Posted on October 30th, 2020
World Drum Corps Hall of Fame member Doug Reynolds of Niagara Falls, Ontario, who passed away October 21 at age 80, earned a reputation as an outstanding snare drummer, percussion instructor, administrator and judge, carrying out all of these functions at the same time from 1953 to 1980. He became a member of the Hall of Fame in 2002.
According to his wishes, cremation has already taken place. Donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation would be appreciated by his family.
He began marching with the Niagara Falls Memorial Militaires at age 15. In the following years, he drummed with Hamburg Kingsmen and Rochester Crusaders. He taught drumming to four junior and five senior corps on both sides of the border in the 1960s while he was also corps director of the Militaries, then the board chair of the Kingsmen.
He was undefeated Canadian senior individual snare champion; the first Canadian to win the United States individual title, taking top spot twice in the early 1960s; winner of five New York state titles and three Eastern States titles. He took private drumming lessons with the late John S. “Jack” Pratt, the Hall of Fame member who introduced rudimental bass drums to the drum corps community and wrote hundreds of drum solos and percussion books.
Doug Reynolds judged percussion for every major association: Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), American Legion (AL), Drum Corps International (DCI), Drum Corps Associates (DCA), Catholic Youth Organization (CYO), Canadian nationals and New York, Illinois and California state championships.
He is survived by Sally, his wife of 61 years who he met at school in grade 3, two sons, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He spent most of his working career in the pharmaceutical industry.
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