Former Osmond Post Cadets

who are

World Drum Corps Hall of Fame Members

Bob Adair

Click to hear Bob play his Famous Reilly Soprano Bugle Solo - "Stardust"

Don Adair

      Bugle Instructor for:

  Pennsauken Vagabonds

     Belmawr Cadets

    Ridley Park Rangers

   Earl of Bucks

     Bracken Cavaliers

     Osmond Sr Corps

Reilly Raiders

Lambertville Volunteers

Cramer Hill Rough Riders

  M&M Instructor for:

 Osmond Post Cadets

 Phila PAL Cadets

 Cramer Hill Rough Riders

The Following is the Official Bio from the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame

DON ADAIR
Mr. Adair began his career with the Osmond Post Cadets in 1939 playing a soprano.  He assisted with drill design and instruction during the period in which Osmond won 2 National titles.  Reilly Raiders was his choice as a senior corps where he continued playing lead soprano.  Don joined the Marine Corps Divisional Band  as a percussionist.  He was the brass arranger/instructor for the Hadden Heights Vagabonds, Ridley Park Rangers, PAL Cadets, Bracken Cavaliers, and Reilly Raiders Alumni.  Don was a charter member of the NJA and the original original brass caption head.

John Dowlan

Click here to listen to John playing the Solo that won him the 1949 VFW National Snare Drum Championship

in Miami, Florida

Click here to listen to John playing the solo that won him the VFW National Snare Drum Championship

in 1950 at Chicago, Ill and in 1951 at New York City

      Reilly Raiders Sr Corps

       Pittsburg Rockets Sr Corps

      Yankee Rebels Sr Corps

      Westshoremen Sr Corps

       Belles of St Mary

        Reading Buccaneers

        (1st Bugle Instructor)

JOHN DOWLAN
In 1935, John joined the Osmond Post Cadets Junior Corps in Philadelphia as a rookie drummer. During the years that followed John practiced long hours to obtain a firm rudimental drumming foundation. It was during this time John also developed and refined his practice techniques commonly known today as BackSticking." In 1946 following his Army military service in the Philippines during WW2 John returned to Osmond and became drum instructor. A new senior drum corps was being formed known as A.K. Street VFW Sr. Corps and they were auditioning drummers. He soon joined. The corps' name was later changed to the Reilly Raiders in memory of a former junior corps member Frederick J. Reilly.  During his 7 year tenure with Reilly John won many snare drum accolades including the VFW Senior Individual National Snare Drum Championship in 1949 in Miami, again in 1950 in Chicago and again in 1951 in New York City. To show his versatility John also played soprano bugle in the National Championship Senior Brass Quartet. In 1957, John was selected by M/Sgt Truman Crawford to teach and arrange percussion for the drum line of the USAF Drum Corps, Washington, DC. While there the Air Force drummers introduced the World to John's BackSticking Techniques. During John's drum corps career he has instructed in excess of 50 top junior and senior drum corps and hundreds of drummers. Some of these drummers are members of the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame today.

Harry Ginther

HARRY GINTHER
Harry Ginther, another Reilly Raider original who marched/taught the Raiders percussion line at intervals from 1946 through 1959. Ginther was responsible for many years of Championship percussion performances and arranged several field drum solos that are still being played in the 2000's by admiring corps. Harry also instructed the National Championship Osmond Cadets, the Temple Cadets, the Liberty Bell Cadets among others , and was a charter member of the National Judges Association. He was also a favorite of many horn instructors who knew that their musical arrangements would be enhanced by the percussion assistance of Harry Ginther.

DON MIHOK
Mr. Mihok has the distinction of winning the individual VFW National Snare Drum Championship as both a junior in 1949 as an Osmond Cadet and as a senior in 1957 with Archer Epler Musketeers.  In addition to Osmond, as a junior, Don played with Rising Sun and McCall.  As a senior, he played with Archie.  A long time member of the NARD, Don instructed Vasella, Haddon Heights, East Germantown, Bangor Yellow Jackets, and the Reilly Raiders Alumni.  He has also judged percussion with the Mid Atlantic, All-American, and DCA Judges Associations.

 WILLIAM MITTEN
In his year of induction, Bill Mitten had been involved in drum and bugle corps activity for 55 years. From 1929 to 1942, he was a member of the Osmond Post Cadets. During the following three years, he was a member of the Army Air Force Drum and Bugle Corps. He was an original member of Reilly Raiders in 1946 and performed with corps until 1958. He was a horn player, but also marched as drum major when required. He was one of the first drill instructors to include dance steps, gimmicks, body movements and choreography in field contest routines. He served as an instructor with a number of corps, including Osmond, Soby-American Legion and Norristown O’Hara Todd. For 35 years, he was a judge with Eastern States, Mid-Atlantic, Drum Corps Associates and the Cavalcade of Bands judging Associations.

Larry Scott

Member World Drum Corps Hall of Fame

Baritone Bugle with the Osmond Post Cadets

Baritone Bugle with the Reilly Raiders

Member National Judging Association 

M&M Instructor: Osmond Post Cadets

President of The Reilly Raiders for 7 Years

Click to hear Larry Play his Famous Reilly Solo "Serenade" from the Operetta "The Student Prince"

The Following is the Official Bio from the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame

LARRY SCOTT
Larry started with the Osmond Cadets in the 1930's. He joined the Reilly Raiders upon their formation in 1946. One of the finest baritone soloists of the 1940-50 era. He will be remembered as the soloist in Reilly's rendition of " Serenade" from the Student Prince. He continued playing with Reilly and also served in various executive capacities until 1955. Scott also taught drill to the Osmond Cadets in addition to other local units, always referring to his students in later years as his "kids". In the mid 1950's he embarked on a judging career that concluded about 2002 after judging well over 1000 contests, with the Eastern States, Mid Atlantic, Cavalcade, and National Judges Assn. In many of the contests he was joined by his wife Ruth as Tabulator. Larry also participated with the Raiders Alumni Corps upon their re-birth in 1994.

Lee Wolf

  Archer Epler Musketeers

    Yearsley Cadets

    Vasella Musketeers

   St Vincents Cadets

Arranger for many other Famous Corps including Blessed Sacrament

The Following is the Official Bio from the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame

LEE WOLF
Lee Wolf began his long career as a performer, instructor and arranger by playing first soprano bugle for 10 years with the Osmond Cadets Junior Drum and Bugle Corps in Philadelphia. For the next seven years, he played first soprano with Archer-Epler Musketeers. He was still a teenager when he became the music arranger and instructor with Osmond Cadets. Although he had no formal music education, his arrangements, often featuring moving, smoothly-flowing baritone parts, quickly became recognized and admired throughout the drum corps community. He became the music arranger and instructor with the Musketeers in 1952, and held the position for 14 years. His strength as an arranger was his natural talent in creating instrument voicing and his ability to adapt all styles of music to drum and bugle corps instrumentation: traditional military marches, ballads, jazz, Dixieland, Broadway show tunes, even rock and roll numbers. Several of his protégés are also Hall of Fame members, including Bob Adair and Rip Bernert.

Hiram "Hymie" Walker

Biography

Served his Country as a Corporal in WW1

Commander of the Osmond Post Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps 1931 to 1955 (23 Years)

He led us to the VFW Pennsylvania State Championship in 1934, 35, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, and the VFW National Championship in 1948 and 1949

Founder of the National Association of Drum And Bugle Corps (Which included Atlantic City Seahorses, Bracken Cavaliers, Coleflesh-Murray-Page Silver Sabres, East Germantown Indians, Fort Washington Cadets, Horn- Ross-Weiss Cadets, McCall Bluebirds, Nuss-Ohara-Todd Invaders, Osmond Hurricanes, Rising Sun Cadets, Soby Post, Temple Cadets, Tri-Community Cadets, Upper Darby 214, West Reading Police Cadets, Yearsley Blackhawks.)

General Chairman of the VFW Pennsylvania Competing Drum and Bugle Corps and Bands Committee.

Member of the VFW National Competing Drum and Bugle Corps and Bands Committee.

Steward of the Raymond T Osmond VFW Post 1692.

Commander of the Raymond T Osmond VFW Post 1692.

Member of the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame

The Following is the Official Bio from the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame

HIRAM WALKER
Hiram Walker dedicated more than two decades to the young people involved in drum and bugle corps activity. He was director of the Osmond Post Cadets drum and bugle corps for 23 years.  During that time, the corps won 7 Pennsylvania VFW State titles and 2 VFW National championships in 1948 in St. Louis, and 1949 in Miami. Their nickname, "The Hurricanes" reflected the weather conditions they experienced following their win in Miami, delaying their trip home. He founded the national Association of Junior Drum and Bugle Corps, and served as general chairman of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Competing Drum and Bugle Corps Committee. Throughout his years of activity, he was primarily concerned about teaching corps members how to become good citizens. Many of his former Osmond Post Cadets advanced to become corps directors, judges and instructors later in life. Eight of his former members have been inducted into the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame

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