by Art Kellerman

“This corps is made of giants, we will never die.For we are Crusaders, true blue Crusaders,We are Crusaders, the corps we love!”

These are the words to Giant,the corps song that has been sungby many generations of BostonCrusaders over the past 64 years.The fact that the corps has notdied, but has thrived, even thoughit faced difficulties, is an amazingstory in itself.

The corps was organized in1940 as the Most Precious BloodCrusaders, a parish corps from theHyde Park section of Boston. MPBexperienced success in local VFW

and American Legion events and made itsmark upon the national scene as well.

A disagreement about recruiting membersoutside of the parish led to a break with thechurch, and the corps, in 1956, with nouniforms or instruments, became known asthe Hyde Park Crusaders. Several fatherstook out second mortgages and theCrusaders, with borrowed instruments andrented tuxedos, took to the field.

One story had the corps ready to competein Lt. Norman Prince’s “Drumfest,” an annualindoor show held in the old Boston Arenaduring mid-April. Told that tuxedos did notconstitute a “real” uniform because a hat wasrequired, the corps appeared wearingtuxedoes and turbans.

As the Hyde Park Crusaders, the corpsdeveloped into a powerhouse, winning theEastern Massachusetts Circuit Championshipin 1957 and 1958, the New England andNortheastern States Circuit junior titles andcapturing fourth place at the Atlantic City,NJ, American Legion Nationals in 1957.

At the conclusion of the 1958 season, thecorps severed its Hyde Park sponsorship tobecome the Boston Crusaders. Again theywere without uniforms and instruments.Other corps offered drums and bugles, andthe girls inthe colorguardsupplied theirown uniforms.Sen. John F.Kennedy (yes,the futurepresident)arranged forthe corps tobuy WestPointuniformsfrom the U.S.

Military Academyat a fraction oftheir cost, andthe Crusaderswere back inbusiness.

J.F.K. was evenmade anhonorary memberof the corps.Eventually, thecorps was able tobuy back its oldHyde Parkuniforms andfound a stable

home at the Lower Mills Memorial Post No.8699 of the VFW.

The Crusaders, had history been different,would have thanked J.F.K. by marching in hisinaugural parade to begin his second term inthe oval office, but that fateful day in Dallaschanged everything.

The corps did march in Lyndon B.

Johnson’s inaugural parade, and that wasconsidered a great honor as well as ahistorical landmark for the corps.

It would be impossible to discuss thehistory of the Crusaders without touching on

the legend of “BAC.” One must rememberthe drum corps of the 1950s, 1960s and early1970s consisted of inner city street kids, notthe polished high school and collegemusicians of today.

Director Joe Dowling was a second fatherto many of these youth and he gave them thediscipline they needed in their lives. Still, theCrusaders of that era had the reputation ofbeing able to beat you on the field or in theparking lot.

Being a Crusader meant having a certainswagger, a certain attitude. To friends, it wasconfidence. To enemies, it was arrogance.Drum corps fans were never neutral aboutthe Crusaders. They were either loved or

hated, buteveryone alwaysrespected them.

The acronym“BAC” (Bad AssCrusaders)stuck, much tothe detriment offuturegenerations ofCrusaders, whowere certainly ofa different ilkthen theirpredecessors.

For a numberof years in themodern era,Crusadermanagementdreaded to see

stories (to some, legends) of the BAC daysdug up, because they felt it created a stigmathat hurt the corps in the eyes of the judges.

One of my favorites (I think the corps’recent success indicates that we are beyondstigmatization) took place in the early 1970s.The Boston Bruins, long the doormat of theNHL, finally won the Stanley Cup. The

Most Precious Blood Crusaders, 1950 (photofrom the collection of Karl Jorgensen).

Most Precious Blood Crusaders, 1954 (photo from the collection of Karl Jorgensen).

Boston Crusaders, 1960, in West Point uniforms (photo from the collection of Karl Jorgensen).

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Boston Crusaders werehired to march in thevictory parade. Somelocal toughs decided tomock and throw trash atmembers of the “band.”Bad mistake. One line ofbaritones marched intothe crowd and“re-educated” the youth.

The 1960s broughtgreat success to theCrusaders as they werethree-time CYO NationalsChampions (1964, 1966and 1967) and won theWorld Open, “Shriner’sInternational,” “NorthAmerican Invitational,”“East-West Spectacular”and many other localshows. During that time,Hall of Fame instructors Ed Dennon andGerry Shellmer developed the in-your-facestyle of music that personified the Crusaders.

Soon the sound of Conquest and the sightof “Waldo,” the split-tailed lion, becameamong the most recognizable icons in theworld of drum corps. Conquest, from thefilm “Captain of Castile,” was composed by

Hollywood composer Alfred Newman and hasbecome a signature song for the Crusadersover the years. The corps has played it incompetition at least 16 times since 1969.Dennon first taught the number to thePrincemen of Boston as a 1961 off-the-line.

Other traditional Crusader sounds includeSousa’s El Capitan March (at leastseven years in competition)and HavaNagila (at least 13 years), whichDennon claimed was a tribute to “myJewish grandmother.”

Dennon became an institution onthe local drum corps scene and hisarrangements have stood the test oftime as they are now played by theCrusaders Alumni corps beforethousands of appreciative fans.

Known for his girth and low,booming voice that was laced with adistinctive Boston accent, Dennonpersonified the Crusaders as much asany human being possibly could. Even

today, those who knew him will imitate hisvoice in chiding one for some indiscretion. Ittook lots of courage to challenge him, butonce you got him on your side, you had aloyal friend for life.

Crusader alumni Eric Rosen relates that itwas sometime in the late 1960s when JimmyCentorino and a few other found out it was

Dennon’s birthday. They chippedin their money and bought acarved wooden Buddha -- the onewith the big belly -- thinking itwas appropriate to present to therotund instructor.

Dennon had not wanted hisbirthday acknowledged andwouldn’t open the gift. The hornline refused to play until he did.There was a standoff until Dennonconceded. The tension wasbroken as booming guffaws issuedfrom the man.

Shellmer revolutionizedpercussion for drum corps byintroducing new instruments andtechniques and raising the

musicality of the artform. Percussionsections were now featured and no longerrelegated to merely accompanying the brassor keeping the beat. A whole new palette ofcolors was introduced and Shellmer’sinnovations were emulated throughout thedrum corps world.

Paul Palange was theno-nonsense drillinstructor whocomplemented Dennonand Shellmer. Disciplineand firmness were neededand the Crusaders got norespite, even while out ofthe domain of the musicroom. Palange set a highstandard that was upheldwhen he left and HankO’Donnell joined the staff.

O’Donnell had been anational champion drummajor and was a motivatorand role model for theCrusaders’ late, greatJames Stockinger.

Still, the drum corpsexperience is not simplywhat happens on the field,

and drum corps Hall of Famer Centorino,who marched with the Crusaders from1967-1971, relates this story in Crusader lore.

“One of the most memorable trips we tookwas to Toronto (1967-1969) and stopping atNiagara Falls,” he said. “The corps had aboutthree hours to spend and we descended likelocusts upon unsuspecting tourist attractions.

Madame Toussaud’s Wax Museum foundmany of the Crusaders heightening thefrightful effects of several of the more bizarreand gory exhibits. As part of the initiationprocess, selected rookies (including me in1967) were directed by veterans to sneak intoeither the Mummy exhibit or the

Frankenstein exhibit andnot to move until told todo so.

“I chose theFrankenstein venue, sinceit had more space. I put aplastic chain that dangledfrom the monster’s handaround my neck and lay athis feet, motionless forabout five minutes.

“When the next crowdof patrons had swelled tomaximum number (about30), the sign came and Iquickly sat up, emitting a

Boston Crusaders, August 30, 1964, at the World Open (photo by Moe Knoxfrom the collection of Drum Corps World).

Boston Crusaders, 1965, at the Princemen’s “Drumfest” (photo from the collection of Karl Jorgensen).

Boston Crusaders, August 13, 1967, at the National Dream (photo byMoe Knox from the collection of Drum Corps World).

Boston Crusaders, June 13, 1970 (photo by Ron Da Silva from the collection of Drum Corps World).

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blood-curdling groan. “The ensuing screams from petrified

tourists resulted in our being asked to leaveat once. Soon after, when all corps membershad boarded the buses, a Canadian customsagent stepped onto our bus and askedwhether we had anything to declare.

“When nobody spoke up, the officercalmly walked up the aisle, looked around,turned and was about to leave, when his handbumped into a paper bag up on the luggagerack, causing the bag to lean toward theofficer. Suddenly the bag lurched and to ourcollective horror, out fell a rather largeassortment of pyrotechnic paraphernalia --firecrackers, cherry bombs, M-80s, sparklersand other such products.

“Before he left, the customs officer hadcollected about four shopping bags full ofexplosives. He quipped, as he stepped off thebus, that this was enough to detonate a small

city. The Crusaders always seemed to enjoyvisiting Canada.”

Dennon left the corps at the end of 1971,and as DCI was getting off theground, it seemed to many to bethe beginning of the end for theCrusaders. As a charter member

of the new organization, theCrusaders were one of three corpsthat formed DCI that did nottravel to Whitewater, WI.

In 1973, the corps was ranked39th and scored in the 50s.Although the Crusaders fell ontough times, they refused to die.Drum corps itself had changedfrom the urban-based,military-styled units of earlierdays, to a mostly suburban activityfeaturing “entertainmentextravaganzas.”

The Crusaders, once the innovators, werenow a step behind. A devastating fire almostended all hope in the early 1970s. Still thecorps persisted.

The success of local national contenderslike North Star and the 27th Lancers saw themembership of the Crusaders drop to as lowas 15. Despite changes in leadership andapproach, the Crusaders hung tough andcompeted against corps that greatlyoutnumbered them. Some corps had largerinstructional staffs than the Crusaders’horn line.

Rosen took over the horn line at the endof 1975 and for a while it looked like thecorps was back on the right track. As part ofhis master’s thesis, Rosen arranged ChickCorea’s Celebration Suite for the corps. Thiswas a new direction for the corps, but ityielded positive results. The corps movedfrom 27th place to 20th, 17th and then 15thin 1978, before internal politics caused Rosento leave.

In 1982, the corps went on a two-weektour of Holland, but ran out of money and

Boston Crusaders, 1978 (photo by Moe Knox from the collection of Drum Corps World).

Boston Crusaders, 1979, in Allentown, PA (photo by Dale Eck from the collection of Drum Corps World).

(Above) Boston Crusaders, 1982, at DCI in Montreal, QUE (photo by Dale Eckfrom the collection of Drum Corps World); (below) Boston Crusaders, 1983, at DCIin Miami, FL (photo by Paul Rodino from the collection of Drum Corps World);(inset) Boston Crusaders, 1987 (photo by Orlin Wagner from the collection of DrumCorps World).

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stepping stones to the corps’ successes and, ifone digs just a few inches below the topsoil,those stepping stones are weather-beaten andworn, but like the monoliths at Stonehenge,still there.”

The Crusaders worked and pushed, andmade it to 14th in DCI in 1987. Although1989 was a good year, 1990 was the year ofthe corps’ 50th anniversary, and hopes and

expectations were for finally cracking DCI’stop 12. The bubble was popped with a 14thplace in semifinals. The corps was still strongand going in the right direction.

There was another great chance in 1994,with the DCI Championships were being heldin Boston and, although they finished in thetop 12 in quarterfinals, the corps was edged

into 13th place in thesemifinals.

The Crusaders hoverednear the finalist positionfor the rest of the decade,trying to find the winningmusical approach. Theytried Russian music. Theytried jazz. They triedAmericana.

Finally, in 1999, thecombination of a talentedstaff, a dedicated andskilled membership andthe right program,“Symphonic Dances,” saw

continuing atradition whenthe group islow innumbers, hasno money andhas beenwritten off asbound for

extinction,” Centorino continued. “TheCrusaders of today owe a great deal of theirsuccess to the fact that there still is a BostonCrusaders at all, having gone through at leasta decade of misfortunes so harsh that when itseemed that the corps could sink no lower,there was a new crisis to overcome.

“In retrospect, those crises have become

returned (barely)to Boston,severely in debt.

With no funds,the corps filed forbankruptcy in1983. In order tofield a corps at all,a new corporationwas formed, called“Boston Drumand Bugle Corps.”

It took threeyears to recoverfrom debt enoughto buy back theirname and to beable to competeagain officially asthe BostonCrusaders.

Centorinonoted, “The corpshas persevereddue to acombination ofthe ‘Crusaderattitude,’ the willto disappointothers who wouldcheer the corps’demise, and many people who, like myself,took no pay, but taught the corps out ofCrusader pride.” Centorino worked as a brassarranger/instructor from 1972-1975.

“It is easy to be part of a huge, respected,financially sound group when things aregoing well, but it takes a special kind ofdedication to take on the responsibility of

(Above) Boston Crusaders, 1986, at DCI East in Allentown, PA(photo by Dale Eck from the collection of Drum Corps World);(right) Boston Crusaders, 1990 (photo from the collection ofDrum Corps World).

(Above) Boston Crusaders, 1984 (photo by Dick Deihl from the collectionof Drum Corps World); (right) Boston Crusaders, 1985, during Axel’sTheme when the corps took a penalty for using electronics (photo by EdFerguson from the collection of Drum Corps World).

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the corps improve ateach show and finish inninth place, crackingDCI’s elite top 12 forthe first time.

Critics called it afluke, but directorHoward Weinsteinproved them wrong byleading the corps into“Saturday Night Live”on PBS with a fifth-place finish in 2000.The program, “Red,”captivated new andtraditional fans alike.

In 2001, the corpsfeatured a challengingshow, “Harmonium.”They made adjustmentsthroughout the seasonbut found the programa little toochallenging andperhaps not ascrowd-friendlyas that of theprevious season.The ninth placefinish, quiteacceptable onlytwo yearsearlier, was nownot enough tosatisfy staff andmembership.

The corpspeaked at justthe right time in2002 and, withits exciting andyet poignantshow, “You AreMy Star,”regained thecoveted fifth-place positionon finals night.

The 2003 Crusaders program,“Bravo!,” features fresharrangements and originalinterpretations of some of drumcorps’ traditional favorite Latinpieces such as Bolero, Malgueñaand Concierto de Aranjuez.

Boston Crusaders SeniorCorps

In 1988, twin brothers Neiland Terry Connolly, Crusadersalumni, began helping the corpsin some of its fund-raisingendeavors. They missed the olddays of their “Saderhood” andthought, “Wouldn’t it bewonderful if we could get some ofthe guys together and play a fewof the old tunes like CaliforniaDreamin’ or Man of La Mancha?”

Through their efforts helpingthe Crusaders, they came incontact with more interested

alumni, and then Dennonand Paul Bush offered theirinstructional services toteach brass and percussion.

In 1991, Neil took $1,000of his own money andbought a “garage full” ofequipment from a defunctcorps. Gene O’Brien was ableto obtain use of a practicefacility from the city ofWaltham and the corpsbecame a reality.

Terry Connolly, ascofounder, was the originaldirector of the corps. RichGobbi was elected corpspresident in 1993 and JimHughes assumed the reins ofleadership in 1999. BarbaraGobbi was elected presidentin 2002, with Rich Gobbi

being re-elected in 2003.In the beginning,

the corps was named,The Saders to avoidconfusion with thejunior corps, but thename was later changedto the Crusaders SeniorCorps of Boston. Thecorps is independent ofthe Boston Crusadersjunior corps, but issupportive. Rehearsalsare now held at theNotre Dame EducationCenter in South Boston.

The corps’members, who rangefrom ages in the 20sto the 60s, include,along with Crusaderalumni, formermembers of North Star,Beverly Cardinals,Cambridge Caballeros,St. Kevin’s EmeraldKnights, Majestic

Knights,BraintreeWarriors,NorwoodDebonnaires,I.C. Reveries,27th Lancers,PeabodyMusketeers,FraminghamSharpshooters,St. William’sband, St.Agnes band,St. Anthony’sband,University ofMaine band,HaverhillShoemakers,AtlanticBrassmen,

Boston Crusaders, 1992, in Allentown, PA (photo by Sid Unser from the collection of Drum Corps World).

(Above) Boston Crusaders, August 13, 1994, at DCI in Foxboro, MA (photo by David Rice from the collection ofDrum Corps World); (below) Boston Crusaders, July 12, 1997, in Hershey, PA (photo by David Rice from thecollection of Drum Corps World).

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challenging butcrowd-appealingmusic to a highdegree ofexcellence, whilemaintaining thatin-your-facetradition.

AlthoughDennon haspassed away, hisarrangements arevery much alive.Centorino, Rosen,George Kintz,John Maxner andRay Fallon havecollaborated tocapture theessence ofDennon in

putting out theauthenticCrusader sound.Al “Cisco”Collomeano andMike Cahill haveresurrectedmany of thetrademarkpercussion licks,while John

Gaffney and Patti Bonfiglio have created avisual program that traditional drum corpsfans can really appreciate.

Formal ensemble rehearsals are held onceor twice a month, but weekly optionalrehearsals are scheduled for new membersor for those that just can’t get enough ofdrum corps. The drill is learned in threesessions just prior to the first field exhibition.

Although it has a penchant for hardwork and on occasion has seen rehearsals

that get intense,the corps alsoloves to party.There is often acookout, a dance,or just aninformal gatheringwhere corpsmembers can enjoyeach other’scompany. AnnHughes, the wife ofthe former corpsdirector JimHughes, dubbed thegroup, “The corpsthat never goeshome.”

Citations, Bridgemen, Pembroke Imperials,St. Francis Sancians, Springfield Marksmen,Lt. Norman Princemen, St. John’s Misslemen,I.C. Queensmen, I.C. Rockettes and the P.AL.Cadets of Philadelphia.

Presently, the corps fields 42 brass, 24percussion and 20 in the guard.

Jack LaSelva has been the drum majorsince the corps’ inception and has missedonly one performance in nine years. (He wason his honeymoon with his wife, Kathy, also acorps member.) Patti Gobbi is the colorguard captain and has, likewise, been astabilizing force over the years.

This corps has an active schedule,performing approximately 20 times a year inparades, concerts and exhibitions, and hastraveled to Upstate NewYork, New Jersey, Maine,Rhode Island, NewHampshire, Pennsylvania

and Wisconsin, as well as locally -- wherevercrowds love drum corps.

The corps has featured many Crusaderclassics in its repertoire. Some of thenumbers that stir up old memories are ElCapitan, Yankee Doodle, CaliforniaDreamin’, Man of La Mancha, Mondo Cane,Vikings, Artsa Alenu/Hava Nagilah, Don’tCry, Celebration Suite, Captain of Castileand Conquest.

The corps takes pride in playing

Art Kellerman was firstinitiated into the world ofdrum corps in 1959 at theage of 14 when a friendrecruited him to join thePeabody Musketeers ofPeabody, MA. In 1965, hemarched with the MajesticKnights of Charlestown,

another Boston area corps, and then movedon to the senior Lt. Norman Princemen in1966 where he competed in DCA during itssecond year. He graduated from Salem State College in

1967 and, since Prince had become inactive,moved to Long Island to teach school and tomake plans to join either the Skyliners or theSunrisers. He joined neither and it lookedlike his drum corps days were behind him.In 1969, he moved back to Massachusetts,

married Mary Leet and began teaching sixthgrade in Lynnfield. He bought a second-hand trumpet, took a few music lessons andsat in with the sixth grade band. Sinceteachers can’t “age out,” he played in thesixth grade band for four years andeventually improved enough to perform withthe middle school band and two adultcommunity bands.After seeing the Springfield Marksmen

alumni corps perform in a parade in early1991, the flame was rekindled and, when heheard the Boston Crusaders were startingtheir own unit, he joined and is nowperforming for the 12th consecutive year.Kellerman has also performed with the St.Kevin’s Emerald Knights Alumni and withthe Massachusetts “Legends” corps.He has taught sixth grade for 36 years

and will retire at the end of the 2003 year.

Boston Crusaders, July 2002 (photo by Richard Wersinger from the collection of Drum Corps World).

(Above) Boston Crusaders, 1999 (photo by Karen Sunmark from the collection of DrumCorps World); (left) Boston Crusaders Senior Corps, 2001 (photo by Ron Walloch from thecollection of Drum Corps World); (inset) Ed Dennon (photo by Moe Knox from the collectionof Drum Corps World).

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