[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 121 (Friday, September 5, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1724]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE LIFE OF VINCENT A. BRUNI

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. THOMAS M. REYNOLDS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 5, 2003

  Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I rise before the House of Representatives 
today to honor the life of Vincent A. Bruni. As a prominent figure 
within the Rochester community, Mr. Bruni shared his vision and his 
love for music with others for over fifty years.
  Mr. Bruni, more commonly known as ``Mr. B,'' raised the drum and 
bugle corps movement in North America to new and exciting levels. The 
Bruni name is synonymous with modern-day drum corps, in part because 
Mr. Bruni dedicated his life to entertaining people all over the 
country and all over the globe.
  Always one to give back to the community, Mr. Bruni led his national 
and world champion Empire Statesmen Drum and Bugle Corps in local 
parades, winter and spring concerts, and in efforts to support high 
school bands and other groups throughout Western New York. As a result 
of the heart and soul he demonstrated and instilled in others, the 
Empire Statesmen became the only corps in history to win the Triple 
Crown: the American Legion, Drum Corps Associates, and World Show Band 
championship titles all in one year.
  For decades, Mr. Bruni represented the City of Rochester, New York 
proudly with his unfaltering commitment to teaching children and adults 
of all ages. His lessons were not simply about music, but about what it 
means to work hard as a team, have pride in what you do, and how to 
stand tall in the face of great adversity. Musicians, performers and 
fans of drum corps all around the world know ``Mr. B'' as a man of 
integrity, someone that others will continue to strive to be like even 
now that he is gone.
  Vince Bruni will be remembered as a true patriot--someone who loved 
serving his country as a veteran of the United States Navy, as a 
schoolteacher, but most importantly as an entertainer. Mr. Bruni has 
done Rochester and America proud, and while he will be sorely missed, 
he will forever be remembered by the countless people whose lives he 
touched over his long and distinguished career.

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