New officers elected
 Don Funk
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The 1975 district officers who were elected at the October 13 District House of Delegates meeting began their terms on January 1. Back in their second year as district officers were Don Funk as president; John T. Gillespie, executive v.p.; Vice Presidents Zone I, Doran McTaggart; Zone III, Tom Hegle; Zone IV, Warren Marsh; Zone V, Cliff Douglas, and Larry King, secretary. New on the Board was Zone II Vice President Dan LaBumbard, and Treasurer George Schmidt. Bill Warner was serving his second year as the international board member.
The midwinter convention was held in Hawaii
The International Board took advantage of the beautiful state of Hawaii for their 1975 midwinter convention. Approximately 600 barbershoppers and their families enjoyed the sunny climes in Honolulu January 29 to February 4, 1975. Outgoing President Leon Avakian reported that the Society's program of INVOLVEMENT had brought another all-time year-end membership high of 35,508 members (417 ahead of 1973). New President F. Richard Ellenberger stated that emphasis will be continued in 1975 on the Area Counselor program, Young Men in Harmony, Auditions for Admissions, Logopedics, and "Protention". In other actions, the Board approved the purchase of an additional building in Kenosha to alleviate the crowded conditions at the international office. It was approved with the proviso that a lessee (for the 15,000 square feet to be leased out) is obtained by May 1, 1975, and financing is available at a maximum of 9 percent. Also, the Board increased the convention registration fees to $25 for adults (from $20) and to $15 for youths (from $10) for transportation at the San Francisco convention (to and from the Cow Palace).
Society lose great friends
The Pioneer District suffered the loss of two great supporters early in 1975, Marshall Wells in January, and Duane Mosier in March. Wells, 68, was the farm editor for WJR, Detroit, and his "Town and Country" program from 5 to 6:30 a.m. six days a week became an institution across the Midwest area. The Town and Country show featured the latest in farm and agriculture information, livestock and market reports, and Marshall's favorite music gleaned from the recordings of the Society's finest barbershop quartets. Duane Mosier had spent more than 25 years in barbershopping and was well known in the Society for his storehouse of knowledge that suited him so ideally as the chronicler of Pioneer history. The many fine articles on the life and the people of the district and the Society that have appeared in the Troubadour from time to time have been his legacy to our members. His personal friendship with so many of the people who fill the pages of the Society's history made him uniquely qualified for his work.
Spring District convention held at Midland's Center for the Arts
Eighteen Pioneer District quartets went into the battle at the Spring contest in Midland's Center for the Arts Saturday, April 26, 1975; but when the showdown was over and the judges tallied the scores, every barbershopper in the district came away a winner.
 Vagabonds
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The VAGABONDS, with Dennis Gore, Ken Gibson, Norm Thompson, and baritone Clay Shumard replacing Tony Scooros, assured themselves of another shot at the gold in Indianapolis. The FOUR-FITS (John Wearing, tenor; Russ Seely, lead; Thom Hine, baritone and Marv Burke, bass), surprised a lot of people by edging the NORTHERN HI-LITES (Bob Demchak, tenor; Dave Caldwell, lead; Bob Wisdom, baritone, and Lee Hanson, bass) for the second spot allotted Pioneer in the international. The CLASSMATES from host chapter Saginaw-Bay were a strong fourth place finisher, followed by the STATELINERS from Monroe, who took fifth place with a tie-breaker in Harmony and Accuracy over the current district champs, the FOUR "D" MINORS of Battle Creek. The '73 District Champion GALAXIES with new tenor Bob Buffham, finished seventh in the evening finals.
Quartets included in the semi-finals not making the finals included the USED PARTS, PATCH CHORDS, METROCHORDS, SQUARE ROOT, INNOCENT BYSTANDERS, WARREN G. HARDING MEMORIAL FOUR, GOLDEN OLDIES, CHORDWOODS, SHORE FOUR, MODEL A FLATS and the EVIL COMPANIONS.
The Saginaw-Bay Chapter had the convention machinery well oiled and running smoothly for the horde of harmonizers who descended on Midland for the weekend convention.
 Motor City
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With 15 entries in the afternoon chorus competition, Bob Whitledge directed the MOTOR CITY Chorus from Detroit #1 to yet another district championship. The men in blue took the nod from the judges with "Make Believe" and "Back in the Old Routine". Grosse Pointe's LAKESHORE Chorus finished second, 76 points off the pace and 141 points ahead of the Silver Division champs, the CEREAL CITY Chorus from Battle Creek. Other competing choruses included Grand Rapids (fourth), Niles-Buchanan (fifth), Port Huron (sixth), Benton Harbor (seventh), Pontiac (eighth), Windsor (ninth), Gratiot County (tenth), Kalamazoo (eleventh), Cadillac (twelfth) and Alpena (thirteenth).
As in all barbershop conventions, there was a lot more than just the singing and contests in this one. The Board meeting on Friday night was a busy and productive session, as usual. International Vice President Sam Aramian sat in on the meeting and addressed the officers and guests, as he did on Sunday morning at the House of Delegates meeting. Sam proved to be a popular representative for the Society in his visit to Pioneer and made many new friends. He also proved a very adept MC at the morning quartet preliminaries.
Hall of Fame inducts four more members
The Pioneer District Hall of Fame inducted four outstanding barbershoppers at the Midland convention during the evening quartet finals. Rawley Hallman was on stage to receive his award from President Don Funk and joined John Hill, Roscoe Bennett, and Gordon Grant as the newest members on the growing list of those honored by the district for their contributions to the promotion of barbershopping in the Pioneer District.
Rawley Hallman
|  Don Funk
| John Hill
|  Roscoe Bennett
|  Gordon Grant
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We do not have pictures of the individuals named in the blank frames. If you have a picture of any missing individual and are willing to share it, please contact Steve Sutherland.
POINTE FOUR scores win in Boyne "Bush League" The annual Boyne City "Bush League" was held in Boyne City on May 3, 1975, celebrating the 29th year for the annual event. With 10 quartets giving it the old barbershop try, only one of them could walk away with that brass gaboon emblematic of the Bush League championship, and that one was the POINTE FOUR (Hank DeMars, tenor; Jim Phelan, lead; Dick Brouckaert, bass, and Gordy Dubrul, baritone). This fine quartet set sight on its first serious competition attempt and carried it home to Grosse Pointe. The POINTE FOUR edged Lansing's PATCH CHORDS by a mere six points. Other quartets competing included Oakland County's METROCHORDS, followed by Wayne's FINAL EDITION, the REPLACEMENTS, HEIRS OF HARMONY, the CHORDWOODS, the FLATLAND FOUR, MODEL A FLATS, and the GROSS EXAGGERATION, in that order. The evening show, with Doran McTaggart as Master of Ceremonies, featured the VOICE QUAD, the 1974 champs, relinquishing the crown to the POINTE FOUR, and both quartets entertained. The PATCH CHORDS carried the show into the intermission, after which the SNOW BELT Chorus, directed by Dale Hanson, gave the hometown fans something to cheer about. After the intermission, the NORTHERN HI-LITES gave the audience a sample of the kind of entertainment that the Bush League is all about. Indianapolis beckoned Society members for another great convention June 23-28, 1975 Some 9,000 fans cheered loudly as the new international champions, the HAPPINESS EMPORIUM, were crowned after the curtain finally came down following the annual barbershop madness on Saturday night. The quartet (Bob Dowma, tenor; Rod Johnson, lead; Jim Foy, bass, and Bob Spong, baritone) hailing from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area had gone through a meteoric rise to the top, having placed 24th in Portland two years before, rose to 9th at Kansas City, and came on to take the crown this year in great style. Houston's INNSIDERS, from the Southwestern District, took second place honors, with GRANDMA'S BOYS of the Illinois District getting the bronze medallion. The BOSTON COMMON, dropping down a notch from last year, barely nosed out our VAGABONDS from the Lansing and Oakland County Chapters, who stepped into the medalist bracket for the first time at Indianapolis. Pioneer's FOUR-FITS from the Grosse Pointe Chapter (John Wearing, tenor; Russ Seely, lead; Thom Hine, baritone, and Marv Burke, bass) gave it a great shot in their return to the competitive wars, finishing 31st. Lead Russ Seely, happy to have been on stage in such rarified air, said it all for the FOUR-FITS: "It's a real pleasure just to sing in such competition, but I realize that we are neither young enough or naive enough to be here. We're happy with our finish." In chorus competition, the VOCAL MAJORITY, directed by Jim Clancy and representing the Southwestern District, nosed out the PHOENICIANS to take the chorus crown on Saturday afternoon. The 91 men from the Dallas Metro Chapter amassed the highest point total ever in chorus competition—a whopping 2,155—and grabbed the trophy in their second appearance at the international. Pioneer's Wayne WONDERLAND Chorus, directed by Gordon Limburg, the only group testing the spirit waters of an international for the first time, finished 15th. The chorus gave a great performance in the big hall, and each and every member was a credit to Pioneer. The competition each year becomes more sophisticated, more difficult, and more demanding. The competitors, regardless of rank or finish, are all a credit to the Society, the district, and to their chapters. International Board elects Plummer F. Collins international president for 1976 The election of new officers by the Board found International Vice President-Treasurer Plummer F. Collins of the Seneca Land District elected to the office of international president for 1976. Samuel Aramian of the Far Western District was elected vice president along with Roger Thomas of the Land O'Lakes District. Ernie Hills of the Southwestern District was elected to the office of vice president-treasurer. In policy matters, based upon a year of correspondence and planning with the Barbershop Harmony Clubs in the United Kingdom, the Board approved a revised "Proposed Agreement for Affiliation with the British Association of Barbershoppers." In another action, upon Executive Committee recommendation, a policy regarding fees for licensing and chartering shows was adopted by the Board as follows: "All Society units, in keeping with the spirit of barbershopping, will not charge a performance fee for appearances on licensing and chartering shows. If it is necessary, due to distance or amount of expense, reimbursement by the host chapter for out-of-pocket expense would be in order." The Contest and Judging Committee earlier had recommended to the International Board combining the "Balance and Blend" and the "Harmony Accuracy" judging categories into a new category called "Sound" category. Just prior to the 1975 international convention, a group of previously qualified men met in Indianapolis to undergo four days of intensive training in the new Sound category. Those men who successfully completed the school were certified to judge in the new category, which became official when the International Board took the action to approve the new category at this meeting. At the annual PROBE meeting held in conjunction with every international, Jack Teubert, the editor of Oakland County's Gentlemen's Songster took the ninth place spot, and Bob Rock finished eleventh with the Detroit #1's Chapter Chips in the chapter bulletin competition. Both of those publications were saluted for their fine finish out of 30 bulletins submitted. Detroit's Moonlight Cruise another big success It's doubtful that the Henry Clay ever carried so many passengers at one time, and almost certainly its decks never rang with so much good barbershop music as did the annual Moonlight Cruise on the Bob-Lo in 1975. The Detroit #1 chapter hosted its 35th annual Bob-Lo cruise July 18 on the Detroit River with 1,702 harmony lovers on Board to enjoy the music of nine quartets and three great choruses. The Wayne WONDERLAND Chorus, fresh from Indianapolis, joined the Grosse Pointe LAKESHORE Chorus and the MOTOR CITY Chorus of the host chapter to make it a great evening. The FOUR-FITS quartet, fresh from Indianapolis, also performed for the huge throng. In spite of the threatening weather, it was a pleasant outing for everyone; and the rain held off just long enough for a great evening of dancing and barbershop harmony. Labor Day weekend at Harrisville a soggy success for Logopedics Once again, despite the 40 days and 40 nights of rain, barbershoppers and their families and friends, and the townspeople of Harrisville and Greenbush demonstrated their support for Logopedics. Oakland County and Pontiac spearheaded several fund-raising activities, had a lot of fun, and gained a great deal of satisfaction from doing so. The total donations and money raised at Harrisville by Oakland County for Logopedics was $771.89. The Oakland County Board of Directors at its last meeting voted to add $528.11 to the pot for a grand total of $1,300 which was presented at the House of Delegates meeting in Grand Rapids the following month. While the rain may have dampened some of the outdoor activities, it certainly didn't dampen the giving of the good people in attendance. Come to think of it, the rain didn't dampen many of the outside activities either, as all the scheduled and unscheduled events managed to come off as planned, and a great time was had by all. New chapter is chartered at Clinton Valley Population growth in the Utica and the Rochester area, plus the newer cities of Troy and Sterling Heights, made the Clinton Valley region a viable area for forming a new chapter. It took a lot of sacrifice on the part of men like Tom Gay and District Treasurer George Schmidt to curtail their activities with a live chapter like Detroit #1 in order to devote their time to organization. But along with veteran Chorus Director Stan Salter and a few other enthusiastic supporters, they made the move. Happily for all concerned, it paid off, and a brand new chapter was chartered with 43 members on August 14, 1975. There were others, of course, who worked hard to make a go of the fledgling chapter. Zone V Vice President Cliff Douglas and Area Counselor Dick Guerin spent many hours in the vineyards. Pontiac, Port Huron, and the Grosse Pointe Chapters pitched in to give assistance, along with the FOUR-FITS, the SOUND OBJECTIVE, and many others. Clinton Valley scheduled its charter show in Utica on December 6, 1975. Grand Rapids convention was a real winner! Pioneer District barbershoppers gathered in Grand Rapids for their fall convention and contests on the second weekend in October; and, like all Pioneer get-togethers, they returned home feeling they had just experienced one of the greatest three days of their lifetime. With 17 quartets and 12 choruses on stage, the three sessions in the Civic Auditorium were the center of attention on Saturday. The competition was intense, the music was barbershop, and the execution was terrific. The CLASSMATES from Saginaw-Bay jumped off to a big lead in the morning semi-finals and stretched their lead in the evening finals to win the Pioneer District Quartet contest by 252 points in a strong performance that left little doubt as to the outcome. Tom Peil, lead; Bob Glover, baritone, and Len Johnson, bass were members of the Saginaw-Bay Chapter. The new tenor with the CLASSMATES, Jim Johnson, was from the Battle Creek Chapter. The big surprise of the evening was the solid singing of the SOUND SPECTRUM, a new quartet comprised of members of two of the District's newest chapters, Port Huron and Clinton Valley, and one member from Grosse Pointe (Galen Oliver, lead; Dennis Phelan, tenor; Brian Kaufman, baritone, and Jack Slamka, bass). The SOUND SPECTRUM was tied with the ROLLING TONES in that spot following the morning session; but the ROLLING TONES slipped to fourth in the finals as the STATELINERS came on strong to take third after the judges broke a tie with the second place winners, who edged them in the Sound category according to the contest rules. Other quartets making the finals included the STATELINERS, the ROLLING TONES, the FINAL EDITION, the SOUND OBJECTIVE, and the PATCH CHORDS in that order. Quartets that appeared in the semi-finals included the HARMONY HELMSMEN, METROCHORDS, WARREN G. HARDING MEMORIAL FOUR, INNOCENT BYSTANDERS, FLATLAND FOUR, FRINGE BENEFIT, OAKLAND COUNTS, WITH ONE A-CHORD, RANSOM NOTES, and the EVIL COMPANIONS. MOTOR CITY Chorus wins trip to San Francisco
The pride of Detroit #1 Chapter racked up a decisive edge in the Interpretation and Stage Presence categories to edge out Oakland County's WOLVERINE Chorus by a total of 47 points at the Civic Auditorium on October 11 to win the district preliminaries. Bob Whitledge led MOTOR CITY to the big win with "Back In The Old Routine" and "Ma, She's Making Eyes At Me". The WOLVERINE Chorus under the direction of Glenn Van Tassell gave away only two points in the new Sound category, and another two in arrangement as they came off second best for the second year in a row following a brief hiatus from competition. The host chapter's GREAT LAKES Chorus, with Chuck Buffham at the helm, put on a fine performance to capture the third spot. Other chapters with choruses competing included the following: Battle Creek, Traverse City, Grosse Pointe, Kalamazoo, Niles-Buchanan, Port Huron, Benton Harbor-St. Joe, Jackson and Milford.
4 Fits
Wonderland
Classmates
[index]
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[Contents]
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