Philadelphia Police Cadets - PAL Cadets Drum Corps

1974 American Legion Junior Drum Corps National Champions

PAL Cadets Alumni Newsletter
Pride Determination & Desire
December 22, 2006 -- Issue 2
Previous issue located HERE

Greetings,

Here's wishing you everything beautiful, joyous, merry and bright during the holidays and throughout the coming year.

What an outstanding 2006!
The formation of the Alumni Association
The Reunion
The Website
and renewing friendships with all the wonderfull PAL members!

This issue includes...

1. "Current News"
2. "How Much Do You Know About The PAL Cadets Drum Corps?"
3. "Visit Your Forums"
4. "Nostalgia - Directors Note"
5. "Tell Us What You Think!"

"Current News"

Chris Ferguson

Christopher J. Ferguson (CAPTAIN, USN) NASA Astronaut and PAL alumni made it into outerspace and returned safely.

Chris is the first drum corps member and drummer to fly in space!

Harry Heidelmark, PAL Cadets Alumni and DCW staff member, interviews Chris Ferguson, former PAL Cadet drummer, and astronaut.

Related forum posts

Here's a note from Jim Bell

On Saturday November the 25th, on the 10:00 P.M. news for Fox TV in Philadelphia I had the wonderful opportunity to be with two of our former members (Snare Drummers) Chris Ferguson and Joe Brock.

Both of these men have made great accomplishments in their life and give alot of credit to their experiences being in the PAL Drum and Bugle Corps.

All three of us were interviewed at length about our relationship in the Drum Corps. Chris spoke to PAL kids at the Tacony PAL Center. Joe Brock was making the news reporter laugh so hard that she had to stop her questions until she regained her composure.

The PAL Drum and Bugle Corps is still alive and well thanks to our outstanding members.

Chris took some PAL items into space with him and presented them to one of the PAL supervisors who stated to me that they still fly the Drum and Bugle Corps banner at PAL Headquarters.

Jim Bell
Corps Director

Congratulations Bill!

Bill C. Seigfried (66 PAL) was inducted into the Pennsylvania Drum Corps Hall of Fame on August 29 at the Reilly Raiders' 10th Annual Shamrock Festival.

Bill has been involved with Drum Corps for over 42 years.

PAL Horn Instructor Needs Your Help

Ray Eyler, who has been associated with the Tri-Community "Blue Lancers", the Archer-Epler "Musketeers", the US Air Force Drum and Bugle Corps, Washington, DC, the Audubon "Bon Bons", the "Yankee Rebels" and the "PAL Cadets" (to name just a few) lost his home in Audubon, NJ to a fire.

In his over five decades of drum corps activity, Ray has been an extraordinary drum corps soprano bugle soloist, instructor, judge, historian, mentor and friend to literally thousands of us (listen to Archie's 1963 repertoire and you'll understand what I mean.)

This an "all points bulletin" to PAL Alumni everywhere to ask for your assistance. At this most giving time of year, we ask that you forward a donation to an account that has been set up to assist Ray and his daughter.

Please send whatever you can.

Make donations payable to:

Ray Eyler / Susquehanna Patriot
The Susquehanna Patriot Bank
P.O. Box 350
Richwood, NJ 08074
ATTN: Nino Mevoli

Ray Eyler is one of the truly "Great Ones" in our wonderful activity. Please, let's do everything we can to show him what those of us in drum and bugle corps are truly about!

Please pass this along to your drum and bugle corps and military friends and associates.

Please contact help4ray@yahoo.com or jleson@hotmail.com with questions regarding this effort or call 703-725-0281.

"How Much Do You Know About The PAL Cadets?"

Here's the question and answer from the last issue:
What was the first championship won by the PAL Cadets?

The 1967 National Judges Association Color Guard Championship

Who was the first female to be allowed into the horn line?
ANSWER - Next Issue

"Visit Your PAL Forums"

Want to connect with other PAL Alumni, share your experiences, tell everyone about an alumni you ran into or just B.S.?

Click for the PAL Cadets Drum Corps Forums

Register for the forum and leave some posts.

"Nostalgia"

This article was written by Mike Cobb and published in the first edition of "Pride Determination and Desire" (PDD) dated February 27, 1972. I think you will really enjoy this one.

The Selling Of The Corps
by Mike Cobb

Anything that lives grows. If the Philadelphia Police Cadets have any pride in the corps they will want to help it grow. Also, remember, the corps' image that we present to the drum corps world depends on the members we recruit. In the past we have left this job to the administration and missed out. Now is our chance to participate in building our corps in our way.

O.K. Cadets lets get to it. Here's Mike's Helpful Hints:

1. Zoom in on the good guys and gals.
   
   
2. Be sincerely serious in your presentation of the corps' facts, it's contagious.
   
   
3. Don't forget, everybody needs to be needed. Make your prospect feel there is an empty spot in the line that only that special someone can fill.
   
   
4. Here's the real bait: Social Life. Members meet lots of people in lots of corps and have lots of fun.
   
   
5. A meaningful corps slogan, join PAL and see the USA.
   
   
6. Instrumentlly speaking:
   Horns improve articulation and overall style.
   Drums become more proficient in the execution of their rudiments also corp participation improves skills faster, polishes their technique and prepares them for the professional music world.
   As to the colorguard the corps builds self confidence and helps ya' to get along.
   
   
7. Here comes the hard part GIRL recruitment.
   
   Does Mike dare give a helpful hint on this tricky point? YEP
   
   Dear Girls,
   It's a fact not many members of the feminine sex will join a drum corps to spin a flag. There's only one reason a healthy normal American teenage girl will join a gung-ho drum corps... and that is BOYS. So tell them PAL has the best.
   
   
8. Now here's the clincher, how to get a parents consent. Tell them we have police protection. Seriously, the prospect's parents will be contacted by a corps administrator.
   
   
9. Offer to pick up the prospect several times as the first steps are always the hardest when joining a new group.
   
   
10. Summing up, Mike says:
    Friends make better companions than strangers. So let our corps be made up of friends.
    
    

O.K. Gang - as the electic company advises TURN IT ON!

Mike Cobb

P.S. If you have any questions I'll take you to leader Jim Bell.

Mike currently lives in Orlando Florida and I wonder if he's making a living writing sales manuals.

"Tell Us What You Think!"

We'd love to hear what you think of this issue!

Please your comments, questions, ideas, news, and current events for upcoming issues.

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