Each year, the Phantom Regiment bestows a special honor -- the Mark Glasscoe Memorial Member of the Year Award -- to one member. This year's recipient is tenor drummer Scott Simon. Mark Glasscoe Memorial Member of the Year Award is the only member award given by the corps. The recipient is selected by the instructional staff and corps director based on many factors, including leadership, commitment and contributions to the betterment of the Phantom Regiment. The award is made even more special because of who it is named for. Mark Glasscoe spent nearly his entire life as part of the Phantom Regiment. He was born the same year as the Phantom Regiment -- 1956 -- and started marching with the corps as a 12-year-old in 1968, the year of the corps' rebirth after disbanding a couple years earlier. He went on to march 10 years as a baritone player in the Regiment. He was named Member of the Year in 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977. "From that time (in 1968) until now, the PR was a big part of Mark's life, and Mark was the best of what the Regiment stands for," long-time brass arranger Jim Wren said in 1996. "I'll always remember Mark for his loyalty to the corps." After aging out in 1977, he was on the brass and marching staff from 1978 until 1981. He became corps director in 1982 and held the position for two years. Mark, who was the marching caption head for several years, returned to the marching staff in 1984. He also served on the board of directors for a number of years. "Every marching designer and marching caption head not only asked, but insisted that Mark be on staff," Wren said. Mark met his wife, Barb, in 1981 when she came on the road as a volunteer cook and was seated behind him on the bus. They married in 1983. She remains one of the corps' most dedicated volunteers. "As much as he liked being the director of the corps, he got greater enjoyment from his years of instructing," Barb says. "One of the things he liked most was to work one-on-one with someone who started the season with two left feet and help them improve and, many times, become one of the more successful marchers." In 1996, Phantom Regiment had a dream season. An amazing musical and visual performance propelled the corps to its first DCI World Championship after four second-place finishes. Mark, who was still a member of the marching staff despite poor health, was there to witness it. He died a short time later at age 40. "I can't help but think of the coincidence that Mark was born in 1956 (the year Phantom Regiment was founded) and died in 1996 (the year we finally won DCI)," Wren said in his 1996 eulogy for Mark. "I know he will be cleaning drill from on high." Eight members were nominated by the staff for the 2003 Mark Glasscoe Memorial Member of the Year Award: Michelle Deardeuff, Elizabeth Glass, Jeremy Noyes, Allison Scallan, Josh Scott, David Simon, Scott Simon and Sam Yim. The recipient -- Scott Simon -- was announced by corps director Pat Seidling on Nov. 28 during a celebration of the season. Simon, who grew up in nearby Belvidere, Ill., started marching with the organization in 1996 as a percussionist in the Phantom Regiment Cadets. He continued with PRC through 1999, when he joined Phantom Regiment. After a year away from the Regiment, he finished his tenor drumming career in drum corps with Phantom Regiment in 2002 and 2003. He won the DCI Individual and Ensemble competition as a tenor drummer in 2002. Known to most in the corps as "Swanny," Simon is a percussion performance major at Illinois State University. "Regiment was an excellent doorway to classical music," he says. "The 'phamily' always made me feel like I was home, and there I received knowledge, both musical and marching, that I will use for a lifetime. "I will always love this corps for the people and teachings."