Guest Writer Wednesday: Jackie Bodzas on Saints Stuff

Yes, I realize this is being posted on a Tuesday and I've called it Guest Writer Wednesday ... you've all waited long enough for a new posting out here in Saints Scribblings, and I wasn't going to make you wait one minute longer. If Macy's can have their one day sales on Wednesday with a preview day on Tuesday, then so can we.

Enjoy this contribution from Jackie!

All for now - corpsdially yours from jo!

Hello Saints!

I sit here with pen in hand, actually with keypad under fingers as the case may be, ghost writer for Marilyn/Jo (whatever the witness protection plan calls her these days). She has a lot going on, and will be back to us as soon as alien forces release her. Please read on.

To the Instructors, Parents, Friends of, and of course to the Saints I have marched with, I want thank you for being part of what I call a better than decent, bordering on … a wonderful childhood!

I pretty much check in to the Saints website every day; I find comfort in looking at our old pictures: the satin shirts, the cadet and yes even the orange, black and white uniforms. I look forward to current pictures posted (it is always refreshing to see the poor little fishes that Crafts has freed from their homes in the sea), reading the banter in the Guestbook, to see where some of us have gotten ourselves in the Where Are They Now section and other tabs I may happen to plunk down on.

The other day, when killing time waiting for one of my offspring (who was off at a cello gig - far, far from any kind of drum corps practice), I for some reason found myself counting stuff on the Member Roster link. I had a stupendous revelations – only 11 of us marched with the Saints from beginning to end (first parade to the last show). I really thought it was going to be a number closer to 60 or 100 when you look at how close we seem when we gather at our little reunions. In this statistic, I have included Goober (I mean Alan) by default because he was always there, Jo and Althea for becoming staff and staying with us to the end, and Wargo simply because he is Wargo.

You might have been just coming in as I was going out, so I might not remember all of you, or you me. As always there was the little kid / big kid thing going on. For instance, Rocky was just Ragu’s little brother / my little brother if someone outside of the corps even thought of picking on him. But just the same, I have marched with ALL of you – anyone who had the honor of putting on a Saints uniform during our too-short ten years together.

Again, I thank you all for being part of a really better than great experience!

Three thoughts:

• I wouldn’t mind our next reunion being that we just hang out in some park somewhere like we always used to.
• Just where in the world is Peter Boyle anyway …
• My most sincere “Thanks” to Mr. Ray Chmieleski and a whole bunch of his friends for getting us started, and to those who kept us going.

Take care,

Jack Bodzas – Drum Line ‘67-‘77