In the drum corps world, “Wild Bill” Hooton will always be remembered as being synonymous with the world famous Reilly Raiders. 
His drum majoring career began in the late 1930’s with the Simon Gratz High School Band in Philadelphia and then the Junior National Champion A.K. Street Post.  After service in the Navy during WWII, “Wild Bill” and most of the Street Post members returned to form the Reilly Raiders.
Bill Hooten’s tenure as the drum major and leader of the Reilly Raiders become legendary in the annals of drum corps.  His unique, dramatic style and panache excited crowds throughout Pennsylvania, the United States, and Canada.   While a relatively few competitive drum and bugle corps remain in DCA and DCI, “Wild Bill” certainly was a major force in making corps so popular with fans throughout the “Golden Years” of the 1950’s.
In addition to his role as drum major, Bill was not only responsible for teaching drill but also did his share of music arranging – the “Hooton’s Herd” fanfare is still played by the present-day alumni corps.  It is less well-known that he also was a snare drummer and once defeated Eric Perriloux, the long-time drum instructor of the New York Skyliners, in an individual contest.
Among the junior corps that Bill instructed were Little Flower, the Belles of St. Mary’s, Liberty Bell, East Germantown, and the Pittsfield Cavaliers.  In addition to Reilly, some of the senior corps he taught included the Interstatemen, Yankee Rebels, Les Metropolitan, New York Skyliners, Pittsburgh Rockets, and the Rochester Crusaders.
For all of his accomplishments, Bill Hooton was a founding, charter member of the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame. 

From WDCHOF
WILLIAM HOOTON
William ‘Wild Bill’ Hooton began his drum corps career with Tioga Legion Post in 1931. He began as a bugle player, but soon switched to snare drum. He eventually became drum major while continuing with the snare drum. In 1936, he joined Street Post Junior Drum and Bugle Corps as drum major. He won several individual rudimental snare drum contests during this time. World War II intervened and he served on PT boats. When he returned from service, he joined the newly reformed Street Post Senior Drum and Bugle Corps as drum major. One of the former members of Street Post, Corporal Frederick W. Reilly died during the war and a new senior drum corps, The Reilly Raiders, was formed in 1946 to honor him. Russell Murphy, the musical director of the Glenside Concert Corps became Reilly’s arranger and brass instructor. Bill became one of Murphy’s pupils and began to arrange music for Reilly while also teaching the drill and performing as drum major. The Reilly Raiders won seven national championships and 16 Pennsylvania state titles and remain the only senior corps in the United States to claim the distinctive honor of winning both the American Legion and V.F.W. national championships. They were proclaimed the 1950 Corps of the Decade by the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame. From 1946 to 1959, Reilly Raiders entered 129 contests, recording 90 first place finishes, 31 second places and eight third places. During this time, he also arranged and instructed drill for other corps. He taught Pittsburgh Rockets, Milton Keystoners, Liberty Bell, Interstatesmen, Belles of St. Mary’s, Little Flower, and many others. In 1960, he left Reilly and became drill instructor and drum major for the New York Skyliners. In 1962, he joined the Yankee Rebels as drill arranger/instructor and marched with the Rebels as one of their drum majors. A work-related move to Detroit ended his association with the Rebels in 1965. He moved east when he retired. Following his induction, he was named administrator for the Hall of Fame, a position he held until his death in 1998.

William “Rip” Bernert - ‘Rip’ Bernert was a soprano bugler in the Howard C. McCall Junior Drum Corps and was their soloist when they won the American Legion (AL) national championship in 1947. He was music and drill arranger and instructor for the Audubon Bon Bons from 1950 until 1977. Both his parents were also involved with the Bon Bons: his father, Joseph, founded the corps in 1938 and his mother, Florence, served as head chaperone and corps president until 1977. The corps was runner up for several national titles and won 12 major all girl titles. He joined Archer-Epler in 1951 and became their drill arranger and instructor in 1952, retaining those duties until the mid 1960s. He was also horn instructor for many of those years. Rip was the horn instructor for virtually every major Drum & Bugle Corps in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania during the 50’s and 60’s. He is currently arranging and conducting music for the Bon Bons Alumni Chorus.

Ed Cagney - Ed’s Drum Corps career is indeed impressive. He began in 1955 as a percussionist with the Lake Erie Commodores from Parma, Ohio. 1956 brought him to the Pittsburgh Rockets remaining with them until 1972 where he served them as Color Guard Captain and Drum Major in a performance capacity, instructed them as drill instructor and color guard instructor and has served them as a staff and Board member. He also has instructed and/or written drill for such Junior Corps as the Catholic Daughters of America, Butler, Pa., General Butler Vagabonds, Butler, Pa., Sharpsburg Cadets, Pittsburgh, Pa., St. Mary’s Cadets, Georgetown, S.C., Loris Marching Lions, Loris, S.C., Derry Patriots, Derry, Pa., and the Sundowners, North Versailles, Pa. And such Senior Corps as Meadville Thunderbirds, Meadville, Pa. And the Steel City Ambassadors, Pittsburgh, Pa. His judging credentials include stints with the Pennsylvania Federation of Contest Judges from 1983 through 1990 and the National Judges Association from 1991 through to 2005. He judged Finals for the American Legion National Championships in 1960 and 1961.  His administrative accomplishments also include Founder and President of the Carolinas Drum and Bugle Corps Circuit and Publicity Director for Drum Corps Associates form 1990 through 1997. He is the Founder and President of the West Penn Color Guard Circuit, Founder and Publicity Director of the Winter Guard International Circuit (WGI), Co-Founder of the Ohio Color Guard Circuit, Founder and President of the Keystone State Color Guard Circuit and was the Co-Host of the WGI Finals telecast live on PBS-T.V. in 1983, 84 and 85. Ed is also a Charter Lifetime member of the Pennsylvania Drum Corp Hall of Fame.

William “Bill” Reamer – Bill started his drum and bugle corps career in Archer-Epler’s Junior Drum Corps prior to World War II where he became their instructor and won several individual snare drum titles. He entered the US Army during the war and was assigned to the Army Band. After his Army service, he returned to the newly formed Archer-Epler Senior Drum & Bugle Corps and was again their instructor. He became interested in the rudimental style drumming being played in Fife and Drum corps and believed that it could be utilized in marching and maneuvering corps. He started teaching it in Archer-Epler and the Howard C. McCall Junior Drum Corps in Philadelphia.  He reached early success at McCall when they won the American Legion National Championship in New York in 1947. In 1950 he became the drum instructor for the Audubon All Girl Corps, the Bon Bons. He took on the task of proving that girls could compete on a level with boys. Once again he achieved success as his drummers were winning individual snare, tenor and drum quartet titles at both a local and national level in 1955, 56, 57 and 58. His drum section had the highest score of both junior and senior corps at the American Legion National competition held in Atlantic City in 1957. After retiring from the drum and bugle corps scene in 1968 he organized a fife and drum corps that performed at many events up to and including the bicentennial in 1976. During his retirement he opened a very successful drum shop where he made all types of rope drums and drum sticks for individuals, military Bands and symphony orchestras.