VINCENT D’ARRIGO
Class of 2013
CADET / BENEFACTOR / VOLUNTEER / ALUMNI LEADER
Cadet Years: Percussion/Snare/Drum Sergeant (1939-1950)
Fundraiser and Alumni Leader (1983-1990’s)
HIS CADET STORY:
Vince began his drum corps career marching in the snare line with the Mt. Carmel Drum and Bugle Corps for a year and a half, until, at the tender age of seven, members of the Holy Name Cadets recognized his talent and took him to a Cadets rehearsal. Vince eventually made the snare line and became a parishioner and altar boy of the Most Holy Name Church.
Through hard work and dedication, Vince became the Drum Sergeant of the section and a well-respected member of the Corps for over ten (10) years. A famous memory from Vince was at the 1948 American Legion Nationals in Miami – when the percussion judges put their clip boards under their arms and started applauding – a testament to the hard work that the boys put into the show. Vince was part of the Corps first three-peat with American Legion National Championships in 1948, 1949 and 1950.
Vince helped organize the Corps’ fundraisers, paper drives, dances and plays. This is where he met his wife, Lucille. And later in life, the creator of the famous Cadet Beefsteak dinners of the 1980’s.
Vince’s last two years of eligibility were taken from him by a draft notice. During his military training, Vince still found ways to play, joining the military marching band in Korea, but also ended up fighting in three of the five worst battles of the Korean War, including Pork Chop Hill and Old Baldie. He also rose up the ranks to sergeant.
Among Cadets alumni, Vince has forever been a leader. “It probably is not widely known that Vincent held monthly meetings at his Park Ridge home for aged-out Cadets of the 30s, 40s and 50s,” said Albert Mura, a charter member of the Holy Name Cadets who marched until 1954. “A nucleus of a dozen or more, including myself, met for the sole purpose of raising money to support the corps. I believe this was the beginning of a formal alumni organization,” Albert said.
Vince, together with Corps alumnus Dave Shaw, were primarily responsible for the 50th Anniversary Dinner Dance and the formation of the first official Cadet Alumni Association.
