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Dick Mueser with 15-year-old Joe Heacox, the youngest marching member in the "Corps of Brothers".[/caption]A 75-year-old heart transplant recipient seems an unlikely participant for a three-mile march through New York City, but Dick Mueser will do just that when he joins 425 of his brothers in the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this Thursday.Dick Mueser began his marching career 65 years ago as a soprano player for Norwood Park Imperials, a championship winning corps from Chicago.“It was always a gun fight when the Scouts, Cavaliers and Imperials competed,” Mueser said. He had great respect for his competitors, claiming the Madison Scouts were always his favorite.In 1956, while visiting his mother’s new home state of Wisconsin, he befriended a young man who had marched in the Madison Scouts junior corps. The pair decided to watch a Madison Scouts rehearsal, where a staff member recruited them to join. At that time in the corps’ history, members were required to belong to the Boy Scouts of America, and many, including Mueser, earned merit badges in bugle playing.At 75, Mueser is the oldest alumni participating in Thursday’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. He marched three seasons with the corps and was a member of the honor guard for the Madison Scouts Alumni Reunion Project in 2006. He also picked up his horn for the 75th anniversary alumni gathering in 2013.Mueser received a heart transplant in 2004 at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison. He credits his fitness-focused lifestyle and bicycle with enabling him to march the three-mile parade route through Manhattan.“Preparing for the Macy's Parade has been a great time for me to focus on staying fit,” he said. “The biggest challenge has been picking up my horn and getting my chops back in shape.”In retirement, Mueser and his wife Lynn support the drum corps activity by traveling to DCI shows. Additionally, Lynn’s two sons David and Todd Herrick marched with Madison in the late 70s and early 80s. While they are unable to participate in this unique opportunity, Mueser looks forward to representing his family legacy. He also has a supportive relationship with the family of his transplant donor.“That’s pretty special,” Mueser said. “I have my donor family, I have the Scouts family-- I have a lot of family! I’m very blessed.”