The Sacramento Mandarins is thrilled and honored to announce its 2020 Hall of Fame Inductees. Please join us in congratulating Kathleen Bakergumprecht-Davies, Gregory Mar, and Jim Tabuchi.
‘Kathleen Bakergumprecht-Davies is a longtime avid supporter of the Mandarins, currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Sacramento Mandarins Board of Directors, and provides legal counsel for the organization. Currently the Mandarins’ Fundraising Chairperson, Kathleen returned to school and received a degree in grant writing. Subsequently, she applies for and receives several grants to support the corps’ operations. Additionally, she manages the annual Big Day of Giving campaign. Kathleen also revamped the Mandarins’ souvenir operations by helping to acquire a new trailer in 2019 and arranging for booths, displays, point-of-sale functionality and unique merchandise – all of which helped increase sales and visibility. She also helped implement the Mandarins’ online store, the Mandarins Marketplace.
Gregory Mar was an outstanding member of the Mandarins from 1982-1988. He started in the percussion and color guard sections and was the drum major from 1985-1988, where he led the corps to its first DCI World Championships in 1987 and 1988. A recipient of the Mandarins’ Outstanding Corps Member award, he went on to become a percussion instructor before becoming the color guard designer and instructor for both the drum corps and winter guard programs from 1990-2007, and Program Coordinator from 2009-2011. Among the memorable winter guard shows he designed are the “Joy Luck Club” and “Taiko Show,” which combined live taiko drummers and color guard members into a stunning performance at WGI in both the guard and percussion competitive arenas. Greg’s creative influence on the corps helped produce championship performances in 1992 and the “four-peat” (four back-to-back championships) from 1996-1999. Greg also designed the widely recognized “M” corps logo, which represents resilience, heritage, and family.
Jim Tabuchi joined the Mandarins as a brass member in 1979 – the first non-Chinese member of the corps – and demonstrated leadership skills early on. He continued marching through the 1981 season, then took a long hiatus from drum corps to pursue his education and career. He returned to the Mandarins in 2005 as a brass instructor until he became the Mandarins Corps Director in 2010 and then President and CEO in 2014. During his tenure, Jim increased the organization’s visibility, stature, and relationships with the local and drum corps communities by helping to establish programs including the Mandarins Academy at Sac State; Mandarins Entertainment; Mandarins Music Academy; Mandarins Pathway Program; and the DCI Capital Classic Drum Corps Show. Also under Jim’s leadership and commitment, the Mandarins acquired an equipment and uniform semitrailer, a mobile kitchen, and the Mandarins Music Center building. And it was under Jim’s leadership that the Mandarins made it into the DCI World Championship World Class Finals two years in a row. Jim was also recognized as DCI Director of the Year in 2017 and elected to the DCI Board of Directors in 2017, DCI Board Vice-Chair in 2019 and Secretary in 2020.
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