THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF POSTS ON THE WEB SITE RECENTLY ABOUT EVENTS IN THE 1970S ...REGARDING THE WHITE WHALE, JACK MCNULTY, ETC.

IT SEEMS THAT THE CORPS HISTORY SEGMENT ABOUT THE "END DAYS" ... THE 1980S .... MIGHT ALSO APPLY TO MUCH OF THE 1970S.

PERIODS OF STRESS ... LACK OF SUPPORT, MEMBERSHIP PROBLEMS, MANAGEMENT CONCERNS.

IT WAS ALWAYS HARD WORK TO FIELD AND SUPPORT THE CORPS. WE OWE THE PARENTS, MANAGEMENT, INSTRUCTORS AND SUPPORTERS MANY THANKS FOR THEIR WORK OVER THE YEARS.

BUT, IT SEEMS THAT THE 1970S AND AFTER WERE JUST TOO MUCH. SEE THE CORPS HISTORY FOR MORE ON THIS.

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

What years were you a Corps member? 1958- 63

Dave, this maybe a subject on which you and I disagree to some extent. I feel that to talk of the 1970's as a singular subject is wrong. It was divided in periods of ups and downs. The statement that this period was one of declining membership is not totally accurate. I know for a fact that from 1977 to 1979, the A Corps consistently marched between 85 and 95 members, and though I readily grant these were not DCI numbers, they were adequate to make us competive with corps such as the Vaqueros, Knights, Pioneers, etc. From what I have read in some of the postings these ups and downs were not necessarily unique to this period of Norwood history. I would be extremely interested in what kind of numbers the Corps averaged in the 50's and 60's. I strongly feel that the period of the 70's has to be judged more on facts than conjecture especially since the advent of DCI drastically changed the playing field. I definitely disagree with comparison between the 70's and 80's. This is a discussion that I think should be pursued further over a period of time since it encompasses a sixth of Norwoods history. Enough for now.

What did you do in the Corps? Managed Cadets 1975 and A Corps 1976 thru 1979

I agree with Jim. We really can't judge the viability of the corps by eras. The 70s was a much different climate for the activity as a whole because of the DCI monopoly. And that climate got even worse in the 80s which made it even more difficult to keep the corps competitive. As Jim said, DCI changed the playing field. I would add that DCI's touring schedule and recruiting policies had a huge negative effect on the activity. The big name corps no longer were regionalized which created a competitive void at many of the local shows. Kids wanted to tour the country and there were no groups strong enough to protect the smaller corps from organized raiding to fill up the DCI units. Also, many local sponsors stopped running shows because they could no longer guarantee that they could get name units and if they could get them, they couldn't afford them and still make a profit. So the vicious cycle started by DCI in many ways, and the locally based drum corps were the ones that fell by the wayside because they could no longer afford to compete with the top units or afford to travel great distances to the only shows that were left on the schedule.

So it's really pointless to somehow compare and contrast the Imperial's success in the 50s vs. the 60s vs. the 70s vs. the 80s. Each era had it's ups and downs, with the corps facing different variables and difficulties each and every year.

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

Jim and Jerry raise some excellent points. Especially about "ups and downs" and the impact of DCI. As I said, it was ALWAYS a challenge to field a corps.

But, if you check the Corps History on the website, you will note that it is fairly sketchy. We need to "fill in the blanks" on this era.

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

What years were you a Corps member? 1958- 63

I am sure that there is no argument on the difficulties of fielding a drum corps in any period and I certainly can see the lack of factual material as concerns the 70's. Doris Ruchalski and I had full day sessions, some three or four times, several years ago, with Keith Normadin concerning that period. Unfortunately due to personal circumstances, Keith was unable to formulate that information into a comprehensive history of those years. At the time not being a reader of this website, I,m sure that neither of us was aware of the fact that the history had never been added.
I would be glad to help in filling in the blanks for that era and would appreciate your suggestions on how best to accomplish it.
Jerry, though I agree in general about DCI, it seems the biggest culprit in the demise of the smaller corps were they themselves. This may sound stupid, but at some later time I,ll explain what transpired in the late seventys to draw me to that conclusion.

What did you do in the Corps? Managed Cadets 1975 and A Corps 1976 thru 1979

More on this soon as we are forming a team, with Jim Fiduccia, to develop an improved 1970s History segment!

Interested 1970s alumni should contact Jim!

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

What years were you a Corps member? 1958- 63

Speaking of ups and downs...

One of my biggest thrills came my last year, 1981. I know this doesn't compare with winning Nationals in the '50's or other huge accomplishments. But, I was very proud that at DCI in Montreal, The Imperials drum line came in 17th place. The size of our entire drum line was only 12 or 13 members. I used to think of this as we were 5 corps away from being a DCI finalist drum line. I would guess there was about 60 corps competing at DCI that year. Overall the corps finished somewhere in the middle.

Another memory was when my brother Pete saw a show that summer, he said we looked like "a little Boston." In the '70's, the Boston Crusaders were know to field a strong, tight but small corps. My point is that that we did the best we could with what we had. I would like to hear other's prospectives on this.

Chris,

I agree with your analysis of 81. It was in many a very successful year even though the corps lacked size. The corps did in fact win both VFW and American Legion State Championships that year. Yes, it can be said that the DCI units were not there, but we were the best of those that were.

Paul did an excellent job with the percussion line and wrote a book that enhanced the brass music. He had some excellent talent in the line and where he didn't have talent, he took the kids he had and taught them to be good in a very short time. He did a great job with that percussion section. The brass section, which had well over 35 members on the roster during the winter (before it was raided by another local corps), was very strong for the numbers that we eventually fielded. I still have a cassette tape of the line during a February rehearsal working on Chant and Jubilo. The line sounded great and we all thought we were going to be both strong and competitive. We just didn't expect to lose so many members to DCI corps during that winter.

Overall, 1981 was a very solid corps in general, even though we were smaller in numbers than many. The Montreal DCI show was probably the best performance that the corps put on that year. We didn't have any illusions that we were going to make a run at finals, so the corps was loose and just went out and had fun. It was a very fun experience.

Jim,
I agree that many of the problems that smaller corps faced were indeed self-inflicted and brought on by themselves. However I believe that DCI had a bigger impact than anyone ever expected them to be, both from a member attrition standpoint and a psychological standpoint. The possibility of getting raided and trying to keep up financially was always in the back of the minds in all non-DCI corps managements. I believe the managements of many corps did not direct their attention to those actions that might solidified their own corps. So in that way, I agree with you. I look forward to reading your observations and opinions on the subject.

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

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to check in as a 70's member, 73-77. Two people who could probably shed a lot of light on the 1974 folding and rebirth (I was at that camp) are Robinette (former Des Plaines Vanguard) & Toni O'Kelley. They were both former members that stayed on to teach the color guard. Both fantastic women, dedicated and talented. They would know the staff side of things. I was only 14 at the time and was not all that plugged in to the details of corps management. I do remember it being such a let down of a season after Summer of '73.

On a happier note, Hello to Mr. Fuduccia, Kathy, Ma Lurch et al..... It is great to hear all of you on line. Hope all is well with you. Any reports on Sue Rumpsfeld? I can still see her perform her amazing act, putting her entire fist into her mouth, long bus rides.....

What did you do in the Corps? Guard

Penny, it sure was good to hear from again. Thank you for remembering us. I will never forget all the help and support your father gave to the Corps and more particularly to me. What ever we accomplished in the late 70's was due to many people, but from my perspective none was more important than Jim Kennedy. In closing, I just want to mention that my sister Marilyn passed away in November of 2008 since I remembered she was principal at Alvernia while you were a student. The best to you and your family

What did you do in the Corps? Managed Cadets 1975 and A Corps 1976 thru 1979