Grosse Pointe Chapter – the First Fifty Years
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GGrroossssee PPooiinnttee LLaakkeesshhoorree CChhoorruuss TThhee FFiirrsstt FFiiffttyy YYeeaarrss 11994455--11999955 CCoommppiilleedd aanndd AAuutthhoorreedd bbyy JJiimm KKiinnnneer Grosse Pointe Chapter – The First Fifty Years Introduction Sometime in Mid 1994, I happened to be attending a meeting of our Publicity Committee and we were discussing our upcoming 50th Chapter Anniversary. I said it would probably be nice to have a history book covering our first fifty years of existence Jay Maire muttered something, not very clearly, about it’s nice that you should volunteer. The other committee members agreed that it would be a nice thing to do. I agreed to give it a try. Harry Truman once said “its the men that make history, history doesn’t make the men.” Well, this gave me the idea that a collection of biographies of all the men that ever belonged to our Chapter would certainly tell a great story. I also tried to, emphasize that our Chapter hasn’t been to shoddy in the production of fine quartets. Although all of our members didn’t belong to all Chapter member quartets there were a lot that belonged to quartets whether for fun or serious competition. You’ll have to get stories like having no music sheets in the “old’ days and quartet chapters (no choruses) and pitch ‘em high and sing ‘em loud from somewhere else, there’s no special chapter on those stories. The other part of the story is what we did to keep out of the pool rooms, so to speak, like contests and ladies nights etc. Everything thing in this book was written by barbershoppers, the biographies, the Pitch Pipe, the Troubadour, the Harmonizer. McDermott’s Fifty Year History. A lot of guys came up with some neat pictures. Art Shulz let me borrow his collection of Society publications and Russ Seely also lent me his collection of Society publications. Don Adams provided me with a big box of his collectibles. I want to thank Don McCoy and his wife, Theresa, for perusing my pages, dotting i’s, crossing t’s, and underlining various areas, capitalizing and un-capitalizing. A novice like me really appreciated this help. And very important is the Chapter on our Ladies Auxiliary written by Karen Schaefer. I am thankful to all the guys that provided their biographies. These stories are fantastic. I hope every one enjoys this “book” Jim Kinner. 1 Grosse Pointe Chapter – The First Fifty Years Introduction Chapter One Mini - Chapter History ..............................................................6 Chapter Two Chapter Membership Roll 1945 – 1995 ...................................22 Chapter Three Chapter Barbershopper of the Year, District Hall of Fame ........35 Chapter Four Grosse Pointe Chapter Officers ..................................................39 Chapter Five Member Biographies ...................................................................57 Chapter Six Quartets at Large, Seniors and Juniors .....................................230 Chapter Seven Good News Gospel Singers ......................................................253 Chapter Eight District Chorus Competitions ...................................................255 Chapter Nine Chapter Shows ..........................................................................282 Chapter Ten Ladies Auxiliary........................................................................291 Chapter Eleven Grosse Pointe Events ................................................................315 Ladies Night Chapter Officers Installation Night Little Ladies Night Christmas Bus Tour Bowling Banquet for Don Adams’ Kids Harsens Island Golf and Bocci Lions Club Picnics Floating Poker Party North Carolina Golf and Concert Tour Chapter Twelve District Events ...........................................................................324 Charlevoix Jamboree Harrisville Arts and Crafts Weekend Loton Wilson Boyne Bush League Show and Contest Inter-Chapter Quartet Contests Boblo Moonlight Cruise Oakland County Traveling Jug Uncle Sam Night International Send-Off Harmony Education Program Minihep / Harmony Round-up Chapter Officers’ Training School 2 Grosse Pointe Chapter – The First Fifty Years Pine Knob Meadowbrook Chapter Thirteen Service and Charities ..........................................................344 Chapter Fourteen Chapter Charter ...................................................................353 3 Chapter One – Mini History HERITAGE By John Wade, past President It’s good to recall the beginning of this Chapter back in 1945. Yes we’ll be 50 years old next year. Only one of our members remains active from those years, our Charter member, Ray McCalpin who still attends a dozen or so meetings per year. Ray, along with Wally Joure, Lou Walley and then International Judge and International Board member, Mark Roberts and Ken Smith decided to leave the original Detroit #1 Chapter and form the Grosse Pointe Chapter with such stalwarts as Art Seely and the Progressive Four Quartet, Al Singer and Doc Sanders. As the Chapter grew, at least five Seely brothers and recruited new members Charley Geyer and Dick Lysy, Pau; Johnson, Herb Reed, Herb’s Son Paul and eventually his other son, Larry. About the same time, the East Detroit Chapter was in decline and could no longer maintain it’s International Charter and Grosse Pointe was fortunate to add to their rolls the likes of Frank Lozzi, Hank DeMars, and Hank Geyer. About this time , this writer joined the Grosse Pointe Chorus, then meeting at the Alger VFW Post on St. Paul and St. Clair in Grosse Pointe City. Competition between representative choruses was just beginning on a national basis in the early 50's and in the early 60's Grosse Pointe participated with 20 singers directed by Hal Seely. The Chapter was fortunate to have the Metro Chords Quartet on hand as a strong support of those first sixteen brave gentlemen, and from there this Chapter has never looked back. In the late 60's, the Detroit Yacht Club chartered a chapter. The Yachtmen were an entertaining, enthusiastic chapter but as club members dwindled, so did the Yachtmen Chapter. Many of those members lived on the East Side and since Grosse Pointe was close and welcoming, many Yachtmen joined our Chapter. As our ranks swelled, we needed to fund the expenses so a not- for-profit organization and the Detroit Yacht Club ballroom provided just the venue needed for a cabaret type show. For many years, our little show was held at the Club but we were soon receiving signs and appeals that the public wanted to see more of us. On January 29, 1969, eight members of the Detroit Yachtsmen Chapter merged with the Grosse Pointe Chapter. The letter to the Executive Director of the Society so notifying him was co- signed by Don Adams, President. Our Chapter Chorus was increasing, our competitions increased to two performances a year, and our name and reputation as a Chapter was being enhanced by the 1965 Pioneer District Champions, the 4-FITS, a sustaining quartet from the Grosse Pointe Chapter, including a Charter member singing baritone , you guessed it, none other than Ray McCalpin! The lead of the quartet was the future Hall of Famer of the Pioneer District, an honor designated to perhaps only a dozen people in a 1700 member district, and the present director of the meatheads, Russ Seely, now our district president. Many things have changed since those early days; the meeting halls, the membership rolls, the 4 Chapter One – Mini History rules of competition even the way and times of meetings and how they were conducted. But the thing that hasn’t changed is the feeling of camaraderie, fraternity and yes the love that we all have for each other. This is very unusual in an organization so large (now over 100 strong) and so diverse! Doctors, business owners, lawyers, professionals, blue collar workers, young, retired, all have blended together so that each man in his own way can hear his own voice in harmony with others to enjoy what we call barbershopping. Chapter Meeting Minutes, Turner’s Hall, June 6, 1945 The first meeting of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA) to be known as the Grosse Pointe Chapter was held at Turner’s Hall on June 6, 1945 at 8:30 P.M. The meeting was called to order by Mark Roberts and 16 prospective members attended for the purpose of organizing a new chapter of the SPEBSQSA to represent the East Side Section of Detroit and surrounding communities which includes Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Woods, Grosse Pointe Park, Grosse Pointe Shores and the City of Grosse Pointe. It was decided by unanimous vote by those present to appoint Mark Roberts to petition the International Secretary for a Charter for the new Chapter which henceforth will be known as the Grosse Pointe Chapter. Prospective Members Present: Mark Roberts Ronald Bud Peltier Carl Weiderman Edwin Schwoppe Maurice LaGrou George Holmes Louis Walley C. A. Woodus Edward Marchener Leroy McKinney Walter Maischeim Jack LaDuke Sr. Dallas Metcalf Clarence Lang Ted C. Fennel Fred Lutzer The following officers were elected to serve for the ensuing year: President - Mark Roberts Vice-President - E. G. Schwoppe Secretary - Lou Walley Master of Ceremonies - Dal Metcalf Treasurer - L. L. McKinney Keeper of the Mugs - Fred Lutzer It was unanimously agreed that the Chapter will meet the second Friday of each month. After numerous quartet numbers, the meeting was adjourned. All those having attended proceeded to enjoy the rest of the evening with more singing and refreshments. Lou Walley,