Alamo Rangers

In the early fall of 1954 at the Ryerson School in Chicago, a notice went around to all classes that the local American Legion Post 885 was forming a drum and bugle corps and anyone interested could come to the Post for free pop and hot dogs and discover the world of drum corps. Glenn Smith from the Belmont Grenadiers organized the meeting and the corpsmanager was an appointed position from the members of the Post, and Bill Cerone was the first corps manager.

Rehearsals were held one evening a week at the Post and on Saturdays the corps would parade up and down the streets of the neighborhood, including Ridgeway and Lawndale.
There was something that kept the members together that came from the encouragement from guys like Mr. Szadowski, Pete Cacioppo, Mr. Laskowski, Rocky Marcucci, Mr. Ferrara, Mr. Naples, Mr. Procanin and later, Sie Lurye.

What came to matter very much was the fact that after the initial shake out of people who joined for just a few weeks, the balance of the remaining members became the nucleus of the Royal Airs. The first uniforms were blue slacks with a stitched seam, a dark blue “overseas” cap and a light blue shirt with “Alamo AL Post 885 Drum and Bugle Corps” stitched on the back of the shirt. After a year of basic’s and lot of parading in 1956, the corps began to think like a competition corps. The first camp was held in Coloma, Wisconsin at the American Legion boys’ camp. The corps practiced a lot and received encouragement from the Post adults, like State Senator Roland Libanatti, former Capone lawyer and others.

The Alamo Rangers were about to blossom. Glenn Smith was joined by other instructors from the Belmont Grenadiers: Ed Roberts on drums; Mr. Kelly from the Grenadiers on M&M, and the first known drum instructor was Jerry Svec of the Grenadiers. Early practices were at KELLS field at the corner of Kedzie and Chicago avenues.

In what became the pivotal event in the evolution of the Royal Airs in July 1956, the instructors took some of the corps staff and some members to see the American Legion State junior show at Lane Tech Stadium. The Chicago Cavaliers, Norwood Park Imperials, the Vanguard and the Black Knights competed that day. Also, Sie Lurie went along for the night, and he was changed forever.

In 1956 the Alamo Rangers had received new uniforms: a brown “overseas” cap with the obligatory white tassel, white satin shirts with a diagonal brown stripe and brown pants with a white stripe. The entire corps went to the Red Cross shoe store on Chicago Ave. just west of Hamlin Ave.to buy white bucks!

A big change came at the beginning of 1957. Up until that time, the Alamo Rangers had been an all-male drum corps with an all-girl baton twirling team as a separate unit. The drum corps had a male drum major, Rich Myslivich, and an all-male color guard under the direction of Vince DeSalvo. 

During early 1957 the baton twirlers became the new color guard and the males from the guard were merged into the corps. Rich Myslivich quit the corps after a brief stint on the baritone to become a
baritone in the Chicago Cavaliers. Marlene Gamberale became the new drum major and Judy Naples became color guard sergeant.

Bill Cerone resigned as manager of the corps in 1957 and the post appointed Sie Lurye. Sie never spared no expense for the corps and envisioned a championship competitive unit one day. When Sie took over things really started to pick up, more serious practices, Rich Tarsitano joined as bugle instructor, Ray Kelly and Ed Roberts, both of the Skokie Indians, taught drums. Ken Nolan and Larry Kaczmarek joined to teach M&M, also during that period.

The Rangers competed in three shows that year, with the State Fair being the big one! The year ended with the formation of a quintet and some individual performances at Bessemer Park School on the south side. Sie, of course, gave some members a ride in his big Oldsmobile ’98 convertible. He had a white one, Pauline had a Pink one! The quintet members were Nolan, Menle, Rendek, Ben Badalamenti, and Joe Canzoneri.

The leaders in the Alamo Post wanted their parade corps and more control over the corps. They began to give Sie a difficult time. As the 1958 season approached, the Post political friction escalated to the point where one evening there was a debate at the Post over whether or not the corps would appear at a Post function, with an appearance by Mayor Richard J. Daley, or at the Illinois VFW state championship drum corps contest that same day in Rockford. The corps wanted to attend Illinois State, and Sie resigned over the controversy.

The Alamo Post Commander hired a new Director, Bob Patrone. That jeopardized the corps' competitive future. After Sie’sresignation in early 1958, most of the members left the Rangers to join the Chicago Royal Airs. The members who remained with the Alamo Post were later absorbed into the Chicago Vanguard.

They disbanded in 1959.

Bill Buck - June 2009; Paul Legault (DCX)

---------------------------------------------------------

"The emcee for the evening was RA alumnus Connell Griffin. He introduced original corps member Carm Logalbo who related the circumstances of the Royal Airs’ founding at a meeting of former members of the Alamo Rangers held at the boathouse in Chicago’s Humboldt Park on the afternoon of June 28, 1958, one week following a dispute with the Alamo American Legion Post over attending the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ Illinois State Championship and the dramatic burning of their membership cards on the front steps of the post."

(Excerpt from drumcorpsworld.com Royal Airs Alumni celebrate 50th anniversary "by Jeff Helgeson")

LOADING.....