In the old days, we might have been tempted to give a guy like this the “Quiet Man Award”, so self-effacing did he appear at first. But then you heard Jim O'Hara play and it was clear he was a monster. How fortunate we were when he agreed to step up and teach the Sunriser drum line. Those monster “Great Wall” lines were just a dream, but the dream was Jim O'Hara's, and he set in motion the inevitable rise of Sunriser percussion power and domination that brought the corps a string of drum trophies and championships, culminating in the designation of “The Corps of the Decade” for the '80s. Of course he had some help from the likes of Messer’s. China, Delucia and others, but the seed was planted in the dark days of the early '70s, and it was planted by Jim. It was clear he could teach a tree to play, as long as the tree came to rehearsal. So, as of tonight, Jim O'Hara is no longer the un-sung hero. Tonight we sing his long overdue praises.