This is Sue Lyons writing. I was the drummer for the Pipers the first year of the launching of the group. I am writing this to everyone who has been curious about us. Me? I went on to Suitland High School, college, and now live in New England where I have my own business. I lived in Carriage Hill Apartments. Branch Avenue was the divider for that area of the PG County school system. If you lived on one side of Branch Avenue, you went to Suitland High School. If you lived on the Quonset Hut side, you went to Potomac High. It was a total drag going to a different high school from my Piper brothers and sisters, but I got over it as did Ronnie and Jane Duncan and Tracey (Gainey) Chramek.

Some of the things I remember about our first year Pipers are about some of the members of the group and their talents. Tim Allwine, who lived in Marlow Heights, went to Benjamin Stoddert Junior High and onto Potomac and was the main guitar and banjo player in the Peppermint Pipers both years. I think other group guitarists had to work a little to keep up with him. He’s still a really good guitar player to this day and is actually studying it in California. Another main guy in the group during year one was Roger Cabana, an old Marlow Heights resident himself. He was the one with the magnificent bass voice. He shined on, "Charlie on the MTA", when he sang the words, "Poor ole Charlie."

I can’t single out everyone in the group because each and every member contributed in a huge way either with vocals or an instrument or both. We’ve lost a few members through the years. Ronnie Duncan died in Maine several years ago. He was the little theatrical guy in the group who was always in front and did all the talking. We all loved him very much and it was a sad end to an amazing life. He was a huge philanthropist trying very hard to stop world hunger and other causes. He was tireless. Unfortunately, HIV ended his life. We all wish there had been a cure and there still isn’t which is sad to this day. The other person we lost was Fred Temple our bass player. We do not know all that happened to him in the later stages of his life but we know we all loved his quick wit. I have recently seen some video of a Piper performance and really did not fully realize what an incredible bass player and performer he truly was. When you are young and in the throes of it all, you don’t really realize these things. He could play the Hell out of a stand up acoustic bass.

The Pipers have had a few reunions since the old days in Marlow Heights. We all pretty much stay in touch with our music teacher, who was Jean Shaw then and now is Jean McHale. She and her hubby Mike are the most gracious and wonderful people you could ever know. Back in the day, she coerced our parents and the school administration into approving trips to the Worlds Fair in Montreal and the San Antonio HemisFair in Texas, as well as Coney Island Amusement Park in Cincinnati for the second year group. Our parents had meetings with her and the school administration at Benjamin Stoddert and she alone got those trips approved. People don’t realize how many benefits we played at various Lions Clubs, Moose Lodges, and other organizations. We also played for the patients at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and veterans at Walter Reed Hospital. We had to agree to keep the grades up or no Piper activities. It was a wonderful motivating factor. We love both Jean and her hubby with all of our hearts. They are the glue that keeps us together and in contact with one another.

The Pipers will be having a reunion next summer in 2009 and we have a lot to iron out between now and then. We will keep you posted as things progress.  Currently we are searching for missing Pipers and if anyone knows of a Piper's location let us know through this site. Chances are we already have a track on that person but you never know. The group existed for two years so that is going to be a big crowd at our next reunion. We will probably only be able to invite family and very close friends to that reunion.  I think I speak for all of us when I say, “Thank you MarlowHeights60sand70s for remembering us” because we truly loved playing and singing for you back then. It was just about the greatest thing ever and in some ways still is. LOVE the photos of us on your site. Thanks for remembering us. We're still singin' away. After some of the Pipers I didn’t mention read this, it’s likely you will hear from more of them.

I was in Pipers the second year of its existence, 1968-1969.  Not sure if you want names but here they are:  Kathi Farmer, Cindy Hutchins, Pam Stanford, Judy Goheens, David Frieswyk, Van Cowen, Cathy Sacra, Melanie Taylor, Debby Lear, David Havard, Linda Brown, Steve Hutchison, Cindy and Spencer Rohlfs, Fred Temple, Robin Peterson, Gary Bostic, Harry McCawley, Irma Smoot, Sheila Waddell, Tim Allwine, Ronnie Duncan.  Our director/instructor was Jean Shaw, vocal music teacher  at Benjamin Stoddert Junior High.  We rehearsed after school on Tuesday and Thursday for at least an hour, sometimes more depending on the need. Jean let us have fun but sometimes had to rein us in!  We all respected her authority and knew when to clam up and work!

Our uniforms were, for warm weather, a white skirt with red/white stripped sleeveless top for girls and white slacks with red/white top for boys. For cooler weather we wore red jumpers with a white turtleneck for girls, guys wore a red sweater with white shirt under it and dark slacks.  We were known for our enthusiasm on stage, hamming it up when called for and just our spirit. We had fun - so the audience did too.   I think all Pipers, both years, will agree the most important performance we had was at the wedding of Jean and Mike McHale on December 28, 1968 in Pennsylvania.

Some of our performance venues: Goddard Space Flight Center, Methodist Church in Silver Spring, Annual Boys Club Banquet in Forestville, Stoddert Christmas Concert, Special Children's Center, Iverson St; Prince Georges County Chamber of Commerce, Pageant of Peace, Ellipse, Washington, D.C., Knights of Columbus Christmas Party, Boy Scouts, Bryne Manor, various special events like anniversary parties, Dinner Dances, Shugart Junior High School, Prince Georges Community College, A Convention at the Americana Hotel in D.C., Jay Cees Talent Show (which we won, by the way), Jay Cees State Talent Show, Stoddert's Spring Concert, Walter Reed Army Hospital, Mercer Area Recreation Council in Middleburg, VA, Prince Georges County Fair, Ft Myer Service Club, Miss Southern Maryland Contest, to name a few!  Our poor parents drove us and our equipment wherever we went, giving unselfishly of their time so that we could have a wonderful experience!

Our year was capped off by an 11 day trip to sing at Coney Island Amusement Park in Cincinnati, Ohio.  We usually sang about 2 shows a day, sometimes 3, at different venues at the Park.  The rest of the time we amused ourselves at the park playing games, riding the rides and just enjoying being with each other.  We stayed in a motel called El Rancho Rankin.  It was decorated in a cowboy/ranch theme, and and had jungle bedspreads and headboards--quite tacky, really!  It had a limousine with a horse on the back! One time, on the way back to the motel from Coney Island, our limousine overheated and broke down.  It was mortifying (for teenagers) to sit on the side of the road in such a conspicuous vehicle! I was in a room (209) with Cindy, Judy, Pam and Robin.  We had two double beds and a cot.  You can imagine the state of that room!  But, fortunately we didn't spend much time there.  On the one day that the Amusement Park was closed we all trooped to a park called Winton Woods.  We went horseback riding, had a picnic, played softball, and rode on a small Riverboat.  A fun filled, but tiring day!  All in all, an absolutely wonderful trip and we all have so many memories.  Cindy made a diary with a recap of every day of the trip.  She would compose it and then read it to the four of us every night. I can't express how much that year meant to me and to all of the Pipers.  We made friendships that persist to this day.  Just recently a few members have reached out to find all of us and are building a Piper data base.   Sadly, we have also had several of our members pass away.

We laughed together, sang together and grew up together.  Our affection for Jean and Mike and our gratitude for all they gave us is immeasurable.

Kathi Farmer Mingo
Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2008