60th Anniversary Coverage
Dateline: London:
August 1, 1975
A historic
event occurred on August 1, 1975 when the Prospective Sweet Adelines
Chapter of Purbrook, Hants, England, became the first European chapter
affiliated with Sweet Adelines International.
On that warm day in August Ann
Gooch (International President 1975-77), accompanied by a member
of headquarters staff, presented Purbrook Chapter President Sue
Parkes the official chapter charter.
Seeing the Purbrook Chapter
singing for the first time was “such a moment of emotion that
I found myself quite overcome with pride for this glorious example
of world understanding through music. It was an electric moment
felt throughout the assemblage gathered to experience the event,”
Ann Gooch remarked 30 years ago. “The chartering of Purbrook
Chapter in England is a genuine gesture towards international understanding,
and just another step towards our efforts to really Harmonize the
World!”
In August 2005 Purbrook Harmony
Chorus, Region 31, celebrated its Pearl Anniversary (30 years) with
an evening of celebration and reminiscence.
The chorus has competed at convention
each of its 30 years and is still moving forward. “Besides
participating in Barbershop Music Appreciation Day, we continually
sing at many events and to us belonging to our chorus and spreading
the true meaning of Sweet Adelines is a great addition to our daily
lives,” Purbrook Harmony Chorus President Merle Legge commented.
“Our chorus has the proud reputation of being great at parties
and has the great ability to sing anywhere at any time. Long may
it continue.”
Today there are over 40 chapters
in Europe, not to mention the close to 50 chapters in Australia,
New Zealand and Japan, the close to 60 chapters in Canada and the
hundreds of chapters in the U.S. Sweet Adelines International is
indeed “Harmonizing the World!”
Wisdom From Yesteryear
— What Does a Quartet Owe Their Chapter?
The answer to this question,
we feel, is both simple and obvious –in a word– allegiance.
Webster defines allegiance
as “… devotion or loyalty to a person, group or cause
… obligation … fidelity.”
This sums up our sentiments
very nicely. Without the chapter and our director, Ozzie Westley,
there could have been no quartet in the first place. They made us
possible, and in return are entitled to our “devotion, loyalty
and fidelity.”
We believe that because
we have been given much in the way of assistance, direction, backing
and encouragement, we are now “obligated” to do likewise
unto others.
We believe that by helping
in any possible way (section leaders, costuming choreography, etc.)
we will be partially repaying those members of our chapter who gave
of themselves in our behalf.
We believe that winning
the International Championship not only puts the quartet in an exciting
and delightful position, but likewise attests to the superiority
of the chapter from which it came.
We believe that we can
continue to exercise our “devotion, loyalty and fidelity”
by so arranging our outside commitments that our continued attendance
at meetings and rehearsals will be assured.
We believe that the heady
experience at Carnegie Hall is not the happy ending to a fairytale,
but the beginning of an even closer, more harmonious alliance with
our chapter.
The above statement of “allegiance”
was submitted by the Hurricane Honeys in the summer of 1968 and
published in the summer issue of The Pitch Pipe after their
1967 International win. Nancy Calay (t), Iris (Signorelli) Cokeroft
(l), Ruth Ann (Strang) Parker (bt) and Marge Grau (b) from Miami,
Fla., took the Carnegie Hall stage by storm at the 1967 Sweet Adelines
International competition in New York. Their unique presentation
of six songs, including two composed by Iris, told the story of
Cinderella. The quartet’s costumes progressed from dust-maid
outfits in the quarterfinals to gold hoop-skirted ball gowns in
the semi-finals to glittering silver bridal gowns in the finals.
Appropriately, their championship performance culminated with the
presentation of crowns and a ride through Central Park to their
hotel in a horse-drawn carriage.
The Hurricane Honeys have remained
active through the years. By 1974 they had traveled more than 75,000
miles, from Disneyland in Los Angeles and back to New York City
to perform on the Today Show. Toni Miller replaced the tenor in
1991 enabling the quartet to begin performing again after a period
of inactivity.
Iris is currently the director
of Goldcoast Chorus in Miami. She is a master director and has been
directing for years. Iris and her husband arrange barbershop music
for the Hurricane Honeys and several men’s barbershop groups.
She is currently serving as regional faculty for Region 9 and remains
an active coach within her region.
Marge is past president of the
Coronet Club. She has been actively involved with the Coronet Club
since 1967 and is a member of Goldcoast Chorus. She also serves
on the chorus management team. She enjoys coaching quartets throughout
Region 9.
Ruth Ann is a certified showmanship
judge, approved candidate judge (sound), judge specialist (showmanship)
and is currently the OPL in Region 1. She is a master director and
has also directed several choruses throughout the country over the
years — Greater Richmond, Vienna Falls, Houston Horizon, Miami
and Royal Palm Choruses. All five choruses she has directed have
competed on the International stage, with Vienna Falls and Royal
Palm placing top ten. Ruth Ann enjoys coaching choruses and quartets
in Region 1 and will occasionally visit Region 14 for coaching sessions.
Toni has been an active member
of the Goldcoast Chorus for many years. She made a wonderful replacement
when the original tenor, Nancy Calay, had to step down.
The Hurricane Honeys commitment
to allegiance remains strong and true to this day.
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