by Steve Vickers

While the history of theHutchinson, KS, Sky Rydersbegins in 1955, the story reallybegan 32 years earlier when thelocal American Legion post starteda senior drum and bugle corps.Founding director Jack McCarrollinvested $125 of his own money topurchase equipment.

It was entered in stateAmerican Legion conventions in1924 and 1925, but disbanded inthe fall of 1925.

Three years later another corpswas formed that existed for 15years. During that time it was oneof the largest units in the state,presenting 15 to 20 bugles, 10 to15 in the drum line, plus two orthree in the American flag squad.

Overlapping the senior corpsduring part of this time period wasa junior corps that performed in Kansasfrom 1932-1939. Another junior corps wasstarted in 1940 and lasted for only two years.

Then there was another junior and seniorcorps toward the end of World War II, butthese two groups were also short-lived.

That brings the chronology up to 1952when the seeds were planted that led to theestablishment of a new junior corpsappearing for the first time in an AmericanLegion convention parade in Salina. Itstarted out being called the Lisle Rishel Post68 Drum & Bugle Corps and performed inmakeshift uniforms with equipment from the1940s once used by the junior and seniorcorps.

In 1954, Ken Fairbrother, an officer at theHutchinson Naval Air Station, took over. Hehad been a member of the HawthorneCaballeros. Music came from the “LudwigDrum Corps Manual” and included OverThere, Battle Hymn of the Republic andYou’re in the Army Now.

A reorganization in January 1955 resultedin the corps being led by H.D. “Prof” McCosh,a local band director. He told themembers and parents it would take aboutfour years to produce a state champion.His estimate was exact. The group adoptedthe name Sky Ryders and the firstAmerican Legion state Championship waswon in 1959.

The Great Plains Drum & Bugle CorpsAssociation was also formed in 1955. Duringits 25-year existence, the following corps tookpart in shows: Kansas -- Argonne Rebels andRebel-Heirs from Great Bend; Sky Ryders andJets from Hutchinson; Silver Sabers fromSalina; Continentals, Scarlet Lancers,Phantoms and Continental Ambassadors fromWichita; Plainsmen from Emporia; andTrailblazers/Traildrivers and Blue Brass from

(Top) Sky Ryders, 1986 (photo by Orlin Wagner from thecollection of Drum Corps World); (above) Sky Ryders, 1975(photo by Jane Boulen from the collection of Drum CorpsWorld); (left) Sky Ryders, 1968 (photo from the collection ofDrum Corps World).

Sky Ryders, 1976 (photo by Orlin Wagner from the collection ofDrum Corps World).

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Overland Park; Oklahoma -- LegionettesAll-Girl from Enid; Valiant Knights fromEnid; Sooner Cadets from Oklahoma City;and Young Tulsans from Tulsa; New Mexico --Continentals from Albuquerque; Nebraska --Admirals Senior Corps and Young Admiralsfrom Lincoln; and corps in Grand Island andKearny; Colorado -- Blue Knights fromDenver; and Centennial Grenadiers SeniorCorps, also from Denver.

Over the years, some outside corps visitedincluding the Troopers, Santa ClaraVanguard, Cedar Rapids Grenadiers and CedarRapids Cadets, Flamingos, Garfield Cadetsand the Air Force Academy Enlisted Corps.

The early years were lean for the SkyRyders, sometimes with less than two dozenmembers on the street or the field, but theorganization slowly began to thrive. Theydecided to play music based on the idea of thesky to fit their name. The initial repertoirefeatured Blue Skies, Over the Rainbow, OffWe Go and Ghost Riders in the Sky.

At times rehearsals were held in themorning and again in the evening at the statefairgrounds on the north end of town.Members were determined and were willingto work hard to achieve their dreams.

To provide more opportunities for localyouth, additional instruments were purchasedfrom a senior corps in Atwood, KS. This gavethe Sky Ryders an added incentive inimprove. In 1957, the corps took third placeat competitions in Emporia, Great Bend andWichita, KS, as well as at a show in Grand

Island, NE. The group’s main competitionwas the Continentals from Wichita and theArgonne Rebels from Great Bend.

Starting in 1959, the corps began pilingup honors. By winning the state AmericanLegion contest, they traveled to the nationalconvention in Minneapolis, MN, where theyearned 10th place in finals, less than a pointbehind the Racine Kilties. The foundation of

a nationalreputation wasbeingestablished.

That firstnationallycompetitivecorps wasdressed in navyblue uniformsand had 30horns, 12percussion anda small colorguard. Musicwas written bymember JohnSimpson.

During thesummer of1960, thecorps repeated

as state champion and also captured theMissouri state title. Members raised $25,000for their trips that season that included anappearance at the American Legion Nationalsin Miami, FL, where they placed sixth, behindthe Chicago Royal Airs and ahead of St.Lucy’s Cadets.

The 1960 season included being featuredon the Fleetwood recordings from the Miamichampionships.

Over the next eight years, the Sky Ryderssteadily improved and often participated inAmerican Legion National events. In 1961,theytraveled toDenver andplacedfifth, withtheTroopersjust aheadand staterivalArgonneRebelsrightbehind.

Sky Ryders, 1978 (photo by Orlin Wagner from the collection of Drum Corps World).

Sky Ryders, 1980, during Here’s That Rainy Day (photo by Ed Ferguson from the collection of Drum Corps World).

(Above) Sky Ryders, 1980 (photo by Dick Deihl from thecollection of Drum Corps World); (left) Sky Ryders, 1982 (photoby John Wacker from the collection of Drum Corps World).

Sky Ryders,1984 (photo byArt Luebke fromthe collection ofDrum CorpsWorld).

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The 1962 season included two nationalchampionships trips. The first was tothe American Legion Championship inLas Vegas, NV, where the corps finishedfourth, again just behind the Troopersby two-tenths of a point. The secondtrip was to Minneapolis, MN, for theirfirst appearance at a VFW national eventwhere they earned 16th place.

The next season concluded atAmerican Legion Nationals in Dallas,TX, where the corps placed third, justsix-tenths behind the HawthorneMuchachos.

The Sky Ryders also won KansasAmerican Legion state titles in 1959,1960, 1961, 1962 and 1964; Great PlainsAssociation titles in 1961, 1962, 1963and 1964; a Colorado State AmericanLegion state title in 1964; and MissouriAmerican Legion titles in 1960, 1961,1962 and 1964

In 1965, the corps entered what turnedout to be one of the largest VFW NationalChampionships in history, where they endedup in 18th place. That was the show where15 corps advanced to finals and the title eventwas held inside McCormick Place because oftorrential rainstorms that flooded SoldierField in downtown Chicago.

The 1966 season was a difficult one for theSky Ryders. In fact, the corps almost folded

for lack of members. Had it not been for aninflux of members from their feeder corps,the Jets, the season might not havehappened.

The Jets had been established in the late1950s to train new members. I joined thecorps just out of seventh grade in 1961 andspent five season there before being nameddirector in 1966 when I was a junior in highschool. I was good at recruiting and duringthe winter of 1966/1967, I had more than 100young people involved ages 11-16.

Some of the Sky Ryders’ strongest seasonsup to that time were in 1967, 1968 and 1969.The corps added girls to playing sections in1967 and purchased a new set of matchedGetzen bugles. Yearly trips to Iowa, Illinoisand Wisconsin and were planned over theFourth of July when the corps competedagainst the strongest corps in the Midwest.

In 1969, in fact, the corps was particularly

strong and took the 10-hour bus trip to thatregion on three consecutive weekends in July.

The summer concluded with a KansasAmerican Legion title and an appearance atAmerican Legion Nationals in Atlanta, GA,where they finished seventh, between theHawthorne Muchachos and Racine Scouts.

For the 1969 season, the corps’ brassinstructor, John Simpson, brought arrangerLarry Kerchner in to produce part of the

corps’ book.They stoppedusing Frenchhorns and beganusingmellophonesfor the middlevoices. Theywere one of thefirst corps in thecountry to makethat change.

Severalweaker seasonsfollowed in 1970and 1971, butthen Drum CorpsInternational

came along and the Sky Ryders took part inthe first titleshow atWhitewater,WI, wherethey finishedin 20th.

It was atthis pointthat thecorps againstayed closeto homeduring thenext threeseasons.

The corps was still populated totally bylocal talent and the numbers weren’tsufficient to justify national participationaside from the July 4 trips to Illinois,Wisconsin and Iowa.

As membership began to filter in fromoutside the immediate area, the corps startedto grow and improve. The Sky Rydersre-entered national competition at the 1977DCI Championships in Denver where theyplaced third in the class A prelims.

The following season, the corps movedinto open class and began a steady climb. In1978, they placed 32nd at DCI, again inDenver; 22nd in 1979 at Birmingham; 17th atthe 1980 show back in Alabama; and 14th atthe first DCI Championship outside theUnited States in Montreal.

It was the team of director George Tuthilland brass technician John Simpson who puttogether the strong programs during thatperiod of time, anchored in popular tunes andlarge contingents of talented young people,many from the nearby states of Oklahomaand Texas.

Tuthill came to Kansas from the EastCoast where he had been involved with avariety of leading junior and senior corps,including the Hawthorne Caballeros. He was

Sky Ryders, 1984 (photo by Art Luebke from the collection of Drum Corps World).

Sky Ryders, 1985 (photo from the collection of Drum Corps World).

Sky Ryders, 1986(photo by DickDeihl from thecollection of DrumCorps World).

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in fact, was nominated for a Grammy awardas a result. Unfortunately, because the DCIrecords were not commercially available tothe public, the nomination was disallowed,but it was still great recognition for the corpsand for their talented arranger.

The 1983 repertoire consisted of a medleyof Quien and La Virgin de la Macarena,Here’s That Rainy Day and Somewhere Overthe Rainbow, although the season had started

out using a wonder-ful closer of HeartLight and the themefrom the movie “E.T.”Judges and fans hadbecome accustomedto Somewhere Overthe Rainbowconcluding the showand the pressure tochange it back wastoo great. Thecorps finished12th that season atthe DCI event inMiami.

In 1984, Tuthillwas gone and atAtlanta, GA, the SkyRyders dropped outof finals at 17th aftera still strongappearance thatfeatured a secondversion of Home on

the Range, Journey fromMariobronn as a percussionfeature, a medley of Quien Sabeand Macarena, along with a newcloser of Claire’s Song.

The summer of 1985 was a littlestronger and the corps moved up

two spots to 15thwith the first oftwo “Wizard of Oz”productions.

The next threeyears becameendearing for theSky Ryders anddrum corpsaudiences. Thecorps presentedthree extremelypopular showsbased onwell-known andtuneful musicals.

They started theseries with asignificantlyimproved “Wizardof Oz” productionin 1986. Itfeatured the wickedwitch on a bicycleand she eventually“melted” into theAstroturf at CampRandall Stadium inMadison, WI,

hired to be director and set out to get thecorps into DCI’s top 12.

Kerchner’s unique and melodicarrangements were popular with drum corpsfans and began to get the attention of judgesas well. His presentations were clear and putthe melody out front with beautifulcountermelodies and full chords backing upthe tunes.

In 1980, the corps performed Enough isEnough, NightStreets, Here’s ThatRainy Day,Firedance, TheStorm, RainbowConnection andSomewhere Over theRainbow. Theyfollowed up in 1981with Faces, OvertureFrom the RoyalMongolian SumoFoosballTournament,Firedance, Stormand a medley ofHere’s That RainyDay and SomewhereOver the Rainbow.

Then in 1982, thegoal Tuthill set out toaccomplish wasrealized. The corpshad a great seasonand topped it off byfinally achieving top-12 status andperforming in Olympic Stadium on August21. Support from back home included TheHutchinson News having a reporter travelingwith them, and the finalist spot earned thema huge photospread and story the next day.

A Spanish flavorpermeated therepertoire andincluded Faces, amedley of QuienSabe, Macarena andDr. Macumba, andanother medley ofCome In From theRain andSomewhere Over theRainbow. The corps’huge, unfoldingrainbow wasbecoming atrademark alongwith Kerchner’s newtreatment ofSomewhere Over theRainbow that closedeach production.

It was the 1983show that broughtparticular attentionto the Sky Ryders.Kerchner producedan unusualarrangement ofHome on the Rangein a jazz tempo and,

(Top) Sky Ryders,1985; (above) SkyRyders, 1988;(right) Sky Ryders,1987; (below) SkyRyders, 1987(photos by OrlinWagner from thecollection of DrumCorps World).

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spectacular flags andcolor guard costumesrepresenting yards andyards of lamé, and anincreasingly strongoffering from thepercussion. The corpsbounced back into DCIFinals with theirhighest ranking (ninth)and even managed tobring tears to the eyesof many spectators atthe end of their finalsperformance.

Alumni Dale Antoinebegan a four-year run asdirector of the corps,having been with theorganization since theearly 1970s, first as amember of the Jets andthen the Sky Ryders.He brought together anextremely talented teamof designers andinstructors led byTommy Keenum whoassembled a group of young people toflood the field with a rainbow of colorthrough costumes, flags, props andequipment.

An even more unique show followed forthe 1987 season when the Sky Ryders servedup “West Side Story.” The brass section wasin all-white uniforms; the percussion woreblack and the drum major wore gray. Themovie score had been presented manydifferent ways over the years by a variety ofcorps, but thisproduction was themost unusual to date.

The boys in theguard were the Sharksand the Jets, and thegirls were theirgirlfriends. By the endof the show, the boyswere dressed in arainbow of lamé sportsjackets and the girlswore matching promdresses. They all hadmatching pairs of flagsthat filled the field withan explosion of color.

Again, there weretears in the eyes ofmany in the crowd inMadison for anemotional ending when“Tony” and “Maria” ranout of the stadium at the end.

The 1988 show revolved around selectionsfrom “The Sound of Music” and again had awide variety of colorful costumes, flags andprops. During Do Re Mi, some of the guardunfurled lyrics for the crowd to sing alongand others used huge, sparkly musical notes.

The DCI finishes in 1987 and 1988 placedthe Sky Ryders in 12th and the three seasons

were led on the field by popular drum majorBrady Massey, who charmed audiences withan infectious smile and expressive conductingthat added to the corps’ popularity.

An abrupt change in musical stylefollowed in 1989 when the corps switched toa cadet design for their uniform and playedMarch From the Symphonic Metamorphosisand selections from “Carmina Burana.” Thenew, darker direction wasn’t popular withaudiences or the judges and the corps

dropped to a semifinals tie for 14th at DCI inKansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium.

Financial difficulties were piling up on theorganization, partially because localmembership from the city of Hutchinson andeven from Kansas was dwindling and supportwas difficult to secure. The organization wascompelled to declare bankruptcy, but was stillable to continue.

By the spring of 1990, however, the futurelooked bleak. At a board meeting on April 30,a decision was to be made about folding thecorps. Fortunately, a proposal was made tomove the corps to Dallas by a man who hadwanted to start a new corps in Texas. Theboard voted to allow the takeover and amonth later, on Memorial Day weekend, theSky Ryders of Texas began rehearsals.

Because the change had taken place soquickly and unexpectedly, the new director,Paul Proctor, didn’t have a chance to set uplong-term fund-raising. Bingo was an option,but not for at least two years because of locallaws that called for new organizations to existfor a minimum period of time.

The 1990 season brought a brighter lookto the corps, with the black pants of 1989replaced with white and a repertoire thatincluded Savananah River Holiday,Wonderful Town, Turkey Trot, March for theBoston Symphony Orchestra and LibertyFanfare. The first year as a Texas corpsyielded a DCI finish of 19th, so the corps washolding on after a challenging transition.

The 1991 season would bring the DCIChampionships to their hometown and areturn to the type of show the corps had beenso successful with in 1986, 1987 and 1988.The music came from the Broadway hit“Camelot” and was strong enough to get theSky Ryders back into finals in the 12thposition. Fans were happy and the move toDallas was beginning to result in a strongerprogram for the membership.

In 1992, another Broadway show wastapped, bringing the tuneful “Brigadoon” tothe field. Plaid material was added to theshakos and a matching sash added an

appropriate look for theScottish production.But money woes and asmaller corps landed thecorps in 15th place atthe championships,during DCI’s 20thanniversary celebrationin Madison, WI.

The corps wasexisting almost entirelyon souvenir sales,appearance fees andmember dues. It wasgetting more and moredifficult to pay off bankloans for the buses andmaintain the schedulethat a DCI touring corpswas required to fulfill.

A risky change ofdirection to a morecontemporary musical

show in 1993 caused further slipping downthe rankings at the season-ending DCIChampionships in Jackson, MS. Two-thirdsof the show was based on Edward Gregson’sConnotations and the balance featured DavidDiamond’s Second Symphony, 4thMovement.

Once again, drum corps fans and thejudges didn’t buy into the concept and the

Sky Ryders, 1989 (photo by Orlin Wagner from the collection of Drum Corps World).

Sky Ryders, 1989 (photo by Orlin Wagner from the collection of Drum Corps World).

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board wereunable tosalvage theorganization.Withoutever gettingonto the field,the SkyRyders foldedagain, atleast as a drumand buglecorps.Former

member AnnDuncan wasn’twilling to let thename die at thatpoint, so shestarted a winterguard which stillexists. Thenon-profitRainbow BoosterClub, had been

allowed tomove fromDallas toKansas City,continues to bethe corporatesponsor of theSky Ryders.

While theguard has keptthe contestgoing over theyears, havingmoved it to

Haskall Indian University in Lawrence, KS,about 35 miles west of Kansas City, therewon’t be a show in 2003. The board maybring the show back for corps headingtoward Denver and the 2004 DCIChampionships.

Out of the dozen or so drum and buglecorps that called the Great Plains home overthe last 50 years, the Sky Ryders managed tostay alive the longer than most (the BlueKnights and Troopers are still active).Thousands of young people experienced beingpart of the corps, many from the city ofHutchinson with a relatively small populationof 40,000. More were touched by theorganization as they traveled from nearby

states or participated when the corps had abrief stay in Texas.

The Sky Ryders transitioned from being atotally local drum and bugle corps tocompeting on the international stage. Likethe Bridgemen, Velvet Knights and manyothers, they presented a particularlyentertaining brand of music and visuals thatstood out among the thousands of corps thathave existed over the last eight decades.

corps did not achieve the finalist spot themembers had hoped would come their way.

The off-season that followed was filledwith rumors about the corps’ decliningfinancial status, but camps were scheduledand a show was planned for the 1994 season.

At the weekend of rehearsals in March, thecorps still had about 80 members inattendance. By the next scheduled camp amonth later, because of inaccurateinformation spread by several staff andmembers, the number dropped to less than adozen and that was the end.

The corps had finally been able to start abingo operation in the fall of 1993, butbecause it takes time to get a gameestablished and producing a significantamount of revenue, it was too late.

Management was forced to declarebankruptcy for the organization a secondtime. All of the buses, equipment anduniforms were sold and the proceeds wereapplied to the debt.

Proctor was determined not to leave theSky Ryders’ name with a bad reputation, sohe kept the bingo game operating to pay offthe substantial debt for a number of yearsafter the corps calledit quits. Eventuallyall of the bank loanswere paid off.

In 1996, a groupof drum corpsalumni, including aformer director ofthe corps when itwas in Kansas,attempted to restartthe corps in KansasCity. The group gotthe corps off theground witha new set ofdrums and aset of buglespaid for by afoundation.

The newedition ofthe SkyRyders, withthe blessingof Proctor,marched ina number ofparades in 1996 and 1997 and startedrunning a Drum Corps Midwest-sanctionedcompetition in the suburbs of Kansas City.The groups’ geographic location made theshow an ideal stop on the tour for corpsheading to “Drums Along the Rockies” inDenver and it was an ideal fund-raiser for thefledgling organization.

After the founding director moved toanother part of the country, the boardbrought George Tuthill back to run the corps.He had spent a dozen years in Salem, OR,running the Argonauts and then a summeryouth band organization.

Unfortunately, too much ground had beenlost prior to his arrival and Tuthill and the

Steve Vickers joined the SkyRyders’ feeder corps, the Jets, in1961. He was director of thatgroup during his junior year ofhigh school in 1966, thenmarched with the Sky Rydersthrough his age-out year in

1970. Graduating from the University ofKansas with a bachelor of science degree injournalism in 1971, he was on the staff of theSky Ryders until accepting the position ofeditor for Drum Corps World, then based inGolden, CO, in June 1973. A year later hepurchased the publication. The newspaperwas relocated to Madison, WI, in 1979.

He was primarily responsible for bringingthe DCI Championships to Madison, WI, in1985 and served as chairman of the localorganizing committee in 1985, 1986, 1987,1992, 1999 and 2002.

From 1986 to 2000, he participated on theboard of directors for the Madison Drum andBugle Corps Association, Inc., assisting withpublicity and fund-raising.

In addition, he is secretary/treasurer ofthe 21st Century Drum & Bugle CorpsFoundation, Inc., an organization that assistsnew junior corps starting in the UnitedStates.

His other interests include thearchitecture of Frank Lloyd Wright,attending plays and musicals in New YorkCity and travel. He lives in Madison, WI.

(Right) Sky Ryders, 1990, atthe DCI Championships inBuffalo, NY (photo by DaleEck from the collection ofDrum Corps World); (below)Sky Ryders, 1990, at the DCIChampionships in Buffalo,NY (photo by Jim DeVinefrom the collection of DrumCorps World); Sky Ryders,1992 (photo by Orlin Wagnerfrom the collection of DrumCorps World); Sky Ryders,1993 (photo by Dan Scafidifrom the collection of DrumCorps World).

Sky Ryders, 1997 (photo by Roger Ellis from the collection ofDrum Corps World).

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