World Drum Corps Hall of Fame Members

John Bosworth reinforces the word “World” in the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame. His drumming career spans two centuries and nearly 70 years. He has performed in 28 countries, from the Azores to Wales, from Austria to Australia.

(Deceased)

United States Marine Colonel Truman Crawford was one of the best-known arrangers in the drum corps community. Throughout the 1960s and ‘70s, every championship corps in the United States and Canada played his arrangements.

(Deceased)

In 1935, John joined the Osmond Post Cadets Junior Corps in Philadelphia as a rookie drummer. During the years that followed John practiced long hours to obtain a firm rudimental drumming foundation.

Between 1956 and 1967, Ray Eyler was the soprano soloist with three different corps: the Tri-Community Cadets, the United States Air Force drum and bugle corps and Archer-Epler Musketeers. He served as horn instructor for the Audubon Bon Bons all-girls corps from 1964 to 1977.

(Deceased)

Mr. Filkins junior corps experience was with the Archer Epler Junior Drum & Bugle Corps and the Liberty Bell Cadets. In 1956 he became a member of the USAF Drum and Bugle Corps as a section leader in the Percussion Section.

John Flowers has won an individual snare drum national championship, and the Reading Buccaneers drum line he instructed had the high percussion score three years in a row when the Bucs won the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) national title in 1960, ‘61 and ‘62.

Mr. Gabriel joined the Syracuse Brigadiers as a 1st soprano. After 4 years with the Brigs, he joined the Air Force Drum and Bugle Corps and remained with them for the next 7 years.

(USAF Academy Drum Corps)

Robert “Bob” Gaff was inducted into the Buglers’ Hall of Fame in Bridgeport, Connecticut in July 2005; 50 years after his first involvement in drum corps. He spent seven years with St. Rose of Chelsea, MD, beginning in 1955.

(Deceased)

Rodney Goodhart is one of many accomplished drum and bugle corps participants who was a member of the United States Air Force Drum and Bugle Corps.

Skip Groff was one of the activity’s best solo soprano players during his years of participation in drum and bugle corps events. He competed in dozens of American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) individual contests and won them all.

(Deceased)

Mr. Landis began his junior career as a snare drummer with the York White Roses. His senior career was spent with the U.S. Air Force Drum & Bugle Corps, Reading Buccaneers, Bangor Yellow Jackets and Archer Epler.

Tommy Martin first played a horn with St. Brigid’s Fife, Drum and Bugle Corps, sponsored by the fire department in Ridgewood, Queens, in 1945. He became a member of Consolidated Edison Lamplighters for the 1951 season.

Mr. Howard Roberts initial foray into drum corps was in 1949 playing a baritone for a local Legion Post. In 1951, he joined the Liberty Bell Cadets. As a senior, he played a baritone with Reilly Raiders.

Mr. John Simpson was a public school instrumental music teacher from 1969 to his retirement in 1999. He began playing with the Sky Ryders in 1954.

(USAF Band)

Ed Teleky is one of the pioneers of front pit percussion ensembles, introducing unique, innovative sounds to drum and bugle corps field performances.

Mr. John Tully began his playing career at age 6. He spent most of his junior Drum Corps life with the Rising Sun and the Liberty Bell Cadets.

(Deceased)

In a career that began playing baritone horn as a charter member of Reading Buccaneers in 1957, Elmer ‘Red’ Winzer’s activities spanned more than 40 years as a topnotch horn player, music arranger, brass instructor, drill designer and instructor.

Bob Zarfoss has been a percussion performer, composer, instructor, judge and administrator for several corps in southern Pennsylvania for more than half a century, with time out from the activity from 1981 to 1997 while he was a high school administrator.

(USAF Academy Drum Corps)

By the time he reached the age of 50, John Zimny had been involved in drum and bugle corps activity for more than 40 years. He began playing a soprano horn with the Viscounts of McHenry, Illinois in 1956 at age eight.