Our Story

It all started out long ago when life was simple. Simple celebrations, simple schedules and lots of fun.

Majorettes were the “in thing” back then and there were many majorette groups in the Akron area.

It all began when I (Ramona) wanted to twirl and had been doing so since I was 2 ½ years old. Mom and dad were unhappy with the corps I was in and discussed starting our own. So with a handful of my friends we began.

Mom and dad knew nothing about twirling but a friend, Ginny Johnston, knew military training. She lived by that MGM slogan that said “Do it big, do it right, and give it class.” Mrs. Johnston was, therefore, the lady who began the training of the girls in marching and some of the older girls in the corps helped with twirling routines.

This was a hobby. No one would get paid for their time and energies. Many hours were invested in planning, sewing, driving to events and marching. Countless hours were shared in listening, counseling, encouraging, and challenging corps members to become the best they could be.

The name Cadet-Ettes was decided upon by Gene, Margaret and Ginny. If major referred to a male drum major, then majorette was the female definition. (Cadet was indicative of West Point Cadets) Therefore, if Cadet was the reference to men at West Point, then Cadet-Ettes could be the female equivalence. We wanted to have an all-girl military styled organization so the name fit it perfectly. How difficult it was, over the years, for announcers to pronounce it!

The official uniform was designed by Margaret Lindsay as well. The jacket was designed much like the West Point Cadet uniform. We maintained that throughout most of our years with a few exceptions. The gold lame that was used for the shorts was often very irritating to the majorettes, so we tried skirts for a few years. However, in the very last parade of our 40 years together, we marched the Canadian parade, once again, with the traditional uniform!

Headquarters for Cadet-Ettes was 1905 Thane Ave. Papa Gene handled the business end of the organization and Maggie made all uniforms. I am sure that many of the corps members remember those fittings constantly being reminded to stand up straight and not move, lest you get stuck with those pins! I marched for many years and began directing when I was about 18, under the guidance and help of Harry Brown.

Yes, I did say, earlier, that we had an all girl unit. However, Harry was our featured twirler for many years and helped train our majorettes for a number of years. We also had one other male member, Mr. Dion Cash, who featured with us in years to follow. As time went on, I took over the directing of the student members, arranging all the music, designing the shows, and spending much time trying to encourage the girls whenever I could. Throughout the years we put together a wonderful staff of volunteers to assist as well. Many corps members became instructors after they had spent a number of years with us. They did an excellent job of working as a team to teach, train, and encourage members. They spent many sleepless nights supervising the girls when we traveled. We also had the “men in white” – dads of many of the corps members. These guys were terrific! They assisted with first aid, handled and repaired equipment and also stayed up to assure the girls safety on our trips!

For many years we practiced at the Eagles Temple Ballroom which was located on Market Street, close to where the Haven of Rest currently stands. We also practiced at Goodyear and Firestone Metropolitan Parks. Later on we were privileged to use the facilities at Thomastown Party Center and eventually had our own building.

We traveled over 250,000 miles throughout our years together. These travels included Tokyo, Japan, the Caribbean, Canada, Mid East, Europe, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Alaska, Hawaii and many states within the continental United States. Throughout these years we spent in excess of $10 million dollars on traveling, uniforms, social events, special recognitions and awards. Corps members paid $50 in dues each year and provided their own spending money for traveling. Each year we worked to design our music and shows to pay tribute to the places we visited. Quite often, in the later years, we were able to afford travel uniforms (and even matching luggage) for our overseas trips.
I am deeply grateful to God for the many opportunities afforded us during these 40 years together and for His watchfulness over us in all of our travels. He truly blessed us with safe travels and wonderful opportunities to see so much of the world He created.