Diplomats

The Diplomats drum & bugle corps was formed in 1977 as a parade unit and feeder corps for the Ambassadors of Malden, under the leadership of Tom and Linda Chopelas.

They began field competition in 1978 as members of the Catholic Youth Organization, placing 7^th in the “Class C” division in both 1978 and 1979.  The Dips took on members in 1980, especially from the defunct Royal Marquis, joining the Eastern Massachusetts (E-Mass) circuit, where they placed 3^rd in “Class C” competition. The following season saw the corps elevate to the “Class A” division, touring in regionals for the first time, appearing in the 1981 finals of the Key to the Sea Open, finishing in 8^th position along with 11^th and 12^th place preliminary finishes in the World Open “Class B” and US Open “Class A” championships. They also competed in the DCI “Class A” prelims, where they ranked 30^th and finished 2^nd in the E-Mass “Class AII” division.

In 1982, the Diplomats continued its progression, once again appearing in major “Class A” regionals that included 7^th place finals in the DCI Midwest, American International Open (AIO) and US Open, as well as the Key to the Sea finals, finishing 6^th. They concluded the season improving to 13^th position in the DCI “Class A” prelims and were crowned the E-Mass “Class AII” circuit champions. The corps followed up the next year with another successful summer of “Class A” competition, placing 4^th in the finals of the 1983 AIO, DCI Midwest and Key to the Sea, adding 2^nd place finishes in the US Open and the DCI championships. They ended the season defending their E-Mass “Class AII” title.

Another year of touring brought the unit to 2nd place in the “Class A” finals of the 1984 DCI Midwest, 3^rd place in US Open and 4^th in the Key to the Sea regionals. The corps was again a DCI “Class A” finalist, finishing in 3^rd position, qualifying in the “Open Class” Quarterfinals, where they placed 17^th in the preliminary round and culminated with another E-Mass trophy. The next year saw the corps repeat as a 1985 DCI “Class A” finalist, once again placing 3^rd and improved to 16^th position in the DCI “Quarterfinals”.

In 1986, the Malden unit moved up to “Open Class” competition, earning a finalist spot in the Drum Corps East (DCE) and US Open championships, placing 10^th in both and saw preliminary action in the DCI East (10^th) and DCI Canada (16^th) regionals. They closed out the season with a 17^th place finish in the preliminary round of the DCI “Open Class”. The next year, the Diplomats placed in the finals of the 1987 US Open (6^th) and DCE (9^th) along with preliminary appearances in the DCI Canada (12^th) and DCI East (15^th) contests, finishing off the season with a 20^th place finish in the DCI “Open Class” prelims. The corps opened the 1988 season with an Eastern tour of DCE circuit shows which proved to be less than successful, resulting in a shortened year for the group.

They disbanded in 1989.

Michael Merrett; A History of Drum & Bugle Corps, 2002; http://www.thefog.com/dips/1979Dipsinfo.html; Paul Legault (DCX)