Monday MatchUps: Presidents Day 2009

A strange thought occurred to me just now.

I don't think we have anyone who chose politics as their full-time (or even part-time) career post-Saints.

We certainly have our mix of professions out there, some of which are more interesting (?) than others - and yes, Pete Crafts and Mouse, I'm talking about you (fireworks to WDW - what were you thinking???).

Still, with everything everyone has shared, I don't remember any mayors, or council people, or representatives.

Wonder why that is?

All for now - corpsdially yours from jo!

Monday MatchUps: Who are you looking for?

Before I dust off the missing-in-action members list again, I'm opening up the floor (well, blog, but I'm sure you get it).

Who have you been looking for from the Saints?

Click here to send your response. Let me know if you want your name included in the posting or not (if you don't specify, your name will be included).

All for now - corpsdially yours from jo!

Monday MatchUps: Special Wishes

I know Monday MatchUps traditionally focuses on finding members who haven't found us yet, but I'm deviating from that for today.

It's nice to be able to change the rules every once in awhile!

Today. January 19th, is Uncle Tony and Aunt Lorraine Fastuca's wedding anniversary. What a wonderful MatchUp!

How do I remember that? Easy - Richard and I were married on the same day. Not by design, mind you, but certainly a nice coincidence.

For us, it's been 19 years. The temperature that day - 64 degrees - still stands as the record for the day. We were even able to take pictures in Roosevelt Park.

For Aunt Lorraine and Uncle Tony, I think it's 54 years this year. I might be off a year or two, but it's still an awesome amount of time and a testament to a wonderful life.

Click here to send them your anniversary wishes, or post them out in the Guestbook.

Tomorrow, I'll post the responses to last week's Tuesday Trivia question - still not too late to send in your responses!

All for now - corpsdially yours from jo!

Monday MatchUps: Section Photos from the Reunion

Those of us who were at Sewaren Park and / or AL Post 471 in Iselin over the weekend will be able to name all the people in our section photos (well, probably) - for the rest of you, have fun guessing!

In most browsers, a simple click on any of the images will enlarge them.


Original Members


Saints, Sematics, and Summer Guards
(Phase III has too many members in the Witness Protection Program to be photographed together)


Sopranos


Mellophones


Baritones


Contras


Drum Line


Drum Majors


El Khobar and the Dancing Girls


The Adults
(yes, I realize some of our members have grandkids at this point in our lives, but Mrs Chez still calls us kids)

Keep watching www.saintsdrumcorps.com as more pictures are posted from the weekend.

All for now - corpsdially yours from jo!

Monday MatchUps: Drum Majors

We're back to Monday MatchUps!

This week, we're looking for the following members who served as drum majors over the years:

• Debbie Pajak
• Mona Lisa Fiorentini
• Ginny Boyle
• Jane DePinto
• Edna Tarrant

Any clue how to reach them?

Any other members in particular you're still wondering how to find in time for the reunion?

Drop me a line at joparente.saintsdrumcorps@gmail.com. Thanks!

All for now - corpsdially yours from jo!

Monday MatchUps - E-F-G

And the roll call continues ... these folks aren't yet connected to www.saintsdrumcorps.com. With the reunion coming up in seven months (July 19th @ Forest Lodge, Warren NJ), it would be nice to be able to get the word out to everyone who marched with us.

Any idea how to connect with these folks, contact me at joparente.saintsdrumcorps@gmail.com. Thanks!

• Eck, Arlene
• Eck, Daryl
• Egan, Kenneth
• Estock, Nancy
• Evers, Noreen
• Farkas, Jamie Mark
• Farrow, Maureen
• Fiorentini, Mario
• Fiorentini, Mona Lisa
• Foley, Jack
• Gallagher, Rosemary
• Gaweda, Barbara
• Gerrity, Ann
• Gerrity, Pat
• Gibbons, Barbara
• Gigantano, Sandra
• Gray, Katherine
• Grimaldi, Laura
• Gunther, Herb

All for now - corpsdially yours from jo!

Monday MatchUps - C-D

First, we have a match! Thanks to her husband, Maureen Smith has found www.saintsdrumcorps.com ... welcome home Maureen!

As mentioned last week, we're continuing with the Alphabet Song ... here are the Cs and Ds who haven't yet connected with us ... if you know how to reach them, please contact me at joparente.saintsdrumcorps@gmail.com - thanks!

• Cappella, Maria
• Carine, Gene
• Cassidy, Mary
• Castro, Patty
• Cefaratti, Linda
• Chingeri, Mary Ann
• Clemente, Karen
• Clites, Jeanette
• Cooper, Robin
• Coster, Cynthia
• Dahl, George
• Dahl, Joan
• Dahl, Marie
• Davis, Donna
• Davis, James
• Davis, Scott
• Davis, Tracy
• Deitrich, Ellen
• DePinto, Jane
• DeVestern, Diane
• Dior, Ricky
• Dolan, Timothy
• Donovan, Diane
• Donovan, Eileen
• Doscher , Kathy
• Doscher , Marlene
• Dowling, Rich
• Dubasak, Ruby
• Duffy, Kathy
• Dunn, Betty

All for now - corpsdially yours from jo!

Monday MatchUps - A-B

Welcome back to Monday MatchUps!

Using the Alphabet Song, we'll speed through - in eight weeks' time - the list of all the members on our current roster who have not made contact directly (or do not have a relative who has connected) with www.saintsdrumcorps.com or the Saints Hotline (732-479-1987).

Remember - this effort is all about having the chance to connect back with our full Saints Family in time for our Summer 2008 Reunion. If you have any idea how to contact these members, let me know at joparente.saintsdrumcorps@gmail.com.

• Mark Alexander
• Frank Jr and Nancy Allman
• Kathy, Linda, and Wendy Baxter
• Nancy Billington
• Brian Bolger
• Nancy Bottomlie
• Ginny Boyle Cataneo
• Peter Boyle
• Charles Breitweiser
• Clarence "Buster" Bridges

All for now - corpsdially yours from Jo!

Monday MatchUps - Each One, Reach One

Now that we've gone through the entire roster as currently known, it's time for us to chat a bit.

We've done a good job so far with the number of connections made in a short period of time. If we hadn't, there would not have been nearly 90 people who joined us at the Mini Reunion on November 9th. Still, many of you have been asking questions lately about the whereabouts of members who haven't yet been in touch with us through www.saintsdrumcorps.com or the Saints Hotline (732-479-1987).

The short answer is that with just a couple of exceptions, I've reached out to everyone I know how to at this point. It's time to hand the membership outreach effort over to all of you.

Over the next couple of weeks, expect to see an e-mail sent to you and everyone who's registered with the Saints website. We'll be looking for volunteers to focus their efforts on finding the members of our family who haven't yet found us. Let's call it Each One, Reach One for now. If each of us finds just one member that isn't connected, we'll find everyone in short order.

Next summer's reunion will be here before we know it. Let's do our best to make it possible for all the Saints to come marching in!

All for now - corpsdially yours from jo!

Monday Matchups - There At The End

Our first Monday MatchUps was posted on June 18, 2007, and here we are with our 18th edition, at the end of the roster as currently compiled. Next week's Monday MatchUps will be pre-empted with news from the mini-reunion.

If you're asking yourself, What reunion?, this is clearly your first contact with Saints Scribblings. If you're interested in attending and still haven't registered to attend the festivities at Post 471 in Iselin on November 9th, check out the home page on www.saintsdrumcorps.com. As long as you make all sorts of outrageous promises to Althea to pay for your dinner, you can still sign up.

We have some happy news to report: Bob Schwartz (Monday MatchUps, July 9) and Aaron Zolnowski (Monday MatchUps, August 6) have found us! Better yet, they both plan on attending the mini-reunion ... welcome home Aaron and Bob!

Back to the MatchUps!

Counting today's entries, there have been 217 members mentioned over the five+ months this blog has run. We've connected to 16, and sadly, learned of the passing of one of the members we listed.

Each of the members below were with us in the last year we competed - 1977. If you know how to reach them (or anyone else mentioned in previous Monday MatchUps), please contact me at joparente.saintsdrumcorps@gmail.com. Thanks!

• Al Hankerson
• Cathy Kadash
• David Kolczynski
• Laura Labassi
• David LaBerge
• Dave Leach
• Jimmy Mack
• Jay Marzella
• Lisa Peterson
• Howard Pinoos

Hope you've enjoyed this journey through the roster with me ...

All for now - corpsdially yours from jo!

Monday MatchUps - Left Before The Rest

We're down to our last two Monday MatchUps before we start recycling back through names mentioned in previous editions of Saints Scribblings.

This week, the members listed below left the corps before our final season. The approximate years they marched can be found on the Member Roster page of the website.

They've not yet contacted us through www.saintsdrumcorps.com or the hotline. If you know how to reach them, please send me word at joparente.saintsdrumcorps@gmail.com. Thanks!

• Charles Breitweiser (drum line)
• Denise Holton (horn line)
• Christel Ihasz (horn line)
• Wayne Jones (horn line)
• Kathy Kaltenbach (horn line)
• Sharon Kennedy (drum line)
• Lori Kline (horn line)
• Marla Kravatz (horn line)
• Maria Krsna (color guard)
• Ann Marie Ksiazek (color guard)
• Gail Ksiazek (color guard)
• Jeff Kulik (horn line)
• Donna Kurucz (horn line)
• Theresa Leflin (color guard)
• Sal Malanga (drum line)
• John McGlynn (horn line)
• John Melasippo (drum line)
• Karen Mello (color guard)
• Steve Menafro (horn line)
• Phyllis Moore (horn line)
• Fran Nalepa (color guard)
• Joe Paone (horn line)
• Tom Paone (horn line)
• Glenn Purdom (drum line)
• John Purdom (drum line)
• Robert Rank (drum line)

All for now - corpsdially yours from jo!

Monday MatchUps - The Wargo Files pt 3

Since I won't be around next Monday, this Monday MatchUps will have to do double-duty.

Mike Wargo has registration applications for each of these members in his files. Most of the members are already on our roster, and some have not been mentioned before in Saints Scribblings. In all cases, none of them have posted anything on www.saintsdrumcorps.com, nor have they contacted the Saints Hotline (732-479-1987).

In all cases, the year and section shown are directly from the membership applications.

First, the members who weren't on our roster before:

• Nancy Billington (1976, color guard)
• James Davis (1976, horn line)
• Kathy Doscher (1975, color guard)
• Kenneth McKeel (1976, horn line)
• Lisa Sheroke (1975, color guard)

Next, the members who are already on the roster, but were never mentioned in a prior Monday MatchUp:

• Ann Marie Gerrity (1973, color guard)
• Patrick Gerrity (1972, drum line)
• Gail Kierney (1976, color guard)
• Darlene Post (1972, color guard)
• Carolyn Povalac (1975, color guard)
• William Povalac (1975, drum line)
• Lois Reed (1975, color guard)

Finally, members we've mentioned before in Saints Scribblings:

• Wendy Baxter (1971, horn line)
• Maria Capella (1975, color guard)
• Robin Cooper (1974 and 1976, color guard)
• Donna Davis (1974, color guard)
• Arlene Eck (1973, color guard)
• Daryl Eck (1973, color guard)
• Barbara Gaweda (1976, color guard)
• Barbara Gibbons (1973, color guard)
• Chuck (Michael William Charles) Meyers (1972, horn line)
• Kathy Ross (1972, color guard)
• Harriet Schissler (1973, color guard)
• Jim Smith (1973, horn line)
• Jack Soto (1975, drum line)
• Keith Steinberg (1975, horn line)
• Bryan Sterling (1976, horn line)
• Michael Torio (1976, drum line)
• Debbie Yegelwel (1974, drum line)

If you have some ideas on how to reach any of these members, please contact me at joparente.saintsdrumcorps@gmail.com. Thanks!

All for now - corpsdially yours from jo!

Monday MatchUps - The Wargo Files pt 2

Mondays are coming around quicker and quicker these days ... all the reunion stuff going on really keeps things hopping!

Speaking of the reunion, have you registered yet? In case you haven't, visit the Alumni page on www.saintsdrumcorps.com for a link to the Survey Monkey registration page (no payment needed here -- you send a check to Althea afterwards). As of 5:30 this morning, we have 36 people who will be attending, including quite a few who are coming in from out of town.

Time to get back to the MatchUps!

Here are ten more members from the Wargo Files who, up until now, have not been mentioned anywhere on the Saints site. The year and section listed is from the original membership application. If you know how to reach any of them, contact me at joparente.saintsdrumcorps@gmail.com. Thanks!

• Timothy Dolan (horn line, 1975)
• Renee Harris (drum line, 1976)
• William Keller (horn line, 1976)
• Kenneth Matos (horn line, 1976)
• Steven Matos (drum line, 1975)
• Andrea Nagy (color guard, 1976)
• Jacquline Rossin (horn line, 1976)
• Pamela Smith (color guard, 1973)
• Yvonne Smith (color guard, 1973)
• Lynn Sterling (horn line, 1976)

All for now -- corpsdially yours from jo!

Monday MatchUps - Bottoms Up pt 2

Mondays like this are fun for me -- Tom (Mouse) Noel, Donna (Stratton) Ellis, and Lori Deren found their way home this week! Mouse was featured in our August 20th Monday MatchUps and found out about the site from a co-worker who also was involved in drum corps. Mouse paid it forward by calling Donna Stratton yesterday (Monday MatchUps, July 30th), who has already posted info for the Where Are They Now page out on www.saintsdrumcorps.com. Lori found us through Gary. Welcome Home Lori, Donna, and Mouse!

We're jumping back to the Bottoms-Up approach this week. Using the existing roster, these folks have not made their presence known yet on the site. Just like the last Bottoms-Up, their names are in reverse alphabetical order. If you know how to find them, let me know at joparente.saintsdrumcorps@gmail.com. Thanks!

• Rose Ann Wolff (twirlers)
• Tim Stead (horn line)
• Sam Spann (drum line)
• Suzi Silagyi (twirlers)
• John Sherry (drum line)
• Jim Schneider (drum line)
• David Russo (horn line)
• Susan Roberts (color guard)
• Lynn Rivas (color guard)
• Karen Reilly (color guard)

All for now -- corpsdially yours from jo!

Monday MatchUps - The Wargo Files pt 1

So much to cover today!!!

First, both Gary Deren and Jeff Slater, each mentioned in previous Monday MatchUps, posted contact information this past week. Welcome Home Jeff and Gary!

Next, some folks not at the Menlo Park Mall gathering back in June were with us at the Annex last Friday ... just scroll down for a list of names as well as a group photo. See www.saintsdrumcorps.com for meeting minutes and LOTS more photos!

Finally, Mike Wargo, you're the man! Among other treasures, he brought with him a stack of membership applications and rosters ... many of the names never appeared in any of my previous sources, so I have a pile of work ahead of me to update the roster for the website.

In the meantime, here are ten of the members from the Wargo Files who, up until now, have not been mentioned anywhere on the site. The year and section listed is from the original membership application. If you know how to reach any of them, contact me at joparente.saintsdrumcorps@gmail.com. Thanks!

• Marlene Doscher (color guard, 1975)
• Jamie Mark Farkas (horn line, 1976)
• Katherine Gray (color guard, 1975)
• Laura Grimaldi (drum line, 1976)
• Michael Santa Maria (horn line, 1975)
• Joe Silverstein (horn line, 1975)
• Robin Sterling (drum line, 1976)
• Gerilyn Tomko (color guard, 1975)
• Kevin Ward (horn line, 1974)
• Wayne Ward (horn line, 1974)

All for now -- corpsdially yours from jo!

Monday MatchUps - One-of-a-Kind ... part two

Monday, Monday ...

First, we had a match last week! Doreen Derlak (Lang) found us on September 13th. She's in North Carolina now -- see the entry in Where Are They Now on www.saintsdrumcorps.com. Welcome home Doreen!

This week, we're continuing with the one-of-a-kind theme. These ten members have unique last names on our member roster -- unique, that is, in that no one else has the same last name. If you have clues on how to contact any of them, let me know at joparente.saintsdrumcorps@gmail.com. Thanks!

• Kenneth Egan (horn line)
• Nancy Estock (color guard)
• Maureen Farrow (color guard)
• Jack Foley (drum line)
• Rosemary Gallagher (color guard)
• Barbara Gaweda (color guard)
• Barbara Gibbons (color guard)
• Sandy Gigantino (color guard)
• Herb Gunther (horn line)
• Donna Helwig (color guard)

All for now -- corpsdially yours from jo!

Monday MatchUps - One-of-a-Kind

Continuing the theme from last week with the opposite side of the coin, the following family names are found only once in our member roster. None of these members has yet made active contact with www.saintsdrumcorps.com or the Saints Hotline (732-479-1987) ... if you have clues on how to reach them, let me know at joparente.saintsdrumcorps@gmail.com -- thanks!

• Mark Alexander (drum line)
• Nancy Bottomlie (color guard)
• Bob Brietske (drum line) - Bob found us on October 10, 2007!
• Maria Capella (color guard)
• Jeanette Clites (color guard)
• Jane DePinto (drum major)
• Doreen Derlak (horn line) - Doreen found us!
• Rich Dowling (horn line)
• Kathy Duffy (color guard)
• Betty Dunn (horn line)

All for now -- corpsdially yours from jo!

Monday MatchUps - Multiple Family Names

Happy Labor Day all!

In tribute to all those mothers who labored to have us, this week's theme is members with the same family name ... and they may or may not be related. Yes, I know that Labor Day is about celebrating the worker, but I couldn't build that into the MatchUps as easily ... and when it comes right down to it, I didn't build in the motherhood angle very well, either.

BTW, before I spell out the list, Dotty (Sheedy) Tulys and Allison (Pehlert) Knapp have found their way to www.saintsdrumcorps.com this past week -- welcome home!

You know the drill by now -- forward ten, mark time for ... oops, wrong drill. If you know how to contact any of these folks, let me know at joparente.saintsdrumcorps@gmail.com. The sections they marched in are available out on the site on the Member Roster page.

• Batista - Brian, Joey (Gus), Kathy
• Baxter - Kathy, Linda, Wendy
• Boyle - Ginny, Peter
• Dahl - George, Joan, Marie
• Davis - Donna, Nina, Scott, Tracy
  (Nina - we know you've visited the Saints site ... post something already!)
• Eck - Arlene, Daryl
• Potter - Eddie, Melanie
• Reeth - Gail, Ronald
• Smith - Carol, Jim, Maureen, Peggy, Robert - Maureen Smith found us on December 2, 2007!
• Squires - Jody, Tory

All for now -- corpsdially yours from jo!

Monday MatchUps - Bottoms Up!

It's Monday MatchUps time again!

A quick couple of words of gratitude, first, goes to all of you who have asked about members not yet featured here, have sent in suggestions on how to track down people, or have gone out and done it yourselves! You're all Saints for helping out ...

Today's list was created by going through my spreadsheet from the bottom up to identify members who still haven't been in touch with www.saintsdrumcorps.com. They're also listed in reverse alphabetical order because, as a tall kid throughout my days attending OLP, I know what it's like to always be told that the short kids (or, in this case, the beginning of the alphabet) get to line up first. Pass along your suggestions on how to find them to joparente.saintsdrumcorps@gmail.com.

• Susan Zygmond (color guard)
• John Whyte (drum line)
• Dale Whealton (drum line)
• Andy Vescey (horn line)
• Mike Torio (drum line)
• Tom Thomas (horn line)
• Charlie Stroppel (horn line)
• Brian Sterling (horn line)
• Art Stephens (the Art Stephens who was NOT the brother of Robin and Cheryl)
• Craig Stephens (horn line)

For those of you who are local to Fords, don't forget -- meeting at the Annex on Friday, September 21, 2007, from 7 - 9 pm to plan the reunion!!!

All for now -- corpsdially yours from jo!

Monday MatchUps - Saints Corps

It's Monday MatchUps again!

First, some sad news ... word has reached us through her mom, Eileen, that Robin Stephens passed away on June 20, 1996, and her dad, Ed, on April 9, 1997. Robin was featured in our August 6, 2007, Monday MatchUps. Her brother Artie is in Stroudsburg PA, and her sister Cheryl (now Carrano, married with two children) is in Forked River NJ. Our sympathies go out to the Stephens Family, and thanks to Mrs. Stephens for keeping us informed.

Next, some exciting news -- Eric Meyer (Monday MatchUps, July 2, 2007) has found us! His Where Are They Now information will be posted out on the site soon. Welcome Home Eric!

Now, to this week's list ... trying to be a bit more creative, I took the letters that make up Saints Corps and used those to identify members who haven't been in touch yet with www.saintsdrumcorps.com. If you know how to reach them, let me know at joparente.saintsdrumcorps@gmail.com.

• S - Skalla, Robin (color guard)
• A - Allman, Nancy (color guard)
• I - Ihasz, John (horn line)
• N - Noel, Tom (Mouse) (horn line) -- Mouse found us on September 26, 2007!
• T - Turner, Greg (horn line)
• S - Slater, Jeff (horn line) -- Jeff found us on September 21, 2007!
• C - Castro, Patty (color guard)
• O - Olexsa, Joann (twirlers, color guard)
• R - Rivas, Terry (color guard)
• P - Philpot, Eddie (horn line)
• S - Steinberg, Keith (horn line)

All for now -- corpsdially yours from jo!