Tom Shiffer was a soprano player with New York Skyliners for 22 years from 1984 to 2006 when the corps became inactive, earning the diamond award signifying 10 years of continuous service. He was elected a Lifetime Member in 1999. During his term as Skyliners director, he converted the brass section entirely to three valve instruments. The horn players had been using a combination of two and three valve instruments up to 2002. He also worked with corps member Andy Lisko to put the Skyliners back in the original style uniforms. He joined Empire Statesmen of Rochester in 2007, intending to finish his drum corps years with a competitive drum and bugle corps. Earlier, he marched with the Wind Gap Blue Eagles, Bangor Yellow Jackets and Lehigh Valley Chieftains. In 2011, he retired after serving for 27 years as a Magisterial District Court Judge.
