Over the past few years, many of our close drum corps friends have died:  Geo, Joe Schmidt, Lothar, Ken Szadowski, Truman Crawford, Rich Tarsitano, Ernie Zimny, Jay Osman, Mr. Devitt, Cozy Baker, Bob Kienle, Rick Hoefert, Gary Glowinski..and, of course, the tragic loss of Buddy Jett and Linda Ghirardi....just to name those who immediately pop into my head.

Few, if any, of these folks are icons of the drum corps world....just all strong, interesting, thought-provoking characters who have been, and will continue to be, missed.

Joe Schmidt was my first real contact with the Kiltie hornline.  We played baritones together and laughed together and socialized on occasion. He was an outstanding player..beautiful intonation and pitch. Joe was the most serious of the Kilties..totally dedicated to the traditions and to the accuracies of the uniform and music.  The first Kilt I ever met was a guard guy named Mario...a delightful guy who died too quickly for me to really get to know him.

I also marched with Lothar, Geo and Rick Hoefert.  Geo and Rick were in Kilts with me and with the Royal Airs Senior Exhibition Corps.  All three were extremely talented players; all three had very different but unique senses-of-humor; all three loved to laugh. 

Truman, Rich, Ernie, Jay, Mr. Devitt....yes, all instructors or staff while I marched with Viscounts and Royal Airs...almost all are WDC Hall of Famers; all are icons in the drum corps community with far-reaching influence: Skokie Indians, Air Force Academy, Marine Corps Drum Corps, Commonwealth Edison, Cavaliers, Royal Airs, Argonne Rebels, Yankee Rebels, DCM, DCI, DCA...their lists of affiliations is endless.

Gary Glowinski:  I could write a book...an instructor, a judge, a dedicated soprano player....a member of Royal Airs and Caballeros.  I loved traveling with him to the East for a little over a year...Cabs became his dedication and seemed to rejuvinate him.  Quiet and unassuming, Gary had a suble "elan vital" and he will be missed for a long time to come.

Ken Szadowski:  An original Royal Air...he could play (and did) all the brass instruments.  I knew him as a baritone player, a soprano, a french horn and a mello.  A gentle soul who knew how to march and how to play and what it really meant to wear the Blue and White.  His assistance in getting RA off the ground in 2001-02 was invaluable to me.

Cozy Baker...I marched with him in Kilts and for a short while, in Royal Airs.  He was a dedicated journalist for DCW and DCP.  His writing usually involved interviews with the "little people" in drum corps..perhaps that is why he was so popular.  He even did a short piece about my solo Harley trip to DCA Championships (slow news day). Yes, a unique..almost avant guarde kind of a guy..his was a rare breed.  I know he was also responsible for helping some other corps reorganize...Cincinnati Tradition comes to mind as one of them

And my dear friend, Bob Kienle:  a talented baritone player who always refused to play lead..for a myriad reasons.  He took me under his wing when I first joined Cabs..was one of the first to seek me out after we all saw Lothar fall...he picked me up at the airport, took care of my equipment so I would not have to lug it back and forth, and he was the creator of "bug juice", a Cabs alumni tradition.  I did bring him a bottle of expensive Irish Whiskey, which he mixed with his coffee...I could have gotten him the cheap stuff if I had known he was going to do that. He also hauled the equipment trailer all over the East Coast and was a key player in the Golden Eagles championship mini corps.

I do hope the next few years are less frought with grief and loss; yet, it is inevitable with the growing popularity of alumni corps, exhibition corps and all-age corps.  Average ages are increasing....I am guessing that Cabs alums average about 62 years of age...."good on ye", amigos y amigas!

Why not leave this earth still doing what you love to do....go out happy, with a cigar in one hand and a bottle of chianti in the other....and yelling, "woo, hoo..what a ride!"?

Slainte'