Announcing the 2018 Troopers hall of Fame

The Troopers Hall of Fame Committee is pleased to announce the upcoming induction of the 2018 Hall of Fame class. The following individuals will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Thursday, July 12th at a private ceremony at Ft. Caspar shortly before the corps performs a free concert where the inductees will be publicly recognized. Please take a moment to see who has been selected.

Don Carr

Don was involved with the Troopers from around 1961 until 1970. From the Seattle World’s Fair performance, to pioneering touring transportation. Eventually he ended up as a marching instructor and worked to maintain and repair bugles from a shop in the back of his house. It was here that he and Ken Davis designed and implemented a slide on the baritone bugles to allow for sharps and flats, revolutionizing the drum corps activity. Don Carr was an important part of the Trooper legacy during a key period as the corps rose to prominence.

The Dundas Family

The Dundas family which includes Don and Sheila Dundas (1966-1981), DebbieDundas (1966-1971), Becky Dundas (1968-1972), Dave Dundas (1971-1977), and Bob Dundas (1972-1981) were a huge presence in the Troopers for over fifteenyears both in membership and through volunteerism,as one of the first host homes for out of town members. All of Don and Sheila’s children marched in the Troopers, all of whom went the extra mile with Debbie becoming the Soprano section leader, and Dave becoming Drum Major from 1976-1977. The Dundas family set the standard for commitment and dedication.

Jake Putnam

Jake was a longtime marching instructor for the Troopers. He was there from the beginning and helped design the militaristic style and image of the Troopers from 1958 to 1969. As a Colonel in the Wyoming National Guard, he was instrumental in establishing the Troopers’ distinctive military marching style that resulted in championships. In addition, through his connections in the military, Jake was the pioneer in corps housing while on tour. He enabled corps housing in National Guard armories across the country, making possible the groundbreaking national tours the Troopers undertook to compete in drum corps competitions.

Mick and Susie McMurry

Mick and Susie jumped into the Troopers organization at its most critical moment. Through major donations, the McMurry’s provided vital equipment and infrastructure when it was most needed. They offered advice and counsel to the Corps’ leadership, opened their home to performances and events. Through their connections, they brought many of Wyoming’s most influential people to the table and enabled the organization to rise back to prominence at a time when many thought we were at the end. In 2006, the McMurry’s provided the organization with a new building after having lost the lease on a previous space. A few years later, Mick walked into a Troopers Board of Directors meeting and handed the deed to the building, debt free, to the board, a jaw dropping event to say the least. The corps is alive and well today thanks to the generosity of Mick and Susie McMurry.

Milward Simpson

Milward began his involvement with the Troopers as a marching Timpanist in 1977. He marched a second year on Tri-Toms in 1978 and later returned to the corps as a percussion instructor for the front ensemble in 1990. Finally, heassumed the role of President of the Troopers Board of Directors in 2006, lending his administrative expertise, management experience and professional connections to assist in resurrecting the corps with the goal of eliminating the organization’s crippling debt, bringing a competitive corps to the field in 2007 and creating the administrative infrastructure for the corp’s long-term survival.

Sue Masterson

Sue was born and raised in Casper, Wyoming. She became a member of the Trooper Cadets in 1975 until she moved up to the A corps in the summer of 1976. She continued her membership with the Troopers Colorguard until 1983 where she finished her second year as Guard Commander. She continued with the corpsas a member of the Colorguard staff from 1983-1985 and again from 1987-1991. This included time with the TroopersWinterguard as well.

Sue recently returned to the Troopers organization for the first time in twenty seven years to serve as Development Director.