(This page is in the process of being totally rewritten. It's my hope that the final product might require more than one page to be complete. That depends a lot of the individual alumnus and anecdotal contributions.)
With seven national titles to their credit, the Sunrisers have put up some of the most impressive statistics in senior drum corps.
The beginnings, the Fifties ...
"It began in 1950 at a Marine Corps League meeting in Lakeview, West Hempstead, Long Island. Being gung-ho with still the Marine Corps blood in my veins from World War II and anxious to promote youthful projects for my organization, I made a motion on the floor at meeting to organize the Marines Memorial Drum Corps of Nassau County. Ed McAvoy, a drummer, and Ed Ryan, bugle man, offered to assist me.
Our first instruments were purchased from the Hempstead Fire Department: four snare drums, two bass, 15 G-bugles, cymbals, etc., for 140.00. But by 1953, it was too much for the youngsters to handle. I started thinking big. I sent word out announcing the formation of a senior corps. It wasn't long before my phone started ringing at home! Former players from pre-war corps had moved to Long Island and wanted to be a part of this new group!
It was in the spring of 1953 when I first met Ray Nichols, a bugle instructor. We had assembled a 12 man horn line, (including) Bill and Lillian Linde, Bob Staudt, Jack Grave, Bill Butner, Ed Dingle, Ray Anderson and me. The new drum instructor was Herb Wier; bass drum instructor was Harry Porfat, and bass drummer from an ancient fife corps, the one and only Fred Rose.
New valve horns were purchased, as well as drums. New uniforms were designed by Lillian Linde, Howard Larsen and me - made in Nassau County colors: orange, blue and white. Ray Nichols had written some new French music. To honor this music, blue berets were the new headgear for the corps.
One evening in 1954, while sitting home studying my baritone parts, I jumped up from my chair to turn the radio up loud. What I heard was Les Paul and Mary Ford playing The World is Waiting for the Sunrise. I grabbed my phone and called Ray Nichols. 'Ray!' I said, 'I have a terrific idea! How about a new name for the corps?'
Friday night (rehearsal) came. Out came the announcement. A great ovation came from the members! The new theme came out of Ray's briefcase. There was electricity radiating through the entire corps when they started reading their parts. This is our song. Wherever we played it, people knew that there was only one Sunrisers and that made us feel proud!" Through the years 1954-1957 the Sunrisers became the most outstanding corps in the Long Island area, being seen in many parades and exhibitions, competing in all standstill competitions and winning all categories.
Early in 1957, the sponsorship changed to Massapequa Elks Lodge No. 2162. Fred Rose, still manager of the Sunrisers, and J oseph Coppola Sr. of the Elks, had arranged the transfer. Enter Cal Myers, drum instructor and former Skyliner member; Howard Healy; Bob Hartman; Dick Vincemuth; and Henry Kunzweiler, from Hollis-Bellaire Drum Corps.
In 1958, the corps found a new expression: M and M. Now it became a whole new ballgame. A new instructor was engaged to put the corps on the field - Jack Dobson from Orangeburg, NY, a retired Navy man and police officer. The management had signed us up in the Yankee Circuit and our first show was to be in New Rochelle. Competing against us were the Interstatesmen, Jolly Whalers, Carver Gay Blades, Westshoremen and Marksmen. That show was our 'baptism under fire!'
The Marksmen won the show, Carver Gay Blades came in second, both were great! They became our incentive to work harder. Our score was 58.20 - last place! After retreat, all the corps came over to welcome us to the circuit. Consensus was, 'They're a nice corps. We like their little French berets.' " (From a dialogue with John Hodge - Founding Member, The Sunrisers Anthology)
The Sixties ...
The story of the Sunrisers had always been the story of the music - what they played and how they played it. The aforementioned "French theme" encouraged exotic repertoire choices like Mademoiselle de Paree and Debussy's Clare de Lune. But whatever the music, understanding senior drum corps requires recognizing the sheer intensity of a truly passionate performance.
An exquisite example of the Sunrisers passionate rendering of music is the recording from the 1963 World Open. Strong as the competition had been in the Yankee and Northeastern circuits, the corps had never been tested in a contest of this magnitude. Deep commitment to the music can be felt throughout, but nowhere more strongly than in Sing, Sing, Sing - the soloists and ensemble vying with and challenging each other to a spectacular climax and riotous crowd reaction.
But who were these guys, exactly? The majority of the 1963 corps remained veterans like Bill Costello, Al and Marty Beck and the others who had nurtured the Sunrisers from parade to field status. But the corps landscape in the New York area was changing in the early 1960s. Of the four great juniors on the classic "Brass by Night" album, only the Selden Cadets were still on the field by 1964; the Queensmen, Loretto Knights and the Floyd Bennett Golden Eagles had passed into history. There was no scarcity of talent since many of those former juniors had yet to be cordially invited to the service by the draft board and, pending that, were available for senior corps action. Some of the most intrepid looked east toward Long Island, which at first glance might have seemed like drum corps Siberia.
There was something out here; a feisty senior corps, directed by the visionary Fred Rose and taught by three former Queensmen - John Sasso, Bill Hightower and Orus Cavnor. They were soon to be joined by the likes of the legendary French horn soloist Steve Buglino of Floyd Bennett, with several other great players in his entourage, including Brian O'Connell, Skip Heaney and Paul Calcagno. From St. Catherines also came soprano soloist Frank Dorritie, and from the Long Island junior circuit came soprano soloist Bob Murphy, and others, thereby creating one of the most talented soprano lines in all of drum corps.
The Sunrisers were on a roll and by the time they left the prelims field at Roosevelt Stadium that bright September day, they were in third place, ahead of such powerhouses as the Syracuse Bridadiers, Springfield Marksmen and Carver. That performance, complete with a "Billy Cobham does Krupa" drum solo, was a major turning point for the corps.
On the field and off, the image of the Sunrisers was set by it's lead Drum Major, Tom Beresford, ably assisted by Ken Soper and Howard Healy. Tom's majestic appearence on the field of competition set a standard by which other DM's were to be defined. Clearly of a different style than that of such contemporaries as the New York Skyliners Walt Winkelman or the Connecticut Hurricanes Joe Gennero, Tom's style was to lead with a quiet dignity and grace unmatched by any of his peers - firmly in control of his corps yet completely without the ego so many others brought to the table.
In the following seasons they rose through the Northeastern and Interstate circuits, and in their first appearance at DCA in 1966, they were 1.10 from first, ahead of the great Hawthorne Caballeros. By 1968, the Sunrisers were American Legion National Champions and were contending for the DCA title.
Senior corps and Grand Opera share quite a few parallels: high drama, intrigue and superstars, for instance. Some very prominent personalities were connected to the The Sunrisers during this period. The great Vinny Ratford had a high profile in the drill world, having developed winning visual programs at Syracuse and Springfield, among others. He assumed the drill command in 1965 and is remembered for his brilliance, energy and not a little eccentricity. It is said one learns to perform only by observing other performers. Ratford could pack more personality into a raised eyebrow than most of us will see in a lifetime. He took the Sunrisers from black and white to color even as Sasso's charts moved drum corps arranging from the mono era into the stereo.
Two other drill masters of the 1960s had dramatic success in converting the Sunrisers from farmers to marchers: Jack Dobson and Joe Mason, both no-nonsense, hands-on guys with great instincts and "teacherly" skills. "If you don't feel confident after an hour with these guys," said Sal Crimi, "you need a psychiatrist."
Orus Cavnor was Sun's drum chief from 1961-1968. A student of the great Bobby Thompson (like Dennis DeLucia after him), Orus moved easily from caption head at St. Catherine's to the Sunrisers, bringing more than a few Queensmen alumni with him. His scoring behind the brass and his demanding solo work offer a concise view into the evolution of field drumming, from 1963's "French National Defile", with its rudimental military style, to the early experiments with tuned percussion, to the symphonic approach in 1968's An American in Paris.
Great writers notwithstanding, it's the players who actually make the music, and the two most influential performers throughout the 1960s were Frank Diliberto and Ted Sasso. Their collective talent was awesome. Diliberto's Fleetwood documented solo introducing Sing, Sing, Sing at the 1965 Bucknell show is standard setting. Ted Sasso is often referred to as the "godfather of the contra" for pushing the limits of that instrument in solo and ensemble playing.
But lots of musicians can play. These two had the added qualities of determination and generosity. The rest of us learned from the former and benefited from the later. Ted Sasso and Diliberto ran sectionals, delivered people to rehearsals, copied music, gave private lessons and taught most of the junior corps on Long Island. Many members of these other corps followed their mentors to the Sunrisers.
A strongly identifiable musical style debuted in 1968 and was refined over the next few seasons. The Sunrisers began a relationship with symphonic music that continues to the present.
Ralph Shur took over the visual department for the 1968 season. His brilliant stroke was the development of, in his words, a "unique and different" movement style, based on a relaxed, controlled 25 inch stride. The concept of technique as applied to ensemble (visual or musical) was in its infancy in drum corps at the time and was virtually non-existent in the senior division. If John Sasso took his cue from the Chicago Cavaliers and the Royal Airs, Shur looked to the Casper Troopers, not so much for style as for approach. The corps spent the winter adapting stride to 25 inch tape strips on the hanger floor and the summer winning contests.
Though they didn't take home any major prizes, the 1969 edition of the Sunrisers is generally considered the finest of the decade, for a number of reasons: Procession of the Nobles, the introduction of G/F bugles and Gerry Shellmer. To cap it off, Sun shocked the drum corps world at the 1969 National Dream Contest by fielding the first ever, all female guard, consisting of winter guard and junior corps veterans Judy "Boot" DiGabrielle, Laureen Smith, Lauel Knoebel, Eileen Duerbeck, Roz Reyes, Nancy Zachman, Pat Hoebel, and Kathy Jordan. Not content with that innovation, Sun forever changed the face of drum corps percussion by fielding the first ever "mallets" player in drum corps history, in the person of Cliff Diable. With two magical strokes, the Sunrisers set the tone for the future of drum corps.
Drum corps' "father of percussion" flat out revolutionized the way drum lines did business and his innovations became the standards of today; timpani, keyboards, multi-drums and melodic percussion features. When asked at a rules convention exactly what he wanted, Shellmer replied, "This," slamming down the complete Deagan, LP and Musser catalogues. "All of it!" He got it ... all of it.
Meanwhile, John Sasso took brass technique to a new plateau. Having studied with John Singer, principal horn in the New York
Philharmonic under Bernstein, John began incorporating ensemble etudes, exercises and chorales into Sunriser brass training. A
certain 1969 rookie lead soprano would one day develop this concept into a formula for unparalleled success. His name was
Wayne Downey.
(to be continued ....)
The Seventies ...
The next couple of seasons saw a "changing of the guard" in staff, management and general direction. Meanwhile, DCA competition was getting tougher. The corps remained strong and quite popular through 1970 and 1971 and put a stamp on some of its most memorable music. Abraham, Martin and John, Hi-de-Ho and Norwegian Wood come to mind. The 1972 Sunrisers had a sluggish start, but they finished the season with a monumental effort and were probably the most improved corps in DCA that summer. Still, they weren't contending for the gold. A little flirtation with rock and pop music gave some young writers needed experience. Two of these in particular, Gene Bennett and John Arietano, would profoundly influence the future direction of the corps.
Bennett had been the Sunriser guard captain, drum major and drill tech since arriving from the famed George Washington Carver Gay Blades along with Uncle Nick (Albert Nicholls), Bob Cephus, Ron Isom and Duke Jordan. Jordan became one third of the spectacular Sun rifle squad that included Vinnie Pesche and Frank Cevasco. (There are no videos, but you can hear the crowd react in American Salute 1966 when they throw 11 pound Springfields with bayonets over the entire horn line.) Bennett became the next great Sunriser drill writer.
A slender lead soprano with an unorthodox embouchure and a screaming upper register that ultimately earned him the entirely fitting nickname of "Screech", Arietano had been playing in the line since 1966, assisting with brass duties and teaching about two dozen local junior corps, all the while refining his craft as an arranger. His obvious talent playing a horn aside, John's talents as an arranger would soon define the Sunrisers music as much as John Sasso's "sound" came to define the corps in the 60's. They virtually had to start over, but Bennett and Arietano would eventually help take the Sunrisers to a place none of their predecessors had been able to - their first Drum Corps Associates championship.
The Sunrisers' fortune began to take a dramatic turn for the better in 1974, with the arrival of Mike DeLorenzo as the corps' new director. "Mr. D" came from the Purple Lancers, a junior corps from New York State that wound up making DCI Finals in 1974. To their credit, the relative handful of people who were still with the Sunrisers decided to work with DeLorenzo to get the corps pointed in the right direction. Sun also began to see an influx of young, talented members from New Jersey, New York City and New York's Westchester County area - among them what became known as the original "Poughkeepsie Crew", consisting of Billy and Rose O'Brien (Contra, Guard), Tony and Donna Parisi (Sop, Guard), Chris DiCarlo (Guard), Jackie Tacinelli (Guard), Colleen Owens (Guard), Janet Hutchings (Guard), and Tony and Donna White (Asst. DM, Guard)
Mike's contributions to the resurgence of the Sunrisers in the 70's cannot be overstated. On the competition field in 1974, the Sunrisers struggled with a small horn line, trying to master a difficult brass book. The corps finished eighth at DCA, but seeds were sown for what became the most successful era in Sunriser history.
In 1975, the corps climbed another notch. Bennett was writing the visual show; John Sasso was again heading the brass program; Arietano and Ray Fallon were being given larger roles as brass instructors and arrangers. In a key move, late in the 1975 season, the Sunrisers hired Dennis DeLucia, the guru behind the drum line of the Hawthorne Muchachos, as the corps' percussion coordinator.
Sun's drum line would come to dominate DCA, and during those years the Sunrisers were fortunate to have one of the best percussion staffs around. The mainstay of the in-house staff was Dave Franceschina. Also on board in various years were Brian Callahan, Rich Cesani and Jim Mallen, among others.
In 1976, at Teaneck, NJ - the first show of the season - the audience began to buzz as the Sunrisers entered the stadium, sporting new Aussie-style hats. When the corps formed a wedge for its opening "hit" in Procession of the Nobles, the crowd erupted in applause, for it was clear that the Sunrisers had arrived as a championship contender. Sun finished a solid third at DCA Finals that summer. The stage was set for what became the three most memorable seasons the corps ever experienced.
By 1977, the Sunrisers were fronted by a new Drum Major in the person of Tom Hart.
The hunt for the 1977 DCA title became a two corps chase, the Sunrisers nipping at the heels of the Hawthorne Caballeros, beating the Cabs on several occasions and falling short on others. Neither Sun nor the Cabs lost to another corps that season. Sun did battle with a show that combined sophistication with pure audience appeal. The repertoire included English Folk Song Suite, Spain, Old Man River, Eli's Comin', Dance of the Wind-up Toys and Evergreen. Bennett, Arietano and DeLucia were show designers and arrangers. The staff included Dave and Pete Franceschina, Cesani, Tom McCarthy, Ted Sasso and Ted Heumann.
The corps had a great percussion section, a solid horn line and color guard and a cutting edge visual show. It was a magical, winning combination. The corps delivered one of its best performances ever at DCA Prelims, beating the Cabs by three points. That night, Sun performed before a packed house at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown, PA, then nervously awaited the final results. You could cut the tension with a knife as the announcer intoned, "In second place, with a score of 94.10… the Hawthorne Caballeros!" Sun had done it! "In first place, with a score of 94.15…" Yes, five hundredths of a point. It was the narrowest of margins, but the Sunrisers were the champs.
"Slow start, big finish" could describe Sun's 1978 season. The corps lost its first show, but dropped only two more shows that season and rolled to a successful defense of its DCA title.
The corps got a scare at DCA Prelims, edging the Caballeros by, ironically, .05. But Sun took the night show by nearly three points, winning caption honors for horns, drums, color guard and general effect (including a first ever perfect score in the GE brass caption).
In 1979, the corps had a big brass section, another outstanding drum line and a strong color guard, but some of the magic was missing and Sun fell short in a bid for a "three-peat." However, the corps did not go down without a fight, delivering a great performance at DCA Prelims that had the audience roaring from start to finish. In the end, it was not enough. The Sunrisers finished third at finals, but took home another percussion trophy.
(to be continued ....)
The Eighties ...
The summer of 1980 was a rebuilding year. Several long time members moved on and DeLorenzo and Bennett retired. Veteran Sunriser Len Haring Jr. took over as director, and the corps hired Bobby Hoffman of Bayonne Bridgemen fame to write the 1980 drill. Thankfully, Sun's magnificent drum line carried the corps through a "down" year, finishing second at DCA Finals.
Taking over the reigns as Drum Major was Tony White, moving to the podium from his previous position on the field as Assistant Drum Major
From the pen of brass arranger Arietano came a version of Send in the Clowns that became a Sunriser classic. Also Dennis Dewey came on board as brass coordinator for the corps.
Sun also was part of what surely is one of the most bizarre incidents in DCA history, which took place during the finals of the 1980 DCA Championships.
The Westshoremen, performing before Sun, decided to release a flock of birds at the end of their show for added effect. The birds were supposed to fly away into the night. One problem: they didn't! So here were the Sunrisers, lined up in their starting position, waiting for officials from the Westshoremen and DCA to clear the field of the flock of grounded birds. Anyone who was there that night will never forget the sight of DCA judge Walter Kelly firing his starters' pistol in an effort to get the birds to move!
As all this was going on, DM Tony White led the corps off the field until the situation was cleared up - which resulted in a threat by DCA officials to penalize Sun 2 points for delaying the show! That ridiculous threat was over-ruled by a bit of common sense - how could they penalize Sun when people were running all over the field trying to round up dozens of doves?
Eventually Sun returned to the field, but the delay took a toll on the corps, and they finished 6th overall.
True to their tradition, the Sunrisers "shook things up a bit" in 1981, debuting a bright new uniform of orange tunic style tops and blue pants and a bright new show featuring pop, jazz and Broadway tunes. Sun once again was led by their monster drum line featuring 10 - count'em ... 10 - snares, which took home the percussion trophy at DCA Finals, and the corps placed a close second overall.
In 1982 and 1983, the Sunrisers returned to championship form, winning the corps' third and fourth DCA titles. In 1982, the corps overcame a slow start, eventually passing the front running Westshoremen and winning DCA Finals by nearly two points. Sun's percussion section once again won top honors.
In 1983, the corps lost only its first show, capping a great summer with a fourth title. Sun swept to victory that season with a balanced corps, winning trophies for horns, drums, general effect and color guard at DCA Finals. This meant that the corps' dominating percussion section had finished as the best in DCA for six of the previous seven seasons. The 1983 percussion section very well might have been the best of all those great Sunriser lines. At DCA Finals that year, the corps' snare line accomplished something that was nearly impossible to do: it turned in a "tick-less" performance. A perfect score.
However, 1983 also marked the end of an era for the Sunrisers. Brass coordinator Dewey had left the corps after 1983; when the 1983 summer ended, percussion coordinator DeLucia and brass arranger/instructor Arietano moved, joining the staff of the Caballeros. The corps retained a nucleus of veteran members, but it was not enough to put the Sunrisers in the title hunt for 1984 and the corps finished fourth at DCA Finals.
One again, the Sunrisers decided to stir the pot a bit. The corps unveiled a cutting edge show in 1985 featuring a fast paced visual program and also moved to New Jersey after many years on Long Island. The corps wowed the crowd at the 1985 DCA Championships en route to a third place finish.
The Sunrisers 1985 season was shaken to its roots early on, when after the Bridgeport show a tragic accident almost took the life of Head Drum Major Tony White. Tony suffered injuries so extensive that many thought he had not survived the accident at all, and he was ultimately to retire from the podium, ending his 5 year tenure as Head Drum Major and total of 10 years with the corps. Taking over the podium to complete the 1985 season was Drum Major Brad Coleman, assisted by Tony Cataneo.
In 1986, Sun was now fronted by co-Head Drum Majors Brad Coleman and Tony Cataneo. The corps' "Fiddler on the Roof" show took a while to jell and Sun ended up in sixth place. But again the groundwork was being laid for future success.
The 1987 season will be remembered as the "rain out year" at DCA. Rain fell all day during the preliminary competition and by the time the Sunrisers took the field the grass surface more closely resembled a mud pit. That didn't stop Sun from putting on one of the most amazing performances in the corps' history, marching and playing as if the field was completely dry. Sun won prelims by nearly two points. That result netted the corps another DCA title, since the finals show was canceled due to field conditions.
The Sunrisers were strong in 1988. Now under the direction of long time member Gary Williams, Sun drew standing ovations all season long with a crowd appealing show. But the Bushwackers from Harrison, NJ, closed the gap on Sun and the two corps made history at DCA Finals by tying for the top spot, the sixth DCA title for the Sunrisers.
The 1989 season started out as a great one and ended in disappointment. The corps was hot all summer, dazzling audiences with a full throttle George Zingali visual show and entertaining repertoire. At DCA Finals, Sun delivered a terrific performance, but again ended up in a tie with the Bushwackers. However, under a new DCA tie-breaker system, Bush was awarded the championship by one tenth (0.10) over the Sunrisers.
After coming oh-so-close in 1989, the Sunrisers faced a tough road. Many members from the 1989 corps moved on. In 1990, the corps fell to ninth place at DCA Finals, but they gave a determined effort. Drum Major Tony Cateneo summed it up best at the beginning of the performance when he turned to the audience and shouted, "We may be down, but we're not out… Watch this!"
(to be continued ....)
The Nineties ...
Sun hung on for the 1991 and 1992 seasons. For the first time the corps missed DCA Finals in 1991, finishing 11th in prelims. Sun was back in the finals in 1991 in an expanded 12 corps field, in 12th place. All the struggles of the past few years had taken a toll and the Sunrisers Director Gary Williams was forced to made a tough decision; the Sunrisers would go inactive for the 1993 season. However, several members and some Sun alumni formed a "mini-corps" (20 members or less) to compete at the individual and ensemble show during DCA weekend. The mini-corps was warmly received by the audience, which was happy to see that the "Sun" hadn't set after all.
The Sunrisers now had hope for the future, but the 1993-1994 period also was a time of sadness. The Sunriser family was shaken by the untimely death of longtime drum major Cateneo. His sister Rose, a veteran member of Sun's color guard, took his place on the drum majors' podium when the corps returned to DCA competition in 1994.
Thanks to the determination of Gary Williams and a nucleus of members, the Sunrisers clawed their way back onto the competition field in 1994 with a 12th place finish at DCA Prelims and an exhibition performance at finals. The never-say-die Sunrisers once again set out to climb the DCA ladder. In 1995, the corps regained its finalist position with a ninth place finish. In 1996, the corps won the fans' hearts with their "Les' Miserables" show and the color guard took top honors at DCA Finals. The corps finished sixth that night.
The show the Sunrisers put on at the 1997 DCA Finals ranked up their with the best performances in their history. Sun powered to a fourth place finish with a sophisticated, hard driving program of David Holsinger tunes, highlighted by another great performance from the corps' color guard.
In 1998, Sun fielded a smaller but motivated corps, finishing the season in sixth place with an audience friendly show of Russian music. In 1999, some of that old Sunriser magic was present at DCA finals. The corps put on an emotionally charged performance in a driving rainstorm and finished in eighth place, once again led by a magnificent color guard which captured the "Best Color Guard" trophy that night.
(to be continued ....?)
The New Millenium - 2000 to ...
In 2000, Sun once again made the difficult decision to not field a corps and remained inactive in 2001 and 2002.
(to be continued ....?)
Update by Bill Costello
I owe Bill an apology for not getting this online sooner - I've had this for at least a year and with personal issues have completely forgotten about it. This after I asked members to provide me with any info I had forgotten to add. My bad. My apologies and thanks to Bill Costello - one of the good guys!
Hi Bruce
I see you are excepting corrections,well heres some that have been on my mind for the longest time and I think I`m ready to get them out of my mind before I pass on.
My old friend John Hodges` history of the Corps and later rewritten by Frank Dorrttie and Fran Haring has forgotten TEN YEARS OF the Corps exsistence. In 1957 the Corps agreed to represent the Massapequa Fire Dept. and carry their name on the bass drums and to appear in eight parades, one or two special appearances a season in return they would acquire a outdoor area for outdoor practice as the corps planed going into M&M competition and 2000 thousand dollars which was used to buy new horns, by the way a picture of the 1960 shows the bass drums with their name as proof.
This agreement worked until 1961 but as the corps grew and became more competitive we got invited to many more shows and it became to much of a conflict marching a Saturday parade and trying to get to an out of state contest in time to practice and compete so the agreement was broken and we became The Sunrisers from Mineola L.I. as we used the Mineola American Legion Hall for all the indoor practices.
Then in "1967" Al Beck and I where approached by ( I would say the senior senior ) Joe Coppolla and Bill Wolf from the Massepqua Elks offering a sort of sponsorship to carry their name and flag and they inturn would provide a hall for indoor rehearsal and allow our continued use of Bar Harbor Shopping parking lot for outdoors which we had been using since 57, but this didn`t last as higher powers of ELKS didn`t like us using their hall so after one year we went looking for a new home.
Through the great efforts of John Hodge and his legion membership he got us hooked up with the Hempstead American Legion. From there I`m sure you know the rest of our history. Now I would like to correct some other stories that I found not quite true.
First I have to pick on my oldest friend Al Beck. I don`t what he was thinking but his story About the Corps is completely wrong he says in 1957 the St Catherine's Queensmen disbanded and Joined the Sunrisers. Well we did'nt go M&M until 1958 and the Queensmen didn't fold until the end of the 1962 season at which time we received in influx of about a dozen new members from them, but John Sasso and Billy Hightower had been helping instruct the Corps from 1962.
Next I guess I should have told Bob Murphy direct but anyway it was 1964 that we had Vinny Ratford writing and teaching drill and we became the JET STARS. He said it was 1965.
Now for the hard part explaining to you who is so good with all your computer work but in reading your bio and looking at the pictures you show the year 1964 but we didn`t get that uniform until 1965 Also the parade pic in Eisenhower Park was also 1966 I guess I have become one big pain with this which probably no one cares a hill of beans about but I`m sorry I just had to clear my mind of it. That's about it for now but if I see any thing else I think needs correcting I promise not to wait for years to expose it.
The Sunrisers' name brings memories of one of the most unique, refreshing, innovative and successful corps in drum corps history. Here's hoping the "Sun" shines brightly for years to come.
THE SUNRISERS WERE FIRST TO DO A LOT OF THINGS
First senior corps to use G/F bugles - 1968
First DCA corps to compete with bells (mallet instruments) - Cliff Diable -1969
First senior corps with all female Color Guard - 1969
First senior corps with female instrumentalists - Judy Foster - 1971
First senior corps to win a national championship with female instrumentalists - DCA 1977
First senior corps female horn soloist - Carol Austin Fallon
It's difficult to find anyone who can speak to the entire history of this great drum and bugle corps, so I won't even attempt it myself. The Sunrisers History page will be a compliation of bits and pieces I have been able to put together from various sources within the organization. Should anyone feel slighted, or think important pieces of the puzzle have been left out - keep in mind I have been soliciting notes from everyone for some time. If it's not here ... did you contribute?
The following alumni, and others, have contributed to this page:
John Hodge
Bill Costello
Frank Dorritie
Fran Haring
Tony White
Nanci Dunham
