Blue Devils

The Blue Devils drum & bugle corps was founded in the fall of 1969 as a reorganization of the senior corps, operating as an independent and self-supporting unit, under the direction of Bob Howe.

They entered the field of competition as a member of the 1970 Penn-York “Class B” circuit, placing 2^nd in championship competition. Their instructional staff included Doug Howe on brass, Bill Brundage on percussion and Herb Brundage on visual. The Blue Devils re-organized as a competitive parade corps in 1971 and merged with the Geneseeans drum corps of Rochester in the summer of 1972 as a result of flooding in June, where both units lost several members to flood clean-up projects.

In the fall of 1972, an official merger of the two corps resulted in the formation of the Statesmen drum and bugle corps; however, the plan didn’t materialize and the Blue Devils reorganized as a senior parade corps over the next four seasons, with a break in 1975 due to a lack of membership. Over the years, other supporters involved the Air Preheater Company as well as the Wellsville VFW Post and Rotary Club.

In 1977, the Blue Devils reactivated as a junior parade corps before disbanding in 1978.

Paul Legault (DCX)