Concord
MA Chapter
25th
Anniversary Celebration
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February
25, 1995
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Concord
Elks Hall
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|
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Concord
Mass
|
Tribute
My
friends the crossroads are near;
Soon
we shall say to each other another farewell
So
now let’s live for the moment; sing one more song
of
elation; one more glass of good cheer
Though
the chapter shall end when we turn the page
Let
us sing a tribute to life as friends
My
friends take pride in our years; we’ve borne the seeds
of
tradition with friends gathered near
Let’s
raise our glasses high; Let’s toast in honor of
memories
in thanks for the times
Though
the chapter shall end when we turn the page
let
us sing a tribute to life as friends
Lyrics
by JoJo David
Ó1993
Five O’Clock Shadow
PROGRAM
COCKTAIL
HOUR(6:00 - 7:00 P.M.)
WELCOME......................................................................................................Ken
Carter
1995
President
INVOCATION.................................................................................................Al
MacLeod
1977
President
DINNER(7:00
- 8:30 P.M.)
INTRODUCTION
OF PAST DISTRICT OFFICERS
INTRODUCTION
OF CURRENT DISTRICT OFFICERS
GREETINGS
FROM PATRIOT DIVISION........................................Bob Guiggey
Vice
President
GREETINGS
FROM NORTHEASTERN DISTRICT..........................Paul Arnone
Exec
Vice President
GREETINGS
FROM INTERNATIONAL....................................................Ev
Nau
Int'l
Staff
QUARTET.............................................................................................."The
Bos-Tones"
RECOGNITION
OF CHARTER MEMBERS
RECOGNITION
OF PAST PRESIDENTS (COPPS)
QUARTET............................................................................................"Crowning
Touch"
RECOGNITION
OF BOB LONG BARBERSHOPPER OF THE YEAR AWARDS
RECOGNITION
OF DAVE WOODS MEMORIAL AWARDS
PRESENTATION
OF THE DAVE WOODS MEMORIAL AWARD............Wendall Putney
1979
President
"SOUNDS
OF CONCORD"..............................................................................Ray
Taylor
Past
Asst Director
Norman
Buerklin
1983-4
Director
PRESENTATION..............................................................................Ernest
W. Johansen
1986-7
NED President
PRESENTATIONS......................................................................................Greg
Caetano
Music
VP & Director
PRESENTATION...........................................................................................Everett
Nau
1982-3
President
RECOGNITION
OF ECHOES PAST PRESIDENTS & CURRENT OFFICERS
PRESENTATION
BY ECHOES................................................................Kathleen
Carter
1995
President
QUARTET.........................................................................................”River
City All Stars”
RECOGNITION
OF 25TH ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE
"SOUNDS
OF CONCORD".......................................................................Ernie
Johansen
Asst
Director
AN
AUDIO/VISUAL PRESENTATION:
"SEEMS
LIKE OLD TIMES" - 25 YEARS OF SOC HISTORY - (1970 - 1995)"
"SOUNDS
OF CONCORD".........................................................................Greg
Caetano
Musical
Director
PLEASE
TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT WITH "OLD" FRIENDS.
MUSIC
WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR DANCING.
LET'S
CONTINUE WITH OUR PARTY!!!
FOUNDING
FATHERS
George
O. Chamberlain
Robert
T. Long
George
F. Swanson
Stanley
H. Wolfe
CHORUS
DIRECTORS
|
Robert
T. Long
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1969
- 1983
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F.
Norman Buerklin
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1983
- 1984
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David
H. Patterson
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1984
- 1986
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Brian
L. O'Leary
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1986
- 1988
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David
H. Patterson
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1988
- 1990
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Gregory
J. Caetano
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1990
- 1995
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25TH
ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE
Marge
& Stan Bates
Kathleen&
Ken Carter
Doris
& Wendall Putney
Barbara&
Sam Segal
CHAIRMAN.................................................................................Ken
Carter
RESERVATIONS.....................................................................Marge
Bates
CATERING
CO-ORDINATOR.............................................Wendall Putney
LOGISTICS.................................................................................Sam
Segal
HISTORIAN.................................................................................Ken
Carter
LOGO
DESIGN......................................................................Greg
Caetano
BOOKLET/INVITATIONS.......................................................Greg
Caetano
Ken
Carter
AUDIO/VISUALS.........................................................................Ken
Carter
Jeff
Peach
FAVORS/DECORATIONS................................................................Echoes
Marge
Bates, Kathleen Carter, Doris Putney,
Elaine
Scott, Barbara Segal, Janet Sponagle,
Charlanne
VanWormer
Anniversary
Booklet Compiled & Written By:
Kenneth
E. Carter, Chapter Historian
FORMATION
OF THE CONCORD, MA CHAPTER
In
order to talk about the Concord, MA Chapter & "Sounds of Concord" Chorus,
we must return to 1964 and the formation of the "New Bostonian" Chorus,
formed to provide a Convention Chorus to make public relations appearances
for the upcoming International Convention to be held in 1965 at the Hynes
Auditorium in Boston, MA.
The
"New Bostonian" Chorus had 47 members of which twenty-two (22) became members
of the "Sounds of Concord": Sam Segal, George Swanson, Pat Guzzetti, Skits
Grippi, Danny Giannetti, Fred Hilton, Brad Cunio, Ray Taylor, Bob Morrison,
Bob Taylor, Bill Rushforth, Graham Seymour, Joe Haughey, Earle Buzzell,
Bud Jones, Stan Wolfe, Don Cooke, Bob Long, George Chamberlain, Ken Carter,
Don Jolie & John DePass.
The
Chorus, under the direction of Bob Long, appeared at several venues prior
to the Convention, including a show on Sunday afternoon of Convention Week
at the Hatch Memorial Shell, MC'd by SOC Founding Father, George Chamberlain
and included NED quartets: "Sleepless Knights of Harmony" from Meriden,
CT; "The Jolly Whalers" from New Bedford, MA; "Adventurers" from Nashua,
NH; "Melody Mates" from New London, CT and Boston's "Cross/Countrymen".Also
in attendance was then International President, Al Smith and wife Marian,
from Ft. Worth, TX.
During
convention week, the Chorus sang at various locations in and around the
Sheraton Boston Hotel and Hynes Auditorium - also appeared at an evening
performance at Symphony Hall with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra
and the 1964 International Quartet Champs "Sidewinders".
The
highlight of their existence was when the New Bostonian Chorus was asked
to sing on the AIC (Association of International Champions) Show on Wednesday
night.Each International Quartet
Champ that appeared on the show: "Gay Notes"; Confederates"; Schmitt Brothers";
Evans Quartet"; "Sun Tones"; "Town and Country Four" and "Sidewinders",
stepped to center stage and sang a portion of "May The Good Lord Bless
And Keep You" - on the second time around, the curtain raised and the NEW
BOSTONIAN CHORUS joined the AIC Quartets in the finale.It
was a "one-in-a-million experience" to a standing ovation of fellow barbershoppers.
After
the Convention, the Chorus wanted to stay together because they really
enjoyed singing together and were enjoying each other (after a year of
rehearsals), but one of the stipulations set up by the Northeastern Board
of Directors on putting this group together, was that they would disband
immediately after the Convention.
BUT
- they already had a taste of singing on the International stage - they
did disband with much protest for a short period of time - they were not
satisfied with just singing in their respective chapters.Another
group formed called the "Minutemen", but were short-lived because NED said
it was a spin-off of the New Bostonian Chorus.
Then
on September 4, 1969 - in a small room at the Veteran's Building in Concord
Center, 54 men gathered for an organizational meeting. This meeting was
held to determine if it was possible to form a NEW CHAPTER in the Concord
area for the purpose of providing a chorus which would fare well in competition.Every
man would be a singer first, and an administrator or committee member second,
and all would be expected to act and perform in a "professional" manner
so that they would be a credit to their chapter and their society.
Some
didn't join because of the rehearsal night or because of business conflicts
or because they could not commit to the ideals set forth at this organizational
meeting - about 30 men joined to License the CONCORD, MA CHAPTER of S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A.,
Inc.
Through
the years, the Chorus has won many "Achievement Awards" in their various
plateaus and also many "Logopedics Awards" for their contributions to the
Institute of Logopedics (HEARTSPRING).
The
CONCORD, MA CHAPTER received their charter on FEBRUARY 25, 1970
with forty-one (41) active members.Some
of those members are still members of the Sounds of Concord Chorus: STAN
BATES, CLIFF BEAN, LLOYD BICKFORD, BOB GRIFFIN, SAM SEGAL, JOHN DE PASS,
GRAHAM SEYMOUR, BRAD CUNIO.
CHARTER
MEMBERS
The
CONCORD,
MA CHAPTER was sponsored by the Newton-Wellesley and Marblehead Chapters.The
Charter was signed by forty-one (41) members:
|
Fred
Ansara
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Frederick
M. Hilton
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Charles
E. Apgar
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David
R. James
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|
*
Stanley W Bates
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Donald
R. Jolie
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*
Clifford B. Bean
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Don
P. Johnson
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*
Lloyd M. Bickford
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Donald
T. King
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F.
Norman Buerklin
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Robert
T. Long
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Richard
S. Carlson
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Robert
B. Loughlin
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Charles
M. Cawley
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Andrew
B. Lord
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George
O. Chamberlain
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Robert
M. Morrison
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Carl
R. Clifton
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Richard
J. O'Connell
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W.N.
Don Cooke
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*
Sumner Segal
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Donald
L. Cochrane
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*
Graham Seymour
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*
Joseph B. Cunio
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Robert
Shea
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*
John DePass
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George
F. Swanson
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Joseph
A. Devlin, Jr.
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Robert
D. Stubbelbine
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Edward
H. Dwyer
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Francis
M. Sweeney
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David
L.R. Edgar
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Raynor
W. Taylor
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William
A. Gage
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Robert
F. Taylor
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Arthur
W. Goodall
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David
S. Woods
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*
Robert J. Griffin
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Stanley
H. Wolfe
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Steven
Koerper
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(*)
denotes continuous membership in SOC
THROUGH
THE YEARS (1970-1995)
1970:STAN
WOLFE, President
We
placed third in the Division 6 Chorus Contest held in Beverly, MA behind
Worcester, MA (685), Beverly, MA (663), Concord, MA (648).
We
placed second at the Fall Contest held in Lake Placid, NY behind Saratoga
Springs, NY (729), Concord, MA (688), Montreal, QUE (686), Poughkeepsie,
NY (669), Attleboro, MA (660).
In
less than One Year, the Concord, MA Chapter:
1)
Chartered and qualified to compete at District level after only two (2)
weeks
2)
Provided the District with 4 of 5 Area Counselors (Dick O'Connell, George
Chamberlain,
Lloyd Bickford, Stan Wolfe)
3)
Provided the District with:
*
the Executive Vice President (George Chamberlain)
*
the Division 6 Vice President (Stan Wolfe)
*
the District President (Dick Pierpont)
4)
Competed at District level in their first contest with 42 men and ended
up in 2nd
Place
out of 21 choruses (for the most part, long established chapters)
5)
Received an invitation to appear at Grossinger's, a famous New York resort
6)
Formed a Ladies Auxiliary, the "ECHOES OF CONCORD"
1971:RICHARD
O'CONNELL,President
The
Concord, MA Chapter under the leadership of Dick O'Connell, Chairman, hosted
the Division 6 Contest held in Bedford, MA -
We
had five (5) quartets in the Divisional Contest:
"VULGAR
BOATMEN - Division 6 Champs
"THE
TRICORN CHORDS - 2nd Place
(Don
Cooke, Don Johnson, Bill Gage, Scotty Apgar)
"THE
MILL DAM FOUR"
(Ray
Taylor, Brad Cunio, Dick Carlson, John DePass)
"THE
WIZARDS OF AAH"
(Ken
Covey, John Linton, Stan Bates, Don Hutchins)
"THE
CELL MATES"
(Fred
Hilton, Stu Scott, Carl Clifton, Graham Seymour)
We
won the Division 6 Chorus Contest - Concord, MA (715); Beverly, MA (664);
Worcester, MA (656).
We
won the Fall Contest held in Providence, RI - Concord, MA (560); Saratoga
Springs, NY (560) - tied scores are broken in the Sound Category - Montreal,
QUE (498); Poughkeepsie, NY (496); Framingham, MA (487).
On
December 31, 1971 we received a "50-OR-MORE" CLUB certificate for attaining
a membership of over 50 members.
1972:DAVE
WOODS,
President
On
January 16, 1972 we recorded our first record album "EVERYTHING'S COMING
UP ROSES" at the Fenn School, also featuring our two quartets: "HARMONY
EAST" (LLOYD BICKFORD, DON JOLIE, Bill Rushforth, John North) and "THE
VILLAGE SQUIRES" (BOB VINCUILLA, DON JOHNSON, KEN CARTER, SCOTTY APGAR).
We
won the Division 6 Chorus Contest - Concord, MA (633), Framingham, MA (557),
Worcester, MA (546); Beverly, MA (514).
We
competed at the International Chorus Contest held in Atlanta, GA and placed
7th.
We
won the Fall Chorus Contest held in Montreal, QUE - Concord, MA (609);
Poughkeepsie, NY (579); Framingham, MA (549); New London, CT (548); Saratoga
Springs, NY (537).
1973:EARLE
BUZZELL,
President
Won
FIRST PLACE for PROTENTION in NED, Plateau 4 - (Chapters with 50-74 members)
for best performance in PROgramming and membership reTENTION.
We
won the Division 6 Chorus Contest held in Canton, MA - Concord, MA (644);
Framingham, MA (572); Worcester, MA (565); Beverly, MA (505).
We
competed again at the International Chorus Contest held in Portland, OR
and again placed 7th.
"The
LAST HURRAH!" quartet (Bob Vincuilla, Don Johnson, Ken Carter, Dick Pierpont)
competed at International in Portland, OR and placed 27th.
Good
and bad things happened at the Fall Contest held in Lake Placid, NY:
We
placed 2nd at the Chorus Contest behind Saratoga Springs, NY (1262); Concord,
MA (1248); Framingham, MA (1138); Housatonic-Derby, CT (1086); New London,
CT (1076).
Our
Quartet "The LAST HURRAH!" won the District Quartet Championship.
Our
Founding Father and current NED President and President-Elect, George Chamberlain
suffered a fatal heart attack on Friday night following the House of Delegates
Meeting and Semi-Final Quartet Contest session.
1974:DON
COOKE,
President
We
won the Division 6 Chorus Contest held in Andover, MA - Concord, MA (584);
Framingham, MA (545); Worcester, MA (475); Beverly, MA (469).
July
found "THE LAST HURRAH! competing at the International Quartet Contest
held in Kansas City, MO and placed 30th.
In
August, we appeared at the Prudential Center's Eighth and final SummerScene
Concert featuring the SOUNDS OF CONCORD CHORUS, THE LAST HURRAH!, VILLAGE
SQUIRES, RIVER CITY ALL STARS and ADVENTURERS Quartets.
We
won the Fall Chorus Contest held in Boston, MA - Concord, MA (1239); Framingham,
MA (1128); Housatonic-Derby, CT (1101); Worcester, MA (1043); Poughkeepsie,
NY (1036).
1975:EARLE
BUZZELL,
President
As
District Champs, we took a BYE at the Divisional Level and did not compete.
Participated
in the 1975 Bicentennial Celebration with the Concord Orchestra, The Concord
Players, The Concord Chorus and the Concord Band.
Presented
a Bicentennial Concert on Thursday, April 17th at Concord Academy featuring
the SOUNDS OF CONCORD CHORUS, THE LAST HURRAH and VILLAGE SQUIRES quartets.The
Concert was narrated by Carl DeSuze of WBZ radio fame.
Patriot's
Day - the SOUNDS OF CONCORD CHORUS sang "WHAT A COUNTRY" for the President
of the United States, Gerald Ford, on April 19th - it was taped by Channel
5 News.
We
competed at the International Chorus Contest held in Indianapolis, IN placing
11th, while "THE LAST HURRAH!" competed in the Quartet Contest placing
32nd.
We
placed 2nd at the Fall Contest held in Montreal, QUE behind Saratoga Springs,
NY (906); Concord, MA (903); Housatonic-Derby, CT (817); Burlington, VT
(783); Providence, RI (760).
1976:JOHN
DE PASS,
President
We
hosted and won the Division 6 Contest held at the Concord-Carlisle High
School - Concord, MA (451); Framingham, MA (402); Worcester, MA (380);
Beverly, MA (321).
Recorded
our Bicentennial Stereo LP Record Album "WHAT A COUNTRY" narrated by WBZ
Radio's Carl DeSuze.
We
won the Fall Chorus Contest held in
Portland, ME - Concord, MA (907); Saratoga
Springs, NY (892); Burlington, VT (811); Housatonic-Derby, CT (793); Framingham,
MA (774).
Barbershopper
of the Year:LLOYD BICKFORD
1977:AL
MACLEOD,
President
As
District Champs, took a BYE at the Division 6 Contest and did not compete.
At
the International Chorus Contest held in Philadelphia, PA we placed 11th.
We
won the Fall Chorus Contest held in Lake Placid, NY - Concord, MA (890);
Saratoga Springs, NY (842); Housatonic-Derby, CT (798); Burlington, VT
(785); Danbury, CT (736).
Won
the International Achievement Award in Plateau 4 (50-74 members).
1978:DON
WHEELER,
President
February
21, 1978 - received Certificate of Recognition of Sounds of Concord having
attained membership in the Three-Quarter Century Club during 1977 (membership
of 75+)
March
10, 1978 - won Harmony Foundation Service Award - Logopedics donations
of $10.00 per member.
As
District Champs, we again took a BYE at the Division 6 Contest and did
not compete.
At
the International Chorus Contest held in Cincinnati, OH we placed 15th.
By
a vote of the Board of Directors, the Sounds of Concord did not compete
at the District Contest.
Won
again the International Achievement Award - Plateau 4 (50-74 members).
1979:WENDALL
PUTNEY,
President
We
won the Division 6 Chorus Contest held in Canton, MA - Concord, MA; Worcester,
MA; Framingham, MA; Beverly, MA.