As solo bell player in Jerry Shelmer’s 1969 Sunrisers drum line you broke ground for what has become a drum corps percussion institution-“The Pit.”

You were an unlikely candidate for the position because you couldn’t read music, you had no training on keyboard instruments, and you had no experience with mallet instruments. But somehow you got the job and set about the task of learning to play the horizontally mounted glockenspiel the same way you approached everything Sunriser- with spirit, determination, and a sense of humor. It also took a small measure of courage. You were out on the field all alone. There was no “section” to blend in to, no one to cover for you if you missed a note, and since the sound of the bells carried over the whole ensemble, you had the attention of both the percussion and brass judges. But you persevered and the drum corps drum line, for the first time, had a voice with which to play the melody.

The next year marching tympani made an appearance and then a deluge followed. Soon the front side line was crowded with people playing every type, shape, and size percussion instrument. “The Pit” has become an indispensable part of the drum corps and we wish to honor the man that led the way. The first mallet player in DCA history. It is for your work in the 1969 season and your unwavering loyalty and commitment to the Sunrisers that we congratulate you on your induction into the Sunrisers Hall of Fame.