Lorrie
Andrews (Owens) - I am Lorrie (Andrews) Owens- Class of 76. Played
clarinet (badly, I must admit) but have very fond memories of being part
of the Ridley Raider Band. After reading all the interesting bios on the
reunion website, I have tried to come up with something “flashy” about
my life since high school, but ordinary and happy seem to be the only
way to describe myself since then. I received my Bachelor of Science
degree in Nursing from West Chester in 80. Worked many jobs in the
medical and corporate field and then retired after my last child was
born. I became a stay at home Mom, tending the home front while my
husband climbed the corporate ladder (he was the VP of Independence Blue
Cross until his retirement last year). We have raised 6 kids and somehow
managed to maintain our sanity! With only 2 left at home and one of
those ready to go off to college next year, the house was not crazy
enough, so we took in one of our son’s best friends and will hopefully
send him off to college next year as well. We are the proud grandparents
of Payton Christopher who is 15 months old and are eagerly awaiting the
birth of a grand-daughter in November. In my spare time (?!?) I am very
involved in the Alzheimer’s Association, love to travel with my husband
and help take care of my Mom who has been suffering from Alzheimer’s
disease for the past 10 years. I am really looking forward to the
reunion and hope to catch up with all the band members from 73-76. See
you in October!!
Pat
Bartusik -
Hi, I am Pat
Bartusik or Mrs. B. I am the mother of Ron and Cindy who played in the
band from 86-92. I had the privilege of being a RAMP member and going to
band camp as the nurse and then working with the uniforms. I have many
great memories of watching practice and preparing for band comps. But
the best part was getting to know the great kids who worked so hard and
had such dedication to their craft. I am retired from Taylor Hospital
and still live in Ridley Park and am the grandmother of 4 beautiful
children. See you at the reunion.
Ed
Black - I graduated in 1979. I started playing trumpet, then
was 1 of 3 French horn players. I went into the Air Force a
month after graduation and stayed in for 24 years. My trumpet
playing continued in the Air Force as a member of the Drum &
Bugle Corps. After retiring in 2003 I turned to Real Estate and
am now a REALTOR with RE/MAX (need to buy or sell a house? :-)
Even though I think I had a late start, I have an 18 year old
son (which makes me feel really old) and a set of 12 year old
triplets; two boys and a girl. Yes, they are a handful, but I
feel totally blessed! During my stance in the Air Force I
traveled around the states and world doing a tour in Saudi
Arabia during Desert Shield/Storm and a year tour in South
Korea. I've settled in Maryland, but my heart will always be in
Pennsylvania (go EAGLES!). I think it will be fun reminiscing
and seeing how we all have changed over the years. See you all
there. If anyone out there wants to "catch up", I can be reached
at ed@teamblackberry.com.
Andrea
Borrelli – I am a 1990 graduate and was part of the marching band
(color guard) & indoor guard throughout high school… Good & Evil, the
Chinese show and Scheherazade, were my years. After graduation, I had
the privilege of teaching color guard & marching for about 5 GREAT years
while attending Drexel University for Interior Design, where I now teach
as an adjunct. I’ve now been working for various architectural firms in
Philadelphia designing & managing the construction of corporate offices
& private residences for the past 15 years & love it! I met my architect
husband, Blanton, while “fishing in the office pond” 7 years ago & just
married this past May. We’re still in the area & every so often on a
September night can hear the snares & quads while the horns warm up on
the practice field….. it certainly takes you back! See you in October!
Robin
Coutant (Gregory)
- trumpet ‘86. Like Dianne “Brochet” Hilferty, I too graduated in the
BEST year having had an enormous blast in the band. I will always relish
band comps and Venice pizza afterward… After High School, I went to
University of DE and graduated with a nursing degree and immediately was
commissioned as a Naval Officer. Oddly enough I’m still doing it 18+
years later (and now am a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner) and anticipate
“retiring” from the military in a little less than 2 years. I have truly
“seen the world” just like the slogan says and while stationed in Spain
met my terrific hubby Brent. After about 3 months of dating, we got
stuck in a major blizzard on a narrow mountain road in our truck for 6
days without food and very little water (ultimately buried under 86” of
snow). We vowed that if we lived through it we would get married. Well
the rest is history and now we have 2 beautiful kids Erin (8) and Jack
(6). We live in Oceanside, CA on Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base and
life is good. I hope to see lots of “old” friends at the reunion!
Samuel
J Crispin III - I graduated in 1988. I played the baritone horn for
the marching band and rhythm guitar in the junior high jazz band and
bass guitar in senior high jazz band and pit band. I was also a member
of the chorus and jazz ensemble. After graduation, I attended
Pennsylvania Institute of Technology and received a Specialized
Associates Degree in Electronic Engineering Technology. I still live in
the Ridley school district. I am still working for Folcroft
Transportation Incorporated as a diesel mechanic, truck driver, and
clerical. I married my wife Monica and we have five children, Michael,
Patrick, Robert, Nichole and Jessica. Michael is graduating this year
from Ridley High School and Patrick is graduating from Sun Valley High
School this year. My son Robert is a sophomore at Ridley High School and
a member of the football team #59. My daughter Nichole is playing flute
and bass guitar for the Ridley Middle School band and Jazz band. Jessica
is a member of the Ridley Middle School Chorus. My hobbies still include
music and football. My email address is
samcrispin69@aol.com. In the
summer of 2005 my brother David and I starred in the movie "INVINCIBLE"
with Mark Wahlberg. We can be seen in the movie just before Mark runs
his forty yard sprint in open tryouts and while he is catching passes. I
am wearing a white football jersey with a blue # 34 and David is in a
blue Jersey with a Yellow # 5. If you own the DVD, David is in the
background video at the Main Menu. We got to meet Mark and Greg Kinnear
and Freddy Barnett (who was in the stands during a break).
Diane
DiDomenico - Many of my best memories of Ridley include
feeling and hearing the incredible sound of the Swallow Band which was
very unique in 1972. I am in Los Angeles and spent most of my career as
an Aerospace Engineer for TRW, now Northrup-Grumman. Also have a R.E.
Brokers License and still twirl my old baton for my kids friends to show
them a very ancient and lost art of entertainment!! Think they should
bring back more traditional half-time shows and skip the Britanny/Justin/Janet,
etc. manufactured and over produced exhibitions of minimal talent. I
wish someone had a video of our shows that could accurately depict how
talented our musicians were. I was just on the periphery but loved it
just the same. Thank you guys for giving it your all....DDD
Paul
Edson - Hi, my name is Paul Edson. I graduated 1976. My nickname was
Edsel. Played drums in Marching, Concert and Jazz Bands. I thoroughly
enjoyed and was very proud of all my years in the Ridley Raider Bands.
Thank You Mr. Swallow. Thank You fellow Band Members and Units. As I
remember, the drum lines, musicianship and band camaraderie were always
awesome! The Vet Stadium performance, competitions, jazz festivals,
parades, games, car washes, paper drives, hoagie sales, camp, buses….
All incredible memories. After high school, I continued to pursue a
career in music for 20 years. The remaining ‘70s included tons of
weddings, corporate and club gigs. I spent the ‘80s on the road from
Canada to Florida, the Southwest and all states in between. I worked
with an original band, a club / dance / show band and ended the ‘80s
backing various oldies acts / tours. Casino showrooms, Catskills,
Poconos, East & Gulf Coast resorts, arenas, nightclubs, flatbed trucks,
county fairs, capitol steps, car shows, baseball fields, amusement
parks… All very ‘Spinal Tap’. Some highlights include meeting and
playing on stage for (my all-time favorite band) ‘Yes’, ‘Three Dog
Night’ ‘The Hooters’ and Cyndi Lauper. To top the ‘80s off, I toured
Japan playing with guitar legend Chuck Berry. From ’89 to ’96, I worked
with (coincidentally) ‘The Big Edsel Band’, mostly tri-state and Jersey
Shore areas. I started to get a little road / club-worn and decided to
go to technical school. In ’96, I put away the drum cases, and have been
a systems field tech in the wireless messaging industry serving
communication needs for medical, police, fire, EMT, government, etc. I
have been married since ’98. I have a step-daughter Cheri, a senior in
college studying music education and wielding a wicked flute. I still
play drums occasionally and am getting better on keyboards. My wife
Lizzie plays bass guitar and we often use a lot of my high school music
theory! We have produced and recorded our own Christmas music albums
featuring flute, keys, bass and drums for the last 3 years. Hope to see
you soon!
Dave Emplit - I graduated in 1974 and played trumpet in the band
all through high school. My nickname in high school was Clem. The time
spent in the band room and being part of the band are some of my best
memories of high school. I am still living in the
area. I have three kids all grown up now as well as four grandkids and
another on the way. I work as a Field Engineer in the biotech industry
and have been doing that since 1979. My hobbies and interests include music,
computers, boating, and reading. I haven't really kept up with the horn,
although I still pick it up for fun now and then. I am an avid
follower of independent musicians and enjoy all types and genres of
music. I like to attend concerts on a regular basis. I enjoy all
aspects of computers, from games to programming, and spend time
volunteering as a computer tech for friends, family and small
businesses. I also love boating, including sailing and power boating as
well as canoeing, kayaking and rowing. I enjoy reading, mostly fiction, or maybe geeky technical
manuals, and enjoy discovering new authors I haven't read before. I am
really looking forward to seeing all my old band friends at the
reunion! Feel free to email me at
Dave@DavidEmplit.com. Peace, Dave