Drum Corps International recently announced their 2016 DCI Hall of Fame class, which includes two esteemed members of the Vanguard organization. Both Myron Rosander and Denise Bonfiglio received well-deserved recognition for their outstanding contributions to the world of marching music. Though their impact has reached far and wide across the activity, we are especially thankful for the leadership and influence they brought to SCV.
Myron Rosander
A dedicated performer, passionate instructor, and revolutionary visual designer over decades for Santa Clara Vanguard, Myron Rosander was also held in high regard as the heart and soul of the organization.
“His influence on the membership was profound,” Vanguard Executive Director Charles Frost said. “He served as a beacon of inspiration, history, and focus for what it truly means to be from Santa Clara.”
Joining the Santa Clara Vanguard as a French horn player in 1976, Rosander performed with the corps through 1980. Invited by Vanguard founder Gail Royer to join the corps’ visual staff in 1985, Rosander became a staple of the organization’s instructional and design staff for some 30 years.
“Myron entertained us with his intricate visual designs that kept you on the edge of your seat,” said former Santa Clara Vanguard director Rick Valenzuela who had the opportunity to work with Rosander again in later years as executive director of Phantom Regiment. “He challenged the performers and staff members to reach new heights they didn’t think were possible.
Beyond the artistic formations he created for the football field, Rosander also shared a special connection with the corps members who brought his designs to life. He’d often take the time to address those performers from the heart, sharing his experiences and wisdom that had students hanging on every word and inspiring them to achieve their very best.
“Myron’s drill writing seems insignificant when compared to the value felt and respect he gave to each and every member who passed through the Vanguard,” Santa Clara Vanguard alum Amy Frost said. “We were taught by Myron to not only work on ourselves as musicians and marchers on the field, but to constantly readapt ourselves into humbled, respectable human beings off the field as well.”
Rosander was inducted into the Santa Clara Vanguard Hall of Fame in 2014. He passed away on December 20, 2015 at the age of 55 and will be inducted into the DCI Hall of Fame posthumously.
Denise Bonfiglio
Many know her as the daughter of George Bonfiglio, founder of the 27th Lancers Drum and Bugle Corps and founding father of Drum Corps International. However, Denise Bonfiglio has paved her own impressive path through the drum corps activity via a career that’s
already lasted more than 50 years.
Growing up on the east coast, Bonfiglio joined the Immaculate Conception Reveries before becoming a member of her father’s 27th Lancers. She excelled as a member of the corps’ color guard and stayed on as an instructor after aging out, teaching the unit’s legendary
rifle line.
“During those years she worked with George Zingali, Peggy Twiggs and George Bonfiglio,” said 2015 DCI Hall
of Fame inductee William Harty. “Together they created the success of the 27th Lancers, winning the hearts and respect of everyone who watched them perform.”
After the 27th Lancers ceased operations as a DCI drum corps in 1986, Bonfiglio brought her talents to other corps, including the Garfield Cadets and Star of Indiana. In 1987, she spearheaded the reintroduction of a rifle line into the Cadets’ color guard section.
Since the 2000s, Bonfiglio has worked with Santa Clara Vanguard and in recent years has served as the corps’ staff coordinator. In that position she plays an important role as a liaison and facilitator between the organization’s design staff, instructional staff, and management and administrative teams.
In parallel with her drum corps activities, Bonfiglio has also been a widely regarded and respected individual within the Winter Guard International community. In 2000, she was inducted into the WGI Hall of Fame. In 2006, she was instrumental in reinstating the Santa Clara Vanguard Winter Guard program, an award-winning group with which she currently serves as director.