HIS CADET STORY
Pat’s journey to the Cadet Hall of Fame began with his initial drum set instruction at age nine. He performed as a percussionist and vocalist with folk groups as well as a pit percussionist for the theater. At the age of 14, he joined the Cranford Patriots, a small local Drum and Bugle Corps, where he performed for 4 years in the percussion section. He then joined the Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps and played snare drum for four years, the final three as Drum Sergeant before “aging-out” as Cadet of the Year. He also participated as a driver in the Cadet’s storied southern “Van Lift” recruitment effort in 1980 that saved the corps from extinction. He would also occasionally drive the equipment truck and attend judges' meetings on tour while still a performing member of the corps. Pat then became a member of the percussion staff where he served for four years as the Snare Tech. His work culminated in 1984 after the Cadets won back-to-back DCI World Championships and received perfect scores in Percussion Ensemble and General Effect. 

He used his illustration skills to create many graphic designs for the corps including the popular “G” logo and “Garfield Cadet” script (shown above) which have been used by the Cadets since the early 1980s.  Pat then took a hiatus from percussion studies and teaching to focus on starting a family and pursuing his architectural career.

He returned to drum set studies in 1990-1991 under the late Kim Plainfield at NYC’s Drummers Collective. Pat was Director of Marching Percussion at the University of Virginia Cavalier Marching Band from 2009-2016 under Director and former Cadet student, Bill Pease. He has also instructed the Garfield Cadets Plebes, the Morristown Colonials, the Eatontown Royales, and various high school bands in VA, NJ, and MA and served as an adjudicator for USSBA. In 2021, he became a member of the Cadets’ Hall of Fame selection committee.

He teaches rudimental and drum set percussion privately and is a member of the Zildjian education team. He also served as an Adjunct Professor of Architecture at Brightpoint Community College. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he performs with Blue Orchid, a Richmond, Virginia based Jazz ensemble that he founded and manages. He launched Studio Z Architecture in 1993 and continues to practice in Richmond, VA, where he lives with his wife and Cadet Alumna; Lorrie Rettig Zampetti (the first female bass drummer in Cadet history), their four children, and three grandchildren.