Alumni Homecoming An Event To Remember
- 8-10-2010
- Categorized in: CAA News Articles
Every year at DCI East, Crossmen alumni from all over gather in the park outside J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown to reconnect, say hello to old friends, and make new ones. This year also marked the first time the Crossmen Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony took place in the park, which drew even more alumni to the event, as well as a special appearance from the 2010 Crossmen themselves. The entire afternoon was filled with a strong sense of fun and family. Those in attendance would agree, it was a day that many will remember and cherish for a very long time.
Alumni started gathering early in the afternoon to take advantage of the beautiful weather, which could not have been more cooperative. This year, a special invitation was sent to members of the 1980, 1990, and 2000 Crossmen to reunite in the park. Many alumni from those years came out and picked up right where they left off with their fellow corps mates, in some cases having not seen each other in ten or twenty years. One 1990 alum, Anthony Burke, flew all the way in from England to be at the event!
At around five o'clock, the 2010 Crossmen arrived en masse to attend the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Alumni from all over the park gathered around the corps and the inductees, as well as other current Hall of Fame members, including Charlotte and Robby Robinson, Eric Kitchenman, Jim Coates, Robbie Robinson Jr, Gary Cuzzocrea, Rick Reedy, Kim Robinson, and Mike Dennis. Class of '06 inductee Kim Robinson introduced her father, corps founder and Class of '99 inductee Harold "Robby" Robinson, who welcomed the 2010 Crossmen to the ceremony and introduced the newest Hall of Fame members, Grant Davis and Dave Oechsle.
In citing Grant Davis' tireless work on and off the field during the mid to late 1980's in bringing the corps back from the brink of extinction into a new era of excellence, Robby told the current Crossmen, "Grant never gave up on the corps. Without Grant Davis, you would not be on the field today as Crossmen."
Unfortunately, Dave Oechsle was unable to attend the ceremony due to an unexpected emergency, but he sent along a message to those in attendance which Robby read aloud: "Being the manager of the Crossmen was an honor and I enjoyed every minute of it, as did everyone else that put in the hours to make sure we were the best corps that we could be."
After the ceremony ended, members of the Crossmen and the many alumni in the park intermingled with one another, with alumni wishing the corps well on the remainder of their tour. There were also some very special and unforgettable photo opportunities which took place, including an assembled picture of current and former color guard members and current and former snare drummers. All in all, there was a celebratory atmosphere in the air all afternoon and an unprecedented display of intergenerational Crossmen pride, unity, and family.
For as much fun as it was for the alumni, those associated with the 2010 Crossmen enjoyed it just as much. "I am still smiling about the Homecoming," stated Crossmen CEO Fred Morrison. "It was a very special time for us all. Today was a very special sendoff to Championships."
The CAA would like to thank all the alumni who attended the Homecoming this year, and especially those who worked so hard behind the scenes and contributed to the overwhelming success of this event. It surpassed our wildest expectations. We look forward to building on that success in the future, making it even bigger and better. We'd also like to congratulate Grant and Dave on their Hall of Fame induction, and send along our very best wishes to the 2010 Crossmen as they finish up their DCI tour in Indianapolis.
Photos from Event
This is an amazing video capturing some great moments. Well done! I want to thank Fred Morrison and the 2010 Crossmen for being present as the HOF inductions were made. I can't say enough about the thrill of the photo sessions with the alumni and current corps. They really came through on this video. Dad, I think you should be doing the inductions every year. There is a special feeling that comes through when you are speaking to the corps. Just no"bootstraps" Ok?
Wow, what a great time. We all need to get here earlier next year. Not enough time to talk to everyone. Thanks to the current Crossmen for coming down to visit as well. Congrats to our new Crossmen Hall of Fame inductees.
I still get emotional when I watch this. That afternoon will live on in my mind as one of the greatest I've ever spent around the Crossmen in my whole life. Alumni and members together, sharing, laughing, interacting, thinking of nothing else other than being unified as one Crossmen family, thirty-six years strong. This, to me, is what the CAA is all about. This is why we do what we do. PLEASE, if you haven't joined the CAA, do so today. We need to grow our numbers so we can hold more events like this and create even greater memories for ourselves and the corps.
Is there any interest/talk within the CAA to "parent" a Crossmen Alumni Corps (Home Chapter) in Pennsylvania with smaller cells across the country to get together from abroad, and perform at special events such as DCI East or Philly Thanksgiving Parade?
At this time, no. All of our efforts are currently being put into growing the alumni association into a stronger and more viable agent of support and assistance to the corps. Perhaps someday, but not in the foreseeable future.