Vincent Bruni – After serving in the Navy in World War II, Vince left his lower Hudson River home and traveled to the Rochester suburb of Brockport to attend SUNY Brockport where he was certified as an elementary/secondary educator and High School Coach. He immediately joined the Brockport Cavaliers as a percussionist and was elevated to visual arranger/instructor. In 1949, he was asked to take over as visual Arranger & Instructor for the Hilton Crusaders. The rest is history. The rest is history. Vince served as Visual arranger/instructor and Corps Director for the Crusaders until 1979. In 1981, he formed the Empire Statesmen and led them to many DCA Championships as well as bringing them around the world – becoming Drum Corps true Marching Ambassadors. His merger of the Irondequoit Crusaders with the Rochester Grey Knights in the fall of 1964 created the 1965 American Legion National Champion Grey Knight Post Crusaders and solidified Vince as a leader in the Drum corps activity. In the mid 50’s, he founded United Drum Corps in Rochester and was Director of 4 different Drum Corps at one time. A union of Corps under common management that set the tone for the drum Corps associations to come in later decades. At the same time, he was Director of the Irondequoit Crusaders, Ridge Culver Statesmen, Alpine Girls and Pardee Pacers. Over the course of his long career, in addition to running the Crusaders and then the Empire Statesmen he was instrumental in the formative years of DCA, following Henry “Lefty” Mayer as its president in 1967 until relinquishing that job to Mickey Petrone in the late 70’s. He was also an All American Judge and founder of the NY Federation of Contest Judges. His career included teaching many Drum Corps and high school bands throughout North America. His two fondest memories (other that his local Corps) were the Burlington, Ontario Teen touring band and the Argonne Rebels in 1973 where he brought them from a sure also ran status to a position remaining in the top 12 in just a few short weeks. Vince was the Founder of the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame and is considered one of the “elite” founders of the modern Drum Corps activity.

Henry Anthony “Lefty” Mayer – In 1939 Lefty began a Drum Corps career that ranks him among the titans of our activity. He joined the Heisser Post and performed as a bass drummer with them until 1942 where upon he moved to the Ruoff Post again performing as a bass drummer until joining the US Army where he received Meritorious Service Awards, including the Purple Heart, for a wound sustained in battle which resulted in the amputation of a leg. While his tenure as a marching member in Drum Corps ended as a result of his World War II wounds his focus in the activity shifted to the administrative areas due to his experience and leadership in Drum Corps during his Junior Corps years. Lefty became involved with a Drum Corps that would later become known as the “Sons of Liberty”. In 1954 Lefty, at the behest of Bill Bourner joined the New York Skyliners as their Business Manager, a position he held until 1973, serving as both Business Manager and Corps Director in 1961, ’62, ’67, ’69, ’71, and 1973. In the latter part of his career, from 1974 through ‘76 Lefty served as an advisor and was awarded Life Time Member which is the most prestigious award to a New York Skyliner. In 1963 Lefty became the driving force behind the formation and organization of what is now known as the Drum Corps Associates which was 2 years in the making before the Association actually took flight and a contest schedule was established. Their first successful season in 1965 culminated with a Championship held in Milford, Conn. Lefty served as their first President. Upon his retirement from Drum Corps Lefty and his wife Louise moved to California but returned to Long Island a few months later. When Vince Bruni founded the WDCHOF in 1976, Lefty was inducted as a Charter Member.