Craig Biesecker Nomination Letter

Michelle Owens was a tremendous person with an enigmatic personality and a great love for the drum corps activity. Michelle gave to drum corp what drum corp gave to her: a passion for being great at something, how to be strong under pressure, a balls to the wall work ethic, and a place to build lasting friendships. These values are central to the Cadets and were nurtured in me during my performing years with the organization. Michelle Owens is exemplary of these values and I feel strongly that because of her personal strength, dedication to the youth of the activity, and her positive effect on all of those whom she touched she should be inducted into The Cadets Hall of Fame.

Michelle and I performed together only one year, we were roommates for 3 years, and we taught colorguard together for many years throughout the east coast. My experiences with her and our close friendship were the span of more than 20 plus short years. As a performer Michelle worked and worked and worked. She always took corrections and had the utmost respect not only for those teaching her but also for her fellow performers. She had a quiet strength admired by all. And just when you were having a bad day Michelle knew how to lighten the spirit of everyone and laugh, laugh, laugh. She lead by example and was revered by all of those who performed with and taught her.

I started teaching with Michelle in 1995. Michelle always taught colorguard and I went in and out of teaching depending on what was happening with my life. Everytime when I was able to rejoin Michelle I was blown away by how she had evolved into a powerful voice for the groups she taught. That quiet strength and leadership by example was now a loud voice to all of those in her organizations. Michelle didn’t take excuses, expected the same work ethic from everyone, and could be tough, but then she always knew when the kids needed an emotional and/or physical break from things. She understood people.

Teaching with Michelle I always thought that she was an excellent role model for everyone but especially for young women. She stood in front of the kids and staff with strength. The kind of strength where it was easy to trust her knowledge and respect her requests. She nurtured but never coddled. She set expectations high for the kids and knew what the were capable of achieving in a rehearsal and over the season. She spoke to the kids plainly without any sense of being a better person than any one of them. These qualities affected everyone that she came in contact with teaching or in life by showing us that we can replicate these things. Again, leadership by example.

Michelle Owens exemplified strength, hard work, and dedication throughout her life and especially in fighting her cancer. She was a dedicated team member wherever she worked and even more important a dedicated friend. She was full of love, kindness, and laughter. She is not only missed by many people but also remembered by many people. Michelle lives on in all of us, her friends, her students, her family. We miss her. As an alumnus who treasured my experiences at the Cadets and as a person who treasured my experiences with Michelle I would be extremely proud to see her name added to The Cadets’ Hall of Fame.

Sincerely,

Craig Biesecker

Cadets ‘92, ‘93, ‘94