Marching To Our Own Beat...in Washington, D.C.

The trip the Port O’ Rockland Junior Drum and Bugle Corps took in 1957 to Washington, D.C. to participate as the official musical unit from the State of Maine for the second inauguration parade for Dwight D. Eisenhower was a trip I will never forget.

This picture of our bus appeared in The Courier Gazette. Our families came to see all 52 of us off on the Friday before the parade. The temperature was near zero and stayed that way all the time we were in Washington. The mothers standing here are my mother, Evangeline, with the white hat on (remember these winter hats that tied under the chin?); then Mrs. Staples; then Mrs. Brewer, Arnold’s mother. I think my mother was talking to me through that back window.

Notice our new name on the side of the bus, “The Coastmen.” I believe this was an idea of Ralph Clark’s to better “brand us,” although they didn’t call it that then. Basically it was easier to say than Port O’ Rockland Drum and Bugle Corps. Actually they left the “Junior” off this time. I had forgetten this new name and I don’t think it really caught on. I usually just called it the drum corps or the Corps.

The signage on the bus was no doubt done by either our local famous artist, Eddie Harriman, who did all the window painting on Main Street for the Lobster Festival and at other times during the year. It could also have been done by Everett Blethen, The Courier Gazette’s cartoonist and artist. People knew where we were from for sure.

The trip down to Washington did not go smoothly. First of all, I think we were overloaded. We were about two or three seats shy of everyone being able to sit down. The bus had a step up in it and sometimes someone would stand on the step. There was also a small piece of board they put across the aisle for us to take turns sitting on. I don’t think I did. They put mostly boys in that spot and usually the smallest ones so there would be more breathing room.

Undoubtedly, the bus capacity would not have passed inspection today. I think we also had all the instruments and uniforms with us, so you can imagine. Plus, when we had only gone as far as Stamford, Connecticut, the bus broke down and we were stranded for over six hours in below zero weather while they fixed the braking system.  (No wonder the brakes gave out under all that load). We didn’t get to Washington till 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning, sleeping on the bus all the way down.

We stayed at the Hotel Plaza at First and D Street, N.E. facing the Capitol and Union Station and “the beautiful new terrace fountain” as the back of this post card says. The rooms we had were nothing fancy. I think we shared bathrooms. I remember bunk beds, maybe two bunks in a room or four corpsmen to a room. There may have been more.

It’s funny what sticks in your mind. I remember the nurse who came along with us. I think her first name was Paulette. She came around and asked each one of us if we’d had a bowel movement that day. She was prepared to give us an enema if necessary. She didn’t want to have to deal with stomach problems I guess.

As I mentioned at the beginning, our Corps was the official musical unit from our state. I believe each state was allowed only one. I think our senators choose who would participate. Our senators at that time were Frederick Payne, who also became Governor; and Margaret Chase Smith, a political favorite in Maine who served from 1949-1973. She had a lot of backers in Knox County and I believe it was probably her influence that put us in the parade. I do remember that we performed for her one time when she spoke at a town green somewhere in Maine. I remember her standing in a gazebo and we played for her.

We shared our floor in the hotel with the musical unit from Oklahoma. I don’t remember if they were a band or a drum corps. I remember them as being very boisterous and friendly in the Western way of things. They were excited to meet people from “way up there in Maine.”  They were from Blackwell, Oklahoma and as it happened they were celebrating their 50^th year of statehood that year. They gave us these handouts inviting us to attend their celebration.

Of course they have subsequently celebrated their 100^th anniversary in 2007. I wonder if any of the Oklahomans we met still lived in Blackwell then and celebrated the 100^th anniversary too.

We were given tours of the D.C. area including the Smithsonian Institute, the Capitol; and we toured the Pentagon, the largest office building in the world, the same day we marched in the three and a half mile parade. They give you a floor plan when you visit the Pentagon so you won’t get lost. Could you get through this maze?

Ticket to the Capitol Tour

Of all the monuments I saw on this trip and on my class trip in 1959, there were a few that were non-existent at that time, including: the JFK memorial and eternal flame at Arlington National Cemetery; the Vietnam War Memorial; and the Korean War Memorial. I would like to go back and pay my respects at those three monument sites some day.

The parade was on Monday. Saturday night, after we finally got to Washington and had a chance to rest a little, the hotel presented us with tickets to an Inaugural Festival show at the Uline Arena. To us this was a very big deal. Most of us had never seen any famous person in a live show. Heck, most us of had never been very far outside the State of Maine. Some of us may have been to the closest big city, Boston, but that was it.

Here’s the program for that show:

                                                                                                        

Performing that night  were: Pearl Bailey; Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy; The Toppers; Phil Silvers; Nora Kovach and Istvan Rabovsky; Dorothy Shay; Pat Boone; Abbott and Costello; Kathryn Grayson; Ray Bolger; Sally and Tony DeMarco; Gogi Grant; and Step Brothers. Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians provided the music. Apollo Singing Club of Cincinnati and the Michigan State Glee Club also performed.

Out of all the stars performing that night, guess who I remembered the most? Pearl Bailey!  She sang her signature song, “Won’t you come home, Bill Bailey.” She was electrifying and really had a terrific stage presence. We were very close to the stage too and we got to be up close and personal with everyone on stage. What a thrill that night was for us. Thank you Hotel Plaza.

On Sunday morning we were given cab rides to area churches. I attended the biggest church I had ever seen, Metropolitan Baptist Church at Sixth and A Streets, N.E. It was quite a service. We sang three hymns; the “Sanctuary Choir” sang an anthem “Now Let Heaven and Earth Adore Thee” by Bach; The organist played two numbers. The sermon that day was “Not to Destroy But to Fulfill.” I don’t remember what that was all about, whether it referred to us personally or the country’s leaders at that time.

Monday morning arrives at last and after we toured the Pentagon we got fitted out and then formed up for the parade. We formed up at 1:30 and were held in line till 4:00 before we actually got into the line of march.

They separated the Corps from the Color Guard which was very disconcerting to us in the Color Guard. I never understood the reasoning behind this move until I reread the news clipping I have covering the parade. Evidently we were separated so that the President would not have to salute the color guard of each marching unit as they went by his viewing stand.

So besides a feeling of being disjointed as we headed up the Fifth Division of the parade, we realized that we would have no music behind us to keep the beat for us. Consequently, Joanne Grispi, our leader, had to “hut hut” us the whole 31/2 miles of the parade route. I do remember being on the outside of our line, closest to the viewing stand, carrying a sword, and being able to see the top of Eisenhower’s bald head as we turned our heads in salute as we marched by.

It was bitterly cold that January day. We were all used to marching in the summer. Our season ended about the time school started again. We in the Color Guard were in skirts, white boots, and long-sleeved shirts that were of a satiny material. Not very warm clothing. The Corps itself had to contend with very cold bugle mouthpieces and drum heads that had to be tightened up as we still used skins then, I believe.

We managed to get through it all, however, being the troopers we were. The worst part about the marching surface was the trolley tracks in the middle of the street we had to try to avoid while trying to keep our heads up and looking straight ahead in the military fashion. It was not fun; however, we were all still thrilled to be a part of all the doings in Washington that day. It would be a story we could hand down to our grandchildren and the coming generations…like I’m doing right now.

Here are the pictures, captured from the television, of “The Coastmen” as we marched. The Color Guard is not included.

Our Drum Majors, Linda Ladd, Assistant Captain; and June Grant, Captain of the Corps

The Corps marching past  the President's viewing stand.

Tuesday morning, after the parade, we toured the Capitol, bought souvenirs, and got onto the bus at about 1:30 for our 19 hour-ride home. The bus didn’t break down this time.

We arrived home Wednesday at 8:30 am to the cheers of all our family members who were waiting for the bus. As the news article said, we were “exhausted but delighted with their experience in taking part in the nation’s greatest spectacle, the inauguration of a president.” That about sums it up.

Thanks for listening.