Eleven quartets vied for the two positions allotted the district at the upcoming international contest. It was unfortunate for the district that the number of quartets apportioned under the system in use at international was made on the basis of district memberships as of February 29, 1960. At that time Michigan had 1,142 members, 18 points under the formula which would have given Michigan three quartets. As President Cecil Fischer lamented, "Although the system works the same for everyone, I know full well Michigan has more than two quartets of international championship class. It's too bad that these fine working units are to be deprived of a chance of getting to the top in their chosen field and vie for an international championship." This sounds familiar to many even today throughout the Society, although it has been answered to a great degree with the selecting of additional quartets over and above the two quartets allowed for each district selected on the basis of their scores, thus including the highest scoring quartets in the Society. It was a good move on the part of the Society to incorporate this change.

Sharpkeepers

Air Males

Detroit SHARPKEEPERS and the Dearborn-Wayne AIRE-MALES were declared the winners over a field that included Holland's CHORD COUNTS, Muskegon's PHD'S, the LANSINGERS, the District Champ STAFF SERGEANTS, the STATE LINERS of Niles, the CHORD BANDITS of Lansing, the SONIC AIRES of Detroit, the SCOREKEEPERS of Northwest Detroit, and the CHORDUROYS of Oakland County.

Dallas was scene of 1960 international convention

The international convention was held in Dallas, Texas, on June 21-26, 1960. The Muskegon PORT CITY Chorus under the direction of Al Burgess finished in 10th place in the field of 15 choruses. The two Michigan District quartet representatives both finished as semi-finalists, with the AIRE-MALES from the Wayne and Dearborn Chapters (Dale Clixby, bari; Roger Craig, bass; Tom Pollard, lead; and Bill Wilcox, tenor) finishing in 19th place, and the SHARPKEEPERS from the Dearborn and Detroit #1 Chapter (Bill Rowell, lead; Bob Craig, bass; Gordon Limburg, bari; and Al Rehkop, tenor) ending up in 17th place.

During the convention, a high honor went to Mark Roberts of the Grosse Pointe Chapter when he was appointed to a seven-year term on the Harmony Foundation Committee. Mark had been for many years the international treasurer and by-laws expert.

Auto Towners

Flying Dutchmen

On May 14, the fourteenth annual Boyne City "Bush League" contest was held with a total of twelve quartets vying for the annual novice championship. The event which was moved to May this year found better than 400 from all over the Midwest in attendance. The winning quartet, the AUTO-TOWNERS (Glenn Van Tassell, lead; Clint Bostick, bari; Carl Dahlke, bass; and Dominic Palmieri, tenor) won the crown singing a Bill Diekema arrangement of "Just As Your Mother Was" and the Renee Craig arrangement of "The Vacant Chair." Close behind in second-place was the FLYING DUTCHMEN quartet of Holland (Jim Lucas, lead; Dave VanderVliet, bari; Dan VanderVliet, tenor; and Tom Bratt, bass), who just four weeks before had won the Michigan High School quartet championship. A highlight of the evening was the selection of the 1960 King of the Bush League, an award to a Michigan barbershopper who over the years has given continued support and encouragement to the Bush League. Ed Gaikema of Grand Rapids was selected for 1960.

Louis R. Harrington, the secretary of the district and a past district president, was nominated to represent the Michigan District on the newly established International Board of Directors. Charlevoix and the Michigan District lost one of Michigan's original and most enthusiastic SPEBSQSA members and Society workers when Dallas Henry died early in March. He was actually a barber in Charlevoix, and was one of the organizers of the Charlevoix Labor Day Jamboree. Another death occurring in August was that of Charley DeLong of the Oakland County Chapter. He had a record of service to the Oakland County Chapter that included 196 consecutive meetings, more than 16 years in which Charlie's name was on every monthly roll call. The amazing thing about Charlie was that he was considered a "crow" in barbershop parlance, but loved barbershop harmony so very much that he never missed a meeting. An award was set up by the Oakland County Chapter in his name and was presented every year until Oakland County merged with the Detroit #1 Chapter in 1986.

Ann Arbor Chapter reactivated

After a lapse of several years, the Ann Arbor Chapter was reactivated due to the hard work of John Comloquoy, the chief area counselor of the district. Sponsored by the Wayne Chapter, the chapter was rechartered on May 6 with more than 30 members.

Dearborn Chapter put on a great convention

Reputed at the time to be probably the "finest organized convention and contest in the history of the Michigan District—maybe the best ever held anywhere—," the district contest at Dearborn was held October 6-9, 1960. A field of 15 quartets competed for the Michigan district crown, with the AIRE-MALES from the Wayne and Dearborn Chapter reigning supreme, outsinging the new AUTO TOWNERS quartet (the most recent Bush League Champs), and the Oakland County CURBSTONE SERENADERS. The CHORDUROYS, also of Oakland County, won the junior championship—a class made up of quartets that have competed before but have not won a medalist position. The HURON-AIRES of Ann Arbor won the novice title—for quartets that have never competed before. Personnel for the CHORDUROYS included Mel Holderness, bass; Bernie Smith, lead; John Wearing, tenor; and Marv McClary, baritone. The third place CURBSTONE SERENADERS included Bob Marshall, tenor; Ed Lilly, lead; Tom Rafferty, bari; and Cliff Douglas, bass.

Port City "60"

In the chorus contest to determine Michigan's representative to the next international contest in Philadelphia, Muskegon posted their third straight victory over a field of 13 choruses under the direction of Al Burgess. In second place and only 13 points behind was the GATEWAY Chorus of the Niles-Buchanan Chapter under the direction of Bard Borst. Third place honors went to the Detroit #1 Chapter's MOTOR CITY Chorus under director Bob Luscombe. The junior championship went to the MALL CITY Chorus of Kalamazoo under Dick Peterson. Other choruses competing were the CHORD-O-MATICS of Dearborn, the BARBERY HOST of Oakland County, and the WINDMILL Chorus of Holland. The Windsor, Ann Arbor, Utica, and Branch County of Coldwater also had choruses in the contest.

Dues increase and membership benefit program proposal causes considerable controversy

An important piece of business at the meeting of the International House of Delegates at the Dallas convention was the proposed increase in per capita dues from $5.50 to $15 per year. The motion was passed subject to the ratification of the districts at their House of Delegates meeting. The proposal was accompanied with an explanation of direct benefits to the members which included: (1) Five field representatives to carry on the work started by Floyd Connett earlier. (2) A director of musical activities to set up programs of barbershop craft training, chorus director development, quartet coach training, instructions on song arranging, etc. (3) A public relations director to help sell our Society to the public. (4) A convention manager to help the districts improve their two yearly conventions. (5) Training of chapter and district officers so that more chapters can operate effectively. (6) Twelve Harmonizers a year instead of six.

The proposal received mixed reactions from the districts. The Society even went so far as to publish a special edition of the Harmonizer in August of 1960 explaining the plan in its entirety. As the Troubadour editorializing the defeat of the plan later, said: "Out of all the controversy that has swept across the nation while barbershoppers at the ground level, the districts and the chapters, were pondering the so-called member benefit plan, there has come one clear note—a call for decentralizing of control in the hands of any group far removed from the chapter meeting. ...SPEBSQSA is an American institution and Americans do not like to have anything forced down their throats. They are fair and will consider almost anyone's ideas if they are fairly submitted. The MBP was not fairly submitted." The arguments against the plan called for more volunteerism at the district and chapter levels, rather than a larger paid central staff and the perquisites that go with it.

It is interesting to note from an historical perspective, that as this history is being written in 1991, almost all of the proposals of the membership benefit plan have been incorporated into the organization. The recent dues increase (January, 1991) met with very little opposition compared to that encountered in 1960. Have we lost our willingness to combat big government and further bureaucratic growth?

District reorganized

John Comloquoy

Robert Walker

William Hansen

Al Burgess

A complete revamping of the district was set up and approved by the district House of Delegates. It called for the division of the district into four zones each manned by a district vice president. The vice presidents were elected at the annual election from each of the designated zones approved by the delegates. John Comloquoy, Jr., of Jackson was elected president with the adoption of the report of the Nominating Committee of which Past President Robert H. Walker was chairman. Vice presidents elected included: Chase Sanborn of Pontiac, Zone 1; William Hansen of Benton Harbor, Zone 2; Al Burgess of Muskegon, Zone 3; and Bob Tracy of Mackinac City, Zone 4. Louis Harrington was reelected secretary and John W. Klaiber was reelected treasurer.

Resolutions adopted for International Board consideration

Three resolutions by the Michigan District were addressed to the International Board of Directors at Kenosha for consideration at the midwinter convention in Milwaukee in January. The first was a draft of the consensus of chapters concerning a proposed raise in dues and accompanying services felt desired by the chapters. The directors were instructed to tell the International Board that Michigan favored an increase to $7 with a $1 rebate to the district. The majority of members said they wanted no further services from international than they enjoy now.

The second resolution asked that international lower the minimum requirements for members in a chapter from 25 to 20 and that the licensing proposal now in force be continued.

The third resolution Secretary Harrington was ordered to draft was to the effect that the International House of Delegates, with district presidents as delegates, should be re-established, and that the present changed setup to take effect on Jan. 1 be abolished. It was indicated in the discussions that it was also the idea that the House of Delegates be made smaller, including 15 district presidents and the international officers and that the present Board be abolished.

In Milwaukee, where the 1961 midwinter convention was held, Michigan's pleas to the international powers proved fruitless, with the vote to deny carried with only one dissenting vote, that of Lou Harrington, Michigan's representative. The dues resolution was tabled pending an exhaustive study by an International Committee to be presented at the Philadelphia convention. Apparently the third Michigan resolution was never introduced.

The district suffered a great loss on December 23, 1960, when Cecil Fischer, 59, suffered a heart attack while shoveling snow outside his home in Grand Rapids just eight days before his term as district president expired. He had been one of the most devoted barbershop workers in the entire society since he was introduced to four-part harmony in 1943.

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[1956]

[1957]

[1958]

[1959]

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