This Is My New Jersey

When you reach a certain age, you start to think about regrets and missed opportunities. For me, I have a huge regret. I never had the opportunity to march in drum corps.

OK, get the laughing out of your system, then I’ll continue.

Thank you. Moving on…

When I was in high school, many of my friends marched in drum corps. I begged my my mother. Her answer was what I have come to refer to as “the non-negotiable no.”

We all heard “no” as kids from our parents. To me, there were different levels of “no.” There was the kind of no that I could tell was soft. If I could lay low for a bit and ask a few days later, chances are I could get a maybe, which would almost always turn into a “conditional yes.” There was the “no” that I could turn into a “yes” by asking the other parent. Then there was the “emphatic no,” which was much harder to turn my way. Then there was the “non-negotiable no,” meaning “don’t even try it.”

It’s amazing how much meaning can be exacted from a single syllable word combined with a specific tone of voice.

Taking off for an entire summer with a bunch of teenagers and college students, unsupervised by parents? Yeah, that was a non-negotiable one. But it didn’t keep me from asking when practices would start every year.

But I didn’t want to be a Cadet. I wanted to be a Bridgemen. The precision, the music. I loved it. I still do. And whether I wanted to be a Cadet or not, they represented the top in the DCI.

Like many, The Cadets started as a corps associated with a Catholic Parish. In 1934, the Holy Name Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps was part of the Holy Name Roman Catholic Church in Garfield. They quickly became a top competitor. Between 1940 and 1964 the Holy Name Cadets won nine championships.

Unfortunately, Holy Name Parish decided to no longer fund the corps in 1958. The members refused to give up and continued to march as The Cadets of Garfield. After wearing a uniform consisting of white shorts and red collar shirts, Holy Name Parish allowed them to, once again, wear their iconic uniforms.

They continued to innovate and impress for decades. They made a few names changes along the way. When they officially moved their headquarters to Hackensack, they changed their name to The Cadets of Bergen County. A great nod to their founding, they referred to themselves as the Holy Name Cadets for their 75th anniversary in 2009.

At the time, the only junior drum and bugle corps older than The Cadets was the Racine Scouts, which was founded in 1927. Unfortunately, both are now no longer. The new longest-running junior corps is Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps. The Govenaires Drum and Bugle Corps is the oldest senior corps, based in Minnesota.

In April of 2018, things took a very sad and disturbing turn. Cadets director, George Hopkins, was investigated following claims of sexual harassment and abuse made by multiple members of The Cadets members and staff. Hopkins stepped down and the entire board tendered their resignations. The new board claimed they never received an official resignation from Hopkins, and terminated him for cause. Additionally, the organization was immediately put on probation by DCI and needed to meet specific requirements in order to continue to compete and eventually have the probation lifted.

In November of 2018, Hopkins was indicted in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania for sexual assault. In September of 2020, Hopkins pleaded no contest to indecent assault and was sentenced to two years probation and fined $5,000.

Hopkins then proceeded to sue the managing corporation for The Cadets for severance and back pay, claiming he did resign and there was no reason to fire him for cause. The Cadets countered sued claiming loss of sponsorship and donations.

At the end of the day, it all fell apart…

“On April 2, 2024, Cadets Arts & Entertainment (CAE) filed for voluntary chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. This action was unfortunately taken as a result of, among other factors, a sexual abuse lawsuit that was filed in September 2020, six months after CAE was formed. The lawsuit names, among other defendants, CAE and alleges that an incident occurred on December 31, 1982, at an unofficial event of the Garfield Cadets. CAE is compassionate to anyone who has experienced assault of any form. CAE has also vigorously defended the case. In response to motions to dismiss, the court found that plaintiff-stated causes of action require CAE and all successor organizations to defend this suit.”

After a long and fabled history, it is sadly over…

“This situation has led to the heartbreaking and tragic decision by the CAE Board of Directors to end CAE and The Cadets program. Unfortunately, the necessity of chapter 7 bankruptcy means that The Cadets will never return to the marching arts competition field again or risk arriving back where CAE is today. Surely, this outcome is not the forward path hoped for by this Board when decisions were made to move to the incredibly supportive community of Erie, Pa., and the Erie Sports Center.”

On May 9, 2024, the official website for The Cadets went offline.

I am incredibly sad The Cadets came to an end, especially this way. And I feel even worse for those Hopkins “allegedly” assaulted. Those who marched, and continue to do today, want to challenge themselves musically and artistically. They want to grow and meet others who are passionate about marching arts; those who consider them more than just “band geeks” in high school. It was a fraternity I desperately wanted to join.

While I never wanted to be a Cadet, I respected their innovation and musicianship. I give you a final salute.