I posted this last night in the guestbook, since for some reason I can’t update the site from home. Anyway, some of you know him, many of you probably don’t, but Dale Hopper, former director of the Western Illinois University Marching Band and WIU Jazz Studio Orchestra passed away Friday evening.
I’m pretty sure that he was never actually directly involved in drum corps, other than writing a book in the ’77 called “Corps Style Marching” designed for marching bands to learn how to march like a drum corps. However, I know that there were quite a few Knights that attended WIU and were in the Marching Band and/or JSO.
For the Knights that knew him and might still be somewhat near Macomb, the visitation is today, Monday the 19th, from 4 to 8PM at Dodsworth-Piper-Wallen Funeral Home in Macomb. Funeral services will be at 11 AM, Tuesday the 20th, at Wesley United Methodist Church in Macomb.
For those of you who didn’t know him, here’s the official press release from WIU that will give you a little explanation. This is the article from the front page of the Sunday’s Macomb Journal.
Mr Hopper was music director for /The Momence Illinois White tornados in the late 60's early 70's
Hi Ray…I am so sorry to hear about Dale…how did you know him? he could not have been very old…Dale was the first music director for the White Tornados..in 1968 he took a handfull of kids from Momence, myself included and taught us.to play…I actually remained in the White Tornados until 1972 when I joined the DesPlains Vangard…was he not also the band director in Herscher, IL?…what made me get on line today to google The Whtie Tornados was a reunion held in Momence just last Sat…I was not able to make it (I live in Montana now) but i talked to quite a few people that night and no one mentioned this about Dale…thank you for the update…Tom Gero
I remember you from the horn line. You played mellaphone if I remember correctly. Wasn.t Dave corup also in your group. I played baritone with dave Radamacer and Stanley "Pacarzack not sure of the spelling. We practiced at momence on the field behind good shepard manor. The year I remember we played norwedion wood and step to the rear. I just went to the world championships in Indianapolis. Boy what a change from corps in the late sixties and early seventies. The Blue Devil from california won. I still Mr. Glade once in a while remember him? Take care.