A Tribute to Alan Scott Wickham

A Tribute to Alan Scott Wickham

May 2, 1963 to June 16, 2008

Alan passed away in the afternoon of June 16, 2008 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton.

Alan marched in Simcoe Golden Lions Drum and Bugle Corps 1972 to 1979, Hamilton Firefighters Drum and Bugle Corps, G.A.S. Ensemble and of course United Alumni as lead soprano.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Al’s family,

his sister Kim Wickham (Colour Guard), brother-in-law Keith Dearlove (Contra) and his mother Margaret.

Alan was buried Friday June 20, 2008 at Oakwood Cemetery Simcoe.

Alan Scott Wickham

by Len Addley

To those of you here today he was a son, a brother, brother-in-law, uncle or friend. To me, for the most part, he was a royal pain in the ass. The colour of this hair my friends is not hereditary, it’s from dealing with the likes of Gary Dawson, Jim Chapman, Dennis Friesen, Wade Plyley, Rick Norwood and last but certainly not least, Al Wickham.

My first exposure to Alan Scott Wickham was the day he joined the Golden Lions Drum & Bugle Corps. Little did I know on that day this innocent little child would change my life forever.

In a very short period of time my role as the Corps Director changed dramatically. Only at one point in my long career had I ever considered carrying a gun. The only thing I wasn’t sure about is whether I would use it on him or shoot myself first.

I love his mother Marg dearly. She was an avid supporter, chaperone and volunteer for the Golden Lions but, unfortunately for me, she insisted that Al attend all Corps functions on a regular basis.

I remember vividly, it was like a lull before the storm; we would get the bus and the equipment van loaded ready to go and I would feel this sense of calm and inner excitement of a relaxing weekend come over me …. until I looked out the window of the bus and there he was …. O My God, please help me!

I remember at brass rehearsals on different occasions when Rick Dixon or Kevin Mathew would turn to me and say Al’s acting strange tonight, he’s got a burr up his butt about something, what’s his problem? My response of course was immediate, “Al! I can’t imagine! I find that very hard to believe!”

There have been many memorable moments that have come to mind in my reflections of Al over the last number of days and I wanted to share a few of them with you this morning:

The time the Golden Lions were returning from a contest in Kingston. The bus was loaded and ready to head out when Al had a very unusual confrontation with someone in the Corps and he immediately left the bus and took off running. Thirty minutes later I found him hiding in some obscure place off in the distant trees and after one my mild lectures I escorted him by the scruff of the neck back to the bus.

His true entrepreneurial spirit when he kept insisting that my daughter would look hot in a Volkswagen convertible that he could procure in the US bring it into Canada with absolutely no problems and sell it to me for next to nothing.

His frequent but mild and mannerly confrontations with the Corps’ adult chaperones.

His insistence with Rick Dixon or Kevin Mathew that the brass scores were definitely incorrect and that they needed to be changed if they expected the leads to play their parts properly.

My insistence that he leave the parade route in Delhi because the caffeine from his Tim Horton’s coffee mug that morning had negatively impacted his marching skills.

His stumble and fall, flat on his face, horn in hand, in the Oktoberfest parade because of a deep rut in the road and his insistence that he was going to sue the City of Kitchener as a result of his mishap.

I remember a group of us reminiscing on one of our bus trips about our days of marching in the Golden Lions and the laughter and tears that arose from those memories and stories. Of course, Al’s name came up frequently and I remember to this day him looking at me with that silly grin on his face and saying “But you know you still love me, right Len?” And yes Al, I did!

Al truly was a unique individual and one that we will never forget. He has left an indelible mark in our hearts. He loved Drum Corps with all his heart and more importantly, the friendships he had acquired through the United Alumni, the Hamilton Firefighters and the GAS Ensemble.

To you Al we say, Ten Four! Over and out good buddy! Those of us in this Drum Corps Fraternity bid you a safe journey and a fond farewell my friend. May you find peace and comfort at the end of the road and who knows, if you play your cards right, you might just end up playing lead soprano with Gabriel and his band of angels. And, like the thousands of spectators who have applauded us over the years for our performances we will stand and applaud you.

Home • New Membership • UA at your Event • Schedule • Contact Us • Taps and Toots

United Alumni Senior Drum and Bugle Corps

PO. Box 845, Simcoe, ON, N3Y 4T2

For information on United Alumni Senior Drum and Bugle Corps

please contact our Corps Director Ed Pow at 519-720-9290 or e-mail at info@unitedalumni.com

Last Modified: July 04, 2010

Web Master is Ed Pow - Art Design by Robert Judd