On Dec. 20, 2015, Myron Stewart Rosander passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 55.
Rosander was born and raised in Northern California where he was introduced to drum corps in 1974 at the age of 13. He once reflected that watching the Santa Clara Vanguard (SCV) Drum and Bugle Corps was 10 minutes that changed his life forever. He marched French horn for SCV from 1976 to 1980 during which the group earned a championship in 1978.
After he aged out, he became a professional visual designer. His lengthy career includes being a visual designer and assistant director for SCV, spanning 30 years of involvement. He was inducted into the corps’ Hall of Fame in 2014 and was a recipient of the “Gail Royer Memorial Vanguard of the Year” award in 2000.
Despite Rosander’s success winning championships, he never wavered from his personal mantra of what the pageantry arts were truly all about: personal growth as a responsible person.
“In 1998, SCV had a strong shot at a championships, and the drum corps wasn’t progressing as Myron would have liked,” recalls Jeremy Van Wert, who marched tenor drums for SCV from 1996 to 1998. “He stopped us in mid rehearsal, ran down to the field, and asked us what we thought he cared about. The field was silent with the respectful fear everyone had for Myron. He then said, ‘If you think I’m here about winning a championship, you are dead wrong; I’m here because I care about the men and women you will become in the years after you leave Santa Clara Vanguard. I care about the human inside the uniform.’”
Rosander’s other drum corps work includes visual designer for the Blue Stars in 2012, Phantom Regiment in 2010 and Madison Scouts in 2006. He has also designed for the Bushwackers all-age drum corps and many high school bands including L.D. Bell from Hurst, Texas. Rosander served on the DCI Task Force, participated in clinics, and was a judge for Bands of America as well as indoor competitions.
“Myron showed us what it takes to do something at the highest level possible,” Van Wert says. “He showed us how to embrace frustration as a means of transcendence to a higher level of excellence.”—GMK
