks for the interesting post about the Whale.
The Stillwater story is great.

Some pictures would be great!

I was a Corps Quartermaster for the Imperials from 1964-66 and during those years we migrated from the 1950s Ford panel truck (GREAT to drive but small), to a Jays truck (bigger but unstable on the road, we used OTHER trucks when we had to travel) to a Chevy Step-Van (good sized and VERY road worthy!) Not sure how long the Step Van lasted, as after 1966 I wasn't involved with that.

After 1970, I was no longer involved with the Corps. But, I saw the Whale at shows as I was judging then.
Having driven corps trucks and also being an engineer, I was APPALLED that the Corps would use such a truck for road trips. Sure it was big ... that was part of the problem. It was TOO BIG (high) and NOT safe on the highway.

It was very irresponsible to use that truck, except for local use, in my opinion. A very large risk.

That nobody was killed or severely injured was a miracle. That would have been horrible.

What did you do in the Corps? drummer: later: Quartermaster, assistant drum instructor

What years were you a Corps member? 1958- 63

Hi Jim. Great to see you on the forum. Sorry to hear about the passing of you mother and sister. We have had our share of deaths in the family this last year also. It's tough when we start to reach the point in life where instead of being given things, we start losing things and loved ones. Glad to hear that you are in good health and look forward to reading about the experiences and good times you had with the corps.

Aside from the sheer terror or the driving experience, the thing that stuck out in my mind is the case of oil that Pa Lurch always had in the truck. If you were driving the truck you would have to stop every hour or so and check the oil level it leaked and burned so much of the stuff. I hope Jim can find a photo of the Whale, as I have been searching through all of my old drum corps boxes of photos for the one that I know I have.

What did you do in the Corps? Brass Instructor, Corps Manager

Following was originally posted by Jim Fiduccia, and is reposted here (out of sequence, sorry) because of a text error in the original posting.

-------------------------------------------------------

From: Jim Fiduccia on 1-3-09

There are some interesting stories about the White Whale and also some pictures of a washing party on our driveway prior to it being repainted that hopefully will be sent the website soon. I still remember, with terror, the buses going up a
steep street in Stillwater as the Whale went backwards as the transmission went out. Talk about scary moments. It stayed up there while the transmission was replaced and two volunteers had to fly up there to retrieve it. I believe Stan Anderson was one of them and also was driving when it decided to go the wrong way. Kudos also to John Snyder who drove back from Michigan and had to negotiate the Kennedy which was under construction. That would have been hard under ordinary conditions but it was his first experience driving the monster. Dave you sure were right that anyone who drove or rode that monster put their life in jeopardy. There are a lot of stories about the Whale but I don,t want to bore everyone to tears.

What did you do in the Corps? Drumline

What years were you a Corps member? 1960-1965

Mrs. Ruchalski:

I somehow missed your past post. Of course I remember you. And thank you for all the time and effort you put into keeping an eye on us all. I can only imagine now how hard that must have been!

I would love to see the article and other corp related ones you might have from the 70's.

Hope you and Diane are well.

Peter

What did you do in the Corps? Baritone

What years were you a Corps member? 70's

Jim Fiduccia spoke about the "priorities" involved in using the White Whale as an equipment vehicle for the Imperials.

I understand priorities and agree that the vehicle could be very useful for local needs. But, it was an unsafe vehicle for highway use .. and a corps priority should have been the safety of the staff. That vehicle (IMHO) should never have been taken on the highway at road speeds. The Imperials were VERY fortunate to never have experienced a road mishap with that truck.

Jim is also correct though, it WAS a very distinctive vehicle to see!

Dave, I agree about the White Whale basically being dangerous for the highway, but maybe when it was bought someone should have given some consideration to that fact. We inherited it and had little choice other than to use it or stay strictly in the local area. As Jerry aptly pointed out in a previous post there was no major problem if the driver maintained a reasonable speed and stayed in the slow lane. To the best of my knowledge there was never a problem that involved driveability. The only problem, besides mechanical breakdowns, was that in high winds it could be extremely difficult to handle and I only remember one instance of that happening. Certainly without John Ruchalski to keep it running we would never have been able to accomplish what we did. I would greatly like to acknowledge the men who drove on our trips, but to try name all of them would no doubt omit someone. All I can do at this late date is to tell them I offer my gratitude to each and everyone of them for being there when the Imperials needed their abilities and skills. In my four years with the A Corps, I never heard any of the drivers voice concerns about their safety and I am sure no one involved would have risked lifes to accomplish our goals.

Jim Fiduccia

Jim, you are correct. Even a top heavy vehicle can be driven safely on the highway if the speed is kept down and the driver maneuvers carefully.

And, I have to add to your "thanks" to all corps mechanics! We could NEVER have kept the corps going on the roads without their work and, often, genius!

In my days: Frank Grana, Sr and Vic Marelli were two which come to mind. Mr. Ruchalski has been mentioned often too. There must have been many others!

I think Mr. Foo is right (as always!). What choice did we have? It was the same as wearing worn-out uniforms or playing on drums and bugles that had outlived their normal lifespan. When there's no money, you make due with what you have.

And I don't ever remember thinking it was unsafe at the time - just now, looking back. But how many unsafe things did we ALL do in those years that seemed like fun then?!

What did you do in the Corps? Snare; Drum Major; Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73; 78-79

Pete,
Gosh it's great to hear from you!! I didn't think any Corps members would want to ever talk to me again. After all, I was called Mother Superior and that warded off all of you. I still have a warm spot in my heart for the Corps and all of you.

Yes, I do have much material from all the corps years, as well photo's, memorabilia and misc that was more or less dumped on me when we we finally shut down. Board members wanted to dump everything and I took what I could. Many of my Board notes, etc. were given to Jim Fiduccia, whom we keep in touch with.

In regards to driving the White Whale, I do recall that not only my husband, but our son John Jr. also drove on a few trips. Wally Felde drove as well as others that I have names of in my archives. Also, I drove the truck once at Wheaton college from the school across the street to the field where you were practicing. We had no one and the instructors wanted the equipment. So I felt I could do it and I drove it across the street to the field. I've driven most everything, but don't know if I would do it again.

Pete, I will pass on your hello to Diane, whom as you might know married John Zez from Corps. They live in Bloomington, Il. And when I talk to her, I will pass on your greeting.

Take care ..don't know if I'm doing this the right way, as I don't go into the forum too often.
Hope you're having a good life!!!
Doris Ruchalski

What did you do in the Corps? Board Member; Chaperone, You nname it, i did it.

What years were you a Corps member? 1972 until Corps folded in 1987

Part of my reaction to the White Whale is that I drove THREE of our corps equipment trucks during my "corps life".

1. The small panel truck (1950 Ford), expertly maintained by Frank
Grana, Sr. This was a SMALL truck and just carried uniforms and
some drums. It was road worthy but small. We just used it for local shows (northern Illinois)

2. In 1965, the Ford truck was really too small ..so we found a
truck from Jay's Potato Chips. It was bigger .. but really totally
NOT road worthy. We just used it for Chicago area stuff.

3. In 1966, someone found a Chevy "Step-van" truck, with double
rear wheels and totally highway worthy. It was a joy to drive
on the highway. The truck was big enough for the uniforms
and drums ... and MOST of the bugles. We did fine with this
truck for a number of years.

I'm sitting here trying to picure Ma Lurch driving the White Whale...

What did you do in the Corps? Snare; Drum Major; Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73; 78-79

Bob,
Surprised you huh?? I did what I had to do. They needed the equipment...so I said a prayer and gave it a try. I was much younger then and I was the only one available.

Bob. hope you and your wife are doing great. I hear via the grapevine (Foo's) that you are a principal?? Great!! you deserve it!!

Mrs. R. (Ma Lurch)

Doris,

Thanks. What year did you drive the truck?

And when there's no money, EVERYONE does what they have to do!

What did you do in the Corps? Snare; Drum Major; Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73; 78-79

Bob,
I talked to Jim F. today and he remembers me driving the truck to the practice field in Wheaton. I'm not sure if this was 1979 or 1980. It's when Jim F. came back to manage the corps. You might check with him.

It was no distance..only from the school where it was parked and accross the street to the practice field.

FYI when the whale was sold, my husband was involved in showing the truck. The couple that bought it were African Americans and I think they wanted to use it for a camper or something like that!!.

We are wondering if the truck is still alive??
Have a good one!!
Doris

What did you do in the Corps? Board Member/Chaperone/Parent

What years were you a Corps member? 1972 to 1987

It definitely had to be 1979 since I had left the Imperials by 1980. I never thought of it or I probably would of had Bob drive it since he seems to have had such a long standing relationship with the White Whale.

I never drove that thing, and was never interested in driving it! But I don't ever remember being without equipment at a show or practice because of the truck breaking down.

What did you do in the Corps? Snare; Drum Major; Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73; 78-79

Interesting series of posts .. be sure to read through the history of this "thread ". You'll learn a lot about this truck.

A recent post spoke about the corps equipment truck being hit by a motorcyclist in Delavan, WI in 1966.

Yep, I was ON that truck and saw the cycle heading for us as we turned into the high school area. He hit us on the right side of the truck .. about 3 feet from where I was sitting! Scared me a lot. Killed him.

We pulled over and sent someone to the field to get paramedics. I went to see the cyclist .. as he died. Not fun.

Later found out that he was going about 80 mph as he headed toward us. He also had a police record for speeding in the area.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

all this talk about our equipment trucks ... here is a question.

How many of our corps alumni have actually ridden on our trucks (and helped with the work)?

Lets hear from you! Give us your stories!

-----------------------------------------------------------

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

Here are some of my thoughts ...

1. I remember helping Ken Schreiber, the 1960 quartermaster, load the small panel truck we used then. Never rode with him though.

2. Then I remember driving that same truck in 1964 as quartermaster. It was great .. a tough little truck, but very small.

3. In 1965, we got a new truck – it was bigger, but not very reliable. I remember that it was very unstable on the road. It could only be used locally. Sometimes a very scary ride! I hated driving that truck.

5. Got the new Chevy “Step Van” in 1966. It was great .. road worthy and bigger. But, the motorcycle hit at Delavan WI was scary.

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

All my experiences were on the White Whale, especially when Dad was quartermaster in 72-73. Because we lived in Joliet, and the corps usually arrived back at the AL Post before the truck, Steve and I would ride the truck back from shows. Pretty scary at times - the emissions would come into the truck and the equipment did a lot of swaying because of the narrow wheel base. Things were held in with bungee cords, and everything barely fit anyway. But I remember those as good times, surprisingly!

What did you do in the Corps? Snare; Drum Major; Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73; 78-79