Anne Woodhams was an original member of the Blue Angels color guard and drill team, performing with the group from 1959 – 1961. She then played snare drum with Rochester’s Alpine Girls Drum and Bugle Corps from 1962 – 1966. In 1975 she competed with the Rochester Crusaders as a member of their percussion section. She and her husband Robert joined the Empire Statesmen administrative team during the 1997 season. Anne assumed responsibility for the booster program in 1998 while Robert marched with the corps. In 1999, Robert then joined her in running the operation including product design, ordering and sales. They ran this program until 2004, when they restarted the Statesmen Honor Guard section. They participated in the honor guard until 2008. In 1998 Anne helped plan and coordinate the Statesmen’s trip to England where they won the World Show Band title. After retiring from her “day job” in 2001, Anne assisted Mr. Vince Bruni in the Statesmen office, including preparing the required bingo reports until his passing in 2003. Also in 2001 Anne was elected to the first class of Associate Members of the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame. At Mr. Bruni’s request, Anne served as treasurer of the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame from 2002 until he passed away, then stayed on to assist Mr. George Bull until 2007. In 2010 Anne became a member of the Empire Statesmen Coordinating Committee; becoming recording secretary in 2011. Every year since 1998 Anne and Robert have opened their home to countless out of town corps members, providing food, warm beds and occasionally a few “band-aids.”
