Alfred "Uncle Nick" Nicholls
"An Ambassador To Senior Drum Corps"

Alfred Nicholls, better known as "Uncle Nick" is still and always will be a member of The Sunrisers. He is our goodwill ambassador and confidant, and you can be sure he will always represent The Sunrisers with dignity and pride. No one is more loyal than he, and we take pride in presenting this small tribute to this great man:

Uncle Nick began his career in drum corps in the mid-50's. His initial introduction into drum corps was by the Wynn Center P.A.L. from Brooklyn, New York. After following the P.A.L. until their championship year in 1958, the Washington Carver Gay Blades came recruiting in the Brooklyn area looking for aged-out members of the P.A.L. and other all-black drum corps from that area. Uncle Nick decided to join the Gay Blades as a Quartermaster. The Carver Gay Blade experiences will remain close to his heart forever. Among his fondest memories is when the Gay Blades won the Northeast Circuit Championship in 1960.

Unaware to many, Uncle Nick was the President's Aid of the Northeastern Circuit. It was his hard work, along with President Ed Morlett, that allowed the Junior Corps into the circuit. As chief recruiter of the all new Senior and Junior corps, Uncle Nick did an outstanding job. By 1965, the Washington Carver Gay Blades were no more. It was that winter in 1965 that Uncle Nick became a Sunriser.

After seeing the corps go through many up's and down's, and witnessing many a proud moment with the Sunrisers, his fondest moment was in 1969, the year the Sunrisers became the first Senior Corps ever to use girls in their Color Guard. In his own word's, "Those girls were kicking." Right now, as he watches the outstanding color guard of the corps he says it will always remind him of that first Sunguard.

Uncle Nick has been a part of every championship this Sunrisers drum corps has ever won (including the 1968 State Championship and the 1968 American Legion National Championship), and those were extremely proud moments for him.

As an inductee in the Sunrisers Hall of Fame, we are looking forward to his induction into the Drum Corps Associates Hall of Fame.

In closing, what we are saying is that, "We love you Uncle Nick," and "God Bless You!"


 

Rest in Peace - Tuesday, September 2, 2003

Amid the Stately Brownstones and tree-lined streets of Bedford Styvesant, Brooklyn, friends and family gathered to bid final farewell to drum corps hall of fame member Alfred "Uncle Nicky" Nicholls.

The friends were mostly his drum corps friends; the family was mostly The Sunrisers. The service was held in a beautifully restored church and a moving eulogy was rendered by a reverend and friend of Unc's.

The Reverend recounted Uncle Nick's life, including his love of homing pigeons, jazz and most of all, drum corps. Unc began his drum corps career as a quartermaster for the Wynn Center Toppers, playing a vital role in their State Champion edition of 1958. He moved on with the WCT'er's age-outs to the George Washington Carver Gay Blades and was part of their Northeastern Circuit Championship season. Then, moving on to The Sunrisers, he became an integral part of their chronicled history.

Following the eulogy, friends and family paid their final respects as they filed passed Unc's casket. Some drum corps notables in the line included Skyliner Drum Major Ray "Conga" Richardson, Mr. Bob Bellarosa of The Eastern Review, Mr. Dave China, former writer/percussion arranger for the Sunrisers;. hall of fame member Mr. Gene Bennett and wife Vivian, along with many friends from The Carter Cadets, The Warriors, St Rocco's and OLPH Ridgemen. It was old home day for the mostly African American inner city drum corps kids of days past. In a final and moving gesture, Mr. Gene Bennett placed Uncle Nicky's Hall of Fame Badge on his jacket pocket.

As we stood outside in the late summer evening, The Wynn Center Toppers alumni corps in full uniform -- some in Sunrisers jackets -- played as the pall bearers carried Uncle Nick from the church. Taps were magnificently executed and echoed by two sopranos from the Wynn Center corps.

And so it ended, in a manner of speaking, the way it started for Unc, with his drum corps -- with the WCT corps and members of the GWC G'Blades and of course, his beloved Sunrisers -- all paying tribute to a great and wonderful man.

As the car moved away from the church The Drum Major gave the command; FALL OUT ! With that, old friends, many of whom had not seen each other in decades shook hands, wished each other well then disappeared into the night.

Rest in Peace Uncle Nick. We will never, ever forget you.

-- Bobby Steinhilber

 

Christmas Wishes from Bob and Laurel Murphy
along with all of the Sunrisers' Family.


 

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