The Blue Stars are proud to honor those people who contributed and sacrificed tirelessly to make the organization what it is today – and who shape what it can and will be in the future – with induction into the Blue Stars Hall of Fame. Those honorees include our founders, administrators, instructors, members, volunteers, and supporters all of whom believed in the power of the Blue Stars' mission.
Nominations for the Blue Stars Hall of Fame are solicited each winter, with the inductees chosen by the current Hall of Fame members and Blue Stars Board of Directors. Five individuals have been selected as the class of 2024 to join the current members of the Blue Stars Hall of Fame.
Mike Andrews
Alumnus, Volunteer, Transportation Manager
Mike started his drum corps career as a member of the Titans Drum & Bugle Corps from Elkhorn, WI from 1965 to 1968. In the fall of 1969 he moved to La Crosse WI and joined the Blue Stars as a snare drummer, aging out in 1972. Mike continued on the Blue Stars staff through the beginning of the 1975 tour season serving as Equipment Manager, Driver and Resident Director.
After leaving the corps, Mike obtained his degree in Mechanical Design Technology and worked for the Trane Company in La Crosse until 1977. He then moved to Milwaukee, WI where he enrolled in the Milwaukee School of Engineering, earning his bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1979 and starting his professional career with the Kohler Company as a Construction Project Manager and has held various managerial positions. Mike spent 35 years with the Kohler Company, retiring in 2015.
Following his retirement, Mike returned to the Blue Stars as a volunteer and quickly became active in the build out of their new equipment trailer and then, as an all-around volunteer and box truck driver for the 2015 summer tour. In 2016 Mike obtained his CDL-A license to provide a wider range of service to the corps and accepted the position of Transportation Manager.
“Having the honor of working with Mike Andrews, I see him give up many hours to assure all aspects of the Blue Stars fleet are properly maintained and safe for travel,” said Culinary Director Sue Wilson..” I also know that, no matter what time of day, if we need something while on the road, Mike is just a phone call or FaceTime away and willing to assist in any way possible. People as dedicated as Mike Andrews are difficult to find. He is an invaluable asset to our Team”
As Transportation Manager, he took on the responsibility of sourcing drivers, ensuring DOT compliance, securing rental vehicles for the corps’ summer tour and vehicle maintenance all as continuing to tour with the corps providing driver services as needed in addition to other volunteer activities throughout the year.
Mike and his wife Maria live in Sheboygan, WI where they enjoy spending time with their 4 grandchildren.
Sally Davis
Alumnus, Volunteer
Sally Davis was a member of the Blue Stars' color guard from 1976-1982. After marching, she later became a volunteer when her two sons joined the Blue Star Cadets in 2009. She did everything from altering, fitting, and sewing uniforms, to making props, and driving members to parades.
After her time volunteering for the Blue Star Cadets, she seamlessly transferred her time and talents to the Blue Stars, once again providing critical altering and fitting of uniforms and sewing of props. She also volunteered at the Oktoberfest Brat stand, the annual River City Rhapsody show, cooking and cleaning during spring training, and helped with many projects when help was needed around La Crosse.
“Sally led by example. Period,” said Penny Reedy. “She knew her job as a performer and always went above and beyond to help the corps. Whether that was helping others with their guard work, providing a place for them to stay during camps, making sure they had money for snacks and to one of her most wonderful gifts—her ability to sew just about anything on the planet. She was a quiet but formidable leader.”
Fred Feeney
Alumnus, Staff Member, Consultant
Fred has an extensive background in drum corps, marching band, and color guard. Like most this passion started in high school and continued in college. He was first introduced to the Blue Stars in 1976 when he and a group of members from a small parade corps followed the Blue Stars across the south in Alabama and Tennessee meeting staff and members. In 1978 he became a member of the Blue Stars as a mediocre French horn player (his assessment). He continued marching in 1979 and 1980. He then worked for the corps as a visual tech after aging out.
Fred also started training as a color guard judge as soon as he aged out in 1980 and began judging drum corps in 1982 at age 23. He has been a judge for more than 40 years, becoming a WGI judge in 1983, serving on the WGI Task Force for 15 years, and was Chief Judge of the Color Guard Division of WGI from 1993 to 2006.
In 2005, after seeing the Blue Stars perform in the DCI Division II championships, he had a conversation with Dr. Kampshroer in the parking lot who informed him that the corps would be moving back into World Class in 2006. Before the conversation was over he had somehow been talked into coming back to the corps. That was all it took. We all know Dr. Kampshroer could be very persuasive. Fred has served on the staff of the Blue Stars since 2006 in a variety of positions. Currently Fred is a consultant to the design and teaching staffs as well as to the corps’ management team.
Fred currently serves as the Chief Judge and is one of the founding members of the GulfCoast Judges Association, an organization serving five color guard circuits across the Southeastern United States. In that role he assigns judges for approximately 50 different winter guard shows and is also primarily responsible for training and monitoring the judges who adjudicate those contests.
He has served as a member of the WGI Board of Directors since 2008. Fred has also judged for DCI, Drum Corps South and has been a judge for marching band contests in many parts of the country and indoor color guard, percussion and winds competitions in Canada, the Netherlands, Japan and Costa Rica. He is a member of the WGI Hall of Fame as well as the Hall of Fame for the Gulf Coast, Louisiana-Mississippi and the Southeastern Color Guard and Percussion circuits. Fred has also served as a visual designer, program coordinator and consultant to competitive marching bands in the Southeastern United States.
Professionally, in his life away from the marching arts, he is an attorney and the managing partner of a law firm in Gulfport, Mississippi. Fred primarily practices in the litigation area, including medical malpractice, insurance coverage disputes, admiralty and construction law. He is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in Mississippi, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, and the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the Mississippi Bar, the American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, the Fifth Circuit Bar Association, the Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association, the Defense Research Institute, and was selected for membership in the Russell-Blass-Walker Chapter of the American Inns of Court and the American Board of Trial Advocates.
Fred is married to Susan Labrecque who has her own long history in drum corps and has three beautiful and talented daughters and two grandsons.
Judy Fischer
Volunteer, Board of Directors
Judy Fischer entered the Blue Stars’ world in the 90s when her son, John, joined as a trumpet player. She quickly became an invaluable part of the organization during a time when the corps struggled to stay afloat.
“Judy dedicated her life to the Blue Stars,” said Denise Pagonis. “She was on the Board of Directors, she cooked for the corps and was instrumental in the running of Bingo for the organization years, even after her son John aged out as a member.”
“In every organization like the Blue Stars, there are periods of time when upon reflection you say, ‘we wouldn’t have survived without a person,'“ said Executive Director Brad Furlano. “In the mid to late-90s and early 2000s, that person was Judy Fischer. Her work keeping the bingo program in order and running smoothly alone would qualify her for inclusion in the Blue Stars Hall of Fame.”
Donald Hill
Alumnus, Staff Member, Arranger
Don has had a long and varied career in drum and bugle corps and high school band. He began by marching with the Des Plaines Vanguard, and finished his marching experience with the La Crosse Blue Stars in 1975. Don then taught the Blue Stars hornline for six years, eventually assuming arranging duties as well.
“My years with the Blue Stars were magical,” said Hill. “The friendships and relationships forged, lessons learned, and experiences gained, have shaped me and stayed with me throughout my life. ‘The End Crowns the Work’ indeed.”
“Don Hill's mythic presence within the Blue Stars during the late '70s and early '80s cannot be overstated,” said Mark Jordan. “His dedication to excellence and unwavering commitment to the corps' musical prowess left an indelible mark on generations of members. The corps' reputation for exceptional brass performance and professional demeanor owes much to Don's influence and leadership.”
Soon afterward, Don began his judging career, a career that included the honor of judging finals three times, and culminated in being named Brass and Music General Effect Caption Head for DCI, a position he held for seven years. Don then returned to drum corps as part of the Cadets design team, serving as the brass arranger for their 2002 and 2003 seasons. In 2005, he served as a consultant to the Bluecoats. Most recently, Don served as the brass arranger for the Glassmen, from 2008 to 2111, and the Phantom Regiment from 2012-2015.
His Blue Star years were particularly memorable. It was an era when close ties were forged between instructors, members, support staff and administration. The closest tie of course, is with his wife of 43 years, Dianne! The Blue Star’s brass section during those years may not have had the most talent, but no one outworked them. Due to the diligence and passion of the members, the brass section consistently overachieved. They were a prime example of what can be accomplished through dedication, attention to detail, and plain old fashioned hard work.
Don has been very active in the band field as well. He has held the position of Director of Bands at Plantation High School, Plantation, Florida; as well as being an Associate Director at Spanish River High School in Boca Raton, Florida. Don has had marching band arrangements published by Hal Leonard, Inc., and has arranged for many top level high school competitive marching bands, including five Bands of America Grand National Champions. Plymouth-Canton 1999, LD Bell 2007, Broken Arrow 2011, The Woodlands 2013, and Broken Arrow 2015. He has also judged extensively in the United States and Japan.
Donald has been a member of The American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP) since 1994, and six times has received recognition from the ASCAP Special Awards Panel for his original works. His concert band pieces have been performed throughout the United States as well as in Japan and Australia. He is published by Great Works, Inc. and Ludwig Music Publishing Company.
Don and his wife Dianne currently live in Ventura, CA.
