This name just came up in another thread ...

Henry Majewski (actually pronounced Ma-jeff-ski)

Henry was the corps Business Manasger in the 1970's .. but he did a LOT of other things too.

I never knew him really well. He was (I think) a single man who lived on the west side of the city. He did have some conmnections with Legion posts etc.

He was quiet and unassuming. Always willing to help.

Any other comments?

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

I'm surprised someone remembered Mr. Majewski. Henry was a very unassuming person, friendly and did ALOT for Norwood in the late 60's. Yes, alot of corps members made fun of him but he had Norwood's interst first despite our stupidity.

He was responsible for alot of our unknown sponsorship and was generous with his time. When things were tight in the Norwood budget he was the one responsible for obtaining(at no cost)the color guard flags that had the Norwood Crown on them sometime in the 60's. People from Wisconsin remarked at shows we were being supported by Imperial Margarine. No, I'm not kidding.

Henry did alot of things for the corps we didn't recognize at the time, a good guy who found Norwood as his home and life.

BTW....speaking of unsung Norwood hero's, what about Annie and Caroline Grana?

Great response! Henry was a GREAT guy and great for the corps. He had lost half a finger somehow (I never heard the story), so when we'd ask him how long a parade was, and he'd hold up two fingers, we'd reply, "Oh, a mile and a half?" I don't think we ever meant it rudely, and he didn't take it that way.

His only problem was that he had TERRIBLE luck when drawing for positions at shows. In those days, the order of performance was usually determined by drawing numbers, unless you were the defending champ of a show, so you got to go on last. Henry invariably had us picked first or second. For more important shows, I think we had someone else draw the number...

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

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

Yes, Henry was a very friendly guy. After he "retired", he had a job at O'Hare working "security" near the baggage claim - it was either United or American. I was travelling with my boss one day and ran into him. I introduced him to my boss. In typical Henry fashion he remembered the name and the face. As my boss traveled more often than I did, he would run into Henry who would never fail to wave and say hello to to him. Truly a people person.

The last time I saw Henry, he was bruised an battered - but otherwise OK. He explained that he was mugged taking the L somewhere. Truly sad that someone would hurt such a nice person.

What did you do in the Corps? Drum

What years were you a Corps member? 1960-1969

My first encounter with Henry was in 1957 when I joined the Windy City Cadets, Henry was an officer in the Austin VFW Post, he was like having another Dad.
A class act from start to finish ..... thanks Henry, I miss you.

Henry was a staple in the corps even into the late seventies. He would march next to the corps in parades. My last encounter with Henry was when I was marching with the Chicago Vanguard Senior Corps in the late 80s/early 90s. There was a VFW parade in Rosemont and when we lined up, there was Henry marching next to us. Robinette and my siblings and me were all smiling ear to ear seeing Henry doing his thing again.

What did you do in the Corps? Soprano

Wow! According to the forum postings, Henry was involved with drum corps for over 30 years ... many of them with the Imperials!

I never knew him well personally, he was more active with the Imperials after I had left. But, I knew him as a quiet and unassuming person who was always willing to help in whatever way he could!

Yes, he was not the most educated or "cool" person!
Some people made fun of him too.

But, If we had more people like him, the corps might still be going!!

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

Dave.....

I beg to differ with you. Henry Majewski was NOT an 'uneducated' man. He was unassuming. As punk teenagers we THOUGHT we were smarter than him but no way. Henry knew how to read people and he was genuine enough to forgive us for our short fall. He worked around us, with us and years later we realize what a 'great person' really means.

Henry never gave up......same enthusiasm every time but you have to wonder how he felt when he returned home. Thankless I'm sure, but the important part the memory of what he did, and the positive impression he left. I agree with Mouse, a class act!

What did you do in the Corps? Soprano

OOOOPS. My apologies to David. He NEVER said uneducated, I was caught in computer stuper and over laid a response to another site.

Sorry David, I agree, Henry was unassuming, not uneducated.......slapping my uneducated computer hands.

What did you do in the Corps? Soprano

I knew Henry from working the Imperial kitchen at wednesday night bingo held on north ave and cicero.
My family did this with him for about five years.

He got most of the food we sold for Tom Walters. The tasty pup man.

He did not drive because he had very poor vision.
He worked at Marshalls Fields back then.

The kitchen made money I know my dues got paid.

He marched in a drum and bugle corp called the chessman i believe.

What did you do in the Corps? flag/rifle

What years were you a Corps member? 73-80

I have taken the postings, and some other information, and created a short "bio" of Henry for the website. Probably under the "alumni news" portion, or perhaps a "people you should know" section.

It would be nice to include a PHOTO of Henry too. Does anyone have a picture showing him?

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

What years were you a Corps member? 1958- 63

Because Henry didn't drive, my dad used to give him a ride to the bus depot on a regular basis. He was an Imperial classic and a great guy. For those that remember songs sung on the girls bus, there was even had a "Henry" song. It was sung to the tune of "Henry the 8th" and included the lyrics "Never got married 'cause he loved the corps...." Fun memories!

What years were you a Corps member? 1973-1977

Mr. Fu What was Henry's official title with the corps I know he did alot of fund raising but did he have an official title with the corps.

Cookie, when I first became familiar with the Corps, in 1973, I believe Henry was the Business Manager for the Imperials. I know for sure, that in 1975-1976, he definitely
held that position until he was replaced by Rudy Vergin. It was after that, as you well know, he ran the kitchen at the VFW post in Chicago.

What did you do in the Corps? Managed the Cadets in 1975 and the Imperials from 1976 to 1979

In the early 70's Henry was Business Manager. He worked at Marshall Field's. The guard would have paper drives and collect newspapers (only the black and white pages)and sold to them so that they could wrap up their lamp shades.

We still need to find a GOOD picture of Henry Majewski for the website. We have a few which are of marginal quality. For example, I would SWEAR that it is Henry marching alongside the color guard in the 1973 parade picture on the Photo Center. But, it isn't a really clear photo.

Sure would like to add a good photo and remembrance of Henry to the website!

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

Yep, the Park Ridge parade, that was Henry. I recognized him by the hat.

Donna,

The picture Dave refers to is definitely Henry. It was taken in 1976 and shows Henry asleep under an umbrella. Unfortunately the umbrella shadows him, but that hat clearly shows that it was Henry doing some of his best work.

What did you do in the Corps? Manager Cadets 1975 - Manager Imperials 1976-1979

My funniest recollection of Henry:

He was missing half of one finger (never knew what happened). One time Al Hausheer (a VERY funny guy) asked how long a certain parade was, and Henry held up his index and next finger. Al's reply: "A mile and a half?"

I don't know when he left the corps, but I don't remember seeing him in 78 or 79.

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

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

Found this note from Jerry Davidson on another thread.. ir belongs here.

Henry Majewski was a good guy ... a real friend of the Imperials and all drum corps.

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From Jerry: My recollections of Henry are that he was a good man that was dedicated to the corps and it's members. I remember one of the girls from the guard telling me at a Royal Air rehearsal that Henry would pay her dues and sometimes even pick her and other members up and provide transportation so they could get to rehearsals or performances.

That is a meaningful reference to the man's heart and character. The corps may have had shortages in money and at times people, but the people that were active ALWAYS had good, kind hearts and were loyal to the corps and it's most important purpose as a youth activity.

Henry should be remembered for that his heart and his acts of kindness in sponsoring members who otherwise would not have been able to afford to be in the corps.

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What did you do in the Corps? drummer; later- quartermaster 1964-66; asst. drum instr. 1964-70

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

I just found this forum, and seeing Henry Majewski’s name immediately made me smile. I fondly remember him standing on the steps of the bus as we drove down the street, always happy, or walking along with us as we marched in a parade. He was always there. I am sure that those of us that knew him are much better for it.

What did you do in the Corps? Color Guard & Soprano

What years were you a Corps member? 1970 - 1973

Yes, Henry was a great guy, and good for laughs. It's great to see you out here, Donna! Keep posting - things have gotten dull around here lately.

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

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

Because of Henry and his employment at Marshal Fields, the color guard did paper drives and delivered rolled colorless newspapers by the ton for lamp shades to raise money for the Corp.

God, we sure did roll a ton of papers!!1 Remember when they told us me made the rolls too heavy? Sure was fun tho!

What did you do in the Corps? Color Guard & Soprano

What years were you a Corps member? 1970 - 1973

And it's those types of things that current corps members don't have. While they have a better performing experience than we ever could, given the difference in talent level, show design, and equipment, there's something to be said about the emotional and comradarie side of doing paper rolls, tag days, Cherry Tree Socials, and things like that. I'm not sure that 30, 40, or 50 years from now they could have a forum like this where people still share things, because they don't build those relationships like we did.

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

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

FYI .. see the earlier thread about 'DRUM CORPS BEFORE DCI" for more on the thought that Bob mentioned.

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

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

The Cherry Tree Socials! I'd forgotten about those! Can you imagine how many hours those ladies in the Mother's club spent cutting out all those cherries! They sure did a lot for us!!
I think we were the lucky ones to have built all the memories that today's members will never have!

What did you do in the Corps? Color Guard & Soprano

What years were you a Corps member? 1970 - 1973

Cherry Tree and the Pancake Breakfast at the Legion Post in Skokie. The highlight of the second one was seeing who ate the most (usually Norman Lindquist, if I remember correctly).

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 Henry, too. He was a wonderful man.

What did you do in the Corps? guard

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-1972