The Cadets Drum Corps, known and respected for its quality in the marching arts is in its final days. The Erie-based nonprofit, Cadets Arts & Entertainment, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. This was done in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on 18 January 2024.
The article details why the celebrated Cadets Drum Corps is filing for a Chapter 7 mortgage. Furthermore, it goes through their long history and ends with allegations against former director George Hopkins that proved the downfall of the organization.
Financial Strain and Legal Challenges
The bankruptcy stated still is mainly caused by the unknown financial pressure to be met while defending the lawsuit for sexual abuse. This case was filed on 1 September 2020 in the Superior Court of New Jersey in Bergen County. The lawsuit charges that a corps instructor sexually assaulted a woman during the years 1982 and 1983 and that the plaintiff was a Cadet member engaged under the previous name of the corps, Garfield Cadets.
Those charges have been denied to be true by Cadets Arts & Entertainment, which has not had the option to refuse a settlement in the lawsuit until recently. Making the situation worse, their insurance carrier declined to pay by contending that Cadets Arts was not covered for these complaints in the person’s lawsuit. They eventually would not pay out to the ruling in any monetary judgment that potentially could be won. This increased the financial burden on the individuals because of the result.
The bankruptcy filing indicates that the assets and liabilities for Cadets Arts & Entertainment, Inc., are both presumed to lie between $100,001 and $500,000. The organization, in a statement, announced that “The Cadets will never return to the marching arts competition field again” because the organization no longer “saw a way to proceed, given the increasingly difficult financial situation.”
A Tarnished Legacy
It is reported that The Cadets were established in 1934. Besides the general success, they have also won ten DCI world championships since 1983. Only last year, in 2023, the corps comprised young musicians from more than 20 states and three foreign countries, standing as a lighthouse of marching excellence. However, this legacy was all marred by allegations of sexual misconduct against its former director, George Hopkins.
About a dozen women accused Hopkins of sexual misconduct over years while he ran the corps. Filed in Superior Court, the plea involved one count of indecent assault concerning matters that occurred in 2010, and in return, he was put on probation for two years and fined $5,000. This plea agreement actually downgraded more serious felony charges to a misdemeanor. The scandal and ensuing legal battles led to significant financial losses, further contributing to the organization’s downfall.
The Move to Erie and Final Moments
Cadets Arts & Entertainment moved operations last year in an attempt to breathe new life into the group. The Erie Sports Center in Summit Township is the new home. The organization spent the last 20 years in Allentown. The local community and organizations are very supportive, but The Cadets did not reach financial goals to keep the drum corps alive. Last October, the directors announced that the Cadets would not be competing this year because they had not met some of their fundraising goals.
Vicki Ferrence Ray quit the group, where she was the executive director, just one month prior, and she said: “The Cadets was a life-changing experience.” The group went on to say in the same press release about her career when as a percussionist in the group over thirty years past, she rose through the ranks to manage the organization. “I am beyond heartbroken.”
Conclusion
Thus far, we’ve been forewarned that the Cadets Drum Corps was one of the longtime and premier elevated institutions in the arts of marching. Their fall from grace has been both a public and painful testimony that seemingly well-set institutions can crumble under the strains of financial and legal hardship.
Scandals among past leaders with ongoing financial difficulties strand the once-great organization in sad repute: end of story. And as the final notes fade, so will The Cadets live on—through a tapestry woven of success and strife that will remain indelibly a part of the book of marching arts history.
