November, 1985. The corps had moved from Long Island to Fairlawn, NJ. I had left the NY Skyliners under not so friendly terms and was looking for someplace to continue marching. Pete China and I had been working together since 1982. From day one, he was trying to recruit me for Sun. At the time, I thought he was nuts (sorry Gary). I never planned to leave Sky. Well, 1985 rolls around and things changed. My good friend, Frank “Fast Frankie” Nash, was also leaving Sky and heading for the Bushwackers. As close as Frank and I were, I couldn’t go there. So I got directions from Pete and went to Sun’s rehearsal.
It was a very enjoyable day. The people I met were very friendly and made me feel very welcome. I went back the following week and decided to join. This decision was made before I went to the bar with Stan and the crew. To say the least, we had a good time.
Stan believes it was the time at the bar that made me join. However, coming from Sky, I know never to make important decisions while drinking beer. Needless to say, the years I spent with Sun were some of the best of my Drum Corps career and I’m very happy with the decision I made.
Brad Coleman, 1985-1990, 1994-1999: Drum major, Bass drum, Percussion Instructor
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