The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Color Guard passes in review during the 2009 Old Guard Parade.
BLACKSBURG, Va., Sept. 30, 2010 – The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets will welcome the Class of 1960 back to campus as they celebrate their entrance into the Old Guard.
In recognition of the class’s 50 year anniversary, the corps will honor them with a pass in review on Friday, Oct. 15 at 4 p.m. The parade will be held on the Drillfield, centered on Burruss Hall.
During the parade the Highty-Tighties, the Regimental Band, will play and Skipper, the corps cannon, will be fired at the first note of the National Anthem and the first note of Tech Triumph. There will be two shots total, the first shot will be at approximately 4:10 p.m. and the final shot will be at about 4:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome to come out and watch this event.
Immediately following the parade, the corps will march back to the Upper Quad and hold a formal retreat ceremony. The ceremony will be held at the flag pole on Upper Quad. The regiment will be formed between Lane, Brodie, and Rasche Halls. The Color Guard will lower the flag, Skipper will fire, and the Highty-Tighties will play.
Free parking is available in Perry Street Lot 1, 3, 4, and 6 near Prices Fork Road and around the Drillfield with a visitor’s pass. A visitor’s pass may be obtained Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Visitor Information Center, located on Southgate Drive. Find more parking information online or call (540) 231-3200.
In addition, the Highty-Tighty alumni will return to campus for homecoming weekend and will join the current Highty-Tighties, the Gregory Guard, the corps precision rifle drill team, and the entire 850 member cadet regiment in the Homecoming Parade on Saturday morning. They will also participate in the pre-game march-on by the corps by playing with the current band as a combined unit prior to the Virginia Tech versus Wake Forest football game.
This year, the Highty-Tighty alumni band will be led by Nick Valdrighi, a member of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Class of 1957 who majored in mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering. He was the drum major in 1957 and led the Highty-Tighties in President Eisenhower’s second inaugural parade, where the band was awarded first place for the second of three consecutive times. Valdrighi currently lives in Richmond, Va.
The Highty-Tighty alumni prepare for these two performances by kicking off their reunion weekend with a two-hour practice session on Friday night. The Highty-Tighties and their alumni will attend their annual homecoming banquet after the game.
The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets has produced military, public, and corporate leaders since the university was founded in 1872. It is one of just two military corps within a large public university. The corps holds its members to the highest standards of loyalty, honor, integrity, and self-discipline. In return, cadets achieve high academic success and a long-lasting camaraderie with fellow members. Virginia Tech, the most comprehensive university in Virginia, is dedicated to quality, innovation, and results to the commonwealth, the nation, and the world.