Mike Lennox

Mike Lennox’s induction into the Crossmen Hall of Fame recognizes his extraordinary dedication, service, generosity, and lasting impact as a volunteer, driver, transportation leader, mentor, scholarship administrator, and beloved member of the Crossmen family.

Mike’s drum corps journey began in the mid-1960s, when he was about ten years old and joined the Jr. Sunrisers of Philadelphia. Mike has often credited that opportunity as life-changing, saying that he was “living on the wrong side of the tracks growing up.” Drum corps gave him direction, purpose, and a place to belong. He later marched with St. Helena’s Golden Eagles, also from Philadelphia, before moving to the western suburbs and joining the 507 Hornets from 1971 through 1974.

When the Crossmen were formed through the merger, Mike fully intended to continue marching with the new corps. He even attended some of the early rehearsals. Unfortunately, his father became ill, and Mike was needed at home. That responsibility ended his marching career, but it did not end his connection to drum corps — or to the Crossmen.

Twenty-five years later, while living in Delaware, Mike drove past a local high school and noticed the Crossmen equipment truck. Not expecting to know anyone, he stopped simply to say hello. As fate would have it, he did know someone: Rick Reedy. During that visit, Rick convinced Mike to volunteer, and in early 2000, Mike began his service to the Crossmen — four years before his son Chris would join the corps in 2004.

Mike quickly became the kind of volunteer every corps dreams of having. He did everything. He worked in the kitchen trailer, where one of his first jobs was making five-gallon coolers of Gatorade for the members. He handled welding repairs after driving through the night. He did uniform laundry. He pitched in wherever help was needed, without hesitation and without complaint.

As a driver, Mike handled shuttle runs to train stations, bus stations, and airports. It was during those shuttle runs that one of Mike’s greatest gifts began to emerge: his ability to connect with young people. He had a way of talking with prospective members, encouraging them, challenging them, and helping them believe they had what it took to be part of something special.

Mike’s wide-ranging service did not go unnoticed. In 2005, he was named Crossmen Volunteer of the Year, recognizing the countless jobs he was willing and able to take on. That same year, however, Mike informed the corps that he was relocating and that his volunteer work would likely be ending. Fortunately for the Crossmen, the part of the country Mike moved to was just outside San Antonio, Texas.

In September 2006, Rick Reedy called Mike to tell him that the Crossmen were relocating to San Antonio. At first, Mike thought it was a cruel joke, knowing how much he missed being around the corps. But it was true. And, true to form, Mike was there at the very first camp at Ronald Reagan High School, where he introduced himself to Fred Morrison and immediately went to work.

Mike helped the Texas team set up the food trailer for its first use in its new home. His efforts during the corps’ first full year in San Antonio were invaluable as the organization settled into a new state, a new community, and a new chapter of its history. For that work, Mike received the Spirit of the Crossmen Award in 2007.

Mike’s love for the corps also led him to earn his Commercial Driver’s License. As Transportation Director, he drove the Admin RV in 2007, the staff bus from 2008 through 2011, and the percussion bus in 2012. His work helped keep the corps moving safely and reliably through some of the most important years of the Texas transition.

Even after his years on the road, Mike continued giving back. He became the administrator of the Scotty Wheeler Scholarship Fund, which began in 2013, helping honor the memory of another beloved Crossmen volunteer while supporting future members.

Mike’s impact cannot be measured only in miles driven, repairs made, laundry washed, or meals supported. One of his greatest gifts was the way he shared the Crossmen experience with members. As a drummer himself, he loved hyping the percussion bus. As a volunteer and mentor, he knew how to light a fire in young people.

One story captures that impact perfectly. Two years after Mike had stopped touring, he visited a rehearsal in San Antonio. A member approached him and said, “You’re the reason I’m here.” Mike was surprised and asked how that could be, since he had not been around for several years. The member replied, “You once asked me, ‘How bad do you want it?’”

Sometimes a simple question from a volunteer shuttle driver is all it takes to inspire a future Crossmen member. That was Mike Lennox. He made a difference.

For his decades-long connection to drum corps, his service as a Crossmen volunteer, driver, Transportation Director, mentor, and scholarship administrator, his critical support during the corps’ move to Texas, his recognition as Crossmen Volunteer of the Year and Spirit of the Crossmen Award recipient, and his lasting impact on the members he encouraged and inspired, we proudly honor Mike Lennox as a member of the Crossmen Hall of Fame Class of 2023.