By Jeff Otey As the years have gone by, I seem to move further and further away from my beloved Glassmen family. While living in Boston and NYC and Vermont, I certainly lived within reasonable proximity to other corps, but I never made the effort to participate in their programs. My love for the Glassmen was so deep that I felt a sense of guilt even considering dedicating time to another corps. Recently, I relocated (AGAIN) to Jacksonville, Fla. I was happy to see there is a corps here, Teal Sound. I read through their Web site and decided to stop by a rehearsal. Upon arriving, the corps was learning drill -- not the most exciting thing to watch -- so I headed over to where to cooks were set up to say hello. Within no time, I was helping get lunch ready. As the members came through the line, and I slopped fruit on their plates, I started to feel more at ease. I found myself assigning names to various members -- this one reminds me of XXX and that one looks like XXX and so on. I was introduced to the corps director and various staff members. I was invited to stay and watch rehearsal and, of course, several attempts were made to get me to sign up for tour. After rehearsal, the horn line played through their opener and ballad just for me. The entire experience was so fulfilling. The staff, volunteers and members were so friendly and welcoming, that I felt like I had known them all for years. I share this rather boring story with all of you simply because I know so many alumni have moved away (or never even lived near Toledo). If you live near another corps, don't hesitate to give your time over to them. I don't know why, but I was so worried that I would lose something inside of me if I transferred my love for the Glassmen to another group, but I was so wrong. I will always be a Glassmen, but this experience really helped me realize that regardless of who the corps is, the experience is so similar. The faces were different, the names were different, the uniforms and equipment and style were different, but yet everything was exactly the same as I remembered it. I'm looking forward to spending more time with Teal Sound. Jeff Otey
88-90 horn line/drum major, Glassmen
92-94 driver, Glassmen Currently residing in Jacksonville, FL but if you want to visit me, hurry. You never know where I'll be next ... LOL!