Tradition and History
Mandarins Alumni Association
The Mandarins Alumni Association (MAA) is comprised solely of former marching members, parents, and instructors of the Ye Wah and the Mandarins drum and bugle corps.
The MAA helps the Mandarins with fundraising, logistics, resources, skills, and more. The Mandarins rely on its alumni base to support its mission of providing to young men and women a unique performing arts activity and experiences of a lifetime.
The MAA is located on Facebook. One of the group administrators can add you upon request, if you’re a Mandarins and/or Ye Wah alumni described above and respond to the Facebook questions.
What can Alumni Do?
Three Easy Steps!
2
Join a committee!
To attend future Steering Committee meetings via Zoom or receive meeting notes, please email alumni@mandarins.org
Your unique perspective is valuable and welcome.
Alumni Association Highlights
Mandarins Alumni Corps!
The Mandarins Alumni Corps meets during the summer to rehearse and perform!
Color Guard Alumni Treats
On Family Day 2022, the Alumni Color Guard gave each 2022 Mandarins Color Guard member a Goodie Bag of items to take on Summer Tour. What’s in the bag, you ask? Lacrosse Muscle Recovery Balls, N95 Masks, Gatorade, Snacks/Gum/Mints, and THE OTHERSIDE logo note card with motivational quote.
Family Day Feast
The Mandarins Alumni-Hosted Dinner returned for its 7th year in 2022. Appreciative members and staff raved about the meal which featured fried rice, chow mein, grilled teriyaki chicken, stir-fried veggies, lumpia, vegetarian dishes, homemade cookies, and cupcakes.
This tradition is another opportunity to connect current corps members with alumni members, some of who marched in the Ye Wah corps over 59 years ago.
Mandarins Anniversary
We celebrated our Golden Anniversary on September 21, 2013, with over 360 alumni corps members, instructors, and family.
The Planning Committee did a great job with location, souvenirs, entertainment, and more.
DCI Tour Kitchen Crew
Several decades after they marched in the Ye Wah Color Guard, Jennie and Joyce returned to the Mandarins as Kitchen Crew members for the 2014 DCI Summer Tour.
Word has it that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and the hard work didn’t slow them down at all!
Alumni, here’s your chance to give back to the corps by volunteering for kitchen crew duties. Inquire here for more information.
Mandarins Alumni Association Co-Chairs
In January 2022, Mandarins President/CEO Dan Fong began a series of Mandarins Alumni Association (MAA) meetings. The goal of the MAA is to serve Mandarins alumni more effectively and to provide opportunities for alumni to support the Mandarins organization.
We are happy to introduce the initial co-chairs of the MAA:
- Joseph Khalifa – Mandarins drum corps euphonium 2016, trumpet 2017-2018, and Photographer and Social Media Manager since 2019; favorite tour memory is Brandt Crocker announcing in 2018 “For the first time in Finals competition in their 55-year history, from Sacramento, California, the Mandarins”
- Marianne (Chatterton) Liang – Mandarins drum corps pit member 2001-2003; IT Product Manager at Stanford University; favorite tour memory is waking up to California Love blasting in the gym
- Melissa (Soule) Stockbridge – Mandarins drum corps baritone 2004-2005; married to Dan Stockbridge, Mandarins drum corps trumpet 1999-2003; favorite memory was my very first show: I came to Mandarins having never played a note in my life, and I was dedicated to learning and was so proud when I finished my very first show
- Milt Gee – Mandarins drum corps low brass tech 1990-1993 and 2004-2017, and brass analytics since 2018; Mandarins Brass Alumni member since 2018; Mandarins of Sacramento, Inc. board member since 2020; retired from AT&T as Chief of Staff for an Assistant VP; cycles, runs, loves a well-made espresso drink, and misses Floree
- Schedule and lead MAA Steering Committee meetings
- Collect and prioritize discussion topics for meetings
- Ensure action items are recorded and prioritized
- Oversee the MAA sub-committees
- Attend board meetings of the Mandarins of Sacramento, Inc. (when applicable and as a non-voting member)
- Schedule and hold additional meetings as needed
- Give each co-chair an equal voice in discussions and decisions
- Allow co-chairs to take on a dual role if desired – e.g., leading a sub-committee
- Make decisions by consensus when possible; vote on decisions when necessary
- Determine an end date for the initial co-chair appointments
- Create a process for future co-chair elections
Special Thanks!
Scott Jow
Historian
The Mandarins Alumni Association would like to recognize Scott Jow. Scott Jow currently serves as the corps historian and sits on the Mandarins Board of Directors.
