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Norwood Park Imperials Alumni Forum

Alumni are welcome to post messages to each other, comment on experiences, or just tell everyone what you've been doing. The Topics with most the recent comments will always be at the top of the list.

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d
Dave Borck
Oct 25, 2011 - 8:12PM
DICK BROWN

Dick Brown, drum instructor for the Imperials in the 1960s and 70s, had surgery in September for kidney cancer. He had his right kidney removed at Mayo clinic in AZ.

He is home now, but is still tired and needs to take it easy for a while to get his strength back. He will also require follow-up at the local hospital every few months to make sure the cancer did not spread.

Dick was a well-liked and very effective instructor for the Imperials for a number of years. He was also a respected “life mentor” for us. Dick also taught and wrote for many other area corps. He is also be remembered by the drummers among us as a great drum judge … tough but fair.

Notes of encouragement would really help Dick in his recovery! Send to:

Dick Brown
1804 Pinehurst St.
Las Cruces, NM 88011
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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

b
Bob Shreffler
Oct 26, 2011 - 5:51AM
Re: DICK BROWN

Never met the man, but certainly heard of him and wish him well. How many years did he teach Norwood, and what other corps did he work with?

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

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

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Oct 26th, 2011 - 5:51 AM
d
Dave Borck
Oct 26, 2011 - 10:32AM
Re: DICK BROWN

Bob, Dick Brown is mentioned in some other threads on the Forum. Our records of instructors are often a bit sketchy, but it seems that Dick was with the Imperials as instructor for 7 years: from 1959- 1961, then again from 1968-70.

He also taught the Spartans, Royal Airs, Des Plaines Vanguard and Morton Grove Cougars, among others. He'd often be the instructor for several of these corps at the same time! He was a great teacher … developing drummers and drum lines with good musical skills and drumming ability. He also taught his students about LIFE with an almost fatherly demeanor.

Besides teaching many lines, he wrote the drum charts for MANY Midwest corps .. including the Skokie Indians, Belleville Black Knights, Chicago Cavaliers and others in Kansas, Wisconsin and Iowa!. He also wrote charts for the Imperials when he was not acting as our instructor.

Dick was also one of the founders of the Central States Judges Association (CSJA) which went on to become the premier judging association in the country. He was an excellent drum judge and helped train many new judges in the craft.

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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

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