THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2008
Cavaliers Say Goodbye To Outgoing Director
By DWIGHT ESAU
Journal Sports
The most successful era of the internationally famous Rosemont Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps came to an end this month with the retirement of the man who led it to its most impressive achievements.
Jeff Fiedler followed up his retirement in 2006 from an administrative position at St. Francis de Sales High School in Chicago by retiring as director of the corps, a position he held for 17 years.
During his tenure, the Cavaliers became a dominant organization in Drum Corps International (DCI), the organization that sponsors annual world championships among the best corps in the nation. The Cavaliers have won seven world titles, including four out of the last six years, and have won two second place silver medals and three third-place bronze medals.
"I have seriously considered retiring from the drum corps twice in the past five years, and have delayed acting on a specific decision since the end of the 2007 season to make sure the corps is set up for success on its way into 2008," said Fiedler on the Cavaliers website. "I believe this is the opportune time to make the switch to a new director with new ideas and a new vision while the corps is competitively strong, the membership highly experienced and the design team, instructional staff, board membership, and volunteer base motivated and energized at their highest levels in our 60-year history. I'm now looking forward to being able to spend more time with my family and exploring new avenues in my professional career."
Fiedler, 48, is past chairman of the DCI board of directors and has been serving as DCI's interim chairman since last fall.
Overall, he has been associated with the Cavaliers for 35 years. He joined it at age 13 as a color guard member in 1973. He later became a member of the baritone section and was named drum major in 1979 and 1980. He became a member of the instructional staff in 1981 and was named staff coordinator in 1982. He served as assistant to former director Adolph De Grauwe and after the latter retired in 1990, Fiedler was named director.
Replacing Fiedler is Bruno Zuccala, who has been with the Cavaliers for 22 years, serving in various instructional and leadership capacities. He is an educational administrator in Pennsylvania and has been involved with drum corps for 40 years.
The Cavaliers were founded in Chicago in 1953 by Don Warren, who remains the organization's president. In the last 20 years, however, the organization has based its operations in Rosemont, conducting its auditions and training sessions at Rosemont School and Triton College in River Grove, and holding social and award events in Rosemont.