Phantom Regiment is pleased to welcome its newest inductees to the Phantom Regiment Hall of Fame.

The class of 2022 will add three members to the hall of fame: Greg Newell, Bob Smith, and Nancy St. Angel. This brings the total number of inductees to 54. There is one criterion for the hall of fame: Someone who has made a significant, long-lasting, and positive impact on the Phantom Regiment organization.

GREG NEWELL, who was nominated by Phantom Regiment board member Ed Collins, has been a member of the Phantom Regiment Board of Directors for 22 years.

Greg was elected to the board in July 2000. Since then, he has been involved in almost every aspect of the organization. At various points, he has been the development director, led multiple redesigns of the Web site, created the VIP seating and VIP tent for Show of Shows, coordinated housing and sponsors for Show of Shows, initiated the idea to move to Rockford College, created the Phantom Ball (a fake event to raise money), chaired the Governance Committee and Personnel Committee and until recent years had written most letters, bios and articles that came from the organization since 2000. Greg was vice president from 2002-05, and he has been secretary of the board since 2010. He has been instrumental in recruiting several members to the board of directors as well as the CEO. He was a member of the corps in 1988 and 1989.

In his nomination letter, Ed said of Greg, “His knowledge of technical aspects blended with historical context offer direction and have always provided a foundation for difficult decisions. Mostly, I’ve always admired his knowledge of people. He can provide an alumni contact or resource, their expertise, and willingness to engage.”

Board president Tim Farrell, who has worked closely with Greg for all of his 22 years on the board said in his letter of support, “Greg has always been the voice of stability, prudence and consistency. It is safe to say that the Phantom Regiment would not be where it is today as an organization without the tireless work of Greg Newell.”

In his professional life, Greg is an implementation project manager. He lives near Tampa, Fla., with his wife, Teresa.

An additional letter of support was written by Phantom Regiment Alumni Association president Joe Taylor.

BOB SMITH, who was nominated by Phantom Regiment Hall of Fame designer Tony Hall, was first hired as a visual instructor for the 1987 season and has been a member of the visual team for 21 years, including 9 years as visual caption head.

Bob’s time with Phantom Regiment spans five decades. He developed a reputation early in his career as someone who could not only spot mistakes but fix them, and his attention to detail is legendary. With Bob on visual staff, the corps won top visual performance honors at DCI finals in 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1993 and high visual general effect in 1993 and 1996 (as caption head). He has spent time working with several other corps throughout the years, including Spirit of Atlanta, Tarheel Sun and Colts, but his love for Phantom Regiment keeps bringing him back. He was a marching member in 1985, and is currently the visual coordinator for the corps.

In addition to his efforts on staff, he has played a role in many behind-the-scenes tasks such as helping build the equipment trailer, providing housing for out-of-towners, cleaning the warehouse and building spreadsheets.

In his nomination letter, Tony said, “Bob has been there for Regiment and done anything asked of him through several decades, uniform looks, marching styles, staffs and administrations.”

Pat Seidling, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021, said in his letter of support, “That majestic posture, the unique stance and that ‘walk’ is what make Phantom Regiment look like it is indeed an actual 1,000-member regiment of 7-foot tall deities. Bob Smith has respected and understood this since his first days with the corps, and he has worked hard to teach and perpetuate ‘the look’ for decades now.”

Bob is a retired Illinois public schools math teacher and a member of the Illinois Tennis Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He lives in Chicago.

An additional letter of support was written by former executive director Rick Valenzuela.

NANCY ST. ANGEL, who was nominated by her son, Kevin St. Angel, has been involved with Phantom Regiment since the 1960s when she met her future husband, David St. Angel, a former corps director and also a member of the Phantom Regiment Hall of Fame. She’s been a volunteer ever since.

She was a familiar face in Rockford in the 1980s and ’90s working behind the scenes when Dave was director as well as on the road, where she worked the food truck, laundered and sewed uniforms, and chaperoned (including the bus on which her son was riding). Nancy was also a Rockford “mom” to many out-of-town members over the years, as she and Dave, who died in 2012, opened their home to house members before the days of everyone staying at a single site started in 2003. She continues to welcome overnight guests to this day.

Kevin said in his nomination letter, “She’s exactly the kind of person that an organization like Phantom Regiment needs to thrive. The kind of person who would rather do something then ask another to do it, who works tirelessly in the background to support others who may be more visible both on and off the field.”

Her dedication to Phantom Regiment was evident last summer. The corps was holding its spring training in Evansville, Ind., and Nancy, who goes to dialysis a couple times a week, moved those appointments from Rockford to Evansville so that she could be with the corps’ sewing crew.

The criteria for induction to the hall of fame is simple: Any person who has made a significant and long-lasting, positive impact on the Phantom Regiment organization. In a supporting letter, PRAA president Joe Taylor said, “It is frankly hard to imagine many people who fit that description better than Nancy St. Angel.”

Nancy is retired and lives in Rockford.

An additional letter of support was written by alum Erin Mulcahey, who was housed by the St. Angels from 1989 to 1991. 

SAVE THE DATE!

Join us Saturday, November 19th in Loves Park, IL for our Hall of Fame Gala. Or online for the virtual Gala & Auction.