We had camp at Marist College in Poughkeepsie. "Stan" (Marty Roche) used to wear the same Aerosmith t-shirt A LOT. We would practice drill all day & after dinner we'd go into a music room at the college for horn rehearsal.
One day we all filed into the music room & there was a REALLY GOOD drawing of a figure on the chalkboard of a guy holding a mellophone at his side. The guy was wearing an AEROSMITH T-shirt, ONLY instead of a normal head there was a Cinder block. Hence "Cement head" which stuck for awhile.
I am relatively sure that the artist was none other than Pete China.
A whole group of out of town people were staying at The Calogianes place , as was the case on many a weekend.
One night early in the 1980 season, after a long rehearsal & a longer party.....after all the bars were closing ,& we needed something to do for no apparent reason. Somehow, in the wee hours of daybreak, after no sleeping & pulling an "all-nighter", Jimmy C. had an epiphany ... "Lets go get a sign from where I work out in Bohemia. NY".
The sign is bright yellow with red letters & says: "SCHACKER 293-3700". (Bohemia was about 20m from home....due east)
Here's the thing ... There were at least 6 people who all just piled into a car at daybreak, not one of them sober, to drive out to an industrial park in Bohemia, just to "STEAL" this ridiculous sign. No Questions asked ... they just did it like it was their lifes work. Once the mission was accomplished & hysterical laughter was subdued, what were we to do with this sign? Well ... for the remainder of the season, that sign was carried out on the field & strategically placed in front of the front line ... no one knew why ... even WE didn't know why ... we just did it!
One last thing ... "CALL COLLECT!"
As we all know, Fran Haring has quite an array of "colorful shirts." This has been true ... literally forever. I have known Fran since marching in Manville Crusaders. We TRULY grew up together ... we know each other since probably junior HS ... 11-12years old.
Well, Fran used to wear "strange, yet colorful" shirts even then.
One day, he wore a shirt that was RED-WHITE & BLUE , only each "Shirt panel" was a different color ... so one sleeve was white, one sleeve was red, the left front panel blue, the right panel red, shirt pocket-white ... you get the picture. So at rehearsal (I think it was Lenny) started singing the "Star-Spangled Banner" ... you know ... "Three Cheers for the red, white & blue" ... and I finished the line with "Francis shirt makes him look like a jerk-off."
Fast forward to the Sunrisers. Fran wore the same shirt to practice once. Lenny & I immediately broke into song. "3 cheers for the red-white & blue...Francis shirt makes him look like a jerk-off."
Hhmmmmm ... haven't seen the shirt since!
I just want to list all of the people that I saw at the CRAZY-8's. This includes those that I either "just met" or had the "EXTREME HONOR" of marching with over my years as a SUNRISER. I want to do this because ... we truly may never pass this way again & RIGHT now it is clear in my memory.
I SINCERELY LOVE EVERY ONE OF YOU in a very different, special sort of way ... and I would like for you to know this. So Here's to you ...
Bruce Emmott, Tony & Donna White (& Alex who was in diapers the last time that I saw him prior to this dinner), Patty (I canNOT believe that you actully lived with STAN for so long), Joe Thompson (your wife), Kathleen Thompson, Dave DeAndrea (The other **Rx**), Billy Spiegler, Betty, Mike & John Clougher & your wives, Gary & Richie Williams, Fran & Barb Haring (so great to see Barb out & about...God Bless you both), Gene Bennett (I swear that I still CAN do that dance from Spain), Neal & Maureen Van Deusen, Dawn, Larry Visconti (you old snake ... catch & release indeed), Tommy & Teresa Conlon, Dania, Kevin Carraher, Flo, Milton, Steiny, Whelan, Tom Pohl, Meiko (finally met you), John "Cookie" Kamerdin, "GGG-AAA- ANTHONY", George Knoebel, John & Mary Kelly, Ted & Marge Sasso, Chuck Cooke, Jeff Saktig, Rick Kuhn, Jim Dyckman, Jack (WHO) Alexandro, Ray Yenshaw (So great to see you sweetie...), Dave China & your wife, Lisa (formerly of jailhouse Joe fame), Nat, Billy Dipaolo,Tomoki, Ray Fallon, Linda Shoemaker, AND of course, I save my all time favorite Sunriser of the quarter century for last...STAN......God...it's like you are frozen in time!
For anyone that I may have missed please know that I did not mean to & to all of you & with all of you I salute THE LONG ISLAND SUNRISERS ... yesterday,today, & forever!!!
I LOVE YOU ALL. Thanks
Michelle Monturo, MELLO 1975-84
